Infinity Machine

by Adam Sea Klein

One by one, 38 people enter and exit the chamber.

  Each one of these people leaves that small room physically rejuvenated.

  As they exit, they are greeted by Ajax, “Please remove your orthotic inserts Ms. Evely, you will be more comfortable.”

  “Mr. Sovein, just like Mr. Dorn, you can remove your contacts.”

  “Please don't be alarmed, Evelyn, your pacemaker is gone, your heart has been restored to its original function.” The woman, Evelyn reaches to her collarbone to look for the plum sized lump of a pacemaker, and she is amazed, “The bump is gone...”

  The room is filled with relief, crying, and some peace.

  I walk up to Ajax, “Where do you come from?”

  “We are not there yet, Mr. Dorn, we are here,” says Ajax, as he points to the console.

  The console displays the exterior view of the ship. A narrator's voice speaks with a compiled tone, both male and female at once, “The Shangri-La is capable of great healing, but also, great destruction.”

  The outer image of the ship displays a subtle energy cone emitting from the lower hull, the cone is nearly invisible energy, but surges bright white, projecting directly onto the ground below.

  A ring of natural land, a large circle, is incinerated instantaneously to bare brown soil that soil steams heavily.

  Ajax says, “Do not be alarmed by this, we are not here to destroy — but we are here to conduct a process, and as you see, we will be leading this process.”

  Ajax continues, “Your Earth could potentially become planet number 43.”

  Ajax walks from side to side as though to shift the tension. “42 times have we made this venture to another planet of similar evolutionary phase to planet Earth. 42 times we have arrived at the brink of natural disaster, as the species itself has touched the brink of social collapse, as the planet nears environmental collapse, at the moment when a few handfuls of people have so deeply leveraged themselves through technology to economically take over the world...

  Ajax continues, “Countless planets do not survive this fragile state. It is possible that we can assist, but a positive outcome is not guaranteed. Not at all.”

  Ajax continues, “You are at that phase, as a species. We have come to interfere with that natural condition. This is not the first visit here, there have been many. This will not be the last visit. Understand, we will not rule like kings over you, and we do not seek to take your resources.”

  Ajax pointed to the console again and he says, “Please view.”

  There is an image of a different chamber, it's a machine vault, factory automation of some kind. The machine initiates and emits lights from seams, parts move — on a lighted platform, material manifests out of thin air. That material looks like dirt.

  “Diamonds,” says Ajax and the machine moves and in mere seconds it manifests what looks like diamonds.

  “Gold,” said Ajax and a natural gold nugget is formed from nothing.

  “Money,” said Ajax, “American,” and the machine produces a penny, a nickel, a quarter, and a single dollar bill.”

  “Do you see,” says Ajax, we are not harvesters, as some might expect. We need nothing from you... we have come to change the future of this world.”

  10.

  Ajax's hologram disappears.

  The sphere that projected him flies by itself to the same small opening in the console.

  The small crowd is left together.

  There is much chatter and conversation. “Are they here to save the world?”

  “Who knows their intentions?”

  “Our bodies, though, they're healed.”

  “Maybe they are good, but who hasn't heard of the trojan horse?”

  The console pushes out panels, it looks like a narrow bar-top that wraps around the entire central beam. Sitting on this bar-top are trays with food.

  We all find a place to eat, standing at the counter.

  A doorway opens at the side of the room. A man investigates, saying they are restrooms.

  Another panel opens, and there are materials for sleeping — pads, pillows, blankets.

  We hear Ajax's voice, “You will rest well, please do not be offended, the meal you eat is nutritionally balanced, but also has a sleep-assist. It will be a wonderful rest, and tomorrow will be of great interest.”

  With trepidation some stop eating, while others continue, the look of fear quite evident.

  We lay out our bedding, and the lights in the room dim. I grow rapidly groggy and lay down quickly. My heavy eyes refuse to focus as I try to think.

  11.

  I open my eyes and feel the slightest pressure against my skin, a subtle tingling sensation.

  There is the faintest pink tint

  to the air in the room. Everyone seems to wake up at the same moment.

  As we sit up and shift around, the pink tint in the air disappears. I wonder if it woke us up.

  Seeing the room again is strange. It’s so large, the materials so dense, colorless and cold in impression, I can't really believe I'm here...

  I look at my scar again, and it's really gone.

  I think of my life back home. The sentiment is confusing, so I force myself not to think about it. I have a small moment where I feel brave... like a pioneer.

  We all see a lighted frame emerge from the side of the room as another large doorway opens, 30 feet across. The hallway is lighted.

  We begin to walk.

  We see a very long transparent window port reveal itself from the side of the ship. I can see the ship walls are 6 feet thick. We stand and gaze out across the land, below the clouds.

  We hear Ajax's voice, “It is a beautiful planet.” We all agree and continue to walk, arriving to a large rectangular room we enter. Around the top and bottom of the room there are subtle lights giving off an ambient light.

  Directly from the walls, about 40 small round portals open, and then about 40 spheres hover outward, and these spheres project 40 individual holograms that all look like Ajax.

  I feel very odd about this — split of mind. It's incredibly interesting, but strange, seeing 40 of Ajax feels… patronizing, insulting even.

  I want to tell them to show me what they really are. I get a strong urge to demand it. I clamp my jaw over and over.

  Ajax's voice says, “It can be unnerving, but this is best, each of you will go with an iteration of Ajax, and we will begin the day one-on-one. We want you to personally explore what we are about to show you. A group environment would not be the same. You will see why.”

  As I part from the others and follow the single hologram of Ajax that approached me, we move down a hallway. I do feel intrigued, but I feel distaste for the illusion of Ajax. I try to hide this. I follow. Another seemingly magic doorway opens.

  We enter a room that seems like a console room, there is a screen on the left. To the right there is panel, like a desk console. There is another screen above it.

  There is a wide, solid bench made of the same materials seen everywhere: cool, hard, metallic, stone-like yet almost like super-rigid plastic.

  Ajax leads me to sit.

  I slowly sit.

  “Every mind has unique features, questions, and we must gain an understanding of each being. Please, do not be offended or afraid, you are not being isolated, you are being given full attention.”

  He continues, “You want to know what we are, I understand — of course you do. We must know the human species in this same interaction as you learn about us. Our digital records are not enough. We must come to feel what you are, directly.”

  My expression is openly of concern.

  Ajax says, “Please voice your concern.”

  I decide to say, “What are you trying to learn about us? Here we are, we're animals. Some of us are good, some bad, some think, some do... here we are. But I want to know what you are — is this your form, this… Ajax?”

  He replies, “I understand,” and then he pauses and says, “We have been through this process many times, a
nd we have learned. Being here with us will involve a sacrifice of control, but you may leave now if you choose. Some of the people are leaving right now —

  4 are not up to the experience. They are homesick and miss their family too much. Mrs. Tensby has 3 kids, and her husband is a violent man. She cannot trust him with the kids. We are very glad we could heal her, and we wish her the best.”

  I think to ask, “You have healed my scar, and made us all look younger, is Mrs. Tensby's mind not cured? Is she going to leave her husband?”

  Ajax says, “Our healing process has healed her body, but her mind is her own. We cannot make her leave her abusive husband for herself, or her kids. That is her choice. The will of the mind cannot be permanently altered without changing the person. Depression, anxiety, hormones, can be shifted, but we cannot force the hand of another.”

  I feel the implications of this. I look around the room and say, “Many people are like that; we do what we think is right, but it's not always right.”

  Ajax says, “Of course, we know.” Ajax pauses, then continues, “Mr. Dorn...”

  “Call me Casey.”

  “Very well. Human beings are a fascinating species. We have been watching for a long time. We have been watching many species of higher intelligence across many planets, pursuing great distances of the universe.

  “How many species?” I ask.

  Ajax says, “This number will surprise you, brace yourself Dorn... we have been watching 3,422 intelligent species on almost as many planets.”

  I’m speechless. I remain in a true blank for a moment. My mouth staggers for words and the next question takes my mind to a dead stop. “You say you watch 3,500 species, but have only helped 42 species?”

  “Yes Casey, 42 species only.”

  I say, “Are you helping the others later?”

  “We have learned, through great, great error that our technology cannot be incorporated into the lives of every intelligent species.”

  Ajax pauses and says, “It pains us to show you our first error in judgment of this kind... but we always disclose this fully.”

  Beside me near the console panel the wall alters itself, energetically: the wall pulls inward, it becomes a hologram screen, like a television, but enriched, like a diorama of hologram images, a real 3-dimensional space. The screen shows outer space, and many stars, and then a galaxy. It looks incredible, detailed, lighted, riveting.

  Ajax says, “We first found the Plaidan in the galaxy they named the Utok.”

  I see a hologram of two creatures, they are of dim red skin, their faces smooth with soap-like features. Their eyes large, glassy, huge dark pupils are contoured, not round. These beings have no hair, but the slopes of their heads are contoured, interesting, attractive. The posture of these beings is partially upright, mostly standing, but leaning over long arms that are half as long as their body. Their torso is lean and short. Their legs are long.

  These beings wear simple brown clothes, and simple blue, teal, and purple jewelry.

  The hologram zooms in to show the Plaidan fingers and hand. Their hand has three wide fingers and the side fingers move and wave independently.

  A hologram of a planet shows up. It has incredible features, sloped land, and in many places, there is much dark purple. There is water over much of the globe, and that water is light teal. I am absorbed in every detail. The clouds of this planet are such very light green, almost white, but not quite.

  Ajax says, “Their vegetation was purple. Casey, they were a beautiful species.”

  “What do you mean... were?”

  He looks very regretful. The planet in the hologram seems to change, and the change speeds up. The planet develops dark spots, one at a time, rapidly. In a few seconds, all clouds are gone.

  In a few more seconds, the purple vegetation begins to turn brown. In a few more seconds, the water is actually shrinking.

  A few seconds later, the planet is as barren as Mars. I turn and look at Ajax. He says nothing, his expression is child-like and of pure regret. He looks away.

  A while passes.

  He looks at me again, and I can't take my eyes off him. I watched the death of a planet and he said it was their regret, like his own regret.

  Ajax says, “Casey, you are aboard a vessel of travel, and also a great machine.”

  He puts out his hand and what begins is an auditory transmission. I hear a very strange series of sounds.

  It's vocal.

  It's alarming.

  It's urgent.

  It's many voices.

  The voices give me odd pause, they are not simply like another language; it's a different type of vocal cord. The syllables are articulate and sharp, deep, with a feint second harmonic, very present.

  The audio plays for 30 seconds, and the final phrase ends the transmission.

  Ajax says, “Again.” We hear the phrase again.

  It sounds like, “Fnay Hwala ha Nay. Fna Hweleigh Hey Sayk Shialah.”

  Then we here the last two words over and over again in an audio loop.

  “Sayk Shialah.”

  “Sayk Shialah.”

  “Sayk Shialah,”

  Ajax gazes at me as the sound loops, and overtop the words he says, “Infinity Machine. Infinity Machine. Infinity Machine.”

  The transmission stops and he says, “That is the translation, and that is what we are aboard.”

  12.

  “What were those voices,” I say,

  “They sounded... very stressed out.”

  Ajax says, “Those are members of my original species. That recording holds the final conversation as we watched the Plaidan destroy their entire world in a very short period of time.”

  Ajax continues, “To understand the scope of our situation, and the impact to Earth… the Plaidan were more adept and more peaceful than humans, and yet, the destruction of their planet was the accidental outcome of this process. They were our first choice. Our poor judgment led to the extinction of 16 million species on that single planet. We have scarred the universe deeply by our misunderstandings.”

  I watch and wait.

  Ajax says, “There are 3,000 Plaidan left on an isolated moon within their solar system. When their planet died, we set up that colony — a living genetic bank, beginning with the few Plaidan we managed to rescue. Their existence on that colony is getting better, but overall, it's not good: there is much existential despair. They are the survivors of planetary ruin.”

  I say, “How has this happened...

  you accidentally killed a whole planet?

  Really... why are you here?”

  Ajax says, “The Infinity Machine is many things.”

  My concern shows clearly.

  “This experience we are having, with the screens and the talking, it is good, but slow.”

  He moves closer, “If you are willing, Casey, we can communicate so much better if we change the state of reality. We can sit here in this room, if you like, or we can use some technology to enter a superior learning environment. In your language, we might call this the Muli-Plexus. It relies on great connectivity of your senses and the reality that surrounds us. It will feel very real, because it is real, but it will be an alternate reality.”

  I feel unnerved... “Are you kidding?”

  “That description seems peculiar, but there's more to understand. The Muli-Plexus is a Micron-Reality. It is an inversion of universal reality into a small bloom, a sort of reality pod; a little seedling, a tiny... universe... of its own.”

  I don't know what to say. So, I just sit there. As I think more, I shift my jaw over and over again, my brow moves sky-high. I kind of babble a little under my breath, and finally I say, “You don't expect me to believe...” I look Ajax dead in the eye, “what are you?””

  Ajax says, “We are a species, just like you, evolved from a planetary globe. We eat, drink, we educate ourselves. We have families. We have art. We have science...”

  I interrupt, “Science, yeah, I would s
ay so.”

  “Are you in, for this experience, or are you out?”

  I am, for a moment, lost in my own mind, and my thoughts are spooling.

  Ajax asks again, “Are you in, or out, Mr. Dorn?”

  I'm not even paying attention.

  Ajax says, “Well, I believe that you are in — not once have you asked to leave.” The short hologram man reaches out and grabs my forearm with both his hands. I am, in a method beyond words, abruptly shifted in the nature of my reality.

  My eyes peel wide open as my breath heaves one giant breath. My body is so expanded in feeling and nature — I feel utterly unreal. I am, in my consciousness, unraveled like an onion, in all space and lucidity; I'm a gap of open space among an open world. I am, but what I am, a void of consciousness, and I feel a lack of body. Then, a new assimilation forms around me, first, where my heart should be, then my ribs, then my shoulders, then my toes, then the top of my head, my fingertips, then my eyes and nose, and for a moment, I am like a fractional being, incomplete. I become like a non-thing.

  It is beyond bizarre, and finally I feel the whirling clasp inside me, as the rest of who I am shows up in the collapse of light and energy into the vessel of my body I have always known.

  Here I am, whole again, and below my feet I stand upon a sphere 10 feet across, a sphere isolated and floating in a sea of endless sky blue.

  I am horrified.

  And I am not in control, and I am not in any state of comfort, and I feel like I could fall into an eternal sky at any moment.

  Suddenly, like a vacuum in reverse this micro sphere below my feet, sprouts a real landmass in glitch-like fashion; one weird chunk at a time, quickly. The sphere expands into a full land below me, and around me a crisp light sky of a simple gradient without feature, a perfect, perfect sunny day, with no small sun, but a huge lighted sphere of some kind: it’s so incredibly bright, but I can stare at it with no ill effect.

  Around me, a simple world, like Earth, but not like Earth, a perfect, perfect, perfect, clean simple natural world, so pristine it seems unreal.

  My mind is not there, but then arrives in a reverse, vacuous nature. I feel dizzy, and shallow in orientation, shifty, like I may vomit, but I do not.