Thesis ~ The Strangest of all Attractors || Ch. 1, Pages 6-17
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Take a look at the ABOUT page for more information on this series.
Go to the REFERENCE GUIDE for detailed info on the greater world at large.
The TABLE OF CONTENTS page (for now) only links to the Substack version of these uploads. I guess I could add additional links that link to these posts, here on Tuhat, but we'll see. I do prefer how things look over here. It's a lot more stripped down and the font here is close enough to Century Schoolbook Regular, which is my font of choice.
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PREVIOUS SCENE (First flashback segment of Chapter 1)
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The sky was gray.
It was the middle of the day. Everything was gloomy. The clouds barely moved.
Below the oppressing clouds, there was a small stretch of land, surrounded by trees. There was a car sitting here. It was red in color. It appeared to be a sports car. There was a striking visual contrast between this cherry red car and it’s dull, lifeless setting. It didn’t look like it belonged in such a colorless world.
A young girl approached the car. She was sweating profusely. Her eyes were sweeping the area.
She wasn’t being followed.
With the swiftest of moves, the door on the driver’s side popped open by itself. The door raised upwards.
The young girl shoved herself inside. The door closed.
Her hands were on the wheel. Even her hands were sweaty. She was covered in sweat!
In a bit of frustration, the young girl banged her head against the wheel. The car horn honked loudly.
There were two people sitting in the backseat. They didn’t move. They didn’t flinch or blink. They stared straight ahead. Like mannequins.
The young girl with flashy, red-orange hair calmed herself. Her shoulders relaxed. She still had her head buried in her shoulders.
There was a loud ringing sound. A augmented holographic window appeared in mid-air next to the girl. The window displayed text.
‘Incoming call from Kathryn Berner.’
The young girl reached over and tapped the holographic window.
“Hey! Hello, hello! What’s up? Checkin’ in!”
“Yep. That you are,” the young girl sighed. She looked on over at the display floating in mid-air and saw in that augmented window a girl slightly older than her with straight, blond hair.
“Guessin’ that planet Earth is still on, big, stinkin’ shit hole,” the blond-haired girl laughed.
“Don’t know, Kate. What do you think? You’re the smart one.”
“Yes, I am. Who’s this person you tryin’ to find again?”
“You don’t know?” the red-haired girl spoke in her clear British accent. “Like… you remember Ashlin. Right?”
“You’re asking me?” Kate scoffed. “For real? Not like she’s been gone that long!”
“Yeah. This is her younger brother.”
“What? Whit a minute! Really? Why him?”
“I don’t know! Kinda hoping you would tell me! You’re the one who works under Hindler! I was thinking you overheard something about this decision, or something.”
“I never hear anything,” Kathryn retorted as she rolled her eyes. “Hindler has his secrets.”
“Right,” the red-haired girl groaned.
“Yeah. I’m not liking this,” sighed Kathryn. “It’s sad thinking about it. Wonder if doin’ whatever you’re doing out there is even worth it.”
“Not worth it, you say. Hm. No shit.”
“What they make Ashlin’s family believe about what happened?”
“They won’t tell me. Glaister hinted at a car accident. Something like that. I made my opinion known, saying if you’re gonna do this to Ashlin’s family, at least give them a pleasant memory! There’s nothing pleasant about the memory of death, regardless of how a loved one may have died, or ya know! Whatever! Despite my ranting, Hindler’s gaggle of eggheads went along with it anyway cause they’re soulless and I hate them!”
“Hate to say this, Michelle, but you’re starting to sound like Karen.”
“I get a splitting headache every time I hear that name. Her name is a bloody goddamn drill in my skull.”
“You realize what we’re doing here might be illegal, right? We can’t bring in an outsider who is well past his prime! How old is he?”
“Sixteen.”
“No! We can’t do this!” Kathryn exclaimed. “The Republic will drop the sky on us if they find out what we’re doing!”
“I know! I know, but I just need to do something! I don’t know! I just – like, need some time to understand what’s going on, unless you wanna tell me now the theory of determinism is complete bullshit when it comes to human affairs, and only applies as an opposition to quantum physics.”
“Look at you, Michelle. Pretending to sound smart again! Yeah, no. Not prepared for... whatever.”
“Good.”
“How you assume they’re gonna make his presence official within Gearshift Eden without the Republic finding out?” Kate asked.
“Don’t know. May be easier then it appears. Long as we keep him in Gearshift Eden – leave his name out of census records. Similar records. Beyond that, it gets complicated.”
“So, he’s just… not gonna exist in the eyes of the Republic?” Kate asked in an awkward fashion.
“That was the idea from the start. Sounds stupid. I know! Sounds stupid because it is! Everything I’m doing right now – only word I can come up with is incredulous. Not sure what the smart thing is at this point. I don’t know! We’ll see where this goes. I don’t have good feelings about this.”
“Michelle? This might not end well for us, but I’m intrigued about where this is going. I’m hoping Hindler knows what he’s doing and that this isn’t as much of a shit show as we think it is. Who’s been assigned to pick him up? Really just you out there?”
“At the beginning, Hindler’s assistant told me that decision would be left to me. After talking to Hindler, I now know that was bullshit. He wants me to do it! I’m sure he wanted this in the first place. Reason why is beyond me! This transition is not going to be easy for Ashlin’s brother! I have no idea what to do in the slightest! Honestly! I’ve never done anything like this before!”
“Don’t put too much pressure on yourself,” Kathryn cautioned. “It wasn’t easy for any of us. Been here my whole life. Still can’t believe I live in a place like this! So, yeah. I get it. It’s a tough pill to swallow. You planning on giving him a tour of Nia?”
“I have a big schedule coming up. Random as hell. Or it feels that way. I don’t... I don’t know what to do.”
“We’ll be around to look after him.”
“I’ll do you one better! How bout you be the one to do this!”
“Sounds tempting, but I’ll pass. By the way! Like to say Karen should be nowhere near this kid. She’s more annoying than usual lately.”
“I should be the one saying that, Kate!”
“Michelle, could you at least try to forgive-”
“Forgive what? There’s nothing to forgive! I don’t even know who Karen is anymore! She does not exist to me!”
“And speaking of the girl whose name gives you a splitting headache, Karen wants to take Ashlin’s brother in and be his legal guardian for his remaining adolescent years – as few as they are.”
“Kate! Listen to me! I’m never been more serious about anything in my life! Please do everything in your power to prevent that from happening! I swear to god! That girl has gone off the deep end with that larper shit!”
“Oh! You know who she is now! You do a temporary memory wipe on yourself during this call?”
“Damn it, Kate! I’m serious!”
“Okay! Stop freaking out! It’ll be fine! You just be careful out there. This mess sucks. I understand! Whatever Hindler’s business is with him, it’s important enough to risk everyone’s careers over it.”
“Right. Look. I gotta go. I’ll call you later. Okay?”
“Yeah. Bye. Stay sane!”
The call ended.
Michelle continued sitting still in the car for several moments. Her sweating had ceased. Her hands were still wet.
Out of the the corner of her eye, she caught the two entities sitting in the backseat. The sight of them made her scowl to herself.
“Yes, yes. Whatever! Figure this stupid shit out on my own! Don’t know how I got talked into this! Bloody hell am I doing?” she vented at herself as she started up the car.
*
This was a dark world. The wind was howling off in the distance. The air was charged and lively, yet everything was deathly still.
There was nothing natural about this place.
Out in the middle of an empty deserted brick road stood a boy with thick, dark brown hair covering his eyes. He was well into his teens, wearing a faded yellow shirt and tan cargo pants that were all torn up down at the pant legs.
He was standing in the middle of a realm that by all conjecture could not exist – but felt all too real. A mysterious, darkened reality.
To his left was a building. A sign near the front entrance labeled this place as the Rosaria Hotel. This hotel was now bordered up and left abandoned. On both sides of the street, all buildings appeared to be in the same state, other than the first floor of an old building across from the hotel. The building emanated a weak light from it’s dusty windows.
Above the young man, there were dark, menacing clouds that loomed overhead. At the end of the road, directly ahead of him, were tall metal gates. The gates sealed away any view of the other side.
How did I get here, the boy wondered to himself. He wasn’t sure if this was a dream.
It didn’t feel like one.
Wherever he was, it felt real. It felt very real.
He tried to recall the last thing he remembered doing, before he found himself standing here with his eyes closed. He could only recall going to bed in his comfy room, after a long, tiring day of high school.
He had to be sleeping. It certainly didn’t feel that way.
What was this place, he wondered.
The answer wouldn’t be found by standing here, so he decided to go off and explore. He thought he was in New Orleans or a place with similar French architecture. The area had a Victorian age style showing through these weathered exteriors. There were overgrown weeds sprouting from the cracks between the bricks below his feet.
The boy wandered away from the hotel towards the other end of the road. He wanted to get a better look at the gaping dark void. Once arriving at the end of the road, the boy was shocked by what he discovered.
What existed beyond this road was nothing. The void grasped the emptiness below him, as if all that ever existed was this road, it’s old buildings, and the scorched sky above.
The boy slowly backed away. He felt the sense of vertigo swell up in his chest. Staring down into infinity wasn’t all too thrilling.
The boy paused himself. A bitter impulse flashed past his mind.
He wanted to jump.
His body jerked forward slightly towards the edge. The boy held himself steady in a desperate bid to retain a hold of his sanity.
No. It’s not about escaping, he thought to himself.
The boy stepped back to the edge to gaze deeper into the black emptiness. A strong gust of wind pushed him back.
He didn’t want to be here. He wasn’t in the mood for this.
He pinched himself. There was pain, but the dream continued on.
The young boy wheeled away from the edge. In an angry tone, he shouted as loud as he could to the empty street.
“Hello! Wake up!”
All that answered was the wind, the distant sound of thunder, the faint sound of wind chimes and the sound of a creaking wood sign, hanging above the entrance to the only building that wasn’t boarded up. Those faint lights inside the place were dull but welcoming.
The boy developed a suspicious feeling about that building.
No. I’ll just stay here, he thought.
He sat down in the middle of the street to catch his breath. He started collecting his thoughts.
He had to look at this rationally. This was a dream. This was evident; The last thing he remembered was going to bed.
Also, this whole town was hovering in midair over complete and utter emptiness, like the vast voids of interstellar space.
It was no use trying to make sense of this. Everything here felt real and solid, not hazy and random, like his usual dreams. The brick street was laid out before him in perfect contrast and clarity. The buildings around him stood headstrong and concrete, unmoved by the raging storm in his mind.
He wanted to lay down in the middle of the street and go back to sleep, but he felt wide awake and alert in anticipation.
Anticipation for what? There wasn’t anything or anyone here.
Was there?
As he continued to ponder, he realized the possibility that someone – or something – lingered silently within these walls. It could had been nothing more than paranoia.
The more the thought toiled in his mind, the more it felt like there were eyes peering out from the pitch black windows around him. Every dark corner posed a threat.
The boy thought he heard a dull thud. It sounded out from somewhere near a set of stone stairways. These stairways led up to the sturdy wooden doors of the Rosaria hotel.
He stared at the bulky steps.
Was that a thud or did something drop?
Was something hiding behind the stairway?
The boy started forward. He wanted to see what was on the other side. He paused suddenly.
There was a light, almost like sparks spewing out from an electrical box. The bright light came from an alleyway somewhere behind him.
It must had disappeared just as quickly as it appeared. There was nothing but a wall of darkness within the alleyway. Chris stepped towards it. The darkness in front of him grew dense like fog. It was like the darkness itself was swirling, like a whirlpool, waiting for the moment to entrap him. As frightening as it was, it felt more welcoming than the dim lights in the building to the left of him.
“Stop! Stop!”
He jumped, startled by the sudden break of silence. He flung himself around to the sound of the voice.
There was a figure, shaded in darkness. It stood to the right side of the stairway.
It was a young girl by the looks of it. She had blond hair that dropped well past her shoulders. Her hair was dirty and mangled. She was about as young as he was. She wore a blue dress that was aged, torn, and faded. Her face was blackened out.
“Who-who are you?”
After a long and unbearable silence, the girl responded with a heavy tone in her voice. She spoke slowly and quietly, almost as if she had forgotten how to talk.
“Now, that is… most interesting. Was about to ask it the same question. I think...”
The girl took a step forward. She was breathing heavily. She looked like she was about to break out crying.
“...my eyes. They conceive me. It is! Not an it. A man! A boy! A living person! A real, live soul, flesh and clothes, standing before me – a mirage! Gone mad. Not real. No. I do not... I do not know, but I must – I have… have no choice. I can’t... “
“W-What? What do you-”
“Hey! Chris! time to get up!”
The world disappeared.
He opened his eyes to the glaring bedroom light and pale white ceiling above. It took him a few seconds to realize where he was.
He was back home.
It really was all a dream.
The most vivid dream he ever had.
Chris turned his head towards the doorway entrance in time to see his older brother turn away and head downstairs.
Chris was exhausted. He wanted go back to sleep, but after that bizarre nightmare of his, he knew he would rather drag himself out of bed.
It wasn’t like he had a choice.
Eventually, he gathered enough strength to crawl out from the covers His lower back still felt sore. He figured he slept on the wrong side of the bed a few days ago. It was odd the pain still persisted. His muscles were stiff and weak. Hopefully, Chris would feel better after a shower. Wasn’t likely.
He wondered what day it was as he yawned loudly, stretched his weary muscles and started slowly for the bathroom.
It’s a school day. He knew that much.
Likely a Monday, he thought. All bad days landed on Mondays.
Good news was that it was the final week. It was the last week of school, in the last week of May, in the current year of twenty fifty-three – a year that was proving to be the worst ever.
The weather outside Chris’ bedroom window was cold and wet. This was strange weather for the Savannah territorial region camps. Weather patterns were gradually becoming more and more out of the ordinary these past several years. Chris recalled last Christmas, back when they lost the ability to travel outside the city walls. This was a warmer region. Still, there were people proclaiming then that snow was now a normal staple within this normally snow-absent ‘Coastal Empire.’ That month saw a staggering nine inches of snow. Nobody gave a solid answer as to why a tropical part of the world would see that much snow. News of the outside world was difficult to come by.
Despite the true cause, whether it was by nature’s doing or humanity’s doing – it didn’t matter. Chris loved the snow. He held fond memories of the times his family spent in the frost-bitten state of Michigan, back at their old home.
Those days were nothing more but a distant memory now. The only thing he had left to remember of his former home was the winter snow.
Chris peered outside his window and saw the gray clouds. They hung low in the morning sky. A small rain shower began to come down, drenching the land below.
He looked down the suburban street and was surprised to lay eyes on a sleek and stylish red sports car parked on the other side. It didn’t look old, rusted, or falling apart. Everything else on this street did.
Who would rent out such a car in these times, Chris wondered with great astonishment.
Chris’ family was lucky to be living here after the government relocation program moved them here. Life wasn’t that bad here. In today’s world, cheap candy treats was the main choice for all, especially for the people who stood in the endless lines in front of the unemployment offices downtown. He recalled walking by one day, after being allowed to pass into the blocked historic district, seeing a massive sea of candy bar wrappers gust upward effortlessly over the heads of those who stood about, then gently fall back down like autumn leaves after the chilly wind receded. Even in this more pristine district, children found a playground wherever cars were left to rust away.
At least one person within this household had a stable job. Chris’ father worked with the government. He was a programmer. It was amazing there was still room in this world for such a profession. But in these days, even a high-paying job didn’t amount to much.
Chris took a quick bath and dressed up for school. He headed out of his room and towards the stairs that led down to the living room. Passing his father’s room, he caught a glimpse of that button-up white shirt of his. It was left hanging there in that wide-open closet for the past two years they’ve been living here. It was a very old shirt of his, but this shirt was never worn by his father. It was simply left in there, long sense forgotten. Oddly enough, it never had a wrinkle or a speck of dust on it. As if it was well preserved.
A few steps away was his brother’s room. His room was plastered with posters of baseball legends. Two of his brother’s most favorite idols were Bo Miller, a famous hitter who once played for the Dodgers over ten years back, and Shunsuke Tomoshi, a player from Japan who pitched three perfect games in a row for the Red Sox only a few years ago.
Chris knew his brother’s dream was to get into the major leagues and make a name for himself. Quite possibly, he wanted to become a legend of his own standing. That competitiveness and determination was once there. That was how he used to be.
These days were different. Whenever Chris would pass by his brother’s room, he would take a quick peek inside. He would see off in the far right corner Alan’s bat on the floor next to his mitten. They were gathering dust as they laid partially hidden under his clothes drawer. Unlike father’s shirt, these objects were tossed aside, into this dark crevice as if they had become more of an annoyance.
Alan also used to tinker with electronics, just like their dad. Alan had hoarded several strange objects over the years. He referred to them as ‘video game console systems.’ They were antique devices, meant to play ‘video games’ on. Those too were sitting under the bed, gathering dust.
Without electricity, they were useless anyway – and electricity was expensive these days.
Chris slowly continued past his brother’s room.
Stopping several feet away from the stairs, he paused in front of the only bedroom door situated on the right side of the hallway.
The door was slightly ajar. The room inside was dark and devoid of any sign of life. On the door there was a piece of torn up notebook paper taped to the door. There was a short message written on it.
“There are two things that are infinite, the universe and human stupidity… I’m not sure about the universe.”
- Albert Einstein
This had become a usual habit for Chris.
Every morning, he would pause briefly in front of this room. There was no reason why. Perhaps he was trying to pay homage. Perhaps Chris was attempting to come to terms with reality through some subconscious or comatose means.
It didn’t feel real. There was still this brainless, dimwitted shock of the nerves, bringing up the anticipation of Ashlin bursting out of her room, playfully wresting Chris down to the soft carpet floor as she laughed and giggled uncontrollably. Chris would always speed off downstairs, but she would usually catch him just short of the stairs. One time this cat-and-mouse game ended with both Ashlin and Chris tumbling down the stairs, shortly followed by a breaking of a vase and a leg of a wooden table. Their father wasn’t happy with either of them, but Ashlin just laughed it off afterwards, saying that vase was old and ugly anyways.
No.
This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be. Him standing outside her empty room, waiting, hoping for this nightmare to end once again, so he could wake up to his eighteen year old sister’s smile, his father’s amused or annoyed response, his older brother’s slightly bemused chatter.
It all ceased to exist.
It was as if an invisible vortex sucked out the last portion of happiness in this world, as if this eternal divide severed or detached a part of himself, left him without himself.
Chris shook his head. He groveled by.
As he reached the bottom of the stairs, Chris glanced around the darkened living room. To his left was the entrance to the kitchen. His father ate breakfast at the dining room table, his face buried in the morning newspaper. His older brother stood at the sink, looking out the window in a hypnotic state.
Chris walked in. He noted the silence in the room.
He took a seat at the table. As he took the cereal box, he studied his family.
No gesture made to one another. They were all just like any other person on the street to one another.
It didn’t used to be this way.
*
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NEXT SCENE (Coming soon)
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