Chapter Two
….
"Epidermal Layer Integrity at ninety eight point nine percent, subject ready for release doctor," B-9 intones, the small control bot he is controlling hovering over the panels of control. T-rex small hands daintily manipulates the buttons controlling the gene tank in front of it.
Vivori only nods as she keeps her eyes on the computer in front of her showing thousands of sequence data rapidly flashing through the screens. Her former body would have been baffled and confused by how fast the data flashes like binary codes. The normal human body and brain is simply not designed for the uptake of that much information all at once.
Fortunately, she is not in her normal human body anymore.
When B-9 constructed her, whoever it is that planned her landing here, have taken into account human weakness and biology. The body she currently wears though looking human, is anything but. Sure it has the organs that a human might have, but also different. Implants of many kinds, especially ones that repair cellular degeneration are scattered all over her main functioning parts.
Short of death by murder or any sort of external stimuli, Vivori's body would never die. Of course the upgrades have also taken into account that teeny problem and have added an epidermal layer beneath her skin with a metallic element that seems to be another layer of epidermis. Vivori herself does not recognize it. All she knows however that it is thin enough that it is barely noticeable except for the most rigid of scans. Nothing less than an anti-piercing round would be able to break through and kill her. Good luck for those planning a knife assassination in the future. Her nutrients have also be inputted with enough upgrades that theoretically she can be as strong as two people combined and can put to shame even the most flexible and elegant of ballerinas. Vivori already is beautiful face wise, now her body can turn even the heads of the blindest bat. It is rather good that it also does not need any workout of maintenance enabling her to focus on her passion of research and creating new things.
And that is where the most important of the upgrades are shown. In the physical area, the upgrades are nice, very nice. However the most useful of the lot in Vivori's opinion is the upgrades in her brain. A normal human brain is a wondrous thing. Able to survive to one hundred and still function in optimal efficiency even if all of the organs are shutting down, it is a genetic miracle. The brain of her new body is three times improved as her former one with many implants enhancing it.
It has been three weeks, three weeks since she arrived here, a wanderer lost in the universe and Vivori has more than enough spare time to get her bearings and pull herself together (thank you brain implants for emotion regulation). Thus instead of wallowing in sadness due to her state, she has instead chosen to focus on exploring and sate her curiosity in everything that is currently offered to her.
Good thing that the Inusannona re such great recorders that even the minutest of details they take into account. For the past three weeks they have been a gold mine of information for Vivori. Gone now are the worries that she has harboured replaced with a ravenous curiosity as she devoured information like a vampire deprived of a meal.
Culture, anatomy, philosophies, experiments, weapons, machines, upgrades, all the fields are here presented in a silver platter. Even with her improved brain, it took Vivori at least two weeks and a half to study the basics of everything. Of course she has been delayed a bit due to some of the pathways caving in and she has to ask B-9 to clear the paths to the other facilities connected with the command centre in order for her to have access to them. Ironically the computers and interfaces of Inusannon computers and technologies seem to be designed with the use of five fingers giving Vivori pause at the rather coincidental discovery. This is too much to be simply related to chance alone. Genetic diversity is simply that, diverse. The things in the universe do not like to share and it is hard to find similarities of such magnitude in things. Thus with B-9's assurances, Vivori diverts some of her focus off from her current exploration of information about the Inusannon.
That is why here she is right now standing over one of the bacta tanks looking at the floating person inside a goo of blue. Lifting one hand, Vivori touched the cool surface of the tank trying her damnest to put her emotions in order as she stares at the face looking exactly like her own. It has been her dream for so long to be able to breach the secrets of cloning and create new life with the genetic plate from the former. Inusannon science and technology made that possible. To see your dream literally just in front of you, Vivori does not know how to react. On one hand, she is elated and joyful to see imagination turn reality. On the other hand though, there is that sort of emptiness in her chest as realization sets in that now she has succeeded on doing what she has been aiming to achieve for so long, she no longer knows what to do. Direction for her life simply vanishes, like that….poof, no more.
Now as to the reason why Vivori is starting at a clone of herself can only be related to two reasons:
One, any organic being does not do well to be alone. It is a time tested fact. Organic beings simply would not and cannot be all by himself. The saying: "no man is an island" is an underrated statement that which is one of the most crucial In human psychology. Even the most loner of people needs someone to be there, someone to socialize, even if it is an enemy. There must be another person other than him else he would go mad. No questions there.
Two, there is simply too much work for Vivori alone to handle. Even the best of researchers cannot handle a work this magnitude alone. She needs a team to command and help her compile the data and information plus a voice of reason to enable her on her decision making. While B-9 did make a wonderful job arranging everything into order, there is just that something on having someone with you for the work.
Even the Artificial Intelligence actually pushes the advice that Vivori makes a clone of herself.
So here they are looking at their finished product after three days of allowing the clone grow in the bacta tank. Of course the clone while looking like her is not exactly her. Built in almost the same genome, it is simply impossible even with Inusannon technology to control its own thought personality perfectly. There is also the little fact that the clone is not a replica of her new body, no. It is a clone from her previous one, using her human form as its basis.
B-9 has greatly stressed that it be built inferior than her for some reason. Also the clone has a coded instruction to be submissive to her always. Apparently it is a safety precaution that the Inusannon from before used during their tenure of managing cloning. The hidden coded instruction serves as a precautionary safety measure to dissuade clones from revolting against their creators. Also it allows them to be affectionate to them in a deeper sense of level that any order, no matter how heinous, they would follow without question. Designing them to be inferior however than the original serves the purpose that in the unlikely event that the clone ever breaks free from its usual coding; it would be less of a hassle putting them down. The mind after all no matter how much you prepare for, has the tendency to be unpredictable. It simply refuses to be shackled and it is not unlikely that a thought or a compulsion process can cause the clone to push through beyond its parameters and emotional influencers causing not quite so desired results.
It is a strange feeling for Vivori staring at the thing…. No, person bearing an uncanny resemblance to her. In fact if she goes a bit more technical about it, it would be her in a way. The only difference if she uses the naked eye in fact when looking at the floating clone inside the bacta tank is the features of the clone being more round like that of a human. When B-9 created Vivori's new and upgraded body, it has an added feature of being more angular and elfin in appearance than her usual human features.
In fact Vivori got a sinking feeling that she resembles more those Elves in Tolkien's mythology than a human. Everything about her has become catlike in appearance and grace giving elegance to her every move. In fact Vivori would bet her life that in her new form, even the ugly look of sneezing looks elegant and graceful in her new form.
The sound of hissing and spitting brought Vivori out of her though processes as she turns the hundred per cent of her attention to the now draining and emptying bacta tank. Tubes and syringes disengaged themselves automatically from the body of the clone they are connected at causing monitoring devices that take notes of the health of the clone beeping in alarm as they went dead.
Vivori as planned immediately starts walking up; the steps to the bacta tank activating leading her up to the raised platform as she nears. With the glass of the now drained container opening at the recognition of her presence, she could see an almost carbon copy of her old self kneeling there at the middle of a conglomerate of tubes, wires and hoses all steaming as the slimy greenish liquid that filled the tank before are slowly being drained out by the filters on the floor of the platform.
If not for the fact that Vivori is forewarned before not to touch her clone by B-9, she would have been poking and probing it already. As it is she just stands there looking at the result of her dream finally coming to fruition. Ironically the feeling of elation that she thought she would have is not one that she expects. In fact Vivori if asked right now feels emptier, like a road coming to an end. There is no purpose, no dream, and no target for a new thing to do. It is ironically a direct opposite of what she is expecting. Ever since she can remember, she has dedicated her entire life and expertise to bring cloning to reality. Now that it is here, it is somewhat fulfilling, and at the same time not.
But now what to do? What should she do? What is her purpose?
Violet eyes turn at the direction of the clone that is now huffing deep breaths of her first air as the breathing apparatus on its mouth and nose disconnected. Grey and black eyes look wildly left and right as it somewhat panics in confusion as the last part of its creation is still unapplied. That honor belongs to Vivori and Vivori alone.
And in that single defining moment that would change the fate of the whole universe, Vivori, scientist extraordinaire made her decision.
B-9 have told her that the Inusannon have been wiped out by an alien race that outmatched the previous rulers of the galaxy. Vivori had been probing and searching for the archives in her free time about the aliens that managed to drive into extinction a conglomerate of highly technological races. She has studied enough about the Inusannon to know that the former owners of the lab are no slouch when it comes to weapons of mass destruction. Yet the invaders have done it, they defeated the Inusannon and their allies, wiping them all out.
The Unnamed Dark Ones, the Inusannon called them. In the archives, Vivori could see that they look more or less crustacean like, more shrimp in design for some reason. Yet their appearance is misleading. The archives clearly stated that their metal appendages could tear through ship hulls and their weapons could bypass even the strongest shielding of the Inusannon's most powerful ships. To beat them, for Vivori would bet her brain that they are still around, she would need to upgrade Inusannon technology and be even better in the interests of surviving.
However she would not be doing it alone.
Stepping forward to the entrance door of the platform, Vivori schooled her face in a monotone manner despite the nervousness inside her. Everything that would follow would fall on her shoulders of responsibility.
A glass rectangle immediately comes in between her and the clone who seems to be possessed as it stands in wobbly legs unheeding on its nudity before walking forward drunkenly and stopping in front of her across through the transparent glass. A still soaked slender hand touches the glass making it emit a blue light as unfocused eyes turn towards Vivori. She only gulped as she touches her palm at the place where the clone is touching making the glass hum and emit even a brighter light as the process of thought and command cognition started, activating dormant brain waves inside the clone's head. Immediately, unfocused eyes seem to be a bit clearer like that of a child finding for the first time about the world that she is living in.
"You are Lyn," says Vivori loudly knowing that this is the most important part of the process.
"I am Lyn," the clue echoes.
"You will help me create the clone army,"
"I will help you create the clone army,"
"You will aid me on creating the dawn of a new civilization,"
"I will help you create the daw of a new civilization,"
Vivori only nods more once at the direction of B-9 before removing her hand from the glass letting it emit a few sparks and hisses as it slides down below again. Now there is nothing separating Vivori from the newly dubbed Lyn who is looking at both her hands in wonder, fingers wiggling. Stepping forward cautiously, Vivori touches the clone's shoulder that flinches at the contact, black and grey eyes meeting violet ones.
"You and I will do great things Lyn," says Vivori giving the clone her widest smile showing a lot of pearly white teeth.
Imagine her surprise as the clone without warning tackles her, soft and warm lips enveloping her own greedily sucking her tongue out.
As Vivori fell to the cold lab floor with a very enthusiastic Lyn trying her damnest to shove her tongue deep into her creator's throat, she could faintly hear B-9 at the back chuckling in amusement.
…
"Viv, it's done. I've finally got the samples from the probes that we have sent outside. You can't believe this Viv, you are right, you are absolutely right. Not that I doubted you of course but you are right all along. I need to get this sample to the labs and analyze how deep we are really," the young clone is almost bustling with energy and strength, the exact opposite of Vivori when she is that age.
With the arrival of Lyn in her life, the montone that sets in the life of the time traveller has finally been lifted. It had been six months ever since Lyn was created and the young clone did not disappoint in any way. Vivori as expected educated the young clone with everything she knows knowing that Lyn would be a blank sheet. To her surprise, Lyn learn in a rate that even B-9 is taken by surprise. She had been devouring book after book, information after information that Vivori and B-9 for a moment is worried if her brain is showing signs of abnormality since humans simply cannot process data that fast. More than once, Vivori had to force Lyn to sleep since the clone wanted to spend as much time with her eyes opened, learning.
It had been touch and go for a while as Vivori decides researching more about Lyn's components of cloning on her busy schedule. It did not take long to yield results. Apparently the Innusannon had eidetic memory in lieu with their nature. Now Vivori knows why she can easily remember everything in her new body. It is part Innusannon in make-up and so is Lyn's but only in a small percentage…..like 0.3 percent to make up the genome strand. The young clone thus is eidetic like her, but she far outpaces any human that Vivori had ever known in her past life. Already she could understand some of the more complicated things that Vivori had to deal with before and she's not stopping anytime soon.
Apparently her life's goal during her evaluation by a psych probe is to be useful in every way to her Creator that she is very infatuated with. That is another point of change in Vivori's routine with the arrival of Lyn. The clone apparently is in the opinion that Vivori is working too hard and needs to relax in a while and not work too hard since she is there any way to help ease the burden. Now since Vivori has now "enough free time", let's just say that her former non-existent sex life takes a hundred and eighty degree turn in this new life. She and Lyn have wrecked more than one chair in the lab in their dalliance every now and then. The clone is fit and athletic like a dancer with her taking full advantage of the recreation areas of the lab while Vivori's frame is still that of a researcher with a little improvement and without blemish; something apparently that her look alike takes great delight of in every tumble. Apparently Lyn finds her soft and squishy to the point that the clone has all but commandeered her sleeping quarters to accommodate both of them. Not that Vivori is protesting of course. The sex is great and Lyn is way too beautiful for her to resist….much. Some might call it weird that she's attracted to herself, but hey, to each their own and it's not like somebody can tell her no.
"Good, please bring me the results once you've finished with that one dear," Vivori replies to Lyn who beamed at the affectionate phrase before running off to the exit leading to one of the adjacent labs.
"You do know you're sleeping with a six months old being right?" the rather droning voice of B-9 AKA Bob as Vivori so affectionately calls him these days sounds making the time traveller roll her eyes at the floating hologram of a circle beside her workstation.
"We've had this discussion before Bob, WHO I sleep with is none of your business. HOW I sleep with her is none of your business. WHY I sleep with her is none of your business capiche?"
"Of course, it's just too funny watching you two…..tangle…with one another," the amused voice replies making Vivori rise an eyebrow at the floating orb. If Bob has a body, she would bet that the idiot would have been grinning cheekily at her. Who knew that an Artificial Intelligence would ever have a sense of humour?
"Pull your head out of the gutter Bob. We have work to do," waves off Vivori steering the conversation away from her sex life before Bob ever reaches the part of the discussion about her ass. The AI seems to like going into that subject for some reason and it has only gotten worse ever since Lyn started doing the broken tango on the bed with her.
"Of course doctor, my apologies. You always cut my fun short,"
Vivori simply rolls her eyes at the hologram AI before standing up and inserting the data packet on the holo table at the center of the room showing her immediately an imagery of the entire network of caverns and halls that are apparently the "Archives" as a whole.
"You could fit a whole city in here," Vivori can't help but comment as she stares at the interlaying design of the entire area she and Lyn have been living in for the past few monts.
"A whole country in fact," corrects Bob/B-9, his circle orb floating beside her. "The Innusannon are great hoarders of knowledge. Their talent lies more in collecting and creating stuff rather than fighting. My people is a peaceful race only applying violence as a last resort. It worked when they established the Great Republic in the stars bringing in dozens of younger races within their sphere of influence. It is a time of great prosperity and knowledge. It is too bad that their talents are useless when the machines in the sky came," the AI commented making Vivori look at a floating orb who seems dejected. She already knows of course that Bob takes great pride in the achievements of its people. It must be horrifying to be the memory of a long forgotten people.
"Hey, their talents are not useless Bob. If not for them, I would never have been where am I right now, yes? And without me, you would have no one to peek on every time me and Lyn do it right?"
"I guess you are right doctor. I do enjoy your new bodies," the AI unashamedly admits making Vivori roll her eyes at the floating orb who seems a bit more active now than before as she turns her eyes at the hologram once more.
"Hmm, look at that. Guess I am right after all," Vivori points out at Bob who focuses its attention on the holo before humming in a synthetic tone.
"Indeed you are doctor, it looks like that we are deep down below the ocean floor with most of the earth once covering the entirety of the city now washed away by the currents. The pressure does little damage to the walls of the entire Archive Complex with the shields still holding. However the power would not last forever and once they do…,"
"The walls of the complex will collapse?"
"Not exactly," corrected Bob enlarging the holo on the walls. "This complex is designed specifically to survive continuous space bombardment. However it has been thousands of years already and it has seen some wear and tear. Not to mention that the catalytic even that tore down the ground it has been standing has damaged parts of it outside. Without maintenance for so long, I worry about their integrity once the energy output goes down,"
"I see," Vivori simply stares at the hologram of the complex at the table.
The problem currently facing them is actually quite simple. When the Innussannon first built the Archive, as Bob calls it. They placed the area on the outskirts of a city. When the ones who came to destroy the Innussannon arrived, they buried the facility apparently by cracking the mountain near it causing a massive landslide that buried it deep underground.
It had been a mere fluke and accident that caused Vivori to notice that there is something wrong with the facility. She had been walking towards one of the agricultural domes to check on the status of the facility there when one of the walkway pipes that connect the different areas of the facility with one another crashed nearly drowning her as it flooded the dome. Alarms of the base saved her as it isolated the ruined area with thick doors of steel that automatically kicked in. It had been then a simple reconnaissance of one of the probes heading outside to confirm that the entire Archive was deep under the water, or correction….deep below the ocean.
Millennia apparently changed the entire planet as the sun on its solar system heated up melting the north and south poles of the planets causing the garden world to be covered with water. The once green planet is now a water world with no land in sight. Thankfully the environmental energy barriers that keeps off the weather and other more things that the Innussannon inputted before kicked in automatically providing a paper thin shield around the structures of the archive preventing the entire city complex to be buried in water. While it saved the city though, it prevented the sensors of Bob to notice the flooding of the entire planet, thus is the reason why he only knows now.
"Do you have a plan on what to do now doctor?" asks Bob after a moment of silence.
"In a way," shrugs Vivori. "Or at least a plan of a plan Bob. I'm still concerned as to these enemies that eliminated the Innussannon Bob. Are they still out there? Why did they do it? How powerful are they? There are a lot of things that need to be considered before….,"
"Before what?" asks the AI hovering in front of her. She would bet that if Bob has a body, it would be looking at her with arms crossed.
"Before I try reviving your people of course," answers Vivori wryly causing a silence in the room as the AI it seems for the first time in its life is stunned.
"That's impossible to do,"
Vivori grinned at the floating orb. Truth in fact she has been studying Innussannon culture despite her busy schedule. She enjoys reading about them. They are a peaceful but intelligent people with a tendency to settle things in debate and negotiation. They value knowledge about all and great recognition is given to those who contribute to what they call, The Font of Advancement. In them Vivori almost recognizes a kindred spirit.
Ever since she had achieved cloning, Vivori lost all direction in life. With Lyn's arrival and success, new avenues and pathways have been opened to her mind giving her an eagle's view of possible plans for her life. This is a gift, the cloning technology. She could twist it and guide it and create something that many thought never possible. Like Bob is doing right now.
"Yes I can," she reasons out simply. "At cold storage are still many preserved parts and organs of Innussanon test subjects. I could bring them out and clone them back once more to a breathing living being,"
"But they are only parts doctor. You would never be able to bring them to life with only parts. The success of cloning is a whole body. When we created Lyn; it had been hard enough with your genetic material available a hundred percent as a base point," pointed out Bob.
"I know and that is why once more we would be using my DNA as a basis and that also of Lyn's to fill in what is lacking on the genetic code of the Innussannon. They would not be fully like before, but they would still be largely a part of their ancestors and inherit their mantle. The Innussannon would live on but as part human and part me. This way, their race would not be extinct anymore,"
"I see. It is possible that this facility can do what you plan to do doctor. Once more I am in your service on this great endeavour of yours. However doctor, there is one hiccup doctor,"
"And that is?"
"The clones would all be female," points out Bob. "If your genetic code would be used to fill in the gaps, they would all follow your gender,"
"Not an issue," Vivori simply waves off. She has already thought of that. In a normal ecosystem that would be an issue since a male must be needed to reproduce. However this is not a normal ecosystem. Clones could come from their tanks no problem and population is not an issue.
"Understood doctor, I would not question it anymore," says Bob. "We need to deal with the problem we have with the Archives first though doctor. Until we come up with a solution to our predicament. We cannot go with your plan to create the Innussannon once more,"
"I know. Please do tell me Bob, how long until the power fully goes out and we are stuck to our necks with water?" asks Vivori turning the hologram of the Archives upside down till she is looking at its flat floor level.
"Two, three years at best before the power goes offline. The reserve generators might last a few more months then,"
"I see. Then our top priority right now in these next two years is generating power," says Vivori turning the side of the hologram till she finds the structural components of the floors of the buildings.
"Power doctor? Why would we need to generate more power unless you simply plan to extend the inevitable?" asks the AI in confusion.
"It's all part of the plan of course," answers Vivori sitting down as she examines the specs of the floors of the different buildings. We would need all the power we can get and more if there would be any chance for this plan of mine to come to reality,"
"Plan?" the melodic voice of Lyn sounds making the two turn towards the entrance where the clone enters wearing a simple violet crop top showing off her nice toned abs that Vivori does appreciate. Vivori almost misses the handed datapad as Lyn sits beside her looking curiously at what she is doing before leaning comfortably on her chair. Vivori tries her best not to stare too much at the happy display of a perfect lean body lounging at her side.
"So what plan are you two talking about?" asks the clone once more making her show a smile as she turns her eyes at her lover and creation.
"The plan to float this city towards the surface of course,