Savant ; Rising

by Hatchett

  “How the hell is this happening?” Kinaejah demanded. “We were winning and all of a sudden we’re losing. This can’t be happening.”

  “I don’t know,” Thaejah admitted. “It looks like the problem we had hasn’t been fixed after all.”

  “No shit?” Kinaejah replied sarcastically.

  “Well, the humans have tried their best,” Thaejah pointed out, “but it won’t be anywhere near good enough when the other Battlecruisers arrive.”

  “How long?”

  “Another hour, give or take.”

  “An hour?!” Kinaejah exclaimed. “We could be dead on the ground in another hour.”

  “Maybe, but there won’t be much left of them either for our cavalry to mop up.”

  Kinaejah thought about it and smiled. Yes, he had lost a lot of craft and Stormtroopers, but he could live with that, knowing that he had killed off the human resistance once and for all. He would torture and kill all those who had been involved in this fight, and he would turn the rest of them into nothing but cattle. He would enjoy every single minute of it.

  “Good idea moving the Mothership,” Thaejah opined. You never know what damage those weapons might have caused.”

  “Not just a pretty face,” Kinaejah grinned.

  ‘Not even that’ Thaejah thought to himself.

  In a way, Thaejah was a bit disappointed that the humans hadn’t managed to win. He’d have liked nothing better than for Kinaejah to get his comeuppance, providing, of course, he personally was left unscathed. He would’ve been more than willing to come to some mutually beneficial understanding with the humans. He had enjoyed living in one of the host bodies down on the ground and experiencing their way of life, the cars, the drinks, the drugs, the women…Ah, never mind…although he might be able to work something out along those lines when this was all over.

  75

  The two shuttles slowed as they approached the outer skin of the Mothership.

  They all knew what to expect and knew exactly how everything worked on the Mothership thanks to another ‘movie’ displayed by Bishop onto the TV screen after taking the images from Joshua’s mind. Whilst Bishop’s movie process was nothing new to the people at The Manor, seeing the inside of the Mothership and how it worked was fascinating, and the hardened American Special Ops soldiers had been totally blown away by it all.

  The skin peeled back, and the two shuttles drifted into the massive hanger on levels 57/58. The hangar was almost deserted with all the Battlecruisers back down on Earth, but there were still thousands of drones and a number of shuttles suspended in the air and the odd Laakuu dressed in white drifting around the craft like doctors in a hospital.

  “I wonder why they didn’t use the drones?” Steve said aloud.

  “Because that arrogant fuck Mason probably thought his beloved Battlecruisers were all that was needed,” Joshua spat.

  ‘No love lost there then’, Harry thought to himself.

  “What is it with you and Mason?” Harry asked innocently.

  “We don’t have the time,” Joshua replied, effectively ending the conversation.

  The two shuttles decloaked and came to a stop, hanging suspended above the hangar floor. A door to one side opened and a ramp morphed across to the nearest walkway.

  “What about the Laakuu? Won’t they raise the alarm?” Karen asked.

  “Probably, but why do you think we have the Americans along with us?” Harry replied.

  Jess hurried to the box at the front of the shuttle and removed Bishop. Holding the AI carefully, she followed the others out of the shuttle onto the ramp. As she did so, she closed her eyes and linked into the ship’s main AI unit. With some persuasion and help from Bishop and Data, the unit did as requested, and recalled all remaining Battlecruisers from down below and switched off all communications channels, except the ones used by the AI units.

  The second shuttle was right next to them and the Special Ops soldiers were also disembarking, weapons drawn and ready to respond to any threat.

  Jess nodded to the leader and he spoke to four of his men and told them that they would be guarding the shuttles.

  Once they were all together, Joshua reminded them what they needed to do, and led by Jess and Joshua, they glided towards the nearest transfer hub, gradually speeding up for the brief journey. It was a new experience for all of them, unlike anything they had felt before. Some of the group likened it to surfing or skateboarding except they didn’t have to use any muscles or struggle for balance. It was just the power of the brain. Surreal.

  “We need to be quick,” Jess stressed as they moved along at speed, “just in case the alarm is raised.”

  “I think everyone is focused on what’s happening down below,” Joshua replied. “Don’t forget, I’ve got somewhere I need to go.”

  “I remember. And you remember that if you double-cross us, you will die.”

  “I know, but there are far more important things that your threats,” Joshua responded, quickening the pace towards the transfer hub even more.

  They slowed down as they neared their destination, and once there, Joshua reminded Jess that they needed to go up to the Elder’s floor on level 4 before he stepped into the elevator car and instantly disappeared.

  “Where is he going?” Harry asked.

  “Don’t worry,” Jess said. “He has something he needs to do. Are we all ready?”

  There were nods all around and they started walking into the elevator car and disappearing, more than a few crossing themselves before taking the last step.

  76

  Sam, Pete and Jimmy had struggled to cross the river. All bridges had been destroyed and trying to find a spare boat or a boat with any space to enable them to cross was almost impossible. That delay almost certainly saved their lives.

  Eventually, a couple of the river taxis that had been commandeered had turned around and come back for more people once it had dropped off its passengers on the North bank.

  As they’d crossed the river, they listened to the chatter on the radio and had a perfect view of the Battlecruisers entering the Earth’s atmosphere and dropping down to Earth.

  They witnessed at close hand the Battlecruisers shooting their deadly energy bolts, followed by number of them dropping like bricks and exploding when they landed.

  By the time Sam, Pete and Jimmy managed to get to the North bank and scramble further North to where all the fighting was happening, there had been three rounds of EMP shots, and the number of Battlecruisers left in the sky was dwindling. This made it more difficult to hit those that were left.

  It was clear that the outcome of the battle was in the balance, although there was some loud cheers when they heard that the pyramid had been breached.

  When they finally reached Hyde Park corner, Pete fired his EMP at a Battlecruiser just coming from the direction of Oxford Street, and Sam followed it up with an RPG. The Battlecruiser stalled after being hit by the EMP and blew up in mid-air when the RPG hit it. Pieces of the craft were scattered in all directions and fell burning to earth.

  From their cover, they could see that the whole area, including Hyde Park was one big mass of wrecked debris, craters, fires and smoke. A lot of smoke.

  Pete waited until the EMP was recharged, then tried to find another target. Jimmy spotted a Battlecruiser a couple of hundred metres away near Knightsbridge but coming in their direction. Pete took careful aim but was surprised when the Battlecruiser suddenly arrowed straight up into the air.

  “What the hell?” Pete said, through gritted teeth as he tried to keep his aim on the craft before giving up and lowering the weapon.

  He, Sam and Jimmy continued to watch their target as it continued climbing, wondering what was going on.

  “More are going up,” Jimmy pointed out, and a quick look showed them scores of other Battlecruisers headed straight up.

  “What are they doing?” Pete asked no one in particular.

  “Retreating?” Jimmy suggested.

&
nbsp; “Possibly, but I’m not sure they’d give up just like that. Maybe they’re regrouping before attacking again. Maybe they will come from a different direction or come in from behind us.”

  “So, what do we do?” Jimmy asked, clearly getting worried.

  “We find better cover, reload, recharge and be ready, and pass it on to everyone else.”

  77

  Kinaejah and Thaejah continued to watch the battle on their screens when all of a sudden, all the Battlecruisers pointed towards the sky and headed back towards the Mothership.

  “What now?” Kinaejah asked. “Have you given them an order to return? I didn’t give that order. I want them to stay there and keep fighting.”

  “I haven’t done anything,” Thaejah responded.

  Both Kinaejah and Thaejah both started flicking through their screens when they suddenly all went blank and disappeared.

  “What the fuck is happening?” Kinaejah screamed, turning to stare at Thaejah.

  Thaejah was equally bewildered. He was shaking his head, wondering what could have happened when the doors suddenly morphed open and a large group of armed humans burst into the room, firing tasers and bullets at the Laakuu guards and killing them before they had a chance to use their rods.

  When the American soldiers were sure there were just the two robed Laakuu left, they kept their weapons aimed at the two figures and slowly stepped aside to form an aisle.

  Jess walked slowly down the aisle, still holding Bishop in her hands. She was followed by Harry and the rest of their smaller group, marvelling at the room and the view into space.

  Kinaejah and Thaejah watched the soldiers carefully, registering the fact that their weapons were pointing in their direction.

  Kinaejah and Thaejah turned their gaze to the young woman walking towards them, holding what appeared to be one of their AI units in her hands. They had no idea who she was or what she was doing. She stopped a few metres away and looked at them both in turn, a slight smile on her face. There was something unnerving about her and their bodies suddenly felt uncomfortable, especially their heads where it felt like they had ants running all over their scalps.

  “My name is Jess,” the young woman announced.

  “Am I supposed to know you?” Kinaejah snapped with a frown. “What is going on?”

  “Well, you should know me, Mason. You’ve been trying to track me down for years.”

  “You’re that girl?” Kinaejah said, and even Thaejah sat up straighter with a concerned look on his face. “But you don’t look anything like your picture,” Kinaejah added. “And by the way, my name is now Kinaejah, not Mason.”

  “I’m better now, thanks for asking, Mason…er Kinaejah.”

  “I would ask you how you got here, but I can see the answer is sitting in your hands.”

  “Ah, you mean Bishop,” Jess replied, looking down at the orb briefly. “He’s a good friend of mine.”

  Kinaejah laughed.

  “It’s an AI unit for fuck’s sake, but I would be interested to know how you managed to override it. Before I kill you.”

  “I just asked Bishop nicely,” Jess explained, “and don’t make threats you can’t keep.”

  Kinaejah laughed louder, muttering under his breath. Suddenly the smile left his face and his body went slack, his head lolling down onto his chest.

  During the banter, Jess had been watching and reading Kinaejah very carefully. She knew of his reputation and had been warned repeatedly by Joshua what he was capable of.

  “Harry!” Jess shouted, and suddenly Matt shocked Harry from behind with one of the hand-held stun guns that each of them carried.

  Harry slumped to his knees and Matt and Karen quickly helped him back up.

  Jess watched as Kinaejah’s slumped form reanimated and he looked up and stared at her in fury. He had jumped into Harry’s body, hoping to take the humans by surprise, but had been immediately ejected and forced back into his own body.

  Thaejah was looking thoroughly confused, not sure what had happened or what was happening.

  “Do that again and I will be forced to kill your Laakuu body while your essence isn’t there,” Jess threatened. “Then you would have nowhere to go and would die like so many others of your species.”

  Outwardly, Jess seemed totally unperturbed by this turn of events, but inside she was concerned. They had all been told by Joshua that this was a tactic that Kinaejah was likely to use and had prepared accordingly, but it was still a shock for it to actually happen. It was one thing being told something unbelievable could happen, but another seeing it in practice.

  Harry coughed and shook his head as if trying to get something out of it, like having a bad taste in the mouth and trying to spit it away.

  “Not a pleasant experience,” he muttered, shaking his head slowly, trying to get back to normal.

  Kinaejah looked at Harry and sneered.

  “A lot of this is your fault, Harry,” he said.

  By transferring his essence to Harry’s body, he instantly knew who he was and all about him. Then he turned towards Jess.

  “But I know you’re responsible for the majority of it, right from the very start.”

  Jess smiled.

  “How did you know I switched and who I switched to?”

  “I read your mind,” Jess said, matter of factly. “I knew exactly what you were going to do before you did it.”

  Kinaejah laughed, shaking his head as if it was one big joke, but the first seeds of doubt began to show.

  “I should’ve listened to Joshua when he first came to me,” Kinaejah mooted. “Where is that traitor, by the way?”

  “Funny you should say that,” came an unknown voice from behind them. A tall Laakuu figure and Joshua walked down the aisle towards Jess, who was the only one in the room who didn’t seem surprised to see them. The Laakuu looked the spitting image of Kinaejah and stood well above everyone’s head at seven and a half feet tall.

  Joshua was looking very pale and disorientated and appeared to have been sick a few times during the past few minutes judging by the state of his shirt. After over ten years as a virtual prisoner in his own body, his mental health wasn’t in the best shape. Whenever she’d had spare time over the past three years, Jess had insisted that the Laakuu inside Joshua release its mental grip and allow her to speak to the real Joshua underneath. At least she had managed to bring the real Joshua back from the brink of complete madness, but his recuperation going forward would be long and hard.

  The Laakuu, by comparison, looked strong, fit and healthy.

  “Hello…brother!” the Laakuu said, staring hard at Kinaejah.

  Kinaejah’s eyes widened as he recognised the Laakuu in front of him.

  “B-B-But I thought…” Kinaejah began.

  “You thought I was Joshua,” the Laakuu interrupted, looking at the struggling human next to him. “Well, I was and now I’m not.”

  “Can you help Joshua?” Jess asked Matt and Karen, and they quickly moved across to help him.

  “Can someone explain to me what is going on?” Harry asked. “I’m confused.”

  Jess looked to Harry. She hadn’t told Harry what Joshua had been planning.

  “The Laakuu in control of Joshua asked me if he could get his own body back, and I agreed,” Jess explained. “That’s where he disappeared off to. So, this is the real human Joshua,” she said pointing to the struggling human, “and this Laakuu is the alien Joshua.”

  “My real name is Samaejah, and I am the twin brother of Kinaejah,” the Laakuu confirmed for everyone’s benefit, drawing looks of amazement from most of those present.

  “Now things are beginning to make sense,” Harry muttered.

  “I am the older twin by just a few minutes, and as such, I am the heir and natural successor to my father, Elijah. It is my birth right,” Samaejah continued.

  “Bloody Hell, we’ve been in the midst of royalty all this time,” Jason whispered loud enough for most to hear, and even drew a smal
l grin from Samaejah.

  “He’s right!” Thaejah shouted, sensing the power shift happening right in front of him.

  He earned himself a withering glare from Kinaejah, but studiously ignored him.

  “Then, you should take your rightful place,” Jess suggested.

  Samaejah slowly approached Kinaejah and removed the golden amulet from around his neck.

  Kinaejah made no effort to stop him, although he had a look of absolute hatred on his face. He would’ve resisted but found that he couldn’t move a muscle. He looked towards Jess and saw her smiling. Then he heard in his mind ‘do as you’re told, there’s a good boy’. He would have screamed if he had been able to.

  Thaejah leapt up from his seat to take the amulet from Samaejah’s hands, then ceremoniously put it over Samaejah’s head and bowed.

  “What did you do to our father?” Samaejah asked, suspecting he already knew the answer to the question.

  “He spaced him,” Thaejah answered, pointing an accusing finger at Kinaejah.

  Kinaejah would have gleefully admitted it if he had been able to speak.

  “Then I suggest the same punishment should befall the offender,” Samaejah said slowly, a smile forming on his face.

  Samaejah turned to Thaejah.

  “Would you like to do the honours?” he asked.

  Thaejah simply nodded and tried to conjure a screen, but nothing happened.

  Samaejah looked towards Jess questioningly.

  Jess looked down at Bishop for a few seconds then looked back up to Samaejah.

  “Are you sure?” she asked. “He is your brother.”

  “It is necessary,” Samaejah replied, “and it is also customary.”

  Jess nodded, and Samaejah gave Thaejah the go ahead.

  Thaejah conjured a screen, flicked through some menus and created a blue cuboid against the outer skin.

  Samaejah pulled his brother from his seat and glided him into the cube, before retreating.

  Thaejah stepped forward.

  “Any last words?” he asked sarcastically.

  Kinaejah was still prevented from doing anything by Jess, so he couldn’t say a word. But inside, he was screaming silently.