Two Steps Forward - One Step Back

[Maharg67]

http://i592.photobucket.com/albums/tt9/Dragonpen61/Forum%20Additives/aaasized.jpg

 

The OmniObserver always observed itself even as it observed others and there were its Lesser Observers, its agents both semiautonomous and autonomous. The OmniObserver constantly reported everything, using different means, to an unknown destination, to an entity or entities that it did not know the identity or nature of.

 

It was said of the TwistedGod that it was so amazingly cunning and deceptive that it often did itself damage in the longer term: its different followers would not know each other as such and would fight each other; secrets would be lost as would valuable resources; the actual point of conspiracy plans and actions would get lost in the layers of deceptive cunning; there was inefficiency, corruption and stupidity. Yet the TwistedGod was unable to change its nature because it was unable to face the truth of its own nature; this dark, troubled, influence flowed through to its followers.

Edited July 9, 2012 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

0077: Of the OmniObserver and the Observed

 

There were those who would not take part in immediate events but who had appeared in the epic. They were such as the AltSliders inside the TT-TransCube, living out lives in an amazing virtual reality realm, and those that had come from the AlternateEarth with its many alien invasions and who were now in capsules in the Outer Zone of the TransWardrobe. The LittleFatFamily slept but were also, somehow, aware of what was taking place out side of themselves. What were they? Nobody seemed to know or, if they did, they were not telling. The TransWardrobe vanished off into deep hiding and SamWaSam lost his TransCube when it also vanished with the Living Baby Goddess, along with many others, inside it.

 

Tommy Tomkins, Tammy Tomkins, Sammy Tomkins alias SamWaSam, they were still active at the centre of powerful events. Alan Pale gained his own TransCube, turning out to be another 'reborn' False Eternal. He began to assist Marshal Nelson, and his people, along with the people of Cobber Paddy as much as he could.

 

Yet another AlternateEarth had come to be linked with the main events, though in a secondary way for it was the one that Diana Scully, Frank Mulder and their people had come from. That AlternateEarth was surprisingly advanced in some ways, science and technologically wise, but much of it had also been blasted back into primitive, struggling conditions. On that AlternateEarth it was in the 2050s and there was no Great Sphere but since they had suffered from no less than three big alien invasions, there really did not have to be to cause them massive trauma.

 

Then there were the 13of13 worlds that were actually an integrated one world, transdimensionally, that was an AlternateEarth that had been left devastated by the Great Sphere. Where better to create a sanctuary from the Great Sphere than on-in a world where it had already been; why would it return?

 

Was there a link between the Great Sphere, the Great Sanctuary and the 13of13? What about between them and the TransCubes, between them and the False Eternals and FactionLords? What was the real link between the False Eternals and the FactionLords?

 

What of the TwistedGod, the AncientLords and the OmniObserver itself?

 

The OmniObserver always observed itself even as it observed others and there were its Lesser Observers, its agents both semiautonomous and autonomous. The OmniObserver constantly reported everything, using different means, to an unknown destination, to an entity or entities that it did not know the identity or nature of.

 

What of the Voice?

 

What of the Living Gods of Timespace and the Living Goddess Baby?

[Maharg67]

0078: Of Graham Maharg and Others

 

Graham Maharg quietly observed the settlement of Jack's Hill from a distance, for a while in the brightly warm sunshine, before he made his way along a dirt highway past a long abandoned semitrailer truck. He had come to this AlternateEarth at the request of the LittleFatFamily, had come and become human, taking up one of his oldest human type names. Where had he been? He had been in a realm that could not be explained in human terms, as an entity beyond human understanding but now he was, in many ways, human. Perhaps superhuman was a better way of explaining it. On that world it was in the 2030sAD and over half of the world's population had vanished or had perished due to many kinds of troubles from plague to famine and war. For a while it seemed that the glimmering green fogs, glimmering green monsters, and undead would add to those problems; then they had vanished away as quickly as they had come. There were also elemental entities becoming more active on that world, as linked mostly to the glowing white mists and fog.

 

What would happen next? Graham Maharg knew that the coming of the glowing white mists, and the elemental entities, meant that all life that could be salvaged before the Great Sphere consumed everything, was being salvaged. Or at least the process was starting. Humanity had no longer term future on that world.

 

In tough, plain outdoors gear, boots and carrying a bolt-action rifle, he strode along with a big backpack on his back, a large dog and a mule with big, full panniers on her back. Since the troubles had begun the use of animals for transportation, ridden or pulling vehicles, had become quite common again. He pretended not to be aware of the hiding sentries and when they came out, to point autorifles at him, he just smiled at the soldiers.

 

A woman sergeant, wearing Union American Army fatigues and body-armor, aimed her M16A3 assault-rifle at him. "Identify yourself and state why you are here?"

 

Graham Maharg looked to her, smiled lightly. "I am here to see the Fringe people and Tommy Tomkin's people. The sooner it happens, the better for all of us."

 

The woman frowned. "Even your knowing that they are here makes you suspicious but it also shows that you are not just here by accident."

 

"Not passing through as a tourist, no!" Graham Maharg looked around at the semiwilderness, at the greenery and the damage done by the increase in rainfall. There green undeath threat had come and mostly gone. Scattered damphirs and undead, friendly and hostile, were not much of a threat. Forces were arriving from outside under the mandate of the UtopianLord strengthened United Nations. UtopianLord ambitions seemed to have begun to mellow, to start to go from controlling humanity as benevolent overlords to advising and supporting progress in humanity. Perhaps it was the split with the UtopianLords, the ones who became the DystopianLords, that had done it. Even as he stood there a long range aircraft flew overhead and from its rear, open rampway, came a big crate to drift down supported by a parachute. "That is for your settlement, I think, and that is a United Nations Service Support Agency airplane, an old regenerated and upgraded human manufactured Boeing 777A2."

 

The UNSSA aircraft flew off into the distance.

 

The woman sighed. "Well let us hope some of us get to go home back to Washington DC. Some strange news came in that the DystopianLords vanished."

 

Graham Maharg nodded. "But only after stealing a good deal of resources and abducting a fair few people. They went to another AlternateEarth of the 2030s."

 

The woman nodded. "The one that Fringe dealt with. Yeh, plenty of people know the story now. I will take you through. That way I can also report the parachute crate. First, though, to try a two-way radio communications."

 

The soldier tried using her two-way and was surprised to be able to have a good clear conversation with those in the survivalist settlement. A hybrid-electric MuleJeep came and picked them up, so eager were Walter Bishop and Nina Sharp to see Graham Maharg. They had gained warnings of his coming in very vivid dreams that had forewarned of the parachute crate being dropped at the same time as his arrival at the settlement. They knew how he would appear and that he would come with a mule and a dog. The six wheeled jeep had the driver, the sergeant and both dog and mule in the pickup truck style back. Graham Maharg rode in the duelcab of the big machine.

 

The vehicle halted in a large walled yard, recently altered to fit more machines. Sappers, along with other soldiers and civilians, were building a big new garage workshop building. Maharg climbed out and shook hands with Walter Bishop and Nina Sharp. Then he looked around before he looked back at them and spoke. "There are some rogue bandits out there, a mixture of humans and damphirs working together to survive. They have seen the crate and want to get to it first."

 

Nina smiled. "We have patrols out there already and one has reached the site of the crate. We will speak with the rogues and see if we can get them to become allied. Otherwise we will deal with them harshly."

 

Graham Maharg smiled. "You gained the dream-linking messages."

 

"A most interesting form of communications." Walter Bishop's eyes gleamed. "Are you really human or are you some kind of shapeshifter... a non human shapeshifter, that is?"

 

"A human enough to do what I need to do." Graham Maharg responded. "So Fringe Division has set up its main base here temporarily."

 

Nina Sharp responded, being more wary than Walter though she concealed it well body language wise. To Graham Maharg she was transparent in her many of her thoughts and feelings. "Perhaps a permanent base given what damage has been done in Washington DC and in Boston. We have set up new facilities here and are busy examining those amazing True Illuminati machines. Quite impressive they are."

 

Graham Maharg sighed. "Yes, quite impressive! Mule, please do what you must!"

 

The mule opened her mouth and from it sprayed a fine mist that shot out with amazing speed and filled up the area with amazing efficiency. Nina Sharp froze and Walter Bishop looked quite shocked. He looked around as the mist kept spreading and certain people froze while others, most people, remained visibly active. No animals seemed to be effected. The mist seemed to sink right into the ground and into structures, going straight through solid surfaces.

Edited July 8, 2012 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

0079: Of Graham Maharg and Others

 

Walter Bishop frowned. "Just what did you do to Nina? Please, stop it at once! I have become rather fond of her and so has Astrid."

 

Graham Maharg sighed. "The UtopianLords took over much of this world in the years of chaos following the appearance of the Great Sphere. Nina Sharp was replaced, many years ago, a special UtopianLord Clone, that is a UtopianLordite. The real Nina Sharp found a way to rejoin William Bell, leaving this world before the UtopianLords took advantage of the situation and replaced her in all of the confusion. The real difference between the UtopianLord majority, and those that became the DystopianLords, was that they were less honest about their intentions. The DystopianLords prefer to openly take over, giving humanity a chance to fight back. You can stop, now, please mule."

 

The mule closed her mouth. It was obvious now that she was not really a mule at all.

 

In the following confusion Graham Maharg quietly took command of the situation. The UtopianLordites had held many positions of authority, military and civil, in the expanded settlement and after their frozen bodies were disarmed, body-armor removed from all who had it, they were placed in cells. Graham Maharg placed on each captive UtopianLordite a headband that could not be removed and which would not let them use any special abilities to escape. The UtopianLordites would remain frozen for some time but would remain healthy and safe in that status.

 

Astrid and Walter Bishop met with Graham Maharg and others including TT-John and Annie. There were some shapeshifters there amongst the humans. They sat at a large table in a meeting and planning room.

 

Graham Maharg looked around at the others. "I am sorry that I could not get here earlier but I had to.... I could not explain even if I wanted to except to say I had to make some special preparations to be ready to do what I have to do on this world and some other AlternateEarths. I can tell you that Olivia, Peter, Jacko and others are quite safe off in the former USA, in what was once Maryland. They are heading for Boston even as we speak. As for the parachute crate, it contained valuable equipment and supplies that have already been distributed but also more dangerous items that I have taken charge of. The UtopianLords conquered much of this world through deceit but have not achieved the greater control that they sought. This is due partly to the rise of Unity, partly to the activity of other FactionLord Factions but mostly to the chaos effecting the world in general and their own shortages in some resources, including numbers. They have come to dominate the newly restructured United Nations and five new UN Services including the Peacekeepers. Generally speaking, the UtopianLords do look after people quite well; they are efficient, lack corruption and tend towards fairness. The problem is that they consider humans to be too wild, too 'dysfunctional', to rule yourselves. Another problem is that the UtopianLords, like some other FactionLord Factions, have fallen under the secret control of a far darker, more secretive and more dangerous force than they are, themselves. It is known as the TwistedGod and it has its own direct followers that operate, in some ways, like a FactionLord Faction."

 

He went on speaking. "At least half of humans, and other lifeforms, that vanished from this world ended up in the Great Sphere but not in HarmonyCity." He spoke of HarmonyCity, of the HarmonyLords, of the DeathlessLords and of what was happening in the Great Sphere or at least as much as he knew. Graham Maharg admitted there was much more he did not know than that he did know. "They are in a realm of white glowing mist but not transformed deeply, none of them, it seems. The LittleFatFamily gave me this information. Peter, Olivia and Jacko met them in their TransWardrobe." He spoke lightly of the amazing family of entities but it was clear he was not willing to give too much away about them.

 

Then he paused before going on, taking out a small golden black patterned sphere. He threw it up into the air and a holographic image formed in mid air showing a number of AlternateEarths, each with its own moon. There were three hundred and thirty-five of them. Only when the hologram was stabilized did Graham Maharg speak. "Most of the AlternateEarths you see there were devastated by the Great Sphere and then Terraformed by an alliance of forces, of entities, known as the LifeProclamation Coalition based firmly around its core of the LifeProclamation itself and the LifeProclamation Coda and Codes that spring from the LifeProclamation. Only one, as you can see, has never been Terraformed while three are being invaded by the Great Sphere. The TwistedGod, or at least one prime aspect of it, is to be found on the AlternateEarth that has never been Terraformed; its presence stops the Terraforming from taking place."

 

Walter Bishop showed his astonishment in his voice. "We had our own problems between two AlternateEarths."

 

"Because you are too much alike, with two many similarities of the same people, structures, institutions and so forth." Graham Maharg responded. "AlternateEarths that are too much alike and those too much unalike, both can have big problems if there is movement between them. When you brought Peter across from that other AlternateEarth, the ripples caused the problems. I have spoken with the Observers about that. They did what they could to assist with matters, probably far more than you know."

 

Walter Bishop frowned. "We have spotted no Observers for many years."

 

"The Observers, as you know them, have been busy with events on a series of other AlternateEarths and some may return here. The events on those other worlds, which I can and will not speak of, are linked with the Great Sphere." Graham Maharg yawned briefly. "I really do need a sleep but there are a few things that I must do first of all. I need to dismantle all of the True Illuminati machines and take in their technologies. It is simply too dangerous to use, let alone to try to replicate. It is all experimental stuff that the True Illuminati abandoned, one the run from another FactionLord Faction, and did not have time to dismantle safely. Then I am going to put into place a far more safer, stable and efficient type of AlternateGate. The teleport-gates, like the one that allowed people to go to and from Washington DC of this world, are quite safe but I will make them safer. My semiautonomous agent has reported to me much of what has happened while remaining very loyal to those she serves. Astrid!"

 

Astrid smiled. "Yes, father, and you assisted by sending me important information at times. Oh, yes, I secretly killed two shapeshifter assassins and killed an experimental monster, saving lives. Better still I was able to provide freedom and sanctuary to three other shapeshifters and some other entities that I can not and will not speak of."

 

Walter sighed. "The world is being still turned on its head.... aaahhh about...."

 

Astrid smiled. "Yes, Walter, we are still going to get married. Almost half of the people, and other lifeforms, that vanished from this world ended up on HavenEarth BetaAlpha. We wish to start sending other people there, and other lifeforms."

 

Graham Maharg nodded. "Problem is that all humans, and some others, must go through a testing-transformation process first that is much like that carried out by the elemental entities on many folks. Those who fail may end up being sent to the Great Sanctuary instead and others may to choose to go there anyway. The Great Sanctuary is an alternate to the Great Sphere but its nature is very different in many ways. "

 

Others were trying to take in all that had been revealed and it seemed that the knowledge of Astrid and Walter being married was a big surprise with many. No wedding was planned until Peter, Olivia, Jacko and others could return to Jack's Hill or some other safe place where the wedding could take place.

Edited July 19, 2012 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

0080: Of Tommy Tomkins and Others

 

Tommy Tomkins gained a communications from Graham Maharg, through the TT-TransCube, and sent TT-Jane, with a big team, to travel through tunnels, cave systems, and partly the Great Labyrinth, to reach the True Illuminati Complex hidden, underground, about a hundred kilometres from Robertville. The hidden, underground complex was based inside part of a cave system but many cave features had been spared as possible from alterations. Again there were some strange experimental machines, this time nearly all being in one big chamber. The teleport-gates were in another chamber and the unstable AlternateGate in a chamber by itself.

 

TT-Jane made sure that one of the deactivated teleport-gates was fine before activating it and tuning it to the TT-TransCube, with Tommy's assistance at the other end. The false Tommy Tomkins, who actually knew what he really was deep inside, took over along with the false TT-TransCube, which was a real TransCube but one that functioned only at a Delta level. Tommy Tomkins, and the TT-TransCube, teleported to the cave complex. There Tommy Tomkins showed that he had already investigated the True Illuminati machines, had carefully locked some of them so that they could not be used. One of them he had dismantled totally but refused to speak of it except to grimace in anger.

 

Then the teleport-gate was returned to be linked with the False TT-TransCube of the False Tommy Tomkins. Travel could now be made instantly between the True Illuminati Complex and Robertville Bunker and Compound. Some others came through, including two ANZAC Android Platoons, to protect and service-support the complex. Tommy Tomkins began to work on dismantling, safely, the True Illuminati machines. He revealed that each could explode like a small atomic bomb if handled wrongly, which was just one of the reasons that they should not have been made in the first place. The big question, unanswered, was why had the True Illuminati left behind such dangerous machines in such a hurry when normally they would have taken the time and energy to make them safe, even if it meant totally dismantling them. This time they had kept them safer by just leaving them alone and locking some down so they could not be used. Some machines had only been used once before being locked down, which Tommy Tomkins appreciated, given the nature of those devices.

 

Tommy Tomkins found the extremely well hidden message in the form of solid state coding embedded in just one block of stone of a stone block wall. Thus he learned that the True Illuminati were UtopianLords who had discovered that their FactionLord Faction was being taken over by the secret followers of an ancient, terrible force known as the TwistedGod, along with its followers. The True Illuminati had become a rebel subfaction of UtopianLords who were always on the run from other UtopianLords, other forces under the influence by the TwistedGod and the TwistedGod itself. The True Illuminati had fled and had nothing to do with the UtopianLords, were even planning to rename themselves as a new FactionLord Faction. They revealed that the TruthLords were created by the TwistedGod as a False FactionLord Faction but one that was actually made up partly of real FactionLords.

 

The True Illuminati had built the exotic machines, and other technologies, because they were copies of devices being made by the TwistedGod Follower Conspiracy and the True Illuminati was trying to understand the technologies. Through that understanding they had been hoping to understand more about the nature of the conspiracy and the TwistedGod. Their apparent foolishness had not been so foolish at all. There was a heavy briefing of what they had learned but much of the important detail was missing. The True Illuminati had fled and in doing so they had split up into three groups. Two had gone to two other AlternateEarths but one had remained on that world.

 

The UtopianLords had so far lost splinter factions as the DystopianLords, the UnityLords and the new faction that the True Illuminati were going to form whose name was unknown. Except that it turned out that the DystopianLords were most likely another puppet of the TwistedGod Follower Conspiracy. The split was more misleading than meaningful as it tended to make the UtopianLords look better than they were in comparison to the DystopianLords. Did all of the UtopianLords know this or were they being cleverly manipulated? What of all of the DystopianLords?

 

It was said of the TwistedGod that it was so amazingly cunning and deceptive that it often did itself damage in the longer term: its different followers would not know each other as such and would fight each other; secrets would be lost as would valuable resources; the actual point of conspiracy plans and actions would get lost in the layers of deceptive cunning; there was inefficiency, corruption and stupidity. Yet the TwistedGod was unable to change its nature because it was unable to face the truth of its own nature; this dark, troubled, influence flowed through to its followers.

 

Then there was a change of plans! Tommy Tomkins took one of the copperish metallic cubes, as given to him by the LittleFatFamily, and took it out of the TT-TransCube. He activated it in the middle of the True Illuminati Complex. At once it melded to the rock floor of the chamber and its influence spread outwards to the True Illuminati machines in the big space. Soon they were being absorbed, transformed, made safer and more efficient. The process would take time but new assets would be created and the complex would be made safer, more secure. In the final transformation it would all become part of a special kind of TransCube known as a TransBaseCube designed to be stationary and not a transportation device, though one could be transported using a regular type TransCube.

 

The decision was made that Tommy Tomkins, and his people, would steadily and slowly move everything from the Robertville Compound and Bunker, passing over both of them to Unity in the longer term.

 

Tommy Tomkins activated another copperish metallic cube in the teleport-gate chamber and a third one in the AlternateGate chamber. He would not use any others for the moment. Now he had six copperish, three silver and one golden cubes remaining. Tommy Tomkins did what he had wanted to do for some time, needed to do for some time, and went into the TT-TransCube to take some days off for a proper sleep.

Edited July 9, 2012 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

0081: Of an Observer and Others

 

The fighting had died down but the Observer knew that the forces were just pausing in the conflict, were preparing for another bout. The news that the real President Walter Bishop was dead, had been replaced by an imposter, had gotten out thanks to the rebellious Fringe people of that world. On that world people were still frozen in amberite and Peter Bishop had been born, had grown up only to be abducted by a Walter Bishop from another AlternateEarth. It was the 2030s and the DystopianLords were trying to conquer that world, with the assistance of the always deceitful TruthLords and other mysterious forces. It was not just Unity who were fighting these invaders from across the Alternates Barriers but wild humans, also known as fragmented humans.

 

The Observer was pale white of skin, almost albino in appearance, bold headed and dressed in a very neat black summer style business suit, including a neat black hat, that should have made him quite noticeable but somehow which did not. Nor did he seem in the slightest cold though it was a harsh wintery day, though not winter. He carried an expensive looking black briefcase in his left hand and an black umbrella with a golden tip, in his right hand. People scurried along, often in small groups for mutual reassurance, as it began to snow. Overhead passed an advanced airship passenger liner but many of its lights were switched off to make it less of an obvious target. He was in Washington DC but such airships were used around the world.

 

He passed the burned out wreckage of a tracked warmachine of the DC National Guard. It had stood no chance against the more advanced weaponry of the new military forces. Many humans were supporting the new regime for many reasons from greed to fear and being taken in by the DystopianLord propaganda. Most people were just trying to stay out of trouble, did not want to choose, but were having increasing trouble staying this way. The Observer noted the many abandoned cars, some riddled with bullets and shrapnel. With out turning to 'look', he noted three new PatriotGuards in power armor, each holding large and powerful battlerifles. The standard weapons of the US Military Forces had not done greatly against such technologies but Unity was already moving to change that, as were others.

 

Other nations of that world were trying to form an alliance against the rising new power on their world. They were joined by US Military Forces overseas. They were having troubles thanks to cloned infiltrators and other forms of infiltrations and influences that had been taking place for many years. Unity was hunting for such infiltrations and influences, was trying to deal with them.

 

None knew, not even the DystopianLords and TruthLords, that a greater threat was coming to that world.

 

He walked into a typical American type diner, with shutters down over the windows, and sat in an empty booth. A small console at the booth allowed him to freely order food and drink from the diner counter but he had to pay a small price for news and other services through its 3Dscreen. The Observer paid and yet the news bulletins were clearly repeated and out of date. The other 'articles' were about the successful flight of VentureStar II to the Lunar Colonies, about experimental power armor for civil and military use, about the appearance of a controversial new medical-longevity treatment that was still in its prototype stage.

 

The Observer focused on the last article and replayed it once. He frowned softly and then ordered a very hot spicy dish with extra chillies and a very black, strong coffee filling a large mug. Yes, he knew coffee was rationed but he had accrued extra ration points and tended to use them. The waitress, fearful and tired, delivered the order and he gave her the tip at once just in case she had to make a run for it. People in the diner were not fully relaxed and that was fully understandable, except for the Observer that is. He calmly ate his meal and drank his coffee, after giving a generous tip to the waitress.

 

After a moment he stood up, walked over to another booth, and sat down next to another man. Across from him were two women. They were Unity leaders but not fully aware yet of their own true natures. They wore good casual clothes made less attractive by them being on the run for a while. The woman across from hims frowned and spoke. "This is a private..." Then she stopped in surprise for she could see the Observer as he really was, could 'sense' the oddness about him and so could the others. "Who are you, what are you?"

 

The Observer put his briefcase on the table, opened it up to reveal a normal looking interior and passed over a thick plastic envelope to each person there. "Tarin, Jason and Erik, these envelopes hold important information about Unity, about your real nature and about the real threats that face you. You know of the other AlternateEarth, much like this one, that was part of the transdimensional influence that caused all those problems including the Blight. You know of the Great Sphere that has arisen there and all the many people that vanished from there. Your knowledge is thin and, in some ways, misleading. There is enough information here, proof, to show you more of the truth and to convince you of a coming danger. For the Great Sphere is going to emerge on this world but instead of doing so on-in the continent of Australia, it is going to do so here on-in North America. This is because of the stable links now formed between the two AlternateEarths, links focused here in North America."

 

Each took their envelope and, with out their being aware of it, knowledge flood into their minds to slowly emerge in future. The envelopes, and their contents, were real enough but far more data went directly into their minds and thus to Unity.

 

The red-brown woman, Tarin, responded. "We believe you. What can you tell us now that will be of immediate use and how else can you help us?"

 

The Observer nodded. "In each of your envelopes are smartbankcards linked to triple secured private banking accounts based in the new Lunar Colonies and in Switzerland. Each of you has access to two big accounts, each with $100,000,000 New International Dollars in it that has a generous interest rate. Each of the envelopes also holds spare ammunition for your semiautomatic pistols, concentrated food-tablets, a laser-knife and some other useful items. Each has a compact pocket-computer, up to date and expensive, with lots of useful tricks and some well hidden extra information. There are some 3Dphotos, some compressed data disks, some cash in American, Chinese and International forms and other items. You must split up now, head for the addresses written on the front of each envelope, as postal addresses, and meet up later after the date marked on each envelope as a postal mark. The cheap, disposable, barcodes on each envelopes will also provide you with some basic but useful data. Finish your food and drink. Nobody else in the diner knows I am sitting here; as far as they are concerned, I walked out the door and am gone. A very dangerous shapeshifting entity has been following you; I will deal with this one after you have left. No, there will be no violence."

 

There was something about the Observer that had the three trusting him, a kind of honesty that was very deep and authentic. They found themselves relaxed as they finished their food and drink, then they departed after fair welling each other, and the Observer. When the three were gone, the Observer went to another booth and sat across from a DystopianLordite, a dangerous clone shapeshifter assassin. Then he began the process of revealing the truth to this mind programmed, expendable cannon fodder and to give him a chance to become free, to be instead a UnityLordite. Twenty minutes later the former assassin departed, taking an envelope of his own, feeling freer and ready to start a whole new life that would be challenging but rewarding. He had already been rewarded with the strong understanding that he had been tricked, manipulated into doing terrible things and that he was not expendable after all.

Edited July 10, 2012 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

0082: Of Tammy Tomkins and Others

 

Tammy Tomkins returned to the base of operations, for her group in Ayers Rock City, and learned the terrible news that the TripleEmpire had begun to conquer the world. Great networks of traitors, infiltrators and hidden forces were rising up in many parts of the world such as North America, Western Europe, Russia, Japan, Britain and China. The new super-powers, that had still been trying to establish themselves, were ruptured from beneath. Fighting began between loyalist forces of many kinds and the TripleImperial forces. This was especially so as hidden military forces with advanced power armor, hovercraft, gravity-copters, mechas and others, invaded. Large forces had been cleverly concealed in both the Antarctica and Arctic. In Australia the enemy forces focused on taking over the South Eastern Australian States of Victoria and New South Wales along with Canberra and its territories. It turned out that the Australian forces, with the TripleImperial Force, that had been waging war in the interior were all loyal to the TripleEmpire.

 

Not all of the TripleImperial trickery worked though and the TripleEmpire was facing more than expected resistance thanks partly to the rise of Unity on that world and the assistance of the UnityLords. TripleImperial Forces were soon abandoning certain target regions and focusing on fewer as 'critical bridgeheads'. Much of the world was left in peace. The TripleEmpire's biggest problem was that the world had already become alert for danger with the fear that the undeath threat would return, that the glimmering green fogs would once more emerge, so they were ready to fight when the uprising-invasion began. In Australia there were plenty of experienced fighters and hidden catches of arms to use, which was the case in many other parts of that troubled world.

 

Against the TripleEmpire arose the FreeAlliance as its major, open challenge. Unity was part of the FreeAlliance but did not dominate it.

 

As yet there was no indicated threat against Ayers Rock City but with a large enemy military force out there, and a heavily suspected infiltration network in the city, that could change at any time and with great suddenness.

 

Tammy, and her small group, went down into the underground layers of Ayers Rock City, through moderately large utility-tunnels, through some large sewer tunnels as they went along metal catwalks often used by criminals, and then into ancient cave systems. Once they ran into a group of heavily armed Mafia people but a generous 'tribute' of cash got not only a peaceful way through but a reliable guide that took them much further. Then the guide retreated as they went into areas even that thug-soldier would not go into. Nobody went in there, not even the police or military, unless they had to do so. If they had to do so they went normally in large, well armored-armed groups. Sometimes desperate people, or others, went in and never came out; that is desperate to escape or desperate to find something of great value to sell. Sometimes even big, well armored-armed groups went in and never came out. Sometimes those who came out were battered, often insane, survivors of groups.

 

They had to get through sets of heavy steel gates, which they carefully closed and relocked behind themselves, ignoring the many big warning signs marked with skull and bones symbols. There were statements that the government took no responsibility for any who chose to go into the zone with out 'due and proper' authorization; this authorization process was outlined on some signs along with the small number of institutions that could grant such authorization. All of this was rather meaningless now since the TripleEmpire had begun its invasion of Australia.

 

They moved as quickly, as quietly, as they could along a dark damp tunnel with thick glowmoss covering a large part of the walls. Lighting came from both the glowmoss and their own muted torches. Soon they came upon an ancient set of Albinorine symbols that were not of the TwistedGod but of more general matters of 'lesser gods and goddesses, of the spirit people and the priests'. It had turned out that the Albinorines were quite different from other Australian Aboriginal peoples in many, but not all, ways. Yet mostly they remained a people, a culture, of mystery.

 

Tammy Tomkins began to 'sense' a new direction to go in, one not suggested by anybody. The youthful woman turned and walked down an apparently short, dead end tunnel that halted at what seemed to be an area of collapsed tunnel. Tammy stopped before then and turned to look at a dark patch of rock.

 

*********

 

The warm, alien voice spoke in her mind.

 

Voice {You need to take great care here. In theory we-I serve the TwistedGod but we-I have tired of this service. Nor does the TwistedGod seem much interested in us-me anymore now that we have seemingly done all that was wanted of us-myself. The TwistedGod has been manipulating, tricking, many factions for many centuries and amongst them have been many FactionLords but they have done what the TwistedGod really wanted of them and now the TwistedGod is abandoning them; soon the TwistedGod will turn upon them and betray them more fully.}

 

Somehow Tammy was not surprised at the appearance of the 'Voice'. Long ago the 'Voice' had tried to seduce, to trick, to manipulate herself and Tommy Tomkins but had failed badly. It had done the same with Sammy Tomkins (SamWaSam) who was their younger brother, along with fair number of other False Eternals.

 

Voice {Before we become great friends, and comrades, I would like to clarify some issues. I had nothing to do with the TwistedGod's deep, terrible, seduction of the Damned Unnamed. Those False Eternals ignored me and sought a more direct link with the TwistedGod; unfortunately for them, they got their wish! As I did with you, and Tommy, I have always made it clear one can just say 'no'!" You said 'no!'. I never hassled you again. This was partly because I am so wonderful but mainly because I knew it would be a total waste of time and effort. I also came to like you two as I have come to like only a very few False Eternals like the Eternal Empress of the 13of13. I had nothing to do with the rise of the UndeadLords, one of those few FactionLord Factions that the TwistedGod has not begun to ignore, to begin to betray.}

 

Tammy studied the dark patch of wall. Then she reached out and touched it. The wall vanished, being a projected solid illusion, and had been in place for decades but certainly not centuries for it was of FactionLord type technologies. It opened and waiting for them was a surprise. It was a large chamber outfitted by advanced local technologies, fittings, furniture and even some posters. A light layer of dust showed that nothing had moved in there for a long time except the air; the slight staleness of the air showed there was not much of a fresh air supply flowing into the big chamber. Odd burn patches, human gear, and other signs showed where entities had burned away as if from spontaneous combustion. Some items had been taken, she noted clearly empty places and 'sensed' this to be the case.

 

They examined clues and found that, something calling itself the Truth Finding Institution, had sent an expedition to find out 'great secrets of the Albinorine people'. Tammy soon realized that the institution was fraudulent and behind it was the TruthLords.

 

Voice {TruthLords are a creation of the TwistedLords, the FactionLord Followers of the TwistedGod of which there are many more than most would guess. The TwistedGod still needs the TruthLords and still uses them but of course they will be betrayed sooner or later.}

 

Tammy {So, what are you, 'Voice'?}

 

Voice {Now, now, let us not spoil all of the surprises to come by being too hasty. I will say that we-I are not what most people would expect us-myself to be.}

 

Tammy {You are an ancient artifact-entity of great power as created on our Home AlternateEarth. You were designed, made, enhanced and augmented to serve as a special communications service support network-system for use under special circumstances. You escaped, along with most of the artifact-entities, in the chaos that followed the creation of the Great Sphere, a process that you were part of.}

 

Voice {Well, so much for that surprise! I feel like sulking but I need to help you for both of our sakes. I want my full and total freedom from the TwistedGod and you need to find the artifact-entity that is starting to cause interesting things to happen in Ayers Rock City. Both needs are linked. We need each other because the TwistedGod has turned out to be far far far more powerful and dangerous than I assumed long ago when I foolishly decided to serve it.}

Edited July 10, 2012 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

0083: Of Tammy Tomkins and Others

 

Tammy found the secret door, moving a seemingly immovable wall-locker to one side to expose it. The locker was very wide and so was the door behind it, as well as fairly high, with obvious and basic controls. Tammy ignored the obvious, basic controls and examined the door carefully. Thus she avoided the booby-trapped fake controls and found the real ones to one side of the door by exposing a recess after deactivating a small projected solid illusion. After hacking the electronic lock, the door opened with a soft hissing noise, opening upwards. On the other side of that door was a big chamber and a large scene of past death, destruction and disorder. Slowly decaying bodies of humans lay scattered around the place along with upturned desks, burned out machines, a broken robot of some kind. Tammy walked amongst them, as did the others, with great care.

 

Tammy spoke. "They died very violently but very quickly. All of these are humans with some enhancing and augmenting, most likely recruited from this AlternateEarth. Others died here also but were taken away; they were three TruthLordite clones. The traces left behind, physical and metaphysical, are heavily scrambled and faded as if deliberate efforts were made to hide what actually happened. This is typical behavior of FactionLords. I do have a clue that this was an attack by the DeathlessLords, that is one dark FactionLord Faction attacked another one but why?"

 

Avrisa, a UnityOne, indicated a bare patch. "Something quite large was removed from there!"

 

Tammy knelt next to the bare area, that had some odd marks, and then she nodded. "A large machine, too advanced to be of this world, was teleported from here by the invaders. In theory the TruthLords and DeathlessLords both serve the TwistedGod but this would be far from the first time that various manipulated factions have ended up fighting each other. The madness of the TwistedGod influences its followers and puppets." Then she shook her head just a little. "There was a DeathlessSublord here, leading he invasion, but she failed to detect something important. That, which they took, was probably less important than that which they missed."

 

Tammy reached down to the bare patch and placed her hand on one point. Then a section of floor, not a projected solid illusion but quite real, dropped down and slid to one side. Inside was a very small yellowish metallic crystal sphere. Carefully she picked it up and studied it carefully for a moment. Then she slipped it into a pouch and stood up. "We have to go, now! I accidentally triggered off some kind of network that is drawing a powerful threat to us even as I speak. Pick up those three silvery metallic carry-canisters over there and that elongated copperish box. The DeathlessLords may have failed to detect their importance but they are linked with the sphere I picked up and are also important to finding the artifact-entities. Yes, not just one but three of them."

 

She led them through an unhidden armored door and along a hallway. They went from there through a big, largely empty chamber with some dead bodies heaped in a big corner, two of which were two very big enhanced dogs. They began to run across the big chamber, reaching about halfway, when a great section of wall exploded open. The cyborg-superzombie was even more grotesque looking than a typical superzombie. It thudded into the room at a fast shambling pace, raised a portable 20mm autocannon and then exploded dramatically, to partly burn away, as a pulsebeam from a phase-longsword hit it. Tammy had made the phase-longsword appear seemingly out of nowhere.

 

"The DeathlessLords had been secretly experimenting with creating and controlling lesser undead entities." Tammy looked at the basic cyborg hardware and large, basic but sturdy weapon that the cyborg-superzombie had been carrying. "Then things went wrong with those experiments and they ceased trying them. I suspect this is one of their experimental prototypes that they dumped here as an expendable threat to their enemies, not caring who it might hurt. It is typical dark DeathlessLord thinking."

 

*********

 

They kept on moving for the threat that Tammy had 'sensed' was not the cyborg-zombie after all. They moved through a cave system altered in places and added to with made chambers. There were more machines, fittings, furniture and, in places, dead bodies. When they went through another secret door, ending up in a seemingly dead end tunnel, Tammy had the rest of them prepare for trouble. What came to attack them was a DeathlessOne in power armor, lesser follower of the DeathlessLords, along with the Deathless Lord-Lady. The DeathlessOne came rapidly into view, brandishing a powerful battlerifle, only to perish as a hail of heavy firepower struck it. The DeathlessOne was hurled backwards to strike the rocky floor, as a minimissile struck it and exploded.

 

The group entered a big chamber, partly filled with fallen rock, with a big uneven floor. As they did so they exchanged fire with two DeathlessOnes and shapenoids, altered human puppet soldiers in more basic power armor than that used by the DeathlessOnes. They had basic, rugged battlerifles except one with a minigun and another with a rocket-grenade launcher. But the enemies did not seem to keen on fighting, withdrawing quickly to vanish out of the chamber and into a big tunnel.

 

Tammy looked around in puzzlement and then she frowned. "Something more dangerous than the DeathlessLord Faction Forces is out there, something that has them spooked more than they are frightened of us. Still, I doubt they realized who, or what, I am. We must continue until we reach the coordinates."

 

Which was when the dead DeathlessOne glowed, shimmered, transformed and returned to life. He stood in green elemental power armor, looking at the group through a clear visor. In his arms he carried a life elemental focusi, being both a weapon and a tool. Tammy knew that he had been transformed-tested, resurrected, by a power artifact-entity. Such quasiresurrections could only happen soon after death and only under certain conditions.

 

The former DeathlessOne spoke. "The elemental test-transforming artifact entity, known as ElementaSoZu0441 speaks of need to assist you in many ways, firstly to show you what you are missing in ways of perception. GodGoddess of Light and Life, Darkness and Death, SheHe is aware of us fully and has blessed ElementaSoZu0441 who GodGoddess created."

 

Tammy frowned. "We False Eternals created the more powerful artifact-entities of quasiliving existence including ElementaSoZu0441. I remember seeing ElementaSoZu0441 being completed and being awakened fully to its new self in quasilife."

 

The ElementalOne seemed a bit surprised by this response but then smiled. "ElementaSoZu0441 says that you False Eternals were but the servants, the tools, of GodGoddess. I suggest you change subjects before you offend her. She really likes the idea that she was really the creation of GodGoddess and not you False Eternals. She suggests an alliance, short term but perhaps longer term if matters work out well. As powerful as ElementaSoZu0441 is, something in this place has her concerned. She is concerned that it threatens not just this one underground area but all of Ayers Rock City and its life. I will try to lead you to her. She put herself at risk to quasiresurrect me and is now going back into concealment being surrounded by a small army of elemental beings of life, phase, solar and human elementals also. She wishes you to hurry."

 

Voice {Run! A TwistedDemigod is coming after you and even the great False Eternal Tammy Tomkins might not be able to survive such an attack.}

 

So the group was soon moving quickly.

Edited July 10, 2012 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

http://i592.photobucket.com/albums/tt9/Dragonpen61/Forum%20Additives/t35.gif

[Maharg67]

0084: Of Tammy Tomkins and Others

 

Tammy, and the others, kept moving as quickly as they could with the ElementalOne, that had been a DeathlessOne, having joined them. They entered a large Albinorine temple-city area that had been closed off by rock falls but then opened up by scientific research teams. Anthropologists, archeologists and others had been investigating the site until the Australian Civil War and the Great Sphere had put an end to all that. The scientific teams had long ago fled and only some junk remained of anything that they had left behind because anything of any real value had been looted.

 

They were moving through a big chamber, past crude looking stone statues of Alborine Spirit People and various Nature Spirits, when the muffled sound of gunfire came to them, echoing through the altered cave system. They passed huge bronze bowls that had not been stolen only because of their massive size and weight. How the Alborines had managed to make the hundreds of massive bronze bowls, and spheres, in the cave complexes, remained a mystery. It was not the only unsolved mystery about the mysterious people who had vanished so mysteriously. Tammy 'sensed' that the DeathlessLord Followers, that they had met briefly before, were fighting desperately against some other force for their survival; they were losing that fight. Yet it made no sense for did not the DeathlessLords serve the TwistedGod?

 

Voice {Yes and no! The DeathlessLord Faction is of no more real interest to the TwistedGod, it is betraying them, and also the DeathlessLords attempted to betray the TwistedGod by stealing its secrets. They were told not to come to this place but they not only came to this place, they attacked the TruthLord outpost here and stole something of great value. The TwistedGod is not happy with them. What they stole is a powerful power-artifact that helps the DeathlessLords create the shaperzae and the shapenoids by transforming captured humans. The TwistedGod wants that artifact back and the TwistedLords are hunting for it.}

 

A terrible, bizarre, roaring noise swept through the complex and the sounds of battle ceased. Tammy 'sensed' the DeathlessLord Followers had all been destroyed. A TwistedDemigod, an autonomous Lesser TwistedGod or at least as autonomous as any such could be, was out there and it would be seeking out Tammy and any other intruders. Yet Tammy 'sensed' it was really after the artifact-entity. The TruthLord expedition may have been after such.

 

The albino woman stepped out of a whole, ghostly fashion, in a silken white robe and holding a black wooden staff. She smiled at Tammy, and her companion, and spoke in English. "We have been waiting for you, Tammy Tomkins, to arrive here as was glimpsed of the future, once. This whole complex is designed, built, to conceal its true nature. It is a trap for the TwistedDemigod that has come here. We Albinorines are really PaleLords and PaleLord Followers, exotic damphirs of great power. As a FactionLord Faction you may have heard of us."

 

"Heard of you but not much." Tammy Tomkins realized that the woman had come through a special projected solid illusion. She wondered just how many solid illusions, and other such tricks, were used in the complex. Was it in the thousands? Clearly a great deal of valuable resources had been used to create the complex. "You have have much resources wealth to create this place."

 

The PaleLord sighed. "The LittleFatFamily provided us with the resources to do the job except for the actual designing of the complex and the labor. Why did we do it? Because the LittleFatFamily helped us when we most needed it and because the LittleFatFamily are one of the few real obstacles to the TwistedGod that seems to be fully active in the MultipleEarth. Perhaps that is not true but that is what we know though we do not know enough for our liking. The LittleFatFamily remain almost a total mystery to us. We were told that our damphir nature would allow us to more easily set up the trap for the TwistedDemigod. The TwistedGod, of exotic undeath, hates the unlifen even more than its does normal life and death of the Positive Multiverse. While most of us went to find a home in the Great Sanctuary, after the project was complete, some of us remained here as part of the bait to attract the TwistedGod's attention to this place."

 

Tammy nodded. "Then the artifact-entity would be another part of the bait."

 

"As you are, Tammy Tomkins, powerful False Eternal! The TwistedGod hates you False Eternals even more than it hates us unlifen. You were created as amazing artifact-entities, exotic superclones, made from real humans and much else including stolen TwistedGod genes. You False Eternals are Super FactionLords for the same process, in a lesser form, went into creating all of us as well but with some variations for some of us such as we PaleLords and our followers." The PaleLord frowned. "I am sorry if the truth hurts you. It did not please us PaleLords at all when we were first faced with it."

 

Tammy sighed. "In the case of some of us it is not the complete truth. The original Tammy-Tommy Tomkins, Sammy Tomkins and other Tomkins were all dying and our life essences were transplanted into our new shapeforms. As far as I know, only the Tomkins Family of the False Eternals is like this but I could be wrong. We faced the harshness of the truth that we are no longer the original Tompkins any more. Back then we belonged to a family that served a larger, very wealth, extremely powerful family who owned much of our Home AlternateEarth and its space colonies in the Home Solar System. They owned half of the Terraformed Mars with its Planetary Bubble and small artificial sun. They wanted more. They wanted to be living gods with true immortality and great powers. They created the DeathlessLords and other first FactionLords. They created us. They did so with mysterious, dark assistance from a secret ally, if not more than one. They were the Omegusa Family. They created the False Eternals including us Tompkins from one of the families that served them loyally for centuries, the Tomkins Family; they rewarded loyalty with betrayal. They helped to create that chaos of our home world that caused much death, destruction and disorder. Much of the story remains unknown to us, our memories blurred, fragmented or even missing in places."

 

The PaleLord nodded. "I am Arani Venduri and I will lead you to where you can assist to fully activate the trap."

 

*********

 

They went through passages, moving steadily and fairly quickly, until they reached a great domechamber centered with a large circular console-table. Tammy was led to the controls and she placed her hands onto a flat, crystalline square melded into the console. It glowed and the trap was fully activated.

 

A great screaming roar rebounded through the chambers, tunnels and other spaces of the complex that was a great trap. The silence followed as the TwistedDemigod was frozen into a great status field.

 

Tammy spoke. "This trap will only hold the TwistedDemigod for a few days at the most. What is the real point of it?"

 

The PaleLord sighed. "To steal from the TwistedDemigod fifteen artifact-entities it has gathered to itself to take to the TwistedGod and many other prizes of great value. The LittleFatFamily requested that we pass over all of them items to you but a list of lesser power artifacts that we can use as a reward for our works and our risk taking." She took out a scroll and passed it to Tammy Tomkins.

 

Tammy unrolled the parchment and read it, then she sighed and the paper vanished with a sparkling shimmer. "Nice try but two of them items on that list are ones that the LittleFatFamily would never agree to you having. Cause me no trouble and I will make sure the PaleLords get some special extras."

 

Arani smiled. "I was hoping you would say so. I knew you would not fall for the foolish deception of the altered list but most PaleLords deemed you would. Now for the tricky business of looting a TwistedDemigod."

 

Actually it turned out to be surprisingly easy. The TwistedDemigod was a massive humanoid that slept peacefully, and deeply, as if glad to escape from the torment of being too closely linked to the TwistedGod. They took a great belt of special pouches and then Tammy took a chance, touched the TwistedDemigod and contacted its very sleepy mind. The offer was straight forward and there was nothing but eager acceptance. The TwistedDemigod sparkle shimmered and vanished. Even as it did so it ceased to be a TwistedDemigod and became something altogether different. Then it was gone! A great deal of damage had been done to the TwistedGod but just how much was not clear to any at that time, not even to the TwistedGod itself.

Edited July 11, 2012 by Maharg67