They were in a small forest clearing. The sky above them was cloudless and the sunlight dappled the ground where it broke through the tall trees. The smell was so fresh and vibrant that Smash could hardly believe that this was a simulation. The gentleness of a warm breeze made him close his eyes and drink in the delicate fragrance it carried. He simply could not remember the last time he had experienced something like this.
Instead, his mind and emotions carried his thoughts far back in time to his childhood on Earth.
"Captain."
The sound woke him and he remembered the contact with the Omecron Space Station, and the subsequent organizing of this away team to investigate what had happened to the human crew.
It was a large team: Steven den Beste, Science Officer; Teresa Tek, Computer Specialist; Matt Blackfive, First Officer; Security Officer Joanie D’Goddess; Sissy Willis, Ship's Counselor and Psychiatrist; and Dr. Sondra Kay, Chief Medical Officer. He turned to Joanie, who had taken from stores an enormous proton disrupter and was dressed in a very flattering, tight fitting leather jumpsuit.
"Wow," Smash said. "What big ...." He elbowed Blackfive, who was drooling. "What a big gun you have there, Joanie."
Joanie modeled it proudly.
Smash punched Steven, this time.
"Thanks. I figured I might need it. You know, going up against God and all."
"Yeah," Smash said. Then hesitated. "By the way, is that an authorized Star Fleet uniform?" he said trying to be offhand about his observation.
"Oh, this old thing? Yeah,” she said, “see the little metal badge thingy?" she pointed to the boomerang shaped badge pinned to her breast.
Steven and Matt nodded vigorously in approval.
"Oh, yeah," Smash said. He turned his attention back to Blackfive.
"Matt, who is that person talking to Teresa?"
Blackfive continued to stare at Joanie.
"Where?" he finally uttered.
Smash physically turned his head, "There."
A tall thin man was talking urgently to Teresa. He handed her something. Then he disappeared into thin air. Smash and Matt ran to meet her.
"Who was that, Teresa?"
"It was a man. He said his name was Louis Snake. He was real dreamy."
"What was he saying to you?"
"He said that he was a systems programmer here at the station. Then he handed this pocket computer to me and vanished. I mean, he just was gone, poof, just like that."
"I know; we saw. Let me see that."
"I wonder where he went?" Matt took the machine from her and turned it over. "Hmmm ... an Apple Computer Red Delicious Plus, Model 2. I wonder..."
"Who gave that to you?" A voice boomed. Matt looked up and the image that they had come to associate with God towered over them.
"Well ...um... she did," Matt said pointing to Teresa.
God fumed.
"And where did you get that?"
"Snake," she said sheepishly.
"Snake!" he thundered. "That's impossible! Humans, you have failed your first trial. You must return what you have stolen. And you must do it now!"
"No, I will not!" Teresa shouted. Smash nudged her.
"What are you saying?" he whispered urgently.
"What?!" God raised his hand. Smash jumped on Teresa and knocked her to the ground some five feet away. A lightning bolt shot from God's upraised hand and blew a hole in the ground that Teresa had just vacated.
"Damn! Almost lost another crewman," Smash muttered as he scrambled to his feet.
"Run away!" Smash shouted to the rest of the party, and grabbing Teresa by the arm, he dashed into the thick forest. Smash could hear the sound of a giant proton disrupter firing in the distance.
Joanie.
They ran and ran. The low branches and shrubs tugged at their clothes, scratched and tore at their skin. Smash kept his head down and ran forward. He could hear nothing behind them and eventually he motioned Teresa that they should stop. They crashed to the forest floor, heaving and gasping.
When he had caught his breath, Smash got up and looked around. Not ten feet in front of him was a tall fence. He touched it and was knocked backwards violently.
"What was that?" Teresa asked.
"Some kind of powerful force field. Let me see that thing." Smash took Teresa’s tricorder and switched it on. "The others are that way," he motioned, "not too far, let's walk."
Shortly, they came upon a huge opening in the fence, what appeared to be a gate. They could see nothing beyond the opening, for a thick fog swirled around the other side. Smash checked the tricorder.
"They are just on the other side of that gate," he announced. Smash pushed a tentative hand forward and through the gate. Nothing stopped him.
"Let's go."They passed through and the fog disappeared. The rest of the team greeted them gladly.
"Where'd the big guy go?" Smash asked Matt.
"I don't know."
Smash thought. "I think we should return to the point of origin and try to find that man Snake," he said. "I have a feeling he could answer a lot of questions."
"I don't think so, Captain."
"Why not?"
"Look." Smash turned to look back at the gate. A sign placed over it read "Garden of Eden." And under that: "Keep Out! Trespassers will be skewered!" And under that: "That means You!"
On either side of the entrance, large men stood, radiantly bright, each with a ten foot sword that appeared to be on fire.
"Sondra, what are those things?"
Dr. Kay scanned the fearsome angelic creatures that guarded the gates to "Eden". The sign now read, "Eden, closed for repairs".
"They are not alive, Captain." Sondra continued to scan. "They have nointernal organs, no brain activity." She snapped off her tri corder. "They appear to be nothing but simulacra."
"Is that so," Smash mused. Then he made a dash for the gate, running full speed. Everyone gasped as the creature on the right made ready to intercept him with its fiery sword. There was no time, Smash was running too fast to stop and the "angel" reacted too quickly.
Then Smash disappeared. The sword swung through the empty air where he had been moments ago. Almost immediately, Smash reappeared among the group.
"What the hell happened?" he asked, completely surprised at his new position.
"I had you transported," Susan said.
"Huh?"
"I knew you were going to do that, so I made arrangements with Greyhawk to have you transported to safety."
"How could you possibly have known I was going to do that? I was being spontaneous. In fact, I specifically planned to be spontaneous so as not to give the simulacrum any advance warning."
"It's in your psychological profile."
"It is?"
"Oh yes, you should see all the great stuff in there." Susan blushed. "It's very interesting."
"Well ..." Smash said, "can I have a look?"
"Oh, no," Suasan said. "It's confidential."
Smash turned to Matt. "Analysis?" he demanded, just a little miffed.
"It seems that the resident computer is intent upon enacting one of the early versions of human religious mythology," Matt explained. "If I remember correctly, this is a simulation of a widely known story that was popular prior to the Religious Extrapolation movement that dominated the first part of the 21st Century religious reformation. I don't remember all of the details, but God created humans to live in a paradise, but they were then cast out of paradise as a result of some transgression."
"Yes," Susan injected, "I would conjecture that this machine, or whatever it is, is dangerously psychotic. It is using us to fulfill some grandiose fantasy."
"I agree," Smash stated. "Steven, how do we proceed to the computer center? We need to disable the CPU, that's clear."
"I had the coordinates programmed into my tricorder." Steven looked at his machine and fiddled with dials. "We should head in that direction." He pointed. "But I must caution you, Captain, this will not be easy. Whatever is at the center of this has already attained a survival instinct. And it will do what it takes to survive."
"Understood. Let's go."
"What, we're going to walk?" Teresa whined.
"Well, yes, what else?"
"Well, can't we just beam up to the ship and then beam back down again in the control room?"
Smash thought for a minute.
"Yeah, what about that, Steven? Why do we always have to walk around when we're on these missions? I mean, with our technology, we should be winking in and out like mad."
Smash was getting animated as he described all the things that the transporter should be able to do but no one ever seemed to make use of.
Steven stood there, arms folded, waiting for him to calm down. Finally, Smash looked at him and said: "Well? Why not, huh?"
"It would take too much energy."
"Oh ..." Smash blinked. "Yes, of course. That's it."
He turned to Teresa.
"It's a matter of power consumption. All very complicated."
And he led the way in the direction Steven’s tricorder indicated.
To be continued...
