Chương 141: Chapter 140 – Shirley Steals the Show

Illianna sat beside Rowan at Thai's bedside.

"She looks so small," she whispered, taking the girl's small hand as Rowan stroked her head.

"It feels like her fever is coming down. She's not burning up anymore, anyway." He sighed, looking up at the bright white ceiling. Celestia walked over to the end of the bed, looking worriedly at Seraphina.

"She's going to be okay, right?" she asked the older fairy, tears building.

"Miraculously, she's going to be fine," Seraphina said, her smile softening the worry lines on her face.

"Thai's not just special; she might be the key to stopping these nanobots entirely." She leaned forward, her eyes bright with excitement.

"The antibodies in her blood are extraordinary. They don't just defend against infection; they completely neutralize the nanobots' ability to reproduce. Alex and Mikale are working on a breakthrough… they'll engineer nanobots that carry her unique genetic defense, turning our biggest threat into a potential cure."

"How are we going to produce enough for all the realms to be protected, Seraphina? It's not like we have unlimited resources or time to get the cure out there," Celestia said, seemingly unable to reconcile what they needed versus what they had. Alex stepped forward, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"That's where our redesign gets interesting," he said.

"We've engineered a nanobot that can reproduce itself, just like the weaponized versions. But ours have a crucial difference… they release antibodies that prevent the hostile nanobots from replicating." He gestured toward Thai.

"Infected individuals might still get sick initially, but it's nothing compared to the complete systemic breakdown they have been known to create. This time an infected person will ultimately have the tools to fight back." Celestia looked at him with mounting frustration.

"That still doesn't answer my question, Alex. How are we going to produce enough of these nanobots to even make a difference?" Alex's eyes sparkled with the excitement of a scientist about to reveal something extraordinary.

"That's the best part, Celestia," he said, already moving toward the whiteboard.

"Our nanobots work exactly like the destructive ones… they spread through contact, almost like a benign infection." Celestia still looked confused.

"Come here, I'll show you." He walked to the whiteboard and picked up a red pen, then moved to a diagram of a crudely drawn body.

"This is Mr. Jackson. Mr. Jackson has the misfortune of being infected with the weaponized nanobot," he said, drawing what resembled a tick inside the body.

"This weaponized nanobot now lays its… what we have been calling… eggs." He drew a bunch of dots near the backside of the tick drawing.

"Now these eggs don't all stay with Mom; like all kids, they look for a new place to live." He drew several stick figures on the whiteboard.

"This one grew up, so he left and moved into Mr. Johnson. This one here, well, he found a studio with Miss Jones. With me so far?"

"I think so," she said, nodding her head.

"Mr. Jackson gets infected but is showing no signs of illness. At the monthly meeting he has now given it to Mr. Johnson and Miss Jones. They are infected but asymptomatic… they show no signs of being sick, so they go about their lives as if everything is normal."

"Alright." He turned back to the whiteboard.

"Except Miss Jones here," he said, pointing at the stick figure.

"She is a teacher, so she goes to class, and now she unknowingly infects little Timmy, Tommy, and Peter. Then she goes to the other side of the classroom and bam, now Little Lily and Hope are infected too. Because they have no idea, they go infect their friends… Kevin, Erica, Dusty, Christy, Brandon, and Conner. Then… you get where I'm going with this?" he asked hopefully.

"Yes," she said, her face lighting up.

"I think I do. So, then all those infected kids go home and infect their families, then all the families go out and infect anyone they come in contact with."

"Yes! So, in a matter of an hour, we went from one nanobot to eight, and that is just for demonstration purposes. In reality, within as little as an hour we could have hundreds, if not thousands, infected with the weaponized nanobots. Our nanobots work the same way. So, we get one out there, and that one multiplies and moves on to another, and the pattern just keeps going. The plan is to make sure everyone here has a modified nanobot coursing through their veins and then…

go forth and multiply, inoculating everyone without them even having to roll up a sleeve."

"And without Mordak's modified nanobots out there yet, we will essentially be vaccinating all the realms before he even has an opportunity to unleash mass genocide," Celestia said confidently.

"That's brilliant!" If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"When Illianna and Roxie go back to the Elven Realm, they are going to go wherever they can and come in contact with as many as they can, while you, Rowan, and Thai are going to do the same in the Dwarven Realm. Seraphina and Jasper are going to handle the Fairy Realm. With the fairies going to all the known realms on a somewhat regular basis, it will just spread like wildfire… not just here, but everywhere," Alex said with ever‑growing confidence.

"Just one problem with that, Alex," Seraphina said, looking over at Jasper, who was sitting silently at the other end of the room.

"Fairy Realm has been on lockdown since Mordak opened that gate. There have been sporadic travels to other realms, but nothing on any form of regular basis. We're still not sure how he got to the Elven Realm, and we can't risk him getting into any others. For the time being, all travel to other realms has been essentially suspended for the foreseeable future. It's been risky enough trying to get us back and forth to the Dwarven Realm without them being alerted to their existence."

"So, does that mean Rowan, Thai, and I are stuck? What about Sheera? If we don't come back in a reasonable time, she is going to lose her mind!" Celestia said. Jasper stood up and walked over to the group, his arms folded.

"I was waiting to see if it was even a possibility before I mentioned this, but considering the circumstances, maybe it's time I did," he said with authority.

"This group has been doing an outstanding job. For the most part, your security protocols are even better than those at Fairy Central." He nodded at Elena and Regina.

"Your emergency teleport is an amazing piece of technology, but I also know it can only teleport someone back, not out. Is that correct?"

"Yes," Alex said.

"We have not been able to create one that allows us to direct it where we need it to go, so we rely on getting to the gate to the Fairy Realm before transporting anywhere else."

"I know you hacked our Shirley System, Alex. She didn't tell you much though, did she?" He snickered. Alex's eyes widened.

"You knew about that?"

"Yes, of course I knew about it," he said, rolling his eyes.

"We had you under surveillance the minute you did it. What do you think, you're the first one who has tried to hijack a Shirley?" Alex's face reddened.

"Um… sorry." Jasper waved him off.

"You're one of the good guys, but the next time you want information, just ask for it, please."

"It's far more fun when you think you are getting away with something," Alex joked.

"I see your point though, and I will."

"What are you getting at?" Seraphina asked.

"Well, Melina and I have been working on a little project of our own, nothing official, mind you," he replied.

"Melina?" Seraphina asked, her jaw stiffening.

"I know you don't care for the girl, but once you get over her thirst for power and control, she is quite intelligent and quite well‑versed on Shirley," he said.

"I know it's a sore spot, but with you officially off the payroll and in protection, she really has stepped up in some pretty surprising ways."

"I have no doubt. She's been trying to sit in my chair for years," Seraphina scoffed. Jasper shot her a look.

"Seraphina, for five years you have been away from Fairy Central. You have no idea about the new hurdles we have had to face to keep the realms protected." He huffed.

"Petty jealousy and rivalry are beneath you, and if you must know… no, she is now the head of Shirley Security Operations. Your seat remains as vacant as it did the day you left." He shook his head disapprovingly.

"I thought you, of all people, could see the bigger picture here. Keeping Mordak and his monsters from invading other realms and wreaking further havoc on our own has been first and foremost for all those concerned." He sighed, shaking his head.

"I really thought better of you, Seraphina. I really did." Seraphina opened her mouth to respond, then closed it quickly, realizing he was right. Everyone's role had changed since the first Goblin infiltrated the organization. Her former role seemed rather trivial now, after all they had been through. She cast her eyes to the floor to hide the embarrassment she now felt.

"Anyway," Jasper said, turning to the rest of the group.

"It took a tremendous amount of work on Melina's part, but we believe we have found you a backdoor, untraceable hookup into the Shirley System," he said, a small smile forming on his lips.

"If it works, you should be able to transport to any gate without even Fairy Central's detection. It will be completely invisible to tracking when it is combined with your technology. The Shirley System continues to surprise us." His smile widened.

"Did you know Shirley stands for…"

"Spectral Harmonic Interstitial Realm Linking Ethereal Yield," Alex said, louder than he intended, causing everyone to turn to look at him.

"Thanks for stealing my thunder, buddy. I appreciate that," Jasper smirked.

"Should have known you would have gotten that one figured out."

"No, Shirley told me what it meant," Alex said matter‑of‑factly.

"She what?" Jasper asked, confused.

"She told you?" His eyebrows raised. Alex stood up and went to the control board and pressed a button.

"Hello, Shirley. How has your day been?" he asked happily.

"My day has been rather dull, Alex. How about yours?" the computerized voice replied.

"Productive. I'd like you to say hello to Jasper, if it's not too much trouble," Alex said smugly.

"Sure, Alex. Hello, Mister Forebarer. I'm surprised to see you here and not at Fairy Central," the computerized voice said. Flustered, Jasper cocked his head to the side.

"Shirley, I didn't know you could do this," he said, his eyes wide.

"Jasper, there are lots of things I can do, especially if given the proper questions. Is there something I can perhaps help you with?" the feminine voice asked.

"So, you are capable of far more than teleportation…" Jasper said.

"That was more of a statement, Mister Forebarer, but if you meant it to be a question, then yes, I am. I am a multifaceted interdimensional being who was created to guide seekers along their journey to enlightenment."