“How is a sleep cycle related to the second skin?” asked Miboj.
“The nanobots form tendrils in the cerebral cortex during sleep,” explained Jirza. “Once that happens, they cannot be extracted. Tolum and I are refining an algorithm developed by Ikato that will enable the tendrils to communicate directly with the brain in wavelength frequencies instead of printing commands on the second skin arm piece.”
“You would have to wear the second skin through a sleep cycle to test that,” said Kevak. “You would become a host, and the nanobots would be, for all intents and purposes, parasites.”
“I intend to be a healer,” said Jirza, “and this is the commitment that is required. You are all aware of how Tolum and I were genetically enhanced so we could do the bidding of our makers. We did terrible, unspeakable things, and through this second skin invention, we hope in some small way to make amends.”
“Don’t berate yourselves unduly,” said D’Hal. “The Newlunders partook of blood just as you did.”
“Could others be fitted with the second skin if they too wish to become healers?” asked Miboj.
“I’m afraid it’s not possible for Newlunders,” answered Ikato. “The tendrils would perceive your cerebral implants as foreign bodies and attack them. The healers of the future will come from my children and your embryos.”
“That’s as it should be,” said D’Hal.
“How, specifically, will the nanobots be used on the Newlunders?” asked Miboj.
“They will quarantine all residue of human cells,” said Ikato.
“Quarantine, not destroy?” asked D’Hal.
“Precisely,” said Ikato. “If they were programmed to destroy the cells, then like any other immune reaction, there is the potential for Vambir cells to also be targeted.”
“Why have the trace human components made the Newlunders ill?” asked Kevak. “And why now?”
Ikato shrugged. “It could be environmental — Earth levels of carbon dioxide are slightly lower than Vambiri.”
“If the human components are degrading, isn’t that a good thing?” asked Miboj.
“Not if they bind with Vambir cells in the process,” said Ikato.
“We can begin treating the Newlunders whenever you are ready, Primus,” said Jirza.
“There’s no time like the present,” said D’Hal.
RISK
Large Hadron Collider
French-Swiss Border
2045 AD
“Shut it down!” exclaimed Devonna as she waved her arms.
“What happened?” asked J’Vor.
“Higgs-Boson particles become metastable at energies above a hundred billion giga-electron volts,” explained Devonna. “From the Kuiper Belt data, the energy required to generate the same wormhole is going to exceed that.”
“Are you saying it’s impossible?” asked Jasper.
“I’m saying there’s a risk of an expanding singularity,” said Devonna.
“What would happen then?” asked J’Vor.
“An unstable wormhole could leak dark matter,” said Merk.
“Or emit a gamma ray pulse,” added Devonna.
Jasper and J’Vor immediately looked at each other in alarm.
“What’s wrong?” asked Devonna.
“A gamma ray pulse is precisely what ravaged Vambiri and set in motion the panicked evacuation that resulted in the Isla setting out for Earth,” said J’Vor.
“I thought you said the Vambir did not have wormhole technology,” said Merk.
“It could have been a secret project,” said Jasper.
“A secret project that went wrong?” speculated Devonna.
“We need to shut this down and regroup,” said J’Vor. “Perhaps we should even wait until the particle accelerator in low Mars orbit has been completed. We don’t want what happened to Vambiri to be repeated on Earth.”
Devonna guffawed. “The Mars accelerator project is still in the planning stages! That’s just fine for those of you who won’t look a day older fifty years from now.”
“If only we had more data,” said Merk.
“The only way that’ll happen is if another wormhole from Vambiri is activated,” said J’Vor. “Be careful what you wish for.”
ATONEMENT
Planet Vambiri
Earth Year 2045 AD
Kwetz winced as he felt the nanobots seeping through his skin.
“It won’t last long,” Jirza assured him. “I have the same sensation in reverse every time I administer a treatment.”
Jirza had worn the second skin through a sleep cycle, and it was now permanently part of her physiology.
“The Newlunders have made a dramatic recovery,” said Kwetz. “Why shouldn’t it be the same for me? Why shouldn’t it work for my mother?”
Jirza sighed. “Don’t get your hopes up, Kwetz. Both you and Vrin only ingested the blood of Aztec sacrifices.”
“So what?” asked Kwetz.
Jirza shrugged. “The human trigger was different in the Newlunder cells. In order to synthesize a specific treatment for you and Vrin, I would need blood samples, but the Council has strictly forbidden any travel to Earth.”
“Then if this doesn’t work, there’s no hope,” said Kwetz, “since the wormhole mainframe was decommissioned.”
Jirza smiled. “Knowledge can never be decommissioned,” she whispered.
“What do you mean?” demanded Kwetz.
“If Ikato was smart enough to figure it out, then so can others,” said Jirza. “The next Primus won’t be so closed-minded about the technology. I’m sure when the time comes we can convince him or her to reestablish the link to Earth.”
“Not even Ikato’s children would agree to that,” said Kwetz. “The blood addiction—”
“Tolum and I have been doing secret research on inhibitors,” said Jirza.
“Go on,” said Kwetz.
“Now that the nanobots are permanently part of our systems, we have learned how to manipulate them mentally,” said Jirza. “We can command them to target the specific receptors in our brains that trigger cravings.”
“That changes everything!” exclaimed Kwetz.
Jirza shook her head. “Do you really think that would make the slightest bit of difference to D’Hal or your father? Anyways…we still need to see if this treatment works.”
Ikato walked toward them, followed by Arkani and Betana. “Kwetz, do you mind if Arkani and Betana observe? They are to be the first Touch Healers of my children! Arkani has completed her studies and will wear the second skin through a sleep cycle in a few hours. Betana will be ready to do the same by the end of the month.”
“I am happy for you to observe,” said Kwetz to them. “And when I have recovered, I too plan to be a Touch Healer.”
*******
“He actually believed the blood of Aztec sacrifices was different from all other blood?” asked Tolum.
“He did, Brother,” said Jirza. “I know it’s difficult for you to understand, since you are governed by logic. Kwetz desperately wants to cure not only himself, but his mother as well. Emotions are blinding him to the facts.”
“How very human,” snickered Tolum.
“I’ve planted the seed,” said Jirza. “He believes that a cure can only be found by analyzing blood samples with Aztec DNA.”
“And the only way to obtain them is by returning to Earth,” said Tolum. “That seed is germinating as we speak.”
*******
“Father, I am going to become a Touch Healer,” said Kwetz.
Kevak paused for a moment to decide whether he should debate the point with Kwetz. Everyone knew that Kwetz’s system had ebola antibodies, and they were the reason he was ill, since they were also targeting Vambir cells for destruction. No one was going to risk infection by being treated by him.
“The nanobot treatment did not work for me because it was specifically designed for the illness the Newlunders were suffering from,” said Kwetz. “Jirza told me if I become a Touch He
aler, then I could train my mind to communicate with the nanobots.”
Kevak’s face lit up. “You could mentally order the nanobots to protect the Vambir cells targeted by the antibodies!”
“Yes!” exclaimed Kwetz. “And if I could heal myself, then I would dedicate the rest of my life to finding a way to restore Mother to health.”
“Iam be praised!” whispered Kevak. “I have prayed for so long that a way could be found to put the unpleasant business of both of your experiences on Earth behind you.”
“I want Mother to be well again,” said Kwetz. “I was too young to remember what she was like before the gamma ray catastrophe.”
“I remember,” said Kevak with a faraway look in his eyes.
“All will be well, Father,” said Kwetz as he opened his arms.
Kevak offered up a silent prayer of thanks as they embraced.
*******
“If he’s able to heal himself, then he won’t want to leave,” said Tolum.
“He won’t be able to heal his mother,” said Jirza, “and at that point, I’ll reveal to him how the only way to accomplish it is through the ingestion of human blood.”
“It’s only a theory,” said Tolum.
“A theory that sprang from your computer brain,” said Jirza. “Nanobots uniting Vambir and human cells — a metamorphosis that combines only the positive aspects of both!”
“A transmutation,” said Tolum, “according to Ikato’s zealots.”
“We’ll need to take our time,” said Jirza. “The longer he is forced to watch his mother’s decline, the easier he will be to manipulate.”
EXODUS
Wind River Reservation, Wyoming
2046 AD
Mazatli Pocatello tossed and turned in her sleep. A voice was calling out to her.
“Maz!”
In her dream, it was the voice of Quetzalcoatl. She could hear him clearly, but he was nowhere in sight. She was back at the jungle outskirts of White City and was furiously cutting her way through the thick undergrowth to get to the temple.
“Maz!”
The voice was booming in her head, and she could feel an intense pressure building up behind her eyes.
“Maz!”
She woke up with a start, but the pressure behind her eyes remained. Running her finger behind her right ear, she cried out in pain when it made contact with the tiny lump — a high-pitched ringing was triggered that completely incapacitated her.
The wind outside began to roar, and she felt the reverberations of a huge thunderclap in the distance.
Then, as quickly as it had started, the noise was gone.
She got to her feet and stumbled out of the wigwam. Looking up, she could see the stars in a cloudless night sky. The air was thick with the smell of ozone. As she turned to go back inside, she heard approaching footsteps. Against the backdrop of the moon, she saw the silhouettes of elongated heads with pointed ears.
“Quetzalcoatl!” she cried. “You have returned to me!”
*******
Planet Vambiri
Kevak was hard at work constructing a “Unification Bible” from prayers and liturgies that were common to both Vambiri and Earth. Several bible stories had a corresponding tale in the Lowcaste oral history — a plant of knowledge that was partaken of without permission; a great flood; the enslavement of a chosen people and the coming of their deliverer; and ten identical rules by which to live.
Even the names were nearly the same: Adam/Akam, Seth/Sehet, and Noah/Nowat, to name a few.
So many similarities…it cannot be a coincidence.
His thoughts were interrupted by a low rumbling. The table in front of him began to shake, and the noise became more intense.
He had experienced this before. The rumbling just before the gamma ray burst!
“Ikato! Report!” he shouted into his palmcom.
The whole room shook, and a shelf of antique books from Earth tipped over, but thankfully that was the extent of the damage. The rumbling quickly died down, and Kevak thought that was the end of it, but suddenly the sound of explosions peppered the air.
“Miboj! Report!” ordered Kevak.
“The particle accelerator has been powered up, Commander,” said Miboj.
“Where is Ikato?” asked Kevak.
“He’s been injured by falling debris,” reported Miboj. “He was supervising the Touch Healer volunteers during their sleep cycle.”
“He was nowhere near the particle accelerator?” asked Kevak.
“No, Commander, he wasn’t,” answered Miboj.
“What are the radiation levels?” asked Kevak.
“Standby,” said Miboj.
Kevak could hear the clicks of Miboj’s detector as he swept it around.
“Gamma particles are within acceptable limits, Commander,” said Miboj.
Kevak heaved a sigh of relief. “Have all available scientific personnel report to the particle accelerator to investigate,” he ordered. “I’ll meet you down there.”
*******
Lifeboat, Arctic Circle
Skype Conference
“Where’s the epicenter?” asked Merk.
“Somewhere in Wyoming,” said Devonna.
“It’s Pocatello!” exclaimed Tariq. “Kwetz is bound to be involved — Pocatello’s communication device must have been incorporated into the telemetry.”
“We need a live satellite image,” said Emanui.
“Done,” said Tariq as he entered the coordinates.
“Go to infrared,” said J’Vor.
“There’s definitely a heat trail,” said Devonna.
“Did they come through in a ship?” asked Emanui.
“A ship would have left a huge thermal signature,” said Merk, “and there’s only a tiny hot spot where they exited the wormhole.”
“There’s no ship,” said Jasper. “The incoming data indicates that the vortex opening was just over four feet in diameter.”
“That wouldn’t even be wide enough for a stasis pod,” said J’Vor.
“I’ll try running the heat trail through some filters,” said Jasper.
Everyone watched as each filter cycle enhanced the image. After three cycles, the outline of Vambir bodies in single file could clearly be seen.
“They’re on foot!” exclaimed Emanui.
“Tariq, can you get a reading from Pocatello’s device?” asked J’Vor.
“I’m not picking up anything,” said Tariq.
“We need to get there before anyone else,” said Jasper. “Power up the shuttles.”
*******
Planet Vambiri
D’Hal watched as Betana slowly passed her arm over Ikato, who was still unconscious. Betana’s sleep cycle had only just begun when the rumbling started, which meant the nanobots had not yet formed tendrils in her cerebral cortex. The second skin flashed as her arm hovered over Ikato’s hand.
“There’s an electronic device just underneath his palm, Primus,” she said to D’Hal. “I’ll need to generate a magnetic field around it so the nanobots won’t attack it as a foreign body.”
“No,” ordered D’Hal. “Remove it.”
“As you wish, Primus,” she said as she picked up a las-scalpel.
“Miboj,” said D’Hal into her palmcom. “Report.”
“I’m with the techs at the particle accelerator, Primus,” said Miboj.
“Was Ikato’s mainframe reassembled?” asked D’Hal.
“No, Primus,” said Miboj. “It appears that another one was built from scratch and set to self-destruct as soon as the travelers passed through. Several charges were also placed at key positions around the accelerator. Nearly two thirds of the tunneling has been reduced to rubble.”
“Travelers?” asked D’Hal. “How did they manage to get a ship into the chamber?”
“There was no ship, Primus,” said Miboj. “According to the sensor readings from the vortex trail, its diameter would have been too small to even accommodate stasis pods.”
D’Hal struggled to comprehend what she had been told.
Ikato insisted that any unshielded organic matter would be destroyed!
“Who’s responsible?” asked D’Hal. “Who’s missing?”
“We have been unable to locate Tolum and Jirza,” said Miboj, “and Kwetz is also missing.”
“Where is Kevak?” asked D’Hal.
“The Commander is with Vrin,” answered Miboj.
*******
“What do you mean he’s missing?” demanded Vrin.
“The particle accelerator powered up, and a vortex formed linking Vambiri to Earth,” said Kevak. “That’s all we can say for sure right now. Tolum, Jirza, and Kwe — I mean J’Vor — are missing. Miboj is taking a roll call of Ikato’s children as we speak.”
“Impossible!” exclaimed Vrin. “J’Vor would never willingly return to that infested hellhole! We all know if he ingests blood again it will kill him! No…he’s still here somewhere. Maybe the rumbling dislodged some rocks and they fell on him. He could be lying unconscious while you go about making accusations!”
“Vrin,” pleaded Kevak, “please try to remember — did he do or say anything to arouse your suspicion?”
“I begged you to let him live with us,” retorted Vrin. “You were the one who insisted that he be housed with others of his age so he could develop social skills.”
Kevak’s palmcom buzzed with an incoming message. “It’s the Primus.”
“Is there any news?” asked Vrin.
“It just says that I’m to meet her in the computer lab at once,” said Kevak. “I must go, but I’ll keep you updated.”
He bent down to kiss her forehead, but she turned her automatic chair away from him.
*******
Wind River Reservation, Wyoming
“The wigwam’s just up ahead,” said Tariq.
Upon opening the makeshift door, they were greeted by the sight of what appeared to be a desiccated mummy lying on its back with the arms outstretched. The hollow face seemed to mock them with its skeletal smile.
“It’s Pocatello,” said Tariq.
“Look at all the bite marks!” exclaimed J’Vor. “She’s been completely drained!”
Emanui bent down and tilted the head to the side, exposing an open wound behind the ear. “The communication device was ripped out of her.”
The Nosferatu Chronicles: Return to Vambiri Page 11
