Don't read this. It's a terrible idea.
What, exactly makes us human?
"War. Such a simple word with so much meaning. A word that defines the ugliness of man. I hate that word."
Awakening from his five-minute slumber, Jes opened his eyes and saw that the bus he was on had stopped. He murmured something inaudible, and looked over to his right and saw a woman, listening to an old radio.
"War. Such a simple word with so much meaning. A word that defines the ugliness of man. I hate that word."
The woman didn't seem to notice that the radio was repeating itself, at least that's what Jes thought. After a brief silence, it played again.
"War. Such a simple word with so much meaning. A word that defines the ugliness of man. I hate that word."
Jes wondered why the woman was playing something like war on the bus. Why not something more woman-like, afterall, war was something men did. Even Jes, a seven-year old knows that.
The woman, previously staring out of the buses' window, turned her head and looked at Jes. The two stood silently, for a few minutes without saying anything. All one could hear was the steady beating of their hearts, and their breathes.
Jes stared into her brown-eyes, wondering what she was doing with such an old radio. It repeated itself again, only this time more garbled.
"War. Such a simbzz word with so much bzzning. A word that bzzt the bzztness of man. I bzzt that word."
Jes couldn't take it anymore. He opened his mouth and said "Miss, can you please turn that radio off?"
After a long silence, she replied, but with her own question.
"Why? Does it bother you?"
When she spoke, Jes realized she was much younger than she looked. Dressed in a formal manner, the woman looked much like an elderly woman than a twenty-ish woman, which her voice suggested.
"Yes, it does. Also, why are playing such a vulgar thing on the bus, ma'am?" He asked back.
"Because, war is something that is ignored and exploited. I think people, more specifically our country should acknowledge it." She answered.
"But ma'am, you'll be arrested for playing something like this on the bus. How long has it been on?" Jes asked.
"For what? Speaking my own opinion? I got on the bus about ten minutes ago, young sir." She said.
When Jes heard the 'young sir' in her speech, having extra emphasis on it than the rest of what she said, his eyes widened.
"Y-you know who I am?" He asked, shakily.
"Yes, I do. Everyone knows the Emperor's son when they see him, even if he's an Invisible." She said, and the radio appeared to have died down.
"I am not the Emperor's son. I never was." Jes spat.
"Say what you want, Jessica." the woman said.
Jes looked up, and saw her grinning. He, no she was beginning to hate this spiteful woman.
"That was my old name. My name now Jesse." Jes said, blushing from embarrassment/anger.
"Say what you want. Your original birth certificate says otherwise. I was one of the doctors who worked on your sex change. I even remember the look of disappointment on your father's face when he saw you come of your mother's womb. When he saw you had female genitalia, his happy face dropped immediately. He asked us to change your gender, since woman in this society are worthless compared to a male.
"Even after we did the surgery, you showed traits only a woman had. Your mother tried to hide this from your father, encouraging you to play with your brothers, learn from them. You tried to, but your female traits still stood out. One day, your father caught you cooking for your brothers. You remember his face, don't you?"
Jes looked at the woman in disbelief. She knew all about his life, even the parts that he/she did not know. But yes, he/she did remember her fathers face, and recalled how he slapped him/her so forcibly Jes' jaw cracked from the impact on the wall.
"Y-you..."
"But it didn't end there. Oh no, it didn't. Your father, the Emperor, wanted to banish you forever. Even if you are a child, he wanted you out of his life. He could not stand female children, even ones who had their gender changed. He had high hopes for you, you were more intelligent, no gifted than your brothers, in fact he bragged about you in his weekly parties. He loved you.
"And you loved him. You were daddies little boy, drawing all attention from his other sons to you. You wanted to impress him, always. You even learned how to cook and clean, to show him your dedication.
"But then, when he came back home, he slapped you, and told you that no son of his was allowed to do woman's work. His face, full of old hatred and rage terrified you, causing you to cry for the first time in your life. And then, he grabbed you by the arm, and yelled into your face that no true man would ever cry, not one of his sons. Only a woman could cry.
"And then he told you, that you were a woman. After that, he disowned you. All media/videos of you were erased. Proof that you ever lived was all but erased. He came back for you, and you thought he had forgiven you. Instead, he informed you that you must leave his property, or else you would be gunned down, like a dog.
"So, he gave you one thousand G, and told you to take the nearest bus out of town, lest you be seen by anyone else."
The woman stopped talking for just a second, and then looked at Jes again. The little boy/girl looked as if they were told that the world was going to end tomorrow. A face full of despair, pain and the slightest hint of tears.
"You can cry now, Jes. After all, who's going to care? You're no one, remember?"
With that, Jes couldn't take it anymore. All of his/her's composure was gone, all that was left was old sadness. Jes' pride, gone. All he/she wanted to do now was cry, but he/she refused, not letting him/herself fall into a pit of sadness again.
"Who are you?" Jes asked.
"I'm a carrier," She answered, "but my name is O."
"O?" Jes asked.
"I don't need a name, at least, not for my job anyway." O answered.
"What's...your job?" Jes asked, not sure what the response was. The entire conversation was very unsettling for him/her.
"I'm a carrier. Inside my body, thousands of viruses are going to invade this world."
"Okay, now you're beginning to sound crazy," Jes said, but his/her's voice wasn't in tune to his/her's mind. "Why're you telling me this?"
"These viruses will change the molecular structure of each human being, man, child, woman, it does not matter. It doesn't discriminate, it just infects. It'll alter the body greatly, causing it to do one of three things. Either kill it's host and be in control of it's body, destroy the host's previous body and morph it into something not human but keep their mind intact, or the very, very rare scenario." O explained.
"Which is?" Jes asked.
"The host and the virus co-exist, the host using the viruses abilities for him or herself. Chance of this happening is equal to ten percent, though it maybe more. We're not sure how this happens, maybe the host has a resistance against the virus that is unseen anywhere else, or the virus and the host communicate with each other." O said, this time with a hint of pain in her voice.
"Wait, 'communicate'? How that possible?" Jes asked.
"The virus..can think. It's..not like others. Each one...is different, on how it affects the hosts...body. It's...like...drawing...a..lottery ticket." Now O is beginning to sound in much more pain, her breaths becoming rasp.
"Is something wrong?" Jes asked, a little worried about all of this.
"My time...as a carrier...is ending. I'm not the only one though. Plenty of others are going through the same thing as I am, talking to the...the...," O began to cough loudly, drawing attention of those on the bus.
"O...what's..happening?" Jes asked.
O's skin, previously very healthy, was turning black with the virus inside her becoming active.
"My time...is ending, remember? Jes...you're special. We..carriers...choose our successors. Most of the virus will hit you...the most. They'll be drawn to...you. Those infected...will crave you. You'll....be hunted down. I'm telling...you this...because it's...unfair. You will...experience...the Change...the most."
"The Change?" Jes asked, and began to edge away from O.
"The viruses...name. They...will...give you...gah!" O began to spit out blood, and then turned to Jes to weakly grin.
"We're doing this...for the betterment....of the world. People...have forgot...about....about...everything. With this...people...will challenge...the meaning...of what it means....to be human. Jes...you're a prime example...of what it means...to be human. You were born...a girl, like myself....but you were disowned because of that. I sympathize with you. So...please...find...the others...like...yourself. Teach...people..what it..means..to..be..human. But...one thing is certain...a war...will appear. And..it'll be ugly. Just..like...mankind. Stop...that...warrrr..."
And with that, O's heart stopped beating, and the Change was released.
[yeah yeah I told you it was terrible, though improvement is encouraged.]
What, exactly makes us human?
"War. Such a simple word with so much meaning. A word that defines the ugliness of man. I hate that word."
Awakening from his five-minute slumber, Jes opened his eyes and saw that the bus he was on had stopped. He murmured something inaudible, and looked over to his right and saw a woman, listening to an old radio.
"War. Such a simple word with so much meaning. A word that defines the ugliness of man. I hate that word."
The woman didn't seem to notice that the radio was repeating itself, at least that's what Jes thought. After a brief silence, it played again.
"War. Such a simple word with so much meaning. A word that defines the ugliness of man. I hate that word."
Jes wondered why the woman was playing something like war on the bus. Why not something more woman-like, afterall, war was something men did. Even Jes, a seven-year old knows that.
The woman, previously staring out of the buses' window, turned her head and looked at Jes. The two stood silently, for a few minutes without saying anything. All one could hear was the steady beating of their hearts, and their breathes.
Jes stared into her brown-eyes, wondering what she was doing with such an old radio. It repeated itself again, only this time more garbled.
"War. Such a simbzz word with so much bzzning. A word that bzzt the bzztness of man. I bzzt that word."
Jes couldn't take it anymore. He opened his mouth and said "Miss, can you please turn that radio off?"
After a long silence, she replied, but with her own question.
"Why? Does it bother you?"
When she spoke, Jes realized she was much younger than she looked. Dressed in a formal manner, the woman looked much like an elderly woman than a twenty-ish woman, which her voice suggested.
"Yes, it does. Also, why are playing such a vulgar thing on the bus, ma'am?" He asked back.
"Because, war is something that is ignored and exploited. I think people, more specifically our country should acknowledge it." She answered.
"But ma'am, you'll be arrested for playing something like this on the bus. How long has it been on?" Jes asked.
"For what? Speaking my own opinion? I got on the bus about ten minutes ago, young sir." She said.
When Jes heard the 'young sir' in her speech, having extra emphasis on it than the rest of what she said, his eyes widened.
"Y-you know who I am?" He asked, shakily.
"Yes, I do. Everyone knows the Emperor's son when they see him, even if he's an Invisible." She said, and the radio appeared to have died down.
"I am not the Emperor's son. I never was." Jes spat.
"Say what you want, Jessica." the woman said.
Jes looked up, and saw her grinning. He, no she was beginning to hate this spiteful woman.
"That was my old name. My name now Jesse." Jes said, blushing from embarrassment/anger.
"Say what you want. Your original birth certificate says otherwise. I was one of the doctors who worked on your sex change. I even remember the look of disappointment on your father's face when he saw you come of your mother's womb. When he saw you had female genitalia, his happy face dropped immediately. He asked us to change your gender, since woman in this society are worthless compared to a male.
"Even after we did the surgery, you showed traits only a woman had. Your mother tried to hide this from your father, encouraging you to play with your brothers, learn from them. You tried to, but your female traits still stood out. One day, your father caught you cooking for your brothers. You remember his face, don't you?"
Jes looked at the woman in disbelief. She knew all about his life, even the parts that he/she did not know. But yes, he/she did remember her fathers face, and recalled how he slapped him/her so forcibly Jes' jaw cracked from the impact on the wall.
"Y-you..."
"But it didn't end there. Oh no, it didn't. Your father, the Emperor, wanted to banish you forever. Even if you are a child, he wanted you out of his life. He could not stand female children, even ones who had their gender changed. He had high hopes for you, you were more intelligent, no gifted than your brothers, in fact he bragged about you in his weekly parties. He loved you.
"And you loved him. You were daddies little boy, drawing all attention from his other sons to you. You wanted to impress him, always. You even learned how to cook and clean, to show him your dedication.
"But then, when he came back home, he slapped you, and told you that no son of his was allowed to do woman's work. His face, full of old hatred and rage terrified you, causing you to cry for the first time in your life. And then, he grabbed you by the arm, and yelled into your face that no true man would ever cry, not one of his sons. Only a woman could cry.
"And then he told you, that you were a woman. After that, he disowned you. All media/videos of you were erased. Proof that you ever lived was all but erased. He came back for you, and you thought he had forgiven you. Instead, he informed you that you must leave his property, or else you would be gunned down, like a dog.
"So, he gave you one thousand G, and told you to take the nearest bus out of town, lest you be seen by anyone else."
The woman stopped talking for just a second, and then looked at Jes again. The little boy/girl looked as if they were told that the world was going to end tomorrow. A face full of despair, pain and the slightest hint of tears.
"You can cry now, Jes. After all, who's going to care? You're no one, remember?"
With that, Jes couldn't take it anymore. All of his/her's composure was gone, all that was left was old sadness. Jes' pride, gone. All he/she wanted to do now was cry, but he/she refused, not letting him/herself fall into a pit of sadness again.
"Who are you?" Jes asked.
"I'm a carrier," She answered, "but my name is O."
"O?" Jes asked.
"I don't need a name, at least, not for my job anyway." O answered.
"What's...your job?" Jes asked, not sure what the response was. The entire conversation was very unsettling for him/her.
"I'm a carrier. Inside my body, thousands of viruses are going to invade this world."
"Okay, now you're beginning to sound crazy," Jes said, but his/her's voice wasn't in tune to his/her's mind. "Why're you telling me this?"
"These viruses will change the molecular structure of each human being, man, child, woman, it does not matter. It doesn't discriminate, it just infects. It'll alter the body greatly, causing it to do one of three things. Either kill it's host and be in control of it's body, destroy the host's previous body and morph it into something not human but keep their mind intact, or the very, very rare scenario." O explained.
"Which is?" Jes asked.
"The host and the virus co-exist, the host using the viruses abilities for him or herself. Chance of this happening is equal to ten percent, though it maybe more. We're not sure how this happens, maybe the host has a resistance against the virus that is unseen anywhere else, or the virus and the host communicate with each other." O said, this time with a hint of pain in her voice.
"Wait, 'communicate'? How that possible?" Jes asked.
"The virus..can think. It's..not like others. Each one...is different, on how it affects the hosts...body. It's...like...drawing...a..lottery ticket." Now O is beginning to sound in much more pain, her breaths becoming rasp.
"Is something wrong?" Jes asked, a little worried about all of this.
"My time...as a carrier...is ending. I'm not the only one though. Plenty of others are going through the same thing as I am, talking to the...the...," O began to cough loudly, drawing attention of those on the bus.
"O...what's..happening?" Jes asked.
O's skin, previously very healthy, was turning black with the virus inside her becoming active.
"My time...is ending, remember? Jes...you're special. We..carriers...choose our successors. Most of the virus will hit you...the most. They'll be drawn to...you. Those infected...will crave you. You'll....be hunted down. I'm telling...you this...because it's...unfair. You will...experience...the Change...the most."
"The Change?" Jes asked, and began to edge away from O.
"The viruses...name. They...will...give you...gah!" O began to spit out blood, and then turned to Jes to weakly grin.
"We're doing this...for the betterment....of the world. People...have forgot...about....about...everything. With this...people...will challenge...the meaning...of what it means....to be human. Jes...you're a prime example...of what it means...to be human. You were born...a girl, like myself....but you were disowned because of that. I sympathize with you. So...please...find...the others...like...yourself. Teach...people..what it..means..to..be..human. But...one thing is certain...a war...will appear. And..it'll be ugly. Just..like...mankind. Stop...that...warrrr..."
And with that, O's heart stopped beating, and the Change was released.
[yeah yeah I told you it was terrible, though improvement is encouraged.]
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