Allan Ashinoff - The Vostok Revelation

To make matters worse, billions of people had witnessed the enigmatic shapes as they went about doing whatever it was they were determined to do. Every city on Earth and every colony off-Earth was now demanding answers that no one in the Federation could yet provide. Director Serrano knew that the Federation, her Federation, had never looked so inept and ill prepared.

“Madam Director, we have reports of a ‘man-shadow’ traveling overland in southern Mozambique.”

“Do we have confirmation that this ‘man-shadow’ is one of the entities we are tracking?” Director Serrano tried not to let the futility she felt come out in her voice.

“Madam Director, the sighting just missed our satellite window. Another satellite will pass over the African continent in twenty-three minutes.”

“What about our assets? Can we get a team on this one?”

“A team in Johannesburg, led by University professor Akani Pillay, has already been put on alert and is awaiting your order.”

“Do we have an idea of where this entity is heading?”

“If the previous entities are any indication, this entity may be going to Enki’s Calendar. It’s the only ancient ruin in directly in its path.”

It was a gamble but the logic was sound. Each of the entities came out of the ocean and moved directly toward the site of an ancient ruin. Each entity, as the one in Mozambique currently was, moved at a consistent speed of seventeen kilometers per hour, only slowed slightly when an obstruction stood in its path. At its current pace the entity would reach the ruin in approximately six hours. By air, the team from Johannesburg could be at Enkis Calendar in less than three hours.

A knowing half-smile spread across Director Serrano’s lips, “Deploy Pillay and her team. I want them in the air in less than an hour.”

November 2239, 58km Northwest of Maputo Mozambique

The entity arrived at Enki’s Calendar precisely six hours after it had emerged from the Indian Ocean. As it entered the ruin it quickly determined that none the five humans pointing small handheld devices in its direction, including the one emitting electromagnetic fluctuations with an approaching satellite far overhead, were a threat to its mission.

Halting in the center of the dilapidated structure, the entity’s appendages began to absorb into its torso. The thick mass of black matter began to contract, stretching taller, until only a thin three meter black wire rigidly stood on end before the stunned team of scientists from Johannesburg.

Seconds passed before the wire slipped into the soil leaving only a slight fifteen centimeter pillar to mark its location.

Recovering, the scientist hastened to setup their equipment. In an instant a half-dozen tripod mounted devices established a perimeter. Each scientist pulled a cable with them as they took position behind their upright portable barricades a few meters away. With vigilant eyes fixed on what once was the entity, the scientists worked their tablet screens to initialize as many data gathering tests as possible before something unexpected happened again.

Beneath the feet of the frantic scientists the wire grew thinner and thinner as it continued stretch deeper into the soil. On the exposed tip of the wire four slender black petals formed and silently unfolded.

November 2239 0200, Private chambers Director Serrano, Utopia City

Ian awoke to Josefa’s frigid ass firmly nuzzling into his groin. It was 0310. He had fallen asleep. Thirty-five minutes passed before Josefa’s breathing shallowed and became regular and Ian Sanderson felt confident enough to extract himself her bed without waking her.

The Director of the Federation had slipped from under his arm more than an hour ago having been awakened by her tablet’s message notification chime. Feigning slumber, he watched her don her robe and walk from the bedroom. Nude, he had quietly slipped out of bed and discretely peered around the bedroom door frame. Whatever roused the most powerful woman on the planet from her warm bed in the middle of the night had to be important. The spy had returned to Josefa’s bed. If it was important, Ian had to try to find out what it was and get it to the Americans.

Ian moved silently across the bedroom to Josefa’s mahogany chiffonier. He quietly slid open his drawer and reached beneath his change of clothes to extract a stick of gum. Moving across the living room, he navigated around the enormous sunken couch toward the Director’s private office. Pausing before the office door, he slipped the stick of gum into his mouth and began to chew, the kinetic motion activating the nanites in the gum.

Ian entered Josefa’s office, quickly moved around her Bacote executive desk and opened the left middle drawer. He withdrew the Director’s tablet, placed it on the desk top, and then flattened the gum from his mouth on the tablet screen. Ten seconds crawled by before Ian collected the gum, placed the tablet back into the drawer, and returned to Josefa in bed.

Washington Township, Colorado Territory, Midwest Region, North American Rocky Mountains

November 2339. 0500 Hours.

“Obviously there is something about what these machine are doing that has purpose. Big, small or microscopic, all machines follow a written program. They don’t think. No matter how complex or independent a machine’s actions may appear, those actions are always dictated by a routine or algorithm placed into its memory by someone.” Jerry Warneke concluded as he paused the video footage of the Federation’s last encounter with what they called the entity.

“Nothing about these things has been obvious, Jerry. We’ve seen all of this before, only in different geographical locations. Even the Fed’s actions and results have yielded the same data. We, and they, still have no idea what these things are.” Chuck O’Brian blurted out, annoyed to have been pulled from his bed before sunrise.

“Actually, we know quite a bit about these things. AndI think Jerry may have a point.” Kathy, the Science Adviser to the Executive of the American Republic, said nursing a cup of coffee. “We already know that these things are primarily comprised of nanites, microscopic robotic devices. To date nothing we’ve seen them do, no matter how remarkable, indicates any degree of sentience. In fact, the repetition of their actions, no matter how remarkable those actions have been, suggests an orchestrated predefined purpose.”

“Kat, you can’t really believe…”

“Chuck, if we were to attempt to travel outside of our galaxy, to explore yet unknown worlds with unknown atmospheres would we send people or complex and highly adaptable robots?”

The head of the Republics Intelligence team hid his mouth by blowing on and then sipping his coffee.

“If that is the approach we would take then why wouldn’t another intelligent life-form do the same to explore our planet? Is it so hard to believe that an advanced civilization that is already traveling the stars, visiting worlds, could possess more sophisticated and adaptable robots than we possess or perhaps even conceive?”

“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic,” Jerry smiled proudly.

“I’m not calling what these things are doing magic,” Chuck snapped at Jerry testily. “Whatever the hell they are, my gut is telling me that they are up to no good. We have zero control or influence in this situation. Hell, we’re forced to rely on stolen information to know anything about this at all.”

“Speaking of stolen information,” Kathy lifted her tablet, tipped it toward the flat screen on the wall,“this is footage was acquired only six hours ago. Three additional orbs arrived and then merged into the machine that spiked into the ground at Enki’s Calendar. Eleven minutes after the final merger the location, not the region, just the immediate area surrounding Enki’s Calendar, suffered ground tremors.”