The Lab

The Lab

                Today is my first day as intern to the famous research scientist Dr. Isaac. I showed up to the lab twenty minutes early and I met him at the lobby, he extended his hand for a shake, I nervously extended mine in return.

                “Welcome James to MRL (Moon Research Lab), we are the first laboratory to be established on the moon. As you’ll remember, since the colonization of the moon there have been many facilities set up, but we are the first biological/cybernetics lab on the planet. Did you have a good trip from Earth?” Asked Dr. Isaac.

                “Um, yes, very much so.” James replied.

                “Good, then we shall proceed this way. Here is a lab coat and safety glasses for you. We’ll begin in the aquatic laboratory.” Said Dr. Isaac.

                Dr. Isaac walked to the right of the doorway and swiped his security badge. The double doors opened, leading them into a LED lit laboratory. There were four large tanks, each with an assortment of tubes and pipes running into them. The tubes were connected to a large switch board with dials and illuminated buttons throughout. There were clean, organized lab benches with various instruments on them. There were pipettes, hot plates, mini-centrifuges and other equipment. The real wonders lie within the large tanks. They walked over to one and Dr. Isaac began talking:

                “As you’ll see here is our first attempt at a cyborg dolphin, Pete. You’ll see the telekinetic apparatus grafted onto the organism’s cranium. Stand up straight and pay attention.” Said Dr. Isaac.

                “Sorry sir, I’m still a little disoriented from the space ship ride.” Said James.

                Dr. Isaac nodded and continued talking: “this dolphin has the ability of simple telekinesis. You’ll see him stacking those lead blocks in his tank just by using his mind. He’s very intelligent. You’ll also notice the electrodes attached to his telekinetic apparatus. They lead out of the tank and hook up with our control panel right here. We can study his brain activity while he moves and stacks the blocks, very interesting.”

                “Yes indeed, this is absolutely amazing.” Said James.

                “You’ll spend much of your laboratory time here monitoring Pete’s brain activity and recorded data into our electronic lab notebooks. We’ll set you up with one today; moving along now to the second tank.” Said Dr. Isaac.

                The two made their way over to the second large tank where a sea turtle swam around inside it. A technician moves two switches with a click. Suddenly the turtle faded into invisibility. The technician moves the switches back over and the turtle came back into focus.

                “As you’ll see here James, in this tank is Thomas our invisible sea turtle. We’re testing a new type of cloaking device on him, which is interwoven within his flesh. For some reason the device does not react well with oxygen which makes it a perfect fit for the anaerobic respiration cycle of the turtle. On the occasion Thomas will swim to the surface to breathe in air, at which point he becomes visible.

                “That’s incredible!” Said James.

                “Yes, much of what we do here is on the cutting edge, you’ll definitely learn a lot here.” Said Dr. Isaac.

New Story: The House of the Future

The House of the Future

                High atop the mountain sat a house of curious wonder. This was no ordinary house. As you complete the trek to the top of the mountain you’ll first see the flying car parked on the landing pad. From this altitude, the car does not have to expend much energy, or use much citrium infused water to reach the clouds. The car is also quite interesting in that it is half machine half organic. It drinks citrium infused water and eats table scraps from the kitchen, but enough about the car.

                As you’ll see the side yard is home to many wind turbines. Harvesting the strong winds at the top of the mountain and pumping the electricity to the house. Also on the roof are many solar panels running at 98% efficiency, the best money can buy. The house is completely off the grid, it generates all the electricity it needs.

                The rather large back yard contains two, large chicken coops. Within the coops are german shepherd sized chickens, genetically modified to be huge and protein rich. They each lay eggs the size of small bowling balls. The eggs are packed with vitamins, protein and the right balance of carbohydrates and fats. The single inhabitant of the house can live off of the eggs alone, but he prefers to butcher a chicken every now and again.

                Also within the backyard are two full vegetable gardens. One garden is just potatoes, cucumbers and tomatoes; the second is peas, carrots, squash and zucchini. He built by hand the enclosures that contain the cucumbers to give them climbing room. Both gardens receive full sun for eight hours a day since there is not competition for light from tall trees. The man eats to capacity and cans the rest of the vegetables so they can be consumed during the winter months. He rarely has to go shopping. For a little variety, the man harvests wild blueberries that grow along the mountain. It’s the perfect life for a hermit.

                Every other week he takes his flying car ten miles to the desert to harvest sand. He is a rather eccentric inventor and uses the sand to melt into glass. He then molds the glass into light bulb forms. He’s engineered light bulbs to never burn out and uses them throughout his house.

                Water is condensed from the air through the use of large cooling spheres attached to the roof. The water trickles down the side of the sphere and runs down the jacket of the rod that supports the sphere. The water is then collected in large barrels to be taken from whenever the man sees fit.  He then boils the water to sterilize it and refrigerates it for use later.

                The man is never greeted by visitors, but that’s how he likes it. He is constantly working on his amazing house. Always busy and working hard. He believes in the philosophy that if you work hard and do good, then you’ll receive good. So far his philosophy has been true.      

               

New Story: The Golems Part 2

The Golems Part 2

                The golems act in a pair, their energies feed off of each other, two complimentary pieces forming an evil entity. They stood tall and dark, the silver one to the right of the girl, the gold to her left. She fell down, crouched and curled on the cobble stone road. She transformed her body into a pile of ash. A gentle wind took her away. She traveled up into the sky and watched the golems from high above. Her essence mixed with the air molecules and soon she could extend her cloud to encompass the town. She remained suspended over the golems, watching and blotting out the moon light. The townspeople looked up into the sky with horror and saw, silhouetted against the stars, a black ash mist. She corrupted the oxygen around her, replacing the molecules with carbon monoxide and other sleep enhancing elements.  

                The silver golem filled himself with rage and thrust his massive fists into nearby buildings, destroying the wood and cement facades. He worked his way up and down the streets. Patrons and civilians fled the buildings screaming and crying. His eyes emitted intense lasers, the beams ignited nearby trees and roofs.

                The gold golem stood still, he did not move. From his position he began to shake and tremble. His eyes were closed and an aura soon formed around him. The aura increased in size like rings around a drop in a pond. The fleeing civilians ran into the magical aura and then they changed. They became lethargic and slow. Their movements were apathetic. The aura slowly encompassed the entire city and continued to expand. The people of the city were trapped in a draining bubble. The silver golem stopped his reign of terror and stood still. He lent his power to the gold golem. The spell intensified and caused the people to crawl, some lay down and slept in the roads.  

                She can watch the entire city, her dark form creating a nasty shadow.  She hears something in the distance. “Is it music of sorts, a song sung in a high pitched falsetto?” She casts telescopic vision on herself. She peered in the direction of the song and saw the source of it. A small boy sings a song by himself. The boy is sitting in a garden on a sunny afternoon. Sunflowers tower over him; some are unable to hold their giant flower head up. He continued to sing until all the sunflowers are fully upright. A ray of sun shine beams over him. She knew there was something enchanting about this boy and his abilities; she feels an intense sense of good coming from him. She knew he must never come near the golems.

                The golems continue to cast their spell of coma over the civilians. Everyone in the city sleeps except for one man. His immunity prevents falling under the golems spell. He stands up and looks around the block. His fellow men and women all sleep under a horrible curse. He senses something far in the distance, something wholly good. He turns to leave the city but is stopped by a giant silver golem. His red eyes narrow. The golem bends down and reaches with his massive hand. He grabs the man but is suddenly repulsed by the contact with the man’s body. Electricity shoots out from the man’s body and electrocutes the silver golem. The man runs and flees the city.

                “I must find the beholder of this intense good. Hopefully he or she will have a solution to this horrible problem.”  

New Story: The Golems Part 1

The Golems

From whence forth did sprout the two

Though mighty and good the human are few

Not from love for human did create thy name

From whence forth her betrayal the evil came

The suffering of many

The two will grow

Fed from ghastly hatred

The world will know

For as long as will shall choose the dark

The monsters of evil will leave their mark

                                                                                            

From a pure soul the injustice is deep

One with hope and music will sing

From his lips the two will sleep

Until he is found we all must carry

The burden of truth in a world so scary

                Outside the saloon a horsedrawn carriage trots past, while a girl in a white dress admires the majestic steed. Large bronze gears turn within the iron belly of the carriage which set a turbine into motion. The electricity produced is able to power two lanterns within the cab of the carriage. Reading the program, Sir Humphrey Sterwart studies the names of each performer, his eyeballs quickly moving behind his orange tinted, gold rimmed glasses.

            “I feel as though we’ve been on the course for quite some time. The theater can’t be too much farther,” announces Myriam, Humprey’s wife, fanning herself as she speaks. Her blond curls bounce about as she frantically looks out the window.

                “Your wife makes a good point, this should have only taken twenty minutes.” Senior Jon Cuttington announces while glancing at his jewel encrusted pocket watch from across the cab. His wife Margaret with both arms wrapped around his left arm nods and momentarily makes a helpless face. The carriage comes to a halt.

                “Why on earth are we stopping here?” Asks Humphrey.

                Suddenly the cab door is yanked open from outside the carriage. A masked man stands in the opening holding a shiny silver pistol.

                “Sorry to ruin your evening folks but you’re about to be robbed, hand over all of your valuables.” The menacing burglar says while steadily holding the gun.

                “Whoa easy there sir.” Jon says.

                The women scream almost in unison.

                “Are you sure you want to do this?” Asks Humphrey.

                “Just give him our money and valuables dear.” Myriam whispers to Humphrey, her voice wavers as she speaks.

                “Sorry kind sir but I’ve already made up my mind. Please don’t make me shoot you. Well too late.” The burglar says as he squeezes the trigger.

                The girl in the white dress screams as the gun fires, she witnesses the murder. The women scream, the masked burglar flees the scene. Humphrey slumps down clenching his chest, he dies a few seconds later.

                The girl continues to watch as the people within the carriage move about helplessly.  Myriam leaves the carriage and seeks help within the saloon. The girl squeezes her hands together while she slowly closes her eyes, protecting her from the horrible scene. Sparks emit from her closed eyes. The sparks increase in size and soon flash out like a fire exposed to gasoline. Her hatred approaches a zenith of emotion, her hatred for the flaws of man, the depravities that caused this tragedy to happen. From her fists flow a radiating light; she crouches down and begins to shake. The stream of fire flowing from her eyes reaches the ground and takes on another form. The fire becomes molten lava. Each eye pours out more lava. On both sides of her the magma collects and forms large feet. The material coils and smoothes out forming large pillars. The girl screams and draws the attention of the people in the carriage. More lava pours from her eyes, solidifying into two immense torsos. More and more lava pours from the small girl. Her dress changes from white to black. The death of a noble triggered these changes and formations. The two large torsos soon were met with arms, hands, a neck and a head. The evil creations stood tall.

                Thousands of miles away a boy sings a somniferous and calming song.  

New Story: The Controller

The Controller

                He stood in pajamas looking in the mirror. The bathroom was immaculate, reflecting the tidiness of his nature. He admired his smooth face, shaven twice daily to retain its youthful appearance.

                Directly after college he was hired as director for a cell biology research lab.  His life is boring, mundane and repetitive. But the job does have its advantages. His schedule is flexible, his salary immense and his employees are devoted, but yet, he is unchallenged.

                Reaching for the toothbrush he meticulously begins scrubbing his teeth. He looks in the mirror, seeing the time in a right handed configuration. The hands begin to shake. Lightly at first, then the entire clock shakes and falls to the ground. He ducks down and covers his head with his arms. An earthquake! Never has there been an earthquake in this area. What should I do?  He thought. The floor began to crack….this isn’t an earthquake.

                His foot falls through the floor, then his other foot, both legs and finally an arm, his other arm holding on to the newly formed ledge in the floor. Sweat forms on his brow; his heart is beating out of his chest.  He looks directly down through to the floor below him. The paintings in his living room are still on the walls. Furniture, TV, and appliances in his sight are all undisturbed.  An immense cavernous shaft extends up through his house, centered on him. The ledge begins to crumble and he falls.  He passes through the living room, down through the basement and into the earth. Farther, deeper he falls. The temperature increases. He falls for a long time.

                An orange glow develops at the base of the shaft. He slowly approaches it. The walls around him pass by like a blur. He must be traveling fast, but the glow increases only slightly. The tunnel curves and he glides along the slick surface, his pajamas in a tatter, his shirt lost long ago. The tunnel empties into a pool. He feverishly swims to the surface. He emerges in a large control room. Rock makes up the walls; hundreds of monitors are embedded into the stone and surround the massive room. There are several chairs throughout, each in front of a board containing many intricate switches, knobs, dials buttons and levers. He looks around bewildered, his body begins to shiver.

I just wanted to go to bed, now where am I, what is this place?

He looks at the monitors, most display people in a city or in cars, people at the beach, some people boarding an airplane. Others display videos with no people: a vast rain forest, arctic tundra, a dormant volcano.

A shadowy door opens with a whiz. An old cloaked man appears and walks over to the young man who was still kneeling at the edge of the pool.

 “That’s about how I felt when I arrived here.” The old man said.

 “Welcome to the center of Earth. Here is where all the decisions are made. The twist of a switch determines the lives of millions. You may want to provide water for Africa in the middle of a drought, but the storm may drift a bit if your calculations are off. These are the things you’ll have to live with. The problems we face are difficult, but you’ll make the right decision to maintain our creation. My name is Simon. I’ve been here for one thousand years, my time is up. You’ll determine my fate after I leave. You’ll be known as god to them,” he says as he points to a monitor, crowds gather at a street corner awaiting the walk signal.

“To me, and to yourself, you’re known as Albert.”

“First of all, I have no idea what you’re talking about controlling the rain, and second, how do you know me?” Albert asks.

“We’ve been studying you ever since I created you by bringing together your mother and father. None of this would have happened without me and the board.” Simon answered.

Albert listened; he looked around the room as Simon talked. Maybe I fell asleep, I was really tired earlier. This could, has to be a dream. Nothing like this exists. I know how the world began, how things evolved, no human created this. People can’t control the earth.

Simon continued to talk, Albert interrupts: “This is impossible; earth began long before people evolved.”

“Yes, of course, but what if this isn’t the first Earth?” Simon retorted.

Albert listened and nodded.

“You see, humans evolved on earth many millions of years ago, studied the laws of nature, physics and well, science for that matter. We continued to advance and make new and larger discoveries. The particle accelerator became the precursor for planet creation. The ability to make matter from non-matter was all we needed to create a perfect earth. So that’s what happened, humans setoff in their powerful space craft in search of an adolescent sun near which our new earth could be built. The new earth project took many years, but was completed approximately 30,000 years ago. The earth you read about in textbooks is much older than that. We wanted to keep this breed of humans ignorant. By controlling nature we essentially created the perfect habitat where nothing is left to chance. Sure, there will be hurricanes and natural disasters, as a result of certain choices, but their impact will be far less than any on our original planet,” explained Simon.

“So what do I do? How do I control all this stuff?” Albert asked, beginning to accept his role.

“There is a board of trustees; similar to the company you used to work. Each of them votes on actions to take and decisions to make. You must listen to them, but you have supreme power. You are the controller. They provide you with information and guidance but you make the final decision,” Simon explained.

“My time is up, I must return. Watch over my family, see to it they have good lives. You’ll be a great leader” Simon said as he walked out through the door, it shut with a click.

Albert walked to the nearest chair, sat down and looked at the nearest monitor. “Ok then, here we go.”