The World Machine
| The World Machine | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Meta Information | |
| Author | Peter |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Characters | |
| Setting | |
| Timespan | 407 CE |
| Other related pages | Fourth Dimension |
"The World Machine" is the seventh book of the Ascendancy Saga. It follows the leadup to the activation of a device known as the World Machine, which Cormac Connolly plans to use to ascend to godhood via the fourth dimension. The main characters are Cormac, Daniel Rand, Peridot, Andrei Varady, and Carbonado.
Synopsis
A mysterious machine is activated by operatives under the command of the elusive figure known as Samekh. A ground team from IRIPHOS arrives, having been dispatched to investigate peculiar orgone energy fluxes, but are massacred while they attempt to document it. One of the photos reaches Daniel Rand, the head of the security bureau at the research facility. The image reveals a massive satellite-dish structure, and the photo's quality indicates the air is likely ionised. Furthermore, audio clips hint of a disaster unfolding, which prompts him and his second-in-command Peridot to investigate.
Just as they prepare to set out, a digiverse prism crashes into the room. Daniel picks it up to investigate it, but finds himself becoming one with the prism, which imbues him with immense flame powers. Although amazed by his newfound abilities, he is haunted by repeated voices telling him about the World Machine, and for him to not "look up."
Daniel and Peridot head to TERAPRO to investigate further, learning that the huge machine is extracting orgone energy and separating it into nine constituent elemental energies - the prism Daniel had found was the machine's fire catalyst, which had seemingly been ejected. They learn that the operatives of the machine are likely seeking out the other prisms, but before they can act further they are contacted by Carbonado, who had been presumed dead for over 150 years.
He explains that he is contacting them from the Realm of the Forgotten, where his soul (see: memoria being) is residing. He explains that the World Machine aims to weaken the hermetic seal that separates the dimension of baseline reality from higher dimensions, and that a mysterious "Fourth Deity" plans to break it entirely to establish suzerainty over all reality. Furthermore, Cormac (who had disappeared following the end of the Digiverse Project), is believed to be orchestrating these events, possibly as a vessel for the Fourth Deity. The group retrieve Carbonado's memoria being from the Realm using a peculiar dimensional tunnelling device.
Resolved to put an end to this, Daniel and Peridot team up with Sakura and others to assault the World Machine, unleashing a previous enemy (SDS-027) as they arrive to cause a distraction. They confront Samekh while Daniel rushes to the top of the satellite to find a way to prevent the machine's activation. Suddenly, Cormac manifests behind him, claiming that the purpose of the World Machine is to reunite his soul which has been shattered across dimensions. Daniel falls under the influence of a now-powerful Cormac, entering his headspace where Cormac taunts him over his unstoppable plan to rule reality. Unable to stop the machine, it fires a beam of energy into space, dampening the seal and allowing Cormac to permeate through to the fourth dimension.
Feeling defeated, the group returns to TERAPRO where they discuss the events. They realise that the nature of Cormac's soul also applies to Carbonado, who could theoretically also enter the fourth dimension to stop Cormac. Carbonado agrees to this plan, and he reunites his soul and disappears. Not long after, his body suddenly rematerialises in the room, and the group deduces that Cormac killed him in his strive for power, and ultimately has achieved his goal.
Meanwhile, Cormac seizes the power he highly sought, and rewinds time back to the events of the Annihilation - the day Cormac "died" and entered the Realm to begin with - aiming to use his power to change events. Observing the situation, he realises that because Andrei and Sanmor "died" in the same manner, Andrei himself must also possess the ability to do what he and Carbonado did. Before the shock hits him, Andrei arrives and puts an end to Cormac's plan. From the perspective of the group waiting at TERAPRO, they see Cormac's lifeless body materialise next to Carbonado's, while Andrei emerges into reality alive.
Andrei and Lazuli explain how they secretly devised the plan after observing Carbonado's actions, and that Andrei entered the fourth dimension, observed Carbonado be killed, then put an end to Cormac's plan. Lazuli suggests that Carbonado had ulterior motives about power after all, but ultimately could not decide whether the Carbonado they truly knew was the "evil" physical one or the "good" memoria being. Andrei expresses relief with the outcome, explaining that fate cannot, or rather should not, be rewritten. Daniel and Peridot discuss this idea deeply, but are ultimately left disillusioned with the rest of the group, and resolve to find the meaning behind fate on their own.
