Legends of Amacia Attack on Tartarus
Chapter 3: Hack the Planet

A half hour later, Brother Paul sat in Tiamat’s communications center listening to Dan and Gerard’s report on the time of the alignment. A deep, troubled sigh escaped his lips. “So, the time has finally been revealed,” Paul murmured solemnly.

“Yes,” Dan stated. “And it’s been confirmed seven times. At 11:13 AM seven days from now, the alignment will take place and the Rising will begin in earnest. It’s going to totally restructure South America, and I suspect many other parts of the globe. However, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, and lower parts of Brazil and Bolivia will take the brunt of the destruction. I’d say at the rate the storm is growing, everyone in South America south of 20° South Latitude should evacuate north or out to sea. This storm is going to destroy everything it touches. Fortunately, the people in Argentina and Chile have already evacuated the storm area after that EMP incident that killed everything within seventy miles of Aconcagua. The last I heard, the governments of Chile and Argentina have already evacuated everyone within 400-mile radius of Aconcagua, which is the storm’s present diameter. They considered it just too dangerous for anyone to be allowed near it.”

“That’s good,” Paul admitted. “But you don’t think it’s enough since you’re suggesting everyone move north of 20° South Latitude. You expect the storm to get a whole lot bigger, don’t you?”

“I do,” Dan stated grimly. “I don’t think we’ve seen anything yet. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this storm grow to 1,600 miles across before it passes, and I suspect anything within a 600 mile radius is going to be obliterated completely. That’s what the prophecies we found concerning the Rising are saying. Paul, the lower half of South America is going to be annihilated and rearranged by this thing. Anything living caught in that area will not survive. This is going to be a world-altering calamity on the level of the Deluge, though it’s not going to wipe out all life on this planet like it came close to doing. However, it will wipe out all life in the southern half of South America. I’m certain of it.”

“Your words are resonating within me,” Paul stated grimly. “The Lord is bearing witness to me about what you’re saying. Okay, it’s time we shouted the warning from the rooftops, and I think a warning of this magnitude requires us to pirate the airwaves and all remaining communication services to get the warning out. It’s obvious the masters of the universe aren’t going to let such a warning be broadcast if they can help it, so we need to override them.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Dan agreed, “We need to go over their heads literally.”

“Exactly,” Paul replied. “We have no choice, and we have the tech to do it. Can we get an image of the storm on the broadcast?”

“Absolutely,” Dan stated, “We can pull it up on the portal hologram and upload the live feed to our equipment here. Gerard, you know how to do that, right?”

“Yes, sir,” Gerard stated. “How close a view do you want?”

“A low orbital view that shows the full extent of that monster storm in relation to the land mass of South America,” Dan stated. “When you send the live feed here, I’ll send it out while Paul warns everyone.”

“Got it,” Gerard answered, “I truly hope we get the word out in time and the storm isn’t as bad as we expect it to get.”

“So do we all,” Paul agreed. “But we must remember this is the Lord’s doing. There’s nothing we can do but stay out of His way. He’s about to make a major point to the rebellious people of this planet. Go, Gerard, get the live feed going from the portal hologram. The clock is ticking.”

“Right,” Gerard replied, rushing off to the portal chamber.

“All right, let’s get the equipment prepped to hack the planet,” Dan stated. He chuckled, adding, “I never thought I’d be able to hack the planet like this. Wait, I should get Hammond and Joe in here to help. They’re both experts on the communications systems still operating. Their knowledge of the communications systems will make this easier.”

“That’s a good idea,” Paul stated. “I was about to suggest it. This is going to have to be a team effort to take control of all the remaining communications satellites and air waves, though I don’t doubt the machines of this place have the capability of doing it.”

“I hear you,” Dan answered, pulling out his communicator. “Joe, Hammond, I need you to come to the comm center right away. I have a job for you two that can’t wait.”

“All right,” Hammond’s voice came back through the communicator. “Give me five minutes so I can clean up. I just finished a rather messy repair job and am in the shower.”

“Roger that, Hammond,” Dan answered. “Don’t take too long. Something very big is brewing and the clock is ticking.”

“Got it,” Hammond stated, “I’ll be there post haste.”

“Joe here,” Joe’s voice rang through Dan’s communicator. “I’ll be there in six minutes. I’m presently on the Archive’s second level. What’s going on?”

“I’ll tell you when you get here,” Dan stated. “Just know that our world is about to change dramatically and they need to be warned.”

“I see,” Joe stated through the communicator, “I’ll be right over.”

“Okay,” Dan stated, “Now let’s see about getting everything ready for the broadcast.” He and Paul went to work setting up the cameras and equipment for a live video broadcast to the entire planet.

By time Joe and Hammond arrived in the communications center, Gerard had piped the live holographic feed of the storm to the communications computers. Dan had the visual up on the computer monitor for Joe and Hammond to see it. “Holy God,” Hammond breathed in astonishment. “I’ve never seen anything like that, ever. It doesn’t even look real, but it obviously is since that portal thingy is picking up on it.”

“I must agree with Hammond,” Joe said in a stunned, awed tone. “That’s definitely something you don’t see every day. It’s so big the Coriolis effect is making it spin like a hurricane, but it’s stationary. Why isn’t it moving? What is that thing?”

“We’re not sure, but suspect it’s some kind of electro-magnetic storm brought on by the alignment,” Dan stated bluntly. “The portal is reading all kinds of strange disturbances associated with the storm.”

“What kind of disturbances?” Hammond queried with great fascination.

“The portal is reading vast fluctuations in several different fields,” Dan stated. “The electro-magnetic distortion and disturbances are off the charts. We’ve also seen gravimetric, spatial, and temporal anomalies and distortions appearing and disappearing within the storm, almost like eddies around a whirlpool. These sometimes coalesce into larger anomalies before collapsing, releasing prodigious amounts of energy when they collapse. The last time it did this was just before the iron asteroid hit Santiago. I watched it with the portal hologram. There was an electrical storm of catastrophic proportions unleashing electric hell on the city of Santiago. At the same time, dozens of tornadoes dropped from the cloud, demolishing everything they touched as they coalesced into three monster tornadoes at least three miles across each. Then the asteroid fell that erased Santiago and carved a sixty-mile wide crater where the city once stood. The impact did nothing to the cloud.”

“What do you mean?” Joe asked. “Something large enough to carve out a sixty-mile wide crater should have blown the storm away and caused great regional, if not global disruptions in the crust and atmosphere.”

“In normal circumstances, yes,” Dan stated. “But it didn’t. The storm completely contained it, literally swallowing up the energy release along with the debris plume, enhancing the power and severity of the storm. As I remember, when the asteroid hit, the storm grew in power and size, expanding to its present size. The storm literally sucked up the energy release and every piece of debris like a giant vacuum cleaner. That impact should have spread its debris over most of the globe in a matter of hours, but it didn’t. Also, the resulting firestorm from the impact should have burned everything within a thousand miles of it, but it didn’t. It’s baffling. The storm kept the impact hazard localized to a 400-mile radius around Aconcagua, pulling much of the debris into the ionosphere and keeping it confined within the storm. I have no explanation for it. But I can tell you we felt the impact here and it registered a quake of well over twelve on the seismos. So, as you can see, this is no ordinary storm. I’m not sure if the planet itself is creating this storm or if Planet X and Gabriel’s Hammer moving into their position in the prophesied alignment is to blame. Either way, this thing is beyond anything we humans can deal with. In a way, it’s almost supernatural, but definitely something of cosmic proportions.”

“Hmmm,” Hammond murmured, watching the live feed of the storm. “You may be on to something, Dan. Look at the nearly continuous high-altitude electrical discharges. Those discharges are reminiscent of HAARP discharges, but on a scale I’ve never witnessed before. Just how much energy is being released by this storm?”

“We don’t know,” Dan admitted. “But I suspect it’s on a planetary level. We’ve had similar, but smaller discharges take place outside this facility around the colossus. We quickly discovered those discharges were the result of temporary magnetic pole reversals where the magnetic fields would get tied into knots. The discharges took place when the magnetic fields unknotted and returned to their normal orientation. I was there when it happened. Our compasses literally switched the north and south poles for the duration of the event. All kinds of ball lightning, electrical, and plasma discharges arced across the colossus. It even burned a crater into the platform in front of the colossus. However, what this storm is doing is hundreds of thousands of times, maybe even millions of times more powerful and it’s discharging almost continuously. We’ve been able to measure the electro-magnetic fields twisting and ripping inside the upper portions of the storm with the portal machinery. It’s affecting the very fabric of our reality.”

“So this storm is some kind of supercharged electro-magnetic phenomena,” Joe stated, watching with wide eyes.

“We think so,” Dan stated, “But it’s unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. It’s as if the vortex anomalies of the earth have all combined into one monster storm over Argentina and Chile.”

“Vortex anomalies; what do you mean?” Joe asked, puzzled. “You’re not talking about places like the Bermuda Triangle and the Devil’s Triangle are you?”

“I am,” Dan stated. “In fact, Tiamat sits in the center of one of the most powerful of these vortexes. All kinds of electro-magnetic, gravitational, spatial, and temporal anomalies happen in these places. As for the vortex here at Tiamat, I’m certain the machinery of Tiamat may be responsible for it. I know it has the power to twist space/time because of the portal generator. That’s how it can open doors to just about anywhere.”

“That’s all fine and dandy,” Hammond stated soberly, “I’m familiar with the vortexes and the mysteries surrounding them. But this storm thing swirling over Argentina and Chile is not something normally associated with the vortexes. Something else is happening here, something phenomenal and unexplainable. Just how much power are we looking at here? I know you said you couldn’t measure it, but venture a guess.”

“If I were to venture a guess, I’d say we’re looking at maybe stellar-level power generation,” Dan said hesitantly. “But I’m not the expert on these things. If it isn’t stellar-level power generation, it’s definitely planetary levels of power on the order of trillions of megatons if we compare it to nuclear detonations. I have no doubt this storm is capable of physically ripping South America to pieces, maybe even the planet itself. That’s why I’ve asked you here. We need you to help us hack the planet and take temporary control over the few remaining satellites and airwaves so we can warn the people of South America and the world of the danger this storm poses. In seven days, the celestial alignment we see in the ancient prophecies will take place and Amacia will rise from its grave. I have no doubt this storm is part of the mechanism of what the ancients called the Rising. This storm is going to split South America apart and pull the land of Amacia to the surface.”

“You must be joking,” Joe balked in disbelief. “Do you know how absurdly insane that sounds?”

“I know it sounds completely insane,” Dan admitted. “But it’s the truth. The Lord buried Amacia in the Deluge. Now He’s ready to dig it up so He can finish dealing with the Emperor and the Darkness that spawned him.”

“Hold on, Joe,” Hammond stated calmly, “Don’t be so quick to dismiss this. Dan did show us the remains of that giant spider and some of the other creatures he told us about when we first came here. Those creatures are obviously alien species on this planet. Because of that, we should keep an open mind.”

“I know,” Joe agreed. “Sorry about that, Dan, but it sounds so insane. You’re talking about something that will most likely kill billions of people and reshape entire continents. Just how big is Amacia, or do you know that?”

“I admit I don’t know the exact size of it,” Dan replied. “But from what Hannibal told me the few times I did have communications with him, he said Amacia was at least the size of Montana, maybe even as big as Texas. However, he admitted he hadn’t seen the entire extent of it.”

“Oh, man,” Joe breathed. “That’s big. Just how far down are the caverns anyway?”

“Approximately ten to twelve miles,” Dan stated, “It’s a completely isolated ecosystem from what we have on the surface. To be honest with you, I can’t even fathom how the Lord is going to do this. But I know the storm and the planetary alignment is the key to it.”

“Holy shit,” Hammond said softly, “Ten to twelve miles down and the size of Montana; and it’s going to be pulled to the surface by this alignment and storm? Shit, we’re really behind the eight-ball here. I can’t even begin to fathom how that can happen. What do you need?”

“As I said, we need to warn everybody,” Dan stated. “Brother Paul here is our voice. He’s going to spread the warning to the entire world. What we need you guys to do is help us hack into every satellite and communications link on the planet. We’re going to take over what’s left of the communications infrastructure of the world for a few minutes to broadcast this warning. It’s my belief the storm you see here is going to get much worse before it gets better. We’re going to warn the people of South America to flee north of 20° South Latitude or flee by ship out to sea. It’s my belief the storm in conjunction with the alignment is going to obliterate everything south of 20° South in South America, literally reshaping the continent as it drags Amacia out of its grave. We have a moral obligation to warn the people of South America and the world about the danger of this storm.”

“I see,” Hammond replied softly, seeing Dan’s urgency and passion. “Then let’s get started. The clock is ticking. After we do this, you need to bring Joe and me up to speed on the alignment and this storm.”

“You got it,” Dan stated. “In fact, I’ll even show you the ancient transcripts of the prophecies that speak of this very event.”

“I’d like that,” Joe stated. “So what can we do?”

“We need to know the satellite frequencies so we can take temporary control of them,” Dan stated.

“Got it,” Joe stated, “But I think that’s Hammond’s department. Do you remember where the back doors are on the communications satellites, Hammond?”

“Of course,” Hammond stated, smiling wryly. “After all, I do remember everything and I am one of the top hackers on the planet. I’ve always wanted to hack the planet. Let’s get started.”

“While you guys get the communications links established, I’m going to take a quick trip to the bathroom,” Paul called out. “Nature calls. I’ll be right back.”

“Okay,” Dan answered, chuckling, “We’ll be ready for you when you get back.”

Paul nodded and walked away with a deliberate gait as Hammond, Dan, and Joe sat at the computers. “How long will this take?” Dan asked, sharpening the image on the computer monitor with the live feed of the storm.

“Not long,” Hammond stated, his fingers tapping on the keyboard as he entered the required communications frequencies on another computer networked to Dan’s computer. “The cyber-security used by the governments is tough, but not invulnerable. The systems have flaws and back doors we can exploit to take control of the satellites for the broadcast. Though, I don’t know if they were smart enough to have blocked those back doors because of the war the US started.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Dan replied, smiling wryly. “All we need is the control frequencies. Tiamat can do the rest. The computers of this place are millions of years ahead of what we humans have done. There isn’t a system on this planet that can resist an intrusion from Tiamat. The closest thing I can compare it to is the difference between stone arrowheads and energy weapons with our tech being the stone arrowheads.”

“Whoa,” Joe breathed, “Then why haven’t you used it like this before?”

“Because our greatest asset is our ability to remain unseen,” Dan stated. “If we go using this technology too much, the masters of the universe might be able to track us. We’re trying to stay off the grid as much as possible. The only time we’ve really used it openly was when we smashed that cyclone.”

“Point well put,” Hammond conceded. “But you realize in hacking the planet like this, you will be seen.”

“We’ll just have to take that chance,” Dan said bluntly. “This is one of those few times where we must step out of the shadows, just like we did when we destroyed the cyclone. Hundreds of millions, if not billions of lives hang on whether we can override the control of the Masters of the Universe. They’ve wanted to keep the people of the world in the dark since the beginning. I’ve also noticed that there’s been a virtual world-wide news blackout of the storm. Only local news in that area is covering it, and the networks are blocking all reports from Argentina and Chile about it. They want the world to remain in the dark about the threat the storm poses. They know damned well what that storm can do, and welcome it. They want it to kill masses and release the Emperor onto the surface. The dumbasses don’t realize that when the Emperor gets out of Amacia, he’s going to feed them to his demon army. Most likely, they’ll be the first he throws to them.”

“What do you mean demon army?” Joe asked, again puzzled.

“I mean he has an army that literally isn’t human,” Dan stated, “I’ve seen it, at least part of it. It’s hard to explain, but you’ll see them soon enough. These beasts have no conscience and feast on human flesh whenever they can. Do you remember Lord of the Rings and the orcs?”

Joe’s face faltered as he said, “Don’t tell me the orcs are real. Please don’t say that. Lord of the Rings was supposed to be a fairy tale Tolkien wrote about a mythical prehistory.”

Dan looked Joe dead in the face. “Joe, Amacia is the root of nearly every myth, legend, and fairy tale we know,” he declared. “All the evil beings, gods, monsters, heroes, all of those stories have root in the reality of Amacia. Somehow, Tolkien knew about Amacia. He called it Middle Earth. I replace it ironic he used that term because, in a way, Amacia is in the middle of the earth, and it is the root civilization of our civilization. Maybe he had a dream of it, or maybe some dark spirit from Amacia showed him the place. On the other hand, maybe the Lord showed it to him. I just don’t know. But I can assure you, the orcs of Middle Earth live in Amacia and they’re not called orcs. They’re called Zarukars. They’re an engineered race of great evil created by the Emperor and his dark wizards. Just as the orcs served Sauron, the Zarukar serve the Emperor. They’re a plague on humanity and relish eating them whenever they can. The truth of it will become clear sooner than you would like.”

“Shit,” Joe cursed in unbelief. “Next thing you’re going to tell me is there are real fire-breathing dragons there.”

Dan chuckled. “That’s a very distinct possibility,” he admitted. “I’m not dismissing anything at this point. We have yet to see the full measure of what Amacia holds. Hammond, how’s it coming?”

“That’s it,” Hammond replied, leaning back in his chair, taking his hands off the keyboard. “I’ve input all the frequencies that I can remember. Since you’re the master of these alien machines, I leave it to you to activate it since I have no idea how to do it.”

“Okay,” Dan stated, resting his fingers on the keyboard sitting before the monitor with the live feed. “I’ve got this.” His fingers danced over the keyboard as he engaged the link to the portal console, and through it, the pathway to Tiamat’s mainframe in the core control room. The full screen of the live feed showing the storm suddenly split with the image of storm shrinking to a small window on the top left corner of the screen while a menu came up. Dan put his hand on the computer mouse beside the keyboard and activated certain options on the screen while Joe and Hammond watched. Another window appeared with an outline of the Tiamat colossus on the monitor below the storm live feed window. The menu options shifted to the right, giving the colossus outline space.

“What is that?” Joe asked in wonder, pointing to the colossus outline.

“That’s a holographic outline of the Tiamat colossus on the surface of this complex,” Dan stated. “It’s the first thing Hannibal and I set eyes on when we found this place. It’s 1,500 feet tall carved out of a 2,000 foot cliff. The colossus is how this complex interacts with the outside world.”

“Is it a stone statue?” Hammond asked.

“It is, and it isn’t,” Dan answered cryptically while continuing to work with the menu on the monitor with the mouse and cursor.

“My, aren’t we being enigmatic,” Joe chimed with a hint of sarcasm.

“Just watch and you’ll see what I mean,” Dan stated, as he triggered another option. Suddenly, the trio watched each head of the Tiamat colossus move independently, looking at thirteen different locations in the sky with the large head looking straight up. They heard a distant rumble echoing softly through the complex as the eyes of the draken heads glowed in on the screen. Moments later, beams of light shot from the eyes of each head into the sky. The light beams streaked into the sky and spread out, touching every remaining satellite. As each satellite came under Tiamat computer control, an outline of them appeared over the colossus outline, connected to it by the beams of light from the eyes of the draken heads.

“Holy shit; the heads are moving,” Hammond cursed as he saw every remaining satellite connected wirelessly to Tiamat on the monitor. “Does that mean we have complete control of the satellites?”

“It does,” Dan stated with a sobering sigh, “But I have yet to engage our control over it. Right now, the control pathway is submerged in the system so no one can see it. It’s also dormant. When we engage our control over the satellites, I’ve made it so all ground telemetry other than ours will be blocked. Moreover, our linkage to the satellite is being hidden by Tiamat’s computers with a random frequency fluctuation and signal bounces so they cannot trace any one frequency back here. With any luck, by time they figure out how to track it, we’ll be done and have released our hold on the satellites.”

“I am thoroughly impressed,” Hammond crowed. “You’re right to say this is system is far in advance of us. We have no way to do such signal cloaking. Even the Draconians don’t have that level of tech, and their shit is far more advanced than ours is. Just seeing this level of technology sends chills down my spine.”

“It does the same thing to me every time I use it,” Dan admitted, “And the thing is we use these machines only on the most primitive levels because of our lack of understanding of it. I’m sure there are far more sophisticated and complex mechanism we’ve yet to encounter or discover. After all, we’re still exploring this place. What we’ve uncovered so far is just a drop in the bucket to what it’s really capable of. That’s why we’re doing everything we can to keep those damned Masters of the Universe away from it. If they had control of this place, they’d have complete control of the entire planet, if they didn’t accidentally blow us all up because of their ignorance of these machines.”

“Let’s pray they never replace it,” Joe stated. “I suppose this place is capable of just about anything, including mind control.”

“I’d say that’s a safe assumption,” Dan agreed, “I don’t doubt if this machinery were tuned to the proper frequency, it could electronically shut down the free will of every person on the planet. The people would become mindless drones or zombies to whoever runs the machines. That’s why they must never get their mitts on it.”

“Dan is right,” Paul called out as he returned hearing the exchange between Dan, Joe, and Hammond. “The ancient technology of this place has the power to end humanity in an instant. The forces of evil must never again possess it. Are we ready for the warning?”

“Just waiting for you,” Dan reported. “Once we had the frequencies, the computers easily took control of the satellites. Right now, we’re in stealth mode. No one knows we’re in control of the satellites.”

“Good,” Paul stated, “How long do I have?”

“As long as you need,” Dan stated, “But I suggest no more than ten minutes. Remember, the longer we remain in control of the airwaves, the more apt they are to track us. After all, we’re hacking every electronic device on the planet capable of sending and receiving signals. The Masters of the Universe are not going to take this well and will most likely try to track us the moment we take control.”

“I understand,” Paul stated, walking over to the camera that was pointed at a makeshift screen on the back wall. “Are you going to be able to project the image of the storm on this screen?”

“Yes,” Dan stated, “The projector is ready. I’ll engage it as we start broadcasting.”

“Do you want me to run the camera?” Joe asked. “I’m good with cameras.”

“That would be great, son,” Paul stated. “Just make sure to keep me and the image of the storm in focus for the video feeds.”

“I can do that,” Joe stated, stepping up behind the main camera. “Ahh, I’m very familiar with this type of camera. I had one like this at home. It’s top of the line.” He sighted it in making sure Paul was in focus. “Anytime you’re ready, Brother Paul,” he called out.

“Ready here,” Dan stated. “Joe, you call it.”

“Right,” Joe stated, “Go ahead and take control of the satellites and airwaves, Dan.”

Dan tapped the keyboard and triggered the menu controls with the mouse, taking complete control of every satellite remaining in orbit. A couple of more clicks and he jammed and overrode all wireless and radio signals worldwide. “Okay, we’re live now,” Dan announced. “Every satellite, wireless tower, smartphone, computer, TV, and radio is going to hear and see this.”

“Okay, Brother Paul,” Joe called out. “Going live in five, four, three....” Joe held up two fingers, then one, and pointed at Paul.