Raine VS The End of the World (67 page)

Commodore Leandra / Leela Kernani

Age: 33
Height: 5’5”
Favorite Food: Bisi bele bath
Favorite Color: Indigo
Hobbies: Sitar playing, gymnastics, cooking

Yossa’s plucky daughter shares his optimism for the future, and has been anxious to contribute to the EDC war effort since being spirited away from her homeland. Leela is one of the most beloved commanders in the EDC’s history, and bravely volunteered to portray “Leandra”, a codename for Lily’s body double, in the fight against Queen Lorelei. By Leela’s orders, her three siblings and mother took refuge in Sector Forty-Two (New Zealand), to await hers and Yossa’s return. Deeply spiritual, Leela believes in reincarnation, and that no souls are ever lost, as all are but fragments of the whole.

Lieutenant General Errol Beech

Age: 50
Height: 6’3”
Favorite Food: Linguini
Favorite Color: Black
Hobbies: Hockey, watching the
Metaverse
Gladiators, tennis

As Vice Chief of Staff of
Neo Eden’s
armed forces, General Beech has earned Queen Lorelei’s trust because he is ambitious, predictable, and always hungry for power. She knows that with a mere misstep, he would seek to supplant her from the throne. The only thing stopping him is the
Metaverse
– or rather, that he wouldn’t have a clue what to do with it. In truth, Beech is a simple man with simple pleasures. He lives a regimented, disciplined life, believing strongly that the
Metaverse
is essential for preserving the balance of power in the world. Upon seeing that the Queen is losing her grip on the populace, he put his close friend Dr. Marco on his payroll as an informant and possible assassin; they gamble on toppling her as soon as any true threat comes to
Neo Eden
. As his cyborg brain has grown dominant, he thinks little of his wife and two children, who spend much of their time shopping and enjoying the
Neo Eden
lifestyle.

Henry Holdfast

Age: 30
Height: 6’0”
Favorite Food: Shepherd’s pie
Favorite Color: Light brown
Hobbies: Japanese animation, Kickboxing, billiards

The ace up Lily’s sleeve, Henry’s path has been one of absolute caution. As one of the foremost Developers in the
Nexus
, he’s been long avoiding the responsibility of promotion, only to have it thrust upon him at the last minute. Henry is a rather private individual, immersing himself in his work, but when it comes down to it, he knows that it’s the people in the
Nexus
, not the programs, that will be necessary to get the job done. He hails from an independent permaculture commune in the Australian outback, where he was raised by his immediate and extended family, but has worked hard to cement his dedication to
Neo Eden
and earned the respect of his peers through tireless service and the refinement of their security protocols against EDC hackers.

Dr. Ayumi Karuishi

Age: 32
Height: 5’5”
Favorite Food: Korean BBQ
Favorite Color: Pink
Hobbies: Arcade gaming, volleyball, fan fiction, sleeping in

Ayumi is one of the most highly respected Developers in the
Nexus
, having been working on the
Metaverse
for over a decade. As a young woman, she grew up in
Neo-Kyoto,
one of Lorelei’s satellite cities and the location of the
Metaverse
backup mainframe, but was recruited in secret by the Eastern Elders of the EDC and put on the fast track to
Neo Eden
. Since the EDC came under Lily’s supervision, she’s worked her way up to the very top, juggling duties as a problem-solver for each of its servers. She had an unrequited crush on Dr. Nico Orynbekov, but has had to rely on her own wits and intuition since his untimely passing. She misses her mother back home, who she reasons must be worried sick about her fate. Although she has a reputation for being a flirt, she holds back from any personal relationships with the other Developers, which only intensifies the jealousy felt by her colleagues when she warms up to Henry Holdfast.

Dr. Alphonse Hoshua

Age: 52
Height: 6’2”
Favorite Food: Goat curry
Favorite Color: Burnt umber
Hobbies: Percussion, drum circles, disco,
Holo—
cards

As Lead Developer for the
Avidya
server, Hoshua is well-liked and good at following orders, if a little too trusting of his subordinates. He began service at the
Metaverse’s
peak, mid-way through version 2.0, as an Illusionist, designing many of the virtual realm’s weapons, armor, and distractions. He was responsible for refining the Helmet Defense Protocol and led the program’s research division. Happily married with a single spoiled daughter, Hoshua is a family man, like his father in Senegal. He puts on the persona of a stuffy old guy in order to keep his subordinates and rivals at arm’s length, but in reality he believes deeply in
Endless Metaverse
and the Queen’s unchallenged rule.

Dr. Francesco Zarifian

Age: 44
Height: 5’10”
Favorite Food: Pineapple
Favorite Color: Indigo
Hobbies: Game design, magic tricks, tabletop gaming

Dr. Zarifian started as a loyal servant and Developer for the
Metaverse
, having overseen the transition from version 2.4 to 3.0. He originally thought that he was doing good work for the assets, keeping them happy and oblivious to the decrepit nature of the planet, but he became disillusioned with the job after witnessing all the men and women he’d worked with for years become frozen, executed, or banished from civilization. Sensing his hesitance, Nico Orynbekov convinced him to join the EDC. A single father of two hailing from Iran, Francesco enjoys the extravagant
Neo Eden
lifestyle and loves gambling, gaming, and the company of women, but acknowledges that due to dwindling resources and the Queen’s draconian tactics, the dystopian city will not last forever. He’s constantly fearful of his life, but he understands that Lily’s actions are necessary to restore balance to the planet.

Dr. Christopher Marco

Age: 41
Height: 6’
Favorite Food: Caramelized bananas
Favorite Color: Emerald green
Hobbies: Taxidermy, table tennis,
Metaverse
combat design

Husband to Adeline Marco, Christopher has been driven by his wife’s ambition to ruthlessly climb the ladders to Lead Developer status, a drive somewhat halted by the fact that he is unliked amongst his peers. A rather lonely man, Marco was once a player of
Endless Metaverse
until his late teens, when he was recruited and taken from the outside world, a very rare case. His sweet-talking manner and sly charms won over Adele, who quickly seized the opportunity to leverage the Overseer in her political and social favor. The polygamous Chris and Adele carry on distanced lives, but remain passionate towards one another despite the delicate issues regarding Marco and Beech’s underhanded plan to overthrow the Queen.

Lt. Gen. Gabriel Joaquin:

Age: 36
Height: 5’7”
Favorite Food: Slow-roasted chicken
Favorite Color: Gray
Hobbies: Theater, crossword puzzles, soap operas

“Jo-Jo” is Lily’s second-in-command, coordinating the EDC forces for their strike with his lifetime of military know-how and quick thinking as an Independent Military Contractor for the Panama Commune in which he grew up. One of the EDC’s major strongholds, the commune was under constant attack from
Neo Eden’s
drones. Even with limited hackers on hand, he was able to fight off incoming attacks until the invaders retreated, low on fuel and munitions; he then took his personal forces out to make pursuit and greatly thinned the drones. The aftermath of the crucial battle turned the tide of the Western Atlantic Theater, allowing the EDC to gain numerous footholds in the Caribbean. The Elder council unanimously voted Joaquin onto Lily’s strike force. Knowing that he is one of the few strategists who can make major decisions without her input, Lily puts her full trust in him to ensure the armada reaches
Neo Eden
in one piece.

Col. Victor Aquino

Age: 28
Height: 5’11”
Favorite Food: Lechon kawali (Filipino roast pig)
Favorite Color: White
Hobbies: Engineering, travel-blogging, cycling

The leader of Lily’s Exo Knight Division, Col. Aquino, hails from the Philippine islands and grew up reading science fiction novels. A brilliant engineer, he retired from the
Eden
Armada in protest as his native Manila turned into a war zone and became a civil engineer in order to devise methods of construction that would cut down or eliminate
M-Gear
casualties. When Lily traveled back in time to 2170 and presented him with Lucille’s vision for the Exo Knight suits, comparable in size to those in Heinlein’s
Starship Troopers
, Victor was ecstatic. He packed his bags immediately for the next airship to the EDC’s base camp in Kazakhstan and began work on the suits immediately. With an early prototype, they secretly annexed one of Lorelei’s larger war factories, and began to create suits even larger and more powerful than Lucy had imagined, closer to the mobile suits in
Macross,
or
Gundam Wing.
When Lily inexplicably returned not a day older ten years later, he was undeniably shocked, but he’s kept her secret well. Aquino also came up with the virtual training modules for the pilots.

The wicked term “Metaverse” was coined by Neal Stephenson in his immensely influential cyberpunk epic
“Snow Crash”
, a highly entertaining and thought-provoking novel within which the virtual world is more social than game-centric in nature, and deeply integrated with
Reality
.

Ernest Cline’s best-selling
“Ready Player One”
introduces the OASIS, a fantastic, lively online universe, with its own economy, currency, and virtually every geek franchise in existence represented on satellite planets. A fast read that earns every ounce of nerd cred and then some.

Tad Williams’ acclaimed
“Otherland”
tetralogy, unread by yours truly, takes place in the late twenty-first century and features the Net, an all-encompassing virtual world that plays host to a large cast of characters with unique and awesome abilities.

William Gibson has a host of virtual worlds in his collected works, which include his award-winning “Sprawl” trilogy (
“Neuromancer”
,
“Count Zero”
, and
“Mona Lisa Overdrive”
).

Based on a Japanese light novel series, the animé
“Sword Art Online”
showcases a smattering of different virtual worlds, each with their own rules and challenges, as background to a sweeping emotional drama with a plethora of characters. I personally liked the first 13 episodes the best.

My experience with the
“.hack”
series is minimal, (I’ve read a few volumes of the manga and watched the excellent
“.hack//Quantum”
OVA) but the series in animated, manga, and video game form is highly imaginative and boasts fascinating characters.

I haven’t checked out
“Btoom!”
or
“Accel World”
, but they’ve been recommended to me.

Mamoru Hosoda’s
“Summer Wars”
is an excellent animé film with an interconnected online world as its centerpiece. Great fun, family-friendly, offers food for thought, and heartwarming to boot.

In writing “Raine”, I came to appreciate how many works of fiction showcase differing theories on time travel.

A fantastic resource is this flowchart, by
Mr. Dalliard
on tumblr, which sorts time travel in (mostly) Hollywood films by the rules and theories of each film’s universe.

http://mr-dalliard.tumblr.com/post/47542367365/time-travel-in-movies

Based on the events in the epilogue (which is only one of many possible endings), it might appear at first glance that “Raine” belongs in the same category as the “Back to the Future” films, since the past can be altered, for better or worse, and events do not necessarily follow Novikov’s Self-Consistency Principle.

That said, Lily’s memory not matching up to Rutger’s file hints at the possibility that the
Belladonna
may disappear in the future, and that she may need to fill the void left by a vanished original for the
Mark II
in order to “close the loop”. Depending on whether or not events in time are flexible or fixed, even the closing of this loop may or may not end in the complete temporal collapse of the known universe.

Whether Lily is right about the mugs, or her supposedly untarnished memory is faulty (she is, after all, only human) is for the reader to decide.

Without spoiling much, here is a short list of some of my favorite stories dealing with time travel.

Steins;Gate

A 25-episode anime series based upon a visual novel, involving a self-proclaimed mad scientist based in Tokyo’s techno-wonderland of Akihabara who, with the help of his lab assistants, accidentally discovers a method of time travel involving a microwave and cellular phones. Filled with intrigue, humor, and heart, this is among my favorite time travel stories, and directly references the infamous John Titor, a person who appeared on message boards claiming to be a time traveler from a dystopian future. A feature film has also been released in Japan.

Puella Magi Madoka Magika

It would be a major spoiler to reveal how time travel plays a part in this genre-busting 13-episode epic, but it is done so well that I couldn’t help but mention it.
Madoka
takes everything that’s been previously established about the magical girl genre and flips it on its head, providing a dark, gritty look at the unexpected risks teenaged girls might take in devoting their lives to cleanse the world of evil forces. Highly recommended.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

It’s fun, it’s edgy, and it blends the unknown with the familiar in ways never before seen. Following an innocent crush on the lovely, talented, and terrifyingly eccentric Haruhi, Kyon is dragged along into the SOS Brigade, a club formed to find Espers, aliens, and time-travelers – the twist? Well, that would be spoiler territory. Suffice it to say that Haruhi is more than she seems, and as a result of her influence, supernatural, otherworldly, and temporal hijinks ensue, with the otherwise ordinary Kyon caught in the middle. This is truly one of those must-see shows. M-m-m-Mikuru Beam!

Also see: The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (film)

Back to the Future trilogy

Perhaps the best-known and loved time travel film series, Robert Zemeckis’ three-part comedy follows Marty McFly and Dr. Emmett Brown’s travels through the past, present, and future of the suburb of Hill Valley, and their lively encounters with Marty’s ancestors or descendants.

Also see: Back to the Future (animated series)

Doctor Who

BBC’s epic family television series about the Doctor, a Time Lord from Gallifrey who guards planet Earth from extra-terrestrial invaders, is unmatched in scope and ambition. My experience is with “NuWho”, starting from Russell T. Davies’ reboot, but I have enjoyed the few episodes of Classic Who I’ve seen, and the Doctor’s ever-evolving personas. For those new to the series, there are many recommended starting points, but I began with Series 6’s “The Eleventh Hour”, watched the entire series, then went on to start from Christopher Eccleston’s run in Series 1, with the episode “Rose”. Sometimes I wish I had started with “Rose”, but I don’t regret being introduced to Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor first, as he brings an infectious zaniness, a stoic heart, and a real pathos to the legendary role. In my heart, David Tennant is a very close second to Mr. Smith.

Twelve Monkeys

Terry Gilliam’s mind-bender of a film stars Bruce Willis as James Cole, who is sent back in time from 2035 to investigate an epidemic that will wipe out most of life on Earth in 1996. As nothing ever goes as planned when time travel is involved, he’s sent back a few years too early and institutionalized. But events leading to the disaster are set into motion. Gilliam’s visual flair and unpredictable filmmaking make for a superb viewing experience that explores paradoxes, time loops, metaphysics, and more down-to-Earth concerns such as animal rights and mental illness.

Time Bandits

Another Gilliam masterpiece, Time Bandits drops a curious young boy into a ragtag group of thieves hopping through wormholes in their quest for treasure. Ian Holm’s Napoleon is one of the major highlights, as are the jaw-dropping special effects.

Returner (2002)

Directed by Takeshi Yamazaki, this Japanese sci-fi B-epic with a film noir influence has got it all. Aliens, time travel, Yakuza, Transforming robots, and a fast-paced, action-packed plot. It’s a viscous blend of great ideas that have worked before and injected with a heavy dose of tongue-in-cheek, and it’s criminally underseen as far as sci-fi pulp is concerned.

Somewhere in Time

Superman fans will balk, but this is my favorite Christopher Reeve film. Beautifully shot and scored, with great performances from the entire cast, though Reeve is the clear standout. His playwright character Richard Collier time travels from 1980 to 1912 to meet the actress Elise McKenna (Jane Seymour), with whom he has fallen in love from admiring a portrait on the wall of the hotel he’s staying in to work on his writer’s block. Upon arriving in the far past, he must contend with being a total fish out of water, wrestle his way to catch McKenna’s attention, and deal with her possessive manager (played impeccably by Christopher Plummer). It’s a heart-wrenching film, but it sticks with you.

Groundhog Day

Bill Murray’s arrogant TV weatherman Phil Connors is stuck in an unending time loop, repeating the same dreary day again and again in one of the greatest of all films about altered time. If you haven’t seen the late, great Harold Ramis’ existentialist masterpiece, based on a screenplay by himself and Danny Rubin, it’s never too late. The flick holds up real well.

Looper

Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a hit man who assassinates people sent from the future in this dystopian sci-fi cult classic. Everything in this film is top-notch. Rian Johnson directs with a steady hand, and though eagle-eyed viewers will spot some inconsistencies, this is highly entertaining, a modern cult classic and a must-see for time travel aficionados.

Primer

Shane Carruth’s ultra low budget film about two dudes, Aaron and Abe, who accidentally discover time travel, struck film festival gold. I consider it the most realistic portrayal of time travel. It showcases how quickly the power to jump can be manipulated, abused, and eventually spiral completely out of control. What really struck me is how this film explains so much with so little, and efficiently conveys information without resorting to info-dumps.

Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure

Bill and Ted rule. Shame on anyone who disagrees. Party on, dudes. And be excellent to each other.

Donnie Darko

One of the more beautifully bizarre films of 2001, Richard Kelly directs a fantastic cast in a dark takedown of suburban America. Donnie (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) wanders outside following a man in a terrifying rabbit costume who claims the world will end in 28 days. Upon returning home, he finds that a jet engine with presumably no origin has inexplicably crashed through his bedroom. This film is notable not just for its intriguing plot, but for the metaphysical questions Kelly posits and never quite answers. His ability to balance biting satire, personal drama, and twisted black comedy is unmatched.

Also see: Southland Tales (Kelly’s epic dark satire on Los Angeles is probably the most misunderstood film of our time)

Terminator tetralogy

Purists will only acknowledge the existence of the first two (maybe three) films, but this continuing chronicle of man VS machine is not to be missed for the uninitiated. My favorite is
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
, though the first one is a more complete film in its own right. The third one is decent and has its moments, while the fourth is a narrative mess with a few redeeming action sequences.

Idiocracy

One of America’s great satirists, Mike Judge, goes all-out in this portrayal of a futuristic America in the year 2505, where the most average person by today’s standards (Luke Wilson) would be seen as a supergenius. Terry Crews’ President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho is hilarious. Crops are dying, due to being irrigated with “Brawndo”, an energy drink. Bold, crass, undeniably riotous, and epic in scope notwithstanding the fact that its funding was cut halfway through production, Judge’s film is a must-see.

Edge of Tomorrow

Based on Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s light novel “All You Need Is Kill”, this high-energy sci-fi/action flick is highly entertaining as far as summer films go and will likely be remembered as a cult classic. Picture “Groundhog Day” meets “Starship Troopers”. Tom Cruise stars in this high-octane thriller as Major William Cage, a cowardly talking piece for the global military forces fighting off an invading alien menace known as “Mimics”. After dying in a fiercely one-sided battle, Cage discovers that he is sent back to the beginning of the day, and consequently is able to learn and improve from his past failures. Yet his ability remains a mystery until his impossible skills catch the eye of war hero Rita Vrataski (known as the “Full Metal Bitch”), who implores Cage to seek her out when he wakes up. While the last third of the film goes into typical action film territory, overall, this is a really fun watch that’s well worth your time.

More time travel in fiction:

Light Novels:
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time series, All You Need Is Kill

Novels:
The Time Machine (H.G. Wells, 1895), A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (Mark Twain, 1889), Replay (Ken Grimwood, 1987), The End of Eternity (Isaac Asimov, 1955), The Accidental Time Machine (Joe Halderman, 2008), Slaughterhouse-Five (Kurt Vonnegut, 1969), The Door into Summer (Robert Heinlein, 1986), Up the Line (Robert Silverberg, 2002), Lightning (Dean Koontz, 2003)

Short Stories:
All from the book “The Best Time Travel Stories of the 20
th
Century”, edited by Harry Turtledove with Martin H. Greenberg: “Yesterday Was Monday” by Theodore Sturgeon, “Time Locker” by Henry Kuttner, “Time’s Arrow” by Arthur C. Clarke, “I’m Scared” by Jack Finney, “A Sound of Thunder” by Ray Bradbury, “Death Ship” by Richard Matheson, “A Gun For Dinosaur” by L. Sprague de Camp, “The Man Who Came Early” by Poul Anderson, “Rainbird” by R.A. Lafferty, “Leviathan!” by Larry Niven, “Anniversary Project” by Joe Halderman, “Time Tipping” by Jack Dann, “Fire Watch” by Connie Willis, “Sailing to Byzantium” by Robert Silverberg, “The Pure Product” by John Kessel, “Trapalanda” by Charles Sheffield, “The Price of Oranges” by Nancy Kress, “Another Story, Or A Fisherman of the Inland Sea” by Ursula K. Le Guin

Webcomics:
Dresden Codak (dresdencodak.com), Chronillogical (chronillogical.com), Dawn of Time (www.dawnoftimecomics.com), Times Like This (www.timeslikethis.com)

Additional Films:
Timecrimes, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Peggy Sue Got Married, The Time Machine (1960), The Butterfly Effect, Lost in Space, Galaxy Quest, 13 Going on 30, Big, The Time Traveler’s Wife, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Planet of the Apes (1968)

TV:
Ashes to Ashes, Doctor Who, Torchwood, Fringe, BBC’s The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Lost, Quantum Leap, Sliders, The Time Tunnel, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Dexter’s Laboratory: Ego Trip, Life on Mars, Samurai Jack, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventures, Land of the Lost