Ark

At the end of every story, the characters involved are either always moving towards or away from the light, whatever that light happens to be in that case. In the beginning, it is said that God created the heavens and the earth and then in the next seven days he created everything else including a group of beings that he created to take care of his creation and love him. But humanity betrayed his trust, and they were expelled from paradise. But whether or not this event actually took place is not my concern; it is what I am told is fact, and a part of human history. But, in my opinion, ever since it seems that the characters that make up history have been moving away from the light.

I am the Ark; I was created by humans that knew that humanity was too destructive, greedy, and evil for it's own good. They knew that humanity would destroy itself; though I was never told how. It took them 365 years to finish me and place me in my final resting place; but after they did, they left and faded into society as if they never existed. But, sure enough, a little less than 13,000 years later humanity destroyed itself in a blaze of hatred for its own people. They dropped enough explosives on their planet that an ice age soon followed and almost all of humanity was wiped out.

Lucky for them they can eventually recover from something so catastrophic. Every time this has happened though, they completely forget about their past; as if they are so ashamed that the knowledge is just allowed to die. Seeing that humanity doesn't learn anything from this, they are allowed to repeat their mistakes over and over again. I have watched them destroy their own world three times now; and although I look for hope during each cycle, I am always disappointed. However, I was not tasked with correcting humanity; it is my job to just record humanity's history, to gather a wealth of information and then one day when humanity has learned to accept responsibility for its actions, its own people, and learn to live in peace then they can have access to that wealth...

~~~

The Ark had just finished bringing in all the information for that last 24 hours regarding what had occurred all across the world that day. While loading the information and organizing it into reports to archive, the Ark noticed a report that was added to the queue that was not from that day's information. Confused, the Ark opened the report.

Cycle Date: 10/09/12,004
Human Record Date: 10/09/2004
Report Number: 100912004D03V2
Subject: Looking for Hope in Humanity
Report by: Nyo GDAS Caretaker Mark 1

After pouring over the archives the information found regarding the federation council's decision to put the Federation Safe Haven Act into play almost seemed like an ignored attempt at trying to take responsibility not only for humanity but for other races that are in the United Federation of Planets as well. The Act has only been used a few times, but it was used recently by a group of children that are now recognized by Vulcan as a sub-clan of one of the most influential houses in Vulcan. These children are not only using the Safe Haven Act as it was intended, but they are using it at such a rate and with such unprecedented authority that it now seems that there is hope for humanity after all. Request we pay more attention to this group; they may be just what's needed.

The Ark sighed, < What is that boy getting into now? He knows better than to get involved in my work. >

The Ark started checking its cameras throughout the facility in which it lived until it found what it was looking for. There on camera number four, it found two legs sticking out from under one of its own memory storage units.

< Nyo what are you doing? > the Ark said.

"Fixing this memory unit, that is what I'm here for isn't it?" came the reply from under the storage unit.

< That is not what I meant Nyo, I wanted to know why you filed that report. > said the Ark.

"What report?" said Nyo.

< Do not play dumb with me, I am not human I know better! I want to know what the purpose of filing report 100912004D03V2 was. >

"If you know better, then why do you have to ask me," said Nyo. "Did you read the report?"

< I would not be having this discussion had I not read it. >

"Then what's the problem, I stated the facts and then logged a report that I was hoping you would read."

< Analyzing the archives is my job, Nyo, not yours. I created you to help maintain me. >

"I'm still partly human though, am I not allowed to have some sympathy for them?"

< You are nothing like them Nyo, you are genetically perfect and have a mild disposition. Humanity is nothing but trouble and will never learn to be like you. >

Nyo got out from under the memory storage unit and looked up at the Ark's camera. The Ark surveyed what it considered a work of art. Nyo looked human enough with blond hair that looked almost silver and the body of a sixteen-year-old but he had silver eyes and looking closer one could see that his skin had an almost silver like tint to it. The Ark had engineered him so that he would never age, it had also fixed all of the flaws in his genetic structure so that he was what humanity should have been, or at least how the Ark thought they should be.

"Ark, you are supposed to look for the time when humans learn to accept everyone and live in peace but if you've lost hope, then how will you know it when you see it"

< Nyo, I never have seen it to begin with, I have been waiting for over 63,000 years. But what makes you think that this random group of children is what we are waiting for? You gave me references to this 'Safe Haven Act' that was put into play, but what is it? >

"The Safe Haven Act was set up by their government to get children of all races and species out of environments where they are not safe. It gets them away from their abusive and false minded parents and into an environment that is conducive to the kind of world we are looking for."

< But they are children themselves Nyo, while the different governments may listen to them right now they will soon realize that they are just that, children. No self-respecting bureaucrat is going to be caught dead listening to some brat that thinks he knows best. >

"But they do know best! Ark, you even taught me that the mind of a human child knows more about right and wrong than that of a human adult."

< I know that Nyo... >

"But you also have to realize that these children just might be taken seriously, Ark. If you recall what we know of the Vulcan's no one messes with them. These children have been made a sub-clan of the most powerful house of Vulcan, the House of Sarek."

The Ark didn't say anything for a moment, < Nyo what if you are wrong, what if they are just ignored? >

Nyo sighed and sat down next to the memory storage unit, "I don't know Ark, then humanity really does have no hope. This is the only group of humans that I've seen in this cycle that might have any hope of actually bringing humanity to where it should be. I know I haven't been around as long as you have; but from what you've taught me and from what I have seen over the last 50 some thousand years these kids seem to be the only hope there has ever been."

The Ark read Nyo's short report again and then did a search of its own memory for the related information. After a few minutes, the Ark came to the same conclusion. If humanity ever did have any hope of bettering itself then these humans, these children were the key. They worked quickly to get others out of horrible environments, they never took no for an answer, and they had the right contacts to be taken seriously. But there was still some risk, what if these children were corrupted, or worse what if it took so long for the Ark to figure out that they were the ones that they ended up being gone by the time the Ark was ready to share knowledge with them?

< Nyo, what am I supposed to do if we are to trust that these children are the hope, that we have been looking for? >

A smile slowly spread across Nyo's face, "Send them something. Something that one of the last few cycles have learned about our genetic structure, something useful. Then see what they do with it."

< If they use it for good then they are the ones? Is that what you are implying? >

"Yes and no. If they use it for not only their own good but to help humanity then I think that will prove that, don't you?"

< But my purpose was to give out my knowledge once all of humanity reached what you claim these children have, once all of humanity has taken responsibility for its actions and learns to live in peace. >

"True, but isn't it wrong to not help these children get humanity to that point?"

The Ark looked at Nyo, who was attempting to give it what humans called 'puppy eyes', and thought about it. The Ark could see the logic but it could also see the risk, it had never taken this kind of risk before; but what was the worst that could happen if it did do what Nyo suggested. All it would be losing would be one, maybe two pieces of important information that it would get back anyway if things did go wrong. After all, humanity would just destroy itself again if there really was no hope. Finally, it made up its mind.

< Ok, what information should we give them? >

Nyo smiled his best Cheshire cat grin, "Well I was thinking we could start off small, nothing too large. We can slowly give them more important stuff if that works out, if it doesn't then it's not like you lost anything."

< That is a reasonable plan...wait a minute! Nyo I have no way to give out information, I was designed to gather it. >

"Big ol' powerful you can't figure out how to send information?" teased Nyo.

< That is not funny Nyo, you should know better than I do, that I can not reverse any of my sensor strips to send information, you are my technician! > The Ark noticed that Nyo was still smiling. < But you already knew that did you? What are you suggesting then? >

"Well, I was thinking that maybe I could...take a field trip."

< You want me to send you to the surface!?! NO! What if something happens to you!?! What if you get caught!?! What if you get killed!?! I can not function without you! >

"Ark, with all the technology we have access to do you really think I'm going to get caught. Besides, if something does happen then you should have the ability to just bring me back."

< I am not willing to sacrifice you for the sake of any human or some experiment. >

Nyo frowned, "Ark, don't you owe your own existence to humans? If helping them achieve what they so desperately want isn't worth just a little sacrifice, then what is? Isn't helping others, part of what humanity as a whole is supposed to be working for in order to be worthy of the information you have to begin with? You taught me everything that I know Ark, you taught me to be what you envisioned humans want to be; but if you don't let me be what you have shaped me to be, then what's the point, I'm just a technician then."

The Ark hated when Nyo did this, he always knew how to manipulate its words to get what he wanted. But the Ark also knew that Nyo was right, the reason that the Ark had made Nyo human, to begin with, was because, it wanted to know if it was even possible for humans to be what they wanted to become back when the Ark was created. It knew now that it was possible for one human to achieve but it had almost no hope left for humanity as a whole. But if Nyo was right about these children, then sacrificing anything to help them would be the right thing to do.

"I take your silence as agreement," said Nyo.

The Ark sighed < Yes Nyo; you know I agree with you. How long will I be sending you up there for? A day, a week, a month, a year? I do not really like the idea of you leaving, but I know you are right. >

"I know you don't really want me up there all that long but if I am going up there, then I want to have at least some time to not only plant the information we are giving them but to study them as well. I've read report after report about how humans behave but I've never gotten to see it for myself," said Nyo.

< Ah, so there is a bit of a selfish reason behind some of this as well? >

Nyo shook his head, "I won't deny that I've wanted to do something like this for a long time; but it's not a selfish reason from the way I look at it. First and foremost, I am up there to plant information and observe what they do with it. But if these children turn out to not be what we are looking for then at least we will have my memories of how humans behave, which is something that neither one of us really knows anything about."

The Ark knew there was more to Nyo's answer than that, from the tone of his voice but the Ark wasn't going to press that issue, even though it created Nyo it still didn't understand him some of the time. The Ark was sure though that Nyo didn't understand it half the time either so it supposed that they were about equal in that area.

< When are you going to want to leave then? >

"Umm...well I'm not sure yet, I didn't think you would actually say yes," said Nyo. "What would I need to take with me?"

If the Ark had eyes to roll it would have rolled them, < So you come up with the plan and then leave it to me to actually put into motion? >

Nyo giggled.

< If I am going to let you do this, then you will have to follow my wishes on what you take with you. So let's see, you'll need to be vaccinated for anything that is currently going around up there, you do not need to catch something that will turn around and kill you because your immune system has never seen it before. >

"Oh, I never thought of that," admitted Nyo.

< So I gathered. You will also need a personal cloaking device so that they can not see you, I do not want them catching you. >

"Naturally."

< I want to be able to talk to you at all times as well; I have just the device for that too. >

Nyo gave the Ark's camera a confused look.

< I am going to give you a sub vocal communications device, the SVCD will let me talk to you and then you can just mouth the words back to me that you want to say; you will not actually have to speak them. >

"Ok, I can live with that. Anything else?" asked Nyo.

< Yes, I want you to take a Phasenmorph with you. >

"A Phasenmorph," whined Nyo. "Do you really think I'll be in that much danger? Those things creep me out, plus it hurts to put one on."

A Phasenmorph was a living weapon that dug into and integrated itself with its user's arm. When needed, the user could mentally tell the Phasenmorph when it needed to fire off a blast of energy or perform an area attack. It could also shield its user both physically and mentally. The Phasenmorph was created by humans during the second cycle of mankind, around the time that the Ark created Nyo. The humans of the second cycle were by far the most advanced when it came to both weapons and genetics and often used the two together. That was also their downfall; they used biogenic weapons to wipe themselves out.

< Nyo, I want to know that you'll be safe. A Phasenmorph will not only ensure your safety but will allow me to track you because it will be the only life form on the surface that has its unique bio-signature. >

Nyo sighed, "Ok, if it will make you feel better. But I doubt I'll have to use it."

< You never know. Now, what about food? >

"I'll just borrow some from their refrigerator, I don't think they'll notice," said Nyo with a smile on his face.

< Just do not get caught. >

"That's implied, Ark. I also want to take my computer kit with me and a neuro-imager," said Nyo.

< What do you plan on using that for? >

"You'll see," said Nyo.

< It is a good thing I can trust you. >

Nyo giggled.

< Shall we get you ready then? >

"I'll meet you in the medical room for that vaccine," said Nyo as he got up and headed for the door.

< It will be ready when you get there. >

~~~

A few hours later Nyo materialized just outside of a large house in Orlando, Florida. After dusting off his black jumpsuit he looked around, took a deep breath and sighed. Seconds later he punched a few commands into a device strapped on his arm and he vanished from sight.

"Ok Ark, cloaking device on, I'm going to find a way in now," mouthed Nyo.

< SVCD is working perfectly, be careful Nyo. How is your arm? >

Nyo looked down at his left arm, pulled up the sleeve and examined the strange creature that was resting there.

"It's still sore but other than that, I can't even tell that it's there," said Nyo.

< The pain will go away in about an hour. In the meantime, it will constantly be blocking anything that will try to detect you, whether it is computerized or mental. >

"Ok, that's fine," said Nyo as he approached the closest window.

< Nyo, be careful. >

Nyo smiled to himself, "You said that already Ark."

< And I mean it. >

"I'll try my best Ark, I won't let you down."