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Nemitor

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    [2006: MAY-JUN] Writing Challenge Discussion

    in 2006

    Posted · Edited by Nemitor

    Ahhh!

    Xoet! You stole my idea!

    its alright, mines different - but has to do with time, and a future self.

    - so i hope its alright that two stories have similar themes.

    HOWEVER - mine is VERY different in the main plot, just they both have to do with future selves.

    I MAY post it soon (after I finish writing it, and editing)

    [2006: MAR-APR] Perfection

    in 2006

    Posted · Edited by Nemitor

    It’s a bit shorter than my last one, but I’m pleased with it

    Perfection

    By Nemitor Atimen

    Perfection is a difficult concept. It is impossible to achieve, though we all long for it. Throughout the ages, cultures have quarreled over what it is, and how to achieve it. One thing is certain, technology is one way to attempt to be perfect. Some worlds have been more determined than others, some even forcing people to adapt and conform to their ideals. In one world's view, becoming perfect required denouncing individuality, and becoming one. Where ever there is evil, tyranny, or oppression, someone will fight back. If they succeed or if they don't depends on decisions made as both an individual and as a group. This is the story of one world, a world where oppression became common place, and where a piece of technology devastatingly backfired, poisoning what was consciousness and individuality.

    They fired continuously at the stronghold, the last one still left on the planet. The oppression had almost ended, and a rebellion was almost won, thanks to a powerful leader. He was an ex scientist, in charge of the entire 'Perfection Project', being mind washed into thinking it was for the better. It was thanks to his principles, and designs that the government would almost have had complete control over the population of the entire planet. When he was told that they didn't want the device for medicine, but for something far worse. He escaped, and led a rebellion. The project continued, but without his knowledge, it was severely crippled.

    Overly confident, he sat on an elevated chair over looking the stronghold. He had been there before... it was where they had their main laboratory, and it also happened to be extremely well protected, especially now. The war had lasted a long time... over ten years, and finally the enemy was in their clutches. He sat wondering why they would be so focused on protecting this stronghold, where the others fell so quickly. His mind drifted to memories on what they had been working on.

    A 'miracle machine' to achieve 'perfection'. That is what even he told the new recruits from the cities. It was a machine to 'cure all disease and increase our potential', but it wasn't going to be used for that. One day, he was summoned before the 'leader' to inform him of the progress. When he told them they were almost ready for a prototype, he was broken in on what it was going to be really used for. Even though he was raised on certain beliefs, he couldn't handle continuing his work on the project. He escaped through the air ducts, but not before sabotaging the device itself.

    Now here he was, authorizing the destruction of a device that was his dream to finish. Still more shots fired, until the flag of the enemy was lowered, and another flag was raised. It was pure white.

    “Hold you're fire! Let them come out.” This was passed throughout the ranks to the troops. Almost simultaneously, the attack stopped. They looked through binoculars, and saw multiple large vehicles come out of the stronghold. They troops surrounded the vehicles, and awaited the command to destroy them. The vehicles came out on all sides of the stronghold, and just sat there. Suddenly, a voice that sounded like many echoed throughout the camp.

    “Resistance is Futile”

    [2006: JAN-FEB] Fear

    in 2006

    Posted · Edited by Nemitor

    Thanks

    the only way for me to edit the post was to delete it and repost. This is the finished version.

    ----

    "Fear"

    - by Nemitor Atimen

    Fear causes change, sometimes it’s for the better. Other times, it’s for the worse. Fear caused me to build my machine. My ultimate stasis device, capable of transferring the entire consciousness of a being into a computer. It was designed to be perfect. But then of course, things don't always work as planned. The machine didn't, and it changed my life forever. This is my story of fear... fear of man, fear of society, fear of the universe.

    I was in my chair, trying to sleep, curled up like a dog. I couldn't remember the last time I slept in my bed, it must have been months. The calculations had been running for what seemed to be months. It might have even been that long... day after day waiting for the calculations. The calculations that would make my perfect journey through this time period... through this time of certain death. The Dominion War... that what some called it. I called it death to anyone who left a strong hold, and even they were threatened. I for one, live underground, on some godforsaken moon, all alone, safe from any kind of attack, even orbital. No one even knew I was there, other than a couple Federation officials, the ones who gave me the money, and I assumed they were dead by then.

    I heard a beep. It was a subtle noise, but loud enough to pull me out of my inner thoughts. As I looked to the console, I saw large blinking text; “Calculations Completed” and rushed over. The last step of the preparations for the journey was done. These calculations made sure that my consciousness would be successfully transferred to the computer, and put into a sort of standby. Therefore, I would step in; feel a jolt of electricity, and wake up to the same jolt, a millisecond later. Other than the small fact that it would only feel like a millisecond. In reality, it would be 350 years. This was the day I had been waiting for since it dawned on me that I would have a much higher chance of survival, in a better world, if I slept through the war. Naturally, I chose 350 years for a good reason. It’s not too short, so when I awake the world is still in ruin, but far enough in the future so that I wake to a perfect society. You see, the one thing I feared almost as much as death is being with myself, all alone, without anyone, or anything, for an extended period of time. But at that time, I believed that it was worth the risk.

    Quickly, I transferred the calculations to the machine. It took a minute to configure itself to the calculations, but luckily, I had already configured the machine to my brain configuration. I slowly waked into the stasis tube, and strapped myself in. I sat there, and thought... is this really worth it? I had thought so in the past, and had spent my entire life working on it. It was too late to turn back now.

    “Activate stasis sequence.” the first words I had spoken aloud in a long time, and the computer immediately began to work. A helmet-like device lowered on my head, and tightened. I heard noises... noises that made me begin to panic. Suddenly, out of no where, a powerful jolt of electricity flowed through the helmet. I could feel my consciousness being pulled out of my brain, I first lost all motor coordination, and then I couldn't feel, or hear. Finally, my sight was pulled out by force. Darkness was all I knew after that moment, but something was wrong...

    I still had internal dialog. I was actively thinking, and withholding information. This was not good – it was the one thing that I wanted not to happen, and I panicked, trying to calm myself by saying “relax, its just about to transfer over.” but nothing happened. I sat waiting for minutes, until I really panicked. I screamed internally, trying my hardest to break out of the mechanical bonds holding me in. The bonds I made myself... the bonds I made to hold the massive potential of a brain working at full capacity in. This was going to be a long wait.

    The wait almost drove me to insanity. It actually probably did at some points. At first, I thought that nothing went wrong, and this stage was just taking longer than expected. But as the hours turned to days, I realized that this was not normal. Day in and day out, I tried to calculate what went wrong and how I can fix it from within the system itself. But every calculation, every attempt, ended with the same answer: the system was perfect. Perfect in the way that it withheld the consciousness, running off a sort of 'emulator'. It seemed like twice as long as a normal day, probably because in the system, the consciousness doesn't have to sleep. It was a living hell. A hell where you have no food, no drink, no sleep, no social interactions, no sense at all.

    I myself, disliked society, and began to realize why. Through time, I learned to forgive myself for that tragic transporter accident which killed my entire family and friends. After that moment, I thought that the world was too dangerous, and must do everything in my power to stay alive. That meant becoming a hermit, and living underground, the only support coming from the government, thinking that I was working on a weapon. The fear grew, after the accident, like a disease. I tried medication after medication, and finally reverted to psychology, telepathy, mind melds, hypnosis, etc. Since, none of the 'normal' solutions worked. My fear grew and grew, and now I found myself trapped in the machine designed to remove all fear from my life.

    After many years, I grew to forgive myself more and more, the fear of man, society, and death lessened to the point where it was non existent. The machine was my savior, removing all fear as it was supposed to. It worked, but not in the way I wanted. I wanted to be taken from the world, brought into the world of perfection, the future. After centuries of darkness, only one fear remained. The fear of being trapped. Being trapped in the machine for all of eternity, with no one, nothing. During the stay in the machine, I realized how society worked, how to adapt, and how to live with others again. I grew an urge to return to the reality... to return home.

    Three options remained for me – these three options were thought up over years of calculation and thought. Option 1) The machine will go on until it is found, and I am saved. Option 2) The machine will go on forever. Option 3) It will put me back in my body 350 years after entry.

    Naturally, options 1 and 2 were not on the top of my list. The only problem was that option 3 was the most unlikely. Time passed slowly at sometimes and at others fast. I assumed that it was another software glitch, especially when I would feel time speed up, and then suddenly slow. I sat... thought... and prayed at times.

    Prayer was something I never did after the accident. Even when I thought that my facility was going to be found I didn't pray. Even when I thought that the God himself had forsaken me, after the accident, I didn't pray. I blamed myself entirely for their deaths, but wondered why He hadn't done anything about it. After a couple decades it became more and more common for me to pray. I wondered if it was my soul that was transferred into the computer, or if it remained behind. I wondered if God would hear me, or I was just giving myself false hope...

    I was thinking about false hope, and how it had been used throughout history, when I felt a sharp jolt. My heart leaped when I felt this, for good reason! I hadn't felt anything for centuries, and this was amazing. Hope surged, and I began to see the room.... I was going home.

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