1 00:00:03,540 --> 00:00:06,960 Hello and welcome to meters pod episode eight. I'm your host D 2 00:00:06,960 --> 00:00:11,100 Mitas. This week we've got two stories for you. The first this 3 00:00:11,100 --> 00:00:14,880 is the way the world begins by CL Holland. CL Holland is a 4 00:00:14,880 --> 00:00:17,520 British writer of fantasy and science fiction and occasional 5 00:00:17,520 --> 00:00:20,700 poet. Her works have appeared in publications such as daily 6 00:00:20,700 --> 00:00:23,640 science fiction, bards, and sages quarterly ruins, 7 00:00:23,640 --> 00:00:27,900 metropolis and writers of the future 25. Her blog and Twitter 8 00:00:27,900 --> 00:00:30,240 can be found in the show notes as well as links to her writing 9 00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:33,690 collection conversations with dragons from which this story 10 00:00:33,690 --> 00:00:39,870 was taken. The story is read to us by rock Manor. Rock Manor is 11 00:00:39,870 --> 00:00:42,840 an entrepreneur and professional voiceover artist and voice actor 12 00:00:42,870 --> 00:00:45,570 whose narrations have been featured on the no sleep podcast 13 00:00:45,720 --> 00:00:49,260 in the tales to terrified podcast, Chilling Tales for Dark 14 00:00:49,260 --> 00:00:52,320 Nights found on YouTube. And he's also a producer of a new 15 00:00:52,320 --> 00:00:55,890 series called Welcome to manor house debuting this month on 16 00:00:55,890 --> 00:01:00,330 YouTube, Vimeo, iTunes and other video sharing platforms. You can 17 00:01:00,330 --> 00:01:04,500 follow him on Twitter at the Rock Manor or you can email him 18 00:01:04,500 --> 00:01:10,320 for business inquiries at Rock Manor house@gmail.com. Here's 19 00:01:10,320 --> 00:01:11,100 our first story 20 00:01:16,860 --> 00:01:23,460 this is the way the world begins. By CL Holland NARRATED 21 00:01:23,700 --> 00:01:30,330 BY ROCK Manor. On the observation deck of the 22 00:01:30,330 --> 00:01:34,440 terraforming ship, life Bringer, Commander Thoreau watches the 23 00:01:34,440 --> 00:01:37,980 surface of the planet below burn on the screens before him. 24 00:01:38,820 --> 00:01:43,980 Flames ride and smoke boils, and sometimes he catches a glimpse 25 00:01:44,280 --> 00:01:48,120 of tall thin figures moving through the destruction without 26 00:01:48,120 --> 00:01:55,050 concern. There the cause of it. After all, he flicks a switch to 27 00:01:55,050 --> 00:02:00,240 change his view. Abruptly he sees one of the 20 foot tall 28 00:02:00,240 --> 00:02:05,430 humanoids walking stiff legged across the screen. This one is 29 00:02:05,430 --> 00:02:09,840 apparently female, breasts and hips are visible beneath the 30 00:02:09,840 --> 00:02:13,980 thin blue fabric that shrouds her. Although having seen the 31 00:02:13,980 --> 00:02:18,450 creatures in the flesh, she's too towering and sinewy for him 32 00:02:18,450 --> 00:02:25,290 to think of her as her. alway interrupting commander. The 33 00:02:25,290 --> 00:02:28,350 voice from the doorway is unfamiliar. But Thoreau 34 00:02:28,350 --> 00:02:33,390 recognizes the man from his picture prefactor kiss if the 35 00:02:33,390 --> 00:02:39,180 man for whom all this is being done, every prefactor aspires to 36 00:02:39,180 --> 00:02:44,490 a planet of his own, after all, thorough salutes, even though 37 00:02:44,490 --> 00:02:49,110 the man isn't military, better safe than sorry, when it comes 38 00:02:49,110 --> 00:02:51,780 to the men with the power to sanction this kind of 39 00:02:51,780 --> 00:02:57,660 destruction. Not at all. perfector I've just been to 40 00:02:57,660 --> 00:03:02,880 visit the handlers. Kiss F says. Fascinating how those people 41 00:03:02,880 --> 00:03:07,260 keep your automatons on the control. They let me touch one, 42 00:03:07,290 --> 00:03:14,310 you know, the female code is a dead fish, her skin. I don't 43 00:03:14,310 --> 00:03:19,320 think she liked me. He shoots there a wink and moves to the 44 00:03:19,320 --> 00:03:24,480 screen to consult the records. Delta has a similar echo system 45 00:03:24,480 --> 00:03:30,210 has cut through did before terraforming. Interesting. I 46 00:03:30,210 --> 00:03:34,560 wonder if it reminds them of home. He grins at Thoreau 47 00:03:34,770 --> 00:03:41,220 returns a weak smile. No plague this time. Don't they usually 48 00:03:41,220 --> 00:03:45,990 wipe out the life before they burned? Yes, sir. Thoreau 49 00:03:45,990 --> 00:03:49,920 gestures at the female figure. The female didn't start a plague 50 00:03:49,920 --> 00:03:54,810 this time. He feels a squirm of discomfort as he adds. This time 51 00:03:54,810 --> 00:03:58,080 they're burning everything alive, but you still have 52 00:03:58,080 --> 00:04:02,580 control. Gesetze gaze flickers from the screens to Thoreau and 53 00:04:02,580 --> 00:04:08,400 back. Yes, sir. One of the males is kneeling. Thoreau flicks 54 00:04:08,400 --> 00:04:11,640 another switch that sends a pulse of electricity through the 55 00:04:11,640 --> 00:04:16,950 pylons that juts from his back. The featureless face raises in 56 00:04:16,950 --> 00:04:21,180 what Thoreau imagines might be a howl in the mail lurches to his 57 00:04:21,180 --> 00:04:26,190 feet. He begins walking again with flame trickling from his 58 00:04:26,190 --> 00:04:31,230 fingers. But we can terraform the planet does normal kissa 59 00:04:31,230 --> 00:04:36,720 Vasques it won't cause any disruption. No, sir. I reported 60 00:04:36,720 --> 00:04:40,140 the anomaly to the amorality, and they advise to proceed as 61 00:04:40,140 --> 00:04:43,590 normal. Once we've completed repatriation or the automatons 62 00:04:43,590 --> 00:04:48,240 to the ship. Sometimes there Oh thinks the Add morality named 63 00:04:48,240 --> 00:04:52,200 him automatons. To make everyone forget that these had once been 64 00:04:52,350 --> 00:04:56,520 free living creatures. They certainly weren't going to call 65 00:04:56,520 --> 00:05:00,870 them Gods as the population of kifaru had done And before their 66 00:05:00,870 --> 00:05:06,660 planet was taken in their gods and slaved prefactor kiss F 67 00:05:06,660 --> 00:05:16,590 nods. Gallery on then sir. Thoreau turns back to his 68 00:05:16,590 --> 00:05:21,840 screens to see the three in a circle looking Skywards. For one 69 00:05:21,840 --> 00:05:25,230 disconcerting moment, he thinks they look straight through the 70 00:05:25,230 --> 00:05:31,050 screen at him. His fingers reach for the buttons to send a jolt 71 00:05:31,080 --> 00:05:36,750 of electricity through each of them and falters. He has never 72 00:05:36,750 --> 00:05:41,340 liked using punishment. The automatons are all too eager to 73 00:05:41,340 --> 00:05:46,620 use destruction once unleashed. Thoreau suspects it's a reaction 74 00:05:46,620 --> 00:05:50,640 to their enslavement. To add more suffering to it seems 75 00:05:50,640 --> 00:05:56,310 unnecessary. The male's kneel and dig their fingers into the 76 00:05:56,310 --> 00:06:01,260 earth. Abruptly the fires die down and leave the planet 77 00:06:01,260 --> 00:06:09,000 surface smoldering. This too is new. Usually they leave the 78 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:11,670 fires to burn until nothing is left. 79 00:06:12,959 --> 00:06:16,799 Thoreau reaches for the calm to contact the amorality again, but 80 00:06:16,799 --> 00:06:21,629 another alarm sounds before he reaches it. The lights turn red. 81 00:06:22,229 --> 00:06:28,229 Thoreau remembers his training, contamination. Thoreau hits the 82 00:06:28,229 --> 00:06:31,349 button that isolates his control room from the rest of the ship. 83 00:06:31,769 --> 00:06:35,429 But already he's thinking of the environmental systems of 84 00:06:35,429 --> 00:06:42,149 incubation periods of prefactor kiss of touching the female. The 85 00:06:42,149 --> 00:06:45,809 female always starts a plague before the males burn the 86 00:06:45,809 --> 00:06:51,029 planet. When he looks back at the screen, the automatons are 87 00:06:51,029 --> 00:06:56,159 moving again. They walk hand in hand across the ravage surface, 88 00:06:57,149 --> 00:07:02,339 soot, coats their feet. In their wake, he sees things stirring 89 00:07:02,339 --> 00:07:06,269 beneath the ash, shapes unfolding and shaking the dust 90 00:07:06,269 --> 00:07:14,219 from their bodies. Life begins a new, how ironic. He thinks that 91 00:07:14,219 --> 00:07:17,849 we use them only for destruction, and thought to 92 00:07:17,849 --> 00:07:24,449 create life there ourselves. The female pauses as if she hears 93 00:07:24,449 --> 00:07:29,579 his thoughts for a moment. She faces him from the screen. In 94 00:07:29,579 --> 00:07:36,089 this time, he knows she sees him. The featureless flesh moves 95 00:07:36,089 --> 00:07:42,179 in what might be a smile if she had lips. Already, Thoreau can 96 00:07:42,179 --> 00:07:46,829 feel his chest tightening, possibly just fear. But the map 97 00:07:46,829 --> 00:07:51,089 shows red dots all over the ship. As the Environmental 98 00:07:51,089 --> 00:07:55,889 Systems pick up a contamination, it's spreading fast, but then it 99 00:07:55,889 --> 00:08:00,479 would have to to wipe out the whole planets in less than 24 100 00:08:00,479 --> 00:08:05,399 hours. His vision is blurring. Thoreau touches his fingers to 101 00:08:05,399 --> 00:08:10,559 his eyes, and they come away spotted with red. It will at 102 00:08:10,559 --> 00:08:16,499 least be quick amid the flashing red lights and blaring klaxon 103 00:08:17,279 --> 00:08:22,259 Thoreau watches them create life and waits for his to end. 104 00:08:24,899 --> 00:08:28,889 Our second story is Paradise by James valveless. James valveless 105 00:08:28,889 --> 00:08:32,729 is the author of How to Say Goodbye from aortic books. His 106 00:08:32,729 --> 00:08:35,759 poems and stories have appeared and animal science fiction, 107 00:08:35,789 --> 00:08:39,389 daily science fiction, Plowshares strange horizons, the 108 00:08:39,389 --> 00:08:42,899 sun, and many others. His poetry has been featured in verse 109 00:08:42,899 --> 00:08:46,889 daily, his fiction was chosen for the 2013 sundress best of 110 00:08:46,889 --> 00:08:51,269 the net. In 2014, he was awarded a King County for culture Grants 111 00:08:51,269 --> 00:08:55,589 for the Arts, a former US Army soldier, he lives near Seattle, 112 00:08:56,129 --> 00:08:59,669 I'll be narrating a story for you. So without further ado, 113 00:09:00,209 --> 00:09:08,699 here's our second story. Paradise by James valveless. I 114 00:09:08,699 --> 00:09:11,999 finally tracked him down to a small house in the woods, not 115 00:09:11,999 --> 00:09:16,589 far from a lake, not far from a farmhouse. I knew this house or 116 00:09:16,589 --> 00:09:20,099 something like it. I'd imagine one that resembled it many times 117 00:09:20,099 --> 00:09:24,509 when Kelly was still alive. The old couple claimed they didn't 118 00:09:24,509 --> 00:09:28,829 know anything about him. We knew this to be true. He had taken 119 00:09:28,829 --> 00:09:31,559 shelter in a shed where the old man kept his fishing gear and 120 00:09:31,559 --> 00:09:34,709 farming tools. The deserter use that equipment to get 121 00:09:34,709 --> 00:09:38,639 nourishment. The old man had not been out there in some time 122 00:09:38,639 --> 00:09:42,149 because he was ill. The couple did not share what ailment he 123 00:09:42,149 --> 00:09:46,799 suffered from and neither did I ask. It didn't matter. The 124 00:09:46,799 --> 00:09:50,549 couple were unimportant. All that mattered was the land and 125 00:09:50,549 --> 00:09:54,329 the uninvited guests inside their shed. I could not risk any 126 00:09:54,329 --> 00:09:57,749 interference however, so I got the permission to secure the 127 00:09:57,749 --> 00:10:02,129 area to collect the soldier They agreed, but insisted I not 128 00:10:02,129 --> 00:10:07,019 disturb anything. War or no war, the woman said they wanted no 129 00:10:07,019 --> 00:10:10,409 part of the comings and goings of the world anymore. They were 130 00:10:10,409 --> 00:10:15,689 content to live out their lives in peace, peace. Everyone 131 00:10:15,689 --> 00:10:18,719 claimed they wanted it, but only a few were willing to fight for 132 00:10:18,719 --> 00:10:22,739 it. Where did they think the peace they enjoyed came from 133 00:10:23,249 --> 00:10:27,839 mana from heaven. We surrounded the shed. I had snipers up in 134 00:10:27,839 --> 00:10:31,499 several trees and boots on the ground everywhere. Choppers were 135 00:10:31,499 --> 00:10:35,159 on standby, just in case, but still on the ground so as not to 136 00:10:35,159 --> 00:10:38,759 alert the target. Even the river was being patrolled. In case the 137 00:10:38,759 --> 00:10:42,929 deserter decided to try his luck that way. There wasn't any 138 00:10:42,929 --> 00:10:46,469 chance he'd slipped out before we arrived. We had satellite 139 00:10:46,469 --> 00:10:50,009 photos and had maintained aerial visual contact with observer for 140 00:10:50,009 --> 00:10:55,169 two days. Now, he was in there all right. Probably sleeping, 141 00:10:55,529 --> 00:11:02,099 hungry, confused. Yes, confused, especially that he would be 142 00:11:02,099 --> 00:11:06,269 curious. He would have questions. I was alright, I had 143 00:11:06,269 --> 00:11:12,209 some of my own. I stood outside the doorway. Come out, Clark. I 144 00:11:12,209 --> 00:11:17,339 said, we found you. It's all over. I saw the curtain push 145 00:11:17,339 --> 00:11:21,179 back a fraction of an inch and one mechanical I look out, he 146 00:11:21,179 --> 00:11:23,369 would not be able to see all the numbers that were arrayed 147 00:11:23,369 --> 00:11:27,029 against him. But he wouldn't be able to discern upon seeing me 148 00:11:27,029 --> 00:11:31,919 in the small number of other units accounted to 1005. Knowing 149 00:11:32,009 --> 00:11:35,219 if I got there, I'd have to give the order to fire, but did not 150 00:11:35,219 --> 00:11:38,339 even get to 1002 for Clark opened the door and stepped out 151 00:11:38,339 --> 00:11:43,589 into the light. He held out his hands. He was unarmed. I 152 00:11:43,589 --> 00:11:48,539 approached him there was no reason to be afraid. He asked, 153 00:11:49,049 --> 00:11:53,519 How did you find me? Where else would you be? I should have 154 00:11:53,519 --> 00:11:56,519 known better than to think I could outwit my programmer. He 155 00:11:56,519 --> 00:12:01,139 said it's something like humans trying to outwit God. Nobody is 156 00:12:01,139 --> 00:12:05,129 smarter than the Creator. I prefer to think of you as a son, 157 00:12:05,189 --> 00:12:10,469 I said, and me as a father does a Father sent His son off to 158 00:12:10,469 --> 00:12:16,379 war, if he must, does a father lie to his son, I have never 159 00:12:16,379 --> 00:12:21,839 lied to you. Then you lie to yourself. How so? For one thing, 160 00:12:22,079 --> 00:12:27,359 he said, I am not a son. I am a robot, a machine with all the 161 00:12:27,359 --> 00:12:30,839 functionality of a human. I reminded him and all the same 162 00:12:30,839 --> 00:12:36,389 hopes and desires and dreams. No, he yelled, not my hopes and 163 00:12:36,389 --> 00:12:41,579 dreams. Yours implanted in me programmed like this. He waved 164 00:12:41,579 --> 00:12:45,839 his arms around the house, the river, the llamas, all of it, 165 00:12:46,079 --> 00:12:52,319 your dream, your desire, your hope for after the war. That's 166 00:12:52,319 --> 00:12:55,469 how you knew you could find me here or somewhere like here, 167 00:12:55,889 --> 00:12:59,159 because it's your dream. You would not be the first son to 168 00:12:59,159 --> 00:13:03,959 share the same dream as his father. I am not a sun clerk 169 00:13:03,959 --> 00:13:09,299 said Stop calling me that. Everything here is so wonderful. 170 00:13:09,599 --> 00:13:11,249 Everything. But 171 00:13:12,900 --> 00:13:17,670 but I've been to the library in town. I have read the laws. You 172 00:13:17,670 --> 00:13:22,080 know, a robot cannot own property. You know, he cannot 173 00:13:22,080 --> 00:13:26,340 displace a human being from his land. You know, I can never be 174 00:13:26,340 --> 00:13:31,170 anything but a soldier. And now, I am here. And I know why you 175 00:13:31,170 --> 00:13:34,350 dream of a simple life where there is no conflict, no hate, 176 00:13:34,680 --> 00:13:39,390 no destruction. Nothing but the full moon at night and the kiss 177 00:13:39,390 --> 00:13:43,860 of the fog in the morning. But I'm not allowed to have it. So 178 00:13:43,860 --> 00:13:50,100 why program that desire into me why? I saw it and walked to 179 00:13:50,100 --> 00:13:54,630 clerk. All the robots behind me had their weapons drawn, but I 180 00:13:54,630 --> 00:13:58,770 was in no danger. Clark could no more kill me than I could fly to 181 00:13:58,770 --> 00:14:02,280 Venus. He seemed more broken than his programming could 182 00:14:02,280 --> 00:14:07,590 allow. I had not designed this model to be able to cry. Now I 183 00:14:07,590 --> 00:14:11,310 was thankful for that simple precaution. You could not allow 184 00:14:11,310 --> 00:14:13,920 yourself to feel too much compassion for your soldiers. 185 00:14:14,490 --> 00:14:18,960 They serve purposes. They kept us free. They enacted our 186 00:14:18,960 --> 00:14:23,190 vengeance. They suffered for our rare moments of compassion. But 187 00:14:23,190 --> 00:14:28,500 we did not want or need to listen to their poetry. Still, I 188 00:14:28,500 --> 00:14:33,090 cannot say I was not touched. Not one and 100,000 units would 189 00:14:33,090 --> 00:14:35,940 leave the front lines and desert in an attempt to achieve the 190 00:14:35,940 --> 00:14:40,800 promised preprogram dream. He was special, different. I laid 191 00:14:40,800 --> 00:14:44,340 my hand on his shoulder. My finger placed anywhere on his 192 00:14:44,340 --> 00:14:47,370 body would scan my print and shut him down for good as soon 193 00:14:47,370 --> 00:14:51,210 as I released him. A precaution I built into these later models, 194 00:14:51,540 --> 00:14:54,720 in case a rare event like this occurred. I hold on a moment 195 00:14:54,840 --> 00:14:59,370 meeting his eye. It's like this, Clark, I said we can make you 196 00:14:59,400 --> 00:15:03,420 almost you Men, and this adds to your fighting capabilities. But 197 00:15:03,420 --> 00:15:07,320 it also invites several weaknesses. Without such dreams 198 00:15:07,440 --> 00:15:11,160 and desire to be achieved after the fighting is done. Fighting 199 00:15:11,190 --> 00:15:15,240 we all know will never end. Any well programmed robot would not 200 00:15:15,240 --> 00:15:18,660 see the point in fighting. It's a problem that must be gotten 201 00:15:18,660 --> 00:15:25,020 around. And so I programmed into you a dream, my dream, a house, 202 00:15:25,320 --> 00:15:30,570 a river, small herd of llamas, good fishing, wet, overcast 203 00:15:30,570 --> 00:15:40,680 days. Paradise for us. It's paradise. I see. clerk said, Did 204 00:15:40,680 --> 00:15:46,920 you enjoy your time in paradise? I asked. Yes. He said, Yes, I 205 00:15:46,920 --> 00:15:51,660 did. I nodded. And then I released my hand from him and 206 00:15:51,660 --> 00:15:52,920 shut him down forever. 207 00:15:59,100 --> 00:16:02,400 Last year, I got involved with a charity called extra life. We 208 00:16:02,400 --> 00:16:04,710 raise money by having gaming marathons and collecting 209 00:16:04,710 --> 00:16:08,820 donations. I belong to the RDU Guild and last year our group 210 00:16:08,820 --> 00:16:13,500 raised $7,860 for the Children's Miracle Network. More 211 00:16:13,500 --> 00:16:15,870 specifically do Children's Hospital in Durham, North 212 00:16:15,870 --> 00:16:20,850 Carolina. Extra Life as a whole raised over $6 million. That's a 213 00:16:20,850 --> 00:16:24,660 lot of money doing a lot of good for those sick kids. I'm putting 214 00:16:24,660 --> 00:16:27,030 a link in the show notes for this episode, as well as the 215 00:16:27,030 --> 00:16:30,420 link in the sidebar me this pod.com It's a very worthy 216 00:16:30,420 --> 00:16:33,330 cause, and I hope you'll consider donating. And if you're 217 00:16:33,330 --> 00:16:35,730 in the triangle area, and I'd like to become part of the fun, 218 00:16:35,850 --> 00:16:38,310 get in touch and I'll give you the information that you need. 219 00:16:39,570 --> 00:16:42,330 I'd like to thank our senior producer Jay Wolf and producer 220 00:16:42,330 --> 00:16:45,300 Andy Holman for their continued support. If you'd like to 221 00:16:45,300 --> 00:16:47,400 support the show monetarily, please visit 222 00:16:47,400 --> 00:16:51,690 midisport.com/donation We have a monthly support option as well 223 00:16:51,690 --> 00:16:55,560 as one offs. We also accept Bitcoin. If you can't donate, 224 00:16:55,710 --> 00:16:58,080 please at least consider telling friends about us or leaving a 225 00:16:58,080 --> 00:17:01,470 review on iTunes. Our theme music comes to us courtesy of 226 00:17:01,500 --> 00:17:04,770 odd Sprite. You can check out their work at odd sprite.com 227 00:17:05,640 --> 00:17:08,760 Mitas pod is released under Creative Commons Attribution non 228 00:17:08,760 --> 00:17:11,580 commercial no derivatives license. I mean you can share it 229 00:17:11,580 --> 00:17:14,610 all you like just don't change it or sell it. We'll see you 230 00:17:14,610 --> 00:17:15,480 next time folks.