? POV
8 Years Ago Alpha Base #54
Author's Note: Sorry, I lied. This is going to be in Halyn's POV. (Halyn's my third new character) But I promise next time will be Raina's then the fourth character. Hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: I own nothing in Minecraft except for my original characters. R&R
79%. 80%.The green numbers flash on the nearby computer screen. I've been watching the screen for the past hour now. It's taken forever to reach this far into the programming and I've been growing impatient.
Impatience adjective \(ˌ)im-ˈpā-shənt\
: not willing to wait for something or someone : not patient. The words go through my head in a robotic voice. Of course no one else can hear it though.
82%. I'm hooked up to a Model 00398 Hyper Computer that keeps beeping every few seconds. Attached to it are two bright green wires that are also jammed into my arm, infusing my bloodstream with coding and other necessary provisions. I'm getting restless, something I don't like, but Dr. Beland ordered me to stay here and not move, so I am.
Across the room is a silver framed mirror that hangs tightly on the wall. Inside of it is a girl. A small, skinny, eight year old girl with fiery red hair, two eyes, one electric blue, one milky white, and a freckly face. Inside is a girl who is going to change the world.
And being the child I am I smile at myself and see the gap at where my two front teeth should be.
The scientists say I'm part of something special, something great, something...revolutionary. What ever that means. I should probably look it up in my database.
Revolutionary. adjective \-shə-ˌner-ē\
:Causing or relating to a great or complete change.
I am going to change everything, Dr. Beland said.
83%. 84%. 85%. 86%. My birthday was a few days ago. They had cake and balloons and the scientists were really nice to me about my "special needs". I can't see very well out of my right eye but that's alright. They also detected something wrong in my heart but they can't figure it out.
87%. 88%. They poked me a bit with some needles, took my blood pressure. They told me that's what doctors do, study things. Of course they didn't say "things". They're studying me.
89%. 90%. No other person like me has made it this far. When this part of the procedure came they were really worried that I wasn't going to survive. But I'm different than the rest. They figured out that infusing emotions and other human skills into them increase the chance of survival. I'm the first one to make is past 60%. I am a miracle.
No. I'm wrong; A miracle is an event that is unexplainable by scientific or natural law. Maybe I'm just lucky, that sounds a bit more right.
91%. 92%. 93%. I'm programmed to know everything, I think. And right now I know that I'm bored. Emotions aren't very fun so far. Maybe if I think of Dr. Beland than the emotion happiness will appear. But I don't have enough memories with her to really feel it. In fact, I don't have any memories at all.
94%...95%. I've been studying the screen for several minutes and I realize that the speed has been decreasing by 30%, now 40%. Maybe there's too much stuff for it to process any faster.
96%. 97%. I look around the room and sigh. Even this room is bland. White walls, white floors, and the chair I'm on is white as well. I search through my Intel and find that white is usually the color people think of for peace. It is peaceful, I admit.
98%. 99%. I'm not excited for this. I don't know why. I should be excited for this, I should be jumping up and down for joy because I'm alive so far. This is supposed to be amazing, spectacular.
10-$(&%(&#(^# #(#&. The screen flashes and the machine beside me explodes. Confusion enters my mind before I shriek and fall onto the white tile, pieces of rubble fling onto my skin and I cover my head for protection. I can hear some commotion upstairs and there's more yelling. The wires have been blown out of my arm and I can feel spikes of pain go up it. The screen is still fizzing and full of static. My ears are ringing and something takes hold of me, making my breathing shallow and my adrenaline double: Fear.
Fear. Noun /fi(ə)r
:an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.
I can hear more screaming upstairs using my ultra-hearing and someone's telling another to press the emergency button. The lamp on a table by me starts to blink on and off. The computer is completely destroyed, something obvious, but somehow the screen is almost damage free. I stare at the noisy static and watch as it blinks three numbers over and over again: ...99.9.
9. I gape, dumbfounded at the message. I'm 99.9 complete. I'm 99.9 percent done.
Suddenly, the door to the room flings open and someone's arms scoop me up into their chest. Dr. Beland. I could recognize the sweet scented perfume anywhere.
Dr. Rose Beland. Age: 25. Height: 6'1. Birthplace: Annatine, West. Stationed: Alpha Base #54.
"Are you okay?" She asks, "Oh no," She rubs my red arm where the wires were rudely withdrawn. "You're just lucky it didn't cause any major bleeding. She takes some gauze out of her lab coat and starts to wrap it around my arm, "You alright?"
I nod as she finishes wrapping up my injury, "Something malfunctioned in the computer system. We don't know what but we'll find out. But for now I'm afraid your going to have to stay inside until we make sure your not malfunctioning as well." She puts me down on my feet.
I sigh, but say, "Okay, but I'm almost complete!"
"What do you mean?" She says. I point at the screen and she sees the faint numbers blinking on and off, "Oh."
".1 off," I say smartly, "So am I done?"
She frowns, "No, your not, yet, I'm 'fraid to say. Until we get that last .1 percent in we still have a lot to do."
"What's so important about the .1?" I ask, and she gives me a teasing look.
"I promise to tell you when your older," She says, and I scowl, "Oh, don't be like that please."
Considering the stress she's probably been on all day, I agree and stop pouting like...a kid.
"What happens now?" I ask, my voice sounding a lot older than I am. I look around the broken room and a feeling of uneasiness fills me. This emotions new.
"We take you for a routine scanning," Dr. Beland says, and takes my hand. Before we exit the room completely I take one last look at the screen.
99.9%.
–
8 Years Later Alpha Base #54
"Halyn?" The voice says from behind the door. I close my journal and tell her it's open.
Dr. Beland walks in, her soft blue eyes watch me with concern, "Are you okay?"
I quickly put the journal under my pillow and nod, "I've never been better, Dr. Beland."
"What book are you reading?" She asks.
"Redstone Mechanics 101," I lie; she doesn't know I have a logbook, "It's very boring."
"I'm guessing it would be," She says, and sits down on my green bedsheet. Most of my room is green, with hints of yellow in it. Those are my two favorite colors because they're the ones I get to see least of all. My bed is located in the corner of my room along with my bedside table and lamp. On the next wall a large bookshelf is standing next to a regular sized desk full of papers and pencils. I look upwards at the roof and smile; Years ago Dr. Beland allowed me to install a bright "moon" as she knows I love looking at it.
"What are you so happy about?" She asks, and starts to braid her dark brown hair.
"That I'm finally able to have some time to myself," I say.
"Yeah, that's always something to celebrate about." We both know that every time I turn another age that all the scientists flock to me for tests like moths to a flame. I'm technically sixteen but if you consider my age from when I was created than I'm eight. Every year is a milestone, they say. But it feels like another slap in the face, another reason to get tested or pricked or sent through scanners to see if my body is working okay.
"So, what do you plan to do today besides act like a teen and lock yourself in your room?" Dr. Beland asks. I shrug and walk over to my desk, "Have any papers you want to give the scientists."
"I may have drawn something they can study for a while," I say. That's one of the rules of living here, I have to hand over important papers so the scientists can study my behavior. I shuffle through my stacks of paper until I find the one I'm looking for. It's a bit ruffled, but still okay, and I hand it to Dr. Beland, "Here you go."
Dr. Beland studies the picture carefully and flips it over so we can both get a good look at it. Throughout my life I've become a fairly good artist and designer. In my drawing I've drawn anomalous symbols that have jagged edges and ridged lines sticking out, but no curves or loops like the regular Minecraft Alphabet. Beneath the symbols is a mountain. A tall, dark mountain that I drew black just to emphasis what I believe it looks like. It's tall, and looms over rivers of lava and water combining together at the center. Next to that are several more of the symbols and and a compass that has the symbols of the North, South, East, and West.
"So, where did you the idea to make this?" Dr. Beland asks.
"I've seen it when I'm sleeping sometimes," I explain, "In dreams and other things like that. Do you think I should be alarmed?"
"No, I highly doubt it," She says, and stands up to leave, "Thank you for sharing this Halyn, I promise I'll get this back to you as soon as the others record it in their books."
"Bye, Dr. Beland. I may go outside for a little while, if that's acceptable with you."
"Of course, Hal. I know how hard it is to deal with being coped up in here," She says. Like I needed to be reminded, "So, yes, I give you my permission. But make sure not to stray too far."
"I won't," I assure her, and watch her leave. I then close my eyes and the numbers 10:54 appear in green.
10:54. That means I have twelve hours and six minutes all to myself. I close my eyes again and a graph of the weather comes up. It's partly cloudy with a 24.4% chance of rain and a slight breeze blowing through; perfect weather to go outside and enjoy life.
Time to get started.
–
I walk down the white tile towards the kitchen area. Several scientists say hello but most of them ignore my presence as I enter the dining room. Most of the workers are in their offices or doing other things but a few are eating a late breakfast at the long rectangular tables. I go to the breakfast line and grab a plate. There's eggs, bacon, and bleh...sausage. Sausage always makes my digestive system weak and I don't want to ruin this perfectly good day. I grab the ladle in the egg section and scoop some of the protein up and onto my plate. I then reach for a piece of bread covered in honey and butter off a hot rack and put it down as well. Fork? Check. Napkin? Check. The last thing I get is a small pack of applejuice before heading out of the room. We're not usually allowed to take food outside but today is an exception, it has to be. I walk past numerous offices and testing labs, all while trying to keep my place balanced. The hallway shakes a little but it's normal...trust me.
Finally, after a few more turns and walking down a flight of stairs, I make it the exit and greet the two guards on duty, Kyle and Ethan. They're usually on the job in the mornings and I know Kai has a major crush on me. He blushes slightly when he sees me and asks, "Going out today, Miss Halyn?"
"Oh, lighten up, Kyle," Ethan jokes, and signals the other guards in the control room to open the doors, "Happy birthday, Hal."
"Thanks," I say. The metal doors open up and I step out into the glass tunnels that lead me away from the base. From here I go to the second set of hard iron doors and wait for them to open as well. Finally, true, fresh air hits my face and I let out a sigh. It's nice, being able to stop breathing heavily clogged up air from machinery and other experiments. But I know I'm not alone. Guards are always sent to watch my every move when I go outside. And even though I can't see them I know they're there. So, I walk for about five minutes before picking a clear spot of grass next to a tall oak and sit down. The eggs quickly disappear in a few minutes and I lean back against the tree. Maybe I'll save the bread for later.
Chirp, chirp, chirp. I look up at one of the tree branches and find a small robin sitting right above me next to a nest. My mind instantly scans the bird and I come up with more fun-facts than the number of stars in the sky.
Suddenly, the bird stops chirping and points it's head to my left. I follow his gaze and realize he's looking at the dark forest, a place I know for certain I'm not supposed go in.
Chirp, chirp, chirp. The bird flies into the forest and disappears behind the thick leaves. I stare at the pitch black place and turn on my heightened hearing abilities. Someone is in there.
"Hello!" I yell, and the rustle of leaves causes me to back up. If I try and go into the forest I'll end up getting caught by the guards.
Unless...every year I end up getting a new ability. Big or small it becomes encrypted into my system. Dr. Beland calls it my version of "puberty", but I highly doubt it they're the same things.
And this year, it's the ability to turn invisible, but only for several seconds. However, it might be enough to get into that forest and away from the cameras.
I stand up and hide behind the tree so that the cameras can't see my running position. Focusing on the forest I take a deep breath and close my eyes.
The thing is about abilities is that it's hard to get them started. But once you do it's pretty simple. It's all about concentration, thinking about the coding and how it works, about where this goes in the programming and where that goes. Soon, my fingers are tingling ever so slightly and I manage a smile. A cool, cold feeling runs up my spine and I know I'm invisible because I can't see my fingers when I put my hand in front of face. Without another second passing I make a mad dash for the forest and disappear from view.
–
The temperature drops about ten degrees once I enter the forest and the air becomes more cool. I close my eyes and the number 75 appears. 75 degrees Fahrenheit is what the temp. is right now. Sunlight is barely pouring in from the thick canopy and I turn on my night-vision slightly. The world turns a little green but I can see better.
"Where are you robin?" I say to myself, and use my sensory tools to try and find it. I look around for about ten minutes before giving up. He/she probably left and the base is most likely panicking right now and gathering some guards to come and find me.
"Are you looking for him?" A voice suddenly says bluntly from behind. I swing around and find a young man staring at me in calm expression. He has light brown skin, with dark eyes flecked with amber and raven-black hair. Most of his body is covered in a long dark cloak with golden designs on the bottom. I gasp at the designs.
They're the ones I've seen in my dreams at night. The guy catches me staring at them and smiles, "Cool, huh? My mom made it for me."
Dr. Beland always warned me about people like this guy. And she told me to run, run and don't look back.
The guy sighs, "Please don't run, I just want to talk." He shakes the robin off and puts his hands up as a symbol of peace, "Just want to talk."
I stand there, unable to make sense of anything. Who is this person. He's not in my database, obviously because he's not from my home, but there's something about him that's familiar...
"So, do you agree to talk?" He asks, and I gulp, "How about if I tell you my name? It's Kdin."
"Kdin?" I manage to say.
"Yeah, I know. Weird name," He laughs dryly and I take a step back, "So, what's yours?"
"Rose," It's the first name that pops into my head, "Rose Wilson."
"Oh," His face falls.
"What it is?" I ask.
"I'm looking for someone else. She sorta looks like you, but I guess I was wrong. Her name is Halyn."
I feel like someone's cut off my windpipe, leaving me desperate for air, "Why are you looking for her?" I croak out.
"Never mind, it's fine," Kdin says, and turns to leave, but I run up and grab his shoulder. He looks at me like I'm crazy but I have to find out what he wants.
"Tell me," I say sternly, "I may or may not have ties to her."
"I'm looking for her because she's the only hope I have of finding my sister."
"Your sister?"
"This Halyn girl is known to be extremely gifted in the language of Fas. The language of destiny. I need her to come with me to find my sister as well as the Ender Scroll."
"The Ender Scroll?" I ask. He nods and a grim look spreads across his face.
"You may not be her, but everyone deserves to know what's going to happen in a few weeks."
"Huh?"
"If you follow me, I'll tell you. We can't stay here because that blasted base has tracking tools scanning everywhere near here left, right, and centre."
"Huh?"
"It's a term. It means they're searching everywhere." It's now I notice his accent, but I can't label it because I've only heard so many voices, "So, are you in, or are you going back to wherever you came from?"
I stare at this strange person for a minute. I want to go back, I need to go back. But I also need to know what he's talking about, but I can't explain it. I just have this feeling that what he's going to tell me is important.
"Are you coming, or not?" He asks. I take a quick glance at the symbols on his robe again.
"Okay, Kdin. Let's go before that blasted base finds us."