[u]Part 3[u]
Dr Neremanu opened a desk drawer and produced a small bottle. She looked questioningly at GoodGuy, but when he shook his head she just poured a glass for herself. She took a small swig and sighed.
"In January 1989, the Australian air force performed a simple test flight with an AWACS plane. During that flight the planes surveillance equipment picked up an unusual signal emanating from a small village and since they couldnt recognize it, they called in the military to investigate.
They found a small metallic pod, covered in some strange glyphs, that the villagers said had been found by a man named Kurrin Wirake at the feet of Uluru, or Ayers Rock as we sometimes call it. They quickly discovered that the pod wasnt a bomb or anything immediately dangerous so they tried to talk to this Wirake. But sadly he couldnt be found. He was apparently out to follow a songline.
The military then took the pod, much to the anger and grief of the villagers, and brought it to Sydney to do a more thorough investigation.
They couldnt make heads or tails of it.
The metallic material wasnt of an alloy hitherto known to man and they couldnt find any seams in the casing. The pod was clearly hollow with some sort of machinery inside though, they could see as much with radioscopy.
And since they couldnt decipher the transmissions from it they called NASA for assistance.
This is where I come into the picture.
I worked with the SETI project at the time and had a doctorate in cryptology so it was natural that I got the case.
The code from the pod was a fairly simple one based on basic mathematical formulas and the periodic table of elements. I managed to decipher the message in a couple of hours.
It was a message that spelled doom for this planet.
The pod told a story about a distant planet completely overrun by an unstoppable force.
Some kind of entity, devouring all life of a planet, before proceeding to the next world.
The scientists from that planet sent thousands of pods across the galaxy to warn others about this threat, but for them it was over. They were all going to die.
The name given to this entity was totally unpronounceable so I gave it the name Shiva. The Hindu deity Destroyer of Worlds.
Encoded in the message were star charts over a section of the galaxy.
The astronomers could calculate the source of the pod quite easily and found out that they originated from the star called Delta Caeli approximately 800 years ago.
There were also plotted the assumed course of Shiva.
If the alien scientist were correct, it would reach the Solar system within a year!
All of NASA went to work to find this monstrosity and unfortunately they did.
It had just passed Alfa Centauri and was heading straight to Earth.
I immediately alerted the UN Security Council.
With the help of secret alien technology owned by the Russian government, the UN gathered a multi-national force of superheroes to confront this imminent danger. I called this band of heroes Operation Vishnu, the Preservers, which consisted of Russian, American, Chinese, and French volunteers.
The plan was to annihilate Shiva with a nuclear strike and Operation Vishnu launched in July 1989. A blast was detected and Shiva disappeared from deep space detection system, but the heroes who guided the rocket to its final target were never heard from again.
That same summer, the infamous meteor shower of Bloody Bay began.
We thought that Shiva had been destroyed and the meteors were just parts of its dead body, but now it seems that we were terribly wrong and Shiva is reforming. Tendrils of that strange energy are reaching from the meteors to a central point in Bloody Bay.
Thats why the scientists collect all those samples. We need to find a way to destroy Shiva once and for all, before its reformed and start to consume Earth!"
She finished her speech with an almost frantic look on her face and stared GoodGuy right in the eyes.
GoodGuy looked down and was quiet a few seconds before speaking.
"This pod
it was covered in glyphs you said?"
She blinked and was taken aback for a while.
"Eh, yes. Why?"
"Did they look anything like this?" GoodGuy reached forward and drew some symbols on a sketch-block on her desk.
She eyed them suspiciously and her eyes widened.
"Yes! Where have you seen them?" she demanded.
GoodGuy seemed to both rejoice and despair at the same time.
He looked up at her and said,
"Does this planet have a name?"
"We dont know for certain, but the pods message contained the name Arcosia. We dont know if its a person, place or the planet though. Now where have you seen those glyphs?"
"Arcosia," GoodGuy whispered with a dreamy air.
"Where have you seen those glyphs?" Dr Neremanu almost screamed.
GoodGuy looked up and smiled calmly.
"My parents found some debris with those glyphs on the crash-site where they found me."
[u]Part 4[u]
Dr Neremanus jaw dropped. Literary.
What? But
but
was all she could say.
GoodGuy smiled.
Yes doctor. I think Im an Arcosian. He stood up and walked over to the big window behind Dr Neremanus desk, looking out.
Ive had my powers all of my life. They didnt manifest in my puberty, I dont use magic, and I wasnt bitten by some radioactive animal or exposed to cosmic rays. This is who I am and who Ive always been. GoodGuy gazed into the sky as if to catch a glance of the distant star despite it being broad daylight.
I can fly, rip reinforced steel like paper and lift a M1 Abrams battle tank with ease. I can survive a gunshot to the temple at point blank range, the depth of the ocean and even the chilly vacuum of deep space. I think its pretty clear that Im not human.
GoodGuy returned to his seat.
Dr Neremanu stared at GoodGuy with a quizzical look on her face.
But if you are an Arcosian you have to be
more than 800 years old?
Think again doctor, GoodGuy said.
How far away is the star Delta Caeli?
Well
711 light years. Give or take 70. Our red-shift calculations arent very accurate. She looked questioningly at GoodGuy.
Im not a physicist, but that means that I had to travel at near light speed, and that time at those speeds kinda slow down. Am I right?
She nodded slowly.
How foolish of me. Youre quite right of course. Do you still have the debris you found? she asked quickly and with a hopeful tone in her voice.
GoodGuy smiled.
Yes. Ill gladly trade them for those star-charts.
Dr Neremanu didnt even have to think about it.
Agreed! she said beamingly and extended her hand towards GoodGuy who gently shook it.
When GoodGuy once again stood on the sidewalk outside of the NASA headquarters he picked up a cell-phone and dialled a number. After only one signal it was answered by a soft but distinctly artificial voice.
Greetings and salutations! This is FredEx speaking. How can I be of assistance?
[u]Part 5[u]
Hello FredEx. This is Carl Wilson. I think I might need your help. Are you available?
Certainly. Where are you?
Im in Washington DC, just outside NASAs headquarters.
Ill be there in a flash!
GoodGuy hung up the phone and had just put it back into his pocket when he heard a muffled bang through the usual traffic noises. When he looked up he saw a blurry figure speeding towards him.
One second later a brown android with red-tinted shades stood before him in a smart salute.
Greetings sir. What can I do for you? said FredEx in his soft artificial voice.
GoodGuy smiled at the android and chuckled.
At ease my friend. Its good to see you again. How far can you teleport?
FredEx discontinued his saluting and looked at GoodGuy. If his face had been able to show emotion it would look puzzled.
How far? When teleporting its not a matter of distance, but rather accuracy. One wouldnt like to materialize into solid objects.
I see. Well in that case Ill rephrase myself. Can you teleport on an interstellar scale?
FredExs jaw failed to drop only because it wasnt built for such manoeuvres.
Theoretically, yes. But as I said its a matter of accuracy. And I do not want to open up a wormhole between Earths atmosphere and deep space. It would be very unfortunate if some innocent passers-by would be sucked through.
I see. But it can be done you say? GoodGuy asked. FredEx nodded.
In that case
Take a look at these charts, he handed the star-charts that hed gotten from Dr Neremanu to FredEx.
The android studied it intensely for a while before looking up.
If these charts are accurate I can take you there. My programs have recalculated the positions of the stellar objects to their current locations. Am I correct in assuming that it is the large terran planet that you want to visit? GoodGuy nodded.
Then all we have to do is to book a seat to the next space-shuttle. I will absolutely not make the jump in the atmosphere as I already told you. Even though his voice was artificial it did convey the sarcasm with absolute clarity.
And you better bring your spacesuit. Its quite difficult to breathe up there Ive been told. Sir.
GoodGuy smiled to FredEx.
Leave that to me, he said cryptically.
Stay put. Ill be back in a minute.
He went back inside NASAs headquarter and into the restrooms. There he undressed his suit only to reveal that he was wearing his familiar red and grey polymorphic fibre weave costume underneath.
He then folded the suit neatly and stuffed it into a vent and went outside to the waiting android.
Ready to take off? he asked FredEx with a grin.
Well be outside of the atmosphere in just under two minutes.
FredEx looked at GoodGuy with seemingly indifferent eyes.
I was built ready.
GoodGuy grasped FredEx firmly around the waist and took to the sky. He accelerated with a speed that wouldve disabled a normal human.
After a few seconds a keen observer wouldve heard the boom of a breaking sound barrier and seen the trail of ionized air, but none were present.
[u]Part 6[u]
Everything was quiet.
And freezing.
GoodGuy looked at the frost covered FredEx with a questioning look upon his face.
The android gave him thumbs up.
A bright glow started to shine from FredExs hands and if there d been an atmosphere present that could carry sound he wouldve hummed.
He made a motion as if he grabbed hold onto the fabric of space-time and tore it apart.
Which is exactly what he did.
Beyond the tear there was only a dark void.
Within a fraction of a second the pair were sucked thru the rift and left only some flakes of crystallized water molecules and some rapidly dispersing atoms of nitrogen and oxygen behind.
With a blinding flash of light and the thump of rapidly expanding air the duo reappeared hundreds of light years away.
It took some time before the dazed GoodGuy realised that the rushing air meant that he was falling.
He looked down but could only see a bright blue sun in an oddly coloured sky.
Above them there was a rapidly closing rocky landscape.
With a huge effort he managed to manoeuvre them to the ground where they landed clumsily.
Good grief. I didnt realize that the gravity would be that much higher, GoodGuy said with a wheeze.
FredEx lay sprawled on the ground and the light from his eyes flickered.
My
power is
nearly de
pleated. Need time
to recharge.
GoodGuy kneeled beside the android.
Im sorry. I didnt know it would affect you this hard. Is there anything I can do for you?
FredEx moved his head ever so slightly.
Do
you
have a
fusion
reactor
in your
pocket?
GoodGuy shook his head.
Then theres
nothing
you
can do. Shutdown sequence initiated.
The lights of FredExs eyes went out.
GoodGuy stood up and looked around.
The landscape was barren, dry and very hot. A gentle breeze stirred the rust coloured dust but other than that it was completely still and quiet.
His keen eyes noticed some strangely angular rocks in the distance and he decided to go there.
He picked up the motionless android, slung him over his shoulders and started to walk.
When he got nearer he saw that the angular shapes wasnt rocks. It was ruins.
Weather-beaten and dilapidated but still clearly the remnants of some sort of building.
He propped up FredEx against a wall and started to search the fallen masonry for anything noteworthy.
The stones were too crumbled to be interesting though.
But suddenly, as GoodGuy stepped on a fallen stone slab, he froze.
He stomped his foot again and listened.
His keen ears had picked up a faint echo.
It was something beneath the slab. Something hollow.
With a grunt and an effort he managed to flip the massive stone slab aside and revealed a staircase descending into the dark.
It was a huge room.
Shelves lined the walls and were placed in rows all over the room. A desk with a big crystal stood in the middle of the room like some kind of reception.
The air down there was stuffy but cool. Dust had been stirred by GoodGuys descent but it was slowly settling.
He walked to a shelf and examined it. It was made of metal and filled with sheets of glass or some kind of crystal. Strange glyphs were written on the sheets. The same glyphs that had been on the probe and the ship that took him to Earth.
His pulse increased. This was some kind of archive. Filled with knowledge and information about this place. If he only knew how to read it! And if he only knew how to transport it back to Earth!
He walked briskly towards the reception desk and the big crystal there.
The crystal was clearly artificial now that you saw it up close.
But he couldnt understand how to operate it or even what the crystal really was. And it didnt have any moving parts at all. After only a few minutes he gave a sigh and straightened up.
He went back to the stairs and started to climb them. He looked back at the archive over his shoulder with longing in his eyes. So much knowledge but totally inaccessible.
Back at the surface and the unforgiving heat of the blue sun he walked over to FredEx. The android had woken up but sat unmoving against the wall.
How are you pal? GoodGuy asked. Are your batteries charged?
They are charged enough for me to be awake and to use my sensors. But I cant move in this gravity. It would deplete them again. The gravitational field of this planet is 146,89 times stronger than that of Earth, FredEx said and looked GoodGuy in the face.
But as I said
My sensors are working. And they pick up a faint signal.
A signal? Where from?
FredEx raised his head skywards. Up there, he said.
((This is a revelation of GoodGuy's history and part of the background for the Guardians of the Earth. More will come in a few days.))
[u]Part 1[u]
Here you are Dr Parker. I used the abandoned Arachnos bunker as you said. Its defences was still up and running though, but they were easily shut down.
The red clad hero landed softly beside the bespectacled scientist and handed over a glowing vial.
Aah! Thank you GoodGuy. These samples are getting increasingly complicated to obtain. You didnt face any difficulties getting them did you?
Not really. Although those... Shivans you called them? They seemed almost familiar. Like something Ive seen before. They showed up after the meteors struck you say?
Yes. The meteors that struck Bloody Bay are leftovers from a really big one that entered the solar system back in 1989. I dont know much about the details but Ive heard that they called the meteor Shiva and the operation to destroy it was called Vishnu. Im not cleared for anything else really.
The bespectacled scientist fell silent and looked at the glowing sample in his hand.
He seemed to wrestle with his own thoughts for a while before reaching a decision.
He looked around before he spoke in a hushed voice.
Im not supposed to say this, but I trust you. The radiation from the meteors has been known to grant powers. Thats why the Arachnos wants them, and Longbow cant let Recluse get hold of them. Weve known this for years but cant let the general public know this.
He walked away from the helipad and waved to GoodGuy to follow. They walked over to a more secluded corner of the Longbow base.
He continued to speak in the same hushed voice.
We are many scientists that think that the energy that give birth to the Shivans are part of a much larger entity. Shiva. And that they, or it, are trying to reform. The Shivans grow in numbers every year, and nothing we do seem to stop it. Longbow seems to ignore our facts and is happy to experiment with the samples we obtain and to fight with the Arachnos. It almost seems like theyre only here for the increased funding it brings. Dr Parker looked anxiously around.
As I said Im not supposed to tell anyone about this, but I must before its too late and Shiva is reformed again. Theres a scientist at NASA. Shes the one that discovered Shiva. Her name is Dr Seetha Neremanu and shes a cryptologist. Dont ask me how she discovered it, because I dont know. All I know is that shes now a very high-ranking scientist there. She might know more about Shiva. See if you can find out what she knows and if theres a way to stop it.
He walked away with long strides and left GoodGuy by himself in the cold winds of Bloody Bay.
[u]Part 2[u]
Im sorry mister Wilson, but Dr Neremanu doesnt receive any visitors today. Shes very busy.
The clerk looked at the big man in the dark grey suit with a contemptuous sneer.
I see. But this is very important and Id hate to have to insist. The big man produced a wallet and drew a card from it that he handed to the clerk.
The clerk eyed it suspiciously before turning noticeably pale.
A... an Omega clearance Hero License? Im sorry sir. I didnt know. Ill tell her immediately. The clerk hurried away leaving his desk unattended.
The big man in the suit stood patiently and looked out the window. He hadnt been in Washington DC for a very long time. It hadnt changed much though. The roads were murder for the out-of-town drivers. Not that hed driven here though.
The clerk returned and gave a slight bow.
She will receive you now Mr Wilson GoodGuy sir.
GoodGuy gave him a smile and said, Thank you, before entering Dr Neremanus office.
The office was tastefully decorated in American Empire style with the addition of some antique astronomical instruments.
Behind a big mahogany desk, Dr Seetha Neremanu was seated. She didnt get up as GoodGuy entered, but showed him a seat in front of the desk.
Welcome Mr Wilson and please take a seat. Im sorry I dont get up to greet you, but my legs arent what they used to be.
Her ageing face looked sincere and friendly.
How can I help you?
GoodGuy wasnt sure how he could ask what he wondered without compromising the poor Dr Parker.
What do you know of Shiva? he asked bluntly.
Shiva? Hes the Hindu god of creation and destruction. This is common knowledge. Why do you ask me this? She tried to look indifferent, but GoodGuy could see that she was taken by the question.
No doctor. Not the god. I mean Shiva the meteor. GoodGuy looked her unflinchingly right in the eyes.
How do you know about this? Whom have you been speaking with? she demanded.
It doesnt matter. I need to know more about this Shiva and of Operation Vishnu. I think its important. Both to the world and to me personally, GoodGuy said with a calm and deep voice.
Operation Vishnu you say? I dont know anything, she said. GoodGuy noticed her obvious lie with ease.
Please doctor, no lies. Im a member of Vanguard and have Omega clearance. Ive been in many different dimensions and Ive seen many wondrous and frightening things. Theres not a single secret behind these walls that Im not fit to know about.
Dr Neremanu sighed and looked at GoodGuy with a sad look on her face.
Alright. Ill tell you what I know of the entity we call Shiva.