by Marcus Sloss
“He’s not wrong. I’m sure he’ll talk about it when he’s ready,” I said with concern.
“Sure, but if you do, and he doesn’t like how the conversation goes, will you ever remember?”
I sighed picking up the device and handing it to Willis. I avoided the question because it was a moot point. We had to trust each other.
“And the sniper?” I asked handing the silencer over.
“Heading for the vault now. No need to interrogate the offender. We’re beyond that with our technology,” Willis said.
“Well out with it,” I demanded.
“So President Sinclair initiated a cleanse of our leadership in the hope of reclaiming America contest free,” Willis said and I gasped. Wow, I honestly should have seen that coming. “As you know we’re at a tipping point of who’ll control the land of this once great nation.”
Then I laughed. “This was a coup? We’re full of aliens. That daft bitch.”
“Before you get too excited, it was not a coup. You have more legitimacy than the president to rule this area. It was put in place that there should be a new election since the Xgates are -”
Now I burst into a long peel of laughter. I figured it out right away.
“I am polling ahead, what’s the margin?” I asked and Willis showed me. “Thirty points in my favor, yeah, that’s not a margin of error kind of lead. How about her versus anyone -”
“And therein lies her dilemma. To maintain power she needed to kill you. Today was her first opportunity. She’s hiding in a semi-secure bunker. Her agent has ties to an anti-alien group and no ties to her,” Willis said and I shot him a confused look. “Yeah, she did a good job. This was a mind bend. They bombarded him with information about how evil you were without ever talking directly to him. His Gpad was loaded with anti-Eric propaganda that can only be traced back to this group. Honestly, if we weren’t so darn good at getting into their security I’d have labeled this as a rogue one off. A crazy man wanting to right a wrong he deemed worth of his sacrifice.”
“You lost me here,” I admitted.
“Yeah, her assistants, cousin’s friend is the link. We have audio of them discussing that thing needing to get done after the polling. Basically, they worked this guy into a frenzy and he did the deed. When we dug into there was an obvious enough trail,” Willis said with a pause. “As for the shooter, Daxstar froze his body on the spot and then was able to find a few more agents they were testing this on.”
I grunted at the fact I’d been killed. I’d been so focused on Mark I didn’t even feel the round tearing open my chest. That bitch was done for.
“Where’re the others?” I asked frowning at the video of the man locked down on a sniper sled. What an asshole.
“Coming here, Daxstar has a proposition for them,” Willis said and I frowned.
Whatever the proposition was, I doubted it involved something nice. Then I remembered the owlvini and his sacrifices comment from before. I had a dark enough soul to let this way be swept under the rug. The more I didn’t know the better.
“Define semi-secure for me please,” I said. “And tomorrow morning was supposed to be our launch window for the space fight.”
Willis sighed and taped on his Gpad. “Well, you can do both,” he said and I grinned.
“Perfect, tell me everything,” I cackled with a maniacal laugh.
∞∞∞
Glancing up at the stars held a whole new meaning. I sat in a recliner with the open night sky around me no longer curious about what was out there in the void of the black. My lonely position was peaceful as I waited on a sled high above Teton Fortress. Really high up rested my mind orb with Longoria in a dropship.
I found it fitting that I was left to ponder in my angelic body. The anfrilia wings had been repaired and the body was in perfect condition for this situation.
While I waited for the digging machines below I reflected on my day.
Let me start by saying the owlvini are twisted. The entire contingent of agents from Teton Fortress had been sacrificed to the machine. Just like Sammie. Except we sacrificed their bodies to the good horenix. I actually learned after the fact and got into a long debate with Daxstar. I knew I should have just avoided knowing, but I delved into the topic regardless. There was no question that his moral compass was different than mine. When he explained why I had no compelling argument other than it felt wrong I let the discussion drop. Feelings were different than facts. Undeniable, and we weren’t getting anywhere in our debate.
Those good horenix were transitioning fine. We had spent the last three days finding stray dogs to feed them to a few hundred peaceful horenix. The human bodies were freed, and believe it or not some humans wanted to stay in Kelowna. Now that was something that left me conflicted. We allowed it when they accepted Gpads, but there was always a bad feeling about the situation. This one Daxstar was the opposite. He figured he could mold those survivors into something amazing. When your life is short, you tend to be willing to sacrifice your life to help others. Something even I was unwilling to do was charge a proverbial hill in my real body.
A good note was the Gpads had locked down my assassin and honestly, we would always have moments of violence. There was some pushback on the corporal punishment we enacted, but I simply didn’t care.
The widening Gnet revealed a lot. For instance, who would have predicted Mexico would fare better than America? I guess I should have. They never enacted gun control because the guys with the guns controlled the guys in government. It was the ultimate catch twenty two with the Cartels. The surviving Mexican government had a nice stronghold and were generally friendly.
They had chosen a cousin of the acrium to cohabitate with. Not as violent as Lexium, but not as symbiotic as virum. The marixin were not age reducers, merely extenders. They would take over for six hours while a person slept, and as expected; that led to problems. You could tell which was talking by the iris coloration. A tinted yellow meant the marixin were in charge and they were generally best avoided. A plus side was they ate silicate, which was never in short supply in Mexico.
We had a trade delegation visiting. The reports back were that alien tech was being used in full force and there were subspecies helping the residents. Nothing vile was at hand, but there certainly were different standards for how those working for you were treated. Those in Bastion lived in massive homes and those in Mexico were in small huts crammed together. There were immediate calls for war to help the poor souls that I sighed over.
I squashed that drum beat quickly. The universe was not fair and what I saw in the reports was nothing so disastrous we needed a war. We did offer our printers to help alleviate their housing crisis. Well some of them anyway. It was all being worked out, and in the long term there would be a resolution.
The demonix immediately split for Vancouver. Of all the western towns it was the most intact. Omonair and Rexona promised updates and to establish a healthy home of demonix. Which meant we needed to stay the heck out of Vancouver once the young were born. They did offer battle training outside the city and to visit for the arena events.
Hawaii was decimated. There was no one left. We tried heat pings, coded messages, and scoured to find who managed to strip the islands of their people. The creepy part was the cities were looted, sure, but the structures stood. There had been no fight or epic battle. We deduced, and Goldie verified to some extent; that there were aliens capable of mind washing massive sections of sapient beings. And no, the owlvini didn’t use their powers in such a way.
Which led me into asking what exactly were Goldie and his rebel friends doing to prepare for when the next wave of invaders arrived. Eventually the South Pole would be a hotbed of activity when the Xgates returned to active. I can confidently say the smartest beings in the universe were on vacation.
Apparently, they were in time dilation and playing an MMORPG to train themselves up. The simulations were running probable scenarios and every day out here was thirty in ther
e. So… I was not impressed. Daxstar said to give them a month, they were ancient and this was their first chance to explore life without limitations. He then said to focus my attention to the east.
When our Gnet expanded from Florida to New York it was bad news. Destroyed cities, the worst of mankind showing itself, and even a few pockets of aliens eking out an existence. The worst part was the hundred foot tall squids in the Atlantic. They shot at our drones and recon scouts every chance they could. We had plenty of time to adapt to their threat when or if they expanded into the Pacific.
There were a few cities that survived. We sent building printers, security, and didn’t accept no for an answer regarding Gpads. Well we did, we mentioned an all-expense paid trip to Hawaii where you could live on tropical Islands. A few accepted the offer, but most didn’t. When the network was finished there were a few million Americans scattered across the once-great nation. From four hundred million to less than four. It was sad.
A plus had been Fort Bragg weathered the storm. The 82nd was resilient and the dead that surrounded their defenses were numerous. The soldiers adapted with a cunning General Mennes and were open to finding an actual home now that the fighting was over.
Which led to the final problem. Who got the 82nd as residents? General Mennes recognized President Hansen as his president. The guy’s death had never been verified because, well, he died in private during the first blue portals. I didn’t push the issue but instead gave the facts. Linda Growlen assumed command and was pushed out by now President Sinclair.
There was a vote coming; actually, it should have started five minutes ago with a live tally. General Mennes and his troops were afforded the opportunity to vote as was every American left alive on the mainland. Hell, I even gave Sinclair a chance to broadcast a pitch first and after mine.
This was part of our plan. Force the issue. The problem was, I was not a nice guy. I know, I know. I was sweet, attentive, patient, and understanding when it came to my private life. I generally spared my foes if I could too. Converting immigrants to hate me was beyond low. I was compassionate to aliens, which didn’t make me inherently bad. Needless to say, I was stewing when it was time to get revenge.
Shaking with rage was a better term, but I was able to calm that with the soothing thrill of battle coming.
The actual vote would never come out in Sinclair’s favor, this was a rigged election if it needed to be. Since we kicked out the alien haters and offered Hawaii to anyone who didn’t like our social system, the vote was lopsided already.
By ten minutes it was clear. By twenty minutes there was no doubt. This election only lasted a half hour. Even a guy taking a shit could vote on his Gpad. Again, not that it mattered. I never gave my enemies the time they expected.
Brillian arrived at my sled.
“We are ready, your grace,” she said.
I double checked my weapons to ensure I was ready for war and then stepped off the platform for the darkness below me.
I kept my wings tucked until the mine shaft was easy to see. The drilling tools were outside, high above Teton Fortress allowing me a clear path for my target.
You see, that dumb bitch thought she could call for a re-election on the fact we didn’t campaign. She was in her war room readying her loyalist to demand a proper election in a month’s time. There were no more elections, this was going to be the only one, and I was not sad about that.
The tunnel was wide enough for me to fly down. I held a spotlight on as I dove through the mountain and for the bunker Sinclair hid in. She picked a location at the bottom and in the middle of Teton Fortress.
We had to drill down, over, and up. Not an impossible feat, but I could understand why she’d felt safe. The trip was fairly quick and the beat of my wings was reassuringly loud in the echoing space.
I could hear my back up. If by a miracle I failed they’d finish the job for me. The bitch had sealed herself in after my assassination, which was great for me. She had clumped her little council in a hidey-hole; expecting me to turn a former citizen against her, just as she did to me. Except I wasn’t a backstabbing politician, I negotiated with the barrel of a gun.
I arrived where the tunnel went horizontal. My leveled glide needed power so I flapped down the well-lit tunnel until I arrived to see Willow in her demonix body. She held a hand out and stopped me just short of the vertical tunnel.
She held fingers up. Three, two, one, and closed her fist.
A resounding boom echoed in the cavern. A perfect circle of concrete with rebar crashed to the bottom of the tunnel.
That was my cue.
My wings cracked the air with my muscles flexing from the exertion. I shot up the tunnel and into the room with stunned people trying to comprehend what had just happened.
There were three guards. Their fits of coughing were minimal and blue orbs crashed into my shield with crackling power as they attacked. The two generators fought and mine were vastly superior. When they ran out of orbs their shields dropped.
I fired three rounds into the guts of each soldier. When they clutched their wounds instinctively I fired on their hands eviscerating their chances of surprising me later. The rest of the room was stunned into compliance. Frozen solid by the fact that their bunker had been raided and defeated in seconds.
“Secure,” I said over the command net. I walked over to a defiant President Sinclair. “Ah, why hello there.”
I said as my troops flooded the room through the opening. The council members were tazed and then sedated. The wounded were being treated and since virum was not fleeing them I felt they would make it. Within a few minutes, it was only the two of us.
“It’s almost like I timed this perfectly,” I said noting the election had just finished by tapping on the results. I showed her the display. “Oh, hey a thirty two percent vote for you, impressive.”
“What’d you like, Pirate King?” Sinclair asked with a snarl.
“Justice,” I said, picking up a small table-sized American flag. “I want justice. The thing is, this flag is gone. The country we both loved is gone. You sacrificed time, I lost my arm… twice. Not being resentful, merely saying I’ve more experience keeping people alive. And that was all before this happened.”
My gesture was wild and encompassing to showcase the end of the world bunker we huddled in.
“So you lost the election, I didn’t even have to fudge the numbers,” I said with a chuckle. “What do you want?”
“I’d like to remain president. We don’t need an alien lover in our midst. Now, where’re you taking my cabinet?” Sinclair asked with her splayed fingers tight against her desk in an aggressive posture.
“Hawaii, would you like to join them or go into a VirtaBox and have a horenix use your body to breed baby aliens?” I asked fishing a tablet out of a satchel on my waist.
I waited for her answer.
“Hawaii and this is not over,” Sinclair said with a deflated sigh. Good I needed her cooperation here. “I take it you want my concession speech and a call to arms for alien haters to join me in Hawaii.”
“Pretty much, we’re just waiting on my guy who can ensure your video is not doctored,” I said, waiting for Daxstar.
I knew he was waiting for the room to be secured and the last of Sinclair’s council to be removed. A few minutes later the massive bird hooted as he partially entered.
The large owl eyes shot to Sinclair. I handed her the tablet and said, “If you say anything other than you concede and you look forward to Hawaii your broadcast will have to be redone, or I lose patience. Are you ready? Oh, stick the tablet in the bag when you are done.”
I laid the satchel on the desk with the flap open. She saw the loaded pistol and knew I was testing her. Her even glare was followed by an ‘as-if’ scoff.
The tablet activated, sent its recording orb out, and then broadcast.
“I’d like to thank all those who voted for me and you should know your support has been immeasurable. There will alway
s be a choice and now that a new calm has allowed us the opportunity to vote… I’m afraid I must concede. I’ve failed you and humanity. It is with a heavy heart,” Sinclair said with tears coming down her face.
The video orb retreated to show her sobbing, the picture was very moving. Until she reached into the satchel.
A pistol came out, straight to the temple, and an ear ringing bank echoed. Her body spun horribly before crashing to the floor with half her brains splattered on the far wall.
The orb recorded the dead body before it returned to the tablet.
“And that is over,” Daxstar said with a grim tone. “Shove me down, I am semi stuck and would prefer if my feet were not pulled.”
“Did she fight you?” I asked.
Daxstar sighed and said, “Do you really want to know?”
I paused before I shoved him down, my nod said it all.
“No, she realized the moment she started crying. The process was quick. It is very hard to make a creature cry. This was the right decision, we’ll have hundreds of years to prepare. A unified humanity is a must,” Daxstar said, explaining himself for probably the tenth time.
“I’m not the good guy Daxstar, I know that. This is an example. Then again she tried to kill me and would have lowered our chances of success,” I said pushing down on his big head until there was a plop sound. “Now, I need to swap bodies again. I got a princess movie that even a nine-year-old wants to see.”
“The one about the frog or the girl with the really long eyebrows?” Daxstar asked and I hopped down the tunnel.
“Eyebrows! It’s always the eyebrows,” I said with a jolly tone while slowing my descent. When I arrived at Willow’s side she smiled.
“So the first elected king in American history. And you didn’t even have to cheat. I am proud of you,” Willow said and I smiled. “Race you to the lift? First one out has to have the popcorn ready.”
I opened my mouth to accept but she was gone. Tomorrow’s mission for the mothership was already in motion and not a moment too soon. Our drone feeds had just pinged my device with an update on the ship.