Genesis

OOOI

Sun was rising over surface of the planet. Last pieces of night's dark and coldness were melting in its rays. And lonely figure outlined by the light was overtopping on protrusion of stone orange solid. Girl in blue fitting costume was more and more in contrast with fiery rock as sun went higher and higher. And now she looked like flower which was able to cut through the stone. As it had happened before she was standing motionless for a long time directing her gaze at the morning star. And only wind coming from south toyed with her blonde hair which rhythmically shuddered responding to its touch.
She looked through the valley toward the line of horizon. On the land of valley the trees were standing straight and one after another stretched their lines, similar as water drops from the same cup. They covered vast space from here and almost to the limit of horizon. She recognized how their leaves were opening to the sun and how they started to feed themselves with the energy of sun, one line after another. And she felt herself how ultraviolet breaking the barrier of her skin was feeding her body. And also she saw bright deep orange stripe stretching in between garden and visible edge of the land.
And all was happening the way it was happening so many times before at this time and at this place. But this day was her special. Today was the day for doing what can change her living forever. Her status and meaning in this world. Some minutes passed, she would go down to the Shelter and would join its other inhabitants who call themselves the Society.
Hatch which was hardly seen in the rocky surface opened responding to her soft touch. Darkly orange covering moved aside when slot releasing minimal portion of blue light under texture of her palm read enterer's identification. She walked downstairs and passed couple of corridors when she found herself in a wide white room which served as the assembly place for the Council of Twelve. Here in this hall, dozen of most respected representatives of a group which called itself Society was gathering every morning the same way as today. But that assembly could become the most unusual of all they had in time they ruled this settlement. And what would be said may change if not everything than a lot of it.
She would not pull the moment back she would say it all as it is. And her first phrase would be the most revealing.
'The voice of Creators is lost for more than seventy four hours' she said calmly and not rising her voice. And then silence had hung over assembly interrupted only after many seconds passed.
'And as it looks that was the reason of your being so indecisive in recent days, Prima' said another voice which belonged to one of them who was braver than others and who could talk to her in this manner. And he called her by her name.
'You're right, Secundo.' She replied without embarrassment. 'And I guess you know what we gathered this morning for. It has three full days passed as I had not received any message from up above, from the Adobe of the Creators. That was since the hour skies were illuminated by glimpses of fire. And for now I could not connect the event with diminishing of my gift.'
Prima as everyone would call her occupied the most special position in the Society. She was the one who heard the Voice or, more correctly, voices of the Creators, who watched them from heavens, and by this was able to tell the others what their will was. And that was the reason of being treated as a privileged person. And that was why her will was undisputed to everyone who belonged to this little, but extremely vital group. Or was there something else?
And all gathered here were deep in silence of their thoughts. Everyone now could give words both pro and con for creating new order of things. Without Gift to hear and to receive the direct will of the creators does Prima lose her right for primacy among equals? Except her special ability, which probably was lost forever, there were other obstacles to grant her with her position. In settlement it was frequently rumored that her origin was more celestial than this of others. According to talks, it was said that in contrast to the rest of Shelter's population she was not created on land, but went down from heavens. And even more than that, who said that names given by the Creators do not mean anything at all? And is there anybody else who can lead the Society when it is totally occupied with performing its Destiny.
'If it is about reorganizing of our group's ruling system' girl by the name of Quatra commenced some seconds ago 'than we just should vote. But I hardly see an alternative here.'
And the question was raised and was reflected in plain lines on monitors. Their index fingers marked one of the option presented on screens in front of them. Decision was made.
'Council had declared its will', Prima said notifying the evident. 'No change in management system will be executed. But in case we will see a trouble enough, I would like to see you again in this place to decide on this same issue by the end of our mission's current stage'.
And that was it. No change in the system. And what it meant was that Prima will be still leader of the Society and in current of these days' tasks she should find something new for herself and for entire group. In case she cannot receive orders from the skies she has no choice but to handle more of responsibility for herself. Before that moment she manufactured guidelines for certain actions depending on sources and obstacles provided. But the mission was defined by those inhabited on heavens. And also her doings could be corrected, no matter that it happened so rarely and was about not the most important details. All this time she was in charge, she never made a mistake she could be blamed for. But did she recognize the will of those who send her here properly enough to complete the mission without help from the sky?
'You'll do well...' she once heard what was said in whisper and what suddenly came to surface of her mind from depth of her memory. And that was a little strange for her as she felt it. It was not strange to remember these words for so long. That was strange to have this smallest bit of information uncovered, but not integrated in system of her thoughts. So much irrationally. And voice which once said these words was one sound she could identify with ease out of all sounds filling Universe. Will of the Creators was appearing in front of her in many voices which had different timbres and colors. But that was the one which was heard much more often than others. It was soft and sure though not to absolute extent and it was a female voice. And voices of others rarely interrupted this one when they communicated.
Once when group was preparing for planting the garden, she was watching every morning, standing on the orange rocky solid, Prima decided to place trees not in rows, but in chaotic order so that it will look more naturally. She considered that it would seem better this way for the Creators. And they revealed her plans. And it was the only case she could remember when her doings were corrected. This female voice appeared then and informed her that they could plant trees in rows the way it would be easier and faster for them. 'Don't bother yourself...' she remembered words from this talk.
Sun had lifted over surface of land having quarter of its usual way through the sky went. And now deeds of this day were waiting for her. She should visit some places. And every place was like outpost with its own squad send by the Society to fight there for sake of completion of its local task. And that in sum should lead to completion of their common mission.
Transport delivered her to meadow surrounded by wood. This was one of spots serving to group as something like a little airdrome. Here under cover of grass and soil, hollow space was hidden. And steel organism of jet plane was containing in its technogenic chamber. Horizontally placed gates covered with green opened and machine making softest whistle with its engines then got frozen and silenced over surface of land awaiting passenger. She stepped aboard, placed herself comfortably and mentally indicated point of destination. That little time which it took for supersonic winged creature looking like a narrow triangle of almost perfect white for flight, she spent in reflections on the problems she should solve.
When landing on the other end of the planet she suddenly found herself thinking that airplane carrying her to aim is in fact the same thing they all are. It has its tasks and completes them. And this also becomes part of their common doings.
There she was met by a local temporary woodman by the name of C. One letter was his name, the same way as it was for other twenty five of similar kin in a group who did not belong to the number of the Twelve.
C did not bother himself to show any kind of special respect by standing still near opening hatch and greeting her. He performed nothing like providing her with his hand to use for a support. He just continued to do what he was doing. While she was going out of a little aircraft, he artfully cut tree's branches off. And while she was approaching him, plane smoothly lifted up, became a little spot far away on the edge of the sky and disappeared behind the horizon. Sight of a simple woodman trimming the trees could not disguise a real meaning of one working here with the rights of Society's representative. C was here for the big things to do, like anybody else anywhere on this planet. His primal task was ruling and controlling multiple machines and mechanisms which worked day and night to expand areal of woods. And now hidden behind lines of tree trunks and plants many of technogenic organisms expanded in an endless string by the side of a green territory which stood against rivaling orange desert.
She asked him a question which was as simple as what he was doing now.
'How is it going?' She said standing some steps apart from him.
'In its proper order, ma'am', C even did not look at her. 'To the end of day we will go couple of miles this direction'.
He stopped and stretched his hand, pointing somewhere far to the place which had only little empty hill standing.
'Do you see this orange triangle? Just there.'
He was explaining things she already knew. And he used manner which was more common to a ticket seller at the amusement park talking to a nine-years-old girl. He prolonged sounds and used some slang and specific idioms. And also there was this semi-respecting semi-indulgent way of calling her ma'am. Wide usage of words "ma'am" and "sir" together with some dialect, which was different from literature language of those who belonged to the Council, were identifying feature of all "literals". That is how all who had a single letter for the name could be called. For example, it could be just C.
Possibly there was one reason for why alphabet, as this part of group was called in general, had a feeling of some superiority, if it was not some other peculiar element of their attitude to world. These twenty six persons of Society who wore white costumes, in contrast to the Council equipped with blue ones, performed all the real work. As they felt it they make it happen. No matter that they used a help of so many machines. Primal Twelve executed power and by this had only functions of management.
Prima considered that creating tasks are as important as performing them. And so she thought now that it could be proper to report in a more certain and more standard definitions. No matter that C indicated the direction most correctly. His hand was in such position that invisible straight line coming through his shoulder and a tip of his index finger formed course of twenty eight degrees by azimuth. Exactly the way it was stated in plans she provided.
Now she did not want to share her view on his behavior. One of her advantages was that she would not pay attention to details like that.
Standing here in a distance of some steps from the wood which was moving its way forward, she was not able to see in a full scale how acre after acre orange desert was losing its realm. Prima started and directed herself the way she walked before. C followed her. Approaching line where trees confronted sands, she watched string of mechanisms which obeyed orders of C. In this sight all looked well. But this examination was not enough, of course.
She visually picked out one of the excavators toiling near. Then she approached and skillfully in a single catlike jump mounted up the back of this artificial animal, which tissues were made of alloys and plastic, which muscular system consisted of multiplicity of craftily build mechanisms.
When she made herself comfortably behind neck of a technology monster, she stretched a hand to a hardly seen panel which was outlined by junction line. When her palm touched it, grey flat of detail's surface turned to a monitor vivid with light. She knew that this piece of poly-material is nothing but old-fashioned staff. She could simply implement her hand to a microscopic info port and access all the massive data needed. But she still made it this way through the monitor.
And now she continued to turn one virtual page after another screening more and more of numbers and figures which formed the picture of ongoing events, image of current day. Nothing special she found. A little deviation from norm was here and something just a little wrong was there. Everything was quite in allowed range. Probably she would find just one thing to pay attention for. Something she will fix now.
She dismounted from the back of giant no less artfully than she lifted herself up few minutes ago. And standing on the background of its muscular body, surrounded by its strong contrast, her stature seemed so frail. But the way she stood and the way she looked on the world around could not make someone doubt that this visual weakness was only possible due to peculiar circumstances of perception. That was conventionally shaped view like some mirage in the depth of orange desert which covered as much of land to one side, up to horizon as the eye could see.
She approached C to tell him about a little problem to be fixed then. In short distance from line on which machines stood now there was some natural elevation which was not considered by the plan. It was not huge and presented nothing bigger than a hill and considering a tempo of machines' movement it was in a reach of couple hours from now. This solid, three-meters high and covered with same orange soil, confronted designs prescribed by the directive. It was supposed for trees and other plants to be set on rather flat surface for so many miles forward.
C will send one of bulldozers as vanguard to level that space before other machines will reach it. That is for sure. He could pick this problem up without her supervision. Some time from now he would find it and fix it. But anyway, she arrived here, she performed her duty.
This care, no doubt, was not pleasing for first class professional unit who was called by the third letter of Latin alphabet. And he knew his level of skills. He knew what kind of pro he was. He was one not to be taught ABC. And that could be reason why now C, who sometimes could display smile on his face, preferred to freeze his face in some cold, almost emotionless grimace. And that was all he managed to respond with to her sentence which became last line of their communication data for today.
'I'll be back when it'll be needed'
And then she went to another spot of the planet. There she was delivered by the helpful service of similar sharp-delta-like plane, which tore air into two by its supersonic engines. This transport appeared in front of her when she finished here on the frontier of woods areal. It should be unusual to understand that at this given moment you are the only creature on planet able to move so rapidly. But the feeling of unusual was impossible to happen in a mind of Prima. In her mind there were only facts which happened or would happen with some percentage of probability. The reason of hers had no ability to function in any different way than in frameworks of multifactor mathematical model build of enormous quantity of pieces intertwined.