The man with a gun (standard:science fiction, 1386 words)
Author: Roxana Brinceanu	Added: May 27 2003	Views/Reads: 4087/2349	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
For the first time in her life, a young aristocrate faces war. It is a bad thing. But she will have a big surprise when a friendly soldier saves her out of the ruins...

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The next day she saw him again. A soldier in purple uniform with a gun
as she had never seen. The third day too. Struggling with her fear, she 
approached him. 

- What's your name? 

- Maq Rallor. 

He was a handsome, but strange man. Strange face, with strange eyes. He
fixed his eyes on her, with a vague, inner sadness. Strange face, 
strange voice, strange name... and a gun. She had never seen such a gun 
before. 

Then was another attack, and again Elloria's brother dragged her by
force in the underground refuge. 

The purple troops invaded the town, the local militias couldn't face
them, killing storms of shots broke out from every street corner and 
behind every wall, the surveillance camera miraculously staying in one 
piece brought closer to them fragments of the war's horrors. Elloria 
was trembling. The panic caused by the narrow space and the fear of 
future brought her close to madness. Probably they will be forced to 
leave town. To give up their beautiful house, their social status, 
their privileges. And Maq Rallor won't be next to her to show her the 
way. He won't be there anymore to save her from explosions, from 
fire... 

- There is something strange about these soldiers, Elloria's brother
said frowning at the screen. She didn't pay attention to him. She had 
just realized that he could die. Be killed. Was he still alive? If...? 
Maq Rallor. 

Somebody (her brother?) pushed her in front of the screen, showing her
something. The tree in front of the house was falling down, in flames, 
over a group of purple uniforms. Elloria closed her eyes, unconsciously 
calling for Maq Rallor. Something like that should not have happened to 
him. Never. When she reopened her eyes, the group of soldiers was still 
there, passing through the burning branches without any trouble. Then, 
one of them came off the group and pierced the garage door. 

- What is this? somebody whispered. What kind of people are these? 

- They are holograms... 

- Is this possible? 

An army of holograms? Maq Rallor. Fighting holograms. Killing holograms.
Maq Rallor. Saving holograms - sometimes. Holograms with guns. 

Maq Rallor couldn't die. Or could he? Elloria saw his sad eyes, fixing
her without saying a word. Just looking at her. Sadly. 

Before anybody could react, she ran out of the refuge. The heavy door
slammed noisily behind her, and she ran, away, far away, watched by the 
sad, strange, look. 

...She could'n remember either how she had arrived in the hospital, or
when. It was clean and quiet. But that man in white, with purple badge, 
was the doctor of the enemy army. 

- How did I get here? 

- They took you out of the ruins. 

She didn't hate him, as it would hane been maybe normal to hate an
enemy. Was she a prisoner? Falling walls... And smoke. And fire. Maq 
Rallor's eyes. His gun. 

- Maq Rallor... 

- Oh, he's a hero. His holograms managed to avoid the civilians'
massacre. We will take care of you, don't worry. 

Care? Yes, of course... 

- I'm sorry, the doctor said. I know that for many of you there is
nothing left to be done. But in time you will get used to your new 
condition. I hope... 

Elloria didn't understand too much of it. She was dizzy. She felt sick.
The doctor seemed to be a good man, but what was the use of it? Nothing 
could ever be the same again. 

- We tried to diminish as much as possible the number of the civil
victims. But for many of them it is too late. We resorted to this last 
solution hoping that... 

Why didn't she understand? He was talking about war. War was bad. Narrow
spaces and fire. Maq Rallor, his holograms, saving the civilians... Why 
doesn't she understand? 

- Is Maq Rallor a hologram? 

- Ah, no. He's a human. But you... you are now a hologram. 


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