by Gadi Migdal
He suddenly leaned over and raised his voice. “But remember one thing. No person has the right to exist in this palace without me. No machine will function without me. My genetic code is connected to them. In exchange for the gifts of life and knowledge that I am giving you, I expect your complete loyalty. If you dare to betray my trust or disagree with me, you will suffer indescribably. If you remain loyal, you will enjoy the long and glorious life of the palace dwellers.”
Everyone nodded their heads.
“Great. Now I would like to hear your questions.”
The children looked at one another in puzzlement. They were hesitant, waiting for the first among them to ask a question.
“Did all the nobles and chosen ones of the palace begin like us?” Lucy asked.
‘Good question’, Munar thought to himself. There were several hundred nobles and chosen ones living in the palace, in addition to about twenty thousand guards, servants, concubines and slaves.
“Not everyone, Lucy,” laughed Thomas. “Most of them were simply born here into the good life, but some of them came like you, from the rubbish. Every ten years I gather ten children and bring them here. After a decade in my presence, they are ready to continue on to other roles. I collected Dr. Aaron that way, too.”
“Thank you, your majesty, for the opportunity that you have given us,” said Lucy seriously.
Thomas laughed again, and Munar suddenly shivered.
“Your Majesty, may I have permission to ask something?” Tristian requested.
“Of course, Tristian,” the God laughed generously.
“How do you fly?”
The God laughed in his perpetually happy voice. “Anti-gravity shoes. Every child in the galaxy has been playing with them for a thousand years. The believers in Eternal Eden are convinced that it’s a miracle.”
Tristian nodded his head, “Thank you, your majesty.”
“Is your body structure the result of treatments you get from Dr. Aaron?” Lucy asked.
“Of course. Everyone in the palace gets eternal youth. The believers get old and die, we enjoy ourselves and live.” Thomas’ bell-like laughter was happy and pleasing to the ear, but Munar trembled.
“Your Majesty, why did you eat all of my family’s food when you visited us?” Nora asked.
Munar looked at her in surprise. A small, thin girl, about ten years old. She rarely spoke.
“To see if anybody would object, of course.”
“To see if anybody would object?” Nora repeated after him in a confused voice.
“Of course. As you recall, that was the reason I chose you,” the God answered with pride.
They looked at him in stunned silence.
“But my family will go hungry without that food,” protested Nora.
“Possibly. That’s not my problem,” Thomas replied. He was no longer smiling, and Munar trembled again in his chair.
Thomas’ tone of voice made it clear that there was to be no further discussion on this topic.
Nora changed the subject. “Your majesty, if a priestess can be trained with the helmet in just a few days, why are they taken at the young age of 15 for ten years of training?”
Thomas looked at her in amusement, “for the enjoyment of the palace dwellers, of course.”
“Enjoyment of the palace dwellers?” Nora repeated after him in wonder.
“Quit being a parrot, Nora,” Thomas reprimanded her in an amused voice. “The prettiest girls are taken to the harem of my pleasure. The helmet strengthens their desire to satisfy and fulfill the desires of the God and his chosen ones, and over the course of ten years they grant their graciousness to all of the palace dwellers.”
They stared at him in silent bewilderment.
It was clear that the God was pleased by their astonishment. “After ten years they’re pretty worn out and not so young. Then, they wear the helmet again. Their memory is erased, and their faith strengthened. Afterwards, they are sent all over the land to preach the word of God. They also locate new priestesses. They are certain that they are choosing girls according to their religious skills, while a subconscious command makes them simply look for the most beautiful girls.” The pleasure Thomas took from this description was evident.
The children looked at him anxiously. Each one knew at least one girl who had been chosen as a priestess.
“That’s terrible, why do you do that?” Nora protested.
The God’s smile froze on his face.
Munar shuddered again.
Thomas leaned forward and spoke slowly. “When I said that I want people to speak with, I meant people who will share the pleasures of my power with me. I didn’t mean that you have the right to criticize my ways. Understood?” His quiet voice was filled with a clear threat.
Everyone nodded in stunned silence.
Everyone except Nora.
“My sister was chosen as a priestess two years ago. She was so moved by the honor that she was given, and now she is a slave in your harem. It’s not fair, what you’re doing to her,” she said quietly.
The flash was quick and blinding.
Thomas calmly brought his hand back to his lap as the remains of Nola crumbled before their eyes. Not one of the stunned children cried out or objected. They hardly understood what had happened. Obedient servants looked admiringly at the God and hurried to clean the ash and arrange the table.
There was no trace left of the thin girl that had been Nora.
‘He’s not sane,’ Munar realized with horror.
The crazy God laughed and looked at them defiantly. Nobody looked back at him. He lifted his wine glass. “I told you. Life is good in the palace. Let’s raise a glass to our lives.” Not one of them dared to refuse. They raised another glass with him.
That night, Munar’s nightmares returned and haunted him. Thomas filled his thoughts and chased after him while Nora’s face hovered before him with an accusing look. He knew why. Thomas had informed them that they were going to visit Nora’s family tomorrow. Munar did not delude himself as to the reason for the trip. He covered his head with his blanket and cried into the night.
Chapter 20
Louie
He loves her.
And she is so gorgeous!
She marches toward him. The landing lights behind her create a glowing aura around her red hair and emphasize the curves of her body. She approaches and stands before him as he smiles at her.
“Hello Susan, how was the trip?” He asks.
“Pretty dull,” she smiles. “There was nothing to do the Whole way there.”
“I think I can help you with that matter.” He laughs, as he wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her against him.
“You think so?” She smiles and rubs herself lightly against him. He inhales her pleasant, familiar smell deeply.
“Yes. I am pretty convinced of it,” he says as he slides his hand lower, cupping her buttocks.
“Well, you’d better prove it to me, famous products master,” she laughs. “Talk is cheap.”
They laugh together as they board the hovercraft that will take them home.
At breakfast, she looks more serious and pensive than usual.
“If you keep pressing on the screen, the printer will make you forty breakfasts,” he tells her gently.
She smiles with uncharacteristic awkwardness and pulls her hand away. “Sorry, I was somewhere else for a moment.”
“I noticed,” he smiles at her. “Everything okay?”
“Of course, stupid. I’m just tired. I flew for nine hours, and then you kept me awake all night.”
“Sorry if I tired you out,” he teases her. “I missed you, you know?”
“And I missed you, Louie.” She smiles her vanquishing smile.
“So how was your vacation with your cousin Tanya in the Nort
h?”
To his surprise, she blushes. “It was okay, Louie,” she answers him quickly.
“Maybe we could have a picnic today?” she suggests.
“Sure, my love. If that’s what you want. As long as we’re together.”
“Great, I’ll go get ready. Meanwhile, you prepare the food. Maybe we’ll go to the botanical gardens?” she offers.
“I actually thought of the beach. I’m always happy to see you in a bathing suit.”
“Weird, I always thought you preferred to see me without a bathing suit,” Susan laughs and flees giggling from the kitchen.
The beach is empty. Not surprising, considering that most of the southern continent has no people left. They dine on a mat spread out in the shade of a palm tree. The waves leave foamy remnants not far from their feet. He notices that she is distant and pensive again.
“What’s up, Susan?” he asks her. “And don’t tell me that everything is fine. I know you too well.”
“I’m sorry, Louie,” she apologizes.
She looks up at him hesitantly. “Please don’t be mad, but I have something to tell you.”
“Why would I be mad, Susan? You can tell me anything.”
She looks at him hesitantly. “During the two weeks I was at Tanya’s, I came to a decision.”
He looks at her quietly, waiting for her to go on.
She looks up again and says firmly, “I joined the corps. I signed while I was at Tanya’s. I’ll be in uniform in two weeks.”
What?
Louie stares at her in astonishment.
“Sweetheart, is this a joke?” he asks. “Because if so, it’s not funny.”
“No, Louie,” she answers passionately. “It’s not a joke. It’s been our families’ home for hundreds of years. I’m not willing to let that fanatic chase me away from here. I despise all the cowards who fled to other planets.”
He is surprised by the intensity of emotion in her voice.
“When did this start, Susan?” he asks her in surprise. “It was always good when we were together. We always laughed at everyone who ran away from here and left us more space.”
“We laughed at them and it was good for me because I was with you, Louie,” she answers. “I know that you are far from being a coward. You didn’t run away like everyone else. You stayed here, unafraid and indifferent to the risks, but indifference has begun to threaten our way of life.”
“But Susan, the South is so big. It’s good for us here, and we enjoy our pleasant privacy. The madman doesn’t really bother us. What made you suddenly change your mind?”
“I didn’t just change my mind suddenly, Louie. The decision became clear over time. 100 million people used to live on this continent. Today there are maybe a thousand people. Everyone fled to the Northern continent or to other planets. I want a future with you, Louie. But I want it to be here. Not somewhere else, and I am willing to fight for such a future.”
Just then he sees that she is crying.
How had he blind to that the whole time?
He wraps her in his arms and kisses her eyes.
“Do you really want a future with me, Susan?” He smiles at her. “That’s wonderful, because I also want to be with you. There’s no way I’m letting you join up to the Force alone. Next week I will join you. We’ll beat this madman together, and then we’ll worry about our future.”
“Would you really do that?” she asks and wipes the tears from her cheek. “Will you really join the force with me?”
“Susan,” he whispers to her. “I’ll do anything for you.”
“I love you, silly.” She kisses him passionately.
The waves continue to break on the shore, while the two rediscover one another.
The old sergeant looks like he stepped out of an old 3-dimensional film. “We have come to the moment of decision. Today you are going out to save our world, to fight a crazy tyrant who wants to put an end to the good life here in New Thessaloniki. He has already taken most of the South, and now he is plotting to invade the northern continent. We have to stop him, no matter how many people we sacrifice. We must annihilate his robot army. Onward, heroes, take up your weapons and claim victory!”
Louie tries with all his might to hide his laughter. The rest of the recruits, Susan among them, look fired up by the banal speech. They roar and applaud enthusiastically.
Susan approaches him, radiant with excitement. The tight grey uniform is very flattering on her. He would love to tear it off of her.
“I’m on 16-D,” she tells him. “Which are you on?”
He looks at the operating helmet he has been given. “32-J”
“32-J,” she whispers. “I’ll look after you.” She gives him a fluttering kiss on the lips and hurries away.
“Susan!” he shouts after her.
She stops, surprised, and looks at him. “Look after yourself,” he warns her.
“Of course, silly. You too.” She laughs and runs toward her personal interceptor.
He finds 32-J on the platform. A blue cylinder with a small opening and large cannons.
He has never touched a personal interceptor; their training had consisted of putting on a learning helmet for four hours.
That was enough. Now Louie knows how to operate his personal interceptor’s system. His nervous system is as practiced as though he had performed each action and exercise thousands of times. His combat reflexes are sharpened as though he had been through many years of training.
Would that be enough against a madman who operated an enormous army of robots with superhuman speed? Louie keeps his opinions on the subject to himself.
There is no need to worry or annoy the other recruits.
Louie takes his combat suit from the shelf beside the interceptor. The combat suit is intended for field battle, and he might need it if he is forced to abandon the interceptor. He inspects it with the curiosity of a product master. The design is simple and efficient, but the sensors were just assembled according to the default settings. Louie smiles to himself. Two hours are remaining until his unit is supposed to take off; at least this will give him something to do. He begins with checking the landing jets and their adjustment.
An hour and a half later, he climbs onto the interceptor. The guy on the interceptor beside him shouts to him, “good luck, Southerner!” Susan and Louie are the only southerners among the five thousand volunteers, all the rest are from the North.
He waves to him and squeezes himself into the narrow cell. His body feels and remembers doing this thousands of times, even if he has never actually touched a personal interceptor before now. The sensors quickly draw in towards him, and the interceptor becomes part of him. He moves, and the interceptors move along with him.
It is an amazing feeling. The helmet hadn’t prepared him for this feeling of power!
With a roar, he leaps into the air. The air around him is roaring with interceptors. Everyone is drunk on power. What chance did someone have against all this force?
The orders come from the command ships. They arrange themselves into battle formation and move south. Crazy John’s army is on its way north. They will block him on the way.
The quantities of information coming at him are overwhelming. He is receiving reports from his inceptor’s sensors as well as those of the inceptors around him simultaneously. Locations. Ammunition status. Gas levels. Speed. The information is flowing at incredible speed.
Louie easily located 16-D in the melee of thousands of vehicles. He instructs the computer to track it. At every stage of the battle, he will know the status of 16-D. A quick signal from the inceptor indicates that 16-D has done the same and is tracking him.
Within his small cell, Louie smiles.
The helmet transfers the information directly into his brain, and the orders are carried out inside his head as if he had he
ard them. The command decides to surprise the madman. They won’t wait for him to reach them in the North, but will bring the battle to him, in the South. They will open a secret wormhole and overtake the madman from behind before he understands where they are.
Louie is impressed. He had no idea that the Force had managed to map the area and locate a suitable wormhole. He had underestimated the Force’s abilities - maybe they would have a chance of victory after all. This wormhole would give them an enormous advantage over the madman.
Structural arrangements were made for the wormhole ‘jump’. Louie tries to transmit to Susan but doesn’t manage to do so. The command blocked all outgoing transmissions to ensure the secrecy and success of the attack. All of the firearms are switched to armed status. They are going to jump from the other side, attacking the madman and his robots with heavy fire.
The hole opens up before them. Huge and dark. Gaping darkness in the middle of a sunny day.
The order is given.
Five thousand armed and loaded interceptors dive into the blackness.
He leaps outward, into the dark night of the South, and reaches out his hand to the firing button. His interceptor rocks with an intense shock. All the sensors are screeching. Something wasn’t right. He was hit by enemy fire! Louie is shocked. How could he have been hit? They were supposed to surprise the madman’s army. He sends a message to Susan, but there is no point. The transmission has been disrupted by the madman’s forces.
The interceptor drops quickly toward the ground, and Louie recognizes the area.
He is going to crash in his birthplace.
He activates the ejection chair and leaps out. The air is full of flaming interceptors and the suits of fleeing pilots. He tries again to transmit to Susan. No answer. Transmissions are still blocked.
The madman won the decisive battle, thinks Louie. Thessaloniki was lost.