The most important quality a human possesses,
Is the ability to form a bond and love another person unconditionally,
Because it is something that no other species can even begin to contemplate.
That is what makes us human.
Chapter 1
The man wipes the sweat off his brow with a dirty and oily rag. He stares at his creation with pride. His hands shake with exhaustion as he collapses into the rickety wicker chair. It is the only luxury of his unadorned workhouse.
"It is done" He whispers raggedly to himself. His breath mars the still and stagnant air with warmth.
After 14 long years of work, the clone is complete. It's resemblance to a regular youthful man in the prime of health is uncanny. The cheap gasoline-fuelled light glows off the model's alabaster skin. He lies stripped, naked and vulnerable upon the man's table; in the depths of poverty, it was all he could afford. The eyes of the clone remain closed but the man has designed it to be handsome; he knows that pretty sells. The stark contrast between the snow white skin and the matching styled black hair and eyes will be something else. The golden initials 'C.K' decorate the left side of the clone's neck, branding it to be the man's own. The model is the perfect replice; it is perfect. Every human would desire one. The thought causes the man to smile blissfully to himself.
The only thing different about the man's creation is that it posesses no heart, no soul, no emotion. It is neither good or bad; it is neutral. It is stronger than man, faster too.
The man heaves another sigh of relief, a sigh of exhaustion. His limbs are as heavy as stone as he runs a hand through his grease-filled hair and then across the taut skin of his cheek. His body is simply covered in filth. He has not slept, eaten or rested for days. It is not healthy for a man of his age and conditions. He is too weak, too ill. But the man does not feel it. He promised himself he would complete the model before he himself completed.
Slouching back into the chair, the old man's attention is caught by the brief flicker of movement from the model's forefinger. His bones creak as he pushes himself forward to lean on his knees.
Slowly but surely, the model seems to come to life. The man gasps with delight. He knew he could do it despite the years of insults and doubts.
Seconds pass and then minutes. The man awaits with bated breath, silently praying this will work. Without it, he is dead. All of his savings and ready cash have been invested in...this. Everything is silent as the man sits and waits.
Yet nothing happens.
Half an hour later, the man is still crouched in the same position. The little hope he has left is swiftly deteriorating. He exhales slowly, taking in the situation. He is too frail to even move, he cannot afford any more food. He has lost everything to this.
And with that his final strand of hope dies.
In despair he lets out a strangled cry before realising his surroundings. He lives in the city of Corruptio, the city of Torpens. A simple distressed cry or sign of vulnerability will attract one. It is still in the early hours of morning, or the late hours of night. Either way, it is danger for the man. They would most likely kill both him and his creation. The man sighs, he is closer to death than life in any case and his creation is still showing no sign of movement; of life.
Then he hears it, the scuffle of footsteps, the excited howling of hunting Torpens, searching for their next victim. The man's breath hitches as his heart rate rapidly increases. His weary eyes are suddenly alert and active; all signs of his previous exhaustion are eradicated.
His eyes widen as he hears the fumble of the old padlock to the workhouse. The whispers are now more coherent. The man's fear suddenly stills. With his years he has gained wisdom. He knows he is too old and too enervated to fight these monsters of human beings off.
He knew he was going to die, he just didn't realise his time would come to an end so abruptly.
With a crash, a mouldy plank from the wooden doors is suddenly smashed in.
"We've got them now boys" A voice cackles. It is followed by a approving chorus of excited yaps and the sound of high fives. It slightly panicks the man. Young Torpens are more vicious.
The man shuts his eyes as another plank is broken in. He doesn't want to see the faces of his killers. He knows it will only frighten him further. Instead he resolves to stay quiet. His dignity and courage will remain even when he dies.
"You're in luck boys, an oldie for your first kill" The voice snarls. He's clearly older than the rest of them.
"What about the other one?" A younger voice pipes up. Despite the sorprano note of his pre-pubescent voice, the man does not miss the eager and enthusiastic tone that cannot be contained.
"He already looks dead. Take out the old one first and make sure it is painful" The leader commands.
There is a series of cracking wood before the excited cheers break through into the workhouse. The mans eyes remain closed though. The cold touch of hands suddenly invades and shoves him backwards. Both the chair and the man topple back. The splitting pain in the man's head is created his body makes contact with the concrete floor. It is not paved well so the lumpy surface only increases his agony. His brittle bones will not stand up against the Torpens long.
A sudden kick to the ribs winds the man and he rolls to his side to protect himself. With his legs still half-way up in the air, he is an easy target. Another kick breaks the man's resolve and he cries out in pain.
"That's it boys, keep it up" The leader encourages.
The man begins to lose his thought process as the excruciating agony fires through his body. The abusive contact of fists and boots blur into one massive reel of pain.
The man doesn't even know how long it carries on for. Instead he just wishes to be out out of his misery.
Until the abuse suddenly stops. The man wonders if he is dead. Screams of torture can be heard, are they his own? Slowly and carefully, he inches his leg forward slightly. Fireballs shoot up his calf and he lets out another groan of pain. He lies limp and wonders why he is not dead. Why did the Torpens suddenly stop?
The mans eyes slowly flutter open and he flinches back in surprise. Instead of being greeted with the darkness of death, his own creation crouches in front of him. Behind him are the collapsed and unmoving bodies of the Torpens that were attacking him a few minutes ago.
"Pa-ter" The clumsy syllables are whispered from the clone's mouth. His emerald eyes observe the man.
"Thank you" The man whispers.
"I am designed to help Pater" The clone stutters slowly. "What I am called?"
His eyes bore into the man's. "What should you like to be called?"
The clone doesn't hesistate. His impassive tone and features mask everything. But then again, there is nothing to mask.
"Leto"
20 years later
I watched the Earth die. It crumpled in the palms of our hands and we did nothing.
The obsessive epidemic for material belongings and technology began a mere 15 years ago. It became more deadly than the most obscene of viruses. Our love for the earth was replaced with the love of metal. The relationships and interactions between people were cut ties. My family was rare.
I had my mantra though: 'Don't let the obsession rule you'. It was the only way for my kind to survive.
In the year 2567, the Earth lay in splinters. No mortal could survive out there. Even the artificial trees, genetically engineered to withstand anything, vanished. The minefield that is our planet was dying. Then they would be free to take over.
I sat motionless for days, freezing my over-emotional sensations. It was the only way I could handle the grief; the fear. I wouldnt have survived otherwise.
I thought I was the last one; I thought I was humanity’s full stop. When my mother was taken in the initial cleansing, I searched. I needed to get her back. I searched until both my body and the Earth had reached the brink of exhaustion. Only after the rest of my species was taken did I realise I wouldn't find them. I thought Corruptio, the city our ancestors had once known as New York only had one inhabitant.
Me.
I could only hope that the other 9 prestigious cities had not experienced the suffering that Corruptio had. I prayed that no one else was left. I would not have wished my fate of desolate death upon even the worst of people.
Crouched in the fourth room in the silver obelisk I called home, the cold metal wall sent shivers along my back. It was unpleasant but I didn’t have the energy to move. I substituted my fear for my last morphine pellet. It was an odd sensation. I was numb, a blank canvas of emotion; something very odd for me.
I had expected them soon. They wouldn’t delay.
The new rulers of our planet are anything but mundane. We referred to them as the ‘Leto’. They are own deadly creation. Even though the destruction of our planet was evident, nobody realised that these sneaky creatures were going to feast off our mistakes. We were too far gone when the city campaigns to 'SAVE THE WORLD’ were launched. That’s when the Leto first started removing people.
Most humans had the theory that the Earth would continue to spiral into a toxic wasteland where no one but the Leto could survive. I however have a slightly different theory. I believe once the Leto have eradicated the human timebomb, they will regenerate the world. It will be restored to its former glory, before Human’s ever walked it.
I heard the crack outside. I hauled myself to peek out the window. Another crack broke the Earth into pieces. The brown, dehydrated brown split in two. I unconsciously let out a rasped scream; a scream for my life, my home, my species.
"Lara Hall, do you accept the terms and conditions" A voice calls me out of my flashback. I’m back in, the bright white room, kneeling in front of ‘Leto Rex’. The leader among these murderers. I feel nothing but hatred for these lifesuckers, this one especially. Despite the fact he looks human, he also dead and emotionless. His face is handsome but unattractive. The haunted dead look is not an appealing quality. He rests on his white marble throne, his pearly robe thrown across with regal precision.
This room is the size of small ballroom. Its white walls, white pillars, white throne, white Rex are all unnaturally clean; unnaturally terrifying. Of course, everything thing is clean and perfect with the Leto. That’s the reason they first took humans; we were imperfect.
The only thing I know so far is that I’m in the Leto palace, they have another name for it but I didn’t bother remembering. There’s no point seeing as I won’t be here for very long.
"Er, please could you repeat yourself?" I say slowly and politely. If I want to be with my parents, I must not anger the Rex. Funnily enough , in the cleansing they even had a special place for the ‘bad’ humans. I don’t want to risk it. Besides, no matter who, my mother always taught me that politeness was the number 1 rule.
"Lara Hall, you should listen. The fate of your kind is in your hands" He drones, his monotonous voice immediately makes me feel drowsy. I must focus, my life is in his hands, if you could call them that.
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"As you have seen, we have started our operation to repair your broken planet" he continues, and I squirm uncomfortably under his hard gaze. Focus Lara I repeat to myself. "Your kind destroyed this planet with your obsession for technology, material and even your obsession with us"
The Rex rises gracefully from his throne and stands with perfect posture. He ascends down the marble steps from his royal podium. So far above the bourgeoisie that I am.
"When we were first created, we were designed to help the Human species with everyday tasks. However we have now concentrated on the bigger operation which is to regenerate this planet". The Rex reaches me, pausing 3 feet in front of me. He gracefully flicks his robe over his shoulder as his back turns to face me.
"And you had to take my parents away from me to do this? You had to wipe out humanity?" I question, traitorous tears forming in my eyes. I channel my anger to stop the memories hurting me.
"We have not wiped out humanity Lara Hall. We have been of assistance, like we were supposed to. You are only a child Lara Hall, not yet 20. You will understand in time" He speaks, enunciating every last syllable. He lifts his hand robotically and flicks the tear from my cheek. I shiver under his cold touch and back away. His touch, like his haunted looks, also doesn’t appeal to me.
"How do you know my age?" I stammer, slightly unnerved. Questions blur through my mind. Why am I here? Does this happen to every human? Why am I last? Why, just why?
"I know everything about you Lara Hall. You were chosen specifically" He articulates. I sniff and wipe away my own tear while I marvel at his statement. He doesn’t try to remove my tears this time, I guess that message got sent through his wired ‘brain’.
"What was I chosen for?"
"Lara Hall was chosen on 4th July 2548" His dull voice, murmurs on as if he’s reading from a script. "To act as the female character evidence to determine the fate of humanity should she accept the conditions. The female character evidence was observed before she was selected to determine her character. If the character should decline the conditions, humanity shall cease to exist and the Leto will reject an application of assistance. Should the character accept, Lara Hall and the male character evidence Jared Miller will be allowed 90 days to form and prove an established bond of love. As strangers, from completely different spectrums of life, the male and female character evidences shall have to communicate with each other and show compassion for each other. This shall testify as evidence for the Leto that Humanity still has the prospect for love, both for each other and for their planet. If the characters can prove their love for each other, the Leto shall return the Humans to Earth and fix the planet back to its former glory." The Rex finishes.
My knees give out and I sink to the floor. There I kneel, stunned and speechless as I try to process the information. I was chosen on my birthday. The fate of humanity lies within my hands. I have to fall in love with a complete stranger in 90 days.
My floral ankle length skirt, blossoms in an array of material. I recover the breath I lost. I look up at the now towering Rex. My eyes narrow, focusing upon his alabaster face.
"Why me?" I whisper. I don’t have to bother raising my voice. His genetically engineered ‘ears’ will easily pick up my confused words.
"Lara Hall, you were chosen as the female character evidence because you are a Caritas. You were observed to possess a large and open heart. You are kind, strong and you are brave. You have known love. However the male character evidence who goes by the name of Jared Miller is the opposite of you. While he is brave and strong, he is also cold hearted and cynical. He has known love, but not the right kind, the good kind. We have to know our creators are capable of love in order to return to the planet. Without it, everything will perish" He explains. If he was human, he probably would have sounded sad or gloomy. However he is part of the Leto and remains emotionless.
90 days to fall in love? With a cold hearted and cynical man? How will I make a man love me? The only love I have ever received is from my family. My heart does increase rapidly at the thought of company. I’ve been on my own for so long.
The Rex stretches his ‘arms’ and holds out his hands. I cautiously place my palms in his and shiver once again from the unpleasant metallic touch. I doubt he would recognise the flames dancing in my eyes or the venom dripping from my tongue.
"What happens if I don’t want to be forced to fall in love?" I smirk. Its my choice.
"As I said before Lara Hall" He speaks as he pulls me up to my normal height. "The existence of humanity will come to an end"
I gasp in shock. His words hit me like a speed train and finally process the second time.
"This is unfair! I'm being given no choice but to accept" I exclaim, outraged. I clench my fists and glower at the Leto Rex.
"It is fair, you have a choice Lara Hall. Its whether you choose to give up before you’ve started or try and prove that humans are still the same loving creatures they once were. Once you meet the male character evidence, no matter whether you want to or whether he wants you too, you will begin to form a bond with him. It is in your nature." His sombre tone echoes throughout the great room.
A feeling of wretchedness overtakes my body because he may be right. But I might not even be able to do this and they’re placing the entire fate of humanity of my shoulders. Its not fair, none of this is fair but I can't give up on my mother now. This is the only way to get her back.
"Why do we only have 90 days?" I ask, trying to control and contain the hate that seeps through my hard gaze.
"The Leto Guard and the Leto Rex have decided that 90 days should be a sufficient amount of time for the female and male character evidences to fall in love with one another. It has also been determined that the planet Earth needs to be regenerated within the next 90 days otherwise neither the Leto or the Human race will be able to regain control and repopulate" The Leto Rex declares.
"What do you mean the Leto will not be able to repopulate the Earth?" I hiss.
"Lara Hall, if the male and female character evidences fail to complete the conditions agreed upon, then the Leto will regenerate and gain full control of the planet Earth anyhow without the prescence of Humans with the exception of the Leto Pater, Carlisle Kappor" The Rex smirks.
I roll my eyes. Of course Kappor would attain a reprieve; he is the creator of the Leto and the loyalty the Leto feel towards him is about as deep as their attachments form.
"So you will feed of our losses?" My disgust lingers in my tone.
The Leto Rex smirks. "Lara Hall, do you accept the conditions of a return of the Humans and a healthy planet should you prove an established bond of love with the male character evidence Jared Miller".
Despite what the Leto Rex may think, I'm adamant that this is unjust. If I don't accept, the human race will be obliterated. There's clearly only one option.
I take a deep breath ‘I, Lara Hall accept the conditions’.