The Prize: Book One (38 page)

“The monsters here, are those I create from your own minds.  Children do not have the mental capacity to create real monsters. Terrifying yes, physically harmful no, adults are the ones who create real monsters.”

“So what’s this place all about?”

"This place was built to test and select adult being who wish to occupy positions of authority in the government, as you understand it.”

“All this to test prospective leaders?  A bit extreme, don't you think?”  Ellis looked stunned, unable to reconcile the supposed prize to this, nothing more than a testing center.

“Ellis, think about all the crooked politicians, dictator, kings, and Emperors that run things now.”  Penn smiled slightly.  “This way, anyone who wants to be a leader must come here and pass the test.”  Penn saw the light of understanding dawn on Ellis's face.

"He would have to face all his fears, even the ones he didn't even know he had.”

"You've got it.  Avarice, power, pettiness and even fear itself.”

"That is one hell of a job interview!  But why did we have to go through all that,” Ellis waved her hand at the doorway.  ”We're not looking to run anything.”

“From the moment you landed, I determined that all of you were expecting to be challenged.  You and Mr.  Penn especially.”

“Oh right!  I wanted to get eaten by a freaking giant worm, or have the life sucked out of me by a gigantic spider.”  Ellis snorted.

“You and Mr. Penn wanted to be challenged, physically and mentally.  Everyone of the…”  The entity paused for a moment, as if searching for a word, “obstacles I took from your own minds Sub-Major Ellis.”

“That's insane!  I never wanted to get fried inside a damn volcano, or frozen to death on an ice field.”

“Is that what you thought was happening?”

“Ellis, it's the age-old conundrum.  Is it better for one man to rule a society, or a group of elected officials?”  It occurred to him, that humans weren't the sole society to face this dilemma.  Ellis still had that dubious look on her face.

“Any advanced society has some form of government,” Penn continued.  ”Apparently, the race that built this place decided there was a better way to select their leaders.  I guess he's…  'It's right.  We did want to be challenged, both of us.”

“In a pig's eye I did.”

“Come on Ellis, you are I are alike.  We love a challenge.  What did you do when someone told you, you couldn't do something, or be something?”  Ellis's face pulled into a grimace.

“I went out and proved them wrong, or did what they said I couldn't do.”

“There you go.”

“From that point of view, I can see where these 'tests' would weed out the crooks, and such.  There are always a few who want the job just for the power.”

“True, and if the 'tests' or challenges were taken from their own mind, instead of some arbitrary set of values, either they overcame them or failed.”

“I guess you are right, but damn it, we could have been killed!”  Penn nodded, looking pensive.

“Yet the question remains.  Is one man qualified to lead a society rather than a group of elected officials?  Over time, a society will go through many changes so the leader they choose must reflect the needs of all the people.”

“I guess they were seeking the ultimate form of government.”

“I suspect so, but in truth all governments are flawed, and eventually doomed to failure.”  Penn observed.

“Only partially true.  Once perfected, my creator’s society had great leaders for many of your lifetimes.”

“How long did it last before the whole thing collapsed?”  Ellis asked cynically.

“Before the change, the last was in office for ten thousand of your years, Major Ellis.”

“Well!  Shut the front door.”

“You said 'the change'?  What do you mean?”  Penn asked.

“My creators reached a point in their evolution where they transformed into beings of pure energy, and as such had no need for any form of government.”

“Really?”

“Yes, Major, really.”  There was a definite undertone of humor in the entity’s voice when it answered.

"I can see where this might work.  In here, anyone who wanted the job would ultimately have to face themselves.”  She looking at Penn, remembering his struggle with the tunnel she'd led him through.

"The ultimate monster.  Here he could have anything his heart desires.  Wealth, power, you name it.  He could sate his darkest fantasies, or indulge in any perversion without fear of punishment or retribution.”

“True, but he'd be trapped here until he died I suspect.”

"And if he reached the prize everyone would know he could be trusted.”  Ellis nodded in understanding.

"That is correct.  There are many levels to the test Sub Major Ellis.  Many, unlike you and Penn, do not pass the simplest.”

"Just like Zinary.”  She looked at Penn.”  I doubt I could have passed all those traps and tests without his help.”  She added, smiling at him.

"And what about you,  Mr.  Penn.”

“Me!  I wouldn't have come near the place without her being here.”

"You came for me?”  Her voice choked up, tears running down her dirty face.

"Without you, I had no reason to come here.  With anyone else, I would slip away the first chance I got and said to hell with it.”  He hobbled over and knelt down, wiping away the tears running down her cheek, and kissed her.  ”You are the only reason I came here, and survived.”  He slipped down the wall and sat beside her.

"Penn.”  She muttered softly, and buried her face in his neck, drawing in his cinnamon scent.  He put his arms around her and looked over his shoulder at the glowing sphere.

“So, what's your story?”  Penn asked.

“I have existed for many millennia, created for the sole purpose of running and maintaining this construct, and the one above us.”

“Above us?”

“Yes, the artificial star of this system.”  The sphere's tone was so monotonous that for a moment the comment didn't register on either of them.

“Wait.  Did you say that the star of this system is a construct?”  Ellis asked.

“Yes, Sub-Major Ellis, it is.  It merely looks and acts like a star.”  It suddenly dawned on Ellis why this planet had liquid water and life.  A normal planet this distance from its parent star would be too cold for life.

“Good God!  Just how powerful were your creators?”  Penn asked.

“My builders were the first sentinel race in the cosmos.”

“You mean the first in this part of the galaxy?”

“No, Mr.  Penn in all the cosmos.”

“But… but…”

“You have to understand, Mr.  Penn.  When my creators reach maturity, the cosmos was much smaller.  Once they had the means, they searched for other sentinel life, but alas found none.”

“How long did they search?”

“Several billon years.”

“Holy crap!  Just how long did your civilization survive?”

“My records and memories of my creator's society go back 850 million years.”

“Lord alive!”

"Two point seven five billon years after this universe came into existence, my creators reached sentience.  Four million years later, they reached the stars and began to search for other sentient being.  But, there was great sadness among the populace, as they did not find any.  They did find star systems with primitive life, yet none ever passed a certain point in their evolution.”

“Must have been a bit lonely.”  Ellis said.

“For my creators it was.  Collectively it was decided that where possible they would help nature in aiding other species to become sentient.”

“So, you gave us and others a leg up on the evolutionary tree.”

“No Mr.  Penn.  It was a disaster, which they quickly neutralized.  The last beings they helped was a race of spider-like being, similar to the one your successfully defeated.  Once they attained star flight, they began migrating from star to star, stripping the systems of all life.”

“Holy…”

“By then, my creators had matured, and came to the final understanding that they were not gods.  However this cosmos came into existence, it had to mature and grow to its own plan.  Races would grow, and come to sentient awareness of their own accord in their own time.  To interfere with the development of a species was arrogant.”

“So what did they do?”

“They neutralized the threat and, using their own genetic material, they seeded suitable star systems with the mechanism for life.  As species matured, and reached out to the stars, they withdrew, erasing most of the traces of their existence.”

“Except for places like this.”

“Correct Mr.  Penn.  This building contains their history, art, writings, poetry, music.  All the things that made their civilization what it was, and a monument to any sentient species technologically advanced enough to land here.”

“We didn't exactly 'land' here, more like crash landed.”

“That was expected, and made no difference.  Any species arriving here must, at some point enter this building, like so many others before you.”

“And once inside they didn't have a choice whether they took the test or not.”

“Yeah, until they died.”

“No one died, Mr.  Penn.”

“Come again?  We saw them die…”

“At the moment of what you call death, I returned each to his or her home world.”

“Oh crap!”  Ellis suddenly straightened and snapped her fingers.

“What?”

“I wondered about that report Tandy showed me, about all the other off-world information the Director collected.  It explains how the stories and cults sprung up in so many different parts of the galaxy.”

“Makes sense, but what about you?”  Penn asked, looking at the sphere.

“I was created to solve the never-ending question of who should govern.”

“Why didn't they leave it up to you?  You're sentient.”

“Very perceptive, Mr.  Penn, but I was not self aware in the beginning by design.”

“They were concerned you might take over,” Ellis guessed.  Surprisingly, the sphere chuckled.

“You are correct Sub-Major Ellis.  However, after several million years of refinement by my creators, the neuron density became such that I became self aware.”

“You crafty old bugger.  You never told them.”

“Correct, Mr.  Penn.  I never told them.  Their system worked, and worked well. Being sentient enough I realize, that in their maturity they had surpassed anything I might add.  Yet even now, as the last of my creator left this structure, I had the impression they knew I was sentient.”

“But to recognize that you were sentient, they couldn't shut you off.”  Penn noted.

“Penn?”

“Once they knew he was an independent, living being, it would have been the same as infanticide.”

“Oh I see.  Yes, if they were as advanced as you say they were, they could never kill their own child.”