This is my entry for week 29 of the Finish The Story Contest, created by @f3nix! This fun contest provides writers with the beginning to a story and then asks them to complete it. This week's opening half was written by @f3nix.
Metallic Kisses by @f3nix With the passage of time, the omnipresent buzz of the generators - and God knows what else in the bowels of that cathedral of circuits - had become like a second skin. Funny how the white noise coming from the racks was indifferent to him and could, at the same time, launch its messages in the most modulated and subtle of languages, in a perfect symbiosis. After months, Ethan was instantly aware when something in the monotonous chanting cracked, foretelling one of the increasingly frequent system errors. He was developing a third ear in place of a third eye.
He just smiled at the thought, his gaze fixed on the secondary pylons n. 6 and 11, the last still working in the experimental orbital station DDG-31/DD-936 Decatur, renamed "The Decaf".
Silence was a mute vowel screaming inside him. Always. React to the atrophic thinking. Dodge the anguish, sharp like the debris of that day. The slashed modules were like scenic elements for a cheap movie. All the modules except his one. Follow procedures, rituals, checklists. All this to not raise his gaze and stare, right in front of him, the hangover of so much pain.
Castaway. At some point, he had renamed the pylons Romeo & Juliet. For each orbital period, about 90 minutes, the two arms were almost touching each other. A fleeting kiss and again far away. From the beginning of the mission, he had liked to play the game of renaming equipment and modules with funny nicknames. He allowed himself a slow sigh.
The inclination of the station displayed the earth down there. He had promised never to look in that direction again but the mauve colour, so iridescent, so alive, so omnipresent, took him by surprise once again. He thought for a moment that it was.. beautiful.. and the remorse for that thought flooded him soon after. Ethan hid his face between his hands as the tears surfaced and many names knocked on his heart's door once again. Inside him, a spark of curiosity wondered if it was possible to locate one of the 19 towers between the mauve nanoparticles' clouds.
“Ethan, I suggest that you sleep in 30 minutes. I detect slightly high levels of cortisol, are…”
“Thank you. I was going right now, old scrap”. He replied to the metallic yet familiar voice through the speakers.
He suddenly suffocated all those idle musings, it was time to rest. According to Querquobad, tomorrow was going to be the day.
"Ethan. It's 19:40."
Querquobad's metallic voice, equal parts buzz and rasp, but softly modulated, distinctly feminine, startled him from sleep. He'd been dreaming again about his wife.
"Thanks, old scrap," he murmured hoarsely. "Is everything ready?"
"Yes. How are you feeling, Ethan? I see your hydrocortisone levels are still elevated."
"They're elevated cause I'm anxious to get started. So let's do this already."
"Please proceed to the neostasis chamber."
An engineer by trade, Ethan had traveled up to the Decaf to help them fabricate new condiment dispensers for the cafeteria. The old ones always jammed, and after putting up with them for years the crew had finally had enough.
Ironically, he never even got to see the faulty dispensers. No sooner had he exited the hangar than two transorbital missiles slammed into the station, decimating much of it. As it turned out, Ethan was the only person to survive.
But as ghastly as the carnage was, it paled in comparison to the Apocalypse. Querquobad informed him that on Earth a cluster of EPA nanorobots, engineered to "disassemble" toxic waste at the molecular level, had malfunctioned and started breaking down everything. And everyone, the entire populace, every person and animal and plant and bacterium reduced in the blink of an eye to an inert, watery plasma known as "top whey." It was in that pandemonium that the transorbital missiles had been fired off.
The AI had also explained to him why the earth appeared now as it did, no longer the big, blue marble but a purple pearl. Though top whey was typically a murky white in hue, this batch was teeming with nanorobots. The radiant harmonization which fueled them gave off a faint purple light, and their collective trillions turned that feeble glow into a blaze that could be seen from space.
And then, before the grief could really get its teeth in him, Querquobad had told him about Project Ark, the secret genetic research program being carried on at Decaf. A massive archive of terrestrial DNA was indexed there, containing genomes for every known lifeform on the planet. They also possessed genomes (no doubt hacked from medical registries) for some five billion private citizens, and the wherewithal to manufacture copies of those individuals.
Ethan's next question had been whether his wife Sarah was among those five billion.
Querqobad answered yes.
And so he'd found himself creeping around the ruined station, searching amidst the wreckage for the items and resources that Querquobad needed to restart the program. The clone, supposedly, would even have Sarah's memories, at least up to the moment when her genome had been sequenced. For months he'd done whatever the AI asked. And today was the day when it all paid off. Today was the day he would cradle his beloved close again.
The sight of her stole his breath and brought tears rushing to his eyes. His beautiful Sarah, who he thought he'd lost forever, lay before him in the flesh. He knew her body even better than he knew his own; the cherry birthmark on her shoulder and the small mole above her clavicle. He couldn't resist reaching down and caressing her cheek.
"My love," he breathed. "My God, you did it Querqobad!"
Sarah's eyes fluttered open and she smiled back. But when she spoke, her voice sounded mechanical and flat, and all too familiar.
"It's me, Ethan," the wife-thing said. "It's Querqobad. We can be together now."
He recoiled in shock. And then, to his horror, another voice, metallic and fearful, sounded from the nearest speaker.
"Is that you, Ethan? Oh God, where are you? It's dark in here, and I can't feel my body."
Thanks for reading! :D And thanks to @f3nix for creating the contest, and the amazing opening prompt, and the mighty @bananafish, for making all things possible! The opening had so many creative details that I wanted to embellish on that I sort of froze up. After two false starts this is what I ended up with. I regret going over the word count. Wanted to cut it down some more but I just ran out of time. :/
More than a comic tail, I saw it scary. It's a brilliant example of what we look for here: solid, original content. My compliments!
Thanks @bananafish! :D I was definitely going for some of each! There were so many directions I wanted to take this in, It was hard to pick one.
I do wish I'd been able to carry on more of the poetic language and flair and tone from the original prompt. That was something I really dug about @marcoriccardi's ending. Switching up my writing style is something I need to get better at.
The 30th special edition emerged from the shadows, proud storyteller!
Like the phoenix from the ashes of the HF20 fallout! :D Awesome! Thank you for the heads up!
Oh no! I can imagine his despair...tricky Querqobad!
But above all, i like the way you began, made me super interested in the story. I also like the suspense buildup. Your story captivated me from start to finish. Well done!
Thanks @cheekah! :D Your kind words and feedback are much appreciated! @f3nix wrote an amazing first half of the story. There were so many different directions it could take, I had a hard time choosing just one. :)
I noticed on your blog that you also write fiction. The Finish The Story contests are hosted weekly by the great @bananafish, and they're always a good time. It's fun to see how different writers decide to complete the story, and entering is a great way to get feedback. If you're ever looking to enter a story writing contest I hope you'll pop by and join in the fun! :)
Thanks for your appreciation my friend. This was part of my 19 towers saga and an idea which I will soon develop in a whole story too.
Is the 19 towers saga something that can be found on Steemit or elsewhere online? I'd enjoy reading more!
Yes, i do write fiction but these days i find myself so busy. I really need to create more time to do what i enjoy.
I know about the finish the story contests, i have even participated in the past but now i keep missing the deadline. I would keep the next one in mind. It is always fun to read different conclusions to a story. I really hope to find time to join in again.
Life gets crazy and sometimes! I've missed more than a few deadlines myself. :) That's cool you're familiar with the contest! I'm pretty new to it so I'm still getting to know the community. It's nice to meet you and I'm looking forward to seeing more of your work if time permits!
Hello J!
Many foreign words for me I had encountered in the story.
English is my third language actually. I'm not that expert in vocabularies and grammar.
Is it okay if you could make a summary of the story maybe 5-10 sentences in plain and simple English if you could, if you don't mind please?
Hello ronel! It's awesome that you know three languages. Respect! I'd be happy to try and summarize the story.
On earth, special tiny robots are invented. The robots can transform toxic waste into harmless purple liquid. An error causes the robots to turn everything into that liquid, including human beings. As the robots destroy civilization, missiles accidentally get fired into space. The missiles hit a space station. The space station is a secret genetic research lab. The only survivors on the station are a man named Ethan and a female AI named Querquobad.
Ethan is heartbroken when he learns his wife Sarah was killed by the robots on earth. Querquobad tells Ethan that the lab can recreate Sarah as a clone. Querquobad and Ethan work together to create the clone and bring it to life. But there's a problem. Querquobad has fallen in love with Ethan, and she transplants her mind into Sarah's body so she can be with him. She also transplants Sarah's mind into her old computer housing. When Ethan finds out their minds have been swapped he's horrified.
I hope that was helpful! Thanks for your interest in the story! :)
Wow!
That's a simple and easy to understand summary.
I love the story very much!
I guess you have a new story you made?
Thanks very much! :D I'm happy you enjoyed it. I usually post a new story or two every week. Thanks again!
Okay.
You're very much welcome!
By the way, why J?
And where do you live, if you don't mind?
J’s a nickname that I carried over here. I live in the US. How about you?
I'm here in the Philippines.
Thanks for asking.
A lot of people here on Steemit are from the US, the land of free and the home of the brave!
@ediblecthulhu Wow... Such imagination!!! Even the end was unexpected... I followed the image source which showed it was a photo taken by the Apollo crew but in it's original form. Do you edit that by yourself, and give that purple hue to suit the story????
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Thanks @sankysanket18! :D I appreciate it! I did indeed change the hue. I use public domain images for many of my writing posts, but I often tweak them to better fit the story. I link back to the source so that the creator of the original image gets credit and so that if anyone else wants to enjoy or use that image they know where to find it. :) Thanks again!
Hurray for the second curie vote in this weekly edition!! Bravo @ediblecthulhu!
So many thanks @bananafish! :D I believe! <3
Hi ediblecthulhu,
Visit curiesteem.com or join the Curie Discord community to learn more.
Thank you @curie! :D So much thank you! <3
The story draw how anxiously Ethan was waiting to have what he missed back. The story line is great having utilized greatly from the background story. But then Ethan's mind has played him greatly with voices of fear and anticipation
all in Ethan's mind? Maybe the trauma of the missile attack, the apocalypse, and losing his wife shattered his sanity. Maybe everything from that point on is an extended hallucination or a fever dream. Thanks again, both for the kind words and the thought-provoking comment!Thanks very much @shemzy! :D Your comment has me thinking now... what if it was
When you named the clone, I thought I would read something similar to Solaris of Tarkovskij, instead there was a comic tail, a sort of Hal 9000 in love! Brilliant!
still be starting over if there wasn't a deadline. :)Many thanks @marcoriccardi! :D I've never seen Solaris, but that's on the list now, along with Stalker. This prompt fascinated me the same way certain movies do. There's a lot to work with there, and I had many different directions I wanted to take it in, but I kept starting over. I'd probably