Kaylie - From There to Here...

((Um... I've never posted a story on the forums before. Comments and suggestions are welcome, but please be kind :) ))

Kaylie laid on her pallet. It was hot. Too hot to sleep. She could hear her parents voices, quietly murmuring, over the screens that separated the sleeping areas from the rest of their one-room prefab house. She knew they were talking about her; they were worried about her future, worried about the test tomorrow.

Kaylie was turning eighteen tomorrow, so she was scheduled to take the Omni-Tek placement exam in the morning. Her test scores would determine her job assignment. A job she would probably do for the rest of her life.

Her parents had immigrated to the planet KNR42-3 over twenty years ago. They were a young optimistic couple, envisioning the excitement and potential of a frontier world. Omni-Tek had discovered a vast supply of magnacyte on KNR42-3. Magnacyte was the mineral of the future; it was said to be humanity's final solution for both energy and material needs. As an energy source, a single fist-sized rock of refined magnacyte could power an entire city for generations. And, the atoms and molecules of refined magnacyte could be rearranged and reconfigured to produce any type of matter imaginable, while providing all the energy necessary for the process.

Omni-Tek quietly began spreading the word that they needed colonists. The colonists would share in the great wealth expected from the mining and refining operations. They would merely have to sign a (lifetime) contract to work for Omni-Tek and move to the new planet.

Kaylie's parents arrived on KNR42-3 before terraforming had started. For the first few years, they, and all the colonists, lived in pressurized domes and became intimately familiar with their survival suits. Omni-Tek spent huge amounts of wealth to terraform the planet quickly in order to begin mining and refining operations as soon as possible.

Less than five years later, the colonists celebrated the disassembly of the domes with a planet-wide festival. Omni-Tek provided a huge feast and all the expensive alcohol that the colonists could imbibe. Kaylie was conceived that very night.

That same year, scientists identified a fatal disease directly caused by exposure to refined magnacyte. Infection and eventual death was caused by being exposed to as little as a single molecule of refined magnacyte. The disease would lie dormant for years, often ten or more. Once the disease became active, death was slow, painful, and guaranteed.

Luckily for Kaylie and her parents, refining operations had not yet started on KNR42-3. Since this newly discovered disease was only caused by refined magnacyte, those involved in the mining operations, like Kaylie's parents, were unaffected.

Word of the danger spread through the galaxy like wildfire, despite Omni-Tek's best efforts to keep it quiet. The market for magnacyte disappeared almost overnight. It took Omni-Tek about a month to stop all magnacyte-related activities on KNR42-3. Research stopped, refinery construction stopped, mining stopped, and the terraforming of KNR42-3 stopped. Salaries and supplies to the planet slowed to a trickle while Omni-Tek decided what to do with the suddenly worthless planet and workforce.

First weeks, and then months, passed. Colonists began dying by the hundreds. Most died from starvation. Some were shot by guards when trying to raid the food stores. Many colonists committed suicide. Through determination, and more than a little luck, Kaylie's parents and their infant child survived the man-made famine.

About a year after the crisis on KNR42-3 started, Omni-Tek began delivering equipment to the planet. The corporation announced that they were moving some of their robotic manufacturing facilities to the planet. The surviving colonists, who were all lifetime Omni-Tek employees, were put back to work. Most were given overseeing and maintenance positions, responsible for ensuring the robotic labor force continued functioning. Some labored in repetitive assembly line positions, replacing robots too broken-down to work on the line.

Kaylie's parents were assigned to work at a factory which made stuffed animals. They both started in maintenance positions, but, as the years passed, they were each moved to the assembly line after more robots became inoperative and irreparable.

Since the terraforming of KNR42-3 had stopped before completion, the planet was barely habitable. The atmosphere was breathable, but there was no available water. Plants couldn't survive the fiercely hot and dry conditions. And the only animals were those that lived off of the detritus of humanity, such as mice, rats, and a few insects. Food and water had to be shipped in from other systems around the galaxy. The colonists continued to be dependant on Omni-Tek for survival.

Lying there, sweating in the hot still air, Kaylie's mind drifted back to her childhood. Since her birthday was tomorrow, this seemed only natural. She remembered growing up knowing nobody else her age. Most of the colonists didn't want to bring children into this world. So, Kaylie's friends were her parents and the stuffed animals they would often bring home. She smiled, thinking of her favorite, a little stuffed leet; she spent hours imagining adventures she and her leet friend, Jenjen, would embark on. Kaylie's parents were both hard-working and determined people. Kaylie was the light of their lives and she grew up in a happy loving home, despite the challenges of living on KNR42-3.

Kaylie shivered, despite the heat, remembering her education. She attended classes alone in a converted factory office. Her teacher was an Omni-Tek EduBot 2000 that worked - most of the time. She was a bright and precocious child, which the robot had apparently not been programmed to handle. School was a constant struggle. Kaylie found some entertainment in trying to break the EduBot. By the time she reached the age of twelve she had reprogrammed the robot to only play popular music while she explored the planet's grid system, using the schoolroom's computer terminal.

The grid system on KNR42-3 was a global network, connecting the many computer systems around the planet. Kaylie delighted in finding and entering any new system she could find. She remembered at the age of sixteen she had experienced a big scare. While exploring some of the old terraforming computer systems, she accidentally shut down the oxygen producers that the colonists depended on to breathe. After two hours of frantically hacking, she was able to bring them back online. That evening, there was a small story on the newsnet about a malfunction in the oxygen producers. Kaylie swore to herself that she would stop hacking for good, but was back at it in less than a week.

Finally, Kaylie gave up on trying to sleep. She got up, quickly dressed, and grabbed her pack. It seemed a little heavier than normal, then she remembered that she had put some rations and water in it, preparation for the weekend hike her dad and her had planned. Kaylie briefly considered taking that stuff out, but decided to leave it. She wasn't planning on going very far and the extra weight wouldn't bother her. She quickly glanced in her pack and, seeing the green "standby" light of her hacking computer, zipped it up.

Her mom called out when Kaylie opened the door, "Kaylie? Where are you going?"
"Just out."
"You really need your sleep for the test tomorrow," her mom reminded.
Kaylie replied quietly, "I know, but it's too dang hot to sleep... I won't be gone long... besides, a walk might help."
After a brief silence her mom said, "Well... don't be out long... and be careful."
"Ok"
Kaylie stood by the open door, feeling sad without knowing why, "I love you guys..."
"... We love you too, Kaylie ..." concern obvious in her mom's voice.

Kaylie didn't know what else to say, so, she stepped outside, gently closed the door, and started walking.

((To be continued...))

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((Good story! Can't wait for more :) ))

((Sorry to make you guys wait, here's the rest of it :D Comments still welcome. :) ))

Kaylie walked. The sky was awash in countless pinpricks of light. But she didn't notice. Instead she saw the hard-packed sand and dust beneath her feet. She could feel the plain housing units huddled low against the ground in submission.

Everything around her radiated heat. The air was so still, as if the planet itself was holding it's breath. A low rumble reached her ears and she turned her head and raised her eyes to look in it's direction. Kaylie could see a very faint haze on the horizon making some stars twinkle and completely blocking those low against the ground.

A nearly imperceptible breath of air reached her from the direction of the haze. At almost the same moment a faint flash of light lit the haze. Dust storm. Kaylie knew the dangers of being caught outside by the approaching juggernaut. Without an envi-suit she only had a slim chance of survival. But, she was almost there. Kaylie quickened her pace. She still had faith in the feeling of immortality shared by most teenagers.

Her father's voice reached her ears from the past, "Kaylie, dust storms are the most dangerous thing you can face when hiking here. You MUST find shelter the moment your senses tell you that ones coming. Don't try to outrun it, you may be a fast runner sweetie, but no one can outrun a dust storm. And don't try your luck. Most of the people that have died in the storms believed that shelter would appear to them if they just hastened their journey. You HAVE to find shelter IMMEDIATELY! Kaylie... Kaylie! Are you even listening to me?”

Kaylie rolled her eyes at the sky, her father behind her, “Yes Dad, you've told me this a million-billion-kazillion times already!” Kaylie giggled quietly as a mischievious light entered her eyes, “Race ya to the top of that hill!” She started running almost as soon as the word “Race” exited her lips. She could hear her dad sprinting behind her.

Remembering that day, Kaylie broke into a jog. She smiled, remembering that that was the first time she ever beat her dad in a footrace. She knew he had let her win many times, but she remembered the look on his face that day and knew for the first time in her life that she could outrun him.

Kaylie rounded the corner of a building and saw the bright lights of the shipping container yard. She giggled quietly to herself, she had made it ahead of the storm despite her dad's advice. Her next actions had become second-nature by now, she had done this so many times. She crouched behind a familiar boulder. All she had to do was run from hiding place to hiding place while the security cameras were turned away. “Go!” she thought. Kaylie vaulted over the nearby fence and began her brief journey.

Kaylie's mind wandered as she repeated the steps taken so many times before. She was lying in an enviro-tent next to her dad. This was the last hiking trip they had taken, only a few weeks ago.

“Kaylie, let me ask you something. Are you studying for the placement test?”

Kaylie sighed as she thought, “Not this again."

"Yes Dad, of course I am.”

“Please don't just tell me what I want to hear Sweetie, are you REALLY studying?”

“Yes, I really am.”

“Really?”

Kaylie turned her head towards the wall of the tent, “Well...”

“Yeah, that's what I thought. Sweetie, don't you understand how important this is? Do you want to be stuck on this lousy forsaken lump of rock?” Her dad's fist pounded against the floor of the tent.

“It's not THAT bad...”

“Yes it is Honey. I wish that we could have taken you on a vacation at least once. Showed you how much better other worlds are than here.”

Kaylie turned her head towards her father and saw something that frightened her. There were tears running down her dad's face.

“...but this is home Dad”

“Kaylie, your mother and I want so much more for you than this. We would give our lives to be able to afford to get you out of here. But no matter how hard we tried, we just haven't been able to... I'm so sorry Honey.”

Kaylie didn't know what to say. She knew that they wanted her to do well on the placement exam so that Omni-Tek would send her off-world. But, she had never realized how serious they were about it, until now.

“But, but, this is my home... This is where we live... Where we've always lived.”

“I know Sweetie, we just want so much more for you. Your mother and I made a big mistake before you were born and you shouldn't have to pay for it.”

She knew he was talking about the lifetime contract they had signed with Omni-Tek. “I hate Omni-Tek!”

“Kaylie! Don't say that. Omni-Tek has given this family plenty. Our jobs put food on the table and a roof over our heads. Do you have any idea of how many people in this galaxy don't even have that?”

“I know... I know...”

“Kaylie, there's an ancient saying, 'Don't bite the hand that feeds you.' No matter how bad things are here, without Omni-Tek we might not even be having this conversation. Your mother or I might have died long ago and you might not have ever been born.”

“But they treat you guys so bad at the factory. I mean, you and mom are always complaining about something or other. And we have so little...”

“Kaylie, I'm not telling you that you have to love the corporation. We all have to find our own way in life. Just try to remember that they aren't the enemy. Omni-Tek can give you a lot of opportunities that your mom and I just can't. But... You've GOT to study for that test!”

“Ok ok... I'll try to do better.”

Kaylie's dad turned his face toward hers and gave her a loving smile, “Ok Sweetie, I believe you. We both have faith in you. I think you have some amazing adventures ahead of you.”

Kaylie snapped out of her reminiscing. She had reached the stacks of cargo containers piled like giant building blocks. She was safe from the cameras here. A strong breeze briefly blew her hair back. “I need to hurry” she thought.

She had really tried hard to study the mind-numbing material for the upcoming exam. She had even succeeded for a couple of days after that hiking trip. Now she was resigned to the future, stuck working in the same lousy factory as her parents. Kaylie sighed, but her thoughts improved as she turned towards the nearest container. “Wow” she thought, “this one looks like it's been around the whole galaxy.”

Kaylie took a moment to inspect the container. It was covered with dents and all of it's previously sharp corners had been rounded with age. The paint was faded and peeling, revealing layer upon layer of old coats of paint. She ran her fingers over the container's surface, it felt rough and warm, her fingers left clean trails in the dust that covered it's surface. “What's that?” she wondered; she was looking at a place on the container's door that had obviously been painted over. It looked like someone had painted over some graffiti. She stepped back a little to get a better view.

A smile flickered across her face as she read the poorly-covered message, “DOWN WITH OMNI-TEK!!!” Yes, this looked like a good container to explore. Kaylie moved close again, quickly put her nose close to it's surface and smelled. The only obvious odors were those of metal, old paint, and dust, but for a moment she imagined she could smell exotic aromas from distant worlds.

“Oh! A Challenge!” Kaylie thought when she noticed that the computerized lock was a type she'd never broken into before. She quickly pulled her hacking computer out of her pack and inserted two of the cables into matching ports on the lock. Kaylie began hacking the lock and she didn't notice the rumbling was now much louder and closer.

BOOM! Kaylie jumped, startled out of the intense focus she had while hacking. She looked around, “Oh sh*t...” She felt an emptiness take hold deep in her stomach as intense fear gripped her. The storm was nearly on top of her. The wind had strengthened. Clouds of dust ran before the wind which was getting stronger and louder by the moment.

She turned back to her task, realizing that her only hope of shelter was the cargo container she was trying to break into. Kaylie quickly regained her composure and began working again. Over the howl of the wind she faintly heard a beep and a click as the door swung open slightly. She yanked the cables out of the lock, grabbed her stuff and leaped into the huge box, pulling the door shut behind her.

“Thank goodness!” Kaylie thought and started to giggle, releasing the tension gathered in her. She could hear the wind screaming outside. There was a constant scratching sound like sand being tossed against the side of the metal box she was hiding in. “Guess I'll be stuck in here for awhile, might as well look around.” The inside of the container was perfectly dark, no light at all. Kaylie felt around in her pack for her light.

Kaylie turned the light on and moved the beam around the inside of the container. It was mostly empty, but there were a few boxes stacked neatly against the back wall. She looked a little closer at the boxes and read a label listing their contents and destination. “Stuffed animals, I shouldda known” she said out loud to herself. When she saw the destination she thought, “Rubi-Ka... I wonder where that is... it sounds so exotic. I bet there's tons of excitement there.” Kaylie sighed, “I wish I was going to Rubi-Ka instead of being stuck on this boring old planet.”

“Might as well make myself comfortable” she said. She began opening the boxes and spreading stuffed animals on the floor. Kaylie giggled a little, “At least the floor will be soft this way, sure beats lying on that hard metal floor.” Once she had made a reasonable bed when laid down, using a stuffed-leet as a pillow. Kaylie smiled thinking of Jenjen, her favorite back at home, also a stuffed-leet. Smiling to herself and exhausted from the night's activity, Kaylie fell asleep.

BANG! THUD! She woke suddenly at the loud noises. “What was that?” Kaylie thought fearfully. “Have they found me?” she worried. “I'd better get out of here.” She started feeling around, panic beginning to take hold. Her hand fell onto her light and she snapped it on. Despite the feeling of panic, she smiled to herself seeing stuffed animals scattered all over the floor. Kaylie grabbed her pack, stood up, and looked at the inside of the door.

Beep-beep-beep Her fear got even stronger. “It's not supposed to do that...” Kaylie was pressing the Emergency Exit button on the inside of the door, but the door was not unlocking, just beeping at her. With a feeling of dread she connected her hacking computer to the ports on the inside of the door. “Error Code – 475 – Door Blocked” she read.

“Oh sh*t... What am I doing to do?” Kaylie thought as she slumped to the floor.

BANG! Kaylie felt and heard that. It seemed like something really big had been dropped on top of the container she was trapped in. Suddenly she saw in her mind's eye containers stacked tightly into the hold of an interstellar cargo ship. She was being buried in that huge pile of steel boxes.

Kaylie opened her mouth to start screaming, but no sound came out. She suddenly saw armed and armored men opening the door and shooting her dead without listening to one word of explanation from her.

Kaylie began sobbing, tears running freely down her face. Not knowing what to do, she crawled over to the pile of stuffed animals and curled up into a foetal position. More loud bangs and thumps followed, each one quieter than the one before. Eventually, there was silence. After some time, she didn't know how long, she noticed a low rumbling that she could feel more than hear.

She realized that the ship was on it's way. The rumbling had to be the main engines. Kaylie suddenly remembered the hiking supplies in her pack and sighed in relief. She wasn't sure how long she'd be stuck in here, but at least she had food and water for awhile.

Hours passed. Days passed. Kaylie didn't have any idea how long she'd been in there. She didn't really want to know anyway, better to not think about it. Her supplies had only been meant for a weekend trip. She rationed her food and water carefully, taking only small bites and sips when she absolutely had to.

Lying in the dark, Kaylie noticed the rubling had stopped. “What does that mean?” she croaked to herself. Some time later she started hearing noises outside that sounded like containers being moved. Her eyes widened and a smile spread across her face as she realized that the containers were being unloaded. Kaylie carefully gathered her things. She drank her last swallow of water and ate the last bite of food. She sat close to the door, waiting patiently.

Then Kaylie heard noises on the top and sides of her container. Suddenly, the whole box started moving. She could imagine being carried out of the cargo bay and down onto the planet. The sense of movement was so exciting she nearly began cheering.

With a thump, the box landed on some surface. Kaylie quickly stood and slammed her hand against the Emergency Exit button. The lock disengaged and the door swung open slightly.

The light streaming through the small crack was dazzling. Kaylie pushed against the door, opening it.

Blinded by the bright daylight, Kaylie stumbled forward out of the cargo container. She took a couple of hesitant steps and tripped. She was falling! Farther than just to the ground, Kaylie tumbled through the air.

“Ooof!” The wind was knocked out of her when she hit the ground hard. “Ouch...” she said and blinked a few times, trying to get used to the light again after days and days of darkness.

“What do we have here?” said a deep voice from above her. Kaylie still couldn't see well, she could just make out the shape of a huge man standing over her with a gun that had to be bigger than she was.

“Don't shoot me!!! I didn't mean... I mean... it was an accident! ...I mean...”

The man started laughing good naturedly and offered a huge hand to her to help her up. Smiling, the man said, “I'm George Miss, and I'm not going to shoot you. What were you doing on the roof of the General Store?”

Kaylie took his hand and stood up, then she stammered, “You... you... you're not? ...not going to shoot me?”

The man just laughed in his deep booming voice.

“Um... I'm Kaylie... uh... nice to meet you?”

Kaylie learned later that the “man” was actually an Atrox, neither man nor woman. But with his massive physique, booming voice, and with a name like George, she couldn't help but think of him as a man anyway. George was a guard in Newland City, the city she found herself in. She was on a whole different planet! The name of this world was Rubi-Ka, the name she had read on the boxes she traveled with. George was able to take a break and get some food and water for her. She thought she'd never tasted anything as delicious as the Bronto Burger he bought for her.

George helped her get settled into Newland City. She got an apartment and found ways to make some money. Kaylie couldn't believe all of the plants and trees around her. She thought that Newland City must be the most beautiful city in the whole galaxy! There was even a lake! Kaylie had never seen so much water in her life. She also made other good friends and even had her first boyfriend!

Later, Kaylie looked back at all of the sudden turns her life had taken. She remembered what her parents wanted for her and realized that she had stumbled into it. She was a free woman, living life by her own rules, and beholden to nobody but herself. Kaylie missed her parents and swore to herself that she would rescue them. But, for now, she was happy.

Epilogue

Video of the interior of a small but nicely furnished apartment
Kaylie's face moves into the frame, smiling

Hi Mom and Dad! It's me Kaylie! I've missed you guys so much. I hope everything is good there. I'm on another planet! It's called Rubi-Ka and its sooooo amazing here! There's plants and animals and trees and grass and water! I even live by a lake!

I'm really sorry that I disappeared. I didn't mean to, it was really an accident. Um... I can't tell you about it right now... but sometime I will. This is my apartment.

Kaylie's face moves out of frame and the image sweeps slowly around the room. The apartment is tastefully, though not expensively, furnished and decorated. Kaylie's face comes back into the frame.

I've made a bunch of friends here. I've got work and money too! I'm so sorry that I made you guys worry, but things are really really great. I've got a friend named Foos that said he could get this to you. I really hope it gets there ok. Um... I guess I don't have much else to say. If there is some way to get a message back to me please let me know you're ok. Just send it to me in Newland City on the planet Rubi-Ka. It should get to me.

So... I guess I'm going to sign off. I love both of you very much and I really really miss you. I'll try to send more to you later. Ok... so... bye.

Kaylie smiles and waves. She moves out of the frame and we just see the inside of Kaylie's apartment again briefly before the video ends.