Flipswitch Chronicles: Chapter 1, Draft 2
"Ladies and Gentlemen, if I may address you, we've gathered here today because of one thing. We are all aware of something, and we're not going to wait for the rest of the world to catch on. It will be too late for anyone by then. Before anything, can the intruder please be removed?"
The Traveller spoke to half a dozen other people in the room, one of whom mysteriously disappeared. This was not their first encounter, yet the strangers still kept their distance from each other, ready to jump anyone with a glint of distrust reflected in their eyes. This proved quite an unproductive feat since it made everyone extremely twitchy. Perhaps it was for the reason that they knew each other well, that they acted so.
“Shall we get to it, then?”
A cane rose from the crowd, which caught it Traveller's attention. “You don't have to put up your hand to say something-”
The cane suddenly clicked, stopping the Traveler mid-tone, and hand that held it was flipping one of the switches along its length. The hand belonged to a man donned in a mustard suit, and he was the Philosopher. After a few whirring noises from the cane, he lowered it for study. “These conditions are most uncondusive for any sort of formal discussion. Why are we not using the forums?”
“Yes, I'd expect so, the walls are reinforced.”
Surely everyone had realised that there was a strange tension in the room they could not place themselves with.
"Really, what's gotten into us? Everybody is suddenly getting under my skin. We know we can't do anything if we don't work together," The Pysicist said as he dusted his waistcoat and closed the space between him and the Philosopher, placing his hand on the Philosopher's shoulder. "I call for a truce."
Chaos of disagreement erupted, and the Physicist fell back on his step. "Temporarily, at least!"
"ORDER! ORDER!" shouted the Traveller. “Butler, activate the filters.”
"Now really, who died and made you our leader? Did you just decide to take the stage on a whim?" The Mercenary's voice bellowed across the room. His arm was outstretched, holding a peculiar gun to the Traveller's general direction. There was only the highest probability that a shot from it will fatally find its way to its intended target, but the Traveller knew better than to quiver or fear.
"Nobody had to die, and even if anyone did, I'd be fooling myself thinking you bunch would ever hope to serve a leader. I am only calling for order," the Traveller sneered. He cleared his throat, hoping to clear his mind enough to recall his prepared statements. A heavy mechanical sound started rumbling beneath their feet, like chains and gears in motion.
"I'm not naming myself the leader, but someone ought to get the ball rolling,” his voice started again into the murmuring crowd, looking at everyone until attention was seized. “Now if I may address the obvious to everyone in this room,” the Traveller said, then paused to look around. “We are a broken civilisation. We know that. We cannot help it. But let's be objective. And selfish as we are. Let's use each other to get what we want. Let us acknowledge that we will be left for dead should we not pick ourselves up, and not do anything unecessary that will just delay our own selfish plans. If we stick to who we are, I believe everyone can get through this by themselves."
The Biologist rolled her eyes, and spoke in a condescending tone. "This, coming from the one who three seconds ago, declared himself not leader. Skip the motivational speech, Trav."
“I was only testing. The filters seem to be working, otherwise I'd be dead by now.” The Traveller cleared his throat again. He reminded himself where he was, and set his tone back to proper. "Now if everyone could give this obviously important-looking huge piece of parchment the attention it deserves," -he pointed to said large parchment hanging from the ceiling- "you could actually allow some form of comprehension to sink in.”
"Galvani, is that really...? But how did you...?" the Physicist baffled, while considering the placement of markings spread across the parchment.
"I travel, and I do not travel blindly," the Traveller said.
"This opens windows, brings down walls, unearth mountains- I could write a song. Yes, this will most definitely break my research!" The Physicist cried in excitement. The others tried to ignore him, while themselves scrutinizing the landscape map of their world.
"These points...” The Chemist noted, pointing at the marked locations that was the whole point of the map, “they ring a bell. If we do a full analytical study..." the Chemist said, more to himself, but the others could hear.
"Now hang on just a moment! By what I understand from our previous discussions, and the Traveller's cryptic statement... I thought you were just being morose! I cannot condone this! The infinite risks we will be exposed to alone will crush our very being!" the Philosopher remarked. Apparently he had said something the Traveller wasn't quite comprehensive of. None of the other occupants of the room quite understood, in fact. But even through well-rehearsed pokerfaces, the Philosopher knew dumb-found anytime by the mere silence. "Look, our being- our individual, exists because there is a barrier that forms our psyche, that keeps us in shape, and keeps the life in us from spilling over to anything we touch. If we attempt what it is we understand, and drag with it those we do not understand, we won't be able to control any of it! We certainly cannot replicate nature as nature does!"
"You and your soul theories! I beg to differ," the Biologist said. "I have on numerous occasions successfully replicated even the most complicated subjects. I do believe that replication, at least is well within our technologies."
"But it is not replication we seek, is it?" The Mercenary said in his usual growl, as he gathered the pieces in his mind.
"No.... but certainly, if we find the right resources, we can achieve this."
“I understand your concerns Phil, but we're not doing this blind, that is the whole point to this assembly.”
“What, us? Working together? Are you mad?” Half of us are out for the other half's blood.”
“No, of course not... I wouldn't wish that upon anyone. We'll be doing this individually.”
"Am I the only one to admit I have no idea what is going on?" The Engineer said pitily.
Without shifting her gaze to the Engineer, the Biologist said, "Good, at least we all know who's last in the race."
"Since when are we racing!"
"Indeed I don't see how this is going to be a race when everyone will eventually share what they know! Why can't we just team up on the go?" The Philosopher said in a wondering tone.
"You think we'll fall for your pseudo-rational voice? Don't make yourself out to be greater than what you really are, you stinking lowlife!" said the Mercenary.
“Homophobe,” spat the Philosopher.
"We all know by now how risky this occupation will be. Nobody wants to be the most vulnerable, that's why the most efficient way to get the job done is for everyone to think three steps ahead in every direction, and we lot don't do good in comfort" said the Traveller. "I believe we have order within ourselves, that's the only way possible, and that is enough."
"You can truly feel the rusting mechanics of this world in this room alone. We don't have much time," said the Chemist.
The Traveller spoke to half a dozen other people in the room, one of whom mysteriously disappeared. This was not their first encounter, yet the strangers still kept their distance from each other, ready to jump anyone with a glint of distrust reflected in their eyes. This proved quite an unproductive feat since it made everyone extremely twitchy. Perhaps it was for the reason that they knew each other well, that they acted so.
“Shall we get to it, then?”
A cane rose from the crowd, which caught it Traveller's attention. “You don't have to put up your hand to say something-”
The cane suddenly clicked, stopping the Traveler mid-tone, and hand that held it was flipping one of the switches along its length. The hand belonged to a man donned in a mustard suit, and he was the Philosopher. After a few whirring noises from the cane, he lowered it for study. “These conditions are most uncondusive for any sort of formal discussion. Why are we not using the forums?”
“Yes, I'd expect so, the walls are reinforced.”
Surely everyone had realised that there was a strange tension in the room they could not place themselves with.
"Really, what's gotten into us? Everybody is suddenly getting under my skin. We know we can't do anything if we don't work together," The Pysicist said as he dusted his waistcoat and closed the space between him and the Philosopher, placing his hand on the Philosopher's shoulder. "I call for a truce."
Chaos of disagreement erupted, and the Physicist fell back on his step. "Temporarily, at least!"
"ORDER! ORDER!" shouted the Traveller. “Butler, activate the filters.”
"Now really, who died and made you our leader? Did you just decide to take the stage on a whim?" The Mercenary's voice bellowed across the room. His arm was outstretched, holding a peculiar gun to the Traveller's general direction. There was only the highest probability that a shot from it will fatally find its way to its intended target, but the Traveller knew better than to quiver or fear.
"Nobody had to die, and even if anyone did, I'd be fooling myself thinking you bunch would ever hope to serve a leader. I am only calling for order," the Traveller sneered. He cleared his throat, hoping to clear his mind enough to recall his prepared statements. A heavy mechanical sound started rumbling beneath their feet, like chains and gears in motion.
"I'm not naming myself the leader, but someone ought to get the ball rolling,” his voice started again into the murmuring crowd, looking at everyone until attention was seized. “Now if I may address the obvious to everyone in this room,” the Traveller said, then paused to look around. “We are a broken civilisation. We know that. We cannot help it. But let's be objective. And selfish as we are. Let's use each other to get what we want. Let us acknowledge that we will be left for dead should we not pick ourselves up, and not do anything unecessary that will just delay our own selfish plans. If we stick to who we are, I believe everyone can get through this by themselves."
The Biologist rolled her eyes, and spoke in a condescending tone. "This, coming from the one who three seconds ago, declared himself not leader. Skip the motivational speech, Trav."
“I was only testing. The filters seem to be working, otherwise I'd be dead by now.” The Traveller cleared his throat again. He reminded himself where he was, and set his tone back to proper. "Now if everyone could give this obviously important-looking huge piece of parchment the attention it deserves," -he pointed to said large parchment hanging from the ceiling- "you could actually allow some form of comprehension to sink in.”
"Galvani, is that really...? But how did you...?" the Physicist baffled, while considering the placement of markings spread across the parchment.
"I travel, and I do not travel blindly," the Traveller said.
"This opens windows, brings down walls, unearth mountains- I could write a song. Yes, this will most definitely break my research!" The Physicist cried in excitement. The others tried to ignore him, while themselves scrutinizing the landscape map of their world.
"These points...” The Chemist noted, pointing at the marked locations that was the whole point of the map, “they ring a bell. If we do a full analytical study..." the Chemist said, more to himself, but the others could hear.
"Now hang on just a moment! By what I understand from our previous discussions, and the Traveller's cryptic statement... I thought you were just being morose! I cannot condone this! The infinite risks we will be exposed to alone will crush our very being!" the Philosopher remarked. Apparently he had said something the Traveller wasn't quite comprehensive of. None of the other occupants of the room quite understood, in fact. But even through well-rehearsed pokerfaces, the Philosopher knew dumb-found anytime by the mere silence. "Look, our being- our individual, exists because there is a barrier that forms our psyche, that keeps us in shape, and keeps the life in us from spilling over to anything we touch. If we attempt what it is we understand, and drag with it those we do not understand, we won't be able to control any of it! We certainly cannot replicate nature as nature does!"
"You and your soul theories! I beg to differ," the Biologist said. "I have on numerous occasions successfully replicated even the most complicated subjects. I do believe that replication, at least is well within our technologies."
"But it is not replication we seek, is it?" The Mercenary said in his usual growl, as he gathered the pieces in his mind.
"No.... but certainly, if we find the right resources, we can achieve this."
“I understand your concerns Phil, but we're not doing this blind, that is the whole point to this assembly.”
“What, us? Working together? Are you mad?” Half of us are out for the other half's blood.”
“No, of course not... I wouldn't wish that upon anyone. We'll be doing this individually.”
"Am I the only one to admit I have no idea what is going on?" The Engineer said pitily.
Without shifting her gaze to the Engineer, the Biologist said, "Good, at least we all know who's last in the race."
"Since when are we racing!"
"Indeed I don't see how this is going to be a race when everyone will eventually share what they know! Why can't we just team up on the go?" The Philosopher said in a wondering tone.
"You think we'll fall for your pseudo-rational voice? Don't make yourself out to be greater than what you really are, you stinking lowlife!" said the Mercenary.
“Homophobe,” spat the Philosopher.
"We all know by now how risky this occupation will be. Nobody wants to be the most vulnerable, that's why the most efficient way to get the job done is for everyone to think three steps ahead in every direction, and we lot don't do good in comfort" said the Traveller. "I believe we have order within ourselves, that's the only way possible, and that is enough."
"You can truly feel the rusting mechanics of this world in this room alone. We don't have much time," said the Chemist.
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