Sky City (The Rise of an Orphan)

by RD Hale

  Then it shows mothers and children being shoved by rifle butts through an iron door which slams behind their naked bodies. Some are sobbing and others appear numb as a silent murderer seeps into the room. Eyes redden as they fall to knees, coughing and slumping onto their sides. My larynx swells in my throat as children drift off to sleep in their mother's arms never to wake.

  Then a stealth plane swoops over a night time metropolis to drop an innocuous package. The jet disappears into the distance and exothermic light floods the sky, gradually fading as dust billows in the shape of a mushroom. Natural cloud spreads in concentric circles due to the colossal shockwave. The entire city below has disintegrated - a population of non-combatants vaporised. The video ends with the words: Never Forget.

  'Such a waste,' I whisper.

  'Those lives were not wasted, Zain, it was a necessary sacrifice. Our soldiers did something most of us could not do, in order to save us all. We owe our very existence to these heroes.'

  'Funny, I never saw my father as a hero. A gullible fool who thought he was feeding his family, ignorant to the fact he was cannon fodder.'

  'You lost your father? I'm sorry, I didn't... Well I think you're wrong. Your father was a hero, in my eyes at least.'

  'Yeah a hero with a fatherless son.' My voice trembles as we leave the perspective-cementing war exhibition, passing through another winding tunnel. Classical music sets the melancholic ambience as we reach the history section - an unashamed shrine to Samarianism. And if beauty was interchangeable with evidence these extravagant exhibits would be sufficient to settle any philosophical debate.

  'A replica of the ceiling of the Celestine Chapel. Spectacular,' Vytali muses, looking up at mythological figures writhing semi-naked, some bearing weapons, amongst serpents and clouds. At the centre is a depiction of Samaris strung up by his ankles, being skinned alive by a horned figure with goat's legs. Although the workmanship is impressive, I struggle to see this devotional painting as artistically superior to the mural on our wall at home.

  'Such intricate beauty. Years of agonising dedication. Heart-rending yet hopeful. It truly is divine inspiration,' Eyris mutters.

  A cabinet contains a piece of wood, supposedly a remnant of a fishing boat from the Sea of Ganimede. A painting shows Samaris placing his palm on a lion's head and thus proving his divinity. Next is a depiction of their messiah standing on a hill as Anatolians exterminate non-believers and the homosexuals, the inhabitants of one of the first nations. Below is a quote from the Orientis:

  The Goddess saw the Modians leaving Aslan and told Anatolia to attack until every single adult, child and animal was dead. The people fought as Kelsoe climbed the hill and whenever he raised his staff Anatolia dominated. Soon they scorched the landscape and left no person alive, but they took livestock and plundered valuables. Although they slayed women and children it was not immoral, because it was demanded by the Goddess whom it was perilous to disobey. She told Kelsoe to remember that Modus slaughtered the stragglers and was unafraid of divine retribution. Kelsoe recited this lesson to Anatolia. The Goddess will erase all enemies under the stars. Modus was one of the most powerful lands, but its conclusion was ethnocide.

  My eyes are drawn towards millions of pentagrams etched into an ark of goldenness, overlooked by snakeheads whose emerald eyes glare with a conviction the contents they guard are truly sacred. The artifact is haunted by the torn off face of Samaris, exhibited disturbingly just yards away. It floats phantom-like as despair convulses from stretched and distorted leathery features which lack human resemblance, but still paint a graphic picture of a man's dying hours. These pieces bear a compelling aura, a sense of drama which tempts me to believe they may just be real; yet I know them to be an illusion, holographic projections.

  'Incredible - manna from heaven.' Eyris appears lost in reflection, her face inexpressive. 'And the face of the messiah. Brings a tear to your eye.'

  Browsing immaterial 'proof' of divinity for a while longer, our visit becomes ever more educational as we enter the natural history exhibition where models of primitive humans and dinosaurs are depicted as harmoniously co-existing. A prehistoric tribe draped in animal pelts stand alongside a boy on a saddled triceratops in a representation of the Edinnu Steppe.

  Nearby a holovideo of creationism starts playing, entitled: The Greatest Show On Eryx. Footage pans from stars shining over the curvature of the planet, through clouds into a rainforest canopy where a fossa stalks a golden-crowned sifaka amongst tree branches and air plants. The camera swoops over ice-capped mountains and plunges into the ocean where a cuttlefish swims through sea grass and the enlightenment begins:

  'Intelligent design is the best explanation for our fine-tuned universe, intricate ecosystems and complex biology. If you change just one of the physical constants such as the force of gravity, it means the universe could not exist...'

  'Change the angles of the square, it becomes another shape,' I whisper.

  '...DNA is a language and like any language it had to arise from intelligence. This language instructs every cell in every living organism and leads to an astonishing variety of designs. Contrary to what evolutionists believed, these designs cannot arise from natural selection. It is true that genes mutate and natural selection can lead to micro-evolution, but macro-evolution is an impossibility. Each phenotype was placed on Eryx during the creation and astonishingly one pair from each of the ten million species on our planet was stored on the ark. Every single animal alive today originates from one of these pairs...'

  'But I've been reading up on this. What about the exchange of genetic material with viruses, the role of RNA, recombination of genes, loss of g-'

  'Shhh...'

  'If you remove features from an organism step by step, sooner or later you will remove a feature which the organism could not live without. This means that before the feature evolved there could not have been an ancestor which lacked this feature. Evolution can never evolve an irreducibly complex machine.'

  'Fish did not require lungs because they had gills, th-'

  'Okay smart guy, how do you explain the complexity of the human eye?'

  'Actually Eyris, the goddess did not see fit to give us the best eye. The eye of a squid is vastly superior to ours. And the evolution of the eye has been detailed step by step by identifying creatures with simple light sensitive cells, to the layer of mucus which acted as the first primitive lens all the way to what we have now. You can see this evidence for yourself online.'

  'I'm not denying the evolution of the eye but logic tells me it must have had a helping hand,' Eyris replies with unexpected confusion in her tone.

  'But the video just said it did not evolve, complete phenotypes were placed on Eryx. The goddess is an example of instantaneous complexity. If you can accept this concept, surely you can also accept the concept of gradual complexity. The goddess did not have to intervene. Do you not think she could have planned this out from day one?'

  The Temples of Mukat

  Opting to depart Sky City so soon, our new friends lead us to the equally intriguing inner-hub where no Citizen below Level Two has ever set foot... until now. We emerge at the base of the tallest manmade structure in history, venturing into a town square surrounded by snaking architecture which defies rules of structural integrity. Leaf-covered walls conceal buildings which are given away only by their gleaming windows. Impossibly tall trees sprout from a multi-tiered grassy structure and naturalised bridges and tunnels connect this eye-twisting technological jungle. As I gawp at the weeping branches, I spot people walking on air way above and I stumble whilst attempting to discern the points where tri-towers literally scrape the sky.

  'Brings a new meaning to the term urban jungle.' Eyris' face switches from perma-blankness as her eyes warm.

  'It's almost like we've escaped to the countryside... A very abstract countryside,' I reply.

  'True. And it's cool to have the best of both worlds. My ambition is to live in the country and work in the
city. I aim to set up a clothing store but it's good to know I have a backup. Dad's keen for me to follow in his footsteps at Shingeta but I'm not interested. I love their clothes but I wanna do my own thing, prove I can make it my own,' Eyris rambles.

  'Don't they own sweat shops in Nyberu? Slave-like conditions is what I heard,' I ask.

  'But they're bloody Nyberuns, who cares?'

  'To be fair, you've got the right idea setting up a business. Your Level Two Citicard should make it pretty easy to get the credit.' My hint of irony seems completely lost on Eyris. 'Well as long as your business plan is up to scratch.'

  'What about you, Ana? Have you thought about setting up your own veterinary practice?' Eyris asks.

  'Oh yeah, one day. Not straight away though. As long as I'm working with animals, I'll be happy.' Mila raises her chin, nervously laughing.

  'Sounds like you have the right motivations, Ana, but ambition is still important. You should make it your goal to run a business. You'll only have true freedom when you are your own boss. I dread to think what I'd be like if I had to take orders off a bloody man. Political correctness is going too far when they allow the simpler sex to be in charge. No offence boys!' Eyris smirks.

  'Actually, that's one thing we can definitely agree on!' Mila chuckles, but Vytali and I bite our tongues to demonstrate our higher level of maturity.

  We pass a pair of teenage lads on hoverboards as we weave through sunbathers and picnickers towards a gaping hole in the turf. Descending into a cave system lit by glowing orbs, we peruse stalls which sell hand-woven rugs, gaudy artworks and tourist souvenirs. Mila picks up a weird bronze mask with piercing eyeholes and a long beak, but she puts it down with a shrug when she spots the thirty five credit price tag.

  'Come on, this way.' Eyris drags us away from the muffled voices of well-heeled browsers and leads into a narrow, twisting tunnel.

  We head deeper underground where the temperature is pleasantly cool and as the wormhole opens into a small cave, we come across a stall with a spangly sign which asks: What does the future hold? It sits above a purple curtain which we pass through, entering a curious den where a fat robotic cat wearing a pointed green hat awaits us. The bizarre droid sits at a desk before a glowing crystal ball and we invite ourselves to slouch on an orange sofa, mumbling: 'Hello'.

  'Welcome to the Cave of Destiny, it is here and only here that you can glimpse the future. What will fate have in store for you? Love? Pain? Wealth? Loneliness? I can tell you for only twenty credits! My name is Eledar and the coming minutes could be the most important of your life... So who is first?'

  The black and white moggy sighs contentedly as paws gesticulate and his simulated breathing seems creepily pointless. Amongst garish decor is a depiction of a one-eyed being sitting in a ring, surrounded by strange symbols. My eyeballs invert as I wonder what the hell I am doing confined within this tackiness which utterly fails to create the intended illusion of a world between worlds.

  'I wanna know what the future holds for Mr Contrarian.' Eyris nudges my ribcage.

  'But this is silly, no weird droid can predict the future.'

  'Hey, who you calling droid? You can remain sceptical if you please. Maybe I'll tell your friends your little secret, for there is more to you than meets the eye. Now take a seat... Excellent, touch the ball please. I sense you are an outsider, but your future is tied to this place. You should definitely stick around. Oh, and love is in the air - the unorthodox kind. When she fully opens up to you, things will change for the better.'

  'This is nonsense, she's already told me her biggest secret. There is nothing more to tell.'

  'There is something she is withholding, I can promise you that, but you'll find out when the time is right. You need her, but you'll never understand this statement until you understand who she really is. Then your love will be tested. You must stick to your promise, no matter how painful it may be. Oh, and stop being so selfish. You're far too absorbed in what you want. Lose the agenda.'

  'What the hell does that mean? I'm never selfish when it comes to her.'

  'Oh, really? Selfishness comes in many forms. True selflessness requires a better man. You'll have to grow... And I've said all you need to hear. Time is up, twenty credits please,' Eledar demands.

  'Already? What a waste of money. Let's go.' I frown, needlessly placing cash into the paw of a stupid robo-cat.

  'And you can tell us all about the secrets Eledar was referring to.' Eyris stretches her mouth open as she prods my waist. 'I knew you were hiding something.'

  Returning to daylight, we approach a superlative tree with a pinnacle of implausible altitude and a shadow between bulging roots reveals the reddish-brown trunk to be hollow. A uniformed girl standing beside the entrance cavity hands us dragon-shaped balloons free of charge.

  'Whatever you do, don't let go!' the balloon girl says as we enter this bewildering mega-bole which is almost as wide as a house, yet somehow able to support its own weight. Mila squeaks as dragon wings lift us through the wooden interior into branches which are barely biting the ankles of Sky City. Inflatable dragons break from disintegrating string and fly back to the roots as we swat through leaves on a walkway which looks like glass, but could equally be a forcefield. And I shudder to think what would happen if the batteries run out as I stare at hundreds of people on grass way below our feet.

  'Those balloons are so cool, I wonder how they work.' Mila tiptoes along the transparent platform and I realise I am instinctively doing the same as though it will reduce the risk of falling to our deaths.

  'The balloons are a gimmick, they don't do anything at all. It's the energy field which carried us up,' Eyris explains.

  'Oh, silly me!'

  The suspected forcefield comes to an end and our limit-redefining path takes us onto turfed rooftops which are covered in dancing flowers. Open air bars, cafes and restaurants are sporadically perched on the superstructure and as we traverse this rooftop district I hear a man standing in a ring of roses say: 'Take the two of us in, please.'

  Mila jumps sideways as a hidden entrance sucks the man and his female companion into the mysterious interior like they are being devoured by a colossal carnivorous plant. Wowed by the spectacle, I resist the urge to comment because this is supposed to be an everyday occurrence for us Level Two students.

  We soon reach a tram station and our new friends take us on a thirty seven mile ride to a place non-believers dare not enter - the fabled Temples of Mukat, which at over three thousand years old, precede the religion which claimed them. Built on the remnants of fallen kings, this sight of holy bloodshed was squabbled over for too long by armies playing a game of my deity is greater than yours and is now controlled by a people whose worthiness is confirmed only by their military might.

  With no hint of its murderous past, this bustling scene of lush greensward and domed rooftops bathed in pink daylight has a calming vibe, far removed from the hectic nature of the city. The sedate atmosphere provides a delusion of inner-peace often accredited to the presence of the holy ghost, despite the fact she is supposed to be in all places at once.

  A small group of spectators has formed around a musician whose gentle guitar strings are accompanied by an impassioned voice. Some people stand, swaying and others sit with their eyes closed as hymn lyrics carry them to an imaginary nirvana.

  'It's like we've stepped out of a time machine,' Mila gasps as we pass the enraptured gathering and approach the centrepiece of the public square - the carved face of a natural black shrine where pilgrims pose for pictures. Eyris and Vytali crouch down and stroke this hallowed rock with a sense of reverence. According to legend it fell from the heavens to instruct the bronze age populace to build their holy sight. And the scientific evidence of this crowd-drawing boulder being a meteorite has of course been disregarded by followers.

  'Sent by the goddess in a blaze of fire at the beginning of time. I can't believe that drunk teen urinated against it a couple of weeks back. Totally deserved the
quartering he got,' Eyris says.

  'So you're stroking a piss-soaked rock? Nice!' My chuckle stops midway as I consider the risk of a quartering.

  We rest on a memorial bench, feigning interest as Eyris enlightens us with brutal fables and goes on to explain how: 'The holiness of this district will absolve sin and purify us for the hereafter.' Self-preservation resists the urge to point out followers are free to rinse and repeat their acts of hypocrisy ad infinitum.

  As the time for the evening gathering approaches, these worshipful youths lead us to a temple carved into a cliff face by a primitive culture driven by the power of common purpose. We head up the stone steps, past stone guardians and through a series of arches into cool air where we are greeted by the backs of several hundred heads. Details of the painted ceiling are barely distinguishable in the darkness, leading me to wonder why the artists bothered in the first place.

  We fill the remaining pews and face a shady statue of the holy mother cradling the newborn Samaris as we wait in tedious silence. After a duration spent sighing and shuffling in our seats, the ministress at last walks out in flickering firelight to raise her arms and address us from the pulpit:

  'Faith. It is the force that binds us, a quality which enables the love of the goddess to flow through us. It instils the humanity we would otherwise lack. And by visiting the Temple of Chanxi, you have demonstrated the strength of that faith. We live in a world of great turmoil, with adversity at almost every turn and one of the questions I am so often asked is Why?

  Why did the Goddess see fit to place us into lives of such difficulty? The answer is simple - She also gave us the strength to rise above. Throughout history Samarians have overcome the obstacles we have faced. We are far stronger together than apart and it is when we overcome adversity that we understand what we are fully capable of. At the end of this finite life of suffering, comes an everlasting reward which can only be earned by those of faith...