Origins Chapter 2: Viper & Phantom

Lily emerges from the forest to rejoin her group, which is settled a little further on the plain. Suddenly, she hears noise coming from the trees: she is being followed. Faced with various options, she decides to try the friendly approach: — Hello? I heard you, you can come out and talk to me if you want! A dozen seconds pass before someone emerges from the woods: a young woman, barely in her twenties. She doesn’t seem armed or threatening, just… lost. Lily signals for her to approach. — Don’t worry. There won’t be any trouble. What’s your name? She shrugs and doesn’t answer. — I’m Lily. Still no response. Lily wonders if the young woman is capable of speaking. She doesn’t really have time to delve into the question: they are too exposed and they need to move. — Follow me. The only solution is to bring her to the group.

When Lily reaches her group’s settlement, she waves her arms vigorously: those on guard can recognize her and won’t have to take the usual precautions reserved for strangers. — Who’s this? asks a guard, talking about the young woman accompanying Lily. — She was following me and she’s clearly not dangerous, Lily replies. — Did you check if she’s armed? No? Sorry but we’ll still have to search her. With the check yielding nothing, Lily takes her to see Paul. He is sitting on the ground, looking pensive but he seems to snap out of it when he sees the stranger alongside Lily. — Who do we have here? — Someone who seemed lost and not very talkative, Lily declares. — I’m Paul, he says, extending a hand towards the young woman. Nice to meet you. The young woman looks at the extended hand and shakes her head slightly. — No problem, says Paul, smiling. In this group, everyone is free to do what they want, as long as it doesn’t harm others. You… can’t speak? She shakes her head again. — Okay, we’ll find a better way to communicate. I apologize, I have to deal with other priorities right now but I invite you to sit down and stay with us. Lily also sits down to face Paul and make her report: — The forest is not ideal: few animals, few raw materials… I met two men heading west, where a society is apparently emerging. A place called Birth, I think? — Things are moving fast. Matt also reported that another group is starting to organize in the south. — What’s our goal then? Still building something of our own? Or do we join another community to quickly get a structure and take less risk? — Less risk? Paul retorts. But the problem is precisely that joining another community is risky. — How so? — What distinguishes our group from others, in your opinion? — Uh… I’m not really sure. — Its open-mindedness, Paul declares. Do you think everyone finds it fascinating that we don’t know much about our past? No, for some, probably the majority, their past was stolen from them. For us, aliens arouse curiosity, but for others… — Oh yes, you’re right! Lily exclaims. By the way… She pulls out the alien artifact given to her by John and shows it to Paul. The young stranger also looks at it, as if mesmerized. — It cost a life because someone hated aliens, Lily explains. — And it’s actually quite natural, says Paul, examining the ring closely. Don’t we always talk about ‘alien invasion’? That automatically makes them enemies. — But why is it different for us? Lily asks. — I have my share of responsibility, admits Paul. I quickly caught your attention and laid out my questions: are the aliens our enemies if they haven’t exterminated us? What has happened since their arrival? Why have they left us in this specific state? In short, I think I inadvertently influenced this group and potentially made it unfit to get along with others who have different views. — But your questions are legitimate. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have easily adhered to them, says Lily. So, I think with communication… — Lily, does what you remember from 2024 lead you to believe that communication is a strong aspect of our species? Not to mention the permanent fear looming since the Awakening… I’m not saying it’s impossible, of course. But as I mentioned earlier, I think it’s riskier than trying our luck on our own. Lily has to admit that he’s right. Paul stands up and summons the rest of the group, leaving only the guards at their posts. He will personally inform them later of what was said during the assembly.

— Friends, do you know how psychology works? It is all about acquired knowledge. We understand something about the world and life, and that serves as a basis for building reasoning, convictions, and then certainties. Then, through communalism or confirmation bias, individuals further reinforce these certainties until they become unquestionable. Our group quickly wondered what the aliens wanted, and several ideas sprouted from that: maybe they’re not really warlike if they left us alive on their way out? Maybe we’ll ensure our survival by finding out what they want and achieving it. What do we really know about their intentions? Nothing. But others didn’t ask these questions: they categorized them as invaders and enemies. And maybe they’re right! But if we confront their certainties with ours, which is that we at least admit that we don’t know, there is a strong risk that things will go wrong. He takes a deep breath: — Today is a great day. Our scouts have returned, unfortunately without a place where we could settle, but with the information that communities are beginning to establish themselves and thrive. But above all, one of us has brought back this! He raises his hand, in which he holds the alien artifact brought back by Lily: — An object that clearly belonged to them! What does it do? What is it for? No idea! However, we may be able to discover it by asking the right questions. But for that, we probably need to give up joining groups that have different certainties. That’s why, in my opinion, we need to continue looking for a place where we can settle down and build our own home. But as you know, everyone here is free to do what they want as long as it doesn’t harm others. So if some of you want to leave and join other communities in the west or the south, we will help you to get there safely. For the others, today is the day we declare our independence and our desire to know more! We call this period the Chaos, but alien artifacts like this may allow us to put an end to it! The group exults: no one wants to leave. Lily thinks that Paul always goes a bit too far in his speeches. She takes a glance at the new girl and sees that it is clearly working on her: she looks at Paul with admiration.

The group continues to search for a place to settle. As they meet more people, five more join in, bringing the total to twenty-seven. Then the reputation of the community begins to precede it, causing more and more individuals to join precisely because they want to find answers about the aliens. The number quickly rises to forty. Meanwhile, Lily is responsible for the stranger she found in the forest. — Shouldn’t we give her a name? she asks Paul. — I’d prefer it to come from her rather than impose it. — But she can’t speak. — I think she just doesn’t want to. Lily, out of all the people we’ve met, how many can speak? — All except her. — And have you ever thought about how that’s possible? We remember nothing about our past, shouldn’t that include language? — Yes, that’s true… — By the way, do you have any idea what language we’re speaking right now? How come we’re all speaking the same? Shouldn’t there be different languages ​​depending on our origins, like in 2024? — You’re right! I can’t remember the languages of 2024, so I don’t even know what we’re speaking now! — Exactly! The situation is very simple: the aliens wanted us to speak and write, so we are able to speak and write. So our new friend is surely able to do so as well, it’s just that she doesn’t want to. Lily has never thought about language before and she finds Paul’s answer dizzying. But then, what was missing for the stranger to speak? — Give her some time, Paul adds. Don’t you think she’s smiling much more than before already?

One day, Lily and her accomplice set out to explore one of the rare buildings that is standing: maybe it was suitable for the group’s installation. They enter discreetly and explore it: it’s deserted. Lily finds the interior strange: some aspects resemble what could be done in 2024, but others seem technologically much more advanced. The aliens? Then there’s no doubt anymore: the young stranger leads her to a chest containing several opaque helmets with a strange shape. They don’t match the traditional image of a helmet: they seem menacing and elongated. Is it even possible to see once the head is inside? Lily thinks that given the group’s views on aliens, it’s impossible to leave them there, even if wearing these things could put them in danger in case of an altercation. She signals to her companion: they’re going to bring the helmets to Paul. When Paul sees them coming with the alien objects, he immediately convenes an assembly. — My friends, the time has come. Firstly, we have found where to settle: the building explored by Lily and our comrade. — But Paul, Lily intervenes, the building is not ideal and… — That doesn’t matter: we’re talking about superior beings making things beyond our understanding capabilities. Is it possible to remember 2024 without remembering who we are? No. Is it possible not to remember who we are but still be defined by what we experienced in the past? No. And yet, here we are, in an impossible situation and with what looks like an ineluctable destiny. The aliens are capable of miracles, and we must proclaim it loudly. No, the building is surely not perfect, but we haven’t found a suitable place for a while now. On the other hand, this building offers us two relics that may explain why we are here! So it must be important and we should stay there, that’s all! Murmurs spread through the crowd. — I understand your hesitation but listen to me! It’s time to leave 2024 behind us! Everyone wonders what the aliens did on Earth, but it is actually quite simple: they gave us a second chance! Everyone has in mind the problems we had before, and many believed that we were going to be saved by superior beings. And today, when everything starts from scratch by inconceivable means, we are supposed to find a rational explanation? No, the reality is that the aliens are our masters. Nothing is preventing them from coming back, nothing was preventing them from crushing us like ants when they controlled us, but the aliens are not vengeful! They are good: they rectified the world and once again left us with free will and our destiny in our hands! These artifacts are here to remind us of their existence, their greatness, and to prevent us from straying back into darkness! He approaches the young stranger and Lily before asking them to join him in front of the crowd. — These women have found the relics! They are therefore best placed to become our first Adepts! — Adepts? asks Lily. — Yes! Our group will officially recognize the superiority of the aliens, making us Adepts. I’m not asking you to submit to a cult or a religion like those that existed before the Awakening, just to take a stand together, admit the irrefutable, and be ready to challenge anyone who refuses to see the truth. He reaches out to the young woman: this time, she takes his hand. — My friend. It’s impossible for me to know why you don’t speak. And I bet even you don’t know because it’s caused by traumas from the past that you don’t remember. She nods vigorously. — The aliens have allowed you a rebirth, but unfortunately it’s incomplete: around you, you’ve only seen humans, this species that is the cause of the evil within you. But thanks to this helmet, you will be able to put yourself in the shoes of superior beings. You will represent those we all respect here, a force capable of sweeping away the past and its hold with a mere flick of the hand. Are you ready to be reborn as a Follower, comrade? Lily could never have imagined that things would take such a turn. The young stranger nods her head. — Then, choose your new name, faithful one. Then put on the helmet and become a Follower! — Phantom. Upon hearing her voice for the first time, the crowd goes wild. The girl puts on the helmet. — A miracle! — The aliens! — My friends, Paul shouts, here is the First follower of our group! The first voice of our masters! Phantom! — Thank you, she exclaims, clearly moved by what is happening. Lily can’t believe her eyes or ears. Paul managed to make her speak. She doesn’t think it’s related to a miracle or even to the helmet, but maybe it’s a higher power: the collective. Phantom feels protected, listened to, supported… That’s also what faith does: bring together different people. Lily guesses her friend’s tears under the alien helmet, but she doesn’t really have time to be carried away by emotions. — Your turn, Lily, says Paul. She approaches, the helmet still in her hand. — As for Phantom, you need to find a new Follower name for yourself! declares Paul. If I remember correctly, you chose Lily a bit reluctantly, right? So how would you like to be called now? She doesn’t know why, but she always wanted something threatening. She looks at the helmet and finds that it can give a reptilian look. Lily raises it above her head and shouts: — Viper! The crowd chants the names: “Viper! Phantom! Paul!” — My friends, the first Adepts of our group! I now propose that we go inside our new home, then we will see how to proceed for those who also want to become Adepts! Alien technology amazes Viper: she sees through the helmet as if it were transparent. Yet, looking at Phantom, the helmet is clearly opaque. So maybe the aliens are indeed all-powerful. In any case, if this belief helps to solidify this benevolent community, she has nothing against it.