“From what I understand, you have your hand deep-seated in the puppet’s rear. Why do you manipulate these planets and their inhabitants? What’s your grand design?”
The Fume seemed to ponder whether to reveal his plans. He took an indulgent look around the room. “Your universe is like a tree preparing to bear fruit. A fruit that’s most nourishing to my consciousness. You see...” The Fume paused. “...I’m here to consume the entirety of your universe’s energies, making them a part of myself.”
I scoffed. “These are grandiose plans.”
“Big things cannot fit in small minds. You mortals always have difficulty with the greater things. Do not forget that, in the beginning, your universe was but one singularity of energy.”
I walked around the hologram casually. “If you’re as powerful as you claim, then shouldn’t the snap of your fingers suffice? Feed away! Who’s stopping you? Aren’t you a god?”
“There are certain steps that must be followed. Your universe is still in a primitive stage. For me to absorb its energies now would be like you trying to gain nourishment from eating rocks and drinking sunlight. In order for it to be digested by my expansive consciousness, it must first be changed. There’s more to your universe than just energy and emptiness. There are intangibles that pulse and seethe through the cosmos, connecting all and everything.”
“And this change would entail?”
“The evolution of your universe’s energies into something like me.”
I looked sadly to Fandoral’s remains. “Fandoral described your being as an entire universe of consciousness, composed of a complex web of exotic energy extending to infinity.”
“He spoke with an elegant tongue. His statement was simplistic but essentially correct. This is the state to which all universes progress.” The Fume held up his hands in a profound gesture. “What do you think this is all about? Do you think this universe is just a playground for mortal creatures to play? This universe is the embryo of a god, slowly maturing. And I’m merely accelerating this natural process, which I prefer to call the Apotheosis of the Universe.”
“Apotheosis of the Universe?”
“You must look at your universe as a single, evolving entity. When it was first formed, it was but a scattering of primordial energy and elements. It soon began to organize itself, forming galaxies, stars, and then solar systems with planets. And on some of these planets, the next great leap of your universe’s evolution occurred—life. The organization of matter that, even in its simplest forms, is millions of times more complex then the raw materials first put forth in the universe’s beginnings. Still, life in its primitive forms was just the foundation for something greater, for life soon became aware of itself.”
“Consciousness,” I said.
“Exactly,” said the Fume. “Conscious matter. The organization of the universe weaves tighter and tighter. From energy and elements... to galaxies and solar systems... to planets of wind and water... to life... and then to consciousness. But even consciousness, in the grand picture, is a relatively primitive state.” The Fume directed a crooked, holographic finger toward my head. “It’s the soul that’s the most important and complex step in the universe’s evolution, for it’s the soul that connects your consciousness to the very fabric of the universe. The soul is a level of organization that goes beyond the tangible. The soul is power. The soul is the divine. The soul is the precursor to godliness.”
“And somehow the soul of man will lead to the final evolution of the universe, in which all energies will transform into a single consciousness?” I paused. “The birth of a god?”
The Fume nodded in confirmation. “And when this godly evolution is complete, I’ll absorb these divine energies—they will become a part of me.”
“If my understanding’s correct, there’ll be no survivors after this evolution—except you.”
“The individuality of each creature in this universe is inconsequential. They are but the cogs of a greater device. If it brings you any comfort, their essences will survive in me.”
“Essence and life, although interconnected, seem two very different states.”
“Such discriminations are pointless in the grand order.”
“You reveal your plans with such arrogance. I can only wonder if you’re simply bluffing, trying to distract from the damage caused by the Obelisks and the Guardian Army.” I paused. “They won’t allow you to succeed.”
The Fume tilted his head back and laughed heartily. “I’ll admit, they’ve proven to be a nuisance, for they’re a willful evolution. But they’re naïve to think they could stop me. And even more naïve to believe I was unaware of their existence.”
“You knew of this attack?”
“Don’t forget who you’re speaking to. Of course I knew.”
I shrugged. “Nonetheless, the mere fact that your sabotage of the Brahman Station went wrong is proof that your manipulations aren’t perfect.”
“Are you sure it went wrong?” The Fume inclined his nose ever so slightly. “
Time
is simply another instrument for me to utilize in my endeavor.”
“You’re aware of the over one million worlds spread among the thousands of galaxies in the Brahman Sprawl?”
“These worlds and their inhabitants are all a fundamental necessity for the final evolution of the universe. As for the worlds I surround, the worlds the Guardians attempt to free, they don’t matter anymore. Their usefulness has passed. It’s the descendents of the Brahman Station who I now manipulate.”
“If you have everything under control, then why have you sent your army of beasts to kill us?”
“There are reasons for everything I do. Every wave of my hand holds significance.”
I could somehow sense something like insecurity from the Fume—a stray twitch of the mouth, an uncontrollable blink of the eye, a spasm of the eyebrows, or possibly an imperceptible quiver in his voice.
“So, how does this proceed?” I asked. “What are the steps to this final evolution?”
“A magician doesn’t reveal his secrets to every inquisitive fool. I am, however, disappointed that you haven’t realized the plans I’ve orchestrated. The answers sit at the tip of your mind.”
I compressed my lips into a thin line. “Then at least tell me when this Apotheosis of the Universe is going to begin.”
The Fume smirked. “Soon enough.”
“Why do you dangle your motives before me? What do you want from me?”
“You’ve already done great things for my cause—however, there’s more to be done, and you’re just the man for the job.”
“Tell me! Now! What do you want?”
“As I said before, I only want you to continue on the path of your destiny. This is all.”
“Destiny!” I scoffed. “Whatever you’ve done to me, whatever you think I’m going to do, you can go fuck yourself. I’d sooner kill myself than let you win.”
“I doubt this very much.” The Fume reached out to me, as if to touch my cheek with a holographic hand. I stood my ground, but soon found myself lunging backward as I thought the hand had substance.
“Why do you haunt me?” I clutched my head in my hands, thinking back on the torturous memories and the plague of unrest.
If the Brahman Station’s temporal displacement was, in fact, premeditated, then was it the Fume’s manipulation on my mind that motivated me to build the dimensional gateway? Does he really control me this much? Where does he end... and I begin?
“What have you put inside me? I just want to find peace.” I aimed my Intersplit gun to my head. “I’m tired, you know.”
“If you believe your death will stop my plans, then carry out your suicide. Though, as a consequence, there’ll be no one left to rescue your dear Allienora.”
I lowered my Intersplit gun. “What are you talking about?”
“While we’ve been debating the fate of your universe, I’ve informed my loyal soldiers—who aren’t the brutes you perceive them to be—to capture Allienora Chang. I believe she’s become the object of your affection.”
“Damn you!” My heart pounded.
“So,” said the Fume, “do you kill yourself to possibly save your universe, and condemn your new love to death, or shall you continue on in an attempt to save your universe and allow yourself the chance to rescue her?”
I struggled with the choices the Fume presented, and their equally damning possibilities. “Do you pleasure in my suffering? First you killed Mage, then my wife Cassandra, and now you take Allienora from me. Why!”
“Like you, Theron, she has a special purpose in my plans.”
My fists clenched, my heart raced. “I know you killed my wife so I’d work harder on the dimensional gateway. Is it the same with Allienora? Are you trying to manipulate me into doing something? What is it? What do you want me to do?”
“I only want you to follow the path of your destiny.”
Without warning, Orsteen smashed his fist into the node that projected the hologram of the Fume’s embodiment, ending the transmission.
“What have you done!” I cried.
“You’re right,” said Orsteen. “He’s luring us to go somewhere or do something. His words have the power to persuade. They may even distort our perceptions of reality.”
“This is insane, Orsteen!” I felt my eyes bulging from my head. “Why take Allienora from me? What purpose does she serve in his outlandish plot? Hell, what purpose do I hold in his plot? How can he predict what I’m going to do? Am I so much his pawn that he can send me off wildly and still maintain confidence I’ll do his bidding and achieve this false destiny, whatever it may be?”
“He admitted two important things,” said Orsteen. “First, he doesn’t control minds, and second, each of us has a soul. And I believe the soul is what gives us the ability to create our own destinies. He can’t anticipate each fickle current of thought flowing through your head.”
“You’re right, Orsteen. I am Theron Mobius. I am myself. My mind is my center.”
“Calm down, Theron. You’re head’s going to pop if you don’t.”
“I’m conscious of my thoughts, who I am, and what I’m doing. And I have you, my friend. You’ll make sure I don’t do anything crazy. You’ll make sure I don’t betray the human race. If my behavior changes, do whatever it takes to stop me.”
“I promise you, Theron. If you turn on us, I won’t hesitate.”
I knelt beside Fandoral’s body, where Stimple still mourned with heavy-heartedness.
Stimple lifted his head from Fandoral’s chest. “There are procedures for such emergencies. I tried calling the proper medical authorities, but waited to no end. I tried to contact a Guardian, but no one responded.”
I looked to Fandoral’s remains. “Nothing could’ve been done.”
“You’re wrong! All injuries can be healed, even fresh fatality, so long as the brain is preserved.” Stimple shook his head hopelessly. “It’s been days, and by now his brain’s stricken with decay.” Stimple lifted his small hands and shook them angrily. “If I weren’t the useless homunculus I am, I could’ve saved him. Do you see that chamber in the corner of the room? That’s Fandoral’s stasis chamber. If I were a man of sufficient stature, I could’ve simply carried him three meters and his life would’ve been saved.”
“If you were of greater stature, you would’ve been killed, too.”
“So it should have been,” countered Stimple.
“In life, loved ones can be taken from us wrongfully. I’ve felt this pain. Luckily, it’s in our power to treat ourselves to justice, or, if so desired, revenge. We need your help, Stimple.”
Stimple looked to me, inhaled deeply, and regained his composure. “The Fume spoke to you with false confidence. Before Fandoral was killed, he was in communication with the other Guardian Spheres and discovered the Obelisks are fully functional on the other planets, successfully sealing the outpocketings of the Fume. Earth is the only planet where the Fume still has an outpocketing into our universe.”
I remembered the girl, Nara-Narayana. “After the failure of the Obelisks on Earth, Fandoral said he was going to consult with Nara-Narayana. We must contact her at once and let her know of the Fume’s plans to evolve and then absorb the energies of the universe. She could be our best hope.”
“Impossible,” said Stimple. “Only Guardians and Impresarios are permitted to communicate with Nara-Narayana.”
“You were Fandoral’s best friend,” I said. “You don’t know how he contacted her?”
Stimple shook his head.
“What do you know about her?” asked Orsteen.
“All I know is what I’ve heard from rumor and fable. As you saw from Sensimion’s log, Nara-Narayana is the first and eldest of all the Guardians in the Brahman Sprawl. They say her genome is a hundred times more complex than a deca-helix species. Her creation was the most critical step in preventing paradox, for she can see and hear all that occurs in the Brahman Sprawl.”
“How does she monitor the entire Brahman Sprawl?” I asked.
“I don’t know. If you believe in children’s bedtime stories, then you’d fear her ability to hear every immoral thought that roams in your head. It’s said that if she’s displeased with your thoughts, she’ll stop your heart when you sleep.”
“If you can’t contact her, then I assume you don’t know where she is.”
Stimple placed his small hand on Fandoral’s chest. “Not even the Impresarios know where she’s kept.”