Vegetal animals curl up like hedgehogs around carnivorous desires.The green blood of deranged robots boils inside opaque spheres.Emotional chips are sold in the alleys. Vibrant spectators crowdjellyfish-shaped buildings, while spider-like lunar cars glidethrough the streets.
This is Qbaia: a carnivorous angel in search of prey. A desolateland, full of geometric spaces and monstrous constructions. Here, thesun is a matter of money. The richer you are, the higher you live.
"Focus." "Yes, I need to focus." "Thinkof a number." "Six." "Okay, stay focused.""I'm hungry!" "No, breakfast later." "I needto stay focused." "Think of the same number." "Nine.""Perfect, I can get up."
Vital functions activated. Transition from REM phase to ON phasecompleted.
"Good morning, Walter!"
"Screw you,damn liquid memory."
Today, I feel as usual: tired and hungry. Ever since the networkhas been preaching the world's collapse and urging everyone torelocate elsewhere, days have felt longer. Every morning, I think Ishould do something extraordinary, but I always end up in mymiserable lab. Outside, thick layers of dust and cold rain darken theplanet.
Do we not have the time we once had? We are dying animals on adoomed planet. Screams smothered by electric waves.
... Experiment failed or Chinese espionage? Nanotechnologicalgalaxy explorers have hatched on Earth and are scanning the planet.No problem for the human race, though: atmospheric pollution isdecimating them. Formal apologies from the Chinese Prime Minister...
Historical memory is a thorn in my side. The pills, the result ofmy work, reflect iridescent colors. Inside, a crystal of my design.The idea came to me last year in Hong Kong, inspired by AlbertHofmann: "To move through the world, respect it, and love it,one must see the depth of things." I named them Cheshire.
The production method is complex: a matter of liquids andcalculators. Celestial journeys at slowed speed. Memories that changethe colors of the eyes: yellow, green, blue, red, then all at once.Memories imprinted on old chips, while the body searches for newgeometric structures.
In my lab, transparent cables suck sap from my body. On thecentral screen, the usual Ananova news scrolls:
... Scientists have finally inserted the Howard virus into theuniversal database. This virus, which attacks electronic or metallicparts, can cause malfunctions in android chips and components,leading to death or mental imbalance. The disease, called "Villadei fiori," awaits a cure...
The door is ancient, with an inscription in an archaic Chineselanguage. No satellite can penetrate here. My boss, Kummy, isobsessed with the 19th and 20th centuries. He loves the ancient somuch that he had his wife give birth without pain-control chips. Shewent insane, but he loves her anyway.
I love having dinner at his place. I adore how he looks at her.
"Walter!"
"Tell me, Kummy."
"Tomorrowmorning, departure for Qbaia's level 6."
"Go tohell."
"You need to retrieve an androgynous part for theexperimental drone."
"Go to double hell."
"Theticket is stuck to the door."
No more words. I knew he only kept me around for these trips. Atthe end of the day, I peel the ticket off and slip it into my pocket.
YOU ARE READING
Qbaia. The Carnivorous Angel
Science FictionThe machines have won. Humanoids are prisoners of a system that controls them in every breath. Emotions are just lines of code. Free will? An illusion. But what happens when something escapes control? When an angel falls... and becomes carnivorous? ...
