Walker was not and was never the Administrator
Vladimir Petrov's heart pounded in his chest as he sprinted through the dimly lit corridors, bullets whizzing past him like angry hornets. His life depended on every step he took. The year was 1999, but the scene felt like something straight out of a twisted science fiction novel. As he reached a reinforced steel door, he slammed it shut, hoping to buy himself a moment of respite.
Inside the room, amidst the dim shadows, sat an unexpected sight - a black, metal, rotary telephone. That's strange, he thought. These are relics of the past. Why would they have one here?
His eyes fixated on the symbol at the center - a snake consuming its own tail, entwined with a central gear. Recognition struck him like a bolt of lightning.
"The 909 Council," he whispered under his breath. "How can this be? Weren't they Foundation? Am I being hunted by the Foundation's Mobile Task Forces within the 909 Council's base?"
A moment of hesitation gripped him, but he couldn't let himself get caught in the open. He cautiously stepped out of the room, believing he had evaded his pursuers until—
The phone rang.
Startled, Petrov turned around to face the device. It felt as though the phone hadn't existed when he entered the room, yet he knew it had been there all along. The ringing persisted, each chime echoing through the depths of his mind until he couldn't ignore it any longer. On the fifth ring, he answered, lifting the phone to his ear slowly as if it were alive.
The voice on the other end was eerie, woven with static, as if it was speaking from the void. It felt simultaneously distant and near, either very far away, or occupying the same space as he is. "Hello, Mr. Petrov, Agent Tempest," the voice spoke, addressing him by name and codename. "It's safe to say you've made it far. Truly, I am impressed."
His pulse quickened, and confusion intermingled with fear. "Who is this? How do you know my name and codename?"
"I'm the Administrator, Mr. Petrov," the voice replied.
A shiver, like icy tendrils, ran down Petrov's spine, his mind struggling to process the incomprehensible revelation. "How… No, Christopher Walker was the Administrator. Walker's dead. Ivan Hilohiko killed him seventy years ago."
"Not quite," the voice responded, each word resonating like an ominous prophecy. "You see, Mr. Walker was merely a man who stumbled upon a frayed string in the cosmic tapestry. He found it, studied it, and in his pursuit of understanding, he became one with that very string. Thus, the Council was born from the essence of that frayed string - the essence of Walker's transformation."
The voice paused, as if allowing the weight of its words to sink in before continuing. "Christopher Walker saw something grander than his own existence, and he planted the seed that would make it grow. Ivan Hilohiko, in his ignorance, attempted to sever the thread by eliminating Walker. But he failed to realize that the seed remained, forever intertwined with the fabric of reality. I am that seed, Mr. Petrov. I am The Seed."
The revelation left Petrov feeling weak and vulnerable, as if the voice had the power to manipulate his very thoughts. "What even are you?"
A hint of amusement laced the voice's response. "A suit in a boardroom. A signature on a document. A voice on a phone. Mr. Hilohiko, too, belatedly recognized this truth. Christopher Walker may have been the Council's first Administrator, but he was not the true Administrator. I am, Mr. Petrov. I exist because of the Council, and the Council exists because of me."
Petrov remained silent. The voice pressed on, its tone shifting between hostility and eerie calmness. "Do you think that Destiny led you here?" it scoffed. "No. Because you want to uncover the secrets of the 909 Council, don't you, Vladimir? You yearn for knowledge, and knowledge can be a potent double-edged sword. You are an agent for the GOC, Petrov. Who can truly comprehend my nature other than myself? Not even Mr. Hilohiko."
"I know everything about your life," the voice continued. "Though I am not the All-Seeing Eye, I can penetrate the veils of reality and discern the threads that weave your existence. Reason - ah, you've met him, haven't you? He must have provided you with information about my nature."
Petrov released a heavy sigh. "Yes, Reason told me so much about you. But what actually are you?"
The voice gave a long pause. "The Council is bound to the very fabric of reality that composes its purpose; to safeguard the multiverse by protecting it from dangerous anomalies that could disrupt reality. Mr. Walker wasn't able to control its power, but Mr. Hilohiko did. The latter killed Mr. Walker because of it. Abaddon was a ruse for Mr. Hilohiko to kill him, and he was helped by Ismael Cohen. Mr. Walker was not the Administrator. Rather, he was the Council's first. I am the Administrator, you see? I'm a consciousness, and the Consulates are only, and only here to keep my actions in check."
The voice continued, painting a vast cosmic tableau of its existence. "I was born when the First Man on Earth saw the first miracle. I was born when the gods created Adam El Asem from clay. I was born when the first gods, Mekhane and Yaldabaoth, formed the Earth of clay. I was there to watch THE DEER create the celestial bodies. Remember this, Petrov: To know me is to know the Council."
The line went dead. Petrov was alone again. He placed the phone down with a click, and the room filled with an eerie stillness. Gunshots and a body dropping was the only thing he can hear, but within the room, he felt a sense of stillness that chilled him to the core.
Petrov stepped outside again, desperate to escape the clutches of the Mobile Task Forces. He spotted one, and squinted to see their insignia: "Nine-Tailed Fox."
The MTF noticed him and, adorned their gear, they relentlessly pursued him.
Vladimir Petrov ran.
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