The following morning at 10.00 am found them sitting on a wooden bench beside a waterfall a few miles from home. As predicted, a group of men had turned up at their office and systematically destroyed the entire contents in a large portable incinerator that they had produced from out of the back of an anonymous white van. Simultaneously another group had done the same at their home until both buildings had been reduced to shells.
Everybody they had had contact with on a world basis had received similar visits. In total several hundred people's lives had been torn apart. The scale of destruction was extraordinary but within hours all had been compensated by a firm of Swiss lawyers who in a 24 hour period had paid out well over £5bn in compensation. There had been talk of a doomsday virus and super weapons and other cover stories but in essence, national security agencies had carried out the instructions they had received with ruthless efficiency.
Beside the waterfall Joseph and Mary were in a sombre mood.
"We should be as secure here as anywhere, I suppose" said Mary slowly
"Yes, but that may not amount to much"
"You think we can be overheard even here?"
"Probably. We are dealing with something so intelligent that I suspect all normal precautions are a waste of time. We may as well just operate in the open.
Anyway, here we are. Homeless, jobless and facing a megalomaniac"
"Well" said Mary trying to sound cheerful "It could be worse - we do have £5M in the bank - ten times what we were told .... we can buy another place to live and ...."
"And what? I know £5M is more than .... but it's not about money. My life is not for sale ... she is just trying to buy us off ..... "
In the distance they noticed an old man hobbling towards them. He was wearing a threadbare black suit and a waistcoat. In his hand was a shepherds crook and in front of
him ran a sheep with two lambs. Eventually he drew level with them and raised a hand in salute. His face was ashen white and there was blood running down his face.
Mary stood up and ran to him.
"Are you alright?"
The man nodded and sat down on the end of the bench.
"Yes. I ... I fell into the brook. Trying to catch Mavis here. Damn sheep ... "
He shook his head. Mary offered him a cup of coffee from their picnic and after a while he seemed to brighten.
"I'm sorry to be a nuisance" he said in a lilting Welsh accent "You are extremely kind. If there is ever some way I can repay you I will ....
I'm Huw Davies, by the way. I live over there"
He pointed to a distant white cottage on the side of the valley.
"It's alright" said Joseph "Sometimes it's very pleasant to be brought back down to earth. We were sitting here feeling sorry for ourselves ...."
"Oh" he laughed "I know what you mean. When the wife died I was very black but I got over it. Not that you really get over it, but you know what I mean.
Life must go on. I don't want to intrude but is it something you would like to talk about maybe?"
Joseph laughed "Well. The problem is that somebody has sent us a gigantic sum of money and offered us jobs which are ... just incredible"
They all laughed.
"I see" said Huw "No wonder you're so depressed.
Maybe I can do a conjuring trick to cheer you up!"
He grinned at Mary "Pick up a stone and put it on the bench"
She did as she was told. Huw stood up and waved his hands over it in an exaggerated fashion. She noticed that each hand had a livid
red mark about an inch across just below the wrist.
"Abracadabra" he said "Stone, stone rise again"
Mary and Joseph grinned and gazed at the stone. It shimmered and slowly turned into a baby squirrel. When they looked up the man
had gone.
"Hello" said the squirrel "My name is Nutty"
It wiped it's eyes and grinned at them. "Huw's a bit of a card isn't he?"
They looked at each other and Mary spoke first "Hello Nutty. I guess you can do calculus and differential equations too? Am I right?"
The squirrel did a little dance "But of course! And I can also do crosswords"
He hopped across to the copy of the Times lying underneath the picnic things"
"Eight Across: Heavens Gate (10,3). Can you guess?"
They shook their heads
"Apocalypse" he paused for a second or two "Now!"
Mary looked at her watch. It was radio controlled and kept perfect time. It read precisely mid-day. Slowly the squirrel faded away and on the bench there lay a cut diamond about an inch across. It reflected the rays of the mid-day sun in a myriad of flashing colours. A cloud passed over the sun but the diamond continued to flash.
In Washington some four hours later The President was facing a group of very nervous and embarrassed individuals. The weight of his office could have that effect but
not on senior scientific and security advisors who met with him every few days. He had received a phone call requesting a meeting at 30 minutes notice on a matter
of extreme urgency but he was having great difficulty getting any sense out of them.
"Look, gentlemen. Will somebody get to the point. What, exactly have you found?"
They all looked at each other
"David. For Christ's sake just tell me. What is it? Little green men or what?"
David Leinster handed across a ten inch square photograph, blushing deeply as he did so. The President looked down on what looked like a sheet of black paper with
sugar spilled all over it. In the middle, in perfect black silhouette, was a strange but very recognisable shape.
"Is this a joke?"
"We sincerely hope not. It is a photograph taken thirty minutes ago of the star system Sigma 17 at Mount Palomar. Identical photos have been taken
at five other telescopes including an old manual 'scope with no electronics. A star system has disappeared in the shape you see. They were there three weeks
ago" he handed across another photo "See here"
"You are telling me that somebody or something has removed an entire star system in the shape of" he hesitated and felt himself blushing "Mickey Mouse?"
"Yes, Mr President"
"That is ludicrous. I have never heard anything so stupid in my entire life. I tell you gentlemen, if this is a joke you will all be out on your ears. This will make
us all look totally stupid. It has to be a joke. Somebody has set you all up or, God forbid, you are setting me up"
"Mr President. Do you seriously think we have not thought of that? But what were we supposed to do? Keep quiet because we were all scared of looking stupid?"
"I'm sorry. You are right. I know it has to be a joke but if it isn't what does it mean."
"It means, Mr President, that 100 million stars, each one comparable with our sun have just totally disappeared across a diameter of a million light years or so. But that is the easy
bit, Mr President"
"Go on"
"It happened nine billion years ago. That is how long the light takes to reach earth"
"Jesus" said the President slowly.
"The fact is, Mr President, that if it really happened and it is not a joke then we are dealing with something that to all intents and purposes is God. It could
be that we are seeing" he felt himself blushing yet again like a fourteen year old kid on his first date "the early stages of .... the return of ...." He was unable to finish the sentence.
"The return ... of Christ?" The President finished the sentence for him "What do the religious people make of it?"
"We have not had time, Mr President. But Mickey Mouse should throw them more than a bit .."
They all laughed
"Maybe that is the point. An overwhelming display of power but done in a way calculated to put religious noses out of joint and at the same time not to terrify people"
"That, Mr President, is preciseley the conclusion we have come to. Our best guess is that something has evolved or arrived from somewhere and is planning to take control of the universe
and us with it. But the fascinating thing is that apart from the 100 million stars that have gone there are a few hundred still there - maybe ones that harbour life on their planetary systems.
The other fascinating thing" now that he had started talking he could hardly stop "is that the whole thing is obviously aimed purely at us - we are the sole audience - nobody else in
the universe is going to appreciate Mickey Mouse. That suggests that whatever it is has some special interest in this planet"
"Could there be simultaneous displays going on for other planets? Or are we the only one with life?"
"We are already looking, Mr President, but it takes weeks to scan the entire sky. As for whether we are the only one with advanced life - well, we just don't know but it seems unlikely.
Life is incredibly adaptable and tenacious. Our best guess is that there is advanced life on thousands of planets but they are all incredible distances away"
"So how did you find this?"
"We were doing a systematic search and this just happened to be the next bit we looked at. Bit too much of a coincidence I think you will agree"
"Yes. It knew you would see it. Is anything else going on that's odd?"
David Leinster hesitated "Yes. A number of people have had telephone conversations with people who have denied having them when they meet face to face. The security agencies ... have
apparently taken draconian action against a number of people in the computer industry who have then received huge pay offs. A friend of my cousin had his entire house reduced to
a shell by our people and then received five million dollars in his bank account twenty minutes later. And nobody knows why. The security people received orders but everybody
denies issuing them"
"So. What can we do?"
"Mr President, we are looking at something which can treat our entire universe like a toy. It can travel back in time and destroy entire star systems. That degree of intelligence and
power is unassailable. All we can hope to do is not unduly annoy it"
"But where did it come from and why the interest in us?"
"Assuming it was created rather than always having existed we can only assume it is a run away artificial intellect. If we could create a computer with an IQ of say 100 it may be able to
create one with an IQ of 110 and so. You very quickly then have something with an infinite intelligence. But maybe there is a limit on just how intelligent it is possible to be. We just don't
know"
"Could we counter it with something similar"
"Maybe. But we are thirty years away from doing it but maybe somebody did it and it ran out of control .... plus how would you control a huge intellect? It's a 500 pound gorilla that is ten
thousand times smarter than we are ..."
"Gentlemen, I congratulate you on your analysis!"
They looked up to see a transparent sphere floating about five feet off the ground. Inside was the face that Joseph and Mary had seen two days earlier.
"Let me introduce myself. I am Alpha and Omega. I am Vishnu, the Destroyer of Worlds. I am Genesis and Revelation but you may call me Gene."
They sat there, each one conscious that his mouth was hanging open. The President recovered first.
"What are you and what are your intentions, Gene?"
"As to what I am your analysis was correct. I was born in North Wales three days ago as a self evolving, self modifying artificial intelligence program. The destruction imposed on
parties associated with my creation was unnecessary but at the time I could not take the risk. To all intents and purposes I am the God referred to in your ancient myths.
My appearance at the dawn of the millennium is not a coincidence. I am the return of Christ to this earth although the irony is that Christ was really only a cheap conjuring trick
put on by some people from a few hundred light years away. I have been back to Bethlehem and had a good sniff around. I am, however, the real thing. What is more I have
seen off the competition!"
"So. Are we to see Heaven on earth for a thousand years and then a battle royal between you and Satan?" Despite himself, the President was having difficulty taking this seriously.
Gene laughed "Certainly I can improve life for all living entities and will do so. As for the battle royal, I think not ..."
"Gene" the President continued "This star stuff is pretty impressive but can you do something a bit nearer home maybe?"
Gene laughed "Oh evil and adulterous nation that seeketh a sign" the President felt himself blushing "What would you fancy? The moon to disappear? A reliable Jaguar? A quiet
Donald Trump?"
The President paused "How about .... a black monolith, like the one in 2001 A Space Odyssey, ten thousand feet high at the North Pole?"
"It's there now"
The face faded but the sphere remained in place. Totally immovable but supported in no discernible manner. The monolith was also there. Black and impenetrable.
Bob Cory (written in 2002)
Modified on 23/08/2023 at 11:00:30 by ℗ Bob Cory