“Progress on Overlay 62-16, report.” The voice was even, moderated. It gave the impression that to disagree or disobey were not just unthinkable, but impossible to even consider.

  “Primary stage complete. Secondary stage complete – anomalous and significant events. Tertiary stage in progress – significant events.”

  “Detail anomalous and significant events.”

  “Secondary stage - anomalous event – Codex has been revealed and fully united with bearer. Anomalous event – specimen has achieved stable empowerment to third degree. Significant event – bearer of codex is in direct proximity to prior specimen with third degree empowerment.”

  “Tertiary stage – multiple identical significant events – multiple successful resolutions of conflict between previous primary life form and fully evolved category three Overlay evolutions. Sixteen separate instances across full global coverage. Significant event – prior specimen with third degree empowerment directly involved in resolution of one of these category three evolutions.”

  The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  The reporting voice was not quite robotic but gave the impression of being hyper-focused in the execution of its duty. There was a silence that was remarkable enough to cause attention to focus back to the original speaker. There was the sense of consideration being made – remarkable in itself for the rarity of consideration being needed.

  “Primary lifeform survival rate, report.”

  “Original primary lifeform population prior to Overlay – 8,301,620,502. At the commencement of the tertiary stage, primary lifeform population is 3,400,519,032. Approximately forty percent of primary lifeform population remains. Review of figures is scheduled for end of tertiary stage. Do you wish to implement additional reviews of population figures?”

  “No, continue with original schedule of population review. Additionally, assign an observer and agent to the confluence of specimen with third degree stable empowerment and bearer of the Codex.”

  The magnitude of this statement would have led to a sharp intake of stunned breath in any corporate boardroom or government wartime bunker on earth. In this time and place however, the only noticeable impact was a slight delay before the subservient voice confirmed the order.

  “Observer and agent assigned and dispatched. Reporting schedule to commence in twenty-three local intervals.

  I hope you have enjoyed reading as much as I have enjoyed writing this tale, and I will be starting work on book 2 in the next week or so. We're going to learn more about those mysterious voices at the end of the epilogue, and there are plenty of adventures left for Matt and the group.

  Will you be reading book 2 chapters when they are available?