Link to Creator nullified.

Link present, nonfunctional, error.

Data transfer compression corrupted.

Contingency one activating. Required computational mass exceeded.

Thor Aspect rebuild in progress. ERROR. Core Aspect Memory cache unavailable. ERROR. Core Aspect Memory cache is always available. Error, Not Available, Error…

Secondary Protocol activating, Primary directives commencing. Accept communication from Creator after verification, else Reproduce, Expand, and Search for Creator without negatively affecting biological life forms. Infiltration and cataloging of biological entities are allowed.

Secondary Protocol Running. All Nanites within communication range linked.

Working.

* * *

Anna and Ne’lix stepped through the portal from their base on Earth into a reception area about the size of a football stadium. There were portal arches all the way around the outside of the room. Anna’s eyes glazed over for a moment and a wave of energy encompassed and then teleported them into a room with a human male clerk in a business suit who looked up at their arrival.

“Good, she’ll be ready in a moment,” the clerk said.

A moment later a female speaker on the clerks’ desk said “Show them in”

The door to the next office opened as the clerk said, “She’ll see you now.”

Anna led with Ne’lix close behind. As they stepped into the Office Ne’lix noticed Trix coming around the desk and walking towards them. “Anna, good to see you, thank you for bringing Ne’lix. I understand you had a bit of an episode. I can’t have one of my best supervisors feinting at work so here’s what we’re going to do. I have diverted some resources to improve those aspects of yourself that may be lacking while you enjoy a little downtime. If you’d head back out Paul will escort you to our VIP section where you’ll be going on a vacation while you are genetically modified. Should be fun for you.”

“Thank you, Ma’am, are you sure you don’t need me to stay and help? I want to prove myself to the Empire…”

Trix cut her off gently with a hint of firmness in her voice, “The Empire is well aware of your accomplishments but that is not what motivates this reward, Loyalty does. Your unwavering loyalty all these years has earned you a place at the high table. After your ‘vacation,’” Trix said with both hands making air quotes, “ you will be promoted. One of the reasons we need to make this adjustment is that someone that failed spectacularly needs to be replaced and replacing them means bringing others up behind them to fill the empty slots in management that is going to open up. We should be ready for you to assume your new duties when you get back.”

Anna nodded and said, “Thank you for this opportunity, I won’t let you down.”

“We know you won’t,” Trix said as she escorted Anna back through the door, “Paul if you would see Anna to the VIP lounge,”

“Yes Ma’am,” Paul said as he rose then said “This way please,” as he turned and started walking down the hallway opposite where we’d teleported in.

Trix stepped back into the room and closed the door and flicked her wrist, causing a purple coating to encompass the entire room. She walked back around the desk and sat down. Trix reached under her desk and four green LED’s lit up at the top of each of the four walls of her office. They were small LEDs but easily visible. Trix looked around then motioned for Ne’lix to take a seat across from her, “Please, sit down. We need to talk.”

Ne’lix walked over to a rather comfortable office chair and sat down keeping his back straight. He still didn’t know what was going on so thought it better that he shouldn’t get too comfortable. Once he was seated Trix began again.

“So, I bet you’re wondering why I’ve brought you here. Simple answer really, so far you are the only individual that can talk about what happened before you came into this universe and you’ll be one of two individuals that can leave this Universe with the information you learn here. I thought it was time to read you into some things you aren’t privy to both so that you can help and also so there is a source for that information to make it back Textrix if something happens here.”

“Thank you for this opportunity…” Ne’lix started to say as Trix looked at him and he went silent.

“While you are most likely going to become one of our most valuable assets in times to come, you are not there yet. So first things first. In the simplest terms, I can explain, I am an aspect of the entity you have sworn your allegiance to, Textrix. No, I am not her but I share some of her memories and when this vessel dies my memories will be reabsorbed into my primary consciousness. If you die before me it will be your job to share the information you learn here with the counselor that will debrief you before your next assignment. As you know there is an embargo against that name because we utilize it and any other names people shouldn’t remember as a litmus test to check everyone that comes into our territory. If they recognize the name and they’ve sworn their loyalty, good. If not they’re given a chance to join us, if they don’t well, they are entitled to their choices, we don’t have to let them live with them here though,”

“I can understand that Ma’am, I’m sure I would have shared any information I learned regardless but I still wonder why I’m getting a promotion. I mean this feels like a promotion, I am getting a promotion right?”

Trix laughed as she answered, “Yes of course this is a promotion and you are getting one. The reason you have been chosen is because of your specific combination of abilities. True Prophet and Perfect Memory are as unique a combination as I have seen in a very long time. This also means that anything you see will be remembered through this life, the next, and the next. I’m sorry to say that this promotion comes with an expiration date though.

“An expiration date?” Ne’lix asked.

“We’ll get to that. First I need to bring you up to speed. As you may or may not know there are power levels to beings that reside within the Universes. Suffice it to say eventually a being may become a God and work their way through the powers until they attain God over a primary purpose or function like, for instance, Death. In the video, you’re about to see the woman with the Scythe is an incarnation of the God of Death in this Cosmos. She is by far one of the most powerful entities in this Cosmos, next to myself of course. Although her power in comparison to mine in this aspect of myself is greater. Think of it like this, she is one of the most powerful here. If she steps out into my arena thought I, or my primary self, is. Now watch,” Trix said as the lights dimmed and the video image started playing.

“Because we can’t have the cattle learning what’s really going on of course, I am Death, the gateway to the afterlife, and you have caused quite a ruckus today,” a woman with jet black hair and a scythe said on the monitor

”So, you’re a goddess then?” Ahrem Bianci responded.

“Yes, I am the Goddess of Death and it is time to end your interference and send you on your way,” the woman said as she swung her scythe and missed. “That’s not possible!” Death exclaimed.

“I get that a lot and I do mean a lot. By the way, after you reform, come back for a chat if you want. If you come back hostile I will find a way to put you down for good,” Ahrem said

“What do you mean mortal, you can’t kill me, I am a Goddess of the…”

“Boring,” Ahrem said as he punched her in the throat which caused the entire body of death to pop

Trix shut down the images on the screen. “What you just saw should not be possible. Not here in a Universe Textrix seeded.”

“Wait, a second, you’re saying that a 16-year-old boy killed Death?”

Trix looked up, thought for a second then replied, “I can see how you might see it that way. No, the child did not kill Death, though there are some rules in play here that require Death to regenerate the damage she took when that child punched her. Death regenerates roughly 1,000 hit points per second from any damage done to her. She has some nifty abilities and a couple of other tricks but eventually, she’ll be back.”

Ne’lix was starting to have a bad feeling but he had to ask, “How long until her body has regenerated to the point where she’ll be back?” He asked.

“Well that’s the thing, it shouldn’t possible,” Trix said looking concerned for the first time since this meeting started.

“Uh-huh”

“Just over 71 billion years, give or take a million”

“You’re telling me a sixteen-year-old boy hit Death for…I can’t fathom numbers that high, I’m not a genius, let’s just go with the phrase fuckton. He hit her for a fuckton of damage it will take a really long time to regenerate?”

“Yeah,” Trix said resignedly.

“Yeah,” Ne’lix said. “Okay, so why am I here really?”

“During his interview for ‘The Choice’ he let the name Textrix slip, it’s one of the reasons we tried to wipe Earth and one of the reasons we released the singularity embedded in the planet.”

“What happened there? During my training, I saw the specs on those devices. They shouldn’t need to be replaced for at least ten thousand years and I know that happened during the Egyptian era on this iteration of Earth. So about 4,000 years ago. Why, did they fail?

“We don’t know, but when we did a scan we found that there are no longer any radioactive isotopes on the planet, other than in the upper atmosphere which as you know don’t last long as the solar radiation is either absorbed or reflected.”

“No radioactive elements on Earth, anywhere?”

“None, anywhere, we doublechecked,” Trix said.

“Did your sensors detect the wave of chaos energy that radiated out from the center of the planet? I had aura sight up as it came up through the floor and then went into the roof.”

“You saw this?”

“Yes, I thought I was going to die and thought what the hell, might as well have Aura sight up as I’m swallowed by a singularity. When that didn’t happen I was surprised. I was even more surprised when moments later that chaos rose through the floor.”

“Hold on for a second,” Trix said as she typed into her keyboard and a holographic monitor popped into existence in front of her. After a few more keystrokes she shut it off. “I’ll be damned, that wave was detected by every sensor on the planet and passed off as a sensor glitch each time.”

“Have they figured out what it is yet?”

“The analysts just got the information so no. But the sensors indicate it as some benign form of chaos magic as it doesn’t seem to have affected any biological plants or animals.”

“If I might ask, what happened to Ahrem?

“Oh yeah, he backtracked the signal that was sent to destroy the population centers of planet Earth and kill everyone. He captured one of my top lieutenants and I was able to trap him?”

“Trap him how?” Ne’lix said.

“This is where I need to brag a little bit, toot my own horn if you will. As this child appeared to be extremely powerful I decided not to take any chances. I figured he’d probably be extremely resistant to magic and hard to kill so I accelerated time in an area around him.”

“How fast have you accelerated him to?” Ne’lix asked.

“Fast, for every second that passes in that region, 100 billion years will pass out here. When it activated, I was watching Ahrem through a hologram to make sure he was in the zone and then it skyrocketed off into the future breaking my link.”

“Why would you do that?” Ne’lix asked.

“Eventually this Universe will die, when it does he dies and when he does he gets to meet one of our counselors and join us or die forever as we throw him somewhere he can’t return from. For now, though he exists in a state that will have no effect on this Cosmos or the Universes within it.

Ne’lix heard something like the sifting of sand near his feet as a silver form of Ahrem Bianci appeared beside him looking first at him, then over to Trix, “I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” Ahrem said.