Beyond the Universe - Jily AU

Prologue

Greenland, 1850

Like most things, it started with the government. Well, to be exact, it started in a damp, cramped, malodorous, room crowded lit with candles and filled with government officials arguing in low, harsh whispers. The shadows and stubble on their faces were darkened and elongated due to the dim light produced by the uneven, rapidly waning candles sitting in the middle of the circular table that the men crowded themselves around.

Outside the room stood an elegant woman, rather tall in stature, with silky red hair cascading down her back in flawless, buoyant waves. She wore a gown made of pure white silk, nearly glowing in the poor lighting of the corridor. An amused smirk left the right side of her lips curled upward while her hip was cocked ever so slightly to the left. She stood with her arms crossed and her ear tilted towards the closed door, picking up intermittent bits of the heated conversation raging inside. Finally, not being able to remain silent anymore, she rolled her glimmering grey-blue eyes and swung open the door.

Immediately, the men rose from their seats and moved to the edges of the room, adjusting their posture to be as straight as can be while whipping off their top hats and bowing down to the sparkling lady.

"Lady McKinnon!" stammered the best dressed of the men, quite obviously the leader of the group. "We weren't expecting you. Welcome!" he added hastily after a moment, finally remembering his manners.

"Of course you weren't, darling," she responded, making sure to scan each inhabitant of the room with her intimidating gaze while standing still. She swept the dusty room with her eyes once more before finally taking a self-assured step forward into the room.

Her shimmering white heels emitted a sharp, high-pitched sound the moment they met the chalky floor.

Click. Click. Click.

She made her way halfway across the room, pausing in the middle. She demanded attention with her every step, with the way her gown flowed and rustled beneath her, the way her nose tilted upward, her unfaltering gaze, and the most conspicuous, the way she seemingly lit up the whole room.

Click. Click. Click.

She resumed her path, gliding the rest of the way, and stopped at the far end of the room where the candles struggled to illuminate those who chose to stand there, and instead filled the area with ominous shadows.

"I see that you've all found yourselves entangled in the web of another quandary, gentlemen," remarked the glowing lady with the barest hints of a chuckle. "I find it rather amusing, but who am I to criticise you? I am, after all, a few thousand years older than the lot of you, and have gained far more wisdom in my bountiful years."

"You see, Madame McKinnon-"

"Oh, please," she interrupted abruptly, "call me anything but Madame, for I find the term to be far too dreadful and decrepit for my liking."

"Yes, well, Miss McKinnon, we've noticed a severe downfall in the population of the earth recently and we're quite concerned. You see, we're unsure of what plan of action to take to solve this problem, so if you were to provide us with any words of advice, we would be ever so pleased."

"Oh my, that is a rather significant problem, dear. What could we do without humans finding more ways to wreak havoc and bring more damage to this beautiful planet?"

"Lady McKinnon, this is a grave problem, and we require your wisdom far more than we desire your humor today," one official glared ever so slightly at the whimsical woman.

"Oh yes, you're absolutely right, darling, this underpopulation issue is simply a horrendous dilemma. You may all rest assured from this point onward, for I possess a flawless solution! Though I hate to be arrogant, allow me to say this solution is as flawless as myself, and we all know, I'm yet to fail anybody in any galaxy!"