Whispers of the Diamond: A Romance of Memory and Desire

Chapter 12 - Terra

I yawned as I walked down the abandoned underground train tunnel, it was so quiet, eerie, the only sound was the echo of our footsteps on the walls. It also smelled of metal and mould. But this was fun for us, a sense of adventure Alex and I shared even among the smell of oil and dirt.

"Slowdown will ya!" Alex called behind me, I didn't, of course, we were looking for unfound things, remnants of the past. It's what we enjoyed the most, it's how we enjoyed our time together, exploring the world beneath London district. The past introduced us to things like Facebook, and mobile phones, the things people used to share! Like their whole lives?

It amazed me that such a primitive device could envelope an entire person's life. From birth to death, everything they'd need, want, or desire was in the palm of their hand, just a click away. The advancement of technology was so exponential that in the span of 70 years, what cost millions and was able to put a man on the moon was the equivalent to a teenager's forgotten entitlement. To consider the growth of technology in 130 years, I don't think this current time could understand such things. It would be like trying to imagine the fourth dimension. This is the blessing, to stand on the shoulders of the long-since-lost giants of our past.

The internet still existed but was heavily controlled and well-targeted in a way that each person found more useful. Everything had a purpose in our world, it was usually to show the government who you were or how you spent your time and credits. Everything was monitored and, of course, if you made decisions that didn't add up, well, a hunter like Alex would come a-knocking.

I hated that they'd weaponized him, even asleep I was acutely aware this was nothing more than a memory of us together. Alex, so free and fun-loving, tossed something at me, thick and slimy.

"Oh, gross!" I squealed as he closed the distance, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me tight into him, kissing my neck. The heat of him—God, I missed that.

"Needed to slow your ass down," he breathed against my skin, sending a visible shiver through me. This wasn't just memory, fuck, this was also need. This was a subconscious reminder of the effect the love of my life had upon me. I could remember everything, the way he made me feel, the way I'd push into him, his lips on my flesh. I missed him. But I had for the last fifty years we'd been apart. Alex was the one man I'd never get past.

What was it like I wonder? To live such simple lives? At least simple compared to living in abject terror and fear. I'm sure they had their worries too. But in this day and age, one wrong decision could get you killed. That was the price we paid for so called freedom. Sure, we had the freedom to be creative and do as we wished but in reality, we were trapped by oppression and the government's boot. That was reason enough to fight.

My mind drifted back to the memory of Alex and I finding this place. It's an old underground station. While you can no longer access the city from here, you can reach it through the maintenance tunnels. That's why I chose it as the headquarters for the resistance: it keeps us isolated, off the grid, and most importantly, safe

I sighed as I sat, lost in a confusing mix of memories, need, and desire. I was angry that he hadn't even tried to understand, furious that my boyfriend was now my enemy, and frustrated that I would still fall into his arms without hesitation. God, I needed him to remind me what real passion was. No man had ever brought me to orgasm the way he could.

I sighed and climbed off my cot. The area we'd converted to sleeping quarters was just lines of military cots and crappy woollen blankets, which kept you warm but not much else. There was very little privacy. Down the hall was the medical bay, primitive but our medics were capable. Beyond that were the armoury and tech labs. We were also finally finishing up the installation of our new third-generation CTT. This would give us a leap in our resurrection tech capabilities and hopefully stop the decay in the cerebral cortex some had experienced. I'd been very lucky that I backed up my consciousness the way I did using three separate discs; it meant I came back more intact. The higher the rank, the more backups, with five being the top rank. We only had one General, her name was Alice Little. She was as smart as they came, and no one had seen her in some time. There were four Commanders, of which I was one. Each had two lieutenants, Joseph being one of mine. My other was Reiko Amaya. Affectionately known as Rebbi, she was a firecracker of a girl—smarter than anyone I'd ever met—and had managed to gain access to third-generation CTT technology. Of course, we learned there was more, but not every government server is so easy to penetrate.

I made my way to the lab and found Rebbi, her face alight with excitement. "Almost ready, I promise! " she exclaimed, her accent adding a musical quality to her voice. That word "almost" is what unnerved me.

"Almost is going to fry her fucking brain!" snapped Joseph in response.

"The core function is operational," she said, a hint of pride in her voice. "But to power it without plunging the city into darkness... that is the challenge, the puzzle yet to be solved."

I shrugged in response and sat in what was once a dentist's chair, Joseph strapped me down firmly. Placing the cranial reader on my head, this one felt heavier than the old one.

"Stillness, if you please." Rebbi grinned in that ever pleasant sing song tone.

A whine, a whir, and the transfer began. I watched the display as always, the green status light shifting to blue as the disk filled with data—tiny pieces of my consciousness, a digital copy of my very soul.