The Advancement of Mateo Matic: September 4, 2548

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Echo Cloudbearer explained his mysterious origins to the team, giving a brief overview of his life. When Olimpia screamed to create the Sixth Key parallel reality, she also created him as a conscious component. The theory was that the DNA in the saliva that came out during her scream somehow rearranged itself, and gave birth to a new living being. Exactly why this being wasn’t a perfect clone of Olimpia herself was the least insane unanswered question about this whole thing. As a lone entity in the center of reality, Echo had to raise himself, absorbing random psychic energy from everywhere in the galaxy to even grasp the concept of survival. His mind conjured memories that were not his own, or maybe not even real at all, to explain to himself where he had come from. Years later, members of the Rock peace talks spontaneously sprouted from a magical tree, headed by an antagonistic godlike woman named Clavia.

Clavia wanted to use Echo’s powers for nefarious purposes, so he regressed her to a childlike state, with no memory of her past. To protect the future, he had to do the same to himself. The two of them were raised as siblings by the Sixth Key leadership, and eventually ascended to power themselves. They used their reality-warping abilities to create another universe called The Eighth Choice. The Reality Wars had been subverted, hopefully forever. There was now more than enough room, and enough resources, for everyone.

After the rundown, Olimpia and Echo stepped away alone with each other to have a more private conversation, though they could still be seen. They were all kind of watching the two of them, but Ramses was paying especially close attention. Mateo walked over to him. “Are you worried for her? Do you think this Echo guy is lying?”

“If he’s gonna try to hurt her, we’ll be here to stop him,” Ramses said. “That’s not what is on my mind, though.”

“What are you thinking about then?” Mateo asked.

“He looks Sri Lankan, right?” Ramses asked.

Mateo nodded. “I would say he does. I don’t understand how he was...created, but he looks like he could be her son.”

Ramses nodded. “Do you think he perhaps...could also be something else?”

“Something else, like...a vampire?” Mateo had no idea what he was driving at.

“No. I mean...” He shook his head. “God, maybe I shouldn’t say it. It’s nuts. But then again...I was there. I wasn’t there when she created the Sixth Key with her scream, but I was there just before she did it.”

“Wait. Are you saying you think he looks Egyptian?”

“I....maybe.”

Mateo tilted his head as he was looking at the mother and son. His resemblance to his supposed mother was undeniable. Echo was definitely Sri Lankan, even if that meant he bioprinted a fake body just to sell a con. But he could be half Egyptian. That was harder to see, but absolutely not impossible. “Well, you have a DNA testing kit in your lab, don’t you?” he figured.

“Yeah, but he would have to consent to it.”

“Why don’t you ask him?” Mateo encouraged. “We don’t have to do the thing where we give him a cup of water, and then steal the cup, or pull a hair out from his head. He might not be trying to hide the truth about you from us. He may not know. Like you said, if you left before she made the Sixth Key—and him—Echo might not have any reason to suspect a connection. If your hypothesis is true, we would have to figure out how your DNA ended up there.”

“Well, I did give her a hug while she was trapped in the proto-Sixth Key,” Ramses explained. “We couldn’t actually touch each other at the time, but I guess if you can make a baby without having sex, it turning out that the dimensional barrier separating the mother from the father was semi-permeable—allowing a second sample of DNA to pass through—isn’t any harder to believe.”

“Why don’t you go get that kit, and then let’s have an open conversation?”

Ramses knew that there was no point in wasting time. He jumped into his pocket dimension lab, found what he was looking for, and returned. Only Mateo went with him up to the mother and son. The rest didn’t know what was going on, though they might have spotted the scanner, and guessed. Or guessed part of it.

Echo’s eyes darted down to the scanner as Ramses approached. “You want proof.”

“I don’t think it’s too much to ask. It will barely hurt.”

Echo chuckled. “Pain isn’t a problem. But my origins are bizarre, as you heard. I’m not sure what that test will say. I’m not a Boltzmann brain, but I’m not a normal person either.”

Ramses shook the scanner gently. “I designed this myself. It accounts for temporal anomalies, and looks for signatures of cloning or bioprinting. It will tell us if this body is her genetic son. Even if you’re an evil psychopathic killer who stole her DNA to infiltrate our team, it will know if it’s even worth trusting you in the short-term.”

“I understand why you need this. I have no problem with it.” Echo made a fist, and presented his arm. He didn’t flinch when Ramses placed the top of the scanner against his skin, and pierced it with a tiny little needle.

Ramses then did the same for Olimpia, but against the side of the scanner. He made a fist and lifted his own arm up. “I have a hypothesis. I don’t know if you know the answer to this question, or if you had even considered it, but this machine is designed to capture both parents, and a child. That’s why there are three needles.” He placed it against his arm, but didn’t prick himself yet. “Do you see why I feel like I should be doing this?”

Echo narrowed his eyes and studied Ramses’ face. He looked over at the woman he was certain was his mother, then back to Ramses. “I see it. If it’s true, I want you to know that I didn’t consider it. I never thought much about whether or not I had a father, and it did not occur to me that it might be you. But you should also know that if that comes back positive, I’ll be twice as happy as I was when Olimpia finally showed up.”

“Okay.” Ramses pierced his own skin, and captured the final blood sample. The results came in within seconds. After interpreting the data alone, he showed them both the screen. “Mother, father, and offspring. It’s struggling with your sex, but leaning masculine. If you didn’t know before, you are intersex in a way that does not exist in the natural world. Your sex appears to be rather fluid, in fact.”

Echo nodded. “That is not surprising.” He took a deep breath, then let his body transform. In only moments, he had fully transitioned into a more feminine form. “My pronouns are whatever you feel like. I spent most of my childhood masculine, but I have taken this form from time to time.” She pulled her shirt collar away from her body, and looked down, widening her eyes at the sight. “It’s been a long time, though.”

“You get those from me,” Olimpia told her daughter.

Ramses looked at his scanner again. “Hm. Fascinating.”

“What is it?” Mateo asked him.

Ramses looked back up at his daughter. “The sample you gave me, it’s leaning more genetically female now. You didn’t simply transition yourself. You changed blood that wasn’t even in your body anymore.”

Echo shrugged. “It’s still a part of me.”

Ramses sighed, and dropped his arms.

“Wait, what just happened?” Mateo questioned. “That sounds cool, why are you upset now?”

“Oh, shit,” Echo began. “That means I could be lying entirely. I could be some untrustworthy shapeshifter.”

“I don’t believe that,” Olimpia promised, entangling her daughter’s arm in hers. She looked over at Ramses. “We still don’t understand how this is possible, but I’m choosing to believe that it’s real. Rambo, you can think what you want, but we have met more good people in this universe than bad ones. The odds are in our favor.”

Ramses exhaled before wrapping his arm around Echo’s shoulders to bring her into a hug. “I choose to believe as well.”

Echo went back to his masculine form as the four of them were returning to the rest of the team to explain the most recent news. Then all eight of them walked back up to the reality portal, and slipped back over to the main sequence version of this planet. Echo didn’t know what he was going to do at the end of the team’s day in the timestream, but he was going to stick around at least until then. Romana knew of a perfect spot for a picnic, having spotted it during her surveys. While they were eating, Echo gave them some more details about his life. They were less factual, and more personal. The team talked about the things they had been up to as well, but he had kept up with their dealings, so there was little that he didn’t already know about.

While they were in the middle of dessert, a woman walked up to them. None of them had seen her appear, but Echo’s face fell when he noticed her. He tried to cover up his emotions. “Sister,” he said, standing up. He wrapped his arm around her waist. “Everyone, this is Clavia...what’s left of her, anyway. I told you, it was complicated.”

They all stood up respectfully. “It’s nice to meet you,” Olimpia said, trying to shake Clavia’s hand.

Clavia didn’t accept right away. “You didn’t tell them?” she asked Echo.

“I was trying to have a nice time with my family,” Echo argued.

“Nice to meet you too,” Clavia finally said, taking Olimpia’s hand.

Ramses pushed himself forward. “What is this?” He pulled Olimpia back a little in case he needed to protect her. “You really are evil, aren’t you? This was some kind of terrible plan?”

“It’s not a terrible plan,” Echo defended. “I’m not evil. But I was sent here. I really am your son. I have not changed my DNA in any way, but the person I work for needs something, and realized my connection, so we decided to use it to our advantage.”

Off with the sundresses and casual picnic clothes. The team armored up, and prepared to fight.

“That is not necessary,” Clavia contended. “You are friends with this person. One of you has already promised to help them. It has just taken this long from your perspective for them to collect. We are cognizant of present and future events in this universe. We are taking you out of this brane at this particular juncture because we know that doing so will not cause problems. The rest of the team will remain here to build a home. Once you’re done, you’ll reunite.”

“You’re being so vague,” Mateo argued. “Who are you talking about? Who made the promise, and who did they make it to?”

“Leona?” Echo said simply.

“Me?” Leona questioned. “I don’t remember making any sort of promise.”

“Senona Riggur,” Clavia clarified, “at Origin. You said you would help them fulfill other people’s wishes.”

“Oh, right,” Leona recalled. “I did say that, and it was a very long time ago for me.” She looked amongst her friends. “They’re right, I have to go.”

“I’m going with you,” Mateo insisted.

“So am I,” Olimpia added.

“Mother, you can, and I was hoping you would say that,” Echo began. “Uncle Mateo, you can’t.”

“That’s not true,” Clavia said to him.

“I really wanna spend more time with both,” Echo snapped back in a whisper.

“Share with the class,” Mateo urged.

Echo sighed. “Only two of you besides Aunt Leona can come. If it’s Mateo then it either can’t be Olimpia or Ramses. I have a personal stake in which two it is.”

“How long will they be gone?” Angela questioned.

“Interversal travel is complicated,” Clavia said. “Based on your patterns, it would be a matter of days. Whoever goes will experience years of service, but we will not be able to return them to a few minutes from now.”

“I have to stay here,” Ramses said sadly. “The two smart people can’t separate themselves from everyone else. We realized that a long time ago.”

“I’ll take care of the dummies,” Clavia revealed. “Your tech isn’t that hard. I’m smarter than all of you combined, including Echo.”

“Debatable,” Echo said.

They continued to discuss the plan, running through a few contradictory scenarios, but only one made sense. In the end, Ramses and Olimpia chose to aid Leona in her duties, along with Echo. The ladies said their goodbyes to their husband, and everyone else. Then they returned to the Sixth Key, where a Nexus would evidently be waiting for them.

“That’s a good idea,” Marie determined. “Are there schematics for a Nexus in Ramses’ forge core? That should be the first thing we build.”

“All in favor, say aye,” Mateo prompted.

“Aye.”

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The Advancement of Mateo Matic: June 11, 2398

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Eleven hours later, the away team was over eight thousand kilometers away. Ramses performed a water landing, then kept The Olimpia in boat mode so they could dock at the marina. A taksi took them over to Bishopsworth Resort, where they spent the night. The concierge was insistent on knowing what time they would be fully awake and dressed in the morning. They were already feeling jet lagged, so they chose 10:00, and when the clock chimed ten times, a crew of waiters burst into their room unannounced, and began to serve them their welcome breakfast. It was shocking, and annoying that no one thought to tell them what would be happening. Perhaps they just assumed everyone would know. They failed to do their research, or rather, Heath did. No matter, the food was good, and they needed to fuel up before the mission. When it was over, they opted to walk back to the marina, where they climbed into their boat, and headed Southeast.

Three hours later, they have made it to reform.belief.paint. They can see all around them forever, but there’s nothing but water, water, and more water. “Does anybody feel anything?” Marie asks. “Do we get the sense that we can teleport again?”

“Not in the least,” Ramses answers.

Apparently the one with the strongest connection to any source of temporal energy, Mateo shuts his eyes and tries to jump all the way back to the entrance to the boat, but he doesn’t move. “Nothing.”

“Hm,” Ramses says. “If anywhere in the world would have it, I would have thought here.”

“Why is that?” Mateo asks. “It’s not really any more special than the pyramids, or Easter Island.”

“Because most of the British Isles are just gone?” Marie says. “That’s weird. It sure as hell sounds like some kind of temporal anomaly. The Great Pyramid of Giza is just sitting there, where it’s supposed to be. We’re not even really sure why it’s special in the first place. But the fact that most of Great Britain doesn’t exist, but some parts of it do...that doesn’t make much sense.”

“True,” Mateo agrees.

“Well, we can’t have come all this way,” Marie begins, “and not at least try to find some clues. There’s only one logical next step.”

Ramses nods, and takes them down as far as this thing can go, but still don’t reach the bottom. If there’s any temporal energy tied to the location of Stonehenge, it’s under too much pressure. It looks like this little side mission is just a dead end. Leona drew a border on the virtual map, so they can maintain their proximity to their target. Mateo keeps trying to jump every once in a while, but nothing happens, not even a hint. The trio keeps thinking that maybe something will surprise them just before they give up, but they continue to sporadically utter defeatist phrases at each other—like “there’s nothing here” or “this is dumb”—yet still nothing changes.

It doesn’t even necessarily have to be time-related. They could resurface to find a band of pirates who want to take them hostage, or a shady government helicopter who has been following them around since the parking lot. But when they break the surface, they find it just as it was before. Water, water, and more water. “I think I’m gonna call it,” Marie declares. “This was a waste of time.”

“No, it wasn’t,” Ramses contends. “We had to come here. If we hadn’t, we would have wondered about it. Now we can check it off the list. That’s the whole point of these little missions. We only have to find one thing that helps us get home.”

Marie nods, appreciating the sentiment. “Let’s go back to the island. We might as well be able to tell Heath that we did the bike tour. He was pretty excited about the prospect of us doing some real vacationy stuff”

Mateo heads towards the stern as Ramses is turning the Olimpia around. Recessed in the walls of the two back cubbies are footholds that lead up to an emergency exit in the ceiling. He opens up the hatch, and climbs outside. He stands on the roof, and continues to look around, hoping to see an ominous dark shadow of a giant creature as it swims underneath them, or a brilliant green whirlpool, or maybe a beacon in the distance. That would be satisfying enough, to rescue a random castaway. But as before, he finds that there is nothing special about this place. It’s just the middle of the ocean on the most boring version of Earth yet. He’s not yet lost hope, because they still have many other locations to test, but it’s sure not a good start. Though, to be fair, it’s not really a start. Magic exists here; The Constant proves it. As Ramses was saying, they have to keep trying, and keep checking things off the list.

After they’re sufficiently far from awaited.passively.landings, he climbs back inside, and hangs out with the other two until they get back to the resort. There they stay for two more nights to finish out their reservation. Island culture is a little bizarre and confusing at times, but overall a lovely experience. Next stop, Munich.

The Advancement of Mateo Matic: Tuesday, April 23, 2047

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According to Leona’s calculations, nineteen years wasn’t even the biggest jump they would ever do on this new pattern, and it would happen a few more times before they caught up with their original timeline. Though, they couldn’t know how long Jupiter planned on keeping them in this reality. Perhaps he intended for them to remain here until they grew old and died. It always felt like this was what the powers that be had in mind, but they lived in another universe, so their motives were a little more difficult to understand. Jupiter had to remain connected to them himself, using his power to transition people from one reality to the other, and then provide the means to get them back. He probably didn’t want to have to do all that forever, so this would likely end eventually. There was still the question, however, of what that ending looked like. Would he ultimately decide that they should die, or would completing these challenges earn them reward?

All the Prestons kept talking about how this reality was cut off from the powers, and they used this claim to entice the Matics into helping them achieve it. So maybe this wasn’t all bad. No one had been hurt yet, and in fact, two people’s lives had already been saved. Carol would have died from the 2025 pathogen, and some asshole had tied Elder Caverness to the train tracks. Bringing them here turned out to be the best thing that could have happened to them in those respective moments. This was probably the most rational way to look at it. If they treated the challenges as opportunities, it could both help their own psychological conditions, and also allow them to interact with their opponent with more compassion. If there was one thing the Preston children had in common, it was that they responded incredibly well to peaceful gestures, empathy, and forgiveness. Antagonizing them repeatedly just made them angrier, and pushed them to make things worse. Being told it was okay to stop the shenanigans, and let go of their pain, was often the best way of defusing the situation.

Mateo hopped out of his own head, and refocused on the task at hand. His Cassidy cuff was beeping, and pointing him in a particular direction. “No time to sleep. We gotta go this way.”

“No, it’s this way,” Ramses contended. He was facing a different direction.

“Hm.” Mateo walked a few meters towards his own arrow. After he stepped around Leona, the arrow immediately switched directions. So he turned back and followed it again. He had to pass Leona once more, and when he did, the arrow moved yet again. As he circled her like a hungry shark, the arrow continued to point right at her.

“Me?” She questioned. “It’s me?”

“Oh my God,” Holly Blue said. “He’s not bringing somewhere here physically. He’s going to reblend your brain. He’s going to force an alternate version of you to take over your body.”

“How would we fix that?” J.B. questioned.

“I’m still supposed to go this way,” Ramses pointed out.

“And I’m supposed to go that way,” Leona added, pointing somewhere else entirely.

“Leona, could you set your bag down a moment, and walk away?” Mateo asked.

She did so, and Mateo found that the arrow continued to point at the bag, rather than Leona herself. He knelt down, and looked through it. He didn’t have to spend too much time doing it. He pulled out the HG Goggles, which were glowing a bluish-purple.

“Ah,” Holly Blue said, nodding her head. “Jupiter wants us to go to three separate places. Two are within walking distance, but yours, Mateo, must be too far away to reach without technology. The natural spatio-temporal anomalies that pop in and out of existence in any reality are the only way to travel now. I knew I should have whipped up another teleporter device before I came here to find my son.”

“Am I meant to go alone?” Mateo asked.

“Well, I can’t go with you,” Leona said.

“Neither can I,” Ramses apologized.

“I can,” J.B. said as he was looking at his own cuff, which presumably wasn’t directing him anywhere.

“No,” Holly Blue said. “Anomalies are very difficult to utilize. I’m not saying it’s impossible for more than one person to access one, but it’s not worth the risk. Sure, I or J.B. might be able to follow you through this first one, but what if the second one is too small or short-lived, or the one after that? There is only one pair of goggles, so a companion could get stuck anywhere, and anywhen. If we had the compass instead, it would be fine, but Mateo, you gotta go alone.”

“That’s okay,” Mateo said honestly. “One of you please go with Leona, and the other with Ramses. I’ll go hunt for this transition, and meet you...um, somewhere?”

“Or somewhen,” Ramses apologized a second time, even though none of this was at all his fault. “Jupiter might be sending you off to find someone in the past, or the future.”

Leona frowned at him. “Number thirteen.” She was referring to the rule that mandated never separating from a loved one.

“Number ten,” Mateo answered. Stay active. Then he ceremoniously placed the goggles over his head, and consulted his cuff. It was pointing him towards a patch of brighter light several meters away. He expertly reached up, and pulled the seam apart, so he could slip through the spacetime rift. He didn’t even look back at his friends one last time.

It was a long journey, through space and/or time. With no technology available to compare, there was no way of knowing whether he was jumping through time as well. Hell, on the other hand, he could only be jumping through time, and not space, but the time differences were always great enough to render the environment unrecognizable each time. It took dozens of jumps before the cuff and goggles got him to his final destination. The last anomaly he saw was more magnificent than any of the others. Each one had its own unique look, but this one was awe-inspiring. He didn’t even need to pull it open. It was more than large enough to let him walk through unaided. He found himself standing in front of the exact same cave that was there at the entrance of this anomaly. So they were indeed taking him through time.

A young woman was stepping out of the cave. She was surprised to see him. “You look like you’re from the future.”

“Uhh...” he said as he was sliding the goggles up to his forehead, but then he noticed her clothes as well. “So do you.”

“Twenty-two fifty-four,” she said simply.

“Last confirmed year for me was twenty forty-seven, though I’ve been all over.”

She gave him her hand, not to shake, but more like she expected him to kiss it, like they did in the olden times. “Sanaa Karimi.”

He awkwardly kissed her knuckles, worried he had misread the request, but he clearly had not. “Mateo Matic. We have a mutual friend.”

“I wouldn’t call her my friend,” she said.

He smirked. “I think you would.” He took a deep breath, and looked around at the woods. “I came directly from a different reality. It’s not just an old timeline. It exists at the same time as ours does. They call it The Parallel.”

“Oh, okay.” She didn’t know why he was telling her this.

“We’re stuck there,” he went on. “I shouldn’t have been able to cross back over to this world.”

“What drove you to the here and now?” she asked.

“I’m here for you.” He shook his Cassidy cuff. “Our enemy has been sending people to the other reality, and then making us send them back. But this hasn’t happened to you, so I guess I’m just meant to help with what you’re trying to do here. You came to blow up the cave, or something?”

“I don’t have any explosives,” she corrected, “but I have this little thing.” It looked like a folded up shovel, but there were other tools attached to it, like a pickaxe, and one edge was serrated, like a saw.

“All right, cool.” He took the multitool from her, and slipped the goggles back over his eyes. “Safety first.” He glanced up at the cave to see what he was in for. The goggles revealed points of light on the rocks and soil. They didn’t look like the anomalies, so he wasn’t sure what they were. “What are those?”

“Let me see,” Sanaa asked. She examined the cave a bit before taking the tool from him. She tapped the edge of the cave wall with it. Then rose it higher, and tapped again. The rock chipped off, and fell to the ground, but only at the second point. “They’re weak spots. The goggles are showing me where to strike and shovel.”

“That’ll make it a lot easier. Go ahead and give ‘em back.”

“I don’t need a man to do the work for me. I chose this.”

“You don’t need a man, but you could do with someone who grew up in the 21st century. Your culture managed to make physical labor obsolete, so don’t waste that gift. Besides, a very powerful man forced me to come here, and he’s expecting me to do this. You can supervise.”

Mateo worked as hard, and as fast, as he could that first day. It was his assumption that he would only be able to help Sanaa until midnight central, and then time would propel him forward. But, of course, it was a lot more complicated than that. Just by going through the anomalies, he apparently took himself off of the Matic-Bearimy pattern. And so he and Sanaa worked together to seal off the cave. They snuck into a nearby village, and stole another shovel from the blacksmith. They managed to avoid encountering other people the whole time. When they weren’t working, they slept just inside the cave; deep enough to hide from the elements, but close enough to the entrance to prevent them from experiencing the effects time dilation that the time cave imposed. It was a hard job, and they weren’t even getting paid for it. They couldn’t just drop a few rocks in front, and expect it to hold. The had to make it look like there was no cave here, and there never was, so no one would ever investigate or explore. This meant protecting it from rain erosion, wind erosion, and animals. They didn’t have access to a calendar, but Mateo’s cuff did keep a tally of the days that had passed since they arrived. All told, it took them nearly a whole year to finish the job.

Once they were satisfied with their accomplishment, the cuff detected this, and displayed a new directional arrow. They walked a few kilometers Northward, and stood at the next anomaly.

“I guess this is where we part ways,” Mateo said.

“No, I’m coming with you,” Sanaa argued. “What are you talking about?”

“Holly Blue says it’s dangerous. You could be trapped in some place after I manage to get through.”

“So, your answer to this is trapping me here, in this shithole?”

“It’s not a great place, I know, but—”

“My skin is too dark for me to stay here, in this area alone, Mateo.”

“That’s a good point, but the next waypoint could be a lot worse.”

“I’ma risk it,” she said with confidence. She took a half step forward, and presented him with the anomaly, even though she couldn’t see it herself. “Go ahead. Just don’t fall in love with me.”

He chuckled, and shook his head. “You’re exactly as Leona described you.” He started separating the seam.

“Yeah, don’t get any ideas about a threesome either.”

He shook his head again, and led her through the rift. When they reached the uptieth waypoint, the arrow disappeared, suggesting that this was their final destination. After a little bit of investigating, they learned that they were no longer on Earth. This was the rogue planet Durus, and it was Tuesday, April 26, 2050.

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Microstory 1216: Ladonna Buhle

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Ladonna Buhle was born in Port Elizabeth, South Africa on October 21, 1981. Her parents were not in a financial position to get her help when she started talking about seeing angels floating in the air all over the place. They couldn’t stop her from claiming that these things were real, but with any luck, they could stop her from telling everyone in town about them. As it turned out, her ability was similar to Vidar Wolfe’s. She could detect temporal anomalies, which included objects with unusual properties, and also people with powers of their own, or salmon patterns. She couldn’t inherently take advantage of these things, but that didn’t mean they weren’t useful to her. She was strong and formidable, and crossing her was generally a bad idea, especially not when she was grown, and figured out the truth about what she was seeing. She kept in touch with her family as best she could, but like so many others, she pretty much shed her old life, and started traveling the world. Ladonna could go to any time and place of her choosing, as long as she found the right anomaly to cross through, but she chose to stay in the present day. She wasn’t worried about the act of altering the past itself, but she didn’t like the idea of there being multiple versions of her with the potential to interact with each other. It shook her religious core, and caused her existential anxiety. So she essentially became a teleporter, except she could only go to and from certain places. Anomalies were difficult to use properly, but with enough time and patience, she could figure anything out. But her power wasn’t what made her special. Others could detect—or even utilize—natural spacetime anomalies, and temporal objects. Her greatest contribution came because she studied them, and understood how they worked on a fundamental level. She created the first map of nonlinear spacetime, and it was her research that became the foundation for The Weaver’s invention of the Compass of Disturbance. Like Ladonna, the compass could detect and access anomalies, among other things, but any human could operate it. She wasn’t sure how she felt about this development. Theoretically, it was a dangerous thing to exist, but the only people who ever used it proved themselves to be noble and trustworthy, so she made her peace with the consequences of her choices. After some years of travel, it started to get a little dull for her. Sure, there were lots of places she hadn’t seen yet, but that didn’t mean she wanted to see them. She wasn’t the type of person who could experience more awe or joy while standing in an impressively constructed building than she could just by using the right tools on the internet. She found landscapes to be beautiful and calming, but this sense of tranquility was interrupted every time she tried to go somewhere new, so she eventually decided to settle down in just one beautiful place. She chose to make her home at Brooks Lake. It was the aquatic hub of Earth, naturally connecting every significantly large body of water to this one, relatively small, body. The transition from it to another place was so smooth that she even considered the trip itself to be a relaxing experience. It was here that she lived out the rest of her days, until she was killed for trying to get others to see things her way, and carrying out her beliefs in a way that contradicted her own values.

Microstory 780: Fever

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It starts with a fever, just like any regular illness, but then it turns into something new. Something bad. Something you’ve never experienced before. It will not simply take your abilities away, which is something that’s already happened to you. Why, that’s what got you into this mess in the first place. They gave you this drug, and claimed it would enhance your abilities—which it ultimately did—and the only downside it was supposed to have was that you would lose them temporarily, while your body reworked itself into something even greater than it was when you were born. What they failed to tell you was that this drug was created by someone who failed to leave any notes or research. The people who gave it to you, not only didn’t concoct it themselves, but actually don’t know who did, so even if it had undergone extensive testing, there was no documentation for them to study. They didn’t realize at the time, but this enhancement drug had terrible long-term effects. Without treatment, if used more than once, the drug will cause your abilities to turn on you. Cosmo Drexler, who normally has control over the acceleration of moving objects, becomes trapped in a temporal bubble of sorts, unable to move beyond a snail’s pace. Tamra Shore, whose body constantly replenishes itself, while slowing her aging, develops rapidly progressing cancer. Pyrokinetic Diane Ghoti’s body overheats, Peyton Resin becomes stuck in rock form, and supervisor Valary Sela goes blind. Scientists began researching possible cures for the virus immediately, but have been unable to come up with an overarching cure. Though all anomalies will be affected by the pathogen, in some way, their symptoms will always present themselves in different ways. This means that, though a virus is what delivered the corruption to the body, in the first place, that is no longer the problem. Now your body has been genetically altered with the bad code. Even if they found a way to combat the virus, it wouldn’t help anyone showing symptoms, for the virus in them is already dead anyway. It’s their respective bodies they need to worry about now. Everyone gets a different cure, based on their abilities, and symptoms. And we all know whose cures they’re gonna work on first. Are you one of the elite?

Microstory 777: Hector

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Some might say that Hector Cubit’s nickname as The Protector is proof that we are destined to be who we later become. The truth is, though, that he could have just as easily been named Bobby, or been deemed The Guardian. Still, though he generally had little enthusiasm for rhyme, he was proud of his title, and adopted it happily. It was quite useful, too, to have something that remained with him always, since he barely had time to make his name in one job before he moved on to the next. Hector attributes his protective instinct to his mother, Joaquima, who was also famous for her propensity to save people’s lives. It would seem that danger was stalking Joaquima, for she constantly found herself in mortal danger. From bank hostage to boating accident survivor, Joaquima had no shortage of stories saved up to later tell her children, of which she would ultimately have none. What people didn’t realize, however, was that danger wasn’t following her at all, she was actually looking for it. There have been lots of people throughout history who have been born with special abilities, but most of these are associated with some subspecies of human. Ambers, anomalies, vampirs; these all have abilities, because they were genetically engineered to be different than standard humans. What they could do was the result of something being done to them, with very little of it being natural. The universe, however, also contains a mystery or two, one of these being Prophets. Unlike some fictional stories, prophets do not simply see the future. They do not gaze into crystal balls, or make judgments from tea leaves. Real prophets are simply those destined to lead the world through great sociopolitical breakthroughs, using radical forward-thinking ideas. Yes, it’s true that they often possess some connection to the fabric of the universe, but their real power is what they do with it. Joaquima Quintana could not literally see the future, but she did feel the push and pull of safety and danger. Another possessing this trait would use it to avoid perilous situations, and possibly some higher power controlling all this had that in mind, but that was not what Joaquima decided to do with it. She placed herself in the hazardous situations, using her intuition to prevent a tragedy altogether, or at least save as many as she could. Her husband, seeing her path to be of great value to the world, provided for them both with a steady job for decades. She retired from this life, and took a regular job, when she had Hector at a relatively old age, but not before, some believe, she passed her gifts onto him. Though he was never considered a true prophet, the reason Hector kept switching jobs was because he always had to be where he was needed most.

Microstory 661: Return the Belt of Andrea

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Long before the galaxy of Fostea was settled, our ancestors lived on a single planet in Lactea. Due to some unsanctioned scientific experiments, there lived for a time a group of people with extraordinary abilities. It was often these who inspired many of the technologies we now take for granted today, including our ability to reach faster-than-light speeds through simplex dimensions. During this time, a contemporary of these anomalous peoples carried with her a special belt that allowed her to simplex dimensional space pass unharmed through solid walls. It was an even more ancient invention that had been passed down her family line since its creation. After her death, the belt lied dormant in a warehouse, along with a number of other ancient technologies. It was eventually rediscovered, and claimed by someone who would later come to be known as Eido Andrea. Though powerful when used by the vigilante, technological progress had moved on by the time the belt fell into the hands of Andrea. She kept it mostly for the way it looked, but did also use it innocuously in order to avoid having to open doors. Andrea was a companion of Peter Fireblood’s, and had no intentions of having much to do with Fostea. But she was moved by the Sacred Savior’s words, and little by little, she began to believe. In time, she left Peter Fireblood’s side, and joined the Light of Truth. As punishment for this, Peter Fireblood stole the special belt from her, and sent it back to Lactea, where it has remained ever since. When the small group of Irritants arrived in our galaxy just before the taikon began, they brought with them a few relics from the past, including the Belt of Andrea. They likely did not know what it was at the time, but eventually learned what they had. After witnessing the realization of so many foretold taikon, the Irritants started figuring out that maybe their evil works against the Light were not such a good idea. Maybe they would lose this war, maybe they were on the wrong side, and maybe they didn’t want to die in the process. In order to garner some goodwill from the Lightseers, they offered to return the Belt of Andrea to Ileana Ulaire, who had long been appointed as the replacement for the original Eido Andrea. She accepted this gift, and a level of cautious peace was finally reached.

Microstory 638: Celebration of Guardian Appreciation Day

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The successful achievement of the thirty-eighth taikon was less about fulfilling it as it was fulfilling all the ones before it. There are very few holidays in this galaxy that are observed across more than one or two star systems. Only one of these is observed in all systems. Sotiren Zahir’s extraordinary gifts manifested themselves at a very early age. He was able to see and know things that no one could explain. He was not an amber, or an anomaly. He was no witch, time traveler, or basic old world prophet. He was something different; in a class of his own. People around him rarely believed his truths, even as he proved them before their eyes. They chalked it up to coincidence, refusing to see reality, and reject their old religions. His parents were not like them, though. They supported him in everything he did, they always believed him, and they encouraged him to explore his shocking understanding of the universe. He speaks of them at length in the Book of Light, and how beneficial their reactions to his—sometimes disturbing— visions of the future. He demanded a Guardian Appreciation Day, to be celebrated annually all across the galaxy, on the day that splits the difference between his parent’s respective birthdays. Though a few worlds have attempted to ignore this tradition, they always end up falling in line the following year after their trade deals suddenly turn sour. It is one of our founder’s few commandments, so the least anyone can do is be part of it. And for the most part, even planets dominated by rival religions continue the tradition. As with any year, Guardian Appreciation Day was set to be observed during the taikon year. It cannot be moved up or down the calendar, and if all of the previously thirty-seven taikon were not reached by the time this day rolled around, the entire prophecy would be forfeit. It was positively vital that the taikon be experienced in the right order, and under this deadline, or everything Lightseers and general Fosteans alike worked for would be meaningless. Fortunately, now-Eido Wurnti Kaddow presented herself in just enough time to let this happen. Guardian Appreciation Day was observed, and all was well.

Microstory 617: Everlasting Sacred Light

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Three days after the Sacred Savior, Sotiren Zahir was buried, perhaps the most miraculous event of all took place. He came back from the dead. Now, at this point in our collective history, humans have had their fair share of resurrections. It is not terribly common, but it’s also not impossible. Vampires were borne of a race of peoples called pseudomortals who had figured out a way to pull themselves back from the death dimension. Ambers were a different race of people with special abilities; a select few of which could bring others from the afterlife as well. Much later, the anomalies rose to power, and a few of them also had some level of control over death. Even if these things had not happened, virtual immortality has been in the galaxy for a long time now, so death is really a non-issue for anyone with enough money to enjoy the right treatments and procedures. But our Savior died in such a unique way that he should not have been able to return at all. This was not by accident, but by holy mandate. One of Sotiren’s final request was that he not be retrieved, cloned, or otherwise replicated. He believed in singular identity, and did not think that anyone other than the actual him could ever hope to be him. His followers tend to agree.

There is one obscure passage in the Book of Light—separate from the taikon passages—that seems to make the aforementioned mandate sound a little more complicated than we thought. Then the Sacrificed will rise, by light in darkness; the darkest and coldest. A new sun will illuminate the sky. It will burn bright and die fast. Many scholars believed this passage to be connected to the scripture regarding the seventeenth taikon, despite no direct reference to each other. The Sacred Light will dim for three days, but be reignited by the juice of peace and joy. Both of these passages have largely been considered metaphorical; independently and collectively meaning that the Lightseed faith cannot be extinguished, that truth will always prevail, even after being snuffed out...or dying. Recent events, however, led scholars and verifiers to reexamine these words to see if they may be more literal. Evidence has pointed to the idea that the seventeenth taikon was reached. And this is how. Within the boundaries of the solar system that houses the planet isolate of Kesliperia, a star suddenly burst into existence. The elite residents of Harrdosa and Yelseten were shocked by its unexpected appearance it in the twilight sky during the Feast of the Fruit of Love. Upon turning back around, however, they discovered a visitor had arrived at the feast. Feeling happy and agreeable from the polbit fruit, they welcomed him to the meal, even though he wasn’t wearing any clothes. A group of verifiers were witnessing the event, however, and immediately recognized this man as Sotiren Zahir. He had been resurrected from death, by no artificial means. Many believe that the text in the Book of Light that refers to the Everlasting Sacred Light was actually in reference to this event. If this was a true miracle, it is one that requires further testing. The other taikon may continue in that time, but cannot be officially recognized until the Savior’s return can be scientifically verified.

Microstory 605: The Return of Peter Fireblood

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Peter Fireblood was an anomaly. I don’t just mean that he was an unusual person, but that he was born to a subspecies of humans with special abilities. Little is known about his involvement in the seeding of life in the Fostean Galaxy, but most scholars agree that he was instrumental in our freedom from the communists. He evidently mediated the treaty that allowed us to live our truths without interference, as long as we did not attempt to bring the light to any Lactean. It is believed that he remained in Fostea long enough to ensure that we held up our end of the bargain, which of course, we did. Peter Fireblood, whose real name has been lost to history, is and was one of the most powerful people in the universe. He has the ability to transport himself over great distances, and to bring himself back from the dead. He does this by cleansing his former self in a glorious fire, and rising from the ashes, born anew. It is unclear when exactly he disappeared from Fostea, but he hasn’t been recorded as present for at least a millennium. After destroying the last major Hydra Support base, the group of loyal Lightseers escaped to a random star system on the outskirts of the galaxy. They scanned the surface of an uninhabited, but atmospheric, planet and found signs of life. They landed and discovered that Peter Fireblood had been living there alone, possibly the entire time. He returned with them to civilization on Primenchi where Sotiren’s body had been moved. It is there that he carried out an incredibly important task.

Microstory 596: Claims of New Anomaly Revealed Erroneous

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It has been decades since someone with a special anomaly ability has been born. The majority of anomalies belonged to the first generation, with very few of them bearing children with abilities of their own. Even fewer of those gave us third generation anomalies, and a fourth generation anomaly is completely unheard of. Scientists and believers hoped this was changing following reports of a man displaying superhuman qualities that was spotted around Los Angeles, Usonia. Though some anomalies remain today, including those in the first generation whose abilities grant them extended life spans, all are considered inactive. The primary organization responsible for anomalies, Bellevue was designed to study anomaly abilities so that they could better the world through technology. For the most part, this has happened, and any individual possessing such power isn’t really needed anymore. They’re generally left to live their lives as they choose. But there are those who believe the bloodlines remain strong, that there are more out there, and that they have simply chosen to return to a status of anonymity. This theory was tested this week when Bellevue agents were dispatched to L.A. in order to investigate the rumors.

The man in question has been seen all over the city, and its surrounding suburbs, as a vigilante against petty crime. Global crime rates have dropped dramatically since the first anomalies stepped into the light last century, with the help of equalizing technological, medical, and political improvements. Still, some highly concentrated metropolises continue to experience an unsettling amount of violent crime. Cities like Hudon, Tokyo, Paris, and the aforementioned Los Angeles seemed to rely heavily on the interventions of high profile Bellevue operatives like Pantera, and Garner. Like our new subject, Garner possessed no abilities of her own, instead using ancient alien technology to battle criminals and terrorists wherever she could find them. A man whose true name has yet to be released by the authorities, but who calls himself Capacitor, has recently been taken into police custody for vigilantism. Witnesses first believed him to be a new Bellevue operative, or at least a new anomaly, since he exhibits similar traits. Seemingly out of his own body, he can propel bolts of electricity to stun his targets. He can also absorb them into what appears to be artificial simplex dimension, before depositing them at the nearest law enforcement building. He carried with him no obvious equipment that would allow him to do such things, but once Bellevue apprehended him, they were able to learn some things. He was evidently a gifted engineer, but also a lucky one, having uncovered evidence of ancient technology not dissimilar to the kind once protected by Garner and historically, her family. He adapted these plans and instructions into his own designs, miniaturizing and flattening the components so they could fit within the confines of regular clothes. Though without a current public identity beyond his codename, Capacitor has been allowed to release a personal statement. “I meant no harm to my beloved nation’s justice system. I saw a need, a void, an opportunity...and I took it. I do not regret my desire to help, but I do wish I had handled it better. I should have contacted Bellevue before jumping into this with so few resources. I’m just glad they stopped me before I hurt myself, or did something irreparable.” It is not known at this time if the city, or the national government, intends to press charges against Capacitor, or what his destiny is as a whole. Perhaps they will allow him to resume his activities, but this time under supervision. The city of Los Angeles declined to comment. Bellevue declined to comment. At the time of this publishing, the Usonian government has not responded to requests for comment. At the time of this publishing, the Confederacy expressed a reiteration of their policy against commenting on the business of lower governments, and external agencies.

Microstory 590: Operator Halts All Ploutonic Enterprises Operations

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Our new overlord, proclaimed by some to be the incarnation of God, has decided to cease all operations at Ploutonic Enterprises. Ploutonic began in the early-to-mid 20th century with one goal: to give the people what they wanted. Their slogan was the same yesterday as it was when it first began, “Always there, hands open.” What exactly does this mean? Well, as time marches on, society and its peoples develop different priorities. At times of war, Ploutonic manufactured uniforms, munitions, battle transport, etc. At times of great peace, such as following the Stockton Nuclear Disarmament, Ploutonic designed innovative toys. Their original toy factory remains standing today, and has occasionally been used as a Bellevue outpost. They have had their hands in a number of wildly different industries, sometimes overlapping each other, but often after shuttering one division in favor of the next. Their unorthodox strategy has led to great profits, but have recently seen a decline in success. A quote from business analyst Riva Holsten, originally posted on her newsblog, is below.

[Ploutonic] always positioned themselves to take advantage of relevant opportunities. No one could accuse them of not understanding the future, that’s for sure. They’re always one step ahead of the trends, leading some to believe its founder to possess anomaly abilities to actually see the future. This would certainly explain their deep connection to Bellevue. But all the future studying in the world can’t help you if people begin protesting your brand. The fact is that Ploutonic has had to lay off more of its workforce than most companies of its calibre, and it’s done so in order to make room for these new opportunities, not because it had to. And their aggressively passionate stance in support of disloyalty finally caught up to them near the end of the millennium. Few employees were sticking around past a year, and even fewer people were applying for the vacancies. The enthusiasm just wasn’t there anymore. What always baffled me was how baffled they were about this turn of fortune. Honestly, I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner. I surmise that the only thing that kept it afloat was the number of people who were able to stay on board based on their qualifications, regardless of what direction the company went in. Accountants and marketers, for instance, can account and market for any industry. Unfortunately, many jobs aren’t like that, and this made people angry. If the organization didn’t close artificially anyway, I would have estimated their longevity at three years.

Godlike anomaly Operator—who possesses the ability to manipulate the physical movements of anyone and everyone on the planet simultaneously—has finally decided that enough is enough. Ploutonic Enterprises, and all of its divisions, have been completely shut down, effective immediately. Most people still working there have been transitioned into Operator’s universal basic income program, which draws its fund from the no longer necessary defense budget. Most recent president and CEO of Ploutonic declined to comment in detail regarding the new development, saying simply, “I didn’t want it to end at all, but I definitely didn’t want it to end this way. Operator was able to make my fingers type the email blast that laid off my entire workforce at once, but she couldn’t stop me from crying while I was doing it.” Early reports suggest that Operator will convert Ploutonic Enterprise’s headquarters into a reformed education academy.

Microstory 587: ‘Adventures of Conundrum & Treemaker’ Cancelled

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Out of all members of Bellevue, including people with abilities, and those without, perhaps the least likely to be the inspiration for a broadcast series would be Bree Nolan and Connor Higgins. Yet that is exactly what happened more than six years ago. Nolan and Higgins grew up next door to each other, and were the best of friends. They were so inseparable that neither of them knew that either of them had special anomaly abilities. As it turns out, Higgins has the ability to negate other anomalies’ abilities, which means that Nolan’s never actually manifested, because she was just about always standing too close to her friend. Higgins’ ability was an invaluable resource to Bellevue, as it led to many breakthroughs on anomaly genetics, and allowed them to keep a handle on some of the most dangerous anomalies. Unfortunately, Higgins carried with him a level of danger as well. He cannot control the use of his powers. They are always on, always working. As painful as it might have been to some of his more sensitive brethren, it just wasn’t practical to let him stick around. So it was decided that he could, for the most part, better serve the organization as a field recruiter. He would travel the world, finding the best talent for this budding world law enforcement bureau, while maintaining a healthy distance from anyone he might incidentally put in danger. To no surprise for anyone who knew either or both of them, Bree Nolan stuck by her best friend, and signed on for his recruiter team; this despite the fact that her own ability to perceive genetic and hereditary characteristics of others would be in indefinitely hampered.

Bree’s loyalty to her partner spoke to Sterling Serials Network Executive Edelmira Baník, who would later commission the pilot for a new series based on Higgins and Nolan’s lives together. The first season showed the two of them as recruiters, encountering interesting characters, and solving minor crises. This all happened with a background of side characters like Clarity Garner, and Pantera as they battled against foes like the protégé of terrorist The Destruction, or global criminal networks. Adventures of Conundrum & Treemaker took some historical liberties with the second season when Nolan and Higgins began to develop abilities not present in their real life counterparts. The third season deviated even further when the partners—now in a purely fictional romantic relationship—found themselves in an alternate version of the world. This allowed the writers to regurgitate previously defeated enemies while simultaneously alienating many superfans. The fourth and fifth seasons attempted to return to the roots of the show’s source material, but many viewers felt that it was too little too late, and ratings have proven these tactics to be barely enough to keep the series afloat. Largely supported by a small host of advertisers loyal to the Sterling brand overall, a sixth season was greenlit on the 24th of Gaby. Months later, Sterling announced that this season would be its last, and that all remaining episodes would be released to the public, but on a heightened broadcast schedule. Series creator and showrunner Avisen Chen said this of the announcement on her personal weblog, “I was asked to take the reigns on this project after [Ernesto Vargas] left to pursue a rap career. I never thought it would get off the ground, hongestly [sic], but my team and I have been pleasantly surprised year after year. We were even considering a spinoff series involving fan favorite Thumbnail Jones. It looks like that’s not going to happen, but we are hopeful that this will not be the end of the Treemaker and Conundrum franchise. We are already in discussions with the network about a possible film to round out the story and tie up a few loose ends. Six seasons and a movie. Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?” The series finale is slated to air in seven weeks, at which point it will be replaced by a recently approved series about the founding of the island nation of Federama.

Microstory 578: Operator Cult Growing Every Day

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We’re going to be doing something different today. We’re going to start questioning our reality in a way that most people seem to be too afraid to. It has been just over a year since our new overlord, known only as Operator came into our lives and took control of us. Besides her codename, we know that she is a woman. People aren’t entirely sure why we know this fact about her, but it would seem that she wanted people to know. Her identity as a whole, on the other hand, remains a mystery to the public as of this writing. Statistics have not been calculated, but I’m guessing that most people do not appreciate what Operator is doing. Sure, for the most part, she lets us go about our lives as we wish, but everyone knows that if she wanted, she could kill us all. And we would be powerless to stop it. In fact, I sit here now, wondering if Operator is going to force me to reach over to my letter opener and jam it into my neck. Or perhaps she’ll just make me bang my head against my computer until I die from whatever kills people who do that; electrocution, or blunt force trauma, or whathaveyou. Maybe she will yet, and is now only letting me write these words to amuse herself, knowing full well that it will never be published. If you’re reading this right now, then Operator has either been defeated by the remnants of Bellevue, or she has simply let it pass. Afterall, no matter what I write, no matter how you feel, in all likelihood, she can never be defeated. She is, for lack of a sufficient archetype, now our God.

As I said before, I feel like most people do not want to live like this. Case in point, the majority of us communicate via a vast telepathic network brought about by rival anomaly, Blossom Sadler. Though Operator is able to see and hear what we are doing from wherever she happens to be, she cannot read our minds. And so Bellevue has provided us with an avenue for secrecy. Sadler’s telepathic network allows any one person to carry on a conversation with any one else with as little effort as it would take to speak with that person through voices. Ten, twenty, a thousand people can all converse as easily as we did in the old days, but now we do it with our minds. Through so-called private lines, Sadler lets us keep our secrets, and prevents anyone from listening in, which is something nature never even let us do. But Operator does, which is the real question. As irrelevant as Bellevue may be, this reporter knows that they still exist. They convene at their original hotel headquarters, and discuss the state of affairs, however dull they may be. Surely they are simultaneously working on a plan to locate Operator, and put an end to her...operations. Aren’t they? If they aren’t, then someone is, so why is Blossom even still alive? Why are we permitted to keep secrets from our ruler. A certain new religion believes they have the answer: that Operator truly is the new God, and that she is good.

The Operator cult’s sentiments are not without their merits. The average crime index globally was sitting at around a healthy 40 before Operator showed up. Now the crime index everywhere is—let me just consult my notes...oh yeah, zero. Not a single crime has been committed since Operator took over. Every time someone attempts to commit a crime of any kind, Operator steps in and makes them stop. Pull out a gun, and you’ll immediately just set it back down again, which is assuming she lets you take it out in the first place. Want to rob that store? Sorry, you’ll literally just keep driving past it. Though Operator does not know what you’re thinking, she can tell what you’re intending to do, and if she finds it distasteful, why she just won’t let you do it. Even accidents have gone down, rendering fire stations and hospitals irrelevant. This is why the Operator cult exists, and why it’s growing every day. Not everyone agrees with them. Former member of Bellevue—and one of the few people naturally immune to her control—Cambrio Yates has been loudly outspoken against Operator’s brave new world. I will paraphrase his words. Free will is paramount to the human experience. Life is meaningless if we are nothing more than God’s chess pieces. Yet that is just another example of free will that Operator lets us have. Sure, she keeps all the bombs locked up—when previously anyone willing and able would be free to set them off, unless they were stopped by someone else—but she lets us believe what we want. As far as I know, no religious gathering, contradictory or not, has been interfered with by Operator’s choices...unless they were violent.

I guess what I’m really asking here is why...—...—...this is your captain speaking. I have temporarily taken control of this writer’s actions so that she can spread my words effectively. I want to make it clear that everything she has written up to this point has been completely of her own accord. I only take over now so that I can explain myself...to her, and to you. Why have I stopped you from using your guns, but left you to your words? Why do I pick and choose your free will? Is it true that you are not chess pieces? I began this endeavor to change the world, to stop the violence, and the hate. I am using the skillset that God gave me. I will not always be around, nor would I want to be. I’m trying to create a society free from not only this violence, but from the inclination towards it. Generations from now, I will no longer be needed. Children are already being born who will never know a life of suffering. They will be raised to love and respect one another. And in all honesty, anyone who experienced a world unlike this one, must die off to make room for something new. I could have just done this myself; let you all stick the proverbial letter opener in your neck, but I chose to take the long way ‘round, because I need to maintain my own integrity. So go on and be angry that I’ve taken your guns, because you’re children’s children’s children will have no interest in them, and those are the people I care about.