Predators, part 6: End game by faroutsider
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No AI - This artwork was created entirely by hand or with traditional digital tools.
Description
Marca didn't have any trouble figuring out how to use the shadow people's predator nature against them. Her Human/Opae intelligence was functioning in ways she had not thought possible. Rather than move from one logical idea to the next to the next looking for a protocol that would work, she had a flash of insight that proved itself to be sound in the final analysis.
Her physical body was a liability because it was so easily broken, but it was also wholly immune to the problems of the nine-dimensional data matrix her non-physical being was subject to. Since the shadow people didn't know she had a physical body, she could use that to her advantage.
Marca set up her plan quickly, knowing the clock was ticking down. If the shadows moved before she was ready, there would be no second chance. She was done before she knew it. Calculations verified, sequence double checked. It was time to move.
***********
Slowly raise the barrier. Allow the shadows to see that she is still here.
Shift energy, create a bit of a ripple, set the hook.
They do not disappoint. Almost immediately an energy beam engages from the tower colony, locking onto her energy hook.
Shift time, ever so slightly, and intercept the beam. The tiny, infinitesimal, nearly undetectable time shift is enough. It has to be enough.
Engage the time shift, become momentarily out of reach, and the beam locks on, flips back, mirrors itself, and runs the length of itself back up to the tower. Marca can feel them up there, frantically trying to shut it down.
Shift space. In her physical body now, all she can do is watch, but watching is all there is left to do. She can tell they're trying to find her, trying to kill her in order to stop the beam, but there's nothing left of her in the matrix. She is safe in her physical body. The more the shadow people try to shut down the temporal resonance of the beam, the more smoothly it pulses. Harmonics are set up across time and space, and the tone becomes audible to her physical ears.
Suddenly, nothing. The tone fades, the beam is gone, the tower colony with its shadowy crew has disappeared.
***********
Marca smiled, felt the sensation in her face, across her skin. She walked to her control boards, ready to verify the kill. Her physical fingers could not work the data station, but she stood there for a minute anyway. Flexed her hands. Wiggled her fingers. Slight spatial shift, and her fingers tingled, the tips shifting dimensions. Marca put her fingers on the terminal and got back to work.
All her search programs verified that the shadow people were gone. She spread the search to include the solar system, all proximal star systems, the entire galaxy. Nothing. It was as if they had never existed. All that remained of them was her in memories, and those she filed away in a secure encrypted location.
Marca shut down the terminal and stepped through the translation portal to the dunes overlooking the quiet cove where, as Margaret, she had spent hours trying to decipher the data she had acquired on Macali. She smiled again as she thought of the impossibility of trying to understand herself.
Marca was still smiling when one of the transdimensional cats strode over and demanded her attention.
************
Tara, thanks again for setting me off on this journey - I hope we can schedule some more travel sometime in the future...
Craig
Predators, part 5: String theory
Predators, part 4: Simultaneity
Predators, part 3: Resonance
Predators, part 2
Predators, part 1
Comments (25)
Nice end of the Story, love the part with the kitten!
the kitten is indeed fantastic all good things come to an end... sadly but with your talent.. new stories will emerge
Brilliant!!!WOW!!!That was so exciting!!Fabulous story to go with an equally fab image!!!
Thanks for the great tale folks. Lovely pictures all though.
~Wow...I don't know how I have missed this series, but luckily I found the last piece with your nice links back to the others! What a fantastic story and fabulous illustrations! Outstanding!!!~
Amazing end of the story, loved the cat! Excellent atmosphere!
Well done!
What,it's over...already?? Great end to the series Craig,an excellent collaboration!
NICE done ! :)
time to relax and smile as a new day begins this is cool as are the rest warm hugs, Linda
Lovely pictures
Excellent and very lovely scene!!!
Most Excellent Character!!
The Predator storry is very cool - excellent
I loved it. Sad to see it end. But it was an incredible journey! ")
Wow!Your story is riveting and your scene work is a wonderful companion piece to the whole things. Excellent work!
Great render!!!
What a great ending to a superbly creative story. You two work very well together. I'm sorry it's over. Perhaps another will pop into existence someday. :)
Very cool! Excellent work!
Excellent!!!
wonderful scene!!!! gorgeous work!!!!!!!!!!!
Excelent work of interection between cat and the future girl.
Well it all ends beautifully. The dispensation of the shadow people was actually quite step by step, calm and well worked out, it seemed as if Marca had no real tensions as she did everything, and the laws of nature revealed themselves to be true. And she winds up in a serene environment, with the cat looking to play, as cats do...a fine narrative ending, Tara. A lot of narrative in 6 short installments. The image is open and clean, and Marca is suddenly very visible, in all her exotic garb...and smiling. Really fine detail on her (I never, ever knew that this much human detail was possible in Vue). Finely thought out and executed. And a very natural pose too, both in her and the cat. Also, the light is easy, serene, open. A good way to end. Fine work, Craig. You two really did a good job. Packed a lot into a small journey. I hope you both work together again. I'm glad I finally got here. It's great to see collaboration. Wonderful work. (Wait---there are extras? Ok, I'll see them now!)
You're a sci-fi wizard !