[Original][Short Story] The Enigma
The Enigma
by: Lady Multi // Silena Buckelew 2013
Summary: Set as a story being told after the Apocalypse. Riona, a girl, born and raised on Earth is faced with part of her destiny that she dare not accept, especially since it is revealed to her after the end of human civilization with only a small number left alive.
Preface: Well, this is part dream, part my own workings. The majority of it is part of a dream I had, though; I'd say about 70% dream/ 30% making it make sense all together. :) There could be some grammatical errors or some weird writing as I've only just quickly read over it after I completed it. I don't plan on messing with it anymore. It is what it is and that's all it ever will be.
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The Enigma
by: Silena Buckelew
June 22, 2013
*~*~*~*~*
The world was dying...
...and it was not humans who took upon solving such the great issue at hand. Even I had been blind to the disease that plagued the world until he opened my eyes.
I was born onto the human world and lived with it and enjoyed it for years. I considered some of the humans my friends and could see potential in some. I thought most if how humanity ran was right....that our decisions were the best we could do for the time. I had been furious when it had been taken away and fought hard to retrieve it.
I chose to defy all of what I was truly born to be all because I was attached to life of humanity. I chose to fight…
I was, at the beginning of it all, still existing as a human did I see the mass eradication of humanity and its culture. Billions were killed; their cities razed to the ground in meager moments. All of the possessions the humans had, asides from the clothing on their backs, were gone. Just a small number remained.
I was there with them, and when I saw the intruders, whom had carry out the disastrous deed of eradicating humanity, take a group of individuals into their compound, I rallied those around me to gather up any remaining arms of the human world and seek to reclaim those that they had stolen.
We were few, so even such a few more was so precious to us.
Using an old helicopter, surprisingly found in one piece a flyable, out mission began. I, leading them, we flew into the compound.
We assaulted the place, doing the best we could to avoid any attack from our enemy; sneaking in through the back, using our weapons to keep that path clear… We had reached our stolen ones.
Yet it had been that moment that the leader of the intruders decided to make attempt to squash our challenge.
"Go! Continue the mission; get these people out." I commanded, "I'll stay here and take care of them."
Those with me were hesitant. I had been leading them all up to that point. Abandoning their commander must have been unnerving to them.
"GO…now! Or all will be wasted!" I commanded again.
I barricaded the doors of which separated me from the leader of the Intruders and was left alone to face any whom would come through that door.
I held my ground, holding the portal between I and the intruders closed, until I saw the helicopter fly safely away.
Seeing it get smaller in the distance, I stepped away from my barricade and waited until the Intruders came through.
The leader of the Intruders seemed to not look too surprised that I was standing there, alone, on the other side of the door that they had been so hard to break through.
"What do you think you are doing?" he asked me. He looked human, himself.
"We came for our people." I replied bluntly.
He grinned, showing unnaturally white, fanged teeth. He looked similarly human, so his sharp, clear, perfect features were unnerving. He looked like a perfect porcelain doll. In fact: all the intruders had similar look. But this leader of theirs; he had the more human look to him. It made his presence so much more unnerving, but still I did not waver.
"We will follow them and find where that vehicle lands, then we will find all of your people." He stated to me.
"I doubt that." I replied.
"Oh, so you have already thought and planned around that." He said. "I am not surprised." His voice echoed a tone of amusement.
"Don't make fun of me!" I shouted. "It was me that broke through you perfect line of defense. How can you be doing all of this anyway! Why have you come; and why have you attacked us?"
"You misunderstand; we are helping." He stated. "Humanity is a poison to itself and this world. It was not supposed to be this way; so we enacted the program to reset. This is not the first time that we have had to reset humanity to assist it to its true form."
"What are you talking about?" I asked him, confused by his meaning.
He walked, calmly, closer to me, "Humanity is a seed placed up on this world, long ago, left to blossom to is perfection. However, it failed and was starting to wilt. We had no choice; left alone humanity would completely destroy itself."
"What right have you to decide such a thing!" I snapped at him, furious at his cocky behavior.
He looked at me as if he was studding me; looking at me, as if he was looking for something else, "This is interesting that you do not understand. You should have come to understand instantly; instead you side with those of which you are not."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Tell me: how man humans do you think is alive?"
"I have no idea; I'm not the one who chose to wipe us out."
"There you go again: adding yourself with them." He said to me. "Including you: there are 5,001 beings that had existed upon this world before our arrival remaining.."
Such a low number shocked me.
"It has been called the 'perfect amount' by our many encounters with reset upon other worlds."
I gaped, "You've done this to others!"
"We've done it to humans twice before; again, you should already know all of this." He stated.
I glared at him, "Quit saying that! I’m human, like those you've killed; why would I know the reason why you've killed billions of people on this planet!"
He turned to face me, pointing toward my face, "Because you're not human; not anymore. The moment we came to be upon this world, once again, you ceased in being human. This planet is ours, as are every planet in existence. We are the ones whom sow seeds of life upon worlds, hoping to birth a universe of synchronicity. We, the Enigmas, are the ones whom are the Kings of the world."
I stared at him, listening to what he had to say.
"Do you want to know more?" he asked as he lowered his hand. He looked around, "If you have no intention on directly fighting me and losing here, I suggest you simply follow me, and I will fully explain the situation to you since you don’t know."
I eyed him as he turned his back and motioned for me to follow him. Seeing as my friends had escaped, and I had chance of escape against so many and without a way to get down from their tower, I saw no necessity in any attempt to fight them.
I considered myself lucky that they had no decided to kill me outright; though I had become bemused by the way he had started talking to me.
He led the way and I followed. The others that had joined him to confront me in that area had dispersed: leaving he and I alone.
Some of the tower's village, as what was existed upon the top of the tower, inhabitants were looking at me as I passed them; and it was then I noticed a peculiar fact: every person there was male. There were no women in sight. All of them held different appearance, though; though all held some humanist quality to their appearance. They weren't "deformed" by any means; it was just how they were. Some of their body proportions were different; their skin colors variant; eye shape style from cat-like to almost bug-like; hands or claws… it was all just as they were, yet every one of them was "perfect" as they were. It was unnerving.
There was a moment I realized I was trailing behind them man I had been following, and found myself making a small dash to catch up. He had barely even acknowledged that I had lagged behind until I had done so, making sure to keep up with him for the rest of the trek.
He had led us to a central building and inside. He led me down a small hallway and towards a back room. As we passed a few small rooms I glanced into the rooms. They were sparsely furnished and seemed only to contain what was necessity to live: places to sit in the forms of cushions, a small table, and I caught sight of a small kitchenette of sorts.
He stopped at the door to the farthest room and turned to the side, motioning for me to enter the dark room first.
Eyeing him as I walk past him, I proceeded into the room, stopping a few feet in. He followed me inside, stopping to stand next to me.
"This is a chamber to view the world beneath the tower; seeing as it is the world of Earth, we can look down up that world." He stated. He placed a hand upon my back and ushered me forward, even further into the dark room. As the door had shut behind up, the room was completely dark
When we stopped walking, he removed his hand from my back, "Do not startle." He said to me.
I looked towards the direction of his voice; he stood directly to my side but I had been unable to see him.
Though that would change; the room lit suddenly. Above me, below me, and all around, the blackness changed to scenery.
I looked around sharply, gathering in the sights, noting that it appeared as if I were flying near the clouds and, if I looked down, was looking down upon the world.
"When we arrived, the land was obscured by pollution, and crudely made structures humans called skyscrapers." He stated. "There were lands upon this world poisoned by forces put out by humans. We saw this, upon our world, and saw fit to cure it. Destroying humanity's current culture was necessity to separate them from reliance of the structure that we needed to rid from this world. We did so, destroyed poisonous dens humans wanted to call 'home', and cured the lands of poisonous remnants of human's attempts. Radiation, pollution, filth…we removed all it. We left what was necessary."
He looked towards me; I turned to meet his gaze. "We left an optimal number of humans to try again. We left fragments of this fallen culture for future historical connection; perhaps for them to learn from the past and not make the same mistake. Yet, in several generations, all memory of living in that civilization will be gone. People will move on and live lives that have nothing to do with the world we just destroyed. It was necessary; you should know that."
I shook my head, "Who…What are you? And why do you keep saying I should know?"
"I am known as Ray and I am an Enigma." He replied to me, "And you, Riona, are an Enigma as well."
I stepped back, "I am not!" I shouted.
He shook his head, "Yes, you are; however, for some reason, you were not awaken the moment of our arrival. That and, unlike any other Enigma, you are female. It is probably some accident due to humans becoming so damaged. You also hold a strong attachment to humans; usually, those who are Enigma, are not very attached to their race they shared a world with."
I shook my head and backed away, "No, you're lying." I turned to run away, yet he reached out and caught my arm.
"You are going to help us guide these humans to the location they need be;" he stated. "Those that had been brought here, were brought here and cured of diseases they did not even know they had. They, along with the others need to be guided to 10 key locations; 500 individuals in each group, carefully divided for optimal re-population."
I turned my head around, glared at him, and attempted to pull out of his grip; however, the grip did not budge. "I've no intention to help you! What right have you to decide! I want it back: all of it! All the pieces of the world you destroyed; all the people you killed! What right had you to decide how humans need to be?"
"Because you are ours." He stated. "And, if you wish to know why we were called to this location, it was because the Enigma of the world called for it. That is why I am curious to why you do not understand what is going on."
My eyes widened in shock.
"Something in you decided that this world was wrong." He stated. "That is why we came; the human's Enigma called to us and showed us their failure. That was you. Saying you want all of those billions of people back: do you really mean it? All of them?"
I was left at a loss for words that moment. Part of what he was saying seemed to almost make perfect sense to me. The human world had, indeed, been in a mess, and there were a lot of very bad people who took advantage of everything and every moment they could. Yet, I still felt it was not an excuse to eradicate humanity and its culture.
"Humanity was a poison to itself, this world, and left to its own device, it would have become a poison that would spread throughout this galaxy." He stated. "The only way to save humanity itself, humanity's future, and the areas humanity may touch was to carry out as we did."
Ray released his hold on me and stepped back, "There is no way back from this point. Humanity must learn a new path and forget their old."
I knew what he meant by that point. What's done was done and there was no turning back. The civilization humanity had created was gone, lost to them forever. A new culture would rise from the survivors and eventually history will become a legend and fade from memory. It was an inevitable truth of the world and of how the world would just have to accept it.
I did not want to accept the fact nor did I want to believe what he was telling me about being this "Enigma" as he and the other Intruders were.
"Soon," he told me, "the humans will rally and attempt to reclaim you as you are the one see as their leader. That is when you must accept your place as one of us and dictate those of humanity to their places."
He had really told me nothing else at that point. He would lead me out of that room and to a the sitting room we had passed. I. did nothing but sit there; when he brought me something to drink I continued to simply sit there in silence.
A good while later I lay down upon the pillows that made up the seating for the room and just thought about everything he had said to me. Before much longer I must've fallen asleep there.
I knew I had fallen asleep in the sitting room of the central building of the Enigma tower. However, when I awoke I found myself lying on a flat bed of sorts covered in a thin beige blanket. I also found that, though I had fallen asleep in my clothes that I had come there in, I was wearing only a thin black cloak robe of sorts. It was actually quite similar to the clothing Ray had worn only it was too big for me.
As I pulled on the clothing I noticed that my hands looked different. My nails were longer and looked manicured. I had no idea why at first and then the thought came to me....I recalled what Ray had said to me and I recalled how all the Enigmas looked: their perfection.
I jumped up and off the bed and searched the room for a mirror. None was mounted on the walls so I flung open the wardrobe that stood against one wall. A mirror lay inside.
Even in the dim lit room I looked at my reflection; my hair had lightened, now a snowy blonde color; my eyes had changed from green to a ocean blue; my skin's completion had lightened and become blemish and scar free... it was like I was looking at a doll version of myself.
I did not want to believe that Ray had been right when had said that I was an Enigma as they were. I could not believe it: I was human, all my friends were human, and all I knew were what I had learned from humans.
I had to go; that I knew. Staying there in that place had to have changed me: I was human and could not stay there any longer...even if I had to fight my way out.
Quickly, I rummaged through the wardrobe finding some pants, and quickly dressed myself in clothing that I would dare be able to fight in either by putting on clothing found or l, by how I did the robe, by tying it up shorter as if it were as shirt.
Once finished I made my way to exit the room and found the doorway unlocked, and even more for that matter: without a lock at all. As I came into the hallway I found that I was on the second floor of the building of which I assumed was the central building.
I descended the spiral staircase and down upon the first floor. My suspicion wad confirmed: I found myself in the first floor hallway of the central building. I recalled my surveillance of the place and proceeded to find my way back to the entrance.
I was surprised you find no resistance on my way. I found the door with ease: again with no lock to keep it locked. So I exited the building. Only once I reached the outside, I stopped. Where was I going to leave to? How was I going to leave? I knew not their compound nor did I know any of their paths of entry and exit to the surface of Earth.
It was then I was startled: Ray had quietly walked up behind me and placed a hand upon my shoulder, “As my suspicion, the humans have rallied for your return." he stated. "We are ready for you to tell them how it will go. All 5,000 humans have gathered at the location set up for them at the base of this tower."
I turned my head sharply, “Impossible! I've only been asleep for a night."
Ray laughed. It was the first time I had heard him laugh: he had been so serious up to that point other than the eerie smile when we first met. He patted me on the shoulder.
"Dear Riona, you've been asleep far longer than that. I carried you to that room after you had slept for a day. Your body must have begun its awakening into an Enigma and refused to let you waken." he stated.
"How long was I asleep?" I asked.
"Three months." Ray stated.
I stared at him in disbelief. It made no sense; I felt as if I had only slept for just a night. I would think I would feel less energetic from such a long period of inactivity. If I had really slept three months and if I truly was one of those "Enigma" people, then it would truly explain how my appearance had changed. However, I did not want to believe it.
From what I would gather from all Ray had told me, the Enigma know that their world is rotten and seek to rectify it. I still wanted the world back. If I truly was the Enigma of the humans, then why did I first seek for it to change then so desire for nothing to ever have occurred? It made no sense to me.
"You have two months to deal with the humans." He stated suddenly, pulling me out of my thoughts.
I turned my head sharply, meeting his gaze, "What are you talking about?"
"It is the job of the Enigma of the worlds on which we go to divide the inhabitants for their next try." Ray explained to me. "It is your job to go down to the humans and divide them into their groups. I have already told you that the humans need be divided into 10 groups and sent to 10 key locations." He reached into his robe and pulled out a sets of folded cloth. "Upon our arrival to this place, we re-terraformed this world though maintaining the set number of necessary creatures to repopulate this world. These are the maps your are to give to the groups and send them on their way. All except one that is. One group must remain here as the location beneath the tower is one key location."
I shook my head, "Why would I want to separate those poor people! If that's all of humanity, I…!"
Ray cut me off before I could finish, "They would starve to death, most certainly. Supplies at the restart of culture have been placed in those locations. There is no other choice. The humans will not listen to those of whom destroyed their world, but one from it… Thus we Enigma exist."
I looked at the folded cloths in his hand before taking them from him.
"Two months is all you have." He stated one again.
I snapped my head up, meeting his gaze, "You expect me to do something with 5,000 people in two months."
"You would have had longer if you had awaken before our arrival." Ray stated. "You spent one month fighting us, and three months sleeping. Your time is now down to two months and that is all. You cannot take any longer for when the time is up this place and all of the Enigmas will vanish from this world." he explained.
I had no idea what to say. I dare not argue with him for I knew that a verbal battle with the man would be pointless. I simply looked at the cloth maps I had taken from him and debated on how to go about the task that I had even appointed.
"I will show you the way down to the world below when you are ready." Ray stated.
"Take me there now," I said without a thought. I did not want to stay there any longer so it likely prompted my quick reply.
Ray simply nodded before walking forward. I followed closely behind him as he led us to a round, stone building which appeared to lay in the center of the entire village area that made up the top of the tower.
He guided us inside and we stood upon engraved markings on the golden floor. He looked down at the markings held out both his hands, palms facing the floor, and mumbled some strange phrases in a language I had never heard before.
We vanished from the room and appeared at the base of the tower. I could hear people yelling outside of the open-doorway in front of where we had appeared. I could see a couple of people standing on the other side of the door as if guarding it; I assumed they were some of the Enigmas, as they were called.
Ray walked forward and I was left to follow him out of the door. As we got nearer to the door, the yelling was louder.
As the yelling got clearer, I could understand what the yelling was about. It was people yelling, cursing, and telling the Enigmas that stood outside the base of the tower to "leave" and cursing at them about destroying their lives, homes, and killing people such as their friends and family.
It was something I had argued about at the beginning; the only sobering thing was my sudden change and being told that I was, in some way, responsible for the change. My realization that my thoughts had somewhat altered on this situation irked me to an extent.
I still felt human, but I was under a growing realization that I was not, in any way, human. I was just as Ray had said: I was the human's Enigma and had just had the privilege to experience the death of the previous human civilization.
I kept back from Ray as both of us made our way outside. I watched as he walked to the edge of the platform we were standing upon; it was like a stage about 5 feet off the ground. Where he stood, he could overlook the rioting crowd.
I wasn't even paying attention when he started speaking to the crowd. I was more in a daze at the sizable number of people that had gathered there: men, women, and children…. My thought of him possibly lying about all 5,000 gathering was shot down by the gathering before me.
Ray had somehow quieted the crowd during his speech. I wasn't paying attention until I noticed him glace back at me for a second before continuing his speech.
"Those who know her may not recognize her but she was once one of one that lived upon is planet. If you hate us, I implore you not to hate her. She was one whom had fought so strongly against us before she found out the truth and we have allowed it to fall to her to guide you from this day." he stated before turning to motion for me to come forward and stand next to him.
Hesitantly I walked forward and stood by his side. My eyes scanned the crowd: I saw several whom I knew standing amongst them... The ones I had implored to leave me behind that day.
"I will leave this woman, Riona, to speak with you." he stated just before turning and leaving me there alone.
I was at a total loss at what to say. I hadn't really thought the situation over but there I stood. I looked like them now... No longer did I appear human. So how was I supposed to begin.
One of those that had left me up in the tower that day rushed to the edge of the stage, pushing his way through the crowd to do so, "Riona, is that really you?" he asked me.
My only response was simply to nod.
He reached out his arms, "Get down here and tell me what the hell has happened to you."
I smiled faintly, nodding, before allowing him to assist me down from the stage. Some of the others of the group that had fought our way into that tower had joined us by that point including some of the children we rescued from the Enigmas that day.
"I wish to talk to you all privately before I discuss what is going on with everyone else. I may need your help." I said.
He looked at me curiously but nodded, "Let's get to my place. It isn't too big but it works and it was conveniently built for my usage."
Those that knew me walked with us, heading in the direction of my friend's house. Those who did not looked at me with confusion and dismay. No longer were they yelling and cursing. Whatever Ray had said to them when I was not paying attention in combination with the fact that people recognized me enough for me to join them off the stage, must have rendered them the dumbfounded silence. Perhaps my task would not be as difficult as I had initially assumed.
Explaining it, however, would turn out to be a different story. Upon reaching my friend's house, I attempted to explain it as Ray had explained it; they seemed confused about it. Trying to explain the why and how I was an Enigma was difficult. Explaining why the world had come to the way it had; well, I avoided the part where Ray had told it was because of me that they had come.
After finally wording everything to comprehension, my friend's accepted what I had told them as fact. They knew me, after all; they knew who I was and how I was before we went on that rescue mission and they saw me as I had become after I had been "captured" by the Enigmas for 3 months.
When I was finished explaining my story, I went on to explain what the Enigma leader, Ray, had explained fell to me as an obligation. I explained how I was given maps and was told to split everyone into groups. At first, my friends had their own reservations on splitting up the group, but as I went on to explain the issue with everyone staying together-limited resources-they, too, saw the necessity of splitting the groups into the smaller numbers.
The fact that they were "chosen" in a way to continue live upon Earth by the Enigmas slowly sunk in for them. It was then that they decided to assist me in splitting up the groups. After all, they had spent time with the people and actually had recorded everyone and every family that had come to be in that area, even before they were, apparently cut off from leaving once everyone had arrived.
The optimization of splitting up the human race was now to be in our collective hands. Once we had come to that conclusion, we set up to re-gather and speak to everyone.
The following couple of months passed like a blur. People were split into groups, doing best to keep families together. They were given the maps and set out on their ways. It was a somber feeling when the groups began to take their leave from the central location. My friends were chosen to stay in that location; it meant I could spend more time with them.
I had never told them that I would be leaving at the end of the cycle. Nor did I tell them that my feelings for them were starting to lessen. Apparently, Ray was truly correct the entire time. I was an Enigma, no longer human at all. I knew that, though they would miss me at the end of my time there, I would not miss them. I would never forget them; no…I never would…for they were my start as what I had become.
The night before the Enigmas were to vanish from the world we had a great party celebrating their leave. I was right there with them, and just an hour before the Enigma were to vanish at midnight, I crept off into the night, making my way to the tower.
Ray stood there upon the stage, waiting for me. The guards that had once stood outside had already retreated into their fortress.
"Said your goodbyes?" Ray inquired.
"You know there is no need for that." I replied.
Ray nodded and held out his hand to help me up onto the stage. I followed him back into the tower's gateway and were transported up back to the Enigma fortress.
I continued to watch down upon the sleeping human world beneath the tower from the viewing room until the very last moment. The screen had gone black as my view of the human world was no longer; at that same instance, the stage and the tower of the Enigma fortress vanished from the human world… We left only for knowledge of us to become something of myth and legend. In many years to come, human civilization would begin anew and all would be forgotten of the previous lives.
And that was the way it was to be. And then became my new mission as an Enigma: to remember every bit of that fallen civilization. We Enigma each have our stories to tell; and I was just one of many…
END
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Well, I had fun with it. It's not much but hey, it was a pet project of sorts. I haven't been able to work on anything major because my brain has just not been in it.
by: Lady Multi // Silena Buckelew 2013
Summary: Set as a story being told after the Apocalypse. Riona, a girl, born and raised on Earth is faced with part of her destiny that she dare not accept, especially since it is revealed to her after the end of human civilization with only a small number left alive.
Preface: Well, this is part dream, part my own workings. The majority of it is part of a dream I had, though; I'd say about 70% dream/ 30% making it make sense all together. :) There could be some grammatical errors or some weird writing as I've only just quickly read over it after I completed it. I don't plan on messing with it anymore. It is what it is and that's all it ever will be.
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The Enigma
by: Silena Buckelew
June 22, 2013
*~*~*~*~*
The world was dying...
...and it was not humans who took upon solving such the great issue at hand. Even I had been blind to the disease that plagued the world until he opened my eyes.
I was born onto the human world and lived with it and enjoyed it for years. I considered some of the humans my friends and could see potential in some. I thought most if how humanity ran was right....that our decisions were the best we could do for the time. I had been furious when it had been taken away and fought hard to retrieve it.
I chose to defy all of what I was truly born to be all because I was attached to life of humanity. I chose to fight…
I was, at the beginning of it all, still existing as a human did I see the mass eradication of humanity and its culture. Billions were killed; their cities razed to the ground in meager moments. All of the possessions the humans had, asides from the clothing on their backs, were gone. Just a small number remained.
I was there with them, and when I saw the intruders, whom had carry out the disastrous deed of eradicating humanity, take a group of individuals into their compound, I rallied those around me to gather up any remaining arms of the human world and seek to reclaim those that they had stolen.
We were few, so even such a few more was so precious to us.
Using an old helicopter, surprisingly found in one piece a flyable, out mission began. I, leading them, we flew into the compound.
We assaulted the place, doing the best we could to avoid any attack from our enemy; sneaking in through the back, using our weapons to keep that path clear… We had reached our stolen ones.
Yet it had been that moment that the leader of the intruders decided to make attempt to squash our challenge.
"Go! Continue the mission; get these people out." I commanded, "I'll stay here and take care of them."
Those with me were hesitant. I had been leading them all up to that point. Abandoning their commander must have been unnerving to them.
"GO…now! Or all will be wasted!" I commanded again.
I barricaded the doors of which separated me from the leader of the Intruders and was left alone to face any whom would come through that door.
I held my ground, holding the portal between I and the intruders closed, until I saw the helicopter fly safely away.
Seeing it get smaller in the distance, I stepped away from my barricade and waited until the Intruders came through.
The leader of the Intruders seemed to not look too surprised that I was standing there, alone, on the other side of the door that they had been so hard to break through.
"What do you think you are doing?" he asked me. He looked human, himself.
"We came for our people." I replied bluntly.
He grinned, showing unnaturally white, fanged teeth. He looked similarly human, so his sharp, clear, perfect features were unnerving. He looked like a perfect porcelain doll. In fact: all the intruders had similar look. But this leader of theirs; he had the more human look to him. It made his presence so much more unnerving, but still I did not waver.
"We will follow them and find where that vehicle lands, then we will find all of your people." He stated to me.
"I doubt that." I replied.
"Oh, so you have already thought and planned around that." He said. "I am not surprised." His voice echoed a tone of amusement.
"Don't make fun of me!" I shouted. "It was me that broke through you perfect line of defense. How can you be doing all of this anyway! Why have you come; and why have you attacked us?"
"You misunderstand; we are helping." He stated. "Humanity is a poison to itself and this world. It was not supposed to be this way; so we enacted the program to reset. This is not the first time that we have had to reset humanity to assist it to its true form."
"What are you talking about?" I asked him, confused by his meaning.
He walked, calmly, closer to me, "Humanity is a seed placed up on this world, long ago, left to blossom to is perfection. However, it failed and was starting to wilt. We had no choice; left alone humanity would completely destroy itself."
"What right have you to decide such a thing!" I snapped at him, furious at his cocky behavior.
He looked at me as if he was studding me; looking at me, as if he was looking for something else, "This is interesting that you do not understand. You should have come to understand instantly; instead you side with those of which you are not."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Tell me: how man humans do you think is alive?"
"I have no idea; I'm not the one who chose to wipe us out."
"There you go again: adding yourself with them." He said to me. "Including you: there are 5,001 beings that had existed upon this world before our arrival remaining.."
Such a low number shocked me.
"It has been called the 'perfect amount' by our many encounters with reset upon other worlds."
I gaped, "You've done this to others!"
"We've done it to humans twice before; again, you should already know all of this." He stated.
I glared at him, "Quit saying that! I’m human, like those you've killed; why would I know the reason why you've killed billions of people on this planet!"
He turned to face me, pointing toward my face, "Because you're not human; not anymore. The moment we came to be upon this world, once again, you ceased in being human. This planet is ours, as are every planet in existence. We are the ones whom sow seeds of life upon worlds, hoping to birth a universe of synchronicity. We, the Enigmas, are the ones whom are the Kings of the world."
I stared at him, listening to what he had to say.
"Do you want to know more?" he asked as he lowered his hand. He looked around, "If you have no intention on directly fighting me and losing here, I suggest you simply follow me, and I will fully explain the situation to you since you don’t know."
I eyed him as he turned his back and motioned for me to follow him. Seeing as my friends had escaped, and I had chance of escape against so many and without a way to get down from their tower, I saw no necessity in any attempt to fight them.
I considered myself lucky that they had no decided to kill me outright; though I had become bemused by the way he had started talking to me.
He led the way and I followed. The others that had joined him to confront me in that area had dispersed: leaving he and I alone.
Some of the tower's village, as what was existed upon the top of the tower, inhabitants were looking at me as I passed them; and it was then I noticed a peculiar fact: every person there was male. There were no women in sight. All of them held different appearance, though; though all held some humanist quality to their appearance. They weren't "deformed" by any means; it was just how they were. Some of their body proportions were different; their skin colors variant; eye shape style from cat-like to almost bug-like; hands or claws… it was all just as they were, yet every one of them was "perfect" as they were. It was unnerving.
There was a moment I realized I was trailing behind them man I had been following, and found myself making a small dash to catch up. He had barely even acknowledged that I had lagged behind until I had done so, making sure to keep up with him for the rest of the trek.
He had led us to a central building and inside. He led me down a small hallway and towards a back room. As we passed a few small rooms I glanced into the rooms. They were sparsely furnished and seemed only to contain what was necessity to live: places to sit in the forms of cushions, a small table, and I caught sight of a small kitchenette of sorts.
He stopped at the door to the farthest room and turned to the side, motioning for me to enter the dark room first.
Eyeing him as I walk past him, I proceeded into the room, stopping a few feet in. He followed me inside, stopping to stand next to me.
"This is a chamber to view the world beneath the tower; seeing as it is the world of Earth, we can look down up that world." He stated. He placed a hand upon my back and ushered me forward, even further into the dark room. As the door had shut behind up, the room was completely dark
When we stopped walking, he removed his hand from my back, "Do not startle." He said to me.
I looked towards the direction of his voice; he stood directly to my side but I had been unable to see him.
Though that would change; the room lit suddenly. Above me, below me, and all around, the blackness changed to scenery.
I looked around sharply, gathering in the sights, noting that it appeared as if I were flying near the clouds and, if I looked down, was looking down upon the world.
"When we arrived, the land was obscured by pollution, and crudely made structures humans called skyscrapers." He stated. "There were lands upon this world poisoned by forces put out by humans. We saw this, upon our world, and saw fit to cure it. Destroying humanity's current culture was necessity to separate them from reliance of the structure that we needed to rid from this world. We did so, destroyed poisonous dens humans wanted to call 'home', and cured the lands of poisonous remnants of human's attempts. Radiation, pollution, filth…we removed all it. We left what was necessary."
He looked towards me; I turned to meet his gaze. "We left an optimal number of humans to try again. We left fragments of this fallen culture for future historical connection; perhaps for them to learn from the past and not make the same mistake. Yet, in several generations, all memory of living in that civilization will be gone. People will move on and live lives that have nothing to do with the world we just destroyed. It was necessary; you should know that."
I shook my head, "Who…What are you? And why do you keep saying I should know?"
"I am known as Ray and I am an Enigma." He replied to me, "And you, Riona, are an Enigma as well."
I stepped back, "I am not!" I shouted.
He shook his head, "Yes, you are; however, for some reason, you were not awaken the moment of our arrival. That and, unlike any other Enigma, you are female. It is probably some accident due to humans becoming so damaged. You also hold a strong attachment to humans; usually, those who are Enigma, are not very attached to their race they shared a world with."
I shook my head and backed away, "No, you're lying." I turned to run away, yet he reached out and caught my arm.
"You are going to help us guide these humans to the location they need be;" he stated. "Those that had been brought here, were brought here and cured of diseases they did not even know they had. They, along with the others need to be guided to 10 key locations; 500 individuals in each group, carefully divided for optimal re-population."
I turned my head around, glared at him, and attempted to pull out of his grip; however, the grip did not budge. "I've no intention to help you! What right have you to decide! I want it back: all of it! All the pieces of the world you destroyed; all the people you killed! What right had you to decide how humans need to be?"
"Because you are ours." He stated. "And, if you wish to know why we were called to this location, it was because the Enigma of the world called for it. That is why I am curious to why you do not understand what is going on."
My eyes widened in shock.
"Something in you decided that this world was wrong." He stated. "That is why we came; the human's Enigma called to us and showed us their failure. That was you. Saying you want all of those billions of people back: do you really mean it? All of them?"
I was left at a loss for words that moment. Part of what he was saying seemed to almost make perfect sense to me. The human world had, indeed, been in a mess, and there were a lot of very bad people who took advantage of everything and every moment they could. Yet, I still felt it was not an excuse to eradicate humanity and its culture.
"Humanity was a poison to itself, this world, and left to its own device, it would have become a poison that would spread throughout this galaxy." He stated. "The only way to save humanity itself, humanity's future, and the areas humanity may touch was to carry out as we did."
Ray released his hold on me and stepped back, "There is no way back from this point. Humanity must learn a new path and forget their old."
I knew what he meant by that point. What's done was done and there was no turning back. The civilization humanity had created was gone, lost to them forever. A new culture would rise from the survivors and eventually history will become a legend and fade from memory. It was an inevitable truth of the world and of how the world would just have to accept it.
I did not want to accept the fact nor did I want to believe what he was telling me about being this "Enigma" as he and the other Intruders were.
"Soon," he told me, "the humans will rally and attempt to reclaim you as you are the one see as their leader. That is when you must accept your place as one of us and dictate those of humanity to their places."
He had really told me nothing else at that point. He would lead me out of that room and to a the sitting room we had passed. I. did nothing but sit there; when he brought me something to drink I continued to simply sit there in silence.
A good while later I lay down upon the pillows that made up the seating for the room and just thought about everything he had said to me. Before much longer I must've fallen asleep there.
I knew I had fallen asleep in the sitting room of the central building of the Enigma tower. However, when I awoke I found myself lying on a flat bed of sorts covered in a thin beige blanket. I also found that, though I had fallen asleep in my clothes that I had come there in, I was wearing only a thin black cloak robe of sorts. It was actually quite similar to the clothing Ray had worn only it was too big for me.
As I pulled on the clothing I noticed that my hands looked different. My nails were longer and looked manicured. I had no idea why at first and then the thought came to me....I recalled what Ray had said to me and I recalled how all the Enigmas looked: their perfection.
I jumped up and off the bed and searched the room for a mirror. None was mounted on the walls so I flung open the wardrobe that stood against one wall. A mirror lay inside.
Even in the dim lit room I looked at my reflection; my hair had lightened, now a snowy blonde color; my eyes had changed from green to a ocean blue; my skin's completion had lightened and become blemish and scar free... it was like I was looking at a doll version of myself.
I did not want to believe that Ray had been right when had said that I was an Enigma as they were. I could not believe it: I was human, all my friends were human, and all I knew were what I had learned from humans.
I had to go; that I knew. Staying there in that place had to have changed me: I was human and could not stay there any longer...even if I had to fight my way out.
Quickly, I rummaged through the wardrobe finding some pants, and quickly dressed myself in clothing that I would dare be able to fight in either by putting on clothing found or l, by how I did the robe, by tying it up shorter as if it were as shirt.
Once finished I made my way to exit the room and found the doorway unlocked, and even more for that matter: without a lock at all. As I came into the hallway I found that I was on the second floor of the building of which I assumed was the central building.
I descended the spiral staircase and down upon the first floor. My suspicion wad confirmed: I found myself in the first floor hallway of the central building. I recalled my surveillance of the place and proceeded to find my way back to the entrance.
I was surprised you find no resistance on my way. I found the door with ease: again with no lock to keep it locked. So I exited the building. Only once I reached the outside, I stopped. Where was I going to leave to? How was I going to leave? I knew not their compound nor did I know any of their paths of entry and exit to the surface of Earth.
It was then I was startled: Ray had quietly walked up behind me and placed a hand upon my shoulder, “As my suspicion, the humans have rallied for your return." he stated. "We are ready for you to tell them how it will go. All 5,000 humans have gathered at the location set up for them at the base of this tower."
I turned my head sharply, “Impossible! I've only been asleep for a night."
Ray laughed. It was the first time I had heard him laugh: he had been so serious up to that point other than the eerie smile when we first met. He patted me on the shoulder.
"Dear Riona, you've been asleep far longer than that. I carried you to that room after you had slept for a day. Your body must have begun its awakening into an Enigma and refused to let you waken." he stated.
"How long was I asleep?" I asked.
"Three months." Ray stated.
I stared at him in disbelief. It made no sense; I felt as if I had only slept for just a night. I would think I would feel less energetic from such a long period of inactivity. If I had really slept three months and if I truly was one of those "Enigma" people, then it would truly explain how my appearance had changed. However, I did not want to believe it.
From what I would gather from all Ray had told me, the Enigma know that their world is rotten and seek to rectify it. I still wanted the world back. If I truly was the Enigma of the humans, then why did I first seek for it to change then so desire for nothing to ever have occurred? It made no sense to me.
"You have two months to deal with the humans." He stated suddenly, pulling me out of my thoughts.
I turned my head sharply, meeting his gaze, "What are you talking about?"
"It is the job of the Enigma of the worlds on which we go to divide the inhabitants for their next try." Ray explained to me. "It is your job to go down to the humans and divide them into their groups. I have already told you that the humans need be divided into 10 groups and sent to 10 key locations." He reached into his robe and pulled out a sets of folded cloth. "Upon our arrival to this place, we re-terraformed this world though maintaining the set number of necessary creatures to repopulate this world. These are the maps your are to give to the groups and send them on their way. All except one that is. One group must remain here as the location beneath the tower is one key location."
I shook my head, "Why would I want to separate those poor people! If that's all of humanity, I…!"
Ray cut me off before I could finish, "They would starve to death, most certainly. Supplies at the restart of culture have been placed in those locations. There is no other choice. The humans will not listen to those of whom destroyed their world, but one from it… Thus we Enigma exist."
I looked at the folded cloths in his hand before taking them from him.
"Two months is all you have." He stated one again.
I snapped my head up, meeting his gaze, "You expect me to do something with 5,000 people in two months."
"You would have had longer if you had awaken before our arrival." Ray stated. "You spent one month fighting us, and three months sleeping. Your time is now down to two months and that is all. You cannot take any longer for when the time is up this place and all of the Enigmas will vanish from this world." he explained.
I had no idea what to say. I dare not argue with him for I knew that a verbal battle with the man would be pointless. I simply looked at the cloth maps I had taken from him and debated on how to go about the task that I had even appointed.
"I will show you the way down to the world below when you are ready." Ray stated.
"Take me there now," I said without a thought. I did not want to stay there any longer so it likely prompted my quick reply.
Ray simply nodded before walking forward. I followed closely behind him as he led us to a round, stone building which appeared to lay in the center of the entire village area that made up the top of the tower.
He guided us inside and we stood upon engraved markings on the golden floor. He looked down at the markings held out both his hands, palms facing the floor, and mumbled some strange phrases in a language I had never heard before.
We vanished from the room and appeared at the base of the tower. I could hear people yelling outside of the open-doorway in front of where we had appeared. I could see a couple of people standing on the other side of the door as if guarding it; I assumed they were some of the Enigmas, as they were called.
Ray walked forward and I was left to follow him out of the door. As we got nearer to the door, the yelling was louder.
As the yelling got clearer, I could understand what the yelling was about. It was people yelling, cursing, and telling the Enigmas that stood outside the base of the tower to "leave" and cursing at them about destroying their lives, homes, and killing people such as their friends and family.
It was something I had argued about at the beginning; the only sobering thing was my sudden change and being told that I was, in some way, responsible for the change. My realization that my thoughts had somewhat altered on this situation irked me to an extent.
I still felt human, but I was under a growing realization that I was not, in any way, human. I was just as Ray had said: I was the human's Enigma and had just had the privilege to experience the death of the previous human civilization.
I kept back from Ray as both of us made our way outside. I watched as he walked to the edge of the platform we were standing upon; it was like a stage about 5 feet off the ground. Where he stood, he could overlook the rioting crowd.
I wasn't even paying attention when he started speaking to the crowd. I was more in a daze at the sizable number of people that had gathered there: men, women, and children…. My thought of him possibly lying about all 5,000 gathering was shot down by the gathering before me.
Ray had somehow quieted the crowd during his speech. I wasn't paying attention until I noticed him glace back at me for a second before continuing his speech.
"Those who know her may not recognize her but she was once one of one that lived upon is planet. If you hate us, I implore you not to hate her. She was one whom had fought so strongly against us before she found out the truth and we have allowed it to fall to her to guide you from this day." he stated before turning to motion for me to come forward and stand next to him.
Hesitantly I walked forward and stood by his side. My eyes scanned the crowd: I saw several whom I knew standing amongst them... The ones I had implored to leave me behind that day.
"I will leave this woman, Riona, to speak with you." he stated just before turning and leaving me there alone.
I was at a total loss at what to say. I hadn't really thought the situation over but there I stood. I looked like them now... No longer did I appear human. So how was I supposed to begin.
One of those that had left me up in the tower that day rushed to the edge of the stage, pushing his way through the crowd to do so, "Riona, is that really you?" he asked me.
My only response was simply to nod.
He reached out his arms, "Get down here and tell me what the hell has happened to you."
I smiled faintly, nodding, before allowing him to assist me down from the stage. Some of the others of the group that had fought our way into that tower had joined us by that point including some of the children we rescued from the Enigmas that day.
"I wish to talk to you all privately before I discuss what is going on with everyone else. I may need your help." I said.
He looked at me curiously but nodded, "Let's get to my place. It isn't too big but it works and it was conveniently built for my usage."
Those that knew me walked with us, heading in the direction of my friend's house. Those who did not looked at me with confusion and dismay. No longer were they yelling and cursing. Whatever Ray had said to them when I was not paying attention in combination with the fact that people recognized me enough for me to join them off the stage, must have rendered them the dumbfounded silence. Perhaps my task would not be as difficult as I had initially assumed.
Explaining it, however, would turn out to be a different story. Upon reaching my friend's house, I attempted to explain it as Ray had explained it; they seemed confused about it. Trying to explain the why and how I was an Enigma was difficult. Explaining why the world had come to the way it had; well, I avoided the part where Ray had told it was because of me that they had come.
After finally wording everything to comprehension, my friend's accepted what I had told them as fact. They knew me, after all; they knew who I was and how I was before we went on that rescue mission and they saw me as I had become after I had been "captured" by the Enigmas for 3 months.
When I was finished explaining my story, I went on to explain what the Enigma leader, Ray, had explained fell to me as an obligation. I explained how I was given maps and was told to split everyone into groups. At first, my friends had their own reservations on splitting up the group, but as I went on to explain the issue with everyone staying together-limited resources-they, too, saw the necessity of splitting the groups into the smaller numbers.
The fact that they were "chosen" in a way to continue live upon Earth by the Enigmas slowly sunk in for them. It was then that they decided to assist me in splitting up the groups. After all, they had spent time with the people and actually had recorded everyone and every family that had come to be in that area, even before they were, apparently cut off from leaving once everyone had arrived.
The optimization of splitting up the human race was now to be in our collective hands. Once we had come to that conclusion, we set up to re-gather and speak to everyone.
The following couple of months passed like a blur. People were split into groups, doing best to keep families together. They were given the maps and set out on their ways. It was a somber feeling when the groups began to take their leave from the central location. My friends were chosen to stay in that location; it meant I could spend more time with them.
I had never told them that I would be leaving at the end of the cycle. Nor did I tell them that my feelings for them were starting to lessen. Apparently, Ray was truly correct the entire time. I was an Enigma, no longer human at all. I knew that, though they would miss me at the end of my time there, I would not miss them. I would never forget them; no…I never would…for they were my start as what I had become.
The night before the Enigmas were to vanish from the world we had a great party celebrating their leave. I was right there with them, and just an hour before the Enigma were to vanish at midnight, I crept off into the night, making my way to the tower.
Ray stood there upon the stage, waiting for me. The guards that had once stood outside had already retreated into their fortress.
"Said your goodbyes?" Ray inquired.
"You know there is no need for that." I replied.
Ray nodded and held out his hand to help me up onto the stage. I followed him back into the tower's gateway and were transported up back to the Enigma fortress.
I continued to watch down upon the sleeping human world beneath the tower from the viewing room until the very last moment. The screen had gone black as my view of the human world was no longer; at that same instance, the stage and the tower of the Enigma fortress vanished from the human world… We left only for knowledge of us to become something of myth and legend. In many years to come, human civilization would begin anew and all would be forgotten of the previous lives.
And that was the way it was to be. And then became my new mission as an Enigma: to remember every bit of that fallen civilization. We Enigma each have our stories to tell; and I was just one of many…
END
~~~~
Well, I had fun with it. It's not much but hey, it was a pet project of sorts. I haven't been able to work on anything major because my brain has just not been in it.