Mr E

Mr E

Lucus Anthony Ren

Copyright © 2017, Lucus Anthony Ren

Self-publishing

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher. Limit of Liability and Disclaimer of Warranty: The author / publisher has used its best efforts in preparing this book, and the information provided herein is provided as is, and makes no representation or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaims any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose and shall in no event be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damage, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.

Prologue

A reflection in the glass. They are behind you. Yet when you turn around are not there. Two dark orange rings, whose centers are black. They are offset, however, if you move they come into line. If you pass your hand over the reflection, they disappear. They are the strangest things you’ve ever seen and you are puzzled, the intrigued growing steadily by the second. In a moment you become insane wanting to know everything about them. The more you focus on them, the more you forget. The more you forget, the more you learn. There are only the two rings, changing only if you move. You can hear the sound of collective falling rain, from a balcony perhaps, but not as if you are standing on it. You are not dead, nor alive. Nor are you somewhere in-between waiting for the two. There is no feeling of any kind. It is not a dream. You cannot recall your past. You have no idea of the future. You only watch the two rings. Because it’s your thoughts that allow you at the destination you want to be, and what there is when you arrive. You were only told a few things, a few items, which brought you here, probably from curiosity, that of the gold, the desert, a giant, animals, a Cadillac car, a death, a lover, friends, a little boy, a storm, a company, a young man, the future, parents. Emotions were added of fear, love, horror, hatred, greed, lust.

And now here you are…

Chapter 1

Secondary Release

It was always white. Sometimes dull, but always white. No larger than a paperback book, or thicker, perhaps no more than three hundred pages it could easily fit in a coat pocket, or small bag without the slightest difficulty. It was in fact taken as such many times, which its courier never knew. Never knew it was there. And should they look inside supposedly feeling a bulk not there a moment ago, vision would turn into a gaze, eyes passing blindly, never seeing, thankfully, should they a permanent madness would take them first gently by the hand as not to startle the wandering sheep, for if seen what lay ahead the terror would be too much.

This was the way, as it had been since its own birth before anything here ever existed, before dust thickened forming an object eventually housing humanity, before light interrupting its task. None of this was recorded, though many searched. With many forms, and many names upon it, they gave both, knowing from the start it was useless, still, this being the option chosen, they knew over time it would be forgotten. This helped them sleep better knowing time would kill it.

Once, and only once, having escaped, rather viewed, not by accident for never was this the opinions given out of fear of being labeled lunatic, three people witnessed what happened, and it was they who indeed were driven mad. While all others shunned away, these three, having no regrets at least none known as afterward they would never make any coherent communication with another human being as long as they wandered in their madden state, opened the white book and started reading.

They were told not to read aloud, only to themselves, and would be instructed when a light flashed next to them they were to stop reading and return the book to its holder. In each occasion, all others waited what was considered a safe distance observing through remote monitoring some twenty-five miles away, underground, surrounded by walls eight feet thick for the results which were the same of the three.

All were dressed exactly the same in a simple cotton, dark blue colored loose fitting trousers, and T-shirt. All wore lightly tinted amber sun glasses they were told would assist them with reading the book as the letter were rather small. A single note of C flat was sounded announcing the time when they were to open the large metal box on the table in front of them. Upon hearing the note each opened the box, removed the book from its holder, which for them appeared as a wooden tray elevating the book three inches above the bottom of the metal box.

With all three, almost at the exact same moment as the other each stopped reading, sat motionless holding the book for almost at the exact same time as one another, stood up almost at the exact same time, tilted the head as far back with mouths wide open, and almost at the exact same time slammed their forehead with, what appeared, as much force as possible onto the table, splitting and cracking their skull open as if it was an egg.

Of the three there was only one who could say a single word, ‘yes’ while the other two remained catatonic and were soon disposed of, later proved very valuable with further testing and scanning primarily the brain, but his entire body underwent significant changes afterwards, it was unfortunate this was not evaluated further as the man escaped during the following screening session through no fault of security, from which he simply passed through without detection and disappeared.

Those observers didn’t know what to think of the entire situation and several wished to discontinue the entire operation but those above them said no fucking way and to get on with further testing finding some goddamn suitable subjects otherwise they would be the next ones tested.

This having changed their thinking considerably they had to resolve to a harsher mandate, which was actually forced upon them by one of their own stating at the weekly outings where indeed they conducted surveillance upon all living souls searching for just the individuals, ‘Why don’t we test an entire town?’ came as more of a humoristic overtone during a hard drinking session always taking place directly after their research concluded, agreeing due to heightened stress from work they were entitled to.

The concept was forwarded upwards where it was received with, ‘We don’t give a flying fuck, just get results!!’ and therefore unanimously accepted. As the campaign reached a frenzied atmosphere when two towns were narrowed on the list, Town A and Town B, details on how to best control the experiment was placed on stand-still from those upwards through a memo stating, ‘Make absolute certain, no one survives.’

Here, the most influential minds in this business came under personal attack thinking the dilemma through sleeping with their partners, who obviously were unaware of the situation slept often blissful, yet just before dozing off they too transgressed into an early childhood when they were about the age of four. This didn’t help matters at all for those upwards yelled constantly, ‘Where're those goddamn results!!?’ which actual triggered the entire transgression process in the first place, but of course you couldn’t inform them of this because they were basically a bunch of pricks with nothing better to do than bitch at everything, subsequently living rather poor lives but had a great deal of money and really didn’t give a shit about the who’s what’s, and why’s, because these nine, ran The Company.

In nine’s quest what the white book-like object does and does not, it was quickly learned The Book as it was finally related too, caused devastating effects on literally any one coming into contact with it. If you read from it you committed suicide through beating your head against a table or probably anything solid but as the table was directly in front of the two who bashed their own brains upon it, it was assumed anything having a thicker mass than the human skull would have the same reaction. Those scientists conducting the experiments and their partners simply lost their faculties turning into children who had yet to enter into kindergarten.

Certain protocols had to be enforced, the nine screamed amongst themselves as there were no one else they could yell at. It was obvious further testing on humans would have the same results. They’d have to think of other possibilities. What could be used which they already had at their disposal in vast resources, and trusted? Technology along with the coders. And so the VISUALS were born.

Artificial intelligence wasn’t new. AI levels were always being improved primarily at The Company seeing they had an overwhelming amount of resources at their disposal, but the nine wanted something more than simple AI. They wanted lasting legacy of their work. They wanted something that would take five hundred years in the future to improve upon. Sad they thought how aliens passed by several times without officially visiting this murdering planet of monkeys humans grew-up on, as that was all humans ever did…grow upon. The nine knew if we as a race every got the hell off the planet migrating somewhere stable, we’d still do the same, and screw-up the next place.

And it was certainly because of this, the nine thought no one visited us or at least it was what they projected amongst each other for why wouldn’t there be visitors reminding one another of a great many things humans had to offer. But if they had been dropped in on, the nine would have gotten the alien technology in building their five hundred year achievement. But the nine already had the technology, they had already been paid a visit, not directly of course as humans would still have great difficulty being in the presence of something vastly superior, but right in their midst.

It is often said things right in front are easily missed, why then should this be different? Are people ever serious? As our species originates constantly becoming ever more established, strong in the long struggle with essentially perpetual discouraging conditions where putting two together in a cage letting them beat the shit out of each other than giving the last one standing things of great value, is all for the pleasure of watching. What other reasons are there no one off this planet wants to come and play with us?

On the other hand, the nine hoped, as it is known by the experience of breeders, strains that receive profuse nourishment, an excess of protection and care, instantly tend in the most advanced way to develop variations and are fertile in monstrosities including its wickedness. The nine blamed present day society for its inept abilities in understanding anything worth value, The Book project was contrived for the purpose of rearing a new generation of human while exterminating the outdated versions; an evolution software update.

In ending this permanent, constant struggle The Company will create a constant motion in the once great former struggle of growth, that extraordinary decay and self-destruction, payable to the violent opposing and seemingly extravagant self-importance, striving with one another for sun and water, who no longer entrusted any limit and obstacle for themselves, which unto itself kept those aliens at bay, giving all rights to the nine to do pretty much anything they damn well wanted. And the tests commenced.

The Live Beyond program were millions lined up for testing, hoping to be received, doing their part in securing and more importantly furthering the human race, were promised should they be chosen by The Company, they’d meet personally anything off-planet deciding to pay homage to the great Earth with its New Human high-life form they themselves helped to create; the VISUALS.

Everyone wanted to be VISUALS. They wanted that eternity it promised, those wonderfully blended compounds of humanity and technology, which certainly aliens must be constructed of. How else would they too have evolved, if not for the melding of the two for which The Company itself proclaimed there could be no other possibilities than that of an organic and non-organic marriage, and so too must humanity join with its New Human program. Join the universe, join and live beyond.

They’d pay to have any part in this because they were told we live on a trivial planet of a monotonous lost star. That we are indeed in a galaxy stuffed in some ridiculously far off corner of a universe forgotten in which there is a hell of allot more galaxies than people on Earth. And then told, ‘Make That Greater Good. Live Beyond.’ And they bought it.

I bought it as freshman in high school when Live Beyond was launched. I knew I’d have to be part of it or pillage and rape my way through some bullshit existence the rest of my life. Luckily The Company set up programs aimed at youth desiring or having capabilities for joining the program. They even had mentoring programs assisting youths and their families, primarily the parents, in better understanding potentials of students.

There was screening process, and throughout higher education, your were constantly evaluated by peers including your educators, neighbors, family members, law enforcement, and of course Social where there were no secrets. Social constituted and built within our lives an instinct for rank. Of where the desire in honoring another, one nobler than yourself wasn’t a perilous task as before when social network was first introduced, where one’s capture of the most in collective rewards, of being rewarded itself was the goal, where peers ‘liked’ you, or what you thought were peers and thought were ‘likes’ only proved the control switch for something far greater.

In that archaic time, we did want such. Craved it. Killed for it. And why not? What else was there to do in our humdrum lives? Just as we’ve always. Looking through our past it is laden upon every feat from rockets to far off worlds we’d hoped to achieve but could only send dysfunctional drones, to wars where continents fell and was this so great we believed had so eloquently risen from, in those burnt dealings? Our past was just so. No wonder things not from here simply passed by reading the map well ahead informing not to get close to this fucked spinning ball.

Most of my higher education was spent in class or in libraries, and any place filled with debauchery knowing once signed on with The Company, all the fun stopped. We were living tombstones most of the time just waiting to get planted in some field where others had been laid, but now fallen askew like dead soldiers held