Monday, June 26, 2006

A Weapon of Mass Destruction : Part 1

Since the earliest recorded histories of man, there had been war. Primitive peoples fought over food, territory, and other necessary aspects of life. It was not until more recent years (when I say recent, I say it from the point of view of someone who can never die) that war was fought more for political or religious gain than out of necessity. Over these centuries of emotionless slaughter, man had strived to develop the most powerful, destructive weapon the world had ever seen. They created guns, planes, tanks, flamethowers, bombs, and other elements of death. When man discovered nuclear power, they thought they had discovered the strongest, most effective way to destroy their fellow man. Quickly they realized that these nuclear weapons had far more effect than they intended. In the process of eliminating their enemies, they were destroying themselves and everyone else on the globe. Abandoning nuclear technology, they sought another method. The men of science searched for countless years, until, on August 17, 2236, they found and formed the perfect weapon. I was that weapon. First Entry August 28, 2236 Hello. I am the fifth of ten beings created by the scientists in the lab on our secret isle. I am the adult clone of a child that dies centuries ago. The girl was named Abigal Clair Stevenson, so the men outside call me Abby, although i Don't understand why. My fellow creations are no longer in existance. They destroyed themselves the second day we started breathing. The ones who cotrol me are afraid that I'll do to them what my "siblings" did to one another. They try not to show their fear, but I can feel it in the air. They keep me locked in a dark room with what they call a "shock collar" around my neck. If I do something wrong, one of them pushes a button and the collar hurts me, like sudden burns on the inside of my body. I've never been outside the compound on the isle, although I often wonder what's out there. One of my keepers, the one with the bright eyes, taught me how to write and gave me this journal to put my writings in. I don't think he was supposed to do these things, because he told me not to tell anyone else about it. I decided to write in it today since today was a momentously horrific day in my short life. It made me wish I had joined the deadly brawl of my "siblings" and been destroyed with them. Today, I learned why I had been created. Today, I learned how to kill. Earlier, the man holding the device with the button led me into a room with a single mouse in a cage. He told me to sit in the concrete chair across from the caged creature. I sat and watched the scientists file in through a secret door. Bright Eyes came in last. ' "We want you to reach out with your mind and touch the mouse's mind, but if you touch any of ours, the pain will come." ' the fat one said, gesturing toward the button. I didn't speak. I couldn't; I did not know how to speak. I was told never to speak anyway, so I reached out toward the cage with my mind as easily as a child reaches toward a toy on a shelf with his or her arm. I could fell the mouse's mind. It was thinking about its next meal and a warm bed of wood chips. Memories of a confined life flooded my mind, images for a mouse's point of veiw. I made a gurgling noise in my throat that Bright Eyes later described as a laugh. Fat One asked me if I had been able to reach the mouse's mind and I nodded in the affirmative. The other scientists scribbled notes on their papers. Bright Eyes frowned and started to whisper something to Fat One, but the latter silenced him. ' "Now, Abby, we want you to silence the mouse's thoughts completely." ' I thought this an odd request. Only I could hear the creature's thoughts, so surely they weren't bothering Fat One, but I obeyed anyway. I forced my own thoughts over the mouse's, stiffling them. The poor creature fell on its side and twitched several times before laying still. Horrified, I tried to touch its mind again, but it was cold and empty. ' "This is death, Abby." ' Bright Eyes sighed, sadly. ' "This is what is refered to as killing." ' I gripped the arms of the chair, unable to believe that I had done something so terrible. I was trembling when Fat One said I would do the same thing for them tomorrow and dismissed me. The man who had led me in escorted me back to my room where I sat in firm silence for a long time. They could make me kill as many creatures as they wanted, but they would never make me tell what I had discovered. When the mouse's life slipped from its body, I felt it join my own life, making me stronger. That was when I realized it: every time i kill something, I get stronger. Every time, I get closer to freedom.

Comments (2)