NetherWorld by Daniel Pagan (each kindness read aloud .TXT) 📕

this new presence stared at them. The sweet smell of pine cleaner spread throughout the dome.
“Are you two part of the Awakened Ones?” asked TeraNick.
The mop and bucket exchanged puzzled looks then addressed TeraNick.
“Hardly, I am Mop,” said the mop.
“And I am Bucket,” said the bucket.
“Well, if you’re not the Awakened, then who are you?” asked TeraNick.
“We are the clean-up crew. Apparently, some nasty spilling coming from this world. Causing an awful mess in the Locked Dimensions. So, they sent us to clean the rubbish.”
“Well that’s great. We have tried very hard to fight the viruses that have invaded our area.”
“That’s not exactly the rubbish we’re here to dispose of.”
“Well then, what rubbish are you here to clean up? The viruses are our most pressing problem.”
“Not the way They see it,” said Bucket.
“Who?” said TeraNick
“They.”
“Who are They?”
“They are the Awakened. We work for them. Well, actually we are contract workers, 1099 you know. That way they don’t have to pay for our benefits. Every time some daft species makes an awful, mess of a world we get a text from the Awakened to tidy up. But when we have a health problem, they complain about otherworldly taxes and such,” said Mop.
“So, then what are you here to clean up? Can’t you see that our world is under siege?” said TeraNick.
“Oh, we can see that just fine?”
“So what kind of garbage are you getting’ rid of?”
“You,” said the Bucket.
“Us? All of us?”
“Yes, all of you. You have been slated for Voiding at exactly 20:95 GMT.”
“GMT?”
“Galactic MeanTime.”
“Us! How in the world will you Void us?” asked TeraNick.
“Well, I’m a mop,” said the Mop.
“And I’m a bucket. Isn’t that what you uses for messes?” said the Bucket.
“Sometimes on Karbonon, but the robots take care of that these days. How can a Mop and Bucket wipe everyone out?” asked TeraNick.
“They are daft species Mr. Mop. Don’t you say?” asked the Bucket.
“Quite right Mr. Bucket. It’s a wonder they advanced beyond basic algebra,” said Mop as they chuckled at the inside joke.
“Excuse me! Do you both mind staying on point here?”
“So sorry. We are clearly symbolic. If we revealed what we really are, you wouldn’t understand. So, we decided to appear as primitive cleaning tools,” said Mop.
“Ok. Makes sense, I guess. But, who decided this Voiding anyway? The Awakened?” asked a perturbed and somewhat panicked TeraNick.
The Mop sprouted tiny little arms with hands and produced what looked like a smart phone. He typed on the tiny little keys in search of the order to destroy NetherWorld.
“Ah. Order 873-B clearly states: Destroy NetherWorld and Karbonon for cross dimensional trespasses of a capital nature. There you are. We have our orders in order. So, if you don’t mind we’ll be off to Void both worlds from existence.”
“Wait! Karbonon too! What kind of offense are we guilty of?” TeraNick tried to absorb this devastating news. It was just too much.
Mop was busy typing on his little device and failed to here the question. He turned to Bucket instead of responding to TeraNick
“OMG! Bucket, remember the Bug Eyed People from the Sombrero galaxy?” asked Mop.
“Of course, what gives?” replied the Bucket. A bit of pine smelling sudsy water splashed out as he tilted to hear what Mop had to say.
“Well, they met up with the Shroomers from that fungal moon and…”
“Hey you two! Please pay attention! According to you, we are about to be destroyed and you guys are gossiping about Bug Eyed People,” shouted TeraNick.
“Well, the Bug Eyed People are quite silly. If you knew them you would agree,” said Mop.
“Such a silly people. But we digress,” said Bucket.
“So sorry,” said Mop. Mop and Bucket appeared a bit embarrassed; for a mop and bucket that is.
“Yes. That was rude. Your species released the DarkMist from the Abyss. This caused a gusher, of sorts, which polluted the locked dimensions. This is not permitted according the Quantum Accord of the Fifth Eon. Violation of this accord is punishable by Voiding,” replied the Bucket.
“Well said Mr. Bucket,” said the Mop.
“Why thank Mr. Mop. I do try,” replied the self satisfied Bucket.
“DarkMist, we don’t get it. How did we do that?” asked TeraNick.
“All of your viral pollutions slipped through your dimension and into the Abyss. Once inside, the pollution burned through the cap that imprisoned the DarkMist. Once uncapped, it began causing damage all over the Multiverse. Oh, it was awful. Complaints came in from all kinds of dimensions. Even some of the most silent ones were affected. Once it reached the Awakened, we were called in to fix things.”
“Look, we just Joined to advance our species to a higher level. We brought together Karbon and Silicate for this very purpose. Aren’t we worth saving? We can do so much more now that we have combined.”
“Maybe so. But, it is not enough. Even your Joining was misguided. Do you even know who you Joined with Tera?”
“Of course. We applied a very strict standard to find the Karbon with the best intuitive mind to blend with us. We searched for many cycles to find him.
Mop and Bucket once again exchange looks.
“I don’t think they know Mr. Bucket,” said Mop.
“I think you are right Mr. Mop,” said Bucket.
“What are you talking about?” asked an annoyed TeraNick.
“Tera, you have joined with one of the most reviled Karbons on the planet,” said Mop.
“What? Nick? No. No. He is a sweet soul with amazing computer talent.”
“There is no debate about the talent. However, he is also the Hacker.”
“Hacker? Are you kidding? We are TeraNick, not the Hacker?” TeraNick’s mind was racing. It can’t be! The tests were meant to keep people like Hacker out of NetherWorld. The Silicates sought a computer genius with a sense of ethics congruent to the philosophy of Joining.
“I’m afraid it’s true.”
“Hacker? Hacker? This can’t be true! I am joined with Nick. I see no trace of this Hacker in my partner.” TeraNick’s was in a panic. Looking for evidence that this accusation is false, neurons and synapses sizzled and sparked. Memories from Karbonon began to take hold; memories held by Nick.
“Look deep inside your recombined being. He’s in there. Nick and Hacker share in the same body. They are entangled. Their minds are a different story. You classic split personality really. Wouldn’t you say Mr. Bucket?”
“Quite right Mr. Mop. He is Nick. He is Hacker. Your extraction process withdrew one from the other. Still they were bound by strings the eyes cannot see. Before Nick entered your world, he was both beings in a singular body.”
“But our test. We imposed such a strict test to filter out unworthy candidates,” said TeraNick.
“Well, your tests, like your world, were flawed. Instead of the perfect candidate, you got exact inverse,” said the Mop
“This just can’t be!” TeraNick again denied the ludicrous allegation. Probing deep inside her combined psyche for answers, more memories strobed and swirled. It just had to be false. How could someone as sweet as Nick be the very same devil that caused such widespread devastation to NetherWorld?
Flashes of school room taunts and bleacher observations melded with Nick’s memories. She began to remember the thoughts Hacker had while building the countless viruses and worms. She could feel the intense hatred at nearly every living thing. Perverse thought patterns matched those of the Hacker. It was just too crazy. How could Nick block an entire part of his life and build these distinct identities?
“Look again. Now, you are beginning to see. Maybe not so daft after all,” said Mr. Bucket. The sudsy alien was right. A vengeful scorned teenage boy, otherwise known as Hacker, joined TeraNick in an already crowded mind. Nick somehow portioned a side of himself that was pure evil. Maybe it was all the teasing, maybe it was just a mental defect. Nick must have developed the developed the other personality a few years back. Memories of the Hacker don’t go nearly as far back as memories of Nick.
“We don, We don, We don’t understand.” said TeraNick, fighting to suppress the Hacker psyche from reaching the surface of their newly Joined minds.
“We see it all the time, don’t we Mr. Bucket,” said the Mop.
“Sure do, Mr. Mop. They rarely understand. Sadly, neither species was even remotely prepared for the Awakening. Joining together did nothing to resolve the inherent flaws of both species. Yours’, was a fool’s errand,” replied the sloshing Bucket if suds.
“Ca Ca Can’t you help us with that?”
“It does not work that way, I am afraid. Once this type of violation occurs, then entire species must be euthanized to make sure it never happens again. DarkMist is very dangerous stuff. Left unattended it could wipe out the entire Multiverse. Apparently, your technological skills far outpaced your wisdom and maturity. This imbalance can never be cured. So, there we are.”
“How do you plan to wipe us out?” asked TeraNick, hoping against all hope that a defense could be mounted.
“Your sentence is death by DarkMist. We have redirected the DarkMist to your worlds. It will Void everything and then we will cap this new abyss to contain the pesky stuff.”
“Please don’t do this. So many innocent people will be killed. Please!” said TeraNick.
“Innocence exempts no one. Don’t worry. Your death will be swift. Painful, but swift,” said the Bucket
“Sorry. We really are. Aren’t we Mr. Bucket?” said the Mop.
“Surely sorry Mr. Mop” agreed the Bucket.
“Why can’t you stop the DarkMist from destroying our worlds?” asked TeraNick.
“The rules for such infractions are clear and immutable. NetherWorld and Karbonon are too dangerous left alone. With your advanced knowledge and less evolved wisdom, you will always pose a threat to the Locked Dimensions. I am sorry, but nothing can save you now.”
“Wait! The Tra, The Tra, The TranFor does not mention any such fate. There must be another way.” Even the stutter of Hacker was working its way into the recombined being that was once TeraNick.
“No document created by a species under the pretense of an all powerful being is without flaw. Your biases, ignorance and narcissism muddy the pages and twist all meaning,” said Mop.
“So, no trial? No place to plead our case? Can we at least speak to these Awakened who ordered our extermination?” asked TeraNick.
“Now that’s a good one. Even we can’t speak with the Awakened. All our communication is via text from the Temp Agency.”
“Temp Agency? You guys are Temps? You have got to be kidding?”
“Hey, times are tough out there in the Universe. Inflation has been running wild for billions of years. There’s no end in sight,” said Bucket.
“Quite right Mr. Bucket. Galactic defaults are at