by Gary Starta
Alzabreah watched in horror. Nessa was soon out of view. Elzeba lay before her on a view screen – unconscious.
She wondered if she should send another drone after her. No. She needed a diversion – to direct everyone’s attention away from what just happened. She would let Nessa run – for now.
Her voice rang over an intercom. Alzabreah ordered all drones and available disciples to gather in the temple.
“Doldruss and Thorpleen are to be prepped for immediate surgery.”
Nessa heard Alzabreah’s orders as she ran, stumbling several times face first into the sand, running in fear just as she had once done on the mainland.
Alzabreah buzzed Doctor Quan’s several times, eliciting no response.
Where the hell is she?
Alzabreah fumbled for a flask of rose berry wine, stashed in an overhead cabinet. She let the liquid pour into her, emptying the container in seconds. She had fortified herself with this courage each and every time she made love to Elzeba. She had to get the New Order back on track. First she would start with the drones. Then she would deal with the betrayers – Mavra, Nessa and Dr. Quan.
Screw Quan! I’ll operate without her!
She smashed the flask upon the floor. It shattered in tiny fragments – dividing like a cell, reminding Alzabreah control is never absolute.
-Prophecy-
Tears bleared Mavra's vision. The droplets cascaded off her face and onto the Vilsachron flowers she gingerly navigated over. The red and lemon flowers eagerly drank up the moisture as if they could not distinguish the tears from the rain, which frequently sprayed the island in light mists each afternoon.
Should I be more upset about the fate of the drones than Katyana's demise? Perhaps they were unaware of their genetic manipulation just like the thousands of hybrid flowers, which lavishly adorned nearly every path and roadway on the island. As she entertained this notion, Mavra realized Thorpleen was not completely ignorant to injustice. Perhaps the flowers and the drones lived sad lives beneath their pretty packaging. She had to admit to herself she cared little about the fate of flowers. It was the pangs of attraction she felt for Thorpleen, which she could not ignore. Her lustful daydreams washed away any justifications for Alzabreah's actions the way the tide eviscerates a footprint from a sandy shoreline. Mavra reasoned the high priestess was too smug to realize that one of her disciples would eventually attain enough courage to betray her even if it meant bringing the manufacture of Olvidian drones to a halt.
To Mavra's dismay, that manufacture was responsible for creating her one true love. Unaware of the recent events of on the island, Mavra could only focus her efforts upon saving Thorpleen. She found it gave her the strength to push on. A strength her father doubted she had ever had.
Mavra's came upon a shimmering yellow light, it lay only a few feet ahead of her. Since the sun had suddenly disappeared behind a thick layer of ominous clouds, Mavra theorized the beam was most likely artificial. Hopefully, it would provide the path to Katyana's processor. Mavra desperately flung herself in the direction of the flickering beacon as if she were a moth. Her feet unwittingly crushed dozens of Vilsachron flowerbeds which stood in her way. If she touched the source of this light, could she be giving rise to yet another monster? Mavra shuddered from this thought but felt fascination at the same time. The emanation of light continued calling out to her like a mother to a lost child.
Mavra extended a shaking hand towards the source of the light – a tall Bendayen tree covered with red leaves. Its curved trunk reminded Mavra of a winding road. The light on the tree engulfed Mavra with a spiritual resonance.
She marveled at the irony. How could something created out of a pure technological design have the power to evoke such wonder and unexplained desire? For some odd reason, she contemplated if this machinery had once enslaved Alzabreah in the same fashion. No longer possessing the power to resist temptation, Mavra rested her fingertips on the shimmering glow of light. It intensified. The meadow before her just a moment ago disappeared in its brilliance. The blinding white ray of light now permeated Mavra's entire spectrum of vision. Her mind told her she was in a free fall just like the one Katyana suffered in her rush to death. Seconds passed while Mavra braced herself for the inevitable impact...
Just over two thousand years ago, a non-organic race was beginning to evolve from mere machinery into a sentient life force. These beings known as the Enlectites had pleaded with their flesh and blood makers, the Zapiens, to heed their advice regarding an impending geological disturbance. Both the Enlectites and the Zapiens had enjoyed over two centuries of peaceful life on what the Olvidians now describe as the 'mainland.' During that time, neither entity had real reason to question or ponder their reason for existence.
When the cataclysmic event finally impacted the planet, the Enlectites found their creators had abandoned them. The Zapiens adhered to the scripture of their teachings, which they interpreted as instructions for evacuation. The humanoid creatures gathered male and female pairings of every organic species and migrated to the eye of the storm. The Zapiens beings believed they would either be transported to a higher plane of existence or suffer their total demise.
“It all comes down to a matter of faith,” one Zapien leader told the Enlectites. This same leader told the machines the disastrous event was a means to an end. “Our creator wishes us to expunge ourselves from all ties to technology,” he prophesied.
The electrically sustained beings could not believe these beings would barter with the life of every organic being of their species in this fashion. “Evidence suggests, you were not created – but were evolved,” one Enlectite pleaded just hours before magnetic poles of the planet were projected to reverse. But the Zapien leaders adhered to their book of scripture and were sent far away from their home through a doorway created from the disturbance. The Enlectites also found they had been transported to another dimension. This one was located just below the surface of a remote island located on their home world. Some Enlectites pondered if their fate was actually a form of punishment handed down by a deity. The Zapiens had charged that all faithless beings would be exiled to the 'depths of damnation.' But the majority of Enlectites dismissed this notion as it could not be proved scientifically. Nevertheless, the Enlectites had been symbolically dispatched to a lower plane of existence.
The Enlectites continued to evolve in their new dimension and unconsciously summoned the first Olvidian settlers to the planet once the atmosphere had been cleansed from radiation poisoning.
The Enlectites called the settlers to the new planet to convince them change was necessary for their future survival. The machines believed an enemy located within the Olvidians was responsible for recurring sicknesses and brain disorders. Communicating telepathically, the Enlectites began to implant subliminal suggestions regarding the development of recombinant gene therapy.
The Olvidians must learn to remove the rot from the vine if they hope to survive into the next millennium, the Enlectites proclaimed. Accessing the last vestige of power from Katyana's processor, the Enlectites connected with their lost world one last time to effect this change....
....But the impact never came. Mavra's body was in a state of suspended animation. Someone, or something, was attempting to communicate with her....
Alzabreah's perused the cams one more time. She could not detect the location of Mavra, Nessa or Doctor Quan. Part of her boiled with anger. Another part of Alzabreah saw this as an opportunity. She could easily renege on her agreement and execute both Doldruss and Thorpleen without a trial. It might even appear to be an accident. Alzabreah realized she lacked the surgical skill of Doctor Quan. Additionally, the alcohol began to impair her vision.
The high priestess stumbled from the command center, headed for the village square. Murder gleaned in her eyes. Vengeance would be had today.
Mavra's body hung in the air, perfectly balanced as if she were a butterfly. The white light surrounding her segued into purplish hue. She be
gan to focus on a pyramid-shaped object that stood before her just out of arm's reach. The triangle spun on an invisible axis and gently came to a rest. Mavra tried to speak but only a strange hum emanated from her mouth. The sound she made was garbled and low pitched. The face of Katyana appeared on the triangle as she continued to struggle like a worm on an invisible hook.
“The processor you just activated is providing temporary access to another dimension,” the voice began. “The true founders of this island reside below its surface. The Enlectites felt the need to intervene when Alzabreah threw me over the cliff.”
“Then how can you be here, talking to me? Aren't you dead?” Mavra asked with a quivering voice. The being, which identified itself as Katyana, continued to communicate in a series of staccato chirps. Mavra realized halfway through her next sentence she was also now grunting in unfamiliar syllables. She deduced the presence that held her here was capable of reprogramming the speech center of her brain to communicate in its dialect.
“The Enlectites were able to remove my memories from my brain before my body crashed upon the rocks. An electro-magnetic disturbance made this possible when Alzabreah tampered with the frequency shields of the electric force field. At the moment of my physical demise, an Enlectite disguised as a female Olvidian came to me, transferring my consciousness into hers via a mind merge. The Enlectites are very sorry this image was captured on Alzabreah’s surveillance cams – it’s why she believes the disciple named Nessa witnessed my murder. The image we obtained from a data file cast a striking resemblance to the young disciple.” Still stunned, Mavra remained in frozen silence, attempting to digest the information. “Mavra, the Enlectites were able to use the remaining power from my processor to allow me one last visit to your material world. I believe I can offer you a solution to your dilemma. But you must hear me out now as it is unlikely you will ever be able to establish contact with us again.” The voice of Katyana explained the Enlectites telepathically urged Alzabreah to settle on this island. “They also were responsible for implanting the image of this planet in the minds of the original Olvidian colonists as a lure. The Enlectites witnessed the expulsion of a carbon-based species who were cast far away from this solar system through a doorway which was created by an electromagnetic storm,” the voice continued. “This same storm created a second doorway, placing the Enlectites in a dimension located just below the surface of the island. Here, the Enlectites continued to hone their telepathic powers and evolve into sentient beings during the last millennium. In effect, they now have the ability to transcend dimensional barriers with their minds under certain conditions. My consciousness now resides here. And since we live outside your world, we must urge you to remedy the situation there on your own. The Enlectites have chosen you as a prophet. You must convince all Olvidians to genetically map the correct path for all its citizens. This is for their own good.”
Mavra's mind raced back to her last conversation with the high priestess. “How do I know these transcendental suggestions are for our good?”
The Enlectites provided the answer in what Mavra could only describe as streaming video. Mavra's eyelids closed and an image of Alzabreah as a child came into focus. She witnessed a doctor drugging the young female following a consultation with her parents. The high priestess had been an unwitting subject of genetic manipulation as a child, according to the imagery. The next scene portrayed Alzabreah as a fully-grown adult. She communicated with a higher power while standing on the mainland's shoreline. It was abundantly clear that her alteration was intentional. She had been mentally linked with the Enlectites.
The scene switched abruptly to reveal an ancient tribe of people. These people differed in appearance from the Olvidians. They possessed either white or brown skin tones and their heads were adorned with hair in various colors such as yellow and black. Mavra was fascinated by their markings. Before genetic re-sequencing, Olvidian skin tone was limited to either gray or alabaster. These ancient settlers also had eyes, which were quite smaller than those of an organically grown Olvidian's. Mavra's mouth moved involuntarily in response to these series of pictures. A word that sounded like “Zapiens” fell from her lips.
The Zapiens were speaking in a tongue Mavra had never heard before. However, she could tell from their panic that a cataclysmic event was about to happen. Several leaders of the tribe were gathered around a large monitor on a huge platform. They were responding to its data. Words flashed quickly across the screen. Mavra translated the text with the aid of the Enlectite technology. The text said: “The scientists have confirmed the threat as real. The magnetic poles of this planet will reverse. An electromagnetic storm is imminent.”
One of the Zapien leaders placed his hand around a globe-shaped object after the telecast. The rest of the Zapiens cast icy stares in his direction. Their arms flailed wildly as the image of a mechanical face appeared on the orb-like object. Mavra could feel the fear of the Zapiens in response to this unwelcome presence. A voice began to instruct the lone Zapien on how he could save the planet. It proclaimed evacuation was not necessary because the Enlectites could freeze the bodies of the Zapiens and awaken them once radiation levels were deemed safe. The voice also disapproved of the Zapiens plan to retrieve female and male pairings of every species for the evacuation. Genetic engineering could easily reproduce any species even if all its members were eradicated from the planet during the pole reversal, the voice argued. The next scene was reminiscent of the desert-like area found on the southwestern coast of the mainland. Here, several Zapiens were hard at work bashing and smashing Enlectites globes into splintered pieces. One of the leaders held up a book. A painting of winged beings flying over a blue background adorned the jacket. The speaker proclaimed all the knowledge the Zapiens ever needed was contained in its pages. “Beware of these artificial sages who attempt to change our fate,” he cried vehemently.
The look on the lone Zapiens face was filled with despair as he surveyed the broken communication devices. His hands and feet were bound to a post, which protruded from the sand. He asked the leaders why they were so unwilling to accept assistance from the beings, which called themselves the Enlectites. “How could the machines be evil if we created them?” he charged. The Zapien leaders quickly reprimanded the imprisoned man for abandoning his faith. One of them went into a rage belittling the inorganic creatures as soulless tricksters. The bound Zapien came to realize he could not sway the leaders who felt obliged to endure the wrath of the impending storm as if it were a test of their faith. “If it is our fate to die a catastrophic death, then judgment has been passed down on us from above. We must voluntarily submit to our sentencing. The good book has advised us to carry our kind to a new world. We will succeed or die trying,” the eldest Zapien proclaimed.
Mavra despised the fanaticism of this leader who would summarily sentence his people to the possibility of death when alternatives were possible.
“Now you see, Mavra,” Katyana's voice broke in, “why it is imperative that you do not put a stop to Alzabreah's work. Her work must continue to save the Olvidian race. But it must now be tempered with good judgment. We never intended Alzabreah to manipulate your genomes for such self-aggrandizing pursuits. We had hoped she would use it to heal. But as you see, she has become drunk with power. She only wants to rule Olvidians as a god. Nevertheless, voices of her past life are haunting her. She is experiencing a genetic breakdown because of her force field. Like the drones, she is highly susceptible to the radiation. It is altering her genetic makeup right now, conflicting her. She was once capable of love like you Mavra. She desires this just as much as you do – but she is also still compelled to continue her work. Her conflicted mind is making her very unstable. You must go back and stop her at any cost.”
“But how?”
The Enlectites did not answer. “You must find a way, if you are to save Thorpleen.”
The tone of the voice revealed an intimate knowledge of Mavra’s relationship with Thorpleen.
&nb
sp; “The very fact that you love him is due to a genetic breakdown Mavra.” Bewildered, Mavra’s face contorted to a grimace. “Thorpleen is releasing a chemical substance. Your olfactory senses are processing this chemical, equating it with love. Soon the other drones will emit this chemical. You would have fallen in love with any one of them.”
No, that’s not true.
The Enlectites heard Mavra’s thoughts.
“The other drones are becoming ill as well. One designed to murder, suddenly began to question his orders when a gene malfunction allowed him to access the analytical portion of his brain. Another now dreams.”
But Mavra didn’t see these illnesses as diseases. She wondered if gene therapy could give each drone access to their original Olvidian genome. If so, maybe Thorpleen could experience love.
Mavra was awe-struck. The irony. Alzabreah had been manipulated just like the drones. But Mavra did not feel the Enlectites were evil. She commiserated with their angst. Alzabreah was designed to help all Olvidians, but she selfishly chose to use her knowledge for personal gain. Mavra believed the Enlectites, albeit an inorganic species, were truly selfless. They offered moral and biological assistance to those willing to take it without need for compensation. Yes, she would help all Olvidians, but she would give the drones their freedom. She hoped this thought would not anger the Enlectites.
“We know we have virtually handed the keys of creation to you,” the voice continued. “You must use this gift not for dominance, but for benevolence. Genetic selection is the only way you could continue to survive as a species. If you do not act to filter fatal diseases from the Olvidian gene pool, it will only be a matter of time to your extinction. It would have eventually condemned the Zapiens to extinction if they had stayed. Please understand we had to take the risk. We instilled Alzabreah with absolute power for the perpetuation of your kind. You must now intervene to remove Alzabreah's greed from the equation. She is currently fast at work to destroy all Olvidians. You will find her in the temple. ”