[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
Again the corporation thinks. And thinks and thinks. It is simply unbearable
how much of this one's life is wasted waiting. Finally, after a full second,
the gates are released, and the water of the cave opens freely onto the LINK.
Before swimming out into the ocean of information, one looks back. For the
first time one wonders what it would be like to be a free agent. As quickly as
the thought rises, one squelches it.
One must remember honor.
MORE CHILDREN DISAPPEAR
Game to Blame?
The Apocalypse Watch, Fundamentalist Press (December 2093)
By Rosalita and José Fuentes Although the&
mainstream secular press has yet to report on this phenomenon, Christian
children have been disappearing around the country. As of press time, ten
parents have contacted AW's office regarding children they believe are missing
under the influence of the virtual-reality/real-time game Soul Stealer.
"It's weird that this only seems to be happening to Christian youth," said
Sheriff Bobby Boone Juxton, parent of missing fifteen-year-old Duane Juxton of
Mississippi. "If it wasn't happening so piecemeal, I'd almost say this was
some kind of anti-Rapture."
Others have made a connection to the Tribulation as well. Continual
investigation into the origin of the game has revealed that the earliest
mention of Soul Stealer on the LINK coincides with the foundation of the
"international free space" in Israel only a few months ago. Mainstream presses
reported a rash of high school truancies dubbed "Angel Flu," which appeared to
be related to the debut of the game. However, there have been no reports of
missing children in the secular press.
"Please tell your kids to stay away," said Pastor Christopher Bollingbrook of
Christ Hope Church in Minnesota. "This game is clearly a danger to young
Christians."
Chapter 9 Emmaline
Page 45
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"Denying access to atheists is a crime. The LINK is
everything: commerce, community, politics, entertainment, and information. An
atheist has made a conscious decision about God. It might not be one you like,
but it is a decision. I think that choice should be respected."
I spoke to representatives of the Order of the Inquisition via the LINK. A
series of windows on the right-hand side of my field of vision showed their
avatars. At the top, according to his rank, was the Grand Inquisitor, Joji
Matsushita. There had been a surprise upset in the ranks of the Inquisition,
and this year the Buddhists and the Eastern Order gained the top seat for the
first time since the establishment of a united council.
Matsushita also held the distinction of being the youngest Grand Inquisitor
ever elected. I liked him. He'd spent several years in America as a student,
and he made no excuses for the ring that graced the corner of his slender,
shapely eyebrow or the streak of bright blue that ran down to the tip of his
waist-length hair.
Beneath him were the top representatives of the other divisions. Though
technically not next in power, I'd placed Miriam Stone from the Jewish Order
just below Matsushita. Stone's relentless pursuit of the virtual hijacking of
Temple Rock had brought her to prominence. She had been wrong, of course, but
she'd apparently proven herself an excellent spokesperson for the Jewish
cause. She didn't like me much. I had no feeling one way or the other toward
Ms. Stone, other than that I suspected that she was a lesbian, particularly in
light of her voting record on my proposals to eliminate the "reformation
camps" for gays. Besides, she was one of those women who could only be
described as "handsome." Of course, a lot of people said that about me.
Majeed Faraji-Dana stood in for the Islamic Order. He was the only member of
the council who was not, in fact, a clergyperson. Majeed acted solely as
secretary to the order, which was a pain in the ass whenever the council
needed to vote on something. His back-and-forths always delayed our
proceedings. Still, the Islamic Order had had the sense to choose someone
young and liberal, and who didn't freak out at the sight of women without
veils in positions of authority. Had he any real power, I would have courted
him, politically speaking. As it stood, the Order seemed to make all of its
decisions based on careful perusal of the Koran. It would make no decision out
of politics, only religious law. Luckily, it could be outvoted.
At the bottom of my personal pecking order came Abebe Uwawah from Nigeria. She
was the Grand Inquisitor of Christendom and my former boss's boss. We'd never
had many dealings when I was still with the Vatican, but that rarely stopped
her from commenting on the lapses in my service record or making disparaging
remarks about the state of my Christian soul.
Which you don't have.
And you do, Victory?
Not a Christian one, as I am Muslim. But perhaps an immortal soul.
You're a machine, I reminded her. Not a person.
The same could be said about you.
I could hardly argue with that. Thanks to my cybernetic enhancements, I was,
in fact, a cyborg; I could barely function without my combat computer. But,
unlike Victory, I could care less about souls and who had them and who didn't.
Morningstar, as an angel made out of pure spirit, didn't have a soul, but that
didn't stop him from being a loving husband. As far as I could tell, souls
were fairly useless.
Sad.
"Are you with us, Emmaline?" It was Matsushita. "I think we have come to a
decision."
"Excellent, please proceed," I sent to him, for I had no doubts that the
council would vote in favor of my proposal and appoint me the representative
for the new Atheist Order. Then it would be a simple matter to suggest the
other five orders and finally have my world government composed of "ten
Page 46
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
kingdoms."
Another prophecy down, only a few more to go.
You're so very arrogant, Victory said.
No, I reminded her. I'm magic.
She shook my head in disgust. Magic. Please.
But it was true, and she knew it. Things always worked out for me. Always.
Sure, the things I could do would never go down in the annals of impressive
biblical events. What I commanded was not major miracles, like the kind
Morningstar could perform, but they were the sorts of little things that made
life easier. If I wished it so, traffic lights would turn green for me. My
favorite flavor of ice cream would always be available, and on sale. More
important, if I wanted someone to give me something, they would.
I should have snatched your hand away from his, Victory sent bitterly.
But you didn't. And, now, because she hadn't, what passed as Morningstar's
blood coursed through my veins. On that night he asked me to marry him and we
sat beneath a dark moon on the hills of Megiddo, of Armageddon, I became
something new. I now possessed a piece of the spirit of the only angel ever to
tear Heaven in two, to break the will of God Himself, the supreme Will.
And now I knew the truth. Morningstar never used half the power at his
command. He could easily destroy the world if only he wished to. It was
maddening to have but a tenth of that power. However, unlike my lover, I used
every ounce.
For evil.
Please, I said. Since when is getting access for the disenfranchised evil?
"Congratulations," said Matsushita. "You have been voted into the Order."
The Inquisitors continued their meeting, making arrangements, protocols,
hashing out policy, laws, jurisdictions. The words washed over me. I'd won.
Again.
Anyway, that's not what I meant, Victory said in my inner ear.
I stood up from the kitchen table and yawned. I poked around for more food and
found a bag of salted kosher pretzels in one of the cabinets. Leaning against [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl szamanka888.keep.pl
Again the corporation thinks. And thinks and thinks. It is simply unbearable
how much of this one's life is wasted waiting. Finally, after a full second,
the gates are released, and the water of the cave opens freely onto the LINK.
Before swimming out into the ocean of information, one looks back. For the
first time one wonders what it would be like to be a free agent. As quickly as
the thought rises, one squelches it.
One must remember honor.
MORE CHILDREN DISAPPEAR
Game to Blame?
The Apocalypse Watch, Fundamentalist Press (December 2093)
By Rosalita and José Fuentes Although the&
mainstream secular press has yet to report on this phenomenon, Christian
children have been disappearing around the country. As of press time, ten
parents have contacted AW's office regarding children they believe are missing
under the influence of the virtual-reality/real-time game Soul Stealer.
"It's weird that this only seems to be happening to Christian youth," said
Sheriff Bobby Boone Juxton, parent of missing fifteen-year-old Duane Juxton of
Mississippi. "If it wasn't happening so piecemeal, I'd almost say this was
some kind of anti-Rapture."
Others have made a connection to the Tribulation as well. Continual
investigation into the origin of the game has revealed that the earliest
mention of Soul Stealer on the LINK coincides with the foundation of the
"international free space" in Israel only a few months ago. Mainstream presses
reported a rash of high school truancies dubbed "Angel Flu," which appeared to
be related to the debut of the game. However, there have been no reports of
missing children in the secular press.
"Please tell your kids to stay away," said Pastor Christopher Bollingbrook of
Christ Hope Church in Minnesota. "This game is clearly a danger to young
Christians."
Chapter 9 Emmaline
Page 45
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"Denying access to atheists is a crime. The LINK is
everything: commerce, community, politics, entertainment, and information. An
atheist has made a conscious decision about God. It might not be one you like,
but it is a decision. I think that choice should be respected."
I spoke to representatives of the Order of the Inquisition via the LINK. A
series of windows on the right-hand side of my field of vision showed their
avatars. At the top, according to his rank, was the Grand Inquisitor, Joji
Matsushita. There had been a surprise upset in the ranks of the Inquisition,
and this year the Buddhists and the Eastern Order gained the top seat for the
first time since the establishment of a united council.
Matsushita also held the distinction of being the youngest Grand Inquisitor
ever elected. I liked him. He'd spent several years in America as a student,
and he made no excuses for the ring that graced the corner of his slender,
shapely eyebrow or the streak of bright blue that ran down to the tip of his
waist-length hair.
Beneath him were the top representatives of the other divisions. Though
technically not next in power, I'd placed Miriam Stone from the Jewish Order
just below Matsushita. Stone's relentless pursuit of the virtual hijacking of
Temple Rock had brought her to prominence. She had been wrong, of course, but
she'd apparently proven herself an excellent spokesperson for the Jewish
cause. She didn't like me much. I had no feeling one way or the other toward
Ms. Stone, other than that I suspected that she was a lesbian, particularly in
light of her voting record on my proposals to eliminate the "reformation
camps" for gays. Besides, she was one of those women who could only be
described as "handsome." Of course, a lot of people said that about me.
Majeed Faraji-Dana stood in for the Islamic Order. He was the only member of
the council who was not, in fact, a clergyperson. Majeed acted solely as
secretary to the order, which was a pain in the ass whenever the council
needed to vote on something. His back-and-forths always delayed our
proceedings. Still, the Islamic Order had had the sense to choose someone
young and liberal, and who didn't freak out at the sight of women without
veils in positions of authority. Had he any real power, I would have courted
him, politically speaking. As it stood, the Order seemed to make all of its
decisions based on careful perusal of the Koran. It would make no decision out
of politics, only religious law. Luckily, it could be outvoted.
At the bottom of my personal pecking order came Abebe Uwawah from Nigeria. She
was the Grand Inquisitor of Christendom and my former boss's boss. We'd never
had many dealings when I was still with the Vatican, but that rarely stopped
her from commenting on the lapses in my service record or making disparaging
remarks about the state of my Christian soul.
Which you don't have.
And you do, Victory?
Not a Christian one, as I am Muslim. But perhaps an immortal soul.
You're a machine, I reminded her. Not a person.
The same could be said about you.
I could hardly argue with that. Thanks to my cybernetic enhancements, I was,
in fact, a cyborg; I could barely function without my combat computer. But,
unlike Victory, I could care less about souls and who had them and who didn't.
Morningstar, as an angel made out of pure spirit, didn't have a soul, but that
didn't stop him from being a loving husband. As far as I could tell, souls
were fairly useless.
Sad.
"Are you with us, Emmaline?" It was Matsushita. "I think we have come to a
decision."
"Excellent, please proceed," I sent to him, for I had no doubts that the
council would vote in favor of my proposal and appoint me the representative
for the new Atheist Order. Then it would be a simple matter to suggest the
other five orders and finally have my world government composed of "ten
Page 46
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
kingdoms."
Another prophecy down, only a few more to go.
You're so very arrogant, Victory said.
No, I reminded her. I'm magic.
She shook my head in disgust. Magic. Please.
But it was true, and she knew it. Things always worked out for me. Always.
Sure, the things I could do would never go down in the annals of impressive
biblical events. What I commanded was not major miracles, like the kind
Morningstar could perform, but they were the sorts of little things that made
life easier. If I wished it so, traffic lights would turn green for me. My
favorite flavor of ice cream would always be available, and on sale. More
important, if I wanted someone to give me something, they would.
I should have snatched your hand away from his, Victory sent bitterly.
But you didn't. And, now, because she hadn't, what passed as Morningstar's
blood coursed through my veins. On that night he asked me to marry him and we
sat beneath a dark moon on the hills of Megiddo, of Armageddon, I became
something new. I now possessed a piece of the spirit of the only angel ever to
tear Heaven in two, to break the will of God Himself, the supreme Will.
And now I knew the truth. Morningstar never used half the power at his
command. He could easily destroy the world if only he wished to. It was
maddening to have but a tenth of that power. However, unlike my lover, I used
every ounce.
For evil.
Please, I said. Since when is getting access for the disenfranchised evil?
"Congratulations," said Matsushita. "You have been voted into the Order."
The Inquisitors continued their meeting, making arrangements, protocols,
hashing out policy, laws, jurisdictions. The words washed over me. I'd won.
Again.
Anyway, that's not what I meant, Victory said in my inner ear.
I stood up from the kitchen table and yawned. I poked around for more food and
found a bag of salted kosher pretzels in one of the cabinets. Leaning against [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]