Moments of Time

“It’s funny when you think about it. People, well humans if we want to be pedantic here, had the strangest habits when interacting with the world around them. From what we can tell, their brains were wired to be social, as in they just couldn’t survive without other humans around them to interact with. These aggressive social inclinations even included species other than themselves.

“Take dogs for instance. Humans started out just hunting in the woods trying to scrape by with practically nothing separating them from animals except some pointed sticks and thumbs. Records suggest there also existed a rival species of these four legged creatures called wolves at the time; big shaggy beasts that hunt in groups with one set of jaws and two eyes. Humans feared the night as wolves could jump from shadow to shadow before stealing their precious human lives away.

“Yet at some point a human found a little one, a child wolf, all by its lonesome abandoned in the wild. The natural instinct is obviously killing it, it’s completely defenseless, but these people had so much empathy oozing out of themselves that the human decided to care for it. I mean imagine that! So they raise the pup into a wolf and all the sudden the human can defend themself at night. Now all kinds of humans are snatching up little pups to raise to make their own wolves…”

“I don’t understand. What does that have to do with your excavation?”

“I’m getting there, don't rush me. You’re the one who wanted to hear about what we found at the site. Like I was saying, now the humans have an edge. They started to work with their wolf pals. Turn the clock a few thousand cycles later and the critters are everywhere, with all manner of specialized versions too. Every different size possible, some small as your left most foot, others big as this room, near as we can tell I mean,” as the Speaker gestures around himself.

The air is full of fat, black flakes that leisurely fall before settling onto the ground. The two are sitting opposite each other, every few seconds the gurgle of a breathing apparatus punctuating the otherwise silent space of indistinguishable size. It could have been an open field for all they knew, although it wouldn’t make sense for the two remarkably well preserved chairs to be sitting in an open field. Or that the field was littered with debris that crunched underfoot.

“Anyway, for whatever reason, collaborating with other species is their speciality. Whatever those little flesh bags couldn’t do, they found some manner of beast that can for them. What’s more, the beasts didn’t even have to have flesh! We’ve found evidence, strong evidence mind you, that they brought metal to life! So it would work for them too!” the speaker exclaimed with exaggerated motions to properly convey the significance of this discovery.

The Listener was unconvinced. “If the humans really had achieved mechanical life, we would have known and accepted their treaty immediately. What they had was merely a pale imitation of life. Not even a good one at that” the second figure said with a snort. They turned their head about, as if the soot would stop falling at any moment now. The figure was absentmindedly fiddling with one of the white sticks picked up from off the ground.

“What would you know about pre-contact era human civilization? You’re brainless muscle to protect an asset such as myself” the Speaker said with a pretentious sneer. “Mission leader of the most well preserved site we have found to date. I’m finally going to get the recognition that I so rightfully deserve, with this!” the Speaker said, pulling an item out from one of their bag’s many pockets.

The item in question wasn’t particularly eye-catching at first glance. It was a small silver box with a cylindrical attachment on the front. Fiddling with the device, the Speaker pressed a button and the screen on the opposite side came to life. Light emitting from the box lit up the space around the two. If both figures hadn’t transfixed their eyes upon the sudden brilliance, they would have seen countless hollow eyes on the ground staring up at them.

On it was an image clearly taken long ago, as the sky was still blue. There are two humans in the forefront of the picture, arms wrapped around each other. The male has short black hair with glasses and an easy going smile, while the female has a lighter complexion with red hair, shining green eyes, and a locket of gold around her neck. A great yellow structure dominates the background pointing into the sky. In the bottom right corner of the image is a series of numbers.

The Listener attempted to regain their composure, crossing all of their arms in an attempt to appear unimpressed. “Alright so you’ve found one of their toys, big deal. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure collectors would spend a fortune to get their hands on functioning human tech” they said in an attempt to appear disinterested.

“Look! This is clearly a human male and female from the pre-contact era! They were able to build devices that captured moments of time and preserved them within these little boxes. There’s more!” The Speaker was practically vibrating with excitement now, more than willing to show off what they considered to be the find of the millennia.

The next photo was of the same two humans as before, this time within some interior space with shiny white tiles taking up most of the room. The male is holding the camera, pointing at a mirror to reflect their own images back. Both were an alarming shade of red, completely different from their pale complexions in the previous capture with pained smiles on their faces. The female is holding a sign that says “Guess who forgot sunscreen” with an arrow pointing at the male.

“Now clearly this image suggests that unlike previously held beliefs, humans were capable of changing their skin pigment on a whim. These are obviously the same two humans from the previous photo due to their facial contours, hair coloration, and gold adornment around the female’s neck” the Speaker continued, feeling the need to showcase their superior intellect and analytical neuro-mods.

The Listener had half a mind to bring up both humans looked identical but ultimately decided against it. Instead they leaned forward and extended a single digit to move onto the next image. What happened next nearly caused both figures to drop the device out of fright.

Unlike the still-frame images shown before, this one moved. It started with the device shakily following the female along some kind of tall platform suspended over waves below. Sound began to emit from the device; the screeching of flying creatures overhead, massive white beasts let loose low horn calls below, and the crashing of waves could be heard in the distance. The female was laughing, turning around every few seconds or so to say “Keep up silly!” while a disembodied masculine voice replied “Hold on!”

After reaching the edge of this platform the female turns around and holds up a golden locket in the shape of a heart. “Do you remember when we were just kids and you gave this to me at this very spot? Just before moving away? You said that this was your soul and if I kept it, you would always be mine.” Her eyes were locked just above the camera as a low chuckle responded. “Still the corniest thing I’ve said to date, but it was true.” There is a brief pause. “It still is true.” Barely a fraction of a second later the female sprints at the screen and “Hey watch the camera it’s expensive!” can be heard before the video cuts.

Both figures are stunned and it takes a few moments for them to recover their bearings. The Listener was the first to recover from the stupor. “Did you see… that endless expanse of water? I thought that much water in one place was propaganda?” they said, unable to hide their excitement this time. “No wonder the planet was contested over so fiercely” the figure said. That was enough dihydrogen monoxide to power the whole system for ten thousand cycles.

“Yes.” responded the Speaker. “Those humans had no idea what riches lay beneath them, they should have known others would come to take it” as their eyes are still glued to the waves frozen in time, extending seemingly forever in the device’s background. “If only we had a means of translating their abysmal speech patterns into something almost comprehensible” they sighed before moving on.

The next few images must have been taken in rapid progression. The first image shows the female looking out a window at the sunset, it’s warm glow illuminating her face. Her locket dangles reflecting a great orb of light.

The following image was clearly taken at the moment most historians consider to be the end of the pre-contact era.

The female hasn’t moved much, but the coloration of everything has altered horribly. Her body is facing forward, head half turned towards the device with a look of shock and horror plastered across her face. The camera is focused on her, but in the background looms a blurry wave of darkness that was not there moments before..

The next image is taken from a different perspective, as if the device was dropped on the floor. It shows two pairs of legs, close together in embrace. The right side of the image had been corrupted, but one can almost see the rolling cloud of hate reaching out to snatch the two.

The pair look at the final image.

The device is frantically turned off. “With such a vast quantity of priceless resources in the hands of, well, animals, what else were we to do!” cries the Speaker, as if trying to justify their predecessor's actions. “Their planet was unstable, practically falling apart, with children for leaders. It would have been irresponsible for us not to take matters into our own hands.” they say, crushing skulls beneath their feet to retrieve their bag.

The other figure did not move. Their generation was bred after the conflict was already won, their society flourishing after the unexpected influx of resources available to them. The Listener had only heard stories about releasing the Dark on a planet. But the actual visual had shaken them. One part to themselves, another to break the silence, the Listener asks “How will you prove it’s all real? This could easily be a fake.”

The Speaker turns, something tightly clasped within their hands. “You see, right next to the device we unearthed this little trinket. Don’t you think it’ll fit perfectly with the rest of my collection?” they ask. Dangling on a chain is a dull piece of black almost indistinguishable from the ash, shaped like a heart.