The Children of Zegandaria - Atanas Marinov, Atanas Marinov, Atanas Marinov, Atanas Marinov (world best books to read txt) 📗

provided a galactic cyber link between Kickluk Sor and Zegandaria, and the fifth level was needed to buffer the financial transfers.

- "If this thing is alive, who's been running us for so many years?," asked Imaya. "Or what, exactly? Om Gur Nal doesn't look like an android or anything."

- "It's clear! This thing is the brain of Arthusson, the real name of the  Mag Tu," Archie made the connection. "And below is his doppelganger, chipped and well prepared for his role. Biogenic engineering is too advanced. They just bred him a clone - nothing more. A clone with a chipped mind who follows orders..."

- "To whom?," the others asked him.

At this the well looked after and wired brain burst open and all that was left sticking out of the whole pile was them.

- "Something didn't work out for him," Nils Armborn tried to show some humour. "The ending wasn't very pretty, but this planet suffered enough. Even too much!"

The lights in the small hall flickered sadly. It was all over.

CONTRITION

"When you feel bad - listen to nature. The silence in the world soothes better than a million unnecessary words."

Confucius

 

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY: CONTRITION

 

Contrition is characteristic of many of us. Too many do not know where to go and what to do before their final hour. Arrudoth also wondered where to go. He had little left. But not because anyone was chasing him or about to finish him off. He knew that in his death he would carry the secret of what they had done with a whole new generation to Zegandaria. A dozen greedy bankers from the planet Kickluk Sor. So focused in their own profiteering that they had forgotten everything else. There was no point in doing anything either.

Equius wasn't very valuable, but the overload that led to the bursting of their super-brain was. Soon the humans would realize the gigantic machination they were up against. And the money they'd demand would be the least of his problems.

Arrudoth avoided the eyes of his other subordinates in his attempts to keep the secret hidden and buried deep within him.

But who was he fooling?

Hell was actually the quarton hideout used by some of the souls who wanted to maintain their incognito, but it was only its antechamber, there was an additional Gesanathian part that was actually where the so-called "demonic viruses" operated, there was also the "virtual version of Hans Auslander's mind". But where had they gotten hold of it?

Von Meilovich's hypothesis and some of Sacklin's developments had served to form a virtual identity for him, similar in IQ to the real physical version.

It was an astonishing achievement, and no one doubted it. And whether there was going to be a real Armageddon on Zegandaria. Honestly, no!

The severe financial crisis that has occurred has killed a huge part of the population of the planet. The people were being squeezed by Om Gur Nal's soldiers who were unaware that they were bowing down to an effigy they thought was god chosen. Yes, perhaps they would come to their senses soon.

The problem of reimplanting memories remained. Many had suffered irreparable brain damage and had to deal with reality in a rather painful way. Doctor Gad ‘Di Enn was tried and executed as the brutal criminal he practically was. And Ser Mac Zon was elevated to an honorary position. Most wanted him to rule the entire planet of Zegandaria. The Duchess of Learnia was also held responsible for anti-planetary activities, and did her best to survive by fooling the others that she had nothing to do with the deeds of her brother, the infamous Archistratus. But as time passed, there were fewer and fewer who were willing to believe her.

A single ray of hope gave her little hope. Forgiveness.

But no one gave it to her.

The god Erduk watched her with his lifeless eyes before she perished, destroyed by her merciless executioner. The laser cutter sliced through her swan's neck, just as it had destroyed a mass of people. This was her retribution.

The crowd cheered, but somewhere there was someone who shed a tear - not for her, but for all that had happened. It was Doctor Ser Mac Zon.

After the virtual reenactments of the Ninth Zone were discovered, it was scientifically proven that the genetics of the guarron contained human elements after all, and people began to feel more friendly towards them.

Zorin was vindicated and his physical death condemned. Yes, he had contributed something to ending this whole story.

Zorin died so that so many others might live. He had been chipped by the evil Doctor Gad ‘Di Enn  back in his Ziruarx. But his chip had a faulty serial number. Zorin had fought the demons that possessed him, but his brain couldn't integrate into society the right way.

Jack Di Mons, Von Meilovich and Ursula von der Lan were also rehabilitated. They had fought, but in a positive way, not for the sake of the degeneration of the human psyche. That is why they received the necessary forgiveness.

Equius's development of virtual planetary relocation hadn't worked, as the two evarone supercomputers were linked together, and once one went down, the chipped population of Kickluk Sor began to realize how stupid they'd been to the aliens.

One of the crowd clearly realized that they had killed Equius for nothing and nothing at all. And later shot himself.

REDEMPTION

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-ONE: REDEMPTION

 

Sasia Leshond devoted herself to her work as a Sister of Charity in the "City of Light". Only there could she spend the end of her days. Many wondered at her deed, but in practice von Blask was proud of her. Yes, it was only a transitional place to the final straight - but it was still useful for so much.

The soldiers leaned on her kindness and willingness to help, asking for her help and advice. One fine day von Blask told her:

- You have done enough! Even more than necessary! You can just go looking for your happiness. It is your time. You have sons. You have to think about their future.

They were both grown and approaching twenty. They came to the "City of Light" to see her. And they felt really proud of it all.

The veterans praised their mother and explained to them exactly what she was doing. At parting, von Blask turned and said something very personal to her:

- No need to be sorry. In the end, there is retribution for everyone! You will get yours too!

Sasia had been burdened with too many duties, but after she finished with the latter, she was sent of her own accord with her two sons to Ufur Gan. She was now of advanced age.

But in her heart she would always carry all of this. All the history she had willingly or unwillingly become a part of.

Her sons had been a worthy support to her, but later she died in one of the temples of Ufur Gan. There was her last refuge.

For a long time songs were sung about her kindness and all the positive things she did for Ufur Gan. But at the bottom of her soul, she never stopped thinking about Mark. His death was somewhat senseless and even cruel. He, who had done so much for this same planet Zegandaria, had received a rather pathetic end. Sasia was also able to hear about Zorin's tragic fate. She also found out that Durnyam had his head smashed in on the asteroid Izod Sin, haunted by the same virtual demonic viruses that had been implanted in him by the poisonous Doctor Gad ‘Di Enn. Durnyam, Sasia, and Mark himself were secretly implanted. And that was exactly the reason von Blask picked up his weapon and killed Mark.

But why was it all happening this way. There was something unexplained in there somewhere, and that was Doctor Gad ‘Di Enn’s punishment.

Sure, he'd done an extraordinary amount of mischief, but somehow he'd gotten away with it, at least at first. Ser Mac Zon stood up for him, but not out of collegiality, but out of sheer pragmatism.

He had to get the chipped people off the supercomputer database. They went specifically to the planet Kickluk Sor.

Boss's team naturally asked for their fees, but the Doctor had nowhere to get that kind of money. He had squandered it all.

The close months of intense work had made him more sensitive to people and their problems.

And so day after day. He felt something startling. Somewhere in there he could feel the immense distrust of his profession. So deep-seated and purposeful.

Gad ‘Di Enn walked over to the Emvor Na as well. The huge thousand-story hospital had been his fortress for so many years. His soul. His heart. Now it was empty and desolate. No one wanted to set foot there either, for all too understandable reasons.

Ser Mac Zon had been authorized to be his overseer until the investigation was finally, complete.

- "Did you chip them here?," asked Ser Mac Zon.

- Well, yes, the manipulation of Sasia Leshond and Mark Lenner was in this very place? We did a partial reimplantation, for the simple reason that a full one was not possible. I still don't have an adequate answer to that.

- "What did you achieve?," asked Ser Mac Zon again.

- I think I changed my view of the whole surrounding reality, and got an inner satisfaction that I was of use. That's enough for me.

- "But you have changed a lot of people's lives!," said Ser Mac Zon perplexedly.

- Well, we all do! Chipping was just an unworkable and ineffective model. And I know it! But the future doesn't look so rosy in practice. And did you all really want to live in a "blue spring" or were you just trying to avoid responsibility from your actions.

Here Ser Mac Zon chuckled.

- I think you're overstating things a bit, my dear. It wasn't exactly like that.

- But I am of the opinion that this planet will never be the same again. And that many will be confronted with reality, the true reality where one dies, but not by rote.

- But there were still some casualties,“ his guarron counterpart noted with menners.

They were rather the exception to the rule. They looked at the world with different eyes and from a different angle than the others. But reality would soon hit them over the heads as well.

- "How are you still alive?," Ser Mac Zon tried to trick him, expecting him to spit out the pebble.

- Well, let me tell you, Jonathan Sacklin was just one of those