Auria

Chapter 8 - Hearts and Minds

“Gen'ichi Yamagata.” said Gen.  “I have lived many years in this place,” he said, staring to Auria. “and I have never seen such insubordination on this level.”

The man in black slowly scanned the rows of men, cloned men just like him, standing straight, arms to the side and somehow mimicking Gen - because they were him.  A few younglings were still came to the gathering.  Short rows of white formed in the rear, where Auria joined them.

“If anyone wants to challenge my authority, feel free to do so.”

“Why?” said Auria.  “Do you think everyone here is against you?”

“If they do not do as I say, then they are against me.  A group of servants have called a trainee by the name of Master.”

“Why would you not teach them the gift of death, or whatever the hell you call it?”

“Because they would die.  None of my students have ever survived the Arena.”

“Did you try to teach them this 'gift of death'?” she asked.

“No.” he whispered.  “They failed to learn.”


Gen retreated, moving swiftly down the empty corridor and gliding down a staircase.  Not a single sound stirred about the courtyard, not one breath out of place.

“Men.” yelled Auria.  “I want to show you something.  Each of you may gather around me.  I am not the Master, but let me explain to you this 'gift of death'.”


Servant clones began to fill in the gaps around Auria.  The ones in the back allowed the younglings to gather in front, pulling them along, even carrying little ones above their heads.  A crowd formed, white in the center, then tan, then brown around the outside, though the one in black stood in an entranceway with a back to the crowd, eyes closed, teeth beginning to snarl.

She closed eyes and stood very still - until her heart rate slowed and flashed pulses of electrified iron.  She imagined platelets and individual cells coming to a crawl, saw the oxygen molecules begin to fall away from red-blood cells.  Plasma formed clear pockets around the heart where it ceased to function entirely.

The whites of her eyes cleared of redness, then faded to black.  She ripped them open and moved across the row of men to her left - until running into a spiteful Gen.  He moved in unison with her, backing away when she stepped forward.  Time froze around them; the two danced, stepping in rhythm between the men.  They watched as though nothing happened at all.  None noticed.  She mouthed a word - 'why'.

Time and space collapsed upon itself, pulling them away from their perpetual pit, that hole in the world where they'd suddenly found themselves.  Phasing into current reality, hearts jumped, skipped a beat and fluttered.  The Gen-clones began to move and breath again.

“In all of my years,” said Gen, “I have never seen anyone else do what I can do.”

“I only wish the best for us.” she said.  “To live in peace, without regrets.  I never asked to become an equal or, to do this.”

“The reason I did not teach them is because it cannot be taught.  No one has mastered the ability as you have, not even when they tried to duplicate me.”


Gen imagined seeing a roomful of younglings dressed in white, saw them pouring into the room and sitting at his feet.

“Why must you do this?” he asked, looking skyward.  “They are only children.”

'They are you.  You will teach them, as you taught yourself.'

“I refuse to teach children to fight.”

'You fought... even as a child.  Your race possesses the ability to self-annihilate. If you do not teach, you will die.  Do you understand?'

“Wager to fight in the Arena for the lives of these children.”

'Wager denied.  Teach... or die.'

“Refuse.  Do with me what you will.”


Gen left the room, disappearing through the door as a wind-storm began to blow dust and debris throughout the room.  A darkness came from nowhere.  The glowing walls faded and began to flicker.  Outside, a beam of light captured Gen and lifted him.  Streams of electricity surged through a rotating body.  Blood dripped from every hole and the twisting body contorted, moving in all directions.

“Kill me if you're going to.  Kill me now.”


Gen shook, terrified by his thoughts.  There were no words to describe his discontent, only a bitter-violent urge, ending in fear-bumps running the length of his arms.

“Why?  How can this be?” she continued.

“Let us walk... alone.” said Gen, hands clinched behind his back and spying off into the distance beyond the compound walls.

As they exited the training facility, Gen began to out-pace Auria across a field of dying grass.  He moved faster, and faster.

“What do you want to discuss, Master?”

He didn't answer, but kept walking, almost running.  She rushed to keep up, feeling the rocks and rough blades of grass beneath bare feet, prickling and slicing skin as she'd never quite seen or felt grass before.

“Will you stop and speak to me?”


Gen kept running, reached up and grabbed the flashing ear-piece and crumbled it between hands.  It fell in pieces.  Auria saw and lept over the shining metal, knowing whatever he must say needed to be said in private.

At the tree-line, Gen slowed to a brisk pace, a pattering of light footfalls.  He began to hum, looking up into huge trees.  They reminded Auria of villages, teaming with life.  High branches fell horizontally, holding clusters of interlaced sticks woven around branches.  Multi-colored birds flew through the air, all sizes of wings and manner of flapping.

“Why are there birds and no mammals?” she asked.

Gen stopped and glanced to the compound in the distance.  A gentle, up-drafting breeze arose from the warm, leafy soil.  Raising his chin and closing eyes, he breathed fresh air, the sun warming bare skin and black clothing.

“Because they know better.” Gen spoke.  “The universe teaches us the key to life through death.  Learn when to act and when to react.  Learn quickly, for you must lose the tournament.”

“Why lose?  If I lose, I will surely die.”

“Yes.  You must not win... for the sake of the our race.”

“But, I can do what you can do.”

“You have an ability which might allow you to win.  But, in order to not make the same mistake I once made, you must lose.”

“What is there left?  We've already lost so much.  What good would losing do our people?”

“There will be a raging torment to track down those remaining, those like us.  No human would find safety.  There will be war, constant battles between our masters and the others for control of our survivors.”

“Let the All-Wisdom handle this.  Surely, they can see.”

“Yes.  We are too late.” said Gen.


A white ship descended over the training compound.  Gen bowed to Auria, foreshadowing an enormous fact.  His hair had turned completely gray, the lines on his forehead shown more prominently and age spots riddled a sad face.  He'd aged years in barely minutes of passing time.

Another ship appeared directly overhead.  Powerful beams of bright, white light encompassed the two, pulling Gen and Auria high above in the way of the weird mind-numbing.  The ship returned both to the facility, suspended in air and lifeless for the duration of flight.  Soon, sentry towers littered its perimeter.  A lone, white ship remained in the sky above - floating, reminding, menacing.


The next morning during dawn's first light, Gen and Auria met in the center of the yard.  Master's red, blinking ear-piece flashed behind the left ear.  Gray hair could not cover it entirely, only reflect its intent.  His jaw sagged to one side, drooping jowls covering a worn out, serious face.

“I am to teach you all that I know.” he said.

He lunged forward and struck Auria with a spear.  She looked to its bloody staff and embraced the cold steel and splintering wood twisting deep within her chest.  Legs fell limp.  She spied Gen's stoic features once more, the lack of emotion or even bitterness as the older face rose higher and higher and farther away.  The ground simply gave way beneath her feet.  A heart stops but once, severed.