"No Name" Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Montgomery woke late in the morning. As he left the hut, that he had found was build with the intent of housing visitors to the village, he found the whole village recovering from the late night of celebrating. He found himself near Luna’s hut. She was sitting outside preparing to cook her breakfast and invited him over to eat. Montgomery watched and learn as she built a fire. He remembered his father build a fire in a similar way. She instructed him in how to mix the egg and flour and water to make a batter and then how to cook it with oil in an old pan.

“Why don’t you have a husband?” Montgomery asked as they sat back to eat. The question had come to him the night before. She was no more than five years younger than him and all of the other women in the village seemed to be married. Even some that seemed to be almost twelve year younger than him and little past child hood were married. He thought the question was a legitimate one but from the look on her face he instantly regretted asking it. “I’m sorry, I’m out of my place.”

“No, no, you should ask. I’m just not use to the question because every body in the village already knows.” She took a deep breath and a bite of the cake she had made and a drink of water. “I was married. My husband died two winters ago. He got sick and never recovered. I was with child but in my grief I passed the child.” Montgomery’s heart sank with pain and regret for bringing up such memories.

“I’m sorry for you pain.” He said quietly. Luna seemed on the edge of tears but breathed in deeply and regained her composure.

“I’m glad you asked me rather than somebody else.” She said in solid voice that seemed to have the whole of her resolve behind it. They finished their cakes in silence. “Would you mind if I ask you a question?” Luna asked after a time. Montgomery shook his head and indicated for her to ask. “Do you remember why you had a chip implanted in you?” The question had occurred to Montgomery before.

“I don’t remember the events but I remember being afraid. Afraid to have the chip implanted and what it would do to me. And afraid of what would happen to me if I did not have it implanted.”

“We have a history of the time when people got the chips implanted I was wondering if you would like to see it.” Montgomery nodded. They cleaned the pan and doused the fire to embers so it could be rekindled. They walked together to the far end of the village where the three communal buildings sat under the thick canopy of a very old group of trees. Montgomery had learned that the building on the left was a temple for the holy man who lived in another village over the pass. The one in the middle was for meetings to discuses village matters. The last building was the largest and was a house of records. The walls inside were lined in books and three rows of shelves ran down the middle of the single room. At the far end was a table and a few chairs. Luna went to the middle shelf and pulled a large book from it and opened it to on the table. They sat together hunched over the book as Luna searched threw the book for the spot she wanted.

“The world was divided into many countries in the past.” Luna said in introduction to the story she was about to unfold. Montgomery nodded remembering being taught about the many counties as a child. “One country began to change. It was a small country but its leaders were set on world unity. The country began to be called the New World Order.” A number of memories flashed in Montgomery’s head. Some of then were from childhood where he had heard the name with fear and to his surprise some of the memories were from the random offices in which he had worked. “The countries around the New World Order began to take a liking to the ideas that it had come to be known for. So the New World Order began to grow. At first it was simply other nations joining of their freewill but as the New World Order became larger and more powerful they began to take over other countries by force. They had followers in every country and used them to over through the old governments and replace it with their own. Many times they would take over a country under the disguise of aid. They would move into a country to ‘stabilize’ its government. In reality they were simple putting people in power who would be subservient to them. After the New World Order grew large enough they did not even bother with these lies they simple went in and took over. When the majority of the world was under this one nation everybody thought there would be peace.

“They were wrong. The New World Order made a mistake by forcing people to adhere to their rules and laws. Many of these laws were in conflict with people religions. For this fact alone there was unrest in the New World Order. The leaders of the government were afraid that this unrest would bring them to harm over a long period of time. The leaders passed a law that banned religion. It was a mistake.

“The majority of the people were in agreement with the leaders but the minority that was not became violent and lashed out at the government. The government responded with violence. Those who were suspected of being part of the religious extreme were removed from their homes and imprisoned or killed on the spot. The people began to live in fear. Fear of saying the wrong thing. Fear of doing the wrong thing. They were afraid that they would disappear like so many had. It was this fear that lead to the introduction of the chip. It was said that it would simple monitor a persons actions so that if anything happened they could prove they were not part of the religious extreme. The chips became a thing of pride for people who were loyal to the government. If you had a chip you were on the right side. A few years after the chip was introduced a large part of the world population had them. It was then that their true intent began to be reviled. The government started implementing the other aspects of the chip that nobody knew about. They became a means of control. The few that did not have the chip already were forced to have one implanted. A few of us managed to escape that fate by fleeing into the wilderness. The rest of the world became nothing more than a means for the leadership to benefit. The chips shutdown emotion and stifle memories. They are the perfect control. There is no way to escape them and no means to shut them off without killing the person. Well that is what we thought until we found you.”

Montgomery sat for a while contemplating what Luna had just said. Their fear had lead them to slavery. He knew that she was not lying; he could now remember the truth and the events that lead to his own chip. He was disgusted with himself for having let them put such a vile thing in his head. His parents had waited as long as they could. They had opposed the chips but could see no way out. He remembered discussing with them the possibility of going into hiding in the wilderness. In the end they had seen that if they did not get the chips implanted they would be forced. They had decided as a family to get chip rather then die. As Montgomery thought about it he wished they had fought.

“I need to go for a walk.” He said and Luna understood that he needed to be alone. She sat there as he left and walked aimlessly threw the forest.

"No Name" Chapters 2&3

Chapter 2

The sun was high when Montgomery awoke from his delirious state. He looked around and was surprised to see people coming up the mountain. He tried to reach them threw his chip but could not. The people looked odd to him he was not sure what it was but there was something about their skin. No that was not what it is called, Montgomery thought to himself. It is their…their cloths; yes that is the word; cloths. Montgomery felt an odd feeling, he decided must be pride, for figuring out the right word. He looked down at his own cloths they were gray and one piece and now covered in his own blood. He looked at the chaired reminisce of the other peoples cloths. They were the same. But the people making their way up the slope to him all had different cloths on. Some colored like nothing he could remember seeing and some were of a thick looking material that had hair on it. Each person’s cloths were different and each looked to be fitted to that persons liking.

As the people in the different cloths approached the transport they spread out and searched the wreckage. A man made his way across the rock mountain slop to where Montgomery had been thrown. The man knelt next to him and opened a bag he had with him. The man made some noises, the sounds frightened Montgomery at first but then a part of his mind that had been long dormant seemed to open up and he realized the sounds had meaning, “Hello, I’m going to help you.”

Thorn struggled to shape his mount right and access the long silenced part of his throat. Finally he managed to form noises. “Th…aaank…you.” He managed with a great deal of pain in his throat. The man next to him pulled out a roll of fabric, similar to the material that Montgomery wore as cloths. He also retrieved a small container with a gel like substance in it, and a container of water. The man pored the water over Montgomery’s head and washed the blood away. He then dabbed the gel into the wound. Montgomery flinched from the gel at first. It made the pain worse. After a few moments the pain subsided and he felt the relief of the gel. The man then wrapped Montgomery’s head with the cloth to keep the wound clean.

“Are you hurt elsewhere?” Montgomery recognized them as words this time but it still took him a moment to understand them.

“I d…do not thhhink so.”

“Can you stand?” Montgomery understood the words but he could not understand how the man did not hurt himself saying them. Rather than torture his throat any more Montgomery nodded that he could. The man help Montgomery to his feet and the started down the mountain.

The next three days were a blur, though Montgomery simply saw them as the passage of time with no point of reference. He knew that they had walked off the mountain. It was the furthest he had ever walked. He had lain down in a hut and fallen asleep, on his own for the first time. And then he started to dream. He woke often in a sweat, images of the crash and the burning bodies flashing threw his mind. At one point Montgomery sat bolt up right screaming. A soft hand gently pushed him back down to the bed. it took a moment for his eye to adjust to there surroundings. A woman was kneeling next to him and applying a damp cloth to his head. “Relax you are safe. Your fever just broke.” She said in a voice that was elegant and rigid at the same time.

“Fever?” Montgomery rolled the word around on his tongue. His throat did not hurt as much when he spoke anymore. He figured he must be talking in his sleep.

“Yes, we think that when you hit your head it damaged you chip and that caused the fever.”

“Then you have a chip?” Montgomery was taken aback by the beauty of the woman’s smile.

“No, I do not have a chip and I never have. I have a feeling that you will come to like the freedom that comes with not having a chip.”

“How can I have freedom when I am responsible for my actions? The chip eliminates my responsibility and makes me free.” Montgomery was confused by the woman’s words and the only response he had was something he had been told a long time ago.

“We will discuss philosophy and ethics when you are better for now you must rest.” The woman rose to leave. As she left Montgomery saw the light come in the door at sharp angle to the right of the door. Sleep once again took him and he dreamed about the woman. He woke a time later the door flap had been pulled aside to let in the midday air. The sun now case a rectangle of light, the copy of the door onto the floor of the hut. Montgomery rolled to his side and jumped with a pain from his crotch. He looked under the blankets that covered him and saw that he was erects. He touched it and found that it was not exactly pain but not exactly a good feeling like when the wind had blown over his skin as he walked down from the mountain. He was confused and did not know what to do. He decided to simple leave it and go back to sleep. He found this harder to do than he had expected but eventually he managed it.

He woke again saw that the women who carried for him was again kneeling over his bed. She smiled at him when she saw that he was awake. “What is your name?” She asked. “You do have a name?”

“Yes, my name is Montgomery.” It had been a long time sense he had used his name but he knew it well because that is what his mind referred to himself as. And what the chip referred to him as.

“Well Montgomery it is good to met you. My name is Luna.” Montgomery smiled at her. He liked the name and thought it fitting of her though he was not sure why. “We are about to have dinner outside if you would like to join us.” For the first time Montgomery realized he was starving.

“Yes that would be wonderful.” She smiled at him.

“Your cloths have been cleaned and are sitting on that stool over there.” She pointed with her thumb over her shoulder. “It is a bit chilly out so there is also a coat on the peg by the door. I assume that you can dress yourself.” Montgomery nodded. “Then I will wait outside.” Montgomery rose and dressed himself. He was surprised to find it such a new and odd experience. After a short passage of time he managed it and put on the coat. It was made of what looked to be a number of skins all sown together. The fur faced inward and was soft and fluffy. Montgomery enjoyed the feel of the fur for a moment and then stepped out side.

The sun was to his right now and case it light threw the doorway to the left. Luna smiled at him when he appeared. There were a number of other huts a little distance away. He was in the forest that he had so often flown over. Below the tree tops the area was clear and looked of use. He and Luna made their way threw the large trees to a central area. As they approached Montgomery caught the smell of the camp fire and images flashed in his head--

--He was sitting next to the fire with his father. They had sticks with little white balls on the ends which they put over the fire. The fire crackled and sent little sparks into the sky. Montgomery watched them until his gaze was caught by the stars stretched out over head--

--“Montgomery, are you sure you are ok?” Luna said her hand was on his back helping him keep his balance. He looked at her and smiled as he regained his balance on his own.

“Yes, I’m fine.” He looked up and saw the first stars coming out in the fading red of the sky. “Stars" he said pointing. Luna smiled like she would to a child.

“Yes they are stars. If you would wait a little there will be a great deal more of them.” Montgomery was still a bit lost in his memory.

“I have not see the stars sense I would ten.” Luna’s expression changed. Now she looked on the verge of tears.

“Come let’s get some food in you.” Luna and Montgomery made their way to the fire. A man motioned for Montgomery to take a seat next to him. It was the man that had first looked after his head.

“It is good to see that you are up and about.” The man said in a deep but gentle voice. “My name is Haul.” The man put his hand out. On a whim Montgomery took it.

“Mine is Montgomery.” The other man gave Montgomery a solid pump of the hand and clapped him hard on the shoulder.

“Well Monty, this is my village and I hope you will make yourself at home here.”

“Thank you.” Montgomery was then introduced to the thirty or so people of the village before he was handed a slice of meat and some bread. He was at first apprehensive about the food. It shape and texture was not what he was use to, but the flavor was spectacular. He ate four helpings before he was handed a skin. It looked similar to the material he was wearing but was smoother and sealed with some sort of wax. There was a small opening. He looked a Haul with a confused expression. Haul made a motion that looked like he was drinking from the skin. Montgomery imitated it and the liquid rushed into his mouth. It burned and seemed to sear the inside of his nose and throat. He coughed and sputtered. Bending over himself as he coughed out the fiery liquid. He passed the skin to the next person as the whole of the village laughed.

“A man who has never tasted the joy of moonshine!” A man who Montgomery recalled was named Kender said as he laughed at the top of his lungs. Montgomery’s face burned. He could not tell if it was because of the “moonshine,” or the emotions he now felt. He decided it was both and stood and walked a short distance from the fire. Luna stepped up beside him and put her hand to his back.

“It is ok Montgomery. Nobody really expects a Chipped to be able to hold moonshine. Not at first anyway”

“A what?”

“A Chipped it is what you are, or were. It is how we refer to people who still have a functional chip in their head.”

“You mean there are others like me?” A spark of hope lit in Montgomery’s chest.

“Well kind of. The transport Ships go down regularly. We try to get to them but most of the time everybody is dead by the time we get to them. Those that aren’t often end up not being able to move or still have an active chip. Those ones usually go insane or die from the shock. You are the only one that I know of that was not seriously injured and managed to shut down the chip. We are all in unknown territory here.” Luna smiled up at Montgomery.

“Thank you.” Montgomery’s gaze drifted back to the sky. The moon was just rising over the mountains opposite where the sun had set. It was slightly misshapen, flatter on one side than the other.

“The first full moon of summer will be in a few days,” Luna explained. Montgomery had to reach deep into his memory to find the meaning for full moon and summer. He got a good feeling from both the words. “There will be a celebration.”

“That is what your name means.” Thorn said still lost in his memories. “It means moon.” Luna looked at him in an odd sidelong fashion.

“Yes in the ancient languages it means moon.”

“Latin, it means moon in Latin.” Montgomery’s eyes glossed over as he stared at the moon. “My father taught me some Latin, when I was a child. He taught me about the stars. He said that the stars were the language of all the earth. ‘No mater where you are on all of the earth there were always stars.’ He told me. ‘They may be different stars but they are all stars. From the dawn of man people have been looking to the stars for guidance and hope.’” Tears started to well up in Montgomery’s eyes. “I have not thought about my father in fifteen years.”

Chapter 3

Montgomery rose before the sun the next morning. The realization of the rhythm of the sun was deeply moving to him. He dressed and stepped into the predawn mountain light. He walked a short distance finding himself lost in his own thought for the first time. The smell of the forest was magnificent and thickened by the dew that had settled in the night. Montgomery found his way to a small, frost covered, field. The creek that had formed the valley passing peacefully threw the middle of it. He found a fallen tree and sat on the log facing the bright part of the sky. He sat swimming in his freedom of thought for a time.

“Mind if I join you.” Montgomery jumped as he snapped out of his thoughts. He turned to see Haul behind him. Haul handed Montgomery a plate of food as he took a seat on the log next to the other man. They ate together and watched the sunrise over far ridge. When the sun was clear of the ridge Haul spoke again. “I’m surprised to see you adjusting so well to the loss of your chip.”

“What to you mean?” Montgomery asked surprised by the man’s statement.

“I would assume that losing the chip would be like losing you mind. I expected you to be a blank slate, like a newborn child cast into a man's body. I expected to have to teach you how to talk and what the things of the forest were. I expected you to be reclusive and not venture out of your hut for a long time. But I see you here alone watching the sunrise on our little valley. It is as if you have come home.” Montgomery sat and thought about Haul’s words for a short time.

“For the first time I have memories of my life," Montgomery said. "I remember my childhood. My mother and father use to love the forest. I remember going camping at a very young age. I remember my father teaching me what he knew about the forest and what lived there. I remember my mother teaching me how to look at the world and find peace in what I saw. I remember sitting with them in a field like this watching the sunrise just like you and I are now. I had a sister; she was younger than me by a few years. I loved watching her marvel at nature. She seemed to have no fear. For the first time I am remembering these thing. I believe that you might me right I believe that I have finally come home.” Montgomery was surprised when a tear rolled down his cheek. Haul made a grunt of satisfaction at Montgomery’s answer and they sat for a little while longer. The sun slowly climbed in the sky and Haul stood.

“Come, it is the time of year to plant the crops. I would like to teach you how to farm the land.” Montgomery followed the other man as they walked down the valley. They followed the creek until the valley suddenly widened into a vast field. The creek lost its natural meandering and became a channel that was guided and directed around the field. The other men and women of the village were there with horses. For the first time Montgomery was introduced to the children of the village and was surprised by the emotions that it provoked in him; he had not seen a child sense he himself was a child. He felt the strong pull to protect them and care for them as everybody in the village seemed to do.

The people in the field were cutting into the land creating places for water to flow and mounds to plant in. Haul led Montgomery around the whole field explaining the way the water was to flow and what crops they would grown in what places. He explained the rotations of the crops and the reasons for every structure and action they did to the field. The use of the horses was explained to him and how the plows worked. He was surprised to find one of the plows was made of something he recognized. It took him a moment to place the lettering on the side as being from the transport that had placed him in this odd place. It was the first time he had thought of the crash sense that day. His feelings were mixed and he pushed them away not knowing how to deal with them at the time. When the sun was high the work stopped and a meal was shared by the community to which Montgomery was quickly coming to love. After the meal Montgomery’s tutorial was finished and he took up a tool and went to work with the others. He found something deeply moving about the act of physical labor. It was as if the earth reached threw the tool and deep into his soul and showed him the deep light and richness of the world around him. All that he had been taught in the morning seemed to solidify in him and bind him to the land like a tree rooted deep in the soil.

As the sun settled above the western ridge Luna came to Montgomery. “It is good to see you finally smile.” She said with a bright smile of her own.

“I think this might be the first time I have ever been happy.” Somehow Luna’s smile brightened even more.

“Come on, everyone is going back up the village.” Montgomery was almost disappointed to have to leave the field and the work that had endeared itself to him so deeply. He used one of his hands to wipe the sweat from his brow and felt a throbbing in it. He looked and found a large blister on his palm, Luna’s breath caught. “It looks like we will need to bandage that up as well.”

“Apparently we will.” Montgomery hefted the pick he had been using to clear a ditch and walked with Luna up to the village.

That night he dreamt about her and woke in the middle of the night to an unexpected flood and emotion and feelings and wetness. In that flood of emotion he understood something about human nature. He discovered what the human form was meant for and what the word, he had heard on rare occasions as a child, meant. In that moment of overwhelming pleasure and crippling pain he discovered what lust meant. In reflection of it he saw the humans were meant to pass on part of themselves to the future.

The next morning Montgomery discussed this with Haul in the field. At first Haul seemed embraced and uncomfortable but soon realized that it was more of an academic matter. They worked the field once again and by the end of the day had the seeds sewn and the water flowing into the fields. That night was the full moon and the celebration of the coming of summer.

After the feast Montgomery sat for a time watching the dancing and allowing himself to get lost in the music. He had never heard music before and found its call irresistible. The drums matched the beat of his heart and instilled a passion that he had not known before. The flute called to the new found freedom of his soul. Hum of the strings lulled his mind into a place of peace where he found happiness. When the voices of the village rose in harmony with the interments Montgomery wished with all his heart that he had known the word so he could add to the enchanting flow of emotion that seemed to bind the people of the village together. He saw the dance and wished for the chance to let his body join in the flow of the music and let the sound guide him as he guided the music and those around him.

Throughout the night He stole glances at Luna and often times caught her looking at him. He also saw Kender looking at Luna and felt a pang of emotion he had never even imagined before. Every once and a while he felt Kender’s eyes on him and could not help but think that the other man hated him. He never made a move toward Luna but sat thinking about the new forms of human behavior he was now subject to. The celebration went on long into the night and when it finally disbanded he fell instantly asleep in his hut.

No Name Chapter 1

Montgomery walked over the threshold of the building he worked in. In that instant his mind was filled with images and instruction. The chip in the base of his skull hummed with the news and activity in the office today. The chip informed him of changes to his work schedule and told him to go to the Placer to begin the days work. It told him to do this every day but deep down in side Montgomery had the idea that if he were not told to go to the Placer he simple would not. He stepped into the small booth of the Placer and was lifted into the air up hundreds of stories. The building in which Montgomery worked was a simple design like all other office buildings. There was a main entrance and a line of placers. The rest of it was a honeycomb of rooms that were all separated by just enough space for the Placers to get threw. In each room there was a desk and an old fashioned interface. Many employees felt more comfortable using their hands to talk to the computer rather than their minds. Montgomery was one of these. He remembered in his childhood somebody saying that it was because to type is to access a different part of the mind. That was a long faded memory and did not matter now.

The Placer came to a sudden stop and the door opened to an unadorned office. It was not Montgomery’s office. It was not the office he had had the day before, or the day before that. It is quite possible that Montgomery have never worked in the same office in whole of the 15 years that he had worked there. But Montgomery had none of these thoughts in his 30 year old mind. He sat down at the terminal and began plugging away on the key board. He was writing part of a report. He did not know what it was about or why it was important and it did not matter. He was simple given the information he needed through the chip in his head and he was expected to synthesize it into the report. He did not know that the same section of the report was being written by almost 50 of his peers whom he had seen in passing and never met. The 50 versions would be put into a hand full of minds, possibly Montgomery’s and synthesized into one and this would then be passed onto an even smaller group of minds along with the other parts of the report and they would all be synthesized into one fluid report. The report would be handed, for the first time in paper, to the leaders of the world and they would take the required action. With the stroke of a key they would send people to fix this or change that or make that happen and the chips in those peoples minds would ensure that they do it.

But Montgomery had no concept of the part he played in the orchestra that was the human civilization. All he was aware of was that when he finished and did a good job the chip in his mind would trigger a release of dopamine as it deleted the information that was he was given for the report. He was not aware that he was looking forward to this reward just as he was not aware that he was part of something bigger. He was simple doing as he always had. He was part of a machine. He did not see that he was a machine. If he were conscious of it he might ask himself why a machine could not be build to do his job for him. Why could a collection of metal and wires and semiconductors not be build to take all the information and make it into a report? The truth of the matter was that they had tried. In a few cases they built machines that would simple spit out dribble. In other they found the writing to be bland and inconsequential. The fact of the matter was that they needed creativity. Now they could not wire creativity into a computer, but they did not need to, they had learned to wire a computer into the source of creativity. And so Montgomery sat typing away at his terminal, a machine, but a very special machine, a creative machine.

Montgomery typed the last word of a report and was rewarded once again. The chip informed him that a Placer was coming for him and he took it back to the door. It was not the door he had come in but he was not worried the chip told him to proceed to the transport at the front of the building. He had no doubt about which one he was to take he was sure that it would take him to where every he was suppose to be. He stepped out of the building and the buzz of the office faded to that of the city. He was still being told what to do and where to go but it was different not as strong and not as rewarding. He stepped onto the transport and sat down. There were other people on it. People he had never seen but he communicated with then threw the chip in his mind. The transport took off swiftly. It rose rapidly into the air and sped off. Montgomery’s apartment, if it could be called that, lay some 6000 km to the west over the mountain. Montgomery did not know this. His concept of geography was almost none existent. The transport sped rapidly over the high mountains with there jagged peaks and dense pine forests. He arrived at the door to his apartment and stepped from the transport into the one room that served as bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen. The transport sped off leaving a 100 m drop on the other side of Montgomery’s closing door.

The apartment was bland, but clean. Gray walls matching his gray jumpsuit. It was little more than a cube with lines on the wall and ceiling were the necessities lay in hiding until needed. Montgomery was informed that he was hungry and food appeared out of the wall to his right. After his finished eating he was informed that he needed to relieve himself and the toilet unfolded from the wall opposite where the food had come from. He was informed to sleep and the bed descended from the ceiling. He lay down and the light went out as he himself instantly fell asleep. He slept a dreamless night like he always did and was awaken at some point in the future. Montgomery had no idea that the sun rose and set, or that the moon had phases or that the constellations moved threw the sky with the changing of the seasons. He did not even know that there was a sun or moon, or that there were stars to make constellations. He did not know about the smells of the seasons or the way that snowflakes seem to dance on your face as they fall from the heavens. Montgomery had, at one point, known these things but on his fifteenth birthday he had forgotten all of that.

The transport sped away from his apartment on his way to work again. Threw the small windows that nobody every looked out, it was raining and the transport was flying between bolts of lightning. Every one simple sat there in silence, talking about nothing threw the network that they were always connected to. Nobody even flinched when there was a loud bang and the transport lurched forward and tipped downward. The people on that transport did not make a sound when the transport smashed into the side of the mountain. Those that were still alive did not move or say anything they simple continued their conversation as the transport was consumed in flames. When the flames lept to their flesh they were calm and continued to interact with one another. If there was pain to be felt their chips inform them of it. It was not until the chips began to heat up that they started informing their hosts of the danger by that point they were already dead. Their creative mind boiled within there own heads.

Montgomery opened his eyes. It was the first time he could remember doing so. He laid very still waiting for his chip to inform him of what to do. He was suddenly aware of the passage of time and found himself to be an impatient man. For the first time in fifteen years he made a decision on his own. He sat up. He looked over to the smoldering wreckage of the transport some 50 m away. He felt something on his head. He was not sure what it was he had not felt anything like it in a very long time. He put his hand to the spot and pulled it away. In the early morning sun he could see that it was blood. His mind flashed to when he was a child and realized that the sensation in his head was pain. When it finally sunk in the pain was immobilizing. He kept hoping that his chip would kick in and tell him that it was something else but deep down he knew that the chip would never tell him anything again. For the first time Montgomery felt alone and sat there curled in a ball wishing for death as the sun burnt the last of the storm away and cast light on the world.

The People who Stare at the Sun, or reasons for being an optimistic pessimist

A man stands staring at the sun. Seeing nothing but its light and seeing the goodness and beauty that it brings to the world. As the sun sets he does not look away he simple sees the bright orb dim and set. Afraid he stumbles blindly into his hut and lights a candle, a humble replacement for the ball of life that has just sunk bellow that horizon. The next morning the man's younger brother comes to visit him. The man is standing still on his porch watching the sun once again. His brother sees his state, the white puss oozing from his red and burnt eyes. The younger man tries to persuade his brother to look away but is forced away. The brother has not choice. He picks up a peace of wood and hits he beloved brother in the head with it. The the younger man drags his unconscious brother into the hut and delicately tends to his ruined eyes. The man awoke in the darkness of the bandages and fear struck him. His brother forced his hands away from the bandages and bound his arms.
"This is for your own good brother." The man grunted and weeped, the tears of fear for what he thought was to be a life forever in darkness locked away from his beloved sun by his now hated brother. The younger man tended the older for over a month, replacing the bandages regularly, feeding his brother and tending to his crops which were in shambles do to his obsession with the sun. On the night of the new moon the younger man took the bandages off of his older brother. Miraculously his eyes were healed. The younger man lead his brother out into the dark of the night and told him to look up. There the stars burned brightly and the milky way stretched across the sky. The older brother saw it as if for the first time and his breath was taken away. They sat watching the stars the whole night letting the stars gentle beauty caress and fill their souls. As the firmament paled and color burst to life on the heavens the two brother sat in awe. The older took in the colors of the trees and the soil and the flowers and the water.
"You see my brother," the Younger of the two started. "I would rather spend my life in darkness and be able to see the light of the world than to lose myself in the light of the source and never see what it was truly intended for, to revile the beauty of the the world and brightness of the harts of people. I would rather be able to see than blind myself with light." The older brother with a tear in his healed eye put his arm around his brother and thanked him.