Chapter 3

Minerva studied the selection of cases that Odin had shown her to try and decide which she could best handle during her first assignment as a Guardian Angel.

Stopping Doomsday devices and rescuing warlords sounded way out of her league, so she discounted those immediately. Arguing with village elders and coaxing out shy people didn't sound like any fun either since they would probably be way too stubborn to help without more experience in the job, so it might be best to help with a marriage. Minerva thought she could be a good matchmaker and a woman's problem was something she could relate to better.

Minerva went to Odin to tell him of her decision "I'll take the second case where I help Lady Blue choose who to marry, since I think I'd be more in touch with her point of view"

Odin considered this and said sagely "There is much to recommend this case to you since your empathy would serve you well in that instance, but so would it in the case of helping a young man gain self confidence also"

Minerva shook her head and pouted sullenly, then she whined "But males are a lot more set in their ways and pigheaded about changing their habits!"
Odin frowned and told her "But it would help both of you grow more and that's the whole purpose of the job right?"

Minerva bowed and said contritely "Yes, but piling on too much at once won't help me learn the ropes. How about taking baby steps on this case until I'm more experienced with the routine?"

Odin sighed and relented "Alright, since it's your first case, we'll see what you can do for Lady Blue and evaluate your progress then."

Minerva was eager to get a start on her new life and adventures so she bade farewell to Odin and leaped into the sky in search of her assignment. To find her way she focused her will and let her angelic influence guide her past the planets in the cosmos to the correct worldline where Lady Blue was to be found. She marveled at the awesome spectacle of the swirling galaxies and jewel-like nebula, they certainly were a lot more breathtakingly beautiful than she had ever expected.

Minerva descended to the planet where she was supposed to be, then performed loops and figure-eights over the Fruited Plain in exhilaration as she headed toward the Silver Palace of Lady Blue. So far this was a delightful change from being a houri but she reminded herself it was the easy part and hadn't even started the difficulties in dealing with her assignment. She swooped over the Silver Palace and landed in the courtyard then went in to meet with Lady Blue. Blue robed courtiers and servants in blue livery bustled about in the blue marble halls while one of them led her to a room with blue orchids where the lady was conferring with her suitors.

Minerva glided in and curtsied to the Lady then introduced herself "I'm Minerva, your Guardian Angel. I've come to give you some support and advice about your marriage"
Lady Blue bowed and answered "With all the difficulty choosing between these two, I certainly could use some divine guidance to make this important decision." She gestured to the knight with roses emblazoned on his armor "This is Argon, a noble ranger" then waved to the other man with red hair and a slight build "And here is Nwonknu a merchant of considerable influence."

Nwonknu was so startled by Minerva's wings and halo that he dropped the goblet he was drinking from and exclaimed "Merciful heavens! What divine vision is this that appears before us?"

Argon ran his hand over his thin black mustache and leveled his emerald gaze at Minerva. He ventured an opinion, "This might be a sign that a marriage such as this maybe of more significance than we realized"

Minerva radiated calm reasurrance and told them gently "I'm mostly here to offer guidance and avenues for growth, not to make any absolute prophecies that would impose a fate over your free will. Have you considered the merits and assets of each balanced by their shortcomings and quirks?"

Lady Blue rose from her seat and paced across the floor. She reviewed the points as she walked, she concluded by stating "That's the problem, they both have so many fine qualities, that it makes it so hard to choose between them."

Minerva pondered this for a while and then offered a bit of advice "I see, sometimes in these situations it's best to listen to what your heart tells you since your instincts can be a better judge of what's right"

The Lady shook her head sorrowfully and replied "Unfortunately for the nobility, following your heart is not always a luxury we can indulge in since the demands of family and other responsibities get in the way."

Argon buried his head in his hands and heaved a sigh "Sometimes duty imposes a cruel fate on romance, so that what we would wish is supplanted by what we are sworn to do."

Minerva wasn't getting very far with her advice and was running out of ideas of what to do for the moment. Apparently this problem was a lot harder to solve than it appeared at first glance. She told them "I don't know, it seems like some people are making this more complicated than it has to be. But I'll try to come up with some other way to resolve the problem."

Nwonknu pushed back his plate and suggested "Why don't we get some rest and resume when we're in better shape to concentrate on this?"

Lady Blue smiled graciously "That's a fine idea, we'll all be better able to come to some agreement after a night's sleep" She summoned some servants and told them "Show our guests to their rooms and see to their needs"

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Meanwhile in another worldline, Chris Amestrly works in a machine shop at Lockheed Martin Advanced Techology Center. Chris is on the team that is working on fabricating the Gravity B Space Probe and he's assigned to making the gyroscopes that will perform the measurements of the geodetic effect and the frame-dragging effect to verify the Theory of Relativity. It is important work that Chris feels he's contributing to the advancement of science and furthering the developement of the Grand Unification Theory of Elemental Forces. But all the corporate politics could be draining to deal with and interfere with production.

Chris was dealing with an extreme tolerance of nanometers in machining the metal to make the gyroscopes if the lathe that cut the titanium was off even a micrometer he would have to scrap it. He was concetrating of getting it right when his foreman Blake Collins walked up behind him and scoffed "The way you act, I bet you would fit right into the cast of that movie Revenge of the Nerds"

Chris stopped the lathe to change the blades and then turned to Blake and winked "Well with the way the plot was written and how they won in the end, that sounds like a compliment to me."

Blake scowled at his failure to make Chris feel inferior and walked off in a huff. Chris worked without any other interuptions until lunchtime. When he walked into the cafeteria, Blake was sitting with a bunch of his friends regaling them with another one of his fanciful tales.

Chris took his tray and headed toward another table since he didn't think he'd be welcome there. Blake shoved a chair into the path of Chris, which he didn't see while the tray was blocking his view of the floor, and Chris fell over it spilling his food all over.

Chris tried to get up and wipe the food off of his clothes while the crowd roared with gales of laughter.

Blake was doubled over and howling He brayed "How's that for grace eh? Even the French Olympic Judges wouldn't give him any point for style"

Beverly Wright giggled "Thas was so priceless! I even heard that he was the one that made the mistake in polishing the lens of the Hubble Space Telescope to be out of focus!"

Chris was shocked! Where had she heard that? He hadn't even been assigned to that part of the project. Blake must be spreading all kinds of rumors about him and his tight little clique probably believed them without questioning the facts. He slunk out of the room and went to find a quiet corner to sulk. It was a shame that Beverly had to be taken in like that since he had been attracted to her for some time. Apparently she wasn't as good a judge of character as he had thought if she couldn't see past the surface of Blake's propaganda.

That made Chris consider how well he had thought he knew her and what he had admired her for was just as shallow. Anything for a pretty face he supposed, since he had deluded himself into think that there was more to her than just a beautiful blue-eyed blonde. Chris spent the rest of the day in the doldrums doing his job disconsolately until finally it was time to go home.

At night in his bedroom, Chris tried to sort out his feelings by writing in his journal. It didn't make much sense, he tried to do the best job he could, but those who indulged office politics were more successful than he could be and with greater popularity. There had to be other women out there that had better qualities and more depth to them why couldn't he ever meet or attract any of them?

He heaved a sigh and lamented "I'd give anything to find the perfect woman share my life with and give it meaning!"

Suddenly there was a flash of light and the smell of brimstone filled the air. A shadowy figure rose from his bathtub and pointed to him. She had long red hair, horns on her head and a red forked tail. She gave him a long seductive look and drawled in a sexy voice "So? What would your first wish be, you little maniac?"

She wiggled her shapely figure down the steps and winked at him fiendishly. She flashed a devilish grin and told him "My name is Belle and I have a wonderful offer for you that will make all your dreams come true. You can have wealth, power, respect and the perfect women at your side adoring you all for the paltry sum of giving up your soul."

Chris was suprised that a demon would actually make this offer in person since he had only heard of this kind of thing in stories, but maybe this was where the stories had come from and not just the imagination of fiction. He thought Belle was certainly attractive and spurred a lot of lustful thoughts but he was wary of her offer since the ones in the stories never worked out well.

Chris crossed his arms defensively and said "As they say the devil is in the details, how do I know that your offer is genuinely in my best interest?"

Belle swayed her buxom breasts and ran her hands down her over her exotic tattoos She assumed a provocative pose and asked "Do you doubt my abilities? Just take a good look at my formidable assets and trust me"

Chris felt a wave of desire flow over him, and had to pinch himself to clear his head it was probably some satanic pheremones he thought. He marshalled his resolve and retorted "Isn't that the same way they mean trust me when Hollywood producers say it? Given the track record I've heard of those kind of deals then I wouldn't trust you as far as I could throw a fit since the deals always have some catch in the fine print that makes them go sour."

Belle undulated over to the bed sensuously and sprawled onto it displaying her lascivious charms to their full erotic potential as an aphrodisiac in an attempt to further her diabolical plan. She purred in a silky voice and declared "But wouldn't it be worth it for all the pleasures you could enjoy? Just think of it, you could have all the women you want throwing themselves at your feet, get revenge on Blake Collins for his treatment of you, rise to the top of the corporate ladder, have wealth that moves mountians, and more fame than Donald Trump! All for something you never think of and don't even need."

Chris walked over and shook his finger at her expressing his disdain for her methods of trying to manipulate him. He conveyed his scepticism for her offer "The soul is mostly just a symbol of my submitting to your domination to let you make all my decisions for me. It's not much of a deal to have those things you offer when your mastery over my fate wouldn't let me enjoy them. The temporary pleasures of the flesh would pale in short order and then hellish torment would set in, so it's no deal"

Chris pointed to the door and demanded "Go peddle your snake oil somewhere else, you infernal imp!"

She slithered around sinuously so that she was on her hand and knees then wiggled her curvy bottom at him. She said soothingly "Sure you won't change your mind? I can throw in a free sample here. How would you like to plumb these depths of sinful delight? C'mon, it's always the quiet ones that are into all the freaky stuff"

Chris gazed at her voluptuous body and lush attributes, he was sorely tempted to throw caution to the wind and partake of her passion, but the cost was too high and the consequences too dire to be worth the risk. He tossed a glass of water on her and exclaimed "That might cool your jets. Now get out of here, I'm not being deceived by your sales pitch. As Shakespeare wrote, it's one to be tempted but another to fall for it."

The water steamed off Belle in spirals. She scowled at him and said disapprovingly "You'll be sorry you didn't accept me, and spend the rest of your life as a nobody stuck in your dead-end rut. I could've been your genie to grant your desires and put your life on the fast track, but you wouldn't listen." With that she faded out of sight in a puff of sulfurous smoke.

Chris thought "That certainly livened up a dull evening" He went back to writing in his journal as he considered the events of the night. It wasn't that he was against taking shortcuts to achieved his goals, he just was doubtful of the motives of the demon. A deal like that was bound to have a lot of downsides that he didn't want to pay the price for. But what was the alternative to the rut he was in? He sure wasn't going to let Belle be proven right about him being a nobody. He thought, if shortcuts like that exist that why couldn't he take advantage of them, with the deal being full of downsides? But how would he tap into that something like that? He didn't know the answer to that so he put away his journal and tried to relax for a while.

Chris turned on the TV just in time to hear Kelly LeBrock say "Those guys really need some self-confidence, a challenge.. Something that'll bring out their inner strength and courage." He recognized that movie, it was one he had always admired especially the way Lisa had the best interest of the guys that created her at heart.

That gave him the idea of the perfect shortcut he could take. After all computers had evolved immensely since that movie was made and he had access from Lockheed to much vaster resources than those high school kids had. He took out his laptor and started surfing the research databases that Lockheed had and was connected to in order to see what was in there that might serve his purpose.

Over the next few months of nights and weekends Chris amassed a lot of research that pointed to the answers that he sought. If he used the Standford Linear Accelerator to configure a beam of charged sub-atomic particles and focused the energy of it into a collector that filtered and assembled it into larger molecules. Then he could use the massively parallel processor power of the Cray XT3 Supercomputers to calculate the correct arrangement of the matter being converted from the particle beam. He fed a lot of biochemistry, anatomy and medical files into the database so the system could have something to work with in assembling the molecules from the beam. Plus a lot of neurochemistry, MRI and CAT scans of the brain to help organize the relevant data and help complete the process.

Chris drove over to the SLAC facilities to install relays to his lab at Lockheed, it was lucky it was only seven miles away, so it would be easy to divert the beam and channel it from the accelerator. Because he was working on the Gravity Probe Project it was simple to gain access to the equipment since both were run by Stanford University. After finishing work on a scanner and the appropriate control panel, he was finally ready to test it out.

Chris checked out all the power converter connections and the system programming to make sure everything was set and then entered the commands to start the sequence. The beam powered up to emit a brilliant blue light and phased in the matter from the molecules, the assembly process was proceeding well until Chris saw what was materializing in the beam.

She had grey leathery skin, a large snake tail, and cybernetic implants in various parts of her body. "You will be converted to serve our needs!" she hissed.

Chris dived for the controls and reversed the polarity of the beam and turned the matter back into energy. He breathed a huge sigh of relief and reviewed the programming He muttered "At least most of it worked that it was able to assemble the anatomy. I just need to fine tune it to get more specifically what I want out of it."

He reset some of the parameters and added more files to try align the system toward a better fit for him. Chris engage the beam again to find out what would materialize this time and in the brilliant blue beam there appeared a round yellow being with a huge smile, halo, wings and shoes. It looked like a living version of an angelic emoticon from a web forum post.

She said "We shall find peace. We shall hear the angels, we shall see the sky sparkling with diamonds." It was more of the temperment that Chris was looking for but not so much the form since she had no arms or legs just hands and feet stuck to her circular body. He reversed the polarity of the beam and converted her back into energy.

Chris went over the programming again and couldn't find any obvious flaws, so it must be some principle in the design he was missing. He grumbled "It could took forever doing this by trial and error to get it right. I had better go back to the drawing board until I can figure what the problem is"

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Minerva spent more time getting to know Lady Blue and her two suitors so she could come up with a better solution to complete her assignment. She walked in the lush gardens around the opulent palace talking with the Lady.

Lady Blue showed Minerva some of the poems that Argon had given her in their courtship:

How can my Muse want subject to invent, While thou dost breathe, that pour'st into my verse Thine own sweet argument, too excellent For every vulgar paper to rehearse? O, give thyself the thanks, if aught in me Worthy perusal stand against thy sight; For who's so dumb that cannot write to thee, When thou thyself dost give invention light? Be thou the tenth Muse, ten times more in worth Than those old nine which rhymers invocate; And he that calls on thee, let him bring forth Eternal numbers to outlive long date. If my slight Muse do please these curious days, The pain be mine, but thine shall be the praise.

Minerva was impressed by the effort and told her "That certainly seems heartfelt with deep passion. I would long for such romantic feelings to be expressed if I were you."

Lady Blue blushed with the rose color of it spreading over her creamy skin and responded "In truth it did touch me deeply, but Nwonknu also has powerful alliances that would bring stability and prosperity to the land" She showed Minerva the sizable star sapphire bracelet with inlaid gold and silver engravings that Nwonknu had given her.

Minerva mulled that over and answered "They do seem fairly balanced in the question of benefits, maybe you need something else to judge them on. Where I come from heroes have proven their worthiness by performing accomplishments that earn their rights to rewards. You could give each of them some task to execute and the first to pull it off and return is who will win your hand in marriage."

Lady Blue stroked her long dark locks of hair and twirled it around her slender fingers while she comtemplated that. She uttered "That sounds like a good idea, I can send them on a quest to win my hand, and the one that performs the best on it will be the one I wed."

Minerva was glad to have reached a conclusion that would satisfy all the parties concerned. "Lets go inform the others that we have a way to settle this once and for all."

They summoned Argon and Nwonknu together and announced to them "We have arrived at a settlement on how to proceed with choosing a proper suitor among you. Each of you will go on a quest that I will provide so that by your actions you can prove which one of you is most qualified to win my hand in marriage."

Argon stood up and wiped his armor off with a cloth then knelt in front of his Lady. He kissed her hand and vowed "It will be my greatest honor to fulfill this brave deed for your heart."

Nwonknu had been having some trouble with one of the palace dogs jumping up on him to grab some table scraps, but he kicked the dog away. He bowed and declared "It's a bargain, I'll perform whatever task you come up with to earn the most valuable of rewards."

Lady Blue smiled graciously with her red full lips glistening and her dark eyes sparkling. She patted Argon's shoulder and told him "For your quest I want you to find out the origin and meaning of the phrase 'May U Live 2 see the Dawn' bring me proof of the legend and you will have your heart's desire. Good luck to you noble knight." She turned to Nwonknu and exclaimed "Your task will be to find the answer to Life, the Universe and Everything! Put all your vast resources into researching it and bring me all the evidence you find that supports your answer and you will have your rich reward. May the best man win!"

Suddenly a brilliant blue beam of light appeared around Minerva engulfing her in its radiance. It intensified until it blocked out all else. She cried out in alarm "By the Gods! What lunacy is this? What is going on here?" She felt paralyzed and unable to control anything. Minerva was shrinking and fading out from the scene, in a blink of an eye she was gone completely.

Given the miraculous way Minerva had appeared in their midst, her disappearance wasn't as much as a shock to the others as it was to her, so Argon remarked "She certainly is an expert on dramatic exits and entrances isn't she? I'm sure that it'll be fabled in song and story for generations to come."

Lady Blue was surprised at the speed of her departure but wasn't too dismayed at having her gone. She replied "At least she gave us a method to solve our dilemma before she left, I suppose that's all she needed to do. Guardian Angels tend to work in mysterious ways I've always heard"

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As Chris continued his investigation into troubleshooting how to control what the particle beam was going to materialize, he kept running into the problem of creating a template to follow, like a blueprint for the kind of person he wanted to create. One day he was walking past the reception area to his work station at Lockheed when he saw something flash in the sunlight coming through the window. It caught his eye, so he stopped to look closer, it was a crystal pendant on Beverly Wright's necklace. He was intrigued by the way it reflected the light and had seven colors of the rainbow arranged in a spectrum.

He asked her "I haven't seen a necklace like that before, it's very beautiful, does it symbolize something?"

Beverly giggled and flipped her long hair. She answered "I'm glad you like it, it's very expensive. I heard it's supposed to represent the chakras. I don't know about all that stuff, but it's pretty"

Chris had heard of chakras from somewhere but wasn't sure where. He told her "Thanks for the info, you've been a big help"

He walked off deep in thought, when he got to the lab, he looked up chakras on the Net and found a lot of similarities to the template idea he was seeking. Chakras were spinning disks of energy that were the interface between the gross anatomy of the body and the subtle anatomy of the aura. Essentially they were the bridge between matter and energy in the body.

That would give him a way to make a blueprint for the particle beam if he could find the right frequencies for the chakras that would align them into the correct conduit to flow down the Ida and Pingala channels. As the particles formed the molecules of the anatomy, the chakras tuned to the resonance needed would provide the hormones in the pineal, pituitary and other glands for the biochemisty desired in his program. With that template, Chris could match the subtle anatomy of the aura and the chakra with the gross anatomy of the body and the brain. Since Stanford University had one of the premiere medical schools in the country Chris had access to their database of knowledge and cutting edge research. He studied the relationship of the vibration rates of light, sound, matter and energy how they all fell into octave ranges of frequencies. The principles of resonance, harmony, and tuning found in music and electronics applied to all the electro-magnetic phenomenon he researched.

Chris adapted the formulas found in electronics to find the right matches for the frequencies and amplitudes of the chakras to the octaves in the electromagnetic spectrum and put them into the template he was forming for the particle beam. He accessed more and more of the massively parallel processor power of the Cray XT3 Supercomputers to integrate all the data and calculations for the system programming so they were networked over a substantial array of computers.

With the new principles, formulas and more programming added, Chris was ready to try again to materialize the perfect woman. He engaged the beam and a warm yellow glow emanated from the scanner that outshone the blue brilliance of the particle beam.

Then the seven spinning wheels of energy formed the chakra system in the shape of lotus blossoms. "So far, so good" Chris thought. He started the sequence for the next phase and the energy of the chakras intensified and coalessed into the form of a blonde haired woman with luminous blue eyes.

She looked disoriented and grabbed onto the sides of the scanner to steady herself. Then peering at her surroundings, she demanded "What happened? How did I get here? What is going on?" She staggered down the steps and Chris went over to support her.

She was so stunningly beautiful that it took his breath away. Chris sat her down in a chair and told her "Easy now, that must have been quite a shock, do you want something to drink to calm you down?"

She stared at Chris in amazement and shook her head with her long golden locks swaying back and forth. She anwered in a daze "Yes thank you, that might help. Then you can explain where I am and who you are."

He got her some water from the fountian and handed it to her. "My name is Chris Amestrly and I used a particle beam to materialize you here. You're at the Advanced Technology Center of Lockheed Martin in Palo Alto California, if that means anything to you."

None of this was in her experience and she was completely confused, she had better start with the basics since had only understood a single thing he had said. She responded "The only thing I could recognize from that was when you said your name. So let's start with that, my name is Minerva. I am a Guardian Angel and the last thing I remember was trying to help someone get married when I was pulled away by a blue beam."

Now it was his turn to be dumbfounded, that was something he should've considered, after all energy couldn't be destroyed only transformed, so that it followed from the Laws of Thermodynamics that he was only transporting a template not creating an entirely new one by matching the blueprint of the chakras.