Randolph Carter sat in his private laboratory with walls and floors painted black and complex machinery placed everywhere, including a variety of mechanical devices and gadgets strewn about. a desk with a computer, a bookshelf filled with thick, hardback books, and a stack of papers that were piled up. He also had a centrifuge, a spectrometer, and a DNA sequencer tucked away in a corner. It was easy to lose track of time here, which was exactly what he needed.
His desk had a silver, circular disk that floated above the surface and radiated a white glow, rotating in slow and steady circles. In front of it was a wide and large holographic screen with a keyboard floating below it as the display showed the current time of this morning, though his attention was focused elsewhere.
Bored out of his mind, he decided to do something interesting by checking the solar system through typing and pushing buttons on his keypad, viewing its planetary movement—a way to kill time before he resumed his study about developing new discoveries yet to be found.
Continuing his typing and button pushing, it then pulled up a star map that shows how the sun and its planets orbit around the galactic center, which is represented by a glowing orb of light in the middle of a 3D rendering of their galaxy, the Milky Way. He watched as the various icons representing individual stars and planets moved in circles around this central point in their local neighborhood of space, spiraling outward toward their ends and then looping back again like the strands of a braid.
They traveled on their orbits slowly, methodically, and almost hypnotically, their movements measured and regulated by an unseen hand that controls the mechanisms of nature itself, guiding them along their courses. And even though they were so far away, Randolph Carter could almost reach out and touch them, grasping them between his fingertips as they passed by.
It was all so incredibly peaceful and serene; such majestic sights were rarely ever witnessed by humans; such magnificent beauties were hidden just beyond their reach. If only they could travel faster and farther, if only they weren't bound by the limitations of their technology.
If only...
There's no harm in imagining what it would be like to explore those distant regions of the universe. What wonders await beyond the known limits of human exploration? He would love nothing more than to embark on such a journey, to discover new lands and civilizations, to expand the boundaries of mankind's knowledge of existence, and to seek out undiscovered visitors that might one day become allies in their quest to discover new truths about existence.
Something sparks inside of him—the desire to do more than simply live a peaceful life before growing old. With his intelligence and resources, would it be more wise to spend the remainder of his time dedicating the rest of his life to research, seeking greater secrets of the universe in a life of adventure, leaving his body behind as he roams freely among the cosmos in a virtual form without having to worry about death and its consequences?
Both options he chose were viable and had their own pros and cons, yet his head became clouded with uncertainties, and the doubt in his heart prevented him from making a decision. He still had the freedom to choose what path he would take, but the time hasn't arrived just yet.
Perhaps he will think about it later; perhaps he will think about it tomorrow, the next day, or the day after that; perhaps he will never think about it again. Whatever the case may be, he isn't going anywhere right now, not until he figures out what to do next.
Leaning back on his metal chair, he groaned tiredly, placing his right thumb and index finger over his lips, contemplating with many questions filling his mind about what he was to do in this very moment.
Closing his eyes in relaxation, the soft and subtle noises of the lab calmed his senses: the gentle whirring of machinery, the ticking of a clock on the wall, the sound of the air conditioning humming softly through the ventilator ducts—all these sounds contributed to the soothing atmosphere that surrounded him, easing the tension in his muscles.
Since he has made this much progress, would it be possible to discover the nature of God? Don't get him wrong; he met him when the old geezer showed him, but is it really him? Is that thing really the creature responsible for creating them, or is it just another machine programmed to follow specific instructions? Or is it more than just programming code and logic? Is there something deeper underneath those layers of complexity?
His brain hurts from thinking about such theories, although he couldn't deny how satisfying it was to think about them. Aside from his desire to find purpose in life, his relationship with God was always sour, to say the least, as he believed God to be selfish and egotistical for his own gain, especially by abusing his power over mankind.
Why did he create them if not to live forever in eternal paradise? Why would he give them life just to experience not only the good but the bad as well? And most importantly, why is there so much evil and suffering when God could've easily stopped it from happening if he wished to do so?
With this other hand placed on the floating disk, tapping melodically to its smooth metallic surface, Carter continued to bask in his reverie, enjoying the tranquility and solitude that surrounded him while pondering over those deep questions that plagued his mind—thoughts he continued to indulge himself in for all eternity.
"God..." Gritting his teeth in spite of that notion, "the monster who is responsible for every shit going through everyone's life, including himself," he said in an annoyed, irritated voice, not wanting to deal with his existence anymore, "I need to know of his existence if he even is real to begin with, and when the time comes, I will pay him a visit," he swore to his breath, one of the many life goals he was going to commit.
Carter isn't going to fight or destroy him; just having a philosophical conversation with the all-powerful God is all he wants. If he still has that power over everything and anything—the world and reality itself—and is the all-knowing omnipotent entity capable of knowing any event or action that occurs, present, future, and past, in time and space, then he wants to ask God directly about their reason for being here.
Gentle but loud knocks could be heard from behind, bringing him back to reality: "You can come in!" He said aloud, with his permission; the automatic steel doors slid open, revealing Sebastian with his straight arm placed near his waist and the other holding a silver place covered by a lid.
Turning around in his swivel chair, he stared at him with a curious look and said, "Lunch time already?" He asked with a sigh, staring straight at his butler as the cyan-haired man approached him with a friendly smile, "Yes sir, time flies fast whenever you're busy working," pulling out the lid in front of him, revealing a delicious-looking medium steak of sirloin on a plate of food along with potato wedges and beans. "Please enjoy while it's warm," said Sebastian, offering the meal in front of his master.
The scent of cooked meat awakened the hunger inside his empty stomach. Groaning lightly as the smell of food caused his stomach to growl, "thanks," he took the fork and knife that came with the food and placed the plate on his lap before proceeding to devour his meal, cutting off a piece of the steak and putting it in his mouth, savoring the flavor while chewing softly on it.
Sebastian noticed a holographic image of the earth's solar system behind his master, catching his interest. "What were you working on?" Asked with curiosity, wanting to learn about his current activities, moving closer to his side to get a better look at the screen before them.
Turning around while eating his meal, he said, "Oh, that," pointing at the projected screen. "I was just passing time by checking out how our solar system looks from a distance, you know?" Taking another bite of the steak, he stated, "It kind of makes me realize how big the universe is from where we are living. I mean, there are billions upon billions of galaxies out there, with each one containing numerous solar systems similar to ours, each one unique in their own way, while ours is just a speck of dust in a cosmic desert."
Intrigued, he caressed his own chin with curiosity and asked, "Have you checked on earth yet, master Carter?" Asking his dear old friend about it, "anything new while we were gone?" Wanting to learn about what transpired when they were gone for quite a while.
He froze at his spot, his face glued to his half-eaten meal with a conflicted look on his face from being reminded by their home, the world they were originally born into, "What about it?" Trying to shrug it off, he turned his body to the other side, avoiding the topic of his own kind altogether, asking, "Who cares about that place?" hoping to avoid answering his question, "That place is the reason for the many sufferings we endured, including myself," expressing his own distaste in even talking about the planet.
Hearing this shocking answer, Sebastian frowned at hearing this behavior coming from him: "How could you say that, sir?" The way he spoke and looked at him with disapproval written in his eyes didn't sit right for him: "It is where we spent the majority of our lives; are you going to throw it all away just like that?" Demanding him to have a heart for once.
Suddenly, Carter slapped the dish that contained his half-eaten food off of his hands onto the floor, causing the plate to shatter into pieces, scattering bits of broken glass as he turned and stood up from his seat, anger and regret flashing before his eyes.
"It's all because of that fucking world that I'm forced to continue existing! Because of those fuckers, I lived most of my life with everything and anything taken away from me; I was never allowed to have anything for myself! No matter how hard I work, no matter what I do or sacrifice, life in that world keeps fucking punishing me with every single chance it gets!"
Silence filled the air after he finished, with Sebastian giving no response to his emotional rant as he wasn't sure what to say in order to ease his friend's mind. Carter, however, noticed this and felt ashamed of his own behavior in having to lash out at the person he considered a friend.
Closing his eyes with shame and guilt and letting out a heavy, low groan while trying to calm himself down from losing his temper just because of a simple question, he sat down with his head facing down between his two feet and said, "Sorry Sebastian... I just...I don't know what had gotten into me," he said, rubbing his forehead with his palm, shutting his eyes in self-loath and mixed emotions for having to express himself.
His friend, however, nodded with reassurance, returning his smile with forgiving eyes: "It's fine, master Carter; don't feel too hard on yourself," understanding whatever he has done or said isn't going to change his mind or opinions: "I don't know what the world has done to you or what pain you have endured during your life. All I know is that you must keep moving forward," said the latter, causing his master a surprise upon hearing these words of encouragement.
Keep moving forward, he thought.
This is what his parents had told him to do, and this is also his reason for trying to survive in this chaotic place they call life. Just hearing this quote gives him a positive nostalgic feeling of hope within his chest, reminding him how to overcome any obstacle or difficulty in his path despite the many troubles and traumas he endured throughout his lifetime.
"Yeah...yeah..." Quietly breathing through his nose, trying to calm himself down, he said, "You're right, let's just see what is going with my city," changing the subject to get his mind off his troubled past. The holographic projection on the screen changes from showing the earth's solar system to showing Tokyo, Japan, in a city-wide view with buildings, people, cars, police, and roads after he begins typing on the keyboard.
What was shown before them was complete shock; the streets were littered with bodies of innocent people and officers alike as portals appeared everywhere, scattered across like ants while overwhelming soldiers comprised of primitive weapons were invading their home.
Stores and some small buildings were burned, along with their windows being shattered, allowing anyone to step in or out as they please; gunshots, explosions, and the screaming of dying people echoed loudly while vehicles, both civilian and military, ran over dead corpses like they were nothing more than objects.
While the armed national army and officers were easily able to kill them, numbers were a major factor, as despite the introduction of military vehicles, tamed mystical creatures from Greek mythology were also invited to this war zone, nearly combating them but nonetheless not being a major threat on their battlefield.
It's the growing numbers that is their concerned; no matter how much their people kill these invaders, another one will replace the invader who perished to their bullets or missiles, resulting in an even worse situation than it was previously. The worst part of it all is that these invading forces won't stop unless Carter himself intervenes.
"Sebastian," calling his frozen butler from seeing this bloody massacre appear before their eyes, "I'm going to send some of my clones to deal with that threat." His voice was low but it held a cold undertone as he said it with a solemn expression on his face, glancing over to his friend, seeing his pale, shocked face after witnessing such a massacre in their home world.
Turning to him with confusion, she said, "You have a personal army of clones at your disposal, master Carter?" Questioning the meaning behind his words as this would be the first time he has ever heard anything like this, he said, "I never heard anything about that," raising his brow in suspicion at him.
Nodding with a serious look, he said, "There are many things you do not know about my brothers," mentioning his clones in rather odd context, "and one of them has a specific force meant to deal with situations like this." Moving back to the screen, he said, "It is time to send the message in."
