The New Weird - Ann VanderMeer [144]
There are, of course, various interpretations that apply to Continuity Theory, but the Continuity Schism can be roughly summarised as a belief that the world exists in a state of perpetual calamity, which also implies that Existence and Time are essentially meaningless.
As such, the Continuity Schism tended to appeal to thinkers who were not inclined towards divine interpretations of catastrophe, while the opposite was true of the Discontinuity Schism. But the Continuity Schism did have its share of fanatics.
The Psychomatics, for example, were prepared to take extreme measures in order to emphasise the legitimacy of their position. They were the militant wing of the Continuity Schism who sought an active involvement in the way of the world as they defined it. In other words, they liked destroying things ― or, more to the point, they liked destroying people. Which is why they had developed a formidable range of expertise in various means of sabotage and assassination.
It had taken the Gutter a lot of effort to find this out ― and a lot of gutting. He had first been alerted to the Psychomatics when he was doing some reconnaissance work on a Meta-Warrior called Hecticon who was posing as a linear usurper in the disputed northern province of Uin. As luck would not have it, the Psychomatics had tried to assassinate Hecticon while the Gutter was trying to figure out a way to do the same. When their attempt had failed, Hecticon stepped up his security measures which made him temporarily unavailable for an appointment with the Gutting Knife. So the Gutter decided to do some reconnaissance work on the Psychomatics instead. The fact that they'd targeted a Meta-Warrior like Hecticon had led him to suspect that they might have been acting under the influence of a non-linear element.
Which, as it happens, is perfectly true.
There was a bee wrestling with a bud on the ground that had fallen off the broken stalk of a wilting flower that was growing from a crack in the ruptured brickwork.
The Light That Never Shines reflected on the fact that she had seen linear men and women work with the same mindless vigour, and with the same failure to comprehend the underlying motivations of their most rudimentary tasks.
"Are you any different?
"Of course," she replied. "My automatic functions are distinguishable for their emphasis on the wilful elimination, rather than preservation, of my species. To this extent, it is not a question of performing rudimentary tasks in order to survive, but a question of killing or being killed."
"Is there a difference?
"Yes, there is. It depends on the amount of risk you are exposed to. I am exposed to an extreme measure of danger in performing my routine tasks; a common bee is exposed to much less; while a linear human (except in cases of disease, famine or war) is exposed to almost none at all."
At the same time, the Light That Never Shines had been careful to take advantage of occasional individuals who surfaced from the linear tide with an almost Meta-Warrioristic compulsion to commit themselves to a cause.
"But who's to say they're right to do so?'
That's obvious, thought The Light That Never Shines.
She was.
The Light That Never Shines arose from her basic element wearing a singularity of dark matter that had no basis in ― was a precursor of ― the totality of form.
Emerging from her non-awareness, and having only been able to register her existence through emotions, she was formulaically integrated into a linear means of physicality.
The Light That Never Shines had known the primordial absence of herself without ever knowing that she had existed.
Until that time.
"Existence can only be measured by the fact that it must come to an end," she told herself. "Is this what it means to say, I live? Which is only another way of saying that I must die?"
The Light That Never Shines had harvested a multitude of skins in order to