fun to check on your incubator,” Rechelle adds with a fond loving stare. Her gaze falters to searching unease, prompted by my blank clueless expression.
Glancing to our porch are the concerns of our neighbors, anticipating my return inside. Their incessant hope is to withdraw from today’s responsibilities, following my lead.
From experience, the greatest thrill lies in mystery. Two different types of reactions come from recollection. I fear a dampened realization coming about.
Stepping in to the dark room on the left, a monitor screen makes up the entirety of the back wall. By approaching it the panel powers on. The words “Real Lives” glow an appealing green in an alluring format. Thrill triggers. The words shift in pattern, changing to a set of silver-blue funnels, one nozzle pointing upward and the other down. In between the flat bottoms of the cones the area fills with a cylinder of liquid, then the image of an embryo defines. Display panels line along the sides of the monitor, and broadcast the infant’s mental images. From my wife’s womb our son is watching what’s around him. Rechelle is surrounded by beautiful light as she rests, while keeping active by compiling curricular activities.
“Dad, I met someone new,” a familiar, young boy’s voice says in front of me.
Without hesitation I reply, “What’s your friend’s name?”
“Shellie. She’s the same age I am, here in Pandora. I feel sorry for her, Dad, ‘cause she’s so lonely. Her single parent won’t log in to Real Lives anymore.”
The cell containing an image of my wife clarifies, her eyes longing to find approval.
“Give me a moment to read over Shellie’s lessons. I’m sure she’s a nice girl, Scott, but I want to research how she’s been raised.”
“Dad. It shouldn’t matter how she’s been raised. She’s abandoned. You and Mom can still advance her correctly.”
Thinking over Schott’s plea, my heart wants to give in and accept the opportunity.
It’d be nice to have a daughter for the two of us to educate along with Scott, and continue with after his birth. It’s too late for Shellie’s file to be planted in a second embryo, for Rechelle to carry and nurture, but that could be done after Scottie’s born.
The problem I face is that the focus Shellie requires of me will be time consuming.
According to the system logs Scottie has taken away hundreds of hours, when I should be done with this house and laboring on the next one.
If I adopt Shellie I may not even have this place finished when Scottie’s born.
What makes things more difficult is my wife’s encouraging this wayward behavior.
Rechelle was only trying to help, by supplying me with the medication that caused me to forget. I believed that with its consumption I’d be able to disregard Real Lives, and place focus on real life’s tasks. What baffles me is I don’t recall the two of us ever sleeping in the same bed together. I’m a surrogate, and it scares me not knowing who Scott’s biological father is.
During my mentoring of Scottie I’ve wondered what I would want to do with my free time once he’s born, and the connection is severed. I’ve considered looking through adoption lists to find another learner. With this opportunity presented to the family, I see we are allowing ourselves to become more deeply involved with improvident tasks. The anticipation to begin new fostering overwhelms my sense of rationalization, and I succumb to the very entrapment I had hoped last night to avoid.
After going through Shellie’s profile, I plunge into the decision for us to adopt.
I’m excited to commence. Closely matched in the same level of education as Scottie, she already knows the basics. The goals I’ve set for Shellie are for her to one day venture out away from our world of Pandora. To accomplish this she must accumulate training-mission experience: by utilizing the martial arts, military tactics, linguistics, and mechanical knowledge taught through prolific lessons I guide her in.
Nine out of ten times the mentoring is a loss, because the child doesn’t retain the information after delivery. Chances are Scottie and Shellie will be born “vegetables.” But if they do retain, our son will become a Master Scientist, and our daughter an Oscillator.
Oscillators are elite individuals that travel through timelines, destroying the world they visit, so that Pandora is the only period that continues on to the very beginning.
Our civilization is split into Believers and Bidings. My wife lessons Scottie with instruction of a single God. Creation is taught along with science because of the intelligent design found in all that is around us. And it is done to maintain balance.
I’m to mentor Shellie in the strict principles I’ve been taught; there’s no such thing as one single Master Architect; Bidings are driven tools used for direct duties.
There is an intruder which enters our neighborhood without my knowledge.
Messages arrive to my screen, but go ignored. I’m too immersed to check them.
The last one I receive is entitled “Truth.” Seizing my attention I view it to read:
Admit you are a sinner.
Believe Jesus Christ died for your sins.
Commit your life to Him.
There are only seconds before my head is forced back and my throat ripped open.
The Keys to Destruction: Three Keys to the Kingdom
A horrible slaying occurs on the day Abraham adopts me and keeps my name as Shellie. Another Biding carpenter resumes Abraham’s work on house 26 but does not use Real Lives. Scottie is adopted by another surrogate who later births him. I’m still in the machine as Scottie is older. He spends as much free time as possible mentoring me, also keeping my name as Shellie. Scottie refrains from ministry in my pre-birth. Once he’s finally ready Scottie travels back and rescues Rechelle as my intended mother. She disappears after I’m born. On my delivery my knowledge too is fixed. He explains what happed in different stages of my development. When describing Rechelle, he says I look unlike her. Rather than long blond hair, mine is jet black, wearing it just short of shoulder length. Apart from her elegant gowns, I prefer wearing tight leather jumpsuits. Her skin is a healthy tan, mine pale white. Finally, Scottie reveals The Truth, and my thoughts instantly deny the possibility of there even being a God.
When a story is offered as educational fact, it integrates into your understanding as recognized teachings. I’ll describe our alternate explanation for existence, but because you’ve not been brainwashed all your life by it, you may find it laughable and ridiculous. Yet elite Pandoran citizens self justify extreme actions based on these beliefs:
Our era is moving away from the curse, toward perfection. We are descendants from a future time of existence. We’re trained that time is digressing. When viewing a sunrise, you are experiencing a day that has already played out, and are seeing a reverse sunset. The dying out of imperfect beings, with inferior genes, brings us closer to the purity of one superior entity.
It’s taught our ancestors are an advanced race called Abidings. They created all. Dispassion abounds amongst them, from watching their flawless creation dwell in continual harmony. They develop an internal attack on all living things, named Digression. Now our days count backward to a time when we will be without this curse. In the final hours the miracle of a pure Abiding will be born among us as our saving ruler.
“But then what created the Abidings?” you may ask. The Abidings are the absolute form of power and decorum. Because all that is around us digresses, we conclude that at one time complete perfection existed and eventually will exist again.
My brain is advanced when I am born. “Shell” is my first word. But it takes loss of time to practice and develop strengthened motor skills, along with clear verbal pronunciation. When I am negative two-years-old Scottie shares Christianity’s side on Creation. It’s a shock to hear Abidings never existed. I want to giggle at Scott’s strange presentation. But conviction in his eyes makes me feel the naive fool, for giving in to the belief of such a r
idiculously false doctrine.
At a loss of time frustration sets in, from understanding where the concept of Abidings and, an Abiding that shall be reborn, are adopted from. When Scott imparts the life of Jesus, it coincides with prior learning. But still I have questions which my mentor helps to address.
“Shellie. As important as one’s rescue is from eternal imprisonment, some individuals don’t want to hear about their chance to prevent this exile. Don’t ever allow yourself to be deceived into accepting this false sense of security. Once you do you become lost to yourself.
As Christians we are firm believers in the inspired Word of God. I’ll explain the proof for this faith. Pay close attention. This may be the last time you ever hear about the offer of true Salvation! This news will aid your involvements when witnessing to those who are lost.
“God the Father reveals to man that His Son will one day be sent to die as atonement for our disobedience against the Father’s precepts. Those who have faith in this Biblical teaching, who die before the events of Jesus’ physical death on the cross, and His resurrection, are shown God’s Grace, and are saved from eternal punishment. Sin is a curse on the world, killing us and all life. It is sin that makes life digress. Sin is our disobedience against our Heavenly Father. The only way to gain His forgiveness over our disappointments is by admitting to Jesus Christ