Crissy Chance

by Douglas E Roff

  Chapter 27

  As Bitsie and her parents stepped off the plane, watched it and the tarmac disappear, they saw two small buildings rise up from the ground with two elevator doors in plain sight. They were not the first to witness the miracle of nanite technology driven by advanced Artificial Intelligence software and abundant, yet miniscule, amounts of electricity drawn from all-natural and renewable resources. Each and every scientist, tech and worker in the City of light and Paraiso were treated to this initial display of what was possible when mankind put their minds together for the good of all, without the motivation of greed or compensation at the expense of others. In the City of Light, and in the outlying districts of Paraiso, a now vast army of engineers, scientists, technicians, tradesmen, gardeners and builders toiled toward the end of creating something beautiful, sustainable and with almost no ongoing costs to speak of.

  The machines that cut and hewed, shaped and pulverized, combined and formed the natural rock were all made from the same materials as the jet laying in blocks on the plateau above. The building blocks of all things constructed were made of molecular size squares comprised of materials easily obtained in the nearby plains above the Great Rift Valley. Rare Earth Metals, REMs, were extracted in minute quantities using a new process that drew the metals to the surface, this eliminating the need for excavation and open pit mining. Though REMs are rare it is only because they occur in small quantities all over the entire surface of the planet. Extraction is expensive and concentrated deposits difficult to find. China and Canada have such deposits, so do parts of Africa, but the tech developed by Adam and his family made such mining unnecessary.

  The basic materials required for each machine or process undertaken was developed over the past twenty years by Agustin Suarez. The engineering of machinery and design of the molecular building blocks was developed by Maria Suarez. Both hardware and software were well developed in theory; what was missing was the computing power to run the programs, the method of introducing electricity into the materials, electrical storage and the method of electrical distribution.

  In general, the nanite building blocks had perforations running up and down, east and west, and north and south. Inside the perforations were small molecules of aligned conductive strands of silver. When electricity was introduced, the silver molecules lined up dead center of the perforation creating an electro-magnetic field that was super strong as long as sufficient current ran through the materials. Software invented by Adam aligned the exterior of the building blocks on the exterior of any machine using silica to convert light into to electricity. Where light was not available, next generation batteries were employed, light weight and long lasting. The whole consumption cycle was low so even small batteries were exceedingly long lasting.

  Most electricity for the City and Paraiso was supplied by solar panels that covered many square miles on the plateau above Paraiso, and blended into the surface to look like dirt, rocks and scrub vegetation. Finally, both electricity and water were harvested from the air in a process first postulated by Nicola Tesla, but perfected by a Nabatean scientist and his wife in residence in Paraiso. Both had gone to CalTech with Adam, but only Adam believed the technology feasible and funded its development.

  The Great Rift Valley being naturally warm supplied a great deal of baseline heat for the creation of steam for backup generators. The entire City and surrounding countryside supplied all the natural resources necessary to power the needs of their growing City. Even the newly designed computers and machinery were designed to sip energy, not gulp it down.

  The entirety of tech secrets of the City of Light were kept secret from most everyone there too. The temptation to steal the tech and sell it would have catastrophic consequences. Like Alfred Nobel and his invention of dynamite, Adam and his family could see only the benefits to mankind of the wonders they created. Governments, however, would quickly use the tech and processes to create instruments of war.

  Adam and his family would never share what they had, and one of the first security measures they took was the creation of an impenetrable dome covering the entire territory and lands of Paraiso. The exterior skin of the dome served two purposes. First, it captured sunlight and converted it to energy. Second, it mimicked the ground below disguising the entire one hundred square miles below the surface. The same was true of the cleft in the plateau which, during the rainy season, poured water from the plateau above to a small river below. Water was captured in enormous cisterns and stored underground or pumped up to other enormous cisterns carved into the impermeably lined limestone above. Water and electricity were from multiple and redundant sources; food was locally grown and produced. No army could siege starve them out.

  The distance between the plateau above and the valley floor was over two thousand feet. Most of the City lay below the plateau surface in vast sculpted layers of newly hewn space.

  The nanite tech could be used to both excavate and to build, depending on the software employed. Maria and her young team of engineers were constantly creating new tools, from hammers and chisels, to jets and large excavators could move ten thousand-pound blocks. Walls were reinforced with a mixture of pulverized limestone, clay and other compounds in the area, forming a fast drying and highly stable and strong cement. Since the area was dry most of the year, capturing water in cisterns was a priority to store underground for later use to grow crops, and raise plants and flowers. Water was recycled as was human waste.

  The ecological footprint was small and would be easy to replicate when humanity decided that peace and shared sustainable resources were preferable to greed and waste. Adam and his fellow scientists were willing to venture out when all was in readiness, especially defenses against the use of force. Though he hated the idea of what he proposed to Maria and Agustin, the creation of defensive and offensive weaponry was becoming a must. Maria was last to accept that reality, thinking domes sufficient protection, but Adam and Agustin thought that governments would try everything at their disposal to steal their tech and force them to create machines of war. There had to be a credible threat to deter such action.

  Within a year, the array of weapons was complete. Some weapons could kill by the hundreds of thousands, some could disintegrate all manner of conventional weaponry, from guns to tanks to missiles. New technology reinforced the old dome technology, making it impervious to even a nuclear blast.

  What was left was the completion of the City, the expansion of the space comprising Paraiso beyond the City limits, and the creation of habitat for hundreds of thousands who wish to participate in the experiment of the millennium.

  ***

  The ability to create and control such a vast array of machinery, tools and weapons took the immense computing power and software genius that only Adam and his teams possessed. Adam embarked on an ambitious, illegal and dangerous path of building a new kind of supercomputer, or more precisely, groups of supercomputers that illegally downloaded every database known to the planet, from libraries to organizations, corporations and especially governments. If the information was digital in form, Adam had it in one interactive node of computer hard drive or another. The hardware too, was cutting edge, as was his AI driven relational software that could extract data quickly and in order of relevance.

  Nothing in today’s digital world, absent an EMP or massive coronal ejection, could forestall his inquiry into anything held in a computer or a database. His engineers could hack into any system, sometimes because they had a back door in, sometimes because that were just that talented. Many were disillusioned NSA graduates who thought their gig with the government was exciting and challenging, but, upon reflection, was not meeting their level of moral rectitude.

  Alana was a queen thief; Adam hoped to bring others along under her tutelage. But she was not the only hacker with superlative talent. NSA internal talent took great pains to find Adam, often taking months to make the slightest connection that would land them an interview. Though Adam asked perfunctory ques
tions, Hecate was the real driving force; she knew the heart and mind of the subject within seconds. Interviews took place wherever the subject resided and only after the “Hecate Interview” would the subject be tested for skill.

  A great deal of the work over time became repetitive, but Adam always found new projects for his boys and girls to work on. Most pressing was always hacking and downloading data from whatever source, foreign and domestic US sources. The amount of data was staggering, from birth and death records to airline manifests, cargo movement and all manner of library collections. Ancient collections, dead as well as ancient living languages, were a must. Even Edward’s database was hacked and downloaded giving a window into his mind, crimes and wealth. With Misti drugged all the time, and Francesca hooded, Misti had no clue who her principal tormentor was.

  She would soon enough.

  Chapter 28

  Misti was brought into the City on a gurney through an entrance on the top of the plateau where the airstrip was located. The other passengers on the jet were greeted by a team with a vehicle to take them to their quarters. Misti was taken directly to Adam’s residence where Fionna and Hecate were waiting. They entered her mind right away to assess her immediate condition and to begin healing her.

  ***

  The Tolan’s were given the choice of leaving immediately, first thing in the morning or staying for a short while to decide whether they wished to return home or not. What the Tolan’s saw they simply could not initially comprehend. It was an entire city underground, built into the face of a plateau thousands of feet above the valley floor. The landing strip, as well as the jet had disappeared in a cloud of dust only to reform into blocks of a metallic substance.

  The idea for a prototype city came from Noki, who suggested that since Adam had all the money he would ever need, as did she and Misti now, that Adam should turn his attention to philanthropy. He began his project in earnest now that he had a partner in Noki along with his adoptive parents; Adam had toyed with the concept of this project for years, acquiring the land in Kenya well before meeting Noki. He still worked for the company that bought his company, and shared in profits of new inventions outside his required duties, but this was not work to Adam; it was fun. It was his new and future life and it was the most secret of secret projects on the planet. Outside the family and workers on the project, few knew what Adam was up to.

  However, almost nobody knew where Paraiso was; and steps were taken to make sure core processes and secrets were not available to anyone outside a trusted few. Workers had bit and pieces of projects, but none of them had the tech from beginning to end.

  His philanthropic bent was not original to his nature; it derived from Noki wishing to give back to mankind all it had given them. Adam had been changed by his brush with Immortals, understanding himself and his role in the Universe; he had affected them in new ways too. No Immortal had ever wed nor coupled with a mortal. After Adam arrived, that all changed.

  No mortal had ever been deemed worthy to remain in the City of Light for more than a few weeks; the limit was one year. In the City of light, with his guides and other visiting mortals, the world seemed different and his role in his own small corner of the Universe now clear. He met mortals Hana of the Gens and Kendra Boles in a past life alternate Universe; his guides in his present life in his new alternate Universe were Fionna the Immortal, Hecate the Immortal, Hana and Kendra, also now Immortals.

  ***

  Adam directed that the Tolan’s be taken to their quarters and then shown around the City. Adam would contact them when he was ready to talk; alternatively, they could leave at any time.

  Fionna and Hecate appeared to Adam in his Study, who anxiously awaited new news of Misti’s condition.

  Fionna said, “The news is not terribly good, but we have the ability to heal her. It is complicated though, and decisions must be made, decisions she cannot make herself at present.”

  “Then I shall ask Noki to join us so we may together, with you, discuss and decide.”

  Fionna said, “Hecate and I can discuss but not help decide. This was the work of mortals; these new decisions must be made by mortals. We cannot interfere in deciding your affairs, but we can help otherwise.”

  Noki was summoned.

  ***

  When Noki arrived, the room was solemn. Gone was that infectious smile that graced the beautiful face of the man she loved; so too was the mischievous grin of her friend and Immortal, Hecate. Standing in front of her was the resolute and cheerless face of Fionna, who knew too much; more than even an Immortal could bear.

  Fionna turned to Noki and said, “It pains me that we should meet again under such circumstances; I had planned far more joy in returning to one so beautiful and loving as you. Sadly, I now bear news that I must share with you. But as an Immortal, and Hecate being also so bound, we can only deliver certain news in hopes of joyful repair; however, the foolishness and cruelty of mortals sometimes cannot be repaired, neither is it for us to be so tasked.”

  Fionna paused for a moment, then continued. “Choice? What is it? A blessing bestowed by accident by our Almighty Lord or a curse unintended. Is the mouse happier than the mortal human because so much that the mouse does is but to hang onto life for the time it is given? And free will, much vaunted and decried as essential to what it means to be human; clever and superior in thought and deed in a world mankind did not create. How many would choose predestination if given a chance at happiness and a predetermined life unchallenged by grief and remorse?”

  She turned her gaze to Misti, now lying quietly in her bed, her breathing shallow, the damage done, not simply to her but to everyone she loved.

  “And ‘God’s Will’? What do you know of it? Is there a power beyond you as so many ardently believe? Yes, yes most certainly there is and that power cares not one wit for the turmoil that flowed from Creation which began so long ago. You pray to a God that doesn’t exist, that does not listen to your entreaties and supplications, your intervenors and Holy Shamans. There are beings, powerful beings in the totality of my Lord’s realm, a realm we call Reality. Reality, but of it you know nothing because you are not my Lord’s chosen. My Lord has only the power to set in motion that which will be. My Lord watches and waits, creating more and watching the greedy and those you judge evil work their will on lesser creatures or your own kind. My Lord is astounded by the beauty of humankind and its capacity for love and equally astounded by the brutality for which it is equally capable. God’s Will explains any outcome to a mortal, yet God as you imagine him could not wish for such malice to exist.”

  The room grew quiet.

  “Hecate and I have examined Misti and we are confronted by two separate truths; one in which we may choose to engage and one in which we can only repair but, in attempting such repair, may not intervene in the choice of what to do.”

  Fionna explained that Misti was faced with two distinct challenges to her very life and existence. The physical, which Fionna and Hecate had already begun to heal, and the psyche; a mind in need of repair.

  But the one folded neatly into the other, and although Adam and his people believed that Misti had been saved by him, in reality she had not. Misti was but the first example to be made in the most hideous fashion of what would become of all those whom Adam Stephen St. James chose to love.

  Misti had been given over to a personage hidden to their sight who had studied the dark arts of torture; torture invented by mankind over the centuries for the reasons of securing either knowledge or pleasure. In Misti’s case there could be no reason to torture for the extraction of knowledge she did not have and which fact was well known to those whose hands were laid upon her. Therefore, the only reason left was to torture for the purpose of entertainment, or to make a point. In this case, Fionna said, it was both.

  Adam was the unwitting cause, but not the instrument, of the damaged and agonized collection of living cells that was Misti Suarez.

  Fionna explained that an assailant, fo
r that was the only way to describe the creature who had preyed upon Misti, had inflicted such physical misery that it had seeped into her mind, slowly ebbing her of the will to continue living. Only one thought did she cling to, did she hold onto every waking and sleeping moment, whether enduring excruciating pain or a temporary respite from that cruelty which her tormentor inflicted: he will come. He will find me. He will save me.

  Misti was subjected to ancient tortures that invaded every part of her body using ancient instruments updated for precise medical application, though not by any doctor known on this planet. Her tormentor was skilled and knowledgeable in those pain centers, those collections of sensitive nerve clusters that could be manipulated in such a way to cause unbearable pain without the attendant risk of death. To be sure, at some point the human body and mind collapse into the nothingness that can bring the only relief possible. Death.

  Misti’s body was riddled with puncture wounds, some healed, some well into healing, some but some fresh. Time and the miracle of the body’s restorative function would keep her physically intact if her magnificent mind did not first abandon her. She showed other evidence of more common and mindless abuse; fractured orbital bones, hairline fractures of jaw and collarbone. Contusions and abrasions, discoloration from bruising in various places and still in various stages of recovery. Burn marks and other indications of physical punishment in places that would reveal no outward sign of harsh and extreme abuse. But from the inside, where Fionna and Hecate could go, the damage was easy to spot.

  Fionna said, “It will take weeks of our healing power to restore Misti Suarez to complete physical normalcy, but that’s the easy part. When she is allowed to regain consciousness, if that is your will, she will always need to be kept near the ones she loves. Separation from family could be damaging and allow the nightmare of her experience to reappear. In that case madness and death by her own hand will surely follow.”