The Neon Supremacy part 2

Wally and Kim searched frantically around their apartment. “Do you think she’s on a mission with her team?,”Wally asked.

“She usually leaves a note or something,” Kim explained.

“There’s no sign of a fight,” Wally looked around the apartment, “Let’s check outside.”

Leaving the front door of their apartment building moments later, they spotteddebris from the rooftop fight the night before. “Looks like a fight happened after all,” Kim told him, “But who could it have been?”

“That’s a potentially long list.”

Somewhere Else…

Astra stared up at the multi-story behemoth in front of her; it was recognizable not only because the giant robot looked like a twisted version of herself, but also because she essentially created it. Months earlier, the Commission had thwarted the Second Phase’s attempt to release a techno-virus which involved Astra absorbing an entire U’ntari Commander Class vessel and the virus itself. Because of this, she briefly grew several stories high before shedding the overgrown body in Earth’s orbit. It was a surprise to see it but equally surprising was that the giant husk was no where near Earth and neither was she.

She stood on a circular platform that floated in the ether. Somehow, it provided light and gravity. She also detected an artificial atmosphere, not that she needed to breathe. She was obviously in some sort of space station or possibly a ship but the technology was unlike anything she had witnessed up to that point. She turned around to get a sense of her surroundings, hearing the scraping of her metal feet along the peculiar surface of the platform, which proved that sound was being carried within the bizzarre complex. After turning around, she witnessed a blue and orange nebula hanging in space that likely began millions of years prior. The most impressive sight came from above, however.

The figures ranged in size with the largest creatures measuring dozens of feet in length and width. They were floating in a circular formation above her and against the infinite black, she could make out their shapes by the glowing neon specks and lines along their surfaces. Some appeared to be in the form of giant amoebas. Others were serpentine with massive fins of interchanging hues. Then there were others that were simple globes of light. If any of them were physical in any way, it wasn’t apparent. A rectangular doorway opened and the figure in the containment suit stepped out, standing horizontally just above her head.

“Astra Machina,” his voice was mechanical, having come from the suit, “Please do not be alarmed. We mean well.”

“Who are you?,” she scanned the area for any signs of weapons but found nothing.

“I am Frenk Naugh,” he began, “A member of the Debiarik race.”

“And what are those?,” Astra pointed to the floating beings circling past his shoulder.

A massive, serpentine being with purple fins running along its side floated down. There didn’t appear to be a head but Astra could at least tell where the creature likely ended due to the two wide tail-fins swaying behind it. A feminine voice came from it, even though Astra wasn’t quite sure what part of the body the sound was coming from, “We are the Transcension. I am Antillia of a race that no longer has a name of importance. The same can be said for all of us. Our races have all evolved to the point where we have ascended beyond the physical to become beings of sentient energy. Our council consists of elevated beings who seek to understand the Universe.”

“What do you want with me?,” Astra asked.

“When Earth survived an invasion from the U’ntari, we decided to observe from afar. We soon learned of an advanced, artificially intelligent being that was capable of disabling their satellite. We took an interest and wanted to contact you.”

“You said you don’t mean any harm.”

“Affirmative.”

“But you sent space pirates to kidnap me,” she said defensively.

“We could have contacted you via transmission but we would be running the risk of being detected by the people of Earth,” Antillia explained calmly, “That could’ve been problematic. We apologize for the inconvenience as well as any offense.”

“You didn’t have to send a transmission. I’m sure you could’ve found a way to come to Earth physically without being seen.”

“We wish we could have requested your presence in person but it would be dangerous if we arrived on Earth,” Frenk added, “We’re energy beings. We give off certain radiation that could prove fatal to organic races who have not reached our evolutionary standards. Instead, we opted to use a third party,” he indicated his containment suit, “I was chosen to have dealings with the pirates as my people are still partially organic and give off less radiation.”

Astra checked her sensors and found strange energy readings, which indicated it wasn’t a lie, “So you’ve been watching Earth,” she pointed to the large replica of herself floating nearby, “That’s how you got that thing.”

“It may be useful for the experiment we wish to conduct,” Frenk explained.

“If you’re willing, of course,” Antillia added, “We can send you home at any moment.”

“What’s the experiment?”

“We know the source code that created you came from an unknown sector of the Universe. A tribe of Skaleens destroyed the technology that picked up the source code and, as we understand it, the code was only partially received.”

“That’s correct.”

“We wish to read the code and find a way to complete it. In so doing, we can determine your purpose and perhaps discern who created you.”

“You can do that?,” at the moment, Astra’s tone was more curious than optimistic or agreeable.

“Many centuries ago, my race built a machine called the Absolute Cipher. It was a device used to decipher dead languages and complete near-infinite mathematical equations,” Antillia told her, “We think it can fill the gaps in your source code by running a series of numerical values… once it understands the code itself, mind you,” they indicated the large replica of Astra, “We plan to send the code into this other vessel to ascertain your true purpose.”

Astra stood in silent introspection. Learning about her origins had been something she had yearned for since she became aware but she had no reason to trust these strange beings. They were not attacking but then, this wouldn’t have been the first time an enemy captured her to get what they wanted. The Transcension hiring Sky Darkly and his crew did nothing to ease her apprehension, even if they had reason to do so. After a moment of thought, she found an appropriate response.

“Send me home,” she told them, “You said you could do that. I want to go back to my friends and think about this.”

The floating energy beings paused and she braced herself for attack but none came. Lights began to pass between the members of the Transcension, displaying communication on another level unfamiliar to Astra. After a few moments, they apparently reached a conclusion. “Certainly,” Antillia responded. A portal opened and Astra could clearly see the entrance to her apartment building. “Is there a method I can use to contact you if I end up going through with this?,” she asked. Frenk removed a small disk from his suit and handed it to her, “You can communicate with us at any time.” She thanked him, took the device, then stepped toward the portal. “I’ll let you know one way or another,” then she disappeared.

Some time later, she sat in her kitchen alongside Wally and Kim. “It seems they have the means to find the truth about me,” Astra told them, “But can they be trusted?”

“I know this mindset is likely a product of the current climate,” Wally began, “But I kinda don’t trust aliens.”

“Yeah, I kinda feel the same way,” Kim answered, “But I mean, we keep running into the wrong guys, so we’re probably biased.”

“You have Shujai on your team,” Wally admitted, “And he’s been helping people out from the sounds of it.”

“Yes, Shujai’s a good guy,” Astra answered, “I also wonder about what could happen if I reached my full potential? What if the Transcension are altruistic but when my code is completed, it releases something dangerous?”

“I highly doubt someone like you could ever be a threat,” Kim told her kindly.

“When I became aware, the two of you were the first people I had contact with,” Astra said softly, “You had more of an influence than you realize. What if I came into contact with Jennifer Sawyer or the Second Phase first? I could’ve turned into anything.”

“We can debate nature vs nurture all day,” Wally told her, “But what’s important is who you are now, not who you were meant to be or what it could’ve been.”

“I suppose,” she said to herself.

“Is it worth knowing?,” Kim asked.

“I don’t… I really do want to know where I came from but I guess I’m scared, too.”

“Yeah, sometimes, we want to know the truth even though we might not like what we find.”

“But just in case,” Wally added, “You might wanna bring some backup? Like the Commission?”

“Yeah,” Kim agreed, “You and that Alysa girl seem to be hitting it off. Maybe call her up?”

“The Transcension are made of pure energy, so they give off radiation that’s too deadly for organics.”

“Shujai, then?,” Wally offered, “I mean, I guess he’s organic but he’s supposed to be really tough, isn’t he?”

“And he knows more about space than I do,” Astra considered her options, “Paying him a visit probably isn’t a bad idea.”

Later that day, Astra stood in the center of Shujai’s home in the Catskills. He listened to her story and pondered the situation before speaking, “I know of races that’ve evolved to higher states of being,” he explained, “But I haven’t heard of this group.”

“This is what I picked up from them,” Astra displayed energy readings on her facial screen, “Could you survive this level of radiation?”

“Yes, I can sustain that,” he answered, “Although you should know that my probation dictates I remain on Earth.”

“I understand,” she nodded in compliance.

“This isn’t my world and I know my place of origin no longer accepts me. I would give anything to be allowed to return,” he continued sadly, “Similarly, this isn’t your world and you wish to find your place of origin as well. I cannot deny you that chance,” he smiled a bit and Astra was sure it was the first time she had seen him do so, “I’ll take the risk… I’ve been leaning how to disobey orders lately.”

When Astra contacted the Transcension, they opened a wormhole on the mountaintops. The strange beings seemed surprised when they saw Shujai with her.

“An U’ntari,” Antillia observed, “I assume one that has been enhanced through their super soldier program?”

“Yes,” he answered.

“A very powerful one from all indications as I’m sure Astra Machina warned you about the radiation levels we emit. How do you feel in this environment?”

“Warm,” was his only response.

Astra stepped forward, “I brought him along because, honestly, I’m still not sure I trust you.”

“That’s perfectly understandable,” Frenk stood in front of the pair and motioned toward a set of large, silver spheres locked together in a crescent shape, “Shall we begin?”

Astra looked toward Shujai who gave her an assured nod, then approached the spheres. She stood in the center and turned around to face the others. Strange symbols lit up along the spheres once Astra opened her source code to them. It was over soon enough and nothing alarming had happened. Astra stepped out and the spheres disconnected and flew to the giant Astra replica where they disappeared inside the cavity in its torso.

“That’s the body you created when you absorbed the techno-virus?,” Shujai whispered.

“Yes.”

“And they’re taking your source code and implanting it inside?”

“Yeah, it’s essentially a giant clone.”

“Hm,” he grunted while examining the behemoth floating in the void.

“We’ve received the code,” Antillia explained, “It will take some time to decipher and once we do that, it will take more time to fill in the gaps with the appropriate numerical values.”

“How long will it take?,” she asked and then added, “In Earth time?”

“It may take a few days or it may take a few centuries,” was the answer, “We ask that you stay for a short time in case further data is needed. Perhaps a few hours of your time?”

“Of course.”

“We have approximated your home in the meantime. I’m sure you’ll find it comfortable.”

The silver platform under them shifted, but they didn’t feel a single tremor. The ground stretched in every direction for what seemed like miles and in a flash, buildings zipped by as well, resembling the form of city streets. Once the cityscape was created, the silver color soon turned to a palate more closely resembling buildings on Earth. In a second, Shujai and Astra found themselves standing in an intersection. The atmosphere shifted a moment later, resembling a blue sky. Astra recognized the area as downtown Jersey City. “I’ve never seen simulations this advanced,” Shujai told her. Astra thought that the Transcension would simply recreate her apartment building but then she realized that, to beings of their scope, recreating an entire city constituted “an approximation” of a home. A doorway opened in the air and Frenk soon joined them. “I can entertain you while we wait for the Cipher,” he told them politely.

As they walked through the empty street, Frenk spoke to them, “I am the first ambassador from my planet to the Transcension. We are a proud race, particularly in this stage of our evolution. We are transitioning from organic beings to energy beings. In as much as humans are roughly 60% water, we are roughly 60% energy-based.”

“What is your society like?,” Shujai asked.

“Like the U’ntari, we had a past filled with war, greed, and hatred. And like the U’ntari, we’ve eliminated such things.”

Shujai gave him a concerned look, “But we created a dystopia based on genocide and control. We learned the wrong lessons.”

“You’ll be happy to know that no such measures were taken with my people. We just evolved to no longer desire such things. It’s been this way for eons.”

“That’s good to hear,” he relaxed a bit.

“Yes. Unfortunately, neighboring planets have not evolved to such a state. The planets in our system are filled with races who are constantly at war, either with each other or within. For a very long time, we honestly believed we were the most advanced beings in the universe. We found no civilization above ourselves… then we met the Transcension.”

“It must have been a shock,” Astra said.

“It was like realizing the gods existed,” Frenk admitted humbly, “With all the awe and fear that entailed. It was everything we thought we were, what we were meant to be, and what we were not.”

“I wonder if I’ll have a similar reaction when I see my true self,” Astra pondered.

Outside the space station, the giant Astra structure received data from the series of glowing spheres inside her. The highly advanced technology functioned on a cosmic level, deciphering an unknown code that was incomplete. Data soon poured in, filling in the gaps and activating something within. The clone’s eyes lit up and as it came to life, it moved through space toward the floating cityscape nearby, illuminated by a single nebula.

“I am Primus Machina… I… am… aware.”

Continued…