[Story] The Future History of Jakob Pettersohn (11/Jul/09 - Final Chapter)

[techmaster-glitch]

Holy s**t, but that was good. When I was reading chapters 4 & 5 I was thinking, "What the f**k is Jakob doing, allying with the freaking Dark God? I though Jakob tried his best to avoid evil after the Cross affair!" And as I was reading this chapter, I was like "oh just.... s**t...." and then.......IT'S REALLY AZRAEL!!!!!!!! ahhh that was very beutifully written, I could imagine that craking up scene so well I almost acted it out myself. Awsome, just like all the chapters in both stories! Two thumbs up to you, Tapewolf!

(Though i thought that both Azrael and Jakob had decided not to raise Azzy, because it was just morally wrong, or something. I must have completely misread Azzy's appearance to Jakob after he got his revenge.)

EDIT: dang, I completely forgot something from when I first read whichever chapter the "Dark God" appeared in, I meant to say, "Why is Jakob trying to ressurect the Dark God? Didn't he prevent that ressurection once before?" not just "Jakob allying with Darky"

[Tapewolf]

Holy s**t, but that was good. When I was reading chapters 4 & 5 I was thinking, "What the f**k is Jakob doing, allying with the freaking Dark God? I though Jakob tried his best to avoid evil after the Cross affair!" And as I was reading this chapter, I was like "oh just.... s**t...."

Thanks... that's exactly what I had set out to achieve.  Writing this chapter has been an enormous amount of fun - in fact, what you're seeing is only half of it as it's grown so much.  And I've decided to do something different for the next chapter so you're going to have to wait to see what 'Project Future' is.  (Actually it's named after a ZX Spectrum game from the mid-1980s)

One of the lovely things about this is the fact that it's more than a century after present day, so it's possible that Jakob has had another one of his moral shifts.  To be sure he's not quite so horrified about killing people as he is in the FCRP, or he wouldn't have armed guards throughout the complex.

(Though i thought that both Azrael and Jakob had decided not to raise Azzy, because it was just morally wrong, or something. I must have completely misread Azzy's appearance to Jakob after he got his revenge.)

He didn't want Jakob to resurrect his body because it would require sacrificing countless souls to obtain the necessary magical power (remember, e=mc² so converting energy back to mass is horribly inefficient).  Technology has improved in the 500 or so years to the point at which he was able to sidestep that issue by creating a synthetic body, although there are drawbacks which I'm covering in chapters 8 and 9.

In practice, Jakob might now be able to do it the way he had originally intended, for reasons that will become clear in chapter 8, but it's almost certain that Azrael's corpse has decayed too far by now, probably even for him to be able to clone a replacement body.

That and I've always had a liking for robotics...

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

One of the lovely things about this is the fact that it's more than a century after present day, so it's possible that Jakob has had another one of his moral shifts.  To be sure he's not quite so horrified about killing people as he is in the FCRP, or he wouldn't have armed guards throughout the complex.

... I beg to differ. Nothing says the "armed guards" are armed with lethal weapons, or even -only- lethal weapons. It's mildly silly to -not- supply them with lethal alternatives (I believe it's best summed up with someone telling the story of a friend of his who used to use non-lethal means where possible, avoiding the totally lethal ones. He eventually got into a position where he used a stunner on a mob. After the stunner went flat, the remaining mob members tore him into little pieces...) but, notwithstanding that, it's also possible to use guards as a way of keeping people out, by intimidation, rather than sheer force.

... and I expect Jake to be an -expert- at misleading, intimidating for effect, and confusing people. :-]

[Tapewolf]

To be sure he's not quite so horrified about killing people as he is in the FCRP, or he wouldn't have armed guards throughout the complex.

... I beg to differ. Nothing says the "armed guards" are armed with lethal weapons, or even -only- lethal weapons.

The base is guarded by aircraft armed with ion-beam weapons, although they may also be armed with some kind of sonic stun projector a'la Larry Niven.  The panthers are actually a crossover from one of my other projects, and they were envisaged as a ground patrol for military airbases.  Their primary armament is retractile claws made from some classified alloy which are razor-sharp.  The thought of fitting them with some kind of stunners hadn't actually occurred to me, although I might add that retroactively.  They certainly did not go non-lethal on the ram demon.  Although given that Jakob seems to be in the resurrection business I guess we can't rule anything out.

In case anyone is wondering about the safety interlocks, it does work by paralysing them as Joshua found out.  It also trips an alarm so that the staff can come and investigate.  The paralysis only kicks in if they commit to a violent act against a member of the base staff - Joshua or Dorcan would be enrolled in the guard database or possibly have some kind of built-in transponder to identify them as being protected.

and I expect Jake to be an -expert- at misleading, intimidating for effect, and confusing people. :-]

Absolutely.

[Tapewolf]

My update schedule got confused so this was late.  Sorry

Chapter 7 - Revenge

Once there was a doberman.  He lies now beneath the earth, the victim of his own mistake, a miscalculation involving a number of angry Beings.
What he called 'casual flirting', they called 'rape'.  What he called 'murder', they called 'lawful execution' and unfortunately they were the ones with the gallows.
For perhaps his greatest mistake was to use his incubus charms of seduction in some hick mountain town where Creatures were despised and public hangings were considered virtuous rather than barbaric.

"It's because I'm an incubus, isn't it?" he said, rendered helpless by a charm that blocked his powers, reducing him to the level of a mere Being.

"It's because you're a rapist," the executioner sneered, "and for attempted soul-murder too.  It's just a pity we can't hang you twice."

When he died, something rather odd happened.  He didn't understand it at all, but after some hours he woke up upon a table.
There was something slightly wrong with his eyes, and he had lost his sense of smell, but apart from that he felt better than he ever had before.  Until he tried to use his incubus mind senses.  His mental shield wasn't working either.
I'm a Being, he thought and began to panic.

Touching the back of his head, he felt his bat-like headwings, but there was something slightly peculiar about them.  They were fake.  Or were they?
As the terror of the thought struck him, he felt them quiver and fan out, a nervous reflex like his hackles.  That still worked at least, but they were certainly prosthetic.  And anyway, he'd just been executed.

"How are you feeling, Dorcan?" said a voice behind him.  It was another incubus.  He didn't recognise them, but with his mind shield down it was trivial for them to have got his name.

"My name is Niall Jakobsohn," he said, "and the lynx is Ashley."  He gestured to a feline incubus who was attending a computer system which took up an entire wall of the room.  He turned to wave briefly.

"Some centuries ago I almost met the same fate as you," continued Niall.  "But I was rescued at the last moment by my father.  Since then I have made it my business to save the lives of other 'cubi who faced wrongful execution."

"But you didn't.  You couldn't have!"  He could still remember the agony of his neck breaking.

"Some would say that your crime was a sin of the flesh," said the incubus.  "To them I would say that you have paid the price, for your flesh is now dead.  But your soul I have trapped in a new body.  It's not perfect, but it's better than dying."

He blinked.  "You mean you could have saved me?  Why didn't you?"

"There are several reasons.  For my part, I was delayed by saving another.  But consider this... your tormentors have buried your corpse.  The notion that you might still be walking Furrae - if not precisely alive - has not occurred to them.  Would you have been better off with the town baying for your blood, hiring skilled adventurers to hunt you down and finish the job?  I think not.  In any case, what you did was wrong, even if it was not death-worthy."

"I... What do you mean, 'not precisely alive'...?"  I'm an undead...?

"No.  You are... uh, how can I put this... the vegetarian option?  One hundred percent meat-free?  You've already realised that your headwings aren't real.  Well, I'm afraid it's more than just those."
He paused.  "Do you know the meaning of the word 'android'?"

This was a reasonable enough question - the doberman was probably at least three hundred years old, and if he was fresh out of SAIA, the answer could quite easily have been 'no'.

"A synthetic body?" he said, "You're having me on."

And this was a reasonable enough reaction.

Niall smiled, and took out pair of small hand-mirrors.  Holding them with his wing-tentacles, he lined them up so that the doberman could see the back of his head.  Then he prodded Dorcan just behind the ear in a certain way, causing a flap to pop open and exposing the data port.  The dog stared at it for a moment or two.

"Well I'll be," he exclaimed.  Ashley came over to see how they were doing.

"You're taking it well," he said.  "Our first patient nearly had a breakdown."

"Amazement isn't something I'm good at," he replied.  "It's my primary emotion, and I've been living on it for centuries, so I guess I'm kind of numb to it."
 
He sat up and made as if to climb off the table, but something stopped him.  It wasn't a problem controlling his new body, because the low-level systems had been pre-calibrated using the data they had taken from Joshua's brain during Azrael's revival.  No, he froze as soon as he saw his arms.  Now he was amazed.
 
"Okay, what have you done to the arms?  And chest?" he added, noticing that his midriff was not the same.
 
"What do you mean?"  Niall's voice was puzzled.  While he could have read Dorcan's thoughts, once he had established that the doberman's thought processes were operating correctly, he had ceased to read his mind out of courtesy.
 
"They're kind of... sculpted.  I was never this, uh, rugged before."
 
Niall swore and hit his wristwatch.  "Daryil, can you come to the lab, please?"
 
A few moments later there was a black flash and the incubus appeared.
 
"Cool, he's alive," he said.
 
"Daryil, you created the body specification by reading his soul, did you not?" Niall sounded rather irritable.
 
"Yes," he replied instantly.

"And when you encoded the specification as a model, did you program in exactly what you saw in his self-image?"
 
"Ye-e-ss," he replied, more hesitantly this time.  "The fur is identical."

"I'm not on about the fur, it's the muscles we're interested in," Niall said peevishly.

"You weren't tempted to make any... er, 'improvements' now, were you?" added Ashley, suppressing a grin.

Daryil looked away.  "But he looks even cuter now," he mumbled, and vanished in a cloud of embarrassment.  The lynx was chuckling to himself.
 
Niall covered his eyes.  "I am so sorry," he said.  "We'll have to junk them."

"No no no, that's quite all right," said Dorcan hurriedly.  "Er, was that the Daryil?" he added, in a slightly worried tone.

"Yes.  Is there a problem?"

"I've heard a few things... They say he's a freaking loony."

"Well, if you can define 'sane', I might agree.  Be that as it may, the fact that he is such a friendly and intelligent individual more than makes up for his little... peculiarities, at least in my opinion.  Better having him than some reclusive evil genius as our clan leader, I guess."

"Yeah, I suppose you could have had Johan Cross as your leader."

Niall's face fell.  "Oh dear," he said.  "I hope you won't hold any grudges against him when you meet him."

"Eh?" Dorcan was bemused by the wolf's reaction.  And then a horrible suspicion dawned upon him.  "You?" he whimpered.

"Nah," replied Niall.  "He's my father."

Dorcan was terrified.  Johan Cross was said to have eaten the souls of thousands, including other 'cubi, even his own Clan Leader.  Dorcan had seen a propaganda film that portrayed the shadowy figure in more a positive light, but he didn't believe it.

"Yak isn't going to like this," muttered Ashley, sensing his thoughts.  "We were so sure that film would stop everyone hating him."

It took some time for Niall and Ashley to get him to see sense, but ultimately it was the fact that they could have eaten his soul at any time during the period between his death and resurrection that convinced him he was reasonably safe.

Once the doberman had calmed down, Ashley led him to one of the laboratories.  For a moment he was terrified they were going to dismantle him, particularly when Niall reappeared with a large wrench, which set Dorcan off again.

Ashley looked positively stricken.  "No, no," he protested.  "It's just for the arms.  We can build you a new pair while you wait.  It will only take about an hour in the nanoforge."

"I.. I'll keep the ones I have, thanks..." said the doberman in a somewhat relieved tone.  "Really, I don't mind them... it was just a bit of a shock..."

"Good, " replied Ashley, sounding equally relieved.  "Now then, let's see what we can do about upgrading you to be more 'cubi-like."

He took out a tray of small circuit boards.  Each one sported a small round gem which glowed faintly, despite the fact they weren't plugged in.

"We haven't been able to implement a full magic system yet," he said, "and frankly I suspect that's a few centuries off, but for now there are a number of prototype expansion boards we've developed that will provide you with limited faux-incubus powers.

"This one contains a concealment patch which we have been able to interface with electronically.  Given a decade or so we might be able to make one that allows full dynamic morphing to restore your shapeshifting ability, but for now this will allow you to hide your wings and/or headwings.  The other card should implement basic thought-reading and has a Being-type mind shield that you can turn on and off for privacy.  While there shouldn't be any danger I wanted to get your consent before we fit them to you."

* * *

"Well, that seems to be working well," said Niall.  "Perhaps we should fit some of these to Azrael as well?" he added to Ashley.

"I'd like to see a proper field trial first," the lynx replied.  "We've only tried them in controlled conditions, after all."

Dorcan's ears perked up and a strange expression filled his face.  "I know just the thing," he said.

"Dad won't like that," said Niall, glancing at his warp-aci.  The charm prevented him from being able to read Dorcan's mind anymore, but it was pretty obvious what he was thinking.

"Stuff it... let's do it anyway," he decided.

* * *

Mayor Tiandrial smiled happily to himself as he entered the office.  It was around nine in the morning and the rain had left the world looking gloomy, but apart from this he felt it was to be the start of yet another promising day.
The week had gone very well so far, he had made a fortune in bribes and they had managed to hang an incubus into the bargain as well.  The fewer of those the better, he thought to himself.

Just then a figure stepped out of the shadows, blocking the door.  Silhouetted against the glass panes, he couldn't make out who it was, but in the darkness the intruder's eyes were glowing faintly red.
As he hit the desklamp switch, the figure changed slightly.  He saw wings, headwings, and wet, mud-spattered fur, and a face he recognised.  Dropping his folder he gave a gasp of astonishment and horror.

"You!" cried the mayor.  He did not look at all calm.

"It wasn't rape," said the figure.  "She gave her consent.  But you coerced her into denying it so that you could have an incubus executed for a crime they didn't commit.
Well, that's just bad luck.  By the grace of the Gods I have been granted a chance to avenge myself."

The mayor stepped back, but he had nowhere to go, his only exit blocked by a very angry demon.

"I'll admit was never really into the whole 'Cubi rampage thing," Dorcan added, "But your actions have finally pushed me over the edge.  After all, the way I see it, you owe me one capital crime.  Do you have any final words?"
His fingers began to tighten around the mayor's neck.


Dorcan's second visit to the gallows was a curious reversal of the norm, the condemned murderer cracking tasteless jokes while the hangman stood trembling with fear.  "What's the matter?" Dorcan grinned, "Don't you get many return customers?"

He turned to face the crowd.  "I'd like to thank Johan Cross for allowing me to be here tonight," he shouted.  The crowd became silent and the hangman gave a low moan of fear.

A few minutes later he was swinging gently with his head at an odd angle.  The hangman looked relieved.  But not for long.

"That was fun," said the doberman and straightened his neck.
"Do you want to go next?" he asked the executioner, but there was no reply.
Breaking the straps that restrained his wrists he reached up and climbed the rope until he was level with the scaffold and able to clamber back upon it with his feet.  Snapping the rope with his bare hands, he removed the noose and threw it into the crowd like a rock star might.

"Thank you very much," he shouted, "you've been a wonderful audience!"

Pushing the terrified guards and executioner aside, he strode off into the forest.  When they plucked up the courage to follow him, the townsmen found that his footprints just ended.  Right in front of his grave.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

*snicker* Still laughing at "you wanna go next?" :-]

[Gabi]

I've finally caught up! That was quite interesting, and chapter 6 made me laugh. I noticed 3 mistakes there: "hold do", "aircraft are" and "grimmaced". But it was fun to read and anticipate what was going to happen. I felt a bit sorry for Joshua, though.

As for chapter 7... interesting.

[techmaster-glitch]

As for chapter 7... interesting.

Ditto.

But...

Okay, what have you done with to the arms?

Huh?

[Tapewolf]

I've finally caught up! That was quite interesting, and chapter 6 made me laugh. I noticed 3 mistakes there: "hold do", "aircraft are" and "grimmaced". But it was fun to read and anticipate what was going to happen. I felt a bit sorry for Joshua, though.

As for chapter 7... interesting.

Yes, Niall has developed a bit of a 'Scarlet Pimpernel' complex.
Thanks for spotting the typos by the way (techmaster as well) - sometimes the structure is left a bit inconsistent where I've been dithering over how to phrase something - "hold do" and "with to" are good examples of this.

I must admit I'm lost as to the "aircraft are" thing though.  What exactly is the problem with it?

[Gabi]

Oh! Nothing, I guess. I've just learnt something new.

[GabrielsThoughts]

"Cool, he's alive," he said.

"Daryil, you created the body specification by reading his soul, did you not?" Niall sounded rather irritable.

"Yes," he replied instantly.

"And when you encoded the specification as a model, did you program in exactly what you saw in his self-image?"

"Ye-e-ss," he replied, more hesitantly this time.  "The fur is identical."

"I'm not on about the fur, it's the muscles we're interested in Dar. " Niall said peevishly.

EDIT:
"Well I couldn't exactly use all the specifications.  I mean really, who has a penis that big... why are you all looking at me like that?"

"well maybe one of us wanted to keep that modification! Did you ever think about that?" a random female technician  cried from behind Daryl's person, she vaguely resembled professor honeydew but no one said  anything further.   

I'm sorry I just couldn't help but snicker at the first part.

[Tapewolf]

Thanks to Llearch for spotting another missing word. 

For the curious, this one was inspired in part by the tale of John Lee, who was sentenced to hang for murder in 1884.  After proclaiming that God wouldn't let him die because he was innocent, the trapdoor failed to open three times (despite being tested with a sack many times), after which it was ruled that it was divine intervention and his sentence was commuted.  How this happened remains unexplained to this day.

[techmaster-glitch]

"I'll admit was never really into the whole 'Cubi rampage thing," Dorcan added, "But your actions have finally pushed me over the edge.  After all, the way I see it, you owe me one capital crime.  Do you have any final words?"
His fingers began to tighten around the mayor's neck.

Is the mayor dead?

[Tapewolf]

Is the mayor dead?

Ashford laughed.  "We know all about the affair in Mundesberg.  An executed criminal arose on the third day and slew the Mayor.  He said that he had been raised from the dead by Johan Cross himself!  And now, one of our star agents has returned from the mission that killed him with nothing but good words for his target... or more likely his controller!"
--Chapter 9 (probably - unless it gets pushed into chapter 10)

[techmaster-glitch]

Oh damn. I thought Dorcan just wanted to scare the shit outta him, not kill him.

[Fex]

yaaay another chapter  me wuv it wuff

[Tapewolf]

Chapter 8 - Revelations   (aka Chapter 6 part 2)

"Follow me" said Jakob, beckoning Azrael and Joshua into a circular section of corridor.  But he didn't leave it.  Instead they went around the circle again and again.

By the fourth circuit, Joshua was convinced that Jakob was either insane or had become lost inside his own complex - possibly both - when he suddenly noticed to his horror that there was an extra door which hadn't been there previously.

Through the door they found themselves in an outbuilding and then walking across a large hydroelectric dam in the warm sunlight.  It was painfully obvious to Joshua that they were not in the Arctic anymore and his sanity began to ebb away.  Indeed, it was only the fact that he was a machine now that was keeping him back from tears.

"There, there," said Jakob kindly, patting his shoulder.  "It's just a hyperrealm.  I thought you might like this.  After all, it's better than being stuck in the Arctic, isn't it?"

"I don't know what to believe anymore," he sobbed.

Jakob paused and looked him in the eye again, and he began to cheer up.

"How do you do that?  Hypnosis?"

"Nah... I'm just draining your negative emotions.  Incubus, remember?"

"Oh, right."  His change in attitude was immediate.  Freed of his fear and stress, Joshua marched on, level-headed and purposeful.

"That was an interesting trick with the corridor," he said.

"Heh," Jakob chuckled.  "That corridor is built in a circle.  A very big circle.  It's 1440 degrees round instead of 360, like a spiral that's been flattened into overlapping circles, or a multi-layered Möbius loop.  All the segments occupy the same space, and it uses intradimensional portals to connect the doors and the endpoints together.  One of these days I'm going to try and make the building from M.C. Escher's Relativity...

"Anyway.  The dam and the power plant is actually inside a hyperrealm itself.  It's about five miles in diameter, and the sun and sky are really an illusion caused by tunnelling and condensing sunlight from Furrae.  It's not all aesthetic, either - we need the heat of the sun to prevent the reservoir from freezing."

"If the whole space is that small, where does the water go when it flows through the dam?" asked the husky.

"At the end of the valley is another intradimensional portal which dumps the water back at the top of the dam again," he replied, pausing briefly as they entered the building and descended to a balcony overlooking the cathedral-sized turbine hall.  Jakob paused to hand out a set of ear-defenders.  Strictly speaking Azrael and Joshua didn't need them, but since they were noise-cancelling, it was the only way for them to speak to each other above the roar of the generators.

"I love this place," the wolf continued.  "I could stand here all day, it's like watching the waves on the beach.   But I haven't been able to visit lately, what with you and the Azrael project.  These generators supply the power I need to run the facility, the synchrotron, and charge up the accumulators for the total conversion beam.

"Once the reaction is underway, it can generate almost a hundred times the power of this dam, but I can only safely make it run in short bursts, whereas the turbines provide me with a continuous power source."

Before Joshua could ask what he used the power for, Jakob turned and led them down into a long, quiet room which stretched off into the distance like the cabins inside a train.  On either side there were glass walls, and Joshua realised that they were actually in a suspended walkway overlooking a gigantic room filled with large cylindrical devices.

"These are the accumulators," Jakob said, gesturing at them with a wave of his hand.

"I see you went for a more traditional technology," interrupted Azrael.  "I still think that ultracapacitors are the way to go.  You could probably get this lot into a quarter of the space."

"True, but these are a more proven technology, Az.  I'm not sure anyone has subjected ultracapacitors to the sort of load I'm running, and a catastrophic failure at that energy density is not something I'm too keen on experiencing.  Besides, these look far more impressive."

"I'll grant you that," murmured the snow-leopard as they pressed on.  The next room contained a bank of computer screens and a darkened window set into the wall.

"The total conversion beam," said Jakob with a flourish.  "Or at least, the endpoint of one of them.  The reaction is sustained with bremsstrahlung radiation from the synchrotron - which is located inside its own hyperrealm of course.  The construction took more than ten years and it was difficult to find a contractor willing to build and maintain such a large and complex machine for a private individual in secret."

"This is impossible," said the husky.  "You can't possibly have afforded to do all this yourself."
 
"It cost a lot, yes.  Most of my personal fortune and a good deal of our Clan's wealth besides.  Fortunately Daryil was extremely enthusiastic about the project or I would probably not have been able to do it.  Even so, I had to borrow vast sums of money, although I've repayed most of those debts now by renting time on the synchrotron beamlines to SAIA and other research institutions I can trust to keep quiet.

"Now, the total conversion beam.  The machinery itself is behind the wall - there are service hatches but as you can probably appreciate, the energy is released in the form of gamma photons so it's not somewhere I make a habit of visiting.  The mechanism is entirely computer-controlled, or failing that I can send in a  robot to make physical repairs."

"Not the panthers," said Joshua, with look of horror.

"Of course not!  I may have been a psychotic gangster in the past, but even then I had standards.  Being, Creature, undead, human or cyber, it makes no difference to me.  I do not abuse my employees.
Now, to answer your question... the earliest prototypes of the android frame had a telepathic control system so I could test their basic functions before I had a fully operational brain for them.  They are still useful for entering hazardous environments.  But the question you are about to ask is, "What is it all for?"  And the answer to that lies next door."

They entered a room containing yet more machinery.  A series of gigantic bus-bars ran through the walls, and beyond a glass partition was another room, filled with shelves of small, glowing cylinders.

"This is it," he said, turning to face Joshua and Azrael.  "The cybernetic bodies were a side-project.  They are still useful, and the prosthetics will do wonders for the undead,  but this... this is the real thing."

Azrael already knew what the room was for, but his limited ability to perceive the world of the living had not extended to the hyperrealms and even he was awestruck by the room of cylindrical containers.  Nonetheless he recovered before Joshua and stood there watching the cyber-husky with a smile on his muzzle and that special twinkle in his eye, just as he had done when he'd revealed his portal technology to Jakob all those centuries ago.
His former student noticed this and it brought a lump to his throat for a moment, but he soon composed himself and the pair of them turned to face Joshua who was still standing in silent amazement.

"What are they for?" he breathed, unable to take his eyes off the shimmering cylinders.

"Immortality," said Jakob, his eyes wide and shining.  "Many 'Cubi strive for it, some come close.  There are rumours of a tri-wing clan leader who is over a hundred thousand years old.

"But there are problems," he continued.  "Ethical problems.  The thing is, you see, that the older you get, the more energy you require simply to maintain your youth.  Eventually the point comes when your energy needs can no longer be met by passive absorption, and that will generally give you a pretty stark choice - age and die, or sustain your life by devouring the souls of others.

"And even if you are happy to make such an... amoral... compromise, it still means that the older you become, the more of a threat you become to others, and the more they will try to hunt you down."

He paused.

"Daryil, Azrael and I have conceived a means by which an incubus or succubus can increase their lifespan and powers indefinitely - without sacrificing a single soul or life.

"My experiments with cybernetics and android bodies were part of this project, and while they are good enough for many purposes, androids cannot cast magic.  You were a Being, so it's not a big deal for you, and Azrael was sufficiently bored with being dead that he was willing to sacrifice his magical abilities.

"But at least one of us must remain magic-capable.  Supposing your brain was destroyed again?  We would need to transfer your soul to a new host, so it is not a complete solution.  Until and unless Daryil, Azrael and I can add full support for magic to the android host, the best solution is to extend the life of the 'cubi body, and I believe we have found the key to doing just that."

Jakob had obviously been planning this speech for a long time, so Joshua acquiesced and asked the obvious question.

"And what is that key?"

"Energy," Jakob replied.  "When it comes down to it, 'Cubi don't really feed on emotions.  We take our energy from the magical aether of the cosmos, but we need a more tangible source of energy in order to harness that power.  'Drive energy' is the term I use, and it usually takes the form of emotions.

"The more drive energy we have, the more cosmic energy we can absorb and the greater our lifespans and powers become.  Souls provide a far greater amount of drive energy, and it is for this reason that many 'Cubi think nothing of soul-eating, although to many others - including myself - it is the most vile desecration that anyone could conceive of." he paused again.

"We have devised a means of creating artificial souls."

"You're shitting me."

"No.  What do you think all these containers are?  From the power that the total-conversion engines provide, I can create an energy field which an incubus or succubus can absorb as if it was a soul.
It is non-sentient of course, and indeed it isn't really a soul at all, but it is sufficiently similar for us to be able to consume by the usual techniques.  I have also made projectors that generate artificial emotional fields as well."

"I have been consuming some of them myself, of course, but ultimately the project is aimed at achieving three goals - preserving the life of myself and those I hold dear, helping to overcome the prejudice that 'cubi are only after your soul by making soul-eating obsolete, and to attain tri-wing status."

"We also expect to make a killing when these puppies hit the market," Azrael added, gesturing at the glowing containers of fake soul-energy.

[techmaster-glitch]

Ho. Ly. Shit.

...I really can't think of any intelligent comments at the moment...

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

You saw the link to the Relativity vid on youtube, then? :-]


Nice. I like Azreal's final comment. I'm also wondering.. who gets tri-wing? Daryil? Jakob? Both? Who first?

... and if someone else buys enough fake souls, can they reach tri-wing too? What does this do to the internal politics of Cubi? To the external politics, for that matter?

Wheels within wheels...

[Tapewolf]

You saw the link to the Relativity vid on youtube, then? :-]

No, I didn't know there was one.  It was simply the easiest Escher building to construct.  I'm sure there was one where two people were on different sides of the same stairs, but this was the closest I could find in a hurry.  I doubt he'd be able to make Waterfall.

The 'big circle' thing was what I was trying to do with the sky in Doom.  I wanted to make it so that if you turned around a lot you'd see the words "REPENT" written in the sky on the second rotation.
I wasn't sure if it would work (it didn't) hence the name of my most infamous Doom level "The Sky May Be" (sky maybe)

Nice. I like Azreal's final comment.

At the risk of getting slapped, this episode was essentially made possible by what Darkmoon would call 'nitpicking'.  Specifically the stuff about how 'Cubi feeding works.  So enjoy it while you can.

I'm also wondering.. who gets tri-wing? Daryil? Jakob? Both? Who first?
... and if someone else buys enough fake souls, can they reach tri-wing too? What does this do to the internal politics of Cubi? To the external politics, for that matter?

It would turn it on its head.  Totally.  To be honest I'm going to have my work cut out figuring out the ramifications of commodity Tri-wings.  In any case it's one reason the thing is set after DMFA.

[Gabi]

O_O

(Fewer words than llearch.)

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

No, I didn't know there was one.  It was simply the easiest Escher building to construct.  I'm sure there was one where two people were on different sides of the same stairs, but this was the closest I could find in a hurry.  I doubt he'd be able to make Waterfall.

A day in the life of an MC Escher drawing.

(P.S. I think Google Maps has hired MC Escher.)

I'm also wondering.. who gets tri-wing? Daryil? Jakob? Both? Who first?
... and if someone else buys enough fake souls, can they reach tri-wing too? What does this do to the internal politics of Cubi? To the external politics, for that matter?

It would turn it on its head.  Totally.  To be honest I'm going to have my work cut out figuring out the ramifications of commodity Tri-wings.  In any case it's one reason the thing is set after DMFA.

Yeah. I look forward to your ideas. :-]

[Tapewolf]

Chapter 9 - Reunions

Jakob, Azrael and Joshua marched back from their tour of the soul production centre, avidly discussing what they had just seen.

"You realise your commander may think you're dead by now," Jakob said.  "Technically you are I guess, but if you're still set on reporting back to base, I presume such a report would be favourable?"

"Indeed," Joshua replied with a grin, a rare thing for him these days.
"I still haven't quite decided how much to report, though.  The key thing was to locate and decommission any doomsday weapons you might have been working on, and that would appear to be a non-issue.  I'm not sure whether to tell him that you're Johan Cross, though."

"I'd prefer it if you didn't, to be honest.  I'd like to think my evil days are behind me, so if you can refer to me as 'Ausmann' that would be better, at least until we're ready to tell the world."

"I can quite appreciate that.  If I had a dark secret like yours, I'd want to hide it too."

"In a way I'll miss it," he replied.  "It can be handy for intimidating people who seek to do me ill."

"Talking of which, I hope you can forgive us for our little prank," added Azrael.

"It was beautifully done," he replied and grinned.  Joshua had played back the videotape of Azrael's resurrection again and again and he was forced to admit that his expression had been utterly priceless.

"Thanks," said Jakob, opening the door to the laboratory and immediately noticing the three already inside.

"Hey Dad," said Niall.  "This is Dorcan.  I arrived too late to save him properly so we had to use the technique."

"Good.  I'm glad we made a run of the bodies now.  Anyway, pleased to meet you," he said, turning to the Doberman and shaking his hand.

"Is something the matter?" he added, noticing the nervous expression on the other canid's face.

"He didn't believe the documentary," said Ashley.  Jakob swore.

"Ah well, never mind," he sighed.  "Hopefully 'Project Future' will change people's minds when we go public.  Anyway, the snow-leopard Angel is Azrael.  He was supposed to be our first test subject, since the original aim of that project was to raise him from the dead."

"The Azrael?  The founder of Ha'Khunn?  The one you mur..." Dorcan put his hands over his muzzle and glanced at the wolf with a terrified expression.

"That used to be a good way to anger me," said Jakob.  "But since he is no longer dead it hardly matters anymore.  Besides, it's a misconception we're going to correct soon enough.  But enough of that... how are you finding your new body so far?"

"It's very... powerful," he replied nervously.  "I miss being able to shapeshift, though."

"Talking of powerful, can we do something about me now?" Joshua broke in.

"Sure," replied the incubus.  "Ash, can you reset Josh's interlocks?" he glanced at the feline who was already entering some commands into the computer system.

As the attention shifted to Joshua, Dorcan stared at the husky until his eyes fixed upon a curious pattern on his clothing.

"YOU!" he shrieked and lunged at the husky, knocking him to the floor.  Unable to use his tentacles, the Doberman's hands clenched tightly into fists.

"I've waited years for this.  Now you're going to suffer!  Just like they did!"

He was just about to smack the husky when he noticed something and to Joshua's amazement, froze, before gingerly reaching out and peeling back the husky's shirt sleeve.

"Oh shit," he said.  "My mistake."

"Now what on Furrae was all that about?" asked Jakob, as the Doberman covered his face with embarrassment and sat down.  Joshua just stared at him.  This guy's nuts, he thought.

"N-nothing," Dorcan said slowly.  "Why has he got the Rhu'Hanh clanmark on his shirt?"

"Oh." said Jakob.  "Oh damn.  I knew I should have checked it first.  I found that shirt in a jumble-sale while I was looking for some scrap cloth, and I kept it because it fit the bodies.
Anyway.  This is Joshua Oswald, a Being.  Or at least he was... he's synthetic as well now.  Our first test subject, although that was more by accident than design."

"I'm so sorry," Dorcan said, unable to look at Joshua.  "I thought you were someone else.  Please forgive me."

"I will if you tell me who you thought I was," replied the other dog.  "What's this clan-mark business?"

"All 'Cubi have a mark on their fur," put in Jakob.  "It's the one thing we cannot conceal by shapeshifting.  If I were to morph some fake trousers over mine, it would still appear on the fake-fabric as though it was a pattern in the cloth.  Occasionally 'Cubi make shirts with various marks all over them so that the real one doesn't stand out - I think that's what Dorcan thought."

"Our clans are enemies," Dorcan said.  "They killed half my family in a raid."

"But Jakob!  He was going to punch me!  What about the safety interlocks?"

"Fortunately he aborted it.  If he'd actually followed through he'd have collapsed in a heap on the floor like you did."

Jakob knelt next to the Doberman, and his brow furrowed as he realised that he couldn't feel Dorcan's mind properly.  He looked at Niall quizzically.

"There's something you should know," said Niall slowly.  "We installed the prototype magic cards into him.  He's got the concealment and mindreading charms installed."

"Fair enough.  He'll make a good field test before we install them in Azrael."

"Yes.  We've already done a field trial," the younger wolf replied.

"Really?  What did you try, and how did it go?"

There was an uncomfortable silence.

"I killed someone," the Doberman admitted finally.  Jakob looked horrified.
"It was the Mayor... he wanted to keep his town 'pure' or something.  He had me wrongfully executed on some trumped-up charge, so I killed him back.  It felt good at the time, but now I'm not so sure it was the right thing to do," he said unhappily.

"Well to be honest, it doesn't sound like he's someone I'll miss... but I must admit I'm disappointed.  I built these bodies to help save lives, not slay them.  Promise me you won't do that again unless you have no alternative."

"I promise," said Dorcan sadly.  Jakob looked into his eyes.
"I believe you," he replied.  The fake mind-shield wasn't perfect and he could dimly make things out.

"I have killed about a dozen people," said Jakob sadly, "and I'm indirectly responsible for yet more deaths besides.  I regret them all, and it is these nagging feelings of guilt which keep my power in check and prevent me from becoming a monster."

* * *

"Welcome back, Josh!" said the fox a few days later.  "Your report has caused quite a stir."

Ashford was Joshua's commander and he had risen through the ranks in spite of the eccentric - and more than a little delusional - beliefs which had made him the butt of many jokes throughout the force.
Somehow blind luck and a natural ability to get results had led to a series of high-ranking promotions.  In reality these were solely due to the machinations of his secretary, a hard-faced young jackal who seemed to wear a perpetually sour - or at best cynical - expression upon her muzzle.  Cunning and influential, she had made herself indispensable to the commander who was dangerously close to taking her for granted.

"Do sit down," he smiled and Joshua did.
As soon as he was relaxed, the fox's hand lashed out, striking a small panic button under the desk.  Concealed restraints burst from the chair, locking themselves around Joshua's wrists and ankles.

"I knew it!" cried the fox.  "Kristofer Ausmann has gathered the bones of his dark master and has brought them back to life as an undead liche!  At last we know the reason he devoured so many thousands of souls during his wicked reign!"

His secretary rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"What the hell are you talking about, Sir?" asked Joshua, boggling.

"Don't play the fool with me, you idiot," replied the commander, ignoring the fact that his remark was self-contradictory.  "You come back months after you were due to return, with sophisticated repairs to your aircraft and a glowing report of Kristofer Ausmann's researches.  You're in his thrall, my lad!"

"But, Sir..."

"Shut up.  We know for a fact that Joshua Oswald is dead.  He died three months ago.  You aren't him... you're an undead!"

"I'm... What?"

Ashford laughed.  "We know all about the affair in Mundesberg.  An executed criminal arose on the third day and slew the Mayor.  He said that he had been raised from the dead by Johan Cross himself!
"And now, one of our star agents has returned from the mission that killed him with nothing but good words for the man he was sent to investigate... or more likely his controller!

"But I knew it all along!" he gloated.  "Johan Cross is back and he is massing an army of the living dead!"

This time the jackal was unable to contain herself and let out a small bark of laughter which she quickly turned into a cough.

"But..." Joshua protested again.

"But how did I know?  It's easy.  I know the Risen when I meet them.  It's the spell that binds you together and preserves your semi-mortal remains... it has a particular side-effect.  You see, you have no scent!"

"Oh shit," said Joshua.

"Ye-e-ss!" crowed the fox.  Then his watch beeped.  "I'll be over in two minutes," he told it before turning back to face the husky.
"Well, that's all the time I can spare I'm afraid.  I have more urgent things to do than insult the memory of my late colleague by chatting with his corpse, even if it has been given a semi-intelligent half-life by some crude enchantment."

He rose, and then glanced to his secretary.  "Keaton?  Dispel it, please.  Then have the remains interred at his grave with full honours."

"Yes, commander."
The jackal sighed and arose as well, her wings and headwings appearing as she did so.  Joshua started in terror... he'd never suspected she was anything more than a normal Being and his fear of 'Cubi, diminished by his stay with Jakob, suddenly returned at full strength.

"Rest in peace, old friend," said the fox and waited for the succubus to dispel the magic animating Joshua.
The spell failed.
Twice.
Three times.

Commander Ashford prodded his wristwatch.  "I'm going to have to cancel," he told it urgently.  "I believe we have a situation."

[Gabi]

Oh, a familiar face indeed! And quite an interesting turn of events. Though I couldn't help shake the odd feeling about "don't do it again" being used in response to a murder.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

As far as that goes - if you can read someone's mind, and see that they really -will- not do it again, and really -do- regret it, I can see that being a suitable response.

The problem with people is that, even if they look remorseful, you really can't tell what they're thinking. Which means the only way to tell if they're not going to kill again is to let them loose and see if you get any more bodies.

Which isn't really suitable when the bodies have families, etc etc, obviously. Not to mention being slightly excessively optimistic of an approach...

[Sunblink]

I finally went through the archive of the Future History today and I have to say I was very entertained. It was a fantastic read and I think I've grown quite addicted to the way you write. It's descriptive, while at the same time allowing people to use their imaginations. The characters are inventive and the plot original.

I also can't thank you enough for Keaton's awesome cameo. XD Heehee. You've also made me think a bit about Keaton's future as a character in her history, which I, as well, thank you for.

I'll be keeping my eye out on your work.

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Tapewolf]

As far as that goes - if you can read someone's mind, and see that they really -will- not do it again, and really -do- regret it, I can see that being a suitable response.

There are several factors to consider in the Dorcan-killed-someone business.
Firstly, he had a vendetta over his own murder.  While I don't precisely condone vengeance killings, I can see where he was coming from.

I might also point out at this stage that the mayor has ordered the deaths of many other Creatures for no real reason other than sheer racism and that by killing the perpetrator Dorcan has basically halted his program of ethnic cleansing, thereby saving other Creatures as well.
I don't often have characters with no redeeming features whatsoever, but he is one of them.  If it had been some random innocent that Dorcan had just killed for kicks, Jakob would not have been anywhere near as forgiving.

Also, Jakob is 150 years older than he is in the FCRP and has changed to some degree.  While he still abhors killing, he has apparently started to accept that it might be necessary in certain rare circumstances.  Remember the panther guards are lethal and he has been playing around with what amounts to military technology.  What Azrael will have to say about this is something I must consider in future chapters.

Ultimately, the matter is pushed aside because it simply wasn't relevant to where the plot is heading 

That said, I'm hoping to interweave the developing situation at the intelligence agency (of which I have enough material already to last 3-4 chapters) with Dorcan and Jakob, so this is one topic I could revisit.

In any case, Jakob is going to keep a close watch on Dorcan.

I finally went through the archive of the Future History today and I have to say I was very entertained. It was a fantastic read and I think I've grown quite addicted to the way you write. It's descriptive, while at the same time allowing people to use their imaginations. The characters are inventive and the plot original.

Thanks - I'm glad you enjoyed it, and thanks again for letting me use your character as the evil, scheming secretary.  It seemed like a natural match

[Gabi]

by killing the perpetrator Dorcan has basically halted his program of ethnic cleansing, thereby saving other Creatures as well.

I'm tired which means I'll probably mess up what I'm saying, but how likely is it that organized ethnic killings may end with the murder of their leader, especially by a member of the group they hated so much?

[techmaster-glitch]

Because the Mayor was the only one with the political power to perform such operations. If anyone else tries it now, the REAL authorities will be on there asses... I think. Am I correct, or horribly mistaken, Tapewolf?

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

I don't often have characters with no redeeming features whatsoever, but he is one of them.  If it had been some random innocent that Dorcan had just killed for kicks, Jakob would not have been anywhere near as forgiving.

The problem with that is that it's only, at this stage, that we don't -know- of any redeeming features. :-] Which leaves a big wide door open to finding out that he sponsored orphanages or something, in the future.

People are complex. *grin*

Ultimately, the matter is pushed aside because it simply wasn't relevant to where the plot is heading 

Awwww. ;-]