The Triad's Daughters

By SK Elix

The Triad's Daughters is a futuristic yet contemporary dystopian novella.
Set on a planet that has been damaged by multiple generations,
the main characters - Lucy and 9 - are trying to create a better future
for themselves and for the planet. Artificial intelligence and humans
live together in a world that is manipulated by the 7th Quarter
that claims to improve people's lives and the environment, but does it?

• Language: English
• Publisher: SK Elix
• Release date: Dec 21, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463642306

Book preview

"In 100 years people will look back at our way of life and at the decisions we made and ask

what on earth happened."

To my daughters Text Box 10 Rectangle Text Box 14 Rectangle

The Triad’s Daughters

SK Elix

Copyright 2019 SK Elix

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Cyclopia

Haaaaaa, Haaaaaa.

Lucy was puffing and couldn’t breathe. She was suffocating. Jiggling her legs and moving her arms made the matter worse. Her ears were also ringing from the fall. Adrenaline had kicked in to the point that she could barely feel her legs. That warm and tingling feeling was going through her entire body. It was dark. The lights in her round, astronaut-like helmet barely worked. They kept on flashing randomly, adding to Lucy’s panic. The water had now completely filled her suit—the weight was pulling her down, she was starting to drown. The smell in there was putrid, it smelt like dead fish and vomit mixed together. Rubbish was floating everywhere.

No, no, no, no, no, no, she screamed. Can someone hear me? HEEELLLLPPPP!

She suddenly heard someone talking through the speaker in her helmet, but the line was crackling.

Where are you?

Lucy had trouble breathing, she could barely put two words together. I’ve slid in the bottom well, I’m drowning.

A reassuring voice came through clearly in Lucy’s helmet. We’re coming.

Quiiickkk! yelled Lucy.

She could now see some fairly large rats swimming towards her, some were biting her too.

The water was now filling her helmet at a faster rate, and Lucy was trying not to drink any of the filthy water.

A different voice came through.

We’ re coming, we’ll be here in two minutes.

I’ll be drowned by then, yelled Lucy.

The rats were still biting in the hope of an excellent meal.

Lucy was now breathing and spitting a mix of water and air. Thirty seconds had passed but it felt like hours. She was lying down to stay afloat, but the weight of the suit and the rats kept pulling her feet down. Suddenly a rat managed to jump onto her helmet and even though the glass was slippery, it stood up. It seemed like it wanted to claim territory or to ascertain its power.

WHERE ARE YOU? screamed Lucy.

Lucy could now hear some noises and voices coming from the tunnel she fell from. The rescue team would have to hang some ropes and abseil for about twenty metres before getting to her.

Lucy was talking to herself, I’m not going to make it. I’m not going to make it. I’m not going to make it.

The team had now arrived and was starting to abseil down. They could barely see Lucy in the dark, just a faint light from her helmet.

Lucy, can you hear me?

Lucy wasn’t answering

Lucy, CAN YOU HEAR ME?

Still no answer from Lucy.

LUUCCYYY, yelled Isa.

They were now swimming towards her, pushing away the floating rubbish and hitting what was now a sea of rats.

Lucy was now unconscious and barely floating. Isa clipped a hook to Lucy’s suit, and Tegan, who stayed up on the edge of the well, started to pull her up with a wrench. Some rats were still hanging on to Lucy’s suit. Isa started to zap a few. Isa and 9 were now abseiling back up the well while zapping a few rats. 9 turned around and threw an electric grenade to zap them all. They were now all out of the well. Lucy was lying down, her helmet full of water.

Tegan, Isa, and 9 were now trying to remove Lucy’s helmet. It had been damaged in the fall and it was impossible to remove.

Tegan and Isa were now yelling and screaming, LLUUUCCYYY.

9 grabbed her spanner and smashed the helmet. The water was now exiting the suit. Glass had cut Lucy’s face and skull; there was blood everywhere. 9 turned Lucy’s face to check the back of her head. Behind her ear, she could see a little, blue light through her skin.

Tegan was relieved. She is still alive.

Tegan took her oxygen breather and put it in Lucy’s mouth.

Tegan and Isa were doing CPR on Lucy.

COME ON, COME ON, COME ON, LUCY.

Lucy suddenly gasped and came back to life. Her light was now purple. Tegan, Isa, and 9 put her on the robot stretcher back to the hospital. Lucy passed out, but her light was still purple; they had to go up to the hospital. She could breathe and her heart was fine, but she hurt the back of her head so hopefully her Skilex had not been damaged. 9’s Skilex had been damaged in a fall when she was five and she couldn’t talk.

They were now running to keep up with the robot. The three girls and the robot were now out of the tunnel.

Cyclopia is not a pretty sight. It is a giant landfill full of smashed cars, plastics, screens, and other rotting garbage. Even from the highest building all you can see is rubbish.

Control, can you hear me? said Tegan.

Roger, said control.

Can you send us a drone to get to the hospital?

Why?

Lucy is in a critical situation.

What’s the colour of her light?

Purple Zet, Purple!!

Dark purple?

Yes, dark purple

Okay sending you now.

What’s her problem? said Isa.

She was sent back from Fields, replied Tegan.

Why?

Something wrong with her Skilex, they say.

So, she’s stuck here forever?

Yep.

They now could see the drone and Lucy’s light was going from purple to blue. Hopefully the drone would take her even with a blue light.

The drone was dropping the cables to grab the stretcher. It was a ten-minute flight to the hospital. The girls clipped the stretcher to the cable and within a few seconds it was secured in the drone. Tegan, Isa, and 9 clipped themselves on the drone. It lifted, and they were now hanging from the hook and flying to the hospital. From up there they could see on one side the recycling factories, multiple landfills, rubber tyres, and thousands of cars and on the other side hundreds of small villages, in the middle was