Original Design

by William Latoria

  A darkness seemed to emanate from Tremendous as he responded to the President’s outburst, “First of all, little one… do not refer to me or my kind as… Mister. As I have already told you, my kind do not have genders, and we do not appreciate being referred to as though we did. Use our names, or simply refer to us as Omegas. That will do for now.” Tremendous said, eyes blazing. “As for your accusation that I am speaking falsities…” he said darkly, as he waved his massive hand toward the projection in the middle of the room. A life-sized image of President Silvia with his wife, and no less than four other very attractive interns, appeared in vivid detail. The President and his wife were shown in a perverse orgy with the interns, the graphic details of which were now playing out in front of them for everyone to see. Blackshade took one look at it and groaned; this was not going to end well. The delegates around the room reacted much as he would expect. Those that supported the President feigned outrage, scoffed, and averted their eyes; some much slower than others. Blackshade couldn’t help but read the words that scrolled across their foreheads. ‘Oh my God, is that Tina?’ a delegate from New York’s forehead display read. ‘He is going to be impeached’ read a delegate’s forehead from Nova Scotia.

  Those that opposed him were loving this. Many laughed and giggled amongst themselves. ‘This is marvelous’ a female delegate’s forehead display said from Wisconsin. ‘I always knew he was a deviant’ another delegate’s forehead flashed. She was from Florida according to the carving on her desk.

  Blackshade felt a little guilty for basically reading their minds, but at the same time he was beginning to truly enjoy having this inside look into what the people around him were really thinking. If he had received this ability earlier in his career, he might be President himself by now! The thought brought his attention back to the actual President, who was now staring open-mouthed at the display as it showed him writhing around amongst the women. Blackshade almost felt bad for the man when he read the words zipping across his forehead, ‘OH GOD, NO! THIS CANNOT BE HAPPENING’

  “TREMENDOUS! SHUT THIS DOWN AT ONCE, YOU GODLESS SON OF A BITCH!!” the President shouted, in equal parts rage and humiliation.

  Tremendous waved its hand and the projection ceased to exist. The Omega sat in its chair stoically. It appeared to be waiting to see what the President would do next.

  The President was visibly shaking with rage now; his face was beat red and small flecks of white foam had formed on his lips. The words, ‘THESE ALIEN FUCKS HAVE TO LEAVE, NOW’ shown bright on his forehead. Blackshade was sick to his stomach.

  “This is an absolute outrage! How dare you come into my country, my PLANET, and treat me with such disrespect! Your outlandish story about how humans are no more than your play things, that we’re nothing more than machines created by your bumbling race is absurd! WE are LIVING, BREATHING, creatures, and no story made up by some pompous alien FREAKS is going to change that! PERIOD! You’ve shown us no proof of your claims what-so-ever! You’ve given us nothing but vague stories and a few petty parlor tricks! I’ve seen better acts in Vegas, so you’ll have to do a lot better than showing us pornographic material…. FAKED… pornographic material to make us believe your lies.” he spat. The word ‘GODLESS LIARS’ blazed across his forehead over and over.

  Blackshade’s eyes went wide in fear at how the President had just spoken to Tremendous. The man looked like a child’s toy compared to the fifteen-foot-tall giant that towered a few dozen feet from him. Blackshade knew that the President’s outburst had angered the Omegas. Tremendous glared down at the president, Artificer had gone rigid in his seat, and Minder had tensed so tightly that it looked like its skin might burst. Blackshade could do nothing but wait to see what happened next.

  Tremendous closed its eyes and leaned its head back. After a few moments, its eyes re-opened and its head lowered. The blazing anger in them had not subsided at all. “So, you want actual proof that you are machines, do you, little one?” Tremendous asked, its voice was cold and dripping with contempt.

  The President, still seething himself, didn’t think before he answered, “Yes. We are entitled to actual proof, rather than just empty lies.” he answered pompously. Then, as if he didn’t realize the gravity of the situation, “If you can manage it, which I doubt.”

  A low growl came from Minder, but it was Tremendous that replied, “Then I shall give you your proof.” Tremendous said ominously before smoothly rising from its chair and advancing on the President.

  Blackshade had always admired the bravery of the Secret Service. They reacted the moment Tremendous took its first step towards President Silvia. Not one of them hesitated, but not one of them had a chance. Tremendous must have known they would try to stop it; that was why it had lain its tail on the massive chair that had been provided for it. With what seemed to be no effort at all, the Omega sent the chair hurtling towards the front rank of Secret Service agents with a flick of its tail. The chair moved with such speed, Blackshade didn’t think the men even realized they were down before they were across the room and bleeding. Four men were taken down by the chair, but surprisingly, not one of them had been killed. In the back of his mind, something told him that had been on purpose. There was just something about how Tremendous had thrown the chair that led him to believe it hadn’t intended to kill anyone, just stop them from interfering. Tremendous had hurt them badly to be sure, but they would all live.

  An explosion of debris caused Blackshade to raise his arms up to instinctually protect his face, as the remains of Minder’s chair showered over him. The Omega had moved so fast to intercept the rest of the Secret Service agents that the chair it was in had burst in reaction. With a speed that blurred the massive Omega, Blackshade watched as Minder single handedly disabled or knocked out the remaining ten agents before they could so much as fire their weapons. Every Agent was down at almost the same time. Blackshade had no idea the aliens could move with that kind of speed. Tremendous had only taken three steps by the time it was all over, and it wasn’t until the Omega’s fourth step that the first delegate began to scream in terror. It was an obese man from Ontario according to the inscription on his desk, his screaming did not last long.

  “SILENCE!” Minder commanded in a voice that could not be denied. It was as if the Omega had tapped into the core of the panicking delegates and hit the mute button on all of them. Everyone, including himself, silently sat in their seats as Tremendous took the last couple steps to reach the President. The President was still shaking, but it was no longer in anger. He looked up at the glaring Omega, tears now streaming down his face.

  “I’m... I’m sorry Mist… uhh… Lord!... Lord Tremendous.” he squeaked in desperation, holding his hands up in front of him. “I believe you! I believe you! Please! I’m so sorry! Please don’t kill me! I’ll do anything you want! Anything! I swear!” the man begged pathetically. The words, ‘I do not want to die’ scrolled across his forehead.

  Tremendous’ gaze softened at this, but the Omega’s purpose never wavered. “I will not cease you, little one.” Tremendous said, not unkindly, “I simply wish to prove to you that you are a machine, just as you have asked me to.” the Omega Leader explained. Without looking away from the President, Tremendous addressed him, “Blackshade, stand up and broadcast this. I want your world to see this.” Tremendous ordered him, but not cruelly. The pitying tone was back in its voice. It was a pleasant change from the venomous one before.

  Blackshade did as he was told. The thought of disobeying never even crossed his mind. He jogged up to get a better angle and put his helmet back on to ensure the voyeur drone that was still attached to his armor was recording. A red ‘TRANSMISSION BLOCKED BY THE CANDAERICAN GOVERNMENT’ message blinked on his display.

  “Tremendous, I can record, but I can’t transmit. This building stops all transmissions from coming in or going out.” Blackshade reported dutifully. The thought occurred to him that as a Colonel in the Candaerican Army Air Corp, he should probably try to stop T
remendous from harming the President, but he found he had no desire to do so. Besides, Tremendous had already told them he wasn’t going to hurt him, just use him to prove a point. How bad could it be?

  “Artificer…” was all Tremendous said in reply.

  No sooner had the word left the Omega’s mouth than the red warning display on his helmet changed from an error message to a green, ‘Transmission Capabilities Restored! Happy Broadcasting!’

  “I… I’m transmitting, Tremendous.” Blackshade said, surprised.

  Tremendous nodded. “People of Earth. I am a member of a race called the Omegas. Millions of years ago, my kind created your kind and left you here on this planet. We have returned to find that you have become something quite amazing, and we wish to study how you came to be as you are now. We mean you no harm, and our studies will cause you no harm. However, we need you to accept the fact that you are machines. Not machines as you understand them, but machines none-the-less, made by my kind to serve us. It is my hope that this demonstration with your President will prove this to you beyond any lingering doubt.” Tremendous looked directly into the voyeur drone’s camera, “I am not going to harm your President. I am simply using this one to prove you are machines. He is your leader, and therefore you can trust that there is no fakery, or misgivings in what you are about to witness.”

  Tremendous returned its attention to the President. The man had pissed himself, but it was hard to tell because he had dark blue pants on. The only reason Blackshade could tell was because he could smell it. Blackshade couldn’t blame him. Even though he wasn’t sure what was about to happen, if he had been in the President’s shoes, he’s pretty sure he would have lost bladder control as well.

  Tremendous held its hand up to the President’s head and began twitching its fingers at an incredible rate. Green words flashed across the President’s forehead display at remarkable speeds. Blackshade only caught one word out of every five, but from what he could tell, the Omega was shutting down the President’s pain receptors, and there was something about ‘joint releases’ he didn’t quite catch. He wasn’t certain what any of it meant for sure, but a knot of fear began to form inside his stomach.

  After a minute passed, Tremendous picked up the man as though he weighed nothing and stood him gently on the floor. Tremendous took the President’s hand in its massive one, and began removing the fingers as easily as a person would unplug a lamp. There was no blood, no snapping of bones, or tearing of ligaments. There didn’t seem to be any pain either, as the President simply stood in place, clearly in shock, watching as Tremendous dismantled his hand. Once the fingers were removed, Tremendous did something that caused the remains of the President’s hand to come off at the wrist. The Omega then divided the hand into two sections across a seam that Blackshade had never seen in a hand before. The forearm came off next, then the elbow, and the upper arm. The shoulder was last and it spun off much the same way that a person would take the cap off a soda bottle. Tremendous then placed the President’s dismembered parts on the Presidential table that sat in the middle of the room in perfect order. With about an inch gap between where the pieces would connect. There was still no blood, or gore, or anything that Blackshade would have expected to see if something like this had occurred through normal means. He could see the muscle, fat, and sinew inside the pieces that Tremendous had removed from the President, he could even see the blood as it continued to flow inside the dismembered body parts, but not one drop spilled out onto the desk. It defied all logic, unless you accepted the fact that human beings really were nothing more than machines created by this alien race.

  Without a word, Tremendous disassembled the President’s other arm exactly as it had with the first one. Then the Omega moved on to President Silvia’s legs. It removed the President’s shoes, socks, and pants with a dexterity unexpected from someone as huge as it was. Tremendous then began the task of removing the Presidents toes similar to the way it had removed his fingers. The foot came off next, separating at the heel. Again, the seam that Tremendous removed the foot from was not something Blackshade had ever seen before. The heel itself and the ankle came off next and then the lower leg. The knee joint was next, and from the intricate way Tremendous removed it, the knee joint was a very complicated component. The upper leg came away next, disconnecting at the hip with a sucking noise that set his teeth on edge. Once both legs had been removed, Tremendous arranged the pieces on the table for all to see. Just like with the arms, not a single drop of blood had been spilled in the process. The President was still clearly in shock, but he lay there patiently where Tremendous had placed him on the floor, waiting for the Omega to continue. Tremendous reached down and propped the man up on the desk. Reaching for the President’s waist, Tremendous pressed its fingers deep into the man’s stomach. There was an audible click and the president’s torso popped up from his waist, the seam, once again, completely hidden until this moment. The next part was a bit unpleasant. As Tremendous removed the President’s torso from his waist, his organs came out but remained attached. There was no blood, but his bladder and bowels emptied onto the floor leaving a disgusting, stinking mess.

  “Oh!” Tremendous said, surprised, “That is new.” The Omega leader seemed unconcerned by this unexpected development, and after carefully putting the President’s organs down on the table it placed its palm over the mess, hiding it from view. It held its hand over the waste for just a few moments, and when it lifted its hand up again the mess, and the smell, were gone. Tremendous looked directly at the voyeur drone, “I apologize for that. Your species has evolved quite a bit since we left you here, and therefore you do not come apart exactly the way you did back then.” he explained. Blackshade couldn’t be sure, but he thought Tremendous might have been somewhat embarrassed by the incident.

  Blackshade looked at the President and was surprised to see the man had seemed to recover and was now watching with a sort of detached interest at what was happening to him. Out of curiosity, Blackshade ran a diagnostic on him with his drone and saw all of his vitals were reading normal! It was as incredible as it was absurd! Here the man was, broken down into over two dozen pieces, and yet his vital signs were reading as normal! As much as Blackshade knew people weren’t going to want to admit it, there seemed to be no arguing that the human race really was some sort of Omega machine. It was a hard fact to deny, given the way President Silvia was being broken down in front of him.

  Placing the President’s waist and organs neatly amongst the rest of his removed parts, Tremendous gripped the President’s head in his hands and lifted up slowly. There were a series of audible clicks and then another awful, wet sucking sound as the President’s head and spinal column slipped away from his torso. Tremendous carefully placed the pieces on the table completing its macabre display.

  The President lay on the desk, completely dissembled, and yet completely alive. No blood or other fluids were leaking out on the floor, and other than some piss and shit that had unexpectedly come out of him, the entire process had been neat and orderly. Exactly like disassembling a human made machine would have been.

  “Blackshade, please run another medical diagnostic on the President and broadcast the results.” Tremendous requested. Blackshade did as he was told, and the diagnostic showed exactly what he had seen before. The President was in good health, with no life threatening conditions coming up on the display; it was extraordinary.

  “He’s fine! He’s absolutely fine!” Blackshade said in awe.

  Tremendous grinned, “Well, of course it is. It is a machine. You cannot disassemble a live creature like this. Only a machine can be broken down, just like your own version of computers and machines.” Tremendous explained, “Your own science knows that your cerebral… excuse me… your brain, transmits and received signals using electricity. You have nerves throughout your entire body that act as sensors that send signals to your brain to inform you about your environment. Tubes send fluids throughout your body to provide fuel and r
emove waste. Just like they do inside your own conveyances and more sophisticated machines. You even have organs that perform very specific functions in your body, and if one of them fails, you cease to function and shut down. Just like your computer has a mother board, RAM, and a processor, so does your kind.” Tremendous said gently, with a certain sadness Blackshade had begun to respect, “I know this is not easy to accept, but humanity is not a living being. You are self-aware machines that we created millions of years ago to help us collect resources and do other routine tasks, nothing more. I am sorry you had to learn these facts this way, but to let you continue to believe otherwise would be cruel.”

  Blackshade knew he was still recording, and he knew that the world was watching. He wasn’t sure if the people could understand what the Omega was saying, but he knew that eventually, those that could understand would translate for those that couldn’t and then everyone would have trillions of questions. He believed Tremendous. Hell, he had believed Tremendous the moment the Omega told him he was a machine. Something deep inside of him had confirmed Tremendous’ claim, and Blackshade had learned long ago to trust that feeling. He knew that not everyone would believe Tremendous though, even with this evidence laying before them on the table. They would claim, much like the President had, that it was all a hoax, a cruel joke, and cling to anything they could in order to believe the opposite. Blackshade couldn’t blame them, it wasn’t easy accepting that you were nothing more than an obsolete mechanical mistake. He wanted to help his kind by getting them the answers to questions he thought they might ask, and he wanted to know somethings for himself.

  “What about animals and insects?” he blurted out, as the first question arguing against the Omega’s claims came to his mind, “There are thousands, maybe millions of different types of life on Earth. Are you saying you made those as well? Are they also machines, or are they something else?” he asked. The same feeling he had that led him to trust the Omegas told him the Omegas would have a good answer to his question, but asking the question also made him feel like he was doing right by his species.