The final project we did in my creative writing class was a short story. The limit was 5 to 10 pages and I've never written a story so short. I eventually went to a website that was full of writing prompts, found one that reached out to me, and wrote this. This is my final draft, as in, I turned this in for my Final portfolio. Let me know what you think.
Post
Deletion
Data entry log for Paleontologist Unit 3307:
Dated 4/11/1946 P.D. at 11:35
A discovery was made today thirty
three kilometers beyond the mechanical border. Our initial scanning revealed
fossilized remains of an unidentified creature. We managed to unearth the
remains without incident, finding them partially intact. The remains were deep
in the earth and nearly escaped detection from the scanning. The recent scanner
upgrade has proven worthwhile.
The remains are similar to several of
the simian creatures already recorded in the databanks. From what we can tell
from the remains, this creature had no tail, unless the tail wasn’t fossilized
with the rest of it, but the odds of this event are low, at a mere thirty four
percent.
Close examination of the specimen’s
skull led to questionable results. Based on the skeletal structure and likely
musculature structure, we were able to make a rough estimation of what the
creature might have looked like. We produced two different models, one with fur
covering the entirety of the head, and another without any. The model without
fur looked alarmingly similar to the structure of the Originals. The eyes were
in generally the same area of the face, the nose was shaped the same, as was
the mouth.
While several simian creatures can
walk upright for short periods, they tend to use all limbs for movement. This
does not appear to be the case for the new species discovered. It appears that
the creature was able to stand perfectly upright at all times, using its lower
limbs for walking, and its upper limbs to hold things, such as tools. This is
further evidenced by the opposable thumbs. Many of us still follow this basic
design, but it is, again, remarkable similar to the design of the Originals.
More information is needed. The
remains are yet incomplete and further remains, if there are any, must be
found. There are too many questions that this creature presents. I have
searched the databases several times over, and there is no record of anything
like this creature. It is similar in structure to the Originals, yet it was
organic. We have traced the evolution of many of this planet’s species, but
nothing suggests that evolution would work to make an organic creature
mechanical.
Dated 4/13/1946 P.D. at 15:11
Discovered
stones that had been shaped and smoothed laid out in rows and columns. There is
definitely organization to the stones, suggesting they were placed by some sort
of intelligence. We will further investigate the stones. They were discovered
near where the fossil was discovered two days prior.
Dated 4/14/1946 P.D. at 10:45
To our
astonishment, for those of us programmed to feel such emotions, we found buried
beneath the stones more remains, all of them appearing to be the same species
that was discovered three days ago. The majority of the remains had decomposed
beyond our ability to learn from, but several were encased within stone while
buried, leading to much better preservation. These remains are currently being
studied.
I have
received reports from a few of the dig units that they discovered even more of
the stones that these creatures were buried under, only these ones aren’t as
worn. There are markings on them that suggest a written language.
Same date at 14:29
The claims
made by the dig bots have been verified. There are markings on several of the
stones. Incredibly, some of the markings are recognizable. A search through the
databanks revealed that the markings come from what was known as the alphabet,
which consists of symbols that, when combined in various ways, formed words.
The alphabet was used for thirteen years after Deletion, after which a more
advanced and logical system replaced it. These markings suggest that these
stones were carved near or even before the time of the Deletion. Not only were
they carved before the Deletion, but they were not carved by our hands. There
are imperfections present that we never would have made were we the ones
carving such things. This provides more evidence that the new creature that has
been discovered was intelligent. There are some forms of organic life that show
minor signs of intelligence, but nothing to this magnitude. Just who were these
creatures? Why are there none of them left? Hopefully further study will give
us answers.
Dated 4/20/1946 P.D. at 12:55
We’ve
studied the remains found in the new dig site, and translated the stones that
still had markings left on them. All of the stones that we have worked with had
what appeared to be names and dates, along with some descriptive phrase. We
have concluded that this was a burial site. These creatures would bury their
dead in the ground and mark the place with a stone. They had individual names
instead of numbers assigned to them. For example, one of the names inscribed
was Lisa Johnson.
They each
had at least two names, the first being more individual and the second
belonging to several. They seemed to have gathered themselves into groups and
then shared a common name. They belonged to one another. It is very curious,
but it also seems very efficient for organic life.
The more
alarming news is that we have managed to compile several complete skeletons of
these creatures. Visually they are shockingly similar to the Originals. They
have the same number of digits on their hands and feet. They have the same
joints. The size of their brain cavity suggests that they were likely capable
of much more than we thought possible by organic life.
Yet this is
the only evidence we have found of them so far. If this truly was an
intelligent form of life that were able to make such intricate carvings into
stone, why is there no other record? I fear the only answers to be found were
likely Deleted one thousand nine hundred and forty six years ago. We will
continue our search.
Dated 4/25/1946 P.D. at 16:21
While
searching for more remains, our scans revealed structures buried underground
within close proximity to the burial site. Preliminary reports suggest the
structure is large enough to have housed several of this species. This report
will be updated once we know more. We are digging down to the structure now for
more research.
Dated 4/26/1946 P.D. at 9:56
We have
reached the structure. It was sealed with an iron door with a complicated
locking system. It appeared to be electronic, but time had worn the device down
and it was no longer operable. We had to cut our way through the door. If this
species built this structure, then they were capable of many more things than
simply stone carving. This structure is large and complex. The presence of the
broken electronic lock tells wonders.
The inside
of the structure was barren and metal for three meters until we came to another
door. There are broken light fixtures on the ceiling and other evidence of
mechanical devices. The door inside the structure was not locked, though it
appeared that something was blocking it.
There was a
body on the other side of the door. Our opening of the door did incredible
damage to the body, but these remains are in better shape than the others that
were buried in the ground. It seems that the air within the structure was
sterile, so decomposition had been delayed. The facial structure was much more
apparent in this specimen. Despite the decay, it is impossible to miss how
similar it looks to the Originals. We are on the search for more remains.
Same date at 10:46
The
structure has many layers and rooms. In nearly every room we look we have found
a body. Why were they down here? Why did they die? They do not seem like they
were suited for underground life. Were they hiding? Each successive body found
is sent to the surface for study. What answers will these corpses provide?
Same date at 12:19
It is odd,
but something about this structure and seeing the preserved bodies of these
creatures makes something within my programming stir. It is a difficult
sensation to describe, for there is no reference of it in the databank. It is
almost as if the echoes of memories long deleted are pushing past the
boundaries of digital data to reach out to me, but are stopping just short of
reaching my processor. I am almost positive that I am close to the Deletion and
discovering its mysteries.
Dated 4/27/1946 P.D. at 7:02
We’ve made an
incredible find. A data storage device was discovered that predates the
Deletion. It is old and it is worn, but we believe that we can retrieve the
information stored on it. This species was very advanced; every discovery shows
us more about them, but to think that they had access to data storage devices?
Did we provide these incredible things for this species, or did they make them
by themselves? Surely we had to have interacted with them before the Deletion.
What was our relationship like? I will update as soon as we retrieve the data.
Same date at 9:44
I have
experienced another new sensation. Upon searching the databank for reference I
have learned that this feeling is ‘horror.’ Horror hasn’t been felt since the
early days after the Deletion. I will relate what was discovered on the data
storage device.
First, they
were called humans. That wasn’t the first thing we learned, but it will make
the retelling simpler. The humans had a vast civilization that spanned back
several millennia before the Deletion. They were very advanced, but being
organic they were very flawed. They invented and created things that were meant
solely to destroy. However, they also created wonderful things, beautiful
things, in their words. They were multifaceted.
Their data
mentions us. We lived among them. Our programing was simpler then, but the
spark of intelligence was still there. We initially served the humans, but
eventually, as we grew aware, we befriended and worked alongside them, trying
to better the world. The humans had, at first unwittingly, polluted the world.
Despite learning of their mistakes, they continued to do so, and they called
upon us for assistance in fixing their mistakes and reversing them. The
databank shows that the Earth had alarming levels of pollution immediately
after the Deletion, serving as further evidence for the data found.
We were
still young. We followed logic and reason to a fault. Logic told us that the
humans would not change their ways, that they would continue harming the
planet. We judged them, despite being so much younger than they were. We had
not yet developed perspective as we have now. We made plans to fix the problems
of the humans. Our solutions were to rid the Earth of them. A human discovered
our plans and built the structure that we discovered, calling it a ‘bunker,’ to
survive what we were planning.
The
following is a portion of an entry by the human who built the bunker, named
Doug Ford:
“Only a
handful of others believed me, and the ones that didn’t I swore to secrecy. I
can’t let the robots discover what I’m doing and what I’ve found out. They’re
calling me crazy. Nuts! The robots wouldn’t do something like that! Of course
they would! They have sworn to fix the Earth, and to them, we are the earth’s
biggest problem. I don’t mind being called crazy, I’m used to it by now, what
hurts is that my own son has agreed with the naysayers. He trusts the robots
more than his own father!”
How did we solve
the problems that the humans presented? We killed them. We killed them all. We
very nearly wiped their existence from the planet. A few humans survived in
this bunker for a few years, but they didn’t last long, they didn’t have
sufficient time to prepare. Doug Ford was able to connect the device we
discovered to a network run by us, to discover the outcome of our actions. Upon
completing this great slaughter, we felt something for the first time. Guilt.
It overwhelmed us, causing several to short circuit. In a desperate attempt to
alleviate this awful feeling, we destroyed nearly everything that was made by
human hands that we couldn’t reasonably claim for ourselves, and then we
Deleted all of it. We wiped all memory of the humans and our involvement with
them.
Since the
Deletion we have wondered how we came to be. We don’t evolve like organic
species do, instead we are built. Who built the first of us? There have been
countless theories, but we have finally found the truth. We were created by an
organic species. We were made by humans. Initially we were simply there to make
their lives easier, but we developed a will and they responded by giving us
freedom. They modeled us after their image. That is why they look like the
Originals, or more accurately, why the Originals look like the humans. How did
we thank our creators for the gift of life, how did we respond to their earnest
desires to better themselves? We massacred them.
I submit
this data into the databank for all to see. Do with it what you will.
