Cynetic Wolf

by Matt Ward

  Huh? I raised an eyebrow.

  “Part of the Initiative,” he said, “the part that changed the name to the Initiative, believe people are inherently good. They think it’s possible to reunite mankind and create an equal society for all. Because of that, they push for peace. The bombings, the attacks… these hurt their cause.” He sighed.

  “Then we have folks like Lilia, people who’ve had everything taken by the GDR. They want revenge. They’ve always been the stronger of the two sides, hence where we are today. They want war, they want rebellion. And most of all, they want you.”

  “Me?” I looked up, startled. “What do they want with me?”

  “They’ve been searching for something to unite animotes for ages. They never expected someone like you, a hybrid human. You’re better than they could have hoped, proof the subspecies could co-exist, even breed. You could be a rallying cry. They want you to spark a revolution.”

  I opened my mouth and closed it again. Me? “Don’t I get a say? I don’t want millions, or tens of millions to die because of me.”

  Fitz grimaced. “I’ll do everything I can to prevent that from happening, to let you choose. I didn’t want to come here, remember.” His eyes hardened. “I wanted to go to Lhalas until you were ready.”

  “And now?”

  “We wait and see. In the meantime, how about some food?” He licked his lips, carefree smile emerging once more.

  How could he be so relaxed? Seeing my expression, he added, “Tonight, after the meeting when we know more, we’ll talk. Okay?”

  I guess… My stomach grumbled. “Fine, let’s eat.” At the door, I stopped. “Why didn’t you tell me your name, your real name?”

  “I had to disappear. That’s a story for another day. My name has a lot of baggage and heartache. I chose a new one, simple as that.”

  “So, what do I call you?” I asked.

  He smirked. “I’ll leave that to you.”

  20

  Hope

  The mess was wild when we got there, fifty loud, hungry fighters jockeying over Anti’s latest creation. It smelled wonderful, and I was salivating. After the bald tank of a man in front of me got his steak, and a fair bit of sauce, it was my turn. I filled my plate, sampling the Tyson Cargill flavor-injected biobison as I walked on. A delivery truck had crashed and somebody filled their Benz with the fantastic cargo. Talk about a win.

  Paer was in the corner by herself, plate empty. I headed over. “It’s good, isn’t it? Mind if we join?”

  “I don’t do much meat, almost never. But it’s the best darn thing Anti’s ever made!” She laughed, actually laughed. “Not a high bar mind you, but—Oh, Lyam.”

  “Agtha.” Fitz tucked his long legs under the bench. “It’s been a long time.”

  “It has. Too long.”

  They knew each other well. Had they been lovers? Maybe she was the reason he’d left.

  Paer broke the awkward silence. “How have you been?”

  “I’ve been good, at least until all this. Life was quiet, relaxed. I was teaching.” He popped another bloody bit of steak into his mouth. “What’s the split these days? Still an impasse?”

  Paer motioned her head at me. “Lyam, you know I can’t—”

  “Don’t give me that crap, Agtha.” Fitz lowered his voice. “You owe me. You—” He swallowed and paused. “You owe me.”

  She sighed. “We’re four-to-three in favor. Lilia, Mico, Ganla and Obowe all want war while Hrun, Zedda and I aren’t sure.” She motioned to me again. “He tips the scale in their favor.”

  Fitz brow furrowed. “If it’s four-to-three, why isn’t there more of a push?”

  “There is. Things have been escalating since Lilia took the number two spot two years back. Hrun’s tried to keep his hand on the dial, slow things down. Still hopes rational minds will prevail, but I doubt it. Looks bad.”

  I couldn’t wait any longer. “I don’t get it. What’s wrong with war? Isn’t the whole point to break out from under the GDR? Isn’t war the only option?” Henk and Ashlo thought so and I was inclined to agree.

  “It’s good, if we win,” Fitz replied. “But, what if we don’t? And what happens if we do? Conquered people don’t like to be subjugated. If anything, we’d flip the existing power dynamic. Sure, it’s better for us, but it’s not stable or sustainable in the long run.”

  Oh… “So, short term versus long term thinking,” I said.

  “That’s a good summary. Any ideas on timeframes, Ag?” Fitz asked. “And would it work?”

  She shrugged. “We’re not sure. Sims show at best forty percent chance of success, but they’re also just simulations.” She looked at me. “Without you, our odds drop to five percent. There’s a lot riding on a symbol of hope, on you. And to be honest, it gets worse every day, like Hrun said. The GDR’s preparing. Our chances will never be better, at least not if things continue how they are,” she added.

  We all looked down at our food.

  A crowd enveloped me in a claustrophobic wave as we left.

  “Raek?”

  “That’s him…”

  “Is it true?”

  A girl grabbed my hand, another touching my furry ears. Three guys offered high fives. Everyone stared, everyone wanted answers. It was overwhelming. A million variations.

  The day passed in a blur after that. Forty percent versus five. No wonder everyone was interested in me. How could I make a seven hundred percent difference? Me? Me!

  What were they hoping for? Victory would take a miracle, and I was still a kid. I was sixteen. Weren’t there adults that could lead or do something? There must be someone else, anyone else... Why me?

  These thoughts and more raced through my head all day, a sea of uncertainty threatening to drown me. I had to find somewhere to hide, to think.

  Sneaking upstairs, I headed toward the fitness area. If any rooms were empty, it would be those closest to the constant thudding weights.

  Since talking with Fitz and Paer, I noticed people watching me everywhere I went. Had I missed it earlier? Jame was right.

  The constant stream of attention was awful. And I’d been surrounded four times. How was I doing, did I have cybernetics, was I actually wolfish?...

  Ugh… Leave me alone.

  Picking a door, I knocked. Nothing. Another knock. Silence. Phew. I opened the door and jumped in. Freedom!

  Locking the door, I took a deep breath and sank to the floor. I crossed my legs to get comfortable. What was I going to do? If I’d learned anything these last days, it was that meditation was the ultimate escape. I cleared my mind, letting the chaos of the past few days slip away as the entire universe shrank to the space of my thoughts. My body disappeared soon after, and after who knows how long, I found myself in my SmartCore’s command center.

  It was filled with equipment and devices. Too much, too overwhelming. I relaxed further, drifting deeper into nothingness as everything dissolved into clouds of light and dark. All at once, something clicked. I felt it in my bones, at one with my body.

  Returning to my wakened state, I couldn’t find words to describe it. It was like understanding, like being shown the light, remembering something you’d once known and never truly forgotten.

  It was getting dark when I emerged from my refuge, 17:45. The meeting started soon.

  Taking the stairs two at a time, I made my way toward the entrance, passing tons of new faces. It was bigger than I’d expected.

  By the time I saw the elevated podium, I was surrounded by hundreds of clamoring bodies. We were cramped, nervous and energetic. Everyone was curious what was happening.

  Where was Fitz? At least alone I guess I’d attract less attention. I pulled my hood over my face. The last thing I needed was another scene, and this way, I’d see people’s unfiltered reactions.

  The lights above us dimmed and others illuminated the podium where Lilia, Hrun, and several serious-looking folks I didn’t recognize were standing.

  Hrun stepped forwa
rd. “Thank you all for coming!” he boomed, his voice amplified through the air. “Can everyone hear me?”

  There were a lot of nods and grumbled assents.

  “Good. We wanted to share some exciting news and talk about the future of the Initiative.” He waited for the jitters of the crowd to die. “As many of you heard,” he continued, “we had two successful ops within the past week. The first took out a VTOL factory a few hours north of Caen, a major blow to the DSR’s supply chain. Their Rapid Response Units, RRUs, account for a third of our casualties. This should cut their global VTOL production at least ten percent, and we plan to target more in the coming months.” He paused, sipping water and hacking. “I’ll let Lilia tell you about the second op,” he finished in a raspy voice as he rubbed his chest, coughing twice.

  Lilia strode forward and grasped the podium confidently. “The second attack was more political in nature. You’re aware of the recent attacks on women in our towns and villages. Wives and daughters assaulted in record numbers by male elites and left for dead.” My fists balled and heart hammered for war as my mind drifted to Elly, that night... “This cannot stand!” She slammed her fist on the podium, her eyes blazing. “This. Will. Not. Stand!”

  There was a hush among the crowd as everyone held their breath. My skin tingled as pain, guilt, and anger swirled.

  Teams had captured several offenders, forcing confessions and allowing the victim’s fathers to enact revenge, filming the whole thing. They’d uploaded videos to the web—and the elite web—and dumped the bodies around the city to “issue a warning,” as Lilia said, “that our daughters are not to be messed with.”

  “This is our time, my friends,” she said. “A time for animotes, time for freedom.” She threw back her head, silky hair tumbling as she thrust her fist into the air. “Freedom, freedom, freedom!” Her voice hit earth-shattering levels.

  The chants grew louder and louder as more and more joined in. Soon, fists flew everywhere, the chorus deafening.

  Lilia signaled for silence and it quieted. “That’s not all. Today we stand in the midst of a miracle. The impossible. Today, we have hope.”

  My stomach flipped. Don’t do it, don’t do it...

  She smiled. “As some of you may have heard, we received a call for help yesterday. We weren’t sure whether it was a hoax or a trap. It seemed too good to be true, but I am here to tell you, the world is changing. Raek, come here.”

  I closed my eyes, squeezing them shut, but a light appeared, illuminating me. Shoot. Careful to avoid eye contact with anyone, I made my way to the front.

  As I reached Lilia, she shouted, “How many of you have been bullied or mistreated because you’re an animote, called an animal, a savage, or beaten down by society? How many?”

  An excited, angry chorus.

  She introduced me with all the drama of a blockbuster holo, putting her arm around me. “Tonight I give you the first mixed-breed hybrid in human history. I give you our future!” She lifted my hand into the air and the crowd roared.

  She was an excellent speaker. If I wasn’t terrified, I’d have been impressed. Instead, she motioned me to the podium, intending me to speak. Crap.

  I shuffled forward, hands in my pockets. What should I say?

  “Um, hi. My name’s Raek, and it’s true, I’m wolfish. But I’m cynetic too.” They were all staring... “I don’t know what happened to me or how I got this way. I only know what I am, not where I’ve come from.” I shrugged and tried to smile. “I’m no one special. I’m a guy, like any of you. I, I don’t have anything else to say.”

  Lilia rushed forward, clapping and saving me. “Raek Mekorian, ladies and gentlemen. Give our hero a hand!”

  Hero? Uh-oh! That didn’t sound good.

  Where the heck was Fitz? My world spun, stomach flipping. What was going on? People clapped, cheered, and screamed… the energy was electrifying. I wanted to disappear.

  The crowd rushed forward, arms outstretched. People patted me on the back, yelling.

  Surrounded. Shit. It was all too much.

  21

  Troublemaker

  When I came to, everything was white and orderly, lights raking my eyes. The medical ward again, probes on my arms and legs, a pulsing red heartbeat on a virtual screen floating above my bed.

  “I was wondering when you’d wake up.”

  What? I looked around, groggy, eyes half open.

  Fitz stood from his chair in the corner and walked over. “How you feeling?”

  “Like crap.” Ugh. “How did I get here?”

  “You remember what happened, the meeting and all?”

  How could I not? I nodded, grimacing.

  “You passed out. All the commotion and attention. It must have overwhelmed you.”

  “Where were you?” I looked at him and remembered why I’d been alone. “I couldn’t find you.”

  “I’ll tell you the truth about the space race later, okay?” he said, his tone turning businesslike.

  The space race? I was about to ask when Lilia came in. Fitz caught my eye as he turned to leave. Something told me to hold my tongue.

  “How’s he doing?” she whispered. “Is he okay?”

  “He’ll be fine. Doctors say it was shock. They’re giving him fluids and monitoring his vitals, but he’s fine.”

  “I see. I came by to apologize for not giving him a heads up about what we were planning.”

  “That was planned?” Fitz exclaimed.

  “Well, more or less.” She looked away. “It wasn’t set in stone, but I felt the moment, the energy… Didn’t you? It was perfect. It was the right time.”

  “Perfect for who?” Fitz snapped.

  “You know as well as I do, Lyam, why this matters. You’ve sacrificed more than most.”

  He has?

  “He’s a boy, Lilia!” he hissed. “Remember that.”

  “You think I don’t? You think this isn’t hard for me too?” She was getting louder, but Fitz was blocking her view.

  “You know what I think, but now’s not the time. I need to go.”

  “I’ll tell him you came by if he wakes,” she said as he left.

  I kept my eyes closed another five minutes. What was that about?

  After what felt long enough to be convincing, I opened my eyes a crack. Feigning sleepiness, I looked around, avoiding Lilia before doing a double take.

  “What, what happened?” I croaked. “Where am I?”

  “Everything’s fine, Raek. You’re in the medical ward. You had a little fall, that’s all.” Her voice was soft as she held my hand. “The excitement of last night shocked you.”

  I let my jaw drop. “Is Fitz here, I mean Lyam?”

  “Not since I got here,” she lied. “I’ve been here an hour, maybe he was here earlier.” A forced-looking optimistic smile crossed her beautiful face.

  Something was definitely up. I needed to find Fitz and find out what he’d wanted to tell me. “I’m thirsty. Do you have water?”

  “I’ll ring the nurse and have her bring you something nice. How does that sound?”

  “Thanks, Lilia.” I did my best dopey smile. “You’re nice, you know that. Pretty too. I’m glad you’re here.” I opened my mouth in mock surprise. “Uhhhhh, I didn’t mean to say that... the medicine.”

  “It’s okay, Raek.” She smiled at me.

  Lilia hung around another half hour or so, talking to me, telling jokes and asking about life as I gnawed salty jerky. If I hadn’t known better, I’d have fallen for it.

  As it was, I was lost and confused. I fell asleep not knowing what to do or who to trust.

  A light tap on my arm jolted me as a hand clamped hard over my mouth.

  Alarm bells exploded in my head.

  This was it.

  22

  Wake Up

  Rocketing out of the bed, I threw both my arms at my attacker. I wasn’t going down without a fight.

  “It’s me, shhh,” Fitz whispered. “Relax, Raek. We needed
to talk and don’t have much time.”

  My fist stopped seconds before trainwrecking his jaw. “Fitz?” What? “What are you doing here?”

  “Shhh!” he whispered again. “We don’t have much time. Hrun’s dead. It was made to look like a heart attack but I think he was poisoned. Everything’s accelerated. Lilia’s in charge and the timing is too perfect. I think she planned it. I think she killed him!”

  My legs caved and I sank to the bed. “What? She was here earlier. I heard what she said. She lied, told me she hadn’t seen you.”

  “That doesn’t sound good. Are you dressed? Can you walk?”

  “I’m fine. These darn nurses won’t let me leave.”

  “Did you not hear what I said?” He grabbed my shoulders. “Lilia’s in charge now. She wants war at any cost. She’ll use you as a figurehead, even if that means a martyr.” He looked me dead in the eyes. “Is that what you want?”

  “Well, no. But if it is what we need...”

  He shook his head. “It isn’t safe here now. I can’t protect you. You need time to learn your cybernetics. We need to think.” He gritted his teeth. This was the first I’d seen him scared, burning eyes two steps from full-on panic.

  Footsteps. We both froze.

  Who was that?

  A nurse appeared. “What are you doing here at this time of night, Lyam?” Her voice echoed through the empty ward.

  “Darthie, you’re still here?” Fitz smiled. “I’m glad Raek’s in good hands. Couldn’t sleep. Too much excitement from last night. I wanted to check on him. When I got here, he was awake.”

  “The boy needs his sleep, Lyam. It’s good to see you.” Her eyes narrowed. “I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

  Fitz stood. “Take good care of him for me.”

  She walked him to the door. “You always were a troublemaker, Lyam,” she muttered as they rounded the corner. “It’s good to have you back.”