The Never Cycle: Part 6 - Bifurcation Unknown

 31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

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Bubba Jon collapsed moments after Jim/Mathew popped on out. He had a heart attack. "Precorpse Fuck" was accurate.

"We knew Mat was a weirdo, but this is just..." Titus struggled for words as he gazed at BJ, dead on the ground, three feet away from the still twitching hand and the still idling chainsaw.

"Off the charts fuckin weird." Connor finished the thought.

The Program will tell CBAs the most intimate of secrets about a given TI, and so CBAs think they always have the upper hand. But neither of these two relatively innocent recruits were told the actual truth. What would be the fun in that?

Connor pulled out his phone to take a picture of Titus' lopped off hand.

"Um, what are you doing, dude?"

"Nobody will believe this. We need proof, does your new hand have the same fingerprints?"

"Right!" Titus flexed his hand in and out of a fist, noting there wasn't even a scar. "You take that old hand, put it in a ziploc and put it in the freezer. Put on nitriles and stash the chainsaw." Titus knelt down and touched BJ's neck to check for a pulse.

SSSSUUUUCK!

Bubba Jon took a huge breath, his eyes bugged out, his nostrils flared, color returned to his face.

"Thank you Jesus!" Connor yelled, which is funny because he was not at all religious. "Bubba, we were about to stage you in a 'crashed car'."

Bubba sat up. He started to cry. He had been dead for only 2 minutes but his NDE was a subjective few days.

"Boys, I am SO SORRY for being a dick all these years." He stared blankly ahead and blinked more tears.

Bubba Jon had had the POST LIFE REVIEW. This is the way. Seeing your entire existence through the eyes of all the people you affected, for better or worse. It is the EMPATHY CATALOGUE we all must experience.

Titus and Connor both smiled as they had never ONCE, EVER, heard BJ apologize. A great weight was lifted for all of them in that simple act of humility.

Each of them teared up a bit too, speechless.

Titus offered BJ a hand up off the ground.

"I, I met him." BJ said with a tone of placid sincerity the boys had never heard either.

"Who, Bubba?" Titus asked.

"He looked like Mathew, but shorter and with reddish hair."

"Jesus, you don't mean?"

"Ha  hah, yeah, I mean JESUS." Bubba was now smiling. He looked at Connor, walked a few steps over to him and hugged him. "He hugged me like this and all my...shit, it just melted out of me like burnt oil from a rusted tranny." 

Good metaphor, Bubba. BJ let Connor go and did the same to Titus.

Titus' new hand pulsed with a wave of heat.

"Wow, it has been quite a day, what do we do now?"

Bubba said with no hesitation, "We are giving away all the cars here to anyone that wants them, scrapping the rest and we are going to teach off-grid living...But first we are going down to the taphouse for some beers, on me!"

It turns out there is a cure for narcissism.

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Cocoon 1930's Day of Battle X...

Quinlen and Yarmy 113 have been running the sim, practicing with the bioboosters for a few days. They are beyond confident.

Jim has instructed them on what weaponry to port to a secret time/place and what weaponry to disintegrate.

Basically, all the vehicles are to be ported and all the implements of acute entropy, destroyed. There were wonderweapons that were to be spared for historical purposes, rather, Mathew wanted to be the sole possessor of this unique collection. He was not a history buff or Nazi sympathizer, he was just interested in the evolution of technology.

Some would ask why he did not try to intervene further regarding certain atrocious experiments, but he felt he had already done too much to history as it was. Battle X was the most unbang for the buck.

They ported from Thule to Europe and did the thing. they had fun, really. It was as easy as running a mower over bugs.

Nobody was awake with cameras. There were no explosions. Just a bunch of shadows and flashes for an hour, here and there, fleeting, stealthy af.

The crew remaining back at Cocoon didn't even have to wait because Yarmy 113 ported back seconds after they left.

Quinlen peeled out of his suit. "Mathew, thank you for giving us life and truth and purpose, on behalf of the Yar I would ask you to receive this gift." Quinlen held out a large wooden crate and set it down several feet before Mathew. Jim approached and opened it with robotic strength.

"Oh my, Mathew, I think Quin did his homework!" Jim pulled some papery wadding out of the box to reveal a circular metal object. As Mathew approached he immediately recognized it.

"Quinlen, did you find Viktor anywhere, I mean, where, how'd you find this?"

Jim answered, "I RV'd Viktor but got the no access, so I RV'd the Repulsine."

"Jim, I never even thought of saving him. Fuck. Prolly shouldn't have even if we could, but this, this is a  score! Fan Fucking Tastic. Well done Quin."

"We scored alot more than that, but we knew you'd want to see this right now."

Jim pulled the prototype Repulsine out of the crate for all to admire.

"Viktor, you were not forgotten. Viktor, half of my inventions came from your insights. Be at peace wherever you are."

For Mathew this was an unforeseen perk of his entire trip - spoils of war.

Piper walked up to the unboxing. "What's this my Lion?" She started calling him Her Lion more than Mathew now.

"This is Viktor Schauberger's Repulsine, it is one of the first modern machines to exploit the vortex. It is also speculated to be the source of the foo fighters."

"That band sucks, Sharon used to listen to them all the time, but I don't get it."

Mathew chuckled. "Yes, that band sucks." He smacked her ass.

"Ooh, save that for later...uh, what does it do?"

"It's a radial-flow turbine, it kind of sucks itself up into a tornado it creates, totally different than propellers or jets or rockets."

"And this Hitler guy was gonna use it for...?" She asked leadingly.

"The Black Sun Brothers were open to any kind of innovation that would provide a tactical advantage in a battle or as a post-war practical product...China woulda emulated it and Germany's neighbors would have regulated it. We could have had flying cars in the 1950s."

Piper's thoughts turned to her sister. "Speaking of which, can we go back to see Genny and Jeph and Sheils and..."

"Yeah, I was thinking it is time to do that, but let's get this meeting with big M'lk and the Yar reunion taken care of first, is that okay?"

"Yeah." Piper missed her other fam in Colorado but understood her wants were not as important. She was also very curious to see M'lk's version of Cocoon, the ORIGINAL.

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Colorado Bunker 1950s, Earl and fam are having a rare fight over dinner.

"Leelian, we egreed touw keep Methew's trip dl, and now Ereec and Claudia are upset b'kez youw told her."

Earl replied, "Sheils, I did, Lilian respected Mathew's wishes, but I see no point in keeping that particular secret."

Lilian added, "Sheils, I was pissed too that Earl spilled the grampa beans, but your secret is still safe."

Eric and Claudia were at the Kid Table in the gaming room, watching Ren & Stimpy, a gift from the future and Santa Pops but they heard the commotion and snuck near the grown ups to eavesdrop.

"Oi sepose, oi doun't loike lying by ommision regahdliss, Ereec's a good boy and needs his deddy."

Eric and Claudia looked at each other and each made the SHUSH. Eric pointed back to the game room and they tiptoed back.

"Is Mathew REALLY your grampa AND my dad?"

"I guess, I'm confused. You do kinda look like him though."

"Mom is really mad, and she has been so sad since he left."

"We have a weird family." Claudia was right, it was weird, but also very functional, which is rare. "If Mat is my grampa and your dad, what does that make us?"

"I don't know, it's hurting my brain, let's just finish this cartoon, it's so funny, Ren is such a jerk and Stimpy is so nice."

Back at the grown up table...

"When Mathew comes back I will speak on behalf of all of us, we all want him back for good, right?"

Jeph spoke, "I don't care actually. I don't have a kid."

"Neither do I." Genny was sympathetic. She and Mathew already had their thing years ago.

Jeph continued, "To be honest, this place is getting a little too..." Jeph was looking for a non-offensive way to express herself... "I mean, I love you guys and all, but I miss the future, I miss Pizza Hut and Hulu and decent weed and..."

Sheils knew Jeph was over all this by now and wanted to go but they were really tight and Sheils wanted to keep things just as they were but with Mathew there too. "Oh Jiph, stop eet!"

"SHEILS, Jeph is free to leave like Pipes was...I'm kinda missing my dad and her and...Youtube." Imogen said.

Earl spoke in a manly tone, "If this family has to split we will do it but with Eric and Claudia's opinion as well, OKAY?"

"Roight, oi will gouw weeth youw Jiph if you must gouw."

"No!" Lilian yelled, "We can't break up Eric and Claudia. I'm not leaving here, the future sucks."

Imogen got up from the table. "You're not my family, none of you. I quit my job today by the way, my boss kept patting my butt and calling me DEARY of all the stupid things. I'm out as soon as Mathew get's here to port me back to 2029." 

Earl was at a loss at this point but was determined to do right by everybody. "We have never had a real 'fight' before. You all have valid concerns and desires but I'm thinking we just have to wait for Mathew to get back and ..."

Jeph got up too, "Yeah, whenever the fuck that will be!"

"AND we will see what he thinks."

Lilian put her hand on Earl's shoulder. "You are right my love, everybody please just be patient, Earl and I will talk about this situation later. For now I think we could all use a distraction. Dad said Ren & Stimpy is pretty funny."

Just then Claudia and Eric erupted in laughter. It was the scene where Stimpy slaps the happy helmet on Ren.

Stimpy's Invention.

"I'm So ANGRY RIGHT NOW!"

Classic.

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Cocoon 1930s, Jakub and Piper are getting some cold, fresh air, walking the beach of Thule.

"Dad, you are okay with me and Mathew right?"

"A normal dad would have knocked him out or worse by now, Pipes. We had a man to man the other night, he told me how his own father molested HIS daughter after calling CPS on him for smoking weed. I can't believe he didn't kill his own dad, but he and the step-mom died in that earthquake in San Diego. Wow, fuck. Mathew saved my life. Yeah we are cool."

"We already had sex anyway, so..."

"Okay Pipes we're cool but I don't need to hear anymore about that."

"Sorry dad, I just don't feel like I'm 13 anyway, I kinda grew up fast as they say."

"You did Piper, I'm sorry I couldn't..."

Piper cut him off,

"I love myself and my life and you and Mathew, I chose this incarnation."

"If you say so, all this psychic stuff is still lost on me, I'm a simple man I guess."

Piper noticed something shiny on the horizon, out above the ocean, "Hey, look at that!"

"Is that a UFO?" Jakub knew it must be.

"I have a bad feeling, let's get back inside and tell Mathew and Quin."

They sprinted back to the hidden door which opened for them. Once inside the Yar funk hit them fresh again.

Jakub decided he had had enough of this particular adventure, as grateful as he was. He just stopped at the inside of the door, whipped out the last of his joint and took a big toke, if not to relax then to mask giant stench. Piper ran to the game room which had been cordoned off for the human populace of Cocoon. She found Mathew taking a nap. "Wake up boy, shit's happening!"

"What is it Piper?" Mat said through a yawn.

"I saw a flying saucer or something about a mile away to the south, I think it is headed this way!"

"Holy fuck. We are sposeta be off the radar of everybody, fuck." He got up, threw on his clothes and ran to the entrance where Jakub looked at him and just shook his head with a grin,

"Good luck with this one, dude."

"Pipes, you stay here."

"OK."

Mathew went out into the shocking polar air to see a triangular craft hovering there, about 100 feet up. A tube of light shot down and a beautiful, older redheaded woman in what looked like eskimo clothing floated down.

"Hello Mathew, is my son here?"

"Marina?"

"Yes, I am she."

She walked over and hugged him, "We are pleased with your progress and encourage you to follow your bliss. Is Jarl here?"

"No, he is uh..." Mathew could not recall exactly if Jarl wanted anything to do with her or not. "He left here about a month ago."

"And the next obvious question, Mathew..."

Marina had this all-business-timeless-witch quality about her because she WAS that, not the kind of lady you would dare lie to.

Just then Quin appeared, "Who left the door open it's getting..."

Less stinky Jakub thought as Piper huddled in and took the phattie from her dad.

Marina and Quin locked eyes.

Nobody knew their history but them.

"Marina, please come in." Mathew gestured towards Cocoon's entrance.

"I am here for Jarl, but since he is not here...let me confer with my crew." She had a telepathic link to whoever was aboard the hovering craft above. "Yes, I can visit for a half hour."

Quin held out his right pinky which Marina took. Mathew noticed she also had six digits on each of her hands.

It was beginning to click. Marina is also an immortal, she and Quinlen must have been part of some hybridization program in Atlantis.

Mathew led them to the flowergarden cave where the Yar were resurrected.

"Marina, your son's blood, your blood, was necessary for this thing to work. There are still Yar in there but they chose that, you knew all this was going to happen, right?"

"We have farsight, yes, but cannot see all things, we are not God."

"Right, we call it Remote Viewing and can confirm, no access sometimes."

"Sometimes the Igigi." Marina was proving the timeless quality of occulted knowledge.

"And we call those guys GREYS now." Mathew added. "Can you time travel in your craft?"

"We can only skip through space. Time travel is against our religion."

"REALLY? Why is that?"

"The Never Cycles, of course."

Mathew immediately thought of The Butterfly Effect movie and how he was now in the middle of it.

"Right." Did she know of his blasphemies and sins? If so she didn't seem judgey about it.

"About Jarl, you know where to find him?"

"Yes, he uh, time skipped about twenty years ahead."

Marina looked shocked. She looked up at Quin's face and Quinlen nodded. "I can't believe he would do that, how did he do that?"

Jim appeared from the shadows, "With my help."

Marina looked at Jim in horror and disgust. "STAY BACK AUTOMATON!" she shouted. Apparently Jim's kind were a problem in latter Atlantis.

"Marina, Jim is our friend, he is not of Periditheon." Quinlen said calmly.

Piper and Jakub walked up. "My Lion, the ginger lady from the spaceship, she's cool?"

Marina looked at Piper whom she had not noticed on her way in. 

"Yes, Piper she is cool."

Marina began to cry. "Quin, she looks like..."

"Yes, she does. Marina, Syl is still alive."

"Hi my name is Piper, I'm Mathew's wife, er was, er will be." Piper's face flushed as she sensed Marina was some kind of distant Matriarch of hers.

"Come child, let me look at you!"

Piper walked over and Marina kissed her on the forehead.

"You, my dear one, are a gem to behold."

Jakub dropped the roach and looked at Marina with a bit of a crush.

"Did, did you just say Syl is alive? How?" Marina's visit to Cocoon was proving to be more than she bargained for. She forgot all about Jarl for the moment.

Piper answered, correctly deducing that Syl was the sacrificed daughter of Quin and Marina, "M'lk has her safe and sound."

"It's true my flame," Quin looked down at Marina with a bit of romantic nostalgia, she was his first, when he was a human-sized Yarling.

Piper ran to get Milk so she could channel M'lk.

"Marina, we were so wrong. Why did we ever make a causal link between sacrifice and good fortune? The modern humans have a saying, Mathew told me once, it is equally foolish but there's more truth to it than our primitive notions; Everything happens for a reason and that reason is usually fizzix."

"That craft outside does not run on prayers and incense. You sacrificed Syl behind my back Quin, I would not have allowed it, or did you forget!?" Marina's ancient but intact resentment flared up, "There is no WE."

Quin looked down, "I meant WE as in The Yar."

Mathew cut in, "Let's say METAphysics then. I am slowly gathering the wisdom to know the appropriateness of THINGS, whether they are fortunate or not." He thought of that Chinese GOOD LUCK BAD LUCK parable:

Many years ago a wise peasant lived in China.

He had a son who was the apple of his eye. He also was the proud owner of a fine white stallion (horse) which everyone admired. One day his horse escaped from his grounds and disappeared. The villagers came to him one by one and said: “You are such an unlucky man. It is such bad luck that your horse escaped.” The peasant responded: “ Who knows. Maybe it’s bad, maybe it’s good.” The next day the stallion returned followed by 12 wild horses. The neighbors visited him again and congratulated him on his luck. Again, he just said: “Who knows. Maybe it’s good, maybe it’s bad.”

As it happened, the next day his son was attempting to train one of the wild horses when he fell down and broke his leg. Once more everyone came with their condolences: “It’s terrible.” Again, he replied: “Who knows. Maybe it’s good, maybe it’s bad.” A few days passed and his poor son was limping around the village with his broken leg, when the emperor’s army entered the village announcing that a war was starting and they were enrolling all the young men of the village. However, they left the peasant’s son since he had a broken leg. Everyone was extremely jealous of the peasant. They talked about his sheer good luck, while the old man just muttered:  “Who knows. Maybe it’s good, maybe it’s bad.”

 and when Jade said, FUCKERY GOES BOTH WAYS.

Piper returned with the albino mantid perched on her head, "Milk is ready." She closed her eyes.

"Milk, Syl's mother is here, we did not expect her but here she is. We would like to reunite now if possible. We have 15 other resurrected parents eager to see their children." Quin said.

"I see you Quinlen of The Yar, the smaller female next to you is Syl's mother?"

"Yes, she is the mother, her name is Marina. Can we come now?"

"You must bring the robot, I wish to see it, bring the avatar and its 22 chips too."

Mathew spoke, "We can gladly do that, but we never asked, where ARE you exactly?"

Marina replied, "He is not far away, there's a subglacial cavern melted out via geothermal vents, inland Antarctica, I know exactly how to get there."

"That is correct Marina." M'lk answered.

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The humans boarded Marina's craft which had a crew of three ginger women,  7 feet, 7 inches tall each. They were clones. The Yar suited up in bioboosters. Jim just ported there and waited a minute.

As they approached the obvious indent and 100 yard diameter hole 

in the otherwise featureless white expanse a puff of steam rose and turned to fine snow. M'lk had opened up a vent in the chitin wall.

The Cocoon party descended through an eery yet beautiful glacier-blue tunnel. It went down nearly one mile before widening. The darkness of the tunnel was replaced with a greenish glow coming from the Insect Kingdom. The entrance was actually made of bugs; bugs that no human has ever seen, big furry grey bugs, but insectoid nonetheless. They lived off of the temperature differential of the glacial tunnel and warm chitin cavern. The ORIGINAL COCOON was about the size of Manhattan. The furry bug door closed in after the party had passed.

"Piper, you were not exaggerating when you said Mat gave you crazy adventures!"

"Nope."

Jakub could not take his eyes off of Marina and wondered how he could possibly approach her, as if.

The chitin wall of OC was 30 feet thick. On the inside the wall was composed entirely of hexagonal cells that had bio-luminescent larvae, some were green, some yellow, some orange. They were like organic pixels. The different colors indicated what state the larvae were in. Green was resting, yellow was hungry, orange was about to emerge. The bugs down in OC were similar to surface bugs but unique to OC, they had millions of years to evolve, and they were BIG.

The Witch Craft, suited Yar, and Jim were beckoned by a swarm of friendly, lavender-colored wasps. They all slowly descended further to a central shaft about 200 feet in diameter and 2000 feet deep. M'lk was at the bottom.

Piper/M'lk spoke, "Do not be afraid. I am supposed to look scary 

to mammals but since none of you are damned you've nothing to fear."

The air was thick, warm, and sweet smelling as the craft landed and a ramp slid out for them to exit.

Against the edge of the dim shaft was M'lk's striking form. He was actually 50 feet tall. He had a visible aura that shimmered pink.

Piper ran to M'lk as the rest of the mammals stood still in awe. "You're not scary at all, Milkshake! You're beautiful."

"Thank you, Piper" Even though M'lk had no ego to speak of he could take a compliment, "you are the first and only human I can call a friend. I DO want you to be happy, all of you."

Jakub was holding the travel cage with Cookie and chips inside. He approached, set the cage down and opened it.

Milk fluttered out first. "I want you to have this, my little avatar will be staying."

The albino mantid started to wriggle a bit and split open. Out of the pale white shell emerged a bright pink Milk.

Cookie and the nearly adult chips came out and scurried to the base of M'lk who seemed to be melded into the edge of the shaft wall.

"You are now Strawberry Milk, my favorite." Piper picked up his old shell and her eyes glistened, thinking of the day they met in the woods.

Mathew approached.

As he did a swarm of fireflies formed a wall between M'lk and the guests.

"It's ok, Mathew, he just let me go."

The fireflies lit up like the old LITE-BRITE, they spelled out:

THANK YOU

HOW DO I GET IN THE ROBOT

"We soul-catch via a scalar bottle interface with the pineal gland, but you don't have a pineal gland, you have a transdimensional, soul-sucking proboscis, so Jim and I will have to figure this out. It may work the same with your Soul-Matrix, it may not work at all or there could be some unforeseen mutant power fuckery like with Piper's dreamporting"

I SEE

"We have all the time in the world, you exist outside linear time, is that correct?"

I AM NOT STUCK AS YOU ARE WITH YOUR INDIVIDUATED MINDS

"Do you really want a human form? What if we made you a Bugmorphic robot?"

NO I MUST BE HUMANLIKE SO YOUR PEOPLE CAN RELATE 

I HAVE WITNESSED HUMANS FOR MILLENNIA 

I NO LONGER IDENTIFY AS INSECT

Mathew thought of that South Park episode where Kyle's dad wanted to be a dolphin.

"You want to preach to the next root race in New Jerusalem, after Nemesis passes, is that correct?"

YES

"What do you think you can teach humans that they don't already know?"

I KNOW WHAT THE MOST HIGH AND MOST LOW DO NOT KNOW

LIKE YOU

"That is a bold statement, some would say blasphemous or even impossible."

IT IS TRUE

"So tell me now."

THIS IS NOT ABOUT WORDS

"Right, so you would teach humans the way psychedelics do, with an experiential gnosis."

CORRECT

"But we already have shrooms and DMT, are you trippier than that? Is your trip/lesson enabled by your biology? If so, you might not be able to impart the lesson if you are in a JIM suit."

...

"M'lk, I see your noble intentions but that is not necessary, let's just focus on getting you out of this karmic prison, you have served the universe above and beyond."

Piper walked up to M'lk and touched his foot / throne.

M'lk's mandibles chattered, the firefly wall displayed a happy tears emoji.

Back near the saucer Marina, Jakub, Quin, the clones, and 15 Yar stood silent.

This is the true face of SATAN. A being that had done nothing wrong. A native of Nemesis' interdimensional horizon that had gotten caught in an interplanetary arcing event, whose Soul-Matrix got bound to the fresh "Navel".

"M'lk, tell me about your chips, where they need to be before Nemesis comes. Even if we cannot soul-catch you, I am certain we can get them where they need to be."

WHEN NEMESIS COMES YOUR EARTH GRID WILL RELAX AND STELLATE LIKE A CERVIX DILATING

THE ARC WILL GROUND IN ONE OF 22 NODES

WE DO NOT KNOW WHICH ONE BUT EACH WILL HAVE A CHIP

"And the struck chip seeds a new Annihilator Chamber like this one?"

CORRECT

"This is not normal lightning then?"

NO IT IS NOT EXPLOSIVE

IT IS IMPLOSIVE

IT PUMPS THE PLASMA CORE OF EARTH

"And your people are going to herd the damned?"

THE 3 DAYS OF DARKNESS ARE A MOMENT WHEN ALL NODES ACT AS ONE NAVEL OR ANNIHILATOR CHAMBER

THE CHOSEN CHIP ...

LANGUAGE INSUFFICIENT

THE YAR MUST BE EAGER TO SEE THEIR KIN

FOLLOW THE WASPS

COME BACK HERE IN 2029

The firefly display dispersed and the wasps hovered, waiting for the mammals to reboard the craft.

"It's time, Marina." Quin said. He picked her up and put her on his biobooster-suited shoulders.

Piper saw this, looked at Mathew and said, "Member that?"

Mathew replied, "The before time." Her little pink berry grinding on his neck vertebra. It was innocent enough but she knew it felt good, even then.

Jakub looked at Marina way up there on Quin and knew he had no chance with her, she was too foreign to his simple life.

Piper, Jakub and Mathew and the clones left M'lk who was expecting another delivery soon.

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They ascended into the domed OC, its golden greenish ambient light was like a permanent primordial sunset. The hum of billions of bugs, the trickling of pure glacier creeks, the loamy soil, the pale greenery of uncut grasses...the conspicuous absence of wind. It was virtually a foreign planet under the ice.

The wasp swarm led them to a little village partially built into the chitin wall, it was surrounded by large ponds, beaten paths wound throughout. A lone naked giant was carrying something in its arms. The giant looked up to see the saucer and RoboYar and it dropped the wrapped bundle on the ground.

Quin and the other Yar parents landed, he lifted Marina down to the ground. The wasps left them.

The saucer landed again and opened. Piper was the first out. She started running and skipping around like a a cow released from factory farming, "Isn't it just sooo dreamy? Come here boy!"

When Piper was feeling really good or cocky or excited she went beyond Lion and called Mathew BOY.

Mathew jogged over to his young lady, she jumped up into his arms, wrapped her legs around him and she just started kissing him all over. Something about OC released something in her, something long-forgotten but now recalled.

The suits peeled open and the Yar breathed in deep. This seemed like home, even more than Thule a few hundred miles to the northwest. They shimmied out in unison knowing they'd never get back in them again.

The naked, native adult child yelled in Yar language, "El ken, El ken, Syl, Chandah!"

Several giants peered out of their dwellings. One was Syl. She immediately recognized her father. 

"Ahksen emde el ahnda Quinda!" Syl said as she strode towards Quin quite aggressively.

Quin, now sobbing, bowed then fell to his knees. Syl reached back and swung a fist at his head.

Marina raised her hand and her daughter's fist was stopped in mid-swing by a telekinetic force.

"Sekta, Syl, Sekta."

Syl dropped her arm and squinted at the Ahplinyar or LITTLE GIANT WOMAN. Syl did not know Marina was her mother. Syl looked at the clones and then at Piper.

Quin said, "Syl, El Ahplinyar sekt monda."

Marina looked at her daughter and smiled and nodded. She put her hand over her heart as she looked up at Syl.

Syl sat on the ground and pulled her long red hair over her face and shook her head. It was her Yar way of acknowledging the truth. She had always felt different from the other sacrificed Yar. She was only 10 feet tall and had a narrow nose.

Marina stepped into her lap and kissed her forehead, as she did with Piper.

Quin sat down too and the three just sat there basking in the beauty of the moment.

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The other Yar parents stripped all the way naked and walked into the ponds in ritualistic fashion.

Then the clones and Piper stripped naked and did the same.

Then the remaining Yar children ran to them and splashed their parents, laughing and crying.

Yar laughter is a true privilege, their cries are heartbreaking.

Jakub looked at Mathew with a smirk and turned away from all the orange glow, he went back up the ramp into the craft.

Mathew sat down on the ground and took a deep breath, letting the moment sink in. Somehow he was integral to all of this happening. It was mind-boggling.

The male Yar of OC that called out the rest approached Mathew and handed him a wedge of honey-laden bees wax.

His parents were not present.

He tapped his chest and said, "Plet tenk, AHNTAR." He then pointed at Mathew and cocked his head.

"Plet tenk, MATHEW."

A dripping wet clone walked over, "Mathew, I am Kelsyn, I'm a hybrid like Marina but I am a first gen clone which is why I'm much taller, I can interpret for you."

"Okay, thanks, I gathered the introduction."

"Can you ask him what is in the bundle he dropped?"

"Ahntar, Mathew betta epsel kahn chel set?"

Ahntar shook his head, got up and walked away, picked up the bundle and carried it to wherever he was headed.

"I guess that's a taboo subject, huh Kelsyn?"

"Apparently."

In the distance, at the top of the dome where they had come in, a dozen small saucers descended silently into the shaft down to M'lk.

Mathew's intuition again accurately pieced it together.

"Kelsyn, do you have a separate soul or mind or ego from the other two?" He was very curious, having never met a clone. Clones smacked of hive mind.

"We have identical meatbots as you call them, and we are telepathic but we each have our own soul and personality. I'm the extroverted nice one, Weshah and Talryn not so much." She chuckled.

"What about Marina? She seems very serious and mission-oriented."

"Marina, like us, has been alive for thousands of years and those years have refined her ego into a precise machine, but in many ways she is more human than human."

"How's that?" Mat asked.

"She loves men. But only certain men. Men that carry the MC1R, men that can farm the land, you wouldn't know anyone like that would you?"

Mathew got a huge grin and laughed. Piper, also naked and wet, ran up and demanded half-jokingly to Kelsyn, "What are you doing with my man, Amazon?!"

"Chill Pipes, Kelsyn here was interpreting Yar speak for me."

"Chekspah etel fen kwah el monda spen blah blah blah." Piper blurted.

Kelsyn shocked back, "Young lady, do not mock your ancestors, do you know what you just said?"

"WHAT? I actually said something in Yar? I was just being silly!"

"Yes, Piper, you said you wished for a new mother."

"Holy fuck." Mathew shook his head. "Pipes, get your undies on at least and go get your dad, he's sulking in the spaceship."

All the sudden it occurred to Mathew that old Claudia never mentioned her mother.

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Colorado bunker 1950s, Lilian and Earl are in bed. Imogen is playing COD MW3 campaign for the fifth time. Claudia and Eric are playing doctor for the first time after a lengthy discussion about how they are not actually related or maybe they are. Sheils is working on the last bricks of the lego Millenium Falcon and Jeph is looking for a thick carrot in the fridge which she intends to heat up to 98 degrees.

"Lili, I think this is over and I think you need to accept the change as graciously as I know you are capable of."

"You're quite the diplomat, babe." Lilian was right. He was right.

"Sheils and Eric and Jeph are family. You, me and Claudia are family. Imogen has no real family right now, poor thing, she hates it here. Mathew has been gone 3 months, he could have been back by now. I don't know what to do."

"Me neither." Lilian took a big sigh of mild despair.

"If he would only show up we could work it all out, I should have never shut Jim down."

"Spilled Milk, hon." Lilian quipped. "I think you did the right thing back then, can you imagine what would have happened if Imogen were to steal away with Jim now or god knows what else might have happened?"

"I still can't understand how Jim disappeared."

"Nobody blames you for their bunker-fever and you are not responsible for mending the current tears."

"Thanks, Lil."

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Jeph couldn't find a carrot or cucumber and started searching for anything phallic, Sheils was just not gonna satisfy her firecrotch right now. The hairbrush handle was too small.

"Godfuckingdammit!"

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Sheils was actually pleased with her progress. She didn't know she had it in her to do the lego thing.

"End thet's the lest breeck, roight theh." She said aloud to herself. She was herself feeling like Eric felt all the times he had come up to her with a freshly built lego project, looking for kudos. She thought it would be funny to mock him that way, but ironically also wanted his approval since he WAS the resident master engineer. "Where is my leetle men?"

She got up from her desk and went to the game room. "Ouw, hay Gin, you seen Ereec?"

Without looking away from the 4K, "I think he's in Claudia's room, DIE MOTHERFUCKER!"

Sheils laughed at how intense Imogen got over a stupid game she mastered years ago.

"FUCKING RELOOOOOAD ALREADY!"

Sheils left Genny to her killtacular button mashing and went to Claudia's room. The door was shut and it was quiet.

Without thinking she barged in to see the kids with their pants down around their ankles.

Normally kids getting caught in the act would panic and cover up but Eric and Claud were raised in a slightly more liberated household. "Hey mom, Claud -n- me were checking out our junk, I didn't know girls had a little pee hole inside their..."

"Vejoinah, Ereec, it's called a Vejoinah."

"And I didn't know boys' dinks got hard." Claud said matter-of-factly.

Sheils smiled, turned around and shut the door. As she did Jeph was walking toward her from the other end of the hall looking irritated.

"Sheils, why didn't we pack a dildo forfucksake!"

"Chroist, youw touw? Evreebudeez horny!"

"Fuck this, I'm gonna go find some 1950s dick, do you still have that old timey dress? I don't think guys now are into chicks that wear camo spandex, I mean fuck, camel-toe is not fashionable until the 80s!"

"Bring eet een babe." Sheils opened her arms and Jeph sank in and started to cry, for realz cry.

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Soul Era Taphouse 2023, FLX.

"So Bubba, you actually met Jesus? Maybe you just had a hallucination." Connor was skeptical despite having just witnessed two miracles.

"Dammit, Connor, it was real. I died. I'm actually a donor to the Freedom From Religion Foundation but those bitches are gonna get a piece of my mind."

"Bubba, can you keep it down, you're freaking out the other patrons." Jaden, the barkeep on duty that afternoon was usually tolerant of obnoxious folks but not when they brought up religion or polyticks.

"No, Jaden, Anne Nicol Gaylor can suck my saggy geezer sack, they are a bunch of clueless assholes."

Titus cut in, "Like you were before Mat killed you an hour ago."

Jaden wished Soul Era had a bouncer just then but at the same time he was intrigued. The same Mathew that they had dozens of skits lined up for, the Mathew that downloaded porn on their wifi and hit on 20 somethings when he was drunk. This Mathew was now a murderer, sort of.

"Yeah, EXACTLY like I was." Bubba Jon may have found Jesus - literally - but he was still a cantankerous character.

"Titus, are you ready for a beer?" Jaden asked.

Titus liked to have a bite to eat before drinking and had just woofed down this week's special, "Yeah, give me a can of Bud."

"You got it buddy."

Jaden popped it open for Titus. Titus reached for the Bud and as soon as he did the beer spewed out in a foamy mess.

"Geez, Titus, be careful with that new hand, or just go home now and test it on Brenda's pussy." Connor joked.

It would seem that Titus had a superpower in his new hand, he just was not clear what it was. Did he bring Bubba back to life? He remembered passing a fresh roadkill on 414 just before the taphouse so he got up and went out to touch the dead raccoon. Bubba and Connor followed.

"Ned, watch the bar." Jaden asked the regular at the end of the bar, he was invested in this.

Titus knelt down, looked up at the guys, "If this magic hand is the real deal ya'll gotta keep your mouths fuckin shut, got it? I don't need a bunch of sick people all up in my shit lookin to be healed."

"Yeah."

"OKAY."

"No prob."

Titus touched Ricky and sure enough the bloodied bandit twitched and got up, shook its head and ran...straight into a barreling Ford SUV.

"Jesus Christ!" Jaden chirped.

"Easy, boy." Bubba Jon sneered.

They all returned to the bar in silence. Jaden poured shots. They all got hammered.

Nobody knew that Ned had had his phone to the window recording the whole event.

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OC...

"Hey dad, Mat wants to see you." Piper yelled up the ramp and then ran back to the pond to frolic with her ginger folk.

"OK, I'll be right there."

Jakub had been looking out the cockpit window at Marina and the clones, debating whether or not to rub out a quickie as they were driving him to horniness he'd not known since Sharon was a 20 something hottie bartender.

As amazing as Kelsyn, Weshah and Talryn were to look at his developing fantasy about Marina would not relent, even though it appeared her reunion with Syl and Quin was a sure thing.

He just wanted to go home and tend to his crop. Oh, right. Tribulation. Better go see what Mat wants.

"Hey Jakub, have you had any action since Sharon passed?"

"No, I was quite content being a single dad, why do you care?"

"Hmmm, well, seeing as how I fucked up your life beyond measure and that 7 miilion is useless I thought I may be able to make it up to you in an appropriate, karmic-poetic kind of way."

"Get to the point, Mat." Jakub's frustrations were mounting.

"Pipes still needs a mom, and you see that immortal witch over there?" Mathew chinned to Marina, "She is seriously maternal and into farmers."

"So her and Quin?" Jakub led.

"Oh hell no, she is just being nice out of necessity I think."

"Between us dude, I kinda fell in love with Marina at first sight."

"The way I fell for your girls no doubt. That settles it. You go ask her to take a stroll. I will keep Pipes occupied."

Later...

Marina and the clones were nibbling on honey and a salad prepared by Syl at the edge of the pond.

Jakub approached, "May I sit?"

"Yes, please." She patted the ground next to her. Marina handed Jakub a wedge of honey.

"Careful Jakub, this is what we call MAD HONEY, it is psychoactive, you won't trip but you will be blissed out in 10 minutes."

"I think I already am, thank you." He took it and nibbled, smacked his lips, "Wow, I used to be a beekeeper and had many varieties but this..."

"Your daughter is also very sweet, you did a good job with that one."

"Hmmm, I'd be a pariah back home if folks knew I let her be with Mat."

"Pish, I made love with Quin when he was just 6 years old."

Jakub coughed and laughed simultaneously.

"Okay, I WAS wondering how he and you, uh, fit."

The clones laughed. Marina blushed.

"Marina..."

She pivoted her body to face him, "Yes Jakub, I can feel it too, we are DISCERNING, aren't we?"

The clones got up in unison and walked away.

She took his hand and sucked the honey off his middle finger.

Jakub thought to himself SHE IS QUICK.

"I am, but not easy. I'm far too old to play games like the mortals do. Let's go explore this place."

Jakub's heart, the mad honey, her impossibly long hair, the magic of OC...it all combined and the frustration turned to butterflies and a throbbing cock.

They strolled around this surreal paradise for what seemed hours, just holding hands and looking around, starry eyed.

Then another unexpected wall of stench hit them. It was not Yar funk, it was way worse.

The Lavender Wasps were gathered around the entrance of a shadowy cave in the chitin.

The Wasps saw the mammals approach and flew away.

They were eating dead children.

Jakub let her hand go, he turned away and vomited.

"The damned are recycled here, body and soul."

Jakub wiped his mouth with his flannel sleeve.

He realized he himself stunk, his clothes were weeks unwashed.

"Marina will you bath with me in the falls we passed?"

"I will cleanse you, Jakub. Of your body's current filth and years of your soul's armored abuse from Sharon."

"How, how could you possibly know about her?"

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Piper and Mathew were also taking a stroll around OC, exploring.

"Sweetness, have I told you how amazing you are recently?"

"I can make a Lion purr like a little kitty, can't I?"

"Ha, yeah, yeah you can." Mathew grinned. "Pipes, I think your dad and Marina are into each other, wutchye think of that?"

"Really? I like her. Sharon never called me a 'GEM', she called me a brat, even called me, eh, nevermind."

"So if your dad and Marina became a thing, you'd be okay with that?"

"I'd be thrilled, dad needs to get laid."

"Yes, true, but he also needs to be healed."

Piper just assumed Jakub had some magic dad powers that made him strong and stoic, she never really appreciated how much he suffered Sharon too. "Yeah, he does, poor guy."

"And you could use a REAL MAMA."

The thought had never occurred to Piper before, she let it roll around for a few seconds.

"We need to go get Genny, like right now, she needs to be here."

"You mean NOW now?"

"Yes boy, NOW NOW!"

"Absolutely." Mathew yawned and stretched, it had been a long, eventful day.

"JIMBO! Go get Imogen, this is gonna be a goddamn gingerfest reunion if ever there was one."

KKKKKPOPSshhh

"Way ahead of ye, boss."

Jim peeled open and there she was.