Another had fallen halfway over the balcony where Annie stood when she gave orders for the attack. She heard screams and the sound of machine gun fire. Someone screamed closed to her and she heard the voice getting even closer. It was Edward. His red hair was dirty with smoke and dirt. He had gotten a deep cut on his cheek and a thick stream of blood and dirt oozed from it. He ran up to her and sank down onto one knee.
“Annie! Can you stand? "
"No, I don't think so. I can't move my legs. "
Edward's gaze was wild, and Annie touched his arm.
"It's ok, leave me here. Take the others away from here before we all die. "
Edward shook his head fiercely.
"No way. You’ll come with me. "
Annie smiled when she saw the determination in his eyes.
"It will be hard to get me with you. I think my back is broken. I will probably not go anywhere else. "
Edward did not seem to hear what she said. He stared at her, put down his weapon on the ground and started trying to drag her up into sitting position. Pain cut through Annie's body like a red-hot iron and she screamed. Confused, Edward lowered her again. She sobbed.
"I can't. Leave me here. "
Edward sank down next to her. He saw with impotence when two of their comrades came running a block away. A dark drone flew softly up behind them. Before Edward had time to shout a warning to the men, a long, narrow tube had extended from the drone and with a sound that reminded a zipper that opened, it spit death at the two men. Blood sprinkled as the bullets penetrated into their bodies and Edward screamed.
Wen came rushing forward and threw himself down next to Edward. His face was dirty with soot.
"This is a disaster. They are too strong, we’re getting hammered. I have seen several tanks headed towards our position. "
Edward did not respond but continued to hold his hands against the long, deep wound of Annie's legs. Wen was startled when he saw that it was Annie who was injured.
"Annie, I did not recognize you. What happened? "
She smiled weakly.
"You're right. They are too strong and we’re too weak. Our plan was good but not good enough. "
Wen saw the fighting spirit in her eyes, but he also saw her immovable body.
“Can you move?"
"No, I think my back is broken. "
Edward swallowed hard not to vomit when he realized that the game was over. Annie would not go anywhere, they would have to leave her here if they would have any chance at all to escape. Before any of them had time to say something, Annie spoke.
"Round up the survivors and get out. It makes no sense that you also die. Take those you can and hide, continue the fight in quiet. Never give up. "
Wen knew that Annie was right. It was the way they had to do, to regroup, to re-assemble their forces and to continue their resistance. Edward saw how Wen leaned forward and kissed Annie on her forehead.
"We will do as you say. I and my brother will continue the fight, I promise. "
An explosion a bit away caused the ground to shake and Wen quickly rose. Edward took Annie's hands.
"Are you sure about this?"
Annie nodded, and a tear ran down over her dirty cheek. Edward saw how a small line formed as the tear slowly trickled down.
"Yes, I'm sure. I'm finished, but I can still take as many of them as I can. "
While Wen looked on, Annie stretched out her hand toward Edward. He hesitated but then took a couple of grenades that he gently placed in Annie's outstretched hand. She smiled and tucked them inside her jacket.
"Thank you, now save all that you can and get out."
Edward rose on wobbly legs. Wen grabbed his arm.
"Come now. We must from here. "
They left Annie sitting by the low wall and quickly withdrew as they shouted for their surviving comrades to follow them. Annie heard their voices quickly disappearing in the pandemonium around them.
She looked around and dead bodies were strewn all around her like broken dolls. A couple of Chinese tanks were on fire half a block from her position and she felt the warmth of the fire. She tried to move her legs but soon gave up. That was how it would end, fighting the Chinese. She cursed herself for their failure. But she was not a soldier, she had done her best in a difficult situation, but she had failed. Bitter tears welled up in her eyes and she blinked hard to get them off. Rancid smoke drifted in and made her eyes water.
Snapshots from her life fluttered by when she saw a group of soldiers cautiously approached. A strange calm rolled over her when she saw how they kept their arms close. The small group was led by a camouflage-dressed soldier who roared orders to the others. Two of the soldiers walked around her in an arc. The camouflage-dressed solder shouted something to her that she did not understand. When she did not answer, he tried again in English.
"Are you alone?"
She nodded and raised her arms.
“Yes. I’m alone. "
The soldier glared at her and came closer.
"Stand up."
Annie pointed to her motionless legs.
"I can't, my back is broken."
The soldier let his gaze glide over her legs.
"Where are your comrades? "
She shrugged but the pain in her body made her regret that she had done so.
"Dead or gone."
The soldier slowly relaxed and lowered his weapon. He walked up to Annie and squatted. Annie saw how a malevolent smile spread on the man's face. He laughed.
"We win, and you lose."
Annie did not answer but nodded instead faintly. In one smooth movement, she thrust her hand inside the jacket. Her fingers grabbed after the cold grenade. She felt the sprint and quickly pulled it out. She looked up at the soldier whose smile froze.
"You may win today, but you and I lose forever."
The man flew up on his feet and shot Annie with a long spray of his rifle. The grenade fell in slow-motion onto the ground and before the camouflage-dressed man’s world exploded.
Space
The pandemonium did not slow down as it used to do when they disagreed. Two-two-nine took the floor.
"We're not going to help. It is enough that we have seven contact points with them, it is already going too fast. We have only started to initiate contact with them, they need to have time to assimilate all knowledge. "
Sphere four-six-one replied.
"Not at all, you and anyone who thinks it's wrong. They need more help. They need more help to accelerate their level of technology. "
"The key elements are close together now. This means that there is a great chance that they will succeed in activating it. And if they succeed, it will go fast. "
Two-two-nine hesitated.
"Yes, the parts are close together now. But why would it go fast do you mean? "
Four-six-one did not hesitate the least.
"The humans we have met here are different from any other life form we have previously encountered. The development of other life forms took several hundred thousand years, compared to the era of the humans. This life form is something completely different from what we have previously met. "
"And does it matter? Just because they are advanced and learn faster than other life forms, do you think they should be helped even more? It is quite wrong, the rapid development of mankind means that we must be a subdued, restrained element in their development. We need to regulate the information we give them now. That way we do now is the best. We have the seven focal points and that is enough, you can argue that there are too many. It should be possible to reduce the contact further so that the information is limited. "
Four-six-one was frustrated.
"But don't you understand? Do you not understand what a chance this is? For the first time in eons of time, we have rebounded hope again. Hope in the form of man. We have found a life form that has the potential to break out of the shackles of their home planet. Can you even remember when we met such a candidate? "<
br />
Two-two-nine checked their memory banks.
"It was the life form in quadrant 98-RJZZ-C. They were the last. "
Four-six-one confirmed.
"Exactly, and how long ago was it? Well, I'll tell you, more than one hundred and seventy million years ago if you use human years. Intelligent lifeforms in the universe are rare, to begin with, and advanced life forms are even rarer. The chance we got here with people is a gift we can't ignore. Sure, there is risk, but there’s risk with everything. We must give humans all the information they need to be able to develop their civilization in a quantum leap. "
Two-two-nine was not impressed.
"No, you are wrong. Precisely because they are so important, we must show restraint. Just because they are currently our only contact with a life form that can prove viable across planetary boundaries, we must be careful. We need to control the flow of information to them so that their development matures and that they manage to avoid catastrophic accidents. One does not give a child access to a whole room of magic without leading them. "
Four-six-one continued.
"Who said something about not leading them? Of course, we should lead them, of course, we will give them access to the help they need so that their civilization is not torn to pieces. But it needs to be done. You know yourself, our numbers are decreasing and for every age, we are fewer and fewer. "
Two-two-nine pondered the statement. It was true. It was a fact that has grown from a minor problem to an increasingly imminent threat. Their bodies had a capacity to regenerate themselves and that characteristic had helped them survive this long. But as time passed in the new universe, they had also discovered that this characteristic was starting to fail. An increasing number of them had not managed to regenerate enough to be able to live and they had succumbed.
A few at first, but then more and more. And in the last era, at least two percent of them failed to regenerate themselves, some of them had died a quiet death while others had crashed into various black holes, stars, and planets when they no longer managed to keep the course through the universe. Exactly what it was that allowed their regenerate characteristics to fail was still unknown, however, they had a strong suspicion of what it could be.
"You know that this is the case, our abilities are slowly fading and so we have to put everything in one card. We don't have much time left as we think we have. We simply cannot afford to wait for further eon if we fail with the humans. "
"We know both that our abilities are irrevocably leaving us. And when it disappears, we will all die out. But it will not go as fast as you mean. We still have time. "
“No. That is exactly what we do not have. According to our latest estimates, the ability seems to disappear at a higher rate than we previously thought. And the fact is that the loss of ability has already struck hard among us in a pair of the outer quadrants. "
Four-six-one crunched some numbers.
"At least fifty of recent deaths the latest Eon can be attributed to the loss of ability. Its impact is much greater than we previously thought. "
Two-two-nine analyzed data four-six-one showed up.
"If there is such a big problem now, why we have not put more energy into it?"
"Good question. Possibly because we do not fully understand why the ability is waning. After all, we still have no good analysis, why we are about to lose it. But one thing is certain. Before the next eon is over, our ability to regenerate will certainly have left us. "
Helder Ster, Johannesburg.
March 19, 2049
She could barely contain the joy. Umbra knew that Arik would be happy with her effort, she was sure of it. The mission had gone superbly, she had gotten hold of all the Fabergé-eggs and all parts that Arik had requested. And not only that, but she also had Maja with her who could potentially prove to be helpful with putting them together. Maybe it was not a big risk with it but rather be on the safe side.
The airplane hit some turbulence and she was jolted from her daydreams. She peeked out through the window and saw how the mighty Helder Ster slowly moved into her field of vision and a surge of excitement raced through her. It was just as impressive every time she got home. She had seen many mega-complexes the last decade but Helder Ster was the most beautiful of all. Of the underground mines that were a large part of the Helder Ster's incomes, not much was visible. They had played a big part when Helder Ster expanded.
Currently, there were just under nine hundred thousand people who lived their lives within Helder Ster. Umbra was lost in thought as she saw how the north side of the complex slid closer. Helder Ster's soft forms were organic and the undulating surfaces twisted round and although it was several hundred meters high, the mega-complex did not seem to be overpowering. The strong South African afternoon sun moved down towards the horizon and the sun's rays were reflected in the soft shapes.
She knew that although the sun was coming down it would still be pleasantly warm when she landed.
She did not know exactly what Arik would do with the Fabergé-eggs or for that matter, the keys. She knew that the Fabergé-eggs was insanely valuable, but she was uncertain of the pieces of the key. How Arik would make money on them she did not know. She shrugged. But it was not her problem, it was Arik’s. Helder Ster still generated huge revenues on its mining but she had still understood at Arik that they had to seek new sources of income. The big veins of gold and diamonds had begun in the last years begun to produce less.
There was however, no imminent danger of collapse, the mines would generate returns for several decades, but it was, after all, a finite resource. Arik had come to that conclusion long ago. It was simply too vulnerable to be so dependent a few resources, so Arik had several different projects that intended to seek new sources of income.
The female flight attendant that Umbra had taken earlier came walking down the center aisle. She came up to Umbra and bent down to her. She smiled seductively.
"We're landing shortly." She paused, "has everything been to satisfaction?"
Umbra did not answer but took the woman's hand and kissed it.
"Yes, it has been perfect."
The flight attendant smiled coyly when she rose, unsure if she would walk or stop. Her long, red nails slipped over the main seat in front of the Umbra. She hesitated.
"Can I see you later?"
Umbra studied the woman. She was beautiful. She was probably no more than twenty-five years and her high cheekbones and pouty mouth gave her a sensually that Umbra found irresistible.
"I have some work I have to take care of now that I landed." She spoke slowly, "but we can meet around ten tonight down at Kruger Plaza. There is a small French restaurant on the corner. "
Woman's eyes glittered.
"Wonderful." She hesitated, "then I’ll see you then. Ten tonight. "
Umbra felt a tingle between her legs. It was a good day.
* * *
The elevator door hissed and glided to the side. Arik Zimki walked out on the elongated platform and felt the warm wind caressing him when he walked. The thin layer of dust that surrounded everything outside Helder Ster was also here, hundreds of meters up in the air. His shoes made sharp marks when he walked towards the plane.
He looked up at the plane that approached, and expectation grew within him. The beautiful craft slipped softly down towards him and Arik saw how it began to level off as it approached. The airplane angled its motors and the speed decreased rapidly. With a hissing noise, the aircraft landed in the middle of the platform and he was surrounded by a thin dust.
Arik felt the warmth of the South African sun, even this late in the afternoon it was strong, and he squinted at the door of the airplane that vibrated and then slipped softly to the side. A whirl of dust obscured the sight for a while before it settled down again. A long metal stairway slid out of its interior and touched the platform.
He looked up at the dark opening and saw Umbra appear. She stood straight and met his gaze. Arik read her body langu
age and nodded to himself when he understood that the report she had sent was true, the assignment had been a success. He lifted his hand and greeted her as she walked down the stairs.
"Welcome, Umbra."
Umbra's face widened into a smile. Arik saw two rows of white teeth sparkle in the sunshine.
"Thank you, father."
Arik met her when she came down the stairs and took her hands. A twinge of joy spread through her when her father met her. His smile seemed to be sincerely and satisfaction shined from his eyes. Umbra's heart jumped over a beat when she savored the moment. She had succeeded, she had killed Jonathan Jarl, taken back all three Fabergé-eggs and found all three parts to the key. Things could not be much better. And her father read her so well. He understood, without her having to say anything that she had succeeded. Umbra relished the moment, she wished it would never end.
"Are you coming?"
Umbra opened her eyes and looked at his father.
"Of course,", she paused before she turned to the stewardess in the shadow just behind her shaped the words with her mouth.
"Tonight. At the French restaurant. "
The stewardess nodded, and her eyes glittered.
Umbra knew that the woman would be there. She would come a little late, let her wait a bit. Umbra smiled to herself, followed by her father and felt the heat from her future.
"Everything has gone well."
"I know, my dear. But I expected nothing less from you."
Umbra radiated but did not see the little wrinkle in Ariks forehead.
"Thank you, father, you are too kind."
Arik's eyes were soft.
"And you got all Fabergé-eggs and their content?"
"Yes, all three eggs and its contents", she paused, "but also a surprise."
Arik stopped.
"A surprise?"
Umbra enjoyed the moment.
"Yes, I also have with Arne Buch’s daughter, Maja."
Arik studied Umbra and glanced over at the airplane.
"Is Arne's daughter on the plane?"
Umbra motioned for two loaders to extract the box that contained the still sleeping Maja. Strong arms pulled it from the cargo compartment and placed it gently on an automatic conveyor. Umbra and her father saw how the carrier slid through the platform and brought the chamber to a service lift. A wide elevator door glided smoothly to the side and the conveyor continued into its dark interior.
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