[i]The Ascension: Destiny (Part VII:continued) Enjoy![/i] I spent a lot of my time with Nik; learning. I learned almost everything there was to know about his home planet, Earth, and his country. History of the World, famous historical figures, he focused mainly on the great minds of science. His inspirations and dreams, all of his plans for saving the planet and creating a utopia for all of it’s inhabitants, along with all of his frustrations of failure. “Xax?” Nik knocked softly on the frame of the open door to my room, which was a modest area with enough room for me to sleep comfortably. “I think today, is finally the day. I am not sure if you are ready to see what I want to show you, so I hope you prepare yourself.” Nik was still in his white cloak, tan gloves, and helmet. It only just dawned on me, he never told me why he wore the same garments all of the time. “To see what?” We still had to use his Cube for translations but with fine tuning of the Cube’s program, it was almost seamless. “My plan for saving the world.” He motioned with his hand for me to follow him and I did. We walked in silence for quite a long while. Down long winding hallways lit up bright with white fluorescent lights, passing his robots at work, rooms I didn’t even know existed until we came to set of solid metal silver doors. “Are you ready?” He turned his head to look up at me. “I think so.” He touched a silver button on the wall and the doors slid open quite fast, Nik stepped inside the little room first and then I followed. I was too tall for the box-shaped room, so I had to crouch down a bit to keep my head from hitting the top. Another silver button on the inside of the box and the doors slammed shut with a quiet efficiency. I felt unsteady as we began to move downward. My right hand held onto the smooth surface of the wall to try to steady myself, Nik, however, just kept his hands folded calmly behind his back. “I must apologize once again, Xax. I should have informed you that there was to be a slight drop as we make our way down.” “Down where Nik?” “To my life’s work.” Eons passed, or so it seemed, then, as if he had flicked a light switch on a wall, the solid silver doors faded away and became completely transparent. We were still moving downward at a fast past, as I wobbled at the sudden appearance of what lie before my eyes. It was gargantuan. The monumental size of this, this cave of steel, made me gawk in a wide-eyed wonder. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It was a planet! It appeared to be about as big as the Earth itself! A giant, gleaming grayish sphere, a sight that was beyond my comprehension. The box came to a sudden stop, then, just as fast as it had stopped, it was on the move again. Only this time, it moved laterally instead of vertically. The speed disoriented me once more, but I was beyond the point of caring. The humongous sphere lacked the normal features that a normal planet would possess. It wasn’t cracked, it was missing large bodies of water and craters, it was bereft of land masses and continents. The silver-grayish sphere was perfect. “Amazing...isn’t it?” Nik spoke softly as he looked out amongst his creation. “I...I don’t even know...is it a planet, Nik? Is it like Earth?” My full attention was on this anomaly in front of me. “No. It is not a planet, Xax. It is a self-contained habitat. Inside that ball of life, resides the key to unlocking the most glorious creation in the history of man. A creation that, I will soon, share with the world. I will give them everything while asking for nothing in return. A world without fear and uncertainty, a world born in the basking glow of technology and science. A smarter world, a brighter world.” “I have no words to say.” I still stood in awe of the magnificence of the sphere. “It is quite alright, Xax. You do not have to say anything. Just embrace this moment...All of my life I have been searching for that one great accomplishment, that one final chapter in the saga of my existence...This is it. And finally, after decades of searching and scouring the night skies, I finally have the final piece to the puzzle.” He slowly turned to face me. We finally stopped, and the doors automatically slid open, Nik stepped out first and I followed. We stood in front of the entrance to the spherical monster, neither of us speaking. “I have waited for this moment, my entire life…” Nik spoke softly. “Are you ready to go inside, Xax?” I could merely nod. I had no idea what mysteries and secrets await inside, even more, what answers. Nik pressed a few buttons on a LED touch screen and with a loud release of compressed air, hydraulics moaned, as the heavy metallic hatch detached from the face of the sphere and slid open to reveal what miracles lie within... [i] Here is the link to navigate to the first part of The Ascension: Destiny (Part VII)[/i] https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/102675115/0/0/1 [i] In addition, here is the link to access ALL chapters of The Ascension:[/i] https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/99858091/0/0