The Power Station

Completed 2/5/2023

A stupendous marvel of history, staring him in the face. “Eureka!” Drew shouted to an empty room.

Reality hit him in the face. He would need a black hole for his invention to work. Until then, it would lie in the realm of the theoretical. But surely, the Panel of Life would handsomely reward him for his advancement of science.

After pacing around for some time, he grabbed the apparatus which scarcely took up the size of his palm and walked out, heading for the National Center for Intelligent Minds. It would be his last time seeing this particular boy, as instructors would rotate each month to another child. There was to be no emotional connections being formed, as that would strictly against the mission. They were to be loyal to Great Government alone, to work collectively for the betterment of humanity.

In fact, it was precisely for this reason that he was probably given such an assignment. The boy was dabbling in the dangerous practice of philosophy. Such a habit could permanently taint the pristine nature of a pure mind. Drew had such a background since his own upbringing long ago, but having gone through the experience of rooting out fairy tales and myths, he was an ideal candidate for curing a student of such an ailment.

However, the process did not appear to be working. This was quite apparent when he asked, with such great shock on his face, how human society had advanced so far in so little time. Within a century, the Western world had gone from buggies to automobiles to airplanes to rockets, and then to computers, oh dear. After so many years of fully primitive living, humanity had suddenly cured numerous diseases, erected lofty monuments, and even sent people to the Moon! 99% of the good things that have happened to humanity occurred within 1% of its own existence! Isn’t that odd, asked the boy. Why the sudden progress?

Scarier though was the prospect of the boy drawing him away from pure science. Sure, the children had to score 170 or higher on an IQ test to be taken by force to the Center. But how was he left answerless so many times? In fact, he himself could be in danger of falling into philosophy, or even worse, human emotion. There was something very odd about his large blue eyes and curly hair that intensely perturbed his mind.

He must rectify the situation. Today, the doctorate in physics would set the boy straight.

The cold November wind whipped around him as he walked under a grey and cloudy sky. He walked up the steps of the Center, the same as any other day. But this time, several police officers stood at the entrance. “Is your name Andrew Baker?” asked the leader.

“Yes. Is there a problem?”

“You are the problem. The Panel of Life has ordered your immediate arrest.”

---------------

A nearby explosion rocked the ground. Drew looked right to see a cloud of smoke rising into the air.

“Officers 31 and 33, stay here to detain the target. Everyone else, follow me!” The other officers departed to investigate the blast.

What could the Panel want him for? Their decision was always final. When they sent for you, they sent for you. Dread filled his heart. Escape was a possibility, but not very probable. What did he have to lose, anyway? It was worth a try.

“Isn’t it a nice day?” asked Drew, faking his composure.

“Just another one. It’ll be your last,” the officer muttered.

“How boring this job must be. Same thing over and over again.”

“Only your opinion. As long as we get our paychecks and our life extensions from the Panel, we are happy.”

“And can you tell me what will happen when you outlive your usefulness?”

“We live for the present.”

“Really? I have a time machine right now. Have you ever thought about living for the future? You might be surprised by the results of investing in such a possibility. Let me go for thirty seconds to find a spot to time travel, and I will try to materialize here with food rations for a thousand days, right on the spot.”

The two officers gave a hearty laugh. “Save your fairy tales for the unalive.”

“You know that I am a physicist who worked at the Center. After the period, you can shoot me on sight. Literally. At least give me a chance and perhaps some excitement for your lives.”

“I haven’t played hide and seek for a long time. Let’s give you a little run.” He looked to his partner, who nodded.

“I’ve never met a physicist before in my entire life. What do physicists do, anyway? He could be for real,” he added in agreement. “Who knows, today could be our lucky day. A thousand days, Paulie. Imagine!”

“All righty.” He looked at Drew, who was quickly examining his surroundings. “We’ll give you thirty seconds, starting now. Enjoy!” the officer laughed. Drew took off into a sprint.

---------------

Sprinting at full speed, Drew had scarcely turned the corner on the block when he ran into the boy, who seemed not at all surprised. “This way!” he shouted. Drew followed him into the subway station. “Take off your identification card. It tracks your location. Get in here!” To his complete surprise, the boy opened a loose tile in the wall, revealing a dark and narrow corridor.

“What is this?” asked Drew in bewilderment as he leapt in. “And why are you here, child?”

“This is an abandoned walkway from the Before Times. I’ll tell you the rest later. More motivation to survive, isn’t it?”

They ran and ran until they were out of breath. “I think we’re far away enough from them to walk. How did you get away from them?” inquired Drew.

“It wasn’t too hard to sneak out for a short period of time with some potassium and water. How about you? I doubt that the explosion pulled away all of the guards at the front.”

“I don’t know. I honestly don’t know.”

“Well, whatever you did, it must have worked beautifully.”

“But who are you? Why did you help me?”

“First of all, I’m lonely. I don’t like traveling the universe alone. Secondly, what is that?” The boy pointed to an object in his pocket.

“It’s theoretically a time machine, but… not exactly. It needs… a lot of energy to work.”

“A lot of energy? Is a black hole enough energy for you?”

“A black hole? Traveling the universe? Seriously, who are you, and where are we going?”

“Just call me Shawn. We’re almost at the end. There’s light over there!”

---------------

As they stepped out, the sunlight blinded them. Drew squinted around and noticed that they were in the middle of a dense forest. “A few hundred feet west. Hurry!” Shawn shouted.

“We’re in the middle of some jungle! Can’t you think of a better place?” Drew waded through the vegetation.

“No one would find me here. Perfect hiding spot.”

“For what?”

All of a sudden, a large structure several times taller than himself appeared directly in front of him. “Here it is. All aboard!” announced Shawn.

“What a surprise! What is this, anyway? You’re asking me to get in?”

“You can stay on this ball of mud if you choose and get wiped out of existence by the Panel. I wouldn’t like it very much though.”

“Where are you taking me?”

“Eucranyth, if you don’t mind. The journey is a little long, at perhaps five hundred million light years.” Shawn smiled and beckoned Drew aboard.

“Hold on a minute. This thing actually flies?” Drew raised his eyebrows.

“Stop right there. Hands up!” shouted a voice behind him. With his hands in his pocket, Drew slowly turned around to see several military soldiers aiming machine guns at him. He took a deep breath.

“The Panel of Life has ordered your arrest and execution. Reason: Corruption of a Valuable Asset.”

“All right then.” Grabbing his whistle, Drew pulled his hands out of his pocket, then with one swift motion brought the whistle to his mouth and blew. The soldiers dropped their guns and covered their ears, screaming in agony. Drew quickly entered the spacecraft and slammed the door shut.

“Shields are engaged. Engines are heating up. It’s been a couple of years now, so it’ll take about a minute for all systems to be functional.”

“How do you know how to operate all these controls? This is technology far beyond anything I’ve imagined.” Drew paced around, dumbstruck.

“Welcome to the Velocity-5. Or V-5 for short. Named because back in the day it was one of the fastest ships on the planet, at five light years per second. It’s been such a long time since then, and when I got my hands on this, I pushed the speed up to fifty thousand a second.”

“Sounds nice and all, but aren’t you breaking the cosmic speed limit?”

“That’s been outdated for quite some time. No need to physically fly faster than light if we travel through the Void, which is a whole new dimension all together. So don’t worry, we won’t be getting ticketed for superphotonic flight any time soon.”

“But how do you know all of this stuff? Aren’t you twelve years old?”

“Certainly an adult by Eucranythian standards. By six years old, we grow to our full height and reach adulthood. I just happen to have a genetic mutation.”

“Hey, Shawn. Looks like those guys on the ground are shooting at us. Any ideas?”

“They won’t be able to get through the shields. There’s a much greater concern on my mind.”

“And that is?”

Shawn pointed up through the trees. “We’ve been found.”

----------------------

“So you’re telling me that you’re not the only spaceman here. We’re being chased by other spacemen?” Drew saw three black dots in the sky. They were coming closer.

“Absolutely. The Hunters from my planet have finally discovered my hiding spot. I’m surprised they haven’t even given up already.”

“What do they want you for?” questioned Drew.

“For being a little bored and fleeing the system. Our engines are fully functional. Say goodbye to Earth!” exclaimed Shawn.

“And the Sun as well, I suppose. And the Milky Way. Farewell!” Drew added.

Shawn pushed a series of levers forward. “Off we go!” The surroundings turned into a blur, then evaporated into the blackness of space. Stars zoomed by. Just like that, they were leaving the Milky Way.

“Great. The Hunters can’t follow us, right?”

“I surely hope not, especially at this speed. But I have a sinking feeling that the Hunters have their reputation for a reason.”

A sudden jolt backwards answered his question. “They are trying to pull us out of the Void! Hang on!” Shawn pressed a combination of buttons, causing the ship to sharply swerve to the right.

“They can track us down even though we are supposed to be going fifty thousand light years per second. This is quite some technology your species has. I’m beaten. So what happens if they catch us?”

“It wouldn’t be pleasant for me, but it certainly wouldn’t be any fun for you. Under Eucranythian law, you would be swiftly dematerialized as Earth is not an approved system for travel.”

“I prefer not to have my atoms dispersed. Surely, Shawn, you can do something. You didn’t rescue me out of Earth just for me to be executed by some aliens.”

“Wait, what about that time machine you have? If only I can get to a black hole. The Hunters are slowing us down considerably. Does it work?” Shawn glanced at Drew, who pulled the device out of his pocket.

“It’s never been tried. I primarily worked theoretically. We can try it.”

“If you can, set it back twenty-seven years. Hurry, the engines are struggling against their gravity wells!”

“Twenty-seven years. You’ll need to punch through the event horizon at a speed faster than light, or we’ll be turned into spaghetti.”

Drew and Shawn were thrown backwards into the floor once more as the engines began sputtering. “There is no escape,” a voice boomed.

Shawn wrestled the ship toward the left and aimed for the center of the nearest spiral galaxy. “Follow me in, will you?”

Drew shut his eyes as they penetrated the event horizon. A bright flash of light, then total darkness.

---------------------

“Inside of a black hole. If only I could tell my colleagues back home.” Drew remarked wryly.

“Do you think that we are dead? How about some perspective.” Shawn pulled the ship out of the Void and turned it around. In front of them was the same galaxy whose black hole they had just passed through. “Awesome, we’re still alive!” he laughed.

“But how did we survive the black hole in the first place? Twenty-seven years isn’t a long time for a black hole to shift.” Drew scratched his head.

“Perhaps because it wasn’t only twenty seven years. Time is relative, especially with all of that dilation. We’ve gone back a grand total of one million, two hundred sixty four thousand, nine hundred eight years. Precisely calculated to arrive at this exact time.”

“And why do you want to go back here? Is there anything special about the time are in, aside from the fact that there is zero intelligent life back on Earth? How about your civilization. Has it lasted that long?”

“Not exactly. Eucranyth is heavily time-dilated. One hour on the surface is several years outside of the influence of the black hole it orbits. So in effect, we’re back only twenty seven years from their perspective. It all works out, doesn’t it?” Shawn stared at the human in deep thought.

“All some kind of dream, isn’t this?” Drew muttered to himself. “But my fingers won’t go through my hand.”

“You want to go back already?”

“Well no, but also yes, I suppose no.”

“I understand. Your experiences on Earth have made you incredibly cynical, just like your fellow humans who have spent their lives convinced that life will go extinct. It’s been a long time since you’ve felt joy. I can tell.”

“Early on in life, when I saw what was happening to my world, when I fully started realizing the disaster which had transpired upon us, I withdrew to myself, as I knew that there was nothing I could do. I became a changed man. The lockdowns, the food rationing, the drones, the Panel, I just accepted it all, believing that it was all meant to happen.”

“I’ve never known or seen anything other than totalitarian regimes, including my own. After I escaped, I visited several others, trying to find a new home for myself. They were all different in their own ways but fundamentally the same societally. It grieved me terribly because I could not help them. You, on the other hand, have perhaps seen the sunny side.” Shawn arose and proceeded to take off his jacket. “How do you humans even live in such tight clothing? Absolutely incredible. I’ve seen some interesting styles in other galaxies, but how can one tolerate these jeans?”

“Don’t assume that I was a fan of them!” jested Drew.

“I would need a fan constantly running to wear your clothes.” Shawn pulled out what looked like a long, red blanket. In one swift motion, he wrapped himself in the cloth. “So nice to be back here.”

“Is this how your people dress? I couldn’t have known.”

“I happened to be from a noble family, which is why I have such wonderful clothing. If I was one of the commoners, I probably wouldn’t have been able to survive, let alone escape. There’s no way I could win the food fights against the fully grown men by age six. They would be at least six feet tall, and I’m hardly four and a half.”

“By the looks of it, you had it quite good. Why did you leave in the first place?” inquired Drew.

“I couldn’t stand knowing that every meal I ate meant that another Eucranythian would starve to death. My father told me that one day I would get over it and accept the system, as it kept our population fit and strong. After all, those who would win the food fights and survive would be the fittest. Those same traits would continue through the generations, so the Director who ruled our world saw it as an incredibly convenient process. I clearly did not.”

“Were you really nine years old when you just walked away from everything you knew and loved? Into this great big universe?”

“I didn’t just walk, I ran. And I didn’t love a single thing there. Plenty of other nine year olds I knew were training to become combat pilots. Humans really do grow quite slowly, which is why I wanted to visit Earth in the first place.”

“And may I assume that you didn’t enjoy your experience very much?”

“Shortly after I stepped out, I was captured by some police officers. They wanted to know what I was doing without an adult! I would have been sent to the Panel if not for an IQ test. What a weird world.”

“And yet you happen to take me along. I don’t have particularly impressive muscles, I suppose I am somewhat tall with fairly broad shoulders, and I have a useful organ called a brain.”

“I’ve seen plenty of people by now, and I had never met anyone with perhaps a trifle of true humanity within them. If they aren’t actually robots, they sure do act like them quite accurately. On the other hand, your true colors were waiting to burst out. So when the Panel discovered them through our conversations and sent for you, I couldn’t pass the opportunity to take you along.”

“I could never have imagined in my wildest dreams. I must ask this question: have other worlds developed time machines?” Drew raised his eyebrows.

“I still have yet to arrive at a system with time traveling capabilities. Some of them are incredibly advanced, far more so than your planet. This is because they have no theoretical branches, only practical applications which are of use in a utilitarian world. I’m incredibly surprised Earth harnessed nuclear power so quickly. As for us, superphotonic travel was invented only out of necessity to extract resources from other systems. It had never been used to explore the galaxy, let alone the rest of the universe.”

“How fascinating. Well, I would like to see your home. Perhaps it will be more pleasant than mine.”

“We won’t be there for enjoyment. Don’t you realize that we can alter history?”

-------------

“No Hunters, just a simple air force I suppose. Technology is about the same, but they have no need for a full fleet. A shield prevents any orbital bombardment. Most importantly, the planet is still free, although the soon-to-be Director has been doing his best to take over by force.”

“So what’s stopping him?” asked Drew.

“The lack of a catalyst. During peaceful and prosperous times, bad actors emerge but remain in the shadows. Only during a crisis do they reveal themselves. That crisis strikes tonight.”

“And just like that, this world turns upside down. What a turn of events.”

Shawn pulled up a holographic projection of the surface of Eucranyth and zoomed in on the capital. “As you can see, there is a large radio dish. What it was built for, I must deduce that it was for giving out some signal. I can’t think of any other reason.”

“You’re saying that the dish is what caused the crisis? Are you absolutely certain?” Drew pressed.

“Little doubt. The signal from the dish triggered a worldwide activation of the secret robot police.”

“How do you know all this information?”

“I was told by eyewitnesses before I left. Many of them were already over forty Earth years old, a ripe old age. It’s all I had to rely on.”

“You mean that most Eucranythians die before they turn fifty?”

“Absolutely, in a natural sense. Our life spans are certainly more accelerated than humans. But as elected president, the Director encouraged gene editing research for life extension before his takeover. Once the technique was fully developed, however, he made sure that only he himself as well as a small circle of surrounding families would be able to access it. I was part of one of them, which is why I am projected to live for perhaps over a thousand years, barring unnatural causes.”

“You’re telling me that you’re not just an alien, you’re a gene-edited alien. A thousand years? I’ve already seen a decent bit in less than forty.”

--------

Drew looked out the window. Slowly descending, the V-5 roared above the waves of the ocean below. Bright rays of light penetrated through the broken clouds.

“We’re landing in shallow water next to a beach. Remember, we are here to take the dish out of commission, nothing more,” Shawn reminded him.

“And we aren’t bringing along any of those?” Drew pointed to giant machine guns and bazookas lying in the corner.

“This isn’t war. Those were left behind by the previous owners of this ship. The machine gun was placed there by the original creator. As a self-employed gunrunner, he lived by the principle of firing at whatever moved. It didn’t turn out too well for him, so hopefully we are somewhat of an improvement as the crew of this ship. I do like to think about what he and his goons would have said to us now were he alive today.”

“Naïve? Idealistic? If force is so effective, why isn’t it used more often?” Drew pondered.

“You’d be surprised. Take only a stun gun, and use it only in last resort.”

“And you’re taking along a bunch of explosives?”

“Purely for the radio dish. Have you ever flown anything on Earth?”

“I’ve flown fighter jets, but I have no clue how to fly this technological behemoth.”

“It’s not that different. Here, this is how you land!” Shawn slowed the ship to a stop and slowly brought it down to the water.

Drew grabbed the machine gun and strapped it around his back. He threw his coat over himself to hide it.

--------

Splashing into the shallow water, the two companions stepped out. In the distance stood the great dish, tall and proud against the horizon.

As they waded closer to dry land, Drew could see the planet’s civilization more and more clearly. The palm trees which bent in the breeze, as if to beckon them on toward the great utopia of his dreams, the waterfront bungalows, the villagers laughing merrily, and the sunset casting an orange pigment throughout the sky.

“So where are those forcefields? Is there anything that is protecting the dish? I don’t see one.” Drew ruffled his hair.

“You can’t see it, silly. It’s a vaporization field. Anything that touches it disintegrates immediately. If we try to bombard it from the outside, nothing will get through. We need a way to disable the dish from the outside.”

“Nightfall is nearing fast, and the chaos might start any time soon. I suggest we take a good look around.”

They strode across the roads and down an alley. Shawn stared at his surroundings in wonder. “Really, Eucranyth used to look like this? I hardly thought that it was this beautiful. I don’t recognize this world at all.”

“I wonder how we can take something offline without actually doing anything to it,” mused Drew. “There must be something which can be done. How would a satellite dish run? It needs electricity. And that would come from-”

“A power station!” Shawn jumped in.

“Yes. A power plant. We must find the closest one to the dish. Where could it be?”

“Over there!” Steam was pouring out into the sky.

As they approached the target, they looked around themselves. No one in sight. The chimneys loomed in front of them.

“It looks like that I can get in through this hole right here. I’ve seen and explored it myself. It leads straight to a storage room. Since I’m smaller and you’re stronger, I’ll go down there. I’ll set the charges and give you three tugs when I’m ready for you to pull me out. The darkness should give us a cloak of cover.” Shawn handed Drew a rope and climbed in. His legs disappeared, then his arms, then his face…

----------

Drew waited in the dark for an eternity. The rustling of bushes snatched his attention. What lay in the shadows? Was it just the breeze?

A sudden, sharp tug on the rope threw him off balance. Drew pulled back on the rope.

It was limp.

He stepped back, petrified. What was the tug for? It could only mean one thing: if Shawn was not coming out, it was a warning. Drew sprinted away from the power plant.

No more than a few seconds later, he heard a tremendous explosion behind him. Thrown into the ground, he looked back to see flames rising into the sky.

“Shawn! Shawn! Where are you?” he shouted into the smoke. No reply, only a reverberating silence. Suddenly from behind, the sirens wailed through the air. Drew sprinted away from the power plant, still in a state of shock.

Where would he go? Was there anything left for him? He may have stopped the Director, but what did it cost him?

He heard the sound of uniform and rhythmic metal clanking on the ground, steadily growing and growing toward him.

He would have to take matters into his own hands. By any means necessary. Pulling out the machine gun which he hid from Shawn while arriving, he decided that now, with his only companion gone, he would be fueled by the gunrunners of old. They had come down with him, and he would obey the call to war.

------

Drew waited in the shadows of the square as the squads of robot police marched by. An eerie quiet hung over the whole place. Slowly but surely, Drew quietly crept up the steps of the capitol building, marked by giant pillars and imposing statues. As the last group of robots passed him, he swiftly gunned down two guards in front of the doors.

Barging into the brightly lit building, he suddenly halted. It was a group of robots, looking directly at him. As they marched forward, Drew fired into them.

The bullets bounced off.

Behind them was a figure with a plasma blaster. In one swift motion, he fired at Drew with perfect precision. Drew staggered back and fell to the ground.

The people of Eucranyth began to emerge from the shadows and hiding places. The Director stepped outside the capitol building at the top of the steps.

“As you all can see, my once-controversial proposition of instituting robot police has paid off handsomely. The projectile-proof vest which I am wearing now is quite expensive, but robot police can be mass-produced quickly. I have always warned that one day aliens would come to invade our planet. This was the reason why I proposed the building of the Great Radio Telescope, to make sure that we will never be caught flat-footed against an alien invasion. Today, although they destroyed our main power plant and tried to assassinate me, they have failed to conquer our world. As I am the planet’s premier expert on alien defense, I demand emergency powers to secure the safety of our people!”

The crowd broke into cheers.

Hands Across the Stars

Super Admins