Experiment

The research labs didn't remind Barion of any 'lab' he had ever seen. The rooms were partitioned arrays of desks and computers. The hundreds of cubicles were thoroughly abandoned but pristinely maintained, as if the Caretakers were expecting humans to return to the station any day. Witilla quickly seated herself on one of the stiff-looking chairs and began scouring the machine for information while Barion stood by.

"With my microchip, I should have the authorisation to create a new account for myself… then we'll have access to every file stored on the extranet."

"You don't need to explain every little thing to me… most of it just goes straight over my head."

"The answers to all of our remaining questions should be here." She assured, "The data collected by researchers during the preliminary stages of the experiment will give us some insight into the greater meaning behind the use of Angels."

"You always call them that--Angels. What's the meaning behind it?"

"Religion isn't something unique to your planet." She explained, "There have been countless faiths which have sprung up over the course of human history, but one of the most enduring is Christianity. One of its core beliefs is that God is attended to and his will carried out by messengers known as Angels."

"Demons bring nothing but destruction. Do they really believe that divine messengers would take the form of horrific beasts?"

"In the scripture of Christianity, Angels take a variety of forms… some are beautiful, winged humanoids, and others are abstract creatures with no logic to their appearances… perhaps it tries to illustrate how faith can often seem confusing, or indecipherable…"

"-Or perhaps these people were trying to emulate the God they so worship." He suggested, "The people of Tor are infatuated with the Goddess of Light. To think that their prayers were directed towards Black Luna all along…"

"...That should do it." Witilla pressed an oblong button on the device in front of her, "Let me access some of the files related to the experiment."

The computer's nature was completely incomprehensible to Barion, but even a primitive mind like his could appreciate the complexity of such a machine. Information that would take hours to copy into another book was readily available without the need for shelves or libraries. The terminals weren't even connected to one-another, and yet they could supposedly share information as if part of some great, invisible network.

"Here's an interesting document." Witilla noticed, "It seems to be an automated record of events since the beginning of Black Luna's planetary observation."

As she accessed the file, a plain log stretched to cover the entire screen.

Year 0 -- Injection of terraforming fluids via TR-2 T.G.M. salvo. 3 implements successful in penetrating and injecting the desired payload. 1 missile failed to purge during pre-orbital descent, hampering penetration power and becoming lodged within the planet's crust. Impact point - Vedra Perineum. No actions necessary.

Year 1 -- Atmospheric and terrestrial changes nominal and expected. No actions necessary.

Year 4 -- Atmospheric conditions expected to reach optimal levels in 2 weeks. Preparations to launch craft AM-1 'Parasite' alongside craft AM-2 'Destroying Angel' will be followed shortly by the deployment of experimental intergalactic satellite AID-1 'Black Luna'

Year 4 -- Craft AM-1 'Parasite' and AM-2 'Destroying Angel' successful in transferring micro-cellular payloads to Vedra Oceanus. Experimental intergalactic satellite AID-1 'Black Luna' deployed successfully within stable orbit.

Year 919,010,935 -- First complex multicellular organisms emerge within Vedra Oceanus. Life expectancy: 7 terrestrial weeks. AM-2 'Destroying Angel' payload develops as expected.

Year 919,010,949 -- Life expectancy: 3 terrestrial months.

Year 919,010,952 -- Life expectancy: 1 terrestrial year. Emergence of complicated pattern-seeking behaviours evident in developing cellular structure.

Year 919,112,009 -- Multiple documented successful multicellular lifeforms evident within Vedra Oceanus. Developing prehensile organs suggest branching evolutionary choice towards sexual reproduction.

Year 919,112,203 -- First documented birth of complex multicellular organism within Vedra Oceanus.

Year 919,114,149 -- Developing ecosystems within Vedra Oceanus follow simulated expectations. Stable life has emerged and is unlikely to be disturbed by astronomical phenomena.

Year 950,130,977 -- First documented case of terrestrial life attempting to embark. Attempt unsuccessful.

Year 950,199,005 -- Attempt unsuccessful

Year 951,502,010 -- Attempt unsuccessful

Year 951,977,999 -- Attempt unsuccessful

Year 953,722,155 -- Attempt unsuccessful

Year 957,111,195 -- Attempt unsuccessful

Year 959,000,001 -- Attempt unsuccessful

Year 969,651,199 -- Attempt unsuccessful

Year 975,998,117 -- Attempt unsuccessful

Year 980,050,902 -- Attempt successful. Terrestrial calendar restarting.

Year 1 - Emergence of fully-complex multicellular life forms capable of breathing air and sexually reproducing evident within Vedra Perineum.

Year 144,941,109 - Branching cellular evolution has resulted in the development of a complex ecosystem consisting of what may be called fauna and flora. Long-term simulations show a 99.9% success rate in determining the emergence of intelligent life.

Year 160,900,995 - Emergence of primates.

Year 163,125,525 -- Diversified primate species display increased levels of common intelligence, rudimentary tool-use, and self-expression.

Year 165,500,922 -- Significant signs of self-awareness evident in primate natives of Vedra Asterum. First intentional occasion of firemaking.

Year 165,990,000 -- Tool-use apparent in evident proto-sapiens, resulting in the formation of primitive society. First recorded usage of complex language structures.

Year 166,096,712 -- True human emergence. Terrestrial calendar restarting.

Year 1 - Stone tool usage, cooking, artistry and a mastery of fire evident in Vedra humans.

Year 3,390,030 - An understanding of forces, society and language has resulted in the improvement of tools and techniques. Terrestrial calendar restarting.

Year 2,070 - Development of agricultural techniques has allowed for nomadic societies of Vedra humans to create permanent settlements.

Year 3,119 - Domestication of terrestrial mammals. Tools of crude metal.

Year 3,501 - Development of metallurgy has resulted in the creation of low-quality bronze.

Year 3,771 - Complex society has emerged. Technology is developing quickly and regional language structures are becoming commonplace. Large cities.

Year 4,092 - Advances in metallurgy allows for the smelting of iron.

Year 4,201 - International diplomacy is commonplace between established nations. Several wars have been fought. Religion is practised openly.

Year 4,300 - Initiating 'Angel' Protocol…

Year 4,800 - SEED 2 eliminated.

Year 5,000 - W.O.R.M. caretakers identify and accept terrestrial lifeforms as human.

Year 5,002 - Emergence of W.O.R.M. adepts.

Year 5,300 - Initiating 'Angel' Protocol…

Year 5,800 - SEED 1 eliminated.

Year 6,300 - Initiating 'Angel' Protocol…

Year 6,799 - CODE BLACK - Experiment compromised

Year 6,799 - Errant factor purged successfully

Year 6,800 - SEED 2 eliminated.

Year 7,300 - Initiating 'Angel' Protocol…

Year 7,800 - SEED 2 eliminated.

Year 8,300 - Initiating 'Angel' Protocol…

Year 8,800 - ERROR 5 (NOCONTEST)

Year 8,800 - SEED 1 syphoned successfully.

Year 9,000 - Continuous existence of terrestrial SEED entities. Chemical analysis confirms presence of age-reversing W.O.R.M. Caretakers present within organ tissue.

Year 9,300 - Initiating 'Angel' Protocol…

Year 9,300 - Unauthorised access detected. BRF-445149 compromised.

Year 9,300 - AA-02 'Hyperion' unresponsive. Biometrics nominal.

Year 9,300 - BRF-445149 destroyed. Experiment threat level raised to SEVERE.

Year 9,300 - Emergency broadcast from AA-03 'Prometheus'. Mutation protocol approved.

Year 9,300 - Mutated AA-03 'Prometheus' destroyed. Recalculating terrestrial probabilities…

Barion couldn't possibly hope to understand most of what was written on the screen, but one thing in particular made his head spin.

"That's… that can't be true, can it?" He blinked, "This experiment… it's been going on for over one billion years…? Has our planet even existed for that long?"

"The processes of divergent evolution are incredibly complex." Witilla explained, "From the day this planet's primordial soup was artificially injected, Black Luna has been observing and cataloguing the eventual emergence of humans. But… it seems that Angels have only existed for as long as human society has--just under 5,000 years…"

"But why?"

"It seems that, alongside this planet's original genetic payload--the 'Parasite' payload, another was included for some unknown purpose… could that have been a bio-engineered 'starter' intended to guarantee the emergence of Angels?"

"But… aren't Demons created in those underground facilities?"

"Yes… I imagine Caretakers--possibly those responsible for creating the WORM nanomachines native to this planet, were released at some point to construct them. But a supply of biomass would have been needed to begin production." She answered, "...So, the steel tower poking out from the Henklomeon Steppe is an unseparated terraforming device… fascinating."

"Terraforming?"

"The science of changing a planet's atmosphere and composition to create the conditions necessary to sustain life." She elaborated, "It was a tremendous breakthrough that allowed humanity to permanently occupy planets besides their own. It can take several years for the effects of salvos to fully terraform a planet, but the earliest known attempts took thousands…"

"So we owe our existence to humanity…" Barion muttered, "But that doesn't give them the right to do as they please…"

"According to the log, this is the sixth Demon Age the world has suffered through." She continued, "It seems that there's always a 500-year gap between each…"

"What does it mean by SEED 1 and SEED 2?" He asked, "Right before Atroma mutated… I could hear some kind of strange voice that used the same terms…"

"Those are the classifications given to the two individuals responsible for ending each war." She explained, "The 'Hero' is always SEED 1, and the 'Demon King' is always SEED 2."

"Does that mean there have been occasions in the past when the Hero failed?"

"I-It seems that way, yes…"

"What happens then? The world can't be destroyed--we wouldn't be here. Do the Demons just disappear? What about the Heavenly Kings?"

"Let me see…" Witilla returned to the computer, "...Take a look at this."

At her demand, another document appeared on the screen.

!WARNING! CONFIDENTIAL !WARNING!

Project #59091 (Codename - PLATO'S CAVE)

Star Date - 23/02/10544

Project Description:

59091 aims to provide undeniable proof of humanity's natural divinity by demonstrating how divergent evolution, over the course of countless generations, will inevitably result in the creation of the human form. Through the use of terraforming and genetic modification, steps will be taken to observe and catalogue the development of life on a particular planet.

We have recently received correspondence from the state-sponsored genetics conglomerate 'Millennium' expressing interest in testing the effectiveness of bioweapons in reducing political dissidence, especially on low-income and low-technology planets. After a number of invitational demonstrations, President Hudson was impressed and gave the green light to 59091, under the stipulation that the chosen planet be used to manufacture and test the biological weapons.

Due to the long-running nature of the project, practical testing of the weapons will not be possible. However, legislative constraints have forced this project to be carried out in secrecy, and the bioweapons present an opportunity to ensure that any society which results from the experiment will not have the technological prowess to move beyond a Class-1 Civilisation.

"It goes on like this…" Witilla used the wired peripheral to scroll through the document, "Angels are… bioweapons--artificial creatures designed for combat. They were originally created to quell political dissidence."

"It's just as I thought." Barion frowned, "There was never any greater meaning to the existence of Demons. They exist to hold us back--to reset history whenever our technology becomes too advanced."

"Genetic modification was possible when the experiment first began, but highly illegal." She explained, "If this planet entered the space age, there's a very real possibility that it could cause a political upheaval… that is, if humanity still exists, now that it's been one billion years…"

"It's all a lie…" Barion muttered, "I'm sick to death of this. It's about time we stopped Black Luna for good."

"I agree." Witilla stood from her chair, "Let's move towards the Containment Cells."

Discovering Demonkind's true purpose left a gaping hole in Barion's chest. Not only was the reason for their existence completely irrational and self-serving, but the thought of just how many people had died thinking they were delivering the world from some destined 'evil' made his blood boil. More than anything else, however, he despised how the truth was so pointless and unsatisfying. Somehow, he'd expected the answers to clear his head of all doubts, but they had only strengthened his hatred for their planet's cruel fate.