(no subject)
Preston and Robbie hadn't talked in quite a while.
Preston found his son sitting on the bed in their room-tossing and catching a baseball he'd gotten from-well-somewhere.
"Robbie-"
"....Hi John."
Preston's face fell. clenching his hand in a fist, Preston strode quickly across the room and took a seat beside his son, "-The door's back." Preston's voice is soft, "...I'm sending you home."
Robbie's eyes widened, "Dad-"
"Listen. To me." Preston said. His words were coming out harsher then he'd intended, "I'm sending you back with a message for Cleric Tate. And Some books and things. We're both going back."
"-John...Why?" Robbie stood up, face controted in fury, "...Why do we have to go back? Why can't we stay here? It's better here. I like it here. I don't want to ever go back!" The feelings bubbled and overflowed, three years of repression
Preston frowned ,surprised as Robbie flung the baseball across the room-hitting the wall with a loud smack. The Child's face was streaked with tears as he flung himself on the floor.
"Why are you behaving like this?" Preston was at a loss. This reaction wasn't expected; especially from Robbie "We can't...hide from our problems Robbie."
"-That's what we were doing with Prosium!" The boy cried, "The War! The Insuing Conflicts and the plagues? You've seen the slogans too John. Feeling Trapped? Take a cap of prosium. Clinically required to suppress feelings of depression, rage, anxiety, fear-
"And that's why what happened happened." Preston stood up, not the father-but the Cleric, "That's why we're going to change, we're going to start fixing things-"
"You can't fix human nature! Father proved that, and Human nature is to run away from problems!" Robbie stood up, furious, "-The strong don't protect the weak like they're supposed to, they manipulate them into believing false notions and lies!"
Preston slapped him.
The movement was so unexpected that Robbie dropped to his knees, terrified.
"Don't be ignorant." Preston's voice was hard, "-Don't you dare decide that now is the time to play the stupid and witless little boy."
Cleric to the end, Robbie rose, "...Yes sir." He stood straight at attention, "Forgive my lapse in judgement cleric."
Preston froze.
Don't you see Preston? It's gone. Everything that we are traded away.
And they'd had a reason to. There had been war and murder. The nations of the world had slaughtered each other over crude oil, bringing the planet and their species to a mutual state of destruction all for their own petty and selfish gains. Then systematically each nation had torn themselves apart under the threat and burden of one thing or another.
And so they'd welcomed the chance to run. The chance that had been provided by the second and third councillaries. It hurt too much on a physical and mental level. Faces of loved ones swam up through the dim and dank fog of the human mind every chance. The people had felt sick, the people had felt sick and weak-
In a flash, Preston was on his knees wrapping his arms around Robbie-burying his face in the boy's chest. Surprised-Robbie stopped completely before wrapping his own arms around his father-the two sharing a mutual embrace.
"....We traded it away." Preston murmured, "But we're going to get it back." he pulled away and set his hands on his son's shoulders, "Listen to me. Robbie-The hope for the future-for rebuilding mankind into something servicable, to make up for all the time that we've lost-doesn't rest with me. I can only help guide you. It is the duty, the responsibility of the generation that follows to take up the mantle of civilization and carry it into the future."
Those had been Father's words.
But they meant something else.
"Throughout human history. We have to go back, I have to build Something so that you and your sister can make it stronger. Make it better. You've seen the lowest that we can sink...now-"
Preston smiled, "....I want to see how high we can fly."
Robbie laughed, "Humans can't-"
"Fly. Some can here."
The two shared a laugh, ".....I'll follow you as soon as I can." He's got things to do here, and he can't go back.
Not yet.
Because he's scared and the thought makes him sick inside.
"....okay dad."
The two hug again, no silence breaching their feeling. Something so perfect, so mute and so right that cursed be the person who comes between them.
Preston found his son sitting on the bed in their room-tossing and catching a baseball he'd gotten from-well-somewhere.
"Robbie-"
"....Hi John."
Preston's face fell. clenching his hand in a fist, Preston strode quickly across the room and took a seat beside his son, "-The door's back." Preston's voice is soft, "...I'm sending you home."
Robbie's eyes widened, "Dad-"
"Listen. To me." Preston said. His words were coming out harsher then he'd intended, "I'm sending you back with a message for Cleric Tate. And Some books and things. We're both going back."
"-John...Why?" Robbie stood up, face controted in fury, "...Why do we have to go back? Why can't we stay here? It's better here. I like it here. I don't want to ever go back!" The feelings bubbled and overflowed, three years of repression
Preston frowned ,surprised as Robbie flung the baseball across the room-hitting the wall with a loud smack. The Child's face was streaked with tears as he flung himself on the floor.
"Why are you behaving like this?" Preston was at a loss. This reaction wasn't expected; especially from Robbie "We can't...hide from our problems Robbie."
"-That's what we were doing with Prosium!" The boy cried, "The War! The Insuing Conflicts and the plagues? You've seen the slogans too John. Feeling Trapped? Take a cap of prosium. Clinically required to suppress feelings of depression, rage, anxiety, fear-
"And that's why what happened happened." Preston stood up, not the father-but the Cleric, "That's why we're going to change, we're going to start fixing things-"
"You can't fix human nature! Father proved that, and Human nature is to run away from problems!" Robbie stood up, furious, "-The strong don't protect the weak like they're supposed to, they manipulate them into believing false notions and lies!"
Preston slapped him.
The movement was so unexpected that Robbie dropped to his knees, terrified.
"Don't be ignorant." Preston's voice was hard, "-Don't you dare decide that now is the time to play the stupid and witless little boy."
Cleric to the end, Robbie rose, "...Yes sir." He stood straight at attention, "Forgive my lapse in judgement cleric."
Preston froze.
Don't you see Preston? It's gone. Everything that we are traded away.
And they'd had a reason to. There had been war and murder. The nations of the world had slaughtered each other over crude oil, bringing the planet and their species to a mutual state of destruction all for their own petty and selfish gains. Then systematically each nation had torn themselves apart under the threat and burden of one thing or another.
And so they'd welcomed the chance to run. The chance that had been provided by the second and third councillaries. It hurt too much on a physical and mental level. Faces of loved ones swam up through the dim and dank fog of the human mind every chance. The people had felt sick, the people had felt sick and weak-
In a flash, Preston was on his knees wrapping his arms around Robbie-burying his face in the boy's chest. Surprised-Robbie stopped completely before wrapping his own arms around his father-the two sharing a mutual embrace.
"....We traded it away." Preston murmured, "But we're going to get it back." he pulled away and set his hands on his son's shoulders, "Listen to me. Robbie-The hope for the future-for rebuilding mankind into something servicable, to make up for all the time that we've lost-doesn't rest with me. I can only help guide you. It is the duty, the responsibility of the generation that follows to take up the mantle of civilization and carry it into the future."
Those had been Father's words.
But they meant something else.
"Throughout human history. We have to go back, I have to build Something so that you and your sister can make it stronger. Make it better. You've seen the lowest that we can sink...now-"
Preston smiled, "....I want to see how high we can fly."
Robbie laughed, "Humans can't-"
"Fly. Some can here."
The two shared a laugh, ".....I'll follow you as soon as I can." He's got things to do here, and he can't go back.
Not yet.
Because he's scared and the thought makes him sick inside.
"....okay dad."
The two hug again, no silence breaching their feeling. Something so perfect, so mute and so right that cursed be the person who comes between them.