"How is it going?" Belsam asked.
"Well, for once. These might make it," Imelda said, putting her angelic hand up to the glass. The bubbling fluid just behind it made the glass vibrate subtly.
"Can you say for sure?" Belsam said, his demonic crimson eyes staring at the orange and yellow creatures floating in the fluid; the creatures' fur waved up and down in tiny wisps.
"It's been a week, and their vitals have remained consistent; they're certainly alive. We're still keeping them in a comatose state, just in case," Imelda said.
"In case of…?" Belsam asked.
"We're not certain they'll stay alive once they're completely taken out of it. We're still waiting to see if they can come out of it naturally before we take the tubes out and test any further," Imelda said.
The creature directly in front of the two scientists wriggled and kicked in its technology-induced slumber; its face scrunched and its lips twitched. Imelda gasped, her emerald-green eyes glowing.
"They twitch often, but I still get butterflies in my stomach every time I see them do it," Imelda said, smiling. "Their muscles have developed perfectly, and with those hind legs, I can see them becoming bipedal eventually."
"What is their diet?" Belsam asked, flipping through a few pages of Imelda's notes on the table and reading them.
"We've designed their digestive systems so that they can become omnivores if they should so choose; however, we've been feeding them our own nutrient-rich solid and liquid foods through those tubes attached to their necks. It includes a variety of the local plants that we've grown in our greenhouse," Imelda said.
"You Lights think of everything," Belsam said.
"Only after being presented with the theories from your fellow scientists in the Dark realms," Imelda said.
The sun shone over the plains as the young Ottsel lay on the hill watching his classmates interacting on the playground. A light breeze ruffled the yellow fur on his underside and filled his nose with the scent of flowers and the spilled contents of some cups of fruit juice. Another Ottsel came and sat next to him on the hill and looked up at the white and lavender clouds racing across the sky above them.
"Hey, Cileb? Where do you think we come from?" the sitting Ottsel asked.
"It's really simple, Sulrum: our parents got together before we each were conceived, and…" Cileb started.
"Ew, I don't mean that! I mean, where did we come from, all of us Ottsels?" Sulrum said, waving his hand across the playground.
Sulrum watched a lavender cloud in the shape of an oval briefly cover the sun. A few other Ottsels ran by laughing.
"I like to think a robot travelled here with the Originals and left them here because the planet they lived on couldn't support them anymore. Ever since, the grown-ups have been making robots like it in honor of it saving us," Sulrum said.
"Another planet?" Cileb asked, raising an eyebrow. "That's impossible; we're too smart to need to do that just because another one couldn't keep us alive anymore. We'd just invent new food resources and ways to clean the air so we could eat and breathe."
"Well, what's your theory, smart-Alec?" Sulrum said.
Cileb closed his eyes. "Something tells me we aren't the first intelligent beings to live here. You know those walls that keep us here in the valley? They aren't made of the materials we've been using, nor are they natural. All of the pictures of our ancestors using their technology in our history books don't look anything like those gray walls. Haven't you noticed everything we've created is composed of orange metal?"
Sulrum grew quiet. "Now that you mention it, I have."
"Something's not right here, and I'm going to find out what," Cileb said.
Sulrum opened his mouth and raised his hand, but was hit in the head with a large inflatable ball.
"Hey, Sulrum, quit hanging with the president of the nerd patrol and come play catch!" one of their classmates called.
Sulrum took the ball, stood up, and shrugged. "I don't think it's the best way to spend your life, but hey, do what you want, buddy. I'm-a go play while I still got the chance."
Cileb looked through the oldest history books he could find at the library about the Ottsels' creation. Years had passed since his search began, and his efforts so far had been fruitless; that is, until he got a job as a researcher at the museum library. The job granted him access to the archives deep underneath the library's floor, hidden to the general public.
"Plans to make robots… creation of Central City… ugh, another one that ends there!" he cried, slamming the book shut. He put it back on the shelf and took another book.
"Still looking for the answer to our origins?" Arani asked, her old eyes peering at him through her granny-glasses.
Cileb nodded, his gaze focused on the book in his hands. Arani looked around and perked her ears up, then lowered her voice. "I believe the answers you seek cannot be found in any book."
Cileb looked into her eyes. "Are you sure? There are still books that nobody has been able to open down here."
"There are legends my grandparents passed down to me that were passed down to them from their grandparents, great-grandparents, and so on. They were all told the same way, not a detail added or spared. It's only right to pass it to you, but only if you promise to keep it a secret until your peers are ready," Arani said.
"What's this secret?" Cileb asked, tilting his head.
Arani smiled, her wrinkles showing underneath her thin fur. "There are creatures beyond the walls that know more secrets about Eco than we can ever hope to discover. They created this valley and everything in it, all for us. They also created us, hoping to create new life for their planet in the event something happened to them. They are a split race of masters of both Light Eco and Dark Eco, and have been known to get into violent fights; thousands get slaughtered on either side. Those explosions you've heard coming from beyond the walls? Not natural disasters, but the results from their raging wars far from here."
"What are they called? I must know, I want to meet them!" Cileb said.
"Don't worry, young one. You'll never see one in your lifetime, just as nobody has for over 1,000 years," Arani said, patting him on the shoulder.
"But what about Eco? I only know of it from my studies, about how the Originals used it to create Central City and passed on their knowledge to the privileged elite, and they were few and far-between; they still are," Cileb said.
"That's all I know, dear, I'm sorry. I don't know of a place where you could go to learn more; none of the books here will help you, I'm afraid," Arani said.
"Thanks anyway, Arani. I appreciate it. I'm going to see if I can find anything else on these creatures you speak of," Cileb said, putting the book back on the shelf.
"This isn't the place to look; try the Elders. Don't get too discouraged if they reject your questions at first," Arani said.
"But it could take weeks to be granted a conference with one of them. I'd rather have my answers sooner," Cileb said.
Cileb stood at the base of the grey metal wall, staring up at the edge that pierced the sky.
"I hope I can make it," he said.
He put his hands into the nearest rusted-out hole and lifted himself up. The cold metal gave way under the weight of his body and backpack, and he fell into a chamber just inside. He stood up and brushed off the dust. He took his flashlight from his utility belt and flicked the power switch. The white light filled the area in front of him, revealing the mostly hollow interior.
"Why hollow?" he muttered, walking forward.
He treaded lightly on the dirt ground while waving his flashlight side to side. There was nothing but empty space and the occasional thick metal beam around him. The wind bellowed as it passed through the holes above him.
He reached the other side of the wall and looked for a hole he could access. He found one a few feet above him and climbed through it.
He looked around at the land in front of him. Rolling hills and fields covered in green grass laid before him, leading up to a group of white buildings. The scent of pollen filled his nose as the warm sun bore down on his back and head. Far ahead of him, there were rivers filled black, white, red, blue, yellow, and green fluid snaking out from the buildings, through the fields behind them, and ending in ponds at the rusty metal wall.
Cileb cocked his head, staring at the mysterious rivers and ponds. He approached them and stared into the river of lime green fluid. He took out a book from his backpack and opened it, searching through the table of contents.
He hissed at the sensation of the edge of the paper cutting his fingertip. He dunked his hand into the river next to him as if it were filled with cold water. His fingertip tingled, and the pain faded away. He looked into the river and yanked out his hand. His eyes widened when he saw his hand and fingers were still intact and the paper-cut had fully healed. He stared at where the cut was and raised an eyebrow.
A figure blocked the sun overhead, casting a shadow over the Ottsel. Cileb's ears stood up and he looked towards the shadow's source. A woman over twice as tall and large as him stood wearing a knee-length white skirt with a matching coat, and her feet covered in leather shoes; the skin that showed was furless; her light blonde hair was wrapped in a bun; and her eyes were greener than emeralds.
Cileb gasped and fell backwards at the sight of the giant, almost landing in the river of green liquid.
"Don't be afraid, little one. You're safe here," the giant said softly, crouching down and holding out her hand.
"Who are you, what are you?" Cileb said quickly.
The giant gasped. "You can talk!" She looked at Cileb's book. "And read, and write! This… this is amazing! With your permission, I would like to take you somewhere – within those buildings over there. I have some people who would be interested in you."
"People… like you?" Cileb asked. The giant nodded. "Of course, but only if you can tell me where I am and what's going on here."
"So… all of us… are the result of these experiments? The original Elders were made in these tubes out of Eco?" Cileb said, gazing at the tall, empty glass columns in front of him.
"Yes, over 1,000 years ago; although, it took hundreds of failed attempts," Imelda said.
"What happened to the rest of the Eco you used, the supplies you said were tainted?" Cileb asked.
"All of it is beyond the wall to your valley. We had to build the wall to prevent it from contaminating our pure supplies," Belsam said.
Cileb stared at the notes in front of him. Pages upon pages lay before him filled with text and equations, diagrams and charts.
"If I can gain access to it, can it still be used to create other life forms? Does it still have bits and pieces of our DNA?" Cileb said.
"It should. DNA does not degrade as easily while protected by Eco; the DNA from the Eco samples obtained in our results that are in storage are still usable," Belsam said.
"Are there others? Have you all created other species?" Cileb said.
"Your kind is the only one. We believe it's not our right to decide when new species are created. We only wanted to have a sort of 'reset button' in case something happened to our races," Imelda said.
"But why stop at us? My people have heard the explosions beyond the wall, the sounds of a raging war still being fought. I'm surprised there aren't others like us around," Cileb said.
Imelda and Belsam looked at each other, frowning.
"There haven't been any wars or physical fighting between us since long before we began recording our history," Imelda said.
"Most of us live too far apart and do not interact on a regular basis, and even those that do have not had any disagreements that ever went that far," Belsam said.
Imelda looked out the window in the back of the laboratory facing the long grey and brown metal wall.
"However, the wall does look like it's been extensively damaged by natural disasters; earthquakes, mostly. The noise that's heard the moment they happen is said to sound like an explosion," Imelda said.
"It should be fixed. We do not need more of these creatures learning what lies beyond the wall; we have managed to keep it that way for so long. One of them coming here and finding out about us is bad enough," Belsam said.
"Stay behind the wall? But what will happen if others of my kind become curious? I'm sure there are some right now who are already worried about me, wondering where I am and what I'm doing," Cileb said.
"I concur; there are things that I would love to know about how this species we created has thrived in the past thousand years," Imelda said.
"You can have all the time in the world to learn that. The creature stays here with us," Belsam said.
That night, Cileb tiptoed through the halls of the laboratory. He had been kept in a pen while he wasn't being watched or exchanging questions and answers with Imelda.
He entered the room he had first been taken to, where the Originals had been created in large glass tubes. He climbed up onto the countertop where Imelda and Belsam's notes were laid and looked; the stack of papers with their notes was missing.
He picked the locks on all the drawers beneath the tabletop with his claws before uncovering the original notes stored with a few printed copies. He took one of the copies and silently made his way out of the laboratory. Before he left, he stood in the doorway, looked behind him, and said, "Sorry, guys. I have to do this, for my kind's sake."
"My people, I have come to present new knowledge about our true origins and how to create new life," Cileb said. He stood on top of the steps in front of city hall in front of everyone in Central City. He held up the packet of notes he had stolen above his head.
"These notes contain the details of an experiment conducted over 1,000 years ago, the result of which has led to everything and everyone you see around you. There are creatures, people, beyond the walls of the valley who learned how to create new life from Eco, who learned how to create us. With these notes, we can create new life from what Eco supplies we currently have. We don't have to be alone here; we might not be able to break down the walls, but we can create something we can cohabitate with. Imagine the possibilities with our technology and these new ideas: we can create new creatures, new life, and maybe even new planets," Cileb said.
The Ottsels below watched and listened, their eyes wide. Some murmured their thoughts to those next to them.
"It might have to take some time and tinkering before we perfect their techniques and experiments as well, but-" Cileb started.
"That's far enough, Cileb," an old voice shouted. An old Ottsel stepped out from the crowd and up the stairs, carrying a wooden cane at his side.
"Father Orsam!" Cileb said, bowing.
Orsam stood before Cileb with a scowl on his face. "Let me see this," he said, snatching the packet from Cileb's hands. He looked through the pages, reading some of them with a raised eyebrow. "I'm surprised I can read this," he murmured.
"You obtained these notes from beyond the wall, you say?" Orsam asked.
"Yes, Father," Cileb said.
"And the beings you got these from weren't at all hostile towards you?"
"No, Father. Not in the slightest."
"Hmm. I'll have to talk to the other Elders about this. Nobody has ever left the valley before; I don't know what we'll do with you."
After Cileb had presented his findings in Central City, the Ottsel Elders spoke with him about his findings outside the wall. They promised him that if he could use the city's Eco supply and the notes he had retrieved to successfully replicate the experiment then he would be allowed to stay in the city. If not, then he would be banished beyond the wall.
Cileb stood in the Elders' exclusive laboratory, studying one of the creatures in the tube. It had taken him two months to get this far, and this was the first species that survived for more than a few days. It was as large as an Ottsel; however, it had no fur, shorter ears and tail, and was covered in dark purple scales.
He heard a set of footsteps behind him.
"Are the creatures you created still alive?" Orsam asked.
"It and the other creatures survived another night. I believe it's safe to say that they will be able to survive on their own within the next few days," Cileb said.
"You did follow the procedure in the notes exactly, didn't you? It doesn't look too much like us," Orsam said, looking at the creature.
"I used a half of a milliliter more Dark Eco than the notes said by accident; I misjudged my measurement. I cannot say for sure whether that mistake will affect how the creatures behave. However, everything else is working correctly; they should be able to eat, defend themselves, and reproduce properly," Cileb said.
"But not even our best scientists have been able to accurately measure the effects of Dark Eco on living beings, more or less have complete control over it!" Orsam said.
Orsam stared at the tubes of creatures throughout the laboratory.
"However, now that we have your recent success with this experiment and the concepts you presented on the steps of city hall, the other Elders and I have decided to go along and attempt to leave this planet and create new ones. We have the technology to go into space and create new land," Orsam said.
Cileb's eyes widened as he grinned from ear to ear. "You mean it?"
Orsam nodded. "The rest of this planet is probably completely inhabited by the creatures you met beyond the wall; we must expand."
"And the creatures I created?"
"We'll take them with us, teach them our ways. You don't expect us to expand alone, do you?"
"When would you like us to leave?"
"As soon as possible."
"What do you think that little creature has been doing in the past few months?" Imelda asked.
Her arms were folded in front of her chest as she stood next to Belsam outside the laboratory, staring at the rusty wall. Belsam was busy collecting samples of Eco from the rivers nearby, testing for any contamination.
"Does it matter?" Belsam said.
"Of course, he's one of your creations too."
There was a loud rumbling sound came from behind the wall as the ground shook. Belsam stood and faced the wall, frowning. A group of large, oval-shaped rockets made of orange metal flew from behind the wall, past the clouds, and into outer space.
Imelda gasped and smiled. "Space travel!" she exclaimed.
"Damn… and I bet they've got our notes with them!" Belsam muttered.