C
CMO__Ratchet
Guest
Original poster
"Do you see what is on my card?" The older man questioned the child, holding up the flashcard with the cartoon image of a feline. The child nodded. "Make it." The child reached into the air and drew a card from it, with the image of the cat, turning it to face the man.
"Good." Was offered, short and curt, "Now, what is on the other side?" The child blinked, glancing down at the card in hand, with the cat side facing the man, a blank white side faced the child.
"Nothing."
"Nothing?" The man questioned, turning his card over to reveal a similarly drawn image of a dog, "Remember, you cannot make what you do not know."
-----
"This, is a pineapple." The man stated, taking drawing a knife from the air to slice open the fruit. He turned the halves to the child, "Make it." And so the child did, picking up the hard shelled fruit from the floor and offering it out. The man took it without pause, slicing it open as well and offering up two small pieces, one from each fruit. "Eat, tell me what you taste."
So the child did, "Sweet." Was the answer to the first piece, from the original fruit. "Nothing." To the replicated one.
"Remember, you cannot duplicate what you have not experienced."
---
"Make it." The man stated, standing with the child next to a small car.
The child frowned and nothing came from nothing. "I can't." He didn't know it, he could make the shell perhaps but it wouldn't run, he didn't know what was inside, just like the fruit.
"Figure it out." And the man left.
So the child did, piece by piece, until a replica sat next to the original.
"Now unmake it."
"I can't." The child stated.
"You can't? You told me you could not make it, and yet you did. Remember, you above all others, cannot limit yourself."
And so the child unmade it.
"Good." Was offered, short and curt, "Now, what is on the other side?" The child blinked, glancing down at the card in hand, with the cat side facing the man, a blank white side faced the child.
"Nothing."
"Nothing?" The man questioned, turning his card over to reveal a similarly drawn image of a dog, "Remember, you cannot make what you do not know."
-----
"This, is a pineapple." The man stated, taking drawing a knife from the air to slice open the fruit. He turned the halves to the child, "Make it." And so the child did, picking up the hard shelled fruit from the floor and offering it out. The man took it without pause, slicing it open as well and offering up two small pieces, one from each fruit. "Eat, tell me what you taste."
So the child did, "Sweet." Was the answer to the first piece, from the original fruit. "Nothing." To the replicated one.
"Remember, you cannot duplicate what you have not experienced."
---
"Make it." The man stated, standing with the child next to a small car.
The child frowned and nothing came from nothing. "I can't." He didn't know it, he could make the shell perhaps but it wouldn't run, he didn't know what was inside, just like the fruit.
"Figure it out." And the man left.
So the child did, piece by piece, until a replica sat next to the original.
"Now unmake it."
"I can't." The child stated.
"You can't? You told me you could not make it, and yet you did. Remember, you above all others, cannot limit yourself."
And so the child unmade it.
Well Howdy!
The prompt above sparked an idea for a 1 x 1 story. Matter movers, Atom Arrangers or more commonly called, Replicators exist, with an almost Godlike ability to make something from seemingly nothing. The are far from God however as their abilities are limited to what they can recall and have experienced. Replicating a pen you are holding is easy enough, trying to remember what that pen looked like years later to replicate it again? Not so much.
Replicating a skateboard? Easy enough, there were few moving parts and wheels weren't complicated. Replicating a bicycle what with the spokes and chains and brake lines and what not? Far more complicated.
Those with photographic memories or other recall processors could do more than the average replicator but beings that they were a rare occurrence to begin with meant it was highly unlikely to ever encounter a replicator that could go beyond the world government scale for assessing them and their abilities.
Being able to un-make something is completely undocumented though whispered in rumors and conspiracies as much as the rest.
Replicators live in hiding from the world. The government boasts wanting to document them, to protect them, yet many who step forward disappear or suffer strange accidents. Private sectors, business and labs are rumored to dissect replicators for the secret origin of their talents, or lock them away to replicate materials-profits soared for businesses that did not have to pay for their product's basic materials.
I'm sure you might guess but my character will be a special replicator, I'd like the other main character to be someone from a private organization, business, lab, government. Whether their cause is truly noble or the character believes them to be while the organization they work for is ultimately more sinister would be open to discussion. Both can be replicators or just one, if I've sparked your interest let me know!
