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Matt Hein / Fantasy / Strident | |
| Chapter Six, Revelations and City [Anachronistic_Skies] Editing attempt v- 1.0 Part One, Act One Like a poor soul lost amongst the turbulent and vague seas of this seemingly nonsensical voyage, he once again found himself at a beacon of hope, although its shadows of doubt stood out greater than its radiance. Awaking into this perceived second reality, Dash found himself to be standing at the corner of a busy public thoroughfare, this time decked out in a fine black suit and a briefcase in his hands, as though he were another face to assimilate with the austere and nearly automated crowd of it, although citizens scattered by the rains seemed sporadic and rare. Day after day, the same ignorant citizens continued their ingrained procedures, filing throughout the cities through transit to settle in their cozy offices; to record paperwork whilst their terrestrial brethren fought wars of futility and their bureaucracies continued their authoritarian reign in the name of security… It seemed to him as though the voice had arrived from within his subconscious, an oddly deep, but unrecognizable tone to it. Men were regarded by the bureaucracies as simple numbers, no more no less, political pawns allocated to the universities to become further indoctrinated to government policy. Those whom dissented were cast aside in the very manner a bird forsakes her young whom have contacted the foreign. Once again, the disembodied voice called to him from within his mind, as he closed his eyes, standing at the center of the crystal thoroughfare, his hair and suit matted with moisture. “Speak further, I command of you…divulge your identity…” Dash thought, anticipating an answer, although it did not arrive directly. Pondering the odd set of occurrences, the swordsman began to ask himself why he should appear at such a place once again. Some sort of paranormal symbolism, perhaps? A hidden message, the lone rune which could decipher the enigmatic code of a concealed meaning? He had seemingly renounced the city earlier, casting it aside the very day he had arrived at LaGuardia, only for the memories to resurface countless times thereafter. Speaking with the enigmatic man should have proved remedial to the situation, but only aggravated it. As the he stood there in thought, contemplating his situation, the howling of the wind and stinging of the icy rain at his face prompted him to seek shelter, as he walked across the now reflective pavement, approaching the awning of a austere café. The usually occupied atmosphere now nearly vacant, only two officers wearing trench coats stood there in waiting, as though anticipating a ride on public transit. One, reading his PDF device spoke, as Dash approached adjacent to them. “Damn…Public Service must be stalled at the hour… according to my chronometer, we should have received transit thirty minutes ago…” “Probably a system error…the CPT has been logged with service calls lately due to that disaster at Albatross…” “What about it? The internal administration failed to notify our department on the details of the incident, besides their very vague ‘summary’ of it. Have you heard anything as of late?” “Nothing really…seems the government is practicing their obscurantist policies again. Don’t the citizens have a right to know of their administrator’s operations? Foisting every small outbreak as a ‘security threat’ seems implausible to me…” “It’s odd, though…I mean, the facility has such a great reputation of publishing studies, and all of a sudden it crashes. I don’t think this is ‘mismanagement’, but rather something else? Sabotage, perhaps? KGF involvement?” “Who knows, but their reputation is slipping. This article was written less than twenty hours ago by the Tribunal Bureaucrat…’Scientist indicted for selling chronological information; links to Albatross’.” “Chronological information...was that a slip by the press by any chance?” “No, just speculation from what I’ve heard...the scientist in question refused to answer on grounds of his innocence. But still, the question remains; why is the government researching weaponry?” “Who knows…I’m sure public relations will ‘sort’ everything out eventually by preparing a compelling address to avert the subject…what’s your take on this?” “I would say they’re deceptive, encroaching and misleading. The reception of countless questions fielded towards government officers is the standard turn-the-other-cheek procedure. You would believe that the public has the right to know, even three centuries after the last dictatorship of terrestrial earth died out. How ‘sophisticated’ are we as a society?” “Sophisticated enough to detain citizens without mention of crime, then torture them to divulge information, without regard to innocence.” “Those were the so called ‘political conversion’ summits, eh? What about the Inter Regional resolution of 1968? Is that any longer in place?” “The resolution still stands, but do you actually believe one would abide by the law, when in fact, no entity exists to enforce it?” For a silence, both men stopped speaking as the Officer with the PDF scanned for additional information, the other withdrawing a cigarette from his pocket, lighting and drawing in the smoke. “You need a cigarette? They’re nearly impossible to find these days…” “Raiding the evidence drawers again, eh?” He replied chuckling as he accepted the cig, looking off towards the distance, still anticipating his ride. “Did you find any illegal information? Intellectual contraband, I surmise?” “I managed to uncover a small pro democracy pamphlet by a ‘terrorist’ faction known as Antioch. The enforcer department ordered me to burn it, but I decided to do otherwise…” “About democracy? Is it even existent any longer? I mean, ever since the state burned Jefferson and Locke’s works a hundred years ago...then the abolishment of Spirit of the Laws…” “Montesquieu? He went with the bible as well, I suppose? Speaking of which, why did they place a label of illegality on religion, then impose prosecutorial policy on those whom followed a faith?” “God save us all...the state considers faith in a deity as a breach of allegiance! I’d rather die than relinquish my bible...” “A lot of citizens have already considered taking insurgency stance, but few actually follow through. Are you willing to risk life and limb for freedom?” “To risk my death, or submit to a meaningless existence under the authoritarians? I’d much rather die, comrade, than kill my fellow countrymen in the name of security. But defense against what? Two decades ago, the government completely decimated the terrestrial world.” “There isn’t much left below the sky sphere, either, eh? I recall a scientific report stating that the fog below us is actually remaining ash content from the retaliatory nuclear strikes. How could something like that last for over a decade? Isn’t the AWRL terrestrial bound?” “Yeah…it’s situated somewhere near an archipelago… they called it ‘LaGuardia’…” “LaGuardia?” Dash thought to himself, as the man continued. “From what I can surmise, the convenience of the machine ultimately drives men to ignorance, and serves as a mere divorce from reality. How longer can humanity remain stoic? To face an opponent armed with a barrage of missiles instead of policy?” For the duration of a short second, a high pitched alert emitted from the PDF device, as the officer turned to see his transit approach, a look of relief on his tired face. “Finally…what the hell took so long?” He asked, as the streamlined mechanical feathers of the avian craft reclined to reveal an intricate display of electronic and mechanical apparatus. Its rear positioned hydrogen jets cooled from the rain as though processed through a forge, a sense of direction beckoned him to follow their suit, approaching the mechanical entryway to the craft. Suppression is only temporal. You’d believe that recollection of the past can simply be ignored? To turn the other cheek every time a thought haunts you? Conscience serves many purposes… Another foreign thought pulsated through him, the rough voice channeling its thoughts with some source of telepathy. “Who are you? What the hell do you want?” He asked, no response forthcoming. As both officers passed through the entryway, only to have a barrage of scanning screens, scopes and lenses analyze their genetic makeup, identity, and personal information, the security clerk granted them access, as Dash proceeded through them, the readings of the screens at a negative. Attention passengers, all transit towards the executive Departments of the MIA requires a security clearance of level four or higher. Check with attendants for further information. Thank you for your patronage to the LCSAS. As the gateway doors closed securely with a hiss, and the craft started into ascent, an odd resonance seemed to emit as well, although it subsided rather quickly. Glancing towards the rather stately aisles of the transit, the swordsman was pleased to find it rather unoccupied, save for a few sporadic travelers and state personnel browsing through the transit supplied computers, as they casually sipped their coffee served by attendants dressed in fine attire. The atmosphere almost antiseptic, even the spiraling metallic staircase to the side seemed to meld in with the austere environment, leading to a secondary cluster of seating overhead. Taking several strides across the central aisle of the elegant ship, the finely vented floor absorbing the moisture from his feet and suit with subtle notice, he noticed the brilliant illumination of the convection lamps to his side and the azure reflection of the display screens strewn about the ship’s seating clusters. The screens alight with state sanctioned media productions and local news, it seemed the only sight of interest could be seen through one of the windows as the city behind them disappeared into the fog, the ship approaching another sector. Peering towards one of the more remote clusters adjacent to several officers, the enigmatic man with the violet hair sat once again, drinking a cup of coffee as he reviewed a fresh newspaper innocuously. As Dash approached him, without warning he lowered his paper and nodded with approval, eyeing his watch. “Back already, Rezka? I say, I must have underestimated your instincts…to follow those words not spoken, but whispered about the wind…that is the true essence of an Antipode. I commend you…” “Why do you continue to address me as this ‘Rezka’? I’d prefer the name Dash…” The swordsman replied as he took a seat. “My word, Rezka…I address you by your true name due to the inherent fact that you seem to look upon your heritage and past with modesty, with little reflection. why do you continue to dismiss the past, to stray from speaking of it?” “I have grown attached to those whom surround me…Kimiahn and Skye in particular…I have a harnessed fear of losing them due to expression of arrogance. Why should speak boisterously of the past, my race?” “To feel…compassion? Such concepts of humanity I have so long abandoned since my earlier years… Hatred, fear, envy, animosity…all washed away by the machine…by Seed Reasoning…” “You claim you abandoned these principles? Or were they bereaved from you?” “Rezka, two thousand years ago, I was much like you, a high ranking officer like my fellow compatriots, divided between duty and morality. Placing my trust in morality over life, I was terminated by the state, only to have my life reinstated by the chrysalis,…but my humanity was purged.” “Reinstated? You mean to say to reemerge into actuality after death? Similar to the loss of my life before the chrysalis intervened, I’d surmise?” “Physically, I had died, but in the eyes of those whom held the chrysalis, I was simple in a dormant state. But...to reinstate life, they injected into me foreign agents, ones which corrupted my cells, ameliorated them with the machine, with chrysalis. Over a period of months, my sense of humanity was purged, replaced with puissance, greater intelligence, longetivity, a deeper understanding of natural phenomena. And yet to me, I felt as though I had known it since inception, as though inherent...innate like a secret prowess held abstruse, liberated by...foreign application.” “So you shifted from human to Antipode then? But why exactly?” “To this day I cannot say with exact certitude why my life was instated, save to say I possessed ‘conscience’...much the same you did when imprisoned at the Kasketuan Shaw training base at an early age...Perhaps they selected me due to my judicious nature, the ability to perceive the corrupt from the righteous, unlike my compatriots. But I felt that I was not the lone beacon...no, there had to be others...there had to be a reason...” “And I assume you surveyed for them?” “Yes, only to realize that these reasons did exist...of my own undertaking...of my offspring...both of my sons...you, and Osprey...” “What!?” Dash asked, as he stepped back in complete disbelief, attempting to make sense of what the man had spoken. “You’re...not my father! How the hell could that be inherently possible?! He was shot to death and thrown out of a building by political assassins twenty years ago!” “I was that lone judicious soul, the beacon amongst the oblivious...I had broken the chain of corruptness by courting an Antipode woman, an acolyte of the Ahrikari tribe, the generational source of the very same ruling party over LaGuardia! You were the seed, one whom sprouted to bridge the generational gap!” “This..is insurmountable...but I need further proof to establish my conviction. I no longer bow to the false virtue of credence.” “I thought you’d react in such a manner…” The man spoke, as he spoke an incantation in forign tongue, only for a short azure aura to encompass his hands, his violet hair suddenly fading, turning a deep silver grey. His eyes, face and apparel changed in drastic fashion as well as he appeared to the swordsman finely tailored, his hair combed back and black suit pressed, looking at him with his red eyes, Dash in diebelief. “That was simply a generated light refraction…with the ability of psionics, the chrysalis can alter physical laws quite easily to one’s favor...” “My...god...” “Rezka, I was once an officer of the Military Intelligence Agency...borne amongst the ranks of the Blake codex, a refined genetical code dating back centuries to the empirical ages. We were the original source of the mechanical cell, albeit carriers, not exhibitors...I was the last heir to the Blake lineage, the last carrier of this judicious inclusion, Ludandrian Blake.” Ludandrian spoke, as Dahs replied. “What? And your only purpose was to proliferate the code, using your own sons as carriers?! Don’t you realize that humans can generate that line of coding as well?” “As the Seeds had observed...” Ludandrian commented, crossing his arms. “These Seeds?! You seem rather persistant to mention them, as though you wish to convey them in a manner of secrecy...” “Seeds? Very well, Rezka...albeit you are my son, I cannot find a reason to withold such knowledge...perhaps it is time you learned the truth, the veracity beyond Lucaria...” Listneing to his statements, Dash didn not interject, as Ludandrian continued. “The Seeds were a surreptitious group of phinanthropists, those whom were prefected entirely in code, the paragon of humanity. Their existence was only justified to create a perfected future, one where human aspects of hatred and violence did not exist...one where men lived in perfect harmony with technology and knowledge...a utopia, one could say...” “And they chose you because you possessed a perfected line of code?” The swordsman asked, inquisitive. “Yes...because I possessed puissant conscience...not only that, but a sense of reasoning which would limit my corruption, so to speak.” “But isn’t corruption and ambition an innate attribute of men? Even with refinement, there is no manner to quell it.” “Precisely...and that very reason led me to question their ‘Seed Logic’...could they not understand? Men can be led to be cultured citizens, laureates and philosophers, but will always possess the instincts of envy, hatred, compassion and suspicion. Seeds considered themselves phinanthropists and saints, but in reality, were ignorant to natural truth. As long as humanity exists, war, famine and death will remain...it is not the duty of the paranormal to assist men to relieve these burdens but men themselves...in actuality, the prospect of a utopia is ludicrous, and would surely fail. I attempted to reason with them, but to little affect...” “And what then, did you realize?” “That my life was not worth this...even if I possessed the code...even if the government they seeked to abolish was oppressive to its citizens...” “And if the government was oppressive, how did they intended to encroach it?” “Simple...amelioration of policy. Seeds looked similar to humans to the point they could assimilate with them. They would employ persuasion with the higher echelon to gain control of certain aspects of government precisely Draken!” “Draken was an inception of the Seeds?!” “Correct...and you chose to follow Aurant, one of the Seeds! He was the enemy...and yet only you and Osprey realized that!” “I knew he had ill intentions, but his status as Seed? He claimed to wish the proliferation of the IRLCC...” “A century of Seed influence changed the government and led to revolution...but... the Seeds intention of creating a utopia was condemned from the start, due to their own hidden ambition! They simply operated under the premise of peaceful operation to deceive the terrestrial nations, then bereave them or resource. But they could not comprehend the power of their newfound ambition, continually expanding their horizons...they decided to enrich their peoples with controlled knowledge, to form a perfrected line of humanity.” “And in a sense, forming their version of a anthrompomorphic utopia?” “Exactly! And Draken was the incarnation of their meticulous ideals! Would you be surprised to know that you were employed simply as an experiment to determine the ill begotten effects as a cultured citizen! And the KGF...they were employed as a deferrment device by Aurant! In actuality, such an intelligence organization did not exist! But on their part, it proved justification for political assassination and conflict against the Kasketuans, the last bastion of the Terra!” “Then...they were the allies the entire time?” “And you fought them due to your credence...” “Why didn’t you intervene, then?!” “I could not physically, Rezka...after I failed intentionally to kill both you and Osprey, I was terminated, and Aurant ordered to assassinate you...” “Yes...and I was forced to kill him... he claimed that I knew far too much after I joined Antioch...but how are you still alive now?” “Even after one dies, Rezka, he still retains his place on the chronological spectrum...you are not here physically, but spiritually, looking at me through a paranormal gate. Have you ever heard of time travel? You know, to traverse chronologically?” “What about it?” “It can be done through the means of an epitaph, you know, spirits of the past. When a Seed encountered a spirit, he could traverse through the gate and into the chronological era of that epitaph...” “What exactly does this signify?” “It signified that these settings may be generated by a binary process, but we currently reside in the past. See those officers over there? They died two thousand years ago. How then, could they be alive? Simple, they aren’t… when we see and hear ghosts of the past, we’re peering through a fracture in the continuum. These events will continue to replay themselves for all eternity, reminding those of the future, of the grave mistakes of the past.” “Sounds rather fictitious to me, like the rest of your phenomena.” “Dreams are very much similar. They are simply instruments of prognosis employed by the source, albeit since the messages are metaphorical in nature, interpretations can vary.” “And how do you interpret these messages?” “That god, that the OS made laws in such a way that they should not be ameliorated. Seeds were qualified to act as operands and curators under the OS, but failed.” “What? God? OS?! Operating system?” “Let me explain...but first, I have to convey to you, existence...” “You’re speaking in code, aren’t you?” “Yes, existence, one can say, is similar in nature to that of a simple tree…its trunk and bark represents the very centric essence of it, physical and spiritual laws which govern over all beings… Its branches and leaves represent the sprouting reach of the code, the very nectar of it which graces those whom embrace reason. The seeds sprouting forth from its leaves represent its perennial and amaranthine nature…” “And this very concept was drawn up by Seeds? What do you mean by this central code?” “Think of it as an operating system, or OS…and yourself as a hacker. This central system, called Prism governs over all existence…all variability of men and machines, all phenomena…all conceived and enforced by the Prism OS. Ancillary devices of it include Essence, Shards and Chrysalis, all components thereof…” “So this tree in essence is a central system… vulnerable to hacking?” “Yes, and this brings us back to the principles of para-psionics. If you recall, the resonance of a cell plays a key role in altering the encompassing laws, but so does the chrysalis within your central system. A millenia after he advent of mechanical cells, the code awoke once again. You were a product of their creation…one whom, with an acoustic prompt, could temporarily hack into the system, to alter the laws to your disposition… how do you believe the Metamorphose Hybrid Theory was possible? Out of sheer passion? Of course not, in your subconscious, you had harnessed great energy! You had hacked into the system and altered physical laws…” “And how so, did you grace yourself with such knowledge? Seed research, perhaps?” “Look no further than yourself, Rezka…the book I requested earlier, the volume found in the archival room at Lancaster…” Checking about his suit for presence of the book, Dash felt its imprint within his inner pocket, pulling it out to reveal the dust laden volume, its illegible white printing cracked and pages yellowed with age. “The book of revelations, a compilation of the code itself and most of recorded existence…the knowledge contained within its pages is as acrimonious as is wonderful. It is the paragon of man’s production, and yet his mar, his grievance…I would consider it a dossier of the past.” Opening the book once again, the ink laden page suddenly seemed to assimilate as the text formed itself, the ink moving snakelike until it froze in place, the headline reading ‘High ranking ISP official found dead, political assassination feared’. “Twenty eight years before the demise of the world… when I was still human, I was shot to death by my comrades, stabbed in the back…The Seeds granted me a second chance…you were granted a second chance. Don’t end up like myself, one whom is confined to the past...if you die again, the chrysalis is bound by law not to intervene...” “And how exactly would you know anyway?” “The book itself will divulge meaning, but I advise you refrain from delving into it... do you want to die again? I surmise not...” “And what would happen, should I decided against your advice?” “You’ll only repeat the same mistake countless others have made. It is a noble attribute to be inquisitive, but to press to certain intelligence will only corrupt you. Take the stride of a leader and refrain from it. Take the path tangential to your predacessors...” “I’ll consider it...” “You should consider your fellow countrymen, ones whom would benefit without the spread of such knowledge. Your presacessors fought and died to preserve the chrysalis, and I forfeited my life to save yours.” “Perchance...but your arguments aren’t exactly compelling. How could knowledge corrupt?” “Rezka…you are the product of Antipode lineage. Honor and integrity runs through your blood, and your human side only serves to corrupt... knowledge of the indelible past should be forgotten, buried amongst the ash of the terrestrial wars. Preserving the book will forsake my sacrifice...” “Very well! If you’re so damned persistant on keeping this book...you can have it...” Dash spoke, as he handed Ludandrian the volume, the man pleased. “You’re proven to me, your fidelity, Rezka... this was simply a test of mine. But your success has allayed my suspicions. Well done.” “A test, per se?” “Yes...the book before you wasn’t real, but simply another refraction trick. You see, I hacked into the system as well, producing simulated matter.” “And I suppose you used similar methods to speak with me telepathically?” “Through the utilization of Solex. The shard of chrysalis implanted along with your mechanical eye works in harmony with the OS. YOu can speak with it and other carriers using the device. You remember, don’t you?” “After traversing an aeon, some of my data was lost...” “And probably along with it, Solex? You’re missing the exeution file...let me send it to you...” Ludandrian spoke, as he closed his eyes, for a second, Dash eyeing him with suspicion. “Rezka? I believe that’s it...” A voice spoke to the swordsman from within him, as before him, he saw a message reading message incoming, port /,hack appearing before him, then fading. “I recall this now, my frequenyt contacts with other Draken members...” Dash thought, only to get a response. “Nice to see I’ve awakened that means of communication...perhaps this is why most of my contacts have been as a negate. I had to resort to using a spiritual rift for communication.” “You never explained to me why you pursued contact...” Dash thought, as Ludandrian cut his contact and spoke with him. “I’m not going to reveal my intent... there’s no reason for you to know, anyway...” “Answer me! Why did you summon me to speak with you? Why not summon someone else, like Lady Skye, or one of the religious council?” “Look towards yourself for the answer. I’m not at liberty to speak it...anyway, I grow continually fatigued to the point of exasperation.” Ludandrian spoke, as he stood up, took a sip of his coffee and faded into the distance of the transit as the other officers followed suit, the ship now entirely empty of presence. “Ludandrian!!!” The swordsman shouted as he fell to his knees, his eyes closed and trembling. Gathering his puissance and heading towards the front of the transit, he was surprised to see the LSCAC media screens still lit amongst the information clusters, the austerity of the room oddly eminent. Taking a step towards the security clearance, Dash stepped through reality once again, only to find himself thrust into an azure light, falling into oblivion, only to awake and find himself standing amongst an grassy and verdant field, the torrent wind ruffling his vermillion hair about. Standing amongst Kimiahn, Argent and Scorpio, Dash fell to his knees in outright fatigue as they rushed to his aid. End of part one... Other links of interest... |
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