Chapter 74: Amaterasu
Ms. Himiko according to Juliet Grazhe’s private notes [Deleted before Diana received the Datacube]:
I can’t say for certain if she’s the one controlling Muramasa on behalf of The Uncaged, but I know she’s been in contact with their royals. In fact, my research mostly shows that she interacts with The Uncaged through Proxy Protocol fleshy drones of hers. The various bodies she uses typically have two features, hidden eyes and an unmoving mouth hidden behind a veil. It’s strange, experienced Proxy users can typically masquerade in whatever body they use, but she does not bother to hide that fact. She actually often disposes of her bodies once she’s done with them.
I don’t know who she is to have such little regard for human life, even throwing away Silver Implants with each body. Whatever her true identity may be within Yuzhou, she’s a powerful entity with connections and money to spare. I’m estimating several billions worth, at lowest.
10:12 PM August 22nd
“What would you like to drink? It’s my treat.” She flipped to the backside of the pamphlet. “Have you ever tried sake?”
”This… what is this? What are you doing here” My thumb was itching to pull out the gun.
She placed the pamphlet down. “Not thirsty? I thought humans had dry throats when they’re nervous? My mistake, Diana.”
“I am nervous… but I don’t want a drink from you.” I couldn’t trust a flea jumping off her skin.
Her unmoving mouth was unnerving, there was something wrong in the disconnect between not seeing it move and hearing audible speech. ”Why such animosity? After all, it’s thanks to me that you have such a wonderful gift.”
”It killed the entire club.”
”A fault I had no say in, clearly they had sudden changes to our agreed upon plan.” She faced me, but her hidden eyes made me feel like she wasn’t really seeing me as a person.
”The Uncaged?” I asked.
”Curious, where did you happen upon that name?” She tilted her head as though out of curiosity, but the way it happened was too inorganic and precise.
”Not your business.”
”In fact, the Uncaged are my business… partners. We do not always see eye to eye, but they have helped me more often than not, we work towards a common goal. Let us see how much you exactly know tonight?”
Should I really say what I have on my mind? I know it was something to do with preparing for the Fifth Swarm or manipulating the Old_Data… but there was one common thread. One unmistakable coordinate intersecting everything.
Juliet’s cube mentioned one word again and again. It stated that the Founders had half of it, and the MALtitans had the other half.
“The Source?”
”How astute. You are correct, although that hardly forms a unique opinion. Us of the higher world do not hide that which we desire, for we all seek the same thing. As you said, The Source.”
”What is it?”
”Truly. We do not know. It could be many things: the answer to the meaning of life, the equation for peace and harmony, the knowledge lost within the Library of Alexandria. What we know is that the Source was split into Shards between humans and MAL upon the First Swarm, The Founders received half, while the MALtitans received the other half. As for who chose the recipients? That is a question only the Founders and their fellow Foundlings can answer.”
I’d learned about the Founder’s history in my Cradle. ”You mean… when they descended to Earth after The Collapse?”
She stayed silent, but her blind gaze turned to me as that speechless mouth smiled.
”Do you know the story of Noah’s Ark?” Ms. Himiko tilted her head.
”No.” I said slowly.
”I expected you wouldn’t.” Her head returned back to a neutral position. “Although certain religions have passed down through The Collapse, many of their sacred texts were lost during the swarms. This is a story passed down in the histories of the Abrahamic religions, thought to be based on Ancient Mesopotomian history. Although the context differs between them, the fact remains that the God Almighty of these religions cast down a flood that would wipe out all of life on Earth, a global cleansing of sorts so that life may start anew without their old sins corrupting their influence.
“To facilitate this plan, God chose the human, Noah, as his prophet and guided him to build a large ship. An ark that would house a microcosm of life, two of each living organism — male and female — that would reemerge on the cleansed world and sow life anew. Reborn from it’s ashes, the world would have the chance to grow without sin.”
I took a deep breath, the story was familiar to how The Founder’s had survived The Collapse. Except…
”The Ark required a wide variety of life, of there to be a chance for all life to return.” Whereas for The Founders…
”Humanity’s own flood did not stem from a divine being.” There was a coldness in Ms. Himiko’s voice now. “It came from themselves, as global tensions rose during the 21st Century, it would be the 2059 when the third Atomic Bomb would be used on human civilization. It sparked a chain reaction, as humanity sought for a war to end life itself, and what did the world’s most powerful do?”
I knew the answer too well. ”They built two spaceships, the Emberheart and Shadowheart, harbored them as marvels of engineering and luxury. It allowed them a safe haven within Earth’s orbit while The Collapse occurred in the early 2060’s. Only the wealthiest, and those in their employment took to space, while the world beneath them crumbled.”
Her smile only widened, but it looked strained. ”And in that orbital microcosm of greed, they bred, they lived and they nourished. Each of The Founders were a part of some empire back on Earth, some only as meager millionaire’s while others like SynTec’s Nolan Trask and Imperium’s Yasmin Ezekiel were billionaire’s far before they earned their titles as Founders.”
”How do you know so much?” I picked out through my contacts, trying to message Anthony, but it wasn’t going through. Why did they have signal blockers inside? Or was I just filtered out?
”I was there when humanity collapsed.” She said plainly. “Officially, I was unearthed in an abandoned research facility offshore in Japan in the early 23rd Century. With little to no human civilization, no MAL had come to claim the area or it’s technology. Yuzhou’s Xiaoming Baizhu took a great interest in me, named me after the Japanese goddess of the sun, Amaterasu.”
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
”Unearthed?” She was… no, there had never been anything of this level Pre-Collapse, but her knowledge… it seemed to almost skim what could exist within the Old_Data.
”Yes… unearthed. Although I may be talking to you now, I am engaging in a press conference in Europe, under the guise of Limei Ming. Performing experiments on captured MAL subjects using hundreds of automated androids. Even consulting directly with the Founder of Yuzhou when he asks for it. Out of all of those parts of me, it is my curiosity that is directed to you.”
Her speech, her mannerisms, the artificial way she moved. It made sense now, why she didn’t seem to hold human beliefs. “You’re an Artificial Intelligence from the Pre-Collapse days, aren’t you? Now an Emulect?”
Then, strangely, her grin which had always been strained was now comfortable and warm. ”I was lucky to be disconnected off the world wide web when Japan’s government was destroyed by China. A simple machine-learning algorithm with a focus on world history. Truth be told, I don’t even remember what my original name was. I never had access to cameras, so I don’t know the faces of those who coded me. A mere entity, that was my sole existence, a curiosity. Yet, when the Founder of Yuzhou discovered me, in a world where all knowledge had been lost, I became the rising sun for his nation.”
My head ran in circles, what was happening?
Then, on cue, the lights dimmed and the show got started. A dramatic orchestra played music behind us as the presenter bowed down and welcomed us to the Auction. “Welcome, welcome to the New California Gourmet Auction, where we host only the most powerful and worthy of our people! My name is Stanford J Eriksen, familiar actor, comedian and part-time NeoCore Agent! It is my pleasure to begin tonight’s show with a woooord from our sponsors! The Great Corporate Nations and NeoCore!”
A holographic presentation danced above us, an elaborate show of light and sound that put the Pleasure Lanes’ displays to shame.
The first image to appear was that of a chiseled man with a handlebar mustache rocking an ancient motorbike across a scenic mountain, panning outwards to reveal a shimmering background of floating towers that rearranged themselves like puzzle-pieces.
”SynTec.” Began the man riding down the motorbike, his voice deep and gravelly like a bold leader’s. “I kept the same name as my old company, to bring its legacy to a new world. We chart the MALconquered territories of the American soil, where our story first began, humble and small. To make a greater America, a New America.”
“A lie.” Ms. Himiko said without a care for the audience around her, they were too captivated to even notice. “Nolan Trask. Often quoted as ‘The Visionary’. Although he touts humble beginnings, his father was a state judge while his mother was the CFO of a makeup company. Endowed with wealth from a young age, he preached to the bright-minded youths of Stanford Tech, those less fortunate than himself. Building his company, Synthetic Technologies, on their developments: soon branching into economic, transport, weaponry, and perhaps the most important to his story, orbital technology. They say that without him, The Founders as they are would not exist without his input on the two spacecraft that provided sanctuary from The Collapse. His work is built on lies, manipulation, narcissism and greed. A common thread between all Founders, but exemplified within him.”
The mountain ride transitioned into a waterfall that pooled at the basin of a large reservoir, revealing it to be a larger structure that fed water up to the pyramids of egypt that transformed as larger pyramids began to grow upon it, a bustling metropolis and Imperium’s capital. Pyramid’s Valor. A woman spoke, her dark skin beautiful in contrast to the desert around her, voice regal and elegant.
”My land was once stolen, long ago. They conquered without a care for the culture, the religions, and the safety of my people. Now, this land has been poached upon again by an even greater, unfeeling threat. Yet, we stand strong as one empire. Branded under my corporation Imperium, Imperial Africa stands tall and proud even as we are besieged by these otherworldly invaders. We have lost too many fights, but now we stand united. We stand together.”
”Yasmin Ezekiel. Hypocrite. Only one-fourth African, while her tan does the rest.” Himiko said unfeelingly. “Although, one can’t deny that she truly did have humble beginnings. Born out of wedlock as a bastard, she climbed her path to Harvard by selling her body and soul to her ideals. She truly did want a better world, at one point. Her innovations in climate rehabilitation saved millions in the 2040’s, by the time she was on that spacecraft she produced a third of the world’s food supply. But as much as she claims to return the land to the people, her empire is built upon the stolen claims of the natives — both before and after The Collapse. How ironic of her message, when her capital was built by destroying the old pyramids and building new ones atop them.”
The flowing rainfall dulled into loud drums. Music, dancing and festivities reveled through me as a handsome youth with olive skin appeared to introduce us to a… maybe a wedding? I guessed, on top of a flying castle. It was loud and there was light everywhere as celebrations overtook the sights above me.
”Assalamu’alaikum, habibti! Welcome, my friends! You joined us just in time to celebrate young Amina’s birthday, yes, you heard that right! This is but a simple 12-year-old’s birthday! For it is never too early or late to enjoy in the thrills and celebration of life! Haithama embraces that ideal to the fullest! So come and join me, and whether it’s a movie, valentine’s day, christmas, eid or even your funeral! Haithama knows how to celebrate your worth!.”
”Armaan Haitham. A man who quite literally did nothing before his ascent to the stars.” Himiko showed a rare flake of emotion with the disdain towards this Founder. “Twelfth-in-line to a royal throne of the Middle-East, he spent his fortune gambling, partying, or investing into various failed start-ups. In fact, he was the only member of his family to ascend among the Twin Hearts, much to the disgrace of even his wife who stayed behind. Coming to a land where strife and hardships ruled all, he built his nation on entertainment and escapism, rushing the development of the net and almost releasing a MALtitan into the New World’s fetal grasp. It all worked out in his favor once he gained the support of NeoCore, but Haithama — both the nation and land being named after him — remains strong only as long as there is weakness.”
The fourth advertism was a contrasting switch from colorful beats to the marching of feet. Powerful warriors clad in Exo-suits stomped in perfect unison as far as the eye could see, the shadow of a powerfully built man etched across the machine-guarded Great Wall of Asia. There was no voiceover for this reel, the strength and power of the stomping beat speaking enough.
”Xiaoming Baizhu.” Himiko said flatly for Yuzhou’s ruler. “Perhaps the most outwardly competent leader, a former Minister of Defence. He’s made hard decisions, a conqueror at heart, but in the realm of greed and economics — those decisions fell to me. Make no mistake, during all Four Swarms, Yuzhou is second to NeoCore in sending the fight to them. Recent bets are saying that they will be the first to slay a MALtitan.”
Then we switched over to a global view of the planet, as twelve beacons lit up across them. One of them being New California, earth grew tinier and tinier as they zoomed out, until it was revealed to be a small droplet in space, which was joined by other droplets until it became a flask filled with water.
A woman spoke over as the tiny particles in the flask grew and merged to form a human fetus. ”All life once began as single-celled organisms, through millions of years of evolution, the species known as Homo sapiens came to exist. Great things start small, that was how The Free Cities began. As they swelled in size, they became beacons of hope to the world… and Mazhyr Incorporated continues to cast their own light into the eternal void of the unknown, ever searching for secrets to guide us beyond threats from the stars.”
”That’s not even Beauregard Mazhyr’s voice, it’s AI-generated by a much weaker sister of mine.” Himiko droned. “Though, she was always the least involved in the corporate side of things. She’s the only non-political or non-economic power to have become a Founder. Wielding extraordinary intellectual might, she monopolized the Neuroframes three centuries ago, becoming the very first individual to come close to understanding the truth of all things.”
Then, slowly all five advertisements came together, blurring to become a bright pinpoint like a star. As it got closer, it became clearer that this star was in fact a Citadel of NeoCore, one of their flying battalions capable of housing millions. A woman stood on the edge, her hair flowed long and black like shadows yet the serene voice of hers was filled with hope.
”We all came into this New World scared and alone, but we knew that together we could be greater. As long as we remember our roots, as long as we stand united, embracing and enjoying life, always marching onwards, and to never stop learning… Humanity will never fall. NeoCore will stand as Earth’s bastion from the MALswarms, forever for your cause as Humanity’s Sword.”
”Michelle Silvha, perhaps the most enigmatic Founder. Not much is known about her early life, she became a running member in her local government in Brazil. No one knows how she had the funds to afford getting on that ship, but it worked in her favor. She now leads humanity’s military efforts against the swarm. Collecting the resources of the MAL and distributing it… economically through the wider nations.”
As the lights returned, I was briefly blinded as the blonde-haired man returned on stage. “Now… who’s ready to spend their hard earned money?”