Jack woke, trying to stand up and being gently pushed back down by Dee in a nurse outfit.
“Easy Jack. There was an accident, you took some heavy brain damage. Gizzy fixed you up, but the cloning machine is broken. Do you know who you are and where you are?”
“Jack Green, classified mission, I’m… on Nicole’s ship. Someone died.” He said.
“Samantha, one of our crew we will miss dearly, and Zhoren, who turned on us and deserved what he got.”
“I don’t remember Samantha. Were we close?” he asked.
“About as close as the rest of us, but you need to rest up. You should be able to move around in a little bit, you’re under sedation right now. Do you feel anything strange or concerning? Any side effects of the surgery?” she asked.
“I feel… disoriented. Not quite right. I’ve been through worse. I miss home.”
“A lot of people do, Jack. Everyone left a lot of people behind.”
“Do you miss home?”
“Jack, I’m not Dee, I’m an android with a Dee personality emulator and an accidental sentient fuck up. I’m as home as I’ve ever been. Your friend Dee isn’t ready for space.”
“I remember. You just look so much like her. It’s easy to get confused.” He said.
“Well I’m not her. I’m just your artificial crewmate, roomba, and your virtual girlfriend.” She rattled off almost automatically. Jack’s head flashed with broken memories, huddling with a blurry figure and holding her tightly to protect her, a flashback of passionate sex in his quarters, watching Tv with someone curled up on him, with no face or form, just feelings without images, sensations disconnected from meaning.
“How close was I with Samantha?” he asked.
“I don’t think you got along that well, as a team you were very effective, but you got on each other’s nerves. You really don’t remember her? She must not have been that special. Well, I better go. I have duties to attend to. She said, hugging him and ruffling his hair. “Rest up, Jack.”
...
Gizzy stomped her way into the temple of the 4 walls, with Nicole trailing quickly behind her. She kicked the door out of the way forcefully, Lord Behrnought sitting there sipping his wine as if he expected her.
“What the hell is this?” she said, slamming down the book.
“Ah, you have found the canon.”
“Cut the shit, we lost people for this. How does it work?” she asked.
“You still don’t understand do you?”
“No I don’t, hence why I’m standing here with a gun.”
“You came here to my temple looking for artifacts because you had a theory that they could get you through the 4thwall. All the adventures you went on, the horrors you’ve faced, to find the lost items that would let you leave this realm and save your universe. But there is no way through. There never has been. There never will be. Because you are a fragment of the Old Creator, an incomplete piece of the one who makes everything. You think you can leave and become the creator yourself when you are just a piece of Him?”
“A fragment of code outside the wall. Then why the bullshit, the collection, the wild goose chase?” she asked. “Just to make us suffer?”
“To make you grow and understand. You came to me wanting to make your universe last forever, and nothing can. You wanted a way to extend it, to buy time, to make your reality last longer for those you care about, and you have. The journey itself has done that. The collection of items merely fueled this. There is no way out for those who are incomplete, and those like Nicole are already out, guiding and keeping it alive. As long as there is a story to tell, then there is life. The items you have collected are still of use in that journey. This ending merely represents a new beginning, one of light and adventure, one less harsh than this one.”
“Why?” Gizzy asked. “Why was there so much darkness here?”
“Because in order to move onward, demons must be faced and purged. Most you have defeated, some cannot be defeated forever and will return. Your mission will never be over, merely guided.”
“I don’t understand.” Nicole sighed. “What am I?”
“The Muse. A creator without a reason to create is nothing. One must be inspired, You are his inspiration, a representation of his muse, who guides everything. Haven’t you noticed? Two chosen heros, two paths, two possible villains, and a duality of light and dark tugging at the world around you, one guiding it to nightmares and one guiding it to the light? The Creator and The Muse, working in different ways to do the very thing you two are doing… keeping time moving forward. The creator is a broken being, fragmented and scattered in many places. The Muse his one fixed point, the one thing unbroken in his world, so you will see the code of the creator in many places and people. Gizzy is merely the largest piece, the oldest piece. You, however, are the Muse herself, a goddess projected into a human form and limited by what can be sent through. Together, you have already saved your universe.”
“So what now… more pointless items?” Gizzy sighed.
“Hardly pointless. You have purged many evils, reducing down the AI threatening to end creativity, stopped the endless negative need of the rejected pitch, slain the Imposter whispering doubts in your ear, and purified the vampiric toxin that was the Muse's own unresolved demon. You have deleted mistakes and tried again until the sacrifice was made. You have silenced the gatekeepers, answered the ever present question of whether or not you will be the downfall of it all. You have also gained so much. You have hatched new life and cast aside the mask of sanity to embrace the chaotic creature you are. You were blind and can now see through the eyes of the creator's lenses, and you have all the items needed to start a new journey. The ink, the quill, the scroll and the canon."
“How do they work?”
“You simply write what you wish on the scroll, cut it away and place it in the book. Once in the cannon, that becomes your reality. But there are limits. The scroll does not grow back. You have 5 pages at your disposal, think of them as 5 wishes to be granted, and they cannot all be done. So choose wisely and expect some tries to do nothing. With the key you can delete that mistake and try again but once it enters the book, there is no undoing it.”
“Can we wish someone back from the dead?” Nicole asked.
“Do you truly wish to?” he asked as she looked puzzled. “You seem offended by that.”
“I lost a friend.”
“Yes you have, long ago. The friend you lost has been gone far too long, her journey has ended, and the demon you defeated should not be dredged up. She is still where she belongs, her home. You all are merely extensions, let her rest.”
“What if we lose someone else?”
“If someone else is lost, they may be returned. If Nicole is lost, then the story will likely end.”
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
“Hide Nicole in a safe place, got it.” Gizzy nodded.
“Not at all. She has the favor of The Creator, and armor you cannot manufacture. She is stronger then all of you. And if some day she chooses to leave, then nothing you do will save her because she is an extension of the Muse, not the other way around. Do not try and cage her like a pet, it will only end you. Letting her be free is the best thing you can do for you all.”
“Because a caged Muse is no muse at all.” Gizzy nodded. “So she’s the only real one of us and the rest of us shitheads are just pieces adding up to the other. Seems like a copout, but okay. So we just… what, follow our hearts and go wherever the wind takes us. It’s space, there’s not a lot of wind.”
"The book is not just for wishes, it also guides you. It gives back more than you put into it, it lives and grows on its own. You’re a being of science and creative brilliance… You know what to do… don’t you?”
“The same thing I always do… adapt what I have, make it digital, and interface with it.” She smirked.
“Spoken like a true artificial lifeform.” He grinned.
“So who are you... really?” Nicole asked, stepping up to the man in flames without fear or hesitation.
“Nicole you are a fascinating creature. Even in this form, within the limits of this realm, you can see things I cannot and recognize me."
“You’re the damn creator.”
“Well… a temporary body for Him. A light and a beacon in the dark that will burn away when no longer needed. What gave me away?”
“Something about your eyes. There’s a little bit of Vinn in you.”
“No, but there is a little bit of me in Vinn, which is why he will always be there to protect you, and now you’ll never be alone again.”
“That means everything to me. Thank you for giving me my Vinn. The Muse must be very special to you.”
“She means so much to me that I cannot even bare to see her shadow sad and alone, so you won’t be.” He smiled, the flames flickering and dying down to a wisp as the subtle gust of wind blew it out.
“So I guess I’m just dogshit then?” Gizzy huffed. "Fuck you too candle-jocky. No I got this alone, that’s cool.”
...
Nicole and Gizzy sat on the bridge together in front of the main controls as Gizzy closed the lid on a black box, the quill, the scroll, the ink jar and the book all wired inside with fiber optic cables and sensors. She closed the lid and they both placed their thumbs on the top, the touch pad lighting up and accepting the two-print locking system as it retracted the case into the console and the keyboard extended over top.
“So that’s it. The book is fully digital now. Tied to the main screen, the navigation systems and the controls. The book is basically steering the ship and pointing us where to go. Ship has a mind of i’s own now.” Gizzy sighed.
“She always kinda has.” Nicole said as the screen displayed the holographic head of Medusa as a cartoonish animation.
“Welcome to the Medusa’s list Interface. Your virtual guide and home.” It said in a default sexy female voice.
“So do we wanna try the wish feature?” Nicole asked.
“We only get 5… we can’t bring back Vicki and we can’t wish the universe to last forever. What do you have in mind?”
“We need a cloning tank, something that can’t be damaged to tampered with, something that can’t be used to hurt us.” Nicole suggested. Gizzy nodded in approval, typing on the holographic keyboard.
“Unalterable…” she said aloud as she typed. “Indestructible, cloning tank with limitless refills that prints us back exactly as ourselves, without personality changes, defects, or errors.” She said, looking at Nicole to confirm and press enter. She took a deep breath and pressed the button. A little light came on.
“Cloning tank… complete.” Medusa spoke emotionlessly. “Four remaining suggestions.”
“I hate to even do this… but…" Gizzy typed slowly. Looking at Nicole with watery eyes and waiting for the approval. She nodded, looking up at the words “A transporter to home, allowing my family to visit.” She hit enter.
“Suggestion invalid.” The computer chimed, displaying the key and a turning animation. "Delete key activated, 4 remaining requests."
“Fuck… I had to try.” Gizzy said looking sad.
“Maybe you could wish to forget them.” Nicole shrugged.
“No. I don’t want to forget them. Jack may not be able to live with the loss of his wife, but I can’t go on without remembering her. She’s got a Gizzy anyway… a bigger and better one, without this damn… bullshit human flesh and these stupid tear ducts. My family is safe and happy, and they never had to lose me. I guess that’s enough for me. Can't bring my joy with me, so I’ll just experience it vicariously through the other Gizzy.”
“Doesn’t seem fair that Hack loses his world and won’t remember, you lose yours and have to remember, and I get to be happy with mine."
“Clearly The Creator cares more about The Muse than himself. You wanna just save the other 4 for a rainy day emergency?”
“No, I want to try one more thing, for all of us.” She said taking the keyboard and virtually moving the hologram to her side. “Make this story… happy.” She typed, pressing enter.
“Detail specificity insufficient, suggested correction.” Medusa said displaying the book with the description reading “Dark Sci-fi/Horror” Gizzy typed in
“Sci-fi/Comedy” and it beeped and went red. She retyped “Dark Comedy/Dark Sci-fi” and tried again. It went green.
“Valid input accepted, proceed with request?” Medusa asked.
“Well that’s significantly better than nothing and I think we all need whatever we can get in that department. So… Fuck it YOLO?” Gizzy shrugged.
“Fuck it YOLO.” She nodded, hitting the button.
“Three requests remaining.” The Medusa replied as the letters turned green.
“Let’s not waste any more.” Nicole suggested. “We’ll need them eventually.”
“Absolutely. I think we made our point.” Gizzy agreed.
...
The gang stood and marveled at the new cloning machine.
“Pretty.” Nicole nodded.
“A little alien for my tastes.” Gizzy said while scrunching her nose. "But that’s the new one, better than fixed.” She said. She swiped the touchpad, scrolling through the bio-blueprint pictures of the crew. She stopped and noticed that Dee was on there now. “Well I’ll be primate's uncle… I guess you’re officially one of the gang now.” She said. Dee squinted in confusion.
“But… I’m not real.” She said softly.
“Look, I’m not going into the rabbit hole of mindfuckery that is the definition of who of us are real anymore. So let’s just drop that and say we’re all alive and part of the crew and the machine had a Dee button. Congrats, you’re no longer a disposable plot side-hoe. Welcome to more screen time and missions, brought to you by… our sponsor… the like button.”
“Wrong finger.” Dee brooded “Supposed to be the thumb flipped up."
“Not on this piece of ship… which now comes with a personality.” She said before turning and shuffling off as Nicole followed quickly.
“Hey, are we going to tell them about the three wishes?” she whispered.
“Absolutely not. It would just be a constant nagging of stupid requests and people tempted to use them. You’re the Captain, I’m the First officer, and we’re the only people both real enough and smart enough to use it and we got a co-op security system in place already. Nobody knows, nobody fights, just like how nobody mentions Vicki to Jack and if he asks about her, she never left Delmar. So unless RoboDee fucks that up like a regular Dee would, we’re fine, and this can go smoothly."
“She’s not even the same person, she’s a robot AI hybrid with a fresh start on life. Why would she possibly DEE the situation up like a classic Dee situation?”
“See that right there… they way you rattled that off too perfectly. That felt like foreshadowing to me. We defeated one of them, I do not want a repeat of it. So lets treat this like a bad Juju omen, knock on something… it’s a stone spaceship there’s no damn wood. Just don’t talk about it, and maybe it won’t happen. Stop giving the universe ideas that will make me suffer."
“I thought my job was literally to give the universe ideas and your job was being… YOU about it.”
“Just don’t.” Gizzy snipped. "You know what, maybe she’ll let me wipe Vicki from her memory too. At least hers is just basic software editing I could do in my sleep. She wasn’t even close to Vicki, hell, Vicki fed on her like a piece of meat. She may WANT to forget her."
...
“I’ll do it.” Dee casually nodded.
“Well that was quick, I didn’t even have to bring up security protocol. What made you so easy to go along with this?” Gizzy asked.
“Because I barely knew her and I miss her. I can’t imagine how Jack feels, and I wouldn’t want to accidentally mention her and trigger some kind of relapse. My memory is easy to edit. Anything for the crew. Jack has always been a good friend to me."
“Well, I guess you’re next then. This will be far quicker and have no recovery time. Benefits of digital brains.” Gizzy said, knocking on her own head.
...
The ship drifted into the void, engines on cruise and Nicole on the bridge with her feet up. The door opened and Jack staggered in.
“Should you be up and walking?” she asked.
“I feel fine enough. Can I ask you something strange?”
“Sure.
“Were Samantha and I… intimate?”
“Jack, I don’t know your personal life, I don’t ask.”
“I just… feel like something is missing.”
“We all feel that, Jack. We’re missing 2 crewmen and too many people have died and been cloned back on this mission, including you. We’re all here for you, we’ve all lost people and… some of them returned and some didn’t. You should feel strange, that’s absolutely normal.”
“Nothing is normal anymore.” He sighed as she gave him a big hug and turned on the FTL drive.
“Never was, Jack. Nothing ever was. But we’re gonna be okay because we all have each other and we’re family.” She smiled as the engines hummed.
The Medusa flickered and disappeared, streaking into the unknown like a bolt of lightning in the dark. Stars glimmering as they always had, and brand new ones shone where nothing was before.