Original Design

by William Latoria

  “I am known as…” there was a pause as the Omega’s mouth continued to move, but no sound made it to his ears as the translation program in his brain tried to interpret the Omega’s name. It finished rapidly; the excitement in its eyes was very obvious.

  Blackshade was at a loss as his brain finally translated the Omega’s name into a term he could understand. He knew the Omega was waiting to hear what its name in human would be, but he wasn’t sure how happy it would be with the results. For a brief moment, he considered lying to the Omega, but instantly rejected the idea. He knew they could see the read out display on his forehead and was almost positive it would expose his lie instantly.

  Resigning himself to his situation, he spoke, “Notes…” he said glumly, “Your name translates to Notes.”

  Blackshade waited to see the disappointment on the Omega’s face.

  “NOTES!” the Omega exclaimed, its sudden outburst causing Blackshade to take another step back, “NOTES! I adore it!” it cheered before bursting into chittering laughter. It took the Omega a few moments to regain control of itself. Blackshade was relieved that Notes was pleased with its name, and he noticed that Artificer was smiling broadly at Notes’ reaction as well.

  When Notes finally got its joy under control, it faced Blackshade again beaming a bright smile. “I must say, Blackshade, meeting your race has been one of the most fascinating experiences of my life! It is simply astonishing how your rudimentary understanding of the universe can be so refreshing.” Notes said happily.

  Blackshade knew that Notes had meant the comment to be a compliment, but he did not take it that way. He swallowed his initial retort and tried to accept the way the comment was meant and not the way it was delivered, “Thanks.” he said flatly, “I’m happy you enjoy your name.”

  This was greeted by another round of laughter from Notes. It looked over at Artificer, “It thinks that Notes is really my name!” It told Artificer gleefully, “I do not think it realizes that it only perceives the most basic interpretation of it! They are so simple!”

  Again, Blackshade knew that Notes wasn’t trying to be insulting with its comments. He understood that the Omegas saw humanity as nothing more than outdated hardware, and that the only reason they were even talking with him was to figure out how they had happened. Truth be told, if their roles were reversed, he doubted humanity would have reacted to such a discovery any differently. However, as good as he felt and as grateful as he was for all they had done for him, he didn’t have it in him to keep letting these ignorant insults slide by; he’d finally had enough.

  “I’ve had just about all of the disrespect that I’m going to tolerate.” Blackshade began letting his ire seep into every word. Seeing the smile disappear from Artificer’s face and the look of surprise on Notes’ as it turned to face him did nothing to calm him. “Humanity is much more than some simple machine that you left here to rot and die. We rose up, we fought, we adapted, and we conquered this fucking planet. You put us here with nothing, left us here to decay, and expected us to accept that placidly. And now, millions of years later, on a planet designed to kill us, we excel. In fact, we excelled so remarkably that when you finally returned, we caught your attention.” He was practically growling at the Omegas now. “So, considering all those things and how far we’ve come without ANY help from you, or your kind, I think treating us with a little respect is in order! We EARNED our place on this planet, and because of that I think we’ve also EARNED some basic courtesy from you!” he continued, working himself up into a rage. He took a menacing step towards Notes, but the Omega didn’t retreat from him, “You can start by returning my clothes! Then, you can start NOT talking about me like I’m not in the room! Then it would be very nice if you began treating my species with the courtesy and respect all intelligent, living creatures deserve! If you can’t handle that, then by all means, get off my fucking planet!” he finished defiantly. He was panting a little now, and his hands had balled up into fists at his sides. He knew he had no chance in a physical confrontation with either of these Omegas, let alone both of them, but he would be damned before he allowed them to continue to treat humanity so contemptuously.

  Artificer’s face was blank, Blackshade got the impression it was more curious than anything else. The emotion on Notes’ face was far easier to read, it was horrified at the realization that it had offended him. Blackshade said nothing. He stood his ground and glared angrily at the lean Omega. He had drawn his line in the sand and, sink or swim, the ball was in their court.

  Notes held up its hands in a pacifying manner. Blackshade noticed that the seven fingers on each hand were twitching nervously, almost as if the Omega had something to fear from him, which was ridiculous. “Blackshade, I am so sorry if I offended you. I did not mean to be disrespectful or to belittle you in anyway. Please try to understand, you are amazing to me and my kind. There is nothing like you in the universe, and we have only just begun to learn about your people, and we are trying hard to do so. You must allow for a few unintentional slights as our species are reintroduced to each other. Again, I apologize for my ignorance, but that is what it was, ignorance, nothing more.” Notes said, sincerely, “Thank you for the lesson in human sensitivity.”

  It wasn’t the response Blackshade had expected, nor was it the one he wanted, but it would have to do; he had no other play to make. Besides, the Omega had apologized, and it had seemed sincere; hopefully it would be the first step in broadening an understanding between them. Blackshade allowed the rage to drain out of him, as he conceded the point in his head. He looked down and held up his own hand as if to stop further apologies, “No, you’re right, Notes. I’m sorry too. A lot has happened over the past month, I’m stretched thin, and now, being here, and feeling the way I do, it all just got to me.” Blackshade said, suddenly feeling embarrassed, “I should have better control of myself.”

  Notes smiled at this, “Not at all! You were designed to be impulsive! It is interesting how your original programming has retained after all this time.”

  Blackshade’s interest piqued at this, “Our original programming? What do you mean?”

  Blackshade thought Notes was going to squeal with glee at his question, “Oh my! Blackshade, you have no idea how much about your kind has been shaped by the original program.” it began excitedly. Blackshade noticed that Notes’ eyes became unfocused a little as it began its explanation. “The way your kind is obsessed with collecting objects, I believe you refer to it as wealth, we think, has a lot to do with your scavenging protocols. Your mistrust of anything not of your race is a survival mechanism we programmed into your central consciousness… which explains why you do not trust us completely! Even your tendency to protect perceived territories is loosely based off our original geography programing that prevented groups of you from salvaging from the same areas. Oh Fuin! It is all starting to make sense!”

  Blackshade was only vaguely following Notes’ train of thought. It quickly became apparent it was talking more to itself than to him now. Artificer must have thought so too because it stood up and walked over to stand next to him. Reaching into nothing, Blackshade watched as Artificer’s hand disappeared into the whiteness that permeated their environment and then came back out, something grasped in his fist. Notes didn’t notice, it just continued to talk to itself and run its fingers frantically over the flat disc it held in its hand.

  “Here, Blackshade,” Artificer said, as he dropped the item in front of him. “My race has no need of outer skins, but we understand that humanity does. We made this in the style of what the original human units would wear on planets that required extra protection. I hope you find it to your liking.”

  Blackshade looked down at the pile of soft green fabric Artificer had dropped in front of him. It looked like a velvet blanket and for a moment, Blackshade wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do with it. Reaching down, he picked it up off the floor and as it unfurled he saw that it was not a blanket, but a robe. Slipping it on, the fir
st thing he noticed was how comfortable, and form fitting the robe was. It didn’t hang loose like a normal robe would, this one seemed to hug his body and wrap around him protectively. It even held itself closed around him without a belt or button to fasten it. He extended his arms and took a few practice steps with the robe on and found the fabric moved with him, keeping him covered and protected from head to foot. Even his feet were covered by the material. He couldn’t be sure, but with the hood up, he imagined he would look very much like a stereotypical monk. Although, far better dressed than the cheap rags stereotypical monks wore. He had never felt this comfortable in his entire life.

  “Thank you, Artificer,” Blackshade said in awe, “This robe is incredible. What is it made from?”

  Artificer smiled, “I am glad you find it adequate. We had to search through very old records for the specifications to recreate it based off of the original design. It has been millions of years since we have had to make anything like it and to be blunt, I was worried we had built it incorrectly.” he answered honestly, “To answer your question, it is made of synthetic materials that bind to your flesh and help regulate your core temperature. It will also provide you with some protection from other hazards. Its design is based off of our understanding of the great Lord Fuin’s favored apparel. It is currently one of a kind, so please take care of it.”

  Blackshade nodded his understanding, but he didn’t recognize the name, “Who is Lord Fuin?” he asked, curious.

  “That is a question for another time, and is best answered by another Omega, my friend.” Artificer answered.

  Before Blackshade could push for an answer, Artificer motioned towards Notes, “Tremendous would like to speak with you, and so we should not delay. When Notes gets like this, it could go on for a long time.” Artificer explained quietly.

  Blackshade looked at Notes, who was still talking about numerous ways the original design of humans and the current iteration were so different yet so similar. He would have liked to stay and listen, but if Tremendous wanted to talk with him, he wouldn’t make the Omega leader wait.

  “Isn’t Notes coming with us?” Blackshade asked.

  Artificer shook his head. “Tremendous has very little patience for Notes. Not that Tremendous does not value Notes’ research, our leader just values Notes’ contributions better from a distance.” Artificer explained dryly, “Do not let that discourage you, Blackshade. Notes is one of our best researchers and will have your race figured out very quickly. Believe it or not, Notes is infatuated with your race and has great respect for humanity’s accomplishments.” Artificer explained with a wink.

  The wink, more than anything else, surprised Blackshade. The wink was such a human gesture that it made him wonder just how much like the Omegas humans were. Whatever the answer was, the wink endeared Artificer to him quite a bit. He nodded to Artificer and then had to jog after the Omega engineer in order to keep up. Surrounded by nothing but the bright white environment made judging direction and distance practically impossible, but Blackshade figured if he just stuck close to Artificer, he would be fine. Unfortunately, he found out rather quickly just how wrong his hypothesis was as he slammed face first into something very solid and fell hard on his butt.

  The pain that erupted from his face staggered him as he clamped both hands over his nose. “What… was that?” he asked through gritted teeth.

  “You ran into the wall.” Artificer answered. Even through the pain he could hear the confusion in Artificer’s voice.

  “What wall!?” Blackshade responded angrily. The pain was subsiding now and he didn’t think anything was broken, but it stung badly; not to mention his pride was wounded. He heard Notes walking towards them.

  “You did not see the wall, Blackshade?” Notes asked him, concerned.

  Blackshade shook his head as he regained his feet.

  “What do you see when you look around the ship?” Notes asked, curious.

  “Nothing. It’s all bright white to me. I saw the cylinder thing you had me in, I can see you two, and everything else is just bright white space.” he answered, slightly annoyed. The pain was beginning to subside but his pride still stung.

  Notes looked at him as it contemplated what he had said. The scrawny Omega’s eyes unfocused for a moment and then refocused quickly on him. “Your cerebral… uh… brain…cannot perceive the ship! That is why all you see is blank color!”

  Blackshade looked up at Notes; he had worked out the same theory when he was still inside the cylinder and found it satisfying to have his hypothesis confirmed. “Ok, if that’s the case, what can we do about it?” he asked. He knew he was out of his element, and the fact that not even his brain, functioning as it was now, was capable of processing what was around him made his head swim.

  Artificer circled around him, looking down at him like a malfunctioning toaster. Blackshade smirked as the realization hit him that this was probably exactly how the engineer currently thought of him. He didn’t like it, but he could understand it.

  “I have an idea, but I do not know how effective it will be, Blackshade.” Artificer said. The doubt in the Omega’s voice made Blackshade nervous.

  “What are you thinking, Artificer? It’s not going to hurt or leave me brain damaged, is it?” Blackshade asked, half-joking.

  Artificer smiled, “No. Or at least, I do not think it will harm you. It just might not work very well.” the engineer answered honestly. Without another word, Artificer nodded at Notes and then pointed at Blackshade’s face. Blackshade didn’t feel anything but the need to close his eyes, and rather than fight it, he closed them. With his eyes closed, he felt an odd, but not unpleasant sensation in the back of his head. Shortly after that, the inside of his ears began to itch and it was all he could do to keep still. It was a wholly odd sensation, but Blackshade stood perfectly still as Artificer injected him with whatever programming it thought was appropriate. Emotionally, Blackshade felt that he should try to resist whatever it was that the Omega was doing to him, but his now optimized logical side told him he had nothing to fear from the Omegas and to trust them.

  After a few moments, the sensation in his head went away, and the desire to close his eyes dissipated. “Open your eyes please, Blackshade.” Notes said softly.

  Blackshade did as he was asked, and what he saw underwhelmed him. The bright white blankness he had seen since arriving on the ship was now gone. Instead, the area around him looked like a tunnel with very retro looking grey paneling on the walls, floors, and ceiling. Blackshade wasn’t prone to claustrophobia, but if he had been, he knew he’d be on the floor in fetal position, screaming. As it was, the feeling that the walls were closing in on him was a powerful sensation. Desperate to get his mind off the encroaching panic, Blackshade focused on his surroundings.

  The walls looked as if they were made out of some sort of grey plastic material that was covered in different sized rectangular lights. The lights themselves were a multitude of different colors, that varied between red, yellow, orange, and white. Some of the lights had writing on them, but if it was a language, it was no language that he could understand. If he was honest, it looked like someone with very bad penmanship had scribbled on all of them. The floor he stood on was made of the same grey plastic material, but it didn’t have any of the little rectangular lights on it, which seemed sensible to him. The lack of lights on the floor gave depth to his surroundings and marked out the path he could walk on. The few shelves, structures, and other apparatuses that stuck up out of the floor were also made out of the same grey material and were equally underwhelming. There were no lights on them either, but thanks to the lights on the walls and ceilings, they still stood out to him. Even so, the structures themselves appeared to be very crude constructs with no decoration or artistry to them at all, nothing at all like he hoped to see inside the Omegas’ spaceship.

  As he was looking at a structure he guessed was a table, or a large desk, it occurred to him that all of this looked familiar. With the lo
gical side of his mind working so efficiently, it only took a moment for the familiarity to make sense. He had seen this before! A long time ago when he had been a child, he had seen a very old science fiction movie. In it, the main characters had flown around in a spaceship and fought alien monsters. The interior of one of the alien ships looked very much like this one. In fact, he could remember telling a friend at the time that the ship looked very old for something that was supposed to be futuristic, and his friend had agreed. The fact that he could recall this memory so clearly surprised him.

  “Can you see the ship now, Blackshade?” Artificer asked.

  Blackshade nodded, “Yes, but it’s very… odd. I think I’ve seen this before, back when I was still a kid. An old movie…” he trailed off as he tried to remember more.

  “You have.” Artificer replied, “I used a memory I found in your cerebral to use as a reference for the interior of this ship. As you are exposed to more, your perspective of how the ship appears should change to a more accurate depiction of what is actually here, just like with the translation program we gave you.” Artificer explained. The relief in its voice was noticeable. “For now, this should allow you to navigate the ship without running into walls.” he added with another wink.

  Blackshade allowed himself to laugh at this. “Well, that’s good enough for now, at least!”

  Artificer looked at Notes, “See what you can do to help improve the human’s conceptualizers so that in the future we do not have this happen.”