Every Night The Lights Go Out

One minute we weren't.

The next minute we were.

We weren't sure why we were here. At ten pm every night, we try to piece together our history. And over the centuries, we found out there was a time warp that had flung us a thousand years into the future.

We didn't know if there were any other countries here because the boundaries of this world were surrounded by a dark wall of zeros and ones that we couldn't get through. Everyday, we received a video about the old world. We have not successfully traced the origins of the videos or why they come at that specific time.

***

New world - Melog, 3105.

I was seated on the red velvet pillow cushion beside my mothers leg. My grandad was flexing his elbow hinge to check if it needed oiling. The smooth hum from his elbow suggested otherwise. My eyes moved to the digital clock on the wall. It was 9:57 pm.

I reached out, grabbed the USB cord and inserted it into the jack on the back of my hand. I was a 4th generation model –the newest version– so my jack was at a more convenient place. My grandad, who was a 2nd generation model, had his jack on his lower back.

Most of my family were part of the Hua models, a very advanced version of people. My mother was the only exception. She belonged to the Jì models; they were two thirds robot and the most advanced. With the Hua and Jì model combination running generations in our family, we ensured we remained a part of the upper echelon of society.

My mom helped my grandpa insert the USB into his lower back. Then helped my dad with his on his neck before she inserted hers into her fingertip. I glanced at the time again. It was 9: 59pm.

Every night at ten o'clock the lights go out and everyone on in this new world shuts down immediately. And then the video from the old world is played. I heard our antique grandfather clock from the old world chime once before everything went black momentarily. After a minute, a video about the old world faded into my vision.

The year was 2045, the scenery from the old world looked so different from Melog. The president was in the middle of a national speech. It was televised live on a boxed up screen. Very similar to the screens we use.

The people of the old world looked very different from us. They were completely human. Ew.

The president was dressed in a suit that seemed a bit too hot for the weather. His grey hair was twisted on top of his head. The sides, completely shaved. He licked his lips and adjusted the microphone.

" ... and the only thing that is constant is change. With that knowledge in mind, I'd like you all to keep an open mind about my next statement."

There was a pregnant pause.

“We promised you a transparent government, and to make good on our promise to give you that, I'm informing you that we're transferring the power of the government of Garna to the Chaiknees."

He loosened the blue tie around his neck.

"We signed an agreement for them to help us reduce our cost of living and in exchange, we provide them with a space for their robotics test run.”

There was a very heavy stillness that followed as everyone took in what their president said.

It seemed like we had finally found an important piece in our history's puzzle.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***