Chronos Ex Machina

"You don't do this unless you have the strength of spirit, boy!"

The captain slurred his words and stank of rum, but that wasn't enough for me to turn back. Truthfully, I had tried to leave but the thought of seeing my father again held me in a vice-grip. If I left now the entire journey would be all for nothing. This was his last request, after all. I look around and see the surrounding men staring into the crevasse, waiting anxiously and eager to start.

"I've paid you the deposit." I replied. "The rest of the blueprints will be paid on my delivery."

The captain's bleary eyes grew wide with rage, and I could see the crew stir restlessly with each passing minute. He stepped in closer to me and a member of the crew decided to interrupt.

"We sailors enjoy a good spirit crushing!" A crewman said, taking a swig of a strong liquor.

"I say," sighed another before snatching the bottle from him, "We let the boy come. What are you posturing for, you old bag of bones? You already have one foot on the grave and the other on a banana peel. There will be plenty of time to curse him as we process our blueprints, but the longer we stay here the lower the moon portal will set!"

"Alright alright, cut it out!" The Captain yelled back between coughs. "I was merely testing the boy. Back in my heyday he would've wet himself when I glared like that."

"Sir, with all due respect I would rather go now than waste more time talking." I said looking up at the moon. "The portal is arriving soon."

"Look at the pair on this one. Everyone ready?" The captain asked.

"Aye!" The crewman resounded.

"Portal this, portal that..." He muttered. "Let me take a look at the portal through my telescope, and we'll leave on my order! That okay with you, boy?"

"Sounds good to me. I'm freezing in this wind."

"Yeah well..." He sighed. "That's what the alcohol is for. But you don't drink..."

"That's right, I don't." I said.

"Right..." The captain said in annoyance. "Well my grandpa said to never trust a man who wont drink with you. Anyway, give me a moment. I need to see where the moon portal is exactly."

"Take your time." I said, trying to be polite. Unfortunately, I don't think it came out as gentle as I intended. The captain grunted and began staring into the sky, searching for a translucent bubble.

Shortly after I was created, what was once only based in the world of fantasy had been proven as a reality. Very few people had been able to find the wheels that appeared, and even fewer could use them to make their wishes come true. Apparently, all you need to do is stand in front of one of these "wheels" and make a mental wish of what you wanted to happen. You only get one chance, though, and it's not guaranteed to work. This brought in millions of people, and savvy businessmen like the Captain who used the opportunity to make a fortune guiding people to the most remote, and least accessible wheel.

In the beginning only one wheel had appeared. That was in the year 2054, and the location was in the exact center of the distance between the Earth and the Moon. It appeared without warning, causing major disruption to satellites which orbited near its location. The satellites began to disappear, but something strange would happen. They would reappear shortly after, intact and without damage. It was later determined that electronic devices are transmuted and broken down to an atomic level, later to be reassembled as it leaves a translucent sphere which surrounds the golden wheel.

No one knows why these portals appeared one after the other, but my purpose is clear. I am to go through one of these portals and make my fathers dream a reality. My father, an AI engineer, created me in secret knowing the difficulties I would face as a nonhuman. As he lay on his deathbed his only wish was for me to live happily, with flesh and bone instead of polymer and false skin. He had long ago made this wish, but nothing had shown for it. Now I'm descending into a crevasse to find a wheel to make his with a reality. My father couldn't make it come true, but I have an idea. I found a captain willing to guide me at great expense, but it was worth it. They don't even know I'm not human, let alone a woman, and they don't need to know. By the time my wish is made, everything will be made clear.

"Alright then!" Said the captain. "The portal is in view, let's begin!"

"Are all descents supposed to be this slow?" I asked my climbing partner.

"No." he said in annoyance, "But we're close to the portal. Keep steady."

"I'm assuming all of you tried to make your wishes here. Has anyone been successful?"

"Only a handful of guests have been able to pull it off. None of us were lucky enough though. Well, none except the captain. Saw that telescope he had earlier?"

"Yeah, the gold one?" I asked. "It didn't look anything like a telescope I've ever seen."

"Ah, so you have a good eye. Yeah, that's the result of a wish. Unlike us who wished for money or women, he wished for that thing. He still wont mention what it does, but I have my suspicions."

"What did you wish for?"

"I wished for a quiet life." The crewman said with a glare.

"Sorry," I replied. "I didn't mean to pry. I was just curious."

"We all wish for something we don't have," He sighed, "But few of us get it right. We're blinded by a quick fix to everything from these wheels, and forget about the beauty of living... of being alive."

"What do you mean?" I asked. "Wouldn't it be better to wish for something you could never get otherwise?"

"Of course!" He said laughing. "But then what would you gain if you already had everything you wished for?"

"I suppose it would vary from person to person." I answered, confused.

"No, you don't get it. We all wish for something we don't have, but rarely do we ever consider why we don't have it. For example, my wish was for a lavish lifestyle somewhere in the Black Forest. A beautiful wife, a family, butler, nice cars, everything I could ever want..." He trailed off.

"But..?"

"But... It didn't last. I was almost dead from pneumonia when the Captain found me. I was in a bad state, homeless and passed out drunk in the snow. I lost it all. But he took pity on me, showed me a way I could make a living taking people's... I mean... I could have a better life being more productive. Getting everything I want wasn't the cure for an aching heart."

"I thought you said you wished for a quiet life, though?"

"I did, Initially." He said. "I thought that my wish began and ended with my desires. But it didn't. It only grew, and I didn't have the experience to keep it. It was much like holding water in a cheesecloth. I was doomed from the start. But now things are different. Thankfully, we have people like you here. The work keeps us well fed."

"I see..." I said. Something in his eyes warned me to end the conversation. We descended the rest of the way without incident, and soon an ominous glow began to appear on the ice walls of the crevasse.

"There she is boys!" Announced the captain.

After an arduous climb, we took off our gear and walked towards the wheel. I had never seen anything like it. It appeared as a multitude of golden rings encircling a purple radiant light. Looking closely, I can see the resemblance of what appeared to be eyes branded on the metal. The appearance was eerie, almost supernatural.

"Alright then, it's time to make your wish. But before you step forward," said the Captain, "Kindly deposit the blueprints."

The small crew began their restless stirring. Something about their movements alarmed me. Did I miss something? I looked to the giant wheel which spun fiercely yet with total silence. Behind me, the entirety of the small crew stood behind the captain. Everyone except my climbing partner, who remained strapped in the ice, looking directly at me with a devious smirk.

"The blueprints are already in your cloud. I uploaded them during the climb. Check for yourself on your tablet." I said.

He hastily checked his tablet and gave a wide, greedy smile.

"I see, you've kept your promise. Unfortunately for you though, I won't be keeping mine. I don't normally intend rob my passengers, but you ... You should have more respect for your elders!"

"Why are you doing this?" I asked, terrified. "If you hurt me, the cops will come and arrest you!"

"Not as tough as he was earlier eh, boys!?" Yelled the former climbing partner, brandishing a rifle.

"I can just wish myself out of here and you'll be arrested before you can make it off the mountain!" I yelled back.

"You'd really waste your only wish? What a shame, and it looked like you had a more important one to ask." The captain chuckled. "We have the local community on our payroll. The moment you get out of here without my permission, it'll be your last breath. Give me everything you have and I won't put a bullet in your head."

Thoughts of my father flashed through my head, and I realized I can't waste this once in a lifetime opportunity. I needed to act fast. Fortunately, a gunshot wound won't kill me outright. I had options.

"Time is running out." The captain hissed.

The men quickly began to circle around me, but I was quicker. I surprised them with my robotic speed, and raced towards the wheel. As I positioned myself to jump into it the rifleman took aim and shot. The bullet tore through my life support, jerking me sideways and to the floor. A teal colored solvent leaked out on the floor, letting me know my hydraulics were shutdown. I stared up at the wheel, wishing I could've made it. "If only my father were here," I thought.

"What the hell is this!? This isn't blood..." one man said.

"Captain, I think this is oil..." said another.

"It's one of them bots! I knew something was off about him!" The captain screamed. "We can make a fortune off of his parts alone! Grab him!"

I tried to pull myself to the wheel but a hard tug on my boots yanked me backwards, leaving a trail of fluid as I was dragged across the ice.

"I'm going to have fun dissecting you, prick!" The captain said, his breath smelling strongly of liquor. "Tear him apart but keep the core intact! We're gonna leave here with a fortune!"

The wheel begins to hum and a familiar feeling courses through me. It feels like a memory, but it's not mine. I immediately identify it as my father's. He wanted to experience his life all over again with me in it. It was his last wish. A wish of a better life for me as his daughter, and my wish to see him again seemed to intertwine. I couldn't tell where his wish began and mine ended. The wheel yanked me into the air with a purple energy, out of their hands, causing me to hover directly above it. I fell down into it and was immediately broken down into atoms and transferred through a purple light, and through an infinitely small hole.

As I opened my eyes, expecting to see the men tearing away, I'm shocked to see a small child with black hair and green eyes. I stare dumbstruck as he starts laughing at me.

"Wake up sleepyhead! Ma said to wake up because she's making breakfast!"

He ran out of the room and down the stairs. "How did I end up here?" I thought to myself. I walked into the kitchen to see my parents setting up the table and putting food on our plates.

"Good morning, sleepyhead!" Mom said. "Did Sean finally wake you? I was going to get you in a minute. Come get some breakfast, it's pancakes fried in bacon grease. Stop staring with your mouth open, you'll attract flies!"

"Yes ma'am." I said, almost involuntarily.

I look at the man setting the table and I feel a strong sense of familiarity. I began giggling excitedly as I sit down.

"Can you pass the butter, please?" I ask him, giggling.

"Sure, Penelope. What's so funny?" He asked with a grin.

"Nothing!" I say. "I was just thinking about how much time we get to spend together since our dream came true!"

"What? Are you feeling okay honey?" Mom asked." Sean said you woke up looking scared of something. Did you have a bad dream?"

"No, I had the best dream ever! I was..." I said.

"No it's because she has a boyfriend!" Sean interrupted, food spilling out his mouth.

"Because she has a boyfriend!?" Dad said mimicking Sean's garbled yell. "Don't talk with your mouth full, son. What's this about a boy, Penelope?"

"I don't have a boyfriend! Boys are gross and have cooties!" I yelled, almost unthinkingly.

"That's right, all boys have cooties so stay far away from them. You're too young to be thinking about them anyway." Mom said.

"Yeah, twelve years too young!" Dad laughed. "We can talk about that stuff when you're eighteen and going to college. Make sure you clean your plate when you're done, honey. That means you too, Sean!"

I clean my plate and look at the pink and orange magnets spelling "1996" stuck to the refrigerator door. I made my wish and it came true, but I don't remember much else. I send up a silent thank you to the strange purple angel that saved me and get ready for the day. It's my first day of school, but I already know what I want to be when I grow up. The memory of how I got here is a little hazy, but I know one thing. I want to be a scientist just like my Dad.