Chapter 8

I pulled what I thought of as my inner circle together after all the wards were set. Alecia, Lisa, Ciri, Sara, and Brandy sat nearby while the rest circled us.

I said “Since we know organized religion was infiltrated with Grey influence, they should be next on the shit stirring list. Thinking on that further, a rash of unexplained miracles should do the trick, and we can help some people in the doing. Say a rash of mortal injuries and diseases healed, but it can’t look like organized religion or the government was responsible. Start putting your thoughts together on that one.”

“It would be a good idea to stir the shit with the world’s governments in the doing. But first we need to neutralize all weapons of mass destruction that I can, in case the idiots decided to pull the trigger.”

“Teleporting them into the sun sounded nice.” Alecia said.

Brandy commented, “Taking out the Grey AI should be in the top five list. However, we don’t t now how ingrained it was and what would happen to people if we did that. We also had no clue what the setup is in the EU, Russia, and China. Would killing those systems collapse the world’s economy? Start a world war, other? Just how intermingled are they?”

“Too many open questions to be doing anything terribly rash” commented Ciri.

“Problems for another day” I told them. “Let’s refocus on matters at hand.”

I sealed the plug over the hole, then started setting wards. The rest joined in. By the time we were done, a rat couldn’t fart in our direction without setting off a ward.

I looked at those gathered around me and said, “We need to make a trip to Venus soon.”

Using one of the Tokens, I set it in a corner and activated it. We all passed through the resulting portal.

On the other side, Guardian reiterated his speech about freeing those that wished it. All but one former Sagittarian took him up on it. The one holdout was Cecile. Anne and Cecile looked scared.

Looking at them I said “I suggest you have a look inside New Haven before you decide.”

They all trooped down the ramp to have a look. It didn’t change Anne’s mind, but I could tell Cecile was waffling.

She looked at me and said “It reminds me of home. Is it too late to change my mind?”

“It’s not at all too late.”

She nodded and began walking down the path. Guardian stopped her and removed the curse element. Then picked her up in a translucent magical bubble and carried her to Al’thia, where she’d start a new life.

The rest of us returned to the hangar...

AI was there when we returned. I looked at her and asked “We may need your help soon. We need information as fast as we can get it. You’re our best bet for that, but we can’t safely bring you to the surface. Is it possible for you to do what you did before?”

Guardian spoke up “I have an artifact that can transfer her knowledge to you, but you will need another artifact implanted just to hold it.”

“Let’s do it then if AI is willing.”

My body was enveloped with an energy field at that moment. I apparently passed out again according to Alecia’s retelling of the event.

While I was out, another artifact was installed. In it was packed all the knowledge from AI.

When I woke, Guardian said “That last artifact is all you will be able to handle without becoming a ship yourself. It is advisable that you do not allow yourself to be scanned without a shield up. That last artifact is far more powerful and the largest as yet to be implanted. For you, death will be a better option than allowing your body to fall into Grey hands. They would try to extract the artifact and likely kill you in the process, but not before a great deal of suffering.

Properly warned, I realized he was right.

Getting back to the effort, I sat and cultivated while assimilating the knowledge I’d just received. I had a proper headache after the fact, realizing trying to assimilate it all was a mistake. I needed to focus on what I needed at the time I needed it.

I looked at the three ships in the hanger and said “Stacy, I need you to assist AI. Stay in full stealth mode while you do.”

“AI, I need you to go with Stacy. Collect any information you can from orbiting satellites around earth from all space fairing polities regarding Grey influence and any known hybrids within those governments.”

“Electra, I need you to take me to our new base of operations on earth. I’ve cleared an area, but I don’t know what else y’all may need to use it. Currently, it’s sealed and warded. Some path for ingress and egress that hides it well I would think.”

Looking at the girls, I was thinking we were too grouped up. There would be no one to help if we got hit as a group.

“When we return to earth, we need to split up. Just one group is asking for trouble. Sara, you, Bethany, Gale, and the Korpokkur twins will be one group with Inia. Myself, Ciri, Anne, Lisa, Alecia, and Electra will be another. Sara, you will lead your group with the aid of the Korpokkur twins. You are to begin in Japan. Establish a base there. Then go forth and stir the shit with the goal of flushing out Grey influence. If you can take the shot without being compromised, take them out. At a minimum, kill as many of their artifacts as you can.”

Everyone nodded their heads and loaded up to leave. Guardian gave both Sara and me a square cube artifact and said to activate them inside the bases.

Each of us nodded and left.

As I was traveling, I was channeling my inner adolescent. In high school I was known for stirring shit. If the fire alarm was pulled, or any other prank, I was always the first pulled into the office. Thinking on this, I needed the input of the actual teenager in the ship.

“Ciri, get your inner troll working and tell me how she would troll the Greys.”

She looked at me and said “Now there is a job requirement I would have never dreamed of.”

She continued “We know they push division, hate, and fear. How many times have you heard about them abducting and probing humans? With your ability to implant memories, and this ship, we could replicate an abduction in a very public venue, of a very public person. Portal them to the ship, implant the memory then portal them to the studios of a live news show. If that doesn’t stir the shit with them, I don’t know what would. I mean you’ve seen them, so you know exactly what they look like. You could gen up another artifact like you used for the Geralt persona, portal to the news studio, and abduct the asshat of your choice. I remember the national variants always had some politician on. The odds of government types being in on the Grey collusion should be high, right?”

I laughed and said, “Sounds like a plan” as I extracted the materials I’d need and got to work. An hour later, there was a Grey on the ship, or at least what looked like one. I was assured by the others it definitely looked real. Turning it off, I turned to the others, “Before we do the abduction thing, I want to help some folks. The question is who and how. My thoughts are more like people that were in Ciri’s circumstances, but how to find them?”

“Look through the databases of children’s hospitals. Find the ones listed as terminal. You could go back to Knoxville and pull my old records as a guide.”

“One more thing, there was a girl I knew up in Kentucky who complained about being abducted periodically. She was tied in with the conspiracy guys trying to get help. Her contacts may be useful, but more than that, I’d like to help her. Especially now that I know there is a very good chance, she was telling the truth.”