Genesis

by Filip Forsberg

  Jonathan turned against him and stared at him. The clone felt a shred of fear and remained still. It was not a feeling he was accustomed to feeling. It used to be he who demanded respect and fear. That someone could make him feel the same thing was something completely unexpected. Arik sensed the clone hesitating and screamed at him.

  "Get him, kill him, you idiot!"

  The clone swallowed hard, nodded and clenched his fists. His whole body was on edge when he began to move towards Jonathan. There was no need to rush. Jonathan would not escape anywhere, he was stuck in the room and would not get out alive. He struck out after Jonathan. The clone’s fist slid harmlessly along the short rod as Jonathan used it to parry. Jonathan made a lunge against the man who in turn deflected the blow. The clone smiled, now surer of himself than before, and rushed forward to surprise Jonathan but Jonathan slipped softly to the side and let the rod hit the clone on his throat. The clone fell to the ground when the heavy blow shattered his throat.

  Arik shouted when he watched Jonathan fight his clones and daughter.

  "You devil!"

  Jonathan did not respond but ran up to Maja and pulled her up on her legs. He turned around and saw how the holographic copies of himself disappeared, one by one. He pulled Maja away towards the door and saw how Arik rushed towards him. Jonathan did not stop when the rod moved as it had its own life. Jonathan brought up the in a wide arc and let it hit Arik straight on the head. Arik fell. Jonathan pulled Maja with him and disappeared through the door.

  * * *

  He kept her in a firm grip and ran like the wind. Jonathan could feel how Maja struggled to keep up as they quickly moved down through the levels within Helder Ster. The three Fabergé-eggs were wrapped in thin velvet canvas he has taken from the Arik’s desk.

  He did not know exactly how many levels they would have to descend, but there could not be so many left now. A group of Undicier moved synchronized and slowly along one of the gravel aisles.

  Maja took a wrong step when they came out on the gravel aisle and Jonathan had to hold on to her when she was close to falling. Jonathan managed to keep them upright while they continued past the Undicier, who all seemed to be women. They stood with outstretched arms against them. Jonathan looked at one of the women.

  "The trains?"

  The woman looked quizzically at him and then pointed to a passage about twenty meters away.

  "That way. Four levels down. "

  Jonathan nodded against the woman.

  "Thank you."

  Before the woman had time to respond, Jonathan dragged Maja with him and continued towards the passage. He did not know how much time they had before Umbra or Arik would wake up. And when they did, all access and exits routes into Helder Ster would be shut down until they were trapped.

  * * *

  The multitude of people down on the platform was overwhelming. There were hundreds of people who moved as a single, large organism. He ran past a group of tourists who stood and listened to a guide.

  It was now or never. He would not get a second chance. He held a firm grasp of Maja as he led them through the crowds, until a waiting MAGLEV that would take them to freedom. Maja suddenly stopped.

  "But we need tickets if we are going to flee via the trains?"

  He looked at her and nodded.

  "It's a gamble, but it’s the only idea I have. We had planned that we would flee via the MAGLEV trains, but my holo-band has no more power. To generate the holograms emptied it completely. "

  Maja's face became a shade paler.

  "So, you mean to say that we're stuck?"

  He shook his head and held up the holo-band he had torn from Umbra's unconscious body.

  "No, we have this."

  Maja glanced at the dark holo-band.

  "But it's Umbra’s, it won't work on you."

  He smiled, and Maja saw his white teeth.

  "No, but we still have a chance. All holo-band can charge other holo-bands if needed."

  She stared at him.

  "So, you should use Umbra's holo-band to recharge your own?"

  He nodded.

  "I know, it's a gamble. but my holo-band contains the tickets with the real codes that is our way out of here. Marie managed to generate them and uploaded them to me just before I landed."

  She slowly shook her head.

  "I sincerely you’re right."

  Jonathan did not respond when he took off his own holo-band and held it in his hand while he laid Umbra’s on top. Both Jonathan and Maja stared at the holo-bands as they were magical objects. The seconds slowly passed by and Maja dared barely breathe. Jonathan whispered to himself.

  "Come on now then."

  Maja looked bewitched on them and tried to force a sign of life from them. And then it blinked. First once. Then again. Jonathan had to bite his tongue in order not to shout aloud with joy. His holo-band blinked yellow, then green and a faint voice was heard.

  "Battery – Twenty percent."

  His face burst up in a big smile and Maja almost jumped with joy.

  "It worked!"

  They continued through crowds and a man bumped into Maja, so she almost fell over. Jonathan stopped when he saw two guards a bit away. The guards chatted to each other and did not look to pay attention to the people who were moving around them, he turned to Maja.

  "We just take it easy when we walk past them, no quick moves. After we have come past them, we take us down to the lower platforms and find the next MAGLEV train from here. Ok? "

  She nodded faintly.

  "Ok, I guess we don't have any choice."

  They continued past the guards and approached two huge holo-screens hanging down from the roof. One showed arriving train, the other departure. Jonathan pointed up against that screen that showed departures.

  “There. There’s one in twelve minutes. Platform Seven. "

  Maja searched for platform seven, saw a sign that showed where they would go and tugged on Jonathan's arm.

  "This way."

  They tried to move as imperceptibly as possible and came without hindrance to the platform seven. There was a long MAGLEV train and Jonathan thought it felt like the train was only waiting for them. They continued with the flow of people up to the ticket controls. A hologram of a female face glittered in front of them.

  "Tickets, thank you."

  He held up his holo-band towards the reading plate

  "Two tickets for Harare."

  The female face did not move. He crossed his fingers while he prayed a quiet prayer that the tickets that the Amber Group had arranged for him were valid. Another few seconds passed before the female face moved. A green light was lit on the reading plate.

  "Thank you. Wagon three, seats nineteen A and nineteen B. "

  He heard how Maja took a deep breath next to him and he brought her with him when they passed the ticket control. He looked towards her and smiled. They had coped, they walked aboard the MAGLEV train and a few minutes later it slipped slowly onto their magnetic rails and accelerated.

  Maja leaned against him and fell asleep almost immediately. As they left Helder Ster behind him, he noticed how the excitement was released and eventually he could relax, and he also fell asleep when the train crossed the border to Botswana.

  United Nations, Vienna

  March 22, 2049

  The light radiated in colors he had never seen. Dr. Aurince Momnbasi studied the three shimmering parts in front of him. The last few days had been more stressful than they used to be. Aurinces official title was head of the UNOOSA; chief executive of the United Nations External Space Affairs Department. He had been a vital part of the cooperation between the various space agencies that have worked together recently during the investigation of the unusual, seismic activity in the solar system.

  The day before, Aurince had received a message from his secretary that a Mr. Backmann from the Amber Group had tried to contact him. In following his secretary, Mr. Backmann did not seem content until he had spok
en to Aurince and after much discussion, Aurince agreed to it and he had not regretted it. What a story this Backmann had told. Aurince had first not believed him but as Backmann retold the story, Aurince became more and more enchanted. If it was true what this Backmann told, they had a unique chance that they could not pass up on.

  Backmann had told about the Fabergé-eggs, Arne Buch and the pursuit of them. He had told me about how Arik Zimki played a double game from the start and how he had tried to get the Fabergé-eggs and their secret. He talked about Umbra and how Melissa had been killed and how Jonathan had risked his life to save David. But when Backmann had told of what was hiding in the three Fabergé-eggs, Aurince had been convinced that he was joking, but he was no longer laughing.

  Backmann had informed Aurince that Jonathan Jarl was on his way with the three missing Fabergé-eggs and four hours later, Aurince had met Jonathan and Maja in his office at Wagramer Strasse 5 in Vienna.

  * * *

  His office was now full of people that were curious on what was going on. Aurince stood next to the small, shining circle. The three small pieces were close together and he carefully brought together two of them, a wave of light glided over it and he quickly pulled away his hands. Nothing more happened so he took the last part and brought it together with the other, so the circle was concluded. Another wave of light slipped over the small object. He held his breath.

  ”Now what?”

  ”I don't know. It may be activated in some way.”

  Dr. Momnbasi stared fascinated at the small, glowing circle in front of him. Something moved inside the ring, like a light that was turned on far away. The light was weak at first, like a candle on a dark sea, but slowly it grew stronger.

  He breathed heavily while he raised his hand towards it. All those present held the breath when Aurince placed his hand on it. The key glittered to under his hand and Jonathan looked fascinated when a small, faintly shining point slid up through Aurince’s hand. Jonathan knew at that moment what was the secret of the key. He understood what he had to do. He put his hand on Aurince’s shoulder and a wave of light rolled through him.

  The small, shining point above Aurince’s hand shined sharper when he did, and Marie smiled. Those present in the room stared at the small group. It was a collective understanding that slipped through the assembled and those closest to Aurince and Jonathan put their hands on the closest person in front of them. A surge of understanding went through the room as the realization swept through them. People in the room began to spontaneously lay their hands on the person who was next to them. Hands raised, and contact was created, it was through community it would succeed.

  The mood in the room had gone from serious to electric. More hands were put on the shoulders and Jonathan and Aurince found themselves in the middle and all the people's hands stretched out like spokes on a wheel. The ring under Aurince’s hand was swept by another wave of light when all the people in the room had made physical contact with each other.

  Images began to manifest themselves within Jonathan. Images that he has never seen before. Images showing planets, Earth and stars. A picture of the moon slipped by in his mind and he saw how a large, dark hole opened on the surface and he slipped down into the walls of the hole moved past in a furious momentum when he suddenly came out into a huge, underground cave. A machine stretched out as far as the eye could see. Large plumes of gas and steam hissed and vented when he flew over the machine. He had never seen anything like it. It was as he flew over an artificial desert that was punctuated by clouds of gas and steam that rose from the surface.

  A wave of light poured from him, up through space, slipped down through the hole and into the machine. He could sense a muffled, thumbing sound and Jonathan looked fascinated down on the clouds of steam and gas that seemed to increase in strength. More clouds and plumes of gas started to spray from the machine's surface and a wave of understanding swept over him. It was a machine, a machine that they gained control of. He was unsure if it was they had activated the machine but now they had at least control over it. While he glided over it, he saw how more holes began to appear in the roof and how the clouds of gas and steam moved up through them.

  Houlgate, France.

  March 29, 2049.

  The scent of freshly baked bread made his mouth water even though he slept. Jonathan slowly opened his eyes. The thick, soft duvet was warm, and he remained for a few minutes in bed. He thought about the last week, what had happened and how much had been done.

  He got out of bed, put on a pair of sweatpants and pulled a worn T-shirt over his head. He heard Marie working in the kitchen and she dropped a metal bowl on the sink and he could hear the metallic clang. He walked to the doorway and leaned towards doorframe.

  "You could not sleep either?"

  Marie spun around and smiled at him.

  "You have slept long enough, haven’t you?"

  He laughed, drew her close and gave her a long kiss. She smelled a mixture of flowers and vanilla. He enjoyed the heat of her lips. He released her and pointed to the freshly baked baguettes behind her on the sink.

  "Are they ready?"

  Marie squeezed on one of the baguettes. It made a crunching sound under her hand.

  "Yes, they are." She hesitated, "They are. "

  He kissed her on her neck and brought a couple of coffee cups, butter and two of the baguettes and walked into the small dining room. A large mirror with gold edges and dark furniture gave the room a beautiful, French impression. He sat down and started slicing the baguette. Marie walked right behind Jonathan. She carried the coffee pot as she sat down on the table. She stretched after the holo-plate that lay on the dinner table and tapped it.

  "Have you read the latest report on terraforming-machines?"

  Jonathan took a big bite of a slice of baguette and a sip of coffee before he continued.

  "No, what does it say?"

  "It looks like the terraforming-machines, both on the moon and Mars was already running. That key is for, apparently, to exercise control over them. It seems like what you and Maja did in Vienna worked. "

  He smiled mischievously.

  "Now it was not just me and she, right? It is, after all, almost thirty people in that room.

  Marie loved the trait of him, his humility. It seemed like it came quite naturally to him.

  "Well, but according to what I heard, you were a vital part of it. "

  He did not answer, shrugged and took another bite to by the crisp baguette that made small crumbs fell on the plate. He frowned.

  "What about the doctors? Are they located yet? "

  Marie nodded.

  "Yes, I talked to Backmann yesterday and Dr. Weng-Li was captured a day ago."

  Marie sipped the coffee and watched Jonathan. The unruly hair made him irresistible and she could not hold back a smile. He looked quizzically at her.

  "What is it? Do I have something in my hair?"

  "No, not at all."

  He saw uncomprehending on her. She put down her cup.

  "It turns out that Arik Zimki wanted to recruit them to continue their cloning program under Helder Ster's direction. Arik wanted to accelerate their own programs to generate new revenue streams. Apparently, their gold and diamond mines are slowly depleting, and they need new sources of income."

  Jonathan listened.

  "Ha, I knew it. Now when you say it makes good sense why Arik did as he did "he paused," but wait, you said Weng-Li, was not Ln'Geem with him? "

  Now it was Marie's turn to shrug.

  "No, just Weng-Li. Apparently, Ln'Geem was mortally injured during the escape from Tabula Rasa and he died a week or so ago on Helder Ster."

  Jonathan pondered what Marie just said.

  "That must be a hard blow to Weng-Li. They were very close, those two. Deadly and brilliant. Imagine what knowledge we could have been able to extract from Ln'Geem if he was caught alive. "

  "Yes, that would have been something. But we are hoping that we can pump Wen
g-Li on information. He will be brought back to the United Nations in New York where the interrogations with him will continue. It will be as before but with the difference that there will be triple the number of guards. "

  Jonathan nodded and stuffed the last part of baguette in his mouth and enjoyed the taste. The fresh sea air came in through the open window and he took a deep breath. The energy poured through him. Marie smiled at him and held out the coffee pot.

  "More?"

  "Yes, thank you."

  She filled his cup to a little more than half and he filled the rest with milk. He blinked against her while she was stroking her stomach.

  "How does it feel?"

  She seemed to radiate.

  "It feels good." she laughed before she continued, "or what? Doesn't it look good? "

  He smiled warmly at her. She had given him new life, new hope about a life that could be filled with more than pain. The pain had had him in an iron grip for so long that he somehow got used to it, but it had changed when he met her. He had slowly come out of the darkness and now, when Marie was pregnant, he moved towards the light.

  "Not at all, you see how good any time."

  They sat in silence and enjoyed each other’s company. After a few minutes, the holo-plate made a chirping sound and Marie picked it up. Jonathan continued to drink his coffee while he was studying the reading Marie. After a few minutes, he saw how her forehead wrinkled

  "What are you reading?"

  "An interim report from Backmann. It seems he has been at the debriefing meeting with some folks from the United Nations. "

  "Something you want to share? Or is it over my pay grade? "

  Marie looked up and burst out laughing. Jonathan looked astonished at her while she wiped her tears. She leaned forward, took his hand and kissed it softly.

  "My dear, it’s nothing special. It seems that the three Fabergé-eggs have been taken care of and are in safe custody. "