“I suppose you’re wondering why I’ve asked you to join me here,” said Jacob, pacing the floor of his wooden tree house. That was an understatement- I was a good ten or so years his senior, and he and my little brother had been rivals almost as soon as we’d moved into the neighborhood. Still, if there was one thing we’d learned over the years, it was that the easiest way to silence Jacob was to play along with his schemes for awhile. I’d probably be able to escape after twenty minutes- either Jacob would be too bored to continue, or he’d be too busy arguing with Isaac to care anymore. Oh, kids. I’d like to say I never had that short of an attention span, but I’m sure that’d be an outright lie.
Jacob’d put a lot of effort into this, too. He’d somehow managed to get two chairs and a table into the tree house, set up like a classroom so that he could lecture to us. Sitting on the table were two objects hidden under a cloth so that he could have his dramatic reveal. I looked at the table, looked to my brother, and raised an eyebrow. He shrugged, rolled his eyes, and looked back forward.
“I brought you here today so that I could gloat at you stupid-heads,” he said, raising his head proudly. “For I, Jacob Cartwright, have invented a teleporter.” Brandishing the cloth like a matador’s cape, he whipped the fabric away, revealing two small cages. He placed an apple into one cage, and pressed a button. I couldn’t help but laugh- the flashing lights were just too comical, especially the way their colors illuminated Jacob’s face.
So imagine my surprise when it actually worked.
“How did you do that!?” I exclaimed, my eyes opening wide. I glanced sideways at my brother, who, even more surprisingly, looked bored with the whole display.
“Really, Jacob, is that the best you can do?” he said, cocking one eyebrow. Isaac pulled something looking like a toy water gun out of his pocket. “Moving matter is child’s play, next to reshaping it.” And with that, he fired at the apple- a blue laser of energy hit the apple, turning it into a slab of chocolate.
Jaw dropping, I diverted my gaze to stare at my brother. Calm and collected, he was staring into Jacob’s eyes as if they were both skilled swordsman preparing for a duel. “I merely wanted to start with something simple,” said Jacob. “Of course I can do better, just watch.” Taking out a lumpy stick with circuitry on it, he tapped the chocolate- it turned into a sparrow, and flew away.
“I could do that,” said Isaac, crossing his arms defensively. “Do you think you’re so special just because you can create life?”
“I certainly do!” said Jacob, laughing. “You never noticed you were living in my virtual reality!” He turned around, and slammed his hand against a blank section of wall. A button appeared there- but more shockingly, the clouds disappeared from the sky. The grass changed hue, and several of the houses lost their vibrant colors.
“Oh, please,” said Isaac, shaking his head. “Give me some credit.” He pressed a button on his watch- every time he did so, the world switched back and forth between realities. I took a deep gasp at this point- I had been forgetting to breathe.
“Oh yeah?” said Jacob, his brow wrinkling from either fury or pouting, I couldn’t tell which. “Well, I’m a superhuman genetic creation!” He started floating six inches above the ground, and lifted up his shirt to prove his point- Jacob had no belly button.
“Well, I’m not impressed by that,” replied Isaac. “Because my brother is a robot- I built him myself to keep me company. Both he and my parents have false memories as a cover story.” He calmly walked over to where I was standing, and unbuttoned the lower half of my shirt. Sticking his finger into my belly button, I could only tremble in fear as I hear the sound of a fingerprint scanner. Moments later, my abs hissed with the release of hydraulic pressure, and he lifted away my stomach as though it were a metal covering.
How could I have possibly never known this!? I stared at the blinking circuitry of my body, having transcended my shock and amazement into a state of odd acceptance. I took my stomach plate back from my brother, who had been continuing the argument.
“I can divide by zero!”
“I can count to infinity!”
My reality was crumbling before my eyes. I didn’t know what was truth anymore- and I suppose it didn’t matter. I felt I had but one course of action before me, and I decided to seize it.
“I’ve found a number that satisfies the Pythagorean theorem, that number being higher than two!”
“I can reach temperatures below zero Kelvin!”
------------------------------------------------------
I looked into the mirror, rubbing my hands over my now-bald head. It was apparently the only hair I’d ever had on my body. I was now completely hairless. I had done it willingly, but it would still take a bit to get used to. Well, so would everything else in my life from now on.
“Your paperwork checks out!” replied the clerk, smiling widely. “You are now a proud member of the Foreign Legion!”