A World No Longer Ours (Scrypt)

[EdithSpeaks]

((It's called the Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. The idea of it is just really amazing. 'Mistborn' are people that can swallowed flecks of metal and then 'burn' it in their stomachs, and each metal gives different powers - like pewter gives super strength, and copper increases senses, I think. It's awesome I love it))


Reese-


I paced slowly along the walls, drawing her eyes with me so that she would continue to see and not try to block it all out like she was obviously doing. "This is your life now." I said, knowing I spoke almost too quietly to hear. She would have to strain to catch it, just like she would in normal circumstances. "Resign yourself to it, or break under the pressure." Those were her only two options. If she didn't accept it, she would only live in agony, as I had for such a long time. "Pick up the chair, wait exactly twenty seconds, and throw it at me." I stopped moving when I was almost behind her, her eyes still staring forwards, and just let myself sink into the background, shifting far enough back that a few of the images even crawled over me to continue playing. She was just going to have to spot me.

 

[Scrypt]

(That's so creative. How do people think of this stuff?)


Ki:


I sighed, acknowledging his words. This was my life, huh? Why exactly? My very own father had designed this fate for me right? Well that hurt. Just another ache in my chest. I don't know why I felt betrayed. As far as lives went, mine was pretty unique. I wasn't just another worker, wandering through life despite the fact of having a strong sense of purpose. No, I was a Brier Weapon. That was big title to have. But it also kind of sucked. I was required to defy my conscience, to shut out my own being and just become a thing to be thrown on a battlefield in a pinch. I didn't want that. I wasn't accepting that. I was going to let myself burn from the inside out. I wanted to feel rotten if I had to do these things. I wasn't accepting this. I would fight my nature, crying and screaming the whole way, holding onto it but at the same time pushing it away. If there was a heaven for people like me, I wanted to be one to make it. I would regret and regret and regret. And in turn just hurt. But I wouldn't try to die. No, I had a purpose and if I was eliminated, I would just be replaced. No one else needed to feel this. I would fight for someone I didn't even know. I would hope that in my taking of lives, I'd save at least one of those doomed children on Brier. And maybe someday, if I fought long enough and hard enough, I'd be able to end this. And the people of Brier would be free again, despite their ignorance of being captive in the first place.


I grabbed the chair by it's back, lifting it easily. And counted in my head, letting each second allow a new sound or sight to become clear to me. I wad facing and image of a war camp, though it was across the battlefield. But my eyes could pick out the rows upon rows of dead and wounded, the medics walking among them and saving only those who weren't entirely doomed. I could read the expressions as well. And that, combined with the hideous cries of battle encompassing my ears, was enough to bring tears to my eyes. Let it hurt, let my heart be heard. It wasn't an ugly sort of crying, just some silent tears staining my cheeks and bringing a salty taste to my lips. I knew what Reese was probably thinking: weak, hopeless, pathetic. Fine. But I was getting what I wanted. And then the twenty seconds was up and I turned to Reese, having heard his movements and voice among the sounds, and threw the chair as hard as I could in his direction. I had to admit I was a little angry in my sadness. It probably showed in the force of my movements and the tightness of my lips. Oh well. Let him know. I didn't think I could make him understand if I tried. He'd accepted his existence. It was unlikely I'd be able to get him to fight again.

 

[EdithSpeaks]

((I know, right? O_O That's what I thought when I first found them! The thing about these books though, is that I read some sort of summary for a couple years ago, and then months and months afterwards remembered it for some reason and tried for a long, long time to find out what they were so I could read them. I was already starting to give up when I finally found them again, and I was so ecstatic I bought the whole trilogy in one go :3 That was a happy day))


Reese-


She found me quicker than I had expected her to, but I was, of course, ready. It wasn't quite surprising, but a tiny bit unexpected when she threw it with such force. She was letting her emotions get the better of her, taking it out on me because I'd given her instruction that allowed it, and she was going to eventually have to stop but I let her for now.


I swung an arm out to deflect that chair, and it all but bent with the force of her throw and my own momentum. I continued the swing until the chair hit the wall, and with an echoing clang the images disappeared from existence and we were left in sudden silence. The wall wasn't broken, but designed to sense that sort of impact and stop playing immediately, and it had worked as programmed. I pulled my arm free from the chair, let it clatter noisily to the ground to see if she would flinch, and only gave my head a slight tilt towards the door.


"We're finished here. You can go."

 

[Scrypt]

(Oh I know that feeling


I have books recommended to me all the time and if I don't buy them immediately, sometimes I'm left for months trying to remember the title.)


Ki:


I was surprised when the simulation stopped. I hadn't been able to judge exactly how hard I'd thrown the chair, just that it been a stronger throw than intended. But seeing the chair in it's crumpled state, I only hated myself more. All I could do was destroy and keep on destroying. I didn't know what would have happened if Reese hadn't deflected the chair, but it would not have been good. Sure we all had abnormally strong bones, but we still managed to do things like snap each other's necks. We could do terrible things only to each other. In our case, fire was the only thing that could fight fire. When we met on the battlefield, it often terrified normal soldiers, seeing how much we could stand and how much we could dish out. I had read about that sort of thing, the horror stories of those strange barcoded soldiers told by veterans. We were effective. Sometimes too much so. With the force of my throw, Reese could have very well broken a few bones if he weren't so quick and skilled. He didn't seem hurt though. And I was glad.


I stared at him for a moment, still feeling a hint of rage boiling in my stomach. I could take it out on him maybe, just yell at him for giving him and expecting me to do the same. But it was too early to even try to discuss such a thing with him. So I merely smiled, keeping myself under control despite the obvious wetness of my eyes and stains on my cheeks. "Do you think there's any sort of hope for people like us?" I finally asked, just watching. I hoped he would answer. I really did. I wanted to feel just a little less alone.

 

[EdithSpeaks]

((Oh, I just write them down in my phone and then later look them up on the computer. I have a Favorites folder that's just for books lol))


Reese-


A smile. She was distressed and angry, even sad, but she was smiling - a wavering, shaking and highly fake smile. I flexed my arm and hand a bit before finally looking at her, sure that nothing was broken or strained but that I might have a few quick to heal bruises later on. She wanted to know of hope, but I had learned long ago to stop hoping for anything at all. It wasn't worth it when hoping only gave you so much more disappointment.


"Sometimes," I said finally, moving towards the door, "You find a 'code on the battlefield, and you hope they're the one that survives when it's over." It was the only way any of this would ever end for us. One could hope to survive and live on, or one could hope for a quick death and have it all be over.

 

[Scrypt]

(I try to save the titles somewhere but, sometimes they don't make it on my list X3)


Ki:


"I think...there's a virtue in letting it hurt. Because we can't change what we are, but we don't have to accept it. If there's any way to save ourselves, I think it's in listening to our humanity. And to still do what we're told, to kill so that other people don't have to end up like us. But I'm too idealistic aren't I? Your mind can't hold out against the pain for a lifetime," I said, wiping away the wetness beneath my eyes. "I wish all of us could have never existed. Then maybe this war wouldn't have lasted. I don't want to condemn us now that we're here, but I still wish this would end." I paused for second, not even sure he had listened. I didn't really care. I just wanted to say it. I needed to speak my mind. I moved toward the door, my eyes glued to the ground.

 

[EdithSpeaks]

Reese


"It never stops hurting." I said, on a whim, and stood out of the way next to the door so she could precede me out of the room. "You just adapt, and get used to it." I didn't believe for a second that what I did would keep others from killing. There would always be those that would fight, more with barcodes like us, or just human soldiers. Even if there were no war, criminals and strategists would kill anyway. There was no stopping it, and no changing human nature, so it was best not to try. 
((Hey, I'm sorry but my grandpa is in the hospital and as soon as my dad gets home from work we're going to go see him, so I might not be able to reply until tomorrow. I'm bringing my ipad, and there's not much I can do there so I might reply still but please don't expect it. I'll be back at some point tomorrow))