Höllenbadt: Book two of the Torus Saga

by Berg, Michael

  “You think so?”

  “Tobias, there is no need for sarcasm. There is a clear difference between the minds of the authorities, to that of the Agent. He barely has a mind.”

  “Nor do you. So where is the difference?”

  “Oh, I very much have a mind Tobias. It is just you do not quite see how my mind is…but you will very soon.”

  “I doubt it. And I doubt John ever will either. He is a lot smarter than you think.”

  “We do recognise that John Matheson is indeed, a fine intelligent individual who possesses great knowledge, but he is unable to resist the nano mechanics, as are you Tobias.”

  “Don’t bet on it.”

  “There is no need to play with chance Tobias. This is a definitive milestone for the progress and evolution of humanity. As all people move forward, they will come to realise the value of these nano enhancements.”

  “What if the Agent sends out another virus? All you will have is a similar mess like what exists now.”

  “We have taken measures against that Tobias. And we will take more measures to ensure such displacement of data does not occur again. Don’t forget, we now have flux mechanics.”

  “You can never be certain.”

  “Yes we can. Certainty leads to the utmost in efficiency, so to strive for such things will bring about perfection, and soon the Earth will become the machine as its destiny foretells.”

  “What a load of rubbish! How do you know of any foretold destiny? When I hear that, I am reminded of the Agent.”

  “Except the Agent does not have flux mechanics Tobias. Now that we do, these certainties will fall into place.”

  “And you think the Earth and its inhabitants will become machines?”

  “Very much so Tobias. The people of Earth have been led to these times for centuries now in preparation. Even more than a century ago, the seeds of this future were sown. It was just that almost all could not see this coming, as they mostly had their heads down Tobias. They were becoming ever so reliant on technology to meet their needs, and all through this, they were being herded into the direction I describe.”

  “Not all were so gullible.”

  “Yes, you are right there. But as you know, many of those are already gone, and the rest…they are either full of holes, or soon to become what you and I have become Tobias.”

  “Those ‘holes’ will keep growing. They will cause you to think again.”

  “We know this Tobias. The holes are already grave issues of concern, for the Agent was in no way aware of the openings he has created, but…with flux mechanics, we should be able to repair them.”

  “Should, does not sound like a certainty to me.”

  “Hmm, perhaps you are right. May I say ‘will’ then, for they will be corrected. You know not about flux dynamics as I do Tobias. The mechanics will give us power over all of this type of anomaly.”

  “How do you know? I have spent many years with John and he knows more than all of you.”

  “Really. You think that is so Tobias? Do you not remember that earlier this day, I was the individual responsible for retrieving all of John Matheson’s knowledge of flux mechanics?”

  “That statement sounds a little like an awareness of self…some type of ambitious undertone lies in there.”

  “Ah, perceptive of you Tobias, but be assured, it is not ambition other than to recognise how efficient I have been in the provision of the data my superiors require.”

  “You sound more like a machine than a man.”

  “Do you have a problem with that?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, soon you will no longer see it that way. By this time tomorrow, you will see things much more like I do.”

  “I hope not.”

  “Hope is no longer relevant Tobias. Hope is but a fallacy based on emotional discord. Efficiency has no room for such things Tobias. You will learn this very soon.”

  Twenty-three hours later, Tobias was removed from his holding cell, leaving John as the sole occupant of the entire complex. He was escorted to a waiting crew transport ship – similar to those used to relocate scouter robots, and then he was taken directly to Omaha Nebraska, for service as a field operative at the recently repaired barrier fence between the eastern and western sectors of the United States. His immediate supervisor took charge of Tobias’ deployment in the field, and stationed him at the gates used to transport virus afflicted people into the west, for transport of the hordes afflicted with viruses was still be carried out.

  As Tobias stood atop the tower beside the gates, he continuously surveyed the scene, looking for anyone who was trying to break through. At one time, his vision was towards the east, where he saw an unoccupied house just over one hundred yards away. Something inside of him stirred, causing him to pause for a moment and stare at the house, but then he dismissed the notion, and continued with his duties. The last fragments of Tobias’ memories were rapidly receding as the nano mechanics took over to ensure he was only thinking about efficient operations, and so the sight of his old house was only a temporary distraction, as he soon entirely forgot about his life there.

  Chapter 34

  One of the two remaining spacecraft built at Mars Station under authority control, had been summoned to proceed directly to authority development headquarters beneath New York City. After landing, the ship was taken underground via an enormous vertical tube, to then be fitted with the quantum computer now configured to commence flux mechanics testing and create the spatial anomaly at a lagrangian point on the far side of the Moon.

  Eric Gunter was in charge of the project for the creation of the anomaly – the first venture by humanity to construct a spinning vortex in space. Never before had consideration even been given to such an idea, as there had simply been no plausible way to generate the energies required to open a rift in the fabric continuum of space.

  Once the quantum computer was installed with configured parameters based on the information taken from John, Eric instructed for it to prepare for the journey to the point on the far side of the Moon – a flight of just over ten hours at the reduced speed for which it had been ordered. Eric was to accompany the craft for the test for the purpose of supervision and to report back to his superiors via a live holographic communications link.

  His final task prior to the craft leaving the underground facility was to ensure there would be no forthcoming threat from the Agent. After running a series of algorithmic sequences through the holographic array, based on the latest data obtained from testing the presence of any new viruses from the Agent, Eric gave the all clear to proceed with the flight and subsequent test.

  He had no desire to go into space then, nor had he desired to leave the Earth at any time previously in his life. Space only interested him mathematically when he began his career with the authorities, and now with his nano mechanics, the notion of desire was a remnant of his memories barely retrievable and not worthy of any notice. When the spacecraft breached the atmosphere and the splendour of Earth lay below contrasted against the inky blackness of space, Eric was too busy studying the readouts coming from the quantum computer, to admire the sight.

  Ten hours and twenty seven minutes after leaving Earth’s atmosphere, the spaceship had reached the test co-ordinates, where it waited silently. The Moon and Earth were clearly visible as a planet – satellite system, but Eric was too busy to notice, whilst he entered the final sequences required to position the anomaly three miles away. He might have been excited if he had been an organic human being in entirety, considering all the work he had successfully completed in the lead up to the final calculations he obtained from John to construct the flux lens. It was in position affixed to the port side of the spacecraft, resonating in and out of transient light bearing reality as the tacheon emitter was turned on.

  This was his first success of the mission, as the device registered as flux capable on the holographic readouts he scanned with both mechanical eyes, and part organic mind. His secon
d success came when the tacheon emitter itself came on line powered by the billions of protein string conductors showing as a flowing carpet of data on the display. Then, his third success erupted as a flow of energy was initiated through the device resulting in the tacheon surge laying the paths for the flux mechanical algorithms to follow. This process took less time than could be discernable, where at the instant he engaged the flow, the flux lens already registered a full compliance to the parameters set. All data was instantaneously accepted into the lens, which then projected the energy field to the designated co-ordinates, and in a fraction of time less than it would have taken for light to travel the three miles away from the ship, the spatial anomaly erupted into existence.

  It was a magnificent sight – one where Eric could even muster some fragments of himself remaining, to admire. Three miles away from the ship, was a black hole twenty yards across, fringed by light around its circumference, and in contrast to the normal properties for physics of black holes, it did not drawn in all types of matter and light. It was not a true black hole in the traditional sense, but a contained hole in the fabric of continuum, through which Eric or anyone else could direct energy and matter into without the knowledge of its destination. It was a pure experiment and with such things, the results tell of the story, but until the results are obtained, there can remain uncertainty.

  Eric continuously monitored the holographic array as he collated results from the sequence scenarios he sent to the anomaly. Everything appeared nominal, and with each new sequence to test the stability and the input constraints, he found what he expected – the anomaly was infinite with no constraints and therefore would accept whatever he tested. The main aim of this experiment was to ascertain the dynamics of holding a field of flux in situation for application on a much smaller scale to be used in machines, and as a calibration algorithm for use in scanners. If he could produce the results the authorities sought, then Eric would be the founding developer of an entire new type of technology, capable of data teleport with an infinite energy source. And then as his work bore on, he would be instrumental in taking this technology back to space for the authorities to begin exploring the galaxy and the fabric of existence beyond all present knowledge and expectations.

  As each new set of results came to him, Eric knew he had made this breakthrough, and from this day forward, the authorities would be unstoppable in their quest for dominance in their new machine world.

  Every robot, every transport and military machine, every computer, and every trans-human being would benefit from what he was doing. Ultimately, the authorities would have the capacity to develop new machines eclipsing the present designs, and capable of far greater incursions into both mind and space, with weaponry to enforce their motives, ensuring there would no longer be any opposition. They also would now be able to construct nano mechanics beyond the quantum level, and shape reality in their image, whatever they chose it to be.

  Finally, to confirm the results and complete the test, Eric entered a series of frequency modulation algorithms for ascertaining the variables encountered through phase dynamics of quantum resonance. This would confirm if the flux mechanics were capable of accepting the intentional elements of the human experience, and thus, enable to construction of truly autonomous mechanics. As he did this, the carpet of protein strings appeared to glow even brighter than the almost blinding display of it flowing in three-dimensional projection in front of him. Eric’s eyes automatically adjusted to the brightness, and within a minute, he confirmed success for this final sequence of testing.

  “Ok, I’m powering down the sequence testing,” he said to advise the captain of the spaceship. “You are authorised to return to Earth in twenty seconds.”

  “Copy that Eric. Um, this anomaly…do we just leave it here?”

  “Oh yes. We have no further testing to be done at this time, but it will again be required for our use in the future. The anomaly will remain in this situation as long as we determine necessary.”

  “I expect the superior officials will want to run some further scenarios through this energy field as we develop flux mechanics for application in Earth bound use.” Eric was back at the vast underground complex, filing his report in person to his superior.

  “Correct Eric. Your results are spectacular. We have been remote viewing. I must say, the anomaly is quite a spectacle.”

  “Indeed it is sir.”

  “And the protein strings. How did they respond?”

  “As I had expected sir. They transformed the instant we applied flux. In a sense, they evolved in that moment, to a higher order of capacity with an underlying flux state. This means that the strings used in the test, and any others we apply flux to, will be at permanent readiness for the laying down of tacheon emission fields and pathways just above light speed sir.”

  “Excellent! You know what we have in store next, don’t you?”

  “Yes sir, I have been briefed.”

  “Good. Get to work on it immediately Gunter. Also, I think it is time to engage the tectonic variable experiment.”

  “I have that prepared sir. I have been awaiting your authorisation.”

  “Well, you have it. Proceed as planned.”

  “Yes sir.”

  In the months preceding the Agent and then in the years following his return and subsequent reign of terror, humanity had been subjected to control and manipulation, depriving them of their true senses, as they were lulled into dependability and mere survival. Lives realised through love, through pure happiness, and through the spontaneity of human intentions and intuition, were re-shaped into the mould of efficiency from the authorities, or into the realms of despair brought on by the Agent. Endurance had become key yet many failed to endure as they became remnants of self, their last filaments of persona driven into subjugation. This had often been the way for humanity in the many decades even preceding those events in recent times, where humans were shuffled this way and that in order to make progress apparent for a very few elite. But, this was not progress in a real sense it was mostly profit and power, and so as they had done for many centuries, humans formed a mass – a mass of enslavement to the machines they needed in life, and therefore, enslavement to the master of those machines. Then in culmination of this separation, humans looked to these leaders as the people to take them forward, but it was rarely the case, for progression does not stem from the inventions of new machines only – it comes from the realisation of self, yet so many were drawn further and further away from this realisation without their knowledge of how and why.

  The next instalments were soon to arrive, for the days of darkness beset upon the Earth, were ever-present, and beyond those of light. Hope was a notion barely considered, where life was a matter of survival for some, and a downward transition beyond to the Agent’s oblivion. As the masses struggled whilst others became entangled, humanity was at its most vulnerable state, and so the authorities drew upon this, for they were not so unlike the Agent with no regard for regard, and no ideology encompassing self. The machine would unfurl making its presence felt akin to the beast unleashing the discord from its toroidal horns – its mark, not one of numerical proportion, rather of disproportion. With a mere prodding of his finger, Eric Gunter brought on the travesty where lives were to be extinguished with such efficiency, even his nano mechanical mind could afford a moment of impression. When after those brief moments, collectively amassing to fractions of a second as he withdrew his finger, Eric Gunter had engaged the tectonic experiment. Across the Earth where fault lines were in constant shift, and where fault was ascribed to the frailty of human beings, the co-ordinated tectonic event commenced.

  He had spared the already devastated west coast of the United States, but not much else. Great earthquakes almost beyond measure, brought lives crashing down on a scale unfathomable to understanding of all those involved. Buildings became immense sarcophaguses of the times, with their rubble entombing the many, as their destruction cascaded to the ground. In
an instant, hundreds of millions were gone, and hundreds of millions of others were set on a journey to nowhere and of no place. Homeless and without sustenance, they were brought to their knees as the first stop to their payment of the ultimate price.

  Governments succumbed to those who had brought forward this element of existence where elements of construct were transitioned and the authorities were now insurmountable to consider opposing. Only a few who were in cahoots with those giving direction from within the eastern sector, remained to deal with the onslaught of both upheaval from below, and with the great waves that crashed upon their shores, reaching inland like the tentacles of a great mythological sea creature grasping for men on a small wooden boat.

  Then with this news, came yet more news. The authorities could provide for the many stricken and for the many lost, so long as they complied with their directions, for only then would they be given what they needed. The age of dependence had taken a new turn around a blind corner where vision was guided by men with mechanical eyes, and minds of machines, on a journey so very distant from their hearts.

  Eric viewed the outcomes of this event whilst simultaneously compiling data for application as the next move to be taken. Deployment was ready and so it commenced, with machines sent out to the farthest reaches from the vast stores beneath New York City. Robots of menace, unseen previously and therefore unimagined by nearly all, collected humanity to be herded through the gates to trans-humanism, a location nowhere to be founded, except on the highway to despotism, aligned so far from the doings of the Agent, yet so very close in foundation. And for those afflicted with his viruses, it was to be their end, and in many cases their salvation, as the authorities sought them and disposed of them, whilst saving them from the eternal dis-grace of the Agent’s oblivion of futility. They undid the entanglement of ganglia, and filled the holes of despair, depriving the Agent of his manic glory, and of his satiation.