The Man Of That Year

Fiction 

Devin Le was born in the year 2039 in a small town on the outskirts of a mega city. At that time, humans had achieved a lot of things like automated cars, a safe 5G, a cure for cancer, they could even make custom babies, and so much more. Human civilization had reached a very good point in its evolution. 

Devin Le was born to a woman who worked in the office of the president of the nation. His father was a war veteran. With all humans had achieved, war was one of the things that they inherited from their ancestors. Globalization seemed like colonization for some leaders thus waging war on each other for power.

Devin Le was a boy of high intuition and had special love for mathematics. He had solved puzzles that greater mathematicians had trouble solving at the age of 7. His parents home schooled him as they didn't trust formal education. Devin's only uncle, on his paternal side, had been a victim of the ideologies inculcated in school going students. His uncle ended up becoming a terrorist due to his school completely dividing students based on their family's wealth. Devin's uncle was from a working-class family which would be compared to today's middle-class family. Devin's uncle couldn't accept that he had been brainwashed until he took Devin's father's life. From that day Devin loathed his country.

Around the age of seventeen, Devin's mother died in a car accident to a suicidal bride, three years after his father's death. It was announced that the suicidal bride had caught her husband-to-be cheating on her on their wedding day in the church's chapel. Devin couldn't understand what was wrong with humanity. With all the achievements, humans still lagged behind in certain areas that seemed to be more important than automated cars and custom babies.

Growing himself into an adult, at the age of twenty nine Devin proposed to a girl, Clara, he had dated for around two years as he couldn't wait anymore. Clara had opened his heart and tried to reconcile Devin with his country. She showed him how important the country and the people in it were, and that he was loved. Clara being five years younger was too smart for her age and Devin always reminded her of that. 

Devin had loved being loved and loving someone. He couldn't believe he had found his soulmate. He even believed in zodiac signs, psychic power, the Almighty, etc. Clara had turned him into a softie and Devin had loved it. You could call Devin the modern Ove with less anger issues and Clara, Sonja. 

After three years of trying and failing to bear a child, Devin and Clara turned to the Custom Baby Facility for help. Devin wanted a baby girl while Clara wanted a baby boy. The doctor got exasperated from watching the couple argue and not agreeing on anything. After the fourth visit, the doctor proposed making a baby that would have all they wanted on the expense of the child's sexual orientation. 

The baby came amidst a polluted political climate. Three political parties failed to agree on the governing policies that looting and killings started. People were murdered mostly those who were born in the same year as of one of the political leaders who was president at that time. Devin found it hard to keep his family alive with the job he had. 

Clara was a house wife by choice, she didn't like the idea of going to work and being ordered around all the time. She had managed to self-publish a few books which had earned them a fair share to last for a year or two but the political climate got even worse.

Around May of 2073, 50% of all people born in the year 2039 had been killed. Devin was scared mostly not for his life but his wife and child's life who was only around one at that time. He went to work everyday after making sure his wife and child were safe, and had all they needed to last for a few more months in case he didn't return home. Devin always reminded his family how much he loved them and said goodbye in case it would be his last one. Tears always flowed down Clara's face no matter how long Devin had survived. Little Maxime who looked like a female version of his father, jumped with joy whenever Devin held him.

One day as Devin turned the corner to his work place, he found a troop of bandits dressed in mostly black clothes - fully covered. There was a coat of arms of the left wing party that was against the young running president on the left arm of their pull-overs. As soon as they saw him, one of them who had a robot eye looked at him in scrutiny as the eye scanned Devin for his personal information. His heart was beating at a speed faster than light's. 

The eye took long to find his file from the file system where all citizen's information was kept which gave Devin enough time to analyze everyone there. Seven men, three muscular and four averagely muscular, with modern weapons, he had only seen in movies, either around their waist or in their arms. Devin knew all possible routes from where he was to a hiding place that would lead him to a safer environment but he was not armed nor skilled with combat. His father died just a month before he could teach him basic martial arts. Devin had seen his father train but that was years ago and a vague memory.

The confident one of them all, probably the leader, Devin wasn't really focused on them, looked at The Scanner impatiently. "What's taking you so long?" The scanner scanned Devin again but it was the same, no answer. "Who the hell are you?" The egomaniac yelled. Devin was still processing his escape route when he was pushed down and kicked in the stomach. Little Maxime's smiley face and Clara's crying face flashed before Devin's eyes. Everything seemed to have slowed down until he was able to stand only to be punched back to the ground. For a short gangster, the egomaniac had some energy. Somehow that thought made Devin chuckle. 

 

As the egomaniac was ranting and kicking Devin, a beautiful woman walked by cautiously trying to act like nothing was going on. Devin recognized her even in his state, she was his secretary. When she saw Devin, she ran towards him with a worried face. She inquired what he had done, the egomaniac laugh. The scanner was looking at another confusing case, she was a 2039 born but her beauty would be wasted completely if a bullet passed through her head.

Devin tried to get her to run away as he had seen the indecisiveness of the scanner but she refused to listen. Devin apologized to her several but she didn't get why. When the egomaniac pulled her away from him, he looked at the scanner for a signal but all he got was hesitation. The scanner had been the same with many beautiful women even men. The egomaniac blasted her head in a matter of seconds. The scanner threw his head back in regret. Never had he imagined to be such a position but a lot of damaged was done already.

Devin pushed away any emotion as he looked at what used to be the home to his secretary's soul. Anger rose as the egomaniac rejoiced from being informed that more ten thousand 2039 borns were killed. 

"How did I do this to all these people?" Devin asked himself.

It isn't your face? His mind counseled him.

Devin smirked at the egomaniac who was still ranting endlessly how they (the left wing) had won the war and all the dirty year born would be gone in a week's time. Devin tried hard to remember all the combat moves he head seen his father practice, they were blurry but he was trying his chance. He challenged the egomaniac to fight that the gangsters laughed at.

Devin was so determined that he was able to dodge the first swings. One punch thrown to the egomaniac's face and a tooth came out. The others stood their guard, no one had ever hit the egomaniac's face before not even one of them. Well the reason might not be a good reason though. Egomaniac had once lost his incisors in a severe fight and he had them replaced, not once not twice but four times. His gums had gotten completely weak plus the teeth he wanted were very expensive.

Devin took the opportunity and unarmed the egomaniac as egomaniac mourned his tooth. Devin pointed the gun towards the team and slowly walked away. Thanks to all movies he had watched and games he had played with his mates, he knew which gun held power. He run as fast as he could as soon as he was out of sight. He could hear footsteps behind him and they go louder with time, pain was running through all his body from all the beating. 

He turned a corner he had never been to and saw a narrow dark tunnel, he took it. The further he walked the dimmer and shallower all things got. He reached a point he couldn't move a head nor behind. It was as though he had been trapped in a glass box. A light popped out of nowhere blinding his eyes and slowly by slowly an decipherable image formed. Clara and Little Maxime smiled at him. For a moment he believed he was seeing them but he remembered seeing them flash before as he laid down in pain. And another memory flashed in his mind, a scene of Ice Age where the mermaids lured passers by by images of loved ones. The latter hit hard.

Devin prayed to God for a sign that he wasn't dreaming. What was before his eyes looked like a dream and as pleasant as it was he wasn't caving in that easily. With where humanity was with evolution, he might as be on a bed in a simulation experiment. But a hand touched his should, he stopped breathing for a moment.

"Devin you're not dreaming. The war is over. You defeated the left wing. What an amazing punch that was!" Clara praised him. Devin smiled but frowned the next second. He looked in Clara's eyes, something felt different. Clara never touched his should with her left hand while holding Little Maxime. Devin stepped away from Clara or whatever was in front of him. Probably Bubble from Valerian and the city of a thousand planets had returned to life to seek revenge for all the trouble Valerian put her through.

"I didn't mean to create a monster. I wish I hadn't blinded it to not never recognize me. I should have made it recognize me alone but the money was too good and the baby wasn't cheap to make. I am sorry Clara, I let you down. Little Maxime, never be like daddy. He failed humanity. Whoever is doing this better stop it."

Suddenly he found himself standing on a hill looking down at the small town physically not harmed but wails were heard every inch he laid his eyes on. An arm touched his shoulder, he smiled at his wife and child standing by his side. It fell as soon as he looked back to the town. He had created something that had wiped out all people of his age. He was the only one born in the year 2039 that was left. Even the young president had died; suicide.

"Don't sign the deal honey," Clara said. Devin looked at her confused.

"What?"

"You'll know," Clara turned her attention to her child with a smile.

Devin glanced at the town before looking back on his left but saw no one.

RRRRRIIIIII-----

An annoying sound sounded from near by Devin, he reached over to turn it down.

"Thank God that was a dream," Devin sighed heavily running his hands in his hair. 

-THE END-

Inspiration: I was inspired by a story told by one of my high school teachers(Kinyarwanda teacher).

Lessons to be drawn: Don't judge a person before you know them. And whenever you do something you don't know how it will turn out, remember to protect yourself and your family. And remember to bless whatever you do, that prayer might prevent it from falling in the hands of wrong doers.