STAR TREK: Austin Powers
Behind the Curtain
At the bowels of an ordinary brick building the city of Pitsburg...
The elevator door opened and Saxon, with Austin Grayson right behind him, stepped off the elevator and into the Server room. A large black tower was in the center of the room. Ringing the room were several desks that had very sophisticated computer stations including what appeared to be gas-morphic screens and projected keyboards.
"What is it this?" Austin asked softly as he followed Saxon to the Server.
Saxon offered a seat for Austin to sit on, and then he too sat down in a chair next to Austin.
"We don't exactly know all the answers." Saxon said as he looked at the tower.
"It looks like one of those goofy fake computers you see on a silly SCIFI channel movie." Austin said.
"Do you mean like that moronic movie Megashark vs Crockasaurus?" Saxon asked with a chuckle.
"Yeah," Austin said, and both of them began to laugh.
"I liked that movie," Saxon finally admitted through tears of laughter.
"I did too," Austin admitted as well.
"Actually," Saxon said, as he dried his tears of laughter, "not much is known about this thing; we call it the Server."
Austin watched as Saxon stood up and walked over to the main interface. He executed some commands on a virtual keyboard that was displayed for him to use. Suddenly the out shell of the Server opened up.
"This outer part has been constructed over the past sixty to seventy years." Saxon said as it opened. "What I am about to tell you is so top secret not even the President knows about it."
"Why not," Austin said, "I'm not much into politics, but he seems more honest than the last guy."
"The new Presidents come in honest, even George W," Saxon explained, "and if they get a second term, then they find out about things that the public isn't aware of and they learn to toe the line. The lost continent of Atlantis, Bigfoot, UFOs, the real secret to the success of Justin Bieber; topics that are so sensitive, they are kept classified because knowledge of the facts would scare society. But as for this thing," Saxon said, pointing at the strange device, "I am not so sure we would have wanted them to have access to the Server."
The outer shell opened all the way up to reveal a glowing circle shaped object that looked like nothing more than an oversized Frisbee. It pulsated and made a soft, deep, constant noise, almost like humming.
Saxon imputed another command. Then he sat back in his chair next to Austin.
"It is pretty cool looking." Austin offered. "So what do you know about it?"
"Well, it's better told as a story." Saxon said as room slowly darkened and very detailed images were projected on what was the ceiling and walls around them. It was as if Austin, in his chair, and Saxon, in his, were floating in space, heading towards Earth.
"It all began when an object fell from the stars and hit the Earth, hard." Saxon said.
"Is this some computer animated cartoon?" Austin asked.
"Umm, no," Saxon said, "what we are watching was recorded by the Server. These images are at least 50 thousand years old. Do you always ask questions like this at the movies?" Saxon asked with a chuckle.
"Not usually." Austin said.
FLASH BACK BEGINS as SAXON continues the story…
(We know it was at least that long ago because of where it hit; Arizona. You can see as we slowly descend through the clouds that Arizona was much different than it is now. Instead of the barren desert, there were lakes, and many kinds of trees and animals. Camels, Saber-tooth Tigers and Wooly Mammoths called this place home as the last ice-age ended and this valley became full of plant life. The Server has actually slowed these images down for us. Because, when it really happened, the Server was falling from the sky at about a speed of nearly 30,000 miles per hour. It slammed into the ground causing an explosion nearly that of an 8 megaton bomb.
As large as the explosion was, it had little impact on the global weather, and as far as we can tell, plant and animal life returned to normal with in a hundred or so years later. All that remained was the perfectly round glowing object that not only powers the Server; it is the Server.)
LIGHTS RETURN TO NORMAL AS FLASHBACK ENDS.
"So," Austin said, "this thing came from aliens and landed in Arizona?" Austin asked. "It all sounds a bit crazy; if you ask me."
Saxon nodded in agreement. "You're telling me." Saxon said with a smile. "But that isn't where the story ends."
Suddenly they hear a beeping sound.
"Shit," Austin said, "it's my Communicator." He took the small hand held device out of his hand and opened it, realizing how funny it must have looked. "Go ahead, Austin here."
Mark's voice was on the other end. "Just checking in to make sure you're okay." Mark said.
"Hey, I'm not a two year old you know." Austin said; looking embarrassed as he spoke into the device.
His mother's voice was heard next. "You'll always be my baby." She said. "Now are you really okay? Do remember our code word?"
"Yes," Austin said, and then he said the secret family word. "Gigan," and then he closed the communicator.
"My mom's code word for me was Camelot." Saxon said with an understanding smile.
-Suddenly the room darkened again…only the glow of the Server lit the room as images of clouds, moon, and sun movement, recorded through the ages, passed by. And, in time, the encroachment of the desert, through the thinning of the plant life, could be seen as well.-
FLASH BACK CONTINUES..(Saxon's voice)
(So the Server stayed at the bottom of the crater, buried in the ground. From what we now believe it was meant to wait there. Whoever sent it knew that mankind had not yet made it too North America, or if he had, he was very primative. We believe it was a gift. It was a tool to be used to help in the technological development of Earth. But it was sent to North America, with the belief that by the time man had found his way to North American he would have evolved enough to know how to properly use the Server.
Meanwhile, the latest version of man, our ancestors, was in its final phase of true evolution. The last Ice Age was just ending, but it would take another thirty thousand years or so to allow moderate temperatures to prevail enough so that early man could come across the Bering Straits.
But for whatever reason, mankind had not evolved anywhere on Earth to understand such technology. So, when it was found by one of the earliest North American nomadic tribes, it was feared by them. It was dug up from the crater and passed from chief to chief over the centuries. Eventually one of them was able to open their mind enough to communicate with the Server.
-Images of early North American Natives can be seen among the images on the wall—
The Server did what it was meant to do. It took the mental images from the minds of these early American natives, and literally brought their dreams into reality. This answers a lot of questions about that time. Scientists have never been able to answer the questions of how such large herds of Buffalo once roamed this part of the continent when it was clear the food supply would have ran over long before that time. The Native Americans, responding to the simple need for food, were augmenting their food supply with the Server. It probably wasn't what the Server was intended to do by whomever scent it, but the Native American's didn't care. They used it to feed their people. All this was fine until this Native American came along
-The face of a proud American Native can be seen. It is as though he is looking into the Server room, when in reality, he was just gazing at the Server –
"Why does he look concerned?" Austin asked as the lights, again, returned to normal.
"The white man had returned." Saxon said. "We know now that the Vikings had made it to Canada many centuries before Columbus made it here. In fact, there are those who believe the Chinese may have landed in South America way before Columbus as well. But the reason this Native American Chief looks worried is because the new breed of foreigners didn't come to coexist; they came to take."
Austin shook his head. "Yeah yeah yeah," Austin said, "and then we took over the land, and then we broke the treaties and then butchered the Indians, I know all of that already. It sucked, but how does that involve my father and the Enterprise?" Before Saxon could answer, Austin continued, "If you're trying to tell me my father found this thing, and was thinking of the Enterprise, and it made it appear in space, then I have news for you; it never happened."
Saxon smiled. "Shall I continued, or would you like some Popcorn?"
Austin shook his head. "Go ahead. I will admit that this is far better than the DLP projectors at my local theatre."
The room darkened as Saxon prepared to finish the story.
Meanwhile, aboard the USS ENTERPRISE
Tashigawa had used the excuse of being tired to head down to his quarters. But, it was just an excuse.
The readings that the solar probe had sent back, which he had blocked from being sent on to NASA on Earth, were too sensitive. He would wait to report his findings to Captain Austin Grayson upon his return from Earth. As he studied the readings again on the computer in his quarters, Tashigawa checked and rechecked the data. The answer kept coming back the same; and there was nothing they could do about it, even with the power of the USS ENTERPRISE at their disposal. Put simply? Within one month, maybe two, the Earth would be destroyed…
Continued…