The Light Rope_the Serpant Rope_ AOF dead_IAO forever
The serpent is primordial force or energy, fire and water being the principle two of creation, with air and earth following them. Because it shed it’s skin, it is seen as a symbol of regeneration and renewal. It is also dangerous, deadly, can be found often in ‘guardian’ roles near springs or water as well as deserts. When controlled or mastered, is seen as mastering a powerful and deadly, yet regenerating force, basic to creation, or possibly from which creation came.
I shed my skin again.
and allow me to re-introduce myself my name is HOVA.
I.
Extradition
Malcolm felt his body being flipped over. His face was now pushed into the cold metal of the operating table. He knew he couldn’t speak even if he wanted to, but that eventually they would find a way to make him. His body was lifeless. He had no pulse, but still had phantom feelings transmitted to him. A few doctors were surrounding his body, armed with long instruments and constantly looking back at a series of laptops that were on video conference.
“Sir we are ready.” The first doctor removed his mask
A croaky voice came over the computer speakers
“I want him preserved, just in case. Before you make the transplant, I want you to replay the black box. He had almost finished his entire report before he found out. So don’t go so far back as to get his day to day thoughts- we have those. I just want the pieces of the report”
“Yes sir.” The doctor motioned to the others to begin.
“And Del, I don’t think this needs to be said, but remember that what you’re about to hear, you didn’t hear. I think it would make both of our lives easier.”
“Understood. And as I told you yesterday, I don’t know how much we can retrieve and what quality it will be.”
The voice on the laptop laughed “let us worry about putting the pieces together.”
The second doctor was busy connecting cables into Malcolm’s skin, while the third talked into a small recorder.
“Patient 004c, time of death suspended…Body has serious structural damage…there are burns and cuts from his face to his torso. Cause of suspended life estimated to be blood loss and system corruption by a DSTD.”
Malcolm tried to make sense of everything they were saying. He prayed that they wouldn’t do it, that they would just let him die. He missed Kyoto, he missed running his fingers across the top of water, he missed the smell of Sakyo.
“Alright Major, we will being by replaying the first recordings we can find. They might not be in order. But seeing as you have the log entries you will probably know how to put them together.”
The doctor had never gotten used to all the new technology. However he did find it subtly ironic that this man’s thoughts could be discovered just by pushing the play button.
II. Recording #1 :The Shed:
The first recording abruptly started.
““Why can you see these things?”, I asked
“It’s not important that I can see them- the important thing is why you can’t.”
Kairu pointed over to a giant shelf full of dusty electronics. I knew it wouldn’t be that easy, but I made my way over to see if her uncle was as stupid as I thought he was. There was an Atari 7800, a few fax machines, a broken i-pod, and various bits of wire. For a Nanotechnician I was expecting more hi-def and modern electronics.
“This shit has got to be over 50 years old”
She paid no attention to me, and bent over to pick up a dusty large mason jar. It had a faint pale glow to it, and a few wires hanging from its side. Kairu then turned to me and gave a faint smile.
“Malcolm, there is a memory somewhere in there, swirling in that glass jar. If you can scrape away the years of grime and calcium build, you’d be able to see the bleached out image of a sunny backyard garden. He had kept that memory his entire life, without explaining it to anyone.”
I wanted her to explain what the hell she just said, but before I could ask she launched the jar into the concrete floor. Glass and the smell of sulfur exploded all over the basement. I sidestepped the clutter on the basement stairs and came to a light switch. The wattage must have been derived from the sun itself, because my pupils retreated far into the back of my eyes. Everything became too contrast, only midnight blacks and infinite whites. I closed my eyes, and it was like I hadn’t closed them at all. The negative of the room burned bright red until it became just fading television static.
“You know”, she began “he probably left all the good crap in the shed”
Kairu desperately wanted to get outside, to find her uncle’s digital stash. She wanted it all, and she wanted it quickly.
“Every second I spend in here I feel like my skin shrinks a bit”
I made my way to the porch door and notice incredible amounts of finger smears on the glass. Different hand sizes, streaking all directions, and towards the bottom at what looked like cat paws. I waited for Kairu to close the basement door before I opened the porch. The wind outside quickly found its way right through my coat. I managed to mutter a ‘fuck me’ before learning that in weather this cold, swearing only freezes your mouth quicker.
“Do you understand what it means to emerge?” Kairu spoke.
I just kept quiet, hoping that a few yards away, we would find the old man’s backup. His memetic blueprint, burned like a CD, onto disk.
They came up on the right side of the shed. It’s copper and rust sides peeked out through the grip of the snow.
“What’s that look like to you?” I asked
“A golden rectangle…You know, one that is infinitely divisible when split squared.” Kairu yelled.
I looked back at her to gauge what on earth would make her say such a thing, and noticed that behind her there was a bright trail of liquid. She was leaking something from her hands that resembled motor oil, all yellow and viscous. She was the first one of her make that he’d ever seen bleed.
“Why can you see these things” I asked
“Because I’m looking”
“Are you going to make it?”
She stopped walking and looked down at her hand
“I have no idea” she replied.
I started to walk towards her, but a curious sensation went through my body. My back began to feel warm and I suddenly felt like I was flying. I heard what sounded like an enormous can of soda being opened, and then a low pulsing bass. I flew past Kairu and landed face first into the white ground. Chunks of the exploding shed landed around me and melted its way through the snow. I wanted to move, but instead found myself slowly beginning to dream.”