going to hang out among spankers, you might consider trying one anyway.”
“Hmm, yes, I expect the experience would be worthwhile, but I don’t know…Going around trusting this, this software? I wouldn’t want anyone messing with me.” She giggled uncomfortably.
“Yeah, unfortunately, spanklets-er, spanklets being the name for girls, I mean women-they get groped all the time. The guys usually get away with it ’cause the spanklets can’t ID the guy unless they jack out of the game, and by then the guy is gone.”
“Groped?” The woman looked at him with an amused smile.
“Forget it,” replied D_Light. “Okay then, so you’re obviously not a spanker. So how does a lovely creature like you spend your time?”
A text from player Blitz came into D_Light’s periphery. ’ Bout time. Need more info on this girl to get a lock. This was followed by a text from K_Slice that read, Yeah, Dee, you’re bleeding this out. Wrap it up, nOOb!
The girl adopted a soft, warm smile and answered, “Most nights I work at the university, but not tonight. I’m just taking a walk.”
D_Light was about to ask what “taking a walk” was when a priority-one blink from Mother Lyra barged into his mind. We have confirmation on his apartment!
Djoser chimed in. Got it. That’s it then. I’ll call it in!
No need, I called it in a few minutes back, Lyra replied.
A little late saying so, don’t you think? Djoser inquired. Holding out on us?
Thought it prudent, Lyra returned. I didn’t want you all jumping up and down for joy, tipping off our friend. As they say, it ain’t over ’til it’s over.
As the two nobles volleyed back and forth, D_Light thought, The demon located? Nailed the first quest!
Lyra had sent the coordinates of the demon’s apartment, which indicated that it was located in the mound directly across from D_Light, less than one hundred meters away. It would not be long now. An angel would have been dispatched quickly. He had never seen an angel in action. Of course, he would want to keep his distance nonetheless.
Due to all the blinks going off in his head, D_Light had been quiet for a while and had momentarily forgotten about the girl, who appeared to take the silence as a hint. She sighed. “Well, it’s late. I think I ought to get going.”
Presently, D_Light returned his attention back to the girl and said, “Oh, you’re going to want to stick around. You’re about to see something you don’t see every day.”
She looked at him quizzically.
“Ever seen an angel?” he asked.
“Uh, no. I…I don’t understand what you mean. Is this about the game thing? I don’t believe-”
D_Light interrupted. “No, not a game. Angels are the highest agents of the Divine Authority.”
The woman smiled and nodded and took a few shuffling steps backward. She appeared slightly uneasy. “That sounds interesting, but I’m, well, I’m late.”
D_Light persisted. “You know, the Divine Authority, the OverSoul?” Where did this woman come from? D_Light wondered. Having to explain spanker games was odd enough, but the OverSoul? It was like being ignorant of gravity.
Indeed, the girl did not explicitly say that she didn’t understand what he was talking about, but D_Light could tell when someone was trying to fake it-someone trying to pass as knowledgeable, but not having a clue. A faker always had a dismissive look mixed with a little fear that screamed out, “Sure, sure, let’s just move on to another subject.” He saw that look a lot in his profession (who didn’t?)-people trying to wing it. Doesn’t know the OverSoul? Was she from one of the outer colonies?
“Look, there is a demon in that building there,” D_Light announced bluntly, pointing down at the mound below.
The girl’s eyes widened and the color in her face drained instantly. Judging by her reaction, D_Light surmised that she did know the definition of a demon.
D_Light quickly added, “Don’t worry. The angels are on their way. They will take care of him.”
The girl looked away from D_Light, her body tense. “Todget! Todget! Run!” she screamed.
CHAPTER 11
“Out, out, brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and is then heard no more: It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”
So wrote Shakespeare on the subject of the human condition. Depressing, eh? Countless past generations of people all over the earth armed themselves against such unthinkable sentiment with faith-faith that life actually did have a purpose. But faith-the act of lying to oneself because it is convenient-the foundation of past religions, is no more than a historical footnote today.
We no longer need to ritualistically console each other in temples or churches chock-full of symbols and idols. God is no longer a ghost. God is no longer reduced to an imaginary guide through the inscrutable and indifferent jungle of our lives. Who can question the divinity of the OverSoul in a world where no one is hungry? In a world where sickness is a choice rather than a hand dealt by fate? In a world where immortals walk among us?
The angel approached slowly and quietly. There was at least a 94 % chance the demon was in its residence, so there was no need to hurry. For the current mission the angel was a “he,” and if it ever came up, he had chosen to give himself the name “Jacob.” Of course, human labels like “gender” did not apply to an entity like Jacob. His name and gender were more a reflection of how he chose to appear to others at the present time rather than based on any physiological or psychological characteristics.
Having landed near his target, Jacob proceeded at a brisk walk toward the apartment mound. He had a disheveled mat of black hair and serious eyebrows. His large brown eyes scanned about casually, taking in the world around him. But Jacob did not use those eyes, as they were only for show. Jacob’s true eyes could see so much more, and not just in front of him, but also all around. Jacob’s senses radiated out like a great bulb of light, illuminating even the darkest of shadows.
The angel passively scanned everything, alive or not, that came within the reach of his scanners. Humans, products, vegetation, inanimate matter-all were inspected and categorized. Most of this data was filed away and not processed further. It was not important, at least not at present.
Jacob walked up the flight of steps that cut up into the bowels of the building. He had to decide whether to fly up the stairs or climb them manually. Low-speed flying was 434 % faster than manually climbing and cost only 115.45 % more energy; however, his “stealth protocol” did not call for flight, so he decided to climb the stairs manually.
“Todget! Todget! Run!” a voice called from a distance. Based on the wave pattern of the voice, it was 93.6 % likely to belong to a female human or human-based product. In addition, the pattern suggested (86.45 %) that the caller was emotionally distressed. Jacob instantly deduced that this was a warning to his target, given that “Todget” was the social name of the target.
It was now highly likely (approximately 78 %) that the target had just been warned of impending danger. The protocol Jacob had been using up to this point was based on the assumption that the target would be caught by surprise. The scenario had changed, justifying a change in protocol. In other words, more extreme measures were now worth examining.
The first protocol he considered was to use the direct approach. As Jacob knew from his constant scanning, the walls of the mound in which his target resided were a common dro-vine derivative, and so he knew its tensile strength. He could rip through such walls like paper, but this was not optimal. Although the walls would grow back, it was unnecessary to damage them. It was wasteful under the current circumstances, and openly using his
