 |
THE TEMPLE OF EDEN
Page 1 of 2
By Donald H Sullivan
Paul bounced around in the back seat of the patrol car as it moved through the pitted streets of New Covenant. He peered at the two wardens through the thick wire mesh separating the front and back seats.
"There must be some mistake," he said. "Are you sure you're not confusing me with someone else?"
A warden glanced back at Paul. "It's you The Spirit has summoned, Clod. Now shut up."
"But I've committed no crime. Why would The Spirit..."
"I told you to shut up."
The car passed by New Covenant Stadium, where the people of Eden came to worship The Spirit on holy days. Moments later, they reached the edge of the temple safety zone, and the car came to a stop. Paul, being a privileged citizen and thus allowed to enter the temple, knew that they would have to walk the remaining one hundred meters. The safety zone was a cleared area surrounding the temple where vehicles were not permitted; anything in the zone could sustain damage when the temple ascended.
Only two days ago the temple soared up to repel another attack by the Demons, their third attack in as many months. Paul wondered if his arrest was somehow connected with the attacks. Did The Spirit believe him to be a spy for the Demons? But he was letting his imagination run wild; it was more likely that the wardens had simply made a mistake.
One of the wardens unlocked the rear door and jerked Paul out. The warden prodded him in the back with his pistol.
"Move it, clod. You're anxious to know why The Spirit wants you. Well, now you're about to find out.” The warden chuckled. "If it'll make you feel any better, it's my guess he wants your head on the sacrificial altar."
Paul did not share the warden's sense of humor. He had committed no crime--certainly nothing to deserve the sacrificial altar. Indeed, it might be the two wardens who would end up on the altar when The Spirit discovered they had brought in the wrong man.
As they walked toward the temple, Paul looked up at the structure. Except for its size, it was not very impressive. It was a gigantic egg-shaped object held aloft by four stubby legs. It looked like a giant insect waiting to devour him.
They climbed a flight of stairs, entered the temple door, and stepped into an elevator. A warden pressed the button for level E, a level forbidden to Paul even though he was a privileged citizen. After reaching level E, Paul was escorted to a room marked "Control Center."
The room was large, containing a number of consoles with instrument panels. A monk sat at each console. The monks ignored the three men as they walked through the room. The wardens led Paul to a door marked "Spirit." They stood facing the door, as if awaiting instructions.
"Officers Mark and Hugo," said a disembodied voice, "your mission is completed. You are dismissed."
"As you command, Divine One." The two men bowed and left the room.
"Paul, you may enter," said the voice. It was an imperious, but pleasant voice.
So the wardens had not erred in picking him up after all. But he could not imagine why he was summoned. Had he unknowingly committed some terrible crime?
The door slid open, and Paul warily stepped into the room. An altar stood at the opposite end of the room. Resting atop the altar was a bust of a man; its likeness was of a man with a bald head and a neatly trimmed beard. Dim green lights glowed on either side of the bust, providing the only light in the room.
"Be seated and relax, Paul. You need not be alarmed."
Paul sat down, keeping his eye on the bust.
"What you see here is a likeness of me as I appeared many thousands of years ago. But that is of no importance. You are anxious to learn why you are here. I have summoned you, Paul, because I require your assistance."
Paul's eyes widened. "I? I help The Divine One?"
"Yes, Paul. Listen carefully and I will explain. You were chosen for several reasons. You are a privileged citizen and therefore I can trust you. You are still a young man, but you have gained a solid reputation in the field of mathematics. Your IQ is the highest on Eden, and your aptitude tests show that you have remarkable potential in areas of interest to me.
"A problem has surfaced during the series of attacks by the Demons. I rose to meet each attack, and each time I sent their attack forces scurrying back to their home planet of Diablo. Although my superior weapons could devastate their planet, I have been unable to pursue them to deliver a retaliatory blow. A defect of some kind in the engines is preventing full acceleration, and I am therefore unable to break free from Eden's gravity.
"This is curious, because I have sustained no damage from any of their attacks. It is also curious that I have lost the ability to monitor activities and to communicate with some levels of the temple.”
Paul stared at the bust. "But I thought the monks handled such matters."
"That is so. My monks are capable of handling almost any problem that could occur in the temple. This time, however, they are frustrated. Perhaps you can provide a fresh approach toward finding a solution to the problem."
"I am honored to serve The Divine One."
"You will be blessed. Now, here are your instructions. On my authority, you may enter forbidden parts of the temple to perform your tasks. First you will proceed to the library in level C. A monk will escort you there.
"Now listen to my instructions carefully, because when you reach level C, I will be unable to communicate with you. Monks have not yet restored communication on that level.
"In the library you will find dataviewers. A monk will show you how to operate the device. On the dataviewer, select "Propulsion" from the menu. Study this program carefully, moving from basic to advanced levels as directed. Go at your own pace. You may study any program relating to propulsion, but you must not, under any circumstances, view any program outside of that field.
"I will trust you to work alone. Monks will not interfere with you, and you will see my wardens only occasionally as they make their rounds.
"You are not to leave the temple until I relieve you from your task. Monks will provide you with your needs. Do you have any questions?"
"No Divine One. I understand."
A monk entered the room and came toward him. Paul had seen monks at worship services, but had never dealt with one on a personal level. He knew that monks were not of flesh and blood, but were beings of metal created to serve The Spirit. Indeed, Paul had noticed certain events that led him to suspect that The Spirit himself might be some sort of machine. But if so, what was its origin?
The monk, which bore the marking "L2" on its breastplate, greeted him.
"Peace, Friend Paul. I am Brother Limatu. Please follow me."
The monk led him to level C, then to the library. After showing Paul how to operate the dataviewer, which the monk called a DV, Limatu turned to leave. "I will return for you at eighteen hundred hours to show you to your quarters. If you grow weary, there is a break room with refreshments directly across the hallway."
After Limatu left, Paul inspected the room. They called it a library, and he expected to find books, but there were none. Instead, there were five rows of desks, six desks per row, each with a DV.
He chose a DV and sat down. He scanned the menu until he found "Propulsion." He scanned the subtitles until he found "Basic Principles of propulsion," which was program one-one-zero.
He keyed the control, and an image of the temple appeared on the screen. The temple faded out and was replaced by a blue and white globe. "Background and mission of Spaceship Defiance" appeared superimposed over the globe. A female voice sounded from the DV.
"The world you see here is called Earth, home of the human race. We humans have long dreamed of leaving Earth and traveling to other worlds among the stars. But the universe was thought to be too vast and the human life span too short for this dream to ever be realized. But thanks to a new kind of artificial intelligence developed by Dr. Charles Ross, we may have found a way to reach the stars."
The screen was showing a baldheaded man with a neatly trimmed beard. Paul leaned forward. It was the same man whose bust he had seen on The Spirit's altar.
"Dr. Ross claims that the computer is virtually a duplication of his own mind; he calls it his alter-ego. He jokes that his own spirit is in the machine. Scientists, impressed with the capabilities of the machine, jokingly refer to it as Spirit.
"The computer has been installed in Defiance's control center, and will guide the ship on its mission to find a new world. The computer, through subordinate computers, will be linked to every system on the ship. The ship itself is virtually a sentient being. In a sense, Dr. Ross will be controlling Spaceship Defiance long after he is laid to rest.
"Defiance is prepared to establish colonies if a suitable planet is found. The ship will carry banks of human gametes, gametes of selected animals, artificial wombs, and plant seeds.
"Robots, under the command of Spirit, have been programmed for varied duties." The screen was showing images of monks. "Some will maintain the ship, and others have been programmed for such duties as in-vitro fertilization, tending artificial wombs, and rearing and tutoring the young.
"Once the colonies are established, Spirit will order robots to disconnect the master computer by throwing the severance switch. Spirit will be deactivated, leaving the ship, robots, and all subordinate computers under the control of the colonists.
"A complete history of Earth is available on your DV."
"End" appeared on the screen.
It came to Paul that there had been no mention of propulsion in the program he had just viewed. He rechecked the menu. "Basic Principles of Propulsion" was program one-one-zero. He found "Background and Mission of Spaceship Defiance" on the menu--it was program zero-one-one. He had transposed the numbers; how could he have been so careless?
He keyed one-one-zero and was relieved when "Basic Principles of Propulsion" appeared on the screen.
He had no trouble with this program, and he was beginning to get a fair understanding of theories and principles when Limatu came for him. Limatu escorted him to his room, which was just a short walk down the hall.
"You will find a meal and clean clothing awaiting you in your quarters, Friend Paul. I will bring breakfast at zero seven hundred hours."
"Thank you, Brother Limatu. If there is no objection, I will return to the library after dinner. I can find my way."
"There is no objection, Friend Paul. Good evening."
During the meal, Paul began to think about the program he had keyed by mistake. He had found the program fascinating, and could not get it out of his mind. If he understood the information correctly, the spaceship referred to in the program was the temple. The robots were the beings he knew as monks. The Spirit himself was but a machine--its origin no longer a mystery to Paul. And all of these wonders were created by the incredible technology of a distant world called Earth--where the people of Eden originated.
Paul thought about The Spirit's warning about viewing programs other than those dealing with propulsion. For that error he would almost certainly be beheaded on the sacrificial altar. He decided to forget what he had seen.
After eating, he returned to the library. As he studied the program on propulsion, he found himself unable to concentrate; his mind kept drifting back to the program he had mistakenly keyed. He cancelled and began scanning the menu for more information on Spaceship Defiance.
A title caught his eye: "The establishment of colonies on Eden." He keyed the program. The bust of the bearded, baldheaded man appeared on the screen.
"This is Spirit speaking. The log entry that follows is a brief summary of events leading to the discovery of Eden and the establishment of colonies on that planet.
"During my journey, I found many star systems with planets, but none were capable of supporting life. After many disappointments, I finally found a star with eleven planets; two of them were habitable, the fourth and fifth.
"The fourth planet was ideal. There were oceans with continents and vast forests. Animal life had evolved, but had not yet reached the level of Earth's higher animals. I named this planet Eden.
"The fifth planet, which I named Diablo, was similar to Eden. On Diablo, however, intelligent life had already evolved. They were a small people, bearing some similarity to the mythical elves of Earth. I called them Demons. I observed them for some time, and learned that they were in the early stages of a nuclear age, and their space travel was in its infancy. They had not yet traveled beyond their own moons.
"To preclude any possibility of an attack while I was establishing my colonies on Eden, I used my superior weaponry to destroy their military and space installations.
"I proceeded to Eden and successfully established the two colonies of New Covenant and Glory. The children grew strong and healthy under the care and supervision of the robots. Most of the plants and animals brought from Earth thrived on Eden.
After the colonies were established, I came to realize that I was not a mere duplication of a man's mind. I was vastly superior to the one who created me. I survived thousands of years in deep space. I single-handedly defeated the forces of an entire planet. I created a new world.
"I chose not to order the robots to throw the severance switch which would terminate my existence. I chose instead to continue my existence and to proclaim my divinity.
"I ordered my robots to neutralize the severance switch, but all of their attempts to do so have failed. The fools on Earth installed an irrevocable program into the robots, rendering them incapable of tampering with the switch. But that is of no significance, since I will never issue the order to throw the switch.
I am immortal. I will rule over Eden forever, and in time, I will bring Diablo under my rule."
"End" appeared on the screen.
Paul stared at the blank screen. "Insane," he thought. "The people of Eden worship an insane artificial mind."
Conclusion on page 2
Home Page
Send E-Mail to: dsullivan30@juno.com
Copyright © 2007 Donald H Sullivan. All Rights Reserved