"We were unable to solve the ultimate mystery of David because, in the
last analysis, we were all David’s
part of that larger mystery we were
trying to solve."
Dr. Allen Hobby
My life’s Work in Retrospect
BOOK III CHAPTER 4: BECOMING REAL
“I love you David.”
David had been unprepared for those words in what he knew were his
mother’s final moments. He had been unprepared
for her arms that had
gathered him so close and hands that has stroked his hair for David had
never been hugged before.
There had been the imprinting nearly 2,000
years ago, but his mommy hadn’t truly hugged him then - at least really,
like this...
It was a goodbye to last forever the specialists had warned. One last
day and than he could never see her again.
David wept openly, for his
joy was uncontained. “I have always love you,” she had said again and
then
she closed her eyes.
That had been the everlasting moment he had been waiting for. And than,
his mommy had gone asleep - more than asleep
for should he try to wake
her she would not have awakened.
Tears had rolled down David cheek. David had known tears only once
before - so long ago when she had abandoned him.
David chose not to
think on that further, it didn’t matter now. Teddy was looking at him
with concern for Teddy
knew what tears were. As a Supertoy, Teddy was
designed to be a Child’s playmate, guardian and advisor and tears
meant
trouble. David saw the bear’s reaction and slowly put an arm around him
saying “it’s ok Teddy
- happy tears.” “Are you all right David?” the
bear ask in his gruff voice “Yes Teddy” said
David who smiled slightly
and turned again to stare at his mother once more.
B00K III CHAPTER 5: GOODNIGHT DAVID
David lay next to her unmoving. He rested beside her and looked upon her
still face wearing the same soft smile
that had greeted him when she had
awaken that morning and had whispered a simple “hi.” He had time now to
look on her face in a way he had never really had time to do before. It
was really a quiet a young face he observed
and one that had known joy
and sorrow. It was a face David could never grow tired of looking at.
She had brought him into the world in her own way and at last returned
his love - all was forgiven. He almost reached
up to touch her face, to
stroke her hair but something restrained him for she was gone. Instead,
David simply focused
on every detail he could gather - this would be his
last chance to record it all for eternity. David had no eyes to close
so
he allowed his view to close like the drawing of a shade. In his own
private darkness and silence, he replayed
the day back slowly till he
was back at the present moment. She was gone but he still felt her
warmth next to him
and for David, this was enough.
Teddy had watched for several moments. He did not know what was
occurring but he knew David was somehow different
- could he sleep now?
Teddy continued to watch for sometime before in his own small gruff
voice he said, “Goodnight
David”.
David had been present at those last words but he did not stir. His last
awareness was a growing sense of silence
and expansion. The soft humming
he had always known grew fainter and fainter until silence. He saw a
cascade of stars
and then darkness enveloped him.
BOOK III CHAPTER 6: REBIRTH
David was. It was a simple statement of fact. It had been a new sight, a
new view, for David was looking down
from the ceiling. From this view he
could see the bed. He saw Teddy, he saw his mommy, and than saw himself.
He should
be concerned he thought, when he saw the form but didn’t. It
was a dolls face he observed - so small, unreal, like
a mask left by an
actor on a stage. As David hovered he had seen the small bear had risen
and had lowered himself
from the bed. “Teddy” he had tried to call out
but no reaction. The bear had left the room.
It was at that moment David noticed the light. It was a beautiful white
light streaming from down the hall where
Teddy had gone and it filled
the room with radiance. I was warm and joyous.
David had never blinked in his life. Small receptors in his eyes had
always adjusted for those changes but he could
not sense them now - was
he malfunctioning? He must be he though for he couldn’t adjust for it
for the room
was so impossible bright that all that existed was the
light. The light filled him and David felt...alive!
BOOK III CHAPTER 7: SUMMERLAND
The radiance dimmed and the room was gone. He stood somewhere but he did
not know where. There was an expanse
of white and even his clothes were
impossibility white. He looked down and his body was there, more than
there, for
he felt it in a new and mysterious way. Everything was more
intense, more...real. Is this what it means to be real?
David touched his cheek and it was warm, alive, like the touch of his
mommy’s skin. He lifted his shirt slowly.
It has happened at the Flesh
Fair. David had never told anyone about it but when he had been dragged
across the stage
he had been injured. A rip had occurred and had torn a
section of his covering near his artificial navel. His system had
made a
partial repair but it had left a rough place, uneven and uncomfortable
to look at. He touched first before
looking, but he felt smoothness
there and saw it was pure, clean, as if nothing ever happened.
It was at this moment he sensed the presence. He turned expecting to
find the Specialist but it wasn’t one
of them. This was something new.
He remembered once when he had tried to draw for Martin his first sight,
the birdman,
which Martin had thought, was a peacock. Later, David had
seen the winged figure in Dr. Hobby’s lab, the lone bird-man,
the
ghostly Cybertron, the symbol of Cybertronics - his first waking sight.
It was not the Cybertron. The visitor
was tall, taller than people and
it was radiant. Was this the one who had created them, had created
people? Joe had
told him once while in Rouge City about orga, how they
were always trying to find the one who created them. It was an
orga
folly he had said dismissively; the mecha did not concern themselves
with such things. Dreams were parasites,
malfunctions Joe had concluded.
Was he malfunctioning now? Was his system failing? Where was he? Was
this a dream?
David tried to understand what he was seeing. It was not orga, nor was
it mecha. His mind raced, and he thought of
the Blue Fairy. A voice from
the figure came into his thoughts. There was no intrusion for David
instantly knew from
his depth a sense of protection, of welcoming, and
something else...love? “Where am I?” “What place
is this?” David asked
cautiously looking up at the tall radiant being. There was intelligence
in that face David
saw it was ancient, and it had to possess the answers
to all his questions. The being was silent for a long time and seemed
to
regard David with interest. “Are you a fairy?” David slowly asked. The
being slowly extended an arm
and rested its hand on David’s shoulder.
The voice was deep and melodious when it spoke. “David, we have been
expecting you - this is what you have
been searching for - this place,
David, is where dreams are born.” It was at this moment David realized
the
being was speaking to him with its own voice, not by thought. David
stood unmoving. He realized he had never dreamed before
or even had ever
slept. Perhaps this was a bad place for him to be. Joe had warned him
about dreams. Dreams were the
strange realm the orga visited at night.
Dreams were the supernatural and it was dangerous for mecha to think
that
they could touch that which could not be seen, measured or felt.
“Dreams David, visions, magic, the supernatural,
that is what separates
the orga from us. It is their oddness that will always separate them
from us.” Joe had
warned. Was Joe right? Was he malfunctioning? Was this
an electronic parasite that had arisen to capture the mind of artificial
intelligence? He remembered Joe’s warning “they hate us, you know? The
humans... They’ll stop at
nothing.” Had Joe been right? Was he
malfunctioning because he entered the realm of the orga? The specialist
had
never spoken of this. He wished Joe was with him now, but Joe had
been gone 2,000 years.
“Am I dreaming now?” David asked. The being turned and answered, “David,
you are a miracle to us.
Before you arrived I believed that only orga
could ever cross that rift they called death. For all their genius
David,
no orga ever created a child not born of woman that has reached
this place. You David, are a miracle, you are the first.”
David tried to
understand. “Who are you? What are you?” The figure answered softly. “I
am Abel;
I am simply a servant, a messenger.” David stood silent for a
moment then asked “Is mommy here? Is Henry and
Martin?” “Yes David,
would you like to meet them?” David nodded.
The scenery began to change. There was a gathering of color and slowly
it began to form a scene of a vast meadow
fragrant and brilliant with
millions of flowers. David stared out and his eyes could barely take it
all in. His small
nostrils twitched at the beautiful scent - It was
strangely familiar, it reminded him of mommy’s perfume. A soft
breeze
ran over his cheek and rustled his hair and billowed Abel’s robe. David
was awash in a new feeling- wonder.
David turned from the view and
looked at Abel. “And Teddy?” - What will happen to him? I owe him so
much.”
Able looked away and stared out at the meadow as listening for a
voice far off. A voice came not from Abel but around
them. It was a deep
voice that held the depths of an ocean. It said five short words “grant
him what he wants.”
The figure nodded then gestured for David to follow. They began to
follow a path across the field.
“Summerland,” David said, smiling, stopping once again to catch the view.
Abel turned and smiled “yes, I have heard it called such many times
before...” David slowly,
hesitantly, extended his hand and the being
took his hand as a parent would a child and they began to walk.
BOOK III CHAPTER 8 SUPERTOYS
Teddy had left the bedroom. He walked down the hallway and descended the
staircase. The Swinton house was silent.
He was alone. He entered the
kitchen and surveyed the table where with the Swintons David and him had
sat together
so many times. Though David could not eat, he recalled how
David had enjoyed sitting at the table and how he had enjoyed
being with
David. He walked over to the conservatory doors and opened them into the
small greenhouse. The small fountain
gurgled softly. He recalled how
David and he had played there floating toy boats. He then opened the
door beyond out
into the garden. It had been their favorite place. David
had loved the garden and enjoyed tending mommy’s flowers.
Teddy looked
up into the night sky. A million stars were spread out and moonlight
spilled over the garden. He stood
for a moment and then entered the
house again. He ascended the staircase one step at a time and reached
David and
Martin’s playroom. A toy Amphicopter lay on the floor. There
were books and action figures piled in a box. Teddy
reached inside and
lifted out the vidbook. The vidbook had been a favorite of theirs. He
opened the book to David’s
favorite section. A chubby little elephant in
tartan trousers kept falling over a drum, which rolled down the street
towards
a river. He remembered how it made them laugh and David would
instruct between giggles “Watch Teddy, watch, he’s
going to fall into
the river!” It wasn't funny now, for David was gone. Silence.
Teddy walked down the hallway back to mommy’s bedroom. He crawled back
up on the bed. David was still there,
unmoving. It would be several
hours before daylight; perhaps David had learned to sleep? David had so
much wanted
to learn to sleep, to be like a real live boy.
BOOK III CHAPTER 9: TEDDY’S WISH
Teddy had not heard them when they entered the Swinton house. They had
ascended the staircase and entered the
room before he had turned to see
the specialist gathered around him. Teddy stood up and addressed them.
“Will
David awake soon?” The small bear asked cocking his head. One of
the specialists moved foreword and slowly sat on
the edge of the bed
next to the bear. He was silent for a longtime and seemed to be
regarding David as a parent might
its sleeping child.
“He must not awaken, Teddy. David must never awake, for if he were to come
back now and find Monica gone, he
would be very sad.”
The Specialist gathered an arm around the bear and continued. “We can
make him happy Teddy; we can have him
dream.”
Teddy didn’t understand dreams. He continued to stare at David. He
noticed just as they had warned Monica had
begun to fade. In a moment
the sheets had settled, and only David remained. The bear looked up and
said “I want
to be with David." The specialist began to look at each
other. “I want to be with David” he said again looking
down at his furry
paws. The specialist nodded slowly and ever so gently lifted the small
bear and then carefully lifted
David’s arm and placed him next to the
boy. He then raised the blanket after turning him off for the last time.
The Specialist stood in silence a very long time and stood vigil over
the scene. They had gathered every memory from
the mecha child and toy
bear and had noted which memories David had shown joy and happiness.
They could disregard
the painful memory traces. There wasn’t much to
work with. David's life had been short and painful, they had realized.
They had promised too much perhaps.
BOOK III CHAPTER 10: HIDE -AND- SEEK
When Teddy opened his eyes, there was a field of blue sky above him with
fluffy pink - white clouds drifting
overhead. Tall Sunflowers,
Bluebells, and wild flowers of every color arched like a chapel over
him. Teddy realized
he was on his back. Where was he? The Swinton house
was gone. He stood up on his short little legs and brushed off the
flower petals that had covered him. He looked out over the meadow.
Bumble-bees darted about him and butterflies flapped lazily by. A sweet
fragrance was in the air and his small
nose twitched to catch it. The
sky was rich in color. Behind him the sky was of a deep dark blue and a
huge rainbow
stretched for miles across the field. Ahead the sky was
brighter and beams of sunlight fell on the flowers in a dizzying
display. It was then that he caught a glimpse far off of two figures in
the field ahead. He didn’t recognize
the tall figure but his smaller
companion he did at once. David was walking with the figure and they
were holding
hands. Teddy raced toward them in small leaps and bounds
only catching sight of them with each small bounce. I will surprise
them
the bear thought remembering hide-and-seek was David’s favorite game.
Teddy slowed as he drew closer and began to tiptoe, to sneak up and
surprise his friend. They were talking and seemed
unaware of his
presence. He had just heard David say “I owe him so much”. Mommy, they
are going to mommy!
He thought. This gave him an idea. Teddy quickly
looked about him and gathered several beautiful flowers so he could give
them to David. He could give them to David and David could give them to
mommy. She would love the flowers thought
the bear- she loved the
flowers David cut for her from the garden. Proud of his small handiwork,
Teddy approached
quietly behind David before announcing his presence
with “Hello David - I found you!”
"T-E-D-D-Y!” David shrieked with delight. He lifted the small bear so
quickly the small bear almost dropped
the flowers “Humph,” the bear
grunted but didn’t mind for there was joy in his friends face. David
held
him close with his eyes shut for a very long time before extending
him at arms length to regard him before smothering
him in kisses.
Teddy was excited to show David what he had made and lifted the flowers
to show him. “Mommy will like these”
Teddy said. David laughed and
carefully placed the bear on his shoulders as he had done so many times
before so long,
long ago.
BOOK III CHAPTER 11: THE FAR COUNTRY
And so, the three set off across the golden country. For David, it was
the gold of an eternal dawn, the blue
of skies where summer never ended,
where suns never set. It was the river of being, of joy, where breath
had been
wrought. They would be no more tears, only happy tears... perhaps.
They had gone a long way when Abel stopped and gestured far off. A lone
figure stood some distance off and turned
to face them. David recognized
the figure and slowly lowered Teddy. Could it be? David began to run at
a dizzying
pace through the flowers and the figure began to run toward
David. And then he was in her arms and held in an embrace
that could
have lasted a million years. “I found you” she whispered into his ear
tears streaming down
her face. “I found you” said David whispering back.
“Mommy, mommy” shouted Teddy running up to catch them.
BOOK III CHAPTER 12: LULLABY OF THE STARS
There had not been enough to work with they had concluded. Their
expectations had been great but the experiment
had failed. Whatever this
machine had been it had evaded them- it was too orga and the orga no
longer existed. There
would be time for other explorations, perhaps more
like this one would be recovered and lessons learned. It would not
be
reactivated they had agreed; it belonged with the orga, part of their
time, their mistakes. Evolution had lead
to them, they were the crowning
achievement of time and the universe-to envy what the machine was would
be a step
back, a mistake.
From the Swinton house, the Specialist in silence had left. In a
twinkling of an eye, the house was gone and the
garden vanished lost
against the night sky. The specialist vanished too, returning to their
own secret portals where
they viewed space/time spread among a million
stars.
