Melanin of the Sun

There was an eerie calm that settled over the world ever since the sun died. Our world was blanketed in an eternal darkness that should have been the end of our civilization as we know it, but human beings have a vicious tenacity about them. Humans wield a strong desire to tell the universe no and bend it to our will. Humanity fought back the coming natural frozen death of the planet with technology, artificial light and heat, and pure grit and determination. People’s faith was turned only to those who had the technology to help them, and the money to pay for it. Over the next two hundred years nations and their boundaries were dissolved and redrawn to denote which technological giants now carved up the land. The largest of those conglomerates was Luminous Industries. Only sprouting up in the past twenty years or so with their life saving synthetic foods and lights. Their Cibo Vitam food took them from a small startup company to being one with enough revenue to purchase a few weapons companies. From there they either made enough money to own you or took what was yours by force.

Luminous Industries owed their unofficial status as rulers of what used to be North America to one scientist and his daughter. Maria Storm winced in pain as her father, Luke, inserted a needle into one of the veins in her left arm. She looked around the room trying to focus on anything but her wine-colored life fluid leaving her body yet again for another test. Her honey-colored eyes bounced from the reinforced door, to the painful florescent lights beaming down upon them. They settled on the security camera, and the anxiety left her body slowing being replaced by a rage that only she felt. She was tired of being in this laboratory because it felt more like a prison.

“Stop glaring, you’ll give yourself wrinkles.” Luke said to her turning her face back towards him. She loved her father and thought he was probably the most brilliant person on the planet, but not ambitious enough to try to escape their situation. She shrugged off the thought of leaving as quickly as it came because it wasn’t likely that they ever were. Luke developed the Cibo Vitam food himself but Luminous was behind the funding needed to produce it. As rich as it made both parties neither of them functioned without the other. She knew her dad would never leave especially when he still has mysteries of the world to solve.

“I know your experiments are helping people, but hiding me in this lab because of my melanin is inhumane Dad.” Maria said jumping off the exam table. She quickly dressed and started rifling through the papers and boxes that sprawled all over the lab. Luke walked towards her and gently grabbed her shoulders.

“Calm yourself, check your pockets.” He said to her in a reassuring tone. Maria let out an exasperated sign and pulled a golden heart shaped locket from her pocket. She kissed it tenderly before adorning her neck with it. Her father reached for it, and Maria turned away from him.

“NO! Dad, you know the rules about this locket. Don’t touch it.” Maria demanded. Luke sighed and sat at his desk to start working with the data he just collected. He started talking about his next innovative invention but Maria ignored him and focused on the locket. The words of her mother played back in her mind now, “Use it to change the world.” She tried to open the locket, but it remained closed as if the universe itself weighed it down. Maria angrily wondered how was she supposed to use it to save the world if she can’t unlock the secrets inside. She tucked it inside of her shirt before dawning her coat and pulling up the hood. She was so focused on leaving she didn’t hear her father berating her.

“Maria, do you hear me? I said that you need to keep yourself hidden on this journey.” He said with a look of fear in his eyes.

“Journey? What are you talking about?” She asked confused now. Luke pulled a backpack from under his desk and tossed it at her. She caught it and looked inside to find rations, fire starter supplies and a pop-up tent among other things. She turned her gaze back to him confused.

“Take that golden heart of yours deep into the frozen wasteland. Follow that map I just gave you and it will lead you to a temple. There you can finally perform the ritual you were born for and restart the sun.” Luke said to her with tears starting to fall from his eyes. Maria’s heart started to pound her chest now as the anxiety started to mount.

“Where is all this coming from? How do I restart the sun? Is that even possible? She asked frantically. He walked over to her and pulled her close with a hug. He kissed her forehead tenderly and spoke to her with sadness in his heart.

“Only you can restart the sun. You and that locket your mother gave you.” He said to her before pushing her away. He took his desk and shoved it against the door now. Just as he did security started beating on the other side of it.

“Why don’t you come with me? You have all this information you didn’t give me until NOW. Help me.” Maria pleaded. Security started to threaten violence from the other side of the door now. Luke rushed to a secret panel on the wall and input a code causing a hidden door to open up now. He took Maria by the hand and rushed her into it now.

“I want nothing more than for you to save the world your mother cherished. I can’t go with you because Luminous placed a tracker in me ages ago. I’d be a burden to you. Remember all your training and get to that temple. I’ll see you when the sun is up.” He said to her before pushing her through the doorway. She started to run, but turned to hug her father one last time. He squeezed her until he heard security start to discharge their firearms at the door. He pushed her away and she ran never looking back.

Maria bound down a winding corridor until she came to a freight elevator. She took it down to the shipping bay. The cold of the outside world stung her lungs as she saw security scouring the place looking for her. Hugging the dark spots on the wall she made her way towards an exit. The first crunch of the snow under her feet shocked her. She imagined her first time steeping on the actual Earth would be a joyous time, not leaving her only family behind and running for her life. She wasn’t going to waste her chance at escape though. She bound forward using a passing truck as cover and escaped the Luminous grounds. She barreled forward into the ever-growing darkness until she crossed into the tree line.

Maria didn’t stop running through trees until she couldn’t see the lights of Luminous behind her. She prayed she didn’t stray too far from the path her father set out for her. She hid breathing hard in the complete darkness for a while making sure she wasn’t followed. Once she allowed herself to calm down the true sting of the cold enveloped her. She fumbled in her bag for the fire starting supplies and rushed to get a blaze going. Once lit she surveyed the area, a skeletal forest of trees greeted her ominously under the blanket of stars.

“I almost wish I couldn’t see this. These trees look nothing like the one grown in the Luminous lab. She pulled out the map her father gave her and started to study it. From what she could tell she still had a ways to go but she was headed in the right direction. Satisfied with that knowledge she ate her fill of the rations and cuddled next to the fire. Before long sleep took her. She slept long and hard on the cold ground. She woke up but her instincts told her to keep her eyes closed and stay still. She could hear footsteps all around her. Something was standing over her, sniffing her, nudging her. She slowly opened her eyes and made out the shape of a wolf. She fought back the urge to cry out as the wolf nudged her necklace free.

“Stop!” Maria yelled now, but before the wolf and it’s pack could react the locket opened and a burst of light exploded from it. The wolves ran off in terror as Maria scrambled to close it. As her eyes fought to adjust from seeing that much light she packed up her supplies and stared of into the distance.

“What is that?” She asked now staring at a faint light she could see in the dark. She thought her eyes were playing tricks on her but she could definitely see something glowing in the distance. She didn’t question it further she just charged ahead towards the light. She trekked for days towards that light in the darkness, only stopping long enough to eat. The journey was arduous but she made it to the destination marked on the map. She was led to towering structure that wasn’t holding up to the lack of care. It looked to be a one of those defunct buildings in an ancient city that was once at the core of its commerce center.

“The glow is coming from the top. Almost there mom.” Maria whispered as she grasped the locket. The electricity was out in the building as expected and it’s falling apart. The stairs are a risk, but the only option. She rushed up the stairs now bound for the top, bound for her destiny. Nearing the halfway mark fatigue was starting to set in, but she didn’t let it win. With one final push she burst through the door to the roof of the building. The ruins of city sprawling into the dark sky was unsettling, but this rooftop was bright. A raised dial appeared in the center of the roof, it looked to be a clock. All the numbers except held a faint glow with the exception of the one. It shown brilliantly. Maria’s locket pulled her towards it now.

Maria pulled the locket from her neck and it opened with ease. Blinding light erupted from it and the dial followed suit. A pillar of light shot towards the heavens and Maria dropped to her knees covering her face. She felt a hand on her chin pull her head up, it was gentle and familiar to her.

“Never hold your head down my child. You are a child of the Sun. Chosen to save this world.” A sweet voice called to her. She opened her eyes and began to cry at the image of her mother before her.

“Mother, I miss you so much!” She said before hugging her.

“As I you Maria. We must finish the job of saving the world first.” She said ushering her on the dial. Once there the other numbers began to glow and the pillar of light intensified. Warmth enveloped Maria and she felt life itself. Her beautiful brown skin began to glow radiantly as her every cell began to fuel what was happening. A wave of light and energy quaked the world and for the first time in years the Sun illuminated the Earth.

“How mother?” Maria asked to her mom disappearing from sight.

“Our melanin contains the soul of the sun. We are chosen. We are life my child. Now live it.” She said before passing on. Maria cried tears of joy as she basked in the sun for the first time in her twenty years. Finally living in her melanin in the sun.