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| Monday, February 27, 2006 |
| Alicia |
You should all feel terribly special. Today, you are to be treated to Ata's one and only half-arsed effort at writing anything approaching Science Fiction. Alright, it's not a treat so much as a lazy way out of posting anything that requires immediate creative effort. It's still a post. And there was a good idea behind it, although not much of the good idea has flowed through to the mini-story.
Enough apologising. Read the damn story.
Alicia
The day would be... nice. Sunny, probably. A glowing orb of distant white fire rose lazily in the west. Overhead, the sky revealed itself slowly, the night's dark shading to clear, pale blue. The early morning view from the patio was striking. Seasonal blooms made a varied patchwork of the garden - ruby, sapphire, golden fire, sprawling out to the point where the ground began it's descent from hill to vale. Beyond the cultivated garden was untamed wilderness. Or very nearly untamed wilderness. You could almost forget it had been deliberately cultivated.
Gravelled paths made silvery trails through the riot of colour. As if some kind of great spider had spun a delicate lace through a display of gemstones. A dark spot mooched along one spoke of the web. She smiled, sipped her juice. He'd been thinking. Walking, he said, was the only way to think clearly. And it was easy to think clearly out in the pre-dawn chill, hearing the expectancy in the warbling voice of the odd early bird. Watching the mist lift and melt as day began to break, as the earth began to warm. She knew the attraction, often called the maid so she could rise before dawn to sit on the glassed-in patio. She liked the dew on the flowers, turning everyday colours into precious stones. Liked to see the first butterflies alight on the gems. When the day grew older and warmer, she would move outside to take breakfast. Here she could feel the air, the gentle breath of the planet on her face. Birds would sail in to land near her, sometimes on the rail, once or twice on her arm. She was encouraging them to fearlessness, hoping they would someday be bold enough to perch on her shoulders and share her toast. She loved this place. Her haven, her safety. She never went to town any more. Everything she wanted, needed was here. She and he hosted dinner parties every now and then, elite affairs, sparkling with witty repartee and a fortune in gold and silver settings on graceful fingers. Backless evening gowns. Kitchen staff working overtime to produce masterpieces, impeccably presented, delectable delights. Only the best of everything. But most of the time she preferred solitude, space, quiet talk by an open fire in the evenings. There was nothing she lacked here. She had him, she had peace, she had as much or as little society as she wanted. Nothing to worry or concern her.
The dark spot resolved itself to become a man. There was a downcast air to the set of his shoulders. He came closer, and she could see visible tension in the lines of his face. Sadness? Concern? She wondered placidly at what could be troubling him. Maybe he was puzzling out some technical difficulty in the new irrigation system. Surely the staff could take care of that. She must chide him for taking too much on his own shoulders. Let the world turn without you tonight...
He appeared to slow down even more as he approached the patio, watching his feet with intent. She thought. What was it the conference had been about the previous night? Now that she applied her mind to it, there had been regular meetings over the last six months or so, becoming more frequent over the last two months. She had not taken much notice - her husband, as a person of some prestige in the community, often met with other leaders. Politics was no longer her favourite pastime. Once she had enjoyed it, but now she had grown tired and indifferent. She felt worn down, dulled. By far she would rather sit out here on the patio and enjoy her gentle, peaceful world.
He drew closer, tiredly climbed the steps, lowered himself into the wicker chair beside her. "Alicia..." He looked at her. He had always found peace in the depth of her eyes. He reached out to touch, gently, carefully, the soft skin of her cheek. He remembered her as he often used to see her. Laughing. Standing under an almond tree in full bloom. Her walking arm-in-arm with him, soft and strong at the same time. Barefoot in the garden, picking flowers. Vibrant and vivacious at a neighbours evening soiree, candlight picking out highlights in her hair and eyes, dancing on the outline of her hips under their sheath of shimmering silk. He sighed. That felt so long ago...
"Alicia." She gazed at him, waiting for him to tell her what was on his mind. He was silent. Outside, the day began in earnest. Soon it would be warm enough for her to move out into the sunlight. The maid would be coming with breakfast. Perhaps they could take it together, as used to be their habit, before...
"Penny for your thoughts." He closed his eyes, trying to phrase what he had to say.
"Alicia, you know there's been trouble in the Central Government." She nodded mute assent, a knot of concern beginning to form in her stomach. "Well, there's been trouble here too. Nothing serious, nothing to worry you about... until now." She didn't understand. Confusion, uncertainty reflected in her eyes.
"Independence." She still didn't understand. "We're declaring independence." He wished she didn't look so confused, longed for her to understand the implications without him having to explain. It hurt. She used to be so sharp, once upon a time they would have been undertaking this together... it wasn't that she was stupid, wasn't that she didn't comprehend, just that she couldn't cope anymore, couldn't look at the details and extrapolate to see what they meant. Couldn’t remember much from moment to moment, to tell the truth. Political arguments left her stressed and emotional. She couldn't see the big picture any more.
And she used to be so good at chess, before...
"There will be war. You remember what happened when Titan declared independence." Understanding and fear began to dawn in her eyes. He couldn't bear it. "I will have to go. They need me. I have to direct the campaign." Her throat constricted. He closed his eyes, breathed deeply, opened them again. "Alicia, you know what that means..." He knew. He had seen it. She knew. The enhancers they gave you, the cyberconnections, the spinal hookups from person to person...
The procedures that left your wits dulled, your body numb - if you were lucky. But it had to be done, no unenhanced mind could contain and manipulate enough information to conduct military operations in a universe of four dimensions... there was too much to think about, too much to predict, too much to calculate, too much to be done at once. Too little room for error. Too much even for two people to do, if they worked seperately. But if they worked with minds in tandem, enhanced and hooked up through the long nerves of the spinal cord... then they could campaign, wage efficient war that was over within months. Win or lose. No draw. It had been lose at Titan. Earth didn't like to give up her colonies. He and Alicia had fled, far away, to the next system. Here they had hidden in the growing community, constructed a safe haven. He had protected her, watched carefully over her as she recovered. He didn't blame her. She did her best but her partner's body had rejected the implants, the drugs. And the campaign was over almost before it was begun. Leaving her what she could not escape. He felt - knew - it was a waste of a brilliant mind, knew that he would be giving his own mind to the same waste...
He hoped he could keep her safe. If he lost, they would both be political prisoners, never mind that they no longer had the capability to lead any sort of rebellion. He hoped he would be one of the lucky ones, as she was - in a way. She was still a companion, rather than a simple decoration. But her mind had lost its edge. He wondered what it would be like. Wondered if he would wake screaming - as she did - with nightmares immediately forgotten. She seemed happy, during the day. She enjoyed life, on the whole. He hoped that, after the war, they could live together, like this, in this place, enjoying the sun. He swallowed. There was nothing left to say to her. Nothing more to be explained. He went inside.
She gazed at the carpet of flowers. The dew had evaporated, the gemstones had become simple flat colours. The spider's web had aged to grey threads. The maid placed breakfast beside her. She ignored it. Eventually she sighed, cast one look back over her shoulder at the thin strip of dark clouds gathering on the horizon. Laid her hands on the rims of the large wheels on each side, and wheeled herself listlessly inside.
Perhaps it would rain today, after all. |
posted by Ata @ 7:03 pm  |
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