“Wow, that was good thinking on his part.” Justin said.
Gar asked, “Who?”
Justin realized he had been standing in the middle of the command floor next to Gar throughout this episode. “Sorry. EB’s teleportation made me ill, but this fixed it. Now, what did you need me for?”
Gar pointed at the large screen. Two windows were open with paused video feeds. “The Southern Peaches League sent this to us. I don’t know if it is dangerous or not.”
“Show me.” Justin said, and a robot activated the screens.
A news reporter spoke, “Earlier today, Clem Boyle and Jeremy Rutherford were hunting in Habersham County in North Georgia, and they claimed to have had an encounter with a strange beast. Clem Boyle sustained severe lacerations and is in the county hospital. Jeremy claims he shot the creature, but also claims it turned into a dark mist and left. Authorities are uncertain whether this is a genuine case of a superhuman being or a hoax to cover illegal hunting. Doctors have yet to comment on the injuries. The local superhero league, Southern Peaches, has also investigated in case this is a superhuman event; they have only said they cannot make a conclusion yet. Authorities advise that no one should go into the woods in Habersham until the situation clears.”
The video ended.
Justin turned his attention to another screen that had a stylized peace emblem spinning on it. It beeped, and then the face of a woman appeared.
“Agent Justin, did you see the report?”
“I just watched the news broadcast, I haven’t read any reports. Do you have anything more than what the news relayed?”
The woman shook her head, “Not yet. We have used every sensor we have and we can find a mildly elevated morphonic background signal, but nothing to worry about. Sprinter has run all over the forests in the area and found nothing unusual.”
Justin said, “This feels like a hoax.”
“I would have said that too, and not bothered you with this, but there is one thing that really bothers me.” She said, “I spoke to both of the men involved... they told me what they saw. With a few minor differences, their descriptions are nearly identical. And they describe the encounter with nearly identical stories too.”
“You spoke to them separately?” Justin asked.
She nodded, “Yes. It took some doing to get the hospital to talk to me. But, yes. I did. Look, I took a journalism course at Georgia Tech. This has the hallmark of a true story; both tell almost the same thing, but with enough differences to make it believable. And I know the doc said they weren’t drunk at all. I think they really saw something, and if it is like they described, it is one heck of a strange critter.”
Justin said, “That is worrisome. Are you sure they didn’t just make sure this story was believable?”
She laughed, “Listen, I know these kinda country boys. They ain’t all that clever. If they wanted to get outta being nabbed for illegal hunting, they would’ve just gone home and tried treating their injuries at the house and then said they had an accident on the farm or something. This is too wild and too precise. I think we should keep looking into it.”
Justin nodded, “Okay. Keep looking and send all your scan data to us, everything you get. I won’t raise any alerts yet, but we will monitor this.”
“Of course. Peach out,” the signal ended.
Gar asked, “What do you think this is?”
“I don’t know. We’ve had several months of relative peace since the Drocha incident. Something crazy was bound to happy. Let’s hope if this is some morphonic person, they turn out to be a minor threat.”
“Should we tell Nova?”
Justin shook his head, “Not yet. He has his work to do and said he doesn’t want to be bothered unless it’s a genuine disaster. This isn’t a disaster yet. One reason we have leagues out there is to deal with minor issues on the field without having to involve BADGE too much. We’ll aid them, but let’s leave them to this and hope it doesn’t turn into a disaster. Nova can focus on his own work.”
After leaving the inauguration of a new league in Port Angeles, Washington State, Nova headed for a special meeting with an old friend. A BADGE shuttle landed in the parking lot of the TACC building in Austin, Texas. It was no longer a part of the college, as it had become the residence of the Oracle of Tech, a strange being crafted by the morphons through a man. However, students from the university came and went from the building as usual.
Nova walked in and navigated through the halls. It seemed like any other computer lab until he got closer to the back. Computer tech had grown into the walls like moss creeping up stone walls. By the time he reached the door to the supercomputer room, the hall was entirely tech, and the door had a forcefield that buzzed with words written on it, Domain of the Oracle of Tech.
“I need to see the Oracle.” Nova held up his ID.
The voice of the oracle spoke around him. “I’m aware of your arrival. Come in.”
The forcefield shut down, and he was allowed in. He walked through the nearly alien environment that was like stepping into the heart of a computer. Men and women walked around, looking at monitors and interacting with it. In the back of the room, seated on a throne of tech, was a white-haired professor who was partially metallic and connected to the computer with cords and tubes.
Nova approached and said, “Dr. Hermes, or do you prefer Oracle of Tech?”
“Either. But for friends, you can call me Dr. Hermes. Since I became bonded with this, the avatar of tech has become something more, a being combined with myself. I have grown as a being beyond that which we call human. I am part of the machines, part of the morphons themselves. However, the avatar inside me has grown to understand emotions and life as an organic being. We are... one.”
Nova said, “I’m glad you seem pleased with your circumstances. I was hoping you could answer some questions for me.”
“You want to know about the Malevolence.”
Nova felt genuine surprise. “Yes. Did Santa come to visit you? He suggested you probably know more about it than the Vexillians.”
“He is correct; I know more than any other living being. However, he did not come to seek my knowledge. I have a connection to all tech. I know what you have researched.”
“You’ve been spying on my search history.” Nova dryly joked.
Dr. Hermes smiled, “I cannot help it. As the Oracle of Tech, I am connected to all tech. But I am an observer only. However, in this matter, I wish to be a little more. An advisor.”
“Go ahead.”
“Morphons permeate this universe, but mostly it is very mild. Humans call it dark matter, not knowing exactly how to describe that which they truly cannot see with all their tech until recently.”
Nova said, “I know this. You’ve told me this before.”
“There is more. Where there is light, there is also shadow. Since the beginning of the morphons, there has been an element in this universe that is the darkness left in the path of the morphons. We cannot truly understand it because it is so contrary to our nature. All we can know is that it is a seeking darkness, a vicious monster that wants to exist in our reality, but cannot without help.”
“Who would help them?” Nova asked.
“Drocha began the process to help them. Dark morphons, a bastardization of the morphon particle. That is what they want: their own existence. Without it, they cannot thrive in this universe.”
“If they can’t live here, where are they?”
Dr. Hermes said, “We... do not know. It is not possible for us to see them, as they are our opposite in all natures.”
“Are they a threat?” Nova asked.
“They are a threat, but we do not know how much of one. Drocha started something that might have died with his failed plan, or he might have ignited something we cannot see yet. What I can tell you is that we feel something has shifted; something dark is out there. It could be entirely unique and not related to them, but it has touched all the avatars and we are all worried it could be the dark morphons.”
“How worried?” Nova asked.
“We call it The Malevolence for a reason. It doesn’t just want to exist, it wants to dominate. It wants to supplant the morphons with its dark and foreboding purpose. This world has experienced a level of morphonic activity like few places and has experienced it the longest ever. If the Malevolence is seeking to find existence, the good fortune of your world might just be the bait they cannot resist.”
“What would they try? What should I watch out for?” Nova asked.
Dr. Hermes said, “The Malevolence has tried before to exist, but it can only thrive in this universe for a short period before having to go back to wherever it lives. Therefore, it needs hosts, dark oracles. It might even try to take over one of the avatars. So, be mindful of strange behavior.”
Nova refrained from commenting on how to define strange behavior, considering the strangeness of daily life for some people. “Can you help?”
Dr. Hermes looked down and then gave a soft shake of his head. “The Avatars of the Morphons have always been observers. We hold no power over each other, and we cannot assert dominance, otherwise we risk turning dark ourselves. Thus, we cannot interfere, only advise. I wish... we could do more.” Nova realized these were the sad words of Dr. Hermes more than the avatar living in his body.
Nova said, “Thank you, I may have more questions.”
Dr. Hermes waved his hand, and Nova’s comm unit buzzed. “You now have a direct connection to me.”
“Thank you.” Nova turned to leave.
Dr. Hermes said, “Something dark is out there; that much we are certain of. Be careful, my old friend.”
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