Escape from Cyber

It is Earth year 6000 and I have two names.  My earth name is Sammi and my planetary name is Xena.  I was born on the planet Cyber.  I was told that a minute after my birth, I was taken away from my mother and placed in a sterile room.  The doctors made a small slit in my hand and inserted a tiny chip in my wrist.  That chip would be my destiny.  

On the planet Cyber we have our life planned by computer programs designed by high level programmers called “Olofs”.  The chips are created to prevent crime and war in an age that has seen too much death and destruction.  We are the closest relation to earthlings.

Every child that was born was unisex.  There were no boys or girls because our sex glands were not required until the age of 21.  As a result, at 21 we would be mature enough to determine our own sexuality.  I felt more like the male figure and so Sammi was a good fit for my name.

At the age of 30, the chip would be programmed to match us with our mates and I was programmed to meet my wife Julie.

I had blue eyes, strawberry blond hair and weighed 185 pounds; the perfect specimen.

My Olof designated me a historian.  As a historian, my job was to teach children and adults about the planet Earth before its destruction in 2099. My parents were very proud that their only child could reach a high level station in life.

As long as I could remember,  my Olof would download a record of history into my chip at midnight and that is how all children were educated on our planet (there were no schools, no large buildings to protect us from the elements or where children would gather on playgrounds or football fields).

The chips were not only designed to forecast our future.  They were also used to keep track of our financial transactions (bank balances, salaries and bill payments).  Each home had small cameras  which would track our movements, including our thoughts and dreams.  We were never alone.

I never questioned my existence.  I just lived my life as I was programmed to live.  Then one night I woke up in a sweat.  I had a nightmare.  My heart was beating rapidly and the sheets were soaked with perspiration.

Julie stirred beside me and asked “what is the matter?”

“I had a frightening dream.  The Olofms were threatening me with laser beams of some kind, and every path that I attempted to take was blocked.  They were warning me that I had to stop trying to rewrite their programs.”

“That is a strange dream as you say.  Perhaps it is my fault that you had that dream.  I should have not added so much pepper to the stew tonight.”

We both laughed at that, because it was an old wives tale that spicy food could alter your dream state.

“Go back to sleep.  Everything will be better in the morning.  And please go change your nightshirt.  It reeks and I don’t take pleasure in tossing and turning all night.

The next morning I was assigned to lecture a group of businessmen on the history of Slavery in the 1800s and the story about Lincoln releasing the slaves.  As I stood there and started talking about Abraham Lincoln freeing the slaves, I suddenly light headed and could see a large group of men lifting their arms in celebration.  On the planet Cyber we have our life planned by computer programs designed by high level programmers called “Olofs”

I must have blacked out momentarily because I suddenly heard a voice from my head saying “Attention….attention.  Chip failure, chip failure...please wait for system to reboot.  Fortunately n body realized that there was anything wrong and I continued the lecture.

One day I decided to visit the northeast section of the planet;  known for its beautiful gardens and salty streams.  Very few people visited the area and I was convinced if I secluded myself I would be able to understand my unorthodox behavior.

I soon fell into a deep sleep when a voice said to me, “Sammi, you were not meant to be born on Cyber.  Your original parents abandoned you during your infancy.  They had no money to raise you and keep you safe.  It was the time of a great pandemic and the only way that you could be saved was to transport you here.  When times grew better they were going to bring you back to your birthplace.  Unfortunately they died from the virus that killed thousands of others.

“My name Ari and I have been assigned to bring you to Earth.  We have a very dangerous mission to accomplish here, but I am sure you will be ready for it with your strength as an earthling and a cyber clone.  I brought you here because it is the only part of the planet without cameras or olofs looking on.  You are going to come back to this spot, approximately three weeks from today.  

You will find a small pen knife by the stream.  You must remove the chip from your wrist and dispose of it immediately.  By the time you remove the chip, you will have five cyber minutes to render the chip useless.”

I will meet you back here and  bring you back to your parents before they release you.  They will be altering time and that is why this is so dangerous.

“How can you be sure that history will repeat itself, I asked.”

“Because I will create a diversion.  Even a simple word uttered would be able to change the outcome.”

“What will become of Julia, my wife?  I can”t just leave her here?”

“You will be replaced and she will never know it.”

He awoke from his dream, remembering everything that Ari had told him and for the next three weeks he worked diligently to put his affairs together.  On his last evening at home, he turned to his wife and stroked her hair.  He truly loved Julia and hoped that she would fare well without him. 

“I love you my dear.  I left something at work and have to go back to retrieve it.  Keep dinner on for me.”

I went back to the stream, removed the chip and that is the last thing I remembered.