Emergence

by David Haskell

  HE WAS ONLY OUT FOR a few seconds, but it was enough for Cain to get the advantage. With a roar, he landed squarely on Liam’s midsection. The agony was like nothing he could’ve prepared for. No hard impact, it was more like two live wires coming into contact. Both the Xenolights screamed, writhing from the pain, then pushing back off the other, contact energy still cracking between them.

  Liam shook his head, staggering, while Cain recovered quickly and made a second run. This time Cain ducked in close and attempted to knock Liam off balance with a minimal amount of contact. It might have worked, except that Liam came to his senses and saw what the old dog was doing. Waiting until the last second, Liam threw himself on top of the other with the full force of his energy.

  A white-hot pain lanced through Liam’s chest and up into his head, threatening to knock him out cold. He held on, feeling the older Xenolight struggle beneath him in pain and indignity. Just at that second, Liam had a sudden insight into his new form.

  Ignoring the pain of contact, and the blows Cain was raining on his lower limbs, Liam closed his eyes and set all his concentration on becoming stronger. More solid. An impenetrable barrier. There was little change at first, but Liam blocked everything out, thinking only about Alixs, and the impressive amount of control he had over his form. Slowly, painfully, he began to solidify. He became less energetic, less electric, even as Cain beneath him shot out his aggressive tendrils of charged energy.

  Like lifting a veil, the pain lessened all over Liam’s battered frame. Contact with Cain’s form no longer caused the intolerable clash it’d caused before. Liam almost lost control of himself from surprise, but the quick return of the pain reminded him to focus. He fought to keep himself strong and steady. Cain seemed to have no defense against this. As Liam grew heavier, the old warrior began to slump, punching less. Even his energetic anger was being suppressed by Liam’s suddenfound mass.

  Liam relaxed slightly, trying to get a better hold on his enemy. That was a mistake. Cain had been waiting for an opening. Expelling a chestful of air in a bellow of pure hate, he thrust his upper limbs into Liam’s chest and squeezed — Liam gasped and spasmed, all the energy draining from his body in an instant. It was too much. Liam gave up the initiative and rolled off of Cain, who coughed and sputtered as he scrambled away. By the time Liam was able to recover, Cain had disappeared into the forest.

  BUT CAIN WASN’T GONE for long. He revealed his position in a faux-clumsy move to higher ground, but Liam didn’t take the bait. Instead he prepared himself for the real assault. He didn’t have long to wait.

  The onslaught came swift and soundless. With little time to react, Liam just managed to swing an arm up to protect his face from the brutal, punishing blows Cain was inflicting on him. Trapped underside, low and close to the ground, Cain stretched himself up to nearly half-again his normal height, pressing his advantage.

  The fight was nearly lost when Liam found a heavy stone under him. Reaching back, he grabbed it and swung as hard as he could. It smashed Cain in the side of the face, catching him by surprise. His body solid for the attack, the stone did real damage. He collapsed to the ground with a dull uff and sank into the dirt. Liam had just seconds to decide whether to move away or strike again. Before he could decide, his communicator crackled to life, delivering the welcome sound of J.Z.’s voice.

  “I’ve got eyes on, Liam. Get clear for now, and I’ll guide you back to him when you’re ready.”

  Liam didn’t have to think twice — he turned and scurried off as fast as he could, ducking low. Making it to the brush on the outskirts of the site, he gave himself a few seconds to recover. He heard no signs of pursuit, but Cain wouldn’t stay down for long.

  97.

  Liam settled into a position from which he could defend the site. He realized he just needed to hold the line, keep the enemy from getting through. He searched the treeline for Cain, but nothing so far. Cain was hiding, but Liam knew he wouldn’t stay that way for long.

  “Boss, I think I found him.”

  “About time you rang,” Liam quipped, sticking the communicator in his ear. “It’s good to hear your voice. Tell me what you know before I go silent.”

  “Got him in my sights. On your two o’clock, ‘bout fifteen meters ahead.”

  “Got it. Going silent, but keep me informed.” He crept up on the spot, working his way around the brush until he was in the perfect position to turn the tables.

  “He’s still in play, hasn’t moved. I’ve got you as well now, about eight meters back. Adjust slight right if you can.”

  Liam followed the instructions, moving to his right and coiling up. He sprang forward, catching the enemy off-guard and landing a solid blow. Before Cain could see what hit him, Liam backed off and waited for another update.

  “That got him mad. He’s on you, moving fast. Turn back and to your left. That’s it, stay left. Keep moving...”

  CAIN MADE HIS FINAL assault charging at full velocity, like he intended to ram right through Liam. Perhaps that was the intent. Liam’s instinct was to brace, but he knew that if Cain managed to get past him on either side, he might still have a chance at the control center. J.Z. wouldn’t stand a chance against this monster, and it only took a few seconds to trigger the abort. Liam couldn’t let that happen, even if it meant getting killed. Only the launch mattered now.

  Thinking back to how he thwarted Cain earlier in the fight, when he’d begun making real use of his Xenolight abilities, he pushed out with his mind and form again. But not to become solid, this time. Instead, he expanded. Forcing his body to stretch and pull upward and sideways, further and further still, and even digging into the ground for support. He pushed in every direction, making himself larger and thinner at the same time. He was making a living shield of himself — protecting the site, and his people, from harm. But the effort took its toll, and Cain was still charging.

  The sight of this transformation gave the enemy pause. Even the likes of Cain couldn’t help but react to such an otherworldly display. He looked, for the first time since the fight began, genuinely fearful. But he shook off that most natural of instincts and bore down harder, coming in fast. And he, too, was changing, though in his case he seemed to be making himself heavier and more centered. Like a battering ram, determined to punch a hole through his enemy if he could.

  Liam reacted by expanding all the more, protecting every side. He even began to wrap himself back in the direction of the rocket, as if to surround it. Cain began to move this way and that, looking for a weakness to punch through, but Liam focused on maintaining an unbroken barrier. Somewhere up high, where his ear should have been, he could hear the faint voice of J.Z. calling out a warning. But Liam was beyond the ability to communicate. He couldn’t have found his voice even if he’d wanted to expend the effort. And besides that, his senses were beginning to diminish as his form expanded. What used to be receptors for input were stretched to the limit, along with the rest of him. All he could do now was stretch on, and brace for the impact.

  What Cain finally decided was to come in straight on center. When they collided, it really did feel as though he’d punched a hole right through Liam’s insides. The searing flash of impact almost did him in, but he held on through sheer force of will, keeping the enemy at bay. Cain, for his part, continued to push, harder and stronger, until he had used up all reserves. But in a frenzy of rage-fueled madness, somehow he kept going, running himself out. Harder and faster still, trying to find that weakness, murder in his heart, the stuff of hate now acting as his final drop of fuel.

  Under the enormous strain came an explosion, if a sentient being could be said to explode. Cain’s form, shattered into a million pieces, showered the forest floor with his essence. Liam held out a moment longer, then collapsed from the strain as well. Not completely gone, but just this side of it.

  LIAM LEANED AGAINST a tree. He had no idea how he’d gotten there. Fumbling for his forgotten communicator, just that slight movement caused him to
cry out as he doubled over from the pain. It lanced up from his midsection in waves, a warning of something worse on the inside. He finally got his hands on the radio, smeared with dirt from the fight, but otherwise functional. He gingerly wiped off the 3D emitter and called the tower.

  “J.Z., you there?”

  The human responded almost immediately, popping up above the device with a remote control in hand. “Right here, boss. I’m in position, ready for go. You onboard? I can’t see you.”

  Of course you can’t. Liam had strategically covered the lens. “Start the clock, J.Z.,” Liam said, fighting to keep his voice steady. He didn’t want his companion to know how bad his condition was. “We’re go for launch.”

  “Don’t do it J.Z., Liam’s not in here yet.” It was Alixs, hacking their channel.

  “Alixs, listen to me,” Liam said, lowering his voice and leaning back into the tree. He got about halfway seated before the pain was too much, so there he stayed. “I’m not coming—”

  “Like hell you’re not!”

  “Listen,”—he grunted, the effort wearing him out even more—“Please! I can’t get to the Exodus, it’s too far. And even if I could, I’m in no condition to upload.”

  “I’m coming to get you then.”

  “Alixs, please listen. I’m not dying, okay? I’m hurt, but I’m not dying. Cain is taken care of, and I still have work here.”

  “You have work up there.”

  “No, that’s your job now Alixs. There are still xenos left behind, you know this, millions of them, and they’re going to need help. They’ll need me. You have to trust this is right for me. Okay?”

  “Don’t you give up Liam,” Alixs was struggling to keep the panic out of his voice. “Don’t even think about it. I’ll be waiting up there. You hear me?”

  “I hear you, Alixs. I’m not giving up. I’ll be fine. Start the sequence J.Z.”

  There was a long pause before J.Z. said, “Safe journey, Exodus.” Liam could hear him punching in the final commands, setting up pre-launch green.

  “Well done, J.Z.,” Liam managed to say, “now get yourself clear.”

  J.Z. WATCHED THE ROCKET vibrate, then rock side to side, tethered bridges swinging away as the main rockets began their firing sequence. Just a few more seconds.

  He thought about the cameras around the site, many of them trained on the launch pad. He wondered if any of the footage would be made public. Would the government admit what happened here, or would they seek to cover it up? Without evidence, J.Z. would have a hard time proving anything, but he could at least bear witness. He would tell anyone who would listen. There were still millions of xenos in the world who needed to know what was going on, and where their brethren had escaped to so suddenly.

  His phone buzzed inside his pocket. Plucking it out, the chirp told him it was a freevo, but there was no way any of them were calling from inside the rocket. There was just Liam left, so it had to be him.

  New Message

  Tue, Sep 21, 4:47 PM

  J.Z. - In grove N.W. of the site. Need help. Get here ASAP.

  98.

  In the belly of the craft, Alixs took one last, long look around, out the windows and to the lush green of his homeworld. Then he stepped back, strapped himself in one of the jump seats, and switched on the monitor. Extricated from his milky prison, he was still just another passenger. Nothing to do here until they reached orbit. He peered into the monitor, the other end of the transmission trained on the now-empty processing room. Right where he’d left it in the control center, was his familiar old mobile device, jump-sliding across the console from the tremors of the nearby launch. That device had led him to the Ahmis, and to the Mind. To a new life beyond any he could’ve imagined. Now left behind like everything else Alixs had ever known, it would glow no more.

  J.Z. REACHED LIAM AS the main engines flared, powerful blasts of liquid thrust shaking the thing nearly off its foundation before the clamps would automatically release.

  He caught the injured Xenolight just as he was about to fall forward, straining to watch the launch despite the pain and weakness.

  “Everybody got onboard?” Liam called out over the rumble, looking intently into J.Z.’s eyes. He seemed confused, and badly injured.

  “Yes!” J.Z. called back. “Don’t worry! They made it.”

  Leaning back, Liam allowed himself to collapse into J.Z.’s arms. Both of them watched as the rocket began to inch slowly into the air, gaining speed and power with every passing second.

  “I’ll get help!” J.Z. was yelling, but Liam’s mind was elsewhere. The sting of regret was sharp. To be left behind, watching his brothers and sisters depart, unable to embark on this greatest of journeys with them, was heartbreaking. But even deeper, he mourned those who never made it this far. Mae and Nox — among the first to fall at the hands of their bitter enemy. The others killed by that indiscriminate weapon, too many to count. Ahmis, perished in the city, helping the cause to the last.

  But like the ripples on the surface of a deep lake, even such profound sadness couldn’t penetrate his whole being. Deeper still, an immense pride filled him and lifted his spirit. His people were safe, and they were free.

  letter from the author

  Hello Reader!

  Thank you so much for buying my book! Emergence, my fourth novel, is a story very near and dear to my heart. It’s the first I’ve attempted anything related to the much-vaunted ‘singularity’ Ray Kurzweil talks so much about. But more than that, it was a coming of age novel, both for Alixs and his loved ones, but also for myself as a writer. It’s a little bit dangerous going down that oft-travelled A.I. road, but I hope I’ve done it justice, and I really hope you enjoyed the book. If you like my stuff, read on for ways that we can keep in touch, so I can let you know about all my upcoming books and projects. It’d be great to hear from you!

  Since you made it this far, I’d love for you to sign up to join my readers club. As a member, you’ll be the first to hear about my new releases, deals, promotions, pretty much everything I’m up to in my writing career. And there’s even a free book in it for you, how’s that for added incentive? Here’s the link:

  David Haskell’s Readers Club

  It just takes a minute to sign up, doesn’t cost a thing, and you can cancel anytime.

  Thanks so much for your support. I’m always available at author@haskellbooks.com. Drop me a line, I always write back!

  about the author

  David Haskell lives near Tokyo, Japan with his wife and their fourteen year old daughter, and has been living in and around Tokyo for the past twenty years. Prior to that he spent some time traveling back and forth to Japan drumming at Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea on trashcans and other assorted ridiculous instrumentation, as well as some similar gigs back in Florida at DisneyWorld and Universal Studios. He attended the University of Massachusetts where he studied percussion under two great mentors, Dr. Peter Tanner and Professor Thom Hannum. Around that time he also lived for a year in Concord, CA while performing with the world famous Blue Devils drum corps. In California he studied under the guidance of legendary percussion guru Tom Float, who incidentally created the trash can trio gig at Disneyland that spawned the groups David was a member of in Japan.

  David was born and raised in the Boston area, but left home in his late teens because it was way, way too cold. He does travel back home as often as he can, though he prefers to plan those trips for the summer months.

  Emergence is David Haskell’s fourth novel. His debut novel, Too Much Information, was published in the summer of 2013, The Gold Club followed in 2015, and Dark Alignment, his first foray into science fiction, was published in 2017. He is currently working on several novels, at least one of which is slated to be published later this year. For updates on all his latest books and projects, you can visit his website:

  http://haskellbooks.com

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