Birth Of A Goddess

by Mark T. Bacome

  “My guess? About two hundred meters down, at the bottom of the lift shaft,” Alex suggested.

  *** Chichi stood still holding Utahia's hand, watching Toolkit from the Other Realm. “I was supposed to help TK,” Chichi insisted. “But he is so sad. I can feel so much sadness in his heart.”

  “You have helped Toolkit,” Utahia answered with a smile. “You have set him back on his path, one he had forgotten so long ago.”

  “I hope so--he has a new friend too,” Chichi said of the night-singer at Toolkit's side.

  “I feel she may be an unforeseen guardian and a blessing,” Li answered.

  “So he won't be alone,” Chichi added.

  “Yes. So he won't be alone,” Utahia answered.

  “I must return now,” Li said softly. “Time is short.”

  “Will I see you again?” Chichi asked.

  Li did not say a word, paused in thought. That answer was still an uncertainty. What she needed to do still held too many possible outcomes.

  “She will return, Chichi. But for now she must do something very important. Something that has led her finally to her own path and defining moment,” Utahia explained. “May Shola Rai bless and keep you safe, my dearest Li.”

  “May Shola Rai bless and keep you both,” Li replied. She gave both Utahia and Chichi a quick hug, then stepped away, disappearing into the light of the Other Realm.

  *** Kutch and Alex followed the stairway down to the lowest storage level, then took a ladder-well down through the two lower mechanical levels to the lowest maintenance crawl space below, accessing the bottom of the lift shaft. The hatch into the shaft was damaged, but after a few tries, Kutch and Alex managed to force the hatch open.

  The mangled remains of the demolished lift filled the lower void of the shaft, where there should have been space for maintenance work underneath. Alex poked her portable in through the hatch and moved some loose metal out of the way allowing her to crawl further in.

  “See anything?” Kutch asked. Alex answered by handing back some pieces of debris to help clear her way in. “Seriously--anything?”

  “Give me a moment,” Alex answered. She handed back more pieces of mangled metal, then crawled the rest of the way inside. “All right, see if you can crawl in.” Alex’s voice seemed to echo into the distance above.

  Kutch pulled himself through the maintenance hatch, past several pieces of jagged, mangled metal parts of what was assumed to be the remains of the lift.

  “Careful where you step,” Alex warned, pointing her portable down. “I believe that is what's left of Denior and the administrator.”

  Kutch could see what appeared to be two strangely flattened cocoons, with odd skeletal outlines visible through the hardened cocoon casing. He pulled out a scanner and ran for diagnostics. “This is without a doubt human remains,” Kutch said shaking his head. “I've never seen cocoons of this age and this degraded.”

  “Can you hear us, Proto?” Alex called out, looking up the long dark shaft.

  “I have no functional audio receivers or projectors at that level. However, I am able to hear you from the next level up,” Proto explained, his voice echoing up and down the shaft.

  “What would the sphere of Tri-Sphali-Lonsdaleite look like?” Alex asked. “I can't get any kind of sensor reading for that material in my scanner--I have no reference files.”

  “The sphere would be seven point six-two centimeters in diameter, polished black in color,” Proto described.

  Both Alex and Kutch shined their portables around in all the cracks and crevices, in and around all the debris.

  “I don't see anything like that,” Alex said, sounding a bit concerned.

  “We may not find it, in all this mess,” Kutch admitted.

  “Will Proto believe us?”

  “I'm sure he would be able to scan for the material and know whether or not we have it on us—right?”

  “Proto can you scan this area and see if the material is down here?” Alex asked.

  “Scanning,” Proto answered. “My sensors are showing the material directly within your position.”

  Alex gave Kutch a raise of the brow, and tilt of her head, as an answer to his question. Kutch nodded and pointed his portable toward the two cocoons again. Portions of the skeletal remains could be seen in outline, through the flattened cocoon, including distorted images of the skull and larger joints.

  “Under?” Alex asked with a shrug.

  “Maybe, or not--” Kutch answered with distraction. He was following the outline of the arm of one body with his portable, and found the area where a hand should be, but there appeared to be too much mass for just a hand alone.

  Kutch pulled a small particle cutter from his tool pouch and began to cut around the part of the cocoon encasing the lump. The material separated, revealing skeletal remains of a hand holding a very shiny black orb, about seven point six-two centimeters. “Got you,” Kutch mumbled. Not wanting to touch the remains directly, Kutch took another small tool to work the sphere out from the bones and picked the sphere up with a sterile cloth wipe.

  Alex shined her portable on the shiny black orb, as Kutch held it up for view. “It looks--new,” Alex marveled.

  “Certainly unscratched,” Kutch offered.

  “Hardest material known to exist in this or any other universe. The sphere cannot be scratched,” Proto's voice echoed down the shaft.

  “The 'Aki's, Earth sovereignty stone,'” Alex said in awe.

  “This certainly explains why Corporate would be so desperate to hide a planet for all this time,” Kutch reasoned.

  “Sure, from all that's been explained, Tri-Con United owned everything outside of Earth--then suddenly, it's all taken away by the Aki and this sovereignty stone ,” Alex added. “I would imagine that would upset a few Board Members within Tri-Con United.”

  “Proto had explained there were hundreds of years of legal battles between Earth governing bodies and Tri-Con United,” Kutch mentioned.

  “I don't doubt that. Tri-Con United was probably trying to regain what little they could,” Alex guessed.

  “So..when the solar event happened and nearly destroyed Earth, the Board seizes the opportunity to try to erase the over-riding contract--the sovereignty stone was presumed destroyed, or at least, null and void. Suddenly Tri-Con United, changes names and with everyone on Earth left to die, there is no one around to argue, Corporate owns everything,” Kutch continued the narrative.

  “Sure--but the stone wasn't actually gone. Proto had it tucked away for safe-keeping...” Alex added.

  “Board Member, Denior rediscovers the stone and tries to destroy Proto and presumably attempt to exploit the stone for his own gain or--”

  “Or wanted to destroy it,” Alex concluded. “Since Denior disappeared, no one else seemed to know exactly where the stone was, so to be sure, the original Galactic Board quarantines the whole planet in an effort to make it all go away, once and for all.”

  “Even to the extent of placing a holographic grid around the entire planet to physically hide the true status of the planet and prevent unwanted questions. Then after a few thousand years, new Board Members came along, and the story became hearsay, legend and forgotten, except for the quarantine, which was simply continued under a cloak of classified reasons.”

  “Buried under a mountain of rock and bureaucracy,” Alex punned.

  “That's quite a dirty little secret,” Kutch smirked.

  Alex gave Kutch a scowl. “But what of the Aki?”

  Kutch shrugged. “I don't think anyone believed, or hoped, they would return.”

  “Well, they haven't returned so far,” Alex conceded.

  Kutch looked around and motioned Alex to be quiet. “We've got to get this to someone. This could change everything regarding Earth and the Earth humans!” Kutch whispered.

  “Who? And how? Proto will NEVER let this out of his sight again. Certainly never out of this facility!” Alex hissed under her breath.

&nb
sp; “Please return with the sphere, so I may assure the artifact is placed appropriately and secure once more,” Proto announced from above.

  “See!” Alex pressed.

  *** Damus walked Novia back into the main cavern entrance where they sensed something strange. All the crystals embedded in the walls for lighting, along with various other crystals within the surrounding rock, appeared to be glowing brighter and brighter. They could hear other people gasping at the same sight further inside the large cavern.

  “LI!” Novia exclaimed.

  “Are you certain?” Damus asked. Novia gave him an annoyed look. “I can feel her close--sense her presence. She's back!” Novia ran up the passage leading to Li's meditation chamber with Damus following close behind.

  “Has she done this before?” Damus tried to keep up. He was always amazed that Novia was so very fast and strong for her size.

  “NO--but I feel her near,” Novia called back, now well ahead, her voice echoing throughout the passages.

  Damus caught up to Novia standing outside of Li's meditation chamber, in awe of what she was witnessing. The smooth, finished entry was glowing with an intensity almost beyond looking at directly, but without radiant heat. The glow coming from within was even more brilliant.

  Damus tried to stop Novia from getting closer, but she broke free of his grip on her wrist, and stepped through the entry, disappearing into the brilliance inside. Once inside, Novia felt an overwhelming sense of love and welcoming from all around in the near blinding light, but after a few moments a single brilliant form began to take a familiar shape in the center of the room.

  “Li--” Novia spoke soft, almost unsure.

  “Novia,” the most familiar voice returned.

  “LI! You're back--we've, been so worried. I--I have been so worried!”

  “For that, I am so sorry, and beg your forgiveness.” Li stepped from the brilliance and the room dimmed to a more reasonable level of light.

  Novia could see Li clearly, and her gown that flowed as though alive, caught Novia's attention right away. There was a glow about the gown as well as everything else. “New clothes?” Novia asked.

  “Of my own making,” Li tried to explain. “Apparently I have developed a new sense of modesty in the dimensions beyond this world.”

  “You have a marking on your chest and a white streak of hair--a new accent?” Novia asked with sarcasm.

  “Both due to an encounter with a dark Lord who has been mentoring Cain,” Li answered, with more

  seriousness.

  Novia could not contain herself and ran to Li, giving her a hug. “I have missed you--you've been gone for SO long,” Novia declared.

  Li, too, felt the love of her friend, sorely missed. “In some ways my absence has felt like an eternity, and in others I feel like I left only yesterday.”

  “It doesn't really matter now, you're home now. That's all that matters,” Novia hugged Li harder.

  “I know now my purpose, my path,” Li said.

  “You have no path, Li. You go your own way.” Novia tried to dismiss the sound of Li’s serious statement.

  “I have to stop Cain, and help the Other Realm defeat the Dark Lord, Kyrios,” Li blurted out at once. “Dark forces are beating down the protective walls of the Other Realm, as we speak!”

  Novia stepped back searching Li's eyes for any other explanation for the odd statement and the seriousness in the tone of her voice. “I don't understand. How can you be expected to do such things?”

  “I must join with Cain to stop his current destructive path, and defeat the attacks to the Other Realm by a darkness that threatens our very existence,” Li restated.

  “Cain? Join Cain? He wants to destroy you. You're speaking in riddles--you need rest. Come now back to your bed and sleep...”

  “There is no time,” Li scolded Novia. “I need to gather my strength with meditation and concentration. This chamber is my focal point, my Lag'Erhro. I must bring Cain here.”

  “You want Cain here?” Novia scoffed.

  “Yes! So you must all leave. Take shelter to the Wes, with the Coastal Clans.”

  “The Elvonians have spent the last few weeks building a device that would protect the clans from an attack from Cain, if he comes for you. We will not leave now,” Damus argued, stepping through the entry beside Novia.

  “Damus is right. We will protect you,” Novia asserted.

  “It is not I who requires protection, but I will not continue this argument, there is so little time left. Realms here and beyond are in mortal danger. Please at least gather the young, old and sick and get them escorted safely away,” Li pleaded a case they could not argue.

  Damus looked deep into Novia's eyes. “I will gather the younger guardians as escorts.”

  “I will gather the elders and try to explain the coming threat. I just have one last question...” Novia looked to Li.

  “Yes?”

  “Why you?”

  “I have recently become aware that my whole existence was designed for this single event,” Li declared. “This is, and always has been, my purpose.”

  *** Reed approached the Elvonian technicians readying the shield-generator for the full power test. “Any one seen Toolkit?” Reed asked. Everyone shook their head. “Presley1477?” One technician pointed to the other end of the large piece of equipment they were readying for the test.

  “Have you seen Toolkit?” Ayden asked Reed. “No--I've been looking for him. We all got separated coming down from the mountain earlier this morning. We're almost ready to test the shield-generator,” Reed answered.

  “I have not seen Toolkit, but the night-singer who has been following him around is laying on his long coat of pockets, up at the cave memorial for Chichi.”

  “You don't think he could have entered--”

  “The cave is sealed,” Ayden confirmed.

  “We've got a missing shuttle,” Presley1522 announced as he stepped up to Ayden and Reed. “Anyone know anything about it?”

  Reed turned to Ayden with a curious look. “You don't think--”

  “Impromptu meeting?” Presley1477 asked, joining the conversation.

  “Toolkit is missing,” Reed said.

  “But his long coat of pockets and the night-singer are up at Chichi's memorial site by the sealed cave entrance,” Ayden added.

  “And, we have a missing shuttle,” Presley1522 continued.

  “Do you think--” Reed stopped, not wanting to even continue the thought.

  Presley1477 took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I hope he knows what he's doing...”

  Part 9

  Sixteen holographic data collection spheres, three meters in diameter, each containing eleven billion, to fifteen billion input data streams from Corporate and Duissis personnel, filled the dark analysis facility tucked away deep inside an artificial moon orbiting Saturn. With the exception of a few brighter areas on two of the sixteen spheres corresponding to a large portion of Duissis, they all exhibited signs of the complete collapse of Corporate, throughout all of the three thousand, four hundred and seventy-eight divisions, and subdivisions. Even several of the divisions within Corporate Security were hit with devastating results.

  Keja was only able to count on six senior technicians to hold down shifts and continue analysis of the sixteen holographic spheres and the data collection. The rest had abandoned their posts to give praise and worship Cain. None of the assigned AIs were functional as analysts any longer, instead rambling on with worshiping praises of Cain, as well. Although, as Keja soon realized, there wasn't much left to analyze with the bulk of the data collected being transmissions of Cain on his throne, taking offerings and terminating Corporate personnel. The spheres reflected that effect with a growing number of black spots indicating missing data transmissions from terminated personnel. Now the bulk of the spheres had a dark hue without the usual shimmer of color.

  “Any closer to determining the codex on the latest protocols?” Keja asked, alth
ough he already felt he knew the answer.

  ::No,:: Xria confirmed Keja's suspicion. ::The algorithmic changes are continuing to be far too complex.::

  “There has to be a way to stop the coding,” Keja posed.

  ::Stopping the coding may be the answer,:: Xria suggested.

  “That seems a little obvious, but you just reported that we are no closer to even determining the codex of the protocols, thus no closer to stopping them,” Keja answered with sarcasm.

  ::Stopping the transmission of the unauthorized protocols may be the requirement,:: Xria clarified.

  Keja shook his head. “Impossible. Maybe an isolated region at best, but we would not be able or allowed, to terminate protocol transmissions across the entire Corporate and Duissis net,” Keja argued.

  ::I am unable to determine a more effective solution at this time,:: Xria defended.

  “Huir would never authorize such a thing. It's too much of a Corporate security risk,” Keja continued his argument.

  ::There is not much left of Corporate to secure or risk,:: Xria retorted.

  Keja was shocked by her comment, particularly being an artificial intelligence conscience. She seemed less and less 'artificial' each passing day. “Your assessment may be correct, but I can't see getting the Director to agree. We're talking about an entire Corporate-Duissis protocol channels disruption, not like trying to disconnect an area or region that is remote, and isolated,” Keja reiterated. “Besides, there are six nodes, each acting as a backup to the others. If one were to go off-line, the others would simply fill the gaps.”

  ::Five,:: Xria corrected.

  “Five what?”

  ::Five protocol channel nodes,:: Xria clarified. ::The node at Io has been out of order for over twenty-three years.::

  “Twenty-three years?”

  ::Budget cuts have hampered repair appropriations,:: Xria explained.

  “What happened?”

  ::Internal department investigation concluded an undetermined cause; however, the facility was completely destroyed,:: Xria reported.

  “And--that really proves my original point. The protocol channel system has continued to function without degradation,” Keja pressed.