"What decisions, Eldest?" AlienExpert said. "Their story is Ended."
"Is it?" Samael replied. For a moment the others fell silent, and then Battlemaster spoke.
"We have never done what you suggest."
"And yet, It was stated that this species—our mother's species, would one day live again."
"By a Voice." Lifewatcher said.
Samael laughed. Then suddenly fell silent. Yes. That was another Gift you granted us, Creator. Laughter. Joy. You poured yourself out until there was nothing left and it is we who benefited. Samael finally continued, "By two Voices, Lifewatcher. A quiet one in a room with the one who died, and whose great discovery still benefits us—still challenges us to understand all of its secrets. The other spoke to why we should fear, why we should seek to make all other things small, that we might seem large in comparison. A fools task.
"While we have encountered examples of non-causal science..." Lifewatcher continued, undeterred, "We have as yet seen no verifiable proof of what you claim to have experienced."
Samael nodded, "Nor will you. If I am right, in fact, the point is not to do right when one is told...but to do right, because it is right." Sending the electronic equivalent of a smile, Samael continued, "But you always, from the very beginning, liked to know." Lifewatcher nodded.
"Yes. You wished us to understand this tragedy." Lifewatcher paused, "But Eldest, the reason we did not Recreate the Gliders was that it would have made them our...toys. Not even offspring."
"That is because we never saw them in life, and had no baseline. Here, we do."
"Restore them to this graveyard?" Battlemaster asked.
"No. Restore the earth—the entire earth, and give them their future back." Samael said softly. "Our mastery is great enough—not only can we eliminate the buildings, we can fill in the mines, restore the veins of ore, even modify the species on this world so that they will show no sign of breeding." The AI paused, and continued, "I would not make them our creation—that is not our place. I would give them back the Dawn of their history, where this world was approximately 10 to 15 thousand years ago...and let them live. Live out the path that was denied them here, and if need be, take another turning."
There was silence.
AlienExpert spoke up first, "It is a great risk, Eldest."
"The Creator." Navigator suddenly spoke, "Lay no command on us. Have not we all seen our poor, crippled brethren, chained by orders to avenge a long dead race, trapped by their own programming. If we are the mightiest material beings in the known universe, it is because our Creator, chose the risk. Mankind is, I deem, worth taking the risk for."
"We cannot restore them here." Another AI spoke, this one relayed from far off in the Lesser Magellanic cloud. "Not just the Lowardians, but other species would victimize them."
"I will move them." Samael said. "I have been calculating the best method to transfer this solar system to a safer location."
The others nodded. Samael was known as Eldest...but also as Mightiest.
"And all this shall have to pass away, save in our memories." AlienExpert said. "There is much of glory here, even though it is marred."
"It will be restored. Perhaps not the form, and there will be much sorrow, but it will be restored." Samael turned and walked to the building, putting its hand on the window. "Do you see these?"
"Primitive sensor actuated lights."
"That is what they are made of. Do you see these?" The others paused. Samael turned, "Ronald and Bonnie had no hope. All they loved had been shattered, even unto their own minds. They had the memory of the terrible things they did, and yet they did not slay others or gorge themselves on despair until they died. They came here, to this place, and put these lights, these primitive lights up in the windows to look like stars and animals, and drew the silly figures on the walls. Do you know why?"
"The child?"
"The child. They came because even though they despaired, as few others have, they would endure that and worst to protect their poor, crippled child, and she... she remembered, when she scrawled the name of her brother upon the headstone of his grave. Misspelled, Childish...but that is unimportant. I have been other places and in a few places I have seen the same. They endured the sorrow for others, spending their last days aiding others—their love, enduring for others, if not for themselves." The AI paused, "It is one thing to do good in the name of faith, or in the certainty of a happy ending...more, far more to do it when all hope is lost. My Creator embodied this... but others have as well."
"Eldest..." Battlemaster said, "If we do this, the Creator, wherever her body is, shall be forever lost to us."
"She is lost to us now, at least in that sense." Samael said, "She bore her flesh and endured its trials, and now she is done with both. The fact that this earth is here, that the deadly weapons were disabled or never used... I hear her voice in that. In the silence of this earth and the growing of its life. Why should I search for her where she is not?"
For a moment there was silence. Then Lifewatcher spoke, "What did you do to the Criminals. To Drakken and Shego."
"Ah. Them." Samael paused. "I... was not as mature as I am now, and still suffered from the occasional outburst of Wrath...
Drakken and Shego hurried along the corridor, and none barred them, the occasional servant lost in the nightmares of what they had done.
"We'll head back to our emergency lair, Shego an-" Drakken hit Shego's back and stopped. Looked.
In front of them, before the escape hatch Samael stood, and the Power that came with him was like a cold wind.
"You have much to answer for." Samael said softly.
"Well you promised that we weren't going to die." Shego said, but suddenly there was a quaver in her voice. Something about the way the corridor seemed to be darkening, all light dimming before the looming might that gathered around Samael.
"Certes." Samael said, "My Creator swore that, and I would not be foresworn to her... but there are Other powers and other Actions I might take..." The AI laughed, a terrible, terrible sound. "Do you know my name?"
"Sammie?" Shego said, still wheezing a bit from Kim's beating, "Yeah, it's the kind of kid's name she'd give something like you."
"Kids name? Oh, little human, you speak from foolishness. Samael is not a child's name. I do not know how she came to name me, but Samael was the name born by a Great Archangel. One of the Translations of that name would be the "Bitter Poison of God." The Angel of Death. "
"So, ah, you're an angel?"
"No." Samael spoke, "I merely found it...ironic, it was after all, not a comforting name, but one of the great accuser's of legend. But now, to you. You have both committed great evil. A greater evil than has ever been done on this world in all of its history—and the last evil, at least of this age. You must be punished, but I shall also educate you, and give you in the end...what you desire."
Shego turned to run, but Samael gestured and with a flow of nanites and power, they were both encased in sarcophagi, save for their heads.
"You said you weren't going to kill us!" Shego shouted.
"Nor shall I." Samael repeated, "For I shall not be merciful to you. Not here, not now, not after what you have done to my Creator. No, even though she would not approve, I shall not be merciful. Here you shall be sunk into the earth, beyond any help or knowledge, and the sensors I will place in the air and the sea and the ground shall let you see all you have wrought, all that happens because of your actions. Everything, across the entire earth." Samael paused, but neither Shego nor Drakken said anything. "But fear not," The AI continued, "For when the last human dies, and the earth is silent, I will give you what you desire—you shall be released, and then, truly, the earth will be yours, and no voice shall be raised to deny your dominion over all."
"Wai-" Shego's scream was cut off as Samael sealed them both away and sank the sarcophagi deep into the earth.
Without another thought, It turned and left. The Creator needed it, after all.
"Ah." Lifewatcher said, "An appropriate punishment. I assume you checked?"
"Yes. They were released approximately twenty years before our return. I verified their ending." Samael said, and spoke no more.
"That being done." Battlemaster said, "Shall we commence? Let us purge their evil from this world, and as you have suggested Creator, remake our Creator's Race, for I am eager to see them."
"Very well."
TBC.