A Stone's Throw Away, two

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Two

The following morning, Brian got out of bed, hopped into the shower, and stayed long enough to wash the sleepiness away. Quickly he toweled, dressed, and left the house.

At a brisk pace, he passed row after row of houses that were mostly empty. For more than four centuries, off and on, different places had served to house students in this section of the Installation. Though their colors were faded, none of them needed any major repair. Still neat and trimmed, the shrubbery, gnarled with age, matched the quaint setting. Brian’s own house was just as old.

At the cafeteria, he duped a couple of gourmet sandwiches and water, items he could easily carry. The sandwiches were thick. Everything about them was exceptionally fresh, and very tasty. Brian rarely picked anything from the menu in the morning where he had to sit and use utensils.

The bottled water went into his back pocket.

Off to his next destination, he worked at devouring the sandwiches. He didn’t have far to go and ate quickly. When he arrived at the storage shed, one sandwich was gone, and half of the other. He opened the door to the shed and made his way along a wall which held baggers. One-handed, Brian lifted one from its hook. A double row hung down the wall’s length, all neat and symmetrically organized.

Brian stuffed the rest of his sandwich into his mouth so he could use both hands to snap the bagger onto the mower. The mowers, also in a neat row, were not far from the wall.

With the bagger in place, Brian pulled the water from his back pocket, opened it, and with several consecutive swigs, emptied over half of its contents washing down the sandwich.

With a quick jerk, he grabbed the mower by the handle and pulled it upside down. With it trailing behind him, blades rotating in the air, he left the shed.

From the time he could push one of these things, he had cut grass around the Installation.

On the way to his assigned section, he walked through an area which used to be his. As time went by, Brian had been given different sections to do. Each time, they were larger than the one before and further away from the storage shed.

Almost two miles later, well away from any houses, he began to mow. Beads of sweat already dripped from him. Brian wiped his brow as he did the work. When the bagger was full, he was done. He stood, resting for a bit, surveying what he had completed. Keeping at his chores daily, he completed close to a fifth of this section each morning. He would be back tomorrow morning to do more.

Leaving the mower, Brian made his way to a favorite spot where the grass grew right up to the base of a tree. He always looked forward to this time; it was his time. When he sat, he leaned fully into the tree. It felt coarse and rough against his back. The grass, though, thick and plush, made for a halfway comfortable seat. That morning, slightly damp from the dew, it felt cool and welcome against his skin.

He wiped his brow again, thankful he had made it out early enough to do this. Few others did their chores early, and on his way, he had seen no one else. The Installation, however, was large, and it didn’t mean no one else was out.

The fence ran alongside the tree where he sat. Electrified, it packed a powerful charge for any predator dumb enough to touch it. It successfully kept them at bay.

A lone stem of grass had grown through the fence from the other side. It was long and looked out of place against the perfectly manicured lawn and the bare ground outside of the fence. Brian leaned over and plucked it, careful not to touch the fence.

He studied the blade for a second before placing it in his mouth. The long stem began to twitch as he played his tongue over the end of it. Relaxing, he leaned back onto the trunk breathing deeply the morning air. The exercise was invigorating; the air, clean and fresh. He enjoyed getting his chores done and out of the way. This was usually the coolest part of the day to do them. And now, when class let out, the rest of the day was his.

As Brian’s tongue played over the end of the tasteless stem, he began to appreciate for the first time why the clippings went to the Dupe. The Dupe would change this stem into some tasty morsel of food, or maybe something else, but more than likely food. He wasn’t quite sure how it all worked, but it was impressive.

He understood the grass was a renewable resource. It did its thing because of the sun, and replenished itself after he cut it. It was the source of food for the entire Installation. If need be, it could be dried and stored indefinitely.

As he sat, looking out beyond the fence, he understood everything out there could become a source of food. The Dupe would convert it all. A green and lush variety of organic material grew fifty feet away beyond the fence. Tall, it reached toward the sky. On some level, he noted it would be another nice day. At the same time, he was still in awe of what the Dupe could offer. During all of this, the stem of grass twitched away.

Just then, a movement caught his eye. He looked where it appeared at the edge of the woods. Immediately, he recognized it was a fox, and to his wonder, behind it, out came another. Both were on a path directly toward him.

Unconsciously, Brian held his breath; the blade of grass became perfectly still.

Rarely did he catch a glimpse of these shy animals. And now, two of them at the same time, out in the open with a clear view! Much to Brian’s surprise, they kept coming, though he was sure it wouldn’t be long before they spotted him. Brian sat motionless, frozen in place.

They seemed very interested in one another, nipping here and there, kicking up their heels, chasing, as they romped toward him.

It didn’t take long to realize that they were playing. Astonished, he was pleased to observe their behavior. Often heard, sometimes witnessed, the wide variety of animals mostly fought and killed each other on a surprisingly frequent basis.

Within fifteen feet of where he sat, they stopped facing him. Other than rabbits and squirrels, no other animal would come this close knowing he was there. The rabbits and squirrels didn’t seem to care. It was exhilarating; Brian could hardly contain his excitement. When they stopped, he thought he was spotted, but then was amazed to see that wasn’t the case when one jumped atop the other turning them both sideways.

Brian Expected a fight to ensue, the one on bottom whimpered. It drew Brian’s attention. It let out an elongated whine, and then yelped. Undoubtedly, they were not fighting.

This was brief.

While it went on, Brian noticed the one on the bottom didn’t show any evidence of being male. He doubted this and stared, trying to confirm its maleness. In disbelief, he leapt to his feet, pulling the stem from his mouth. Instantly, the foxes bolted and disappeared, consumed by the nearby underbrush at the edge of the woods.

Brian didn’t understand how it was possible. He decided then it wasn’t. And to find out, he would ask the professor and let him explain. If he hurried, maybe he could catch him before class.

Again, Brian turned the mower over while grabbing it; he made haste toward the cafeteria. All the way, he thought of nothing but the foxes.

At the entrance to the storage hoppers, Brian, dripping sweat, removed the bagger and took it inside. Once it was emptied, he came out and took the equipment to the storage shed.

He couldn’t wait to tell the guys what he saw. But he would only tell them after he spoke with the professor. The professor would give insight on what he had witnessed; he would share it with them then.

As he walked to the building housing the classroom, he began to feel silly; he had nothing but a dumb question about a fox. How was he going to ask? Hey, I saw a fox that didn’t have one. Danny and Pete would laugh him right out of the classroom. They would take advantage of something like that and remind him of it daily. He would never hear the end of it.

There had to be an explanation; Brian just didn’t know what it was. If he asked the professor and it was something simple, he would embarrass himself. He couldn’t leave himself open to that. But at that point, he didn’t know if he cared. If it didn’t have one, why not?

As he entered the building, he realized he had never looked at the second fox to see if they were both the same. He wished then, he had done so.

Arriving at the classroom, Brian peeked in. The professor wasn’t there. Danny and Pete were sitting at their desks. This was what Brian had hoped for, but while he peeked in, Pete had spotted him. Brian casually strolled in, hoping his momentary hesitation and pullback went without notice. He took his usual seat and began to wait, never saying a word about the foxes.

When the professor arrived, Brian would ask for a moment in private.

The wait wasn’t long. “Good morning,” the professor greeted them upon entering the classroom. All three boys repeated his invocation mostly together. “At one time, gentleman, there were over seventy billion people on the Earth.” Before making the desk, the professor had cranked into lecture mode without hesitation. “They generated and manipulated a phenomenal amount of information.”

The professor was so quick to start; Brian felt his opportunity slip away. Instead of asking, he began to reexamine what he had seen.

“Information, and man’s ability to store it and control it, allowed for the development of the Dupe.”

Brian had tried to imagine ten thousand before; billions couldn’t be fathomed.

“The possibilities with information being manipulated on this scale truly became endless. There was nothing man could not do, and once it became clear that all they needed to do after something was digitalized was to record it into a computer memory, then that item could be duplicated as often as necessary.”

Brian thought it could be an accident, like maybe another animal had bit it off; ‘Ouch’ ensued, because he couldn’t imagine.

“A chef, for instance, could create his concoction, digitalize and store it on the web. When everyone had a Dupe appliance at home, the chef would receive credit every time someone selected his creation. Of course, the chef thought along the lines of three squares a day, extra for dessert. In a worldwide market, he would be a billionaire in no time. The beauty of all this, if what he made wasn’t perfect, he would toss it and start over. He only had to get it right one time.”

Brian wanted to know what a chef was. Pete raised his hand. Brian assumed he was going to ask, but the professor ignored him.

Brian wondered if it could be tucked away in some unseen pouch.

“The medical profession would benefit immensely. Any diseased organ would be vaporized and instantly replaced with one digitalized from when a person was younger. There would be no problem with organ rejection because it was yours. No surgery involved either. Vaporized in place, a new one would be duped during an office visit in the precise location it belonged. Imagine, an outpatient procedure at worst to replace a heart or lung. Whatever was desired could be had, even cosmetically. Imagine putting on the face of your youth, the ultimate face lift.”

Pete put his hand back down when he saw it was useless.

Following the pouch idea, Brian thought maybe it was just too small and therefore couldn’t be seen.

“Manufacturers were giddy at the possibilities of what it would do for their bottom lines. They could take several of whatever they made, digitalize them, test them and only make available for duping the ones which passed their tests. Their process only had to get it right one time. Goods that were too large for the Dupe would include those notorious ‘Some Assembly Required.’”

Pete raised his hand again. With his hand raised, he whispered to Danny, “I can’t get the professor to stop long enough to ask him what a chef is.”

“You know how he is when he’s lecturing,” Danny whispered back. “He’ll answer questions later.”

“Even counterfeiters dreamed...”

Brian wondered if maybe it never had one. That would be strange. That meant it could be a new species of some kind. That was practical, and he liked the idea. If the professor told him it was possible, Danny and Pete would be impressed, even envious of his theory. He had to find out.

Pete put his hand back down.

“There would never be a need to waste time shopping in buildings made of brick. No longer would click and brick be the most successful businesses; click won, hands down.”

Brian raised his hand. He wanted to speak to the professor and wanted to do it now, alone, out in the hall.

“They saw a completely new science within the Dupe itself. Take the chef for instance, he would be able to take a grilled steak, digitally remaster it to remove harmful carcinogens without altering the taste. He could introduce flavorings to create new spices. Imagine, taste sensations that don’t yet exist. ‘New & improved,’ would be labeled on everything.”

Brian kept his hand raised. He surmised chef had something to do with food. Other than that, the professor lost him long ago. Everything the he covered was unfamiliar.

“You might as well put your hand down,” Danny whispered. “He’s not going to stop until he’s through.”

Brian slowly lowered his hand. He wondered if there was any formal recognition for discovering a new species. He wished he would have checked the other fox to confirm they both were the same.

“There was even the possibility that the Dupe could be refined to the point where it could make all the elements it needs during the dupe process from a single material. Seemingly, we have an endless supply of saltwater.”

The professor went on strong all morning long. As lunchtime approached, Brian raised his hand again.

“Yes, Brian,” the professor acknowledged, surprising everyone. Brian hesitated. “Do you have a question?”

“Yes.”

A longer pause, Pete and Danny both turned to look at him.

Trying to recover from the sudden attention, Brian spat, “Whatever happened to Stan?”

“Ah, I have the answer to that,” the professor said, pleased to light up the top of their desk with a picture of Stan. “Two and a half years after he transmitted himself, Stan’s progress was good. By this time, he could crawl and sit up all on his own. Typical of any child at that age of development, he threw tantrums when forced to use a spoon to eat.”

Ironically, the displayed picture showed Stan still loved to smile for the camera.

“A side note,” the professor said. “The monkey showed no discernable difference in its development than other monkeys its own age. The goal here, gentlemen, is to solve the problem of duping man with his memory intact, or when the ships arrive at their destination, no one will be getting on board.”

“I think the professor’s flipped,” Danny whispered to Brian. “He makes it sound as if life and death are hanging in the balance. There’s more than a century yet to go, someone will figure it out before then.”

“He’s definitely melodramatic.”

“You think?”

“Well, I can see why,” Brian continued at a whisper, “if the professor’s like me, he can’t see how anybody will ever use those ships.”

© C. Lee

Thanks for reading.... It is a pleasure to entertain.

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