The Man of Tomorrow: part-1

Welcome home

 Inside an ornate concert hall an orchestra plays classical music from a time long past. The collections of mixed bronze horns play triumphantly. They, along with an ocean of swaying violins, sit on a backdrop of a polished wood stage, framed by long red drapery. Every seat in the hall is taken. From the chairs in the private balconies, to the rows in the far back, everyone in attendance sits in silence as the music fills the room.

 Seated in one of these balconies is an older man. His whit curly beard sits atop a black tux. As the music ends, his portly frame stands up and he claps loudly with praise. He then takes he leave. As he exits the glass doors of the building he pulls out an old gold pocket watch. It reads 9:30 pm. Now on the sidewalk, he’s surroundings change dramatically. He has left the traditional structure of the music hall and is now deep within the city of tomorrow. All around him there are towering skyscrapers of glass and silver. The streets are lit with video sings and hologram posters, all moving and flashing. The cars glide across the roads, guided not by divers, but by the eliminated strips that line the streets. The city is bustling even as the night approaches.

 The old man makes his way down the street to a small stand. The owner greets him as the old man reaches for a newspaper on the racks. At the top of the page the date is 20XX. The front read “Massive cave-in at new substation, No Lives lost, All equipment missing”.

 “Hey Doc, good to see you. Would you like something to eat?”

 “Oh, no thank you Sam, just a paper.” The man replays with a smile and cheerful manner.

 “Ha! Every day I sell less and less of those. Soon they’ll go the way of the dinosaurs.”

 “I don’t know about that. There’s always a place for things of the past.”

 “Ha! If you say so Doc. Get home safe. You hear me?”

 The old man smiles and waves goodbye as he walks away. Making his way down the block he sees an android in a pink dress handing out fliers. With her doll-like face and jerky movements it is easy to tell not only is she not human but of an older model as well. With every taker she replies with a programmed “thank you”. The old man observes her as he make his way closer. But just as he nears, a younger man carelessly nocks into her, coursing her to loss her balance and almost fall. She replies blankly “sorry sir, have a nice day”. At this sight the old man picks up his step and moves to her side. While she adjusts her papers he pulls out a napkin and tells her to hold still as he wipes a smudge off her shoulder.

 “There you go. Good as new.” He says with kind smile.

 For a moment the android looks at him with a black expression. All she can say in response is “Would u like a flyer sir?”. Only this time her programmed smile is replaced with a look of confusion. He takes one, thanks her, and continues walking. She watches him as he leaves, and though he is too far away to hear, she replies once again “thank you sir….have a nice day.”

 Once at the end of the block the old man waves down a cab and makes his way home. Later, the cab pulls up to a large white house which sits close to a more modern two story glass building. The house is three stories tall with a wide porch and black roof tiles. It sits on a large stretch of privet property that is sealed off by a long stone wall and steel gates. The mailbox on the edge of the grassy lawn reads “Light”. Just as he’s about to unlock his front door Dr. Light spots something odd across the way. He sees a shadow moving within the first floor of his personnel lab. Unsure of what he saw, Light make his way to the glass building to investigate.

 He cautiously approaches the entrance. The door seems to still be locked, but he still feels the need to check inside. Once inside he quietly realizes that the aromatic lights have not turned on. He hears a loud crash from the next room and jumps with shock. Grabbing a nearby wrench from the workbench he calls out.

 “Whoever’s there you better show yourself. I won’t let you leave here with any of my creations!”  His voice is stern. His determination overshadows any fear he might have had.

 For a moment all is quiet. But then a familiar voice answers back.

 “Your creations? HA! Have you started believing your own lies, Light? HAHAHA, pitiful.”
Dr. Light freezes in shock.

 “It can’t be. Dr. W…”

 Before he can finish, a huge figure creeps up behind him. Dr. Light is then grabbed by a pair of massive steel arms.  They grip him tight and lift him off the ground. He struggles in vain as the arms slowly squeeze him more and more. He’s now unable to breathe as he can feel his chest being slowly crushed.

 “Soon this whole city will know the truth. Whether or not you’ll be here to see it is still up to debate. HAHAHA! Isn’t that right Guts-man?” The man laughs wildly.

 A sharp pain is felt, a loud CRACK is heard and all goes black for Dr. Light.