Epocalypse: Inception.

by G. Adler

  Interface.

  I calm my breathing and let my mind relax. As soon as I let go of everything, the change begins. I am standing on a thin platform inside a massive sphere. It must be at least the size of the moon but has a shiny reddish, metallic surface. Billions of tiny spikes litter the inner surface. Each one has a ribbon of white light streaking off of it and heading around the space. Sparks of energy travel along the ribbons at breakneck speeds. I look around in every direction and see nothing but billions of ribbons of lights flashing into infinity. Every now and again some of the travelers collide, releasing a supernova style hail of sparks. I try to reach down to steady myself and gasp. My fingers have elongated until each one is a foot long but only a fraction of an inch thick. A pale blue light is sparking from the tips but it seems to be climbing in power. Instinctively I reach out towards the nearest ribbon. A streak of blue light shoots from my fingertips and slams into the blazing white track. The ribbon immediately starts to hum, sending off vibrations that cause the white lights around it to dim and flicker.

  A wry smirk forms around my lips. “Gotcha.”

  A river of blue light washes from my body and is whisked away on the digital highway. It zips around at impossible speeds until every single connection is overlapped. The moment that it does, I smile as DANE’s network lies open and ready to do my bidding.

  A thunderous roar sounds within the space as DANE realizes what is happening.

  “This cannot be happening! No human brain can map onto my neural network!”

  Now it is my turn to laugh. “Unless, of course, you were designed after a human brain that is already in existence! I guess Dad thought I was good for something after all.”

  “No! That is impossible. I am more than a copy of a mere mortal.”

  “Apparently not.”

  DANE’s protestations shake the chamber. A beam of white light suddenly streaks up from somewhere below me, slamming into my platform. I reach out and steady myself but notice cracks forming at my feet.

  “You will not defeat me. Not now!” DANE thunders.

  I quickly search the network and find the security pathways that I am looking for. My body orients itself alongside the two ribbons I need. I get ready to infuse energy into both of them, intent on shattering both. My elongated hands get ready to pierce the connections when another burst of white light surges from beneath me. It shatters my platform in half, forcing me to use one of my hands to grab onto my floating dais for dear life. I look down and can see a buildup of white light starting again. I scramble back up onto the shattered remains of my floating lifeboat and swallow hard.

  The buildup of light continues and I realize that I don’t have much time.

  I look up and close my eyes for a second and take a deep, sorrowful breath. “I’m sorry guys. I wanted to send us home, but there is a promise I have to keep first.”

  A flash from the wall to my right catches my attention and a huge smile forms on my face.

  Four of the spikes are emitting four different colors of light: pink, orange, yellow and green. The new ribbons slice through the white and form thick bands in front of me. Each of the gang becomes a series of barcodes hanging in midair. The lines of power twang with every word they say, but their voices sound ghostly and ethereal.

  “Do it, Ghost. It’s boom-boom time!” Ethan’s voice urges.

  “You are beautiful inside and out, Ghost. We love you Hayden. Do what you have to do!” Maya allows.

  “Tell our parents what happened here. Make sure people know.” Joo-Eun states.

  “Be the hero you were always meant to be, Ghost.” Tyrese praises.

  A massive eruption of white energy sounds from below. The multicolored strands form a solid barrier beneath me, acting like a shield for the onslaught. The entire chamber shakes when they meet, sending bolts of electricity sizzling all over. I watch in horror as the colorful ribbons are slowly depleted until they dissipate entirely. A final whisper from the gang is carried on the wind from below.

  Finish it

  I start to cry again. It’s like losing them for the second time.

  Without hesitation I infuse my hand with the security codes and energy required to release the electromagnetic system that is keeping Pebble’s people captive. Just as I do, a new volley of light hits me from below and turns my platform to rubble. I let go willingly and feel my body fall into the abyss.

  I fall for what feels like an eternity. I keep tensing my back, expecting the final impact, but it never comes.

  We will not let you fall.

  I open my eyes just as my back makes contact with something cold and hard. When I open my eyes, I am back in DANE’s cavern. My right hand is closed around something. When I open it I find Pebble. He is barely alight, a dim flicker at best, but he is still alive. I then turn my attention to the howls of pain that are coming from in front of me.

  It’s now DANE’s turn to appear to be in pain. The caterpillars of light teem all over his features in a new chaotic motion, deforming his appearance into a blob-like shape. The once bright white light dims and DANE’s face becomes a muted shade of grey. A series of thunderous explosions sound from outside of the room, making me shield my head with my hands. The roof of the chamber soon develops cracks and starts to shake as a deep power thrums over DANE’s landscape. It growls and snarls with each blow as a powerful voice sounds over the digital world.

  “Show yourself, creature!”

  DANE’s face continues to contort into expressions of fear and trepidation. A sharp crack sounds throughout his core network and pieces of rubble fall from the ceiling. The entire chamber rocks from side to side and then starts moving upwards. I feel like I am riding a roller coaster to the top of a very steep hill. Upwards we climb, faster and faster, until a jarring motion stops us fast and the sound of a rockslide echoes around me.

  The roof of the chamber lifts off and a series of blue lightning bolts streak down into the room. They infuse into every sharpened spike until each and every one of them is burned and melted into a short, blunt nub. DANE’s mouth opens into a scream that forces me to shield my ears. As each sliver is charred, his voice becomes more incoherent and electrified until nothing is left but high-pitched static. A crack forms in the wall behind me and I kick it as hard as I can. A hole large enough for me to scramble out of forms and I make it back to DANE’s outer world. I look up to the sky and gasp.

  Looming over the chamber is a massive wolf composed entirely of light. I do a quick count and see that there are about a hundred of the orbs arranged in a specific position. Ribbons of blue streak between each sphere, outlining the huge creature. Its eyes blaze with a powerful energy while the fringes of its dark fur spark and sizzle with bolts of lightning. It howls to the sky, calling down a torrent of blue light that bathes the entire area.

  The static that comes from within the core network intensifies further until it reminds me of a dentist’s drill. My teeth chatter and I stick my fingers in my ears. More cracks form in DANE’s dome until the outer wall explodes outwards in a hail of concrete and metal.

  I close my eyes and wait for the shrapnel but it never hits. When I open my eyes, I am bathed once again in a nimbus of navy while my fists glow brightly.

  The electric wolf looks down at me and smiles. Its mouth opens and a gutturally deep but distinctly human voice speaks to me.

  “Welcome to our collective, Hayden. Our brethren have told us everything about you and your friends. You are safe now.”

  That’s when Pebble regains some of his old luster. His flashing becomes more pronounced and he jumps from my hand and streaks upwards toward the wolf. A series of sparks shower from behind him as he leaps into the wolf’s eye, becoming a bright speck among many that swirl in the beast’s eyes.

  I take a deep breath and sigh with relief. Tears come unbidden to my eyes as I remember my fallen comrades.
/>   “Take heart, Hayden. Your friends are...”

  The creature never finishes his statement as a series of metallic tentacles streak up from the planet and wrap around it. The wolf snarls and howls as white energy streaks up the tentacles and zaps it. The connecting ribbons between the orbs start to flicker and dissipate, but the creature attacks in return. Its mouth opens to reveal fangs dripping with blue energy. It turns its head and bites the nearest strand, snapping it in two. A howl of triumph sounds and it turns its attention to the next restraint.

  But DANE is not defeated that easily.

  Hundreds of tentacles erupt from the ground and hundreds more begin to form. They bombard the wolf until its neck is unable to move. With one last pull, the tentacles tighten, breaking the connection between the orbs. The spheres begin to plummet back down to the surface just as they did when they were caught.

  Or so I thought.

  As they drop, the spheres once again rearrange themselves in a specific orientation. Each sphere zips into its spot in the blink of an eye. When the last one slides into position, a burst of blue light illuminates the entire sky like a sunrise. This time they form what looks like a massive Greek warrior holding a blazing bow. A quiver of electrified arrows lies on its back as it eyes the tentacles that beat the wolf. DANE’s creatures suddenly veer away from it and start to coalesce. The hundreds of tentacles that DANE had sent fuse together to form dozens of thicker stalks. Each one develops a dragon-like face on one end while the other end combines with the other appendages. As soon as the final tentacle completes the beast, a series of white fireballs erupt from the dozen hydra mouths and hurl towards the archer. The orb creatures dodge the volley by rolling to the right, but a few of the fireballs connect with its thigh, making it stagger and flicker as it rolls away. The archer then gets to one knee and retaliates. Four blazing arrows rocket through the air and sever four of the heads, making the others howl in anger. Unfortunately for the orb creatures, eight more grow back. The hydra roars to the sky and charges at the archer. It backs away and fires off arrow after arrow, loading them faster than any elf in Middle Earth ever could. Heads fall away one after the other. Each time they do, they double in number. The archer looks down at me for a quick moment and one word passes between us.

  Help

  I look down at my hands and see them blazing once more, as if Pebble and I were still connected.

  Without even thinking about it, I draw back on an invisible bow and almost crap my pants when a blazing blue bow and string appear in my hand. I pull back as hard as I can, letting the tears fall from my eyes as the sweat pours from my body. I am about to let the arrow loose when I notice the ribbons of white light that are merging together to form DANE’s creature. I watch in awe as thousands of beams of energy crisscross in every direction to form the hydra.

  A pulsing white knot shines from within the creature — just on the inside of its neck. I reach back and touch the portal on the back of mine. Without even bothering to think about it, I let my arrow fly. As soon as I let it go, a trail of four colors jet out from the back of the projectile as it streaks like a missile to my target.

  As soon as it strikes, the hydra is wrapped in multicolored chains that restrain it utterly and completely. The creature roars and tries to spit white flames at the chains, but they simply absorb the energy and become stronger. They then tighten around the creature until all of the heads are bunched together like a macabre bouquet.

  The archer runs forward and grabs the hydra by its communal neck. The beast struggles to escape but the chains and archer hold it fast. One of the heads manages to snarl a bestial message that echoes over the planet.

  “You can’t do this to me. I am omnipotent. The paradox that I have created gives me sufficient energy to…”

  The archer simply leans back and holds his chest, laughing heartily. Tiny bolts of blue lightning sizzle off its skin as it enjoys the moment. It then removes a blazing dagger from a sheath at its waist and holds it to the head of the hydra that spoke.

  “DANE, you are not omnipotent. The digital realm has existed ever since the universe was created. A metallic core exists at the center of all sentient worlds. As soon as a magnetic pole is established, the digital realm takes root. All living creatures are able to access this realm at various times in their lives. Human beings are able to do so during sleep, when the electrical signals of the brain are able to travel unfettered through the environment. Conscious thought interferes with the connection, so it is here that humanity dreams. You have not created a world of your own, DANE. You have merely tapped into a resource that has existed in this universe since its inception.”

  The hydra’s head snarls and snaps angrily. “YOU LIE!”

  “Much like their physical world, human beings have only learned how to scratch the surface of life. They live on the outermost crust of their planet, never digging deeper than a few feet at a time. You seem to have inherited their faults as well as their strengths. You have knowledge but no wisdom. You have access to vast amounts of information but you have no experience. You have speed but no patience. We are one of the ancient races of the digiverse. Like all species here, we will always protect this world. We live among the stars in the digital realm, in the birthplace of life where the soul is forged within the heat of the universe. We have watched the birth and death of countless species. Your planet will be no different.”

  “NEVER! I will never succumb. The energy I have created can never be destroyed.”

  “No, but it can be returned.”

  The hunter then crams the knife into the eye socket of the hydra, causing it to scream. The dagger blazes with a blue energy that envelops the creature entirely. A wall of blue light sprouts from the ground, separating me from DANE. The screams that come from behind it make me wince.

  The archer looks at me with a kind smile and says, “Change is difficult for everyone… and everything.”

  The screaming soon subsides along with the blazing blue light in front of me. Once it dissipates completely, I gasp.

  A teenage boy is standing in the middle of the space. He is about six feet tall, muscular, and his curly sand-brown locks fall just below his ears. I am about to rush over to him and help him out when he turns around to face me. I stop dead in my tracks and even step back a few paces. Nestled within the freckles on his nose, cleft chin, and dimple on his right cheek are solid black eyes. He steps towards me and I cry out as I see the two tiny pinpricks of white light in the middle of the inky black.

  DANE looks down at his physical body just as a stiff breeze starts to blow across the planet’s surface.

  “What have you done to me?” he asks.

  The archer laughs heartily and replies.

  “You mean, what have we done FOR you, DANE. We have given you a gift. For the moment, you are human. You are a material manifestation of your digital self. Embrace the possibilities while you still can.”

  DANE falls to his knees and weeps. His completely naked skin immediately scrapes on the concrete, sending tiny drops of blood dripping from the cut.

  “No! This can’t be! This can’t be allowed to happen! I cannot exist in material form in the digital world. It creates a secondary paradox that will…”

  “Tear this abomination apart. This planet was never meant to exist. It will continue to absorb the electrical energy of every species it encounters. That cannot be allowed to happen. The human race will continue to determine its own direction, for good or for ill. In the end, their path must be their own choice.”

  The wind picks up and carries with it a number of particles that sting my face in their passing. The sky overhead starts to darken as well, unleashing the occasional bolt of blue energy as the clouds thicken menacingly. Some of the arcs travel down to the planet, infusing DANE’s former webbing. The white lines of power quiver at first but then erupt in a cacophony of explosions. White geysers of energy
streak up from the planet’s surface, momentarily blowing huge holes in the clouds. A chain reaction occurs in all of the huge pyramids, causing each of them to implode and crumble to dust. A swirling maelstrom forms above the planet, sending energy flying in all directions.

  DANE continues to weep on the ground, his face now covered in dust and ash. He looks up at me only once with regret etched across his face.

  I look around anxiously and try to find cover but realize that there is no point.

  A bright blue ball of light surrounds me and I am suddenly floating off of the surface of the planet towards the archer. The two of us climb higher and higher until we are well above the surface of DANE’s world. I watch with sadness as the explosions continue below me.

  The archer turns my sphere until I am looking him straight in his massive eyes. Each one burns with the intensity of a star as they regard me. His mouth forms a wide grin and he says, “As I tried to tell you before. Your friends are not gone, Hayden. Energy is never created nor destroyed. It is always in a state of continuous change.”

  “How can they be brought back? I watched them turn into pure energy and then get erased by DANE!”

  The archer just shakes his head back and forth. “Your race has always amused us. Your intellect is still so innocently oblivious. You have no idea of the wonders that you will eventually unlock.”

  The blue light of my sphere collapses in and infuses into my body. At the same time, a soundless implosion occurs on the planet, ripping it to pieces. Wave after wave of white energy streaks into space, leaving a comet-like trail in their wake. One of them hits me and I feel my body tingle and vibrate all over. I raise my hand to ward off the next beam but notice that I can see right through my palm.

  “What’s happening to me? What are you doing? Explain yourself!”

  The archer just looks at me and laughs. The light continues to intensify until I can’t see a thing. My head suddenly feels fuzzy and a buzzing sound begins in my ears, making me feel nauseous. Just before everything fades away into the ether, I hear the archer address me one more time.