“They’re fixing Dad up too,” Jamie said. “Something about mixed DNA? And the Rage virus? I didn’t really understand what happened to him, to be honest. He’s still recovering. You should see the things these good aliens are capable of.”
They became quiet as a tall man entered the food court. He was slow moving, calm, collected, like a monk bestowing well-wishes. His eyes moved from one person to another, only stopping when they settled on Lucy. He smiled.
“Lucy,” he said. “It’s a pleasure to meet you finally. May I speak with you in private?”
133.
THE MAN’S name was Drax and he was not human. He assumed this appearance so the others would feel more comfortable. He took Lucy to the upper level of the City and pushed the door open, following her as she stepped outside. It was a beautiful day, the sun shining, ushering in a whole new age of the human race.
“We’ve dispatched ships to dispose of the creatures you refer to as ‘Rages’,” Drax said. “Too much damage has been done to your species. We cannot give back to you what was taken. No one can do that. The things the Bugs did to your kind are unspeakable. Worse, you were not the only victims of their arrogance. We are also helping other species torn apart by their greed, their malice. Many of them will not survive. But it is up to them now. Their future is in their hands.
“We’re setting up a defensive network around your planet so no other alien force will attempt to destroy you again. The Covenant is humanity’s friend and we’re most intrigued to learn more about your species. You survived far longer under Bug rule than most, and despite that, you fought back. The odds were against you, and still, you succeeded. You must possess a great deal of strength to have survived so long.”
“When your back is against it, you have no choice but to fight,” Lucy said. “The difficulty for us was we never really knew who we were fighting.”
“We can aid you with your recovery and extend the arm of friendship,” Drax said, “but it is against our code to provide you with developments beyond your current technological level. We do not wish for you to accidentally destroy yourselves. Especially given your potential. We must thank you for drawing our attention to the Bugs’ activity. We assure you, they will be punished accordingly.”
“What will happen to them?” Lucy said.
“The human race has already seen to that,” Drax said with a small smile. “The Rage virus is tearing through their number now, leaping from one starship to another, destroying every colony it comes to.”
“The Rage virus?” Lucy said.
“It appears one of your members was infected first by a Bug secretion that altered his DNA and was then infected by the Rage virus,” Drax said. “The virus mutated—as the Bugs programmed it to—and infected the Bugs.”
“Will it destroy them all?” Lucy said.
“They have instigated lockdown in many jurisdictions,” Drax said. “However, we cannot allow a virus to spread like this throughout the galaxy. It might affect other, innocent species.
“In truth, the Covenant is split. Half wish to remove the Bugs’ membership, the other half to destroy them. I get the casting vote and I have to say, I am torn. We created the Covenant as a means of spreading peace and prosperity for all species, so we might co-exist in harmony. But it is against Bug nature to do so. If we allow them to rise again once more, they will repeat their offenses. It’s their nature to conquer and dominate.”
“Why not give them the choice?” Lucy said. “Give them two options: to be hunted down and destroyed by the Covenant or allow every Bug to be inserted into a simulation, where they can act out their base natural instincts without harming real creatures.”
Drax pursed his lips.
“It is what you call purgatory, is it not?” he said. “It’s an interesting idea. I am surprised you do not wish for the Bugs to be wiped out immediately. They did try to destroy you.”
“They cannot be allowed to do this again,” Lucy said. “But it’s not right to wipe out an entire species either. It makes us little better than them.”
“You make a sound and reasonable argument,” Drax said. “I shall consider your proposal. Perhaps the simulation is a compromise the others will accept.”
A small spaceship descended from the clouds and hovered above them.
“If the human race succeeds in rebuilding itself, in recovering from this terrible episode, and you come to dominate the heavens, we will consider your application to join the Covenant most seriously,” Drax said. “I sense you would be a most beneficial ally in the centuries to come.”
He turned to leave.
“Wait,” Lucy said. “I need to ask you something. That day I successfully broke the Covenant defense line and called for your aid, I only managed to do it because I ejected myself into space. I survived it. I shouldn’t have. How?”
“Your DNA,” Drax said. “We found something unusual hidden inside you. I thought it pertinent not to inform you of it unless you asked specifically.”
“What?” Lucy said. “Tell me. Please.”
“Very well,” Drax said. “We went through your data records and discovered a Dr. Beck made fifty attempts to successfully create you, the one who would become Mother. Do you know why you were successful where the others were not?”
“No,” Lucy said.
“Because your scientists backward engineered Bug technology,” Drax said. “All Bug ships are commanded by someone like you. A Bug genetically engineered to control it. A Mother. Or a Father. But you aren’t the same as Bugs. You’re human. That’s why the others failed and you were a success.”
“I don’t understand,” Lucy said.
“They spliced human DNA with something else,” Drax said. “With another creature, to make the machine accept you.”
“What?” Lucy said, mouth dry.
“By the look in your eye, I assume you already know the answer to that,” Drax said.
Lucy looked at him. She was surprised to find she actually did know. Maybe she’d known all along.
“Thank you,” Lucy said. “And thank you for helping us.”
“No, Lucy,” Drax said. “Thank you.”
He bowed low and faded away in a small shower of sparkling particles, teleporting onto the awaiting starship. It rose into the sky and was lost beyond the clouds.
134.
LUCY AND Jamie lay on a grassy hilltop, holding hands and staring up at the night sky. After their adventure, Jamie thought he would never look upon the night sky the same way again. He was right. He had a much better concept of how dangerous it truly was out there.
He was happy to be home and honestly, couldn’t say he ever wanted to head into the great beyond again. He was much happier with his feet on the ground. Still, the night sky afforded a beautiful view. Even better now he had someone to enjoy it with.
“Funny to think we were recently up there somewhere,” Jamie said. “Around a star, we can’t even see. Feels like a dream.”
“Yes,” Lucy said. “It’ll probably feel less and less real the more time passes.”
“How do you think the Bugs will decide between the two options?” Jamie said. “Extinction or simulation? If they survive the Rage virus, I mean.”
“Simulation,” Lucy said. “There’s always a chance they’ll escape it one day. And think of all that they would have learned.”
“How would they escape?” Jamie said.
Lucy shrugged.
“No idea,” she said. “No machine is perfect. And a simulation gives them a practice run-through of what works and what doesn’t. They’ll be a galaxy-dominating species by the time they emerge.”
“That’s spooky,” Jamie said, getting chills.
“We were able to defeat a much more powerful civilization than ourselves,” Lucy said. “If we can do it, so can they.”
“You really think they’ll come back?” Jamie said.
“Sure,” Lucy said. “They did it before. They’ll do it again. And if they don’t
, we’ll release them so they can.”
“Huh?” Jamie said, pushing himself up onto his hands to look over at her. “Why would we even think about doing that?”
“Because they’ll be the perfect partner species to do it with,” Lucy said. “We have history. They respect us. And as I said, they’ll have the necessary knowledge due to their simulation.”
“But they tried to destroy us!” Jamie said. “Nearly succeeded too!”
“Did you ever wonder why the Bugs tried to destroy us?” Lucy said.
“Sure,” Jamie said. “They wanted our planet, our resources.”
Lucy shook her head.
“That’s what we thought they wanted,” she said. “There was a bigger, more powerful reason.”
“What?” Jamie said, leaning in close.
“They were afraid of us,” Lucy said.
“Afraid of us?” Jamie said. “They’re far more advanced than we’ll be for a long time. Why would they be scared of us?”
“They saw a reflection of themselves in us,” Lucy said. “They thought we would rise and become powerful, like them. They didn’t want to have to face us in the future when we were really powerful. They were afraid of what we might become. They underestimated us and we destroyed them. Think of all the other species they wiped out before they got to us. But we defeated them. Just imagine what we’ll do tomorrow.”
“This is getting pretty dark,” Jamie said, not sure he wanted to hear anymore.
“They were right to be afraid of us,” Lucy said. “The same thing that drives them also drives us. Survival. Development. Improvement. These things are deeply ingrained within us. It’s the reason we beat them and, one day, it’ll be the reason we destroy the Covenant too.”
“Woah, woah, woah,” Jamie said. “Time out. You lost me there. Back up. Why would we destroy the Covenant?”
“Because the human race does not play nicely with others,” Lucy said. “We have more in common with the Bugs than we do with the rest of the Covenant.”
“But they’re super powerful,” Jamie said. “How could we ever break them?”
“We couldn’t,” Lucy said. “Not by ourselves.”
“Then who would we work with?” Jamie said, already sensing the answer. “Wait. I already know. The Bugs, right?”
“Whether the Bugs choose the simulation or to be destroyed, the Covenant will fail,” Lucy said. “They tried to destroy them before, remember. The Bugs developed and came back again anyway. They’ll do the same thing again next time. And again. Until they succeed.”
“Then why give them two options?” Jamie said. “Just set fire to the things.”
“Because the Covenant wouldn’t have pledged to let us in their club otherwise,” Lucy said. “It shows we’re an emotionally responsible, advanced culture.”
“You only said that so they would accept us?” Jamie said. “What do you really think we should do with the Bugs?”
Lucy smiled.
“I wouldn’t want to spoil the ending,” she said.
“You think the Covenant will let us into their club?” Jamie said.
“They already have,” Lucy said. “We’re just not developed enough yet.”
Jamie, aghast, stared at the cute girl at his side, holding hands on a beautiful night and staring up at the twinkling stars.
“You honestly believe that?” he said.
Lucy shrugged.
“It’s possible,” she said.
“How can you know all this?” Jamie said.
Lucy opened her mouth to explain but couldn’t find the words. Because I’m part-Bug. She was already different from other people. She didn’t need him to think of her as a freak too.
Jamie let the question slide. He only relaxed after a smile came to Lucy’s face. He leaned his head back and roared with laughter.
“You scared me then for a minute!” he said. “Come on. Let’s go get something to eat. Fatty might have created a new masterpiece by now.”
Lucy stopped at the door and looked back. A long train of people was making their way from the Mountain’s Peak commune to the City, as promised. Above them, clouded by the night sky, she saw something else too.
She could sense them up there now, distant but still present in the night sky. A distant sensation, and if she listened really carefully, she could even hear the soft chittering noise they made. The Bugs. Her distant cousins. She was as much Bug as she was human, despite her appearance.
It was a bright future. The Bugs had lit the path. Humans merely had to tread it. Lucy smiled and turned, following Jamie down the stairs.
The future was coming. Humans were coming. The galaxy had better be prepared.
BEFORE THE FALL
1.
HE HAD a minute, perhaps two, before he was discovered.
With a desperate cry, his hands gripped the knob of another door. It gave but the door wouldn’t. He took a step back and shoved his shoulder against the solid wood. It didn’t budge.
Graham’s coal gray eyes narrowed, bloodshot with fear.
“Come on,” he snarled through clenched teeth.
He slammed his shoulder against the door again.
“Come on!” he said. “Come on!”
Twice, three times.
Smash.
Something shattered downstairs. Something expensive, made of glass or crystal.
Graham froze, fear paralyzing him. His eyes scrubbed the hallway for another exit. The stairs up. He ran to the stairwell and pulled the door.
“No. . .” he said, a gasp.
Rusted security bars impeded him from rising another level. He pressed his hand against it like a prisoner at the bars of his cage. He glanced toward the far end of the hall, at the tall window.
If he shattered it, would he survive the fall? Find a fire escape there? But then he’d have to make a noise, and they would know where he was. . .
From downstairs came a shriek, and then a howl, unholy and inhuman, from a pair of throats. The hairs on his body stood on end. They’re close.
Something smashed and shattered to the floor below. The howls of anger grew in intensity, cresting like a wave. Their shrieks were joined by others.
Make it count.
A glimmer, at the end of his tunnel of dark desperation. What was it? Courage? Hope? He didn’t care. He seized it and embedded himself inside it, wearing it like a suit of armor. It had been paid for, at great cost, by a loved one.
Bea. . .
He shielded himself from such thoughts and approached the sticky door once more. He took a few steps back and threw his shoulder against the heavy wood. A shudder went through him but the door didn’t shift. Either he would break, or the door would.
He stepped back again, as far as the narrow corridor would allow, and then ran at the door. It grunted, shifting beneath his weight. Sawdust drifted down from the doorframe. Grooves in the paint.
A grunt from downstairs. The Rages had heard him. Their footsteps pounded the stairs as they rushed in his direction.
Graham hit the door over and over with his shoulder. Desperate.
The Rages were getting closer—moving shapes in his peripheries.
“Come on!” he shouted. “Come on!”
He threw himself against the door again—no time for more.
The door swung inward. Graham’s momentum carried him forward. His head cracked against the tile floor. White fog bordered his vision.
Thud, thud, thud.
Rushing feet. They were still coming for him. Closer still. Heading toward him. But his brain barely even registered them. Terror gripped Graham in a way it had never done before.
A lick of adrenaline, of some ancient survival instinct, jolted through him, sending his leg kicking out. It made contact with the door. It slammed shut.
The Rages pounded on the door, voluminous. Trying hard to get in. With perfect clarity, Graham rolled onto his side, and then his knees. He felt sick, exhausted. He made to stand but his legs were to
o weak. He reached up and flicked the lock into place.
The lock would do little to prevent the Rages from getting inside. The wood splintered and fractured under the constant blows raining down on the other side. There had to be more than just three of the beasts to make that kind of noise.
Graham took slow deep breaths and shut his eyes. He opened them and found the fog dissipating. His senses gradually came back to him. At first they were fuzzy, indistinct, and then snapped into place, sharp and clear. He almost wished they hadn’t.
He felt a warm heat against his temple, a throbbing headache behind his eyes. It was better to feel nothing than to feel that pain. But he was alive. It was more than could be said for a lot of people. The vast majority, in point of fact.
The thuds on the door became stronger, like wild predators driven crazy at the smell of prey. The door held but wouldn’t for long.
Graham turned around, the movement making his head swim. He braced himself on an armoire. He needed to move slowly, and edged toward the wardrobe perched in the corner.
He seized it and attempted to drag it but it was too heavy. He edged it back and forth, like he was trying to dance with it. He moved in rhythm to the harsh thrashing noises against the door, edging slowly, slowly toward the only flimsy defense he had.
The door was already giving way, the screws of the latch coming loose.
Snap.
The doorframe was also weakening, giving way. Graham’s stomach felt like it was in his shoes. The door was still holding.
Graham rocked the wardrobe, edged it backward, inch by inch. He leaned it against the door, and felt the violent power through his arms.
Wails of concern on the other side of the door. They felt the extra weight of the wardrobe and drove themselves at the door with even greater venom. The wardrobe shuddered under their onslaught but held. The challenge only stood to make them more aggressive in their determination to break through the door.
Graham turned and dragged more items to the door. A table, an ottoman stained black with ichor, an entertainment center, an armchair. By the time he was done, the entrance hall was jammed with furniture. Even the pounding was muffled by his protection. To open the door now meant forcing all the furniture through the opposite wall.
After the Fall- The Complete series Box Set Page 63