What to get to first? It should go without saying that any intelligence agencies or governments that could subvert the governments of an entire planet probably had the resources to notice and backtrack cyberattacks. To ensure that didn’t happen Adam needed to be smart about how he proceeded. That meant hacking into the networks from physical locations that didn’t lead back to him and also removing any monitoring devices in his apartment as well as establishing security around the apartment that was coded to him only. That meant quantum entanglement. The only problem with the implementation of this plan would be that the only person that could walk around and allow his nanite field to create the microscopic cameras that he would need would have to physically walk around and that would take time. What was that saying “Smarter, not harder.”
Adam altered the mission he had a copy of Thor doing for now and set him to map only. he needed to know how the network was set up. Adam also had Thor look for a location that was out of the way and easily accessible with surveillance that he could hijack tonight. Adam moved his Place of Power inside his Soul Space under his estate near Alamogordo. He kept a portal open between that location and his Place of Power in the speck of nothing so Thor could see to the needs of Desirae, Abi, and Amanda. It was just easier for him to be able to communicate with the ladies through Thor. While Thor was technically running a version of himself inside his original Place of Power and that was in the 2nd Place of Power inside his Soul space which was being run by a different copy of Thor, once the doors were left open they were both effectively the same Thor.
At about 3 a.m. Thor found a location near a junction that connected to an underwater cable that had been placed across the Pacific floor to Hawaii and then went on to the Far East. Instead of going all James Bond and infiltrating the location and getting to the server room in person, because it was technically on a Naval Installation, he cheated. From a workshop in his Base of Operations in his Soul Space, he hijacked the Camera’s and then opened a small portal he could work through. He also wanted to see if the limit to eight feet for his chaos counted from portals he opened from within his soul space and was pleasantly surprised when it did.
The portal he opened was at an exact 90 degrees to the orientation of the camera that looked over the area where the portal opened. If it could be seen at all it would appear like a dark line on the monitor to whoever might notice it. Not that he was worried, he was already feeding a false image through the cameras there.
Adam let his chaos permeate the room and found a few more security devices which he also subverted. One of them may have detected the portal but as nothing visible to the naked eye came through, whoever was watching would probably think it was a glitch of some kind. The anomaly on the screen was much too small for anyone to come through if they’d ever seen a portal before. Adam then let his chaos overlap the connection points, analyzed them at the molecular level, made the physical changes he needed, and added a few components that would be impossible to trace as well as a quantum entanglement transmitter, a backup, and then a third backup. He embedded his changes within the microcircuit boards.
For someone to detect the changes he was making they would have to physically tear the boards apart. Also, as luck would have it, there were military-grade communication channels and data networks for the US military going through these communication lines. This node served as a physical backup. Adam set up the same kind of physical access to those systems as well. When he was done he withdrew the chaos he’d let through the portal and closed it. From the moment he opened the portal until it closed had only taken four minutes. Most of that time had been analyzing the circuits and getting to know the programming that had been used. As he knew almost all the possible combinations of programming that were available on multiple Earths it wasn’t hard.
From his control room, he accessed the node and started copying the dataflows. Once he was sure the connection was stable he put Thor back to work through that connection point, then opened a portal to his apartment in California next to the laptop and removed any evidence that changes had been made to it. Anyone checking it now would only find a normal laptop. Of course, he would know as soon as someone tried to do that. he was kind of expecting it, especially after the payment method was backtracked for his mom and dad. The Johnathan from this Universe had absolutely no record of having as much money as that card had. It would be at least a couple of days before they came to investigate that though.
Adam let Thor continue his work and keep him informed while he manifested a simple body into his Place of Power. He created a cup of hot coffee in his room then had Thor connect to all cable and news outlets in California and had them available on the entertainment system there. He sat down in his recliner, sipping his coffee as he waited for Desirae, Abi, and Amanda to wake up.
As the night went on Thor mapped and spread through the internet and military networks all over the world. Thor also found more locations Adam could tap into the various networks from. After he talked to the ladies he’d have to head back over and handle setting those up myself.
News-wise, nothing of interest was going on. There were a couple of small stories about food riots in Africa and the Middle East but for the most part, those were suppressed. The military channels showed a different light on those problems as drought and a snafu in the supply chain had left tens of millions without drinkable water or food. he could do something about that but it would take magic and currently with the low ambient mana his mana regeneration rate, even with his Convergence ability was reduced to 25% normal. Which meant it would take him about 10 minutes to recover to his full mana if he depleted it.
Yeah, he still had to tackle why the magic went away and then came back issue. Adam sure hoped it wasn’t a Syndicate-type situation. The gradual increase seemed to negate that idea. Even though magic was coming back, he wondered what his regeneration rate would do to the surrounding area if it actually tried to pull in as much mana as he was able to and couldn’t. Would he create a dead zone of mana in the area he was in? One problem at a time. Right now, he needed to find out what was going on in the mundane world.
Desirae was the first to come downstairs, saw he was drinking coffee and watching television then said, “Thor if you don’t mind,” as a cup of coffee appeared in her hand, and she took a sip.
“Rubbed off on you did I?” he asked.
“A little,” she said with a coy smile. “As did other things.” She said grinning.”
“Point to you,” he said laughing.
“Why are you over here, I know you can do whatever you need to do from wherever you’re doing it?” she asked.
“True enough, I’m here because I may need your services soon.”
“How so?” she asked.
“Well, my ability to influence, without going into ‘Johnathan is a complete prick mode’ are kind of limited. One of my ideas is to neutralize the top players and create a power vacuum I can take advantage of.”
“You want me to kill them?”
“No! That would be wrong on so many levels. These people aren’t evil..”
“Evil exists everywhere Johnathan. Good only comes about because people chose to do good.”
“Where’d you hear that?” he asked.
“Some soap opera digest article I read. The idea kind of resonated with me,” Desirae said.
“Well, you’re not far off the mark, but I can’t just send them to another star system and take over the world as I did before,” he said.
“So, if you’re not going to kill them, what are you going to do “
“I’m thinking of bringing to the Earth into my Soul Space. In there, I am effectively God, also I can take care of them until I’m ready to put them out in the soul space.”
“Won’t they immediately know something is different, especially if they’re abducted?”
“No that’s where you come in. I’ll give you targets, and you’ll snatch and grab them and we’ll set them up in exactly the same area as they left.”
“Will you be able to create and control that many variables with fake people they know from their everyday life? That is what you’re planning to do right?” she asked.
“Yeah,”
“Bad Idea unless you can transport an entire city into your soul space, and place it on your planet?”
“Do you mean like just pick up a city and bring it across?”
“I don’t know, maybe. You did say you’re effectively a God in your Soul Space right?” Desirae asked.
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
“You know Desirae I like these chats we have; I may be smart but damn that idea is brilliant?” he said as an Idea based on what she’d just said culminated in his mind.
“We’ll see, won’t we?” Desirae asked.
Adam finished his coffee in a gulp, allowed the cup to be broken down then teleported back into his Base of Operations. His default was to rely on technology to solve his problems. Why not use magic instead? Instead of waiting for Thor to finish mapping the networks of the world, he would just know the world. Adam focused his intent and cast a spell that wiped out 30% of his mana. In an instant, he knew everything there was to know about this Planet Earth, and how it was made up as well as every artificial structure it contained including magical constructs and even Dungeon entrances and the creatures that had manifested in the debts of the oceans. he also had a very good understanding of the power that the Chinese had over everyone and the names of the seven individuals that controlled that power from China.
This was going to be easier than he’d thought. All the power came from four men and three women: Li Muchen, Sun Mingze, Tang Muyang, Quian Hoaran Pan Ruoxi, Zeng Yihan, and Sheng Xinyi. They’d even adopted English nicknames for ease of interacting with Americans. The men were Chen, Ming, Yang, and Orin. The women were Roe, Yi, and Sin. The women were outnumbered by the men but they were far more intuitive and intelligent than their male counterparts, they’d have to be and that might make things a little easier.
Adam uploaded the updated information he’d just received into Thor, bypassed all security protocols everywhere, and expanded his network to include the whole world. Adam could have done this from the start, why hadn’t he? Because he didn’t want to be a domineering asshole. If everything went right he still wouldn’t be, That’s what he had these seven for.
It was almost 6 a.m. on the West Coast, so it would be 9 p.m. in China. Adam had two hours. Adam morphed everywhere on the Earth in his Soul Space into a copy of the Earth he’d just come to know, except for his estate and Base of Operation. Then he teleported into the copy of the Board Chamber Li Muchen had made in his 3,000 Acre Estate in the middle of China. Not one to wait, he focused his intent and teleported all seven Chinese leaders into the room behind their seats at the crescent-shaped table he’d created which he stood facing.
As they appeared, each looked down at themselves and realized they were in whatever attire they’d been in, As Sheng Xinyi had been about to take a bath she was in a silk robe. The others were all fully dressed, though Yang and Ming were both in exercise outfits and looked to have been sweating profusely.
Adam was slightly impressed when Qian Haoran, Orin, made a gesture with his right hand, and a bolt of death magic launched at him. Adam raised his right hand and caught the magical bolt and snuffed it out of existence as he activated True Sight and noticed that all seven were covered in layers of magical protection. Nothing could prevent him from doing whatever he wanted to them, but they were at least skilled in the arts. It also explained why he was looking at individuals that appeared to be no older than 40 yet all felt to be well over 100. Someone was teaching magic somewhere.
With a wave of his hand, he bypassed all of their protections, cleaned them up, and put them in their business attire as he spoke to them in perfect Mandarin and said, “Please, sit, we have much to discuss.”
“What is the meaning of this outrage?” Tang Muyang declared as all seven stood behind their chairs not moving.
“Shock and Awe it is then,” he said as he had the walls and ceilings evaporate around them. The room they were all in rocketed upwards and away from the Earth into his artificial solar system. Adam kept the room pleasantly covered in a breathable atmosphere and at normal gravity as they moved all the way out to the orbit of the Moon in seconds and came to land on the surface at the bottom of the Tycho crater.
“Fool, you have doomed us all,” Sun Mingze declared.
“So, there are others already interested in Earth, I had wondered who they were this time. Not to worry, I’ll find out soon enough,” Adam said jovially. As he looked at the seven people with him and noted that they still hadn’t moved and were clinging to the back of their chairs for dear life. Adam waved and a cup of hot tea materialized before each of them. “Please sit, know that you are safer here than you could be anywhere else and that I will return you to your homes shortly.”
“How can we trust the word of a Gweilo,” Li Muchen asked snidely.
“You can trust my word, asshole! because I gave it. If he wanted to atomize you, I could do so with a thought. Then, I’d bring you back and do it again. I do not take insults well, nor will I tolerate them.”
“What can you do, by bringing us here you have already shown a weakness that you need us.” Li Muchen started until he was cut off.
“I NEED NOTHING!” Boomed from the air around everyone as Adam’s manifest form didn’t move and an exact copy of LI Muchen materialized beside him out of Chaos.
Looking over the crowd his copy of Li Muchen spoke in Li Muchen’s voice with his accent perfectly as Adam had copied Li Muchen down to the atom and was simply controlling him, “I need nothing from any of you. I would prefer to work through you and allow you to retain some of your prestige and honor, for the empire you have created is grand and the population of Earth has not suffered horribly under you but as you know times are changing as magic once again returns to Earth. I can make puppet copies of you while I allow you to live out your lives there,” the copy of Li Muchen said as he pointed to Earth above the horizon,” or we can talk, without insult and I can help you move the populations of Earth into the new age. Make no mistake, I can do it alone, but I would much prefer cooperation than absolute control.” The copy of Li Muchen said and then evaporated.
Adam looked them over, noted now the telltale signs of fear in their eyes proceeded, “The Earth you see in the sky over there, that is not the Earth you know. That is my Earth. In this place I control everything. I can adjust and maintain it however I wish. If you chose not to work with me, I will return you to an exact copy of your holdings and you will be able to live out your lives normally with the unfortunate truth that the only individuals you’ll have contact with for a while will be everyone here,” he said pausing as Sheng Xinyi moved.
Sheng Xinyi moved to the seat in front of her and sat. She lifted the tea and took a sip as she said, “It took a moment, but I recognize you Johnathan Bennard. I had been watching you because you showed extreme intelligence. We were worried that you might prove a problem. However, you fell into line just like all the other Americans and took the easy road to obscurity. Yet, unless I am dreaming, this is not possible.”
Adam produced a copy of her cell phone before her and opened a very small portal near the ceiling of the room she’d teleported out of as he said, “Please, call your people, verify for yourself where Johnathan Bennard is.”
Sheng Xinyi picked up the phone, hit the emergency call combination built into her phone, and then made the call to her security people. As the other six Chinese leaders and Adam listened to her he had a monitor rise out of the moon’s surface behind him showing the scene from the camera viewing her room where he’d opened the portal. While they listened to her verify that Johnathan Bennard was at work performing his duties as normal, two men in full military-grade combat gear entered the room and swept it. So, intent on her conversation that she hadn’t noticed the monitor, Sheng Xinyi continued to talk with her security people trying to keep up the ruse, for a full five minutes until the screen showed 20 more people entering the room and searching for her. All were armed and looking for someone or something.
“Sheng Xinyi,” Adam said as he pointed to the monitor behind him.
She looked up from her phone, saw the monitor behind him, nodded, then closed the phone which evaporated as the nanites in his soul space broke it. “Am I to be punished for calling for help?” she asked.
“No, I wanted all of you to see that you truly are not on Earth anymore. Also, I am not Johnathan Bennard. At least not the Johnathan Bennard from your Earth. I may have had that name once, but it is no longer the name I go by. Please call him Adam, or if you insist on being formal Adamantadine.”
“What are you?” Pan Ruoxi asked.
“I was a man, thrust into impossible circumstances that resulted in the situation we find ourselves in today. Did each of you have vivid bad dreams last night?” he asked.
All seven gave a curt nod before Adam continued, “I will provide a very short explanation of what occurred and where we find ourselves now, and where we will go from here. Before I do that I have two questions. First, who, or what is on the real moon? Second, what caused magic to come back into the world?”
Sun Mingze answered first, “The simple answer to your questions about the moon is that we do not know who or what is on the moon. We only know that they are aliens and they are there. We were contacted, in Chinese, 30 years ago and told to prevent all missions to the moon.”
“Fair enough, I’m guessing a show of power was given?”
“Yes, an asteroid that had been in a stable orbit, suddenly changed course and traveled into Jupiter. They informed us where to look, what to watch for, and why. We detected no collisions, the asteroid just suddenly shot off in a trajectory that six months later had it slamming into Jupiter.” Qian Haoran said.
“Thank you for the information,” Adam said as he waved his hand and a folder appeared next to every seat. “Please sit down, enjoy your tea, and read the file. It will explain why you had the bad dreams and why I am not the Johnathan Bennard you think I am. While it will not give away all my secrets I will inform you now that I am versed in every single school of magic. Also, whatever my skills can’t match, my level and attributes can more than make up for. If one of you would like to spar in non-lethal combat to test this claim I am more than willing to demonstrate. Here I can heal any wound and easily bring any of you, or myself, back if there was an ‘accident’.”
“Are you a God?”
“I have met Divines, but no, I do not consider myself one of them. Please sit, and read, if you are hungry please let him know and I will provide refreshments, anything you desire, I can create.”
Zeng Yihan replied, “I would like a bowl of soup that my mother used to make for me when I was a child, that recipe is lost to time, can you provide that?”
She was testing his claim, sneaky. Adam searched through her memories until he found the appropriate ones, watched her mother prepare the soup, retrieved the flavor and smell from her memory, and then had chaos bring the bowl into existence in front of her.
“I, I don’t believe it.” Zen Yihan stammered.
“If you have the memory, I can create it here.
She took a cautious sip, then smiled. Adam received six other requests, created their meals, and then left them to read as they ate. He teleported back to his Base of Operation to check in on the ruckus their disappearances were causing.
While they were reading and eating he focused his intent again and used a majority of his magic to conjure food and water supplies near every starving person on planet Earth. No subtlety, it was just suddenly there. Enough for everyone to survive for another seven days. That took almost 90% of his mana. While he rested for the six minutes it took his mana to regenerate, he watched as his seven guests read the files he provided. The next part was going to be tricky.