Rosalie

Rosalie

by

Patrick Harron

Rosalie was a lonely girl,

but no one knew quite why.

She sat alone in a field of bone,

and looked up at the sky.

She could not hear the heavens weep,

nor hear the angels cry.

All she did was close her eyes,

an' allow herself to die.

Part IV: Abberation

Abberation

The first known instance of what would later become known as an aberration took place on October 3rd at 1:36 am GMT, when Japanese authorities responded to a call of a wild animal on the loose in the Shinjuku area of Tokyo.

Those that survived the initial contact with the creature described at "ferocious, intelligent, and completely malevolent." by the end of the indecent it took the efforts of over 30 police officers with support from the Japanese Defense Force to take it down.

The creature, described as a humanoid reptilian creature over 2m tall. With 17cm long claws, and hide tough enough to stop bullets. It was capable of tearing through steel and stone, as easily as flesh and its rampage resulted in 12 deaths, and 37 injuries of various severity. The Prime Minister of Japan tried her best to cover up the incident but it wasn't long till images and video of the event were loose on the internet causing a flurry of media coverage, even more so when the world realized it was not a hoax.

Thought to be an isolated incident, most blamed contamination from the alien ship, while others blamed the suggestive techniques of a prominent biological engineering firm known for its questionable practices. It wouldn't be till a similar attack, miles away off the coast of Hawaii that people would begin to grow concerned.

Autopsy of the second creature would reveal some startling facts covered up during the Japan attack. The creature was human. Human DNA had been exposed to some sort of unstable retrovirus, the result turning the helpless victim into a rampaging beast. Additionally, the agent, believed to be of alien origin, had been discovered in roughly 80% of the population with most people experiencing no symptoms. Additional studies, provided little useful data.

It has been theorized that the agent can cause an allergic reaction that caused the cells of the body to react in an unusual manner and alter the DNA in ways that were unpredictable. What's worse, there was no way to predict who would suffer a negative reaction.

It wasn't long until the appearance of these creatures, known as aberrations, hit the continental United States and began terrorizing its citizens.

Metahumans

The alien contamination was not wholly without advantageous effect. It was discovered, by chance, that instances of people displaying unusual physical characteristics. Enhanced strength, speed, agility, even mental acuity, had been observed to various degrees in a small percentage of the population. The government began recruiting these exception individuals to combat the Aberrations, as well as to keep America safe, with many being stationed at the wall to provide additional security.

Laws were passed requiring all citizens with extraordinary abilities to register with the government and, later additional bills were passed altering the selective service system so that all metahumans (regardless of gender) were required to serve a term of four years in the armed forces.

As a result the strength of the American military swelled, and its ability to police, and protect itself grew, the threat of aberrations was contained, and became another, carefully monitored, tool of the military.

The Dark Side of Power

More recently there have been disturbing reports. Stories of the possibility that metahumans could devolve into an aberration. More than once, it had been observed that some individuals who overuse their powers, develop mental instability. If this illness is left untreated and the individual continues to use their power it is widely believed that they risk devolving into a Aberration. Though the scientific validity of this theory has been hotly debated, agents in the field have routine physicals, and mental evaluations.

Part III: The Craft

The Craft

The ship that crash landed into the New Jersey coastline created an unprecedented level of fear and confusion in the United States as well as around the world. It had become the most significant event in human history, and every news outlet was covering little else. It had become the most widespread topic of destruction, and analysts, writers, and scientists all speculated on its origin, and purpose.

Even the greatest minds had no answers, their guesses were as good as the speculation of a child, and no hypothesis was thrown out, and they all scrambled to discover facts that would back up their hypothesis.

What they did know was little, and raised far more questions than it answered. They knew that the ship was roughly 1200m wide with a smooth, polished, metallic surface that did not match any known materials native to planet earth. It had no obvious openings or windows, though it had signs of external damage upon impact, these seemed to repair themselves, as if the metal had properties more consistent in a living life form.

The most notable feature perhaps, is it that is surrounded by an energy field, a force field protecting it from intrusion, and seemingly invulnerable to any weapon made by man. Numerous attempts have been made over the years to penetrate the barrier, and all have resulted in failure.

The Slums

The area around the craft is mostly barren, the impact of the ship having destroyed most of the buildings, and landscape of the area. The crater extended out into the Atlantic and much of the crash site is now submerged.

The people that survived the impact were negligible, but even the surrounding areas had significant amounts of their infrastructure destroyed, leaving many homeless, or without power. Those that had nowhere to go or no money were stuck. They became statistics, nameless faces in an ever growing numbers of people that had not yet learned they were casualties. 

As the numbers of homeless grew the area around the crash site became the location of temporary shelters, but as the numbers swelled they could not sustain the people, and the area devolved into a slum, the last refuge for the truly desperate. The army tried to keep the peace and to turn people away but with prewar tensions on the rise they could do little to keep order.

The Wall

Therefore the government decided to construct a wall around the crash site, as much to keep people out as to contain the alien ship. Many were given temporary jobs, building the 600m wall. It was difficult work, and many died during its construction. Worse still, as the war broke out many sections had to be repaired, and other rebuilt entirely. 

A military base was placed at the base of the wall not far from the slums. Its job was to man the watch towers, so that nobody got into the crash site, as well as to conduct studies of the ship and the surrounding area.

The military presence also served to regulate the slums, by handing out what little food supplies, and doing its best to give the people medical treatment. Despite offers from foreign powers, the United States accepted to aid, believing that any offers were thinly veiled attempts to gain access to the craft. 

The overpopulation of the slums would eventually solve itself, as famine, and disease, spread across the encampment, claiming countless more lives. The soldiers did what they could but eventually another, smaller, wall was built to quarantine the area, and access to the slums was restricted. In the slums people continued to kill, starve, and die, while the rest of the nation tried its best to ignore their suffering.

Part II: The War

The war began as all wars do. An accusation, a spark of misunderstanding, ignites, flaring to life, as long held distrust with all human hearts blazes to life.

This war was no different and as the United States struggled to learn anything about the alien threat that landed in their backyard the world grew restless. Their critics insisted they do more, and demanded more access to the craft. Unable to access the ship themselves America refused, not willing to allowed foreign powers full access.

The world powers did not take this refusal lightly, and united behind the UN they made formal demands for the United States to back down and relinquish control of the alien ship. To punctuate the seriousness of their demand they set ships to the American coastline, weapons trained on the fallen ship, and Washington DC. They gave the United States one week to comply.

America refused the ultimatum, and seven years of bloody war followed.

It was the first war upon American soil in centuries, and its people were not prepared for the carnage of war. Many fled, many more died. United States brought the full extent of it's military to bare to defend it's people. The results were catastrophic and millions died on both sides. The United States were victorious, but the world's military was weakened it's people beaten and afraid. A treaty was proposed, more out of fear, than of a desire for peace.  In the end it would be signed, and the nations of the world began the struggle to rebuild. For the first time since before World War II America pulled away from the world, its people began to grow insular, nervous, and fearful.

Part I: The Crash

“For centuries humanity has looked up at the stars wondering and believing that they were not alone in the universe. Today after all we have seen, we wish to God that we were wrong.”

-Author unknown

July 15, 2043

It has been a long time my friend. Three decades have come and gone. Years of pain and strife, of peace and war. Much of what we once were has been lost, some has been reclaimed, while others seem long out of reach. I write this now, not so that we remember what has changed, but so that we never forget.

Those thirty years ago we received an answer to a question. A question long sought after. The answer came to us not from science, not from God, nor from war or peace. Instead it came to us with fiery ambivalence.

The craft first entered Earth’s space at approximately 8:00am GMT. It hit our atmosphere hard, entering just over the sea of Japan. Its rough entry sent shock-waves around the globe, and created tremors felt all the way round the world.

Nearly a quarter of a mile wide it flew across our skies at estimated speeds of up to Mach 20, it was unlike anything anyone had ever seen, as as it made it way over North America, electrical systems died, and stopped working. Sending panic spreading around the continent. Humanity was shocked, unprepared for the event. People reached out to their churches and their governments for answers, and as they watched the craft fall across the sky, a strange orange mist trailing behind it. 

The craft's journey ended in the United States where it struck area that used to part of Northern New Jersey. The impact created a crater a mile wide, and the earth shook, toppling buildings, and flooding homes. Dirt and dust were thrown into the air darkening the sky, and the estimated human cost is said to be in the millions.

When the government finally reacted the nations people were already in a panic, and for a while it seemed that a flood of panic, and terror might overtake the nation. Thankfully order would be maintained and the US military would lock the area down, and despite the harsh reality of the situation they minimized the loss of any additional human lives. 

The world did not end.

It was days later, when the shock had faded, that people first asked the question “Who are they?”

The people would not receive their answer, the craft remained silent. People turned on the government, demanding answers they thought were being withheld. This false belief was echoed by the UN who still harbored distrust toward the United States. Together they demanded answers, ones that the American government just didn't have. This distrust would eventually lead to war, as the world tried to take the answers that America just didn't have.

The Beast of Skred, A Nonsense Poem

The Beast of Skred

Near an island by the Sea

Lived the Beast of Ilse de Skred

It grakes and groones with eyes of red

And slunkles through the Bay of Dread

Seeking prey to slay instead

If ever you see the grankled beast of Skred

Remember these words or end up dead

Parkle low and stay umbred

Brandish steel and keep your head

For few survive the Beast of Skred

30 Minute Children's Story

Yesterday in my Children's Literature class we were tasked with writing a short children's story using random themes that we drew out of a hat. The theme that  I drew was "Good Friends Stick Together", and this is the story that I came up with in only 30 minutes (with no time allowed for editing either). Enjoy!

Once upon a time, in a land far away, lived two gnomes. These two gnomes, Rachet and Widget lived side by side in a small forest by the lake.
Everyday Rachet and Widget looked up at the sky and Rachet imagined what it would be like to soar through the sky like an eagle, or fly from tree to tree like a sparrow.

One day Rachet decided that he was going to fly like a bird, he was sure he could do it. “Widget!” he said “I have an idea! I will build a machine, this machine will take us high up into the sky.” Widget wasn’t sure that Rachet’s machine would work, but being able to fly like a bird certainly seemed appealing.

Rachet got to work that very day in his workshop, making his plans and Widget went out into the forest collecting sticks, and stray feathers for Rachet’s machine. When she returned she set to work with her friend and they began to work.

They built wings, and feet. They made a head and tail. They crafted cogs and levers, they made scarves and goggles. They both worked together all day and in no time at all they had put together a big mechanical bird with two seats. One for Rachet, and one for Widget.

“Do you think it will fly Widget?” Asked Rachet apprehensively. Widget pondered for a moment before replying. She didn’t know if it would fly, but she trusted her friend.

“Of course it will fly!” She replied, patting Rachet on the back. “We built it together, how could we fail?” With that the two little gnomes got into the mechanical bird and Rachet pulled the big lever and the cogs began to turn, and the wings began to flap. Both the gnomes were very excited at the idea that soon they would be in the sky.

The bird began to flap harder and suddenly a great cloud of smoke erupted from the mechanical bird, and it sputtered to a halt, parts flying everywhere! Rachet was very sad. His mechanical bird wasn’t going to fly. “Our machine is broken. “ He said to Widget, with a tear in his eye.

“Don’t worry.” Widget told her friend. “We will fix it.”

“And HOW will we do that?” asked Rachet as he looked at all the bits of broken mechanical bird.

“Together.” replied Widget “Together”

And they did.