First Light: Book one of the Torus Saga

by Berg, Michael

  “Do you know how they made it to the cabin?” he began thinking of his assailant.

  “We were told it was Mike,” Raynie replied. “Only Mike.” Again, the Agent saw she was speaking the truth.

  “Did they tell you about me being assaulted?”

  “No.” Nobody at the cabin had mentioned Mike’s assault on the Agent and Raynie and Jake were now grateful for not knowing anything about the incident, feeling certain Agent Eight would likely try anything to extract some type of revenge.

  “Did they tell you about their visit to the high rise?”

  “Yes.”

  “What about it?”

  “They said they went there to see an old friend of John.”

  “What does this ‘old friend’ do?”

  “They didn’t say. Just that he was an old friend and that they had taken the trip to see him.” This was all John had said about going to see Raman. He had only mentioned it briefly without going into any details, or giving Raman’s name.

  “What are your friends doing?”

  “They are looking into ways to avoid getting ID chips.”

  “You know that nobody can avoid the chips – they are mandatory. How are they going to do this?”

  “I don’t know exactly but they are working on technology.”

  “What technology?”

  “I don’t know what it is called.”

  “What about you,” he looked at Jake.

  “I don’t know either.”

  “How does it work?”

  “Something to do with creating a false signature.”

  “How can they do that? They don’t even know how the ID systems work.”

  “Again, we don’t know,” Raynie replied this time.

  “Have you two got anything? Any of these false signatures?”

  “No.” She was thankful they had disposed of them as she could now tell this as the truth.

  “What do you think is about to happen on Earth?”

  “We think the authorities are going to take away people’s freedom,” Jake answered.

  “And?”

  “And…um, turn people into emotionless slaves to service this machine you so highly regard.” There was still no evidence of lying on the scanner.

  “That is all?”

  “Yes…for now.”

  “What do you mean ‘for now’?” The Agent was getting tired of the interrogation, as he was obviously not obtaining any tangible information he could work with. He decided to give Jake an itch for a couple of seconds, making him whimper a little in anguish. “Don’t get smart with me. For now, what?”

  “That is all we know. But I guess we will know more as time passes.”

  “Know more!” He laughed at them. “You will only know compliance. You and your friends are powerless to stop any of this with your little pathetic efforts at dissidence.” He gave them both another itch. “Remember what I can do to you.”

  “Are you finished playing the fool Agent Eight?” his superior bellowed. “We need to get information, and not play your silly little games of self-indulgent nastiness. Get on with it!”

  More condescendence. He was getting very impatient with the whole thing and had just about had enough from Superior Officer One. “You know we are going to hold you here until the identification systems come on line don’t you?”

  “We had guessed that,” Jake replied.

  “Well you guessed correct. And you know what? I am going to take great pleasure in giving you your injections myself!”

  “Keep to the questions. I don’t have time for your little fantasies,” his superior was herself growing tired of this interrogation method and was beginning to doubt her Agent’s abilities again.

  “Do you know why we are going to release you instead of keeping you here permanently, or killing you?”

  “Yes,” was all Jake said.

  “Yes what?”

  ‘Yes sir!”

  “Don’t get bloody smart again,’ he gave Jake a two second itch. “Yes, what?”

  “We figure you are going to track us so that we might lead you to our friends.”

  “How very perceptive of you. Again you are correct. But this time, you will not have a choice in the matter. Do you hear me? You will not have a choice!”

  The interrogation concluded and Agent Eight instructed a guard to take them back to their cells. He then turned to the holographic projection of his superior officer, “Do you have further instructions?” He wanted to keep her satisfied but only to the extent where she might decide to end her involvement in this case. He was wrong.

  “Yes I do Agent Eight. You are to report everything you learn about these people to me. You will keep me informed every single step of the way. Do you understand this? And…you had better get more than this pathetic interrogation session gleaned out of them!” She shut down her projection. Suddenly he was alone in the cold light of the interrogation room. He liked this. It was one of the few things he did like, but it was based on hate. He liked to be alone, as he hated any stupid minds interfering with his work and his thoughts.

  **********

  Jenna was in a spacesuit inside a tunnel one hundred yards beneath the lunar surface, powering up the holographic bank she would be used to analyse results from the mining equipment testing. “OK, I am ready to commence real time analysis,” she said through her helmet communicator to the mining team leader. Testing commenced on schedule and she began to see the results coming in. Figures looked nominal on the holographic display as the protein strings floated in mid air directly in front of her – a sight almost artistic in a way.

  By the third day, all had proceeded according to her expectations, without any occurrence requiring her expertise. She decided to talk about it later with Lyle, though she would need to stay alert as everything was being monitored at the mine.

  “How did it go?’ he asked her when they were both back in the cupboard a few hours later.

  “Same as yesterday, and the day before, and… Lyle?”

  “Yes?”

  “I cannot for the life of me understand why they have brought me to the Moon if all I am going to do is report nominal results day after day – something one of my associates or even a student of protein mechanics, could do.”

  Lyle sensed her frustration and his eyes indicated to the surveillance device inside the cupboard, “I guess they wanted the very best here to make sure everything works.”

  “Yeah, you are probably right,’ she replied picking up on his cue. “How are your results coming along?”

  “Very similar. I have analyzed all of the mineral and radiation properties in this location and there appears no cause for concern due to the mining tests.”

  “No contamination?”

  “No, none.”

  “Hmm…during the earliest days of the protein research and I mean earliest, contamination was definitely an issue.”

  “How do you mean?”

  “Well the first work was done on Earth. During some of the first tests, proteins were accidentally released into the atmosphere. This was bad for human beings. As they are organic proteins, they were able to lodge inside human bodies and attach to the existing proteins and grow.”

  “Sounds ugly. What did they grow into?”

  “Oh nothing life threatening, more disfiguring.”

  “Disfiguring?”

  “Yeah. They grew into lesions and cystic type growths. Human bodies proved to be the perfect hosts actually. Whilst the proteins could attach, the human immune system was put into overdrive to fight them.”

  “But if they can attach, wouldn’t the body accept them?”

  “Yes and no. Due to their synthesis and therefore being artificial, the endocrine system had a hard time dealing with them.”

  “I see.”

  “Which meant there were the natural elements of protein integration missing. They were too perfect and so overloaded the system, with the resulting growths. Basically they confused the white
blood cells.”

  “Did they decontaminate people?”

  “Mostly. Some will struggle with the effects for the remainder of their lives, and others were able to make full recoveries. Tests showed it depended on the strength of a person’s DNA gene endings, or Telomeres, and the amount of exposure to the proteins. The body was effective in slowing the protein duplication processes but it could not stop them. And from this discovery, we invented the nano technology now widely used to maintain Telomeres.”

  Chapter 29

  The next three days passed without incident for Raynie and Jake as the time to system startup for the identification chips drew nearer. Agent Eight did not come to see them at any time, and so the guards who delivered meals were the only people they saw. Their conversations were limited by their physical separation, so they kept to shouting out short checks asking each other how they were feeling.

  On the fourth day Agent Eight paid them as visit. “Only two days now,” he told Jake with a freely expressed look of hate on his face. His superior officer was not watching him now so he felt able to be himself. “How do you like needles? Personally, I see myself as a poor physician, so I guess it is going to hurt when I carelessly shove it into your arm. You can scream. Oh yes, scream all you like. The pleasure will be all mine.”

  “You are a hateful man,” Raynie said from a few cells down.

  “And you are a pathetic woman,” the Agent replied as he walked towards her cell. “It is a pity you are not in handcuffs. Perhaps you would like to? Any more crap like that and I won’t hesitate to make you itch.” He was now looking into her cell as she sat on the thin mattress atop a steel platform. “How is your bed? Looks comfortable.”

  “You don’t.” Raynie felt a similar condescendence towards the man as his superior did.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You don’t look comfortable. You haven’t since the first time we saw you.”

  “What the hell do you know? I am the one calling proceedings here aren’t I?”

  “No.”

  “What!”

  “I get a feeling it is your superior who is calling proceedings and you…you are just her little lap dog.” Raynie couldn’t help herself. She was not in hatred of the Agent but she knew he would react to her.

  Agent Eight drew his weapon and pointed it straight at her through the holographic cell bars. “You like being smart don’t you…”

  “Leave her alone,” Jake yelled imagining what was going on.

  “Oh, your little friend here wants to protect you. But he can’t can he. He is useless in there like an animal.”

  “You are the animal.”

  Agent Eight lost control and fired, the shot hitting Raynie in the leg, “ Now see who is the animal. Look at you crying and flailing about in pain. Do you need to be put down? Should I do the humane thing?” He was being entirely sarcastic, as he had no sense of being humane.

  Raynie was wincing, as the pain from the shot radiated throughout her leg. “Lucky for you that was a localized stun. Your poor little leg will be better tomorrow. After all, we need you to walk to the clinic so I can give you an injection, don’t we?”

  He left the cellblock, laughing at the sounds coming from Raynie’s cell and at Jake calling out to see if she was alright.

  **********

  Jenna and Lyle had continued with their work on the Moon and both of them were feeling a bit flat. Their results had not yielded anything out of the ordinary so far and the initial excitement at being on the lunar surface was long over. Also troubling their minds were the impending identification chip systems coming online in two days.

  “I’m worried Lyle. Do you know what I mean?” The surveillance system was operating.

  “Focus on the results of your work. I am sure you need not worry - it appears as though you have what they need.”

  “Could I turn the system off?”

  “Possibly…” Lyle knew she was talking about disengaging the devices John had given them. They were both worried they had been over cautious. By having a live authentication for someone who had not been identified as having had the chip injected, could raise suspicions. And, with all data to and from the Moon passing through an analyzing filter, there was no way for John to disengage them remotely from Earth without creating a big security risk. “How do they filter the data anyway?”

  “It is like a net catching any data. Nothing can escape aside from a faster than light transmission and the authorities are still in the process of refining the technology, so it does not really exist as yet.”

  “Flux mechanics?”

  “Yes.” Jenna replied knowing Lyle was referring to John’s recent data teleport work. “They are not strong enough to send over distance outside of the atmosphere yet. It has something to do with gamma radiation. Someday soon though I expect they will get past it.”

  They awoke the next Earth day and saw an additional Lunar Lander had arrived during their sleep period. When Jenna looked to see who it was so far from Luna One, she immediately recognized the same military person she had seen at the base. This aroused her suspicions and Lyle’s, when she told him the news. Aside for the extra craft, operations at the site appeared to be continuing normally, but the presence of the military told Jenna and Lyle something else.

  As per usual, they worked at their respective holographic banks analyzing data and filing reports. The mining had been progressing successfully with the protein strings increasing its capacity tenfold over the previous systems. This enabled much faster drilling into the bedrock and was proving to be exactly what those who were in charge were seeking. Lyle was going through real time environmental data as the mining drills sent information back to him at a constant rate. He could see the holographic readouts showing the rare elements and minerals as they had previously, along with data analyzing the immediate effects for contamination from both the protein strings and the physical drilling itself. All looked nominal.

  Jenna was herself, carrying out the tasks in situation at the mining face as she had done on all the previous occasions. No indications of any rogue string anomalies were found, and the drive systems were performing as expected, again. ‘They really want these elements fast,’ she thought as the drilling continued, ‘I wonder why?’ There was nothing she could think of as a reason for the urgency in this operation. Her scientific knowledge of the latest developments in technology gave her no further insight than her own personal curiosity.

  Lyle’s mind began to drift a little away from his work, which had become routine like Jenna’s. His thoughts turned to Chan and how he had known he was traveling to the Moon. Further to this, he recalled the discussion with Chan about how the Moon was seen in many cultures as a giver of life as it gave way to the sun each day. ‘It seems a long way from there to here,’ he thought. ‘This place is so remote…I can’t think of anything to do with Chan from all of this.’ An alarm then sounded and he immediately returned to his work, after first cutting the sound.

  The readout was showing something unusual so he entered a sequence to see if it was real data or some error in the system. He checked it again and again. The results were all the same. Something else was there in the rock. The data showed a definite feedback from an unexpected substance. As each scanning wave bounced back and forth, it appeared to be getting stronger. He adjusted the settings on the holographic readout to encompass a wider variety of elements, minerals, and radiation. There was no change, other than the constantly and exponentially growing feedback of data outside of the parameters he had established. He made a few more adjustments to include crystalline forms and precious metals. As he did so, something even stranger appeared in the data. It was if the data itself was taking shape.

  At the same time, Jenna had also begun to receive strange readouts. Thinking it was some type of error building, she entered some equations in a hope to stabilize the readouts coming through, but it did not work. ‘Very weird,’ she thought as she tried yet another sequence. There
appeared to be a radius coming through in the data. The radius of a circle and she began to think the mining operations had come across some type of crystal or precious metal with a sub structure of a circle. She then corrected her thinking and made some further adjustments to detect hexagon and octagon differentials, seeking to observe any infinitesimal changes resulting from the variables now showing in the hologram. No change occurred - in fact the circular definition became even clearer. Then another circle became evident and according to the data, it appeared to be rotating about the same plane as the first circle, yet not intersecting the first circle. The mathematical off spin was begun exploding with enormous amounts of data becoming evident as hundred of equations emerged and kept coming.

  Jenna, like Lyle, then thought of radiation and made some other adjustments to investigate. As the holographic image intensified, so too did the shape she was beginning to see. There were no radiation readouts other than the nominal readouts she had seen. It baffled her…until she had a sudden realization. The data was showing her there was a torus within the rock and the mathematics were now evident in the hologram, confirming her intuition.

  Simultaneously Lyle could see the torus, prompting him to increase the spectrum analyzer to focus on crystalline particles. The emergence of the torus continued and his data showed it was comprised of a crystalline sub structure. He was now looking at a crystal torus floating within the hologram.

  Jenna’s excitement was almost too much to hold back, but she kept composure, instead focusing on scanning as much information as she could. Within a few seconds she had a clear image, similar to Lyle’s. In a flash, she tried to make more sense of the data, her mind racing. Then after entering some more sequences, she detected additional information including what appeared as a torsion wave. Then she saw it and knew what they had found – it was a crystalline torus and it looked similar to the image they had seen in Dunhuang. Within a second of realizing this, her entire holographic bank shut down, leaving her standing there in front of a blank control unit. Simultaneously, Lyle experienced the same event and he stood there aghast for a moment, until Jenna contacted him, “I assume you saw that too?”