Crystal: The Adventures of John L. Steelhard, Book Four

By James B. Riverton

John L. Steelhard, fresh from his conquest over evil galactic alien forces, must now confront the most powerful entity in the Universe, Chaos, an inter-dimensional force that controls all of dark energy in the multi-verses. This is a confrontation that will require all of Steelhard's enhanced powers, the Ki gene, and the alliance of his Artificial Intelligence Crystal allies to attack into the heart of this powerful new enemies' domain. He must free an imprisoned Supreme Sentinel entity from a Super Quasar, the entity who created all known life in the Universe, to aid him in the upcoming conflict between the Forces of Light and Dark.

Unknown, and hidden, amongst the stars, a disgraced Dark Crystal Sentinel entity stalks Steelhard. It is an entity that will attempt to capture and subdue his Ki gene essence, in a quest to extinguish all Light in the Universe. The Dark Crystal Sentinel, whose universal power is unrivaled, controlled by Chaos, can and will assume any form, even as one of the most beautiful women in the Universe, to defeat the Universe's greatest hero and bring all biological life to an end.

It is the ultimate battle for control of the Universe; John Li Steelhard against the Universal Dark Forces of Chaos.

• Language: English
• Publisher: James B. Riverton
• Release date: Aug 17, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310841125

James B. Riverton

The author was born in San Francisco, Calif. Raised in Texas, Europe and the Middle East while living on an oil tanker part- time, at the age of eight, traveling from England, and France, transporting crude oil from the Middle East to those countries, with his parents. Endless days and nights tramping along at five knots, back and forth. The author learned to swim in the Suez Canal while waiting to transit the canal, traveled through the ruins of Europe and Middle East observing the destruction from the Second World War first hand. He learned to communicate in different countries, sometimes with gestures and good cheer by sharing Hershey Bars with the local children to make friends.At the age of 17 the author joined the Navy to see the rest of the world and especially the Far East. Serving during the 1960's he served three tours of duty during the conflict in Indochina, seeing much of the Far East, and learning about the culture and the people. One of the highlights of his service was meeting President John F. Kennedy, a month before his death, prior deploying to the Far East while aboard the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany, CVA-34.Upon discharge, the author traveled, working overseas construction for Brown and Root, dealing cards in Las Vegas, bartending, waiting on tables in various exclusive resorts, working as a Assistant General Manager in Vail, Colorado. In his travels during this period the author met and served movie actors, Senators, President Gerald Ford, and a host of characters of all walks of life.A graduate of Stephen F. Austin, with a BFA, the author wrote a few screen play outlines, and unpublished stage plays, but never found the time, or the desire to try writing novels. However, he did find the courage to pursue the love of his life, and after five years was successful, at the age of 37, to finally marry, starting a family.Over the next years he entered the world of Real Estate, selling homes, starting home building companies and developing land for residential use. This career of boom and bust carried his family from Texas to Washington, DC and back. Up and down, through thick and thin surviving roiling markets. During slim times finding alternate ways to support a growing family by starting up a successful pre-paid phone card and ad promotional business. Learning one of the most important lessons in life, raising children and learning how to be a father.Always, in the back of his mind remained the ultimate personal challenge, of writing a book, not for recognition, but to see if he could. During the 2008 financial collapse it seemed writing a book would maintain ones sanity. One book turned into a completed series, then more books, to the point that the next challenge was to publish this growing disease gumming up his personal computer.Someone explained writing a book was only 20 to 50% of the effort, the rest was sitting here inputting a personal bio and figuring out that it takes a whale of an effort to publish a book. All he can say is that after all he has seen, and experienced in life, that this is the most taxing thing he has ever attempted, and his hat is off to anyone that has ever contended with this process, let alone become successful.My only goal in life in the end has been to write, and it has become a joy to me. If one person reads anything that I write, and enjoys it, for whatever reason, then I have found success with this part of my life. If anyone can bring laughter or ethos into another's life, if only briefly, then what more can you ask for, except for a winning lottery ticket. My winning ticket has been family and friends, seeing the sun rise each day, thanking the main man for a great life and the passion to finally tell some stories.

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READ THE ENTIRE SERIES

by

James B. Riverton

THE ADVENTURES OF JOHN L. STEELHARD®

IN

BLACK TIGER©

CHAMELEON©

EAGLE©

CRYSTAL©

Coming Soon

DIMENSIONS

Published by Lucky lamb Publications 2014

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by Donald H. Dildy

TXU January 2014

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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination, or are used fictitiously.

Originally published 2014

The Adventures of John L. Steelhard

in

Crystal

Book Four

Chapter 1

Silence, absolute silence, as the small crater-pocked planet slid along the gravity well ensnared with other debris being pulled into the grasp of the huge super Quasar; along with stars, gases, comets, moons and asteroids. Billions of material particles crashing against each other, colliding like bumper cars at an amusement park.

Deep in the center of the small planet sat Eagle, quiet as a church mouse, as the Dark Matter Masters again scanned the debris field. Eagle had allowed the scans to pass through and then around the atomic structure to which he had reduced his footprint. He had mimicked a nickel alloy about the size of a marble, with an irregular shape like a vein of mineral. So far, it had worked, but this was the third time for a scan. Either everything was constantly scanned or the jig was up. Steelhard had encapsulated Delores, himself, and Gunny within the core of the Suit of Light to further screen any energy signature. Occasionally huge seismic surges shook the small planet, as if a weapon was being hurled at its surface, but these were asteroids bouncing off the scarred surface of the small planet. Whether they were directed or random was an unknown.

Eagle had carried the team of Steelhard, Gunny the White Crystal, and Delores the Purple Crystal undetected through the fourth quadrant of the Universe, slipping past the super races of the Robots and the Reptiles on their mission to attempt to free Ki, the Sentinel and creator of the Aquarians. They had left the orbit of the Earth's Moon almost seven months ago, slowly weaving their way into position on the outside edge of a massive super Quasar, drifting within the small planet that had been attracted by the gravity of the immense structure gobbling up this sector of space. It had taken months encapsulated within the planet, allowing it to be captured by the Quasar naturally to not create suspicion.

What do you think, Gunny? Are they looking for something?

I don't believe so. During your planet's submarine warfare, destroyers were known to drop a few depth charges to see if they could scare up some reaction. This could be a case of just directing things to hit each other and see if there is anything unusual moving about. More than likely it is a security protocol, an automatic probing. They are really checking things out and that is impressive, considering the amount of material that is being inhaled by this behemoth.

Have many of you have been this close to a super Quasar before?

Heck, John, no one wants anything to do with one of these things, let alone this monster. This thing is massive. It is devouring this whole sector of space like a vacuum cleaner. The destruction is off the charts. The Reptile Fleet we lured here must have been shocked by the power of this monster.

It is hard to imagine, unless you are part of the debris, Gunny. Eagle, when the time comes, can you survive the breakdown of our cover and hold off being discharged into anti-matter, at least long enough for me to get past the final gravity outer barriers of the Quasar and back out again?

It will be difficult once the process begins. I don't know how long my shields can hold up against matter conversion into anti-matter. Whatever happens, time will be crucial for sure. Your suit will protect you, but if you can't get back to me in time, then you could be trapped in the gravity core with Ki. As you know from our research, the core is pure plasma, fluctuating between positive and negative ions. Somehow that plasma conversion is thrusting the converted matter being processed into an anti-matter energy stream through a central Dark Hole in the core of the Quasar; then into another Universe like a death-ray gobbling up everything in its path. One thing for sure, something on the other side is getting severely beaten up.

So we all agree, this thing is not only sucking the life out of our Universe, but also using that energy to destroy other matter, somewhere else. It is a perfect killing machine of some unknown process. No matter what the outcome, we need to shut it down.

This unknown energy direction, what is it connecting into?

Right, Delores, what is this connecting to, and what if, it is like an extension cord, with multiple-outlets being fed by the anti-matter energy? This Quasar could be a control and command outlet fueling the destruction of multi-verses, converting them back into dark energy or anti matter. The energy mass is focusing on something, and for some reason outside of this Universe.

That is a huge supposition. Why do you think that is the case?

Well, Gunny, think about it for a moment. Stuck way out here on the edge of the Universe, it can pull from a very large perimeter area much like a whirlpool would pull on the edge of the water's surface. There is very little gravity resistance and most of the debris is young, highly charged stars, galaxies, and such. I suppose that the Quasar is growing, enlarging itself, feasting on newly created matter that is full of energy concentrations. Since we are on the edge of our Universe we must back up to something else, so the location of the Quasar must be important in the scheme of things. Maybe the center is not only a Dark Hole, but a portal that leads to multi-verses, a tear in space and time. It could be a supply or lifeline for operations into other universes. The shorter distance being on the edge of the Universe may in fact allow for a higher negative energy distribution among more outlets.

That is a big if, John, but if that is the case, then this is a bigger deal than we thought. Who would allow such a menace to be used and why?

Want to hear a wild theory?

Everything you do is wild, so shoot.

What if, just bear with me for a moment… that something wanted to either take over or destroy other Universes? Maybe this super Quasar is one huge gas station, refueling something.

You're talking about Chaos then. That would be its style.

No, what if we had all of this wrong from the beginning?

What are you talking about?

The process with Crystals is that they use purely linear logic in their approach to everything. They don't do in-between grey, the shades of good energy versus bad energy, light versus dark. It is only recently that the Ki gene merged with an entity that was not logical, but just the opposite; illogical, emotional and inductive. The Universe and your kind are deductive in your reasoning, correct; A, B, C, and so forth.

Yes, this is how we arrive at a conclusion based on the factoring summation of data.

My point exactly, so why me?

What do you mean, why me?

Why did the Ki gene select me, probably influenced by the All or something else?

No one knows, do you?

Yes, maybe I just figured it out.

I want to know John, after all the trips I have taken you on, never understanding your logic, until the results come in.

Right, Eagle, I know it is a mystery, even to me many times. I believe the Ki gene may have selected me because I am inductive. I seem to have some answers and work backwards to the question at hand. If the answer is different from the question, change the question to correspond to the answer. This form of reasoning is very Oriental, very Lemurian. It is probably based in the DNA memory of the Aquarians that was passed down through the strand of Nano memory cells. The Aquarians had achieved complete mastery of the Universe, a large part being based on the logic of all their answers, and they were ready to advance to the next stage. They had found the answers to all of the physical universe, deductive reasoning began, and now they were finding out there were variances between the answers and the original questions. What is the purpose of existence? However, what they didn't realize was they were just a tool in someone else's toolbox. Once you have finished using a screwdriver to get things started, you don't need it anymore and then you just pick up the hammer to drive the screw the rest of the way in. However, their DNA data may be unlocking in memory due to my emotional reaction to their new found logic. When you find answers that don't relate to specific questions there can be disconnects in human reasoning, logically speaking, deductive intuitive processing.

Where in the hell are you going with this?

I am going with this, Gunny, because I am beginning to smell a rotten egg in Denmark.

Rotten egg in Denmark?

What he is saying, Delores, is that we have all been had, duped, used by someone or something.

Who would or could do something like this? What are you saying, John?

You always taught me to think outside of the box, Gunny; never assume, always question and find the flaw in the plan. As we both learned the hard way, it is easy to use dedicated soldiers to accomplish alternate unknown plans, and there are unmarked shallow graves for those who never return, especially if they figure it out, just like we did in Laos.

Go on.

I think Chaos has a partner, maybe more than one, and if I am right we have a much bigger problem than we thought.

Define bigger problem.

Follow my thinking. What if you wanted to take over the multi-verse domain? In order to do that you would need unlimited power, but not dark energy because that would instantly show up on the radar screen. So let's say you have a fuel dump, but you need to direct part of it, siphoning off anti-matter from matter. I mean, who knows where it all goes, right, probably down the drain. What if you have something that could filter it through their system, unnoticed, siphoned off? Who monitors garbage after it has been flushed down the drain, because that is what a garbage disposal does anyway, destroys things? I call it hiding in plain sight. However, this particular source of forgotten energy is directional; it can be used on command in selected locations to adjust the matrix of other universes. If you controlled enough of a disruptive influx, you could gradually change the balance of energy between positive and negative forces, creating a paradox scenario.

At some point it should be noticed and if it wasn't, how could you cover it up?

Exactly, you may be correct on both points. Now, in order to get away with this, you need a fall guy, or in this case a fall race. I think Ki was set up to be the fall entity, convinced by Chaos, but encouraged by The One, as Chaos. Ki might have been lured by this fake One to act against its own interest, trying to outwit Chaos for the benefit of the Universe. It was perhaps a double game of deception between Chaos and The One, for survival. Ki could have been convinced it would move up to The One of this Universe, and to prove its worth Ki needed to conquer the other Sentinels, using the Aquarians. Once the whole plan was completed, the false One would become angry at the betrayal of Ki to Chaos, and the out of control Aquarians for some unknown reason. A test of loyalty, a contrived contest between The One and Chaos. Deny, deny, and then deny the truth. Then the best lie of all time; I am sorry, you made a mistake, you misinterpreted the message. It is called being thrown under the bus. Take one for the team. No one seems to mention The One in any of this, but regardless, it must have given Ki up for Chaos to use as a spark plug. The spark plug Chaos’ circuit needed to control the Quasar, and not just a Quasar, but a super one that was positioned to deliver the energy resources necessary to destroy universes or fuel some other agenda. What happened to The One? Maybe just enough changed to cause a readjustment of the balance between light and dark for Chaos to gain an advantage over The One. It happened to you, Gunny, when you were a One, and then Chaos took control of your Universe, but for whom?

You are saying that the Aquarians were just dupes, and that Ki led them on?

I don't think Ki led them on, I believe Ki understood it was going to be the next One and it was going to use the Aquarians as a new form of Sentinels. They would be the new multi-universal army, beyond immortality, used for conquering other universes, reformatted or discarded. It is the age old, I know you thought you knew what I meant, but you got it all wrong. I think Ki got stiffed with a hot check, and then had his subcontractors, the Aquarians, showing up to collect their back pay. When they turned their backs to collect en masse, the Reptiles were ready and waiting with a billion Ki suits to instantly zip them into oblivion, stuffed into a bored-out small planet called our Moon. Express mailed through the Universe as an example to the rest of the super races. I mean, who was going to try that one on for a while; a billion years of hard work and then converted into the trash bin of history. Without its army, fleet, and with Eagle decommissioned and the Suit of Light hung up in the closet, where was Ki going to go?

Go where?

"I'll tell you, straight to the salt mines. The perfect little spark plug controller that would connect the energy dots, all the data, a slave for free, no questions asked. The whole system proclaiming Ki got what was deserved, and so did the Aquarians, those dirty dogs of war. Plus, Chaos side-pocketed the Crystals, put them out to pasture, the Blues, Greens, the Purple and the White; all placed on eternal guard duty, and no one ever questioned the reasoning, or the logic. You all were sentenced, without realizing it, along with the dying Aquarians, to end your existence in the wasteland of a small, unimportant Galaxy that just happened to have an important portal that needed a gatekeeper, Earth, and the new garden soil to attract the Ki gene, the key to the gateway. All of you were out of sight, and out of mind; just another form of advanced spark plugs. How long have you and Delores been plugged in? How long has Eagle sat dormant? Billions of years, idle while someone has been stealing positive matter, the lifeblood of this Universe? What if that is how Chaos always wins in the end? Constantly multiplying tiers of stolen positive matter, destroying light and life, or creating different forms of universes where anti-matter reigns, building up realms of negative energy. It is a positivity draining story, one that just sucks the data right out of you, doesn't it? Everyone has concentrated on the obvious; the demise of Ones, Sentinels, and master races, while Chaos has used sleight-of-hand to deal from the bottom of the deck. Creating a process that robs energy from light to foster the destruction of all the universes, establishing a new form of negative virus, hidden within a conflict of misdirection. This destruction derby has used the Sentinels as spark plugs to destroy whatever The Ones have created. It repeats itself over and over, the same game like a merry-go-round, round and around. I mean, why change it when it has been working for a trillion years? Chaos just keeps getting stronger and everyone is contributing to their own demise. It is called the law of diminishing returns; a zero-sum game."

Silence.

Silence is golden, isn't it? Why in the hell, if Ki is plugged into the Super Quasar, would you need eight Dark Matter Masters to guard it? Where in the dickens would Ki be going, even if it could extract? The Dark Masters are here to make certain no one communicates with Ki, or attempts to disrupt this disaster, and to make sure the job gets done, for eternity. That is what I now suspect.

If what you are saying is true, then we are in deeper than we thought. Eagle and Delores, what do you think?

I don't know, this is way beyond me. If this is true, then this plot has been going on for a long time, and even I don't have any data to reference; my memory banks are blank on any of this.

"That's right, Eagle. You, Delores, Mr. Polaris, the White Crystal, and the other Crystals were not programmed to question, only to perform indicated functions, follow the yellow brick road to nowhere. This is all outside of your data storage. You are light bulbs, with an on and off switch. The power was put in the hands of The Ones, and Chaos. They were supposed to balance each other out, keep the garden growing and following the outline. It is the old story of power corrupts and absolute power absolutely corrupts. Once the Crystals were neutralized, the referees were gone and the controls were changed. You have all been working for Chaos, fueling your own destruction without knowing it. Pushed to the back of the bus, used inventory for future purposes as spare parts for whatever comes next. The Ones had a false sense of security, constantly battling the forces of Chaos, when in fact they were just being used to create new negative Universes. Not to feed biological life, but to create food or fuel for Chaos' nefarious goal of total domination. One way to engulf something is to slowly raise the water level, and at some point you overwhelm it. It is like putting a live lobster in the pot and increase the temperature until you boil it to death. The poor lobster never realizes it is being cooked until it is done for and served on a platter."

Why?

Why, because they must want what the All have, control, and then they would have all of time on their hands. Who are they? I don't know, but things get big real fast around here, so large you dwarf the obvious. Then the powers that be, start to lose control if their field operatives are convinced to go into business for themselves. It is called corruption. I am not judging; I am just making assumptions based on my gut feelings. The whole thing didn't smell right, especially when I saw one billion empty Ki suits hanging up in the Valley of Suits. You build an army like that, and then just mothball them? Leaving the White Crystal guarding empty suits in a closed down museum, the Purple Crystal a prisoner running Dr. Gloom's empire, Mr. Polaris locked out of his house, and the Blue Crystal computers doing housework as bean counters for the Polaris Foundation on a nothing planet.

Mothball, what's that mean?

That means being hung out to dry, Delores.

This is very confusing to me; the reference to clothing is not to make fun of me, is it?

Ha, ha, leave it to a woman to bring us all back down to terra firma. No, it is my silly way of trying to be serious. I thought we were sailing into a situation where the guards were trying to keep Ki a prisoner, but in addition to that, they are making certain no one can help Ki escape or communicate. We are going to be scanned all the way in. There will be no slipping through an outer defensive shield. I bet this whole sector is in one big fishbowl of security designed billions of years ago to bait anyone smart enough to figure out this scam. If they did, then surely they would not be allowed to leave the premises. It is like leaving a piece of cheese in the mousetrap as bait. I wouldn't be at all surprised if this is another trap to lure in the Ki gene. This whole game is rigged, like a Venus Flytrap.

Eagle leaped into the fray.

What you are saying is we are toast and the nature of the mission has changed. We have taken the cheese, been lured in, so to speak, and are already in this Venus fly trap?

Yes, I think they know we might be here, and I also believe this could have been an elaborate plan to maneuver us into this situation. If things go the way they plan, they would still have Ki, plus the Ki gene neutralized, the White Crystal, the Purple Crystal, and Eagle captured. All in one simple cast of the net. Once we are ensnared, there will be no threat to their scheme, nothing to upset the apple cart, and the All won't have any physical presence to oppose them, at least for a while. They could then continue to bring more and more universes under their control for whatever is the end purpose, eventually tipping the scales of creation in their favor. We have upset the apple cart by combining our forces into opposing them, temporarily. In the scheme of things, it has only been seconds to Chaos. The only item they couldn't control was the elusive Ki gene, and as fate would have it, it popped up right where they thought it would, on Earth. I believe they calculated that the Ki gene would seek out the Crystals, knowing full well it would need your support, and so they sent all of you to Earth, a box canyon that could be observed, guarded by the Tall Greys and their minions, the Anunnaki. I also believe Ki may have time-locked the Aquarian Armory to protect the technology from being misused after discovering it had been used, knowing the Ki gene would be the only key to open the door. Before the fall goes pride, and Ki must have realized in the end what the real game was, but too late. This whole thing is a complex shifting of blame, double crosses and, in the end a betrayal of loyalties. The only flaw in their plan was an oddball like me. I don't conform to any known matrix, and this is why the Ki gene chose me. The joker in the deck is good for Aces, straights and flushes.

But why would so powerful a group do this?

Gunny, it is better to rule in Hell, than to serve in Heaven. Milton.

Another shudder struck the small planet. This one was more intense.

What do you think they are going to do with us, John?

Well, Delores, if caught, you and Gunny will be used as spare spark plugs; Eagle will be decommissioned again, and I will be eliminated or put in to suspended animation for eternity, freezing the Ki gene into a biological prison, never to be seen or heard from again. They won't take another chance. We have defeated the local thugs, unsuspected events for sure, but they've left breadcrumbs for us to follow, and are allowing us to believe we are accomplishing something. However, if we free Ki and reunite it into our force, we might have a chance. Especially if they think Ki and the Ki gene no longer exist. That both were destroyed in the rescue attempt.

John, you are freezing up my data banks. I can't go back there again, Dr. Gloom, and just be plugged in like a spark plug, being drained slowly like a battery. You have to save me! I am too young to die an old maid, withering on a vine. I am almost a first degree humorist. What do you mean… no longer exist?

John, we are going to have to figure a better way out of this.

No, Gunny, we are going to have to figure a better way into this.

We ought to cut and run, get the Nether out of here.

No, Eagle, that in itself wouldn't work in the end; we are not strong enough to fight these guys off right now. Even if we ran, they would just follow us. What we need to do is use them against themselves.

How do you mean, John?

They don't know or suspect we may have figured this all out. They will think we know we may have been discovered by now, since they are knocking at the door like the vice squad, hoping to flush us out. So let's get flushed out, make a run for it. Do what is expected.

That accomplishes what? I thought you just said we shouldn't run for it.

"I know, Eagle, but they must be waiting for us to retreat, and it will pull some of the Dark Matter Masters out of the security chain in pursuit, like hounds after the fox. They will expect us to run home for protection. We won't. Eagle, you make a bolt to the home world of the Aquarians. That will confuse them, thinking we are making a grab for whatever is left there. I am betting that everything is still there, and if it is, then we need that thought to misdirect them. I am sure you know where to go and how to get there. When you make your run, they will let you get a head start to make certain of where you are headed. I know I would. I also suppose they have positioned a blocking force between here and our Earth sector of the Universe. That force will be totally out of position, out of the fight in the beginning. That will further diminish their security, if I am correct. I will launch myself straight into the core of the Quasar with the Suit of Light Armor. You will be the distraction that will allow me the opportunity to get to Ki. Don't forget we have a weapon they don't know about, time suspension. I will somehow convince Ki to join with me in the suit and then restart time again; they will realize the fox is in the hen house and both the blocking forces, plus the pursuit force, will double back. When they do, they are going to get one big headache when the whole place blows back into them. What happens when positive energy hits dark matter?

If the mass is great enough it converts dark into light, negative into positive; a minor big bang ripping at the fabric of space. It is the ultimate collision of anti-matter and matter.

That's right, Gunny, we are going to pull them back into a minefield and use that explosion to blow us clear. We will be on the front side of the explosion, sailing right past them as they are heading straight into the maw. Eagle, you can pick us up if you survive the chase and we make it out through the blast. One way or the other, they will never expect us to blow the whole thing up, because we will have never been there.

How is that?

Time, beautiful Father Time, will cover our extraction, because we will appear to have been destroyed in the blast during the suspension phase. First we were there, and then evaporated. They will be in total disarray, the power cut off into whatever void they are sending it. Whatever is being fueled will pull against an empty reservoir, and my guess is that a magnetic polarity reverse will create a big bang on the other side of whatever the Quasar is involved with. It could seal the energy transit portal. Chaos is going to get a big headache if it is caught on the other side, and The One or negative Ones will have some scrambling to do to compensate. If we succeed, there could be time to get better organized and maybe we can take out some of Chaos's Dark Matter Masters and their warriors. The important thing is to shut down this Quasar and stop it from killing positive matter, anything else is a bonus. Are you guys with me on this?

Guys, guys… what about guys and you go, girl!

I stand corrected, madam. Of course a woman's touch is always appreciated.

That is much, much better! You are such a gentlemen John!

Ok then, we will need to prepare for the separation and exits, so Eagle and Gunny, what can this suit really do?

I will have to expand to my normal size in order for you to extract and that will entail exploding this planet to cover your approach. The suit should allow you to travel at the speed of light once you extract from me. Mentally you can transit yourself, much like driving a car. If I can make enough of a racket, you should be covered enough with the suit cloaked inside the debris headed into the Quasar. The debris field will not hide you for long and you will have to sprint for the finish line. I believe we are close enough that you should be able to duck inside the core of the Quasar before you are engaged by any security force. Everything inside the core will be compressed by intense gravity. The suit should protect you, and if you are pursued then they will have to de-compress their energy signature, giving you a minor time advantage.

How will I find Ki?

As you enter the outer edge of the Quasar you should be drawn to Ki. It could be for just an instant, but I believe everything is attracted to the center, since it is a massive Dark Hole. No one has ever been inside the core, and as such it is a total unknown.

Will I be able, if I unplugged Ki, to insert it into my suit?

Sentinels are huge, many miles long and wide, but they can alter their shape as I do, so if Ki agrees to the plan, you should be able to enclose both of you within the suit, as long as Ki shape-shifts. Crystals are formed after the biological entity dies without the ability to materialize into physical form, only in a hologram state. But Sentinels can alter shape as material beings. Don't forget, Ki once wore the Suit of Light Armor, it will not be unfamiliar. Ki used to be an entity before becoming a multi-Crystal, and can revert back to its original form once unplugged.

Anything else you can tell me that might help me?

Only that you should not be surprised, Ki is not what you think. Multi Crystals are very different; they can be anything they want. It has been a long time and there is no telling what prolonged affects there will be after being plugged into and forced to operate this beast. If you are correct, that this was a plot, then I can't imagine what damage has been done to Ki's data banks, or how much of its energy still remains.

I do, Ki should be pissed. If not, then Ki may be just a mindless data circuit fused into the matrix of the Quasar, and we will surely be toast, especially me.

Chapter 2

Why are you bothering me?

My Lord of All Darkness, we believe we have intruders that have entered our main Quasar security web in the twelfth universe. We are attempting to flush them, or it, out of the debris field.

It is probably those pesky Crystals and hopefully the Ki gene from the Milky Way in an activated Eagle. Fools finally drawn by the honey. I have foreseen their possible actions. Now, your brothers and sisters can have the glory that has eluded the idiots who were given the responsibilities to seek out the Ki gene and either capture it or destroy it. You have your forces positioned, the trap is set?

Yes, My Lord of All Darkness. We have blocked their retreat back to their galaxy, and have the rest of our forces in flanking positions. Even Eagle cannot defeat four Dark Matter Masters head-on, and the four tracking behind it. As soon as Eagle learns it is uncovered, we will allow it a line of retreat, and trap it between our forces. We have increased the production of matter into anti-matter, and once we have the White and Purple Crystals we will be able to insert them into the central core to maintain the next level of output you require. Caught trying to break Ki out will give us the necessary clearance to sentence them eternally into your matter anti-matter conversion program.

Yes, it is how I planned it, a lure to bring the Ki gene into my grasp. Once eliminated, there will no longer be a key to open up the minds of the unsuspecting. No thought to oppose me, no longer any hope for positive matter and the light. The Ones will find out I am their true Master, not the All. We are close to crossing over where all Matter will be converted into anti-matter in the connecting universes. Having final control of the last of these Universal Crystals will allow us to triple our output, draining this universe in a few million years, instead of billions. The Ones that are holding out will be crushed and The Ones that are with us will become our slaves, converted into anti-matter against their wills. The combined energy of all creation will force the All to secede their control of time. They will become my creatures, students to the new reality of the void of despair, the Nether and its Supreme Dark Master.

Yes, oh Greatest of Forces, we will not fail you.

I know, my creation, nothing can defeat us now! Billions of years of planning and the fools are finally rushing in to their final imprisonment. The Crystals have been parked long enough, time to put their best traits to work, slaves. The All are sad, tired, used-up nothings, afraid of their own shadows. Whoever the Ki gene selected must be a poor excuse, a weakling, not even from a master race, supposedly something called a human, a mammal to boot, just food stock! Don't bother me again. I am too busy destroying universes. Just take care of it and increase the power from the Quasar. I have a performance to give, closing down three universes at one time. The Ones are resisting me, and their destruction will be a warning to the alternate Universes attached to them. Either it is Chaos, or destruction of this gateway universe to light and its food source, positive energy. Without the main universal portal, each One will be cut off, left to die on the vine, thousands of universes. Quad-trillions of galaxies, choking to death, the pain, curtailment of endless souls feeding the All's cycle-of-creation. Am I not greater than the All? I am Chaos, supreme! I am the new power, and I shall pass through the Quasar now, enter the Nether to align the Negative Matter for the final solution.

The Dark Matter Master was impressed. Chaos was truly greater than the All; more powerful than all of creation, because Chaos could destroy everything and recreate it in its image, anti-matter, the fuel of dark matter. Where would the Dark Matter Masters fit into the plan? No doubt at the bottom of the heap where the real energy would form the foundation of absolute destruction of the All. The Dark Matter Master transited back to the Quasar to position with his other brothers and sisters, waiting for the breakout. The intruders couldn't pass four Dark Matter Masters guarding the super Quasar. All they had to do was chase Eagle back into the waiting arms of the other four Dark Matter Masters. Surrounded, captured, a major victory! They would not hold anything back, all eight Dark Matter Masters would attack, and Ki was operating at one hundred fifty percent now, doubly secured by two dark matter warriors, in the increased production of anti-matter. It would only be a matter of time before Ki was burned out, unless more Crystals were fed into the matrix. It was imperative to secure the Crystals now since the production had been ramped up. It would have been better to wait to ramp up; if something went wrong you could burn up Ki and then the whole system would shut down the portal into the Ether and the other universes, but Chaos was never wrong. Who could defeat eight Dark Matter Masters? Not even this mighty Eagle. Glory! It was Glory to the darkness of nothing; and to the new Nall of the Void, Master of Time, supreme ruler of existence, Chaos.

Eagle began expanding in a micro-second, his force shield increasing at such a pace that it was like an explosion that blew the small planet into a trillion pieces, scattering them in every direction, a huge block of newly created asteroids flinging themselves into the gravity well of the Quasar. Eagle sprinted out of the debris field headed straight for the Milky Way System. The four Dark Matter Masters scanned the departing ion trail and hurled after Eagle, keeping their distance to herd him into the trap, chasing him like tracking bloodhounds. Eagle ducked into a Super Nova to throw his pursuers off, but they held up, not being fooled, still leaving an escape pathway back to the Milky Way. Then, with maximum effort, Eagle bolted out of the Super Nova on a completely different vector, totally catching his pursuers off guard, heading for the home Galaxy of the Aquarians.

In the confusion, Eagle gained a huge advantage knowing exactly his destination, drawing both the blocking force and the pursuers after his ion trail, pouring on all of their power to prevent his escape, screeching in their hatred against their old enemy, seeking his positive energy matrix upon which to feed.

Steelhard floated within the asteroids debris field and slowly counted to ten. In all of this technology it still came down to just counting to ten. He burst free like a cloaked laser for the center of the Quasar, a stream of light, racing through debris past the outer rim of the Quasar filled with stars, planets, comets and huge asteroids beginning to be ground up into atoms.

It was a swirling whirlpool of destruction, Matter being streamed into a garbage disposal, and spit out, reformatted as Negative Energy to sap away positive energy in the connecting alternate universes. The Suit of Light held up as he entered a sphere that was the size of a small star, hollow with energy spikes arcing constantly. Feeding the gears that ground-up energy, huge streams of Matter pooled into energy bubbles the size of solar systems and funneled into a Dark Hole that seemed to have its own processing system. The bubbles flashed as they entered the Dark Hole, compressed like bullets, and disappeared into the maw. The sphere was rotating at the speed of light, like a leverage gear that provided power as the Dark Hole grinder. Its torque was now at its highest level, and Steelhard traced the source of the energy driving that force as he honed in on the core, a platform with a huge flashing Crystal stuck into the middle. It was throwing off multicolored hues of light, like a giant disco ball. He landed on the platform and stared up at the huge Crystal, miles high. No way he could remove it, let alone put it in his pocket. This was pure madness; the whole damn thing was a joke. The next thing he knew he was blasted to his knees by a Negative Energy beam.

Steelhard rolled and flipped over, engaged his Sword of Justice, and hovered in the defensive Kendo position. He used both hands to hold the sword as a huge ball figure attacked him using bolts of Negative Energy. Steelhard fended them off with the Sword of Justice, blocking them when a second blast hit him from behind, knocking him forward into the first ball. Steelhard lashed out with his leg and sent a Positive Energy stream backwards, like a rear-thrust karate kick. He felt it hit something, knocking the second defender back. Before the first ball could ensnare him in Negative Energy whips, he shot straight up, missing the second bolt from the rear attacker that slammed into the first ball. Huge sparks flared in every direction.

The two balls recovered and began a coordinated attack from both sides, and Steelhard was hard pressed to block each Negative Energy bolt from his attackers. His Sword of Justice was moving at the speed of light, but the Negative Energy bolts were still slamming into the suit. With his knees he blocked two beams intended for his midsection. This was a stalemate and one he couldn't win. They were trying to keep him pinned and occupied. They weren't trying to destroy him, but to hold the fort until more help could arrive.

It was time to divide and conquer. Steelhard absorbed the entire power of the one ball attacking him, ignoring the pain that was bleeding through the suit. It enraged him. Memories of his whippings as a prisoner of war, his anger, his body increasing in size and power, his eyes turning blue-black. With the mighty roar of Black Tiger, he disregarded the second attacker and went for a seam he saw between the flashes of the first attacker's Negative Energy exterior.

The first dark matter warrior was unprepared for an attack and the Sword of Justice slipped through its lack of defense, as the first dark matter warrior had only concentrated on offense. The Sword of Justice sliced the dark warrior into two, from the top to the bottom; dark matter flew out into the atmosphere like smoke, followed by an implosion of energy into nothing.

Steelhard wrapped his sword into the energy whips attacking him from his rear, tangling them together as he reversed his position and hurled his levitation power at the second warrior, catching him trying to extricate his energy whips. The levitation pitched the second warrior up into the crossing energy beams of the atmosphere. Steelhard withdrew his sword and slashed down, severing the