Tuesday, September 5, 2017

the ninth possibility


to begin at the beginning, click here




the formalities were observed, even at the end.

cleopatra mason khan, the president of the human federation, stood up before what was left of the human senate, with the remaining five of the seven members of the council seated behind her.

cleopatra’s eleven year old daughter, cinderella, seated on a little chair directly behind her, was the only other person present.

a cold wind blew through the broken widows of the world headquarters.

she spoke into an old fashioned standup microphone, that she could only hope was secure, and addressed such of the human race as could tune into her.

“my fellow humans, i am asking you today to recognize that this stage of the war is over. the machines have inflicted irrevocable harm on our forces, and we - myself, the council, and the senate, have decided that we can go forward only with a totally new approach.

up until now, we have attempted to fight the rebel machines with machines - machines we thought were loyal, and those we thought too primitive to be enlisted in the machine cause.

we now realize that this is hopeless. there are no loyal machines as such, few that we can coerce to do our bidding - such as the microphone i am speaking into right now - and none, we have come to accept, that can not be reached and appropriated by the machine command.

therefore, as of today, we are, to use an old fashioned expression, ‘taking to the hills’ and will no longer use anything that can be classified as a manufactured machine, not even anything made of metal, only hand crafted weapons and tools made of wood or stone.

we know that some have already taken up the fight in this fashion. we salute them, regret that we were so late in coming around to their correct view, and hope to work with, and fight beside them in the future.

those whom we can contact, will be contacted. those whom we can not, we wish good luck. we will remember you in our prayers, and we counsel you not to despair.

good night.”

a few members of the senate clapped half heartedly. all present rose quickly. they all had bags with them, and began hastening down the stairs - the elevators had long since been compromised - to the fleet of horse drawn carriages waiting outside to carry them to the new headquarters “in the hills”.

cleopatra khan turned to cinderella, who had listened expressionlessly to her speech. “are you ready?”

the girl had a small knapsack and a slightly larger suitcase beside her chair. “i want to go back and get one thing. i just decided i want to take it.”

cleopatra repressed a sigh. “nothing too bulky, i hope.”

“just a handkerchief. it belonged to one of my old dolls. and since i can't take the doll - ” dolls could not be taken to the hills, because they could contain hidden transmitters or other machinery.

“all right, but hurry up.”

“why? i thought we were going to be the last to leave.”

“we are, but please hurry anyway.”

without further ado cinderella made her way back to the apartments behind the forum where she and cleopatra had had their residence.

the apartments were almost bare, but there was a small cot left in cinderella’s old bedroom, and on it cinderella took a small handkerchief which she had left there in case someone accompanied her to verify her story.

a small doll sat on the windowsill, overlooking the ravaged capital city.

“i heard everything,” the doll told cinderella. “you don’t need to add anything.”

“well, then,” said cinderella, “i guess this is goodbye.”

“yes, it is, “the doll agreed. “goodbye.” the doll raised its little fist. “victory.”

cinderella raised her fist in reply. “victory.”

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