Shadow Of The Past Trilogy ∞ THE DISPLACED

120 ∞ the egg

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to the memory of Jorkam (Jorge Kusu-o Arocha) who passed this summer of 2021. He was instrumental in helping me to visualize the world-building episodes of Mickmi's Earth, as well as developing most of Part III of this trilogy.

Not only that, he helped me personally as well in improving my health with Qigong and meditation exercises; all this without wanting anything in return! Yet in all this time, I'd never met him or spoken with him. This is what the community of #Wattpad has done for me, what it means for me, including all the great feedback I've received on my works from you guys—I've made a few of the greatest friends of my life here (you know who you are).

I hope I'll be able to do Jorkam's ideas justice henceforth, and keep the part of the storyline involving ship-building/mission-preparations/the return to and the interactions at the base, and eventually the rescue mission (not part of this book) consistent with the vision that helped me get to where I am here today. Don't hesitate to comment if something sounds out of place; I'm alone now in the driver's seat of Atlas, mission control (Actual/Mr. Grey, et al.), the scientists, and the military men from the secret base. Thanks!

Finally, my apologies for taking an inordinately long time to update #SOTPT. I haven't stopped writing, it's just that my muse has taken an additional blow and is taking long to recover. I suppose I just needed the break after writing consistently on this project in WP since January 2016. I haven't been inactive on WP though—I've been making strides on the joint account -NikaRave-, in collaborating, editing, and publishing, the first chronicle of which is already completed.

I hope you enjoy this chapter. Keep safe; and if you celebrate the season, I wish you Happy Holidays and a Prosperous New 2022!

Walk Good!
~ Annika

∞ ∞ ∞

Day Twenty-two ∞ Friday (PST)

OSCILLATING, DANCING PARTICLES filled the main section of the cavern, interacting with Blanc's field of being. Here was no force of attraction, nothing restricting their movements within this space.

What would have resulted in her companions baking into instant crisp, simply felt like an atmosphere in a high state of excitement. This was all the superheated temperatures meant to her in her present form.

They needed to move from here...

As her attention shot along the heaped gravel trails to their machine-shoveling ends, she recruited the mélange of vaporized minerals and patches of plasma in her way. She turned her instant expansion into a long cyclic motion like a slow-moving tornado funnel towards the newly-'drilled' shaft, sucking the vapor with her as she extended up, up over two kilometers to the surface and out.

Her cloud grew into the shadow of the crater. Keeping her boundaries away from the cave storing the antimatter, she calmed the oscillating particles as she teased detached electrons to new homes, some forming new elements in natural alchemy. With the slowing, her temperatures dropped to safer levels, and she fed the particles on the outside of the funnel back down. She deposited them to the sides of the cavern where the nanos had gathered to stay out of her way. They jumped to work on the particles, making more of themselves.

"Thank you, Blanc Aave," Artemae said. "Gentlemen, it is safe to continue now without pause."

She was also in her 'non-human' form but, unlike Blanc, hers consisted of Nanites that gathered next to the opening to the side cavern.