Through the Singularity

by L. Frank Wadsworth

  “How's your home, bitch?” the priestess calls out to Zaleria.

  Zaleria doesn't rise to the bait but begins systematically degrading its armor while Achi comes at it from the side. They are able to fire in sync, timing their rounds to hit nearly simultaneously to have maximum effect.

  “You! I will destroy your kind. You have no idea what is coming!”

  Achi fires his last remaining antimatter charge, which strips away its head piece. It fires several antimatter charges of its own at Zaleria and charges her. She must give way to prevent being destroyed, and the being cackles as she runs past. “You will never be able to save them all, but it will be fun watching you try. They will all die; the galanen will fail!”

  The galan that had remained functional, now lying in a pool of his own blood, rolls over as the priestess runs by, heedless of him because it can't sense him. He fires a burst of hypervelocity rounds through its skull, and watches as it drops to its knees, before he collapses back on the ground. Soon, the thrumming of a thermal oscillator begins to ramp up as its failsafe activates. Zaleria grabs the fallen galan and drags him around the corner, just as the creature is consumed by the brilliant light. Achi moves over to see who it is. But when he finds out, he is crushed.

  It's Clive, and he is seriously hurt. “What the hell are you doing here?” Achi demands.

  “K… ke… killing bad guys,” he spits out, coughing up bright red, frothy blood. “Seems la… low tech sa… saved the day.”

  Achi pulls out a med-kit and gets to work, afraid it won't be enough. He hesitates for a moment and also pulls out a vial of his specialty defensive symbiots, slamming it into his chest.

  Clive cries out. “Aaaah. Wa's.” He coughs up more blood. “What's that?”

  “Something stronger than the med-kit. It's the best we've got; maybe it'll help.”

  “I…“ He coughs some more, “Don't think it'll be enough. It's bad.”

  “Shh. Don't talk like that. We're here now,” Zaleria tells him.

  Achi looks at her, grief covering his face. He knows Clive is right. They won't be able to save him. She looks back at him, recognizing the truth. Shrapnel tore through his chest and shredded his lungs. He's already lost too much blood; Even if he were fully galan, he'd probably expire. Being human, he hasn't a chance.

  Clive looks at him, eyes starting to get glassy, his coughing becoming more frequent as his lungs fill up with blood. “My. Choice,” he manages to say before slipping into unconsciousness. The remaining galan assemble and keep vigil, hoping against hope the symbiots from the med kit and Achi's special batch will help, but his breathing becomes increasingly shallow and rapid, and after several minutes, ceases. He is dead.

  Beltare looks upon her friend and faces, for the first time, what mortality really means. Tears form in her eyes and roll down her face. Zaleria, perhaps somewhat numb to death from her bond with Achi, regards the scene stoically, anger simmering deep inside. There is too much to do right now; she and Achi will grieve later.

  Achi stands and regards his son. There is nothing more he can do for him. “We tried to keep him from this fight. Yet, if he were not here, one of those things would have escaped to wreak untold damage upon Earth. He wanted to make his contribution, and he died for his people, for humanity. Let's make sure we're thorough. I do not want him to have died in vain. We're not done here yet; the iéreies are gone, but where is Ashtoreth?”

  They regroup with the remainder of the assault squad—Cloufen and five others. That is all that made it through. They quickly tend to their wounds, fix or replace damaged gear, and replenish supplies from the fallen. Fandtha calls down reinforcements, who bring survey gear and advanced sensors, as well as a few heavier weapons. They begin tearing the structure apart, while others begin evacuating the casualties. Achi takes Clive's body outside and covers it with a cloak.

  Cloufen comes over, tears in her rose-colored eyes. “If he had not acted when he did, I would have been destroyed. But I would have come back. Why would he do that?”

  “He did it for humanity, not for you. He couldn’t risk that creature escaping. We have to end this now. He knew that and risked himself to save what is left of humanity.”

  “What do you want us to do with his body?” She asks. Still heartbroken.

  “Leave him here. I'll bury him per human custom, as he would wish,” he says. Zaleria squeezes his hand. “We've more to do here,” she whispers.

  “Aha!” Fandtha exclaims. “We missed a passage! There is another level. It appears small. It is through here.”

  The door is a stone slab without a visible means of control. Fandtha sends out some sentinel units that track down the locking mechanism. It is mechanical, of all things. They queue up several remotes and take up defensive positions before tripping the latch. The door opens, and the remotes enter. They begin sending back data. It appears to be the control hub. It is teeming with alien remotes, from nanomachines up to galan-sized remotes. Opening the door was like kicking a hornet’s nest, as all of these begin streaming out. What happens next is difficult to describe, as the galanen were prepared for this eventuality. They set off a series of energy singularities that project intense electromagnetic and particle radiation through the doorway, searing everything in its path. It happens quickly, with a sound and visual effect that overwhelms their senses, even when hiding behind solid stone walls with their graviton shields providing maximum protection. It is as if the gates of hell momentarily open and then close, leaving nothing but silence. Achi risks a look, as there are no remotes left to provide a data feed—having all been consumed in the onslaught. There is nothing but smoldering ash that he can see. Fandtha takes point and slowly, cautiously enters the chamber. The others follow.

  Its interior is roughly circular in shape, with nine smaller chambers off to the sides. These still have active remotes, but not very capable and easily eliminated. They appear to house growth chambers for the key members of Sklávoi Ashtoreth. One for each of the eight iéreies, which leaves one extra for…who? They take their time, pick through each of the chambers on either side of the entrance, slowly working their way toward the back. In the center are the remains of the control center, literally fried by the galanen energy discharge. There are four iéreies being reformed in the side chambers, the ones they managed to destroy before, and it sounds like the machinery is already beginning to work on the four taken out today.

  They finally enter the last chamber, which is different from the others. It is directly behind the central console opposite the door, resulting in a direct hit from the energy discharge, but the chamber that is within is much more massive than the others, its purpose unclear. “This unit is still active. If I'm reading this right, it's, er, occupied,” Fandtha shares, concern in his voice. The rest of the squad immediately take up defensive positions.

  “It's Gravis' shell,” Zaleria informs the group. “I can feel its symbiots. It's in bad shape. Be careful.”

  They all feel its presence then, as if it is waking after a long slumber. It’s disoriented. It tries to connect with them but can't get past their security. Finally, a small, tinny speaker comes to life, and a voice in a primitive dialect of Greek asks, “Who's there? Is anybody there? What is going on?” It pauses, suspicious. “I can sense you there. You must leave; the others, they will destroy you, or worse…if they find you here.”

  They all look at each other, confused. “It doesn't seem to know what has happened, or is it some kind of cleaver ruse?” Zaleria wonders.

  “Please! Share with me! I can feel you out there. Is this a new game? A new torment?”

  “Let me speak with him. He has no reason to know me, and perhaps we can find out what is going on,” Cloufen offers.

  Zaleria looks like she might object, but Beltare cuts her off. “She makes sense.”

  Achi agrees. It's unlikely Gravis would know much, if anything, about Cloufen, but he'd know the others—and Achi through his bond with Zaleria.

  �
�Who are you?” Cloufen asks, also using Greek.

  “Why should I answer that? You came here. Shouldn't you tell me who you are?”

  She shrugs her shoulders as if to say where is the harm. “My name is Cloufen. To whom am I speaking?” She says in the nearly unused galanen spoken language.

  “Galanen? After all this time, it cannot be?! Who are you?! Stop playing games!!”

  “I have given you my name. I am galan. Who are you?” Cloufen asks, firmly.

  “I am, I am…” It trails off. “I don't really know anymore.” It sounds puzzled, thinking. “I used to have a name. I used to have a life, but so much is missing, and I don't know what is real anymore.” It pauses for a moment, perhaps thinking. “Gravis. I am Gravis. I am galan. Please, share with me!” he pleads, again. “Why won't you share with me? Why did you never come?! Why didn't you stop the others?!!” It is getting angry.

  “I am puzzled by this, er, behavior. It doesn't sound like it knows what it is. Nor does it sound as, eh, irrational as I expected it would. It may be a ruse. We should be, uh, very careful,” Fandtha shares.

  “Nine. There are only nine alcoves. If this is Gravis, where is Ashtoreth?” Beltare asks. “Something is very wrong here, or we have an enemy still on the loose.”

  “See what it knows,” Achi and Zaleria share at the same moment, making the others smile.

  “Can you two take turns or something?” Beltare says, with mock sternness.

  “How did you come to be here? The last the collective knew, you were destroyed. If you'd regenerated, why didn't you reach out?” Cloufen asks.

  “Because they wouldn't let me!” Gravis shouts. “They found my body, helped me heal, but infested me with their…their filthy essence. They made me linger but never let me communicate! If you truly are galan, help me!!”

  “What do you mean they never let you communicate?” Cloufen asks.

  “Aaargh!” He cries out in frustration. “So many questions! Just share with me, and I can show you everything!!” He pauses. “I'm sorry. It's just, I've been their captive for an eternity. I haven't shared with another galan in so long, so long… I probably shouldn't share everything. It's too much, too much…” It trails off, growing silent. Just when they think it won't speak again, it says in a weary voice, “They prevent my comms implant from regenerating. In fact, I usually can't do anything. I stay frozen in my body. I'm their puppet, their plaything. I don't know what has happened. Are you playing with me?!!”

  “No. We came here to destroy Sklávoi Ashtoreth,” Cloufen explains. “We have killed all the iéreies, but we have not found Ashtoreth. What do you know of these beings?”

  “It, it can't be! Dead, you say? They can't be killed; they're just like us!! They'll regenerate!”

  “Their regeneration chambers appear to be right here, and they are under our control now,” Cloufen says.

  “Why haven't they destroyed this place?” It muses to itself. “Perhaps then, I would finally find peace, to finally be destroyed as I should have been ages ago.” It grows silent.

  Zaleria looks at the others. “I can't believe what I'm hearing! Let us destroy this thing and be done with it! It is not my father; it is a shell. It's trying to trick us!”

  Fandtha returns her gaze, grief on his face. “This has to be, uh, very hard on you. But I am concerned that would be rash. We need to be sure this is in fact a shell.”

  “Of course it is a shell!!” Zaleria projects forcefully. “If it wasn't, then my father must have been a shell, but he wasn't. You knew him!! Did he appear insane to you? They always go insane! Isn't that what happens?”

  “Not precisely. They almost always go insane. That means under the right circumstance, they could remain sane.”

  “Don't mince words. Speak plainly. Under what circumstances has a shell not become wholly evil?! If you suspect something, share it!” Zaleria is becoming enraged; Achi can feel it. He is trying to sooth her, asking her to be patient for a few more moments. Reminding her Fandtha is not an enemy. She closes her eyes, stills her labored breathing. “Fandtha, the rest of you. Forgive me. This touches so close to my heart, and I'm concerned for my mother. This…isn't what any of us expected.”

  “Don't worry,” Fandtha soothes. “We are your friends. We, uh, understand. But to answer your question, just as with you and Achi's fully aware symbiots—yes, I've, ah, suspected for a long time you were hiding that from us—a shell could remain sane if it were, uh, connected to a galan. That person could act as an, ah, anchor for their psyche, maintaining stability.”

  They are all quiet for a long time. Finally, Zaleria ventures, “You're serious about this, aren't you?”

  Fandtha nods, “I'm sorry. I think we must consider the option. I don't know what to do about it.”

  “Are you still here?” the thing that might be Gravis asks. “Are you going to let me out? If not, please destroy me; don't leave me here with them!!”

  “We are still here. My name is Beltare. I lead this cohort. We are looking for Ashtoreth. Until we find her, or him, or it, we don't feel it is safe to let you out.”

  “Ashtoreth.” It spits out the name. “Ashtoreth is in my head, constantly. But not now. What has happened to her? Where has she gone? She makes me do things. Things I don't want to do. It makes her happy to see me suffer. It gives her pleasure. It, it is disgusting. Beltare, you say. I've heard your name before, but I don't know why. I think she was playing games with you. I try to not watch, but I can't. I can't not watch. Hmmm. Her symbiots are still within me, but her essence is not directing them. If only I could remove them.”

  “If any of its symbiots are here, they should be eliminated. Does anyone disagree? We can safeguard any galan symbiots coded to Gravis,” Achi offers.

  They look at each other. Zaleria nods, as does Fandtha. Cloufen shrugs. “Do it,” Beltare commands, causing Achi to wrinkle his nose. “Please,” she amends.

  Fandtha examines the sarcophagus and finds several service ports that should allow Achi to introduce the symbiots. When he is sure it'll work, Achi nods his head.

  “We can inject you with galan modified nanites that can eliminate all foreign symbiots from your body. Are you okay with this?” Beltare asks.

  “You, you're serious, aren't you? Do it! Please, do it! Oh please, don't be a trick!!”

  Achi reaches into the sarcophagus and injects a vial of symbiots into the creature within. They begin to get a readout. The creature is indeed a galan or human male. DNA is a match for Gravis. He is teaming with alien symbiots, as well as a small population of galan symbiots. Too small to provide full capabilities to Gravis—just enough to leave him some memories; probably just enough to torment him. The cruelty he has endured becomes more obvious as the new nanites swarm through his system, clearing out the invaders. He has suffered a lot of physical damage over the years that has not been fully healed. His body has been nearly destroyed by the energy recently dumped into this chamber by the galan. A lot of it got through the protection offered by the pod he is within. It can be repaired. Achi reaches in, and injects another vial, this one holding nanites better suited to repairing his body.

  Zaleria walks back to the center of the main chamber and examines the control console. It seems to have been a massive computing and communications cluster before they completely fried it with their initial assault into this chamber. Any micro or nanocomponents within it have surely been disintegrated. “Fandtha, what do you make of this?”

  He looks at her, raises an eyebrow, and walks over. Cloufen, glancing once over her shoulder at Achi and Beltare still keeping an eye on the sole living thing in these chambers, follows.

  “I'm not sure. It clearly played a central role—probably communications, maybe advanced processing and data storage? It seems excessively large, though. If this were all quantum computing, it would have been incredibly sophisticated. We avoid that level of complexity, because…” He pauses and looks at her. “Because it would probably become self-aware. Are y
ou thinking…”

  “This might have been Ashtoreth. Are we sure it’s dead?”

  Cloufen kneels and releases a load of sentinel machines from her pack. “We can find out.”

  Zaleria, love, you must make a decision.

  I know/don't want to/can't face it/her. But there is little we can do. She will have to be told. I, I can't do it.

  Who else would you want her to hear it from? We must be strong, for her.

  Suddenly, Zaleria feels a face press into her back, lithe arms wrapping themselves around her. It is Beltare. “I know what you are thinking. Have Toshi escort her down. She should not be alone, and we will have to do all we can to help her through this, and to protect her.”

  “Elder Toshideor, my mother will have grave need of you. Please escort her to the surface,” Zaleria requests, while passing him their location. “Mother.”

  “What is the matter; what has happened?” Traemuña almost immediately responds.

  “We have found Gravis. It, it is not as we expected. You should be here. Toshi will escort you to us.”

  “I have not been able to locate Clive,” she says, worried.

  “He is accounted for,” Achi says.

  “Is he okay?” Traemuña asks.

  “He, he wanted to make his contribution, and he did—prevented the last iéreie from escaping. But he paid with his life. There was nothing we could do.”

  “I am so sorry. I should have known. Stopped him.”

  “Thank you. He made his choice. We must now honor it.”

  “I'll be there shortly. I am glad you and Zaleria are there.”

  It only takes about 15 minutes for her to land and make her way down to the final chamber. She embraces Zaleria, and then Achi. “I passed Clive's body on the way in. I don't know what to say. I'm so sorry.”