Road to Anywhere

Quest of the One

Story written for "Gloves Up | A Multi-Genre Smackdown Contest", Round 1.3 (July 2022). Retell one of a selection of classic stories, but feature zombies. Genre: Any.

Story word count = 1495

The space elevator hummed a solemn tune as it lifted skyward, riding a cable held taut by the spaceport in orbit above. There Faro would find passage to Hephaestia. Sitting next to a window, he gazed longingly at his home below. A terrible thought sent a shiver down his spine, that he might not see it again.

Willow — his wiry younger cousin, best-friend, and partner in mischief who begged to come along on the adventure — practically climbed over Faro to press her nose against the window, her shaggy brown hair brushing across his face. "I never thought I would see the Shire from such a vantage, Faro. So beautiful."

"That it is."

Never before had the good friends ventured outside of the Shire, much less off-planet. From high above, their eyes caressed the lush green rolling hills of home.

"You did remember the One Ring, don't you?" Willow asked.

"Of course," he replied, fingering it through his shirt where it hung underneath on a silver chain, just to make sure. "How could I forget that?"

"You can't be too sure," she replied with a smirk. "A good thing, though, that I came along to keep you from trouble."

"Begging you pardon, my dear cousin, but it is you who finds trouble for the both of us."

"Exactly," she replied with her characteristic twinkling amber eyes. "I know where not to look."

Once long lost, the One Ring was perhaps the most powerful object in the known galaxy. Control Rings, data crystals borne by Warders scattered across the know worlds, oversaw the society controlling AI's. Some say also the minds of men. But the One Ring lorded over them all. As the story goes, it was created long ago, along with the Sovereign Autonomous Overwatch Node, an all-powerful AI. Among those who resent its uncompromising rule, it was known by the name of an ancient literary villain, Sauron.

Faro's gray-haired uncle, at his hundredth-year birthday party, presented the ring to Faro, sending him on the adventure. "Seek a wise Coder named Garund," his uncle instructed. "He will know what to do with it."

The Space-Liner journey took several boring days. On the second night, while Willow slept, Faro examined the ring. Turning it on the chain, he let light refract and sparkle through the internal crystalline structure. His uncle cautioned against putting it on, but Faro reasoned he needed to know what it does, so he slipped it on a finger. A subtle golden glow filled the ring.

Faro gasped as it probed his mind, winding invasive tendrils through his self. His eyes blurred, but things not normally seen came into view — the spaceship control AI, all sorts of electronic devices, the networking medical nano-bots contained within every person on the ship. But for some reason, the bots inside him and his cousin appeared dim, as if less functional. The ring whispered sweet seductions to his soul, vague promises of power and untold bliss, all for the taking if only he submitted. So tempting.

Holding his breath, Faro jerked the ring off and stuffed it under his shirt. This thing is evil!

Eventually, they arrived at the Nimbus Station, which orbited above the industrial planet Hephaestia. With little green among the hazy lands below, the world seemed a dreadful place.

Bright lights lit the arrival hall from a domed ceiling while floating transparent screens hawked all manner of products with colorful animations. Faro and Willow at once felt out of place among the teaming throng of travelers. The people wore a menagerie of clothing in all colors, some tight as if a second skin, and others fluffing out with wild flourish. The fashions contrasted sharply with the pair's simple brown tunics and pants, although few took notice.