Harbinger (The Janus Harbinger Book 1)

by Olan Thorensen

  “Yes,” said Mueller, getting his breath back and calming down, “that’s what it must be. Now that our two countries’ leaders are here, the Object is going to bypass Simeon to communicate directly. I think we’re about to find out more in the next few minutes than we’ve learned in all the previous years.”

  “So . . . ,” said Chesterton softly, “what you mean is that this Athena is the Object itself?”

  Mueller and Sinclair nodded.

  “Why it is naming itself Athena? Why Athena?”

  Mueller turned to Hardesty and Sinclair. “We need Rotham in on this.” Mueller thought for a moment, then looked to Sinclair with a questioning expression.

  “You’re thinking about Marjek also, right?” said Sinclair.

  “Yes.”

  Sinclair swiveled in his chair to face Hardesty. “We need to bring more people in on this exchange. Rotham has considerable background in human history and mythology. The choice of Athena for the Object’s name must be deliberate. We could use his insight.”

  Hardesty frowned, then nodded. “And Marjek? What does he add to this?”

  “Zach seems to have struck some kind of chord with Simeon. We don’t understand it, but Simeon seems more ‘relaxed’ talking with Zach. Also, Zach has several times come up with questions or insights that didn’t occur to the rest of us.”

  “All right, go get them.” Hardesty then turned to Chesterton and Harper. “We need to get two more staff members in here before we continue. I believe we should have some discussion before meeting Athena. I suggest we move to the conference room and the other two join us.”

  Chesterton looked at Harper, who nodded. “All right, General,” Chesterton said, although by his tone he was obviously impatient at a delay.

  It took ten seconds to find Jeff Rotham. He and the other Level 3 staff were all but listening at the keyhole from the main workroom and the hall. Zach took longer. Sinclair dispatched Whitey and Andrew to fetch him. It was Whitey who found him talking with the Seal Team 2 commander just behind the edge of the site’s buildings to the west. Zach was gesturing with one hand, evidently recounting some details of the Chinese attack, when Whitey ran up to them.

  “Zach,” said Whitey urgently, “they want you inside . . . NOW.”

  Zach merely raised one eyebrow, then turned to the Seal officer. “Sorry, maybe later.” And with that, he followed Whitey back to Level 3. Mueller gave Zach and Jeff a summary of the short meeting with Simeon and the two leaders.

  Rotham was as excited as the laconic Northern Irishman had ever appeared. “So, we are about to meet Simeon’s master.” He paused as he looked up slightly. You could almost hear the gears of his mind turning. “And Athena. Now that is interesting.”

  “Yes, I thought you’d pick up on the name,” offered Mueller.

  Chesterton spoke up. “Why is the name important? And why a female Greek goddess?”

  “Not just any female goddess,” said Rotham. “Athena. She had many manifestations to the Greeks and other peoples, depending on the era, the specific people, and the specific situation. She was the patron of wisdom, inspiration, justice, and civilization itself but also the arts, mathematics, strength, courage, and just warfare. Picking Athena cannot be by chance. She was often summarized as the goddess of wisdom and war. Not the violent aspects of war; that was Ares’s domain. But the strategic aspects of war. He, she, it is sending a message.”

  “And what’s the damn message?” exclaimed an impatient prime minister.

  “Ah, now that is the question, is it not? What is the message?” he mused. “Athena was also known for having an affinity for heroes and heroic endeavors. Maybe we’re being told that heroic actions are coming.”

  “Well, Athena was generally considered one of the more humane gods,” said Mueller, “and one with more of an affection for humans. Could the Object be trying to convince us it is at least benign or even benevolent?”

  Zach spoke for the first time since being called in. “But wasn’t she only relatively benign? While she had favorites among humans, she still had her own agendas and made demands on even those she supposedly blessed.”

  “Exactly,” said Rotham, smiling to himself. He had suspected Marjek was more educated and insightful than generally given credit for. It was amusing to Rotham, in that typical educated British manner, the way others were repeatedly surprised when Zach dug up a tidbit of knowledge that someone of his perceived character should not know.

  “Yes,” he said. “And remember the name is only for our benefit. What agenda the Object, or Athena, has is its agenda—one that we may or may not like or even be able to understand.”

  Mueller slightly changed the subject. “Besides the name, I wonder what image Athena will take? Could that also give us some clues as to the Object’s intentions? That is, which woman’s image will Athena assume for us?”

  “Athena was usually portrayed as a gray-eyed young woman, but always wearing armor with a chiton—a draping cloak—over the armor. Her expressions were serene but serious. Somewhat aloof,” added Rotham.

  Zach’s voice cut softly through the discussion. His tone was as if he were having a vision. “She will be older. Not old, but not young. Maybe late thirties to early fifties. Possibly a little gray in medium-color hair. Probably the gray eyes of legend or light blue. Piercing eyes as if she could look straight through you to the truth. A pleasant face but not pretty. Strong, with somehow a combination of maternalism and strength. Someone you had better be absolutely straight with. Someone you intuitively wanted to have a good impression of you, one that you wonder if you would ever live up to.” Zach shook himself. His eyes focused from wherever he had been.

  The others were all silent, looking at him with expressions ranging from believing they may have heard a prophecy or a hallucination, to simply thinking, What the hell is he talking about?

  Chesterton had become impatient with what he saw as mere academic discourse. “Come on now, what does all this mean? Gimme a hand here! We have to go back and meet again with this Athena. Give us some help.”

  It was Mueller who spoke for all the Site 23 staff who were present. “Bottom line is we simply don’t know. Just be aware the name Athena was undoubtedly chosen to indicate something. We just can’t be sure what. I would recommend that you remember the basic characteristics attributed to Athena, but other than that, we can’t know more until we talk directly to her.”

  From Chesterton’s sour expression, it was obvious he wanted more help, but he was rational enough to recognize that the situation had no precedents. He preferred agendas to be clearly laid out, so that he and his staff could game their responses. This time he would have to wing it, but it felt like being told to learn to tightrope walk only when he was already in the middle of a cable stretching across Niagara Falls.

  “Okay, let’s do it,” he said, attempting to project his “I’m the president and the man in charge” persona, more for his own benefit than for the others.

  Athena

  They returned to the audio/monitor room. Zach and Rotham stood to the side of the camera positioned above main monitor, such that Simeon, or Athena, could not see them, but Chesterton and Harper could—in case Zach or Rotham passed on signals. They could also see the monitor and hear the audio.

  “I’m not going to be much use for this,” Hardesty told Sinclair. “You’ve got the experience and can represent our military.”

  Hardesty stood behind Chesterton and beside the prickly Canadian military chief, General McIntosh, whom he had met many times. He thought McIntosh to be a pompous ass, but that was okay because he was used to dealing with Congress. In fairness, Hardesty knew from several sources that McIntosh also considered him to be a crude, arrogant prick.

  Mueller waited until they were arranged and then keyed in again the alert to Simeon that they were ready to communicate. Simeon appeared immediately.

  “Hello again, Howard, General Sinclair, Mr. President, Mr. Prime Minister. Are we ready to
proceed?”

  “We are ready,” replied Mueller.

  “Very well. Please let me introduce Athena.”

  With those words, the monitor’s view seemed to pull back until Simeon was visible from the waist up and his image moved to the right of the screen. Simeon turned slightly as if looking for someone in the featureless background. Then a figure appeared as if emerging from a fog and moved toward the camera and Simeon. The initial vague outline resolved into a feminine figure. As she moved closer, details came into focus. Her height could not be determined because there was no reference. Her figure was average to slender, her hair a light brown with gray highlights, her face giving the impression of perhaps early to mid-forties. She moved closer until her face filled the screen, and Simeon was no longer in view. It was a strong face. Feminine, almost serene, but it somehow epitomized intelligence, kindness, and strength all at the same time. However, it was the eyes that most humans fixed on—a grayish-blue that gave the impression of piercing through everyone.

  Heads in the room swiveled briefly to an expressionless Zach, whose prediction closely matched Athena’s appearance.

  “Greetings to you all,” intoned a voice that rated somewhere on the lower range between a mezzo-soprano and a contralto—definitely feminine but with hints of deeper overtones. “I am Athena—what you refer to as ‘The Object.’”

  It had been agreed that Mueller would initially lead the conversation, with others joining as appropriate or spontaneously.

  “And greetings to you, Athena. This is both a pleasure and a surprise to speak with you directly, instead of through Simeon. Could we ask why you decided to communicate with us after a number of years?”

  “It is, of course, an obvious question. However, I believe it might be best to explain why future interactions will continue to be mainly through Simeon. My staying separate is an integral part of being cautious about causing harm to your species. As I hope you will come to understand, there are many ways I could unintentionally be highly damaging to you. Through experience, it has been learned that initial interactions should be conducted through a ‘third party,’ if you will.”

  “And that third party is Simeon.”

  “Yes. One of Simeon’s roles is to serve as my representative, who has limited access to information other than what is necessary for his role. Another role for Simeon is to allow me to create as accurate a simulation of humans as possible. This lets him interact with you more easily, plus gives me an ‘adviser,’ if you will, on human thinking and reactions.”

  “You say this procedure is one you have developed from experience. Does this mean you have visited other worlds with intelligent species?”

  “We may discuss this more in the future, but suffice it to say this is the fourth world I have visited where contact has reached this stage.”

  “By stage . . . ?” Mueller prompted.

  “The stage where humans are approaching a critical point in development as a species and a civilization. A stage typically leading to an inflection point in your existence. It is a regrettable fact that most civilizations have limited lifetimes. A species arises from its primitive origins, achieves sentience, develops a complex civilization, advances in knowledge, and then disappears. While the time scale is different for each species, the shape of the developmental curve is usually the same.”

  The room was silent. Each person was glued to Athena’s words.

  “You say we are the fourth species you have contacted, but is that the only sample size you have to believe all species travel the same developmental path?”

  Athena reproached him gently. “Howard, I said this was the fourth species whom I have contacted at this stage. My records include contacts with hundreds of species before I existed and data on thousands of dead civilizations.”

  The audience sat stunned. Hundreds of species contacts, thousands of vanished civilizations! The place of humanity in the grand scale of the cosmos had changed more in the last few moments than in its entire history. Speculations that humans might be unique in the universe were gone. Lingering thoughts that humans were the center of creation would forever be replaced by being “just another” species among multitudes. Half of the listeners couldn’t process what they were hearing. The other half automatically rejected it. Their minds whirled with thoughts, but it was as if they had so many questions and such new awareness, they could not articulate what to say or ask next. Athena solved the problem by continuing.

  “And now your species is pursuing development that, if unchanged, will almost certainly lead you to your extinction.”

  Sinclair spoke to Athena for the first time. “Athena, you say such a fate is ‘usual’ for all species and ‘will almost certainly’ be the same for us. This must mean there are exceptions? There must have been at least one because you exist and are the product of a surviving civilization. Are there others who successfully passed the danger stage?”

  “A reasonable question, General Sinclair. Unfortunately, my records indicate the surviving percentage is too small for anyone to rationally hope that humans will manage to succeed where most civilizations fail.”

  Chesterton had been listening intently. His mind churned with doubts and questions. He projected the consequences of all this to his political legacy, felt chagrin at worrying about his legacy, and tried to digest one shock after another.

  “Athena,” Chesterton asked softly, “why are you here telling us this?”

  “Thank you, Mr. President, for ‘cutting to the chase,’ as Simeon informs me is an appropriate phrase.” Athena paused for a moment as if gathering her thoughts.

  Probably part of her acting human to reassure us, thought Mueller.

  “I have two purposes. They are related but not totally dependent on each other. One purpose is to support your species in avoiding the inflection point that will lead you downward. Your challenge is to reverse the slope of the trajectory. Just the knowledge of the fate of most civilizations is one factor that should help you. Knowing a danger exists is critical in helping you avoid the danger. I can provide advice and knowledge to help, but ultimately, only your species can save itself.”

  She paused again, but this time her face assumed a sad and serious demeanor. “My second purpose is to record your species.”

  “Record?” said a puzzled Chesterton.

  “Even if you meet the fate of most sentient species, your mere existence is something to be cherished. I would record the essence of who you are so that, no matter your fate, you would not be lost forever.”

  On hearing these last words from Athena, Rotham, who had been silent up to then, suddenly motioned to Mueller whether he could ask a question. Mueller nodded.

  “Athena,” said Mueller, “two other humans have joined us. Their names are Jeff Rotham and Zach Marjek. Jeff has a question.”

  “I am aware of Jeff and Zach through their interactions with Simeon. What is your question, Jeff?”

  “Athena, does this mean you have such ‘recordings’ of the other species you have known?”

  “Yes, Jeff, it does. Although I possess records and observations on many extinct species, I have detailed ‘recordings’ of the three I mentioned earlier.”

  Rotham slumped back in his chair and spoke out loud as if to the others in the room but actually unconsciously to himself. “My God. Complete descriptions of alien civilizations. My God.”

  “And what does making a recording involve?” asked a cautious Sinclair.

  “There are three basic aspects. One is to have access to all your records. Second is to interact with a wide range of individuals to obtain a better understanding of what it means to be ‘human.’ The third is to create a simulation of a human to represent your species and interpret the records.” Athena smiled. “I assume you have some acquaintance with the last aspect.”

  “Simeon!” blurted Mueller.

  “Yes, the Simeon you know is the beginning of the distillation of ‘human.’”

  At this point, Ha
rper leaned toward Chesterton and whispered in his right ear. Chesterton frowned and shook his head slightly. Harper repeated whatever he had said and added more because Chesterton’s annoyed expression faded into one more contemplative. He whispered something back to Harper, who initially was not pleased but then nodded in acquiescence to Chesterton.

  The president absentmindedly clenched and unclenched his left hand. “Athena, when you say humans are in danger of failing as a species and a civilization, can you give us any indication of the time scale you might predict?”

  “More important than an absolute time prediction for when the inflection turns irreversibly downward are the actions taken to prevent this from happening. When I refer to an inflection point, I mean a time when there are objective measures such as total energy or resource consumption, scientific progress, average life span, or any of hundreds of such numerically quantifiable measures. More difficult to measure is the time before these measures show that the downturn is inevitable, no matter what measures are taken.

  “For a simple example, let us say that humans had a community on an island covered in trees. Fishing is their main source of food. They cut down the trees to make boats to fish. Their community flourishes until one day, they cut down the last tree. Eventually, all the existing boats rot away. They can no longer fish, and they starve. Was their inflection point when the last tree was cut down, or was it perhaps years earlier when the number of trees remaining was too few to provide a sustainable source?”

  “Easter Island,” whispered Rotham.

  Chesterton looked quizzically to the linguist.

  “Easter Island,” repeated Mueller. “A case on Earth where an island community did something similar to Athena’s example. In fact, she may have picked it out of the information we’ve been feeding Simeon. What is thought to have happened is the islanders were trapped, no longer able to make boats to leave. Although they didn’t die out, they simply regressed as a civilization and became static.”

  Mueller turned back to the monitor. “Athena, as you’ve heard us discuss, we have records of something similar to your example here on Earth. An island community that exhausted the only resource that would have allowed its people to leave the island. But they did not die out, although life on the island became much more difficult. When Westerners discovered the island, the Easter Island community had lived at least some hundreds of years after their ‘inflection point.’”