The following are bits of stories I have written. Despite them having the same (sometimes) characters, they are not related, as they represent me trying out different genres for the (essentially same) story.
This one's self contained and makes the most sense of all them. So if you want to read anything, I'd recommend this one:
Spoiler:
As a young girl, Daisy had often looked up at the skies of a night-time and gazed upon the stars that danced their celestial paths across the sky. This, she understood, was not an uncommon practice amongst children like her. She had often read about famous astronauts who had begun like her with their heads tilted skyward towards the vast expanse of the cosmos. Her father had even admitted to it being one of his greatest inspirations. However, unlike her friends, Daisy’s unique experiences had forced her to adopt a far less idealistic view of what lay beyond Earth. She didn’t see space as some new ocean to be crossed or the final frontier in human exploration, but rather an infinite expanse of cold, dark isolation. A place where one misplaced calculation or a tiny crack in the thin shell between you and the void would warrant in your untimely, inevitably gruesome demise.
She had come to this pragmatic realisation while still at a young age, and the echoes of the grim reality she faced continued to be a driving force throughout her life. A force which had helped her survive through many experiences that she had no real right to walk away from. A force which was telling the much older Daisy that now clung desperately to a wrung on the hull of the Aurora to tremble violently and perspire to the point where she was beginning to regret not donning one the air-conditioned suits that Captain Grant had so generously offered to her several minutes prior. It certainly wasn’t out of some buried notion of astraphobia- it was a completely healthy, realistic view. Although, perhaps, her grip was a bit too tight for the soft metal to handle.
She blamed Ovak for this. How she could have ever been so stupid as to let a robot talk her into experience something for “the incredible beauty of it” was completely beyond her current comprehension. There she was at breakfast with the rest of the crew haply enjoying a bowl of real cornflakes when he had sat down in front of her with that perfectly simulated knowing smile of his. In retrospect, she probably would have referred to it as ‘grinning like an idiot’. But then he said that he had the most wonderful idea ever that she positively must try - in those words no less – after her mumbled response she found herself half carried, half shoved out the airlock. She took note that if any of them ever wanted to stage a mutiny, there really wasn’t much she could do.
The damn tin can probably knew how much she hated space. No, he definitely knew. Daisy took another hesitant glance upward, which only caused her to reel and grip the railing tighter. Right now she wanted nothing more than to repurpose Ovak as a toaster.
Then again, he rarely did things without a good reason. No, he never did things without a good reason. What was he trying to accomplish? Is he trying to make me face my fears … shortcomings? Unlikely; it’s not like space travel is something any of them were likely to be doing again anytime soon. Is he trying to make me look like a bad leader? She was pretty sure that would contradict his base programming. Still, it’s was pointless to speculate now. She really needed to face her shortcomings and let go of the railing, or face abject humiliation at the hands of her so-called friends for the rest of their trip.
Then again, maybe if could roll over she could see. She got halfway through the roll before she decided against it and turned back to glistening ceramic in front of her. There was no way she was going out there. She would just lie about letting go. They’d never know the difference and she wouldn’t be ridiculed.
She began to climb back up the ladder but was interrupted by static in her earpiece, followed by Ovak’s voice; “Daisy, we can all see you. We’re not letting you in until you let go of the ship.”
Daisy banged her head against the nearest wrung several times. That was a stupid idea. Of course it was. She should’ve known they’d be watching. There was no getting around it, she was going to have to let go.
She remembered what her father had used to tell her about facing your fears. That our deepest fear is not that we’re inadequate, but that we are powerful beyond measure. It gave her some solace as a child, until she learned that it wasn’t his quote at all but that it belonged to some 20th Century lecturer. Thanks Dad, for lying to me. The advice still held though. She could let go, and face the void. It’s not like she really had a choice.
I can do this, she thought, I can do this. I am going to this. Right…. “Now!” she concluded with a shout. She screw her eyes shut and threw herself away from the railing and into the void. She made it all of fifty meters out before she had to fire her manoeuvring thrusters and slow her pace to a crawl. Entirely out of practical concern. Perhaps with a mite of fear.
She tried to calm herself. Ten breaths. Ten slow breaths. That’s what her father had taught her to do when she was sad, when she was angry, or when she afraid. The action helped when she was feeling any one of those, but experience had told her that is was futile to quell all three at once.
Now calmer, she opened her eyes. The sun shone brightly down onto the top of the Aurora, painting the tiles in a brilliant glow. Starting from somewhere underneath the ship and stretching above her line of sight was the Milky Way. It was a dominating expanse of stars and dust that floated amongst the ether, beckoning her into the wonder of the universe. Maybe she was wrong and Ovak didn’t have a reason, and he simply did wish her to experience the beauty of space.
She stared into the expanse for nearly a whole minute before being interrupted by Ovak. “You see, it was worth it, wasn’t it?” He paused for a few seconds, seeming talking to someone in the background, “Spike’s had an idea. Hold still, we’re sending something out to you.” Daisy was happy to oblige.
It was only a brief moment before her earpiece flared into life again, this time with the coarser voice of Spike; “We sent ya a little present. We think you’ll know what ta do with it.”
Daisy give a little bit of thrust and glided back to the air lock. Floating there was a bottle of champagne. Krug, Vintage 2051. She regarded it with a strange burning in her heart. Not taking her eyes away from the bottle, she took off her helmet. She doubted she really needed it. Her ears popped, and her tongue tingled as all the moisture instantly evaporated. The sensation of the air being sucked from her lungs was unpleasant, but not painful. It was peaceful. She could feel the warmth of the sun on her head, and the quiet enfolded her like a blanket.
Carefully placing her helmet beside her, Daisy grabbed the bottle and popped the cork. She put her thumb over the seal to stop of from instantly vaporising, and raised it. “Here’s to you, Dad, you crazy bastard. Perhaps you were on to something after all.” He would’ve given anything to experience space as she could and be to here with her now. She took a swig of the bottle. She only managed to get a few drops, but it was enough. It wasn’t really meant for her anyway.
She had come to this pragmatic realisation while still at a young age, and the echoes of the grim reality she faced continued to be a driving force throughout her life. A force which had helped her survive through many experiences that she had no real right to walk away from. A force which was telling the much older Daisy that now clung desperately to a wrung on the hull of the Aurora to tremble violently and perspire to the point where she was beginning to regret not donning one the air-conditioned suits that Captain Grant had so generously offered to her several minutes prior. It certainly wasn’t out of some buried notion of astraphobia- it was a completely healthy, realistic view. Although, perhaps, her grip was a bit too tight for the soft metal to handle.
She blamed Ovak for this. How she could have ever been so stupid as to let a robot talk her into experience something for “the incredible beauty of it” was completely beyond her current comprehension. There she was at breakfast with the rest of the crew haply enjoying a bowl of real cornflakes when he had sat down in front of her with that perfectly simulated knowing smile of his. In retrospect, she probably would have referred to it as ‘grinning like an idiot’. But then he said that he had the most wonderful idea ever that she positively must try - in those words no less – after her mumbled response she found herself half carried, half shoved out the airlock. She took note that if any of them ever wanted to stage a mutiny, there really wasn’t much she could do.
The damn tin can probably knew how much she hated space. No, he definitely knew. Daisy took another hesitant glance upward, which only caused her to reel and grip the railing tighter. Right now she wanted nothing more than to repurpose Ovak as a toaster.
Then again, he rarely did things without a good reason. No, he never did things without a good reason. What was he trying to accomplish? Is he trying to make me face my fears … shortcomings? Unlikely; it’s not like space travel is something any of them were likely to be doing again anytime soon. Is he trying to make me look like a bad leader? She was pretty sure that would contradict his base programming. Still, it’s was pointless to speculate now. She really needed to face her shortcomings and let go of the railing, or face abject humiliation at the hands of her so-called friends for the rest of their trip.
Then again, maybe if could roll over she could see. She got halfway through the roll before she decided against it and turned back to glistening ceramic in front of her. There was no way she was going out there. She would just lie about letting go. They’d never know the difference and she wouldn’t be ridiculed.
She began to climb back up the ladder but was interrupted by static in her earpiece, followed by Ovak’s voice; “Daisy, we can all see you. We’re not letting you in until you let go of the ship.”
Daisy banged her head against the nearest wrung several times. That was a stupid idea. Of course it was. She should’ve known they’d be watching. There was no getting around it, she was going to have to let go.
She remembered what her father had used to tell her about facing your fears. That our deepest fear is not that we’re inadequate, but that we are powerful beyond measure. It gave her some solace as a child, until she learned that it wasn’t his quote at all but that it belonged to some 20th Century lecturer. Thanks Dad, for lying to me. The advice still held though. She could let go, and face the void. It’s not like she really had a choice.
I can do this, she thought, I can do this. I am going to this. Right…. “Now!” she concluded with a shout. She screw her eyes shut and threw herself away from the railing and into the void. She made it all of fifty meters out before she had to fire her manoeuvring thrusters and slow her pace to a crawl. Entirely out of practical concern. Perhaps with a mite of fear.
She tried to calm herself. Ten breaths. Ten slow breaths. That’s what her father had taught her to do when she was sad, when she was angry, or when she afraid. The action helped when she was feeling any one of those, but experience had told her that is was futile to quell all three at once.
Now calmer, she opened her eyes. The sun shone brightly down onto the top of the Aurora, painting the tiles in a brilliant glow. Starting from somewhere underneath the ship and stretching above her line of sight was the Milky Way. It was a dominating expanse of stars and dust that floated amongst the ether, beckoning her into the wonder of the universe. Maybe she was wrong and Ovak didn’t have a reason, and he simply did wish her to experience the beauty of space.
She stared into the expanse for nearly a whole minute before being interrupted by Ovak. “You see, it was worth it, wasn’t it?” He paused for a few seconds, seeming talking to someone in the background, “Spike’s had an idea. Hold still, we’re sending something out to you.” Daisy was happy to oblige.
It was only a brief moment before her earpiece flared into life again, this time with the coarser voice of Spike; “We sent ya a little present. We think you’ll know what ta do with it.”
Daisy give a little bit of thrust and glided back to the air lock. Floating there was a bottle of champagne. Krug, Vintage 2051. She regarded it with a strange burning in her heart. Not taking her eyes away from the bottle, she took off her helmet. She doubted she really needed it. Her ears popped, and her tongue tingled as all the moisture instantly evaporated. The sensation of the air being sucked from her lungs was unpleasant, but not painful. It was peaceful. She could feel the warmth of the sun on her head, and the quiet enfolded her like a blanket.
Carefully placing her helmet beside her, Daisy grabbed the bottle and popped the cork. She put her thumb over the seal to stop of from instantly vaporising, and raised it. “Here’s to you, Dad, you crazy bastard. Perhaps you were on to something after all.” He would’ve given anything to experience space as she could and be to here with her now. She took a swig of the bottle. She only managed to get a few drops, but it was enough. It wasn’t really meant for her anyway.
This one's also self contained, but is a lot longer:
Spoiler:
The Daedalus Affliction
Daisy sat in the waiting room, doing her best to look innocuous. It wasn’t working well; the other patients were all cowering in the opposite corner. She didn’t usually care about her intimidating appearance or the effect it had on others, but it certainly didn’t help her confidence.
The bell rang as another patient walked out of Dr Yonto’s office. Daisy shifted uncomfortably on her seat, apprehensive. She bit her tongue for a second then blurted out, “This is a bad idea.”
The plasticine figure of Ovak turned to face her. There was definitely something off about the face he was wearing today, but Daisy couldn’t quite put her finger on it. He raised an eyebrow. “We agreed this was the best course of action.”
“I think you mean that you did the agreeing for me.” There was a hint of bitterness in Daisy’s tone.
“You said yourself that you are in a state of emotional unrest. Dr Yonto can help you. Hence, I booked this appointment.”
“I said I wanted to talk to someone. I didn’t mean a psychologist!”
“Considering the circumstances, I don’t believe there’s anyone you should, or indeed even could, trust. The only option was to vie for someone who is legally bound to keep your past – or future as the case may be – a secret. Don’t worry, the neuro-inhibiters you have taken will start to take effect in a moment. You should have no problem ¬-”
“Ms Belus, Dr Yonto will see you now.” A secretary had appeared at the doorway. She smiled nervously at Daisy’s scowl and, making an odd humming sound, scuttled back to the front desk.
“Do you see what I mean? You need to stop intimidating everyone you meet. I’m sure you’ll be fine. I can stay with you, if you really want.” Ovak stood and began moving to the doorway.
Daisy pulled a puzzled face. I’m not that intimidating, am I? Surely not. She followed Ovak and moved toward the doorway, trying not to be offended at the way a patient pulled his son close and glared at her. She had to duck slightly to fit under the door frame.
Daisy was impressed with Dr. Yonto’s office: he clearly had good taste: insomuch as he had an affinity to the colour red. It had the same polished wooden floor as the waiting room, partially covered with a large patterned cinnamon rug. The walls were a vivid vermillion. The table was hewn from an expensive redwood, as was the shelf behind it. The chairs boasted red leather upholstery.
Dr. Yonto greeted Daisy with a warm simile. “I see you like my little office. Is it the red? I’ve always loved the colour. I say that red is like the fire of the human spirit. Probably doesn’t compare to anything you’re used to though.” He smiled and offered a hand to shake. Daisy tried her best not to break it; but even so, it was unlikely he would be writing anything for a few days.
Cradling his injured hand and doing his best to ignore the pain, he sat behind his desk. “I’ve heard a lot about you, Ms. Belus. I’m very honoured to have you here. It’s not every day we get patients from the future. Although, I’m guessing that’s partly why you’re here; am I right? You’re having some difficulty adjusting to a… normal life?”
Daisy nodded.
“I thought as much, your son seemed quite concerned for your wellbeing when he contacted us.”
Wait… son? Daisy was puzzled, but a glance over to Ovak helped her to realize what she’d missed about him before. His appearance seemed strange because it seemed similar to her own. He must’ve posed as her son to bypass the medical laws and get her in here. Clever ploy. She sat down on the couch, which she hadn’t noticed at first, tucked away from the door as it was. She didn’t really want to break any of Yonto’s chairs. “In all honesty, I don’t really know why I’m here. It was his idea”. She gestured to Ovak who was standing by the door as bolt as a signpost. Yonto swivelled to face him. “Well, what seems to be the problem?”
“She’s experiencing multiple symptoms of PTSD. She is prone to outbursts of anger, recklessness, nightmares, anxiety and also lack of empathy towards others.”
“Oh my. Nothing I need to be worried about, is there?” He gave a friendly wink to Daisy.
Daisy practically growled, but not entirely with malice. “Just so long as you never do that again.” She sighed. “So, do you really want to know what happened?”
Yonto placed his hands on the desk empathetically. “If that’s where you wish to begin, then by all means.”
Daisy sighed again. This wasn’t going to be the easiest conversation she had. Still, couldn’t hurt to try. Maybe Ovak was right and it would help her get over her past “tragedies”. She could always kill Yonto if worse came to worse.
On second thoughts, maybe that would be a bad idea. She briefly looked over the room, and decided she really had nothing to lose. It shouldn’t be too hard to turn Yonto into a pale shivering figure; and it sure would be fun to watch.
“Tell me, doctor, do you know why I look the way I do?”
“I only know what I’ve heard on the news. Although I presume it’s the result of gene mods? Expensive ones, by the looks of things.” He gave another smile. If Daisy had a dollar…
Struggling not to roll her eyes, Daisy continued. “Obviously. But do you know why?”
Yonto shook his head. Daisy noted Ovak leaving the room. He clearly wanted Daisy to handle this herself, for “maximum benefit” or some such.
“I thought as much.” She paused. “Tell me, doctor, do you have a family?”
He looked vaguely pensive. “I had a wife.”
“I see. So you know what it feels like then.”
“Like what feels like?”
“To lose someone.” He nodded empathetically. Daisy detected a slight loss of colour in his face already. She pressed on. “Now tell me, what lengths would you have gone to in order to save your wife?”
“It was a prion disease. Completely incurable.”
“Say you could. What lengths would you go to?”
“I… I don’t know.”
“Would you die for her? To save her?”
“Yes.”
“Would you kill?”
“I… maybe. Yes. Yes I would. What are you getting at?”
Daisy nodded with an air of satisfaction. “What am I getting at? It’s quite simple doctor. I turned myself into a living weapon; sacrificing decades off my life, sacrificing whole chunks of my humanity for one simple purpose: to protect the ones I loved. To protect my family.” She took a deep, but shaky breath. Her next words were spoken in a tone uncharacteristic of her stoic character “And I failed.”
Yonto was quick to pick up the thread. “Not entirely. You still have your son don’t you? Ovak, he said his name was. Right?”
Daisy gave a mirthless chuckle. “Ovak is a synthetic; a robot. You seriously couldn’t tell?” Yonto shook his head in confusion. “No? Well, he is… was… a commander in the 4th Enforcer regiment. He came with me from the future to help me stop Lapsus.”
Yonto seemed genuinely surprised. Daisy considered offering him a reference to an optometrist.
“My son – my real son: Myke – died. I failed him. And my husband - Reymond. I failed them both, doctor.” She paused for a moment. The pills she’d taken earlier were starting to take effect- she had stopped choking up on her words and her mind was becoming quieter by the minute.
“I see. Do you want to talk about it? You don’t have to if you don’t want, of course.”
She was feeling better by the second. Oh, this was going to be fun.
“I can trust you not to reveal anything I may say about the future? I have spent a great deal of time being vague in all the interviews I’ve been pushed into, and I probably don’t need to tell you what repercussion there might be if information I might reveal about the future were to get around in this time.”
“Of course: everything is private. One of the few places left where that can be said earnestly. No electronic records: everything’s on paper. No-one has access to your records that you don’t want to.”
“Good. So tell me, doctor, what have you heard about me?”
“As I said, only what I’ve seen in the news. You’re from some vague apocalyptic future and you came back to stop the boy who apparently caused the whole thing. You had half the Enforcer Corps chasing after you before you finally convinced them that you weren’t a lunatic and in turn they helped you track him down and put him in cryosleep. Personally, I’d say you have a tendency to be a little… sarcastic – if I was to be brutally honest. But I think you know that much already.” He tried a smile again; this one with a hint of apology.
“All correct doctor. Now, what I haven’t told the news station is who exactly this “boy” is. You see, his name is Lapsus; and he is my brother.”
“Your brother? But that would make you… Daisy? You… abducted your younger self?”
“It would seem the answer to that was apparent.”
“Why?”
“Simple, really. I knew from my own experience my reaction to… unexpected familial departures. Lapsus and I had drifted apart by the time the bastard betrayed us all, but in this time…. In this time I was very much protective of him. My original aim was to come back to a time before I met him and then I wouldn’t need to explain to my younger self why he needed a bullet in the head.”
“Sorry, met him?”
“He was adopted… in a manner of speaking. He escaped from an illegal research facility. My family took him in.”
“That would explain his… gifts.” Yonto mumbled more to himself than Daisy.
“He’s the bastard that brought down The Veil and ruined the world. My brother.” Daisy paused, picking up the earlier threads. “My husband and I met in a military programme. We’d both been selected for experimental gene and bionic enhancements- apparently with both had the DNA for it. Why you need good genes in order to modify them is beyond me, but that’s what the doctors told us. Physically, the risk was enormous, but in terms of remuneration-“ Daisy paused and considered her past occupation.
“It was worth it.” Daisy nodded affirmatively. “We, along with the fifteen others in the programme were tasked with taking down Lapsus. We were the only two on the mission that had any personal investment – Lapsus had betrayed me and Rey’s wife and infant son had been killed when Lapsus brought down The Veil. We became close in the months of chasing Lapsus do the depths of Hell and back. He was desperate to escape the memory of his past- to move on. I was desperately clinging onto the Lapsus I once knew as a child. We… balanced each other out; I suppose. And so, once Lapsus ran out of ferret holes to hide and we finally brought him in, we stayed together- drawing ourselves into a mutual balance. Six months later, we got married. I was 23 then, but I’d already seen more in the world than most people do in a lifetime. It wasn’t war - not at least as far as I can tell – but there were some things that happened on that hunt that are best left unspoken.”
“Experiences you and Reymond shared.”
“Exactly. And so we had Myke and for twelve years we were a happy family. I learnt to let go of the past, and Rey learnt to remember it and together we raised Myke with all the skill a widower and a warrior could muster. Which was, needless to say, not all that much. Myke wasn’t exactly the easiest of children.” Daisy smiled with melancholy at the memories of her son – fancy pills could only do so much to her.
“So he wasn’t easy. Provided a bit of a challenge for you then?”
“Oh! All the time. It didn’t help that he was very bright. But we still loved him, every time he got caught hacking into the school computer systems or making homemade weapons, or what have you. But we also worried for him – we were worried that one day he’d do something he’d regret and the consequences would be greater than a few detentions or a week of being grounded.” Daisy paused.
“We were right of course. He did end up doing something stupid. So, so stupid.” The sensation inside her was funny. She could feel the pain deep inside her yet the drugs smothered them like a blanket of snow. It was still there. Just hidden. Daisy loved the snow. 2137 had been the first year it was cold enough to snow in decades; it was the first time Daisy had seen it in real life. It was a week before Myke’s tenth birthday when it first happened. It was all over the news: ‘A great testament to the miraculous work of geoengineering- repairing the planet bit by bit’.
“Do you wish to continue?”
Daisy realised she hadn’t said anything for nearly a minute. She shook herself out of the snow. “Yes, sorry. Do you know it snows? In the future? It snows again.”
“It sounds wonderful, Ms. Ticron.”
“It is. Was. Will be?”
Yonto laughed, almost causing Daisy to spontaneously smile.
She continued. “But yes, for twelve years we were a happy family. Then something unthinkable happened. Lapsus escaped. Nobody knew how, he was put into a virtual reality and kept in a coma. But somehow he did: he destroyed twenty guards- both synthetic and human. Mercilessly. And then he vanished. Fearing that he may try and bring down The Veil again, new security measures were installed. What we didn’t realize at the time was that Lapsus planted the ideas for these security measure into the minds of the programmers. And so, what we did to protect our world became its undoing.” Daisy stopped to consider the irony
“Lapsus took control over the system and turned it against us. Every centrally-based synthetic, computer, and machine fell under his control. More than eighty percent of all systems. The Enforcers that were left had no choice but to reactivate old pre-Veil military systems. They were primitive, but they were foreign to Lapsus and therefore secure.”
“What happened next?”
“What do think happened next? War. Carnage. Death. Sometimes it seemed far away. My team was a perfect fighting machine: we could win every battle. But we were only human, we could never win the war. We hit all the factories we could to stop him from producing more weapons and synthetics. Power plants too. It slowed him down, for a bit. But in the end, ‘slow him down’ was all we could do. He used chemical weapons on unshielded cities and refugee camps. Hundreds of millions died. There were a few safe places: the city of Novus was a globally sourced space-habitat, capable of supporting millions of people. It became one of the largest safe-houses.” Daisy paused and took a deep breath. Just when her life had begun to become normal, war had to drag her back.
She continued. “The ‘unthinkable’ has happened so many times in my life you’d think I wouldn’t have been surprised when Rey died. I knew what we were doing- what we were risking. Having a child… it changes you. You see the world differently. We couldn’t leave Myke alone, but we knew that if we didn’t fight, didn’t protect him – that there wouldn’t be a world left for him. That’s how we justified it to ourselves. Every synthetic we shot, crushed, burnt, or electrocuted was for Myke. But then Rey… died…” Daisy choked under the memory. The drugs kept the feeling fuzzy, but it still smothered her – like a blanket of snow.
Yonto was becoming paler as Daisy’s tale went on. He lived in a world were peace was supreme and war was a distant but dark memory. The future Daisy laid out before him was the stuff of fiction and nightmares. It was no wonder she had risked everything to come back and change it. He brought his full attention back to Daisy as she regained her composure.
“I lost it after that. The web of lies I constructed to keep myself going had been slashed straight through. My team continued on without me, but with ever diminishing hope. The Aurora arrived from Tartarus. But it could only carry so many people…”
“Sorry… the what?”
“Oh… sorry.” The question caught Daisy completely off guard, shattering the drama she’d been building somewhat. “The Aurora. It was the first FTL ship ever made. You’d probably find it’s under construction right now if you bothered to take a look.”
“I see.” He made a mental note to investigate further while he waited for Daisy to continue.
Daisy puzzled for a moment. “But yes… the Aurora came. It was going to ferry as many people to Mars as it could. The colonies there could support a bit over a million people. There was a lottery. It was unpopular, but fair. Myke was among those chosen but he refused to go. He insisted on staying with me. His place was taken by an office worker for a green-energy firm. Or at least it would’ve been. Had… Had…”
“Had what, Ms. Belus?” Yonto leaned forward intently.
“I’d sunk into a terrible state. Myke was on the verge of running away, he was so scared. He admitted that to me later. But I didn’t know it at the time. I hardly remember anything from those long weeks. Only pain, and anger, and fear. Some days I remember clearer than others. I woke one morning in more lucid state to find police in my bedroom. They say I murdered him. The office worker. I must’ve somehow thought that he was stealing Myke’s place aboard the Aurora. Destruction was my forte, so I acted. I didn’t even know.”
“That must’ve been terrible for you. To not even remember…”
“Oh, not really. I think forgetting is far better than remembering. It’s not like I needed another face to add to my nightmares. Besides, there weren’t really any consequences. What with the world ending and all. The police force was jury-rigged together. They were there to stop rioting and keep the people from spreading more chaos from being wrought. They had more important things to do than worry about petty murder.” Petty murder. I suppose everything only matters in its perspective.
“I… see…”
“Anyway, I was needed back in action on the ‘frontline’, as it were. While the Aurora evacuated citizens and what military we could muster held Lapsus’ army at bay, I was tasked with escorting people into the old bunkers. I didn’t know at the time, but the plan was to carpet bomb the entire surface of the Earth with anti-matter weapons. The emergency government we had knew it was the only way to ensure the survival of humans as species. Unfortunately, it involved destroying all of civilization and killing billions. Still, it beats the nuclear option. At least we could start rebuilding immediately rather than having to wait centuries to be able to step outside.”
“I’m in no position to pass judgement, but either option seems pretty desperate to me.”
“Oh, we were desperate. We were very, very desperate. So I was trafficking refugees into bunkers, with the aid of what soldiers and synthetics we could spare. It was getting close to the date of the bombing, the Aurora was making its last trip and I was escorting the last group - around a thousand: families, children. Myke was among them. I still hadn’t been told what was going to happen, but I had an inkling. It made my work harder- I knew that for every man, woman, and child that I brought underground there were a hundred more out there somewhere, who were going to die. Not just die, but have their entire existence erased- every last trace of them. ‘Save as many as I could.’ That was my motto. My plan. It kept me on track. My love for my son may have kept me going in the early stages, but after Rey… I had to accept that the world was bigger than just myself and my family. And no matter how bad I felt… there was someone else out there who had lost more, or was going to lose more than I ever did.”
“Under the circumstances, I am very impressed you managed to keep going.”
“It wasn’t easy. Even after I managed to wrangle the psychological breakdowns under control, I was still plagued physically by gene mods, which had become even more extreme and experimental. When I wasn’t on missions I spent my time studying biochemistry and genetics, so I could provide some input into the whole process. A combination of my tactical knowledge and the newfound scientific knowledge meant that I had some practical ideas, actually. One problem we encountered was on the aerial front.” She closed her eyes and remembered the sounds of the drones that brought death with them.
She opened her eyes. “We had very few ways to combat their aircraft. We jury-rigged as many civilian aircraft as we could, but Lapsus had control over all the Enforcer craft. Then I had this wild idea to give our soldiers wings. At first, Ovak and the other officers thought I was insane. But it made sense, really. Normal humans are far too heavy for powered flight, but super-soldiers like myself are far lighter. Plus, the weapons they had were designed to destroy electronic equipment- not people. Except for their neurotoxin, which only had partial effects on super-soldiers anyway. So I had Ovak graft artificially grown wings onto a group of volunteer soldiers. And Myke as well: I was giving him many of the mods I thought were reliable. To keep him safe. The whole thing was a crazy plan, or as Ovak put it; it was an idea so insane that only a human could’ve come up with it.” Daisy smiled. “But it worked. Lapsus didn’t expect it and there was little he could do to counter it.”
“Curious tactic. Not that I’d know.”
“As I said, we were desperate. Now, where was I up to?”
“You were escorting a group of refugees to a bunker.”
Daisy’s smile dropped. “Right. Well, there I was, escorting a group of a few thousand into an old bunker. We were having a whale of a time, as you might expect, what with them whining the whole way. I don’t know what they were complaining about, they had trucks to ride in. I had to fly. So, progress was slow. To make matters worse, there was a patrol group of synthetics in the area- it was a road we used commonly and Lapsus knew that. We used cloaking technology to hide ourselves, but that was only a long-distance measure. We knew that if they got too close, they’d call in back-up and then there’d be attack craft all over us and a few canisters of nerve-gas later there’d be nothing but a few thousand corpses, broken machinery and me, probably. I’d survived an attack like that before. I’ve seen a lot of devastation in my lifetime, doctor, but that scene haunts me every day. And night.” Daisy paused, trying to shake of the ghosts of twisted figures, caught frozen in the agony of their deaths.
“It sounds like you have lot of that. Haunting, that this.” Daisy noticed his voice was thin, but with a surprising undercurrent of resoluteness. But she ignored his comment.
“They called rest. On the second night of travel. They refused to sleep in a moving truck, and insisted they set up a camp. I told them they were being idiots. But the rule of any group is that the intelligence falls to the lowest common denominator. I counter-insisted we needed to press on or risk being discovered. If it had just been a group of idiot refugees, I might’ve been fine to let them get themselves all killed. But with Myke there…. I wasn’t happy. Not happy at all.” Daisy’s train of thought wandered elsewhere.
“You know, when I first had the idea for wings Ovak suggested we call it the Daedalus Squadron. I told him that would be a bad idea, because Daedalus lost his son and that wasn’t really something I wanted to happen to me. We ended up calling ourselves The Valkyries.” She snorted. “Given what happened, Daedalus would’ve been better. Or at least more ironic.”
“And what did happen?”
“Exactly what I knew would happen. The patrol found us. They sent off for air support. I and the other soldiers who were flight-capable flew out to try and stop them while Ovak and the rest stayed with the convoy to put up a force-field and protect the refugees. We were very lucky- Lapsus was orchestrating a large attack on Tokyo and so there were few aircraft in the area. Well, maybe not lucky, but it meant our chances of survive jumped from zero to highly unlikely. Many of the soldiers had their families with them in the convoy, and they fought to their last breaths to protect them. In the end it came to a stalemate between a gunship that had some sort of shielding from the EM weapons we were using and myself.”
Daisy paused and took a long breath. “Ovak and the other soldiers were fairing little better trying to hold off another similar ship that was attacking the force-field. It was then that Myke made the wonderful decision to come and help me. I told to him never try and help me. I told him he’d be hurt, or worse. I told him that all the mods I made him undertake were for emergencies. I drilled it into him. But he didn’t listen. He never listened. Ovak tried to stop him, but Myke was too smart for his own good. He knew just what to say to Ovak to let him go. When a human threatens suicide, a synthetic always must always do what is in their power to prevent it. Did you know that, doctor?”
“No, I can’t say I did. Makes sense though.”
“Oh, normally it does. Here though… he cleverly exploited a piece of programming designed to stop people from being stupid and throwing away their lives, and in doing so threw away his own.” Daisy paused as a fresh blanket of emotion threatened to smother her. Anger at her son for disobeying her most important instruction and for being so reckless. Anger at herself for not doing more to try and stop him, for putting thoughts into his head by giving him the mods. But above all, a sense of emptiness as she recollected the events of that night and remembered the dread as she saw Myke approaching, watched him burn, watched him fall.
“Ms. Belus?”
“I’m sorry.” She shook herself back into lucidity, allowing the drugs to take away the pain. “Ten millilitres of propane. That’s all it took to kill him. He came in blundering like an idiot without any armour and only a rifle as a weapon. He was just a child, and no threat - but that didn’t matter. Not to the drone, and not to Lapsus watching from some screen in his bunker. I didn’t see him hit the ground, but I did see him fall.” She paused.
“It was almost beautiful, in a way. The feeling you get from watching something like that… it’s empty and hollow. And so I watched in emptiness as my only son fell in slow motion; weaving the most intricate patterns through the air in a trail of flame and smoke. I don’t remember what happened next. According to Ovak, I was lying in the forest a few hundred meters form the camp site with traces of neurotoxin in my system riddled with bullet holes. I guess the drone must’ve hit me when I was distracted. I was cursed to survive. Damn Ovak. And damn the mods.”
“Is surviving really a curse? We all lose people, eventually. I know that’s not what you want to hear, and I don’t mean to diminish the horrific events you’ve gone through in any way, Ms. Belus, but I do want you to think about it. In the end, all we are, all we become, are the memories of those whose lives we touch. We die, yet we live on in the memories of our friends and families. To be a survivor, it means to carry the burden of memory. You can never get the people you love back, but you will always remember them, and so they will live on.”
“I… guess… you’re right.”
Yonto nodded slowly. “You must’ve spent some time with the refugees once you reached the bunker? Surely they lost people. Did you discuss your son with any of them?”
“Oh, I did. A bit. But Ovak was forced to activate a teleporter to get the refugees to safety. And believe me, they aren’t any safer in the future. Between that, the soldiers we lost, and the people who died after the ships breached Ovak’s force-field, nearly a third of the convoy were dead or injured. Everyone had lost someone. So many were caught up in their own woes that few even began to think about others’ troubles. And I don’t blame them. I wanted to the same, but I had a duty. And as much as I loved my son, and wanted to do nothing more than roll over and die at that moment, to not exist anymore, I knew that I still had to protect those people.”
“This may sound pathetic, Ms. Belus, but I find that quite inspirational. So many people now-days think their own problems are more important than those of others.”
“Ha. Well, it was that or let anarchy and panic rule. So, I did what I could. I added Myke to the memorial the refugees were building to all the people they’d lost over the past few months. When you see that your son is just one of dozens, hundreds. Millions. It… helped in a way.” Daisy paused for a long while.
“Ovak found the body, when he was looking for me in the forest. He gave him a soldier’s burial having carried me half-conscious to watch. It’s a bit vague, in here”, she tapped her head, “but I remember it was beautiful. There were wild flowers growing. It was nice to see something unspoilt by humans; something not burnt by Lapsus’ synthetic army.” She shifted her thoughts.
“As I said, maybe they should’ve called us the Daedalus Squadron after all. That’s how it went, didn’t it? A man and his son try to free themselves from oppression, so the man builds them wings to fly away on. He tells his son to be careful, but the son doesn’t listen, and falls into the sea. Difference is, Icarus was so swept up in the beauty of the moment that he lost himself and his wings melted under the warmth of the sun. He died surrounded in beauty. Myke… he may have lost himself when he tried to help me, but he was lost in fear, not beauty. Lapsus had seen to that.” Daisy stopped for a moment.
“But then there he was: surrounded by colour and tranquillity. Seeing him laid to rest in the wildflowers… it wasn’t just him being buried, it was every child on the planet. All of them having their lives torn apart by war and death. All of them eventually betrayed and slaughtered by their own leaders, who were so desperately trying to save humankind that they may just have lost humanity. That’s what I saw in Myke as he lay in the wildflowers. And even though at that moment I couldn’t have put a sentence together: that was when I knew.”
Her gazed hardened with a determination of a warrior. The determination of a mother.
“That’s when I knew I had to come back.”
Daisy sat in the waiting room, doing her best to look innocuous. It wasn’t working well; the other patients were all cowering in the opposite corner. She didn’t usually care about her intimidating appearance or the effect it had on others, but it certainly didn’t help her confidence.
The bell rang as another patient walked out of Dr Yonto’s office. Daisy shifted uncomfortably on her seat, apprehensive. She bit her tongue for a second then blurted out, “This is a bad idea.”
The plasticine figure of Ovak turned to face her. There was definitely something off about the face he was wearing today, but Daisy couldn’t quite put her finger on it. He raised an eyebrow. “We agreed this was the best course of action.”
“I think you mean that you did the agreeing for me.” There was a hint of bitterness in Daisy’s tone.
“You said yourself that you are in a state of emotional unrest. Dr Yonto can help you. Hence, I booked this appointment.”
“I said I wanted to talk to someone. I didn’t mean a psychologist!”
“Considering the circumstances, I don’t believe there’s anyone you should, or indeed even could, trust. The only option was to vie for someone who is legally bound to keep your past – or future as the case may be – a secret. Don’t worry, the neuro-inhibiters you have taken will start to take effect in a moment. You should have no problem ¬-”
“Ms Belus, Dr Yonto will see you now.” A secretary had appeared at the doorway. She smiled nervously at Daisy’s scowl and, making an odd humming sound, scuttled back to the front desk.
“Do you see what I mean? You need to stop intimidating everyone you meet. I’m sure you’ll be fine. I can stay with you, if you really want.” Ovak stood and began moving to the doorway.
Daisy pulled a puzzled face. I’m not that intimidating, am I? Surely not. She followed Ovak and moved toward the doorway, trying not to be offended at the way a patient pulled his son close and glared at her. She had to duck slightly to fit under the door frame.
Daisy was impressed with Dr. Yonto’s office: he clearly had good taste: insomuch as he had an affinity to the colour red. It had the same polished wooden floor as the waiting room, partially covered with a large patterned cinnamon rug. The walls were a vivid vermillion. The table was hewn from an expensive redwood, as was the shelf behind it. The chairs boasted red leather upholstery.
Dr. Yonto greeted Daisy with a warm simile. “I see you like my little office. Is it the red? I’ve always loved the colour. I say that red is like the fire of the human spirit. Probably doesn’t compare to anything you’re used to though.” He smiled and offered a hand to shake. Daisy tried her best not to break it; but even so, it was unlikely he would be writing anything for a few days.
Cradling his injured hand and doing his best to ignore the pain, he sat behind his desk. “I’ve heard a lot about you, Ms. Belus. I’m very honoured to have you here. It’s not every day we get patients from the future. Although, I’m guessing that’s partly why you’re here; am I right? You’re having some difficulty adjusting to a… normal life?”
Daisy nodded.
“I thought as much, your son seemed quite concerned for your wellbeing when he contacted us.”
Wait… son? Daisy was puzzled, but a glance over to Ovak helped her to realize what she’d missed about him before. His appearance seemed strange because it seemed similar to her own. He must’ve posed as her son to bypass the medical laws and get her in here. Clever ploy. She sat down on the couch, which she hadn’t noticed at first, tucked away from the door as it was. She didn’t really want to break any of Yonto’s chairs. “In all honesty, I don’t really know why I’m here. It was his idea”. She gestured to Ovak who was standing by the door as bolt as a signpost. Yonto swivelled to face him. “Well, what seems to be the problem?”
“She’s experiencing multiple symptoms of PTSD. She is prone to outbursts of anger, recklessness, nightmares, anxiety and also lack of empathy towards others.”
“Oh my. Nothing I need to be worried about, is there?” He gave a friendly wink to Daisy.
Daisy practically growled, but not entirely with malice. “Just so long as you never do that again.” She sighed. “So, do you really want to know what happened?”
Yonto placed his hands on the desk empathetically. “If that’s where you wish to begin, then by all means.”
Daisy sighed again. This wasn’t going to be the easiest conversation she had. Still, couldn’t hurt to try. Maybe Ovak was right and it would help her get over her past “tragedies”. She could always kill Yonto if worse came to worse.
On second thoughts, maybe that would be a bad idea. She briefly looked over the room, and decided she really had nothing to lose. It shouldn’t be too hard to turn Yonto into a pale shivering figure; and it sure would be fun to watch.
“Tell me, doctor, do you know why I look the way I do?”
“I only know what I’ve heard on the news. Although I presume it’s the result of gene mods? Expensive ones, by the looks of things.” He gave another smile. If Daisy had a dollar…
Struggling not to roll her eyes, Daisy continued. “Obviously. But do you know why?”
Yonto shook his head. Daisy noted Ovak leaving the room. He clearly wanted Daisy to handle this herself, for “maximum benefit” or some such.
“I thought as much.” She paused. “Tell me, doctor, do you have a family?”
He looked vaguely pensive. “I had a wife.”
“I see. So you know what it feels like then.”
“Like what feels like?”
“To lose someone.” He nodded empathetically. Daisy detected a slight loss of colour in his face already. She pressed on. “Now tell me, what lengths would you have gone to in order to save your wife?”
“It was a prion disease. Completely incurable.”
“Say you could. What lengths would you go to?”
“I… I don’t know.”
“Would you die for her? To save her?”
“Yes.”
“Would you kill?”
“I… maybe. Yes. Yes I would. What are you getting at?”
Daisy nodded with an air of satisfaction. “What am I getting at? It’s quite simple doctor. I turned myself into a living weapon; sacrificing decades off my life, sacrificing whole chunks of my humanity for one simple purpose: to protect the ones I loved. To protect my family.” She took a deep, but shaky breath. Her next words were spoken in a tone uncharacteristic of her stoic character “And I failed.”
Yonto was quick to pick up the thread. “Not entirely. You still have your son don’t you? Ovak, he said his name was. Right?”
Daisy gave a mirthless chuckle. “Ovak is a synthetic; a robot. You seriously couldn’t tell?” Yonto shook his head in confusion. “No? Well, he is… was… a commander in the 4th Enforcer regiment. He came with me from the future to help me stop Lapsus.”
Yonto seemed genuinely surprised. Daisy considered offering him a reference to an optometrist.
“My son – my real son: Myke – died. I failed him. And my husband - Reymond. I failed them both, doctor.” She paused for a moment. The pills she’d taken earlier were starting to take effect- she had stopped choking up on her words and her mind was becoming quieter by the minute.
“I see. Do you want to talk about it? You don’t have to if you don’t want, of course.”
She was feeling better by the second. Oh, this was going to be fun.
“I can trust you not to reveal anything I may say about the future? I have spent a great deal of time being vague in all the interviews I’ve been pushed into, and I probably don’t need to tell you what repercussion there might be if information I might reveal about the future were to get around in this time.”
“Of course: everything is private. One of the few places left where that can be said earnestly. No electronic records: everything’s on paper. No-one has access to your records that you don’t want to.”
“Good. So tell me, doctor, what have you heard about me?”
“As I said, only what I’ve seen in the news. You’re from some vague apocalyptic future and you came back to stop the boy who apparently caused the whole thing. You had half the Enforcer Corps chasing after you before you finally convinced them that you weren’t a lunatic and in turn they helped you track him down and put him in cryosleep. Personally, I’d say you have a tendency to be a little… sarcastic – if I was to be brutally honest. But I think you know that much already.” He tried a smile again; this one with a hint of apology.
“All correct doctor. Now, what I haven’t told the news station is who exactly this “boy” is. You see, his name is Lapsus; and he is my brother.”
“Your brother? But that would make you… Daisy? You… abducted your younger self?”
“It would seem the answer to that was apparent.”
“Why?”
“Simple, really. I knew from my own experience my reaction to… unexpected familial departures. Lapsus and I had drifted apart by the time the bastard betrayed us all, but in this time…. In this time I was very much protective of him. My original aim was to come back to a time before I met him and then I wouldn’t need to explain to my younger self why he needed a bullet in the head.”
“Sorry, met him?”
“He was adopted… in a manner of speaking. He escaped from an illegal research facility. My family took him in.”
“That would explain his… gifts.” Yonto mumbled more to himself than Daisy.
“He’s the bastard that brought down The Veil and ruined the world. My brother.” Daisy paused, picking up the earlier threads. “My husband and I met in a military programme. We’d both been selected for experimental gene and bionic enhancements- apparently with both had the DNA for it. Why you need good genes in order to modify them is beyond me, but that’s what the doctors told us. Physically, the risk was enormous, but in terms of remuneration-“ Daisy paused and considered her past occupation.
“It was worth it.” Daisy nodded affirmatively. “We, along with the fifteen others in the programme were tasked with taking down Lapsus. We were the only two on the mission that had any personal investment – Lapsus had betrayed me and Rey’s wife and infant son had been killed when Lapsus brought down The Veil. We became close in the months of chasing Lapsus do the depths of Hell and back. He was desperate to escape the memory of his past- to move on. I was desperately clinging onto the Lapsus I once knew as a child. We… balanced each other out; I suppose. And so, once Lapsus ran out of ferret holes to hide and we finally brought him in, we stayed together- drawing ourselves into a mutual balance. Six months later, we got married. I was 23 then, but I’d already seen more in the world than most people do in a lifetime. It wasn’t war - not at least as far as I can tell – but there were some things that happened on that hunt that are best left unspoken.”
“Experiences you and Reymond shared.”
“Exactly. And so we had Myke and for twelve years we were a happy family. I learnt to let go of the past, and Rey learnt to remember it and together we raised Myke with all the skill a widower and a warrior could muster. Which was, needless to say, not all that much. Myke wasn’t exactly the easiest of children.” Daisy smiled with melancholy at the memories of her son – fancy pills could only do so much to her.
“So he wasn’t easy. Provided a bit of a challenge for you then?”
“Oh! All the time. It didn’t help that he was very bright. But we still loved him, every time he got caught hacking into the school computer systems or making homemade weapons, or what have you. But we also worried for him – we were worried that one day he’d do something he’d regret and the consequences would be greater than a few detentions or a week of being grounded.” Daisy paused.
“We were right of course. He did end up doing something stupid. So, so stupid.” The sensation inside her was funny. She could feel the pain deep inside her yet the drugs smothered them like a blanket of snow. It was still there. Just hidden. Daisy loved the snow. 2137 had been the first year it was cold enough to snow in decades; it was the first time Daisy had seen it in real life. It was a week before Myke’s tenth birthday when it first happened. It was all over the news: ‘A great testament to the miraculous work of geoengineering- repairing the planet bit by bit’.
“Do you wish to continue?”
Daisy realised she hadn’t said anything for nearly a minute. She shook herself out of the snow. “Yes, sorry. Do you know it snows? In the future? It snows again.”
“It sounds wonderful, Ms. Ticron.”
“It is. Was. Will be?”
Yonto laughed, almost causing Daisy to spontaneously smile.
She continued. “But yes, for twelve years we were a happy family. Then something unthinkable happened. Lapsus escaped. Nobody knew how, he was put into a virtual reality and kept in a coma. But somehow he did: he destroyed twenty guards- both synthetic and human. Mercilessly. And then he vanished. Fearing that he may try and bring down The Veil again, new security measures were installed. What we didn’t realize at the time was that Lapsus planted the ideas for these security measure into the minds of the programmers. And so, what we did to protect our world became its undoing.” Daisy stopped to consider the irony
“Lapsus took control over the system and turned it against us. Every centrally-based synthetic, computer, and machine fell under his control. More than eighty percent of all systems. The Enforcers that were left had no choice but to reactivate old pre-Veil military systems. They were primitive, but they were foreign to Lapsus and therefore secure.”
“What happened next?”
“What do think happened next? War. Carnage. Death. Sometimes it seemed far away. My team was a perfect fighting machine: we could win every battle. But we were only human, we could never win the war. We hit all the factories we could to stop him from producing more weapons and synthetics. Power plants too. It slowed him down, for a bit. But in the end, ‘slow him down’ was all we could do. He used chemical weapons on unshielded cities and refugee camps. Hundreds of millions died. There were a few safe places: the city of Novus was a globally sourced space-habitat, capable of supporting millions of people. It became one of the largest safe-houses.” Daisy paused and took a deep breath. Just when her life had begun to become normal, war had to drag her back.
She continued. “The ‘unthinkable’ has happened so many times in my life you’d think I wouldn’t have been surprised when Rey died. I knew what we were doing- what we were risking. Having a child… it changes you. You see the world differently. We couldn’t leave Myke alone, but we knew that if we didn’t fight, didn’t protect him – that there wouldn’t be a world left for him. That’s how we justified it to ourselves. Every synthetic we shot, crushed, burnt, or electrocuted was for Myke. But then Rey… died…” Daisy choked under the memory. The drugs kept the feeling fuzzy, but it still smothered her – like a blanket of snow.
Yonto was becoming paler as Daisy’s tale went on. He lived in a world were peace was supreme and war was a distant but dark memory. The future Daisy laid out before him was the stuff of fiction and nightmares. It was no wonder she had risked everything to come back and change it. He brought his full attention back to Daisy as she regained her composure.
“I lost it after that. The web of lies I constructed to keep myself going had been slashed straight through. My team continued on without me, but with ever diminishing hope. The Aurora arrived from Tartarus. But it could only carry so many people…”
“Sorry… the what?”
“Oh… sorry.” The question caught Daisy completely off guard, shattering the drama she’d been building somewhat. “The Aurora. It was the first FTL ship ever made. You’d probably find it’s under construction right now if you bothered to take a look.”
“I see.” He made a mental note to investigate further while he waited for Daisy to continue.
Daisy puzzled for a moment. “But yes… the Aurora came. It was going to ferry as many people to Mars as it could. The colonies there could support a bit over a million people. There was a lottery. It was unpopular, but fair. Myke was among those chosen but he refused to go. He insisted on staying with me. His place was taken by an office worker for a green-energy firm. Or at least it would’ve been. Had… Had…”
“Had what, Ms. Belus?” Yonto leaned forward intently.
“I’d sunk into a terrible state. Myke was on the verge of running away, he was so scared. He admitted that to me later. But I didn’t know it at the time. I hardly remember anything from those long weeks. Only pain, and anger, and fear. Some days I remember clearer than others. I woke one morning in more lucid state to find police in my bedroom. They say I murdered him. The office worker. I must’ve somehow thought that he was stealing Myke’s place aboard the Aurora. Destruction was my forte, so I acted. I didn’t even know.”
“That must’ve been terrible for you. To not even remember…”
“Oh, not really. I think forgetting is far better than remembering. It’s not like I needed another face to add to my nightmares. Besides, there weren’t really any consequences. What with the world ending and all. The police force was jury-rigged together. They were there to stop rioting and keep the people from spreading more chaos from being wrought. They had more important things to do than worry about petty murder.” Petty murder. I suppose everything only matters in its perspective.
“I… see…”
“Anyway, I was needed back in action on the ‘frontline’, as it were. While the Aurora evacuated citizens and what military we could muster held Lapsus’ army at bay, I was tasked with escorting people into the old bunkers. I didn’t know at the time, but the plan was to carpet bomb the entire surface of the Earth with anti-matter weapons. The emergency government we had knew it was the only way to ensure the survival of humans as species. Unfortunately, it involved destroying all of civilization and killing billions. Still, it beats the nuclear option. At least we could start rebuilding immediately rather than having to wait centuries to be able to step outside.”
“I’m in no position to pass judgement, but either option seems pretty desperate to me.”
“Oh, we were desperate. We were very, very desperate. So I was trafficking refugees into bunkers, with the aid of what soldiers and synthetics we could spare. It was getting close to the date of the bombing, the Aurora was making its last trip and I was escorting the last group - around a thousand: families, children. Myke was among them. I still hadn’t been told what was going to happen, but I had an inkling. It made my work harder- I knew that for every man, woman, and child that I brought underground there were a hundred more out there somewhere, who were going to die. Not just die, but have their entire existence erased- every last trace of them. ‘Save as many as I could.’ That was my motto. My plan. It kept me on track. My love for my son may have kept me going in the early stages, but after Rey… I had to accept that the world was bigger than just myself and my family. And no matter how bad I felt… there was someone else out there who had lost more, or was going to lose more than I ever did.”
“Under the circumstances, I am very impressed you managed to keep going.”
“It wasn’t easy. Even after I managed to wrangle the psychological breakdowns under control, I was still plagued physically by gene mods, which had become even more extreme and experimental. When I wasn’t on missions I spent my time studying biochemistry and genetics, so I could provide some input into the whole process. A combination of my tactical knowledge and the newfound scientific knowledge meant that I had some practical ideas, actually. One problem we encountered was on the aerial front.” She closed her eyes and remembered the sounds of the drones that brought death with them.
She opened her eyes. “We had very few ways to combat their aircraft. We jury-rigged as many civilian aircraft as we could, but Lapsus had control over all the Enforcer craft. Then I had this wild idea to give our soldiers wings. At first, Ovak and the other officers thought I was insane. But it made sense, really. Normal humans are far too heavy for powered flight, but super-soldiers like myself are far lighter. Plus, the weapons they had were designed to destroy electronic equipment- not people. Except for their neurotoxin, which only had partial effects on super-soldiers anyway. So I had Ovak graft artificially grown wings onto a group of volunteer soldiers. And Myke as well: I was giving him many of the mods I thought were reliable. To keep him safe. The whole thing was a crazy plan, or as Ovak put it; it was an idea so insane that only a human could’ve come up with it.” Daisy smiled. “But it worked. Lapsus didn’t expect it and there was little he could do to counter it.”
“Curious tactic. Not that I’d know.”
“As I said, we were desperate. Now, where was I up to?”
“You were escorting a group of refugees to a bunker.”
Daisy’s smile dropped. “Right. Well, there I was, escorting a group of a few thousand into an old bunker. We were having a whale of a time, as you might expect, what with them whining the whole way. I don’t know what they were complaining about, they had trucks to ride in. I had to fly. So, progress was slow. To make matters worse, there was a patrol group of synthetics in the area- it was a road we used commonly and Lapsus knew that. We used cloaking technology to hide ourselves, but that was only a long-distance measure. We knew that if they got too close, they’d call in back-up and then there’d be attack craft all over us and a few canisters of nerve-gas later there’d be nothing but a few thousand corpses, broken machinery and me, probably. I’d survived an attack like that before. I’ve seen a lot of devastation in my lifetime, doctor, but that scene haunts me every day. And night.” Daisy paused, trying to shake of the ghosts of twisted figures, caught frozen in the agony of their deaths.
“It sounds like you have lot of that. Haunting, that this.” Daisy noticed his voice was thin, but with a surprising undercurrent of resoluteness. But she ignored his comment.
“They called rest. On the second night of travel. They refused to sleep in a moving truck, and insisted they set up a camp. I told them they were being idiots. But the rule of any group is that the intelligence falls to the lowest common denominator. I counter-insisted we needed to press on or risk being discovered. If it had just been a group of idiot refugees, I might’ve been fine to let them get themselves all killed. But with Myke there…. I wasn’t happy. Not happy at all.” Daisy’s train of thought wandered elsewhere.
“You know, when I first had the idea for wings Ovak suggested we call it the Daedalus Squadron. I told him that would be a bad idea, because Daedalus lost his son and that wasn’t really something I wanted to happen to me. We ended up calling ourselves The Valkyries.” She snorted. “Given what happened, Daedalus would’ve been better. Or at least more ironic.”
“And what did happen?”
“Exactly what I knew would happen. The patrol found us. They sent off for air support. I and the other soldiers who were flight-capable flew out to try and stop them while Ovak and the rest stayed with the convoy to put up a force-field and protect the refugees. We were very lucky- Lapsus was orchestrating a large attack on Tokyo and so there were few aircraft in the area. Well, maybe not lucky, but it meant our chances of survive jumped from zero to highly unlikely. Many of the soldiers had their families with them in the convoy, and they fought to their last breaths to protect them. In the end it came to a stalemate between a gunship that had some sort of shielding from the EM weapons we were using and myself.”
Daisy paused and took a long breath. “Ovak and the other soldiers were fairing little better trying to hold off another similar ship that was attacking the force-field. It was then that Myke made the wonderful decision to come and help me. I told to him never try and help me. I told him he’d be hurt, or worse. I told him that all the mods I made him undertake were for emergencies. I drilled it into him. But he didn’t listen. He never listened. Ovak tried to stop him, but Myke was too smart for his own good. He knew just what to say to Ovak to let him go. When a human threatens suicide, a synthetic always must always do what is in their power to prevent it. Did you know that, doctor?”
“No, I can’t say I did. Makes sense though.”
“Oh, normally it does. Here though… he cleverly exploited a piece of programming designed to stop people from being stupid and throwing away their lives, and in doing so threw away his own.” Daisy paused as a fresh blanket of emotion threatened to smother her. Anger at her son for disobeying her most important instruction and for being so reckless. Anger at herself for not doing more to try and stop him, for putting thoughts into his head by giving him the mods. But above all, a sense of emptiness as she recollected the events of that night and remembered the dread as she saw Myke approaching, watched him burn, watched him fall.
“Ms. Belus?”
“I’m sorry.” She shook herself back into lucidity, allowing the drugs to take away the pain. “Ten millilitres of propane. That’s all it took to kill him. He came in blundering like an idiot without any armour and only a rifle as a weapon. He was just a child, and no threat - but that didn’t matter. Not to the drone, and not to Lapsus watching from some screen in his bunker. I didn’t see him hit the ground, but I did see him fall.” She paused.
“It was almost beautiful, in a way. The feeling you get from watching something like that… it’s empty and hollow. And so I watched in emptiness as my only son fell in slow motion; weaving the most intricate patterns through the air in a trail of flame and smoke. I don’t remember what happened next. According to Ovak, I was lying in the forest a few hundred meters form the camp site with traces of neurotoxin in my system riddled with bullet holes. I guess the drone must’ve hit me when I was distracted. I was cursed to survive. Damn Ovak. And damn the mods.”
“Is surviving really a curse? We all lose people, eventually. I know that’s not what you want to hear, and I don’t mean to diminish the horrific events you’ve gone through in any way, Ms. Belus, but I do want you to think about it. In the end, all we are, all we become, are the memories of those whose lives we touch. We die, yet we live on in the memories of our friends and families. To be a survivor, it means to carry the burden of memory. You can never get the people you love back, but you will always remember them, and so they will live on.”
“I… guess… you’re right.”
Yonto nodded slowly. “You must’ve spent some time with the refugees once you reached the bunker? Surely they lost people. Did you discuss your son with any of them?”
“Oh, I did. A bit. But Ovak was forced to activate a teleporter to get the refugees to safety. And believe me, they aren’t any safer in the future. Between that, the soldiers we lost, and the people who died after the ships breached Ovak’s force-field, nearly a third of the convoy were dead or injured. Everyone had lost someone. So many were caught up in their own woes that few even began to think about others’ troubles. And I don’t blame them. I wanted to the same, but I had a duty. And as much as I loved my son, and wanted to do nothing more than roll over and die at that moment, to not exist anymore, I knew that I still had to protect those people.”
“This may sound pathetic, Ms. Belus, but I find that quite inspirational. So many people now-days think their own problems are more important than those of others.”
“Ha. Well, it was that or let anarchy and panic rule. So, I did what I could. I added Myke to the memorial the refugees were building to all the people they’d lost over the past few months. When you see that your son is just one of dozens, hundreds. Millions. It… helped in a way.” Daisy paused for a long while.
“Ovak found the body, when he was looking for me in the forest. He gave him a soldier’s burial having carried me half-conscious to watch. It’s a bit vague, in here”, she tapped her head, “but I remember it was beautiful. There were wild flowers growing. It was nice to see something unspoilt by humans; something not burnt by Lapsus’ synthetic army.” She shifted her thoughts.
“As I said, maybe they should’ve called us the Daedalus Squadron after all. That’s how it went, didn’t it? A man and his son try to free themselves from oppression, so the man builds them wings to fly away on. He tells his son to be careful, but the son doesn’t listen, and falls into the sea. Difference is, Icarus was so swept up in the beauty of the moment that he lost himself and his wings melted under the warmth of the sun. He died surrounded in beauty. Myke… he may have lost himself when he tried to help me, but he was lost in fear, not beauty. Lapsus had seen to that.” Daisy stopped for a moment.
“But then there he was: surrounded by colour and tranquillity. Seeing him laid to rest in the wildflowers… it wasn’t just him being buried, it was every child on the planet. All of them having their lives torn apart by war and death. All of them eventually betrayed and slaughtered by their own leaders, who were so desperately trying to save humankind that they may just have lost humanity. That’s what I saw in Myke as he lay in the wildflowers. And even though at that moment I couldn’t have put a sentence together: that was when I knew.”
Her gazed hardened with a determination of a warrior. The determination of a mother.
“That’s when I knew I had to come back.”
And here's what I'm currently writing (it's kind of a history textbook for a made up history of Earth). It's unfinished, but there's enough there to be worthy of a post.
Spoiler:
Introduction, or a Brief History of Magic
The discovery and progression of magic to its current all-encompassing state over recent centuries owes itself to a long and arduous history full of struggles and challenges. There were a number of times in history that the practice of magic would’ve died out completely if it weren’t for the actions of a few souls who continued to practise; even against the authorities of their times.
Pre History (1.5b y.a.- 10,000 y.a.)
Magic has appeared within several species over the eons, all of which appear to share a common ancestor some 1.5 billion years ago. It is believed that a natural magic phenomena such as the collapse of a Barrier or some starlight mechanism occurred that irradiated a portion of the Earth, thereby mutating the DNA of the proto-bacteria in the region and allowing for the expression of magical abilities. This is why the MNA of modern magical creatures all have the same base structure, with further carrier-particles allowing for expressions of different abilities. The processes of magical mutation and information of MNA and the lineage of modern magical creatures are expanded on the Biomancy chapter (Ch. 17)
While the use of magic may seem to be an obvious advantage in the race of evolution, in actual fact it is more comparable to the development of a fifth leg- unwieldy and unnecessary. It is very easy for a magic user to overexert themselves and destroy their central nervous system or otherwise injure themselves by the use of magic which is inherently unpredictable in its nature. This is why the number of successful magical species have been quite low. Compounding this was the taxing nature of magic on mental faculties, requiring the development of more powerful brains that for millions of years simply didn’t exist. Fortunately, the MNA genes remained- albeit dormant awaiting those rare mutants who did manage to use magic effectively. They would have a significant survival advantage over non-magical creatures.
Unlike all other magical animals, humans did not naturally evolve to use magic but have learnt to artificially stimulate the MNA through the introduction of artificial carrier-particles (Aside from a few extremely rare mutants). This is achieved through the use of high-voltage electricity which, on passing through the magic field created by the MNA, will spontaneously transmorph into carrier-particles allowing for the use of magical abilities. This is called the awakening (of dormant abilities). For most of human history, the only way to activate these abilities was through exposure to lightning, meaning that magical abilities within humans were exceedingly rare. The consumption of/exposure to magical plants or animals will often lead to carrier-particles entering the system. This can have a range of effects depending on the origin of the carrier-particles and the nature of the exposure, which has led to the development of P/T (potions and tinctures) as an area of study for magical researchers. The nature of the awaking and the processes of interaction between physical and magical phenomena are expanded on in chapter 2. P/T are expanded on in chapters 20-22.
For the past several tens of millions of years, there have been instances where atypical magical creatures arise- monsters. While in more recent history many of these have their origins in human biomancy experiments or magical accidents, the ones created in prehistory have quite different origins. It is known that fluctuations in the Earth’s magnetic field, interactions with ionized solar wind and various other electromagnetic disturbances effect magical fields. Records of these disturbances based on variations of carrier-particle decay in fossil records show extremely high natural magical activity in the areas where monsters have arisen. It is believed that these high levels of magical activity can occasionally spontaneously mutate the MNA within (particularly receptive) magical animals resulting in a biomancic reaction and the creation of a new monster. It is curious to note that most monsters have negligible senescence (they do not age), and rarely stray from their point of inception. Even though it is usually thousands of years (at the minimum) between the creation of monsters, due to their lack of a natural lifespan and (usually) formidable abilities, it is very rarely that one dies and as such their numbers have built up over the eons. It is important to note that there are many monsters that are purely mythical. It isn’t too far of an extension for a primitive Ancient Greek to go from seeing the Hydra to dreaming up The Typhoon. Monsters are discussed in chapter 5.
Early History (10,000 – 2,200 y.a.)
The exceeding rarity of magical abilities in early humans often lead to a reverence for those with powers. Combined with the lack of communication and information storage the research into magic was almost non-existent. As a result, practisers would stick to what abilities came naturally and easily. Healing abilities and premonitions are both highly subconscious magical processes and were some of the most common forms of primitive magic. Understandably, a lot of magical practices became intertwined with religion. Sites across Europe from the early Bronze Age show the use of beaten sheets of metal attached to dead trees, cliffs, or rarely to monoliths. It is believed these served as lightning rods designed to attract lightning for the purpose of awakening- almost certainly as part of a religious ceremony. Along with these opulent metal-clad rods, there is evidence that numerous natural rods (again; trees, cliffs, hills, etc.) were also used. Because it was believed that being struck by lightning (and surviving), and thereby being awaked, was seen as a great honour- that one was “chosen by the gods”, it was likely that only a lucky few- high ranking warriors, leaders or the apprentices of current magic users ever got to use such lightning-rods. The wealth of the offerings made to the gods that have been discovered and such rods seems to confirm this. Surviving oral traditions, carvings, and archaeological searches of sites have revealed that many magic users became leaders with reverence of them often becoming worship. Being awakened would undoubtedly be seen as a divine power intervening with the mortal world- confirming the awoken to be a mighty and unstoppable force. Many leaders would uses these beliefs to consolidate their reign. Almost of the most successful Stone Age and Bronze Age kings were practisers of magic.
P/T saw some development over this time. Duties of P/T making were often relegated to magic users or their non-magical apprentices. Hunting of magical creatures for their useful properties quickly resulted in population decimation. Continental unicorns were all but extinct by the dawn of the Roman Empire- the healing properties of alicorn were highly sought after and their inability to be domesticated meant that they had little other use. Behemoths too were hunted for the strength and size enhancement their meat brought, and the incredible versatility of their hide. They became extinct in Asia and Europe- the remaining few being pushed high into Russia where, without any predators and with food abundant, they flourished and soon became too large to hunt. Unsurprisingly, the first colonies of giants appeared at the sites of behemoth killings. Many monsters were also hunted at this time. The Greeks and early Romans in particular almost emptied the Mediterranean of monsters. Many of these monsters wove their way into mythology- their strange, rare, powerful, and terrifying nature meant that it wasn’t hard to imagine them being the spawn of gods or the bringers of fate.
Arising in Nubia in the late Stone Age before moving into Egypt in the early Bronze Age and eventually into Classical Greece were a cult of magic users (the names they have used changed considerably over the centuries but are commonly referred to as the Cult of the Chimera). They were among the first to legitimately study magic and attempt to understand its workings. Initially, the experiments they conducted were done with the purpose of healing. However, their order soon became corrupt and their experiments turned to more twisted roots of biomancy. They became obsessed with unlocking the secrets to eternal life and in creating the perfect warrior. They created many new chimeras and hybrid creatures- most either died or live horrible, short lives. Some the monsters they created lived on however and were studied and released. Both the Egyptian and Greek Sphinx, harpies, centaurs, fauns, and various other human-hybrids have all been traced back to their cruel experiments. Despite the inhumanity of the experiments they conducted, many of aspects of their methodology became the standard for magical research and the knowledge they ascertained in their studies is often cited even today.
Jesus and the Magical Dark Age (2200 y.a. – 800 y.a.)
Born around 2200 years ago, Jesus was the first powerful magical user to attempt to use magic as a way of gathering people together in peace. As there are no records of any incident within his life that could be seen as an awakening, it is believed that he was born with his gifts naturally. He trained for a short time with the Cult of the Chimera who recognised his natural talents. He soon left them, disgusted by their practices. With the magical knowledge he possessed, he began preaching around the Sea of Galilie, recording his teachings in a journal and entrusting them to a group of disciples. Unfortunately his journal was taken after his death and was lost. However, his teaching continued, albeit in a continually twisted way.
Association with the Cult of the Chimera - which had now been fully exposed and was synonymous with evil- with the practice of magic forced early Christians to separate themselves with claims that Jesus’ acts were divine miracles and not magical in nature. This evolved into the belief that all magic must be evil resulting in the total banning of all magical practice for over 1400 years with many practisers being persecuted if not murdered. The only faucet of magic being practiced at the time was alchemy which shares only a name with the modern practices of alchemy- the experiments were crude and very little progress was made. A lack of knowledge about the distinctions of magical and physical sciences is partly to blame.
The Enlightenment and colonialism
Following in the footsteps of the cultural and scientific revolution of the Renaissance beginning 600 years ago, there was a magical revolution that swept across Europe and into the greater world as colonies were begun abroad. This was spurred in part by the discoveries of many native peoples and their systems of mysticism- they had kept the lights going while Europe remained dimmed during the dark ages. The difficulty in awakening magical abilities and the lack of unity in native peoples still meant that new discoveries on the magical front were slow. However, over the centuries of culture they had built up, many tribes and nations had unique knowledge that proved the fuel for many conversations between scholars back in Europe. Likewise, rediscoveries and renewed interest in the magic practices of the Ancient world were popular discussions. In particular the abilities of foresight were put into contention as, more than any other magical practice at the time, the ability to predict the future was seen as stepping into God’s domain. It is in part owed to investigations into ancient magical practices that inspired the Lutheran religious revolution.
Also of interest to European scholars were the monsters and new magical life found in the Orient, in Africa, and America. Many specimens were brought back for study- dead or alive. Again, magical creatures had found their way into the mythology of the local peoples.
Meanwhile, technology continued to develop. Most natural philosophers and inventors saw the natural world as being separate from the magical one. Indeed, many saw it as being divine (or demonic) in nature. However, some minds envisioned the interconnectedness of these two universal forces- Leonardo da Vinci imagined great machines of transport, commerce, and war powered by magic after witnessing a demonstration of magic; including a newly-designed spell that could trap heat and later release it in sudden bursts. This particular spell found little practical use outside of the making of luxury pistols at the time, but became indispensable as the basis for many combat spells later in history. Regardless, the study of one faucet of the Universe usually implied the study of the other, and most “scientists” of the time were well acquainted3 with both the magical and the physical.
The greatest restriction during this time was the difficulty in awakening people. Methods still hadn’t evolved beyond waiting for a lightning strike, and although many attempts were made to replicate the conditions needed after the discovery and utilization of electrical technologies, no successful attempts were completed. While there was some development of magical technologies that could create and/or replicate spells, most experiments still required practisers. Surviving a lightning strike in this era could easily result a life of fortune- ironically it would probably the luckiest thing that could happen to a person. It was little wonder that virtually every practiser held some honourable position in society or another, with many also being notable scientists or magical scholars. Isaac Newton was one such who had an intuitive grasp of the manipulation of physical forces with magic- he would often amuse himself by drawing patterns with light or observing how animals reacted to the sensation of weightlessness. This led him to important discoveries in optics and famously the discovery of gravity.
The discovery and progression of magic to its current all-encompassing state over recent centuries owes itself to a long and arduous history full of struggles and challenges. There were a number of times in history that the practice of magic would’ve died out completely if it weren’t for the actions of a few souls who continued to practise; even against the authorities of their times.
Pre History (1.5b y.a.- 10,000 y.a.)
Magic has appeared within several species over the eons, all of which appear to share a common ancestor some 1.5 billion years ago. It is believed that a natural magic phenomena such as the collapse of a Barrier or some starlight mechanism occurred that irradiated a portion of the Earth, thereby mutating the DNA of the proto-bacteria in the region and allowing for the expression of magical abilities. This is why the MNA of modern magical creatures all have the same base structure, with further carrier-particles allowing for expressions of different abilities. The processes of magical mutation and information of MNA and the lineage of modern magical creatures are expanded on the Biomancy chapter (Ch. 17)
While the use of magic may seem to be an obvious advantage in the race of evolution, in actual fact it is more comparable to the development of a fifth leg- unwieldy and unnecessary. It is very easy for a magic user to overexert themselves and destroy their central nervous system or otherwise injure themselves by the use of magic which is inherently unpredictable in its nature. This is why the number of successful magical species have been quite low. Compounding this was the taxing nature of magic on mental faculties, requiring the development of more powerful brains that for millions of years simply didn’t exist. Fortunately, the MNA genes remained- albeit dormant awaiting those rare mutants who did manage to use magic effectively. They would have a significant survival advantage over non-magical creatures.
Unlike all other magical animals, humans did not naturally evolve to use magic but have learnt to artificially stimulate the MNA through the introduction of artificial carrier-particles (Aside from a few extremely rare mutants). This is achieved through the use of high-voltage electricity which, on passing through the magic field created by the MNA, will spontaneously transmorph into carrier-particles allowing for the use of magical abilities. This is called the awakening (of dormant abilities). For most of human history, the only way to activate these abilities was through exposure to lightning, meaning that magical abilities within humans were exceedingly rare. The consumption of/exposure to magical plants or animals will often lead to carrier-particles entering the system. This can have a range of effects depending on the origin of the carrier-particles and the nature of the exposure, which has led to the development of P/T (potions and tinctures) as an area of study for magical researchers. The nature of the awaking and the processes of interaction between physical and magical phenomena are expanded on in chapter 2. P/T are expanded on in chapters 20-22.
For the past several tens of millions of years, there have been instances where atypical magical creatures arise- monsters. While in more recent history many of these have their origins in human biomancy experiments or magical accidents, the ones created in prehistory have quite different origins. It is known that fluctuations in the Earth’s magnetic field, interactions with ionized solar wind and various other electromagnetic disturbances effect magical fields. Records of these disturbances based on variations of carrier-particle decay in fossil records show extremely high natural magical activity in the areas where monsters have arisen. It is believed that these high levels of magical activity can occasionally spontaneously mutate the MNA within (particularly receptive) magical animals resulting in a biomancic reaction and the creation of a new monster. It is curious to note that most monsters have negligible senescence (they do not age), and rarely stray from their point of inception. Even though it is usually thousands of years (at the minimum) between the creation of monsters, due to their lack of a natural lifespan and (usually) formidable abilities, it is very rarely that one dies and as such their numbers have built up over the eons. It is important to note that there are many monsters that are purely mythical. It isn’t too far of an extension for a primitive Ancient Greek to go from seeing the Hydra to dreaming up The Typhoon. Monsters are discussed in chapter 5.
Early History (10,000 – 2,200 y.a.)
The exceeding rarity of magical abilities in early humans often lead to a reverence for those with powers. Combined with the lack of communication and information storage the research into magic was almost non-existent. As a result, practisers would stick to what abilities came naturally and easily. Healing abilities and premonitions are both highly subconscious magical processes and were some of the most common forms of primitive magic. Understandably, a lot of magical practices became intertwined with religion. Sites across Europe from the early Bronze Age show the use of beaten sheets of metal attached to dead trees, cliffs, or rarely to monoliths. It is believed these served as lightning rods designed to attract lightning for the purpose of awakening- almost certainly as part of a religious ceremony. Along with these opulent metal-clad rods, there is evidence that numerous natural rods (again; trees, cliffs, hills, etc.) were also used. Because it was believed that being struck by lightning (and surviving), and thereby being awaked, was seen as a great honour- that one was “chosen by the gods”, it was likely that only a lucky few- high ranking warriors, leaders or the apprentices of current magic users ever got to use such lightning-rods. The wealth of the offerings made to the gods that have been discovered and such rods seems to confirm this. Surviving oral traditions, carvings, and archaeological searches of sites have revealed that many magic users became leaders with reverence of them often becoming worship. Being awakened would undoubtedly be seen as a divine power intervening with the mortal world- confirming the awoken to be a mighty and unstoppable force. Many leaders would uses these beliefs to consolidate their reign. Almost of the most successful Stone Age and Bronze Age kings were practisers of magic.
P/T saw some development over this time. Duties of P/T making were often relegated to magic users or their non-magical apprentices. Hunting of magical creatures for their useful properties quickly resulted in population decimation. Continental unicorns were all but extinct by the dawn of the Roman Empire- the healing properties of alicorn were highly sought after and their inability to be domesticated meant that they had little other use. Behemoths too were hunted for the strength and size enhancement their meat brought, and the incredible versatility of their hide. They became extinct in Asia and Europe- the remaining few being pushed high into Russia where, without any predators and with food abundant, they flourished and soon became too large to hunt. Unsurprisingly, the first colonies of giants appeared at the sites of behemoth killings. Many monsters were also hunted at this time. The Greeks and early Romans in particular almost emptied the Mediterranean of monsters. Many of these monsters wove their way into mythology- their strange, rare, powerful, and terrifying nature meant that it wasn’t hard to imagine them being the spawn of gods or the bringers of fate.
Arising in Nubia in the late Stone Age before moving into Egypt in the early Bronze Age and eventually into Classical Greece were a cult of magic users (the names they have used changed considerably over the centuries but are commonly referred to as the Cult of the Chimera). They were among the first to legitimately study magic and attempt to understand its workings. Initially, the experiments they conducted were done with the purpose of healing. However, their order soon became corrupt and their experiments turned to more twisted roots of biomancy. They became obsessed with unlocking the secrets to eternal life and in creating the perfect warrior. They created many new chimeras and hybrid creatures- most either died or live horrible, short lives. Some the monsters they created lived on however and were studied and released. Both the Egyptian and Greek Sphinx, harpies, centaurs, fauns, and various other human-hybrids have all been traced back to their cruel experiments. Despite the inhumanity of the experiments they conducted, many of aspects of their methodology became the standard for magical research and the knowledge they ascertained in their studies is often cited even today.
Jesus and the Magical Dark Age (2200 y.a. – 800 y.a.)
Born around 2200 years ago, Jesus was the first powerful magical user to attempt to use magic as a way of gathering people together in peace. As there are no records of any incident within his life that could be seen as an awakening, it is believed that he was born with his gifts naturally. He trained for a short time with the Cult of the Chimera who recognised his natural talents. He soon left them, disgusted by their practices. With the magical knowledge he possessed, he began preaching around the Sea of Galilie, recording his teachings in a journal and entrusting them to a group of disciples. Unfortunately his journal was taken after his death and was lost. However, his teaching continued, albeit in a continually twisted way.
Association with the Cult of the Chimera - which had now been fully exposed and was synonymous with evil- with the practice of magic forced early Christians to separate themselves with claims that Jesus’ acts were divine miracles and not magical in nature. This evolved into the belief that all magic must be evil resulting in the total banning of all magical practice for over 1400 years with many practisers being persecuted if not murdered. The only faucet of magic being practiced at the time was alchemy which shares only a name with the modern practices of alchemy- the experiments were crude and very little progress was made. A lack of knowledge about the distinctions of magical and physical sciences is partly to blame.
The Enlightenment and colonialism
Following in the footsteps of the cultural and scientific revolution of the Renaissance beginning 600 years ago, there was a magical revolution that swept across Europe and into the greater world as colonies were begun abroad. This was spurred in part by the discoveries of many native peoples and their systems of mysticism- they had kept the lights going while Europe remained dimmed during the dark ages. The difficulty in awakening magical abilities and the lack of unity in native peoples still meant that new discoveries on the magical front were slow. However, over the centuries of culture they had built up, many tribes and nations had unique knowledge that proved the fuel for many conversations between scholars back in Europe. Likewise, rediscoveries and renewed interest in the magic practices of the Ancient world were popular discussions. In particular the abilities of foresight were put into contention as, more than any other magical practice at the time, the ability to predict the future was seen as stepping into God’s domain. It is in part owed to investigations into ancient magical practices that inspired the Lutheran religious revolution.
Also of interest to European scholars were the monsters and new magical life found in the Orient, in Africa, and America. Many specimens were brought back for study- dead or alive. Again, magical creatures had found their way into the mythology of the local peoples.
Meanwhile, technology continued to develop. Most natural philosophers and inventors saw the natural world as being separate from the magical one. Indeed, many saw it as being divine (or demonic) in nature. However, some minds envisioned the interconnectedness of these two universal forces- Leonardo da Vinci imagined great machines of transport, commerce, and war powered by magic after witnessing a demonstration of magic; including a newly-designed spell that could trap heat and later release it in sudden bursts. This particular spell found little practical use outside of the making of luxury pistols at the time, but became indispensable as the basis for many combat spells later in history. Regardless, the study of one faucet of the Universe usually implied the study of the other, and most “scientists” of the time were well acquainted3 with both the magical and the physical.
The greatest restriction during this time was the difficulty in awakening people. Methods still hadn’t evolved beyond waiting for a lightning strike, and although many attempts were made to replicate the conditions needed after the discovery and utilization of electrical technologies, no successful attempts were completed. While there was some development of magical technologies that could create and/or replicate spells, most experiments still required practisers. Surviving a lightning strike in this era could easily result a life of fortune- ironically it would probably the luckiest thing that could happen to a person. It was little wonder that virtually every practiser held some honourable position in society or another, with many also being notable scientists or magical scholars. Isaac Newton was one such who had an intuitive grasp of the manipulation of physical forces with magic- he would often amuse himself by drawing patterns with light or observing how animals reacted to the sensation of weightlessness. This led him to important discoveries in optics and famously the discovery of gravity.
I did have more, but I'll have to split the post because it's over the maximum.
