Thursday 26 September 2013

CHAPTER 1

THE INCEPTION

................As the Drafty mysterious wind blows over the desert lands and moves towards the highlands then settles in the bay of the Maladan river has always been a mystery to me. It's a way nature shows her unpredictably because it should normally move in the opposite direction away from the mountains not towards it.

Then again this seen as a message by some, others say it's a sign that 'the ones' above are looking upon us. Whatever the concept no one here ever believes it will make a difference in their lives or see it as a threat.

But since I was born and could understand the oddness of this 'wind' it never sat well with me. I've always been told I'm too curious for my own good by my friends family and seem to be spaced out half of the time as if I'm waiting for the world to change to what I want it to be.

I should have realized back then how naive and dimwitted i was but as they often say here.. 'When you stand under a coconut tree long enough .it's fruit will fall'.
What i didn't grasp with my immature fresh eyed perspective was the fruit could also fall on your head and yes in an unsuspecting turn of events .....A boorish awakening was rising in the horizon.

My grandmother whom we all call Nan often told me when she could manage to visit once a year that if you look and listen closely to the wind, it just might take you where you want to go. Of course that was before she just burst out laughing and said 'Sounds magical and adventurous doesn't it?' as she grabs my hand and smiles with a sorrowful lost look in her eye. ' But not worry my dear,' in her raspy aged voice 'Nothing big ever happens to us here in Abaurch...We are always protected '

At this point I'm looking at her and frowning with my 'YEAH RIGHT' expression but i quickly cover it up, politely smile and nod at her trying not to hurt her feelings.
Mom always says she was odd even before grand pa met her and it seemed to just increase when he passed on; but really when you see some of the stuff she does it's either wondrous or just loony.....I decided maybe she's just a bit of both.
I took it upon myself when i was little four years of age to protect Nan because of two reasons: one the obvious explanation was she's old and misses my grand dad and possibly why she's acting a bit off and two she's my favorite grand parent and I seem to her favorite too so there was no way I would tell my family she's speaking 'crazy 'again They might actually lock her up in the Doriam.

For you outlanders unaware of this bizarre area; Doriam is an institute 'hospital' used to help treat and preserve the mentally challenged or patients who need psychiatric help. They have the grit to say on their brochure as their slogan 'Have that long awaited retreat and finally relax your mind'. I don't know about you but that doesn't ease my mind at all it sounds like a 'Trip' where you won't return like they are basically saying if you read between the lines in that trusting creepy smiling face and robotic unfeeling voice on the prompters for all the announcements ''If you're tired of the crazy person in your home not to worry bring him here to Doriam and we will get rid of him/ her for you at no cost. ''

Had this been a normal place I would have already spoken three years ago when she talked in a dazed manner about the reckoning happening soon but because we are family Nan has to be protected. I have seen and heard stories of how people who go there never return and how experiments are done Plus when the patients finally are released if they survive after two years they seem to be normal but act more like mummies and robots combined as though they can't remember who or what they are they start the memory process again often forgetting their own family members.

For instance the earliest public episode in my memory almost had Uncle Izri - a greedy egotistical imp of a man whom i have the misfortune of being related to, often spotted with red protruding eyes, a big belly, sweaty constantly and reeking of old spices which he applies on enough to kill a herd of *Blafariffs; wanted her committed so he could finally have her home and land; at that time I didn't want my family to take my playmate away (sure there were other children i played with but none quite told stories like she did). So I acted like the incident she caused was my fault-

It all begun one peaceful warm mid morning in the month of the last cycle of the first moon, the division chair was moving about in our neighboring doing his usual door to door sweeps while trying to gain votes from the people , he's policy was either by force or peacefully he would get his way. The Noble Octavian Mallow the 3rd was his title and name, we all had to stand up on attention and say hail Octavian when ever he was approaching.
To me it was natural and normal at that age so I never questioned it but unfortunately to Nan she despised the man so when he entered our house she put needles in the cushion of his sit and when he sat down well ...He was very outraged and demanded to know who was responsible. At that time I was laughing my head off because he jumped up so quickly knocking his knee on the floating platform surface table spilling my mum's freshly made coffee and scones on the ground, hopped on one leg, tripped on the carpet and the fish tank on the stand feel with the entirety of it's contents on his head. He demanded punishment to the perpetrator as he was leaving the house.

At that moment Lady Elsie of the Wordensen Estate was passing by in her private expensive shuttle and burst out laughing at his misfortune. He often worshiped her and wanted to use her to gain aristocracy in the state so he could further look down on people but luckily the Lady was no fool. I was till laughing till i realized the seriousness of the penalty that Nan had done when an Agent was summoned. He wanted the criminal to be *electric-ted
As he demanded once again who the cause offense was I looked at Nan and she had pride and no regret in her eyes and was walking forward but we all knew what would happen once the Agents apprehended a person and one her age wouldn't survive. This act usually required a seeker present and a hearing but no one wanted to speak against Noble Octavian for fear of his wrath turning towards them. I in the moment felt a numbness come over me as I run towards the Noble, I clearly remember my mother's screams and shock as she tried to grab me back to her arms. I looked up to him and said in a tiny voice how sorry I was for leaving the pillow there, I simply forgot; then burst into tears.

All the rest was a blur to me luckily since I was an infant the punishment couldn't be carried out but I had to work and do chores at Noble Octavian's home for a week as an apology. I distinctly remember a sly smile appear on Nan's face as she winked at me when she realized what i did. My family all knew it was my Nan but having no proof couldn't do anything for fear of her unpredictable nature and temper. It frustrated Uncle Izri and his fish lipped wife the most because they had plans for her property and wanted to get rid of her so they argued among themselves loudly trying to find a solution in vain as they interrogated my privately trying to get me to confess before they were asked to leave. Later that night after scolding from my mother and father, she quietly remained in the room and gave me a hug and whispered 'There's a lot more to you than people see 'I'm grateful for that' I felt like i had done the greatest thing in the world and we were inseparable every time she visited.

All this talk of my world and I realise that I got ahead of myself

To understand my life I have to introduce you to it. I do beg your pardon..........(Mother would have a fit if i forgot my manners).....So here goes.............

In this universe that the Creator known by many names and supposedly seen or heard from in the prehistoric times by the chosen few, decided to put us on; He separated a lot of this and beings and most of all places.........in my case on the galaxy Nervtim.

There are four planets in the Nervtim galaxy that controls the balance of the universe which are Exia, Kazcoon, Tronx and Fels. Nervtim is the center of the universe and people believe that the greatest and fifth planet Oristar at it's core ruled by the Sentinel are all gods or have supernatural powers to perform wonders.

My home and planet is Exia. We are a modernized, futuristic, well developed race governed and ruled by the Republic. The body in charge of enforcing the law are called Agents who are an elite group of individuals with tactical and military skills. My state Abaurch is one of the smallest and inferior ones among the six in Exia.

My name is Sky Fayton. I'm the second and last born of Amelia and Robert Fayton and only female born into it. The eldest my brother Eloff left home when i was five to discover the world and we only used to get images and samples or were he went but nothing comes anymore so we fear he is dead but neither of my parents talk about it.

My job in this God forsaken snippet place in the galaxy is a seeker- it may sound fancy to some and insignificant to others but it is what it is.Other than protecting Nan from any further episodes in public, I'm supposed to help find out things in the community.

We are divided into various groups all around the galaxy and our aim is to assist the Republic. We are help seek the justice the enforcers place. It isn't an easy task to help seeking justice for either the Agents or the people no matter which side you choose you always have a side against you.

It is unheard of for seekers to naturally appear or be born into our division and state they are usually deployed into Abaurch so when I turned eighteen and all of us seniors in high school had to go for the 'assortment' which is the republic's method of division and order in the society. The candidates do random tests to arrange them into various groups. For many years the Orderlies for the Seeker council used to come once and stay for the welcoming ceremony then leave immediately after because they all knew Abaurch never produced seekers. So you can imagine their shock when they were called back to our state to perform the Seeker test.
As I'm walking through the water park in the town square waiting to meet Nan from her routine market survey I remember that day vividly like it is happening at this very moment. I sit on a park bench and fully engross in my memories..

It was a typical Monday and we were all cursing school and this dreadful assortment I know it may sound amazing but if you are thinking it was like Harry Potter with the lovely hat and the houses, don't this was reality and we didn't want to be branded for the rest of our lives because we weren't lucky to be born noble or in Oristar. Misha and Zoe my two friends decided it was the day we would skip and do it later even though there was a penalty but we preferred to do it in private not while the whole state watches and people start to auction you off for work it's so demeaning if you don't get a high position like a Medic or Analyst you were stuck with ground work like farming, repairs, disposal, literally all the jobs the other states cared nothing for.
We often got the lower jobs because the nobles were automatically analysts or medics even without training or specific candidates with powerful families went to politics. The rest of us the riffraff were given the worst. Don't get me wrong we didn't think we were above all the work we just hoped for a chance to choose even though we knew the mediator used to sort from Oristar was never wrong.
As we run into the shuttle moving in the opposite direction of school we smiled at on another happy that this one day we would be free. Misha was from a well off family and we expected him to be a medic at the least, I expected to be stuck in repairs like ten generations of my family and Zoe knew farming was her destiny. She was the only one among us who was comfortable with that choice because she loved farming. Misha wanted politics and I simply wanted nothing..........I wanted to be undefined.

We reached our usual spot my the old construction site and abandoned bay and started having a few laughs. Misha brought a capsule of alcohol for us to toast and convinced us to drink because according to his logic that still makes me laugh up till now 'if i'm going to given a life i can do nothing about i rather be a little buzzed to get through that.

Meanwhile a new deputy Orderly was hired that day for the ceremony and he wanted everyone present for the occasion so as to show a good example to his superiors. While we were having fun a search party was deployed for us and other students. By the time we decided to return at midday the Orderly had postponed the event to the next day and we were apprehended in our homes. Apparently our idea was a common one and in total fifteen students were absent.
The absentee students were punished as a penalty to sleep at school and tidy up for the event the next day and to add insult to injury we were to be picked first for the event. Misha and Zoe went before me and as we had known Misha became a medic and Zoe got farming. As I sat there thinking maybe I could run away like my brother who defied destiny and though he was wanted for disobeying the Republic the was happy 'Maybe I can' I secretly tried to convince myself but the armed guard at my shoulder holding my elbow was restricting my movements.

'Sky Fayton' said the name on the speaker. My heart started beating loudly and I felt all hope slowly draining as i neared the room were the assortment was performed. 'Step forward' i was ordered and I did maintaining eye contact with the speaker. 'So,' the Orderly said sneering 'you're among the little criminals, trying to defy us are you'
'I can see you are even from a family of criminals, isn't you brother on the run?'
Silence followed......'Answer me girl'. 'When do we start the test?' I ask 'Am i doing it now'. the orderly breathed deeply and clenched his jaw and mumbled very well it's not like your fate is any better and the n pressed a button.

All over a sudden the room went pitch black and I heard a metallic movement of machines then suddenly the ground disappeared from underneath me and I was falling.......

*
Blafariff - a species or creature with elephant, buffalo and tiger characteristics. They are both carnivores and herbivores and leave in the outskirts of the Alerisha river bordering the far sun hemisphere. They are strong creatures that attack when provoked and normally live in herds. Often hunt individually and when faced with this beast approach with caution. The skin is very valuable because it is used in manufacturing and it's meat is tasty and a delicacy thus rare and expensive to obtain because the blood of the Blafariff is poisonous to whoever tastes it even on the meat.
They are protected and reared by the savage natives of the Blue moon who settled by the river.

Electric-ted- this is a form of punishment performed by Agents of the Republic. I involves electrocution of the criminal's brain while awake and using the memories of the individual against them. A person is trapped within him/herself for the extent of the sentence. It is done as a capital punishment due to a severe crime or when a high ranking official has deemed it suitable with the seekers approval after a hearing.

PBNC

Wednesday 25 September 2013

BEYOND

PROLOGUE

A blast of cold freezing wind from dark gloomy night escaping into her room through her window followed by an enormous bang within her quarters woke her up instantly from her slumber. Sitting upright in alarm wide eyed and heart beating four times its normal pace already in panic mode, she could feel the adrenaline at woke encouraging her to be fully alert as though freezing water running from the tallest and coldest mountains had been splashed and dumped on her.

She hesitantly steps out of her bed as a chill moves over her whole body due to the cold air now circulating fully in the room and tiptoes quietly to the door ignoring her fuzzy slippers at the foot of her bed afraid to put them on in case they made any noise and alerted her unwanted guests below. As she approaches the door another crashing sound as though a chandelier was dropped from the highest point of the ceiling onto the floor shuttering into a hundred pieces and then soon after a loud monstrous howl echoing through the walls followed.

Instinct kicks in as she quickly dives to the door and flips the locks and placing her palm out on the inner scanner placed on the wall just near the door to activate and to seal the door with an outer security shield hoping that whoever or whatever was out there would be held off by this, if not for forever at least for enough time for her to think of an escape strategy. Trying to calm down she shoves the nearby chair with her now trembling hands to the door and blocks it further from intrusion further barricading herself in the room.

No sooner had the African mahogany wood of the chair touched the door to restrict the handle from moving than banging on the opposite side of the door started........accompanied by a moaning and groaning sound. She concentrates on listening closely hoping she is mistaken but a sudden blast of sirens wailing in a loud high pitched tone into the night as people’s echoes of shouts and screams were increasing.

She fearfully backs away from the door and in three steps slips on the carpet and plunges onto the ground in a semi loud thud but not after hitting the back of her head on the side of the bed.

A wave of excruciating pain flooded her head followed by a sharp arduous ponding of arising from a newly formed headache. Feeling dizzy in addition to the other effects of her tumble she raises from the floor using her right hand for support like a crutch as she lightly touches the back of her head to investigate the extent of damage and was welcomed but a moist reddish colour of blood oozing from the head as she inspected the fingers of her left hand.

A sick and nauseating feeling over whelms her at the sight of her own blood but she bravely stomachs the bile rising up her throat back down and concentrates on the more pressing issues at hand her survival. She fully engrosses herself at the task at hand and looks for her locator.

Swallowing slowly in her already dried mouth, she said out loud to her empty room with a hint of fear in her voice as she murmured the words ''They have come for me'' ‘But why now, why me and this late?’ were the words ringing in her mind aside from blocking the vibrating walls resulting from the banging which was increasing volume with the howling outside the door

As she anxiously searches the room feeling frantic with many questions pondering her aching head when the furiously insane banging at her door that sounded like a mentally ill patient diagnosed with claustrophobia trying to escape a room in this case trying to enter, suddenly stops. She pauses in the midst of her search and turns her attention hesitantly to the door wondering why it stopped and whether it was a good thing or were they just regrouping.

Out of the blue a glowing light abruptly conjures itself right in front of her and continues to expand in volume. She rushes to the furthest edge of the room away from the blinding luminescence lowering herself to the floor and shielding her eyes with her hands while curving into a ball.

She then notices in the midst of her actions a glimmer of metallic silver with a flashing red signal catching the corner of her eye. It was the locator she had earnestly hunted for just innocently lying at the corner of the bed on the floor a few inches near the door unaware of its owner turmoil.

Two decisions have to be made she told herself either the monsters behind the door or the unknown frightening light turning into a warm hole right before her eyes.

'' Pick one and hope for the best'' she mumbled to herself due to the limited time and choices available at the present.

Jumping with lightning speed from the floor she dove over the bed while stretching her right hand and grabs the locator then abruptly a loud blast started at the door. This time the hinges were moving and the door was being torn into pieces right in front of her. She knew that the shield had been penetrated and dreaded the outcome as splinters of the mahogany wood from the door flew into her direction.

She turns back towards the light which now was now more than ten feet into her room continuing and rising to the roof. While squinting with left hand positioned strategically in her line of sight in front of her face she looks into the light and sees a form of a dark figure emerging from it. All over a sudden the locator which was now securely latched onto the lower part of her arm near her elbow starts to beep uncontrollably as though it was malfunctioning rapidly. She raises her hand to her recharge and activate the locator but then notices it was getting much louder and reactive when she pointed it in the direction of the light.

Frustratingly she presses the locator with her thumb to send a transmission to the council or anyone who received the signal so she could be rescued from the room but to her despair nothing happens. Now in a worse panic than before frantically she looks around the room and then nervously touches the back of her head which seemed to have stopped bleeding and tries to take a deep breathe to help ease the thinking process while causing a limited amount of strain and discomfort on her already aching head.

'' I will not die today'' she chants continuously to herself as she tries to think of a plan b then it dawns on her she could take her chances with the Agents outside her door than the dark looming figure trying to immerge from the light. ''I might even survive, right...I could fight them off'' she said the more she thought about it the more she was convinced it was the only way forward.

Turning towards the door she carefully approaches it for the second time that night then an explosion of a sickly scent of chemicals and a white powder completely spreading into her room. Agents immersed in immediately after and then recalled the chemicals were sprayed on their protective gear to help them easily apprehend her victims because the chemicals caused a numbness and relaxation of senses thus deeming the captive unable to fight back. If they only knew that hasn’t worked on me since I was ten she thought suddenly feeling for the first time that night a burst of hope that she could overpower the Agents, probably disarm one or two and she could be free.

As the Agents grabbed her blood stained collar to hold her into position as they programed the restraints onto her wrists and then on the ankles of her feet, a little sigh of relief was made by her accompanied with a slight cocky grin on the corner of her mouth. It was amazed her that even in a very dear moment like this she could still find the guts and strength to smile as she was being guided out of the room. She luckily didn’t need to act dazed like all the victims of the Xzar 13 chemicals presented as a side effect to being exposed to the drug because she was still dizzy from her fall and she could just channel the pain enough as pass a harmless captive or they would stun her till she was unconscious.

Guided effortlessly towards the threshold of the door of the room she felt more adrenaline feel her system as she prepared for the attack she was to inflict on an unsuspecting Agent. While stepping forward she felt a magnetic force start to pull her backwards towards the light. Feeling panicked she started to move quickly and on her own accord towards the door carelessly stepping over the remnants of her door splinters causing more damage to her body and feet forgetting all about the t the Agents assistance needed in order for her charade to work. As she was just a centimetre from it as she stretched her already bound hands to the waiting Agents on the other side of the door she felt herself lift of the floor, her restraints fool to the floor as thought they had been disarmed and be pulled feet first with her body facing the ground towards the light.

She grabs the two Agents’ arm and waist that were behind guiding her as support so she could hang on as the two Agents in front of her drew their weapons and fired towards the light trying to let it reduce and stop its pull. To her astonishment the Agents she was using for support rapidly rose from the floor and then flew passed her as she released her grip on the both of them with a quick speed towards the light. One Agent being dragged into the light also pulled out a weapon and was screaming while firing and approaching the light then she and her partner turned into ashes the instant they made contact with it.

A sharp high piercing scream rang out of her mouth as her eyes were nearly popping out of her sockets in fear due to the new knowledge of what the light was capable of when she eventually met started floating more quickly towards the light.............'' help me'' she screams to the remaining agents with her hands stretched out reaching out to air as she tried to swim and move in the air away from the light. The Agents hurriedly rushed back out to the other side of the door where the effects of the pull seemed less fatal. It’s Ironic she thought how they wanted to enter my room at any cost earlier now they wanted nothing to do with it as she gives up hope of them ever rescuing her.

Flying over her bed she notices its bedpost and sees it as a saving grace hoping to get out of the magnetic pull. A crackling buzzing sound was heard then a hot sharp pain of lightening hit her on the base of her spine, it was like liquid fire was spreading all over her body. Unexpectedly lines appear on her skin start forming a strange pattern moving and spreading from her legs, angles to her forearms and eventually her eyes. They turned from their usual light sun touched honey hazel to a bright white with lakes of blue sparkling at the ends.

After feeling the light consume her she finally lets go of the bedpost and is swiftly swallowed into the abyss with her last sight being her formally pristine, classic looking room with an addition of the horrified, frightened looks of the fortunate agents who weren't incinerated being able to see the real image of the dark shadowy figure from the light staring from behind the other side of the threshold of her door frame……