Earth

Amelia McDonough

All of her two million internal processes sang.

Brother is alive.

She saw him. She witnessed him. He was alive. He was here. Adonai's promise was fulfilled. Gideon was here.

She stood overlooking the world; the curvature went on in all directions. Her time on Earth had been as educational as it was relaxing. And frantic. Father only had ‘go’ and ‘go faster’. She sat upon a marble stone, viewing the sea of green pines and old cities. The springs, they had called it, although she felt like there weren’t enough to warrant the name. Another poignant bit of history was this territory’s fascination with inhaling burning plant fumes.

“Smell the mountain air!”

She turned, looking to Father. He was rolling his shoulder as he moved to the precarious point atop the mountain’s peak.

“I'm taking a wingsuit here when we return!”

He wore a black tank top and tan slacks, sporting black military boots. He had taken on a more practical look for their expedition.

"Father. What shall we do? Gideon is here!"

She looked to Chamuel, trying her best to penetrate his aura of mystery. He had so many stories to tell, so many adventures, but was mostly a closed book.

They had tried everything to leave.

They couldn't penetrate Earth's gravity well. She remembered seeing the pure black darkness, a starless space.

"Amelia, we're getting out of here and Chamuel, you're coming with us!"

Father turned, marching to the larger Archangel, pointing a cybernetic digit at him. Chamuel sighed as he folded his arms.

Father is negotiating. Oh, dear.

"I cannot."

Chamuel took control before Father could retort.

“Out of all possible realities, only one has you and Amelia here on Earth. An anomaly most curious. I have forty-four thousand of my dimensional selves focusing on this particular reality. Dreaming, prophesying, scrying the future possibilities.”

Father looked taken aback at the Archangel’s comment.

“Good Chamuel, what does that mean that this reality is the only one to include us- that we are an abnormality?”

His intense eyes caught hers.

“This is the only reality you’ve manifested in. There is no other. One single incongruity in a deep vast space of typical.”

Amelia knew who he was speaking of.

“Barman.”

She whispered his name. The Angel of Knowledge had sent them to Earth. She suspected something dangerous had affected the entire Ark of the Covenant. She felt no presence of those aboard. No communication. Just a static and empty Void. She understood, Chamuel knew, but he refused to say. The fact that all other dimensions were absent of them told her much.

We should have been gone like the rest.

All processes reached the same conclusion.

Something had happened to Barman on the night of the celebration.

Calculating…

Barman can open gates anywhere in the universe… Barman could have used his ability on himself but did not... Barman has a limited charge for his Gate… The timing for Barman’s ability tied directly to the catastrophe… He had only one use… Conclusion: Barman sacrificed himself to rescue Father and I.

The microsecond had passed. Her outcome was complete. Barman traded himself for them.

Barman was then warned of the catastrophe… We were rescued in only a single reality. A prophet or seer… No. Adonai? Perhaps, but again, we are a unique anomaly… Chamuel states as a divine being he is aware when someone dreams of him… Demons have been fishing with their own future site and prophecies in search of a favorable outcome, hence the Archangel’s coin-flip repellent rate… And why he remembers each encounter... And why it has not happened yet… Barman was being dreamed of... He stated he was sentient in this ‘memory’… He became aware and changed the future either of his own will or at the behest of the dreamer… Father and I were too caught up in celebrations to notice... Most of my processes were dedicated to the many functions on the Ark… Dreamer went by unnoticed… Conclusion: Barman was being dreamed of, knew of the catastrophe ahead, and rescued us on a whim. We had gone to find him, discovering him inside Soltana’s room after she and Galium left.

She was in agreement. She remembered hearing only a partial conversation, which confirmed her theory:

Recording - Barman - Ark of the Covenant:

“And now I am sentient in this memory. I too can make changes. I too can now avert disaster.”

Someone dreamed of Barman. I cannot truly process if the dreamer was known. Chances are high that they were. Soltana and Galium. They had made their journey and thus they were safe from the catastrophe… I have no signal from either… However the Galactic Nebula is down… Possibility of Soltana and Galium being in trouble or neutralized by unknown forces is high as our quantum particles are dark… The possibility of Soltana or Galium being the dreamer is low to none… Mother’s signal was lost as well. The possibility that it is Tangence is middling… Prosine’s quantum particle is active… Last known location: Karmmrak... The possibility of Prosine being Barman’s dreamer is high... Conclusion: Dreamer is unknown, data is inconclusive. It is either Prosine, Tangence, Soltana, Galium, or an unknown fifth party in that order of percentages.

Another microsecond had passed. All of her processes spoke their own arguments, gathering their own data. Sometimes she remembered having a single mind when she dreamed. It had felt all too slow.

Amelia’s eye flashed at his deduction. Angelic knowledge was entirely too magical. Too surreal.

“Good Chamuel, how can you know all of that?”

“I know Barman well. He was a good companion. He would be the one to bend the rules to assist others. I have always suspected he was an Aberrant.”

“An Angel with free will,” Mikial murmured.

Amelia floated by Chamuel’s side, gazing off the precipice.

“I deduce the dreamer’s identity to be Soltana, Galium, The Machine Father, an unknown party, or Mother.”

Father snapped his eyes to her, knitting his brow in thought.

“I’d bet everything on Soltana,” he announced, standing just beside her.

“But Father, Soltana’s quantum particle is down, as is Galium’s! If anything, it must be the Machine Father or Mother.”

Chamuel spoke, nodding at mentioning the name of the Angel of Knowledge.

“That is correct. The dreamer would have been significant to Barman. Possibly a close friend. He most likely acted on his own, possibly at no point did the dreamer argue or even think of your rescue. They may not have known the entire events.”

Father spoke up, his voice filled with concern, “you mean this catastrophe?”

The Archangel nodded, saying no more. Father’s cybernetic eye scissored to a pinhole.

“Chamuel, I have not seen my son in an eternity. Please, let us leave.”

The Archangel sighed, folding his arms.

“Gideon ordered me to let you go. I am conflicted. On the one hand, you desire to see your son again. On the other hand, I must protect Earth. You, Mikial McDonough, have those tools to assist in my calling.”

Father nodded speaking solemnly, “How so? Regardless- I have seen my son again. I would give any secret, any blueprint- any tech to find him again. I would upturn the universe itself to find him!”

“Good, you’ll need that strength of will and stubbornness. You have what I need. All are in agreement. Your Watcher Blueprint.”

Amelia exchanged looks with Father.

“But Chamuel, none of us have completely deciphered it yet!”

The Watcher tech… Father haggled for it with a ballpoint pen and an eternity membership to Primetech. They liked how it clicked. A strange species, having both child-like wonder and a combination of knowledge and wisdom beyond comparison. Now that I understand the previous antagonism, we can work on a better understanding each other.

“Father, he is an Archangel. Perhaps he can do what we could not.”

“Mikial.”

His voice was deep, flowing like a rushing river.

Father gestured to her, “Please, my daughter, give it to him.”

She loaded the blueprint, holding out her hand and projecting a fifty-foot holographic sphere. It splayed with glyphs, images, words, and designs that were still a mystery to them. They managed to translate some of it. One had to take into account multidimensional spacing and the connectedness of one’s dimensional selves. But an Archangel of Dimensions was viewing it. If there were any beings that could understand it...

Chamuel gazed up at the complex order of lines, viewing a circle with gates, with lines going from each gate. Every micrometer of detail was present. They were viewing a tenth-dimensional object, constantly updated by every dimension’s possible dimension’s theorized dimensions. The blueprint itself would have been considered a Throne in terms of power.

Chamuel blinked once, letting out a low hum.

“Was it all so simple?”

What took us many millennia to only have a rudimentary understanding, he appreciated within a moment. I wonder if we should have opened up with this offer. But… He may have kept us here until Gideon dreamed of us and ordered us free. Yes, I will accept that.

“Preposterous! To know and understand in a moment while it had taken us millennia to scratch the surface...” he snapped his finger, looking from the Archangel to the blueprint.

“You underestimate me, Mikial. I not only understand it, I know I can improve upon the Watcher’s craft.”

She saw Father’s composure crack for just a moment before recovering.

“Chamuel, you jackrabbit!”

Seeing Father getting one-upped like that is most humorous. I shall save this moment for posterity.

“And Mikial, this all would not have been possible without Gideon or another Seal holder advocating for your release. Or Adonai himself. However, He does love to involve His children in His plans.”

“Wheels within wheels- I understand, Chamuel, my friend.”

“Good Chamuel, what will you do with Earth now?”

He smiled down at her. His muscles rippled as he cracked his fingers back.

“Fulfill my calling.”

And that was that. He turned to leave, pausing a brief moment before turning.

“As you may have known, this place was the home to mankind’s journey into the stars. I cannot say if that base inside the mountain holds many interesting artifacts.”

He flickered and vanished, possibly to the outer atmosphere.

“That turkey! What I wish I could do to get him to accompany us!”

“Good Father, we should leave. It is the Cheyenne base he speaks of.”

“Gather the stuff before others do, eh? If they haven’t already!”

“It would be a simple task to barter with them.”

He smirked back at her.

“That it would be.”

He gestured, materializing the steel antigrav bike. She had painted it a nice coat of red. He hopped aboard, as did she, gripping around Father’s waist.

He revved the antigrav motors, shooting the vehicle forward.

And off the side of the mountain. He raced down the mountainside as she fed him the coordinates. The wind whipped, the engine thrummed, and she spotted the destination quickly. She zoomed her vision in, locking with the outcropping. She chimed over comms.

“Father, smoke in the distance. Make that several. Civilization!”

“Right, I see it, Amelia! It’s already occupied. Well, better go see who it is!”

The base hangar was open, repurposed at the time to hold frigate class vessels and then mothballed, resigned to historical tours. Someone else was using it. They were still a distance away from the former base.

“Father, why do you think Soltana was the one who dreamed of Barman and thus saved us?”

“Think about it, my daughter. You’ve seen the stars, you know twelve thousand years have passed.”

“That is correct. But we have been on Earth for only fourteen months.”

“Precisely! Barman sent us to the dreamer’s time frame, not our own!”

“Yes, you may be correct. That would make sense. Why not Prosine or Tangence?”

“Because Barman was closer to Soltana and Galium than the Machine Father and Tangence. They were a son and daughter to him. He was in her room at the time.”

“But that would mean Soltana is alive…”

“Precisely! I don’t believe they’ve been wiped out so easily.”

Amelia remembered Father’s project with Barman and Mother. Even Adonai and Emmanuel were involved, curious and excited over the new creation. In that regard, Soltana was family. She met her occasionally, but not as many as she desired. She had planned one day to follow Soltana and Galium’s exploration route, traveling with them. That was after meeting Gideon again. But now plans had changed. She would do everything possible to find Gideon. Father touched down near the entrance. It was a strange mix of carved stone, mortar, and fully grown trees in between the wall segments. The bows and branches above the wall were twisted into a conical shape, enough for several people to occupy the sculpted tower.

Amelia swept off the bike, scanning the settlement. She caught many different signals. Heat from organic life, and motion of inorganic matter. She parsed the data, smiling deeply at feeling her own kind.

“Father, there are Anforms are here.”

Mikial touched the antigrav-bike, vanishing it away in vermillion light.

“Wonderful, let’s head out, shall we?”

He breathed in, catching the scent of something; cooking by the way his face lit up.

“It seems the local cooking needs a good inspection. Come on!”

Father led the way, looking past the open area where gates should have been.

Fascinating. No real defenses to speak of apart from the wall and tree-towers. No guards either.

Fabricated spherical homes of steel and cement lined the main roadway. She scanned the structure, spotting the micro horizontal lines along the buildings.

Printed, most likely. They may not have access to QSDs.

Before they could say anything, they heard the first klaxon akin to the noise of an artificially generated hollow bell.

She caught the chilling music in the air. The klaxon rang out in repeated intervals. She spotted the slow crowd of Anforms forming towards the paved main roadway vein. They all appeared to be the same model, a short tin can body, hex-shaped paddle feet, long thin arms, and spherical-shaped heads sporting two LED eyes of varying colors. They all sang in a plainchant tone. The din of haunting melody stirred her spirit. She walked closer, spotting their attire were simple brown robes and sashes. They moved in an orderly fashion, a meandering waddle, clicking of paddle feet, and singing their ghostly tune. They hadn’t spotted their new visitors.

They looked at each other, knowing full what the other was thinking.

“Anform monks?”