Higher up, toward the dark ceiling, the images in the energy screen changed. The cities of yesterday—the battlefield outside the temple—they disappeared replaced by a spinning red funnel that tugged at the power generated by the Nyx.
“I can’t control it any longer.”
At that moment his grip on the energy field ended. The inky-black Nyx creatures became free and threatened to envelope the boy and his father. But at the last moment the pull from the red funnel overcame the strength of the creatures.
Trevor thought he heard a scream—perhaps only in his mind—as the open door in the energy field sucked the creatures up and in. The spinning red vortex sealed shut.
Energy still crackled around Jorgie, filling the Temple with a soft glow. Voggoth and the Nyx had both been sent away to whatever realms they hailed from. But Trevor realized—something else had come through.
They were not alone.
24. The Eight
JB remained on one knee, still surrounded by sparkles of light. Trevor saw his son taking deep, exhausted breaths.
“Jorgie—Jorgie, are you—are you okay?”
JB’s eyes appeared to be watching something; something Trevor could not see.
“Father, I see now. I understand. This wasn’t supposed to happen like this. I am— am becoming whole again—Father I’m very tired.”
JB placed a hand to his forehead.
Trevor took a step forward—and stopped.
They materialized from the glittering energy field like ghosts taking physical form. Trevor realized that the door through space and time his son had commandeered from Voggoth remained open. But open to where?
The light dimmed in the slightest but still surrounded the players on center stage. The sour stench of Voggoth’s earthly lair faded; the feeling of swirling energy calmed.
The newcomers gave JB—still exhausted; still kneeling—a glance before drifting into a circle around Trevor. Their hands—the hands of children—reached and touched his skin as if ensuring the reality of his existence.
He eyed each of the six one by one. A Hivvan, a Duass. A Witiko without a trace of silver cosmetic. A Centurian with big black eyes; a Geryon lacking the leather armor Trevor had seen his people wear on the parallel Earth.
Trevor saw a familiar face as the hands stopped reaching and the children retreated into a ring round him. He dropped to a knee and greeted the Chaktaw girl—Alenna—at eye level, with a smile.
She returned his smile as she asked, “Do you know who we are? Do you know what we are?”
Trevor sighed as he replied, “You are an advanced evolution of each of your races. Probably from some—from some original universe. Did you create the eight parallel universes?”
The Hivvan boy said, “The original universe is older than you can imagine. Its creation resulted in echoes of itself; empty echoes. Identical but lacking in sentient life.”
“Like rings in water after a pebble has been dropped in a puddle,” the Duass spoke through a short bill.
The Geryon added, “An infinite number of echoes. You are aware of only eight because we chose to create bridges between only those eight.”
“And in the original universe,” Trevor’s words felt heavy on his lips. Heavy with disappointment. “In it, eight races. But an empty Earth. Humanity sprung to life on Sirius. The rest—each of you—on your own home worlds. And you evolved there, for eons.”
“Yes,” the Centurian confirmed. “Our races are far older than you can comprehend.”
The others added their voices one after another.
“We grew beyond the physical.”
“Our minds evolved.”
“A synergy of matter and energy; the energy of our intellect.”
“Our technology advanced in ways you would be unable to grasp, but our beings advanced even further.”
Trevor held his hands aloft and cringed as he filled in many of the blanks for himself, wishing with each word he were wrong but knowing otherwise.
“So you accessed a universe for each race, seeding the planets to mimic what your universe was like in the beginning. Each universe identical in almost every way, except for one way. Mankind living on Sirius in each, except for one. In one you moved my people here, to this Earth. You did the same for each of the races in one of the universes. I don’t understand. Why?”
The Witiko sneered as if the reason should be obvious to any creature of intelligence, “To maintain identical conditions. To ensure equality in the test.”
“Test? So, what—Earth offered an environment suitable for each of the races. You erased any advantages of position or geography or weather or anything you couldn’t control, and found equal ground. Seems like a lot of trouble to go through just to kill each other off.”
“You see, I told you he could not understand,” the Duass said.
“He is unable to grasp the complexities,” the Geryon admitted.
The Witiko grumbled a tirade, “There is no reason to share this information. His understanding is irrelevant. Contamination has occurred here, resulting in our reunification which was something to be avoided until the end of the challenge.”
Alenna spoke, “We must deal with the changing circumstances. The use of the parallel cosmos’ was intended to prevent such contamination. His actions here were a surprise. Our planning did not consider this possibility.”
“You screwed up.” Trevor voiced his accusation in a soft tone, but they reacted as if thunder had burst in their ears. Their eyes grew wide. Their children’s faces twisted into expressions of offense.
“You made a mistake,” Trevor repeated and found satisfaction in making them speechless. “Congratulations. It shows you’re human. Or, I guess, it shows you’re just people, just like me.”
“We are not just like you,” the Hivvan corrected. “Do not be deceived by our physical bodies.”
“Yes, yes,” Trevor waved a hand dismissing their pompous attitude. “You not only seeded the races on Earth, you seeded yourselves inside those races. You say you evolved beyond the physical? Well then, what—you split yourselves in two? You scrambled your physical beings—your genes—into the gene pool. And you waited. You waited for the combination to be put together again. That was the chain I was on, wasn’t it?”
Unlike the others, Alenna did not appear offended at Trevor’s rant. The faintest hint of a smile flickered on her Chaktaw lips as she nodded and answered, “Yes, Trevor Stone, we waited—and watched. And prepared.”
He glanced around at each of the young-looking ones and made eye contact as he continued, “You prepared. Because everything had to be equal. You recorded a collection of genetic memories so that a leader could fight on behalf of his entire people. You influenced everything so that when the war came each race would have the same starting point. A level playing field.”
The Witiko insisted, “It is the perfect design to test the worthiness of each race. To see which life pattern is strongest.”
“Is that what you tell yourself? Is it? Yes, of course,” Trevor lectured. “You are all so very evolved. You call it a challenge or a test. To you it is an experiment. A controlled experiment. Why don’t you call it what it is? Death. Misery. War. Destruction. You have no right to do this.”
The Centurian said, “On behalf of our races and in the interest of reaching our full potential, some sacrifices must be made for the greater good.”
The Hivvan added, “Unfortunate in many ways, yes, but necessary for the benefit of all.”
The Witiko said, “It is the obligation of those with the power and intelligence to—”
“To make decisions for the rest?” Trevor interrupted. “To force your will upon others? You are playing god.”
The Duass quickly pointed out, “From your limited perspective, we are gods.”
Trevor erupted, “You are no such thing! Don’t fool yourself. You did not create life. You copied it and placed it on this empty world not because you should, but because you could. This i
sn’t just about fighting, it’s about showing off. Which of you first breached the dimensional barriers? Which of you re-created each race’s environment and genetic codes in the primordial soup of one Earth after another? Which of you hit upon the idea of separating apart your physical body and slipping it into this re-creation of evolution? If you wanted a war, then you should have fought it among yourself instead of dragging billions more into your game.”
“Distasteful.”
“Devastating.”
“A war between our evolved selves could have torn the fabric of existence to pieces.”
Trevor snapped, “And it’s so much more fun to watch the barbarians fight it out. Tell me, do you place side wagers? Have you bet on the outcome?”
The Geryon took offense, “Ridiculous! This is no sport but a challenge of evolution.”
The Duass said, “Even the universes are of finite existence, they will eventually collapse, leaving nothing but the void. The void is eternal. Through this challenge of evolution we will determine which race is worthy to exist there.”
Trevor said, “The void is where Voggoth comes from.”
The Hivvan agreed, “Our life patterns are all different. It is critical that we understand which is superior. For this answer, we chose to look at our roots. What we once were.”
Trevor shut his eyes and shook his head.
“You’re just children, after all. Just children with questions about who you are, and why you are. What is your purpose? But you are children with the power to rip apart space and time.”
“Your metaphor is insulting and incorrect,” the Centurian noted. “But, yes, we search for the answers to existence by looking first at ourselves. We agreed that this challenge was the best way to discover which life pattern is superior. In doing so, we will be a step closer to achieving immortality.”
That caught Trevor’s attention. His eyes snapped open again. He glanced about the ring of children as if searching but not finding what he sought. His mouth hovered open for a moment as he tried to form the words to express his thoughts.
“Imm—immortality. You are all mortal…”
Alenna said as Trevor’s words faltered, “Each of our races exist less as what you would call individuals and more as collectives, a merging of our technology and our physical form to the point that our life span stretches for eons, but in the end we are still mortal. Like the universes themselves, one day we will end. There is only one who has broken free of such constraints and evolved to the point of immortality.”
The Duass spoke, “Only one not confined to the physical realm. One that has achieved evolution beyond the need for any physical presence.”
Trevor found the answer, “Voggoth.”
“He lives in the void between the universes. He is older than all of our races by a measure of time beyond even our ability to track,” Alenna explained.
“A superior form of existence.”
“A type of intelligent energy. An intellect surpassing any of ours.”
“Perfection.”
Trevor’s eyes narrowed. He felt the skin on the back his neck tingle as a shiver coursed through his spine.
“Yes. I see it now,” he whispered. “It’s all so very clear.”
The children eyed him suspiciously.
Trevor strolled slowly around the Hivvan and Duass representatives and walked outside of the ring, stooping to whisper in each child’s ear as he spoke.
“Voggoth—so completely different from you—so much older. So much—so much wiser. He has what you covet, doesn’t he? Immortality. You see that as superior, don’t you?”
“It is superior,” the Geryon insisted.
The Witiko clarified, “Even we succumb to death. Both our physical and mental selves have a finite existence, although we have come to view time much different than your limited perspective allows.”
Trevor snarled, “My limited perspective sees things clearer than you do.”
“Foolishness!”
“I don’t’ think so,” he circled. They listened.
Trevor stooped to the Duass’ ear.
“I can share the secrets if you are worthy. We must find who is superior.”
He strolled another step to Alenna.
“Is it you? Is your way correct?”
He stood, walked another pace, then stooped behind the Hivvan.
“You are such a marvelous race—not like the others—I think you are superior.”
The Hivvan snarled, “You mock us.”
“No,” Trevor corrected as he circled behind the Centurian. “I mock your foolishness. I can hear the whispers in your ear. Tell me, Hivvan, did Voggoth take you aside and tell you how different you are from the rest?”
The Hivvan shifted uneasily but did not answer.
“What about you, Witiko? Did Voggoth come to you one day and tell you how he admires your race, how you are far superior. Did he tell you how the other races are holding you back? Did he promise to share all the secrets if only you would cast aside the others?”
The Geryon insisted, “You have no frame of reference. You have never encountered beings as evolved as us.”
Trevor sneered, “You are not as evolved as you think. There is nothing standing here that I have not seen before. I’ve seen arrogance and pride. I’ve seen those who do because they can and not because they should. I’ve seen architects of destruction move people about as pawns. I’ve seen the so-called greater good be the good for a few. I’ve seen cold, calculating ‘logic’ translate into misery. I’ve seen it all before because while I may not know much about time, I know history. And I’m seeing it all over again.”
“Insolence.”
“A lack of perspective.”
“How dare you speak to us this way.”
“This is a far too complicated matter for your limited intellect.”
Trevor continued, “It is not complicated at all. You wish it to be so, so that you could hide behind the idea of gray areas and different perspectives and oh, the complexity of it all! But it is simple. It is war. It is war for pride’s sake. It is a war waged because of whispers in ears, because of promises of greatness, because you have come to know that despite how great you are, you are humbled in the face of the forces of nature, of the universe.”
Alenna peered at Trevor as if searching for clues on his face and said, “You speak in riddles. How are we—the greatest of all living things—humbled?”
“Because you don’t know all the answers. You have kidded yourself into thinking you created all the pieces for your little game, but you haven’t, have you?”
“Nonsense!” spat the Hivvan
“Really? Tell me why I command armies of canines?”
All of the children appeared ready to answer, but stopped. Their collective mouths shut.
“Yes, that’s what I thought. You don’t know, do you? Something in my genes. Something put there; another gift added into the chain you manipulated. Someone spiked your little concoction, didn’t they?”
“A part of evolution, nothing more,” the Witiko tried to sound sure but did not.
Trevor told them, “You put life on trial—nature—and that nature, that power of life defends itself through me. That is why on each Earth a helper species evolved. A defense mechanism, rooted in the truth that all of life sprouted from one organism.”
The Duass spat, “Nonsense.”
“Really? Tell me, on your home worlds in the original universe, did your people develop such an ability? I know Alenna’s father commands the Behemoths on the Chaktaw’s version of Earth. What is it the Witiko have on their side on their Earth? Or the Hivvans? But in your original universe—nothing.”
Trevor thought of Nina and Armand and added, “Why is it that among my people there are those who have been waiting for this fight? Why are some destined to be champions?”
Alenna cocked her head as if trying to hear a distant, faint thought. “Are you suggesting that Voggoth did this?”
&n
bsp; “The Chaktaw should refrain from feeding these fantasies!” came a shout from the young Witiko.
Trevor shook his head. “No. Not Voggoth. Something else. Something greater. The power of life itself. What some might call nature, others might think of as God, or the greater plan of the Universe. Forces beyond your comprehension. Beyond your control.”
“Speculation!”
“Ridiculous!”
“Foolishness!”
Trevor circled the ring of children again. They followed with their eyes.
“I don’t know the answers. I am content not to ask for all the answers. I was content to live my life. You took that from me. From all my people. You took it because you have been manipulated, used.”
“That is not true,” the Duass child said. “This undertaking is the result of our different races reaching the conclusion that evolution would be best served by determining which way of life is the strongest and that only the strongest would be worthy of Voggoth’s favor.”
The Geryon agreed, “Each of our races is different. Our environments vary greatly. Each, however, evolved into a higher life form. Through this conflict, the differences between our races will become clear and the strongest will survive.”
Stone concluded, “I’ve read about it time and again in the history books of my people. You are no different from my world’s Hitler or Genghis Khan, or Napoleon. You think you are superior; you think that if your race wins this challenge then you will impose your will on the others.”
The Centurian echoed, “That is the way of things. The strong survive.”
Trevor pleaded again, “No! You are doing this because you have been used! You look to Voggoth and somehow, for some reason, you see something that you think is better than what you are. And so he has used that against you. He has convinced you to fight one another with the victor promised the chance to learn what oh-so-mighty Voggoth knows of the universe. ”
“Voggoth is perfect! He is immortal. He is not confined to the physical universe!”
Trevor countered the Centurian’s claim in a shout, “He is not allowed in the physical universe! Look what happened when a child of life touched it! It was banished from this place in an instant! It has no real power, only the power you give to it!”
Beyond Armageddon V: Fusion Page 43