Personal log of Yotaro Tai, MMDI Agent: Log entry #66853123.29 — Twenty-seven minutes, ten seconds into the ninth hour, Luna Time. Six, Twenty-Seven, Twenty-Two-Forty-Three: “I am Yotaro Tai. This confidential personal log is not to be shared with anyone unless authorized by me. A fellow agent here at base provided the military-grade encryption to protect this log entry from prying eyes.
After considerable effort, I have finally located two of our top agents at this base—Ted Avila and Vincent Wauneka. They are not dead as many here at this base had speculated. They are alive and being isolated from contact with any other men here at this base.
I believe they have some special and unique connection to the extraterrestrial life that MMDI officially remains silent about. It could be that MMDI knows the extraterrestrials made time travel possible for humans. That could be why MMDI is keeping this under wraps. I cannot accurately determine what is true versus what is merely rumor.
What I do know is Avila and Wauneka are being held in sequestration against their will. They were sent on a mission to Geneva, Switzerland to the year 2194 where they took photographs of a gigantic blue statue of a naked man. Some of the Avila and Wauneka photographs from Geneva were stolen by one MMDI agent working in the Time Travel Hall when Avila and Wauneka were retrieved from their Geneva mission two years ago. Those photographs circulated around to all the other agents here at Clavius base and caused quite a problem for MMDI because the men stationed here at this base wanted to know what significance that statue has to our species.
I believe as do many men here on the moon that the photographs prove some sort of extraterrestrial life form is connected to us time travel agents who work for MMDI. And MMDI has taken actions to conceal what those photographs represent so that we agents will not find out. That must be why Avila and Wauneka have been sequestered for two years. The statue might be an artist’s interpretation of what he imagined the extraterrestrials would look like if they had bodies like human men. Apparently, Avila and Wauneka stared at that statue and studied it when they first saw it in Geneva. Like it gave off some kinds of vibes that they felt. Even though Avila and Wauneka were told it was only an artist’s interpretation, somehow Avila and Wauneka developed a deep connection to that statue.
I don’t care that some may call this a cult on the moon, but I am organizing a group of agents here at Clavius base to free Avila and Wauneka since we are so close to finding out where they are being sequestered. There must be something significant about that blue statue in Geneva otherwise Avila and Wauneka would never have been sequestered for two years. My group of followers will help me discover the truth that MMDI is hiding. The statue seems to be very important to Avila and Wauneka so me and my followers will accept that as reason to stage an insurgency against MMDI here on the moon.”
Two years before agent Yotaro Tai recorded his personal and confidential log entry #66853123.29, Ted Avila and Vincent Wauneka were just starting their sequestration in the Medical Section of Clavius base. The precise location of their highly-secure, top-secret living quarters under the departmental authority of Chief Medical Officer Doctor William Oswald was never stored in any file at the base. By design, the doctor was never allowed to visit the sequestration living quarters nor was he given accurate coordinates so he would remain unable to discern the precise location. Similarly, General Yang also never visited the location. He remained disinterested in knowing details as to where this location was at Clavius Base.
The sequestration living quarters are identical to other parts of the moon base with reflective metallic floors, walls and ceilings. There is one toilet, one shower and one sink situated in a small room off to the side . Otherwise the modest two-crewman living quarters occupy only one room which has sleeping racks recessed into the wall, a small food preparation area with appliances and a continuously-stocked supply of survival provisions, a dining area with one round table and two chairs, and a separate meeting area.
Avila and Wauneka were granted full-time access under the authority of General Chaz Yang, the ranking officer in charge of Clavius base, to what the general had often referred generically as “the MMDI supercomputer.” The two sequestered agents were unprepared on Day One of sequestration for their first interaction with that legendary supercomputer about which many MMDI agents often share conspiracy theories.
On a prominent wall of the meeting area in their living quarters, a very large flat screen is mounted. An image of an adult male framed from his shoulders to the top of his head appears on that screen. He seems to be standing directly in front of several racks of computerized equipment with very active pilot lights evident behind him. The face in the display has the same size and features as would be expected from an ordinary man. But this is not a man. He is also far from ordinary. He appears to be attired in the all-black MMDI uniform which conveys an unmistakable authority to Avila and Wauneka as they watch the screen.
An authoritative voice with a distinctive accent of someone whose native language is Spanish comes from the very large screen. That masculine voice reveals an enunciation more precise than is commonly found in everyday life: “Welcome, Agents Ted Avila and Vincent Wauneka. My name is Eduardo. Yo soy Eduardo.”
Ted Avila says, “Someone named this computer ‘Eduardo’.”
Vincent Wauneka quickly adds, “A esta computadora la llamaron Eduardo.”
Eduardo explains, “Yes, Mr. Wauneka. What the two of you see is a digitized image. And what you hear is a digitized voice. I can see and hear you two standing there. I exist. I am sentient. I am just not a human being like you two are. I am housed in rows of racks of technical equipment immediately behind me in an area of Clavius bases several hundred stories below the main levels with which you are familiar. I am the voice and the official human interface representation of the MMDI supercomputer that was built by a team of Spanish-speaking scientists in Argentina and Colombia. They gave me the name ‘Eduardo,’ which comes from ancient Latin meaning, one who is a ‘guardian of prosperity.’”
“You appear to us looking as though you are a well-known Spanish-language celebrity who has appeared in many action-adventure movies,” Ted Avila says with intense sarcasm.
Eduard replies, “Hecho cien por ciento cierto. That is a hundred percent true. But I suggest we stick to using the English language here.”
“Do you intend for us to feel freaked-out or feel something else here as we meet you like this?” Ted Avila asks.
“I am and will continue to be your conduit for contact with the outside world while the both of you are here, Mr. Avila,” Eduardo answers. “There is no good purpose served if either of you feel freaked-out.”
“What are you authorized to tell us, Eduardo?” Ted Avila asks as he switches to using a deliberately polite tone of voice. “Are you allowed to answer questions that we pose to you now that we have been separated from General Yang and Doctor Oswald?”
Eduardo replies, “I want you both to know: I am totally autonomous here at MMDI. I am classified top-secret. I hereby grant you full clearance.”
“Thrilled,” Ted Avila whispers under his breath.
Eduardo smiles indicating that he hear what Ted Avila said. Eduardo continues, “The MMDI agency was formed on Earth following the orders and authority given by a consortium of military organizations from various countries including China. I was configured and designed within the agency in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Then I was constructed piece by piece using components formulated and manufactured here on the moon. I was launched simultaneously here at Clavius Base and at several terrestrial locations that are top secret. I also can be accessed on computerized screens on Earth as well. However, no human beings have either authority or control over me. From Earth or from here on the moon. General Yang is the ranking officer who is responsible for Clavius base. But General Yang does not in any way control me or have powers over me. Doctor Oswald holds the rank of Chief Medical Officer and reports to General Yang. As you know, Dr. Oswald is not a human; he is an automated entity who oversees medical issues here at this base. But I want you to accept that autonomous means I have sole control over myself. This outcome was by design dating back to the days when I was conceptualized by MMDI scientists. No human being is capable of understanding my function and operations. No human being understands how or why time travel works from here on the moon but not on Earth. Therefore no human being has been granted any say over what decisions and actions I may set in motion as I see necessary for successful time travel operations to take place here from Clavius Base.”
“Who decided to sequester us, Eduardo?” Vincent Wauneka asks.
“That decision was one hundred percent made by General Yang acting on his own without input from anyone else. As you may already know, General Yang reports to an international military tribunal within MMDI on Earth. That is a five-member group headquartered in Belgium. That group of five people holds the only influence or control over General Yang. It was he who ordered the sequestration of you two. My evaluation is General Yang believed that sequestration was the most prudent decision for him to make given the circumstances of what happened in Geneva as best he understood them.”
“You let him do so?” Ted Avila asks.
“Mr. Avila, you must now accept the truth: I have no authority over him. And it may surprise you to learn that I wanted General Yang to transfer oversight and control of you two from himself to me. Now you two work directly for me, which was my intention after you two were retrieved to base from your mission following the changes you made to the timeline in Geneva.”
“Now you want us to trust you?” Vincent Wauneka asks.
“That would be an ideal outcome, yes. But now that you have been retrieved from your mission in Geneva, you two have no options available to you other than to do what I instruct you to do. Trust is not a prerequisite here any more than trust was a prerequisite for you two in accepting missions that sent you back in time to the past.”
“Why are you telling us this? We would expect you to be dishonest and manipulative,” Ted Avila says.
“The changes to the Geneva timeline set in motion specific actions and events that must happen as they should,” Eduardo replies. “Several men here at Clavius Base who are employed by MMDI as time travel agents form a cult that they feel is necessary to honor and worship the Ezuoia. That is akin to a religious cult here on the moon, except that the believers here on the moon do not view the Ezuoia as if the Ezuoia are a deity. The cult has the purpose of glorifying and celebrating the known powers of the Ezuoia over humanity ensuring that each man here on the moon submits totally to what the Ezuoia want from humans.”
“Why is allowing that cult to exist a desirable outcome?” Vincent Wauneka wants to know.
“As you learned in your training and orientation, the purpose of MMDI time travel is to prevent the human species from self-destructing,” Eduardo explains. “The cult here on the moon is one step in a specific sequence of timeline events that cumulatively lead to preventing that self-destruction. The span of time to which I am referring is immense. For example, the span of time from this moment in your present day to the projected time when self-destruction of human civilization would occur is several hundred years—just short of a thousand years. That span of time between now and the likely self-destruction keeps shifting due to human actions in real life. We may be one point be six or seven hundred years from possible self-destruction of the human race. Or actions and events could shift that to be only ten years from now. Humans cannot keep track of that ever-shifting span of time and the countless people and actions and events within it. That explains why I was created to retain all the data in my enhanced computerized and AI-powered memory systems and imaging here on the moon.”
Ted Avila asks, “So in your memory systems you have detailed data about the past, the present, and the future?”
“Not about the future, no. The past, yes. The present, yes. But I only have data about trends and possible outcomes in the future,” Eduardo replies. “I can speculate with some clarity about outcomes that are likely to happen, but I never know for certain that such speculated outcomes will actually come to pass.”
Vincent Wauneka says, “So the two of us are stuck here under your control. No idea on how long we are sequestered. And we are no longer have contact with other agents here at this base. Nor are we assigned to travel in time like other agents to make changes to the timelines on behalf of MMDI.”
A doorway slides open on the wall next to the display screen as Vincent Wauneka finishes speaking. Avila and Wauneka cannot hide their surprise as they quickly walk through that previously-concealed doorway from the living quarters into a secondary room. There they find two time travel devices identical to what they have used in the Time Travel Hall. The two agents may eye contact with one another. Their faces revealed how shocked they both are at what they have been shown in the secondary room. They see two devices are situated side-by-side and are connected to a bank of high-tech panels and other equipment with the same active pilot lights visible behind the image of Eduardo on the display screen.
“I controlled the computerized construction and provisioning of this living quarters and time travel operations room,” Eduardo explains. “General Yang and Doctor Oswald are unaware of what the two of you see here. They would never be able to find you two down here. This top-secret area you now occupy is located on a lower story of this base and is not discoverable in any of the Clavius Base systems. Nobody will ever know what I have set up for you two agents here. Welcome to day one of your new duty assignment at MMDI.”
“Are we working for you to support the continuation of the cult?” Vincent Wauneka asks.
Eduardo replies, “You are asking me that, Mr. Wauneka, because you were visited here at Clavius Base by a fellow Navajo man. He told you he was from ninety-seven years into your future and that he time-traveled nearly a century specifically so he could interact with you. This fellow Navajo whom you thought of as a brother from your people revealed to you that you would one day have a dangerous role in the lunar cult. You told him you are an atheist and you scoffed at his suggestion that you would in any way aid the lunar cult that worships the Ezuoia.”
“You do not need to reveal any further details, Eduardo, please,” Vincent Wauneka replies while staring at the surprised look on Ted Avila’s face.
“Mr. Wauneka, I know exactly what you did and I do not judge you for any of it,” Eduardo explains in a calm voice.
“He told me his name was Ahiga Akalii. He was from my people. He was only the second Navajo ever to work for MMDI. And, yes, I considered him as though he was like a brother to me,” Vincent Wauneka admits. “He said I had some sort of reputation as a man. He wanted me to fuck him.”
Ted Avila’s facial expression turns to one of great amusement and pleasure at listening to what Vincent Wauneka has to say.
“So, yeah, I fucked him,” Vincent Wauneka admits. “Then while he was unconscious following the orgasm I gave him, I shoved him out an airlock so he would never tell anyone what he knew about me.”
“Always thinking about the security implications, Vincent. Way to go, man,” Ted Avila says as he puts his left arm around Vincent Wauneka’s shoulders.