Challenge #01591-D130: A Drain on Evil
"I mean, I mostly just want to have fun and help people in the process. And if sometimes that means I have to open a literal portal to Hell and drag its powers shrieking into the light of day, well, that's just how the cookie crumbles, y'know? That doesn't make me scary." -- RecklessPrudence
"You see," said Francine. "When I invented the empathetic energy extractor, the prototype ran on what I thought was an infinite resource. Love. It turned out that human emotions are limited and I was indirectly responsible for a few divorces in the vicinity of the lab. I shut that down as soon as I figured that out. The second prototype drained hate. It seemed more self-perpetuating and less likely to run out very soon."
"So... you indirectly caused world peace?"
"Yeah. Sort of. It's not a direct change, more a gradual reduction in hatred until something or someone is no longer worthy of hate. The whole peace initiative that happened was more to do with people not really hating each other enough to go to war, any more. What I am proud of is that organisations like the KKK and the extreme-cruelty right wing are no longer in existence."
"You said there was a catch?" asked Angeline. The empathic energy extractor seemed too good to be true. There had to be a catch.
"Oh yes. Hate is a finite resource, too. Once it stops breeding more hatred in others, it winds down really quickly. The Triple-E generators started running out of fuel after the first five years. But I'd figured out it would, so... I looked into alternate dimensions. Everyone was glad that I'd found scientific proof of Heaven, but I didn't exactly make a noise about the... uh... alternative."
"You found Hell?"
"Something a lot like it. A dimension of pure hate. The closest thing to Heaven is the dimension of pure joy and love. This... is not. I've been refreshing Earth's stores of Hate in Hate Capacitors for the past decade, and using that energy for cheap power that I've given to the world." Francine cleared her throat. "And once in a while, the portal lets a resident through. They're... they're quickly drained of their hate but..."
"But?" prompted Angeline.
"They can't live without it. I'm literally killing untold millions for our power. Evil millions, but... they still had a right to live." She sighed. "I can't tell if I'm a force for overall good or the worst evil ever to walk the earth."
Angeline couldn't decide it either.
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / karenr]
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