After all this commotion, life in Atlantis began to return to normal flow. Only instead of Elizabeth Weir, Samantha Carter was in charge, already familiar with my jokes, and therefore not reacting to them.
The next interesting event was the triggered when McKay fell to ancient trap. The Ancients energized a lot of equipment that was not needed by earthlings, but consumed the energy of the ZPM. As a result, McKay and Zelenka had to go to all laboratories and turn off everything.
In one of the laboratories McKay went to the platform with the terminal and accidentally activated the Ancients equipment, which purpose was preparing of a man for Ascension process. I immediately received the signal and went to the hospital to see my priest.
McKay just scanned himself with all possible devices, took all imaginable tests, but did not detect any deviations.
“Congratulations, Rodney. Did you just take the path of ascension?
“What? How?” McKay scared, looking me with panic filled eyes. He already knew that when I congratulate someone with something, it means something bad will happen to them.
“Ancient’s equipment launched your ascending process, you have an accelerated process of evolution. Soon you'll obtain superpowers, become smarter, and then die.”
“How will I die?" My priest was even more worried.
“Usually. Like all people.” I reassured him. “This device activates the evolution of only the physical body. But this is not enough. For the ascension you need to transform your astral body, plus the very concept of ascension involves moving the soul to another plane of existence, which is not so easy to do.”
“What are we gonna to do now?” McKay panicked.
“Do not worry. I'll help. You have a rare chance to become a real God.”
“God?” In eyes of the scientist lit a spark of hope.
“Certainly. Same as the Ori or the Otar. You'll be a great God. You love to be worshipped, but you will not accept open flattery. You have a desire to help people, but you understand that often people do not know what is necessary for their benefit. When the time comes, I can leave Atlantis and Earth to you without worrying about the fate of everyone I know.”
“Do you really think so?” McKay eyes filled with tears.
“No, but I thought you'd like to hear such type of talk before you die.”
“What?” Novice God’s all pink dreams cracked and shattered with shards of broken glass, leaving unsightly present.
“Let's get back to this in a couple of days, when you're on the edge of the grave.”
With that, I teleported back to my lab, leaving the discouraged McKay to continue his panic.
Three days later, I went to the infirmary where McKay was living his last hours.
"Believe in me and you will be saved!” I whispered him in an afterlife voice, appearing next to the bunk.
“It is not funny.” McKay replied. “I felt your move. This is some kind of manipulation of the space metric.”
“Are you ready to be a God?”
“I do not know. I guess so.” Rodney said melancholically. “I'm already burned up. I used all my abilities, all my improved brain, but I couldn't think of any way to stop it or reverse it. Also, I came to the conclusion that I do not understand what ascension is. I can only accept my fate. So, either I will die or you will save me. I'm sorry, I'm a lousy priest. I can't believe in you, or whatever you mean?”
"Do you believe that I can transform you to God?"
“Yeah.”
“That's enough. Prepare yourself. This will be the most exciting journey of your life.”
“Wait. What will happen to me then? Well, after I ascend? To be honest, I don't feel much like existing in the form of a ghost or any energy.”
“Do not worry. I will give you the opportunity to take a full physical appearance. Your harem's not going to anywhere.”
“Yeah? All right then. Please begin.” McKay closed his eyes and began to sink into unconsciousness.
I put barriers around room, drove away all doctors and people and start to work. To begin with, I 'extracted' Rodney's soul and transformed it according to the patterns that the souls of the ascended corresponded to. But at the same time, I improved his astral body, making it more resistant to external influences and subordination of consciousness.
Next was the most difficult part of the operation. I had already assembled a device of the Ancients, which allows to break through the 'Invisible Veil' and move the human soul to the desired area of multidimensional space. I went to this lab and loaded McKay's soul into some kind of space slingshot analog. After accumulating energy, it shot and transferred the newborn God to a given point.
After that I activated a special spell based on Bahion, which has created a sustainable channel of communication between the soul of God and the old man's body. The healing spell completely restored his body, after which activated the soul binding.
“How does it feel?” I asked McKay, who had regained consciousness.
“Strange. I'm feel that I am here, but in same time I'm not here.”
“It is. Now your physical body is just a projection. Real you are in a special area of multidimensional space, where creatures like you usually live. You need to get used to it and learn to act consciously, if not astral sharks might gobble up you”
“What about my abilities?”
“I think, you will need work out, but in a whole, all should be normal. Telekinesis, telepathy and an over-developed mind should stay with you. I recommend to start to get used to the multidimensionality, and then just sleep. Your physical body is safe now.”
“Nice, and thank you.” New born God thanked me.
“Sleep.” I waved a hand.
While McKay was getting used to the new reality, I watched his actions and feelings, occasionally making tips. This time I set up a more perfect spell to convey to me all the sensations of McKay's soul. I interested in the experience of conscious existence in the form of spirit.
While MacKay absorbed in his divine role, I slightly changed my soul, using Bahion confiscated from the Ori. The goal was to increase my awareness so that my consciousness would not depend not only on the body and astral shells. Because every time when I change my body, my brains going crazy, in accordance with the delusions of the donor.
A few weeks later, I noticed that around McKay formed a sort of mist from Bahion. As far as I knew from the canon, Rodney had a whole country of admirers on one of the planets in this galaxy. He and Sheppard discovered an Ancient computer that controlled the development of human civilization on one of the planets. McKay in 'his' civilization began to develop science, Sheppard promote increase army.
And one of the options set up by the scientist was his image on the flag, as well as many statues in his honor. Quite naturally there raised the cult of worship of 'prophet', who started to generate Bahion. Bahion partially flocked around him, creating an aura of divinity.
I informed the newborn God about this feature, and gave him a standard spell that allows him to start collecting Bahion from followers. It was just a standard ascended spell, not my improved one.
Having gained access to the energy of faith, McKay began to cheat with might and main in his game with Sheppard. He used it to perform miracles, improve crops, cure diseases, and so on. In fact, the whole Bahion coming to him went into action, improving the lives of his followers.
At my suggestion, he began to send his 'prophets' into enemy territory, converting the people who lived there to his faith, and then adding these villages to his Empire. Naturally, this could not last long, and the war began. But a couple God-made great miracles led to the complete surrender of the enemy.
After that, the McKay’s civilization began to develop at a rapid pace. In fact, he now repeated almost the same path that I went through, organizing 'my' village on the planet where I extracted naquadah. But there was one significant difference. When I started the cult of myself, I absorbed all Bahion to the last crumb, and not many people believed in me.
But the cult of McKay handed him the entire Bahion. Almost thirty percent of it was scattered in space, creating a kind of illumination. Use of faith energy, was not the most rational too. Thus, the behavior of Bahion very different from the usual.
When the people prayed to nonexistent gods or mere mortals, Bahion quickly dissipated in space. Only a small number of it will accumulate around 'objects of faith' like temples or idols. But if Bahion went through the collecting spell, it will attach to its 'owner'. As a result, the energy followed McKay's as raincoat, making meaningless any attempt to hide. When making 'miracles', Bahion accumulate around the relevant places or objects, as if highlighting them. At the same time, a similar energy was already much more complicated to assemble and use.
But this heavenly life didn’t last for a long time. Just a month later, the Ascended one appeared to McKay in his multidimensional spiritual world. I always watching everything going on with my priest, and therefore not missed this action.
“You!!! How dare you use the energy of faith to help people!” The 'inspector' shouted without even saying hello.
“What's the problem?” McKay not understood the crux of the claims. “They are my believers.”
"From now on, you will give me ninety-nine percent of all the gathered energy of faith.”
“Is it not fat to you? Who are you, anyway?”
“How you dare?!! I am the representative of Light in this galaxy! If you disobey, I will destroy you!” Each sentence of this 'representative' pour out emotions, giving him arrogance, complacency and awareness of their own importance.
“No, I will destroy you.” I showed my shadow clone on the spiritual level of existence. This technology was still being worked out by me, but according to McKay, it was quite possible to understand that this is someone's projection. “He asked you who... are ... you?”
Ascended gasped gripping his wrath. Apparently, this was the first time in many thousands of years that someone dared to address him in such a tone. Without a word, he attacked my projection with some nasty spell. Well, you started it first. “Parasite, take him!”
I removed the seal from the parasite and gave it the command to destroy the aggressor. The parasite quickly threw its tentacles, and they dug into the supple flesh of the victim. A moment later, I heard a scream filled with despair, horror, disbelief in the reality of what was happening and denial that this could happen to you.
It would, perhaps, felt the son of a rich tycoon, who all his life thought that the people and the whole country exist only to satisfy his whims. Who was sure that whatever he did, he would do without any consequences. And then, suddenly, he finds himself in the hands of organ dealers, who without any anesthesia begin to gut him, cutting out the liver, kidneys and heart in separate containers.
The parasite clearly been enjoying these emotions. He allowed the victim to flutter a little, and then began to devour him greedily with hundreds of mouths that opened on his tentacles. If he consumed Anubis as a delicious dish, the devouring of this ascended was an exemplary execution. Brutal, excruciating and slow.
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The cry of the 'inspector' was spread throughout the astral during five minutes. And only after the scream became nothing, the parasite quickly finished the remains and disappeared into his sanctuary. I sealed it, swallowed, and looked at McKay's soul. He also exuded emotion, saying that if the soul could shit, now there would be a pile of shit larger than his size.
"That's the way it is.” I said to my priest. “As the saying goes, do not wake up the beast in me.”
After this event, a week passed, and a whole delegation of the ascended came to us. This time they humbly crouched at McKay's lotus feet, begging him to call me to negotiate. I waited five minutes, then deigned to show them my astral projection.
“I am listening to you. Why did you come here?”
One spirit came forward, radiating emotions of reverence and respect.
"Oh Almighty! We humbly ask you to stop using the energy of faith. If you continue, then all we would expect the fate, as if not worse than what you did with the Representative of the Light.”
“Really? Why?”
"The Higher Powers of Light that gave us the gift of ascension set strict requirements for the use of the energy of faith. We can keep no more than one percent of it. Everything else we have to send them. The last time this order was broken, it led to the destruction of the ancient civilization. The ancients in their pride found a way to ascend independently, bypassing the services of a Keeper of Veil. But they did not stop there, and began to collect the energy of faith and use it on their own benefit. After just a few years Representatives of the Light visited them, and severely punished the offenders. Those who refused to submit to their will were destroyed. The rest of the ascended were forced to swear that they would follow the General Rules. But there were still Ancients in human bodies, who refused to bow their heads. Because they were not ascended, the Representatives of the Light sent them a plague that destroyed the entire civilization who mastered the forbidden knowledge. If they find out that someone has again violated the ban, they will punish not only the guilty ones, but all those who did not prevent it. Therefore, we humbly ask you not to anger the Higher Powers and to obey the common rules.”
I listened to the whole lecture with interest. Well, now I more or less understand the whole story. The Representatives of the Light raised the Ori and established their own rules. The ancients did not agree with them and dumped in the distant distance. There they were able to ascend without the help of questionable intermediaries, but in the end the harsh hand of the law punished them, despite all their self-conceit. For one thing, it explains how such intelligent creatures died of some banal virus. The Higher Powers cannot be resisted, no matter how clever you are.
"So, McKay, are you ready to devote ninety-nine percent of your energy to the needs of the arrogant tyrants?" I asked the rule violator, knowing his answer.
“Never! If these rules cannot be broken, it is better I do not collect this energy. Let it uselessly dissipate in space.”
All the congregation lifted up sigh of relief.
“It's a wise decision.” They nod their representative. "Thousands of years ago we made the same decision, and since then we have followed it steadily. Those few of us who choose to use the energy of faith give the prescribed portion to the Representatives of Light. As mediator acted Jura, which you have executed. Now, we will accumulate energy and give it to the Representative of Light, who will come here to check. I think it will happen in just a few years. And please note that you will have to accumulate a hundred times more energy of faith than you have already spent. Inspectors able to track the flow of Bahion, studying the traces of energy. I hope you will have enough time to gather the right amount of energy. If you face any problems with its set or preservation, you can always ask me for advice.”
That was the end of the meeting, and the whole delegation went back to their business, leaving me and McKay, as they say, to flow around, aware of the scale of the possible consequences. I didn't really care, of course. But some doubt remained. Who knows how long arms these Representatives of Light have? Apparently, all these rules have nothing to common with the Game.
I spent the last few months in Atlantis studying the most important of the Ancients' heritage. I copied the entire knowledge base from the computer, but it is one thing to write logs, and quite another personal experiments, and even with the availability of ready-made equipment.
And so, sources on Earth have informed me that people have decided to start a project to open the gate with a number of nine characters. For this case they already found the planet with the Ancient power plant that could generate power comparable to thousands of ZPM. I completed all the projects, sighed over what I could not verify, and then went to say goodbye to the inhabitants of Atlantis and McKay.
“Imhotep! You're always on time.” McKay greeted me as soon as I was in the control room.
“Yeah? What happened?” I was surprised.
“It's Weir.” The local God began to explain. “I was just on her planet. She is building a fleet of hundreds of spaceships, planning to attack Atlantis and capture it.”
“So, what's wrong?” I was even more surprised. “Her brain burned, and she forgot who's in charge?”
"Her brain burned out when she went to the Replicators planet. She set up an Empire named on herself. Even I didn't get this far, creating my own cult. And a couple of weeks ago, she contacted to us and claimed that this entire galaxy belongs to her.”
“Understood...” I held out. “Hundreds of ships, you say? Well, good luck. I think you can handle all these problems, I need to go. Suddenly I have quite emergency business in the Milky Way galaxy.”
“What? How? Will you not help us?” McKay was scared.
“I'm leaving everything to you. Remember when I said I'd do it? Today is the day. Good thing you warned me about this army of crazy replicators. Now I can safely evacuate, knowing that I'm leaving this galaxy in safe hands. In your hands, Rodney. It's time to grow up. I think you can solve this problem. Bye.”
With that, I teleported back to my ship and went to Earth, leaving McKay to panic, though he was in no danger.
“Hey, Jack. What are you reading?” As always, I suddenly appeared in the office of my protege. I never understood who was game figure in human side. It definitely wasn't Jack, because his mind and soul I checked carefully.
“Imhotep? You're gonna give me a heart attack. I'm sitting in the most secure bunker on the planet, reading a top-secret report on the Stargate program about of using a nine-character address. Do you know where it leads, by the way?”
“Sure, I do.” Offended me. “By the way, I want to talk to you about it.”
“Do you need something?” Jack understood and laid the report aside.
“Yes, I want you to appoint me to some position at the base on the planet Icarus, where you are conducting this experiment.”
“What are you willing to offer in return?” Asked this son of a fox. It seems that the new position gave the Colonel a new way of thinking.
“In return? What about selfless help to someone who's saved your ass more than once?”
"What about the law of alchemical balance? You gods cannot do thing in other way. You give something me, I give equal to you. As you told.”
“Well.” I thought for a moment. "I can give you my ship until I live in Icarus."
“Agree!” King of the Earth immediately agreed.
His eyes lit up the idea to manage such a technique. He remembered from the time of the collision with the Ori fleet that I was able to withstand four of their ships without the slightest problem.
In just half an hour they issued all the necessary documents to me: issued a passport of citizen, signed a contract for employment as a civilian specialist, issued a referral to the desired base and issued a pass with the highest level of admission.
After that, we teleported aboard to the Grim Reaper, and I gave to Jack O'Neill the guest rights to controls of the ship. He had access to almost all of its functions, including weapons and enrichment plant, but could not use the ship to produce equipment. Access to the premises was also limited.
Together we went to the planet with the research base, where Jack personally introduced me to the authorities, allocated cabinet and personal account. After that, he teleported aboard to his new ship and piled off to brag about the acquisition.
While we were flying to the base, I learned the latest news about the state of affairs in both galaxies. The Ori still resisted, but their fleet was almost defeated. Thanks to the efforts of Loki, he managed to destroy two ships of the three. The gate to the Ori galaxy was also under his control, so the whole situation was under control.
In the Pegasus galaxy, the main problem unexpectedly became the replicators. No one's heard from the Wraith for a long time. Only from time to time found their dead ships with a bunch of corpses on Board. I guess my plague was too effective. Simple idea is the best idea - to make sure that the patient will resists medical treatment with all his strength.
All these details I relished sitting in my office at the base and waiting for the moment to open a gate to an Ancient ship that plied the vastness of the Universe in unimaginable given.
By my estimation, it would require me at least a few years to get there on my 'Grim Reaper', even with all its super speed. So, I gave the ship to Jack without the slightest regret. There will be another unexpected circumstance that affects the course of the game. And with each such circumstance, the balance scales will sway more and more until they turn over.
The occurrence of key events that I tracked at the beginning of the bombing of the base ships of the Lucian Alliance. The head of the scientific Department, Dr. Nicholas Rush, decided to open the gate at the address with nine symbols, because the bombing damaged the reactor, which threatened the imminent explosion of the planet's core. There might be no another chance to open the gate after that.
Among the first passengers I went through the gate, carrying a bonsai in a pot. People were dragging everything with them, so they didn't even pay much attention to me. Flying out of the portal with a decent speed, I gently landed on the floor, stepped aside and began to observe the arrival of a herd of frightened monkey species of Homo Sapiens.
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Here, honestly, a feeling that here is evacuated not the staff of a top-secret military base, but visitors of the supermarket at the Christmas sale. People wildly looked around, screaming in panic, moaned and demanded not understand why.
Because of the connection setup curve, people were thrown out of the portal at a decent speed. The security Protocol required the virtual arrival buffer to be released as quickly as possible to compensate the unstable communication. People fell, hit the floor and lay, enjoying the experience of emergency landing, forming a real pile of human bodies.
Meanwhile, the main culprit of all this commotion - Dr.Rush, quietly leaked to the nearest control console, where he began to study the available information. After that, he went up to the balcony and began to watch the senseless swarming of people, grinning at his insidious plans.
Finally, the flow of people spitting out the gate stopped. The people withdrew from the trajectory of the bodies and watched the gate. Another person flew out of the portal. It was Colonel Everett Yang, last in line. People instantly reacted to the threat, parting to the sides, and the Colonel fell to the hard floor, flying at least fifteen meters. As a result, he lost concussion and a bruised spine.
The portal closed and the arrival hall was plunged into darkness. People cried in horror. People clung to each other, showing their long-forgotten instincts of monkey ancestors. The military tried to calm the agitated herd, but there were too few of them to shout over the hubbub of the crowd.
I went up to the balcony and perched next to Rush, holding my precious bonsai.
"These people are swarming in the darkness like worms, unaware of the greatness of this moment.” I said, expressing the secret thoughts of an unrecognized scientist, hungry for power, glory, and honor.
“You're right. What is your name?” Rush asked the name of the like-minded person.
"I am Imhotep, God of knowledge and replicators.”
“God?” Avid atheist surprised.
“God-God.” I confirmed. “Such, you know, kind uncle who lives on clouds and from time to time makes miracles from the generosity.”
"What miracle can you perform now?" Rush asked skeptically.
“For example, I can calm down all these people in a couple of minutes and make them obey their superiors.”
"Yes, it might be called a miracle.” My companion agreed.
"Behold my power!” I announced proudly, heading down the stairs.
I reached the terminal, jumped on top of it using it as podium, and roared loudly in the voice of an angry demon:
“SHUT UP!!!” People froze in horror, staring to the source of the sound, to me. “Everybody shut up and listen to me! You have arrived to Ancient ship called ‘Destiny’, billions of light years far from Earth. You'll never come back. Your destiny is to spent your life on this crumbling tub and perish in the vast expanses of space. All civilians must obey the military, because they have weapons. All military must obey to Dr. Nicholas Rush because he's the smartest man. And all together must obey to me, because from now I'm the king and God.”
“Who are you?” Senator Allan Armstrong's voice rang out.
“I'm a gardener. See this tree?” I shook my bonsai. “This is Jack O'Neill's personal divine bonsai. As long as I have it, I'm in charge. My name is Imhotep. I am the God of knowledge and replicators.”
“You're a fraud, not a God! Get out there. I'm in charge! I'm a California’s Senator Alan Armstrong.” The Senator shouted, blushing at the prospect of a heart attack.
People accordingly to buzzed, demanding change of power, although since my accession passed only a few seconds. Lieutenant Matthew Scott tried to reach me to pull me off from podium, but was surprised to find out that he couldn't get close. Every time he took a step in my direction, someone got in his way, forcing him to go around. And even attempts to push people aside did not help much, because they push him back, sometimes the whole crowd.
“Heretic! Are you deny the divine power of this bonsai? Behold its divine power!!!”
With that, I swung and threw the pot right at the Senator's head. His rotten skull shattered into pieces, and the pot bounced back and magically fell into my hands. People screamed in a panic and ran away. Sergeant Greer tried to shoot me, but another toss of pot to his head knocked him unconscious. The pot came back into my hands. No one else dared to attack me.
“Bow before the new democratic power in behalf of my person.” I shouted. “Believe in me and you will be saved, otherwise I will smash unbelievers’ brains. Well, who's against electing me to position of the king for whole life? No one? Adopted unanimously! And do not say then that the procedure of my election was not democratic. Listen to my first order: Everyone shut up and keep order! Otherwise I'll blow the brains out of the violator on the spot.”
The people stopped babbling, fearing to get a sacred bonsai in the skull.
“Father. Father!” Meanwhile, Chloe Armstrong cried in a loud voice, clung to the corpse of the Senator.
I jumped off the podium and headed for her. The people parted in fear before me. That's right. Fear means respect.
“I can resurrect him. Get him back to life.” I said earnestly, examining the remains of the rebel.
“What?” Girl raised blubbered face.
“I can resurrect him.” I repeated. “But for that, you must to have sex with Eli Wallace in public, later.”
“Me... I...” The girl froze in a stupor, staring at the murder weapon in my hands.
“So, should I resurrect him? Or are you against it? Look, this is your only chance.”
“Yes! Bring him back. You killed him.”
“Look, you agreed to the agreement conditions.” I nodded.
“What conditions?” It seems that the girl perceived the reality very selectively. Nothing, I've got witnesses all over the crew. And most importantly, there is an interested person - Eli himself.
I did not answer, but raised a pot of bonsai over my head. The tree lit up with a pleasant green light, and the 'forces of nature' flowed from it in the direction of the corpse. Naturally, it was only an illusion, but the people waited this miracle. The crowd gasped and backed away, and some of them began to offer prayers to nonexistent gods.
Meanwhile, I cast a healing spell on the Senator that restored his head to its original state. At the same time, I purpose did not heal anything except the head. The body shuddered, sighed, and opened his eyes.