*Whooosh!
As Aavesh and Athena chatted animatedly together on certain aspects from the Future, suddenly arrived in the Experimental lab with a Large Steel Box behind him- it was carried by two Bulky Assistant Bots.
They Placed it one side and immediately stood outside to Guard the Entrance.
*SHUA
The Entrance sealed shut.
Perseus then turned to the duo and spoke apologetically, " I'm afraid there is a change of Plans- Aavesh, I wish to add something more to our deal-"
Athena flipped out as she heard this but just as she was about to ask, a rational normal voice sounded out from Aavesh,
--"Why?"--
'It was a plain simple dry question- devoid of emotional interference and only seeking the logical truth- This is Good- The Validity of my Plan is improving' Perseus observed Aavesh thoughtfully and then simply removed the 'Key' from his pocket.
"You know a lot of things Aavesh, But do you know this?" Perseus asked him inquisitively as he showed the "Key".
--"A Mystical Craftsmanship containing Divine Runes which are meant for-? some kind of specialized function? But what does this key have to do with the Changes in our Deal?" Aavesh deduced simple facts from the given object but curiously asked back.
Perseus smiled and spoke, " This key will help open Divine Caches- chests if you will- it will open special caches of our Organization which contain all the Efforts of our Hardwork- The Caches are an Inheritance to a specific aspect of Cosmic Cultivation we all devoted our Research into- Now Listen carefully- There are Nine Caches each unique to the Nine Orbitrons- Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Eta, Rho, Psi and Omega!"
"Each Cache will contain Our Research, Technology Prototypes and various other Inheritances - like Drug Synthesis, Armor Forge, Universal Programming, Machinery Artificers, Rune Craft, etc. Various Xeno Races would not hesitate to commit extermination just to get their hands on this!"
" Now the First Cache lies before you- I'm going to give you a choice, Do you dare to take the key from me and Open it? or do you just want the surgery- Remember if you open it- You will have a Karmic link to the survival of the Human Race- But you will Gain access to something incredible- Something Tangible unlike vague promises of wealth and power-"
--"You Mean Knowledge? Am I right Lord Perseus?"--, Aavesh asked as he at Perseus's, while trying to think what the contents of the Cache could be.
"You are Right- but there is something more as well Aavesh", Perseus spoke Mysteriously. But Even Athena was annoyed by her father's behavior- this man tended not to talk much when he was not invested but if he wanted to get something done- He would try and spin the Conversation around the People- Damn he was too long-winded!
Perseus then paused as if waiting for Aavesh's choice.
--"What do you think I should do big Sis Athena?"--, Aavesh asked Athena for advice which shocked her for a moment but warmth filled her heart- It was nice to be asked for Advice!
She then stared at her father, while trying to understand his motivations- Which caused Perseus's lips to twitch a bit. She then turned to stare at Aavesh, as if evaluating something and then spoke up, " Aavesh- Do you want my sugar coated Reply or my Honest Opinion?"
--"Of course your honest opinion"--
"My Rational self is of the Opinion- you should not choose and simply take the operation, It is based on the reason that Karmic Links or Promises are very hard to follow and fulfill- There are horrible consequences for breaking or not following a Karmic Promise- in my Professional opinion- The Risk is too great, Don't Open the Cache-"
"But my Emotional self tells me that you can do it- I trust you Aavesh because of the Trust you have given not only to me and My Father but this whole Station- You are someone that will fulfill a promise! I believe so! If you choose to open it, you will still have my full support!"
"*Psst besides I'm dying to know what my Father stashed into this Cache- anyways the Decision is yours to make- If you agree I will Temporarily connect a Sentinel Bot to your Neural TALK module and then you can use it to take my father's Key and Open this Cache- So choose- Lil Bro"
Aavesh rolled his eyes at the last part of her explanation but nevertheless felt a bit of warmth in his heart- They may have not met long but he felt a growing kinship with Athena- Her advice was sound. Now it was upto him to choose...
The Room fell into silence besides the monitor connected to Aavesh-
Aavesh silently pondered and agonized over this choice as he stared at the Key- 'To do or To Not Do?'
'This choice... If he wanted to kill me - he would have done it long ago, so there's no chance of a trap in the Box- But the karmic Promise- Should I take up this responsibility? Well - I only need to find the other 8 Caches and gradually spread the Technology to the Human Race... But should I do it?'
'Fuck it let's do this- Not like there won't be another invasion- I don't want to experience that shitty death again! I might as well use this knowledge to strengthen myself as well!'
But before Aavesh could make a choice, Time froze- Everything and everyone in the room froze except for him but he was strapped to the medical could not move either.
A cold sensation spread across him, as if something was staring at him.
*Woo
*Wuuu
Mournful sounds could be heard but both Perseus and Athena were frozen in their Places- they were not aware of anything at all...
Right before Aavesh- An old shrivelled woman in tattered rags appeared suddenly- Her face was covered with wrinkles and scars alike while her bleach white hair lolled dully on the side.
She was epitome of oldness. It was like death just needed to blow a wind and she would die- But looks can always decieve.
This old woman caused time to stop or slow down to an incredible degree. But what freaked out Aavesh were her eyes- Dull grey lifeless eyes that seemed almost blind but yet he felt an unspeakable horror from them.
The Old woman stopped before him and stared at him deeply which sent chills down Aavesh's spine, Her old raspy mouth opened and an aged voice filled his hears,
"Mortal... Son of Antriksh Adhi and Kriti Longxi Kumaran -You stand before an epochal choice to decide the fate of Humanity... Should you choose to accept this karma - you will seal your fate and unseal the fate of all of humanity- You will die if you accept but if you don't Humanity will fall... Your choice will determine the fate of the Galaxy- Trillions of lives will be affected by your choice..."
Aavesh was extremely shocked from the revelations made by this old Woman... Her very eyes seemed to see through him! There was so much information she had given but first he needed to validate it- he needed to know who she was, so he mustered up his courage and asked tremblingly,
--"Who are you?"--
A cold reply was given immediately
"An old Oracle - as for my name- It will kill you the moment I utter it- Now what will you choose- Boy?"
Her glare intensified at Aavesh making his soul shiver for a moment. 'It seems I pissed her off by asking her name- But should I take her words as absolute? No... I need to know more- I will have to risk it' Aavesh forcibly suppressed his fear and asked her again,
--"How do I die?"--
"Oh- Interesting ant you are", The old woman's face turned creepy and she revealed a hideous smile and spoke in her raspy tone but her eyes revealed a bit of playful intent,
"You will know If you choose, for I will recite your prophecy Boy- My Prophecies never lie... So choose Boy or I will use my soul Puppet to make your decision... hehe" Her creepy chuckle increased the pressure on Aavesh.
But it only infuriated him now.' fuck! this old woman knows but doesn't want to share- You know What - Fuck You Old Lady! Its not the first time I changed my Destiny- my so-called Fate! I will rip Prophecy to shreds! I will fucking choose to accept this Karma'.
As soon as this was thought, the old lady sneered at Aavesh and spoke with Contempt filling her voice,
"Oh so you made your choice, I can tell your puny little thoughts at a glance little ant- I will let you know- Fate isn't easily changed little bastard- You will face your destiny without fail!"
"Now Hear My Prophecy for you-
It shall be on the Day
When the 3 Blackholes Collide
the Youngest Demonic Spawn
of the Blind Fool God
sets Foot on the Mortal Plane
Dark days shall follow all
Undeath will shadow
the Eldritch Prince's Footsteps
An Invincible Demonic Army
with an Unsatiable appetite shall Ravage
Until a Mortal who follows no Path
but his own arrives
Fate shall be decided
on the Day a Star Dies
In the Burning Inferno
they will decide
Who lives longer
for both shall die"
A dark shadowy energy surrounded Aavesh like a Predator circling its prey- It then disappeared into the void having left its mark on him.
The Old Lady Grinned at him creepily with her crooked yellowed teeth. As if to enjoy his despair but Aavesh merely stared at her as if looking at an Idiot.
This Prophecy did not bring terror rather it infuriated him. 'You came all the way to spout this Nonsense on My face? Lady You are a fucking Retard!'
--"I fear death but I am not afraid of its approach- I actually don't give a shit about whether I die or Not! So you did this- You Wanted me to tremble and be haunted as if I'm some Pawn in your bullshit cosmic Game?"--
He forgot his fear of the Old Lady or rather he knew she would'nt kill him now, now that he was forcibly set as a Pawn!
--"I don't care lady- I couldn't give a fuck about it!So whatever Prophecy you have spoken Old lady- Maybe It will come true but When I die- I will die on My terms - My Rules! Not because of some Damned Cosmic Law! And I sure as well will not play by your Damned Rules- I WILL NOT BE YOUR FUCKING PANSY! FUCK OFF OLD GIT!"--
"You Dare to insult me?!", She thundered at Aavesh doubling her Pressure on him- But then she noticed something that scared the shit out of her- Aavesh was angry! His Eyes were filled with Steel grey silver light- It spread across his body as he stared at her angrily.
Her Pressure was not affecting him.
Rather this wierd Mythic Power did not care about her Pressure at all- It gave her a threatening vibe- If Aavesh managed to use it on her- she would lose a portion of her Origin! It was as if it had equalized the Playing field between them.
This Ant was dangerous!
--"I did insult You Old Git! NOW FUCK OFF! If not for the Fact I was stuck in this Machine - I would rip your head off myself!"--
As he said the last sentence, Aavesh's third eye involuntarily opened and coldly stared at the Old Lady making her tremble at this very sight- It was as if a Terrifying Memory had resurfaced in her mind causing her feeble old legs to shake and she knelt down and pulled her hair - She saw that familiar Ancient being- that being who cursed her to suffer an eternity of old age!
Her Eyes were filled with fear as it replayed again and again in her mind, She looked at the third eye again and screeeched!
"AHHHHH AAAAAAAHHHHHH WAAAHHHHH!!!"
*PUFF
In her disembodied screams she exploded into black dust which quickly dissipated into the void and Time Unfroze.
Aavesh's third eye closed peacefully.
'Finally that old git left but she sure screams alot- way too ruin my mood - But yeah We'll see who wins in the end- I will open that cache and Accept this Karma but not as a Pawn! I will do it because I fucking want to and I fucking get to do it'
He then spoke,
--"Ok I'll choose to open it"--
"Excellent Choice, But I hope you do fulfill your Karmic Promise!", The Unfrozen Perseus answered with relief in his tone. ' I hope you don't let me down brat- The Human Race depends on you Now!'
Athena then nodded warmly at Aavesh . She then place a Human Sized Robot near the Neural Module and began to tinker with the settings and spoke,
"Alright Aavesh- relax for a bit annnnd Now check your interface and access this new option"
Aavesh heard 'Click' Notification and chose the new Robot face icon in his Interface. As soon as he pressed he felt gently sucked into a new window of sorts- he realized that he could swap between both the new form and his physical body.
He then began to move the humanoid wrists of the robot and tried to move . He stumbled for a bit but managed to get back on this new Robot feet. Controlling a robot from the mind was actually a bit taxing. He could no longer feel the environment but had to somehow adjust and move while using his vision and auditory perception which were limited.
He heard Athena speak,
"I would have used an advanced android-but you are a mortal and your brain is not capable of receiving data streams from the advanced android so- old gen models like this should work for you!"
Aavesh simply nodded his android head and then moved to Perseus and took the key.
Although he could not feel it as such but he could sense how powerful it was from the runes.
He then walked groggily to the Huge Metal Box and then merely touched the smooth metal Surface with the Tip of the Key- When the Runes glowed and the Box vibrated with various runes moving around in weird patterns.
He could see the Information Exchange between the runes on the Box and Key... It then triggered a unique reaction.
He then noticed the surface of the Steel Box change into a Mechanical keyhole of sorts. He Pushed the Key into the Keyhole and a *CLICK Sound happened. He then turned the Key to open the Lock- whatever it was.
*CLICK *CLICK *CLICK *CLICK *CLICK *CLICK *CLICK *CLICK *CLICK
Nine CLICK sounds came in succession. The key then Popped out of the Key hole back into Aavesh's Robotic hands.
*WHIRRR
The Steel Box Mechanically dissipated before him into a cloud of Greyish dust- revealing strange a strange item before him.
Before him lay a strange synthetic yet organic Item or maybe an Organ of sorts- it was shaped like a Human heart but it seemed to be sustained from tiny- Bio- Nano Particles? It was in a Glass Box with Hexagonal shaped patterns. It had the name ADAPT.
This only raised more questions in Aavesh but someone else was way too flabbergasted at this scene.
Athena's jaw dropped as she saw this strange organ-
She turned to look at her Father to see if he was serious about this?
Perseus calmly nodded at her- causing her to close her mouth.
Perseus then spoke,
"What you have here is the Most Powerful Implant in the Milky Way Galaxy which I call ADAPT"
Aavesh's brains suddenly were filled with even more questions!