I know I haven't added to this story for some time and many of you wondered if I would ever finish it. I've been busy, but I just couldn't leave it unfinished. However, I recommend you go back and read the original thread so you know where the story has gone:

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...reation-56178/

So, since the original thread is old and has been closed, here is the continuation of

Mr. Dove and the Pipes of Creation

Scene 63

Cynthia’s consciousness entered the Churchnet and she found herself standing on a shimmering walkway looking into a village. Of course, she knew it wasn’t really a walkway or a village; it was just the way the signals were interpreted by her mind.

She straightened the virtual business suit she wore and checked the virtual shoulder bag she carried. Patting it gently, she assured herself that the subroutines it carried were available to her.

Hurrying down the walkway, it didn’t take her long to find the building that represented the administrative office of the Inquisition prison. She reached into her bag and pulled out the subroutine she had prepared earlier. Here in the Churchnet it took the form of official Cyberchurch papers.

Approaching the door, she walked up to the guard. Again, it wasn’t a real guard, but instead it was a security program to restrict access. She showed the authorization papers to the guard and he examined them. The guard took longer than she expected and Cynthia worried she would be discovered, but then the guard opened the door to the building and waved her in.

As soon as the door closed, she reached into the bag and pulled out a phone. She opened it and a picture appeared on the small screen. From the screen, Mr. Dove looked back at her. In the physical world he was seated in front of a computer screen and camera.

“I’m in,” she reported. “Go ahead and prepare to enter the prison. I will be ready in a few minutes.”

“Thank you, Cynthia.”

She closed the phone and put it back in her bag. Walking over to one of the file cabinets she opened it and dug out the file that the authorization papers had stated she was retrieving.

Reaching into the bag again, she pulled out two crystal globes, one blue and one green. She threw the blue globe to the floor where it shattered. Sparkling fumes rose from the shards and slowly formed into an exact copy of her current appearance. She handed the file to the copy and it placed the file into its own bag.

Cynthia then walked over to a wall and threw the green globe at the floor between her feet. The fumes rose all around her, obscuring her presence as they took on the shape of a file cabinet identical to the others in the room.

She stood motionless as her copy then moved back to the door and knocked. When the guard opened the door, it checked the file held by the copy and then let it pass by, closing the door behind it.

The image of the file cabinet dissolved and Cynthia moved to the back of the room where another door was located. She bent to examine the large padlock securing the door. Chuckling slightly, she reached into her bag and pulled out a large key, in reality a sophisticated hacking program, and inserted it into the padlock. In a few moments, the lock opened and she opened the door into the prison’s security system.