Child Of The Future

Episode 9: It's Different

               "David, can you do that?" His friend whispers.

               "Spes can endure. I say 6. If you want results Commander. 6." He urges.

               A pause in thought. My mind waiting. My body pale and ill nourished for this procedure to work. I remember I was so tired...so cold.

               "6." His boss confirms.

               A few notches turned up, verbal to my ears, the shiver of anticipation for their assault on my growing form, waiting, till I don't have to wait anymore.

               It was controlled, the sound and whir of the raw power singing my heart. But it was too much. I don't remember much. Not that much.

               Only...surfacing again.

               "Clear!"

               My body sprung up from the table, but I was unresponsive.

               "Still nothing!"

               "Dammit Markasson..."

               "Again!"

               "You're going to screw this up! She's gone!"

               "No she's not! Again."

               "Clear!"

               "Fvck! Come on Spes!"

               "Turn up the power!"

               "Dammit Markasson! She's your daughter! Give her some dignity!"

               "Again!"

__________________

               "Clear." I mumble to myself. But I can't really hear anything that comes out of my mouth at that level.

               The wind that hasn't let up for a whole 6 minutes brushes past my body again, the gray hair I tried to tame to stay against my back defies me, and I look to my side to see Carl trotting down the hill, his face focused towards the ground before I scoff and look to the other side of me. The beauty of all the tall grass swaying like an ocean, the glimmer of sun against its blades, everything screaming loneliness but...not. I've never seen anything like it.

               "So, you're going to teach me how to shoot?" I glare at Carl for a second. Well, not really glare. Just stare at him in a hard fashion.

               "What's that supposed to mean?" He addresses the doubt in my voice.

               "Haha. I mean, can you even shoot? Do you even know what kind of gun that is?" I stand and point at the small handgun he has clutched in his left palm, the silver of it attracting me to the idea of learning how to fire that thing and blow some as$es out of the sky.

               I would rather have someone like an adult teach me though. I'd trust them way more.

               "It's a revolver. A snub nose. It fires. That's all I need to know. Here's a good place to start practicing." He sighs and motions to the area we're in before handing me the gun and pulling something out of his pocket while I widen my eyes and cautiously hold the snub nose thingy whatever in my palms.