Ailes Blanches - The tale of a Belle - Chapter 1: Just A Normal Girl

"I think it's a good thing that they're being shipped to the Moon. It's freaky when you don't know if your friends are real people or not."

"Why does something like that matter? If Belles look and work like Humans then what is the problem?"

"You never know when they could go haywire! Don't you remember that news story from a while ago when a Belle abandoned her child on an expressway overpass?"

"The kid wasn't abandoned. The mother was abducted by JAM!"

Junichi Murata and Takahiro Kamenashi were once again arguing about Belles. It was such a controversial topic that I never cared enough to poke my nose into.

"What if Inohara here was a Belle? would you ship her over to the Moon as well?", exclaimed Junichi.

"There's no way she's a Belle. We would have known by now if she was a Belle, with the wings and all," said Takahiro.

"Hey guys, would you shut up? That's not something you should be joking about," I clamoured.

Junichi stroked through his own long, greasy hair before simply walking off. Clearly, he had not been amused by the current discussion. Takahiro clicked his tongue before also walking off, leaving me by myself at my own desk in the classroom. The three of us were long time childhood friends who stuck together closely. It seemed abnormal that the two would get so easily pissed at each other. Debates and arguments over Belles happened frequently within the student body, and an argument between us was nothing out of the ordinary. Yet, there was a minor detail that distinguished today's quarrel from every previous one I had experienced. What if I, Yumemi Inohara were a Belle? The implications would be severe. A wave of confusion assaulted my mind as I pondered such a situation inside my head. Of course, the chances of such a situation happening would be low. I was a second year high schooler at a prestigious Shizuoka high school. Nobody had ever heard of a girl finding out that she was a Belle anywhere past middle school. There was always a hint of despair in the back of my head, however. In more ways than one I fit the bill for being a Belle - an aptitude for computers, seemingly perfect memory and being uncannily fit even though I barely ever exercised.

For the first time, I felt a little insecure about my own existence. The atmostphere was heavy, especially after the argument between my two childhood friends. I sat at my desk in a dazed and dreamy mood, plucking seemingly delicious morsels from my boxed lunch and placing them in my mouth, only to find there wasn't much of a taste at all. The small quarrel reminded me that school girls really do just suddenly disappear. It's no secret that the world government sends "tainted girls" to the Moon against their will. I really knew nothing more than this, aside from the incessant propaganda that was plastered on public billboards, media and the Internet. The propaganda usually always conveyed the same message: "Belles are a mistake by humankind and must be controlled and stopped".

In my own eyes, Belles were a curious creation. All I knew about them was that they are artificially created humans, capable of looking and behaving like the real thing. Had technology really advanced so far as to create a being that was completely indistinguishable from the real thing? Unfortunately, there were no books or online resources I could turn to. I was quite sure that the world government wanted to make sure nobody knew anything unnecessary about Belles. There was some literature on Belle, the first Belle. Created in the spitting image of her creator, she had the most impeccable of manners and a perfect apperance. I thought to myself that mankind had been somehow been denying itself of its own creations. Of course, I could always go to the Moon and find out what they were really like. Only if I had the money - a poor schoolgirl like myself would need a sizable donation to ride the space elevator.

Lunchtime finished and it was time for afternoon classes. The subject was Modern Japanese History. Needless to say, it was quite boring - the teacher had a knack for turning even the most interesting topics on things like Belle history into something dry and unpalatable. His lecturing formed a repetitive drone that was good at putting even the most diligent student to sleep. His glasses reflected the afternoon sun, making it only possible to see the glare on them and not anything behind. Suddenly, I was tapped on the back on both sides by my childhood friends and handed a scribbled note from each. "I'm sorry for what I said earlier. -Junichi", and "I'm sorry for what I said earlier. -Takahiro". I let out a sigh and chuckle, thinking how predictable my good friends were. I was never very good at paying attention in class, preferring to study in my own time. I thus spent a good chunk of my class time just drawing and passing notes around. A recurring theme in my drawings was the figure of a Belle. Despite all the propaganda being thrown around, all I knew was that they all had a pair of white wings. It would be easy to see that this characteristic would easily give away somebody's status as a Belle. I spent countless hours in class trying to put down onto paper what a mysterious being such as a Belle would look like.

Engrossed in my drawing, I failed to realise that class had ended for the day. Apparently, I had even worked through homeroom without noticing. No doubt my good friend Miho Sumida had called out my name for the roll.

"You're obsessed, Yumemi-chan! Don't tell me you want to be a Belle!" Miho teased as she waved her pigtails around.

"I'm not obsessed, just fascinated. Don't you ever wonder what it would be like to know a Belle?"

"Not really, I have enough trouble dealing with REAL people."

"Admit it Inohara, you have a Belle fetish."

Takahiro interrupted, seemingly back to normal after the lunchtime quarrel. I breathed a small sigh of relief, wishing the tension away. It was too easy to get on edge these days, not knowing who could suddenly disappear from your life.

"Belle fetish or not, I still think they should be treated as people," Junichi butted in soon after.

"Alright, whatever, I'm sick of talking about this. Why don't we get something to eat," suggested Miho.

The school day came to an end. Doubts continued to cloud my mind after all the pondering I did at school, but I had no choice but to convince myself that I was just a normal girl. Attempting to clear my mind, I sat down at the desk in my bedroom and started drawing. I continued  to indulge in the recurring theme that dominated my mind. As I continued to indulge, my curiosity was further fuelled. Maybe it was worth satiating my appetite for knowledge on Belles. The only trouble would be finding a source of information. Where would I go to find such classified and intentionally hidden information? 

Turning to my computer, I decided to delve into the deep web. I booted up NekoNet, and hooked up into the world of the underground, supposedly devoid of intervention from the authorities. Running an Orgel search in the NekoNet instantly yielded an interesting result. "Remnants of Global Institute of Bioexperimental Research (GIBER) - Shizuoka" was what caught my eye. Exploring the web page, I unearthed an unlikely contact. Agnes Olsson, chairman of GIBER and still living in Shizuoka. I knew enough to know that GIBER was the organisation that developed Belle. They were shut down in 2070 for some unknown reason - I was too young to care. Now, with an appetite for information, I was ready. Noting the contact details of Agnes Olsson, I decided I wanted to find out more.

Ailes Blanches - The tale of a Belle - A chronology

1990

The Internet becomes widespread among computer users around the world thanks to the first killer application - the World Wide Web, designed by Tim Berners-Lee and Robert Cailliau.

1995

The National Laboratory of Synthetic Biology (NLSB) is founded in Oakland, California. The institute is headed by a team of only the brightest minds in science and engineering. Dr Wolfgang von Braun, the chairman of the institution, publicises the goal of the institution as "furthering the efforts of research into artificial humans".

1996

The Japan Institute of Robotic Technology (JIRT) is founded in Shizuoka, Japan. Like the NLSB, the group is founded on the premise of researching synthetic organisms. Dr Motoi Kojima, the chairman, mentions in a press conference that he would like to collaborate with the newly founded NLSB.

1999

The world panics over a predicted meltdown of the world's computer systems and networks, foreshadowing the Y2K bug, common in popular computer systems and the software they run. "Experts" foertell billions of dollars in lost productivity due to the Y2K. It is expected that medical systems may stop operating, basic utilities may shut down, bank networks to stop operating and a worldwide "Internet blackout". Profiteering "Y2K companies" set out to make their millions, acting on the scaremongering of the "Experts".

2000

After a decade of strong IT sector growth, the Dot-com bubble bursts. The market capitalisation of many information technology companies by over 50% overnight. NLSB and JIRT both announce a small round of layoffs, but neither predict a slowdown in research.

2005

After ten years of preliminary research, the NLSB and JIRT formally announce the initiation of Project Belle. Project Belle is a long term project with the goal of developing a synthetic organism that will behave and look like a human. The name comes from the French adjective for "beautiful". The institutes present concept art of the product to be engineered. The working model is to be based on a teenage girl named Agnes Olsson, a child prodigy who is currently working at the JIRT. Futura Technologies, a Canadian investment firm, takes note of the press release. Later in the year, Futura Technologies announces their intention to act as commercial partners to the institutes.

2011

Orange Inc., an American multinational corporation that develops and sells consumer electronics and personal computers, takes note of Project Belle. They announce their intention to acquire Futura Technologies, and to provide a large additional investment into Project Belle. Steve Cobs, the chariman and executive of Orange announces that he is afflicted with an incurable cancer. He publicly announces his support for Project Belle in the hope that the project will come to fruition.

2015

Infel Corporation, the world's leading manufacturer of general purpose microprocessors, announces the availability of the Infel Astatine microprocessor. The new microprocessor is fabricated using a hybrid of silicon semiconductor and DNA-based logic gate technology using oligonucleotides. The new chip is said to have over 10000 times the processing capabilities of conventional microprocessors based on CMOS integrated circuitry. The firm acknowledges the input of the NLSB and JIRT, and suggests that the device may have "a useful application in robotics".

2016

Agnes Olsson of JIRT announces three major major breakthroughs in Project Belle. The first is synthetic metabolism, whereby the cells of a synthetic biological organism are able to extract and energy from a food source. The technology relies on the spontaneous synthesis of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a breakthrough made some 60 years earlier.

The second breakthrough is the development of the decahedronal nuclear matrix, a compact device capable of storing 100 gigajoules of energy. Agnes, the head of this particular project, suggests that the device could store enough energy to power an android for years. By comparison, a Saturn V rocket used in the Lunar missions requires the same amount of energy to reach low orbit.

The third breakthrough is the development of the oligonucleotide-protein conjugated shell. This device is purported to be the central brain of the Project Belle prototype. It resides as a small, spherical device in the head of the prototype. The shell covers a spherical ball that contains the supporting electronics, drawing its source of energy from the decahedronal nuclear matrix. Power consumption is reported to be very high, at over 200 kilowatts. It is essentially a dense amalgamation of many Infel Astatine cores, thus multiplying its computing capacity. The NLSB asserts that this is the enabling technology in advancing Project Belle.

Agnes is awarded a Nobel Prize for her findings, and subsequently becomes the chairman of the JIRT.

2025

In the wake of an overpopulated world, the United Nations renames itself to the Coalition of Earth (CoE), with the intention of expanding the human race into space. The first task instigated by the Coalition is to colonise the Moon. The New Republic of China is tasked with constructing and administering the Lunar infrastructure, while Japan is tasked with building a space elevator between the Earth and Moon.

2028

Dr Wolfgang von Braun is tried at the Global Court of Clinical Investigation. Braun is reported to have conducted experiments on human test subjects as a part of Project Belle. Braun commits suicide at his Oakland home before he can be prosecuted. Agnes Olsson takes over as chairman and subsequently announces the merging of the NLSB and JIRT. The new organisation is named GIBER, or Global Institute of Bioexperimental Research.

2035

The Coalition of Earth announces the completion of the first stage of Lunar colonisation. CoE mentions Project Belle as being instrumental to helping man cope with the currently harsh conditions of the moon.

The oligonucleotide-protein conjugated shell has reached a mature stage of development, with power consumption reduced to only 250 watts. GIBER publicises that they are in the final prototype stages of Project Belle.

2041

After a long 36 years of development, GIBER unveils the first prototype of Project Belle. The prototype is named Belle. While not a splitting image of Agnes - her "mother", she is near indistinguishable from a real human. The only features that clearly distinguish her from a human are the presence of white wings - or Ailes Blanches as publicised by GIBER. GIBER makes a long list of applications that the artificial human can be used for. "No detail was spared," Agnes announces. "We are very excited to announce that the artificial human is capable of doing every thing a human can do. You may be surprised to hear that Belle may even reproduce with humans."

The prototype is released to a mixed reception. Critics slam the project as being unethical, wasteful and dangerous. Orange Inc., one of the original investors, announces that commercial versions of Belle will be on sale at the price of $200 million by 2045.

2045

4 years after the original announcement by GIBER, Belle, now the poster child of the GIBER organisation announces the commercial release of her sisters (Belle mark II). The new units can be configured in any manner, but only as females due to "complications during the development process". GIBER publishes a classification for Belles:

• 1st Generation Belle - These Belles were manufactured by Orange Inc. and have all the traits that were originally assigned to them.
• 2nd Generation Belle - Refers to only the female offspring of a Belle and a Human, as a male offspring cannot be a Belle. The 2nd Generation Belle may or may not have inherited any properties from their Belle mother - in many cases they may be 100% Human. Belle traits do not manifest until puberty.
• 3rd Generation Belle - Functionally the same as a 2nd Generation Belle, but are the offspring of a 2nd Generation Belle and a Human. Any female offspring of a 3rd Generation Belle is still a 3rd Generation Belle.

The Coalition of Earth passes the Belle Equality act, enabling all Belles to have equal status to humans - the Right to life. This causes an uproar among critics - one of the reasons being that Belles live forever unless they are destroyed. In addition, Belles are physically and intellectually superior to humans, and have the ability to coordinate with each other via the Internet using the Belle Protocol. Later in the year, a group of insurgents named the Justice Alliance of Man attempts to assassinate Belle. She is severely injured but survives and makes a complete recovery in weeks. Belle's quick recovery further frightens doubtful members of the public, many of whom join JAM in an attempt to reverse the legislation.

2055

The creation of an artificial atmosphere on the Moon signals the beginning of a new era of Lunar habitation. For the first time, any Earthling is able to be granted citizenship on the Moon. A new term, Lunarian, is coined for the new inhabitants on the moon. Belles already living and working on the Moon are automatically granted citizenship in the new state, to the dismay of JAM, who argues that this will make the Moon a defacto homeland for all Belles.

2056

JAM, now with a combined following of almost 1 billion people all over the world, announces the Global Human Purity Act. For a country that implements the act, Belles are forbidden basic human rights, effectively lowering them to commodity status. Many governments implement the act, leading to wide-spread protests and civil war in some parts of the world. The act leads to a worldwide divide between supporters and detractors of Belles.

2060

The Moon is declared as a safe haven and homeland for Belles and their supporters by its own government, as JAM had originally feared. The countries led by supporters of JAM band together to form the Alliance for Moon Liberation. According to JAM, the aim of the alliance is to bring the Moon back under human control via diplomatic means, after almost 20 years of Belle-influenced government.

2061

JAM leads a full scale military assault on the Moon, without warning. The Moon is quickly occupied by the militaries of the JAM supporter nations. Belles are stripped of their Lunarian citizenship, effectively ending the Moon's status as a homeland for Belles. Supporters flee back to Earth's "Belle-safe" nations as they are prosecuted for interacting with Belles in a "non-lawful" manner. Free passage between the Moon and Earth is now denied, with all travel requests being processed by the interim Moon government before being approved.

The event is eventually known as the One year war. 

2070

By this year, most developed nations have fallen to the Global Human Purity Act. JAM supporters have the majority vote in the Coalition of Earth, allowing to repeal the Belle Equality Act, passed 25 years earlier by the same organisation.

Orange Inc. closes its doors after years of stagnant sales. Although the cost of producing Belle units had decreased significantly over the years, the market had grown too small to sustain itself. The company goes into liquidation and the technology is sold to Microspace Corporation, a company focused on the colonisation of other planets. Microspace announces no plans to continue the production of Belle units. Subsequently, GIBER announces that their organisation is to be dissolved and development of Belle halted. The golden age of Belle has ended after 25 short years.

Unable to deal with the harsh conditions of the Moon, The CoE decides to pass the following legislation:

• All registered Belle units will be acquired by the CoE and sent to the Moon to work as "colonisation enablers".
• Research and development of Belle is now illegal in any jurisdiction that is part of the CoE.
• Any offspring of a Belle and Human (2nd Generation Belle) is denied citizenship in any jurisdiction that is part of the CoE.
• A voluntary eugenics program will be offered to "tainted families" for financial reward.

2075

The last of the registered Belles have been sent to the Moon, but an unknown number of 2nd and 3rd Generation Belles remain on Earth. Legislation was never passed to register the offspring of Belles. CoE announces that the world is now free of 1st Generation Belles. 2nd and 3rd Generation Belles whose traits begin to show in teenagers around the world mysteriously disappear without a trace. Many have accepted these disappearances as a part of everyday life - they all know why it happens. Belle supporters are now few and far between in a world that was only blessed for a short time.

2076

Free passage is once again allowed under the new Moon government, which had entered the Coalition of Earth early in the year.

Belle discrimination remains at an all time high, with many citizens now choosing to report "anyone who grows white wings". The CoE announces that the eugenics program is going well, with thousands of applications each year from tainted families.

2084

A small civil war erupts on the Moon between supporters and detractors. In overlooking that only supporters themselves would be willing to live and work on the Moon, coexisting with Belles, the CoE had doomed their rule over the Moon. The war is switfly lost by detractors, many of whom decide to acknowledge the equality of Belles as a race.

2085

In a surprise move, the Moon secedes from the Coalition of Earth and the civil war ends. It is revealed that the ten year old new Moon Govnenment consisted of many Belle supporters from the start. Detractors are given a chance to leave for Earth before the 60 year old space elevator is cut between the Earth and Moon, making passage difficult between the two bodies. The Lunarian government announces that they shall be the caretakers of the Belles until Earthlings are ready to coexist with them.

The Lunarian government announces the Lunar Act, which grants Belles full equal rights to their Human counterparts. Supporters praise the act as a revival of the Belle Equality act, predating the Lunar Act by 40 years to the day.

Belle celebrates her 44th birthday on the same day as the enactment of the Lunar Act. The day is commemorated as a Lunarian public holiday in respect for the battle fought by Belles for their freedom. 

Agnes Olsson, the mother of Belles, dies at the age of 95.

Sacred Curry Empire

“Rika… Rika… Rika…”

“Eh? Who is it?’

“I am Feena. You have the power…to save the Curry kingdom.”

“Power? But I’m just a…wait! Come back! What is this… a temple?”

I awoke from my estranging dream. Lying in my bed lazily as the sun rose, I suddenly remembered. The opening ceremony was today. It was the first time that the competition was being held in ten years – to look for the new Curry master. There was no way I could pass on such an opportunity.

“You’ll be late,” yelled mother. “But I’m never late!” I replied as I went downstairs. She did have a point, however. I was cutting it closer than I usually did. “Bye, mother!” I yelled as I left the front gate. It was a good thing that I lived right next to the curry temple. It was close enough that I could see its silhouette in the morning sun. As I approached the temple, I remembered the awe I felt when I first saw it all those years ago. It seemed unreasonable that man had the tools and intelligence to build such a divine structure. The way the stone was laid down and carved was like no other structure in the kingdom of Rolante. I was reminded of the legend that my parents told me when I was young.

“The curry temple was put in place by the Goddess of Curry. Its purpose is to connect the Curry Holy Land with our world. It’s been said that the Curry Holy Land contains the legendary spice, so divine in its existence that it has the power to heal the hearts of us all. If used properly, the spice will save the Curry kingdom from its downfall as told in the prophecy.” I wondered why the competition was being held for the first time after ten years. My father had also been dead for ten years, and I could never remember what kind of man he was. All I knew is that he became a hero after he formulated the blend of spices that saved the Curry kingdom from the awakening of Richter, the demon that tried to steal the legendary ingredient. I thought that the competition might have had something to do with Richter.

I approached the hall where the opening ceremony was being held. I saw one of the Curry masters; Master Sakuro. He was standing on the podium, his authority and rank asserted by his position in the hall. It appeared that he was holding a speech. “This competition will be our means of choosing who is to be the next Curry master. It will be held in the form of a tournament; duels between candidates who will fight each other with weapons imbued with the curry that they have formulated with their own skills. May the person with not only the strongest hand, but also the best culinary skills emerge victorious.” Master Sakuro went on with the speech, and I simply could no longer pay attention. Instead, I looked around to find anybody I recognised.

“Over here!”

I heard a familiar voice in the audience directly in front of me. Pushing through the audience, I discovered that the familiar voice belonged to Yunica, my best friend and archrival. She was one year older than me, and it was both our goals to train become a Curry master. I was always a little jealous of her, since she was always one step ahead of me in everything. She even stood taller than I did. We both trained under the same master, whose name was Master Cid. “I feel like I’m a character in a RPG,” remarked Yunica. “You have a point. Everything I’ve done today reminds me of a run-of-the-mill RPG plot.” I replied sarcastically. We both laughed out loud. Master Sakuro glared at us from the podium, at which point we realised that we were interrupting his speech. The audience also had their eyes set on us, as if we were outcasts. Embarrassed, my face flushed a deep red.

"Each candidate will receive permission in the form of a document to enter Anemone Valley to collect ingredients. The guards should let you through if you present the document. If anybody has any questions, please talk to my assistant Miglen. Your first match notice will be delivered to your given address in a few days time. And finally, good luck to you all.” Master Sakuro finished.

Having gone through a whole day of excitement and anticipation of my future adventures in Anemone Valley, my eyes remained wide open as I tossed and turned in bed. I glanced at the clock, and it was nearing midnight. I realised that I couldn’t stay still on a cold night like this, with a full moon and clear sky. I donned my training gear and hilted sword that Master Cid helped me forge. The blade gleamed in the moonlight that fell through the window. I suddenly remembered the dream that I had the previous night; about the temple. I was somehow compelled to find out more about what my dream meant. Who was Feena?

The temple’s majesty was expressed just as well in the moonlight as it was in the sunlight. Its huge shadow was cast over me as I approached it, displaying the contrast between the darkness and the moonlight. I entered the temple and approached the central altar, upon which stood the statue of the Goddess of Curry.

“Rika! What are you doing here?”

Yunica appeared from out of the darkness. “I was just taking a walk, but I felt like I needed to come here.” I replied.

“Oh my Goddess, so did I! I had a strange dream where a lady told me to come here.”

“Wow, so did I… what in the blazes of Rolante is going on?”

As we discussed the coincidental situation, an eminence of light passed through the glass ceiling and descended on the statue. I stood speechless as an ethereal figure diverged from the statue.

“My young heroes, you have met here by destiny. My name is Feena, the Goddess of Curry. You will be the saviours of the Curry Holy Land, and the kingdom of Rolante. You will discover the legendary ingredient necessary to formulate the Sacred Curry.”

“Ah, okay.” I replied. I had no idea how to reply to what the goddess Feena had told me.

TO BE CONTINUED SOMEDAY

Short stories

I've decided to add a "Short stories" section, which will keep track of my writing. No promises yet but I've been reminded constantly by my friends' own writing. It's something I've been meaning to do for a while but never got around to.

The first story I will publish is one I wrote for a high school assignment over 5 years ago. It's named "Sacred Curry Empire". The story is about a couple of young girls who enter a quest to find the elusive secret curry formula. The formula is known to save the world or something a rather. Give it a read if you wish.