The Live Soldier Trilogy Box Set

by Liam Clay

  “I know, I know. It's just weird being back here, is all.”

  But this is the wrong thing to say. Crossing her arms, she glowers at me with her mother's eyes.

  “I knew it! You wish you were still out having adventures, don't you?”

  “Not at all.” I say mildly. “I keep misplacing body parts whenever I go abroad.”

  I would never tell Sophie this, but I find her irritation highly endearing. If only I hadn't been so eager to play the hero, I could have been pissing my daughter off in peace all this time.

  “Pshaw.” Sophie says, unimpressed by my losses. “What do an arm and an eye matter when we're all about to become digital beings?”

  “Only if we can persuade your mom to put her faith in the Architect.” I remind her. “Which might be a hard sell, considering the woman tried to poison her.”

  “That was never officially confirmed. And Mom doesn't have to believe the Architect. All she has to do is use her eyes.”

  On cue, we both crane our necks upward. The black hole is visible in the daytime sky now. Its core is as big as the sun, and the halo it casts is three times as large. Looking at it makes me dizzy though, and I glance quickly away.

  Back on earth, a lone figure is walking toward us along the wall. The Medgician is clad in the same multi-pocketed jumpsuit she wore the first time I saw her, that night in the desert outside Worldpool. According to Sophie (who has turned into quite the intelligence gatherer) Rajani survived the attack on Medival, and made her way here in the aftermath. She pledged her services to Kalana, and was instrumental in preparing the Hive's defenses. What I don't know though, is why she offered her help in the first place. Thankfully, her opening line clears that mystery right up.

  “Anex, you denied me my revenge on the Architect. I was all set to destroy her army, and then you went and brokered a ceasefire.”

  “Revenge for what, sacking Medival? But I thought you hated your hometown.”

  “I did. But that doesn’t mean I wanted to see it destroyed.”

  Of all the bad things I've done in my life, this one doesn't rank anywhere near the top. So my response is somewhat sarcastic.

  “I was keen on getting some payback too, you know. Sadly, facts got in the way. Is it time?”

  “Yes. Come with me.”

  “Give me a minute.” I turn to Sophie. “Honey, I have to go with the Medgician now.”

  She rolls her eyes. “Well obviously. She's going to give you a new retcom.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Everyone knows that. Or at least, everyone who's anyone.”

  “Does that mean you're anyone?”

  “I'm the first minister's daughter. Of course I'm anyone. Or someone, I should say.”

  “Someone pretty conceited, by the sounds of it.”

  “Oh please. You're about to have your only eye popped out just so you can be famous again. Now that's conceited.”

  “But I'm doing it to save millions of lives!”

  “Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let's just go. We don’t want to keep everyone waiting.”

  “What do you mean, we?”

  “We.” She says again, slower and louder this time. “It's a fairly common word, meaning you and me.”

  “No way. I'm not letting a nine year old girl watch her father get surgery.”

  “I'm not going to actually watch, you idiot - just wait outside.”

  “Oh. I guess that's okay then.”

  “As if you could stop me.”

  “I thought kids weren't supposed to start lipping their parents off until they were teenagers.”

  “Yeah well, I’m never going to be a teenager - or not on this planet anyway - so I figured I'd give it a try now. But you’re just dawdling.” She looks up at the Medgician. “My apologies. Dad is a bit slow sometimes.”

  The Rajani I used to know never cracked a smile. But this one laughs out loud.

  “He is indeed. Remind me to tell you about the time he got us all captured by the Gravs. I've never seen anyone get beaten up so quickly.”

  “I like her now.” Sophie whispers to me.

  “Fantastic.” I reply grumpily. “Now let's go get Daddy a new eye.”

  .

  The Medgician's operating room is beyond pristine, and well stocked with items of a doctorly nature. It is also well stocked with people. Sophie, at least, has been induced to wait outside. But Kalana is here, as are Tikal and Peace, and none other than my old tech Ethan, freshly rescued from the ruins of Opacity. (Shion is alive too, but he’s still on the mainland leading the rescue effort there.)

  The Medgician is about to begin when the Architect enters the room. I look over at Kalana.

  “Does this mean...”

  She nods. “As of this afternoon, my government is officially endorsing the Null version of events. That is why I gave Rajani permission to proceed with this surgery.”

  “And the Mindrack?”

  “Will come next. But first, we have to tell the world the truth. And for that, we need the Live Soldier back.”

  Letting my head drop against the operating table, I say, “Let's get gouging then.”

  My ex rests a hand on my good shoulder.

  “Thank you for doing this, Anex. And now I will leave you with your friends.”

  “Don't feel like watching me go under the knife, huh?”

  She smiles faintly. “That may have something to do with it. But mostly, I want to be with Sophie. Our daughter has been putting on a tough act, but she was never the same after you went dark. It’s only now that she’s coming back to life. But she’s worried about this surgery, and will need a hand to hold.”

  “I understand. And I'm sorry for leaving her. If I had it to do over again, I would never have left.”

  She searches my face. “I know you wouldn't. You're a changed man, Anex.”

  “And it only took the end of the world to do it.”

  She pats my arm, and then takes her leave. Moments later, Tikal replaces her.

  “You ready to go live again, soldier?”

  “Ready as I'll ever be.”

  She takes my hand as the Medgician approaches with one last anesthesia mask.

  “They tell me you really like these things.” She says innocently.

  “I would be happier about you growing a sense of humor if you didn't keep using it against me.”

  The Medgician shrugs, and then gestures for Ethan to approach the table.

  “Don't worry, Anex.” He says. “Once your new retcom goes in, I will have your feed back up in no time.”

  “Thanks man. Hey, did you end up getting your brewery / blacksmithy thing off the ground?”

  “Sure did! It was all going great until the Architect here shot a laser straight through it.” He leans closer. “Are you sure this woman is legit? I mean, an artificial black hole would mean we're talking about aliens.”

  “I've been trying not to think about that part. But yes, she's legit.”

  He whistles. “Wow. That is so fucked up. Anyway, we'll be waiting for you on the other side. Goodnight, Anex.”

  He steps back. Rajani fixes the mask over by mouth, and I fade out to the sight of Tikal's face.

  CHAPTER 34

  Hello (statistically unknown percentage of the) world! If you're new to this party, I suggest that you listen up anyway, because this shit will save your life.

  The world is ending. There, I said it. And if you don't believe me, just look at the sky. That thing up there is a black hole, artificially created by parties unknown. And it's headed this way. In a few weeks, it will eat the earth for lunch and that will be that.

  But wait, I can hear you saying. The Live Soldier goes missing for months, and then he shows up again spouting this apocalypse crap? And didn't we kind of already have one of those? What's the deal?

  The deal is that I got my arm chopped off. The deal is that I got enslaved. The deal is that I've been busy, okay? And as for the other thing... yes, we've all been li
ving in the middle stages of a slow slide toward extinction. But as we all know, there are apocalypses and then there are apocalypses. And this new one is no gradual decline accompanied by dystopian antics. It’s just lights out.

  So yeah, it's pretty depressing. But there’s some good news too! We have a plan to save humanity. And by humanity I mean you - all of you. Intrigued? I thought you might be. But showing is better than telling, so let's get to it. I am standing in a paved square outside a dilapidated concrete building. Eight doors grace its eight faces. Amy and Balthazar are at my side. The Queenfisher's arm is in a sling, but she looks hale and healthy for all that.

  Amy will look much different than you remember. When last you saw her, she was just a girl - physically at least. But now she is a young woman. A woman who looks almost as scared as I feel.

  “Are sure about this?” She asks me. “Kalana's people have already done most of the work. Our involvement is just ceremonial.”

  “I know. But ceremony matters, sometimes. Plus I think it will be good for us. Bring closure, and all that.”

  “I agree.” Balthazar says. “Just take your time, and I'll be waiting with a bottle of bubbly when you come back up.”

  Amy seems to take strength from her lover's words.

  “After you.” She says, gesturing to the building.

  We start forward. One of the doors gives way under my crowbar, swinging open to reveal a dim space paved with black and white tiles. I step inside. Amy is right behind me. She stops to look around, an expression of wonder on her face.

  “It hasn't changed at all.”

  “Not everything moves as fast as we do. Come on, let's go.”

  We find the stairwell and start down. The steps end at a room full of rusty piping, with a sluiceway built into one wall.

  “I forgot how much it stinks down here.” Amy says, covering her face with a sleeve.

  “Is that any way to talk about your old home? I'm sure you'll start getting nostalgic any moment now.”

  “What is there to be nostalgic about? I was bored out of my mind the entire time I lived here. You were literally the first person I ever had a conversation with, did you know that?”

  “You may have mentioned it.”

  Stooping, I enter the sluiceway. Amy was right: it reeks. But just a few meters down this path is the place where both of us were born - or decanted, if you're a stickler for detail. Water runs over my feet and out through a grate. I squeeze through it, and into the Designer's lab.

  Aside from the hole Kalana's people have drilled through the ceiling, it is unchanged since my last visit. Old machinery takes up most of the floorspace; faded paintings hang from the walls. None of it looks particularly advanced (layers of dust will do that) with the exception of the object we have come to collect.

  The Mindrack. Some of you will remember it. A perfect sphere about three meters in diameter, it gives off a pale white light, and contains thousands of digital souls. When plague (yet another form of apocalypse) came to this island, the Designer used this device to save what he could of his people. And now we will use it for a similar purpose.

  Amy takes a brace of yellow straps from her pack, and we start to prepare the Mindrack for extraction. One of Kalana's airships is hovering over the drilled hole. It drops a thick steel chain down to us. Looping the straps under the sphere, we clip them to the chain. Now the device sits inside a sturdy yellow cradle. Amy gives the all clear, and the Mindrack rises up and out of sight.

  I wonder how you're feeling, out there in the world. Have you guessed our purpose yet? Do you know what I will ask you to give up, in return for a chance to outlive the earth? My advice is to let it sink in slowly. The knowledge will begin as a feeling, sitting just out of sight over your shoulder. And by the time that feeling has become fact, you will be ever so slightly acclimatized.

  Amy and I watch as the sphere is pulled up to the airship. The device will now begin its journey to a location far out at sea. It is called Ninetown, that place. Until recently, I was a slave there. But now it will play a part in our emancipation from this planet.

  I think that humanity works best under pressure. Give us some time to play with, and we procrastinate. But put a hard deadline in front of us, and we innovate. And this time, with our species on the line, we've come up with a doozie. And I'm not talking about the Mindrack. Ooh, I've got you hooked now - I can practically feel it through my feed. But if you want to see the thing we’ve built, and to save your own life while you’re at it, you will have to come in person.

  But how, you're asking. Your village doesn't have any airships lying around. Well not to worry, because we’ve thought of that too. There is a place called the Outpost, and a mode of transport called the Stormline, that can take you there. I am passing you the coordinates now. If you can get yourself to the Outpost, we will take care of the rest.

  All the way to the new world.

  CHAPTER 35

  The airship's main deck sits just below the armored balloon that supports it. Everyone living that I love is here. To my left, Sophie is telling Tikal a story (probably an embarrassing one about me). My girlfriend is still lovably awkward around her, but a bond is growing between them. Too little too late, some of you may be thinking, but it still makes me smile to see.

  On my right, Amy and Balthazar stand arm in arm, gazing out to sea. To me, they seem like an old married couple who know that their time together is nearly up. Which, if you count their subjective years spent in virtual, is not so far from the truth.

  Behind me, Kalana and the Medgician are locked in deep conversation. My ex has grown into her leadership role so completely that I find it difficult to imagine her any other way. Our old platoon is here too, gathered around Peace and Delez. I see Tiana and the Soccer Moms, and a handful of others as well. All have fully embraced their identities as Hive citizens. Civic pride isn't something I've had much exposure to, but I like what I'm seeing so far. Morgan is with them as well. He is still in mourning for his lost brother, and I have spent many hours with him, reminiscing about the good times we shared.

  And in a corner by herself is the Architect. I said before that everyone I love is here. Well that is not the first word I would use to describe my feelings toward this woman. If she'd had more faith in our ability to accept this final apocalypse, Opacity would still be standing. But I do feel like I understand her now. And is that really so different from love?

  But it is toward Arella Calendo that I make my way. She is at the very front of the airship, watching the horizon with hungry eyes. Taking a place beside her, I say, “How long?”

  “Just a few minutes now. What do you think it will look like?”

  “Honestly? I don't know. We only ever saw it in pieces. The Null have been assembling it on a barge a few hundred kilometers away, apparently.”

  “And now they've brought it back to its birthplace.” Calendo replies almost reverently.

  “You really do have a thing for planes, don't you?”

  “I really do. But who wouldn't be excited to see this one? Just think about it! The world's first interstellar ship.”

  “Second.” Someone says behind us. We turn to find the Architect standing an arm's length away. Her proximity makes my skin crawl, but Calendo has fewer negative associations with the Null.

  “What do you mean, second?” She asks curiously.

  The Architect wets her pale lips with a crimson tongue - and now the mercenary is squirming too.

  “Anex, before I tell you, would you please turn off your feed?”

  This is an odd request, but an interesting one as well. Who knows what kind of juicy secrets the Architect is privy to? With a cautious nod, I blink my feed dormant.

  “Done.”

  Calendo is jumping from one foot to the other. “Awesome! Now, what was that about a first ship?”

  Instead of answering, the Null leader counters with a question of her own.

  “Do either of you know how the 9th Pyramid was des
troyed?”

  The mercenary looks lost, but I am less in the dark. “I heard they battled it out with the world's orbital stations and killed each other off.”

  “That is more or less true. But the full story is more complex than that.”

  “It always is.”

  “Indeed. The orbital stations may have dealt the killing blow - but in reality, the 9th was brought down from within.”

  “How?”

  “By civil war. My ancestors were the most advanced humans ever to walk this earth. Their lives would be almost incomprehensible to us today. But that lust for intelligence drew them into conflict with one another as well. And in the end, it proved to be their undoing.”

  “That's all very interesting - seriously - but what does it have to do with an interstellar ship?”

  “Because in the last moments of that war, a new kind of intelligence was created - one that outstripped its brethren by exponentials. Although benevolent, its presence terrified my ancestors. So they gave it a ship equipped with an engine eighty times faster than the Loop drive, and sent it ahead to pave the way.”

  “Pave the way for what?” Calendo asks.

  “For humanity's expansion into the galaxy.”

  “Hang on a second.” I say. “You're telling me there's some hyper-intelligent being out there, waiting for us to show up one day?”

  “No one knows what happened to that ship after it departed earth. But this new vessel will be following in the old one’s footsteps, so it is possible.”

  “What the hell! Why didn't you tell us this before? And if this being is so friendly, why don't you want my viewers to know about it?”

  “Because I didn't want to spread rumors about a utopia in the stars, in case it turns out not to be true. The colonists must go into this prepared for the worst.”

  “Then why are you telling us?”

  She pauses for a moment, considering how best to explain herself.

  “Because although empathy is beyond me, l understand what your group has gone through to reach this point. And I want to convince you that there is still hope for your species. Not because of some hyper-intelligent being, but because you are capable of creating things like it. It is your ingenuity that will bring you through what is to come. Please remember that.”