The World Ahead Read online

  Laura looked at her son to gauge a reaction. A clanking sound disrupted everyone as a couple of men in overalls awkwardly dropped the remains of GR-3G. The maiden turned quickly over to the men as she dematerialized, and materialized, close to them in order to help prop up the robot.

  “Careful with this one. He’s one of a kind, you know what to do.” She touched her forehead in between her eyes, kissed her hand, touched the remains of the mechanical alien, and smiled. Laura’s guts turned, revolting at the site of the maiden praising the menace that nearly killed her.

  “I think I’ve seen enough of your sick shit. Release my brother and let us go. We’ll be better on our own,” Laura said.

  “Wait, why is he one of a kind?” Oliver asked the maiden.

  “Mom, how about we take it easy, watch our language, and let’s see what she has to say,” Oliver said to his mother in an endearing manner. His words made her feel calm. For a moment she felt that she might relinquish her current state of alertness. Oliver raised his arm and showed it to the maiden.

  “This is part of him too. He was attached to this thing. I called it the Quantum Wielder. This is part of the reason we’re here,” said Oliver to the still glowing synthetic being. The maiden approached and began to analyze the alien arm on the boy. The chromed surface with the light blue sheen had markings that she recognized as almost Sumerian in nature. She spread her hand on the arm’s panel. Her white plasma around her hands began to spread around the arm’s creases; her eyes glowed a luminous white. Oliver’s face showed constraint, and Laura’s heart raised. She was a breath away from taking action against the floating maiden. A sudden thud echoed through the cabin, shaking the entire vessel.

  Oliver and the maiden lost their bond. Laura turned to her child, he seemed well nourished. His arm had no power but he seemed healthy, she began to feel at ease with their ominous aid. Alas, the comfort lasted for mere seconds as a second thud followed by a loud clank interrupted her thoughts. The cargo door from the airship was yanked – in a rush that caused a sudden change in pressure. The commotion created a vacuum that pulled every object out to the city heights. Oliver was sucked out immediately, Laura’s heart skipped a beat at the sight of her boy being pulled into a free fall. The maiden grounded herself to the vessel’s floor and stretched her arm out. Her robot limb turned into a lassoing tentacle that reached for Oliver’s right arm. The boy dangled off the exterior of the airship.

  “Oliver, hold tight” Yelled his mother in desperation. Laura held strong to a mechanical contraption and reached out to hold on to Victoria. Between the two of them managed to find safety from the vacuum. Chuggy found refuge at a corner of the vessel.

  “Don’t worry, I will not let go of your child,” the synthetic maiden said, her arm strained as she pulled Oliver back into the vessel.

  “Hang on Master Hawke, ” the maiden said encouragingly to Oliver.

  Outside the vessel, at a distance, a man riding a drone cycle with atom shaped propellers closed in fast. He began to shoot at the maiden with a laser rifle. Laura was helpless since she had to focus on holding on for her life. She could only witness the action which made her feel extremely vulnerable. She looked at Victoria and remembered her promise to Banks. She had to remain strong.

  “Hold on tight dear, don’t let go you hear me? Stay strong,” she said firmly as a kind of affirmation to herself and the girl.

  The interloper jumped into the carrier right past Oliver. The boy gazed at the pale man’s bare feet as they shined an indigo sheen. The intruding man aggressively neutralized the synthetic maiden with a shocking blow to the chest with a high-tech gauntlet. She plummeted to the ground losing grasp of Oliver. Laura’s blood felt rushing to her feet.

  “Oliver!” she shouted.

  The mysterious man stretched his left arm out and shot a grappling hook at the broken robot next to Leon’s medical pod. A couple of Silver-winged officers attacked The Invader. The man swiftly neutralized the first attacker with a sting to the jugular then used his weight and body to projectile himself towards the second escort. Laura wanted to get close but she realized the minute she had let go she would be sucked out of the vehicle. She wondered how the stranger could move so swiftly through the room. He got over the remains of GR-3G and saw the missing arm. He looked out the vacuuming hole to see Oliver’s robot arm as he free fell. He quickly pried a jetpack from one of his attackers and launched towards the kid. With a swift move of his arm he spreader blue disks that attached to the frame of the vessel. The fallen maiden regained consciousness at the sound of multiple beeps. She recognized the blue glowing disks.

  “Quick, evacuate!” yelled the maiden. A shocking electric current broke the ship apart. Laura’s heart felt as if exploding out of her chest. The ship collapsed right before her as everything scattered throughout the high skies. Among the broken wreckage, A few silver winged agents successfully took flight to the rescue Victoria and Chuggy among other survivors. Laura fell for a while before an agent grabbed her by the shoulders while Leon’s medical pod free fell. The maiden rushed her fall to catch Leon’s pod but they only got lost in the list below. As they pulled Laura away to safety everything crumbled before them, she felt frozen at the site in the distance.

  The interloper launched towards her kid with the jetpack.

  With a jolting boost, the man changed direction upward as he took grasp of Oliver. He shot his grappling hook towards the tall buildings and with a wide swing, they got lost through the high-tech jungle.

  “Quick, we need to follow him. He’s got my son,” Laura implored the flying agent.

  “Negative, it’s very close to curfew, we must protect the technology and until we reach Omnimaiden we can’t move forward. You’ll have to wait until we reach headquarters.” The agent said, in a firm and calm monotone. She looked around and at a close distance, she saw Victoria being carried along like her. Her expression showed fear and uncertainty, she felt sick at the site of everything lost. She felt her military instinct kicking in. She was about to make a move on the flying escort but the agent caught her body language and stunned her for the remainder of the voyage. As she snoozed off, she couldn’t let go of the survival instinct – she needed to reach out to her child once more.

  3

  Chapter 3

  A man in a large tunic rode a mercuranium platform that floated in the center of a massive hall. The shiny black granite floors looked wet from the warm lighting that reflected on its shiny surface. The wide corridor held a mercuranium conveyor that was suited for longer distances along with sidewalks where various humanoid species walked along an array of technological marvels that took care of mundane tasks like polishing the floor, cleaning the windows, or recycling the polluted air inside the facility.

  The man, who was more of a small beast, approached a tall double door entrance. The creature scanned its eye on a spherical panel that was on the door’s side. The contraption gave a beeping sound and the magnanimous doors opened.

  The man proceeded to board the platform once more and entered a grand office. In the left corner, a man sitting on a hover chair around a station with various holographic screens on rails descended to the ground.

  “Mister Light, the conspirator is at it again sir. This time you can actually see it from your office. I thought you might want to witness,” said the small humanoid creature. His posture was quite submissive and he exhibited an obsequious appearance. His furry body resembled a mix of a Mexican hairless dog, also known as a Xolo, and a goat with a vertical stance.

  “Ah, Prime city’s rouge champion at it again,” said the mysteriously gallant figure. The elegant man strolled with his talons through the dark side of his office to see over the room’s clear wall.

  “The thing you have to realize about our friend here Archibald is that he’s a real inspiration. A full depiction of cause and effect,” said the elegant towering figure to his short counterpart. The elegant man stroked the lapel of his overpriced synth leather robes wi
th his four-digit hand. His pale sleek skin contrasted nicely with the dark burnt tones of his tunic.

  At the distance, F.A.M.I.L.Y.’s airship came out of cover as debris came out from the back. The elegant man’s silhouette reflected on the clear glass as he glanced in joy at the chaos before them.

  “For ages, men like him have questioned and wondered the ultimate question. What is man’s purpose and who control’s it?” said the man with an elusive tone. Suddenly, the entire airship collapsed before them at the distance. Survivors hovered around the destruction zone with movements that resembled moths to a flame. Mr. Light cackled at the sight.

  “There’s only but a few enlightened that understand the ways of mankind. And among all this consumerism an agent of chaos is determined to uncover it all,” said the elegant man. The chaos became more prominent as the fallen vessel approached. The elegant man saw how the agent of chaos retrieved the fallen victim and fled the terrorist attack.

  In a matter of moments, the chaotic man swung towards the elegant man’s building crashing a few floors below. The elusive entrepreneur saw the stripped armored man fall into a balcony below him – he realized the man was carrying a child. Aside from the robotic limb, he seemed completely human which struck Mr. Light’s attention.

  “Hmm, if it wasn’t for that ridiculous armor that makes him look like a pantomime I’d half respect the man,” said Mr. Light.

  The man resembling a Mime shook the fall, grabbed the kid and sprung off the building once more – taking a leap with the help of the jetpack, and grappling on to other buildings. The elegant entrepreneur maintained his calm demeanor in the presence of his employee, Mr. Archiblald, but felt pure excitement witnessing the action.

  “Ancient alien conspiracies, an entire family secretly pulling the strings of life. Now, Mr. Archibald, let’s not forget about curfew. We must carry on with our agendas elsewhere. After you,” said the man as he pointed his employee to the exit.

  “A curfew. We just have a few moments. When is your curfew Mr. Light if you don’t mind my asking?” said the short man.

  “Mr. Archibald, men like me don’t need curfew, we push through the roughness. That’s how we get to the top,” said the ambitious businessman as he closed the doors.

  He rushed towards his working station. He reached his right arm out into a round console that stood from the ground. Holographic images of the curfew becoming active filled his spherical working place. He reached by his ear with his left arm and softly rubbed the side of his head.

  “Send a scouting crew to sectors four to seven, let’s see what our chaotic Mime dragged out this time. It might be of interest for the cause,” Said the man as he walked towards the window, glancing upon the horizon.

  4

  Chapter 4

  An echoing sound reverberated in a revolting sensation, waking Leon. He was inside a small pod surrounded by blue haze. Thick and nebulous, nothing from the exterior could be seen. He tried to take a glance but only saw a revolting horizon. A twirling mixture of sky and landscape, blurry to the naked eye. The rushing sensation of fear became too much for his body to tolerate. He felt the stomach fluids rise, it was inevitable, a gush of vomit lashed out of his mouth.

  The viscous matter spread everywhere –

  through the hazy splattered capsule, he saw a metallic coat manifest before him covering the entire pod. A thud made him bounce inside the splatter-covered interior. He was drenched in the smelly viscosity as he tumbled inside the pod. It finally became to a halt, light overcame the darkness and the pod opened. The once hovering maiden stood outside with an arm reaching out to Leon. He took a deep breath as he smelled the fresher exterior, he took a few puffs until he realized the ambient smelled more like sulfur than that of fresh air, he began coughing. Knocking the maiden’s arm away he stumbled out of the pod.

  It became difficult for him to remain balanced. He tried to prop himself up only to tumble back down. The maiden kept propping him up as he kept refusing her help until he eventually fell to the ground facedown.

  “Stay away from me lady… where am I? Where are my people? What did you do to them?” Leon asked in panic.

  “Relax Eleanor Worthington Quail, you’ll be safe with me,” the maiden replied soothingly. Leon sat down for a moment to regain his balance, he realized he was covered in puke and began to wipe off the slime and chunks on his face.

  “Ugh! this is terrible. I’m covered in my own puke, like a drunkard. What did you do to my people?” he inquired once more. The maiden got close to him and bumped her forehead with his making sure the spot between their eyes matched. Leon felt confused by the matter. His heart raced when the synthetic beauty got close, she was almost tranquil. “Stay quiet, I’ll show you. Concentrate,” she said. Leon closed his eyes and concentrated only to find out he saw nothing but darkness as he closed his eyes.

  “Wait, what am I looking at, it’s just dark,” said Leon in disbelief.

  “What? What do you mean it’s just dark? I performed a mind meld,” said the worried maiden.

  “Oh…no, no, no, you didn’t and you’re not,” said, Leon, as he pushed the woman away, “I’ve been mind-probed before and it will never happen again, sister.” He took a few seconds to look around. The place seemed modern yet worn at the same time. Small metal cubicles with little ventilation and assorted colors stacked underneath what seemed like the foundation to a massive structure above ground. Piles of junk stacked alongside the Fabela, it was the setup of a community.

  “Where are we?” He asked. He looked around and saw multiple creatures approaching their landing zone. Omnimaiden looked to the side symbol of the structure and got battle-ready as the predators approached.

  “I believe we’re in sector six. It’s a highly dangerous area of the city. Especially on the ground level. Get ready to defend yourself,” said the synthetic lady.

  Several humanoid creatures with bird heads approached. The wretched beasts went after the pod. They ripped the exterior parts off and scattered away, scavenging the crash site. A couple of them quickly engaged the maiden once they realized she was synthetic. She reflexively ducked a blow from behind while simultaneously swipe kicking a second attacker from her side. She got up and stood behind the first creature, grabbed him firmly by the neck, and tossed its body across the place, onto the wall. Leon saw a bird creature, grabbing his lucky bat and quickly charging toward at it Leon wrestled the bird-like man for the wooden club.

  “Human!” he yelled. Leon was surprised at the reaction but acted quickly, ignoring the beast’s distraction. He ripped the wooden bat off the creature’s hands and swung a mighty strike, several more blows followed, until the creature fell unconscious on the ground. Leon rolled the club in his hand, readying himself for more predators – those who heard the call of his last attacker. Surprised their, Leon had nothing else to do but to fight for his life. He felt confident about his victory, especially after seeing the maiden’s fighting prowess.

  “Bring it on you chicken face, you want some too?” He taunted the other scavengers. The creatures ran in terror at the site of the invaders’ aggressive display of power.

  “Quick, we must stay away from the roads, that would call too much attention,” said Omnimaiden. She grabbed Leon by the hand and ran across the road and into an alleyway. They sat in a dark corner. Water ran from a drain pipe into a puddle. Leon took the chance to clean off some of the vomit smell off his face. He took a few deep breaths and looked around, the sight was a world like nothing he had ever seen. The mix between the sleek high-tech above the clouds with the dystopian contrast of the high-tech favelas. He looked at the synthetic beauty looking for answers.

  “Ok, so where’s my family? Where are we? and what’s going on?” said the rebel as he took a moment to digest the matter. The maiden sat next to Leon, and with a calming tone she spoke.

  “After you were wrongfully neutralized you and your family where being transferred to Alpha HQ, the home base of our procedures. We w
ere about to brief your crew on the quant-dimensional journey you had,” she said before Leon interrupted in disbelief.

  “Wait, let me stop you right there rubber soul. You said dimensional?” he rambled in a surprised tone.

  “Not only did you travel through time, you also traveled through altered space. Your nineteen fifty-six is different from our nineteen fifty-six. I was about to inform the details of this particular procedure before we got sabotaged by Prime City’s rogue, fortunately, your family escaped safely.” she said to him with a calming demeanor.

  “Hold on, this is nineteen fifty-six? What did we do?” he said. His jaw had dropped and his eyes goggled, attempting to process the ramifications of what the maiden was saying. The maiden on the other hand couldn’t help but chuckle.

  “Of course not. This is twenty-one sixty-six and it’s not your future. We had a different nineteen fifty-six, I can tell you and your family all about it when I take you back to HQ,” she said to Leon, while placing her hand on a computer terminal which was designed to service an automated guarding turret. “The silver-white liquid revolted inside her translucent hand to no avail. Leon expected some flashy lights followed by some beeps and boops, yet nothing happened. Omnimaiden seemed frustrated at the stale computer. She tried it once more for reassurance yet nothing happened. Leon stood there aloof and frustrated with the situation. The console gave a warning shock to Omnimaiden, the synthetic beauty coiled in pain. An alarming sound drew attention to their spot the place was now filled with vermin and scum. The humanoid aberrations where a group of desperate survivors, looking for anything of value, and willing to do anything to claim it. Leon saw the desperation in Omnimaiden’s graceful features.

  “Quick, we need to get off the streets curfew will be in session,” she said in agitation, she grabbed him by the wrist as they both ran off into piles of scrap. Leon’s heart was raising, he had hoped to get away from Auroville, but this seems pretty far enough considering he had just survived his greatest adventure. The maiden came to a halt at a dark spot beneath massive building scraps. Without saying a word, she raised her arms and crossed her wrists together, placing them right above in between her eyes. The creases in her sleek and beautiful design began to illuminate from in between her eyes, down her oval-shaped head, and through her body. Leon was astounded at her the beautiful luminescent appearance. He suddenly realized the maiden before him was indeed a complex work of high-tech machinery culminating in a beautiful and gracious female figure. He felt soothed by the look of the changing colors. She stopped the display and came back to herself. She bowed her head down and shook her head.