Science Fiction:

Outcast

Continued from last week...

Summary of last week's story

Erkin has re-discovered the ancient power of speech, which all the other inhabitants of the New World has forgotten. But in a world where the main form of communication has been telepathy for many millennia, he's looked upon as a mutant. He is forced to escape from Octor - his tribe - to find a place he belongs to.

by Sajitha Prematunge

Colunar was conveniently on the other side of the world, making it nearly impossible to reach in less than one day, giving Erkin the chance to escape the Octors before they realized he was gone. 'Changar will meet you at the entrance to the city of Colunar.' said Erkins father.

They had already packed his bags and were at the 'Syringe' - the New Worlds fastest mode of transport. It was a translucent plastic tube, inside which capsules carried people to and fro. It was named so, for the principle behind it.

If the rear end of an empty syringe is drawn back and let go, it'll immediately settle back in to where it was before. Based on this principle, air filling the tubes were drawn out at various points by suction tubes, making voids, dragging the capsules forward.

Although it seemed like a slow process when considering the principles, it travelled at a staggering 8,000 mph and the - almost friction free substance the tubes were made of - made the speed almost negligible.

Erkin tossed his luggage inside the syringe through an airtight portal. He took one last look at his beloved parents. 'What will happen to you two father?' 'Don't worry son we will be fine. Altur wouldn't dare do anything to me or your mother. Go my son and find a place you'll fit in.' With tears running down Erkins cheeks and his mothers he stepped through the airtight portal and in to the syringe.

The whole way from Octor to Colunar Erkin didn't care to do anything. He didn't want to eat anything or even watch the movies - displayed on the wall of the tube when it turned opaque - which he used to like so much.

The wall displayed a series of pictures so when the capsule rushed by the line of pictures made a two hour movie. But only when one wished to. If a certain passenger wanted to enjoy the view of the country side or the pristine wilderness through which the capsule eternally lumbered, the passenger could turn the wall of the tube translucent with a touch of a button.

'Pristine wilderness' was no longer a just a cliche, it was a reality. Since the near anialation of the Planet by the collision with the asteroid, the inhabitants of the planet has learnt to respect nature. Besides the Syringe was so environmentally friendly that it emitted no toxic fumes.

By the time Erkin got to Colunar the capsule, which could easily accommodate over 50 people, was completely empty. The last passenger got off a few hundred miles away, in Lorust. But it didn't scare Erkin at all to be alone thousands of miles from his parents away from home, he was too bereft.

At his stop Erkin stepped through the airtight portal in to a tarred road - which was a first for Erkin. Tar roads went out of style long before he was born. He was too busy examining the tar he almost bumped in to the old man who was approaching him.

"Well what do we have here. Young Erkin has never seen a tar road before?" Said the old man beaming at the boy. 'He talks' thought Erkin. 'Like me' then communicated to the old man through telepathy. 'No sir. We don't have tar roads in Octor.

You already Know my name, then you must be Changar.' The old man still stood there beaming, not seeming to have noticed Erkins effort to break the ice. Only then did Erkin realize his fathers intelligence in sending him to Colunar. They weren't telepathic.

"No sir..." said Erkin courteously, trying to exercise his, still under trained, vocal organs. "We don't have tar roads in Octor." "Octor ei! Well Erkin you have much to learn. By the way I am Changar, a friend of your father." Said the old man guiding Erkin, over the winding tar road. A city appeared around the bend, few metres away.

When Erkin entered the city he realized that the city was deserted, but extraordinarily enough, perfectly in order. "Who is your friend Changar?" said a voice right behind Erkins ear. But when he turned back there was no one. "Who was that?" Asked Erkin startled. "Why boy, have you lost your heat sensors?" "Terrible accident, it got burnt Beldon." Said Changar, looking in to thin air, leading a still puzzled Erkin in to his house.

"Who was that, I didn't see anyone? and what got burnt?" Said Erkin no longer able to suppress his puzzlement. "Questions questions Erkin..." said Changar, with a sigh as if he was trying to tell Erkin something very grave. "Colunar, you have to understand, is very different from Octor.

A few hundred years ago we discovered the secret of invisibility. You see the city out there Erkin" said Changar, drawing the curtain aside so Erkin could see beyond. Though there were no one in sight the city was full of sounds. Of course the sounds were always there, but Erkins ears tricked him because he could not see any one.

"All the people here are invisible?" gasped Erkin. "Yes, there are more than 1,000 people in this city and there are more than two hundred cities like this in the whole of Colunar. But there is one problem evolution hasn't taken care of.

Once we are invisible there is no way of detection, we can't even see our selves. So we designed the 'Heat sensors', not only can it detect invisible beings but also identify them accurately according to their heat patterns. The rest of the world is oblivious to this great accomplishment we've made, because we Colunars live such secluded lives.

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