Of Crimson Indigo: Samuel Nomad's NEW AMERICA

by Grant Fausey

  Trinod Rex on-the-other-hand introduced him to the plot and counterplots launched by a small band of rebels. The future course of mankind was at stake. The Industries created an alternate future to all the known universes. One from which Trithen Kellnar could rule the corridors of time itself. The gateway at Echo Pass was a nexus: A platform from which the Industries could delve into an infinite number of universes. A place they called the Netherlands. They were altering the course of the future to rid themselves of the enemies of the state. The Industries existed for only one purpose … to rewrite history, to recreate life in its own image. In the beginning man had created the machines. Everyone remembered when he or she was common and useful. But as time passed, the machines became more complex, faster and even more accurate. Of course, the computer was born. Mankind worked along side the computers. They became his friend, his companion, even his entertainment. They controlled his education and his finances. Until finally, the tide turned and a change had been entered into the universe, an irreversible change. Man worked for the pleasure of the machine. They controlled his life, his liberties, even his happiness, and as a result, the Industries were born. The universe became the playground, and mankind pawns in a regeneration war that nearly destroyed man's first civilization. Only the strong survived. Entire worlds were destroyed in favor of the new matrix; in place of the nexus from which the future of the universe had been altered. But in his infinite wisdom, the creator of the universe, the Source of all things, gave mankind a second chance.

  He had spawned mankind from a new home ... an insignificant planet in the Eden sector of another universe. The creators of machine-kind countered the threat and launched a counterplot to rid the universe of mankind forever. Riel Ben Tolar had uncovered the plot, and thanks to Samuel Nomad and a tiny band of Senators, the doorway to oblivion was closed. A small group entered this new future to the universe. Riel Ben Tolar had only just escaped with his life. The Industries had followed his return; countered his moves with replicant beings in ways he never dreamed possible. They copied life itself down to the finest details, to the point of altering the original reality. Mankind was in jeopardy.

  Samuel took a deep sigh. What transpired bothered him. The fate of the universe had been laid out before him, and there was no way of knowing who was real and who was not. Even his newly found friends were suspect. If what they told him was true, and they were who they said they were, then he had no choice but to choose sides. The choice was going to be a difficult one. Michael Tyler came forward and stood beside Samuel Nomad. He smiled at Samuel. "I've been there too," he said with a bold heart. "I've stood on the steps of eternity and watched the Industries destroy what took mankind million of years to construct. Every time I think about it ... it disheartens me."

  Samuel grinned, ending with a half smile like an unsure coward, his eyes tearing up, watery. He had heard some amazing stories, but never had he heard such a plea for help. This was mankind's darkest hour...and whether or not he wanted to be, he was a part of something he couldn't even pretend to understand. His old professor used to say ... "Lu da la terra, nuggay, muranda. (The quick red fox jumped over the moon)." Samuel felt like the quick red fox.

  "All right," Samuel finally agreed. "What is it that you want me to do?" The answer was more than even he could imagine. The body of Torge and the Colonial Mayor fell onto a pile of burning bodies. The Governor Colonel stood at the far end of the platform, next to the ramp of his shuttle and watched carefully.

  "Flashburn them, he said, shouting at his officers. "Along with these others," he continued with a snarling glare. "I want anyone with rebel affiliations rounded up. I'm implementing an imperial decree of special emergency. No one is to enter or leave the city."

  He turned to face one of his officers directly. "Tear this place apart," he decreed. "I want answers."

  Hansen played back the tiny flight recorder, seeing Vex Redford as he stood up walking away from the countless hours he had spent in front of the replica of the pillar of light. His dismay was clearly visible on his face. He had gone too many hours without sleep. It was all he could do to keep his eyes open.

  "Mains," he said addressing the computer. "Any further contact with the runner?"

  The airwaves filled with static. The main computer was still off line. The time quakes had increased in frequency, doubling in strength over the last few hours. It wasn't like anything he had experienced before, or ever would again, if the repair crews couldn't get Mains up and running to full capacity nothing would be left. Vex Redford looked around. The room was dark, except for the image of the pillar. The display hovered above the center of the conference table.

  "What are you!" Redford shouted, angrily. His world was falling apart and there wasn't a thing he could do about it. Another quake struck. The whole of Shangri La began to shake. It was a low rumble he heard that seemed to emanate from everywhere. But it wasn't coming from within the earth. The ground wasn't moving. The conference table started to rumble across the floor. A piece of equipment collapsed, falling off a shelving unit that crossed the far end of the room. The lamps and overhead projectors popped and sparked. Vex Redford backed away from the window, being tossed relentlessly across the room. Then he saw it: A distortion wave emanating into existence in the forest just beyond where the Shangri La Mansion was hidden in the jungle. It was as if the universe had opened up and spit out a bubble. The surface raced across the edge of the expanding ball, like a balloon expanding to an enormous size. Another one occurred, exactly as the first. Then another. Each time quake was the opening of a doorway … an inter-dimensional gateway between universes.

  Something, or someone was entering Vex Redford's present a piece at a time, but for what purpose? "Katrina Malee," shouted Vex Redford loud enough for the entire station to hear.

  "Go ahead," answered Katrina's voice from amongst the sound of smashing glass.

  "Meet me in med-lab," shouted Vex Redford.

  "There's nothing left down here!" she answered. "Just meet me!"

  "On my way!" Vex Redford heard the door swish open and closed before he could reach the exit of the conference room. Katrina was going to be there long before him. But it didn't matter. What he had to say he could have said over the intercommunications device. But it was more important to tell her in person. If they were going to die in favor of some new matrix entering their universe, it was best he said what he had to say face to face. Vex met Katrina on a whim. A mere bet. For the most part, it was nothing more than a blind date. He was twice her age. She was young enough to be his daughter. But that didn't matter to Vex Redford. Not when he first met her. The wind chilled at his back. He remembered the events of his life as if had known Katrina all his life. The mere shock of seeing her was like a reestablishing of boundaries. She was on one side. He was on the other. They knew everything about each other, as if they had grown-up together over a long, rewarding childhood. He knew everything about her. She had known everything about him. The first remarks were anything but casual: intensity surged through their bodies captivating them. The excitement was nothing less than electrifying.

  Vex knew he had known Katrina before, somewhere, sometime. They had been soul mates; travelers in the vast cosmos of the Sources' universe. They had been lovers. He was certain of it. And so was she. Their eyes met. Interlocked in a gaze as blinded by love as any two people had ever sought. Theirs was a reunion, filled with understanding and passion. Eternal vigilance set in an orchard of life that spanned time itself. Nothing in the universe would separate them. Nothing perhaps, but time itself.

  Vex Redford felt the surge as he entered the Med-lab. Broken glass, chemicals and smashed instruments crisscrossed the floor in a maze of gooey power cords. The place had been trashed. Torn apart by the violence that was unleashing itself upon the universe. Tears ran down Katrina's face. Vex Redford drew closer. Touched her arm, taking her hand. He pulled her close as the next eruption in time shattered the foundation of the fortress. Shangri La was comi
ng apart.

  The distortion wave cut across the threshold of the Mansion, rippling across the confines of the Med-lab. Then he heard it, the moans that cried out from the corner of the laboratory. Their visitor's distress echoed an endless endurance of unwanted pain. An agony withstood and tolerated. Vex Redford searched through the wreckage, relentlessly. Ruthlessly. Endlessly. Like a madman bent on his own destruction. Glass crashed against the walls. The wooden luster of the cavern walls shattered and cracked, splintering into shards of wood that pierced the surroundings with extreme vengeance. Vex's world was coming to an end, before it had a time to begin. Katrina's eyes traced across his face following the curves in his brow; before her was a man covered in anguish, tormented by his own failures and shortsightedness. There was no corporate takeover of his universe, only the virtual elimination of its existence. Mankind was being systematically erased to the tiniest microbe. Fate dealt him cards that couldn't be played. He had a losing hand with no way out.

  "I love you," said Katrina.

  "And I you..." answered the tired and tormented man of her dreams. The waves of distortion expanded, slicing through the very heart of Vex Redford's universe. His last breaths spilled out in a loving embrace that coupled them forever. Eternally. The future held no place for them, or their mockery of humanity. Only their love would survive. Only the essence of what made them who they were could continue. Regardless of how hard the Industries would try to destroy them. Life within the Source would prevail. Life was more than flesh and bone. More than an existence that transcended time, or coerced space. Life was the gift of the Source, an intelligence to reside beyond the boundaries of reality.

  Laura Anne Walker watched as their world disintegrated, returning to the fabric of the universe. Nothing was left, nothing at all. The stored data reenactment ended and Hansen cried; his companions no longer existed.

  – 23 –

  AFTERMATH

  • • •

  THE THIRD UNIVERSE

  THIRD DIMENSION

  Samuel Nomad stood at the edge of the frontier, watching as the threshold of darkness filled the border worlds of the Netherlands Nexus. The gateways of Echo Pass glittered with the essence of an inter-dimensional disruption. The fabric of space had disintegrated. An entire universe had simply ceased to exist. Samuel watched as Michael slumped, remembering. His numerous years were taking a toll on his being. Not more than three weeks ago, he had stood on the floor of the council. At the great hall of audiences in the Earth Corporate Alliance headquarters on Earth. He had asked the Chairman himself to contact Trinod Rex. The fate of the universe was dependent upon how fast they reacted.

  "I was there, Samuel," Michael said to him, bluntly.

  "You were no more there than you are here!" Captain Denarak said to him, stepping into the light. Samuel's eyes lit up, opening wider than table saucers ready for the evening meal. He stared at him. Looked back at Captain Denarak behind him.

  "You're him!" he announced. "You're just a younger version of him. This is insane!"

  "Not at all," the Captain said to Samuel. "He is a construct; A mere replicant of the original. Not a clone exactly, but another version of me, from the other side.

  “The other side?" asked Samuel, confused by the sudden appearance of Captain Denarak. Michael Tyler stepped up. "I'm no more a duplicate than you," he said to the Captain.

  "Perhaps not," he answered. "But I am the soul of the Captain, so that makes me unique. Unto myself, so to speak." Michael Tyler nodded, agreed with him.

  "But I too am a part of the Captain," he said belligerently. "Just because we were born in different universes do not make me any less the original than you! We experience life on many different planes of existence, Self."

  The Captain agreed and for the first time; had a different light with which to look at the world. Perhaps it was possible that they were one and the same person. Maybe. Just maybe, the soul did experience more than one possible solution to any one encounter. Who was Samuel to dispute it? Any one pleasure or existence; perhaps that was how the Source learned and we evolved. The concept, at least, wasn't beyond me. After all, in another incarnation the captain had returned to the beginning of time with a woman he had engaged as a companion during the expedition to find the one world universe of New Haven. But that was centuries ago. Or at least, it seemed like it. Was this really him, thought Samuel, was this the Captain Denarak he was looking at, or some duplicate sent to do its bidding? Samuel didn't have answers. It was certain he had no idea of what was going on. He was worse off than he imagined.

  "Samuel," said the Captain. Michael Tyler looked up. "This is a difficult situation even for us."

  "Don't do anything stupid, okay. We have to figure this out."

  "I don't want to harm a part of myself," said Samuel strangely, "...and into the light came a darkness..." said Michael Tyler, "...and the universe changed forever." The Captain agreed. Samuel, on the other hand disagreed. He didn't know which way to turn, or which one to believe. It was definitely a sticky situation. One could figured he should let to some higher authority decide. Mankind wasn't ready for an infinite number of anyone being yet. That was something he was in agreement with. He had to play it cool, at least while he was in this nut house.

  "It's possible he was the one and the same Captain Christopher Denarak that sailed the stars a couple of billion years ago, but how could he still be alive?" Samuel looked to the Michael Taylor he knew. He huffed and looked up at the Captain. "Look," he said confidently. "I don't know if you're who you say you are, but if you've both had the same experiences, but with different outcomes ... well ... wouldn't you consider that enough evidence. It's more than a coincidence?"

  Michael Tyler nodded, agreeing with him. "So did I," he said plainly, oblivious to the statement Samuel Nomad was trying to make. He stepped down off the platform and stood next to Samuel Nomad and the Captain. Together they looked out over the ruins of a lost universe. "I've come from afar," he said to the Captain. Samuel stared at him, expecting some great philosophical statement, but got none.

  "And I've come from..." the Captain stopped. There was no recollection of where he came from. The universe of which he was apart was under siege. Being systematically disassembled even as he spoke. It didn't matter whether he was Denarak, the good doctor, himself or even Maccon. He was a part of the universe that made him, and he was dying, they all were. The fact remained. The universe was dissipating a molecule at a time, under duress. Time shifted again. Trinod Rex could feel it in his bones. The universe was fighting back, but it was a losing battle. He found himself looking at the universe through unconventional eyes. His link to Vex Redford had been severed; cut off by some unknown factor. All that remained was static and gibberish. The professor had said something about his universe collapsing.

  "Main Frame," shouted Trinod Rex. "Replay the last communication with Vex Redford, but in slow motion this time!" Static continued to flood the intercommunications network. Then the channel closed completely. Nothing else existed. The link was terminated at the source. "Link terminated. No further contact possible," announced Main Frame. "Unable to comply with request." The screens went dark.

  "Tracker recovery to base … request permission to land. Trigen Three Four do you read me? This is Zez Lee with Flatbed Eight. Returning to Campus." The statement was impossible. Zez Lee and his companions, Brian Thomas, Jake Stern and Jennifer Riggs, were off universe hopping, on a mission to recover Flatbed Eight from his own visionary nightmares. Trinod looked up at his computerized counterpart and nodded his agreement. "Standard landing procedures, Trigen," he said to his counterpart figuring maybe some other Trinod Rex, in some other collapsing universe had seen fit to shuttle his people to him.

  What else would make sense, he thought? Trigen set the necessary procedures into operation. "Recovery initiated."

  "Very good," snapped Trinod Rex. "Bring them home." Trigen extended his body until he looked like a beanpole. His snappy little head whirled aro
und to face the computer boards in the center of the operations center. He flicked a switch with a verbal command and the screen lit up with scrolling data. "Readout confirmed. No humans aboard."

  "What:" screamed Trinod Rex. "Where in the hell are they now!" Scanning available data."

  "No. No," shouted Trinod Rex. "That's not what I'm asking."

  "Clarify," requested the computerized counterpart.

  "No ... no ... it is what I'm asking for. It's just that I wasn't expecting an answer that's all..."

  "Understood. Data log confirmed … Crew aboard Starship Submariner. Current location: Netherlands Nexus. Passage via Echo Pass confirmed, transcendental fields in place. Current universe placement in dimension four.

  Destination at this time concurs with New Haven." "With what?"

  "New Haven. Legendary city-state. Also known as the one world universe..." "I know what it is!" shouted Rex. "Get me Thompson. I want him to get his ass out of there right now, before he loses it!"

  Trinod slammed a fist on the table, anger spouting like lava from a raging volcano––really pissed. "Who the hell does he think he is taking a hundred million credit piece of machinery into Nomad's land."

  Trigen backed off, keeping his distance.

  "Damn it!" Trinod Rex continued. "Trigen! Open a channel to the submariner. I want to talk to Thomas. If he's not available I want to talk to Jake Stern! I'd better at least let them know what they're in for!”