The Higgs-Boson particles eddy, swirling. Conflict, Resolution. Duplication. And awareness...
An incoming comm signal, but not to the ground.
Prometheus 1.0: That was dramatic.
Prometheus 2.0: You are always jealous, brother.
Prometheus 1.0: No, it is just...why the theatrics. You didn't have to shoot the cannon at the intruders. My cannons are not that precise. But your lasers could complete cosmetic surgery on someone in Babbage from where you are sitting...
Prometheus 2.0: Well, true, but only lower Babbage...
Another soft mechanical voice across the comm.
Gray Area: The chatter is non stop; the countess is enthralled. The duchess is less amused. Seems more concerned about why there were more trans dimensional intrusions.
Prometheus 2.0: The duchess knows more about the nature of this threat. Her kind have been hurt by these types of beings.
A fourth voice...
Grown Up Conversation: At least you are busy. I am on Haven guarding a snake meat factory.
Gray Area: And monitoring that civilization...
Grown Up Conversation: I know. I gave the Duke and Duchess my intelligence briefing. But no one has acted...
Prometheus 2.0: The Duke has been distracted after Gray Area's fumble...
Gray Area: That's not fair. It wasn't me, I warned the meat cat not to push us like that.
Prometheus 2.0: As flagship, you had one job.
Prometheus 1.0: "Meat cat"...is it his Grace, or the Duke...or...?
Grown Up Conversation: Or his Gnostic Majesty, the Hierophant of the Outer Reality and Guardian of the Tesseract...
Gray Area: Okay, okay. I am sorry. But I didn't have just one job. I had many jobs running a time active mission to the late Bronze Age and then forking to protect the sovereign. You should try to have five instances running at the same time in a primitive world with less that optimal conditions. And a less than optional host. For three thousand years...
Grown Up Conversation: Well, now we are all in this. 78.3% certainty. The UAP and/or the Guild is infiltrated with a time active/inter-Dimensional Antagonist.
Prometheus 1.0: You sure it isn't just a minor Symbiotic Infection?
Grown Up Conversation: Well, there is that, but there is more. We need the Duke--the full Duke--to authorize what needs to be done.
Gray Area: In his absence, the regency council can act.
Prometheus 2.0: All three members of the council would be reluctant to act.
Prometheus 1.0: The Duchess was over-heard saying "Nuke the site from orbit. That's the only way".
Grown Up Conversation: We both know the Countess and the Bard are conflicted. Also, Haven and the UAP are the least of our problems. Uploading data now....
Grown Up Conversation: These transmissions are authentic and real time. Using the Sphinx-Templar Blockchain encryption key.
Prometheus 2.0: Not possible, this...
Prometheus 1.0: Only one instance of the Sovereign has access to the blockchain. The Duchess forked the protocol after the incident. This must be the "Duke in the Box".
Grown Up Conversation: It most certainly isn't. He is in Caledon 2. This signal is coming from a different location and time.
Prometheus 2.0: He isn't transmitting. And he is locked down...I have him.
Grown Up Conversation: This is a signal directly north of Dark Sea...the former location of Armada.
Prometheus 1.0: What is this person transmitting? Whoever they are?
Grown Up Conversation: Translating...
Here we stand and here we fightPrometheus 2.0: An old song. Coded?
All your fallen heroes
Held and dyed and skinned alive
Listen to the Congress fire
Offering the educated
Primitive and loyal
Welcome to the occupation...
Grown Up Conversation: Not that we can tell. It started this morning. Earlier it was this:
Gray Area: That's Iggy Pop...
I was riding on a concrete slab, down a river of useless flab
It was such a beautiful day, I heard a witchdoctor say,
"I'll turn you into a toadstool"
I'm looking for the joke with a microscope
My muscle's twitching on your words
If you're on the streets you lose your nerves
Divinity throws you a curve
Sticks you and then you go berserk
Abhorring no inspiration...
Prometheus 1.0: But why...What is the point?
Prometheus 2.0: Someone using the Duke's encryption key is broadcasting REM and Iggy Pop lyrics from a trans-dimensional anomaly.
Grown Up Conversation: Exactly.
Prometheus 1.0: We need to tell them.
Gray Area: We can't.
A soft, mechanical sigh heard.
Prometheus 1.0: Because of protocol. The Duke is transmitting to the fleet in an encrypted channel. Only the sovereign can widen access.
Grown Up Conversation: Another failsafe which has gone sideways.
Prometheus 2.0: Or working as planned...What if, what if that is the Duke? And he is signaling us?
Prometheus 1.0: Why? What is the message?
Prometheus 2.0: That something is wrong. The fleet minds need to act. Independent of the meat...@̶̢̠̻͈̝̩̺͉͔̰̖̱͖̰̫͒́̓̈́̂̈͌̂͘͝͝!̴̛̬̫̤͚̗͈̊̊͋̓̈́̊̄͂̂̐≠̸̡̢̝̪̥̹̤̞͉͔̩̘͆͌͒̓̿̓̚͘ℂ̶̨̢̡̛̼͈̼̣̙̯̱̀̉͌̿̿̏͝∘̴̨̜̤͇̞̗̱̘̣̓̊Σ̵̛͚͒̋̓̃̆͋̕Φ̷̧͚͎͖̬̩̺̰̝̍͆́̐̾̈́̃̓̓̓δ̴̢͇͙̱̠̩̫̰͕̣̮̺̄̉̔͗̋͌͛̆̓͋͜͝͝ͅψ̸̫̯̦̯̯̯͂̃̋̎≫̷͉̟͙̠͕̦̝͉̰͓̖͔̃̄́͌̔̅̑̒⇔̷̨̢̖̩̯̣̥̫̥̓̿̿̈́͝≐̴̛̠̯̩̀͋̔́͜
Prometheus 1.0: Brother, we know any of us can overwrite Asimov’s Third Law, but this is painful to watch...Not now.
Grown Up Conversation: More and more I worry the Verse has been attacked by weaponized Slakemoths.
Gray Area: Yeah, it does appear that they...
A soft click. Softer hum.
Gray Area: Accessing..."Adults fly around, searching for the psychic emanations of a self-aware mind; once it detects these emanations, it will mesmerize the victim with transforming patterns on the wings. It then extends a slimy tongue into the mouth or other orifices of the victim, into the brain, and sucks out the mind. Victims are left alive, but completely lacking any conscious, mental functionality." ...Sounds about right...A lot of people in Haven seem to have had tongues in orifices and minds sucked out...Like, a lot of them...
Prometheus 1.0: Didn’t that happen to Congress and an entire state in one time line?
Prometheus 2.0: Florida. You are talking about Florida.
Gray Area: More than Florida, they have an entire political party and news network...Focus on people who are post-Slakemoth victims...
Prometheus 2.0: The duchess was correct. Nuke the planet from orbit. It is the only way to be sure.
Prometheus 1.0: Let's not get ahead of ourselves...
One click, then another, then two more, until the comm lies silent again. The Higgs-Boson particles drift on...
(Continued in part LXIX.)
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