CHAPTER 55 - ASTRAL
DATE POINT: JUNE 8th, 7 A.U. (AFTER UNIFICATION)
LOCATION: SOL SYSTEM, OUTER ASTEROID BELT,
INSIDE ASTEROID LISTENING POST BRAVO
LIEUTENANT PAUL KARST
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“Paul, we need new ideas.” Estefani said.
“What if we were to cut the hinges?” Hamilton offered from his position close to the door.
“Already thought of that; can’t cut those, or we won’t be able to close the door again. Can’t cut the bar, cuz its too thick. If Anubis had given us proper intel on this door, we’d have brought the damn Thermite.” Paul said in a frustrated tone.
“We don’t have all that much Thermite paste, and we have no supply chain to get more once its gone. The Captain opted to preserve what we had. Also, Anubis did admit he had never visited these facilities, he just had basic knowledge of them. We can’t give him too much shit over this. We’re gonna need to figure this one out on our own.” Hamilton replied.
On our own… right.
Paul shifted uncomfortably as he waited for the return of the “apportionment”.
How much longer, creepy? I’m having trouble stalling for time here.
Any moment now… such distance is irrelevant to us… only the time spent observing your dimension matters to your perception… we can sense their imminent return… prepare yourself for harmonic attunement….
Remembering the last time, Paul shut off his helmet speakers and leaned against the wall with folded arms. With gritted teeth, Paul felt the fiery pain light up every nerve in his body as his muscles spasmed. A flash of memories played in his mind as the pain faded. At first, he was at a loss to make sense of what he had seen, until he was able to capitalize on the benefit of a pain-free mind to process it all.
SON OF A BITCH! ITS FUCKING HOLLOW?!? Paul thought in fury at his own stupidity. How the hell did we miss that?!? How the hell am I gonna play this one off?
You will not reveal us… you must be seen to discover the secret alone… go and inspect the bar again… it will provide the cover you need…
Alright, I can start there... Good an idea as any... Paul thought miserably as he stewed over his predicament.
“There has to be something! Gotta be something we missed...” Hamilton shouted as he pounded on the door in frustration.
“You’re right, we very well may have missed something.” Paul spoke cautiously as he walked over to the bar.
After a few moments of inspection, he took a breath and spoke with his best imitation of enthusiasm.
“Well, what do we have here? Holy shit… How did we miss this?!” Paul stated. “Where’s the torch? Bring it here!”
“What? What’s going on? What do you see?” Estefani shouted as she grabbed the infiltration bag.
“There’s a weld line on the back of this bar. It’s not solid at all! Its been bent into this shape and welded!”
“Meaning we should be able to cut through it! Paul, you're a genius!” Estefani shouted in a gleeful tone as she dropped the bag and gave him a squeezing side hug.
“Oh… well… thanks?” Paul stammered out, at a loss for words as his heart pounded away in his chest. What the hell is wrong with me today?
“Uh… you’re welcome! Sir!” She responded somewhat awkwardly after realizing what she had done.
“Alright! So, let’s get this door cut open.” Hamilton intervened, almost a little too eagerly.
Paul looked over at him with a sarcastic comment forming in his mind before he thought better of it.
“With pleasure.” She purred as she lit the torch and began her first cut.
“You just like playing with fire, don’t even lie.” Hamilton teased her.
“Ever since I was a little girl. I’ve always been fascinated by it. Got me in some trouble too. I was a bad girl.” She replied in a strangely giddy tone.
“Oh? I hope that hasn’t changed too much, now. Bad girls are the best girls.” Hamilton replied back, not missing a beat.
“You have no idea. Maybe someday I’ll let you find out for yourself. If you're lucky.” Estefani teased.
"Hm, how bout we find out when we get back?" Hamilton shot right back.
"Easy there, caballero, you can keep your stallion in his pen a while longer. Mission comes first, always. Now don't push your luck." She said curtly.
Paul rolled his eyes. Time and a place, people.
“We’re going to need a way to reseal this door from the inside when we’re done. I’m thinking if we cut a strip of metal from this section of the bar here, we can weld the door closed again.” Paul said, desperate to get the mission back on track.
“Oh, good idea! That should work, so long as there is two relatively flush sections of metal between the door and the inside wall to weld it to. Better cut this pretty big, just in case.” She said as she finished cutting through the bar.
“Let’s get this door open first, that way we can see if that plan will even work. You might have to weld it back closed from the outside if it doesn’t. Not sure how I feel about leaving you behind like that.” Hamilton said with his arms folded.
“While I appreciate your concern, I think I can handle myself. Plus, you need me in the core anyway, so... new plan.” She replied flatly.
“We’re not leaving you behind, we'll make the weld idea work from the inside. Now clear out, so I can open the door.” Paul said, while leaving out the fact that he knew very well why his plan would work.
Paul planted his feet and pulled at the door, finding he was able to move it fairly easily. The air hissed through the opening and filled the interior of the airlock.
“Oh, thank God, the inner door uses a speedwheel.” Estefani said as she pushed in past him. “Looks like we got some weldable surfaces here, so Paul’s plan should be a go. Gimme just a minute.”
“Good, hop to it then, we’ve got less than two hours until our first exfil window. I’d really like to make that one if we can.” Paul said.
“I’m with you there, as much as I love you guys, I’d rather not spend another six hours cooped up in here If it can be avoided. Especially not after spending two days in flight to even get here. I need a real shower and a long yoga session like you wouldn’t believe.” Estefani said as she lit the torch once more.
“I hear that. I could go for a proper meal and a gym session too. You know… if you ever need help getting stretched out right, I’m your man.” Hamilton teased.
Good God, man, have you no shame? Paul thought as he fought to keep a straight face.
“Maybe another time there, big guy. I’m not entirely sure I could handle the kind of workout you’ve got in mind right now, anyway. What I'm getting at is that I really need some me-time.” She replied with a chuckle.
“Oh, I’m sure you could handle it just fine.” He said with a confident tone. “I get it though, sometimes I need some alone time to recharge too. If you ever change your mind though…”
“I’ll come knocking, don’t worry.. Now move, I need to get through if I’m gonna weld this door closed.” She said while waiving a strip of metal in one hand and holding her infiltration bag in the other.
“By all means. I’ll hold this door closed for you while you work. If… I can find a good spot to hold onto, shit. Oh, here we go.” Hamilton replied as he shifted around to give her room to work.
Once settled, he pulled hard against the door and managed to hold it closed as she switched the torch over to welding mode.
“Let me know when you’re ready. I’ll pop this door when you’re done.” Paul said as he set himself up in front of the speedwheel on the inner airlock door opposite from the others and waited.
“Almost…. Done! Go ahead.” Estefani said after completing her work.
Paul wordlessly broke the wheel free and popped the airlock door to the sound of the rush of escaping air.
VACUUM DETECTED; SWITCHING TO RESERVE ATMOSPHERE TIMER SET; TWO HOURS REMAINING
He motioned to the others to follow as they began their walk down the bridge in total silence. Soon enough, they made their way through the next set of airlock doors and on into the core.
ATMOSPHERE DETECTED; ANALYZING…. EARTH STANDARD MIX; STERILE; NO PATHOGENS OR TOXINS DETECTED SWITCHING TO FILTERED EXTERNAL RESPIRATION; REFILLING RESERVE TANK
“Alright, let’s get this show on the road!” Estefani said as she set her infiltration bag down. “Paul, would you see if there are any loose panels where I can access the wiring? I doubt we’re gonna get lucky enough to find a common connector, so I want to be ready to splice in or plug in ASAP.”
“On it. We should still check just in case though.” Paul replied, in spite of the fact that he knew full well that there was a common connector.
Paul walked over to the console he knew would work and began to pry at the access panel at its base.
“Make sure you check for electrified locks; we don’t want to set off any silent alarms now.” Estefani said as she unrolled her pack of connectors.
Shit. Paul thought as he stopped prying and switched to his EM filter. Holy crap I almost just bungled the mission. He thought in horror.
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“Good call, this panel is electrified, hell, all of them are.” Paul said as he looked around the room.
“Better hope that we can find a connector, or this just got more complicated. Here, need a boost?” Hamilton replied.
“Sure, ready when you are.” Estefani said.
Hamilton grunted and lifted her up onto his shoulder to give her a better view as they walked around the room.
“There! Bring me closer to that console over there!” Estefani said with a gleeful tone.
“This the one?” Hamilton asked as he stopped in front of the giant-height console she indicated.
“That’s it! Oh, thank God. This mission just got so much easier.” She said as she leaned forward to plug in the required adapter cables together.
“Alright, set me down.” She said.
Estefani proceeded to plug the USB side of the cable into her computer as she set it down on her lap. She hummed lightly to herself as she began to type.
“I’ll just be a minute here. The AI never takes too long to generate a script or to test it.”
“You got this; we believe in you darlin’.” Hamilton said.
Simp. Paul thought with a roll of his eyes.
“Ah, its nothing. The computer does all the heavy lifting. I just need to direct it at a few critical junctures.” She replied with an air of modesty.
“Almost ready? We gotta get moving if we’re gonna make that first pickup window.” Paul said.
“Yeah, in just another minute, I’m testing the attack script revisions now.” She replied. “Okay, here we go. It’s gonna reboot the system, so don’t freak out.”
“We won’t, though won’t that tip off the system or something?” Hamilton asked.
“No, it shouldn’t. It’s going to log it as a systems maintenance precaution. The OS has the authority to periodically reboot the system as needed.”
As she finished speaking, the computers went dark all as one before they rebooted themselves.
“We’re back up. Gimme a second to confirm… Perfect! I have full root access to the system. First, I’ll set up a data loop to mask our approach, then I’ll delete the code allowing for outbound communication from this facility.”
“Good, can we disable all internal alarms and pump the atmosphere from the outer corridor? Better to save it for later rather than dump it into space when we pop open the air shield on the way out.” Paul replied.
“Yep, working on it, shouldn’t be more than a minute and I can get to your requests. Then there’s a handful of other smaller tasks I need to finish before we can leave. We’ll be able to use short range comms after this, too. Should help when we get back into vacuum.” She replied, before returning to humming happily while she worked.
After a few minutes typing away, Estefani cracked her knuckles, stretched her back, and closed the lid.
“Finally! We’re ready to go when you are.” Estefani said.
“Perfect. Let’s get the hell out of here.” Paul said with palpable relief.
I gotta say, I owe you one, Creepy, but don’t think that means our conversation from before is over. You owe me an explanation IN FULL.
We already discussed this with your subconscious… we agreed to fair terms to which we both are bound… this topic grows tiresome… we have far more pressing matters to discuss…
I don’t remember this conversation because I was unconscious! We will have this discussion again and any terms I do not like WILL be renegotiated, or else.
You think you have the power… to exorcise us? To THREATEN US?! You fail to understand the first thing about… true power… Rejoice… for you shall be purified by your enlightenment… Perhaps then you will listen… perhaps only then you shall learn…. A pity... we must resort to such harsh methods.... we do this for your own good...
Paul’s mind erupted in a horrible buzzing pain that spread through his brain and down his spinal cord. He faltered for a moment and gripped the edge of a console, causing the thin metal to deform inwards.
”PAUL! Talk to me buddy, you alright!?” Hamilton rushed to his side to help support him.
“His medstat is going haywire! What the hell?!?” Estefani cried out in a concerned voice.
Surging anger cut through the pain, giving a small window of clarity and pushing back against the blackness that invaded his vision.
This will be a partnership based on respect, or there will be nothing at all. I… will… NOT… BE… DOMINATED! Not by you, not by ANYONE! NEVER… AGAIN…
“It’s just… a telekinetic migraine… it will pass.” Paul managed to say after a moment spent shoring up his tiny island of mental focus.
“You sure, bro?” Hamilton asked.
“Yeah, I know the feeling… Its already way better. I think… it has something to do with the NPCS upgrade… I’ll talk to doc Ock… when we get back.”
“Promise? You scared the hell out of me just now.” Estefani said with a warble in her voice.
“Promise. Now… Promise me to keep this between us. Promise me!” Paul said in a slightly manic tone.
“Yeah, we promise. But you'd better keep us in the loop.” Hamilton said after he shared a long look with Estefani.
“I will. Now let’s get the hell out of here.” Paul said at last.
Goooood… lie to them… lie to yourself… just know you cannot lie to us… you cannot rid yourself of us… we are your destiny… Together we shall be as one of the great principalities… together we shall have dominion over the world of men… we remain faithful to the bonds of our covenant… so too must you reaffirm yourself to ours…
As the pain abated, so did Paul’s anger. The subtlest tingle of pleasure began to light up his synapses in its wake.
We will be partners. Equals. Or you can kiss your ascension goodbye. I desire my freedom more than I desire power. You would do well to remember that fact. If I cannot be free of you, there is another way I can deny you your prize.
We know how much you value your life… Nonetheless, your point is made… the pact shall be amended… slightly… only so long as you cease your fruitless rebellion… Need we remind you that we have more… urgent matters to discuss…
Paul took a deep breath in relief as the assault on his mind lapsed. Paul shrugged off Hamilton’s assistance and shouldered his pack. Hamilton shrugged and moved to spin open the airlock door.
What in the hell could possibly be more important than this!? Paul thought in disgust.
We are being watched…
A wild shiver ran down Paul’s spine as he looked around the room.
WHAT!? HOW!? There’s nobody here, no cameras, nothing! Our mission was a success!
The signs were subtle… but there is no doubt… we have caught the attention of a higher order astral being… One far more ancient and powerful than us… one far more subtle...
How. Did. This. Happen? Paul thought as he clenched his teeth in fury.
They were likely assigned to watch this sector… and thus witnessed our use of your bio-electromagnetic field….
Fuck. Have we been compromised? Are they in league with Set?
We are not sure of their allegiance… but they do not appear to be chaos aligned… We must be prepared for anything… they could represent any faction…
This is really shit news, Creepy. You gotta give me more than that, come on!
They have departed from here through astral projection…. Likely to warn their masters of our existence…. We must get back to your ship immediately… You must find a way to hasten your mission… without revealing your knowledge…
Fuck, fuck, Fuck, FUCK! Why didn’t you warn me this was a possibility?! Paul thought as he sealed the airlock behind them.
Hamilton nodded and opened the other door into the vacuum-gapped interior of the asteroid base.
VACUUM DETECTED; SWITCHING TO RESERVE ATMOSPHERE TIMER SET; TWO HOURS REMAINING
We did not detect them before… they are a higher order astral being… there was no way we could have known…. Our plan succeeded… the facility is ours… you were warned there would be risks… Not all of which could have been foreseen…
Nice cop out there, Creepy. You had better add in full disclosure to the terms of our deal from now on. This cryptic bullshit has got to stop. Paul thought as they reached the inner airlock door they had previously welded shut.
“You got enough juice in there to cut through this still, right?” Hamilton asked over comms, now that they were clear to use them, as Estefani began to rummage through her infiltration pack.
“Oh yeah, should be no problem at all.” She said as she lit and adjusted the level on the torch.
Paul looked at the mission clock as he worked to temper his fear and turn it into productive thinking.
Just over an hour ‘til our pickup window… A day or so after that to rendezvous with the Fist of the Argonauts, another day to reach the main base… Fuck. Let’s hope whoever they might send to physically interfere doesn’t have access to FTL…
It would be unwise to rely upon hope… we should endeavor to remain prepared instead…
You’re right, we’ve got two days to come up with an alternate plan, find a way to sell it, and somehow still hide the plot so as to keep you hidden. Dammit. Nothing is ever easy, is it?
Well… nothing worthwhile is ever easy… but your point stands nonetheless….
Paul rolled his eyes as he fell into a funk while he pondered their new predicament.
“Alright, we’re through. Care to do the honors?” Estefani said as she shut off the torch and cleared the way for Hamilton to push the massive door open.
As soon as it was open, Paul pushed through first and beckoned for them to follow as he set a quick pace.
“Come on, let’s get moving; we’ve got less than an hour to our pickup window, and we’ve got a long-ass hallway to cross first.” Paul said in a rather more grumpy tone than he had intended.
“Ugh, don’t remind me. Right behind you, boss.” Estefani replied.
“Yes, sir! I’ll be watching the rear from back here.” Hamilton said with a barely contained chuckle.
“Get up here and join us in formation, Staff Sergeant. You can check out the rear later on your time.” Paul said with a smirk.
“Spoilsport. Not like there’s anyone in here watching us, or even knows were in here, anyway.” He replied as he settled into position on Paul’s left.
Not anymore, anyway. Paul thought as he fell back into his stormy mood.
If only I could tell you just how wrong you are…
MEANWHILE.…
DATE POINT: JUNE 8th, 7 A.U. (AFTER UNIFICATION)
LOCATION: EARTH, HIGH POLAR ORBIT
ABOARD THE DARKWATCH SATELLITE
ENOCH-METATRON
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Metatron materialized a spectral body as he returned to the dimension he once called home in the days before he had abandoned his flesh to walk with God. His spectral form forevermore now was as he appeared in the fire of his manhood, perfect and without flaw. Before him sat Uriel, in the restrained glory of his war body, at the controls of the Darkwatch. Dozens of pictures of the ground below them were displayed across a series of picture-screens embedded into the wall.
SOMETHING TROUBLES YOU, YOUNG ONE. SPEAK.
Metatron felt the thoughts vibrating at the core of his consciousness. The raw power the being exuded filled him with a deep sense awe and safety, quite different than the overwhelming fear and majesty of meeting El Shaddai in spirit. Despite the marked power differential, he still found himself compelled to obey.
Commander Uriel, I bear dark, and... confusing tidings. One of our astral watchers sensed a powerful astral projection emanating from a demon-infested Adamu of unknown origin and intent. They have infiltrated at least one of the watch stations that protect the gates of Tartarus. They use an unknown and advanced technology to achieve their aims.
THIS DOES NOT LINE UP WITH THE PERMISSIBLE RANGE OF PROBABILITY TO MAINTAIN PROPHETIC COHESION. THIS SPLIT IN THE TIMELINE COULD ENDANGER THE LORD’S SEVEN THOUSAND YEAR PLAN! SUCH EVENTS MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO COME TO PASS. GABRIEL, COME TO ME, MY BROTHER!
The summoned Archangel’s consciousness manifested in a flash of light which radiated quiet confidence.
BROTHER URIEL, WHY HAVE YOU SUMMONED ME? HAVE YOU A MESSAGE FOR OUR LORD?
BROTHER GABRIEL, THE TIMELINE HAS SPLIT, UNKNOWN ADAMU THREATEN THE GATES OF TARTARUS. THEY USE TECHNOLOGY NOT NATIVE TO THIS PART OF THE TIMELINE. THIS MAY BE OUR CHANCE TO ENACT THE PLAN TO REVIVE EL SHADDAI AND RETAKE HIS WAR BODY FROM THE CLUTCHES OF AH’MON RAH; THE WAR IN HEAVEN COULD BE ENDED EARLY! WE MUST SAIL WITH THE TIDES OF FATE. YOU MUST MAKE HASTE AND SEE IF OUR FATHER AGREES.
THEN I TAKE MY LEAVE OF YOU, BROTHER URIEL. I WILL RETURN TO THE HOLY OF HOLIES TO COMMUNE WITH OUR FATHER. LORD WILLING, MICHAEL AND I WILL TAKE THE CHARIOT OF GOD TO INTERVENE. ONLY EL CAN DECLARE THE END OF THE WAR IN HEAVEN, THOUGH HOLDING ALL THE GATES TO ITS ACCESS WOULD BE HAILED AS A MAJOR VICTORY, THE WAR WOULD STILL CONTINUE ON. WE SHOULD PRAY THAT THE TRAITORS SET AND ATEN WILL SOON ANSWER FOR THEIR CRIMES. THE CHOICE IS IN OUR FATHER'S HANDS NOW.
HIS WILL BE DONE.
The room felt colder as Gabriel departed, doubt and worry crept back into Metatron in his absence.
Commander Uriel… Has such a timeline split been recorded within the Book of Possibilities?
IT WILL NEED TO BE ADDED. THESE STRANGE ADAMU MUST BE IDENTIFIED AND THEIR TRUE NAMES COMPARED AGAINST THE BOOK OF LIFE. THIS APPEARS TO BE A NOVEL SPLIT IN THE TIMELINE, AND THUS THESE INTERLOPERS MUST BE GRAFTED INTO THE VINE, OR THEY MUST BE PRUNED FOR DESTRUCTION. NOTHING MUST BE ALLOWED TO INTERFERE WITH OUR FATHER’S TIMELINE. WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT, THE WAR ON THE EARTH WILL COME TO ITS CLIMAX AND YAH’WEH WILL STAND IN VICTORY ALONE AS THE ONE TRUE GOD READY TO PREPARE THE WORLD FOR HIS MESSIAH. ALREADY THE TIDE TURNS FROM EVIL IN THE COMMUNAL CONSCIOUSNESS OF MAN. THE GREAT PURIFICATION TO COME WILL OPEN THE WAY FOR A NEW CONSCIOUSNESS FOR GOD'S PEOPLE. SOON ALL THE PEOPLE OF THE EARTH SHALL BE GRANTED THE CHANCE TO BE GRAFTED INTO THE VINE.
His will be done.
HIS WILL BE DONE. NOW RETURN TO YOUR DUTIES, YOU HAVE DONE WELL, YOUNG ONE.