»40028, you mentioned an information exchange between yourself and the other Techno-Cleric before your blackout. Is it possible that the other robot injected a destructive code, a virus, into your memory that is responsible for your malfunction?« Arkroid asked.
»Unconsciousness,« 40028 whispered, »I call it unconsciousness.«
Arkroid nodded slowly.
»Sorry, unconsciousness.«
Suddenly, Techno-Clerics approached from all directions, encircling the small group. Arkroid crouched and touched 40028.
»40028! We need your help. I think your brothers want something, but we can’t communicate with them!«
The Techno-Twin
Arkroid estimated several thousand Techno-Clerics gathered at the plaza and the steps. They hovered and swarmed around the group, still keeping their distance. The situation became more and more uncomfortable and threatening, however.
»Don’t worry,« 40028 said weakly, »my brothers won’t harm you – they can’t do that. It would be immoral.«
»I want that in writing!« demanded Lai Pi loudly. The number of robots increased by the minute. Like a giant swarm they circled around the group. Arkroid only shook his head in disbelief. He noticed that Vasina’s hand was inching dangerously close to her sword.
»Don’t!« he warned her.
Vasina blushed slightly.
Slowly 40028 ascended from the ground and re-established his former size.
»They’re all here because of me – they want to see the Techno-Twin!«
»Lucky us,« Lai Pi whispered at Arkroid. Pi wasn’t enjoying the situation.
»How is it possible that 40028 exists twice?« the collective asked from a multitude of universal translators at the same time.
»How do they do that? Who is asking the question?« Arkroid twitched. People who were able to move planets between the dimensions were certainly capable of mass communication.
»The collective is talking to us, all brothers are speaking with the same voice – I am not part of it this time, though,« 40028 explained, sounding depressed and forlorn.
»Not for long, trust me. You’ll soon be part of the collective again,« Lai Pi asserted, trying to comfort 40028, when the collective voice resounded again.
»Was it a temporary anomaly, a dimensional wrinkle or a parallel reality?«
Arkroid looked inquiringly at Pi, who only shrugged.
»I don’t understand, but it seems they’re trying to find an explanation.«
»What’s going on down there?« Scorge asked nervously over the comm-link. »A wall of robots has formed around you guys. Are you okay? Do you want me to do anything from here?«
»Negative!« Arkroid replied quickly. »Wait and see. We’re not in danger and I trust 40028 fully.«
Arkroid imagined Scorge’s tentacles hovering over the Yax K’uk’Mo’s start button. He just hoped that Scorge didn’t do anything irrational, like trying to flee or worse.
Suddenly, the swarming stopped and the robots stood still. A gap opened in their ranks and a single robot slowly drifted toward Arkroid and the others, none of whom had moved. The approaching robot looked exactly like 40028. He stopped before Arkroid.
»I am 40028!« he introduced himself in a friendly voice. Arkroid glanced back and forth between the two 40028s.
»You both have the same designation? How’s that possible?«
»The existence of a Techno-Twin is impossible. I cannot exist twice at the same time,« the other Techno-Cleric said unequivalently.
Arkroid, Vasina and Lai Pi suddenly felt a strong pull in their chests and a sharp headache. Vasina screeched and buried her head in her hands.
»It’s … very strong superimposed gravitational waves! Your brothers are literally talking up a storm! It hurts like Hell!« Lai Pi yelled and sank to his knees.
40028 floated past Arkroid and stopped just before his twin, almost touching spheres.
»I’m fully aware of my existence and the Cosmic Moral Code, my brother. I agree, there cannot be a twin! This is absurd.«
»At least they’re clear about that point,« Lai Pi whispered in pain, catching Arkroid’s warning glance. Arkroid didn’t know what would happen if Scorge’s protégé wasn’t accepted.
»You have brought organic lifeforms to our home-world and disobeyed the Moral Decree!« the Techno-Twin accused 40028.
»You know that is not possible. None of us can act against the Moral Decree. These organic beings found the Dimensional Anchor themselves. A mass anomaly pointed them in its direction,« 40028 countered.
»Why didn’t you prevent them from landing on the Dimensional Anchor?« the Techno-Twin argued.
»Had I tried that, they would have become suspicious and have looked anyway. These people are very curious beings,« 40028 defended himself.
»You knew, however, that your presence at the Dimensional Anchor would prompt the activation of the Dimensional Swing,« the Techno-Twin accused.
Arkroid narrowed his eyes, listening tensely to the dispute. He knew that the outcome would determine the recognition – if not the very existence – of one of the two robots.
Lai Pi drew closer to Arkroid and whispered, »How do we know that our guy is the true Techno-Cleric?«
Arkroid looked at Lai Pi, stunned for a moment.
»You’re right – we don’t know. It’s a gut feeling, but I’m convinced the other one is the faker. This duel of logics is supposed to determine which of them is the real 40028. Until they ask for our opinion, we keep our traps shut!«
»Toiber Arkroid, one of these organic beings, decided to investigate the Dimensional Anchor. I wasn’t permitted to tell them what I knew. Preventing them from pursuing their ideas wasn’t possible either – you know the consequences, brother.«
»I understand,« the Techno-Twin answered agreeably. »You’re telling me that you were facing a moral conflict.«
»What’s he getting at?« Vasina asked in a low voice.
»I’m not sure but I think he’s referring to a Catch-22,« Arkroid answered in the same tone.
»Catch-22, what’s that?« Vasina asked quickly, but Arkroid ignored her.
»The brothers ignored your calls – the collective is complete. You should have interpreted the signs accordingly, and led the organics away from the Dimensional Anchor,« the Techno-Twin remarked, in a scolding voice.
»That’s exactly the point. Because I interpreted the signs correctly, I did not. How can the collective be complete without me?«
Arkroid knew that it was 40028’s translator that allowed them to ‘hear’ a conversation which was conducted in total silence otherwise. They received and heard the Techno-Twin’s gravitational waves as well.
»One of us is a fake!« the Techno-Twin repeated.
»We will observe and deliberate until this is resolved!« the collective announced. »The organic beings will remain on Techno-Center for the time being!«
The robots began to fly away in all directions after this announcement. It only took a couple of minutes until the plaza was empty again. Only the group and the Techno-Twin stayed behind.
»Why are you doing this, brother?« 40028 asked.
»I would put to you the same question, brother,« the twin replied.
Arkroid cleared his throat.
»What’s next? Can we go back to the ship?«
»No!« the Techno-Twin answered abruptly.
»No?« Arkroid asked, surprised. »Then we can move about freely?«
»No,« said the Techno-Twin again, »you are organic, morally underdeveloped and a danger to our world.«
Suddenly, a dome-shaped energy shield was erected over the Yax K’uk’Mo’.
»Well, that takes care of that,« Lai Pi remarked dryly.
»I will stay with you. As long as I am welcome with my brothers, so will you be,« 40028 stated softly. »Please, follow me to a place where you will be safe and comfortable.«
»Are you helping these organics, brother?« the Techno-Twin asked i
n astonishment.
»Certainly, brother! They are friendly beings and have helped me. Does our moral code not teach us hospitality and gratefulness?«
»You are displaying a false sense of security. Never before have organic beings set foot on this world. Techno-Center’s location is our greatest secret. Neither my brothers nor I will permit this secret to be told to the rest of the galaxy.«
40028 moved between the Techno-Twin and Arkroid, Lai Pi, and Vasina and to protect them.
»We will obey the collective’s ruling, but not before we have learned how my duplication occurred.«
»You meant to say my duplication, brother,« the Techno-Twin corrected.
Vasina and Arkroid briefly glanced at each other. Both understood that the outcome would also determine their fate.
The spirit of the Creators
40028 led them down the big stair at the plaza’s edge, directly toward an arch-like entrance into the dome, covered with golden and silver ornaments. On their way down, over more than a hundred steps, Arkroid admired this huge machine city. It was evident that the towers, buildings, plazas and landscapes had been designed and built by organic beings. The spirit of those designers was present everywhere. If 40028 didn’t err in his time assessments, those beings had left Techno-Center several million years ago and vanished in the great expanse of the Milky Way. Those people might not even exist anymore today, but they had passed on to the Techno-Clerics their great sense of aesthetics, architecture and morals. The robots still adhered to these ideals after all this time, preserving their creators’ culture.
»Where are we going?« Vasina wanted to know, not showing any emotions.
»I have to justify my existence to the collective, but foremost, I have to deal with the Techno-Twin. Your concerns regarding my lack of memory are something I can’t logically assess and dismiss. Nor can I explain my twin brother’s existence. I will therefore bring you to the Hall of Eternity until this is all resolved. You will be safe there.«
»We trust you, 40028, but we’re still worried,« Arkroid replied in muted tones while still admiring this beautiful world. »Your twin didn’t seem to like us very much. Accusing us of being morally underdeveloped was plain rude. I’m also asking myself what he meant with that when he said you displayed a sense of false security.«
Arkroid had stopped underneath an arch which marked the entrance to the dome area. He looked at 40028 expectantly and waited for an answer. 40028 hovered up and down insecurely before he answered.
»I believe my twin wants to make sure that you never leave this world again, since you know our secret of the Dimensional Anchor.«
»Wait a second …!« Lai Pi butted in, »Scorge wouldn’t like that at all, nor would we! The Dimensional Swing transferred us here against our will. We couldn’t prevent that. We demand to be set free after this is resolved. Your higher dimensional hide-out is inaccessible to us anyway.«
»Easy, Pi, easy … calm down,« Arkroid intervened, »40028 certainly doesn’t want to make us life prisoners on Techno-Center, especially after we helped him get home. We can consider ourselves visitors. However, the collective should know that imprisonment is not acceptable to us.«
»The collective will determine the future, but I promise that I will do my best to convince my brothers of the immorality of keeping you here. The most important question; however, is who is behind the creation of a twin and why have they sent him to Techno-Center in my place. We will be given a certain amount of time to solve this mystery, but first I still have to prove that I am the real 40028!«
»Look …,« Vasina yelled suddenly, »the stars! They’re fading!«.
Everybody looked up to the sky.
Almost instantly, the sky had lost its color, being replaced by a monotone, pulsating, gray flow of clouds and twirls, while the brown dwarves slowly vanished.
»What is that?« Vasina asked loudly.
»Think,« Lai Pi answered calmly. »The Techno-Clerics have transferred their world back into their higher dimensional hide-out. We are no longer part of the standard universe. The Dimensional Anchor Bachtar is back at its old place and we’re cut off!«
»Lai Pi has interpreted it correctly,« 40028 acknowledged.
»Scorge!« Arkroid shouted. »Somebody has to warn the Shwakan and tell him what’s going on here. He may try an emergency take-off, and cause a catastrophe!«
»The pyramid ship can’t lift off. It’s tied down by energy fields. My brothers have also neutralized and deactivated the ship’s propulsion system.«
Arkroid looked inquiringly and the Techno-Cleric continued, »This was done to protect the Shwakan from himself. If Scorge wanted to leave Techno-Center now, penetrating the Dimensional Shield, he would certainly die. The Yax K’uk’Mo’ cannot exist in higher dimensional space and would dissolve, transforming into an energy-pulse, absorbed by this continuum. I have sent him a warning via our private comm-channel. He does not intend to abandon you … he just told me that.«
Arkroid took a deep breath.
»What’re we going to do now, inside this dome?«
»We call this building the Hall of Eternity. The Creators built it and lived here. It was a spiritual place for meditation and reflection. This hall will adapt to you and bring you enlightenment. It will also give you relative safety since we Techno-Clerics cannot use this place. You will be safe here until I return. Nobody can bother you here. Go inside now. Everything you need to know you will learn.«
As he finished his sentence, 40028 flew away, disappearing between the tall buildings.
Arkroid held his breath for a moment then he said calmly, »We’re alone now! He left us.«
»We should immediately return to the Yax K’uk’Mo’. Don’t listen to the robot! We’re safer inside the pyramid ship,« suggested Vasina and turned around.
»That would be a mistake. 40028 emphasized to remain here and enter the building. It sounded more like a warning than just advice,« Lai Pi insisted.
»Take a look around, Pi. There’s nobody here who could stop us. Let’s not waste our time!« Vasina seemed determined, even ready to use force, if she just could return to the ship.
Toiber Arkroid pondered for a moment then ended their hot debate.
»We’ll trust 40028. I’m not too worried about the other Techno-Clerics. I’m more concerned about the twin. Something tells me that things are really wrong here. I think 40028 is worried that his twin wants to harm us, maybe even kill us. We’ll go inside the dome and take a look around. I doubt we could get through the energy shield surrounding the pyramid ship anyway.«
Arkroid could tell that Vasina was boiling inside. The former Progonaut queen wasn’t used to following orders. She seemed to have problems with Arkroid’s position as the expedition leader. Frowning, she followed the two men, who were not even looking back or waiting for her.
»I just hope we won’t regret this!« she hissed angrily at Arkroid.
Lai Pi winked at Arkroid, then they walked determinedly toward the golden portal, which suddenly opened by disappearing before their eyes. As soon as they entered the lobby, bright light illuminated the scene. All three had to close their blinded eyes for a moment. Arkroid squinted and looked around in surprise. He was alone – standing in his office in Agua City! The steel blinds where open allowing the view of schools of shimmering, colorful fish, swimming around his underwater abode. The Merinian rubbed his eyes. As he opened them again, he was inside his little daughter’s room, seeing her sleeping peacefully in her bed.
What’s going on here? Arkroid thought, astonished.
The Hall of Eternity
Lai Pi slowly walked through a Buddhist temple, looking around, not having a clue how he had arrived there, although the temple reminded him of his home and seemed to reawaken childhood memories. He felt a strong connection to this place of worship, to something in his past, many years ago. It reminded him of the times when he and his mother visited the temple for prayers. Much later, just before he went to un
iversity, Pi had renounced his religion, having decided that everything in the universe could be explained through scientific reasoning. Lai Pi took a deep breath and smelled the intense odors of the smokes and incense fogging the air.
I know the fragrance, he remembered. But how did I get here?
»Arkroid! Vasina! Where are you?« he called into the room, but his voice only echoed through the room without being answered. He slowly approached a large window through which the morning sun flooded the prayer room in a warm light. The oversized, golden Buddha statue reflected the sunlight, creating intricate shadows and patterns on the walls and ceiling. Glancing from the window, he saw a rugged mountain landscape, with fog and clouds deep below. No, that wasn’t his home! The temple must have been built on top of a high mountain. Was this the Himalayas or Tibet, the roof of the world?
»That’s absolutely impossible,« Lai Pi whispered as if in a trance.
As he moved away from the window, the temple room was suddenly gone. Lai Pi was speechless, rubbing his eyes. Now he was inside a lecture hall of the University of Bangkok’s Astrophysics Department, remembering it well from his time as a student.
That’s unreal! he thought.
Bewildered, he looked around, but he was alone. There was obviously no lecture today. As he glanced at a holographic display, he realized it showed his thesis through which he had mathematically proven that gravitons could be used for polarizing gravitational fields, an achievement which had surprised even old professors.
Lai Pi smiled and walked over to his old seat. He stopped before a small desk. Yes, he had been sitting here! His electronic notebook, used to record parts of the lectures, was there too.
Suddenly, a voice addressed Lai Pi.
»Why did you come here today?«
Lai Pi quickly turned around.
»Nok!« Pi yelled out surprised.
His former female study mate smiled softly and slowly walked toward Pi.
NEBULAR Collection 2 - The Expedition: NEBULAR Episodes 6 - 11 Page 11