by Judd Vowell
“Come on, Dad,” Jessica said in a hushed voice. “They’re getting closer.”
I cut the last piece of wire that I thought needed to be detached. I pushed on the section of fence that would become our salvation hole. It gave halfway, then hung. I pushed again. It pushed back. I had been able to see enough by moonlight to cut the fence, but now I was blind to why it wouldn’t separate from itself completely. I had not wanted to use a flashlight. We couldn’t afford the probable attention it would bring. But I was desperate in that moment. We were so close to leaving that horror behind.
I slung my backpack off one shoulder then the next. “Almost there, guys,” I said. “Gotta shine a light for just a second. Get ready to crawl through when I say.” I found the flashlight and made sure to turn it on facing the woods. I shined the beam along the cut-line in the fence. As the light moved across the area where I had been working, I saw it in the background. There was a large fallen tree just on the other side, with a huge branch that rose high into the air. The branch was strong and keeping the cut fence section from budging any further.
The fallen tree was immovable. But if I could sever the branch from it, even just a little, we could have enough room to slide through. I pulled my knife from its sheath at my side. I reached around the leaning fence piece and began hacking. It was an awkward position, but it was working. I pushed the fence as I hacked, and I could feel it begin to give more and more.
“Get ready, Henry. You first.” The opening was big enough for him and Jessica. I would get them through while I continued to work on the branch. Then I could make it. Henry threw his backpack through the hole. He followed behind it with ease. “Your turn, Jess.” She did the same. Backpack first, herself next.
As Jessica finished her passage, Henry said something that I didn’t understand. “What?!?” I asked him as I finished hacking at the branch. There was finally enough room for me to slide through.
“Dad, look!” He said it with a certain intensity. It wasn’t fear – that emotion in him seemed to be gone.
I looked in the direction he pointed. A bright beam from one of the watchtower’s spotlights was tracking its way up the fence-line toward me. I had been worried about ANTs, but a different sense of dread sneaked up on me in that moment. What would we look like to a nervous Lefty soldier manning one of those watchtowers? Might we look like a group of ANTs trying to break through? The thought was instantaneous, and I frantically began to push my way through the hole. I was halfway through it when I felt the blinding light hit me.
27.
N o. Not yet. And to be up front, there is no blinding light. No light at all really.
◊◊◊
The first shots thudded into the ground a foot to my left. Eight rapid-fire successions. Dirt and grass flew into the air, some of it landing in my eyes and mouth. I yelled at Jessica and Henry a simple directive. The same one I had told them I would use in case of danger before we left Meg’s farm. Before we set out on what kept feeling like a doomed mission. “Ruuunnnn!!!”
I tried to dig my feet deeper into the ground to propel myself faster through the fence hole. But they were slipping. I told myself to calm down, be deliberate. The second succession of bullets landed above my head. Some hit the fallen tree, sending pieces of bark upward. They had either seen the kids, were bad shots, or both. I didn’t want to find out if the third spray would be more accurate. I bent my right knee, pushed my boot against the earth, and threw my body over the horizontal tree trunk and into the deep woods.
But the third spray of bullets met me there. Not all of them. Just one actually. Unfortunately, one was all it took.
PART FOUR: CONTROL
1.
T he government servers didn’t stand a chance. Jacob knew they were vulnerable, but not to the extent that they actually were. The only two problems occurred in Germany and Japan, which didn’t surprise him much. Both of the countries had a history of ingenuity and protectionism. Each of their systems held on longer than Jacob had expected, but they eventually succumbed like the rest. The Domino Infection completed its takeover in eighteen hours and twelve minutes.
Once the world’s electronic infrastructure was disabled, it was only a matter of time before the rest of it fell apart and ANTI- could take over. Countries grounded their commercial transportation almost instantaneously. At first, it was out of security fears. After all, if the attackers could so easily hack into their government systems, what would keep them from bringing down a jet airliner? Or even worse, bringing down an entire airspace of airliners. By the time they realized Salvador wasn’t that kind of terrorist, it was too late to recover.
Salvador had predicted how the world would view him when he stopped it in its tracks, but terror was never his intent. It was certainly a side effect, but only because humans didn’t know how to live without technology anymore. In fact, they were terrified of life without it. No, Salvador was never a terrorist in his own mind. He was something very different.
Twenty-four hours after Jacob’s virus had finished its infiltration, the engineering ANTs moved into position. They invaded the utility headquarters of pre-designated cities across the planet. Once inside, they were able to reprogram the software that provided power to each of those cities, creating an electrified and fully functional grid in each.
Meanwhile, the more militaristic-minded ANTs cleared the grids for the rest. It was an ugly operation, but it was all part of the plan. Besides, Salvador had given everyone in the world a chance to join him in his revolution. The ANTI- mindset was simple – if they hadn’t chosen to follow him, it was their own fault.
The grids became safe havens for the millions of ANTs throughout the world. The places where they would live their lives for the years it would take the rest of the population to destroy itself. There would be no way to know how long that process would take, but Salvador had prepared them all to wait it out. And the ANTs had proven to be patient already, slowly building their movement over many long years to reach their victorious climax.
But there was one other concern, another thing that Salvador had warned his ANTs about – the inevitable backlash from the outsiders. Even still, none of them saw the Sector 3 revolt coming as soon as it did. Not even Salvador.
2.
C ommunication between the powered grids was vital to the new ANTI- existence. A separate set of engineer ANTs was assigned to the configuration of fiber-optic telecommunication systems connecting each of the new communities. Access to land-line based telephones was virtually immediate, while Internet and cell phone capabilities took a couple of weeks to recover. There were some complicated obstacles to overcome, especially in the lesser-developed regions of the world, but eventually ANTI- was online, just as before. The new Earth looked like its own spherical constellation from an interstellar vantage point. A hundred or so stars lit up and dotting the land masses, invisibly interconnected by underground communication cables. The teams assigned to space satellite control would ultimately transmit images that confirmed just that.
Jacob was stationed at North America Sector 1’s grid, located in Philadelphia. It was ANTI-’s unofficial capital, strategically chosen for its proximity to the largest cities on the continent, while distant from possible government backlash in Washington and the geographical complications of New York. When Salvador came out of his bunker, he joined Jacob there, as did Simone. They were able to monitor the progress of the takeover from that grid. Jacob was left in charge of the Domino Infection, tasked with fending off any counter-attacks against it. But there weren’t any.
As soon as all of the power grids were up and running, Salvador made sure to communicate his message to the ANTs, his revolutionaries. He looked to continue his cause, and make an inspirational appearance before them. The speech was thoughtful and invigorating. It was broadcast from a former TV studio inside Philadelphia’s tallest building, sent out across the new ANTI- network. Some watched on personal computer screens, while others crowded repurposed sport
s bars and restaurants. Most of the grids were in large cities, and ANTs gathered in the streets to watch him on giant media screens. It was propaganda for sure, but the people of ANTI- viewed the message as absolute truth.
Salvador spoke with conviction and purpose. “Welcome, my fellow pragmatists, to the new world. The world that is yours and mine now. The world that we can make into something so much better.” He paused for effect. He was dressed in his typical attire: dark tailored suit with white button-down shirt. He was the definition of dapper. The camera focused on his entire profile from a distance, as his custom was to walk as he talked.
“By now, you should feel secure in your new environs. Our plan has progressed as predicted. We have complete control. The rest of Earth’s population is in the dark, literally and figuratively. They are lost. It’s only a matter of time until they become desperate. And desperation will lead to decimation. But that should not be your concern today. Today is a celebration.” He held for another few seconds. ANTs cheered throughout the ANTI- populace.
“Many of you may ask, ‘Where do we go from here?’ Or, more succinctly, ‘Now what?’ It has always been part of our strategy to only give you the information you need. For your trust in me, I thank you.” Salvador paused and bowed his head in thought. He looked up and straight into the camera’s lens, emphasizing his next few sentences. “The ‘where we go now’ is up to you. We have no government, no policy, no directive. We only have each other.”
No one had known what Salvador was going to say in the speech, not even Jacob or Simone. He was a true island. And at this point, Jacob began to question the course of Salvador’s thoughts. But he should have known his leader better.
“No directive,” Salvador continued, “but that’s not to say we will become a society with no direction. And direction begets navigation. I will be your navigator. You, the people, will choose the path of your society – I will be there to make sure the path is clear and straight. You, the people, will control your destiny – I will be there to manifest it.”
He began to smile. Salvador had an amazing affinity to loosen the mood of a situation with a simple gesture or subtle shift in emotion. Jacob watched him lift any remaining tension that may have been lingering over the ANTI- nation in that moment.
“I leave you with this today. Something I learned long ago. Something my family taught me. If you believe in something close to your heart, and someone takes it away – you fight and you take it back. We’ve taken our civilization back today – now we’ve got to hold on to it. And make it stronger. For the Soul of Humanity.”
3.
B efore the global attack, ANTI- had people on the inside of everything. Police, military, government – they were entrenched. That was the linchpin. Without the ANT insiders, they couldn’t have pulled it off. There would have been entirely too much to overcome.
As soon as the servers went down in their respective countries, the ANTI- insiders attacked. It was calculated and synchronized. There were skirmishes, especially at the armories and arsenals and bases. In Moscow, they lost over a thousand ANTs in a battle that lasted for two days. And the Australian military proved to be remarkably resilient, fighting for a week before ANTI- was able to stamp them out.
The large metropolitan police departments were as big a concern for the ANTI- leadership as the established armies. Most had been equipping themselves like an arm of the military for many years prior, especially in the United States. And the majority of them were headquartered inside or very near the ANTI- grids. When the attack commenced, the police ANTs took control of the departments and ordered patrols back to their respective stations and headquarters, where the ANTI- clearance teams were waiting. In the end, it was much easier than the various military takeovers.
Once they had the police and military threat contained, protection of the grids was simple. They had the equipment, and they had the manpower. There were invasion attempts for months, but the grids’ security ANTs were vigilant and hyper-protective. At times, Jacob thought too much so. But Salvador would remind him in those moments that revolution is a bloody proposal. And that, no matter how much he hated it, theirs could be no different.
4.
S alvador made sure that life inside the grids was as stable as possible. He made sure that basic provisions were accessible, and that money became a device of the past civilization. Every ANT had shelter and access to food and water. There was electricity, phones, and computers. Eventually, excursion teams were formed to maintain supplies inside the sectored habitats. These mercenary-style convoys would trek into the grid surroundings every two weeks to re-stock from the abandoned outside world. It was utopian, on the inside.
Every ANT had a job, regardless of pay. It was part of the revolution’s mentality. Everyone worked to keep the society progressing and that progress was the reward. In effect, it was socialism. But Salvador didn’t like to talk about -isms and -archys and -ocracys. “ANTI- is above definition, hijo,” he would say in philosophical discussions with Jacob.
There were occasions when a member of the new society had to be removed. These instances were rare, by design. After all, there were only two choices once the Great Dark began: life inside the powered, protected grids or life outside them. It only took a few banishments to drive this point home to the ANTI- populace. Everyone worked, or else suffered the darkness.
◊◊◊
There was leadership within the new society, although Salvador worked to keep it subtle. “People need guidance,” Salvador told Jacob once. “I don’t have a title, and I don’t want one. But have no doubt about my position – I am at the top.”
Each grid had its own upper layer of directorships, for lack of a more ethereal term. The directors were well-established members of Salvador’s decades-old operation. He held daily briefings via video teleconferences, where developments were reported and decisions were made. But, on the whole, he let the new society, divided into separate communities, breathe and grow on its own. It entertained him to watch his ANTs become whatever they were going to become.
Jacob had told Salvador in one of their first meetings so many years before that he didn’t see the man as some evil mastermind. And he wasn’t. But good and evil can become blurred together over time. In the end, the perspective all depends on which side you’re fighting.
5.
S alvador had never been one for egotistical representations. Instead, he chose Philadelphia’s tallest building to be his headquarters because of its basic physical attributes. The tower was fifty-eight stories high and afforded him miles of visibility. That’s what was important to him. He could look out upon all four corners of the new world he had created.
The building had been the centralized offices of a former national corporation, with residential space in its top eight floors. It was a spectacle of modern architecture. The exterior was covered in mirrored glass upward to its tapered tip, where its final four floors sat like a separate metallic cube that some giant had placed there as a finishing touch. Its lower office space was occupied by Salvador’s staff, including Jacob and the programmers that worked for him.
The residences in the upper portion of the tower were spacious and luxurious. Jacob was furnished an apartment two stories below Salvador, who lived and worked at the top. He had transformed the entire floor into his own personal sanctuary, and he rarely invited visitors. The day he issued Jacob’s new assignment to him, they met there.
The building’s elevator glided up through the center of the structure. When its doors opened on the top floor, Jacob found himself in the middle of a large room, with sky and clouds just a short distance away. He stepped out and saw Salvador to his left.
“Unnerving, isn’t it?” Salvador asked, with his signature smile.
“Yeah, a little,” Jacob said. As he looked around, he could see that the top floor was one gigantic open room. It was enclosed with floor-to-ceiling glass on all four sides. The glass was the clearest he had ever seen, almost invi
sible.
“I’ve gotten used to it by now,” Salvador said. “You should see it at night.”
“You definitely don’t disappoint on views,” Jacob said. “It takes me back to that first night in California.”
Salvador was walking over to a bar that was set up in a far corner. “Right, California. Now that’s something I miss. The ocean, the trees.” He closed his eyes and turned his head upward to the ceiling, as if he could smell and hear the nature of his old homestead all of a sudden. “Someday, hijo. Someday we’ll be back there.” He released the memory and turned to Jacob. “What are we drinking today?”
“Depends on why I’m here, I suppose.” Jacob had a feeling that the meeting’s purpose was to define his next mission, and he didn’t want things to get too cloudy too quickly with alcohol. “How about whiskey?” he offered. That was something he could sip on without indulging too much.
“Whiskey it is,” Salvador replied. He started pouring the drinks, and Jacob took the opportunity to survey their surroundings. The space was eerily similar to Salvador’s west coast house. There was very little furniture and decoration, and it made the outside skyscape seem even more invasive. Jacob felt as if the room was floating in midair. “Come sit down,” Salvador said as he handed Jacob his drink. There were four leather chairs in the center of the room. They chose two across from each other.