No one was prepared for the meteor shower of 2155. It rained rocks like hails from God, burning down trees and buildings in the southside park of Jersey town. Within the chaos and the evacuation, a large black Orb crashed, sending an electric wave that caused a nationwide blackout in the Republic of New York. Little did they know that the orb symbolised a declaration of war. But this is not where our story begins. Allow me to start from the very beginning, a few years inside the future.
It was the year 2182, June 17th. It has been a week since Eddie, Isoken and I graduated from OAU, and it had been nothing but parties and Isoken's creative pranks since then. The day was a regular Saturday, morning dawned swiftly, although the night we had lasted until three a.m in the morning. Echoes of screams and curses from Danfo drivers up in the airway traffic jam inundated the neighbourhood, as was the routine every Saturday morning traffic down in the suburbs. Despite this, Eddie and Isoken remained asleep. They could sleep through an earthquake. As was my morning routine, I found myself in the kitchen cooking up a meal. Then out of nowhere, mom walked into the kitchen, much to my surprise.
"I wasn't expecting you this early," I said as I watch her sit down at the counter, filling her eyes with her daily dose of morning news.
She chuckled.
"What are you making?" She asked, drinking the cup of coffee made by Larry, the house A.I.
"Pineapple pancakes," I replied, flipping the spatula.
She wondered why I did not let Larry do the cooking. To me, cooking was something too sacred to be left in the cold metal hands of an A.I. We conversed endlessly about things there and here until the doorbell grabbed our attention.
"Larry," she called, "Show me footage of the front door."
Immediately, two screens appeared over the counter with visuals of the porch. We saw a man and a blonde lady waiting. It was that Ruben guy and the American. He had approached Eddie, Isoken and I a week ago, after the graduation ceremony, talking about some urgent mission or something…we paid no attention to him and the American. We never thought that they would find their way to our front porch. It was a sight mom immediately scoffed at. Her eyes showed that she knew them, but loathed them. She was going to ignore them and hoped they would go away, but they pressed the doorbell tirelessly. This pissed her off. She walked to the living room, sat down with her legs crossed.
"Let them in, Larry," she said. Her eyes squinting and her clenched jaw oozing annoyance.
The A.I. did as told, shutting the door as soon as they entered. The man grinned after he laid eyes on mom, a grin that was quickly blotted off as soon as she opened her mouth.
"You had no bloody right coming in here Ruben, and with an American? Like pepper in my eye!"
He looked back at the door then looked at her once more. "But...you welcomed us by opening the door."
She scoffed beckoning them to sit down.
"What do you want?" She asked.
He sighed, caressing his beard. "We have a problem Amanda."
"We've had a problem ever since they died, you scumbag!" She replied.
"Wait, what? That's why you haven't been taking my calls all these years? Because I missed a fake funeral of our friends?!"
Mom was about to explode when she heard that.
"FAKE?!" She yelled. "There was surveillance footage, we saw what that Orb did to them, and you call their funeral FAKE?!"
"What did we see Amanda?!" He barked back, "there were no bodies, no blood, no flesh, not a strand of their DNA was found. How do we know they're dead?"
Isoken and Eddie walked into the living room, carrying fear and curiosity in their eyes. It's been years since we've heard mom yell.
"Fourteen years Ruben, it's been fourteen years since the accident and you still haven't changed your mind? What…what proof…"
Her voice wavered. She was on the verge of tears and Isoken calling out to her with concern didn't help keep the tears back in the least.
"Get out," She commanded.
"Come on Amanda—"
"Get out of my house Ruben!" Mother's voice interrupted.
"I didn't mean…"
"Leave!" She shouted for the last time.
Then she rose up and left for her bedroom. When she returned, there was a Witman Pistol in her hand, a sight that had everyone shocked and on their toes. The barrel was pointed at Ruben and the American, and with the way her eyes looked, someone was going to leave that room badly injured.
"What're you doing mom?" I asked, crouched low like the others.
"It's alright baby, no one's gonna get hurt—if they listen to me," she said. Her eyes fixed on Ruben. "Get out, I won't repeat myself."
"We can't do that," Ruben replied.
"I will pull this trigger, Ruben."
"I just need you to hear us out, that's all," he said.
"I'll give you till the count of three. One, two, thr…"
"The Orb has reactivated!" The American exclaimed with her eyes shut tight.
Mom lowered the gun. "What the hell did you just say?!"
The American opened her eyes, dropping her hands down. "The Orb ma'am…" she said, clearing her throat, "it's awake, started a countdown two months ago and we don't know why."
Mother dropped the gun. "Ho…how? HOW?!" She asked.
"That's what we're trying to figure out!" Ruben replied.
"And you're gonna do that from here?!"
"We need your help," he answered.
"No. You need Xiota, I'm not Xiota." She was about walk back to her room.
"Your husband and Edward were the only ones who were able to activate Xiota, but…"
"But what Ruben?"
"They're…" he hesitated.
"Yes?" Mom asked looking at him.
He kept silent for a minute, staring at her as if expecting a mind meld. Finally, he said what he was thinking.
"Your kids can take their place, they basically have their brains."
"My…?" She swiftly went for the gun on the floor, but Eddie beat her to it.
"Give me the gun Eddie."
"Not until you calm down mom," Eddie replied.
Ruben exhaled. "Look Amanda, I get it. I understand what you're feeling, but this goes beyond feeling. They're the only ones who can do it. Call me when you make a decision, the fate of the world rests on that decision."
After that, they left, leaving a vacuum of silence in the room. Rukky handed mom the gun and she left for her room. We were left in a pool of questions and bedazzlement.
"What just happened?" Isoken asked.