The Cross of Mithras Vol. 1: EOD Operation Welcome to Hell

by Douglas Howell

  “In other words, stand in one spot until it reappears, or go out joyriding until we get back to this time period. And then return back to this spot.” Sayaka said in a sarcastic way.

  “Ah, yes ma’am.” Scot responded. He did not know that she could be sarcastic.

  “Well, look like our little adventure just got a little bit more interesting.” Sayaka mentioned.

  “Yeah, a little too interesting if you ask me.” Lenkov added.

  “Just how far back in time would we go?” Sayaka asked Scot.

  “Suggestive. Five days, seven months, twelve years, two centuries, or even several thousand years. The good news is that you will not end up in anything.” Scot mentioned.

  “Great. Me without my deck of cards. How else are going to pass the time away?” Sayaka mentioned. It caused Joseph to chuckle a bit.

  “One thing first. Could you please do my computer mainframe first? It is indeed hard to maintain my sanity in this place.” Scot asked them.

  “Sure. No problem.” Lenkov mentioned.

  “Goodbye and Godspeed.” Scot said his permanent goodbye to them. Both Lenkov and Omori then “returned” back to their ship for the debriefing of their guests.

  As each of those computers went down the Hau’rino nationals called out their names as if they were apart of their own group. They were: Sheryl Ambrose specialist in reverse engineering ET technology; Jonathan David Rowe expert in the new field of temporal mechanics; Elizabeth Susan Soraci expert in Particle Physics & Interpolation of ET Thought Physics (meaning: figuring out the science within the mind of an ET in an effort to assist others in reversing engineering ET technology.); Adam Vazquez Astro-Paleontologist & ET Linguistic; Darryl “The Brain” Edwards Professor of ET Psychology & Thought Processes; Dwayne “Little Mac” Thurston Supreme Council of Security Over ET Security Tech (meaning; that he handles all extraterrestrial security measure and protocols within the EOD world.); Vincent Andrei Professor of ET Cryptology & Linguistics; Jacqueline Petrini Professor in the theory of alternate realities; and Catharine T. Stefan who held the most PhD’s at fifteen. Collectively they all (including both Scot and Simental) held fifty-six PhDs.

  Sayaka made certain that the last computer destroyed was the one that contained Simental, but before she destroyed it she had her quests collect the backup computers and take it back to The Hammer of Doom and then download everything in those computers. They also placed a remote control detonation on the final computer. And yes, Sayaka was the one who detonated it. It was at that moment that the computers on The Hammer of Doom, the starbase and of course the robotic fleet did a reboot. The alien ship then moved closer, and eight minutes and thirty seconds later, everybody was gone as they all disappeared into another reality.

  (10)

  “What is so important that you find it absolutely necessary to drag me away from my people?” Maxwell asked Iverson who asked him to come to his ship.

  “I need you to help me with something.” Iverson informed Maxwell. Both were in Iverson’s quarters and they headed out to the porch.

  “I didn’t come here to get drunk.” Maxwell said when he saw the bottle of booze.

  “I know… but I did.”

  “What’s the matter?”

  “I’m dealing with too much ambiguity in this data and I need your help in figuring it out. I’m trying to save my crew and I’m afraid that…” Iverson was saying as he sat down.

  “You’re afraid that the fate of my people will become the fate of yours. Or something very similar.” Maxwell asked him. Iverson only nodded.

  “Like I said… I need help.” Iverson mentioned after a brief moment. Maxwell then went into the kitchen and brought back two glasses and a shot glass, then came back and sat down.

  “What’s troubling you about this data?” Maxwell asked after he poured himself a drink. Iverson then did the same. Captain Iverson then showed him what he’d got and why it was bothering him. Maxwell did understand why such ambiguity was causing Iverson so much grief.

  “Wait, say that again?” Maxwell asked.

  “I said that ‘data node suggests that we are all pawns.’” Iverson responded. Maxwell then studied the data a lot more closely and he was starting to see Iverson’s point. About drinking that is.

  “Lenkov once said something that I think may apply here. He said that when it comes to all data that humans collect, interpret, and distribute, you can spot the data that is false simply by looking at the volume of the ambiguity within the data. The greater the ambiguity in comparison with any evidence that suggest something is true, the more likely it is false.” Maxwell was saying.

  “In other words only an Intelligence officer can figured it out.” Iverson responded. He then took a long hard slip on his drink for he’d feared the answer.

  “Lenkov mentioned that all the way back when he was a police detective. And no he never had any Intelligence training.” Maxwell mentioned. That’s only somewhat true. Lenkov did in fact studied the tactics (back when he was a police detective) but only to make him a better detective.

  “So if he was here what would he suggest?” Iverson asked. Maxwell thought long and hard about that and only one thing could come to mind. And it was something that neither one of them wanted to think about – the core tunnels and what had just recently developed there. They needed more Intel on that and neither one of them could wait for it.

  “The core tunnels are obviously far more important than what we were lead to believe. It’s the only way to explain the behavior of the beast army. We need to get inside and find out what’s inside. But the problem lies within…” Maxwell was saying. He then realized that the fate of his people may turn out to be the same as Mad Dawg and his Marines.

  “Then how do you proposed to find out what’s in those tunnels without losing more people?” Iverson asked Maxwell.

  “Robots perhaps.”

  “What is known about the rest of that army?”

  “It divided itself and headed in two different direction.”

  “Any idea as to where they are headed?”

  “No. But given the fact that the first group headed towards a core tunnel I’m starting to think that they may be headed towards one of the nearby core tunnels.” Maxwell responded.

  “Do you know what’s in them?”

  “Only deception since there are times in which the data suggests that they may have been designed for something else. Even if some of them were designed as a core tunnel it may be nothing more than a form of disinformation.”

  “Very elaborate form of disinformation.”

  “It worked didn’t it. We’re confused. And we are the ones who have insider information. And now… think about the enemy and what they would know.” Maxwell mentioned.

  “Maybe that’s it. We’re the enemy.” Iverson responded. He then turned and put in the data into a data node that the core tunnel were a form of disinformation. The result: 100% accurate.

  “Perhaps the lab complex itself is a form a disinformation. If we are truly dealing with the madness of Captain Dawson, then why did the current beast army that he became broke off and headed towards the city of Aruka, and then split up and headed to those core tunnels?” Maxwell asked.

  “Could they have been programmed to do what they have done?”

  “The only way that we are going to know that if Task Force ZH-3C confirms it.”

  “Can we reach them?”

  “I would have to asked Lieutenant Commander North.” Maxwell informed him. Iverson then called North to his quarters. It took North almost fifteen minutes to get there, mainly because of the size of the ship and where he was.

  “You wanted to see me sir?” North asked them.

  “Where were you?” Iverson asked him.

  “In engineering sir.”

  “Why there?” Iverson asked. He thought that North might be in his quarters and enjoying a little R&R like the others.

  “Working with machines is North’s version of R&R.” M
axwell added.

  “Do you want me to stop sir?” North asked Iverson.

  “What? No. I’m glad that you are making yourself useful. Keep up the good work.”

  “Is it possible to send some type of coded communiqué to Task Force ZH-3C? Their current location is somewhere within that monster producing factory.” Maxwell asked him.

  “Yes. But it must be very short and can only be done from the lab complex.” North responded after he gave it some thought.

  “Any drawbacks?” Iverson asked.

  “The message can only be sent twice. Without using Sayaka’s techniques our window of opportunity is cut down by half. Fifteen minutes on the first, and seven and a half on the second try. However, her techniques will take time to implement and since she is not here there is no guarantee that it will work. I’m sorry sirs, but that is the best that I can do.” North responded.

  “How long will it take you to implement either?” Maxwell asked.

  “Without her techniques thirty minutes tops. With her techniques… immediately. But me and my engineering staff must do it.” North responded.

  “It’s your call Xavier. I have full confidence in North and his team’s abilities.” Maxwell stated.

  “Let’s get it done now.” Iverson stated after he took a long hard slip off his drink.

  “Are you sure sir? We won’t get this opportunity again.” North informed him.

  “Yes.” Iverson responded.

  “Sir, I need to use your captain’s console to create a connection with the lab complex computers.” North informed him. Iverson then gave the go-ahead. Almost six minutes later North said to Iverson, “Sir, this is the point of no return. We won’t get this chance again. Do you wish for me to proceed?” Iverson didn’t hesitate he only nodded.

  Eighteen minutes later they got a response from Task Force ZH-3C. They received the message and they will try their best to get back to them. It took more than a half an hour for them to do it, but they finally was able to retuned the message as: “Suspicions confirmed. Program detected.” But what was not mentioned is what it took for them to get that message through. The team could have been wiped out of existence. But all of them felt the urgent need to do their job.

  “We now have the data, so let’s see what it says.” Iverson mentioned after he’d received the data from Task Force ZH-3C. Both him and Maxwell was going over the possibilities of what might be in the data and only one of them could give a 100% accuracy. It was the thought that civil war between the Founder and his wife was also a war between their monsters. That in a matter of speaking all of the monsters that they were dealing with were allied with the Founder and what was in those core tunnels were the monsters that were allied with the Founder’s wife.

  “Why won’t the bitch’s army come out and play? Why stay in the mothering hole?” Captain Maxwell asked Iverson.

  “Maybe they are waiting for the rest of the Founder’s beast army to attack.” Iverson responded. Both of them got sober from all the waiting that they did. And now they’re back to drinking. They were both drinking for the exact same reason. As Lenkov puts it: death or dishonor, honor equals alcohol. Neither one of them would argue against that right now.

  “I know it’s not the alcohol talking, but why do I feel sick to my stomach?” Maxwell asked.

  “For the same reason that I do.” Iverson responded.

  “Yeah but you could leave at any time. You still have your ship. Why do you choose to stay? Why didn’t you just leave?”

  “I’m a honorable man and I don’t want to pick a loser in this fight. If Lenkov and Omori is right then I want an exit plan for me and my crew.”

  “So who do you think is the loser?” Maxwell asked through slurred speech.

  Iverson smiled in an effectuate way and said, “It reminds me of the designation of The Hammer of Doom - B10U. I like that. Beating you. She was such a beautiful ship. There was a part of me that wish that I served on her. I now know that the EOD is the loser in this fight. But somehow I…”

  “You what?” Maxwell asked.

  “Nothing. I just want to listen to this song. What kind of music did both Joseph and Sayaka like?” Iverson asked. It caused Maxwell to chuckle.

  “Music from the 20th and 21st century. But it’s all types of music from that time period. Their taste in movies are no different. I asked them once if there is a cutoff time period and they said that it was 2030 and beyond. I asked them why and they said that they didn’t care that much for toilet culture. I kind of found that odd since they would watch B-rated movies but not what they called C-rated movies. What they meant was that it was even worse than a B-rated movie and thus crap. But I also learned that their taste in music started to narrow down to that of rock, hard rock, southern rock, classic rock, and a little bit of whatever they are in the mood for. But their taste in movies never changed over the years. They are the sole reason why The Hammer of Doom has such a huge movie database with at least maybe 10 thousand plus movies in it.’

  “Wow! That’s a lot for one ship.” Iverson mentioned.

  “Really. They are also the sole reason why the ship has three movie theaters.”

  Both of them then just sit back and started to listen to the music. And thirty-three minutes later they finally got their biggest break. The first came in the form of ground intelligence when one of the beast army survivors admitted that they broke off the engagement only because they learned that Medusa Pandora was no longer at the lab complex. And the second came from Lieutenant Commander North who finally stated that they finally understood Sayaka’s little gift to them.

  The SAI of Sayaka would ultimately become the EOD nightmare that would greatly assist all those who wished to rebel against the EOD. Although it would take a little more than a decade for the EOD to defeat it, the damage that it inflicted upon the EOD was far more than enough to cripple it where it was used in the most wise manner. For those who abused it, didn’t respect it, choose not to understand it, or those who expected more than what logic would permit, the SAI of Sayaka only allowed them to stand up to the forces of the EOD temporary before they are crushed in the most ruthlessness manner for the EOD will no longer tolerate such behavior. And that was their undoing.

  (11)

  “Were are we?” The Hau’rino male asked everyone.

  “Wherever that wormhole took us.” The female Hau’rino mentioned.

  “I know that. But where?” He asked her again but she only shrugged her shoulders.

  “Never mind about that. We got to make certain that the aliens don’t try to infiltrate this ship.” The lead Hau’rino male mentioned.

  “We have to buy time for the computers to reboot.” The lead female Hau’rino added.

  “How long will that take?” One of the females asked.

  “Sayaka guessed that it may take as long as a few minutes, but she added that given the state of the computers…” The male was responding. He stopped because he didn’t want to mention it.

  “What?” The female asked him.

  “She said years. Years, with emphasis on the word years.” He responded.

  “Unless you want to spend the next few years in the dark, I suggest you figure out which doors those aliens are going to come through.” The lead female Hau’rino ordered them.

  “Cargo bay. Far side. Furthermost from us.” One of the females mentioned.

  “Why there?” The lead male Hau’rino asked.

  “To do the unexpected would be to attack us. But we outnumber them five-to-one. What’s more they don’t know what’s on the inside. We have the tactical advantage.” She responded.

  “And how do they know that we outnumber them?” The lead female asked.

  “When we landed on that world I was monitoring them. So I know that they were monitoring us as we were landing.” She responded.

  “Alright then. Let’s ambush them.” The lead female mentioned.

  “Ah! Just like at Yine’no’da.” One of the females ment
ioned. It caused a couple of them to chuckle a bit. They then left and headed there very quickly. Each one of them beat the aliens to the area and had time to prepare.

  The three alien females, each of whom was at least somewhere between five-foot-three to no more than five-foot-seven, arrived on the ship. Thinking that they arrived onboard undetected they began to move through the cargo bay. Each of the Hau’rino nationals was studying them. Learning how they moved and interacted with each other. When they seen enough they made their move. Being androids they didn’t need to shout or make hand signals to one another, they just only need to make their move. It also helped that they were once apart of the hive. Although that may seemed a bit cold and callous it wasn’t. Their fears were one and the same. And so were their strenghts and weaknesses. They could make their move without given a single thought to their own survival.

  Despite the size difference and the numerical superiority those three alien females were able to hold their ground and proved their worth. It may have been nothing more nothing less than android versus android, but it was still a fair fight. Both sides were desperate trying to get the upper hand. It was going nowhere, a virtual stalemate. Both sides were equal within all that the other side possess. It could go on forever until one side bulges or make a mistake.

  “Ei’ttha’na uoostle da ai tha’sha’tha!” One of the Hau’rino males yelled out. It meant: ‘Suck them out the window!’

  “Ye’da’ta no noni’yl wyda’ttl!’ One of the Hau’rina national shouthed out. It meant: ‘You so fucking crazy!’

  They then started to move into a new position with one of them moving to acquire a rope that was long enough for each of them to hold on to. It was at this point that the aliens started to realized what they were planning on doing. But it was too late for them and it didn’t take long for them to be sucked out into space. While they were waiting (for who knows how long) they were dancing and celebrating (and being drunk) until they finally got a message that suggest that the computers are finished and is in the process of rebooting.