Scorched Earth: A Future History of Planet EarthPetrovic, Walter D.
Science
Scorched Earth: A Future History of Planet Earth
Petrovic, Walter D.
Science fiction
"This past time that she gave birth, Boyce, she gave birth to twins.
One was the beautiful son child that both she and the ArchBishop
desired. The other twin, whatever sex it was, was drowned in a pool
of water by its mother, because it was hideous looking." Lloyd
explained to Boyce. "She held that child's head under water, watching
it writhe and convulse, and she enjoyed watching it die, since she had
never before killed something that was alive." Boyce was quiet and he
just listened. "What's more, my friend, the water was rain water.
Can you imagine?"
They turned onto a short path that lead to the hidden entrance doors
and Lloyd punched-in the numbers as taught to them by Brook, a decade
earlier.
"I remember the rain that touched me. It wasn't much but it made my
sanity depart from me. I can imagine how it must've been for the
child, drowned in such fluid."
Lloyd also remembered that night when his injured form was given
comfort. It was the night when Boyce first proved his courage by
isolating himself in his room after the rain fell on him.
The doors of the entrance slid open and they walked down a lengthy
hallway that was dark, but also oddly shiny, until they came into an
enormous cavern that hosted a number of gigantic machines of knowledge,
and around them were a number of Bestenese scientists learning how to
operate them.
They made their way to the other side of the busy cavern to a flight of
stairs and descended them until they came out to a large area that at
one time had stored food and other supplies. Now it was converted to
the production of weapons, and all the other contents that were once
within were taken down to another storage level.
They sat down their gear then headed to where the labs were and walked
into one. The endless number of workers, that worked on weaponry in
front of them, paid little mind to the two men.
Inside the lab doors the two men stopped, looked at a red light and
became encircled by a smoky mist that smelled like flatulence.
They held their breaths until the smoky mist subsided and a green light
came on, and with it the door before them slowly swung ajar. The full
smelling smoke had actually made their bodies and clothing free of
bacteria, since what they were now entering was a very clean area.
Just as they pushed the door all the way then closed it after they were
in, one of the supervising technicians, in charge of small side-arms
production, approached and welcomed them.
"My Lords Bartlett and Scullion-Blue, welcome!" said the tall dark man
in the white plastic oversuit. "You are here just in time. We have
two little gems to give you!"
He offered them the direction of the test lab and they went to it.
"It seems that my father has sent to you some more men, Burman?" Lloyd
questioned Burman, in passing.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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