Pat sat across from Jay in a room similar to the original room where he, his wife, Larry, Dr. Blake, and Dana sat when they first arrived at the Fleece. As usual, Pat had his customary smile on his face.
Jay held his head in his hands as he leaned over on the table. He was still processing everything he had just seen and heard in what Pat called the Artifact Room.
"So, what is going through your mind, Jay?"
Jay looked up at Pat, "You can't read it?"
Pat laughed a little, "Not at the moment. No. I'd like to hear it instead."
Pat smiled.
"You've told me everything I've ever been taught about history is a lie. That an advanced civilization did in fact exist twelve thousand years ago and has been destroyed. Some large glowing orb powers everything here. And somehow I'm the key to all of this, and you want to know what I'm thinking?"
Pat continued to smile, "I can take a guess."
Jay leaned back in his chair and inhaled deeply, letting out a long exhale. He tapped his fingers on the table in front of him and then tried to determine what his next questions would be.
"Ok, what happened to that civilization twelve thousand years ago, Pat?"
"Well, they grew complacent, much like today's society. They thought they were superior in every way, and then disaster struck."
"Don't tell me, a great flood?"
"No, a virus. SARS-CoV-3, to be exact, or as I've called it, the Zombie Plague."
"That world died of an actual zombie apocalypse?"
"Oh yes. Much worse than any movie or television show could depict. Everyone was infected in the world. It spread like wildfire until everyone on Earth had perished. Over seven billion people, gone in a very short time."
"Where did the virus come from?"
Pat thought for a minute, "From what I've understood, it was lying dormant in the ice. Once glaciers began melting, other things buried in the ice for eons were eventually released. There was no stopping it, no cure."
Jay sighed and asked, "So, where did all the artifacts come from?"
"We found those over time, Jay. Just like any other artifact. However, these were brought here for safekeeping."
"You mean to hide them from the public?"
"In a manner of speaking, yes, I suppose."
"You said there was no deception here, Pat."
"There isn't Jay. We aren't hiding these things to deceive people. We're researching them. Trying to understand what happened so many years ago."
"For what purpose?"
"To see if anything like that could happen again."
"Has it? Has it ever happened again in our history?"
"That depends, Jay."
"Depends on what? Either it has happened again, or it hasn't. We would know in our time if it had happened again."
"Would you?"
Jay looked at Pat, confused.
"What do you mean, Pat?"
"Like I said, humans have been doing this civilization dance for a long time. Would you care to know how long?"
Jay was intrigued and terrified at the same time.
"Why not."
"Come with me, Jay. There's someone I want you to meet."
Pat left the room, leaving the door to the room open for Jay. Jay got up slowly and then began to follow Pat down the corridor.
Pat didn't do his customary talk as they walked down the hallway. He guided Jay through the passageways, quickly stopping at a door. He opened the door and then invited Jay to walk through.
The room was dark and gray with a desk and monitors sitting on it. Behind the desk was another table with more monitors. The chair was turned with the back facing them and the occupant watching the monitors on the back table. After Jay entered the room, Pat walked in and shut the door behind him. The man in the chair heard the door close and then turned his chair around to face Jay and Pat.
"Hello, Jay. I'm Pate. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Pate was the same man Pat had spoken with earlier about Jay, who was well-kept. He sat there in his suit and tie, his hair slicked back and hands locked together as he leaned against the table.
"Hello," Jay replied.
"I felt it was time for the two of you to meet," said Pat, smiling as usual.
"Certainly," replied Pate.
"So what are we here for, Pat?" Jay asked, looking over at him.
"My colleague Pate," Pat said, approaching Pate's desk, "Is about to let you in on a bit more about history."
"I am? But you're the historian here, Pat."
"That may be true, but I'm sure you have something to offer about history, don't you."
"I have a question for you both," Jay said, moving towards the desk.
Pate and Pat looked at him.
"Pat told me about what happened to the civilization in the past, twelve thousand years ago."
"Did he now," replied Pate, looking over at Pat.
"Yeah. He said everyone was killed by a virus, and you've all been researching what happened here at the Fleece."
"Ok," replied Pate.
"But then he said this has happened again. I wanted to know when?"
Pate sat there quietly, staring at Jay.
Pat looked over at Pate, waiting for an answer.
Jay stood there looking at both Pat and Pate.
Pate looked over at Pat. Pat smiled at him. Pate looked back over at Jay.
"The person you should be asking about all of this is Pat, Jay."
"Ok, then why did you bring me here to talk to him, Pat?" Jay asked.
"Because, Pate reports back to the Jason group I've told you about."
"Jason, with a G, right?" asked Jay.
Pate turned his head and looked at Pat.
"That's the one, Jay. He can tell you all about the extensive research endeavors undertaken for the last, what is it, two thousand years, attempting to understand what has happened to our past."
"Is the Jason group covering things up?" Jay asked of Pate.
Pate looked at Jay, "No. We wouldn't know how."
"What do you mean?"
"Again, Pat would be better to talk to about this."
"Why? If you are part of the Jason group, why can't you just tell me?"
"This wasn't part of phase two, Pat."
"Phase two? What is phase two?" Jay asked.
"Phase two is letting you know the nature of this reality, all of it. But what Pate can't tell you is every last detail about it. Because he doesn't know," Pat replied.
"What does that mean? What is the nature of this reality?" asked Jay.
Pat sat on the side of Pate's desk and cleared his throat. Pate watched on with both men.
"Jay, have you ever seen Star Battle?"
"What? What does that have to do with anything?"
"Oh, it's everything. Have you seen it, Jay?"
"Who hasn't? That's one of the most popular movie franchises in history."
"Yes, in your world's history. But twelve thousand years ago, it was called Star Wars. And twelve thousand years before that, Star Conflict. And before that, Galactic Warfare. And so on and so on, and so on. That same film franchise has been made at least fifty times throughout human history, all by separate civilizations spanning hundreds of thousands of years. All of those films involve similar plot points, characters, and places, all because they are inspired by something real."
Jay was holding his breath.
"It's our history, this world. Once upon a time, the human race was a thriving, intergalactic community. What might be called a Kardeshev Type III civilization. Very similar to what you see in those movies. All originated here on Earth."
"Ok," was all Jay said.
"That civilization existed for thousands of years until one day, it collapsed under its own weight. It destroyed itself. When that happened, civilization had to start up all over again."
"How long ago was this, Pat?" asked Jay.
"On this time scale, about three million years ago."
"So, three million years ago, we were a space-faring race?"
"Yes, Jay. Isn't that amazing?" Pat smiled.
Pate did nothing.
"You expect me to believe that?"
"Why wouldn't you? You're the one shifting between realities in dreams."
Jay walked around the room a little, his arms crossed in front of him. "That just seems ridiculous. It's a movie."
"Jay, has it ever occurred to you that movies are inspired by facts? These writers, actors, and producers receive inspiration from somewhere that they believe is their own. Selfishly, might I add. But what it really is, the universe is trying to tell them something about who they are. For the past three million years, humans have repeatedly tried to get back to that level, without much success."
"Why? Wait, you said fifty times that movie has been made? There's been fifty iterations of civilization since this super advanced ancient civilization?"
"Exactly."
"That we have no knowledge of?"
"Correct, for the general population, I should say."
"Civilizations like ours today?"
"Yes."
"What happened to them?"
"Well, they've all been wiped out by various catastrophes."
"What kind of catastrophes?"
"You mentioned one, a great flood. Nuclear war. Famine. Plague. Malthusian trap. Ice ages. Comet strikes. Artificial Intelligence. You name it, it's happened and has caused civilization to revert back to the stone age every time."
Jay didn't know what to think, "So, basically every sixty thousand years, civilization dies and starts again?"
"Basically. Plato was close, he said every six thousand years, but he was off just a tiny bit," said Pat, smiling.
Jay ran his hands through his hair and held them on his head.
"And all that stuff is proof it all existed? The stuff near the orb?" Jay asked.
"Most of that 'stuff,' as you call it, is primarily from twelve thousand years ago. We have a few things from civilizations before that, but much of that has been lost to time, geology, and destruction."
Jay was exasperated, "How do you know all this, Pat?"
Pate looked at Pat, "Yeah, that's a good question."
Pat looked over at Pate with no smile on his face. He then cracked a smile and chuckled a bit.
"All in due time, Jay. How about we discuss this some more in your living quarters, with your family?"
Jay rubbed his face and looked at Pat. Jay still had so many questions, but going back to see his kids was something he really wanted to do.
"Yeah, that sounds good."
Pat opened the door to the office, and a security guard was standing by. "Please escort Jay back to his quarters. I'll be there shortly."
Jay exited the room and proceeded down the corridor, the security personnel beside him.
Pat turned back to Pate, who was still sitting behind the desk.
"That went well," Pate said, looking at Pat.
Pat turned to face Pate, "You know, that last comment wasn't the best."
"Sorry, just stating the obvious I suppose."
"Well, it's all good. Maybe next time, it will be better."
Pate wondered, next time?
With that thought, Pat pulled a pistol from under his suit coat, with a silencer on the end. He aimed the weapon at Pate and pulled the trigger. Two shots hit Pate in the chest to either side of his sternum. The final shot hit Pate squarely between the eyes. Pate was now lying limp in the chair, deceased.
"Good-bye, Pate." Pat smiled, putting the gun away and closing the door behind him.
After the door shut, a bright purple light came on in the room. The light was highly intense, so intense it could dry out the moisture in a room, including the human body.
Pate's body began to dry out quickly, and as it did, various parts began to puff outward like fluffed-up bread. His body then crumbled and collapsed to the floor in pieces. No blood, no tissues, just crumbs. Robotic droids then entered the room and began to dispose of the remains and cart them off to the incinerator to be destroyed. No trace of Pate would be left as the room slowly dismantled.
***********************************************************************************
Jay walked up to his door, a lot on his mind.
Pat is serious. This world isn't what it seems. I already know this, though, because of Linda. I have to be careful.
Jay cleared his mind as he unlatched his door before Pat could arrive and enter the room. What he saw made him stop in his tracks when he walked in.
Standing before Jay was Linda, who turned around to smile at him. In front of her stood Larry, alive and well.
"Larry! It's so good to see you again," Pat said as he came up behind Jay.
Jay couldn't believe what he was seeing. His best friend was alive despite a mortal wound.
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