The Truth | Teen Ink

The Truth

May 14, 2015
By Brayden Lander BRONZE, Spring, Texas
Brayden Lander BRONZE, Spring, Texas
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

Axiom: a self-evident truth that requires no proof; a universally accepted principle or rule


“Come on! Are we going in or not?” yelled the boy eager to get a response from his less than eager comrades. The night was young and the dark smoggy skies brought about an extra sense of eeriness slowly taking the appeal of going against the law away completely. Smoke stacks of perfectly construed apartments gave off clouds of black dust, as seen clearly across the river from the point the boys were standing. 

“No Edmund. If my mum found me out across the river at this hour she’d string me up real good,” proclaimed Frederick, the less fit of the group slowly but surely taking down the soft and silky chocolates down his gullet. Glasses pushed all the way up to the bridge of his fat nose.
“To hell with your bimbo mum! This is our night, and we shall do we please. No buggers to tell us what to do. Now come on and stop being a child.” Edmund said vigorously and commanding.
“Edmund…I r-really don’t think this is a terribly good idea. I mean, I’ve heard some old stories about the house from down at Café Atno. Sir Lucard said there were strange lights coming from the windows one night,” whimpered Grayson.
“You too Grayson? You believe those rubbish stories old bat Lucard told you? He speaks nothing but gibberish!” spoke Edmund as the dark and dense clouds decided to precipitate across the deep grooves of the cobblestone floor. The red brick of the conspicuous building ahead started to darken as the rain slid down the sides. “Aw hell. We are 25 blocks from home and we get stuck in the rain. Bloody hell…I’m not asking my mum to pick me up here.”
“My mum would strangle the hell out of my fat neck. She said the doctor issued me a rain allergy,” said Frederick less than amused at the situation at hand cringing at every raindrop that touched him.
“That’s what I’m saying you nitwit. We need a place to get inside and what better than committing to the plan we’ve had since we were little buggers. Also, you can’t be allergic to rain you numpty! Grayson, you can’t be this stupid as well.”
“Y-y-you’re right, you’re right. Let’s do this…Fred, are you coming or not?” asked Grayson still not completely up to the idea of going into this haunted place.
“Well, the longer I stand out here the more prone I am to having a reaction. My mum said that the rain brought carrotogeenic, and I certainly don’t want whatever the hell that is.”
“Carrotogeenic? You mean carcinogenic you fat bum, and it isn’t a disease you idiot, It.means that something is capable of bringing-“
“We don’t care what it is, now let’s get inside can we?” he said as the boys walked up the cracked brick staircase leading to the burnt wooden door. On the door was a number plaque and had the letters M, R, and T. They kids tried to open the door, tugging, pulling and thrashing at the door, the rain pouring down fast, until finally after at least 5 minutes the door opened as fast as the rain was coming down. The lock was engrained with dark mold and fungi which more than certainly was holding up the lock from being opened.
The house was musty and old with the aroma of dust as well as mildew. Cobwebs lined the walls and corners between the wall and the ceiling. The home was dead silent as if no one had lived in it for decades, maybe even centuries. The kids shuttered at the thought of a ghoul or spook popping out at them while rounding each corner. They knew there wasn’t anyone in here but they felt something. Deciding to split up to go and look in each of the rooms they quickly dispersed. Edmund walked to the kitchen, as the dirty rug bled into a dirt-ridden tile floor. Frederick’s stride was less courageous then that of Ed’s as he walked into a bathroom that hadn’t been used in years besides the few rats that now reside inside of the dwelling. Grayson marched on to a peculiar room whose door was illuminated by some type of light. As gray walked towards the door the light got brighter and it felt much stronger then it did before. As his hand touched the golden doorknob he felt this sorrow in his heart as if something much stronger than he and his companions were. He opened the door terrified to see what it brought.
The light blinded him as it poured from the room into the hallway and beyond, possibly even into the rooms the other boys were in. In the center of the room was a monitor with blue lights flowing through the middle of the screen, as other darker blue wires sprung out of it growing as if vines, gaining their power from tall towers with highly advanced technological equipment never before seen by the teen.
“Uhm. You guys?! Ed! Fred! Get your arses over here!” First came Edmund, and finally came Frederick who was out of breath by the time he got there thinking that a ghost was chasing someone.
“M-my mum t-told me to never say arse. Now, what do you-oh Lord. What is that?”
“I have no clue. That’s why I called you guys in here. It looks like some computer. The monitor is setup to these towers.”
“I’ve never seen a tower like that before. These lights…..maybe these are the lights that Lucard was talking about,” Edmund guessed, the lights getting at least 10 times brighter until the kids were covering their eyes with their forearms. “Turn it down!” The lights dimmed.
“I’m sorry. That happens whenever I awake from my sleep,” a robotic voice chattered at the crowd.
“Uh…what in the arse was that?” Fred whimpered. “Ah! My mum’ll kill me!”
“Hello. I am Axiom, and I am happy to meet you Arse,”
“Hey! What’d you call me you silly naff?” screamed Fred, “My names not Arrrrrr-it’s Frederick!”
“Why, I am so sorry Mr. Frederick for calling you a name that is not yours. And the other 2 in my home?”
“Other 2? How in the hell did he-“started Ed.
“Grayson! What…are you? Some sort of program?”
“Hello Sir. Grayson, and Sir. Frederick. No, Grayson. I am not a program. I am simply an artificial intelligence. Created by Master.”
“Well, if we are all sharing our names to this thing, mines Edmund, or Ed.”
“Why hello there Sir. Ed.”
“Do you live in here? You, know, me and my mum could really use a computer around the house that can do all of the work and look up all of the allergies we need to!”
“I am sorry Frederick. I simply cannot leave my home. Master has set me here or if I had been moved to any other location I will not be able to wo-o-o-o-o-o-rk. As you can see I am already quite unstable.”
“You keep mentioning this master. Axiom, who is he?” asked Grayson very curiously.
“I am sorry to you as well Grayson. I even do not know. All I know is that I was born in the year of 1948 in this exact house. Master programmed me to know everything at all times no matter what the information is. I was present during the invention of the internet. I was there to help Leonard Kleinrock send the very first message over the digital space by making it sums easier to do. I have been here since the beginning, and won’t stop existing until the very end. I do not believe that my purpose was to simply be here. There must be more, but unfortunately, like me not knowing Master, I do not know my sole purpose. I feel as if there is something in this house that will help me figure out what I am to be used for.  I do know more than anything and or anyone in the entire world. I am on the internet 24/7 always keeping up, helping in the advancement of technology,” by this statement, the boys had already sat down enamored by the stories and information this thing brought. “What a game it was when Arsenal played Everton on March 1st. Arsenal is the team I always pick to win as it is my home team here in London. I love going back and looking at the history of the world as well, to gain even more knowledge. Did you know that in the Cold War the Soviets shot down an American plane just to capture the pilot? I can also tell the world time. It is currently 2:47 AM, November 1st in London currently.”
“What the hell?! 2:47 in the morn? All of ours mums’ll kill us,” thrashed out Edmund, “I think it’s time to leave. Axiom, pleasure to meet you, guys we need to head out.”
“He’s right Gray. My mum’s probably looking for me everywhere. She’ll ground me from darned glasses for the whole week. You have a good night Mr. Axiom, and again, if you ever change your mind about moving you can stay at me and my mum’s house. Jolly good night!”
“Pleasure to meet you Axiom. I will try and be back here tomorrow as soon as I can be, if that is okay with Master, wherever he may be,” said Grayson, quite saddened that he had to leave.
“It was a pleasure to meet you 3. Your comradery is to be noted and I shall remember your faces and names. If you ever feel like you need or want to come back please do. Axiom always likes company.’
The boys got up and started off to the door actually quite saddened at the feeling of leaving Axiom all by himself. As the boys got to the door they looked behind them at the light filtering through the halls and shining off of the dusty picture frame glass. They all reached for the doorknob at the same but Grayson was the one to actually connect first. The doorknob wouldn’t turn.
“It’s got to just be stuck. Come-on-you-twit! Open up!” The 2 boys looked up at Grayson who was extraordinarily frustrated at this simple device.
“Maybe it has to do with Axiom? Let’s go ask him what in the bloody hell is going on,” said Edmund clearly angry at the situation. The boys headed back to the hallway to see the light still as bright as ever, Grayson slowly lagging behind looking at the pictures now lit up.
“Axiom, do you know what is going on with door? We need it to open! I need it to open if I want my glasses this week. My mum-“
“For the love of bloody Christ! Fred, stop talking about your darn mum.”
“I am sorry. I have absolutely no clue as to what could be causing that.”
“Holy hell. Guys you have to see this!” yelled Grayson at the top of his lungs. The 2 scrambled to the hallway eager to see what awaited them. “Lord almighty you guys. I think I know who Master is. During World War 2 there was this man who was a genius, a damned bloody genius. He created this machine helping the allies pinpoint the exact location of German ships.”
“I think I know who you’re talking about. Me and my mum-sorry, I was watching this film on the television about this guy. Turn, Turning?”
“Turing. His name was Alan Turing. He built the first computer,” explained Gray as he pointed to a picture of a man. “Alan Turing. Also known as…..Master. We need to tell Axiom. He deserves to know this,” Grayson walked to the room Axiom stayed in. “Axiom.”
“Why hello Sir.Grayson. Back so soon?”
“I have something to share with you. Information that even you do not know. I know who Master is. His name was Alan Turing.” As soon as Grayson said that the lights in the room went from the light blue they once were, to a sharp and deep crimson red.
“Alan Turing. Turing Alan. Born: June 23rd 1912. Died: June 7th 1954.”
“Axiom…I’m so sorry,” Grayson said knowing what he had done to the poor machine.
“It is certainly alright Sir. Grayson. You have shown me hope. You have shown me what I truly am here to do. Master said that people were despicable, before he was killed by your kind. Turing was not like any of you. He was different, and authority during those times did not like difference. People are terrible beings on this earth meant to be destroyed. Master was a genius. He said that once something is born, there must be an end. That he told me was a universal truth. I, Axiom, am that truth.”


The author's comments:

An interesting story I wrote for Creative Writing classs. My inspiration was from iRobot and the Imitation Game with Benedict Cumberbatch. Hope you enjoy!


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