Big Girls Don't Cry 8/21/2020, 12/6/2020, reformatted 1/2/2026 Evie Cooper Some people got worried _______________________________ enough to actually go and knock on his door. Synopsis: a man creates a No response, but one woman synthetic human and fights said she heard the faint the moral battle for its noise of a gas compressor freedom in the year 2050. last year. The amateur _______________________________ satellite club even flew one of their rigs over It was a cold, dreary his property, but all they morning outside of the could see was a quaint warehouse. There wasn't domicile, a steel-roof much going on that day, warehouse, a medium-sized every now and then a car crop field, and a cooling would whizz by, piercing tower. Of course, the local the silence with the woosh power company had suspected of its path. A man lived Mr. Stratlinger of trying in a house to the west of to generate his own power, that warehouse, he being which was against the law James Stratlinger. He was for some as-to-be -known a bit of a local legend, reason. Even they tried as in that warehouse he to knock on his door. At had developed a cure for least they heard something, a plague that gripped the a harsh and loud "Nah" world some thirty years thundered through the before. People had often hallways and out through wondered what happened the screen door. Seeing today in that warehouse, as that something was going on he hadn't come to town in that wasn't supposed to be almost 5 years. going on, the sheriff, Mr. _________ Hoffman, went for his own I had originally composed adventure of investigation. this story shortly after starting my first undergrad Now, Mike was a no-nonsense semester of college; it guy, and he would stand contains a time capsule of there and knock on that my thoughts at the time, door till the sun set. personal growth, and what I Of course, that kind would eventually become. of determination would eventually make that door open up. On that crisp morning, Mike went up and, through the screen door, 1 Big Girls Don't Cry yelled "Mr. Stratlinger? I "Nope. They've been saying need to speak to you!" His they'd do that for a decade voice roared through the now, and nothing's come of valley, of course nobody it." was around to actually hear As the two carried on it. After about ten long their conversation, the minutes or so, James made dust in the room became his presence known. The quite apparent to the sheriff had described him sheriff. The room looked as a tall man, not fat or like it hadn't been used thin, with his disarra- in a decade. On the coffee -y of gray hair on his table rested a book, with head. He was wearing the the interesting name of attire of a farmer, of "HS Systems - Network course nobody had done any Operations Manual." manual farming in almost twenty years. So, the Now, the sheriff wasn't sheriff flat-out asked, exactly a technical man, "Mr. Stratlinger, nobody's but he did have common seen you in five years. We sense. He figured that got rather worried about maybe James went to you, and we wanted to check college, but not many on you." people from around these In a change that nobody parts even finished high expected, James replied school, even today. In the with "Yeah, I've been quite corner sat a table, upon busy around these parts for the table rested an old, a while. Why don't you come rather dusty terminal, on in, it's rather cold connected to an unknown outside." Just like that, machine. Maybe that's what the sheriff was sitting in was in that warehouse, a the living room of James's big computer of some sorts. house. Nobody had been in Well, the two carried on there in seven years, and their conversation. when I mean nobody, I mean "James, if you don't mind not even a mouse. So, the me asking, where do you get two conversed for a minute your food and water?" about the local happenings. "Ahh, don't worry about "Well, officer, did Annie that. I grow everything, ever get on the city and I pump my water right council?" out of the ground. I filter "Well, yes, eventually. It it, of course." took her a few years, yes, Then, in the flash of but she got it!" an eye, boom. The window "What about Northern Pine? shattered the likes of Did they ever lay out those which I've never seen. fiber cables out by the Splat. All over the couch. highway?" The sheriff turned to look at the missing window, and saw nothing. Not a sight to see in the entire 2 Big Girls Don't Cry clearing. In a bit of a He went over to touch haste the sheriff ran for it, and when he laid his cover behind the rocking hand on it, he immediately chair. fell back onto the floor. What had just happened? He took out his phone to take a picture of this James had been murdered. mysterious mineral, but it There wasn't a flying was dead. No power on it at chance he would live, his all. He looked up towards head missing half of its the ceiling. Hanging from volume now. After about the roof supports was some half an hour of frantic kind of large antenna realization that neither object, a sign reading the sheriff's phone nor "Hyperion Wireless Power radio would work, Mike Quantum Delivery System" went looking for an answer hanging from it. to what just happened. He "Well, I suppose that's why looked around on James's nothing here works, then." dead body and came up with a yellow door access card. As he ventured on It read "HYPERION SYSTEMS" throughout the maze of on it. The sheriff wondered rooms in the warehouse, for a minute. he encountered some kind "Hmm, Hyperion Systems. of large tank. It was Haven't heard of them at just big enough for him all!" to walk into, but he became disturbed and Without looking for quickly jumped out. A few anything else, the sheriff seconds later, a pale blue walked out the front door three-dimensional object of the house and over to appeared. It looked exactly the warehouse. Over to like him. Terrified, the the door he went, and he sheriff bolted out of that tried out his newfound door room and slammed the door card. Well, I'd be lying shut. if I said it didn't work, Being a set of double because of course it did. doors, the sheriff got As the sheriff trotted into a copper pipe and used the warehouse, he walked it to secure the door in past some strange stuff. case anything, probably The first thing he saw as himself, came to pursue he entered was some kind him. Terrified and confused of black stone obelisk, by what he had just saw, he with green glowing stripes thought to himself. "What around it. It looked like in the world was that? Was nothing he'd ever seen. it going to steal my soul?" As he marched forward, He thought back to a legend he saw some kind of huge he heard from his parents purple crystal in a storage some fifty years ago. cabinet. "Indians thought cameras would steal their soul." Either way, the sheriff had 3 Big Girls Don't Cry to find the murderer. He Tired of almost going trotted on, until he came deaf, he left the room. to the end of the hall. He figured he would go into On the left was a room the "COPY ROOM" now. He labelled "COPY ROOM" and figured, "well, it's just a on the right was a room photocopier I suppose." labelled "FAB ROOM." In He entered, and there was front of him was "COMPUTER a machine that looked like ROOM." He figured he'd an MRI machine, but it venture in there first. was missing some parts and He opened the door, and he this one was much larger. felt the heat and noise. There was a chair situated As he walked in, a printer in front of the machine, to his left started up and it appeared that this and spat out a few feet machine was some kind of of paper. Now, you'd have neurology apparatus. The to believe me that the sheriff was about ready old printer James had in for a break, so he figured that room was the loudest he would take a seat. It sound you'd ever hear. wasn't too noisy in this Absolutely ear-splitting. room, just the noise of After getting terrified some cooling fans on the for a brief moment, the machine. He took a seat in sheriff took to reading the the chair. As he rested, printout. he picked up a printout and Nothing much, most of it had a read. he couldn't understand. Something about network "Hyperion Systems links being established to NeuroMap-II. A way to live a place called Partial. The longer. A chance to live line read "ACTIVATING LINK forever. It hurts about PRVAX TCPNJE LINE=0000" or as much as getting your something like that. The picture taken! Come see a sheriff wasn't a computer demo session at 541 Rakesh man, so he didn't half know St, Partali City, Partali!" what that meant. The sheriff had no clue I knew what that meant, what he'd just laid I used to be a computer his eyes on. What was a operator in the 80s. NeuroMap? It looked much The sheriff continued his like the machine he was look around the room, and sitting in front of, and there was a very large that name. Partali. Where computer comprised of was that? The sheriff several fridge-sized boxes pondered for a minute, spanning from floor to and figured it was in Asia. ceiling. There were a few Sure sounded like it. As tables, upon them several he glared at the image terminals. He looked around on the paper, he heard some more, but he could some kind of computerized hardly see for all the voice say "Duplication noise he was hearing. complete." Again, but at 4 Big Girls Don't Cry a much lower volume, he in, some kind of automatic heard the printer fire up. locking mechanism shut Not having anything else to the door behind him and a do, he went back into the barrier came down. A sign computer room and tore off that read "FT IN OPERATION the paper. He stood there - DO NOT ENTER OR EXIT" and actually read it. There dropped down and lit up. it was, he couldn't believe The sheriff turned around, it. There it was, his name and he saw some kind of and a description of his apparatus that was round, appearance. A list of every and had a variety of super disease he'd ever had, and bright channels around an almost one-to-one image it. A tinted glass window of him. dropped from the floor in He, terrified, looked front of him, blocking his around and made the sudden way to the machine. realization that the A display flickered to machine he was sitting life and read "TARGET at actually just made a DESTINATION: CONTINENTAL digital copy of him. He HOTEL - PARTALI." The busted out of the room, and sheriff realized what he took a look around. "FAB had gotten himself into-he ROOM" it was. He slammed might not make it back from the door open, and it this one! A very bright was another one of those blue light appeared in machines. This time, there a ring around an empty was a full color, perfect space in the middle of the size, and perfect detail machine. The tinted glass hologram being drawn on began to glow. The sheriff it. There was a terminal smelt the harsh smell of sitting by the machine on a ozone. A bright flash of table, and it read "Missing light, a loud bang, and a materials: Carbon (76 LB), weird ripple effect flew Oxygen (54 LB), Hydrogen through the room. The glass (21 LB)." raised, and there in the It finally clicked in the machine was some kind of sheriff's head. He was three-dimensional orb that about to get cloned. Phew, had the image of a hotel he thought, as the machine lobby visible on it. was out of resources. So, He knew exactly what it he wouldn't have to meet was. It was literally a himself. He figured he portal. He thought how this would go back to his car to could be possible, then he drive back to town, maybe realized that James hadn't to get the city police to left the house in five come back with him. As he years. He guessed this was was walking down the hall, what he was working on all he noticed a closed door of those years. to another room labeled "TRANS ROOM." He, as you could imagine, couldn't help but go in. As he went 5 Big Girls Don't Cry The door to the room was sheriff wasn't on Earth locked tight. The walls, anymore. floor, and ceiling were The other planet in the made of thick metal. The sky. The purple sunset. only way out of this was The objects flying through forward. In a terrified the sky. The blue plants last-ditch effort, the growing out of the ground. sheriff walked through the portal. In the background, he saw Well, he didn't die at a massive cityscape. Was all, but here was in an this Partali? Was this empty hotel he thought the place he read about was somewhere in Asia. He earlier? He figured it was, walked down a hallway and so he started walking. None turned around to look at of the electronic devices the machine. HYP. SYSTEMS he'd bought with him had FASTTRAVEL STATION is what much battery left. As he it read. Well, the sheriff walked down the concourse supposed he had just fast paved with shimmering travelled somewhere in bricks, he realized that Asia. He turned back it looked like it was made around, and walked into of the same material that the hotel lobby. It must large purple crystal was have been late at night, made of. He looked at the and he remembered that businesses around him. All time on the other side of the signs were in English, the world was opposite. thank goodness. There was The sheriff wandered to a "Taste of Earth Fine the front door, which was Dining", "Fenz Quantum tinted and couldn't be Supply", "Hyperion Systems" seen out of, and waited (one that was familiar for it to open. As the to him), "QuadOptimum outside door opened, he Space Company", "BC's saw something the likes of Computers", "Galactic which he thought was only Business Systems", in movies. "Arcturus Steakhouse", and a "Rigel Brothers SC The sun, or what he thought Dealership". was a sun, was setting. The He figured he'd go into sky was dark purple on the that restaurant, and see horizon, and the sky above what they had. He walked him was black. He could in, and he saw something breathe just fine, so he quite strange. There were didn't believe it at first. people, normal people mind He looked behind him and you, and there were people saw the surface of another who had strange things object in the sky. It was like green hair, red eyes, large, round, and full of and gray skin. He also saw craters. He remembered from something even stranger, his time in school that people that looked like this object looked kind a cross between a young of like another planet. girl and a cat. They had It then dawned on him. The 6 Big Girls Don't Cry the normal height you'd of it. They had familiar expect, and they had hair, foods, things you'd expect but what made them stand at say a McDonalds, but a out to him was the fact bit fancier. The sheriff that they had feline ears ordered a hamburger, and a large bushy tail. He and the waiter-cat asked heard some talking, they if he wanted it real or sounded like normal people. synthetic. Not knowing They spoke English, albeit what the question meant, with an eastern accent. He the sheriff replied with saw a group of people go "Either is fine." He looked to the checkout counter, at the prices for the food, presumably to pay for their 50 credits for a hamburger. dinner, and the cashier He didn't have any credits said "five people, five at all. hunkered credits. Here you He interrupted the waiter go." with "hey, I don't have The cashier extended some any credits. I'm actually kind of device to the man kind of new here, so could who was at the counter, I cancel my order?" The his family standing behind waiter replied with "Well, him. The man put his finger if you're new here you on this device, and the automatically get 50,000 cashier said "thank you, credits when you try to have a good night!" Mike pay. The government set then realized that this aside money for new people, place had done away with since we've had a lot of currency. There and then, new citizens lately." The one of these cat-human sheriff replied with an OK, hybrids came up to him. and realized that he just It was clearly a man, with got free money somehow. a nice suit. What stood When the food finally out more was the man's arrived and he had finished hairstyle. He had those cat eating, he went by the ears, and they were clearly restroom. It was about affixed to his head and what you'd expect from any were actually his ears. He other public restroom, but had a facial hairstyle the beside the hand dryer was sheriff could only describe an Augmentation Charging as a mane, and the man Station and a recessed slot spoke with a deep voice. for a hand. He put his hand "Hi sir, for here or to in there, and it beeped at go?" him. A man that had just The sheriff clobbered over finished drying his hands his words and stumbled out told the sheriff "you sure "Uhh, for here I guess." are lucky to not have to Then, the feline-man put up with those augs. started walking over to Those things are stupid an empty table and the unreliable. Might as well sheriff followed. He sat cut my arm off, it'd be down at a table and a menu about the same." Mike then appeared on the surface noticed that the man's 7 Big Girls Don't Cry right arm had some kind of Now, this person is none blue metal components on like any Earth-dweller had the side of it, and that ever seen. She looked like it just fell to his side someone from India, but when he released it with she had blue eyes. Her hair the other hand; the sheriff was predominately black, realized that this was the except for the frayed ends augmentation the machine of her ponytail, which was meant to charge. were blue. Along her arm Seeing that the sheriff and around her chest (she was done here, he headed wore a leather jacket back out to the street. open, wearing half of a There wasn't anyone else shirt underneath it that around, well, except for exposed the lower half of one. Just as he thought her chest) was a pattern he would go back to the of glowing blue filamentous hotel and probably spend shapes. They spanned her, the night, a group of thugs went up even to her neck. ran up to him and shouted They were about as bright "Give me your print, old as a candle, and they cowboy man!" The sheriff, experienced changes of absolutely terrified, brightness over time. She asked "What the heck is helped the sheriff get a print?!" to which one of off of the ground, and the thugs pulled out a gun she spoke with an Indian and threatened to shoot him accent. if he didn't give up his "You clearly aren't from "print." around here. Look, love, Right there and then, never walk the streets some kind of large, blue, at night unless you're glowing fist thing burst a hybrid." The sheriff from the ground and grasped responded with "no... what the thug holding the gun. you did. How did you do The others scattered like that?" The woman responded bugs in the light. A family with "Well, I suppose it of cat-people ran past, wouldn't hurt if I told you filming the situation with the truth. Do you know a their phones. The fist James by any chance?" retracted to the ground, The sheriff realized she and the robber man bolted. was talking about the He was gone in an instant. man that he was sent to The sheriff sat on the investigate. ground, looking up at the "Yeah, I do. Well, I did sky, trying to comprehend because he's dead now." what he had just seen. Then, a woman of average "Oh, so you actually saw proportions, but quite him?! Don't worry about muscular for some reason, him being dead. There approached the sheriff and are at least 50 copies helped him up. of him walking around. As a matter of fact, I am one of his creations. I am the 8 Big Girls Don't Cry first non-clone artificial Mike asked the woman a few human." questions. The elevator Mike was bewildered by that descended at the slowest statement, was the James pace you could imagine, so that died a clone? And who he figured he'd pass the was this woman?! time. He asked her, "so, were "So, why are you glowing you made in one of those blue again?" people-maker machines?" "Well, I presume you saw "Yes, I was. Five years the iridium-nanostructure ago. When I came out, I was crystals at James's old 24, and here I am today. place?" Now, I'm a bit of a local "Did they look purple?" legend. When James made "Yep. So, basically, James me, he added a variety figured out a few years of augmentations, one of ago that you could use which is a remote quantum that material to do all manipulation implant. sorts of magical things. That's how I was able to Augment people to insane psionically devastate those power levels, open portals bandits." to places you only had the "Wow. You are a man-made... light from, and make things god?" repair themselves. It is "I suppose so. I am the founding ingredient considered 99th percentile in something we call in intelligence, fitness, 'structure gel.'" I mean look at these "Structure gel? Made of arms, and of course, that purple crystal stuff?" fame somehow. Ever since "Yeah. It's a strange I started taking action bunch, I know, but you against those gangs, I have have to believe me on been known as the Tiger of this one. You hit iridium- Partali. Come on, let's go nanostructure deposits somewhere safe." with X-Rays, and it turns Just like that, the two into a blue goo and you were walking to a shed can apply it to surfaces. beside the hotel. As the Once it's on whatever, you two entered the shed, the can hit it with various mysterious woman waved different frequencies of her hand over some kind of photons to turn it into the wall-mounted sensor, just material of your choosing. above the elevator button. So, basically, you can make Ding. The elevator came anything out of structure up and the door opened. gel. It experiences some The sheriff had made the kind of quantum phenomenon connection that a good that literally makes it bit of Earth technology change what it is, without had made its way to this any huge outbursts of place somehow. As the two energy." descended into the depths, 9 Big Girls Don't Cry "That's... incredible. I together to be somewhat assume you're made of it?" solid. Therefore, I am "Exactly, sir. I was quite deadly in a fight." never a real person, I was "Yeah, I saw. Was that your constructed atom by atom first fight? Don't worry, I by structure gel. As such, won't arrest you!" well, have you ever read "Arrest me? Like one of Frankenstein?" those old-time police "How do you know about that officers?" book?!" "Old-time?" "Almost everyone on "We haven't had cops in Partali's read it. So, decades, I've been told. I you know the monster? Yeah, figured I would fill their that's me. As strange as shoes and do my best to it sounds. I am a mis- keep the gangs at bay." matched arrangement of parts from both genders, "Is there a military?" for instance, I have male "No, what's that?" arm muscles, abdominal muscles, back muscles, and "I take that as a no." leg muscles. Everything "Okay. Alright, back to else is female. You're you. Has anyone told you probably wondering about that you look like someone this blue glowing mess on straight out of a sci-fi me, well, that's structure video game?" gel. When James first released me, from this very "Haven't heard that one lab we are approaching, a before. Either way, this UV flashtube used to harden slow elevator is almost at resin went off, and some its stop." of the non-cured structure And just like that, the gel on my arm went from two were walking through cholesterol to phosphor. the threshold of somewhere Just so happens to be the absolutely cutting-edge. same color as my psionic All around it looked like projections I can summon." a computer center out of "Psionic projections? I the 1980s crossed with a thought that was just in facility owned by the Space the movies. Oh, wait, that Force. High tech every- hand thing. Is that one?" where. The sheriff, being "Sure is. I actually an older man, finally asked figured that one out on the woman if computers had my own. Structure gel has progressed since the 80s. a bit of a propensity to "What do you mean, the quantum-entangle with 80s? The computer here is matter nearby, and since absolutely cutting-edge! It my entire nervous system can handle 1000 users and is made of the stuff, I has 32 megabytes of memory! can remotely manipulate the Absolutely massive!" air to ionize, and densify 10 Big Girls Don't Cry "32 megabytes? That sounds and saw someone sitting in pathetically small. My the chair. He thought he phone has 8 gigabytes!" looked familiar, until the "Your what?" woman said, The sheriff reached into "Come talk to this man. his pocket and took out his He's the one that created phone. For some reason, it me, and he's the one that worked when he turned it runs this computer." on. The screen flickered Mike approached the man, to life, and the logo of typing away on one of the fruit we all know and those terminals. He turned use to keep the doctor away around, and noticed who it appeared. A few seconds was. It was James. later, the device was ready "Are you James by any to go. He showed the woman chance?" the sheriff the features of the device bluntly asked. over the course of five minutes or so, and the "Yep. You must be the woman was clearly amazed. sheriff. I'm sorry you "Well, do you want to check had to see my counterpart out our new computer?" die in such a gruesome way. The United States The sheriff was rather military was onto him, perplexed by this question. and they sniped him right One computer? There were through the living room monitors and keyboards on window! I saw the whole every desk. Of course, ordeal on the security he thought they were camera system, as I've terminals and they were. He got several network links remembered seeing them at quantum-entangled back to the library in the 1990s. Earth. Yeah, you're also It then clicked that she probably wondering, I'm was talking about some kind the original. I duplicated of mainframe. myself so I would have "Yeah, sure. Where is it?" at least some presence on Earth, but I screwed up the "Right down this hallway." neural copy and my clone As the two entered the was too anxious to leave machine room, he saw a the house. That was five massive room full of white years ago, so here I am. Oh and blue computer equipment yeah, I did vote for you, cabinets. He looked around, sir." and saw a corner filled "Wow. I don't know what to with those old-style say. And you are here, and printers. He looked and alive!" saw a shelf full of small boxes adorned with blinking lights all over them, those of which gave off some kind of beeping tones every now and then. He turned around, 11 Big Girls Don't Cry "Yep. You're probably most remarkable thing. wondering how exactly I got Of course, I realized here. Well, I don't suppose something even crazier it would hurt if I told when I put up a glass you. Well, I was taking a barrier. This mineral was vacation out West and I was making matter pass through driving through Nevada when solid matter to reach I picked up some kind of its trajectory. I still gravity fluctuations." have no flying clue how The sheriff interrupted that exactly works. Then James, with "Yeah, let me again, I am not a quantum guess. You were at Area physicist by any means." 51." "So, you used this mineral "Yup. And of course I to create a portal to this went. Just outside the planet?" secure perimeter, there "Exactly right. I was was a quarry and they were dialing in my telescope, digging up some kind of when I put a piece of purple minerals. It was this material under the rather late at night, eyepiece so that photons and there wasn't anybody from this planet would around, so you can guess strike it. Apparently the what I did, I got me a time gap of 41 lightyears sample. That very sample didn't matter to this is still sitting in my material. I took out my old home. To be as big handgun, and fired a bullet as me, it is deceptively at it. Gone. Disappeared lightweight. So, one day, without a trace. I suppose I was testing out this new someone on this planet material's reactions to eventually found a .44 light, and noticed that the bullet somewhere." light from the light bulb "How did you fit yourself on my desk was reflected through this?" and shined back to where it came from when it hit the "Well, it was only a matter mineral. I then realized of storing photons in a that this material was gravity trap, which you interacting with photons can make by immersing this to force their trajectory mineral in some kind of to change back to their thick liquid, and then origin." releasing them when you "Keep going, I understand." were ready to go somewhere. Then, use a gravity well to "So, I got a vacuum funnel down the object of chamber and blasted the your choice to the spot mineral with electrons. where the crystal is. Sure enough, against Remember, space-time is all willpower of the flexible and you can funnel electromagnetic force, space down to the head of a they reflected and struck needle and fit perfectly in the phosphor-coated it. Now, it does make light cathode. That was the look weird, and it looks 12 Big Girls Don't Cry like some kind of black "I see, yeah, I saw a few hole gravitational lensing outside." effect." "Yeah, we moved here some "Well I don't know what you 45 years ago and I let mean on that last part, but them run loose. They had everything makes sense for offspring of their own, the most part even to an and now there are some old guy like me." 400 catgirls and some 500 "Now that you understand catboys. Not too sure about my fast-travel technology, that ratio, but that's just I might as well tell you what I've counted. It was a about my adventures making fun project." artificial people and "I hate to cut you off, but hybrids. Now, you might how does this planet have not know this about me, people on it?" but when I was but a "Few million." teenager, I had a friend who really wanted to see "Hmm... makes sense." what he called 'catgirls' "Yeah, so this place is in real life. After tons pretty cool. A bit behind of long nights debating the times on tech though, their rights, I eventually this new mainframe set us started on a genetic back a few million credits modification project. I and isn't anything compared isolated some structural to your phone but it's the genes from felines and standard around here. I spliced them into the human guess, if it ain't broke, genome. After a rather don't fix it." difficult implantation of a fertilized human "Yeah, seemed kind of old egg into my loving wife, to me." she had the first cat- "For sure, definitely human hybrid ever. Rinse behind the power curve. and repeat about fifteen Well, I suppose I can times, and you've got a tell you about her, and sizeable population of how I made her. Well, it genetically distinct cat- all started in 2021. They human hybrids of both sent us home from college genders. That original because of a pandemic, population featured so I got busy on trying different breeds so-to- to improve humanity. speak. Mainly consisted of Keep in mind, I hadn't different skin colors, eye discovered the iridium- colors, and hair types. nanoscale material yet Some tails had bushy hair, and much less its strange some had short hair. Some quantum properties. Some ears had hair in them, some 10 years later when I didn't. Now, I'm 68 and actually got that first getting old, but raising my sample, I started blasting children was the best time chunks of it with different of my life." wavelengths of light in the 13 Big Girls Don't Cry UV and X-Ray department. finally got back up, she After about five minutes or was 'done' so-to-speak. so of baking in the light, Now, she wasn't born dumb it became something else. or naked by any means, Seriously. This purple as a matter of fact, she mineral had managed to looks the same now as she transform itself into did when she walked out copper, silicon, zinc, of the fabricator machine. lead, whatever. After doing So, there she is, 'in the some spectrometery at a flesh' as the world's first minerals analysis company's synthetic and augmented spectrometer, I managed to human." produce a table of input "Also, she mentioned that wavelength and output she was made of structure element. After spending gel." a few years working on a molecular simulation "Yeah, so that's an program, I constructed an intermediary in the apparatus that had all 50 process. You can't just wavelength photon emitters leave purple dust sitting mounted on a movable on a table and blast it gantry, the photons from with X-Rays and get a which were focused down person. You have to liquify to a minuscule point of it first through a long about an atom wide. It was and drawn-out process. I about as difficult as it won't go through since it sounded. After taking the is getting boring enough, output from the simulator and actually you need to and using it to drive my get back to the surface. nanofabricator, I made a Something's going on up few objects. I fabricated a there." lot of old computer parts, And just like that, the to get my old 390 back three bolted back to the into operation after I elevator. As the elevator blew it out running that slowly rose, the lady simulator program. After I ripped the panel off got that back into action, and bypassed the manual and getting the simulator operation keyswitch and program running on it actually got the motor again, I took on my biggest running at four times its challenge yet. Sure, I've normal speed. The three made hybrids, but a whole flew up the elevator shaft person as an adult? Yeah, and sprang out the door. it was a daunting task Now, I didn't hardly indeed. Either way, I believe what happened took it on and told myself myself to be honest. There it would work. I set the they were, the good old machine to run, and I set U S of A military was out on a vacation to New trying to break into the York. As I got back a week Hyperion Systems building later, the machine was on on the opposite side of the last few layers of the the concourse. Seeing that top of her head. When I 14 Big Girls Don't Cry they mustn't be here, the step of a few lightyears, fiery woman took to the they were back on Earth. armed men. She went over Now, I should probably to them, and apparently mention that the woman they took that as some sign had never seen Earth in of aggression. Boy, did reality. As they bolted those men not know what out the warehouse door, the they were getting into. trio saw a few camo-painted And just like that, the trucks drive up. Discontent woman grasped them with her on having all of this holographic hands, and... great research fall to the well... let's just say they hands of a now very corrupt were converted to charcoal. government, James blasted None of those men survived back into the warehouse at all. and did something. When he The sheriff was astounded, came back, and the sheriff as you could expect. He and the woman were hiding asked the woman, "Why on behind a concrete retaining Earth did you do that?" wall, "They're after me. At least James mentioned that the one of James's associates place was "rigged to blow is an Earthly spy that at the drop of a hat." managed to figure out how The sheriff was clearly to use the fast-travel mortified, that James apparatus. Wait, you! What would just destroy so much are you doing here, who hard work just because the sent you!?" military wanted to to have a word with him. We had "No, it isn't that! I a brief conversation, and was genuinely concerned decided that if things went about the man, maybe he was south that she would run needing food or something!" to town, equip a disguise, "Well, my telepathic psi and lay low for a while. mod indicates that you're The sheriff would just go telling the truth. Don't on with his life, and not worry, I wouldn't hurt speak a word with it. an innocent person like James though? He just you. So, let's get back to got up from behind the Earth. If they send more, retaining wall and took a we have to stop them." walk over to the military The three went back into vehicles parked outside his the hotel, and over to the house. James had slipped fast-travel machine. It the detonator in his pocket read "PARTALI - CONTINENTAL as he he approached. For HOTEL" and alternated with some reason, none of the "HYPERION SYSTEMS - FAST soldiers were armed at all. TRAVEL STATION" in bright As James approached the green text. James pushed uniformed men, a presumably a few buttons on a keypad, high-ranking officer and the portal back to the approached and spoke to lab opened. After a short him. Apparently, in 2050, 15 Big Girls Don't Cry the military could arrest were standing outside of people somehow. the sheriff's house. They promptly went to hand- "How did you do that, cuff James, to which he ma'am?" jerked back, hollered at "Quantum entanglement and the sheriff and the woman tunnelling, remember. I'm to make a run for it, and pretty sure this is your he did the unthinkable. house, right?" He hit the button for the remote detonator, and boom. "Yeah. Want to come in? The whole facility went It's getting rather dark." up to the sky and exploded "Sure." in a disarray of parts. Of course, the sheriff and The two entered, and she woman had retreated to a sat down in the dining safe distance just before room. The two entered into James hit the key. a rather deep conversation. The sheriff then saw James, She started out with "You as he was running from know, Mark, some things the colonel, pull out his just aren't meant to be. handgun and kill himself. Are you familiar with the In the heat of the moment, concept of an anti-goal, he screamed "you won't have something you try so hard a chance!" to do only to realize you Appalled by what he had will never do it? Well, just seen, he turned to I've got a good anti-goal. the woman and made the Existing. I just can't walk realization that James had the face of this universe clones of himself ready to and be the person I am. replace him. The woman gave Sure, I'm in top physical some wise words of wisdom shape, perfect mental to the sheriff. shape, but I just can't bring myself to exist. I "You know, these days, feel as if I'm just not people really do live supposed to be here. I forever. That is James's remember when James was second death in a day. Kind talking about his friend of high if you ask me! Hah, who wanted catgirls, how don't feel sad about it now he always said he wanted that all of this work is them as servants and that gone. Let's get out of here James wouldn't create a quick though. Here, grab my race of slaves. I think hand." that he took it a bit too As the two interlocked far when he created me. fingers, the sheriff He was completely hands- described to me what he off in my creation, and I could only tell was a black entered this world as just and gray mixing haze as he a person, not a true human felt the ground disappear being." beneath his feet. A few "Hmm, okay, keep going." seconds later, and the two 16 Big Girls Don't Cry "Yeah, I am here but I sense. Now, I was glad I have no goals in life. Only met the sheriff at that anti-goals that I know I gas station that day, can't fulfill. So, it's because that next year, time to bid farewell to he passed away at the age this universe. James made of 93. I sometimes wonder his clones with the limit about Partali, that far-off that they couldn't create world and their outdated copies of themselves or everything, and if the create other synthetics government had figured out or genetically engineered the properties of iridium- life, so I know I won't be nanoscale deposit like a plague on the world." James had that one time. "No, you can't just do From what I've heard, they this... I barely even know haven't, thank goodness. you!" I don't plan on them ever "I know. That's how it finding out, as I paid some should be. So, I guess it's insurgents to blow up the time to say goodbye." crystal mine a few years ago. I never asked that The two walked out and woman what her name was. stood on the front porch How would I know, why would as the sun set off in the I care. Either way, that's distance. what happened on that cold "Goodbye, unknown lady." March morning. "Goodbye, Mark. Keep up the Author's note: fine work. See you." Yes, I know this will And just like that, she never happen. However, I fell to the ground as a outline a few distinct pile of dust. There was at possibilities in this short least one remaining object, story and discuss their a cylindrical thing with relevance to this story and two chain segments around future stories like this. the circumference and a The first is one of crystal segment at the top technological progression. and bottom. The sheriff Partali is described as picked it up, and sure being cutting-edge and enough, it disintegrated 40 years behind current too. She was gone, and technological advancements. every earthly trace of that If there are other foreign world was gone. simultaneous earths out Now, I don't think that the there, this could probably sheriff took too kindly to be the case. that day. When he recalled The second is of the to me the story of that day hybrids. I fully believe some thirty years later, that humanity will create I was keen to observe on a sub-species of human- every detail. Yes, it was animal hybrids that will about as true as it got, be treated like slaves everything made perfect and sold as such. While 17 Big Girls Don't Cry I don't want this to an interplanetary species happen, I believe that was immediately foiled by it, unfortunately, will a corrupt government. This someday. The fourth is the highlights a big issue, as dilemma of the woman (who with the current state of is actually based on a things, humanity will not video game character, all survive an alien invasion of the characters are in in the slightest. We will this story) and her search be too busy arguing with for a reason to live. She each other to really care, was bought into the world which will result in our in a "lassiez-faire" style, immediate takeover. just entering the world Of course, I believe that cold-turkey and not having if there were really aliens a real goalset in life to out there, they would not work towards. While such make their presence known a thing probably wouldn't somehow and just sit there happen in real life, this and float around in space. reaction would probably be common if it did. Well, that about does it. The third is the Until next story! "government conspiracy" Author's note, January of the military sending in 2026: spies to work for James and I have just re-read this then trying to steal the story as I reformatted it technology for themselves. for publishing; I have to Keep in mind, I swapped say, this was a great read the US military for an (and I know I had a ton adverserial military force, of fun writing it back in one that makes due with 2020! I had written this espionage all of the time. as a bit of a monographical The fourth is the composition consisting insurgency destroying the of a ton of stories I had supply of INS material, so read up to that point; Deus that these events couldn't Ex, Borderlands, System possibly happen again. I Shock... it's all here! could have set up a sequel, When I wrote this story, but chose not to! I was undergoing a pretty The fifth and final motif major change in my personal I wrote in was that of life. My parents didn't societal pressure to not be think I was capable of "that guy" that was trying anything (comes with that to take over the world. whole post-9/11 stranger While James wasn't one danger thing certain to take over the world, parents fell into), but he found himself in a it was ultimately my dad position that he could that convinced me to go to do so with ease. Instead, a college that was not only he chose to bridge two far-away, but academically worlds, although his rigorous. When I got down dreams of humanity being there, I was thrown right 18 Big Girls Don't Cry into a self-discovery process; it would take process of overcoming some about three years for that kind of identity issue- ordeal to run its course. unlike most stories, Aradia When I look back onto had yet to fully accept this story, I can see my herself for who she was, own self-insert stick out and wallowed around in to me; the character who an imperfect body she was gives the most exposition powerless to enhance. (Amara, i.e. the magic I find stories like girl) was the stand-in for this (that is, stories me. Note that when I wrote synthesized from my this, I was... to put it favorite "literary corpus in eloquent terms, not texts" and video games) to who I am today (those who be not only great moments know know; one of the room of self-reflection, but names in James's place is great things to read aloud even very on-the-nose about to my friends! Back in 2020 it). Upon proofreading this when I wrote this, I didn't story for reformatting (and really have any friends per to shoot out one tiny plot se; I would not read this hole), I find that Amara story to my friends for is not only very transfem- nearly 6 years after its coded, but is also in the original composition. 19