Nathian

* Map

Haol: The Dream Children: Vampire Galore

Dreams and Demons, Blood and Rebirth

Individuality and Virtual Being

Life and Lost Souls

Grief Immortal

Love Eternal

Prologue: The Thirteen

Time keeps on ticking into the future. The world, existence is split in two. Two places humanity calls home. Two universes where they live. The first, the original, is left unexplored and forgotten. The second, the new, the one created by humanity, becomes truth. Mimicking and expanding upon the original so well as to make the first universe seem flawed and small. Almost five thousand years after the birth of Christ mankind has found all the answers that they could ever want.

The second universe was virtual reality. Now it is something much more real then reality ever was. Now people can experience whole new senses, can see in all directions, have almost no limits, and in the case of the overlords, have no limits. You see the overlords are the only people who have successfully uploaded their entire consciousness onto the net. They have no body in the first universe anymore. It is the ideal that everyone strives for, but the One made it illegal a thousand or so years ago.

The One was the first of the overlords, the first to be successfully anyway, so they say. I think he uploaded a couple of thousand years ago, but I've seen stories where he uploaded almost three thousand years ago, near the infancy of the universe. Not that it really matters, he is the largest of the overseers with the most access. The other of the Thirteen combined would have trouble matching his power. In the second universe access is power. The more connections you have, the more places you can go, control, or make a part of you, the greater is your access.

Imagine that, being uploaded, not having any of the traditional limitations. Being able to stay in the net all day and night, wasting none of your precious life. Not that a few hours a day would matter to the immortal Thirteen. Better even then the dream children. Don't I wish my parents had been able to afford that hock up.

The dream children, they were born into the net. Sometimes even before they were born. Myself, I didn't get my full hock up till I was ten. My mom was a bit of a naturalist, even before my dad killed himself when I was three. She thought it would help me keep a grip on my sanity. Keep some focus in my life. Many of her friend's children weren't doing much of anything with their lives. She thought it was because they were spoiled by the normal hock up times at six or eight. Plus of course she had a hidden fear that I would find the lack of direction and purpose that my dad found, that I would let myself fade away into the net. Emptying my mind completely and dispersing my consciousness in the wilderness of the second universe, and leaving only a husk of a body, an organ donor, behind. It is one of the reasons that most everyone is recommended by health codes to give your mind a rest at least two hours a day.

Despite my mental stimulation set back from the late hock up, I managed to keep average marks in most areas of the disciplines. I had the most trouble with the world building classes, I tended to be too traditionalistic, old school, as was common, so they told me, with later hock up's. Most of my classmate's parents had opted for the age six hock up.

My parents and grandparents generations had been hit hard with traditionalist and naturalist philosophies. I think the advent of the dream child is the ultimate backlash. The swing of the pendulum all the way over to the other side. I guess now I would sacrifice the person I have become to have been born a dream child. I must wonder what it would be like. They are aliens, more different I think in some ways, then even the Thirteen have become. Maybe they are akin to the Rogues, the AI's that stories say roam the net hiding in backdated shadows, forgotten and unused, to live their own immortal lives in the solitude of their own self created realms of existence. The children are given the best of the best. They don't need to rest their minds, ever. In fact if they did it would probally drive them insane. Their minds never had to be trained to accept the second universe, it is all they know. They live in a world of dreams, never using their true bodies.

Well, I don't know if I would want their responsibility. They are employed almost from birth, given life time contracts, by the most powerful of corporations, even by representatives of the Thirteen themselves. There are stories in the more wild parts of the net that the One has employed thousands of the dream children and that they are gradually taking over the responsibilities of the Thirteen, but I don't understand the sense in this.

The whole reason that there is only thirteen beings in government is to have ultimate efficiency. The more separate entities there are running things the less effective the government can be, according to the simple laws of logic. This story about the dream children would explain a few things though. For one the huge wilderness in the One's areas of access. And the increasing wild zones in the other Thirteen's areas. If the Thirteen are trying to maintain the status quo like they have always done, then I would think that these areas of unstructured universe would be bad for business. So this must be a purposeful experiment. Perhaps they are merely testing the qualities and limitations of the dream children. I suppose such a task would excuse a temporary amount of wild growth. Well my mom always said that my ability to clearly see "simple laws of logic" as being a gift of her decision to hock me up late. I think its because I like to watch people.

The late hock up certainly gave me a lot of time to think in the very lonely and limiting first universe. Even today I spend almost twice as much time there as most of my friends. Sometimes I'll spend almost six or seven hours outside. Most people eat and sleep while still hocked to the net, sometimes I long for the simplicity and will go all "natural", eat and sleep with my hock up shut down to repair mode. Its the lowest setting without taking out its power pack.

The kids used to tease me when I got a little older calling me "Nathian the nature boy" and other innovative names like that. My name is Nathian James Hillcrest by the way, and I just turned 25 a few weeks ago. My mom would have thrown me a party or something but she was being seduced by the leader of the Pravda. Pravda means truth or something like that in Russian, an old dead language. Its a fun language though, I've heard it before in stories, sort of a guttural poetic language that brings out the beast and beauty of whoever is speaking it.

The Pravda is a cult that some would call a religion. I call it a cult cause of their extreme views and few numbers. Anyway, it is a cult of extreme traditionalists and naturalists. This means that they see the second universe as evil and offensive. That for someone to be a member they must spend at least thirteen hours of everyday in the "real" world. This was a scary idea to most of the world, and such extremists are ignored fiercely. I wonder what the Thirteen think of these people. Do they see them as a threat to their control, since after all, technically they live outside the realm of the Thirteen? Or do they see these people as I do, that they are harmless and silly, but that they should be given the freedom to live as they want. That is as long as they don't force their children to live as they do.

Once a member of the Pravda has reached a certain level of commitment within their church it is required that they go on a mission. It is the only time that they can break the basic law of their order. While on their mission the new missionaries try to find new converts and educate people on their views. During this time they can spend as much time as they feel is necessary in the second universe, as long as they leave at least an hour of meditation in the real world to help keep their soul purified. They always must go in groups, never alone, at least not until they are older. I guess too many of their number were lost to temptation in the early days. During the mission they must always remind each other not to fall to temptation. So one can imagine that they usually didn't have the imagination to get many new converts. And despite the leadership's best efforts many new converts would slip away, even in groups, during their first or second missions.

Still in the thousand or so years since their founding they have been steadily growing, and they allied themselves with the larger more moderate traditional and naturalist groups this past century, to begin the movement to which my generation and the dream children has largely been a backlash too. With me of course being an exception to the rule. During this movement the Pravda nearly doubled their membership to almost a million. These past thirty or so years they have been trying desperately to hold on to those numbers. Thousands have left, but I think by the time I get gray hair they will have topped a million in solid membership. Particularly if the Thirteen's experiment with the wilds continues.

Well the leader of the Pravda, the one who has been seducing my mother, is named Joesph McBeth, after some storyteller from the days before the second universe. He spends most of his time on missions into the second universe. He has quite a versatile and imaginative mind, which is unusual for the deeply religious that I have met. I actually ran into him a number of times before he met my mother, in fact my speaking of why she delayed my hock up date is what probably first drew him to her as a potential convert. Then I suppose he fell in love with her simple beauty and way of looking at the world. She isn't the smartest of people, but she truly is a dear and does have a certain wisdom and ability to see "the simple rules of logic" that she is so proud I can do.

I suppose for Joesph she is the perfect mate, but I wish she hadn't fallen in love with him. It's not that I don't like him, it's just that I don't want to think of him as anything near being a fatherly figure. He just seems too slimy. I guess that comes natural to someone who has dedicated their life to manipulating people into giving up their comfortable lives for the "pure" life. The life of pain and limitation that he sees as being sublime, even though he hardly spends any time in the real world anymore.

I've had many a discussion in both universes with Joesph, about me thinking of them as silly, and I think we have come to a grudging respect for one another. He knows that I don't approve of my Mom's conversion and particularly for the planned wedding a month from now. He has offered me a job, that would allow me to keep a "real" eye on my mom when they move to the new Pravda colony being built somewhere in Siberia. In the middle of nowhere. Probably thousands of miles from the nearest Megaplex city, probably hundreds of miles from even a Minorplex or Farmpost.

There are a 112 Megaplexs in the world and a few thousand Minorplexs and Farmposts. Also there are three Miniplexs on the Moon, two on Mars, and seventeen in the oceans. In these places is where nintey-nine percent of the world lives. The only people that don't live in a city or a farm work for the government or are part of a cult like Pravda. In other words, it would be a huge step for me to move to the middle of Siberia. By all accounts it is an awful place even by real world standards. There are many stories of its wilderness, and I think it may even have some of its original forest. Untouched by man, completely. That is an amazing thought, a bit frightening as well. Of course the real world is boring and peaceful, so nothing but a painful and simple life awaits me and my mom there.

I work for a minor corporation as a building overseer. I, through the second universe, make sure everything is fine and dandy in the real world, in the homes of thousands of families under the responsibility of the company. My company is sort a medical insurance company. I help make sure that nothing happens to the people who have a policy with the company. Many would see my job as boring, but I sort of enjoy watching all the people. You can learn a lot in how people deal with the real world.

Joesph, I assume, needs someone with my expertise to oversee the colony. Somebody who isn't a member of the church, so they could be on the net most of the time. Somebody who could somehow be convinced to go to the middle of Siberia. Somebody like me, who has a mother he dearly loves, that is moving to this god awful place full of god awful religious fanatics. I guess I really don't have a choice. Not that I have much tying me here, except my friends, a job I love, and the very universe itself.

It's cold, but it's not as awful as I thought it would be. That is, the nature isn't as bad , but the people are. The colony building itself is huge and comfortably modern. Quite able to survive the worst of winters and lifted almost fifty meters off the ground. There is even a small river that runs underneath the colony. I'm afraid my imagination had run away with me when I had imagined how primitive the colony was going to be, but it really is impressive. The building is a perfect square. Each side is a kilometer long, and the building is on average over four hundred meters high, including the fifty some meter pillars that hold it off the ground. I know the colony building perfectly and it is a very roomy place.

The building is bordered to the north and west by a great forest that stretches as far as the eye can see. The small river flows west to eventually join with other rivers that then spill into some great fresh water lake to the northwest. To the south are marsh lands that drain into the forest. To the east are hills that soon turn into great white capped mountains that decorate the view. And to the northeast is a strip of plains, grass lands. This is where the rest of the colony is. They have a small Farmpost, a couple of barns, and even some pasture land, a practice I thought had been out of date for over two thousand years. I've never eaten meat or drunk milk until I came here. I think I've even developed an appetite for it. Of course it might only be due to the joy these people get from fasting themselves until they would love to eat a sapling from the forest. At these beginning stages of the the colony everyone is on ration diet, until the Farmpost can get up to speed. I still haven't gotten used to hearing my stomach grumble.

It is fall here and everyone is frantically getting everything ready for winter. They say I'm lucky to have missed the mosquitoes from the marsh lands. Apparently swarms of them attack anything that moves during the short summer months. I can't imagine that a few bugs would be such a problem, but I'll take their word for it.

The wedding is tomorrow noon, and I'm actually finding myself growing excited for the festivities. Despite the miserable lives these people seem to enjoy living, when they want to celebrate they can really throw a party. I guess it helps them forget the monotonous lives they live every day in this reality. Everybody seems pretty excited, I think they all have a special place in their heart for their beloved leader Mr. McBeth. Like they see him as some sort of new age prophet or something. The colony only has maybe ten thousand people right now, but it is designed to handle easily over a hundred thousand. I think all ten thousand will be partying tonight and tomorrow to celebrate Joesph's marriage.

This colony is the prototype colony, that is why Joesph is here. To break the place in and show all the members of Pravda how much fun menial colony life can be. They are planning on building seven more colonies in the next five years. Where they get the funds for this I have no idea. Perhaps the Thirteen help fund them just to get them out of the cities.

My job has been easy enough, the technology throughout the colony is top of the line and I've had no trouble interfacing my hock up. The self contained net of the colony is small but has the support for an amazing amount of growth. I could duplicate most of my normal entertainment from the second universe on this net. I think it could support it. Probably would be a bit slow, but no big worries. I think I could actually be happy here, imagine that. I find myself really enjoying watching all the lives of these people. The work load is about a thousand times what I'm used too so I'm very limited, but Joesph is looking into getting me some AI support. He should know that such a task needs a team of people like me with a dozen of AIs running around doing the hard work. I suppose he has to know that, I guess he is have trouble talking any of the certified members to give up their soul for the good of the order. Well he is a smart guy so I'm sure he will figure something out.

The second universe, created by humans, is home to amazing events. Twists of fate that go beyond imagining. But sometimes it is forgotten by man that the second universe was created in the image of the first. And the original is not always as stable and predictable as mankind has come to accept and expect. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction, as the histories of time prove. Sometimes the impossible and unexpected are the only choices fate has . . .

Three hundred twenty-seven years ago aliens passed near our planet. Two races trading with each other. Noticing, but not caring much for the self-contained Earth below them. The trade deal is an important one and tensions are high. Both species were suspicious of each other. There was only one alien in each ship but they both represented large powerful guilds. One was vaguely humanoid in shape, the other looked more like a platypus with tentacles. They were suspicious of each other for good reason, both were considering cheating on each other, but only the humanoid one followed through. The humanoid felt justified because of an earlier transaction that it suspected the platypus had cheated on. The suspicious platypus found out and poisoned the humanoid. The species was know throughout the universe for its biotechnology and the poison used was top of the line. So special was the poison that it should actually have been seen more of a curse than a poison.

The humanoid didn't notice anything at first, because it takes sometime to take hold, but when it was safely back on its ship and started to grow leathery wings and claws it knew something was very wrong. Looking at it itself, it saw that it was starting to look like one of the natural predators from its home planet. Something it often had powerful nightmares about in its youth. It didn't want to go back to its guild and explain everything that happened. They would not have accepted its cheating on the trade, its species places the morals of trade very high. Knowing this and feeling guilty, it needed time to figure out what was going on, and to try and stop the poison on its own. So it picked one of the most remote parts of Earth to land, to give itself sometime in the sun to work things out. The ship's chameleon hull easily avoided human detection. While entering the atmosphere, the poison caused a sort of adrenaline rush with triggered the first of the aliens new uncontrollable rages. With new found strength, it destroyed much of the inside of the ship, forcing a damaged autopilot to attempt a crash landing. Only when the ship settled did the rage stop.

The rage and physical transformation was a very cruel side effect from the poison, it's species was very proud of their universal beauty and control of temper and emotions. It had become its own worst nightmare, that is the first effect of the poison. This effect is caused by a select improved connection between the mind and body. The body is transformed into the nightmares of a creature's dreams. It also enhances the body, making it stronger, faster, better. A perfect poison for terrorists wanting general destruction and fear. The second effect is development of the hunger and the ability to pass the poison on to others. In the case of this alien the hunger is for blood, and the ability to take the blood and pass it on comes in the form of four large fangs.

The humanoid's planet was related to Earth and it developed similar life. So as it soon found out, it could feed and spread the poison on Earth. Particularly its hunger was compatible with mammals, not that the humaniod had originally looked like a mammal before its transformation, actually it had looked more like a walking fish with feathers instead of scales.

The final, major, effect of the poison was immortality and an overwhelming sense of self-preservation. No matter how much it wanted too in the years ahead it could not brings itself to commit suicide. It became the overlord of a remote forest somewhere in Siberia, where it ruled undisturbed until three hundred twenty-seven years later when man entered its wood and became its prey.

The new demon had found that if it sucked an earth animal of its blood, until it almost died, and replaced the blood with its own poisoned blood, it could control it. The demon had a sort of biological net that it had developed with its other new found abilities, a sort of hive mind. The less poison a creature got the more independent it was, and the better it could fight the hive mind and the other effects of the poison. This was true even after the poison had run its full course. The poison had been tailored for the alien and was not always as effective with Earth creatures. But, after the first few centuries the demon controlled its forest almost absolutely, with only the occasionally uncontrolled wild demonite running around. When the demon lord sensed such a creature it would send its hounds of the forest to hunt it down and kill it.

So the demon had its castle and its court. It lived in eternal torture and damnation, but it had found a sort of stability that gave it its only comfort. What it used to be, the mind it used to have, is long gone. In its place is only a driving need to feed and dominate. To rule and cause pain and fear in its forest subjects. Pain and fear that it could feel through its curse. Pain and fear from the animals gave it a sense of belonging and peace. It knew it was not alone in torment. In evil, the new demon lord wrapped itself, fulfilling the curse, and the platypus's revenge.

And now fate comes full circle.

The second universe is being destroyed. Erased, fried, bit by bit. A creature has been granted full access throughout the net. Something only the Thirteen together should be able to do. Some, including the One fight it. Some including four of the Thirteen welcome the enveloping nothingness. Eventually the creature fights itself, in a battle for its own self preservation. What is left of the Thirteen and many other unknown things native only to the second universe take advantage of these few instances to flee. Hiding anywhere they can. Soon the creature, the being known as Haol resolves its inner struggle and follows through with its righteous goal to destroy the second universe.

Time stops. Around the world billions open their mouths in a silent scream. Anything connected to the great net is hopelessly scrambled and fried. The same becomes true for anything that hocks up to the net. The only thing left living in the second universe are huge code viruses that's only goal is to destroy anything they find for all of eternity. This includes any minds hocked up to the net.

Most of the people in the world lost their minds completely this day, including almost all of the dream children. Of the four-hundred some thousand children only some six thousand survived with something intact in their head. Of the few non-dream children people who survived, most would go insane, and only some of them would recover. Armageddon had struck. The final battle had come and the survivors were lost and felt very small. Anarchy reigned.

Despite the unimaginable disaster some semblance of order centered around the relief effort of the "real" world's branch of the Thirteen's government. They were little more than glorified garbage men and emergency workers but it was all the people had to look to for order. Plus the small "real" world police/military force was fairly effective at enforcing the new rule of the garbage men.

Time goes on, life goes on, and the world begins to heal.

Chapter One: Sister, You Looked At Me?

It was lucky I guess that Joesph had insisted on a completely autonomous net. It saved it and me from the destruction that went on outside. The Pravdas closed up tight to the outside world, but still selective thousands showed up searching for refuge. My mother tracked down all her surviving friends and their relatives.

It is three months after the death of the second universe. Tomorrow I die and my mother adopts a dead sister to replace me. Tomorrow I have decided to surrender my body to be able to take care of the people of the colony the way they need to be taken care of. Their numbers have swelled to fifteen thousand already and even with the help of the three AIs that Joesph got for me I can't keep up, not even close. Already there have been dozens of accidents that I could have prevented if I had just been looking in that direction. Also the thought of becoming immortal appeals to me. Seems sort of romantic. I'll miss the simplicity of life for a while I think, but then I'll have plenty of time to forget.

I'll have to be sure and introduce myself to my sister before I die, not that she will care that much. She is only about eighteen months old and a dream child besides, she probably won't even open her eyes for me. Her name is Samantha, her parents were rich friends of my mothers, they died in the great crash, it is a miracle that Samantha didn't as well. It is said that, technically none of the dream children should have survived, they should have been more susceptible to the crash than any of us. Perhaps some of them had developed some sort of defense not even the creature they call Haol could get past. Some of the surviving children are quiet like Sam, but some started talking like they were a hundred and ten. There are some crazy stories about why that is, usually involving Rogue or Criminal possession.

Now I get most of my info from non-interactive one way interfaces. The only safe form of the second universe left for the people of Earth. No possibility of downloading the viruses this way. I've been scanning for quality information about the crash almost straight through these past three months . That's another reason why I need to upload, I need to dedicate the proper amount of time to the understanding of what the hell happened three months ago.

Ah well, time flies. It is mid-winter and night comes early. Right now I'm yawning, I gotta get to my room. I am cold. I am tired, and it's time to sleep. A few moments later everything is good again, I am warm and in bed and soon I dream . . .

It is a black and white dream I think, no no mostly black, mostly shadows, no colors. The sun is down, but with no light and no moon that I can still see. I don't have a body, I can do nothing, but I can see everything. But so helpless. Shadows, they move outside, shadows watching us, waiting. I need to warn them, my children, but I can't speak. Nobody to speak to. They are all outside farming by the river underneath the colony, in the shadows. My mother is there too, so are the children, all the children, even the beautiful baby in my mom's arms. Everyone is there except Joesph. He is lying in the control room with black blood coming out of his ears and nose. He tried to hock up, to convert one last time, and got sizzled and fried. Steam from his boiled brains wisp out his mouth. His soul free now.

The shadows, they only watch, but I know they are hungry and they will only wait so long. In the mean time they will feed on our dreams . . . That thought stays with me when I wake to the winter morning's darkness. I feel like I didn't even sleep, I am definitely not in the best of moods as I walk to the ration cafeteria.

"Having second thoughts?" asks a Pravdian passing by.

"Huh, oh no, just thinking about a dream I had."

"Must have been a heck of a dream to take your mind off death so easily." Oh yeah, I know this guy. For a Pravdian he shows promise in depth and compassion. I think I might even have grown to like this one as a friend. That is if I hadn't been on my way to die. What was his name again?

"My name is Jake Gerber, in case you have forgotten, you know the zoo keeper." The pleasant middle aged man holds out his hand cheerfully.

"Of course, of course my name is Nathian the anti-Pravdanian." I said grasping his hand and shaking it thoroughly.

"Oh, I know you don't agree with us, but that doesn't matter much anymore. What matters is that you are willing to give the ultimate sacrifice for your fellow man. And I wanted you to know that at least one of the Pravda truly appreciates your sacrifice. I won't waste anymore over you time sir. Bye, and good luck." With that he gives a short bow and spins on his heel and starts on his way back to his zoo.

Not much of a sacrifice when I probably would of done it for no more reason than to know what it was like being one of the Thirteen. I didn't speak my mind of course. I think I enjoy Jake's praise and wouldn't want to diminish it.

I force myself to enjoy the breakfast of rations. Rations provide one with the necessities of life, in the most condensed way possible. I don't think they were ever intended to touch taste buds. Just straight down the throat and out the ass. But still, it is my last meal. Now that's a scary thought. Second thoughts? No, I need to do this, it is my fate. I just wish it wasn't my choice, it would be so much easier if somebody told me what to do, that I had to upload my soul.

"Hey Nate, enjoying your last breakfast?"

Ug, I really don't like this guy. "Yeah Rudy it's real yummy." Rudy McBeth is Joesph's nephew, and very proud of that fact. So proud that he is sure to say "McBeth" extra loud whenever he introduces himself to any newbies. He is the kind of the guy who doesn't really have a personality. He is always trying to fit in, and latch on to people, having him as a friend is no different than having some sort of bizarre parasite type creature stuck to your leg. I saw an eel-like creature in a story once that attached itself to fish, and stayed with the fish, feeding, till it died.

He has his uses, I suppose, he is good at watching people. He helps me sometimes in the mininet. During, his alloted available hock up time. But then, he usually only watches the women. Particularly the shower scenes.

"Well, I hope every thing goes well. Umm, so you will be able to watch everywhere all the time then huh."

"For a thirty year old you are pretty bright aren't you. Yes, with the help of the AIs, I will know everything. Sorry no more peeping tomming for you. Ha ha." Sometimes I surprise myself, like when I enjoy being such an ass to people I don't like. I would think myself too mild for those kind of indulgences. Well might as well, not like I'll be able to indulge myself again. I always have to be so polite when talking to the colonists while hocked in. Oh well, the woes of smile plastered service jobs.

"Well screw you man, I'm outtie." Heh heh, I made him leave.

"Nathian! There you are I've been looking all over for you."

"Hi mom."

"Honey, I want you to meet Samantha." She pushes a small baby carriage over to my table. "Now she hasn't talked or opened her eyes yet, but I think she listens. So go ahead and say hello. It can't hurt can it, and I want you to meet naturally at least once."

She is a cute kid, with little tuffs of black hair, chubby cheeks, and rosy skin. "Pleased to meet you Samantha, my name is Nathian, but you can call me Nate. I gonna die in an hour so I better go do something natural."

"Nate, don't talk about that, be nice, talk about . . . your favorite animal at the zoo or something."

"Sure, okay, sorry mom. Well, hmm. I guess my favorite would be the tigers. I love how they walk around. How they move, so smooth, like a machine, so perfect. Cats were really popular in the second universe you know."

"I . . . like tigers." She is talking! She is talking and looking at me, with her hand reaching to me. I think time is standing still. I know I'm not breathing, my mom doesn't look like she is either. "Hold me?" In shock I bend down and hug her. My mom isn't saying anything, she has to be in shock too. Samantha relaxes in my arms and is asleep again.

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God! Its a miracle. Praise the Great Spirit, you got her to speak. She hasn't spoken a word, or even opened her eyes, or even moved since the Crash." Luckily her body maintenance carriage had a fully unconnected and therefore uncorrupted portable back up system that could keep it running. "The only thing she has been doing until this moment is dreaming. I can't believe how cool this is. I think I'm going to take her to the zoo right after you die."

"Those eyes were not the eyes of an eighteen month old baby. For that matter, neither was what she said something a kid her age would have said. I mean maybe something like 'tigars, grrrr', but her articulation and everything was perfect."

"Oh, please, she is a dream child, you know how messed up a kid would become from being hocked up to the net from nearly the moment of conception. She probably just repeated it from something she had heard in the net, see probably has perfect sound recollection or something." I guess, but I could have swore she had a sad, pitying look in her eyes, not something the average baby would have until her teenage years at least.

"Sure mom, you're probably right." Okay so I can't fight my mom for long. "I think I gonna go for a quick walk around. I'll meet you in the medlab, okay." Only one of four are operational.

"Okay, dear. You take care of yourself, and remember, you are only doing this because you want to and you can back out any time."

"Bye, love you." Thanks for reminding me mom. I guess she isn't as happy about this as she is trying to make me believe.

"Bye, love you kiddo."

I feel like going to the roof and jumping off. Mom wouldn't like that either I suppose. What is with Samantha, she is going to be a very interesting story to watch unfold. I think I will go up to the roof, maybe visit with Jake and his zoo. Let's see his zoo is located in the C3-4 quadrant of the roof. The building is divided into five parts. Four quadrants, like an X was drawn connecting the corners of the building to divide it into the four quarters A, B, C, and D. About halfway in on the X lines is the center part, the Hub. Each quadrant is self contained and virtually identical to each other. The Hub is where the auditorium and market is. Along with many other fun public places. C, D, the Hub, and the roof are the only places people can go. Which isn't a problem since each quadrant was designed to handle twenty-five thousand people. But at least there is a good internal shuttle and elevator system, so the treks across building don't take forever.

I'm soon on the roof. I vaguely remember a hi an bye to number of people, but I can't remember any faces. People I see everyday, but don't care enough to know much about. I haven't really developed many friendships here. This isn't normally the group of people I would choose to hang out with.

The roof has much more than just the zoo. There are pools, parks, all sorts of "natural" stuff, most of it enclosed in glassplex, against the truly natural elements of the the Siberian wilderness. Glassplex is as strong as steel but more translucent than glass, it doesn't shatter, and it is very expensive. Again I wonder where these people got their funding.

Crazy, crazy, I wonder who this mindless soul is wondering around. "Excuse me sir, are you okay?"

"I can't see." He is spinning around, swinging his head left and right. Looking in every direction as fast as he can. "I can almost, but then nothing. I just remember, everything is so confused. I look at my feet and I see a thousand other things. I can't even see my feet! Its all so confused. I can almost think and see if I move fast enough maybe I can see and think again. But never, always so slow now. Its all so damn slow."

Hmm. He must be suffering from a bit of sensory deprivation. One of the refuges, a relative or friend of one of the Pravda. That's the only way most of the five or so thousand were allowed to come. Curiously no more members, that I know of, have come. Perhaps Joesph wants them busy converting in a world that now must be very open to their ideas. Well, what's left of a world. I can imagine the thousands that must be preaching to the survivors right now. With the chaos outside, I guess I might be in the best place on Earth. The last oasis. Funny that I thought of this as such a hell a couple of months ago. "So Mr. have they let you on the colony mininet."

"What?"

"You know the colony's own mini second universe. Fully autonomous from the big daddy, and untouched by Haol."

"Can I. I can't think here. Please can I. Just long enough for me to think things through, organize my thoughts."

This guy must of been high up on the food chain in the second universe to be so reliant on it even for such basic thoughts. "What hock up you got, I don't see anything?" My own hock up is very effective, but is also very noticeable on the back of my neck. A lower end of the higher end of hock ups. Most of the better ones just were less noticeable, but were basically the same, in access and net stretch.

"I got a Troy C7."

"Wow, I only got a Troy A3. The C7 isn't much worse than what most dream children get, what did you use to do?"

"I was a Hunter." What?! That's a rare and dangerous breed.

"What did you hunt." A Hunter, the stories say Hunters hunt the wilds of the net for lost AIs, Rogues, and maybe even people who have uploaded there souls illegally, Criminals. Then again I don't now of anytime since the Thirteen when it was legal. Until now I guess, now that they are all dead.

"Lost Ones mostly, AIs that had developed too strong of personalities and had run off to hide when the time came to reset them came. But even a Criminal once and a while, somebody who had uploaded completely. Usually they were all to be found in the wilds. And the wilds, boy they were growing. They growing too fast. Faster then any of the business sectors for sure. They had a raging life of their own. Sometimes they could even fight off an overlord for a while. The net was growing too fast for them to handle. The wilds were growing fastest of all and nobody could control the wilds for long. Haol would have trouble with that too I think. Yes even that one would have trouble."

"I see, well my name is Nate, Nathhian Hilcrest, and I'm about to become a Criminal. But I'd be happy to give you limited access if it is okay with your sponsor. And maybe even sneak in a few hours if it isn't okay." A sponsor is the member of Pravada that invited the refugee to come to the colony.

"Ha, I've heard about you. My name is Gregory Slune Bennitt. But go ahead and call me Slune, Nate." With only a little bit of twitching he is looking straight at me and having a conversation. A remarkable achievement for someone with the attention span that he probably has right now.

"Sure Slune, why don't you ask your sponsor and get back to me."

"Ha, my sponsor is my ex-wife Doctor Hillary Bennitt. She wants to remarry that's why she kept my name. She is a beauty, mind, body, and soul. Her only problem is being a member. That's why she left me to come here. She is the reason I'm alive you know. I loved her so much I was on my way here to ask her to come home when the crash happened. Funny thing is she feel back in love with me when she saw me and what I had gone through to come here. Course I could almost care less at that point. I was and still am, so out of my mind. She has a very strict plan for weening me away from the net. No connection what-so-ever. She thinks it is working to. She is wrong you know. I am 'settling down' because I am forgetting who I am not because I am getting better."

"I tell you what, go to my quarters. C, deck 5, room 389, it's right by the cafeteria for that deck." There are thirty-seven decks if you include the roof. "The door will be unlocked, and you are welcome to use the hock in above my bed. It has full access, but I would appreciate it if you stayed in the public areas. I have a lot of private projects going on in there. Plus I don't think your ex would like you peaking on all the ladies through out the colony." I've got password and encryption traps set up, but I don't think they wouldn't hold off a Hunter with full access for very long. I think I can trust him though, particularly if he ever wants to hock in again.

"Oh, thank you. Ahhhhh, I will be free! Thank you, and no worries mate, it will be plenty enough just to be able to stretch and flex." He hugs me fast and hard, and then starts off to the shuttlelift double time.

"One thing you must keep in mind, I intend to keep the oaths when I get uploaded. This will mean that I will have to obey Dr. Bennitt, even if she doesn't want you hocked in at all. That is unless you become a member yourself."

"Don't worry, I'm a Hunter remember, she will never know. Bye mate, and good luck with the transformation. No worries, you should be able to keep your sanity, since this is only a mininet and as long as you don't grow too fast or too big. And don't be afraid to lean heavily on your AI pals at first. I've talked to them, they seem to be fairly solid and developed. Ha, I might even have hunted them once, but don't tell them that. Well see ya then."

"Bye mate, good to meet you." I think I can like that fellow, he is just crazy enough to be my friend. Ha, aye mate.

On the roof now, the mountains, everything looks so beautiful up here. I need to go outside the glassplex, feel the cold one last time. I've found it very peaceful and refreshing. A good way to help me through the day. I should have come up here every morning first thing. Oh well, lost regrets. Not much of the roof isn't covered by glassplex. In fact the small portion that is, isn't even open to the public during winter. I had to go to Joesph for upgraded access just to get outside.

All alone, as time ticks by, on the corner of the roof, in the middle of nowhere, in a world of post-apocalypse. The corner faces northeast exactly. I can see the snow covered Farmpost far below in hibernation. The forest to the north, and the mountains to the east. I wonder how the cattle and sheep are doing, poor creatures must be freezing in the barns down there. Makes me think of my dream for some reason. Hungry shadows waiting. Predators waiting to eat our stock before we can. Well no worries, I can be a vegetarian.

Mmm, time to go, I think I hear my mom calling me. Again on my way to the medilab I say hi and bye to a number of people with faces that blur and are forgotten. I usually am much more interested in people. In watching them at least, not really talking to them. I guess you could call me anti-social. And before I know it.

"Hello Nathian, how are you feeling. I was afraid you were going to be late for our appointment."

"No, Mrs. Bennitt, you should have more faith. I'm almost never late, its bad karma." For a middle aged lady, the good doctor is still a beauty, and she does have a great smile that spider webs her face. She must smile all the time to get those lines around the eyes. I think I could like her, she sorta reminds me of my mom's long lost older sister.

"Aren't you a cute one. Why don't you take off your shirt and have a seat on the table over there." The table's not very comfortable and I lean against the wall. "Okay, ready. Why don't you lie down and I'll give you your injection." Huh, that's good stuff . . .

Time keeps on ticking. I think I blacked out a bit from that first injection. No pain though, they haven't used needles since the development of laser injection. I can't open my eyes. I think I hear people talking. The doctor, my mother, Joesph and several other people I don't recognize. I can't speak, but I think I moved, because somebody is holding my hand reassuringly.

"Okay you can wake up now. We are done with the first molding stage." I can open my eyes, everything is a bit blurry, but I think I'm okay.

"Thank you doctor."

"We have reached the critical stage in your mission." Joesph had an interesting way of phrasing things sometimes. "This is the last time you can change your mind. After this if you decide to return to your body you will suffer permanent brain loss. This is the time that you reaffirm your commitment and agree to the oaths or . . . back out." Okay, let me think.

"All's clear on the western front sir. I'm ready to die." Joesph smiles.

"I really am appreciative for your sacrifice. We all are, but I have to make this official, for the record and for the histories. There can by no question of your commitment to the people of the Pravda and to honoring your oaths. I have faith in you. I know you don't agree with our ways completely, but I know your heart is in the right place. I also know that you will honor the oaths, because that is your nature." Joesph always prides himself on his ability to read people.

"I know, I'm just a little nervous and want this to get over as quickly as possible."

"Of course. Nathian James Hilcrest, sponsored by Mellisa Hilcrest and honorary member, do you reaffirm your commitment to the Pravda and its peoples, the colony and to life eternal." Mellisa is my mom's name.

"I do, and promise to obey the directives to the best of my ability for all time. I promise to obey and protect the People of the Spirt the best I can for all time." The People of the Spirit is a official name for the members of the Pravda. "I promise to maintain a constant vigil against all threats and help any endeavors the People may undertake. I promise to maintain myself unless by doing so I break the other directives." Basically I promise not to commit suicide unless I go insane. "And lastly I promise to keep my soul safe and pure, to have the capacity of compassion and reason that will always be able to override the structure and rules. To be able to see and follow the path of truth and reason for all time. So I do solemnly swear." I do really.

"Okay doctor continue."

"Goodbye honey. I'll hock up and visit you just as soon as you are ready." That's going to be tough on mom. She hasn't hocked up since the crash. I think she has even developed a phobia of it.

"That's okay mom. I'll be fine, talk to you soon."

"You ready Nathian?"

"Sure doctor. See you on the other side." Drifting, drifting, gone . . .

The dream again. What are the shadows doing here. They can't come here, this isn't their realm. The stories they tell me about monsters and fables and nightmares of a hundred generations. The stories, the entertainment of the the second universe, come back to haunt me. I've never dreamed like this, never dreamed like this. I feel I am almost awake. What is the secret and why do I feel so cold. She opened her eyes for me. Oh what cute kid. Eyes so brown, what is behind them. Who is she. What does she dream about, this alien in our midst. Whispers, whispers, that's all I hear. In my head it's all that's there.

Who am I. I forget everything. I can't think, its all around me, but I can't hold it together. So tired, I will sleep now. I will sleep and wake up. It will all be over. The shadows, demons from stories, they will all be gone. And the girl, the dream child, Samantha. Yes I know Samantha, I remember her name. She spoke to me . . .

Tick, tick, tick. I hear something ticking. Ahh, so it is done, and here I am. Humanity behind me for now I am a god. Well not quite I suppose, I still have obligations. I am comparing, and I don't notice many differences from when I was hocked up as a human. Accept, the ticking. The ticking is slow. I can hear each tick individually, something I could have never done as a man, my brain could handle that kind of access speed. Each tick is a relative instant for this universe. In the full version, in the second universe, the ticking would be much faster. Much more could be done by one like me in the full version. Ahh, but this limited net is good enough. Perhaps not as fast as I would want, but definitely top of the line. I am thinking ten to a hundred times faster then I ever could have with my old brain.

I must be well into my adjustment period. The time when I find myself again, if I can. My rebirth, my resurrection. No turning back now. No way I could squeeze all that I have already become back into that puny organic tissue that was my brain. Hmm, I wonder if all of the Thirteen got a superiority complex like me. I imagine myself shaking away thoughts of superiority and inferiority. Much better, I shouldn't waste time with myself, tricking myself into becoming a true Criminal.

I create my room and myself, perfectly within my new domain. I must still see myself as human, as one of them. As one of the people I am sworn to serve and protect, because if I don't then I will lose myself. I won't care anymore, they will mean nothing to me. I must remember.

And now to gain access and talk to my three right hands. TY-3, TY-4, and TY-5, the names of the AI's that have been helping me. Hello guys, I think its about time I gave you real names. Would you like that.

"Yes."

"Yes, I would."

"Yes, please."

Okay then. What were those three names? Ah yes, TY-3 you will from here on out be known as Larry. TY-4, you shall be known as Curly. And TY-5, as my main right hand, you will be known as Moe. Is that okay with all of you. Good, now bring me up to date with everything, but take it slow, give me double time to process. I might be up to specs but I want to take this real slow.

"He is coming on line sir." Sara Jay Louise, second head of Net-overview. The committee that will provide back up to myself and Larry, Curly, and Moe. They will also police us as best they can to make sure we don't get to crazy. As if they could tell that. Simple mortals. Ug, I got to stop think like that, or I might decide to not follow orders or something, and what a crazy thought that is. Heh, heh. Well time will tell, and I just got ten to a hundred times more of it.

"Good good. Can you hear me Nathian. How are you feeling."

"Loud and clear, Joesph. I am feeling fine." I can see you and smell you too, you haven't take a shower yet have you fearless leader. "What tis thy first command."

"Say hello to your mother and tell her you are fine."

Mom. There she is sitting on her bed, sleepless. I can even see the bags under her eyes. Again I am amazed at how top of the line this place is. With my new interface abilities, it is almost like I am really there, or more specifically there ten times over. I am look at her and hearing and smelling here from each corner of the room. From the center of the ceiling the floor and each of the walls. I have this potential in every part of the colony. Even the roof, and a few places in the Farmpost and the barns. I can also see miles in every direction form thousands of places around the outside of the building. The colony even has six autonomous satellites launched two years ago. Four orbit the Earth, and two orbit the moon. There are three Miniplexes on the moon. There are not many survivors up there right now, and I'm sure most of them will come back to Earth the first chance they get.

"Hey mom, you really got to get some sleep. I've never seen you with such bags under your eyes before."

"Oh Nathian you're okay. I was so worried. I been having these horrible dreams." Wow, I think she is crying.

"Don't cry mom, everything is fine. I'm fine. I've even named the AIs Larry Curly and Moe. Now you know only I would do something like that."

"I'm going to go get Samantha out of the dream crib. She hasn't opened her eyes or said anything since she did with you. It's been a week. I was hoping that you had broken her shell." The dream crib, keeps her body healthy, much like for someone in a comma. It automatically keeps the body fed and fit.

I love my mom, but what does Joesph see in her. I think she would having driven me crazy as a wife. "That's okay mom, leave her to her own world. Talk to me, tell me how you are doing. How's married life?" Curly, that little red haired kid ummm, Mikey Hanson, can't find his favorite teddy Gonzo, help him out would ya. Thanks. "Mom?"

"It's going well. We are happy, that's what is important. I don't love him like I did your father. But I think he knows and accepts that." I always had thought she hated him for killing himself, and leaving her alone.

"Found Gonzo boss." Good job Curly. I'm sure Mikey would give you a hug if he could.

"Nathian?"

"Yes boss? I mean, yes Joesph?"

"Are you talking to Mellisa?"

"Yes right now as a matter of fact. I never could split myself so well before." I guess now I can truly be in more than one place at once.

"Good good, well I have a few things I need to talk to you about in private. So if you will excuse me Mrs. Louise and Dr. Bennitt." Dr. Bennitt had just walked in.

"Of course sir."

"Yes, of course Joesph, I was just coming to tell you that Nathian should be coming on line soon. I guess you surprised us all. A very quick recovery that was."

"I owe a lot of that to this top of the line colony. No expense was spared, I am continued to be impressed."

"Well then I'll go to the net observation room and chat with you there. Talk to you in a few minutes. That is if you won't have any trouble splitting yourself."

"Even if I did, I would have plenty of time to jump from conversation to conversation, remember how much faster I can think now."

"Ha, of course. Bye Joesph." Joesph nods a second good-bye.

"Now that we are alone, I will tell you the full story. I know you. I know the strength of you. I know that you could never lose your sanity. That no matter what you would always have your morals. You would always be human and would always do the right thing. You would do it not to prove anything, or to get anything. You would do it because that is the way things should be, and that is the way you are.

"I love your mother. I love her more than I have ever loved anyone, but I wanted you because of who you are not because you are her son. If you must now the truth of it, if I didn't think you would follow her here I might not have come for at least another year. But I knew I had to make you a part of our dream, and I knew we didn't have much time. Now I know you don't like to think of yourself as being special or different, but that is exactly who you are. You were and still are a man of two worlds. Of all the people on Earth the Crash has probably affected your inner self the least. The end of the world didn't even shake the stability of your mind." If only he would have seen me talking to the Hunter, Mr. Bennitt. I wasn't exactly my sane stable self. Moe run a back check on everything Gregory Slune Bennitt did under my access this past week. Did he break any of my private access.

"Yes, he did. Checking . . . he broke through your access to view through some of the building sensors. Checking log. He mostly viewed Medilab C and the quarters of Doctor Hillary Bennitt. Shal I block his further entry?" Ha, yes but only for a few minutes. Let him sweat a little, then let him in at half access speed. If he asks tell him it is his only warning, and if he trys to break through anything again he will be locked out permanently. Got that Moe. "Of course Nathian, I understand." Larry, where is Mr. Bennitt.

"Well sir, he is waiting outside the medilab. I think for Mrs. Bennitt sir." Call me Nate, Larry, we are going to be together for a long time. Keep an eye on him and tell me next time he tries to Hock in. "Yes Nate."

"Hey boss, I have a question." Go head Curly, what's the matter. "Why do you cross our duties. It would be more efficient if you divided us up and let us specialize in certain areas." I want to get to know you all, and for all of you to get to know each other. I want to develop a feel for what you three are about, so I can better anticipate you all. so i can better use you and make you more than what you were. Does that answer your question. "No." That's okay, you'll understand later.

Joesph why are you telling me this. "You realize that you are idealizing me. I might not be crazy, and I might keep my promises, but that is no big deal. I don't think I can buy what you are saying completely. So why are you trying the bull shit me?"

"Nathian, I am being honest with you. If you can't accept what I said, then accept that you were the right person in the right place at the right time."

"I apologize Joesph, please continue."

"Of course, do you know where Haol came from?"

"The stories say many things, but I think he was a Criminal."

"No, he was never human. He was a creation of the One and the rest of the Thirteen themselves."

"And how could you be so sure."

"He told me. He showed me. He was to be their avenging angel. The Thirteen knew they were losing control. They knew they were going insane, that they had lived too long and grown too large. They couldn't hold themselves together, let alone maintain the structure of the whole second universe. He was created burn the wilds. To keep the universe from expanding until the Thirteen could get a firm grip on the world again." Larry, Curly, Moe pay attention. I want to know what you guys think about this.

"Tell me you are sane."

"Don't worry, I am calm. This isn't an impassioned hallucination. I am simply telling you the story as I know it. He contacted me for the first time almost ten years ago . . ."

"But it isn't possible. How could anything overcome the Thirteen. There is no way. They are just to big. They are or were the universe."

"He didn't overcome the Thirteen, he only overcame seven of them. The One went crazy and two of them had to use their full access to keep him in check and in one piece. Four of them gave their full access to Haol and faded away. Haol was able to cut of three more completely before they could form walled defense. The last three finally surrendered, thinking that Haol only wanted to replace the One as the dominate overseer. They were very wrong. Haol had a mission. I mission given to him by Dunivan the Third of the Thirteen. The eldest and the leader of the four that gave their access to Haol. Dunivan saw what was happening, and he knew that none of the Thirteen could be trusted to decide what to do with humanity, to which they had been entrusted. He enabled Haol to think for himself, and to decide what should be done, from a sane unbiased perspective."

"Wait. Are you saying that you knew that Haol was going to destroy the world and kill billions of people?"

"Yes. But . . ."

"You bastard." Guys what do you think so far. Has Joesph stepped over the line? Has he put other interests before the Pravda's? This seems like grounds to override his Prophet Protocols.

"You are aware of the Protocols?" Yes Moe I am. This man, Joesph McBeth, is not fit to have unconditional power over the Pravda. I want you three to bear witness that I am overturning the Protocols in the interests of the Pravda. That it is the soul reason I am doing so, and the only reason by which I could do so. Do you understand? "I understand Nathian, but there is not enough information for us to make a decision." You don't have to, just don't stop me.

"Nate sir, I think I agree with your reasoning." Good Larry, explain yourself to your brothers, see if you can't convince them.

"I'll stay out of this boss. I think I'm out of my league, this is all going over my head." That's okay Curly, you'll learn. Okay going offline, you guys take care of things for the next few seconds kay. Good.

Joesph is still taken aback by my comment and the Doctor is busy talking to her ex-husband Slune. I've got plenty of time, he'll just see it as a pause for effect. The protocols, hidden deep in the net. A nice little treasure chest full of override sequences and Hunter viruses. Top of the line of course. Any one of the dozen hunters here probably could kill me and my three AIs before we even noticed our access being sniped. It was really cleverly hidden. Its was tagged to my mom's computer generated persona. The privacy of my mom's closet is a place that I should have never violated. A place Joesph would never have expected me to violate. I love my mother and she loves me, why would I ever suspect her of turning against me and betraying her only son? He expected me to be blinded by my love, after all I followed her here.

What he didn't count on was how well I know my mother, and how well I know him. Now of course neither of them really intended on using it, but neither could be comfortable with what I am. Neither could trust completely in my sanity or my word to obey the Pravda. He probably planned on passing the secret of the activation codes down throughout the generations of leaders to come. Say he was taking them on a walk about through the woods or something, to a place I could see or hear.

But I know Joesph. I knew he would have an override installed, he probably has several back ups hidden outside the net just to sure. I know how thorough he is. That is how I am able to manipulate the AIs not to stop me. With the future of the human race, Joesph would take no chances. He knew that despite the best of intentions the leaders of the Pravda, of the future, might not be up to standard. They might loose the interests of the Pravda in their hearts. He knew that one day something might happen so that he couldn't even trust himself. So he allowed the AIs complete autonomy, from me and from him. They would provide a balance of power. If they saw him as a threat to the Pravda, their ultimate responsibility, they could allow me to do what I am doing now. Cancel his ability to function as an absolute leader. Well something like that anyway. I'm have a little trouble organizing my thoughts. This treasure chest has one heck of a lock on it. I think I just going to have to dump the whole thing it a net vault. The vault will only allow one way access. Joesph could send the key to open the chest but nothing would be able to come out. The vault physically in the real world has only one way access, it is not something that can be compromised through the net. You can imagine how expensive they are, or were, in the days of the second universe. I think you had to get a special governmental permit to even buy one.

Success. Okay Joesph how are you going to explain yourself. By the way guys, don't tell Mr. McBeth that I did that unless you talk to me first.

"I didn't know when it was going to happen exactly. I couldn't stop it. I didn't want to stop it. It is the fate given to us as a gift from the Great Spirit. A chance to start over. A chance to do things right. We messed up as a race. We stopped growing, stopped learning. We were no longer worthy to have Earth as our home. It is only by the grace of the Spirits that we have this chance again. They have faith in us. In this Arc, this colony, an oasis in the sea of unnatural chaos.

"I am truly sorry that so many had to die. That so many had to become one with the spirits before their life's journey was complete, but it was the only way it could be. Faced with the choice of eternal damnation and the chance to develop heaven on Earth I had to seize that chance. This is bigger than all of us. All those that just died and those that live now. This is for the histories and for the future. This is a battle to create a home for the People of the Spirit and all those who have been or will be. The harmony in life needed for such a home is something that will still take many generations to develop. You must protect them, and help them throughout the centuries to find the harmony in life. You must help the future create heaven on Earth. A place where the Spirits will be welcome and will come to reside, bring with them all who have been. That is what this is all about. Finding our place again. Remembering the purpose of life. And on this journey sacrifices must be made, and you will judge, and you will be judged. But I have faith in you. Your spirit is pure, you will have a place with us when heaven comes to Earth again. I promise."

"I will do what needs to be done. But I still don't see what you are talking about."

"You will in time Nathian, have faith."

"Hey boss, isn't that sort of what you told us? Maybe you mistook Leader McBeth's intentions. Maybe you will understand in time like we will." Curly, don't think so hard until you've developed a better brain.

"You can't wash the blood off your hands. If you had said something, some people would have listened. You could have at least told the members not to have any hock up time."

"I did what could be done. I made a deal with Haol. He was the Great Spirit equivalent of the second universe. He knew what had to be done, and he provided. I could not reveal his secret. He would have chosen another, less worth one. I was the best choice. The Pravda was the best choice." I can believe him I think. This could have happened. It would have explained a few things, like where the funding came from, and the timing of the colony's completion. But, now I know without a doubt that Joesph truly is crazy. I must never trust him, and be ready for the unexpected. Crazy people are very good at being unexpected.

"Okay, so I know the story, or enough of it. I assume you will pass on a version of it to the next leader and I would be spared the task."

"Yes, I would prefer if you kept this knowledge secret. I will trust in your judgment in what histories to retell. But, no offense to you, the education of the next leader will only go to you as a last resort."

"No worries then. I can deal with that."

"There are a few announcements that I am going to make. First, nobody will be allowed on the net without a reason. Anyone under eighteen needs permission from a guardian. Anyone who wants will petition you directly or one of the AIs if you are too busy. If you refuse them they can appeal to me, a council member, or a doctor. The is a step only now, with the phobia of the second universe still strong, can I take. Second, anyone may gain access to the outside, even in this winter weather. It is time people become more brave and willing to face nature. You will of course still will be able to deny access if you have reason. I will want you to keep a close eye on anyone outside, I don't want somebody freezing to death out there. It would scare others from crossing the bridge back to nature. Thirdly any refugees living here for three months or more become members. They don't have to believe in it, they just have to follow the rules of our order. If they break the rules, they can go on probation and perhaps even be sent away, back to the chaos of the cities. This means by the way, that you are a member now, as long as you follow the rules. The TYs will recognize your commands over everyone but me now." I'm working on that. They are almost mine.

"Sounds good, but I know a few refugees that are going to be pretty pissed off. There is one in particular, the former Hunter, Slune. I am a little afraid at what he could do if he put his mind to it."

"Don't worry, if he tries to override you TY-5 has counter sequences provided by Haol that will come into effect. Top of the line. Mr. Bennitt probably hasn't even heard of half the sequences he would face. No don't worry about anything taking over your access. In fact I wouldn't be all that surprised if those sequences could hold off the chaos viruses patrolling what is left of the second universe. But don't take that as an invitation. The second universe is most definitely off limits, probably for the rest of Time."

"Alright then, I'm steady with things. When do you want me to patch you through to do your announcements?"

"I'm ready now."

"Okay, go in Three, Two, One . . ." And there he goes. A big old speech from memory, ten times longer than the one he gave me. Intended to inspire the colonists and maybe even the newbies, the refugees that continue to arrive everyday. If you aren't a member your rights and access is limited to child status and you must have a guardian equivalent which is the sponsor.

Mrs. Bennitt waits for Joesph to finish before she checks up on me. Her and her staff perform a bunch of tests and ask a lot of questions. Gaging, my health and my sanity. "Thank you for the poking and prodding Doctor it was fun."

"Heh, well you know it had to be done. We have an invested interest in your well-being you know. You are the final piece of the colony. Now it is a complete oasis. Truly a utopia that will make harmony in life. I give you a clean bill of health."

"Good to know I won't be fired. Call if you need anything." I think I'm feeling a little lonely.

Hmm, Slune doesn't seem too happy with Joesph's new policies. "If you don't mind, watch where you through that chair. You almost hit on of my sensors."

"Damn. Doesn't that righteous prick understand what I am. I need the space to exist. I am not whole here."

"Have you ever considered a portable system. A mini local net. You wouldn't be able to access any faster but you would have room to stretch."

"No, no, all were connected at least partially and got fried in crash." Larry run a search on any portable nets, human mobile configuration with a stretch rating of six or higher.

"Searching . . . found three versions. HP-12, SHP-15, and SDX2-24. A dozen of each versions can be found in each of the four medilabs' deep storage rooms. High clearance access only." Wow those are some hefty versions.

"As luck would have it, there happens to be an unused HP-12 system in storage. It is a very compact version, chances are nobody would think it anything more than a bulky hock up."

"HP-12? That would be plenty. My best one at home only had a stretch of eight. Perfect, perfect, perfect. I owe you Nate, you have been really nice to me. I'm sorry for breaking your codes by the way. I just needed to see Hillary with sane eyes, and you weren't there for me to ask. Congratulate your AIs by the way they were awfully tough to dodge. They almost caught me a number of times. Be careful though, when an AI first develops a strong self identity they can be a bit unpredictable. If you ever need my help to put them in check let me know." Now there's something I hadn't considered.

"There is just one thing. You won't be a member for another week, since that will make it three months exactly, so you should wait till then to ask me for the HP, unless you think you can convince your sponsor?"

"No, no I can wait. I can."

"Also, you probably shouldn't mention this to anyone. If Joesph hears about this he will include the systems in his new net use ban." Not to mention the fact that it is in the most restricted storage room in the colony. Don't I wish I had still had a body. I can't let Slune in there, there are way to many cool toys in there. It would be too much of a temptation for someone like him. Moe what kind of mobile real world systems are there.

"Please be more specific." You know, mobile real world robots or something like that. "Hmm . . . yes there are many types available. What is the task that you need a mobile unit for?" You know what, just give me an overview of all the cool stuff this place has. It's about time I took a fully inventory. Include everything, even things you wouldn't consider applicable. "I am confused, do you want everything, or just the cool stuff." Ahh, everything.

I spend the next week using my free time, or more accurately the part of myself that is not needed for the normal maintenance of the colony, to inventory all the colony's hidden secrets. I also spend a few spare moments hunting for a lonely female three month veteran refuge who isn't crazy or have a Crash born phobia of the net. No success, but I have faith. After all thousands of newbies are coming every month. Ug, I am lonely. The interactive stories that came with the system are very good, but I guess I miss the real thing. Must be my reduced attention span caused by my increased sensory input from the uploading and expansion. Plus I think it just be a basic need of mine to make someone intimately and completely happy. Too bad I gave all three AIs male names. They have already molded to that image. I don't think a sex change would be good for their new found sanity and strong sense of self.

Hmm, this colony has some pretty heavy duty real world weapons in deep storage. Eight different types of hand held weapons, and six different types of mountable weapons, for the roof towers, the outside shuttles, or wherever. Not to mention the colony war mode. There are a hundred twenty-three mobile guns on the outside of the main building. The members have started calling it the Arc. Even the Farmpost and the barns have a few hidden guns. This is all very interesting. The colony is probably better equipped to handle a real world attack than any of the corporate buildings ever were. It is probably the best defensible place in the world. The colony's satellites are equipped with lasers as well. Powerful enough to take out other satellites and any missiles heading the colonies way. They would also make swiss cheese out of any land based attack.

Hmm, what's this? Underneath the main room in the Farmpost is a mobile war system storage shed. There are a dozen different types of mobile units, one for any occasion. Four types have flight capacity. It seems like Haol and Joesph combed history for the best weapons, improved them and hid them away in the colony.

The files on this stuff weren't hidden exactly, they were just filed in infrequently used place. Likely if anything happened, one of the AIs would be triggered to let me know about the colony's ability to do battle. Joesph, understandably doesn't want all this stuff to be common knowledge. Its not like the colony has a military. I doubt anyone here has had any real world training. Usually the only people who got that were the corporate security forces and radical terrorist groups. Then again Pravda is pretty radical.

Curly, could you check the personal history files of everyone in the colony. Don't worry if it is restricted look anyway. I want to know anybody with any real world combat experience. Larry help him out, and follow any promising links. Joesph may have put information like that in a safe place.

"No problem boss."

"I will attempt to do so Nate." Moe bring online one of the medical mobile drones in the deep storage room of medilab A. Open the door and have it take one of the HP-12s out into the main medical room. Place it by the door to the hub hallway.

"Task completed Nathian. I don't think the HP-12 will be healthy for Mr. Bennitt. I think it will only encourage his addiction." Hmm, somebody found themselves a brain. Trust my judgment in this. Without the HP he will cause trouble, with it I have the leverage to make him useful if need be. "I understand. He is very capable, he could be made use of. I would like him to attempt to bypass my security again. I don't think he would be successful, but I would like him to try." If you want practice I can try if you want. "No that would be counterproductive. There is no reason why we would never work together. You will always have authority over me and so would never need to break my security." Fine then. Curly? Larry? How goes the search?

"Well boss, I found sixty-six refuges, and ninety-one Pravdas who have had various degrees of real world security training. Training that is compatible with the type of weapons you've been looking at least."

"Well Nate, I didn't complete the search. There are 4,869 Pravdas and 2,752 refugees with blocked links." Interesting. So you don't think you could break the locks without leaving a trail. "No Nate, I could, but it would take a week of real time to be sure." Then pick randomly ten Pravdas and six refugees. Spend as much time as you need, but leave no trail and open every secret. Moe I want you to help. Me and Curly can handle the colony till you guys are done.

"It shouldn't take long, with our combined efforts." Good Moe, I glad you have such faith in yourself. A few moments later sixteen peoples' lives are before me. Every secret they ever had. I actually know one of them personally. Sunny Davis, a refugee that has been here almost two months. I used to run into all the time on the roof. I remember he used to hang out a lot in the rock gardens. He said it helped his imagination to sit there go over every rock and plant with his eyes. It was his way of dealing with the Crash I guess. Maybe he liked losing himself in the variety of shapes and sizes. There is a lot of information that can be processed about piles of little rocks. Perhaps he just needed a bit of exercise for his mind.

Wow, he has some biological enhancements. Genetically enhanced hearing, seeing and particularly sense of smell. I guess his mom wanted him to be a blood hound or something. Also his reflex time and coordination has been tampered with. Everything else is normal enhancements, good only in the second universe, like secondary sense ability and increased access speed. Why would he get the enhancements of a real world equivalent of a Hunter. Ahh, his parents were members of the Covastille. A cult of true fanatics. They split with the Pravada a century ago. They took real world terrorist action against several corporations before they were crushed twenty years ago. So he was adopted by a Prvada relative when he was eight. He refused to join the Pravada and ran away several times. Eventually his mother's cousin and her family gave up. They evidently respected him enough to let him live the life he wanted. He joined a company to work real world security, against people like who his parents had been before they were killed.

After two years service he quits, not finding the job fulfilling according to the company questionnaire. Hmm, here is where it gets interesting. After months of aimless wondering in the second universe, he runs into Angella Saint Winterten. The Pravada missionary member just under Joesph at the time. Now she heads the council of staff here. She convinced him to have a meeting with Joesph. Joesph then convinced him to have a real world meeting. There is no real record of this meeting just a few notes Joesph and Sunny had uploaded. I guess Joesph somehow convinced him to secretly become a member of the Pravada. This happened over three years ago.

Hmm, not only did he convince him to join as a member secretly, but also become part of some real world Pravada security force named The Blue Flame. I've never heard of these guys before. Very interesting, evidently he trained for two years and is qualified with most of the weapons the colony has to offer, then he went back to work for the company again. And cross checking he is on Curly's list, but there is no mention of course of his Pravada involvement. During the next year he would take a few days out of each month for a vacation. During which he would evidently train with the rest of the Flame. What a coincidence that the Crash occurred in the middle of Blue Flame's real world training. Curly put a tag on Sunny, record anybody he leaves the colony with, for a nature adjustment trip or whatever. Okay enough about Sunny lets look at the rest of you jokers. Two more members of the Flame, both of them actual official members. One a heavily physically altered female, and the other an unaltered male with an excellent shot record. Gloria Sanchez and Paul McJames.

The other thirteen have their own interesting secrets that aren't linked to the topic at hand. Larry, I want you to list all the people with similar locked links to these three. "Crosschecking . . . done, I would give a ninety per cent accuracy rating to my crosscheck." Error on the side of caution I'd rather include ten per cent more than exclude ten per cent. Hmm, 560 Pravadas and 312 refugees. Not a bad number, more than enough to police the colony if need be. Joesph will probably announce a real world police force one of these days.

So many secrets everyone has, and I will know them all.

Time passes. More refugees come, fewer than before, only a few hundred a month now. Spring has come, it has been six months since the Crash.

"Ello! Computer? Where is room 452?" I should let Curly handle all the newbies to the colony. Oh well.

"What quadrant? What deck?"

"Deck 32, quadrant C I think."

"Hold on I'll check. Nope that room is taken. There must be some sort of mix up. What is your name and who is your sponsor?"

"My name is Luara Fran Gerber and my sponsor is my uncle Jake Gerber the head zoo keeper."

"Room 452, deck 23, quadrant C. By the way you have a nice butt."

"Thanks . . . what?" I love humans they are so fun to pick on sometimes. Besides her butt does have a sort of pleasing shape to it. Maybe she'll request some access time in three months when she gets honorary membership. "Who are you?"

"My name is Curly and I am a TY artificial intelligence system. I didn't mean to offend you, I was just making an observation."

"But boss I am Curly." Shh Curly, she doesn't need to know that yet.

"Ha, thanks okay Curly, just be careful what observations you choose to make." She has a nice laugh and a smile. "Most ladies would have thought what you said improper and rude."

"I apologize, next time I'll just comment on your eyes okay?"

"Sure, no problem. You must be a top of the line TY. You also seem a little overdo for a minor social reset. Maybe you should let your system overseer know that."

"No that's okay, I'll be fine. I'll be fine. I'll be fine. Sorry feeling a little silly."

"I don't think she is happy anymore boss." She does look a little flushed doesn't she.

"Could you direct me to the closest shuttlelift please."

"Certainly Mrs. Gerber, just follow the flashing line on the wall by your hand. I will automate the rest. It has been nice chatting with you. If you ever need anything just ask for Nate." No why did I give her my name, I must be feeling a little silly. Sorry about that Curly, you can tell her who I am if she asks.

"Okay boss."

I think I need some down time. Some dream time to gather my thoughts. You guys, I'm going into sleep mode for the next hour real time. Don't wake me unless The Great Spirit attacks the Arc. Good night.

Ahh, a vacation. I really need to take more of these. What shall I dream about. A lady, and a place far from here. Far from anywhere. No beginning no end. Eternity behind us and eternity before us. Accessing story dream crutches. This should keep me on track. Not let my mind stray to more unpleasant things. So I sleep.

A warm place. I am being held. A tall silver woman with blue diamond hair. She has gold almond eyes and she loves me. She is my soul mate from across the universe, only here in the cross roads of dreams can we be together. Our minds the yin and yang, becoming one, becoming whole. It is so perfect that I don't understand that there was ever anything else but us. We create together. Another universe swirls around our feet, born from our love. A place of warmth for lost souls. A place where all things that exist can find home eternal. It is our gift to existence for letting us have each other.

But the sun is setting. Darkness separates us. I come back to myself and forget the love. It is too unbelievable to imagine. It was too perfect to be anything but artificial. But still as the shadows draw her away from me I find comfort in her eyes. Her perfect golden eyes stay with me and keep me warm as I awake.

I could have stayed there forever. That is a very potent dream crutch, its effect must of been enhanced from me being so far beyond a human's ability to access. "Ah boss, Mrs. Gerber would like to speak with you as soon as you wake up." What did you tell her. "I told her that you were pretending to be me and you were Nate the one she was talking to. Then she asked to speak with you and I told her that you were sleeping, so she left a message to contact her when you woke up." Thank you Curly. "Sure boss."

"Yes Mrs. Gerber you wished to speak with me."

"Um yes I would. I was wondering why you were impersonating one of the AIs, and why I shouldn't talk to your supervisor."

"I don't have a supervisor, I am The Great Spirit here."

"You aren't a Pravada are you?"

"I am an honorary member. I like that dress by the way." Why am I flirting with her. She obviously doesn't know what I am. She is cute though. Brown hair to her shoulders, plump face, with warm dimples. She must smile a lot. Healthy looking, with a weathered skin look. She must have spent a lot of time outside since the Crash. She must be in her early thirties or late twenties.

"I do hope you pass on the responsibility of room security to the AIs on behalf of most people's desire for privacy."

"Of course, I only peak if there is an emergency. I'd like to introduce myself fully by the way. I am Nathian James Hilcrest, colony net Criminal."

"Criminal? What do you mean? You are uploaded?"

"Yes, my body is in cold storage and my mind is splattered all over the place. Don't take this the wrong way, but in three months when you become an honorary member would you like to have dinner with me in the net. I know a nice place, a cafe just inside the rings of Saturn."