*****AUDIO FILE***** "Chapter 44 - Naylocliano - Audio File" [The White Raven, Chapter 44, Naylocliano] [Research Facility, Planet Demonia] Ring walked along the edge of the launch tunnel checking the seal at the bottom. The naylocliano growth of moss along the bottom of the seal was brown and wilted - toxic gasses were seeping under the door seal. The naylocliano was doing well in other parts of the tunnel, but only with the help of the oxygen scrubbers. The naylocliano wasn’t enough on it’s own to absorb all the toxins, nor was the oxygen scrubbers capable of keeping up on their own. The system Ring had put in place required both machine and vegetation to keep the air breathable. The wilting extended several feet before healthy growth began and continued into the underground storage hanger of the research facility. Ring dragged the SCAM, spacecraft cabin atmospheric monitor, along the ground behind him. The device wasn’t intended to be taken out of the Dart Ship, but he needed something portable and with a few modifications, the device worked. SCAM was having a nervous breakdown trying to record all the toxins coming from under the massive hanger door. The warning light was flashing insistently and the speaker on the device kept warning Ring to ‘evacuate ship’. The device of course thought it was inside the Dart Ship, and probably thought the ship was sinking into a toxic active volcano full of a thousand years of nuclear and industrial waste. Satisfied the naylocliano was holding the toxic environment outside at bay, Ring positioned the SCAM several feet back from the current line of wilting. The machine finally shut off it’s warning cries as the fresh oxygen coming from the moss flushed it’s sensors clean. Ring left the machine there, it would start screaming again if the naylocliano started losing the battle to keep the air clean. “Come on up,” says Vel over the facility loudspeakers. Ring looks up at the observation window, Vel waves and he heads towards the door. The entire research facility has good air now, but they still keep all the doors sealed. The air is too precious to take a chance of losing any of it. If something were to go wrong, at least they would have breathable air in another room. Ring pulled the stairwell door to the laboratory open and shut it quickly behind him, and then shoved the towels back against the crack at the bottom of the door. They were taking every safety precaution they could. He took the stairs two at a time up to the laboratory and sealed the next door before walking over to Vel. Vel was back at her microscope looking at something and jotting notes in a journal. “Did you find something?” asks Ring. “RNA,” replies Vel. “What about it?” “That’s what the Naylocliano seed is.” “Makes sense.” Ring wraps his arms around Vel and nuzzles her neck. “Stop it,” scolds Vel pushing Ring back. “You never know when that brat is watching.” Ring picks up the journal and reads Vel’s notes. “Oh, I see where you’re going with this. RNA is the template for DNA, but in Naylocliano’s case it’s only the template for altering existing DNA molecules.” “Exactly, and I think that’s why the Naylocliano isn’t working very well here on Demonia,” explains Vel. “When the Goddess created Naylocliano, she intended it to finish what the Dragon had already started, but the DNA on Demonia is so mutated now, either from toxins or even evolution, it has nothing to work with.” “We’re feeding it oxygen in a controlled environment, but that’s as far as it’s going to go,” says Ring. Vel steps back from the microscope and faces Ring, her belly is starting to show the egg she’s carrying. “Ask the next logical question.” “Why didn’t the Goddess just create the Master Seed?” “Because she couldn’t, RNA molecules are rare today, but does exist and can be created in a laboratory, but RNA is not the building block of life, it was only the template to evolve DNA.” “You’re talking about pre-RNA,” says Ring. “Nobody has discovered what that is yet.” “I think the Aedi did discover it,” replies Vel tapping on the glass case with the two remaining Master Seeds under it. “You think the Master Seeds are pre-RNA, the very building block of the universe.” “Yes, and we are never going to be able to activate them,” says Vel. “We activated the first Master Seed on Darai.” “A freak accident, and if we had a million years like the Aedi scientists did, maybe we could unlock the catalyst that began the reaction of the first Master Seed.” Ring looks at the glass case with the two Master Seeds and his jaw drops open. “Who’s the genius now?” teases Vel. “A catalyst, oh ancestors,” whispers Ring. “The Goddess didn’t know - she only stole half the equation.” “Exactly,” says Vel. “I think there are two types of Master Seeds, one is the pre-RNA, and one is the catalyst to begin the reaction, or if you want to be poetic, the mysterious spark of life from the beginning of the universe that began it all.” “The God Seed,” says Ring. “And can you imagine what people would do if they knew you had developed the power of God,” replies Vel. “Yes I can,” says Ring. “The Corax waged a million year war against the Aedi, and finally destroyed them for harnessing the power of God.” “The religious ramifications of this are staggering,” says Ring. “If we manage to re-create this planet, we can never tell anyone how it was done.” “We can’t tell anyone we are the one’s that did it. Ring, they’ll kill us.” “Dammit!” says Ring. “I knew she was manipulating us somehow, and I just figured it out.” “How?” “The only way people will accept Demonia being brought back to life is if the Goddess is the one that did it,” says Ring. “It will reconfirm her as a Goddess in the minds of everyone that has started disbelieving, she will regain her undisputed status as a Goddess.” “Unless we can find the Dragon it’s a moot point,” replies Vel. “I’m hungry, I think I’ll take a break.” “I’m going to stay here and read your notes,” says Ring. “You’ve got company, the demon child is back,” says Vel. Prince Mischief stood in a corner watching them and making faces. “Is that supposed to be an insult?” asks Mischief. “It’s not a very good one, I am half-Demonian.” “You’re something,” says Vel opening the door and stepping out into the hall. “You should be nice to me,” pouts Mischief. Vel slams the door shut. “She should,” says Mischief looking at Ring. “Perhaps,” replies Ring. “And perhaps that should go both ways.” Ring takes Vel’s notes and sits in one of the overly large chairs. The chair was made for a Demonian and Ring felt like a hatchling sitting in the large chair. The research facility was well stocked, it was obvious the Demonians had intended to return. Ring, Vel and Mischief would be able to stay here for a very long time. After some exploration it was obvious the Demonians at this research facility had been experimenting with frozen foods. The storage refrigeration units were well stock with enough food to last years. It might seem odd that the Demonian scientists had been researching a technology nearly thirty-thousand years behind the equipment that was in use at the facility. But, you had to remember that most of the equipment here was given to them by the Daraians. The ability to use the equipment didn’t necessarily mean they had any understanding of the technology required to create it. The Demonians had refrigeration units in use here, but not the knowledge to build one. They still had to build on their science one step at a time. The humans, unlike the Demonians that carefully used the tools given to them to research and build on their knowledge, did the exact opposite. Ring remembered an example one of his professors had used - if you were to give a human a hammer, they could use the tool as a weapon, or as intended and begin building houses, but instead, the humans would try to reverse engineer the hammer and build a forge they didn’t understand. The results of the humans reverse engineering Daraian technology had often resulted in horrifying accidents. That had changed the Daraians policy on giving technology to humans before they were ready. Ring was grateful that policy didn’t extend to the Demonians. They had always been responsible with the technology the Daraians provided for them to expand their science. And now Ring had a fairly modern facility to use while they were here. Prince Mischief wandered over to the laboratory table and poked around at a few things before stopping in front of Ring and shoving his fist, palm down, in Ring’s face. “I’m trying to read,” says Ring. “Are you going to look for the Dragon?” asks Mischief. “That’s the plan,” replies Ring. “Do you know where the Dragon is?” “No, but I know where to start looking,” says Mischief. “What’s in your hand?” asks Ring. “A clue,” says Mischief. “You haven’t exactly been helpful so far,” says Ring. “Why now?” “You’re nice, not like the other bird beak,” replies Mischief. “You can call me Zam if you want.” Ring raised a brow, unsure if Prince Mischief was intentionally intending an insult or not. Ring held his hand out and Mischief opened his fist, stepped back, and disappeared. Ring looked in his hand at what Mischief had dropped there and his breath stopped for a moment in shock - Six Master Seeds were lying in his palm. Ring jumped up and shoved one of the seeds under the microscope to verify it was a Master Seed. Ring grabs the microphone for the loudspeakers. “Vel, you better get back up here,” shouts Ring and runs out to meet Vel as she was hurrying up the stairs. “What’s that demon done now?” asks Vel. “He just handed me six Master Seeds and vanished,” replies Ring. An hour later Ring and Vel were still walking up and down the halls of the research facility searching for Prince Mischief. “Mischief…” shouts Ring. “Mischief…” shouts Vel frustrated. “Come out and I won’t beat you to death.” “I don’t think that’s helping,” says Ring. “Mischief… come on out and we’ll have ice cream and cake,” shouts Vel giving Ring a grin. “Is that better?” “I’m touched by your warmth, but I have an idea that might work,” says Ring then shouts, “Hey Zam, we give up.” “Zam?” says Vel. “You’re on nickname basis with the demon now?” Prince Mischief appears at the end of the hall dancing in circles. “I win… I win… you guys are really bad at hide n’ seek.” “Zam, can you tell me where you found those seeds?” asks Ring. “Let me beat it out of him,” whispers Vel. “This way,” shouts Mischief and takes off running. Ring and Vel sprint to catch up with the mischievous boy. He leads them through the research facility and stops at an exit door. “We can’t go through that door, it’s over twenty-five hundred degrees in there,” says Ring. “That’s because you don’t know the secret and I do,” replies Mischief. “Take my hand, and don’t let go.” Mischief holds his hand up for Ring. “Zam,” scolds Ring. Mischief frowns and holds his other hand up for Vel. Ring takes the boy’s hand and then the world spins and turns black. Ring has a moment of nausea as the world rights itself again and he’s standing in a tunnel. Vel instinctively grabs her stomach. “Don’t worry, she’s okay,” Mischief says to Vel. “How do you know the egg is a she?” asks Vel. “Duh, I’m half Demonian.” Ring holds his hand up to a door behind him, the heat coming from the door indicates that the other side is as hot as the door they were just at. “Why would they only heat that one section of the tunnel,” asks Ring. Vel steps up to the door and looks at a map engraved in the side of the wall. “It’s because that isn’t a section of this tunnel,” says Vel. “I’ll be damned.” “What?” asks Ring. “The other door went out to a main tunnel running perpendicular to this door and the other. We jumped across a main tunnel.” Ring studies the map and looks at Vel. “Look at where the main tunnel goes, it runs along the outer edge of the mountains.” “It’s a secret,” says Mischief. “Everyone has always thought all the Demonian tunnels were super-heated, but they’re not. Only the outer tunnels are kept that way, it’s a defense system to keep anyone that’s not Demonian from entering the tunnels. Come on.” “Zam, this tunnel doesn’t have much air left in it, we can’t stay here long,” says Ring. “They closed all the tunnel doors a long time ago,” explains Mischief. “Some have a little air left, some don’t, some are really bad.” Ring and Vel follow Mischief as the tunnel descends down under the planet. They reach another tunnel door with waves of heat coming off the door. “There’s three rings of the fire-tunnels, this is the second one,” says Mischief taking Ring and Vel’s hand and repeating the jump across the super-heated defense tunnel. Mischief led them further underground to the third fire-tunnel and jumped across, then continued. They jumped across several other tunnels that Mischief said didn’t have any air, and then he stopped at another door. “This one doesn’t have any air at all either, and it’s really bad,” says Mischief. “But it’s too far for me to jump past it, we have to run to the next door and jump quick… and… it’s best if you don’t look, just run.” Mischief pulled the door open and took off at a dead run. The smell hit Vel and she almost threw up. Ring grabbed her hand and they ran after Mischief. The bodies of Demonians sat against the wall in various stages of decay, many holding the small bodies of hatchlings. “It’s worse than we ever imagined,” cried Vel. They reached the next door and Mischief grabbed their hands and they jumped to a dark cavern. The air was much better in here, but thin. “How many tunnels are like that last one?” asks Ring. “Lots,” whispers Mischief softly. “Some with thousands of people in them.” “Why didn’t the Demonians ask for help before it got this bad?” asks Vel. “Everyone tried to kill us, we don’t trust anyone,” says Mischief. “I hated the Kitsune when I had to go stay with them, I…” Mischief dropped his eyes. “Now I understand why you are so hateful,” says Ring. “You hate your father, don’t you.” “Why didn’t he stop the war before it got so bad?” shouts Mischief. “He tried, but the war wasn’t his fault,” says Ring. “He should have done something sooner,” screams Mischief. “He’s a coward.” There wasn’t anything Ring could say, for all Prince Mischief’s genetically superior intelligence, he was still just a little boy and couldn’t understand. All Mischief understood was the Demonians had been made to suffer unspeakable horrors, his own hatching mother had been murdered in these tunnels, only because they looked so different than any other species. “We’re trying to help fix what we can,” says Ring softly. “Show me where you got the Master Seeds from.” Mischief led the way deeper under the planet, the temperature began to rise, not because of fire-tunnels, but just because they were so deep. Ring guessed the temperature was well over one-hundred twenty degrees. Mischief stopped and pointed at an alcove with environment suits. Ring and Vel discarded their glider wings and donned the suits. “Why are these suits here?” asks Ring. “We have visitors sometimes,” replies Mischief. “Who?” asks Vel. “You don’t want to know,” says Mischief. “Prince Vengeance is a Gunslinger, you’ve brought Gunslinger scientists down here to try to solve the air problem,” says Ring. Mischief nodded and they followed deeper under the planet. “We have to jump one more time,” says Mischief. “I didn’t know this other place existed until a couple days ago when I was exploring.” Mischief jumped them into a cavern that was easily the size of a small continent. A faint glow came from the rocks and provided light. “What is this place?” asks Ring. “I don’t know,” says Mischief shrugging. “I think only the elder Hatching Mothers came here, I’ve been calling it the egg room.” “Why do you call it that?” asks Ring. “I’ll show you,” says Mischief. Mischief walked for nearly a half-hour before they come to what looked like a city from a distance, but ended up being storage shelves the size of buildings built from the living rock. The shelves extended outward in every direction for as far as the eye could see, and on each shelf was stacked countless little boxes. “Open one,” says Mischief. Ring opened one of the boxes, inside was egg shell fragments from a Demonian egg. “There all the same,” says Mischief. “There must be billions of these,” says Ring. “Oh Ring, I know what this is,” says Vel. “What?” “It’s the egg fragments from every Demonian that has ever lived, but why would they do this?” asks Vel. Ring walked along the shelves, stopping occasionally to look in another box, then stopped and turned back to Vel. “The Demonians probably didn’t know why they were keeping these, but I’m guessing the Dragon told them to,” says Ring. “The DNA of every Demonian that has ever lived is here, they can clone their entire species.” “Even Daraians don’t have cloning technology yet,” says Vel. “No, but a species as advanced as the Aedi and could create the God Seed would,” explains Ring. “The Dragon must have predicted the disaster above based on the Aedi’s own extinction. She was making sure they could bring back their entire race.” “But they’re egg shells, so all she could clone would be the eggs that these shells were, not the people they became.” “That’s all she needs,” says Ring. “There are seven-hundred thousand Demonians left, and only four very young hatching mothers. A hatching mother can only have four eggs a year. I did the math when the Demonians first arrived on Darai, with natural death attrition from old age, and the amount of eggs they can produce, the Demonians will be extinct in two hundred years.” “The Dragon made sure the Demonians could survive a disaster like the Aedi had, she was making sure it wouldn’t happen again,” says Vel. “Why would the Demonians leave this here?” “Because all the elder Hatching Mothers are dead, nobody still alive knows this is here,” says Ring. “There’s more,” says Mischief. Mischief leads them for another half-hour deeper into the chamber until they come to an open area with a spaceship in the center. “Is that the Dragon?” asks Vel. “No, I saw this in the vision the Goddess gave me,” says Ring. “It’s one of the Dragon’s terraforming machines.” “Look at that,” says Vel. A perfect model of a solar system was suspended above the ship. The ship was acting as the sun, with all the planets revolving around it. “I think it’s the Demonian solar system,” says Vel. “Same amount of planets.” Ring stared at the model solar system for a moment. “Not quite, that planet should be Demonia, but the model only has two moons, Demonia has three.” “Odd, why would they leave out one of the moons?” asks Vel. Ring grins. “I’ll be damned,” says Ring. “Okay, this is only a wild guess, this chamber is very very old, from the rock decay I would estimate it was built several billion years ago. And when it was built, there were only two Demonian moons at the time.” Vel tips her head to the side. “It can’t be that simple.” “I think it is,” says Ring. Ring approaches the ship and walks around it once. Mischief is scooping handfuls of Master Seeds from a storage bin on the side of the ship. “You probably shouldn't do that,” warns Ring. “I already did,” replies Mischief tossing a handful of seed on the ground. “They don’t do anything.” Ring touches the side of the ship and a door appears and opens. “Did you do that?” asks Ring. Mischief shakes his head. Ring steps inside the ship and looks around, the technology is far more advanced than anything he’s ever seen. Vel pokes her head inside the door, and then follows him in. “This is advanced,” says Vel. “So, if what you’re thinking is correct, how do we get to the Dragon?” The door shuts and the ship accelerates for the roof of the cavern. Ring and Vel are slammed to the floor. “Mischief didn’t have time to jump in,” shouts Vel. “He’s probably safer where he is,” shouts Ring. “There must be a launch tunnel,” replies Vel. “I’ll bet I activated the launch by saying the word ‘Dragon’. “I think we’re about to meet the Dragon,” says Ring.