First Light: Book one of the Torus Saga

by Berg, Michael

  The maintenance robot slowed from eighty miles per hour to zero within a few seconds and they all lunged forward scrabbling around for pipes and hoses. A few seconds later it sped off, dragging them with it. Within another five seconds it was at full speed, challenging them to fight against the acceleration G forces. After so much running, they thought they were at the end of their tether, but they held on, and on, and on.

  Tobias was first to the top and offered a helping hand to anyone who could take it. “Get up here, there is flat section.”

  Indeed there was an even flatter section of humanity unfolding. Despite the advertisement of the curfew now being relaxed so people could stay out until ten at night, the announcement came new conditions. “Due to the high crime rate in the fringe areas of cities, the authorities are looking into ways to secure protection of your family and your status. High crime is still a problem in these areas and to combat this, the authorities are ensuring your safety with the deployment of new technology.” The holographic message was everywhere. People considered this a just cause as crime rate were still high in the fringes, and outcasts had been making intrusions into the wealthy areas. Many people in the wealthier areas spoke about their disgust for those who stole and would not work for their status. The authorities had told them of the deployment of new technology, but they did not say it would be weapons enabled robots. In response, most people accepted this new measure as part of the authority driven security measures to provide them safety, and so most people assimilated this into their new psychology.

  When John, Tobias, Asper, and Lorraine saw this message the following morning as they stood watching a holographic broadcast in West Oakland, they all knew what was behind it and what would be done. They had escaped the weapons robot at the tube, which had followed them along the lengths until they had managed to get far enough ahead. It was capable of running and using Vandervals force to stay on top of the tube, but ultimately it was outpaced. Their first objective after escape was to visit John’s contact in Oakland, who provided them with an upgraded version of the cloth used to disperse their ID chip signals.

  Chapter 49

  Carmel and Tim were now ready to make the second contact to find the scene. The previous day they had met at the update station, only to be given directions to meet at another, and then be given more information. This time they were given directions taking them back near the café they ate at the day before, “A bit of going in circles,” Tim said. “These things get like this.”

  “It seems like it Tim.” The information came and they were directed to meet someone that evening, who would determine if the couple was to be allowed any further details.

  “Carmel?”

  “Yes.”

  “Tim?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ll take you. I’ve been watching you. Come with me then we can talk.” They walked two blocks, and then went into a street level inner city apartment. It was not like any in the high-rise – there was disorder everywhere. It was not dirty, just messy - the occupant unconcerned with tidiness.

  “What do you want?”

  “Just to meet this scene. I am interested, that is all.”

  He turned to Tim, “and you?”

  “Same here. I was in a sce…”

  “I don’t want to know about that. What do you want to do?”

  “Live. Really live,” Carmel replied.

  He looked at her for a few seconds, “Are you an official? It’s a standard question.”

  “No”

  “Me neither.”

  “I can believe that. What do you think?” Their interviewer relied heavily on his own gut feelings about people when he met them.

  “Think about what?”

  “Anything.”

  “Um…life! I think or feel life. Whatever comes along with that makes me happy.”

  “What about you Tim?”

  “I feel similar. I don’t want to see the world the way it is going. It would be good to do something about it.”

  “I see. Where are you from?” They told him where their individual homes were.

  “Why are you here?”

  “To find friends,” Carmel spoke for both of them and he knew it.

  “Why?”

  “They think like us.”

  After thinking and looking them down for nearly a full minute, “OK, you’re cool. Go to this address,” he handed them a piece of paper. Carmel could not remember ever having seen a paper message before. “Knock twice. Eight times each. They’ll let you in. But it is all night. Doors still lock at nine. This curfew relaxing is suspicious to us. You better go now. Be there by nine at the latest.”

  “Alright Thanks.”

  “Yeah thanks man.”

  “We’ll see. Bye.” They left the apartment and elected to go straight to the address he had given them. They knocked twice times eight and the door opened just enough for them to squeeze through.

  People inside were definitely into sensory stimulation. Lighting effects, holographic art, music, and dance flourished throughout with eager faces reflected in their many glows. “These people want to know. They want to live,” Carmel said as her and Tim found a table to sit at. She noticed one group looking at holographic photography – the images floating in full three dimensions in front of them. They were looking at photos of beautiful landscapes and looked to be using them to induce creative bursts of poetry, which they were saying out loud at random. Another group were spinning holographic art works, making their images come to life and result in a new image.

  She heard the music, unlike any she had listened to in the high-rise. It was hypnotic, full of rhythms and audio sensations Carmel she felt compelled and drawn towards. People were dancing to the music – they were fluid in their motions, and in harmony with the music. She loved the exhibitions before them and Tim noticed how she appeared to become even more aglow with life.

  **********

  Being held by the dark sect was not an interesting experience. They had remained in the same room for days with barely any contact and barely any food. The five of them sat and lay down waiting for just the hours to pass. They had no idea on what they would do next, or how the sect would treat them.

  The sect was all busy aligning the Torus in their vortex amplifier. Aside from their rituals for finally obtaining the Torus, they had all been trying to get it to work. So far, they had not achieved what they set out to do, and some degree of frustration was creeping in. Their leader was trying sequence after sequence, but he could not align the Torus properly for the static current flowing about the two horns to transfer and remain stable across all three Torus. When he saw his latest attempt result in a fluctuating charge, he had lost his patience, “What did they do to this thing? I bet that old man has something to do with it.” He ordered Chan to be brought to help him.

  “I cannot help you,” he said standing and looking at the amplifier. “Your stupid mind cannot see this? Why did you bother to even ask?”

  “You will help me old man. What did you do to the Torus?”

  “Nothing.”

  “What do you mean nothing?”

  “I mean nothing. It is activated – I know you see that. But we did nothing. The Torus did it.”

  “Did what?”

  “It.”

  “What is ‘it’ old man?”

  “Activate.”

  “How?”

  “I cannot tell you that. I don’t know how. I can feel it though.”

  “Stop taking me for a fool old man. What is this ‘feel’?”

  “Feel it.”

  “Feel what?” he was becoming angrier.

  “It.”

  “Stop testing me old man!” He grabbed Chan by his collar. “I can make you talk. We have viruses on standby for that. One little injection. Yes, just one, and your brain will cooperate.”

  “Not with you. It is your lack of understanding.”

  “I understand perfectly.”

  “Do you?”
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  “Now you are pushing me old man. I want to know what you did to the Torus so we cannot align it properly with our schematics.”

  “I didn’t do anything. You did. You fail to see. You are blind. This is not yours to keep. It belongs to no-one.”

  “You are incorrect old man. It belongs to me…to us.”

  “Not for long. It is not the way. Some day you will lose it. I suggest you give up. You will never align the Torus in your machine.”

  “Oh but we will.”

  “How? You can try your nano technology virus. It will not give you answers because I do not have them. It is the way…simple.”

  “We will see. Take him back to the room with the others and do not give them a meal for twenty-four hours. We will see if they get hungry enough to speak.”

  Chan was taken back to the room and locked in. No surveillance was in place and so they talked freely, though quietly.

  “What did they say,” Raynie asked.

  “Silly stuff. Asked me what we have done to the Torus.”

  “Why?”

  “They cannot get their amplifier to work. What they don’t know is that is already able to work. They just want it to be perfect and this is their present undoing.”

  “What’s wrong with it?” Jenna asked.

  “The static charge is flickering. They think this is because of the Torus not aligning with their schematics.”

  “You can bet they will get angry about this,” Lyle said.

  “They already are. They always are – it is ‘their’ way. Failure to understand is also their way. They ‘think’ they know the answers, but that is a finite place. There is no end to answers…or questions.”

  “When you say it already works…?”

  “Yes. It works but not as they would like it, if…they find out how to use it. Vortex amplifiers are dangerous and require one to be alert to use them properly for amplifying the energies of vortexes. These sect are not alert. They are mostly alarmed. Ha…yet they want to be the ones who appear as alarming. They are blind to themselves.”

  “What do you think they will do?”

  “Probably use it to create vortexes that can send matter into a flux state. But it won’t succeed and that is the danger. They can influence too much energy in subtle ways that can pose interruptions. The recovery from these types of interruptions is slow, because they lack elemental intentions.”

  “But they do recover?”

  “Eventually. It is the underlying love of creation that is giving, which brings the balance back. They cannot utterly destroy this, but they would like to. Over time, the balance will restore. The Tours is a representation of elemental energy. It too is an amplifier. I don’t know why and how it was created, but it exists. I have thought many times on this and I can only come to my personal conclusion. It is the foundation intentions that reside in all planes connecting and manifestations reflect this in creations. I think the Torus is one such creation. Perhaps in times past when it was created, there felt an intention to communicate and amplify the elements in response to the heart. It is natural for beings to manifest these items. They serve as an expression of within.”

  “So why did this not continue? The Torus would be bright pink by now.”

  “I think it is part of the loop. The Torus activating is probably the impetus to continue. This loop has carried on and people forget. The Torus is also a reminder. It is a message.”

  “But how can it hold power Chan if it is just a diamond?”

  “It does not hold power. It is a meridian connecting point or channel for energy. The sect knows of this, and seeks to use this meridian as a means to have power.”

  “Can they win…um get power?”

  “Oh yes. They have it now. The onus here is if they use this power, then the loop will begin another cycle. At these times, the loop could take longer to recover and then if humans miss that chance, then lives will continue to lessen in quality. And with an unstable vortex amplifier such as they have, there is much danger to occur of they use it.”

  “Danger?”

  “Yes. The creation of unstable vortexes could result in many interruptions to progression. Use of their amplifier can render nano technology to be full of much more devastating virus incursions than this dark sect have sent out o people so far. What we need to understand is to retain our focus for we have done what we can do for now. It is this time focus on alignment of elemental intentions, particularly if they use the Torus. Significant damage can be done if they are able to decipher merely part of its potential. This is perhaps a natural state for the Torus and this sect are the ones asking questions at this time. They seek answers like the authorities do and they, like the authorities, will do what they can to fulfill their ego desires. This is all a component of progression and so for the Torus, and perhaps us, progression will continue eventually. We may not see anything like this at present because of our situation, but all does and will change come the appropriate time.”

  The sect leader was trying everything he knew to get the static charge to remain stable – it was not improving. He was angrier by the minute and wanted to explode, but retained his composure at this edge of losing self-control. He steadied himself and thought for a moment, then he applied another test – it failed. He remained poised as if ready to strike with his hand unwavering over the holographic controls. The he gave in. He gave in to his internal rage. He gave in to his demons, and he gave in to desire for power. Within two seconds he had decided to try the amplifier despite its unstable state. He entered a sequence.

  Immediately it responded with a loud crackling. It surged and hummed and the three Torus appeared to glow together. For a moment he thought it would overload, but it didn’t. There in front of him was a holographic projection, representative of the energies being amplified. It showed a vortex swirling and floating. But it was not aligned and so it began to fluctuate and change shape. This impressed him, though not enough. He stood for a moment and decided he was still angry, so he sent out their first attack by the machine, without any concern about instability.

  The coordinates for the virus had been set. It would be their first such thing with all three Torus in place. At light speed it traveled to places, and into the processors of places. With immense power it brought systems down and attacked others. People across cities were agonizing in pain and the authorities security measures failed. Human beings were suddenly thrust into places they had never dreamed of - the pain was so deep within and with it came a dreadful sense of being sucked out of existence into darkness. For a minute, millions of people around the world were afflicted with desolation of self, and then…the instability caused the virus to break down and slowly they returned to their now normal nano assisted state of health, though still affected by the HAARP network transmissions of deprivation of emotion and motivation. Their implants rounded off the last receptors of the pain – struggling to process it fast enough. And they all went together to their machines, and to update stations as soon as they could in effort to beat the virus sent from the dark sect.

  During this virus alert the authorities had themselves suffered an attack and it would be a day before they could provide a security update. Over the course of the entire twenty-four hours until it came, millions lived in utter fear of pain inside of themselves, fear of their worst nightmares, and fear of the dread. Unknowing to all involved from the authorities, to the public, and the sect - the virus had started a quantum cellular conversion. There was an unseen force now at play – a force that could unwind the integrity of DNA building and interrupt the very fabric of the human genome…the fabric of life. This could spell disaster much greater than the numbing blandness of efficiency coming from the authorities – it could re-determine human destiny and evolution. It could unwind human destiny and evolution.

  The dark sect leader was somewhat happier than before. He was aware of the potential of the virus he had sent and he hoped those who received it, experienced something like never befor
e. He laughed out loud and others about him joined him.

  “What are you laughing at?” he demanded. “Get back to finding a way to make this work and a way to steal my space ship. Yes. It will be mine. You are all too pathetic to be given such rights. Now go!” They all did as they were told without a single contesting word.

  Later that evening they would tell him his space ship was on a heading to Earth. He would smile at this and at the thought he could use the Torus whenever he liked…they liked. He saw himself as leader – ‘the others were utterly pathetic,’ he thought, and so his ego craved more power he would take as his when he had the ship and he would lead the sect on a rampage using his minions, the ship, and the amplifier.

  **********

  Agent Eight was nearly at the moment when he would try to escape Mars. So bold was his plan he had decided to steal one of the three spacecraft and return to Earth on automatics. He knew the authorities would try to remotely take over the ship whilst they tracked him all the way. But he had intentions for this. He would disable all the interfaces simply by blocking them with an overload of commands. His had easily retrieved all the data required to create the dump from the system hack he had made with a projector whilst being held in a cell at the Mars base. He even made some up, mostly data babble just to make sure. The automatics would continue all the way to Earth, and when he arrived, he would demand status and he would point out to the authorities that he had actually done them a favor by stealing the ship. So inefficient it would be seen, for such a thing to occur.

  He had ways, he had methods, and he had ideas kept secret behind his bland face. He never gave them away and nor would he until he was untouchable. The ship would be his vehicle from here and to well beyond there. And if they failed to do this, then he would destroy the ship and himself and resign to his madness in eternity. He had nothing to lose…except exile in the asteroids, and he had no time for that.