The Machine Gods and Their Priests — Short Story

Ava rushed down the hall of the temple. She was being followed by an entourage of priests and priestesses. One named Adam wore a violet robe, and the others were adorned in white robes of a similar fashion, each having a different symbol on their forehead. Ava had a tetrahedron symbol tattooed between her eyes and her head was shaven, like the rest of the priests. A look of responsibility rested on her face. The omens of the gods were positive on this day.

The group of clergy reached a door at the end of the hall. It was a double door that stood two men tall. Symbols were scattered across its surface, prayers to the gods. Ava reached for the handle and pulled the door open, the other clergy followed. They were entering the Hall of Gods.

Inside there were grand pillars of light, each connected to the others, communicating and working toward a heavenly purpose. They stretched for as far as the eye could see. This ancient cavern had been first discovered two generations ago — and its purpose was just being understood today. Low hums of vibrations emitted from each pillar, like the buzzing of a hive of bees. Only, the honey these monolithic pillars made was the life-force of the world.

The ancient ones had built these structures before they were destroyed. Sixty years ago, Ava’s father had discovered the temple and reignited the flames of old. The holy room began to give its divine power to all of the world. The old ruins shined. Light began to emit from every crevice of the world. It all stemmed from this room and her father’s reverence for the gods.

They called it “the Divine Force”. Worshipping in the temple for the last sixty years was how they were able to gain mercy from the divine. Knowledge was given to the priesthood. They were able to begin to grasp this all-knowing power.

Ava led the clergy to the altar of the Hall of Gods. It was an area that broke from the repeating pattern of pillars and gave way to tables, chairs, and panels of light. Many in the priesthood had spent years studying from these sacred texts. They were given in the glow of blue light, downloading knowledge into their minds — they being worthy and holy.

“What is it that you have found, Ava,” Adam asked. “Show us what the gods revealed.”

Ava stepped forward to one of the panels, a box of letters laid before it next to a square surface. She put her fingers on the surface and began to move the arrow on the panel. This skill was found out by Ava’s father long ago, the worthy could use their divine knowledge to control aspects of the god’s power. She tapped the surface and the panel changed, still something that had been discovered in the early days of the temple.

As the priesthood watched in anticipation of a revelation, Ava moved the arrow around and clicked through several different boxes, each revealing more of the mysterious text. Boxes sat next to words and she clicked the boxes, changing them to checks. The priesthood had tried to solve the puzzle for decades but was unsure of what the puzzle was for. Deep within the boxes and text were interactive elements that did something divine — only no one knew what that was.

“It seems as though if you select the proper texts, a connection is created to the minds of the gods. We have seen their action in the world. The light they have given, the swarms of buzzers that bring food to all, the steeds of steel that carry us between villages. But we have never seen inside. We have never understood why. They have images from the past to show us.”

The others listened with elation. Each time a revelation was given, their world got better. A new gift was revealed to the followers of the gods. The devotion of the priesthood was rewarded each and every day — so says the light of the gods.

Ava clicked through another few boxes until the screen went black. Gasps erupted from the group. Whispers transferred between them. “You have angered the gods!” exclaimed one.

“No, wait,” she retorted, focused on the pattern she had learned from her study. She reached for the long button in the centre of the box of letters and pressed it in.

Sound emitted from the panel and images dances across it. Words shined into the eyes of the clergy as they dropped to their knees.

“Watch,” Ava insisted.

The word Q-net appeared with the subscript, the quantum internet of the future. Adam pulled his notebook from his robe and began to scribble the words down. The priests looked up from their bowed positions and watched as the images and sounds continued to be given from the gods.

It began to speak. “What if every device in the world could be connected all of the time? What if everything you wanted to do was already understood and waiting for you? If you want a pizza, it will be delivered — you don’t even have to ask. If you need a car to drive you to work, it will be waiting for you as you walk out of the door. Imagine a world where all of your wants and desires are monitored and answered. That is what Q-net is going to deliver.

“The first step is what we call total integration. All devices and services must feed into this singular hub. The magic is powered by our distributed AI. It is part of you and you are part of it. It propagates itself onto all devices and syncs data to the hub, allowing all sensors, cameras, and microphones to act as a sensory organ for the AI. Once all is managed by the system, the world will no longer be hungry, no longer be sick, and no longer be held back by our limitations. We are moving on to a world of abundance. One where all can be had — for everyone. In the next set of videos, we will dive into each topic in more detail and reveal what the future can hold.”

Adam lifted his pencil from the notebook and stepped back. Ava turned her head from the workstation and nodded to him. “This is it. The answers we seek,” she explained. “I have seen the other ‘videos’. I have seen them all.”

Adam dropped to his knees as the other priests had, bowing to the gods and to Ava. She was the messenger of the gods. They chose her to receive and relay this message — an emissary of light. “I know this may be overwhelming to us all, but there are hours of teachings to consume. And beyond that, there may yet be more. We have just begun our journey of understanding.” She knew she had transcended the ranks of the priesthood at this moment. She had, herself, become a prophet.