I know I said I'd do a sequel to To Forgive, But Never Forget but this one demanded to be written first, and seeing as though a sequel would be longer, I gave in and wrote this first.
I have had many nice reviews in my time as an author, and a couple so-so ones, but reviews of any kind are hoped for. Please leave a review, it's what keeps us authors going.
This story comes WAY before my other ones, but it is related. I don't think it really matters which one you read first, but this one has alot of stuff in it that is introduced in my other story, so I guess, it would be a good idea to read that first.
Disclaimer: All terms and ideas are copyrighted to Lois Lowry. The plot and characters, however, are mine, and please ask to use them.
An Imperfect Heaven
Chapter One
Angela ran across the room, her long legs and large feet hitting the floor in a rhythm, Angela of course noticed it, she always did. She hated her large feet, and the fact that she towered over just about everyone else. But, if this research was going to bear fruit, her offspring would never have any problems, not like her's.
Dr Ostrenga! I have those charts you wanted! She shouted as she entered the office of her boss, Kurt Ostrenga. Kurt had been born with one leg longer than the other, and walked with a horrible limp, but, if this worked, nobody would ever have to limp again.
Wonderful Angela. We are getting closer all the time. Soon, we will be ready for the first test. He gave out a aura of confidence, and Angela felt covered in it.
The was two thousand and fourty-seven, and supposably, the greatest invention was that of the test tube baby but never mind that, by the end of the decade none of that would matter. They would all be in Sameness. Glorious Sameness, long life, no choices, beautiful. And all they had to do was finish the Generator. A month, no more!
A month! And after that, we'll all be saved. She shouted.
**********
Dirk almost fell down. He had never dreamed that the project was that close to being finished. He ran a hand through his bright red hair. Ever since the Government had announced the Sameness project to the public, he had despised it. But has was only twenty-five, and had been pulled out of his normal job to work on this horrible thing.
Ever since World War 3, and the death of five billion people, those that were left had been slowly dying of overcrowding in the small fraction of the Earth still livable. Scientists said it would be over two centuries before the Earth fully recovered.
Then Project Sameness had come into being. They had said that they had a solution. They were building a terra forming device. They would have people live in these terra formed areas, and teach them to take care of it. Everything organized. no money, no greed.
It had seemed like a good idea at first, but then they had added more and more to the three year old children made as perfect specimines for the Sameness. All had brown hair, and brown eyes, and light skin. Perfect in every way.
The terra forming would begin in a month.
The workday was over, and Dirk headed for the tunnel that led to his living quarters, but instead, ducked out a door. The door was a relic from another time, but a quick code typed into the palm pad made it open like the day it was made.
He ran across the yard, moving faster as he went. Suddenly he stopped in what used to be a road, then yanked up a manhole, and climbed inside.
He was careful climbing down the ladder, and then stepping onto the algae covered sewer bottom. Slipping and sliding, he made his way about ten feet down the tunnel, and into a room that had bee scraped free of plants and algae.
Inside waited about a dozen of tired people. He sat down on a crate,a dn waited until they quieted down, then began to talk.
Sameness in a month. He said simply.
Everyone stared at him, then began to talk at once.
Quiet! Raesha, have you found out anything? He asked the small Asian woman.
She looked like she was going to cry. They are going to round us all up. And then they'll wipe our memories for the most part, and fill it with what they want us to know. We have to DO something. She burst into tears. And you can say good-bye to color. No color eighther. Color is unstable and must go. she added bitterly.
This was new news to Dirk. It meant that nothing would stop the Sameness.
Then we are leaving.
Where will we go? The world is torn apart! Jordan shouted. He was right of course. There were very few places available to build safe buildings and underground chambers. Much less houses outside.
We will go where they least expect us, in the remaining forests near the site of the Sameness. Dirk answered, and then all agreed.
**********
The roundup began three weeks later, but there were three dozen people missing.
Where could they all be!? Angela ranted. Several of the people are on our own staff! They couldn't have just disappeared into thin air you know! She shouted at the man in charge of documents in their area. Other Generators were popping up in other areas, but that wasn't any concern of her's. It was their own problem.
But the fact that three dozen people had disappeared bothered her greatly. Especially the disappearance of her own staff. Including her aide, Dirk Dwardy.
But that plan would procede on schedule, nothing was going to stop it.
**********
Renae crept down the hallway, her mind set on her purpose, the test tubes clutched tightly in one sweaty fist. She was new to this project, but had hated it from the beginning. First the war, and now this.
Once, twenty years ago, she had been a chemist working on sea-life while living near her work, in Australia. Australia had been bombed. Nothing was there but ocean, and craters.
Now she was reduced to sneaking around in the middle of the night, her once clear mind tortured by what would happen in one week. Only one measly week. She loosened her grasp on the tubes. Don't break them now, not after all this.
She'd come too late to join those escaping, so she was going to leave her own mark on the project. One that would be evident for many generations.
Finally, she was at the lab. The horrible lab. In the corner of the room, barely visible, was the huge tubes that contained all the things that would go into the new babies.
Was marked on one tube.
She pulled a tube, much smaller, out of her hand. She walked up, and poured the contents into the massive tube. The ones she had added were blue.
The next tube read, to this she added red, and blond. Blond from her own hair, and red from her only daughters. Her baby's.
read another. She couldn't do anything about that one.
She knew that wouldn't find out until it was too late. They would have people who were different. And if she was right, they would find out about it. Those different people would stop this soon. Only a generation or two, she silently told herself.Only a few years...
And Renae crept from the room.
**********
Everything went on schedule. The people were in huge pens, for lack of a better word, and were furious to have been betrayed. World War 4 it was called. But none of that would make any difference soon. No difference at all!
Angela bounced around the room, giddy with horrible anticipation. Soon, nothing but beautiful ignorance. No greed, no emotion. People living in wonderful harmony. And no wretched animals. No more plastic tunnels, living underground. No blinding sun either. Only the blue of the sky.
The console in front of her bleeped, and she turned to it.
Terra forming complete. The disembodied voice of the computer told her.
Begin memory wipe on all channels. and she sat back and began to relax. Bliss, here I come!
**********
Dirk heard a thump, then a cry of pain, as Mike, the forty some year old man working next to him hit his hand with the hammer. He cussed, and turned to him. Dirk, why can't we just put up some of the shelters we brought along for a place to live? I feel... primitive working with this junk.
He glared at Mike, Because, the shelters last six months. We need permanent shelter, and so we need wood and metal. These houses will hopefully be here for generations.
Mike rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything else as the he turned back to his work. There had been alot of complaining lately, and it was getting on Dirk's mind. Didn't these people understand that they needed to be serious about this? That they were the last free humans in the area, and until there was a miracle, nothing was going to change that small, seemingly unimportant fact?
The house that he was building would be very large, large enough for a family, if he ever had one, he thought ruefully.
**********
As the wave approached her, she shielded her small son. But he glared at her, and cast his brown, wide eyes away from her. He was so unlike his Hispanic mother. He had been one of the first, and had been bred for this moment. She looked into the wave, and met her end with defiance.
**********
Defiance? What is that? Nothing of matter to you surely. She picked up her son, and began to carry the small three to their dwelling. Her spouse would be waiting for her there. What was she doing out here like this? She had work to do...
**********
Angela spread her arms toward the wave, the saving wave. She felt it wash over her, in her heart she felt it, but then, it hadn't. It parted around her, as if repelled by her being.
She whirled. What is the meaning of this!?
The doctor spoke slowly and clearly. We have a problem. The memories aren't gone. According to our calculations, there will be waves of memories sweeping over the people. We have figured that someone must keep them, and pass them on. But it has to be someone we trust. We chose you.
Angela screamed in anguish, I want to forget! To live in ignorance!
I'm sorry Angela, but you should have thought of this before. You will relive the memories of these people over and over. On, and on and on. Don't worry, you'll pass them on, eventually.
Angela screamed again as the first wave hit her.
**********
The main doctors and scientists soon followed all the rest of the people. The only one with any recollection of the past was Angela. Color, strong emotion, and free will gave away to the whole. The brown eyed, brown haired whole.
It was a haven. No war, only peace. No death, only release. No single man, only the Community...
Epilogue
A little under a year later, a child was born. There was no difference in the pregnancy, or the birth. But as the baby opened his perfect round eyes, he shined pale eyes on those that surrounded him.
~Siti~
Okay. So it was a bit farfetched. I know that most of this could never ave happened , even in the world, my I'm no biochemist, or biologist, and I'm curtainly not a terra-former. So hey! Oh well, if it couldn't have happened, I hope you enjoy it anyway!