The Uplift Protocol: Hidden Legacies Issue 1

 

Issue 1: Sister Nyx’s Lullaby

 

            It was a pity I took that Typherian medic’s face. His nodes let me pass as one of them but he didn’t have clearance to know which Ayeer was on the docket for the birthing that day. Had I used any of my normal instruments I would have been discovered much sooner.—Sister Nyx

            Please, just leave out that part. Please. My sister bears enough weight!–Dexter

            The holo record cut off. After they saw Nyx’s form burst from the medical officer. The cover was blown. In all the chaos I’ll never forget the look on my mother’s face. So many things make more sense to me now. Why she was overly protective. Why she was beyond relieved when Zach and the Triplets came into the world without much fear or trouble. In comparison.—Sleeping in Starlight, a memoir of the 22^nd century

Typherian Birthing Chamber

The Arrival

October 8th, 2074

J’ino couldn’t move. That man wasn’t Typherian. She knew that now. Her twins. Their cries reached another level as the malevolent entity strode towards them. The eyes were Walker. The face rippled. The creature produced a razor-thin injector. Bright crimson fluid. It reared back in shock as the space around her son convulsed. J’ino wasn’t even able to cry out. Wasn’t able to interlink with Thomas’s ivory ring.

Their son’s mind glow cut off in an instant. He was gone.

She wasn’t even able to bend matter. To protect those precious babies.

 

Her infant girl let out a warbling shriek as the enemy plunged the syringe into her heart.

Thomas gripped the sidearm but the area around him was frozen. That thing had something to do with it. He saw his son disappear. Pulling the umbilical cord with him. Strange marks appeared on his daughter. Her spine. God help him.

He couldn’t speak. He raged. Seeing red.

He would kill that thing. If it was the last duty he ever did.

*****

Di’axi growled, “Aether! Is this the only way?!”

The J’kua nodded. The remorse was evident within his solemn gaze. “They must believe the boy dead. The sister will think nothing of the boy’s disappearance. “ He pointed a thin gray hand at the sphere behind the Sister. It was humming counter to her paralyzation field. “J’ino and Thomas will remember what actually happened. As far as their daughter is concerned.”

His device would cancel out the Sister’s memory wipe. Everyone else would be affected. The boy would remember. Because Black would make the boy remember when the time came. The sister would walk many years from this point. Carrying the results on her back. Quite literally. It didn’t bring Aether much comfort. He detested this but all readouts from the Ur Stone indicated this would be the best way to hide Black and White. Aether stated, “You must take the initial blame for this Di’axi. Say it was the only way to hide their belts. Our enemies must not realize convergence is close at hand.”

Di’axi winced as the chaos unfolded. The King’s Own bursting into the birthing chamber. The Sister was gone. Memories danced. Re-written. With only Thomas and J’ino left to pick up the pieces. The Scholar had another plan. One given to him by White herself. As a last plea before she shifted to her dormant state. <<Give the boy a tie to her memories. We will show you how. As she sleeps he will learn of her and his family.>>

*****

            Thomas cradled his wife and remaining baby. The Kings Own were shouting about an Artock attack. All records of his son were gone. He had J’ino double check. No mention of Twins. Just their little girl. What the hell was going on?!  

Her mind was dulled, the shock kicking in. >>Void walker killed my son. Did something to my baby girl. Thomas, can you see anything? I can’t hear her. Does she breathe?<<

            He removed his gauntlet. Resting his hand lightly on her chest. It was there. The rise and fall of her continued breathing. Her heart beating in time with his. Almost like she was trying to calm them down instead. The remaining cord was withered. Nearly a blackened husk. Her little eyes opened. They were the standard human setup. With clear gray irises. The sealed records would say it was a biological attack. The KO Protectorate would take this incident to the grave. He picked J’ino up, carrying her to the refresher. Wiping at her face as the silent tears fell. No one had any clue about the reality.

            Complete insanity.

            He placed various medical pads on his daughter’s back. Her little face relaxed.

            As he helped his wife from the refresher unit, with its epidermal cleansing program, he re-swaddled his daughter. Hooking her to his battle armor with a hover unit. He didn’t mind looking ridiculous. He’d put a bullet in the brain of anyone who looked at them wrong.

*****

            J’dax waved Q’vera over. >>We need to transport them. Take them back to….<<

            She frowned but understood. The Murphy homestead. J’dax stated, >>Thomas will kill anything that comes through that door right now. It doesn’t add up. I know something is out of place but it's just a hunch. <<

            His memories had been altered. He recognized that. He had been around clandestine operations enough to parse that together. But who or what allowed him to realize it?

*****

            The Curator of the Amarche nudged the thoughts of J’dax. Giving him just enough to make certain connections. So he would believe his sister later. About the reality of this event. A turning point. The cosmos wouldn’t forget even if some others did. His people couldn’t affect things on a grand scale but they could breathe on the embers. He knew why Aether had left Thomas and J’ino with this knowledge. So they could protect Eliza until her majority. If they had all been memory altered by the Sister then no one would survive that dark dream of the Weave Speakers' worse reality.

            Where Black, White, and Gray became the desolation to shake the Multiverse.

            The Weave, Unity, and all things would cease to exist. What was beyond that wasn’t meant for mortal eyes. Even the Curator knew that. He reached out. Knowing that Eliza would hear this. Via the Ur-Stone. Through their dark matter ties.

The Jupiter Rising

Command Room

July 8^th, 2104

 

            I kept rewatching the holo record. By the fourth pass I blurted out, “That’s mostly fake.”

            Dad was relieved. Mom pensive. Dexter was pacing about the room. Not looking at anyone. I wish I could explain but I continued onward as best I could. “The Amarche let J’dax realize that the memories were false. No wonder people didn’t think I had a twin brother at first. Even after his Dawnbreaker appearance. Explains why Typha thinks he’s a younger brother as well.”

            Mom muttered, “It’s why our enemies won't see you BOTH.” I sent a burst of love through my empathetic link. “Nyx was there. Pulling an experiment.

            Di’axi relayed a message.

            ///It was the only way.///

            I pulled off my deep blue flight jacket. Unhooked the white pullover shirt under that.

            Walked over to a wall display, “Mirror!”

            Doc inquired, “Anything different?” Her voice was tight. On edge.

            I glanced at the holovid. Using my dark matter sight on it. Amarche everywhere. The Curator’s face filled the screen. His voice reached out to me. “Soon the memory cloaking will fade. You will both need to be ready when that happens. Set knows the truth but wants to build his empire. Then harvest you and your brother. To challenge and kill Unity himself.”

            Lovely. I examined my chest. Using the Amarche’s gift there as well. I could see the old mark where she had buried the syringe. Grandmother was behind mom. Hugging her. They had known what would happen. But from what source? The buzzing cascaded through my brain.

            Not yet. You see too far. Quietly now.

            Keeper blood flowed through my veins. Along with J’kua and samples of what I assumed to be the angelic embryo contribution. White confirmed another suspicion I had. She said, <<We used a majority of your node network, grafted it onto your brother, to pull him from that room. Black and I crippled you.>>

            I smiled. Not with sadness but relief. Replying audibly, “You saved us that day.”

            What could have we done as babies? Mom and dad had been put in a vise as well. Not able to take direct action. An ugly thought formed, “Nyx prefers that children know they are helpless. That paralyzing setup doesn’t work on babies, toddlers, or the very young.”

            Mom choked back a sob.

            Dad’s fingers twitched. Like he wanted to reach for his khopesh.

            I fixed my shirt. Donning the flight jacket once more.

            “Looks like we will be other homeward bound.”

            I showed them the official summons as it hit my INet Account.

///By the Council of Houses and the Rites of Blood, you are hereby summoned to add your voice to our glorious tapestry.///

            The rest of it was wild. From some sort of grandstanding of genetic potential, harem proposals, pre-arranged skills testing. Demi fluctuations. They wanted to know why I had some Typherian abilities vs what was seen in humans. Most of them thought it was an elaborate ruse. So mom could continue to slum it on Earth?!

            What? Was dad just a dalliance, in their eyes, oh no. That would not fly.

            My eyes widened.

            “How many requests for donations? Is this what guys feel like going to a sperm bank?”

            Mom made a sound between growling and dismayed keening.  I repositioned my Jupiter Rising cap. “Well isn’t that just lovely?  Guess I'll have to be a bit more southern than expected! Bless those House Hearts. “

            I would begin with some fireworks and Gulliver joined in.

            His orange duck bill opened with vigorous quacking.

            <<I like the way your mind works Hot Sause!>>

            I bowed to grandma, “Operation American Hospitality is a go!”

            Grandma Ayeer kissed mom on the head.

Before replying, “Go for The Moon, my dear. All of it.”

I turned to Doc, “They really think I am just rolling around in the hay with you? Come on.”

Her eyes burned with anger. I asked Grandma, “Anything I can put on Lorain to tell those inbred ingrates of solar tiered insulated foam cups that she’s mine? Along with a way I can tell them to go to the ends of the universal soul burn in one go?”

Mom giggled. M’taris replied, “Oh yes. I suspected you’d react that way so when you get off the ship in style…they will know and you can rub their noses in it.”

I picked Doc up caveman style, “I have only one consort.” I even beat my chest with my other arm.

Dad shared a look with mom. I added, “Plus I do like INet’s Idea of a Human House.”

*****

Thomas Murphy was indeed a happy man.

He noticed Eliza staring and they both said, “Jar!” That would be the motto. Dexter finally turned. His face relaxed. His sister had taken the real news better than he thought. A small part of him realized that he should have more faith in her. They were twins after all. He had a feeling whatever plans she had for the Houses and their marriage vs harem rules would be to the benefit of himself, his dad, and all the other House males. Even the Commons followed certain regulations. For example, there weren’t any official records of House to Commons unions. Some Commons had married into Houses though. Based on genetic viability. As X’mil’s failed cohorts called it. Black brought him up short, <<That’s because Set has the hooks that deep, in C’alain’s era things weren’t this wild. People could choose.>>

Dexter wasn’t going to relish heading to their other ‘home’.

*****

            Mom wouldn’t let me access more of the add-ons to the message but I got the hunch that the Commons were a “One and Done” union. In terms of husbands, wives, or even unions with other compatible species. Like humans. Not solely for breeding purposes. The Houses were very insular with each other. My mind was a jumble as I blurted out, “So they inbreed even worse than soap opera royals shows?”

            Grandma nodded. “X’mil and his clan are the worse offenders. E’ratha herself is a product of unfortunate breeding to most civilized worlds.”

            I winced. My face scrunched up by the mere thought of it. “Why? To breed super-duper level Typherians?”

            She replied, “Precisely. Ones more malleable by certain forces.”

            But overall this explained why mom wasn’t interested in showcasing Typherian Houses.

            So I turned to another avenue. “Samantha said we had some recovered Typherians aboard. Should I save that for later?”

            Mom eyed me, “Oh yeah. I want you to be a horse stepping on glass upon landing. If anything I wish House setups were like the Commons. It’d be healthier.”

            Y’lansa’s mother would remain within Project Freefall. We had to figure out how to cleanse her system of whatever virus Set put inside her. But after the fallout of initial House explosions, I’d have lots of questions.

The Deep Abyss

Nullship 35563

Sister Nyx stared. Replaying the records of Hilary’s betrayal. There had to be more than that. She knew the hybrid resented Chronos but some twinge within the data made her wonder. Why free her rival’s mother? Why even care about the others within the ship. Brookes had never been much for mercy. Everything in her life had been calculated. Her cross scar burned as her fingers danced over the records. Each holo recording relayed the same images. Hilary coming in. Opening the maze. Releasing the hold on the human experiment on the table. Then going through corridors. Downloading data then destroying it. The human aspect still stewing in the hybrid wouldn’t throw off variables that much? Would it?

Padding on the slick surface brought her attention to her favorite subject. Its yellowed Artock eyestalks staring at her with abject love. “Mother.” She patted it on the head. “Go plant more flowers. Help them grow!” The mutated son bowed. He had been birthed from her private collection. He was aware of the honor. It nuzzled her hand and galloped off on all fours. Bred to be very proficient at slaying Bardaxians. Her favored son would get the chance very soon.

*****

            Set possessed the body of E’ratha’s brother.

Technically half brother. He glanced at her slumbering form. The choice would be made soon. Once Eliza and her brother gained control of the Throne mantle, he would activate his Sleepers. Typha would serve its purpose. Unlike the All-Father, he didn’t mind losing some pawns if he managed to gain the King and Queen. He rose, donning his discarded clothing, and exited. Must keep up appearances. E’ratha’s House would be the perfect cover.

Everyone hated them anyway. 

Prologue: Here

Issue 2: Here