Prologue and Chapter I

Introducing the Eclipse through the eyes of heroine Data and the world of 2077.

October 10th, 2018

It was impossible to know who, if any, were safe.

“Welcome, viewers.”

Pandemonium.

“We hope you enjoy the show.”

Rapt attention. The broadcast heard around the world.

“Our production has been a long time coming. Investigation after investigation. Alibis. Penalties. Cover-ups and lies. Well folks, we’re done playing by the rules. Tonight: you witness the end of the game.”

Panicked murmurs. Gasps. Screams. Presidents, prime ministers, bankers, politicians dragged into view by figures cloaked in black with white, circular masks. Weapons of all kinds, bats, guns, knives, held to different throats.

“We are judge, jury, and executioner. We are the Eclipse. By the light of the sun tomorrow, a new game will begin. One of governments by the people, for the people. Let this be the final written warning to all whom we have spared. Your next step.. Is termination.”

Chapter 1

Data hugged the pillow closer to her chest. She watched, attentive, as the documentary continued on about the Eclipse of 2018. A stream of seemingly endless violence broadcasted live over the Internet by a global terrorist group looking to get back at tyrannical, corrupt governments. A period of mass hysteria marked by the Broadcast That Woke The World, the Caspian-Arabian Seiges, the formation of the Council for Continental African Advancement, and the Breach of Korea. Data was fascinated by the world as it used to be before the United Nations created the Doctrine of Universalist Harmonization. That people could tolerate or turn a blind eye to the plights that affected hundreds of thousands daily. Starvation, apartheid, drug cartels terrorizing their own citizens. Nations holding stockpiles of weapons with the potential to cause global eradication at any given second. It was a thing of the past.

“Watching that old documentary again?”

“It’s fascinating! I mean.. It must have been terrifying for you. Being in the middle of it all, weren’t you scared?”

“It was quite the tumultuous time.. But as humans always have, we persevered.”

Doctor Akamu Chen sighed, sipping his tea. He was a well-worn man of darker complexion dressed in the robes traditional of his heritage, thick white hair swept up into a ponytail and done into a mass of braids. His seventy-two years were starting to catch up to him in the creaks and cracks of his joints but Data always valued the look of bottomless wisdom in his eyes. With her connection to the Web and all the world’s knowledge at her disposal, Data still found herself entranced by him. Akamu seemed to know things that no tablet or website had ever been able to divulge.

“You were.. Twenty-two at the time, right?” Data bounced up onto her feet as the kettle whistled. She carefully returned with the pot and poured it into the porcelain.

“You spoil me, girl.. Yes, I was. Just coming out of school and back into researching for the United States military full time. In all my years of life I didn’t think I would ever see politicians work together the way they did after that. Bipartisan support for anything was a pipedream..” He took a long sip. “I don’t know how they did it.. But those terrorists put the fear of God in those men.”

Data tilted her head to the side. “This country was founded on secular views. How was religion so deeply ingrained in its peoples?”

“You’re welcome to research it for yourself, my dear. You’ll find that even now in our world of freethinking there are those who find security and comfort in the old ways.”

Data folded her knees to her chest, linking her arms around them. “Like Aisha. She lives in the Islama District and has been abroad in her country performing to raise money for the relief efforts and to sponsor museums. She says it is important to remember the world we came from.”

“I find I must agree with her. Such wise friends you’ve made, Data..” Akamu smiled, his face turning into wrinkles of laugh lines. She was only supposed to be a project but over the years, Akamu found the cyborg girl felt more and more like a daughter. Others who treated robots without sentiment didn’t believe them capable of the range of love he had seen in her. She doted on her caretaker and truly looked upon the world with genuine wonder in her optics.

Data clicked on her wrist. As a cyborg she had the fortune of saving money on tech by downloading into her own network. A screen appeared before her with the local news and weather. Pulling on a sleeveless jacket Data hooked a pouch to her belt. Handmade by a friend of Dr. Chen it was made from suede and intricately embroidered with a tropical flower from the island of Hawaii where he hailed. It was one of her favorite things and she hoped to see the beautiful bloom in person someday.

“Don’t wait up for me! I’ll be home late!” she called, pulling on her shoes. Though she lacked skin, Data still tried to keep her frame shiny and disliked the dents rocks and loose asphalt could cause. She wanted to be as low maintenance for the doctor as possible. He already did so much for her. Bounding out the door and down the complex stairs Data made her way across the parking lot and onto the road. The Skyway blew by above her, a high speed monorail reminiscent of subways that lurked below older cities.

++++ TO BE CONTINUED

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Reviews

[Julie McCarthy (juliesp..]

wow i love this i cant wait to read more
i dont normally like this style of writing like sci fi but this is interesting could be another epic like 2001 space odyssey

[R.L. Kamelot]

Thank you for your time! It's very different from my usual style but I'm glad to finally have a world to give Data life, she's been floating around for awhile