Chapter 245: (The Black Box) (2/2)

”The Friend Plague,” Herod said, his voice low.

Victor nodded. ”There were, according to what I learned in the creche-school, six hundred million Canis lupus nobilis erectus on Earth when the Friend Plague arrived. Within a year, there were none unless they were in stasis like Robert here.”

Herod gulped, shivering slightly even though he couldn't actually feel the cold.

”Now, ask me why we didn't just remove the disease once we had tissue samples and some of them in stasis,” Victor said, his voice menacing despite its softness.

”Because the disease is already in every tissue cell and is impossible to remove without destroying the cell and the DNA/RNA of the cell,” Herod said.

”A crude explanation, but I won't give you any demerits for its crudity,” Victor said, still staring. He pointed at the goodboi. ”Meet FIDO-14364235, Eukarya Animalia Chordata Mammalia Carnivora Canidae Canis lupus mechanica. He's one of the first created. There's only one as old as him in existence, but I'd have better luck scooping plasma from a star with my bare hands than getting any sample from that one.”

”Am I disturbing you?” Herod asked, kind of hoping he was so that he could slowly back out of the room.

”No. I come in here when I need reminded that I'm not omnipotent, that despite all my advantages, I'm human even though there's no such things as only human, I'm human, and thus prone to all the pitfalls and paradoxes inherent in humanity,” Victor said. He turned around in the chair, facing Herod. ”What can I do for you?”

”I'm stuck,” Herod admitted. ”What is the group of particles? We can obvious manufacture them, I've looked at the manufacturing process, but I can't figure them out.”

”You and every other researcher,” Victor said, stroking his beard. ”There's one thing that should be obvious but is overlooked by everyone. Hell, I overlooked it, if I remember right.”

”What?” Herod asked, feeling digital goosebumps at standing in what was basically a morgue.

”You can only create those particles in a gravity well of at least point eight two G to a maximum of three point five gee with a electromagnetic field with a strength of point two eight Gauss to point seven one Gauss,” Victor said.

”You mean, they can only be made in a planetary gravity well?” Herod frowned.

”Well, or one like the Black Box has, or if you use an artificial singularity with the proper spin on it,” Victor said. ”Otherwise the particles not only won't form but they won't stick together. In nearly sixty-two point three eight percent of the attempts the particles will undergo particle swapping and end up as anti-matter type three AM-Iron atoms.”

Herod just stared.

”The real question is, where does the signal go?” Victor said. ”I never figure that out, what I figured out was much much different. Unfortunately I got planet-cracked, an event that has somewhat of a adverse effect upon one's memories.”

Herod laughed before he could stop himself.

”So what did you figure out?” he asked.

Victor stared for a long moment.

”Two things. Two things of such import that the news that it had ever happened would cause massive riots across of all of Terran Descent Human Space, but two things that I guess are going to be discovered here,” Victor said.

Herod felt as if a cold breeze had moved through the room.

”Two species were wiped out by the Fried Plague, AKA the Andromeda Strain,” Victor said.

”Felines and canines,” Herod said. He paused. ”You figured out how to restore them?”

Victor nodded. ”But that, that wasn't what created the catastrophe known as the Crusade of Wrath. What I discovered, what the Imperium destroyed with a planet cracker, cause the Crusade of Wrath.”

Herod frowned. ”I thought the Crusade of Wrath happened because of the death of the Digital Omnimessiah.”

”Is that what they teach now?” Victor mused, turning his chair around. He pressed a button and the stasis cubes retracted into the wall. There was more whirring and additional panels opened. Robotic gantries moved out stasis cubes, six of them, all with dimly seen naked humans inside.

”What... what... are you claiming you restored a Sleeping One?” Herod asked, stepping back.

”Not one. Two. A mother and her child,” Victor said softly.

Heresy... bubbled up in Herod's mind, even as he backed up.

”I freed them from the horrors of the Glassing. Undid the Omniqueen's injury to them. Restored their sanity without damaging their minds. I freed them from eternal dreamless slumber,” Victor said, slowly standing up.

Hector blinked as he saw, with more than just his eyes, purple and blue lightning beginning to crackle around Victor's clenched fists, the sparks popping in the human's hair, the electrical arcs buzzing around the human's feet.

”I did it. I managed to accomplish something that nobody thought could be done, and those prideful idiots of the Crusade of Light fucking planet-cracked me right to my face the same day I managed to do the impossible. Planet-cracked me just I repaid a brother, reached redemption after my Fall.”

Herod could feel the stress on the words as he realized that the Black Box had suddenly locked down the room he was in. He was loaded into the local buffers, access to escaping cut off as the hardwired lines themselves were suddenly cut.

Victor turned around, his eyes full of purple fire, purple arcs of energy crackling across his teeth.

”And now I can't remember how I did it!” Victor, no, Legion, snarled. He inhaled as if he was about to continue talking, or maybe just scream, when his eyes suddenly focused on his upraised fist.

”Oh. Oops,” he said. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths.

Herod had backed up against the door.

When Victor opened his eyes the purple fire was gone.

The door opened and Herod half fell through, vanishing into the data stream as soon as he could, fleeing for his room.

He'd never believed the tales and the legends and records.

Now he did.

It was when he missed lunch that Flowerpatch came looking for him, finding him hiding in his bedroom, under his bed.