“Those were your first steps,” Dr. Beck said like a father recalling his newborn. “You developed fast. Much faster than the others.”
“Others?” Lucy said. “What others?”
27.
“THE MORE complex something is, the longer it takes to develop,” Dr. Beck said. “I assume that’s not much of a revelation. A lesser-known fact is it also requires a greater number of errors.”
He was talking as he led Lucy back into the main room of the same research centre and turned right. This door had a large sign above it, stencilled with letters proudly pronouncing: DEVELOPMENT.
“This is where the concept of you was born,” Dr. Beck said. “Before you, we were developing more and more powerful supercomputers. One of our first errors was in not working on you from the beginning. Then we could have developed your understanding and development much faster.”
The room had a single large table in the middle, and a bunch of desks around the outside, each sporting a powerful computer terminal.
“How am I different to the others that failed?” Lucy said. “Why did I succeed where they didn’t?”
“Basic trial and error,” Dr. Beck said. “Gradual improvements from one model to the next, until we created you.”
“You said I’m enhanced,” Lucy said, asking the question she had dreaded ever since Dr. Beck had revealed the truth about her past. “How have I been enhanced?”
“You wish to know?” Dr. Beck said, eyebrows rising.
“That’s why I’m here, isn’t it?” Lucy said, biting back.
“I know,” Dr. Beck said. “I didn’t think you would want to know the truth. Not so fast. Especially when there might not be any need to know any longer.”
“Tell me,” Lucy said.
“It’s actually easier to show you than to tell you,” Dr. Beck said. “Sometimes words fail us.”
He moved to a terminal on the centre table and typed on the keyboard. A large folder opened. Millions of files tucked inside it. Dr. Beck found the one he was looking for and opened it.
“Let me bring it up,” he said.
The image floated onto the screen behind them. It showed a skeleton. From a distance, it looked normal. Then Dr. Beck clicked on it. The camera zoomed in, travelling from one foot, to the hips, up the spine, to the skull. Hundreds of tiny holes along the base of every bone.
“You are identical to any other human being, save one,” Dr. Beck said. “Your skeleton is made from a bone-like material we created utilizing the latest in quantum technology. Just as electrons can exist in two places at once, so it is with information processing. The instant the information is created, it’s received by your mind. You can send information just as quickly. Its purpose is to allow connections and messages to pass easily from you to the ship.
“The human mind is capable of processing data at an incredibly fast speed. The problem has always been the interface between humans and machines. Within your skeleton are hundreds of connection points. Any one of which can connect to a computer terminal. On the ship, you were going to be hooked up to the most advanced system in the world. Every movement of your body would issue a command. Every thought that passes through your mind is instantly understood by the ships, the droids, everything. Your body and mind would be connected to machines in a way no human has ever experienced before.”
“I’m Frankenstein?” Lucy said, hanging her head.
“A monster is out of control,” Dr. Beck said. “You are very much in control.”
He tapped on his remote control. The back of the room spun around on a turnstile, revealing a set of monitors and control terminals. In the middle was a single black chair.
“Would you like to give it a test drive?” Dr. Beck said.
Lucy approached the chair. There were strange holes in the arm, leg, and headrests.
“It’s nothing to be frightened of,” Dr. Beck said. “Please, take a seat.”
Lucy took a step forward, then another back.
“Tell me what it does first,” she said.
“It’s a crude version of the one up on the ship,” Dr. Beck said. “It’s just for fun. This was designed as a kind of simulator. Much like the flight simulator your friend tried earlier. Only, this is much more advanced. It will replicate the functions at your command had you become Mother. It was meant to be a training system. It would be a shame to waste all our effort completely. Come, sit.”
Lucy placed her hand on the armrest. As she did, something came out of the chair. A series of needle-like spikes, up to an inch in length, rose like snakes being charmed. Lucy started back.
“It’s nothing to be afraid of,” Dr. Beck said. “Please.”
Lucy held her hand over the armrest again. The spikes slid out like the teeth of a hideous monster. They moved slowly, calmly. As Lucy moved her hand over the rest of the chair, more spikes rose to meet her. The ones that rose up from the chair’s legs were the longest, having to penetrate deeper into her body to reach her bones.
“What are the spikes for?” Lucy said.
“Link-ups,” Dr. Beck said. “For faster connection speeds.”
He could see she was hesitant, perhaps even a little afraid. That wasn’t good.
“Would you like to see the ship?” Dr. Beck said.
He pressed a few buttons on the kiosk. The ship was so large it couldn’t even fit on the entire bank of monitors. It had the appearance of a dagger’s blade, pointed at the bottom, with a flat top.
“This is only a mock-up, of course,” Dr. Beck said. “The original plans looked like this but we really don’t know what each project might look like individually.”
It was a beautiful thing. And obviously powerful.
“This is on the other side of the moon?” Lucy said.
“With any luck, yes,” Dr. Beck said. “You were meant to be Mother, in charge of it all.”
“All of it?” Lucy said.
“Everything,” Dr. Beck said. “Hop into the chair and get a glimmer of the power you were meant to have.”
Lucy wet her lips. It was tempting. To wield that much power. To have that much control. She felt herself edge forward. Then she stopped.
“No, I don’t need to do this,” Lucy said. “I’ll never become Mother.”
“Wouldn’t you like to see what you were designed for?” Dr. Beck said. “What you’re capable of?”
Lucy couldn’t deny her own compulsion to hop into the machine and see what she could do. But she resisted. Enter that chair, and she might be lost to it forever. Taste real power from the chalice, and normal life might never measure up again.
“No,” Lucy said, taking another step back.
Dr. Beck looked mildly surprised. Or perhaps disappointed.
“There’s a part in all of us that’s a little mysterious,” Dr. Beck said. “It’s in every human, and you’re very much human, so why wouldn’t you experience the same thing?”
“What does that mean?” Lucy said.
“It means not everything is predetermined,” Dr. Beck said. “It means that no matter if we create something in our own image, it will always find its own way. It means you can choose what you want to do. You were the culmination of many years’ hard work and numerous failed attempts. You were our best effort of victory.”
“You’re my creator,” Lucy said. “When I was out in the desert, lost and not knowing where I was going or where I’d come from, I wondered if I had any family missing me. Now I know, I don’t.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Dr. Beck said. “You have a very large family. You are genetically engineered. You might have the most perfect genome in the world, free from hereditary disease in all its variations, but your genome didn’t come from nowhere. It came from us. From everyone in the City. We are all inside you. The very best of us. Look.”
He took a worn photograph out of his pocket to show Lucy. Thousands of men and women, all smiling. Happy.
“It’s a family photograph,” Dr. Beck said
. “Of your parents. All of us.”
“But what am I?” Lucy said.
“You’re you,” Dr. Beck said.
“But I’m not like the others,” Lucy said.
“No,” Dr. Beck said. “You’re not. The truth is, none of us are like any others. Your differences are just a little more pronounced.”
Dr. Beck turned the terminal off. The computer screens flickered, then turned black.
“I’m sorry you had to find out this way,” Dr. Beck said. “I never planned for you to discover what you are like this.”
“How was I going to find out?” Lucy said.
“You weren’t,” Dr. Beck said. “You were an empty shell we were going to program once you docked with the rest of the mothership.”
“So I am a slave,” Lucy said.
“You are one of a kind,” Dr. Beck said. “We attempted to make you forty-nine times before we finally succeeded. You are perfect.”
“I’m not perfect,” Lucy said.
“As perfect as it’s possible to be,” Dr. Beck said. “You were created with a purpose.”
“To save the world,” Lucy said. “I know, I know. You created me. That’s why I still have no memories from before I was born.”
“That’s right,” Dr. Beck said. “You were created with one single, simple purpose. To save the human race.”
“No pressure,” Lucy said.
“You were to be Mother,” Dr. Beck said.
“Mother?” Lucy said.
“The brain of the entire ship,” Dr. Beck said. “You’d be plugged into the system. The assault ships would be your fists, the ion cannons your feet. Thousands of tiny droids waiting for your command.”
“Where is this fleet?” Lucy said.
“Hidden behind the dark side of the moon,” Dr. Beck said. “We assembled it. Every City in the world had their part to play. They launched their components, knowing they would be destroyed shortly afterwards. Maybe some escaped. Most probably didn’t.”
Dr. Beck turned his head to one side and looked at her. A smile came to his lips. It made Lucy a little uncomfortable.
“What?” she said.
“You want to know something strange?” Dr. Beck said. “We never programmed you with a personality. We created a bunch of happy childhood memories, nice birthdays, special events and so on. So you would have something nice to fight for when you became Mother. But we never had time to give them to you. You weren’t meant to have a personality. You were an empty shell, escaped into the world. You turned the situation to your advantage, using it as a voyage of self-discovery. You somehow unlocked a part of yourself, some part of you that we didn’t know was there. You created who you are. It’s something unexpected and wonderful to behold.”
“I don’t feel wonderful,” Lucy said.
“I can’t imagine how it must feel to be you right now,” Dr. Beck said. “A great many people put their love and passion into you. My team. This entire City. We put everything we are into you. They would not be disappointed by what they see now. And neither should you be.”
Lucy thought about that. It was like looking at the night sky, at all the blinking lights, entirely too big to fully comprehend. She was human. The only real difference between her and anyone else was her skeleton. And that wasn’t visible by anyone when she wasn’t hooked up. It was a great relief.
Beep beep. Beep beep.
“What’s that?” Lucy said.
“The perimeter,” Dr. Beck said. “Something’s trying to get in.”
28.
THEY WERE rushing through the corridors when the alert lights began to flash. Red. There was no accompanying alarm.
“Where’s the alarm?” Lucy said, struggling to keep up with Dr. Beck despite his stiff legs and need for his walking cane.
“The alarm only attracts them more, drives them into a furvour,” Dr. Beck said.
The cafeteria door opened, admitting Fatty clutching an armload of food.
“What’s going on?” he said. “A disco someone forgot to tell me about?”
“Rage attack,” Lucy said.
“Oh man, not now!” Fatty said. “I was about to have dessert!”
“Apologies, but the Rages appear not to care one jot for your lunch break.”
Fatty jogged after them, hastily shoving lumps of chocolate and sweets in his mouth, dropping the wrappers behind him. If the Rages did manage to get in, all they needed to do was follow Fatty’s leavings.
They reached the security room to find Donny was already there checking the monitors.
“How are we looking?” Dr. Beck said.
“It’s the hole,” Donny said, not taking his eyes off the screens. “About half a dozen of them entered the facility.”
“What about the rest?” Dr. Beck said.
“They’re just standing there,” Donny said. “Waiting for a sound to distract them.”
“What got their attention?” Lucy said.
“I don’t know,” Donny said. “The lights started flashing before I got here.”
“A spark, a noise, could be anything,” Dr. Beck said. “I didn’t want to do this now but it looks like we’re going to have to set charges.”
“I’ll do it,” Donny said.
“You set the charges outside the City, about half a mile out,” Dr. Beck said. “You’ll need to plant two. At least one hundred yards apart. We don’t want one setting off the other too early. Especially not if you’re still holding the second. The first one will get the Rages’ attention. They should—should—begin to leave, heading toward the noise created by the first charge. Once they’re outside the facility, I’ll set off my own charge, creating a rock slide and covering the hole once and for all. Of course, that will result in some much-unwanted Rage attention. That’ll be your cue to set off the second charge. In fact, wait for me to send you a message before you set it. I might need to set off two charges in case the first doesn’t work. The Rages ought to then follow your second charge. It’s better if you set them around this area.”
He brought up a map of the local area on one of the other screens. Dr. Beck pointed to a space directly adjacent to the valley where the Rages were threatening to enter the facility.
“How will I get there in time?” Donny said.
“We have vehicles,” Dr. Beck said.
“Seriously?” Donny said, excited. “Why didn’t you say that before?”
Dr. Beck shrugged.
“It never seemed particularly pressing,” he said.
“Cars and motorbikes might have been the one thing to wake our father from his coma!” Donny said.
“A car fan, I take it?” Dr. Beck said.
Donny rolled his eyes. “You don’t know the half of it.”
“Can we get on with this please?” Lucy said.
Dr. Beck and Donny shared a “and who made you the king of the shire?” expression.
“Getting back to the plan as instructed,” Dr. Beck said. “When you make your return trip, you ought to drive in a large arc. Have you driven a stick before?”
“I haven’t driven anything, ever,” Donny said.
“Take one of the automatics then,” Dr. Beck said. “Hit the gas and steer.”
“What about me?” Lucy said.
“You sit here,” Dr. Beck said, gesturing to the chair. “Do you see that door there?”
He pointed to the screen on the top left. It was aimed at a door that led into the facility.
“If one of those creatures gets too close, or looks like it’s building up the courage to enter, you let everyone know,” Dr. Beck said.
“What about me?” Fatty said, face still smothered with chocolate.
“You need to head down to the basement and watch that door,” Dr. Beck said. “If even just one of those things gets in here, it could be a huge problem.”
“I’ll do that,” Jamie said, entering the security room.
He was still panting from his exertion to get there. Fatty, despite himse
lf, looked relieved.
“Where’s Dad?” Donny said.
He already knew the answer. He wanted to blame Jamie.
“In his private ward,” Jamie said.
“If those things get in here they’ll rip him to pieces,” Donny said. “Why don’t you think? He’s defenseless.”
“All right, calm down,” Dr. Beck said. “The hospital is located on the other side of the City. Even if one of those things gets in it’ll take a while for it to get to your father. In the meantime, we defend the entire City.”
He turned to Jamie and Fatty.
“Both of you go,” Dr. Beck said. “You’ve fought Rages before. So long as everything goes to plan, you’ll never have to engage them. But if you do, kill them fast. Take no chances.”
Jamie nodded with confidence. Fatty less so.
“Get what you need from the weapons department,” Dr. Beck said. “I suggest the old weapons, the ones you’re used to. They’re silent and will get the job done effectively. Smash the cases and take what you need. I’ll deactivate the security door from here.”
Dr. Beck took in his little team of defenders. He looked proud.
“As for me, I’m going to set the charge on the mountain,” he said. “Oh, and in case I need to make changes to the plan, take these.”
He opened a drawer and took out a handful of beepers. Handed one to each of them.
“I’ll set them to silent,” Dr. Beck said. “The last thing we need is for the Rages to hear them. Make sure to check them every couple of minutes. Any questions?”
The guys attached a beeper to their pants. No questions.
“All right then,” Dr. Beck said. “First stop, armoury. It’s in the Weapon Research Division.”
29.
DONNY ACTED nonchalant, unimpressed by the vast collection of weaponry. Dr. Beck could easily recall clearly his own slackjawed expression when he’d first laid eyes upon it.
“Grab whatever you need,” Dr. Beck said.
Jamie moved for a groovy-looking short sword with jewel-laden crossguard. Fatty, never one to do things by half, nor to be outdone, moved for an axe with a long handle. One swing with that baby and the Rages would fall in their droves. They might even collapse just looking at it.
After the Fall- The Complete series Box Set Page 30