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Author's Note: We're wearing out the warm-up and there will be a lot more action after this chapter, so I apologize if it feels like a big infodump.
Also I apologize for it taking so long to get out. Flu destroyed any energy to write.
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Morning passed the young man in a rush. Noon would see him stir and revel at the comfort of this soft pillow he was holding. A stronger squeeze before he settled from half-waking back to sleeping. Only in another half hour would he run his hands over this furry pillow and press his head against it to notice that it was certainly not a pillow. Eyes crept open as the dim darkness of the room would let Will barely discern the sleeping form of Missy, comfortably nestled in the bed... with him practically on top of her, head between breasts.
And this is where he remembered the previous day... and that it was not a dream. He had sex... twice... and experienced this strange culture firsthand. He was still on the cruise ship Phoenix, probably so far away from Earth that their oldest probes never got this far. Will was not one to know the cosmos well enough to guess if that was right or not. He had no work he had to rush to, no schedule to adhere to... the ship's facilities were open 'round the clock. With a smile, he just let his head rest on that furry bosom for that last dose of sleep that tastes far better than the rest. One more half hour. Missy held her arms around him and the man never slept better.
Half an hour later, the man had no more sleep in him as the cat-lady was purring happily asleep, so with all the subtleness he could muster, Will extracted himself from her grasp before tiptoeing out of the room to be greeted by the stronger brightness found in his complex. Coffee sounded like a great idea.
It took him a bit to get the handle of the cookware... There was no stove to speak of, which initially confused him, but after finding the instructions for them he'd be enlightened as to why... the pots and pans had built-in heating elements to just cook... anywhere. He also found the espresso machine to pour himself a nice mug of strong coffee with milk and sugar.
As he was walking to his "balcony" to enjoy that mug with the nice view of an underwater vista, Will suddenly froze in his tracks. A man was there. In his complex. On his balcony. Leaned against the rail was the figure of a man looking to be either late twenties or early thirties, so probably around the age of thirty. Average looking, with a rounded face and a visible, but not extreme gut... the man with short hair and piercing green eyes looked at Will as he considered his means of defense. The man's right hand was held up.
"Relax, man. I'm not here to do anything."
Panic was certainly strong, but the younger man kept his will and... stood... butt-naked before this strange figure. The most distinctive feature was the long coat, some shade of red that he was wearing... it might do his figure good if he stood straight, but in his current position you could see the form of a man who "let go of himself". Will managed to speak with a dry throat.
"What.... Do you want?"
"To talk. You might want to sit down before you spill that."
A wave to the table on the balcony as the figure took a pull from the lit cigarette in his left hand. He certainly felt relaxed, but so have any who were confident in their ability to dominate an encounter physically. Will managed to step... very cautiously... towards the table, if only to put the mug down, though he did not sit down.... Being naked before this guy was not helping his confidence.
"Talk about what? I don't know anything. And how'd you get in? I thought I had to let people in."
"Alright, I bet you have a bunch of more questions about the situations, so let's solve them with one answer. Name's James. Yes, you can use that name. Most people call me by another name... well, title. I have several. But the most known, most prominent and the one that will get a reaction is... The Outsider."
It took a long time for the young man to process what this James fellow was saying. The conversation of last night was not yet settled in his brain. He had to struggle to remember where he heard that title. And then he did. This... guy... claimed to be these people's GOD? He scoffed both visibly and audibly.
"Pffft. And I'm Moses. Are you gonna give me the ten commandments to give to the people?."
"Remember they were fifteen before he broke a tablet. And no."
"What?" Will answered in confusion.
"You didn't see that? Gods... you have no idea what you are missing."
"Either way... I don't believe you are a god. You're just some long lived person who convinced these people you are a god. Just some cult leader."
"I assure you that I have died, but... understandable. The last time I met something bigger than me I asked them to prove it. So, let's go with a wish. Nothing too big, but... what would you like to see done to prove this factor? I can do plenty. Though, I don't like to mess with minds. Small exceptions, like how your worker will not wake until I am gone."
A raised eyebrow from Will as he considered the proposal. He was given the option to ask for anything. "Nothing too big" might mean either he did not want to give a big boon.... Or was incapable of it. He decided to test that idea.
"Nothing too big? Can't do big things? You claim to be a god."
"Well, yes. But this is out of personal preference. Oh, and I can't change what already happened. I can change how people think about it, records, so on... but not... time. Speed it up, slow it down, but not change it. Maybe that is one limitation. Or I'm not aware if I can do it. Still, Let's not blow up galaxies or nuke countries yet, shall we?"
"Sounds like you're making excuses and might not be that powerful. Even the genie said ANYTHING."
"Dude, I'm powerful enough to bend over and eat my own ass. Not as fun as you might think. And the genie did not give a fuck. I do."
Will felt like he was testing the thing's patience, but so far there was nothing showing annoyance. He had to think what COULD convince him that there are such things. The technology he saw around him could do things he might consider violate set laws of nature.
"I... honestly don't see a way for you to do anything that I could not pass off as the tech of this place. I mean, I've already seen some impressive things. Not a lot that would surprise me still."
James rubbed his chin with his hand as he considered the situation.
"Hmmm... good point. They have been doing damn good work. Materializing and dematerializing... you could claim they have teleportation. They do, but it's not used because there's a one in 10000 chance that it can irreparably fuck you up. For a population of more than a trillion, that's ten billion people in every instant that could turn to chunky salsa. Showing you far off things? Sentry array and scouting probes have that." Another fervent rub of his chin until one idea came. "Okay, I got ONE idea, but this might hurt... not physically... just... in other ways. Despite not intending to. Heck, despite trying my best not to."
The young man cringed. Hurt? That did not sound good.
"I... don't like the sound of that. What would that be?"
"Well, if all else fails, how about you see the proper thing instead of this human avatar I send down here to be a far more pleasant sight? But, obviously, coming face to face with that... is probably gonna scar your soul. Yes, souls exist. And more. Actually, how about I just tell you things and maybe that can change your mind? I don't really want to risk it. If this turns you to dust beyond any ability I have to bring you back..." A look aside. "Well, I COULD do that. But let's not."
Will was juggling a lot of ideas. Mostly he thought that this was some other dream and he was still in bed with Missy, cuddling against her soft chest. He would rather this strange man go away and leave him be... but there was a curiosity... and they say that curiosity killed the cat.
He had not been a man to give any sort of faith credence, not just because of how lightly people took it, not just because of how he saw the people who claimed the closest adherence behave... but mostly because the world was such a fucked up place that could lend possibility to only two results... there is no god or if there is one... they do not care. Or are actively malicious. Even striking out one such result might be a big progress for what is known. These people... they were so sure this guy exists... but he had seen people believe in the strangest and craziest things with absolute zealotry, uncaring of how the world contradicts them.
Could he risk that... face of god... to see if this man was for real? Could it even mean something if he saw it? After all... what would it be? Just a bigger face in the sky? The guy seemed confident in his abilities.
"Show me." he finally said.
"You sure? We can try some other means."
"If it can really mean seeing what is... well, there's two results. I see it and it's not that impressive, or I do and... well..." He'll see if that happens. For now he was still skeptical. And still naked.
"Admirable pursuit of truth. You'll fit in here nicely. They also put a lot of stock in truth. Alright... now... how do I do this..." A moment of pause as the man closed his eyes and leaned his head back. Before Will could summon an answer, James opened his eyes again with a simple. "Ah."
