Eidolon Atomic
Chapter Eight: Tremors and Impact.

“It’s going to be hard to explain some things to you as I am sure you might not know what they are, but for me they are a common term for commonplace things, in a world I have known most of my life.

This description is the only memory I have put together so far, it is still in pieces, but; I will speak it as it comes to me.

I remember we were in an aircraft.It’s red hot alloy blades winning and shuttering as they met with the resistance of a heavy radiation storm, hard tremors rattling the light load they carried in-between their doubled efforts of sustained flight turbines.

Then, something happened, no one knows what, our engines never fail if still in one piece, but, something, it seems, has now brought us down into a violent crash landing, something ,deadly, hungry, and looking for blood.

Impact hits hard, everything is instantly scattered in an unintelligible jumble of things that were once familiar, blood, body parts and pieces of metal are flying around as the heavy impact knocks the air from my lungs.

Wet dirt mixed with blood, splashes against my face as everything is turned about the storm of chaos that all happens within moments.

Someone is with me during the discord of elements as they churn in the collision, one of the other Undertakers who had managed to break free from the gravity bind seats that holds our kind in place. He shields me from most of the chaos, his body is warm as it is pressed to close to mine. As I manage to take breath get a sense of him in scent only. He smells like a man should, handsome and strong. But soon the most violent part of the hits and everything goes black in my mind the world falling silently all senses were lost.

I don’t know how long I lay unconscious, but eventually, I awaken to the aftermath that surrounded me. Pushing a large part of the ship off of my body with relative ease, I would soon stand and lay eyes on radioactive smoke and atomic fire are everywhere flickering out against the darkness of the landscape. The smell of blood filled the air, never a good sign as it often means dead companions.

Parts of our craft are scattered as far as the eye can see, along with the body parts and innards of Skull Soldiers, most of whom never had a chance to survive. Near bye, the engines the partially intact engines of our ship scream as circuit malformations are now pressed into of their hydron drives causing them to overwork themselves with broken circuits and incomplete magnetic coils, soon they will melt down, and the radioactive piles of twisted scrap metal, will become the bits of a huge atomic frag grenades as the process is a violent one.

I wasn’t aware of what the reaction of a Damaged Helix engine would be, thinking it was safe in relative range, I and spent time calling out as many names as I could in the noise, looking for survivors in the heaps of scrap. I was not aware of how much time I had before the engines would explode, but with the sound of them so close, my voice smothered by their cries of catastrophic failure and disoriented in panic. My misjudgment would be my undoing.

I saw someone through the smoke, they are trying to get to me yelling at the top of their lungs, but I can’t hear what they are saying before it’s too late. Another disaster strikes as one of the engines exploded only a Twenty yards from me. The blast cuts through my clarity with a shock wave that bends light, and I replace myself being propelled by the small scale explosion of immense effect. My ears began ringing as I land on the ground, and thinking myself okay I tried to stand, but soon, I realized something is wrong.

My left arm had been completely severed, cut off just below the shoulder by a radiation soaked blade of searing hot alloy. I could feel the blood begin to rush out of the open wound as I fought to erect myself, and my reaction was almost an instant shock.A type of cold numbness that overtook my nerves.

It would become worse as pieces of shrapnel stuck into various places of my body, caused muscles to become confused and struggle in basic movement. they were unable to flex or hold a position as nerves and tendons and major veins had been chewed away.

My vision clears for a moment as I fight to stay alert. I replace my arm resting only a few feet from me, its fingers twitched, panicking at the loss of their connection to my central nervous system, and it was that sight that caused the Nerve shock to hit the hardest.

I begin to black out once again, but in the mists of this fault in memory, I felt myself being carried over the ground, strong arms holding up my body as I am moved away from the crash site. The second engine exploding half a field behind us. But, somehow; I managed to get a hold of my arm out of reflex, and carried it with me to the next resting place.

Something attached to my severed arm was incredibly important, but I can’t remember exactly what.

I blacked out in between moments but awoken to replace that I was somehow still alive despite my lapse. Someone had managed to stop the bleeding and got me stabilized before my condition could get worse than it was.

My head was throbbing as I awoke, but I managed to prop myself up against the nearest tree to assess the situation of my hindered condition. As I did, someone rushes over to me to see if I was okay, but, to my dismay at the time. It is Raymond who comes to my aid.

He was someone I had little respect for, as I had attached to his presence an emotion categorized in the spectrum of feelings as fear and hatred.

Raymond tried to inspect my injuries, but I make it known that I don’t want him anywhere near me. My suit has been torn to rags, and I was almost naked, and in a sense, vulnerable. This state gave me good cause to want to fight off anyone to invade my space.”

“You don’t like being naked, why?” Lisa asks.

“I have my reasons, but they aren’t important at the moment.

In my condition, this condition of discomfort, loathing quickly seeped in and applied. His affiliation with certain parts of a shady past came immediately to question and needless to say, my reaction was terse.

Others came along to see what is going on as I struggled yell for help, Raymond trying to get me to settle down. Others who had survived the crash heard my complaints and screams and ran towards our position with the enhanced reflex of energy fiber suits. Arriving in seconds.

Ten or so of them move in quickly to make sure Raymond wasn’t up to anything that might violate my person. Raymond had already gained the reputation as a hardened criminal, this reputation was known to everyone.

Being that we had just crashed in the middle of the danger zone, tensions were high, and people were easily confused or influenced by a struggle. Scattered by disaster and now found in a fluke created out of loathing, it seems everyone’s mental switches (now set to kill and survive,) would drive them to act quickly if it meant silencing a dead giveaway to our position.

A fight breaks out right before me, and Raymond is forced onto his knees by the entire group of military agents, he fight’s back as he tries to explain himself; not wanting to cause more of a struggle than was necessary. It seemed Raymond had the coolest resolve out of anyone, I took notice of this, as out of the few untrained, to the veterans of the soldiers, their veins already filled with their own natural adrenaline, Raymond was the calmest.

Then, from out of the shadows of a dark forest, came; the other one. The third Undertaker of the group. His demeanor was dark, and absolute in his charge, but in the heat of the situation, he was able to gain the upper hand against someone who he also considered an enemy. A man of influence, many take to his command without knowing people they love might be at risk otherwise.

Already on his knees, Raymond was hit more than a few times as punishment, hard strikes to the face by the one able to deliver them. Raymond’s nose bloodied slightly and internal damage was done to his mouth, his cheeks cut his own teeth. Raymond spits out blood, then says nothing.

After Raymond’s thrashing, the other Undertaker spoke to him. “You are not to touch her unless given express consent.Do you understand?”

Raymond Responded. “If I didn’t help her she would have died, and she knows that. She’s just in shock.”

“I ,don’t care.” Undertaker three says, his voice cold like polished steel. “This situation is now code red. Meaning that I am now in charge. Vits is under my protection, and if she doesn’t you anywhere near her, then you better pick a direction and a replace some distance, or be reprimanded for insubordination. If she wants to bleed, then you better let her.”

The conversation soon went silent, as two hard stairs try to consume one another like cannibal snakes.

The Third Undertaker then turns to me, taking up my left side, the one with the missing limb. He speaks in a monotone as he tries to make sure I’m okay. The usual medical questions are asked as he is looking me over, coldly, as only a hint of concern is ever noticed. At the time, I knew him better than anyone, and his presence put my tension level at ease. He then smoothly turns the conversation, enforcing my belief that Raymond is simply no more than some type of criminal brute who isn’t to be trusted. He knows how to twist it well, knows how to use my past to power my engine of thought, is also aware of how much I dislike Raymond, so his effort is easily accepted.

I remember saying that I was okay, I remember I didn’t like the truths I heard from Raymond regardless of who he was, however, I knew it was the truth. I held my tongue for the moment, keeping my feeling bottled within.

I was made aware once in conversation again that my arm is missing, and that I was badly damaged by the crash. The third Undertaker had picked it up and was holding it in his hand.

Soon after this restatement, I am made aware of the limited number of survivors that now stand with us, as it seems that I had been out for some time, we had lost a few men to a small ambush as they scouted the area. A few of the survivors had already had their wounds dressed, but to my surprise so had I. Even Raymond had taken his fair share of the damage, as everyone’s suites had been torn to a good degree, the only person who seemed oddly unscathed or scratched was the third Undertaker, but, his ability to heal was much more intense than mine and Raymond’s combined. Something that made him more vicious than us in nature and a presentation of being a hundred percent at all times was normal for him.

The third Undertaker would take command of our situation as it seemed that all of the remaining soldier now had his back. Somehow as his ways with words catches many flies within its beguiling trap. Despite his condition of being physically the weakest of all of us. With myself so badly injured and Raymond the labeled the poison of the group, we had little to no other choice in who would lead us.

Seniority took priority, and as the Third Undertaker had said, besides me, he had the most military experience, though not experience that was well reviewed.

It had been a few times that the third Undertaker had tried to take command as the leader of the pack in a few situations. He was used to ordering the others around in such a fashion, but to the nature of the gossip around our home about the situations he was in command of, always told stories of situations that had not gone well.

Some of the soldiers begin to panic as the status-quo became known. Most of the soldier weapons had been destroyed in the crash, and many of our radios and com’s had been smashed or destroyed. Each soldier specified energy suits had also been badly damaged, so everyone was operating at a limited capacity to fight unarmed.”

“What do mean by, energy suites?” Lisa says interrupting the story with a valid question.

“It is that now, in our age. The Skull and Bones government has perfected the ability to weave certain energies into a solid fabric. Things like fire, radiation, light, electricity, and a few other odds ones, fused into the actually pliable fabric. Our soldiers where these suites in combat which grant them each additional abilities with firearms, and an attack to fall back on if their equipment should be destroyed, they also enhance strength and endurance due to a micro technology infused into the strands of their fabric, making the technological comparison of their suites similar to that of a supercomputer. It was during this particular incident, that most of our men were using these sites designated as Skeleton Suites, hoping to master their abilities in combat.”

“That’s, amazing, how is such a science possible?”

“Many things changed when the Tryon Undertakers came into existence. Science has never been the same.”

“I could imagine, however, what is this, Skull and Bones Republic that you mentioned? Who exactly are they?”

“A vicious government, of total control, and frightening military might. The entire culture revolves around the necessity of war and the commercialization of glory in the death of servitude to the country and the survival of a “perfect human race”. They hate the idea of affections, like love and compassion, and brainwash their people to be as heartless as possible,” Love is the enemy”, they say “and has no place in progress”.

“Hatred for love? You mean, is to love someone, a crime?”

“To a degree, yes. Survival as a race depends on our willingness to commit to the government’s plan. Love once destroyed the world’s only plan to survive, and now it; has been made an enemy.”

“No; how can that be possible, how can a government make that demand and enforce it?”

“The Skull and Bones Republics government has a highly developed psychic science technology, they can see your dreams, and know what you’re feeling. They even broadcast dreams and nightmares as a type of entertainment, so needless to say, they often meet little resistance in their decisions to punish.”

“My god, why?”

“Dreams are dangerous things, and with how small the earth population is now, you either conform or are considered a traitor to humanity.

“That’s horrible, how could anyone allow such a government to exists.”

“As I understand, all the world’s governments are like this, in one way or another, and if you listen to my story, you will know why.”

Lisa falls silent, so I continue.

“Thousands of miles from home, it would take any type of backup an entire day to reach us, but only if the storm we had ridden in on, decided to die down within the next few hours. However, this hope was unlikely, as radiation storms last for days, even weeks.

As more intelligence was gathered, and the details became clear, the direr our situation became. Our biggest problem, however, isn’t our lack of supplies or ammunitions, it is the creatures in the wilderness that began to shatter and howl out our location. Too close for comfort, a decision had to be made.

At this time, it is Raymond that speaks up, telling everyone we should gather as much protection as possible before we move on. Trying to scavenge what we can in first aid supplies and bullets before we move. The second one speaks up, taking the opposing position, his argument is how badly injured everyone is and how the animals won’t hesitate to mount an attack as fast as possible as soon as they notice this, he emphasizes the need of trying to get as far away from the crash site as possible to avoid being caught in the open.

This second tactic is rationalized with the faded radio transmission that would come in every few moments or so. The distorted signal of an off-channel message, as it was another nation that had a facility, not too far from where we were.

The promise of this signal and the safety that it might hold wasn’t our best option, but it held a small hope for everyone. The signal was old, playing off of some type of distress code that had long passed its maintenance point. The signal would begin to cut out as the storm on top of us cut through our transmission strength, odd in that our radios are known to never fail. Never the less, this detail meant that shelter and place to recuperate or wait for help might be a close by. But triangulation its location is difficult, and time runs on tired legs.

Men argue as men do, trying to take charge in a situation that requires the utmost precision of planning. But, what is established most is that neither plan will succeed if the entire group is not together. This is the only point that everyone can agree with.

“You’re going to lead everyone into a death trap, you blithering idiot!” I remember Raymond said this, so sure of what the course should be.

“It’s better than waiting to die, next to this heap, by now the whole forest has probably caught the scent of blood, and hordes of sharp-toothed things are on their way right now to get and easy meal. I won’t be a part of that blood bath, I’d rather die to move.” Says the other one.

“And get Visits killed, you know she can’t be moved in her condition, it will put one of us out of defense completely, and put a huge hole in any hope to fend off an attack! We need to let her heal at least!”

“You’re not in control her, brute. With what you were about to do before we got here your position for any leading commands has been, revoked.”

“Do you even listen to yourself talk? Or are you just that big of a dunce? Nothing is going to come close to this place because of the fire. “He says knowing that animals still fear this element. “If we keep it built then we might stand a chance.”

“Then what happens when one of them get brave huh? As soon as they figure out we have no defenses, it will be death for all of us!”

“Then your gonna kills us all is that it, just because you can regenerate at will doesn’t mean you can save everyone. What’s about Vista, are you willing to get her killed again?”

It was at this time that I decided to speak for myself, but it still wasn’t anything in Raymond’s favor, something that I later found to be a large mistake. “I don’t need you speaking for me, or my condition.”

One of the soldiers decided to speak up, taking into command his skills as a well-trained veteran “Everyone shut the hell up, we’ve got movement, all around us.” He says, the abilities of his psychic suite activating.

Everyone becomes quiet, watching and waiting to see what is said next. Breath is held as if by the pin of a grenade, pulled loose onto its uneven steadiness that holds a spring loaded axes. Silence and heartbeats are now the keynotes of a moment of decision.

The soldiers know what they are doing, as they use hand signals to the motion to one another in complete sentences in a language made for quick, visual communication.

Their hands are fast, gestures of touching certain places on the body, with a finger in symbols open hands and letters and fists. They take up positions where they can all see one another, they communicated that each soldier only has limited ammunition with them, only a few clips with only one surviving rifle, that was badly damaged in the crash. Who knows how many shots it has left in its overall capacity to fire consecutive rounds.

I thought I was the only one there who knew how to speak the soldier sign language. So I was given a good idea of what the situation was, and needless to say, it wasn’t anything anyone was hoping for.

“A large group was moving to our right, mid to large size, and showing signs of psychic activity. To the south, I’m picking up, at least, twenty or thirty small creatures but, they are moving quickly, almost too quickly for me to keep track of, maybe; psychic speed.

The other soldiers respond. “Guns up and keep a lookout, keep your eyes open, and watch your ass, the Undertaker barely know how to handle themselves.”

“Yeah I know right, fuckin noobs, need to wise up or GTFO. This is no place for amateur soldiers.”

“Right; stuck in unknown territory surrounded, things they aren’t even familiar with, I hate to be in their boots.”

“Yeah but you still got to admit, you’d love to be in Vits’ boobs right now.”

Lisa speaks up, “What, how could they say that right in front of you.”

“The soldiers are like that; they try to break their own tension by joking about things. I was often the focus of this, being many found me to be attractive in that way.”

“But even with one of the arms missing? That’s absurdly vulgar.”

“Worse things have been said, it’s often that I replace myself in a situation where my suite has been torn. Being that they are skin tight there is no room for undergarments. Besides if you knew who my mother was, you wouldn’t come to my defense.

“Does that happen to the men too, the teasing?”

“Yes, but the men have less to hide, and their sensitive areas where more well shielded and less exposed than a woman’s suite.”

“That’s terrible. But wait, you said your mother had something to do with this, what exactly?”

“It’s not important, right now.”

“It is to me; these men are going around bullying you for no reason. No wonder why you seem so sad all the time. Speaking in that monotone of yours. Please tell me I want to know.”

I pause for a long moment, as a familiar absence of emotions overtakes me. “She was and adult film star. She; made her living doing things of an adult nature for millions of people to watch; and because of this, my name is synonymous with the industry.”

“Oh my god,” Lisa says now knowing why I didn’t want to say anything. “I’m sorry, but it’s just that you said something, and I had to ask. Why didn’t you skip that part?”

“You wanted to know something about me. This is me telling you. I’m not ashamed of this part of my past, so I figure I might as well let it be known in death, it’s not like I need to be dishonest, I hate lies anyway.”

“Why is it that you hate lies so much, haven’t you ever lied to protect someone, or not hurt anyone’s feelings?”

“I’ll be honest, I have; but the lies that surround me are the ones where people say they have done things with me or me to them. Many soldiers would come up with some very graphic stories of vile things. Terrible acts in which I was the aggressor or perpetrator of the incident. You’re not the only one to perceive me in the way you do, as beauty in my case is a terrible thing as it stands, the fear that comes with it often means the truth is never really known, and only lies and rumors become you because the fantasy for most is too much to withstand.”

“That’s so sad.”

“That’s just how it was, even the female soldiers were laughing. As it was many women found that they had a problem with me born out of jealousy or hatred, they especially got caught up in the mix of things. However I don’t feel like going into this at the moment, can wee please move on?”

Lisa becomes quiet. Knowing that the subject must be hard for me to talk about. It is in all facts of the matter, and I do my best not to show it as I continue.

“The soldiers, still speaking in sign language would go on to brief others of the situation.

It would announce that another crash sight; a few miles away from where we where might hold some type of sanctuary, however, this plan was shady at best.

It was an unknown ship that a psychic ping had picked it up and registered as one of our own. However, what was odd was that we were all told that we would be the first flight to ever cross into this area, but the ship reverberation was one of familiarity in composition and craft.

The vessel in questions,it seemed, had grown to that age of decades after it had been lost in the forest. Most of sensed to be intact, it was not emitting any power signal that was noticeable. They refused to mention this to any of us out loud, being that the concept of a mystery craft was not one that would assure safety. Not to mention, the soldiers had all come to believed us Undertakers to be, dimwitted and too self-centered to make a rational decision. Most of them didn’t know how many battles we had actually seen, how old we actually wear at the time, but being that we had different limits was something that frightened them immensely.

“How old are you?” Lisa inquires with reserve.

“I don’t know if I can answer that. It’s not something my memory has allowed me to know.”

“Oh, well then, continue your story.”

Our knowledge of combat didn’t stop them from agreeing with Raymond’s plan of action. Being that Raymond is the only Undertaker that has never died in battle, he valued his life much like any mortal would, and for that he had gained a bit of respect when it came to his tactics in strategy.

“Shock Wave is right, none of these creatures want to be anywhere near a fire, too hot for their senses to penetrate.” Said the soldier using the psychics pings of his suite to track animal movement.

“These are all night animals we know that at least, they only sprung on us after the sun went down.” One of them says, “Damn things jumped straight into us, right into our engines, and entire flocks of jumpers just crazy with murder, no way we could have seen them coming up out of the forest.”

“Well, we are on the ground. Now we got to do something, or else we are going to be surrounded.”

“I say we search our crash site, we need to replace something to fight with, and not to mention any weapon caught in that energy would be fully amped by now. The chance of a weapon surviving is better than our that Undertaker douche realizes. Not to mention, I hear he got an entire squad of Red Skulls killed once.”

“What is a red skull?” Lisa asks

“It is a rank of soldier, highly trained and experienced. Very proficient in the use of their energy suites out of natural affinity.” I say before I continue.

The third Undertaker comes over to me, he has been watching me and knows I know something. He has known me since before we both became Undertakers, and is aware of my spy hunter training prior to being turned into a weapon of war. He comes close and whispers into my ear, an act that at this time, I was okay with. “You know what they are saying, don’t you?”

“A little” I responded; the pain of my severed arm beginning to kick in.” It’s hard to keep track of them, they are talking too fast.”

“Just; tell me what you know.” He demands, appealing to my sympathy. Us two being the only people in the group having known the Perfect human lifestyle. Making us the minority.

I look him in the eye, the only one still has visible that I had come to know him for a so long by, the deep green color of it taking my affectionate attention and trust of nature I once thought to be trustworthy, what a fool I was.

“The soldiers don’t like your plan;” I said “They know it’s not anything they themselves would do. Everyone seems to be siding with Raymond, even though he has been stripped of rank. Also, there seems to be another nearby ship that has everyone confused.”

I can see him becoming silently enraged but he doesn’t show it. Out of this emotion, he stands up and begins to walk. All the soldiers look at what he is doing, muddled as to why he is even moving around, as most animals can detect it.

He grabs the highest ranking soldier in his uniform pulling him in close, energy like nature of the cloth of that fabricates his suite visible as it is stretched to capacity. The third Undertaker whispers something, I could not hear what it was; but it took the soldier’s full attention as seemed to be listening intently, fear overtook his body language, and he is soon shaking in his suite; he collects himself and gives out an order at the Undertakers command.

He signals to the other soldiers, who watched him closely, but quickly after the order is given, cries of a “FUBAR” order go out through the ranks. The other soldiers knowing that the choice made is dangerous to the point of sheer insanity.But these are soon silenced as groups of animals begin to move closer.

With little time to decide, another small argument and another silent conversation take place. It seems a decision must be made that mostly everyone argues against. Everyone begins to move out as Raymond is spoken to by one of the soldiers. He pointed at me and then begins to walk.

What they look on Raymonds face was one of discomfort as he came to pick me up off the ground. Understanding the soldiers sign language to my surprise; It seemed he understands what they are saying the entire time.

He then makes it known how stupid of a decision it was that the other Undertakers was making, but only after his hands are free. It is was then made known to me, some of the depth of his knowledge, and int that moment my curiosity was sparked.

He comes to pick me up from my seat of uncomfortable setting, but to my disposition at the time, it was a violation that I didn’t agree with. “What are you doing?” I ask, quietly.

“I have no other choice.” He says always concerned with the situation and other people’s personal space.

“Have one of the soldiers carry me.” A say asking the obvious.

“The soldiers don’t want to.”

“Why!?” I say, exasperated to the situation.

“Because, no one wants to touch you. They don’t wasn’t to touch any of us, and would rather die come into contact with your blood because they think it would kill them anyways.”

“Then I’ll just walk by myself.” I tried to stand, but the piece’s of metal still stuck on my leg, bones shattered in place, still immobilized me completely. With one arm only at my disposal, the effort was completely for nothing.

Raymond leans in.” I’m sorry,” he says; then with both of his arms, he quickly picks me up off the wet ground. Before I even know it, he has manipulated me in the air and onto his back. Putting me on his shoulder.

His muscles are firm and easy to rest against as they are well developed, and held underneath a layer of soft skin. He smelled like a man should even in a situation of stress, strong and handsome. In those days in a different situation I would have struggled to be released, but as the moment had developed into one that required everyone’s silence and complacency, I had no other choice but to give in and relax.

“Wait, you mean the two of you didn’t like each other at the beginning, why was that?” Lisa says trying to analyze what I’m saying. “You seem like you love him so much. It’s hard to believe you once hated him.”

“I’ll admit, I did. But I was a much different person then.”

“How different?” Lisa emphasis’s

“Hateful, bound to prejudice, aggravated by the idea of someone of a lesser human existence with the power of an Undertaker on our team and helping us.”

“Lesser human existence? That seems like a fascist term?”

“It was.”

“What?”

“It was the life I was born into, the things I learned. The way the government had trained me. It was how things worked, how they always did. And like it or not, even I was not immune to the lure of easy hatred.”

“That doesn’t make sense, how could you be given such a responsibility of power, if you were so full of hatred.”

“It was complicated, the world is a very odd place now, as it is; The darker side of humanity has taken a hold of our better selves, but only out of a need for survival.”

“How exactly does that work, it doesn’t make sense.”

“People needed to be strong, only the fittest survive, some are more prone to survival than others, and because of the fact that a master race of humans does exist, and has been proven to be more astute in all attributes of human existence, its only natural that we keep those below us, under a heavy weight.”

“To crush them?”

“To make them stronger, or see them die to try.”

“That’s horrible, how can you justify a government like this?”

“How does any government justify itself? I think that question goes without an answer.”

“Or is it that you just don’t have an answer? Is it just that you don’t want to think about why such a thing is.”

“Was your world really so perfect as to stand as a pillar to all governments, and set a shining example for all history to remember? Let me tell you something; in the end, history is only something written in a book, and all books burn if winter is cold enough.”

“Was it really so bad as that, was everything erased?”

“A Governments power is in how it educates its people. Lose ends mean less power, so to justify your government demands. You must destroy any history that marks your failure.”

“What year is all this in?” Lisa asks, an expression of knowing that something about the way I speak of it makes the situation seem; off.

“In my memory, the year is 1972”

Lisa goes silent for a moment, then speaks with a tone of defeat. “Back, when I was alive, we fought so hard to make sure governments like this never happened, could never take a hold and do this to the world, Erase history and knowledge so they could make the same mistakes over again. How has the world become so conceded?” Lisa says, a deep sorrow overtaking her tone.

“It’s simple,” I say, no reserve for her sorrows or pity for her crushed hopes. Knowing that to hope is something that fools do. “It’s because people are idiots when the weather is cold enough.”

Lisa puts her face in her hands and sobs.