From the very moment our ally and friend Zirconia Starfighter got the rewards for finishing fourth at the Great and highly illegal Race, I have had a bad feeling. The mini computer, the most valuable price of the lot, which I'll refer as the Box, was way too similar to the computer that change my life back in the day, in a hidden cave in the Himalayas. As you already now, we studied the Box and found out that despite being based on the same technology, it didn't contain an AI. It was a computer a bit more advanced than the ones you can buy at a shop. This created a lot of questions and provided few answers. Where had Elysium obtained it?, had they downgraded it to use it for their own nefarious purposes? How many were there? I only was sure about something. That I had to go back to the cave where my adventures began, but this time I wouldn't go alone.
The amazing cyberwarrior Zirconia Starfighter
I admit that I was afraid of what I could or more likely couldn't find in my return to the cave. I wanted to think that the Ancient Alien AI that had taught me so much hadn't fallen into the wrong hands, that somehow it had managed to stay free all these years. But I knew better. It wasn't easy to find the cave. The first time, I ended up there by accident, this time I wanted to get there, I had to. I drove a helicopter, while my very good friend Zirconia Starfighter searched for the cave, using every scrap of info I could remember or find. It wasn't easy covering as much ground as possible while doing the best to keep undetected from enemies such as the Academy or Elysium, even knowing that the latter have been keeping a low profile since the Race. We finally spotted the cave and entered in a rush. It was like a fever dream. The machine was gone. The wise teacher that introduced me into the Mysteries of the Universe was no longer there and by the looks of the cave, it hadn't been there for a while. There was not much left. Some carved stones and offerings from other visitors who were enlightened as me. My fears were not only growing but taking shape. What had happened to the AI? Was it in the hands of our enemies or had it left Earth, perhaps to return home? Filled with as many questions as we had arrived, we returned home, and then we grabbed the Box and went to ask for help to one of our Mightiest allies.
The Mighty Goddess Hiliana
The Mighty Goddess Hiliana knew why we were visiting her, there was no need for info dumps, she was aware of our predicament, and without wasting a moment, she led us to a secret temple near the sea. "The answer is in the Box, but we need to restore it first." Her words rang true. I had been talking with Zirconia Starfighter during our way there, we even exchanged some messages with other cyberwarriors, and we arrived to a simple conclusion. The Box and the AI had the same technology because the former had been made from the later, what we couldn't agree is it was literally or just using it as a template. That was the question we needed to ask to the Box, but before that, we had to give it its voice back. Fortunately, Mighty Goddess Hiliana had a plan.
To be continued
You can follow and support my dear friend and ally Zirconia Starfighter in the following links:
You should follow and support the Mighty Goddess Hiliana in the following links:
May the wise Isis guide and protect you!, Gwen Marsters