Chapter 5: Lost Boy
1425 Words
At first, everything was empty... Not a single soul or sound... Just a complete bright and white void...
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But then, a young 6-year old boy with big dark blue eyes and dark blue hair appeared out of seemingly nowhere. His name... was Ravi Azarov.
He was laughing and running around the heavily protected bunker he used to call home while being chased by a greatly advanced robot of humanoid form. This robot was none other than Ravi's personal sitter. His protector and teacher in charge of everything regarding the boy's welfare: it prepared his meals, it washed him and kept him clean, and it even made sure to always have him go to sleep at the adequate time... just as it was trying to do at that moment.
Nonetheless, the robot did all of this, not because he cared for the boy, but because he was simply programmed to do it due to the large list of specific and extremely detailed chores that was installed in its head. The robot taught Ravi the basics of almost everything a child like him was supposed to know: science, social studies, survival methods, logical sense, and hygiene. Though this last one didn't really remain etched into his head at all.
In any case, Ravi was tired of being treated like a child, though he was one; and sometimes he wished the annoying robot just stopped bothering him completely. One day however, that wish finally came true thanks to a huge and stronger that any other sandstorm that hit the bunker and everything inside it, including of course the robot/tutor which inevitably ended up destroyed while protecting the young kid.
Ravi was only 8 years old when this happened, and ever since that moment onward, he became a child without a protector... without a tutor... without any kind of parent-like figure in his life...
Almost like a boy who just lost his family forever...
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A lost boy...
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Nonetheless, and instead of being sad, the youngling was actually very relieved and happy. Mainly because he would now be able to do many things he couldn't do before due to the annoying robot always getting in his way: like going to sleep late, eating more food than the regular amount, cleaning the bunker only when he saw it necessary... and of course... going outside and exploring the vast land, just as he had always wanted to do.
Surprisingly enough, the robot's many teachings ended up being very useful for the kid. And every day, he would venture himself even further and further into the unknown wasteland, just exploring and gathering whatever garbage and junk seemed useful. What is more, during one of those tiring exploring sessions, Ravi managed to find an extremely beautiful oasis just lying in the middle of the land.
Nevertheless, it didn't matter how far the youngling travelled. In the end, he always ended up returning home.
In any case, Ravi found something totally new one day... something that he never actually saw in real life, but just in small pictures that his ancient robot/tutor used to show him: the ruins of an old and abandoned human city.
Without a second thought, the boy disposed himself to explore such place with rigor, only to then startle in fear at the sight of a group of four-armed alien monsters which appeared out of nowhere. Ravi knew how dangerous those 'four-arms' could be thanks to the robot's teachings. And so, he immediately ran away in the opposite direction, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, while being chased by the creatures.
Nonetheless, it was then that something unexpected happened: one of the rooftops in which Ravi happened to step over cracked. Therefore, the youngling inevitably fell into an unknown building, only to lose consciousness a few moments later.
When Ravi finally woke up however, the four-armed creatures were gone, and the first thing he got to distinguish upon opening his eyes was a giant and white wall with some weird words written on it.
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CLOVIS BRAY
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Ravi tilted his head in confusion, but then he startled in shock after realizing the true nature of the building he had fell into. It was a huge... HUGE... library, or to be more precise, a GIANT research center with tons and tons of books of different themes just waiting for someone to read them: Calculus, Technology & Electronics, Advanced Chemistry, Quantum Physics, Integrated Circuits... the long list went on and on.
The bluenette kid ended up falling in love with that place and its content. And ever since then, he travelled there almost every day with the sole purpose of reading and taking home a bunch of those interesting books.
However, it didn't take long for Ravi to notice there weren't just plain old books there, but also recordings, films and other kinds of interesting sources of information to learn from. And so, he began studying, learning, experimenting and ultimately trying every single thing that came into his mind with whatever garbage he could find scattered around.
Then, just like that... 5 years passed...
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Ravi was now 13 years old, and During his hard but enjoyable time studying those past 5 years, he acquired a LOT of knowledge regarding science and its many different branches. Not enough to be called a full-fledged engineer, but... a lot more than just the basics he learned from his robot/tutor long ago.
In addition, the youngling began wanting to build and repair his own stuff now: TVs, radios, cellphones, toasters... He even once fixed a motorcycle, which unfortunately ended up blowing up some time later. But in the end, it didn't matter how many times he failed in accomplishing whatever goal he put in front of him, he never gave up... not even once.
In any case, Ravi managed to find one more interesting thing in that old facility where he found his passion: an old abandoned project about a new and incredibly modernized engine, designed to be a lot better than the current ones. The blue-haired boy decided to finish such project and so, every day, he did lots of trips from the bunker to the facility, and from the facility to the bunker. All with the purpose of taking home parts, materials, tools, and other stuff he most certainly needed.
Then, 3 more years passed...
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It was now the 24th of January of the year 4052, and just as Ravi always did at least once in a week, he disposed himself to go to the Skywatch tower in order to mess a bit with the four-armed monsters that hated him so much, and also to take some new provisions he really needed at that point.
Nonetheless, just as the blue-haired 16-year old teenager stepped outside of his bunker while getting ready to leave, he took some time to stare at the wide, pure and bright sky with an eager expression, and without knowing that the following day... he would meet someone that would change his life... forever...
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Everything went white and empty once more... Not a single soul or sound...
But then, out of seemingly nowhere, Ravi woke up.
It was all a dream, or to be more specific, a memory of the young boy's entire life which just happened to rush through his head. Ravi was very confused, and then he startled slightly after realizing he was laying on a bed with lots of bandages covering his body. He was in a hospital, though he had never been in one before. In addition, it was merely 2am. So, there was still quite a long time before sunrise.
Ravi tilted his head in a poor attempt to check his surroundings, only to then catch a glimpse of what seemed to be... brown hair. It was Leah. She was seated on a chair right next to his bed and sleeping with her head over it. What's more, she was holding his hand tightly in a clear sign of care and concern, and apparently, she stayed there with him the whole time... waiting for her dear friend to wake up.
The bluenette was more than just puzzled at that point, but... even for as much as he wanted to understand how he got there and where he was in the first place, he was also really... REALLY tired. Therefore, he decided to rest for some more time and worry about the details later.
- Writer
