CHAPTER 15: Defusion (Part 1)

"We've traced it through over and over."

Father Fusion listens to the news, ready for the worst.

In front of him is the technologist, a leftover fragment from his arrival in our time that he wisely decided should do research.

"Explain it again."

The technologist explains.

"Any request for information must originate from somewhere, and any response to any such request must come from somewhere also."

Basic communication.

"Is it possible to hide?" Father Fusion asks.

"Yes, you can hide. You can masquerade. Anyone can. But ultimately, the request and the response must come from somewhere."

Father Fusion asks the fatal question.

"We know that the Earth is now owned by Father Easter. The bastard holds their lives in his hands with technology. We made a mistake somewhere and we have no way to fix that."

In Father Fusion's arms, the girl sleeps.

The technologist nods.

Father Fusion accepts the responsibility.

He continues and asks. "What is the trace route."

"All of the information passes thru routers. Each router knows who is asking, knows who to get it from, who to send it to. Father Easter is using a router in the outer rim of the planet Earth, the outermost router station, to receive. Only current space research and advanced military is authorized to use that."

"What happens if someone on Earth traces his signal."

"It will lead them through a maze. If they solve it, they will realize that the signals the outer rim satellite is receiving is coming from an alien."

"Then how does it get past them."

"It is using the error control frequency. The part that tells what is wrong with what should be right."

"Routing from where?"

"Father Easter is using the error frequency to receive streaming data of massive quantity."

"Streaming from where.. streaming what?"

The technologist knew this would be asked. "We can find out if we have time in this time to deconstruct it and build an appropriate software driver...."

The technologist is rudely interrupted.

"Shut up. Shut it down."

"Father?"

"You know I'm not a real priest."

"I'm sorry. I mean, sir? Did you just say.."

"Yes. Shut it down."

"Sir, it's an outer rim satellite. The only one we know right now that we also use to communicate, however slow."

"Bomb it. I don't care. I'm stuck in this time and in this universe. I don't need anyone's approval."

"Sir?"

"You are a part of me, you will obey me."

The technologist doesn't understand. "How do I shut it down?"

"Now!"

The technologist is confused. "We can't do this. This is not why you made me."

From where he sits, Father Fusion stands up and takes control.

He uses a part of him that should never be used.

Never again.

Yet he places his body in touch with the machinery, and forges all of the necessary biometric signatures.

For a moment, there is a belief that this ability was why he was selected to become The Man On The Moon, the watcher of the Seed Of Humanity.

And then his thoughts are banished by circumstance.

In a few short seconds, military bases are sending nuclear missiles on a journey to blast the satellite.

Emergencies abound.

TV stations are frenzied.

The world watches as horror unfolds.

The world awaits its fate, strangled by national concerns and visons.

Then there it goes.

The final outer rim planetary satellite explodes, missile upon missile.

The stream of information is cut.

All medical systems shut down.

All patients connected to the Easter medical network start to die.

The technologist suffers the horror. "Father Fusion!"

Father Fusion knows that the time has come.

With the female baby in his arms still too young to do any of what must happen next, he decides.

His mind desperately commands the separation of what was once a union.

In his arms, the baby splits into fragments.

In another city, a male baby dies and sets off an alarm.

And from where he stands, Father Fusion explodes.

Shattered glass.

The technologist, once a part of him too, is fragmented and his shards join those of Father Fusion's as their sharp protrusions are propelled throughout the laboratory.

It is time for Defusion.