Blackout World Chapter 2

“OK, I’ll tell you!”
“Finally,” L sighed.
“It hasn’t been that long,” I countered. “But anyway, I only know the type of place to look. You guys will have to help me.”
“Sure, just hurry up already!” L fumed.
“Well, the Grid Center has to be somewhere people seldom visit, because hardly anyone knows where it is,” I started, “and that’s good, because there aren’t many Systems around here, so it might be around here. That narrows it down already.”
“I already have a few suspicions,” D announced.
“Wait, though,” I broke in. “I do actually have a spot in mind, now. In fact, you said it D.”
“I did?”
“Hey, B, how about you just let me in for once. Where?”
“OK, OK. The Reserve. Almost no one goes there, and all transmissions are prohibited there.”
“Then how does it control the Grids?” D asked.
“I thought about that a bit, and it could be on a new frequency, or even Technology, so that no one could detect it.”
“Ok, good, and the Reserve is only a bit away.” L pointed out.
“Alright everyone, gather here!” Someone shouted.
“This better not take long,” I said, “we have to get away and fix it ourselves. The Seconds and even other Firsts would just laugh.”
“Come on, we need to have a discussion.” The voice yelled again.
“Let’s go, and see what he has to say,” D suggested.
We walked over and sat down next to the elevation strips with all the other Firsts. “So, you must have noticed that something has gone wrong. We do not know exactly what the problem is, but we are attempting to figure it out. We should all stay together, so no wandering off. We have shelter and a small supply of nourishment. It will not last very long, but it should be enough for help to come.”
About then, I beckoned to D and L to follow me behind one of the Transports. “This is bad. If we are not allowed to leave, we cannot help anything.” I stated. “Plus, people could die! They have no idea what actually happened, or are hiding it from us. The radio would not even work. If they were like older radios and still used radio waves, I could understand it being damaged. I don’t believe these could be damaged by a crash, though. We have to sneak away.”
“You know, I actually agree with you, even though we would disobey a command. The Reserve is even on this side of the Transports, so the group would not notice our absence for a while. Let’s go.” It showed just how nervous D was that he used a contraction.
L shrugged and we started to back away from the group. It was only about the middle of the day, so there was still a lot of light. I am amazed that we were able to sneak away, though. The Seconds must have been extremely distraught.
After we had gotten a good distance away from the wreck, we began to run. We followed the strip to where it branched. We followed the branch until we got to the reserve.
It was set up like a settlement, in that it had a dome over it, except that items from the Reserve were scattered around the dome and the dome was extremely thin. Most likely, it was only to prevent any unexpected precipitation. This presented a challenge. However, it was thinner than most domes, so we could try to break it.
“Let’s using one of these rots,” L suggested.
“’Rocks,’” D corrected, “and we should try it around back so the hole will not be visible if someone comes looking for us.”
“Good idea, now lets move.” Said ever-impatient L.
We moved around back and used one of the rocks to smash a section of the dome. I went in first, because I was the smallest. As I grabbed the edges of the hole and hoisted myself in, I felt that strange feeling in my hands again. I looked at them, and there was more of the reddish liquid oozing from them, exactly where I had grabbed the hole. “Be careful, guys,” I yelled back through the makeshift entrance. “It doesn’t feel good to grab the edges.”
They both entered, but more carefully, and we looked at our surroundings. Tall objects surrounded us. There were more, smaller, objects lower down that seemed to be sticking out of the ground.
“Plants!” L exclaimed.
“Correct,” gasped D.
I refrained from calling out. “We don’t actually have much time,” I said. “People are in danger.”
“Right,” D agreed. “We have to look for the Grid Center.
We walked farther into the Reserve. Eventually we came to water. It was more water than I had ever seen. It was deep enough to cover me, and it must have been several 100 long. However, ‘Restricted’ signs surrounded it.
“Doesn’t that seem the least bit suspicious?” L asked.
“There is some land in the middle,” D stated, “the Grid Center is most likely on it.
“But how do we cross it?” L wanted to know.
“I have an answer for that.” D replied.
“Please tell me now, D”
“OK, have either of you ever heard of a ‘boat’?”
“Sure,” L replied.
“I know how to make one.”
“Great, let’s start. Only, what do we used?” L pondered.
We sat thinking, until L burst out with “We can use the biggest plants, which I think are called trees. They’re made of wood, and I once read that wood floats.”
“Brilliant idea, L!” D responded.
“We can probably only use the smallest trees, and then only the ones near the water.” I pondered.
“We still might have enough, and I think I can remember the plans well enough.” D put in.
“You mean you don’t know if it will work?” L shouted
“We will see.” D said.

Blackout World Chapter 1

Blackout World Chapter 1

D-112 and I were in the rear transport unit. L-97 was up ahead. We had been separated to discourage “friendship” and “bonds.” We were between Systems when it happened. All the lights went out, we started to slow, and we fell. Our transport units dropped 3.5 to the Elevation Strip. We hit it with a crash, and the squeal of metal ripping apart. We flipped once and landed on our side, but did not stop. We skidded 2 and rolled over again. When we finally stopped, everyone was dazed. There were safety features on the unit, but they could only stop serious injury when the unit was going 3/A.
No one was injured badly enough to need immediate medial care, but everyone wanted to know what happened. Most of the passengers were still in the First Life Stage, it being a trip for those in the Learning Cycle. However, there were still a 3 Seconds along with us to ensure our safety. They were the first to come out of the daze, and Q-10 contacted our Base System. Or tried to. All of the seconds and some of the Firsts were attempting to make contact with anyone, when I went to find D-112. I knew he was somewhere ahead of me when we started, but I had no idea what had happened to him during the crash.
I searched the seats ahead of me, but could not find him. I then looked in the back, but he wasn’t there either. I had no idea what had happened to him. Then I saw the gaping hole in the wall and roof of the transport unit. I went over and examined it. There appeared to be some sort of redish, brownish liquid on the edge. I decided that it did not matter and crept out the tear.
I felt something when I was crawling through the hole. I had felt It before, once. I looked at my palm, and saw the same liquid that was on the rim of the improvised exit. At first I thought I had simply gotten some of it from the hole, but I saw more of the liquid running out of my hand. I would have time to think about that later. I had to find D-112 and then L-97. I saw the other unit about 5 away.
I sprinted over to the transportation unit. I found D-112 opening the door to the unit. He was trying to find L-97. He had reacted better then me, so I was mentally kicking myself for not trying to find either of them immediately.
By the time I got there, D (D-112) was already inside, and I could see that everyone had faired better than in my unit. I got in and began to help look for L (L-97). We finally found him, but we still had no idea where we were or why we were there. Malfunction of on of the units was conceivable, but highly unlikely. Having two go down and lose all systems was unheard of.
We got outside where there were no people to distract us and began to think. “Alright, guys. Do we know anything about where we are?” D asked.
“We were somewhere between the main NE System and the main SE System when we lost power,” L said, “So that puts us roughly in the middle of nowhere.”
“Not quite, L,” D replied. “There are some minor Systems around here. In fact, we passed the Reserve about 2C ago. Someone has to go there.”
“OK, guys,” I interrupted, “This is interesting, but we still do not know where we are. Any better ideas?”
“I believe we should wait for more information. The Seconds are probably figuring this out already,” D pointed out.
“As much as I dislike agreeing with D’s meticulous calculations and figurings, he’s right.” L grudgingly admitted.
“Ok, then, is there anything we can figure out?” I asked.
“We could start with what happened.”
“Sure,” D replied. “There are so many more facts for that.”
“What are they?” I asked the obvious question.
“Well, both the units went down, and they both lost full power.” L provided.
“OK, good. Do you have anything else?”
“The radios were down also when I saw them last. They are on a separate Grid than the lights.”
“Good. Any more?”
L had something else to contribute. “No one showed up, even in a general sweep.”
“True, and there is the fact that the elevation strips are all out,” D stated, “Which makes this a very disturbing situation.”
“Could the Main Grid have gone down?” I tentatively asked.
“I think it did.”
“How, and what can we do?” L asked the obvious. We all sat around thinking for a while.
Suddenly, a thought hit me. “I know how to help!"
"How?" they asked in unison.
"We can get the grid back up!"
"Yeah, right," L replied scoffingly.
"I know where the Grid Center is, and D is one of the best programmers."
"Where is it, and how do you know?" D asked.
"Well, its just a thought but--"
"Where?" they chorused.

Blackout World Prelude

This world was once a world of ice and primitive beings. No technology existed, although the historians of the Dawning Age insisted that the stones and sticks our ancestors used were Technology. We are now in the Recovery Age, Directly after the Great Fall. I will tell you about my roll in the Great Fall and the Reactivation, but I must first explain the history of this planet.

Long ago (all of our files are vague; the Great Fall wreaked havoc with our data) the first ancestors of humans became. These were believed to be singled celled organisms. These evolved into higher, multicellular creatures, and grew closer to the highest life forms known. Eventually, the first humans evolved, but in a time of ice and cold. They still needed to become more intelligent to take their roles as leaders of the planet, but the humans were finally on earth.
It was a short period of time (compared with the evolution of the human) until the first computers were designed. We no longer have any of the first computers, but we still have some of the “Windows Vista” model relics. I have personally seen one of these, and it is almost hysterical to think of it being state of the art.

There have been eight ages; the First Age, the Age of Entry, the Dawning Age, the Age of Struggle, the Age of Growth, the Age of Prosperity, the Age of perfection, and the Recovery Age. We are now in the Recovery Age. During the Age of Struggle, humans prospered, but could not control their prosperity. Nearly losing their Technology in the Great Disaster, they did lose their fuel and environment. During the Age of Growth, the greatly decreased population struggled to regain their place as masters of the world from a war-torn, polluted, ravaged, barren world. By the Age of Prosperity, the world was once again as it should have been, but the humans had learned no lessons from the Great Disaster, the humans continued to take control of the planet and gather wealth. In the beginning of the Age of Perfection, humans were taking everything for granted, from food to automated travel to instant gratification for their slightest whims. Towards the end of the Age of Perfection, we were relying solely on Technology, and had forgotten how to do the most menial of tasks.

Our story starts in the last year of the Age of Perfection; the last week, in fact. D-112, L-97, and I (B-07) were on an inter-System trip, to aid our learning cycle. We were not children, yet we were still in the learning cycle, which may have been why we were able to accomplish the task required of us at all. You see, we were still “underdeveloped,” so we were not relying on Technology. This cannot be the entire explanation, though, for no one had questioned the Systems or Technologies for generations.
We were out of the enclosed Systems, though, and that is what mattered. I gave you the history of our planet, and now I have given you our own history. I do this to save trouble in telling the story, yet there will doubtless be errors I will have to correct. Our story starts now, in fact on the day of the Great Fall.



--Let the lessons be learned
--Alnar, Chronicler of Disaster
--Dedicated to preventing the destruction of humans by their own hands