She swings at a particular reveler who jumps back at the last second. “Sahel! Throw another one in.”
“But—”
“Just do it!” She swings the axe again, this time, batting the next attacker to the machine parts, below.
Sahel readies the next power cell but the sight of blood and bone make him freeze.
“Do it!” Aja yells, again, as she fights with another attacker for control of the axe. Other revelers sway back and forth, waiting for their turn should Aja gain the upper hand. Sahel throws the depleted power cell into the machine. But just as before, nothing happens.
“Mata!” Sahel cries.
Aja kicks the reveler between the legs, loosening his grip on the axe. With both hands, she jabs the handle of the axe at the reveler, sending him on his back along the walkway. Those on the other side begin to part. Aja watches a bloody hand move a reveler to the side.
The axe-woman clutches the screwdriver in her side. “I think this is yours.” She pulls the tool out and gasps, her mouth forming an expression of some ecstasy.
“Just listen to that,” Hallet says, pointing to the fight outside of the bridge. “Imagine, an entire planet full of that sort of thing. Neighbors fighting neighbors. Most of them not knowing why after the dust settles. Disputes hardly even resolved. We had a good thing, here, Alan. Until recently. This loss of control is going to hurt all of us.”
“We don’t want to be controlled.”
“But you need it. Otherwise, this sort of thing happens.”
The axe-woman presses the screwdriver toward Aja’s face. Only the handle of the axe keeps it at bay as Aja struggles to keep it away from her and keep herself from falling backwards into the machine parts.
Hallet walks away from the steps and toward the chairs. “Without control. Without a leader. We would just be animals. No one likes to admit it but the truth is still the truth. It’s why I do what I do. To protect them. Something I plan on doing for a very long time.”
“We’re not animals. We’re…We can take control of ourselves.”
“Listen to that racket down there, son! That’s taking control of yourselves? If I don’t stop it, they’ll rip this ship apart. Don’t you understand? This ship holds the last of the human race. Without it, we’re nothing more than a cosmic memory. Is that what you want?”
“I just want fairness.”
“You want a utopia. Well, guess what. It doesn’t exist. Even, down there.” Hallet points toward the Earth. “There were have’s and have nots, even there. At least here, we all voted on who got what. I’m sorry your friends got the short end of that stick but a vote is a vote. More than that, it’s fair.”
“Then make a re-vote,” Alan demands.
“Sure. Let’s do that. And in a few years, find myself having this same conversation with someone else. Face it, Alan. Your army is gone. There’s no no one here to help you when you can’t do the one thing you’ve always tried. It’s over.”
Alan looks back at the walkway. No one has come in. Aja still holds the door. But how long can she keep it up? There’s an entire deck waiting to be next. He turns back to Hallet who sits in one of the chairs. “No.”
“What? You say ‘no’ like you have an actual choice.”
“Takeda said—”
“Takeda? The man who convinced you to be leader. The same man who told you to be leader. That it’s your destiny?”
“How do you know all that?”
“Like I said,” Hallet pulls out a small remote from his shirt pocket. He aims it at the window and video footage appears on half it. The footage is of Takeda talking to Alan. “Grow up. He told you all of that to get you to try again.”
“I would have anyway.”
“Alone. He and I had many conversations about the right way to decrease the population. It was his idea to have you lead an army of lower deckers up here.”
“What?”
“I figured all of them wouldn’t actually make the trip. We both knew there’d be plenty of losses. But it all worked out. In many ways, you actually got what you wanted. More room on the ship. Once we do a count, we may even be able to ease up on those water rations.”
Alan frowns, trying to grasp what Hallet is saying. “No, that can’t…Captain Takeda was…He was my friend. He taught me—”
“A lot. I know. He was my friend too. I will dearly miss him. But he knew the risks and was prepared for them.”
“But if this was his idea, why would he want me to kill you?”
“He wanted you to take my place. That’s what these are for.” Hallet points to the chairs. “The process is called Neural Transference. It’s a one way road. I sit here. You sit there and my consciousness moves into you. It wouldn’t have worked before with your abilities being so strong. But, now that you’ve used them, so often, you’ll be in a weaker state. The process should go much easier now.”
“You become me?”
“Sort of. You are my clone so, it’s…Well, it’s a little too technical for most. So let’s just say, yes, I become you. After that I put a stop to all of this and get things back to normal.”
“What happens to me? What happens to my consciousness?”
“Some of it will remain. But you’ll mostly be me. I can promise you this; It won’t hurt. And once all the fighting has stopped, you’ll have what you always wanted. You’ll finally arrive in the place to be.”
“I had friends who died getting here.” Alan’s eye reddens as it waters.
“Let’s end more of the suffering.” Hallet motions toward the empty chair. “No more lost friends.”
Alan looks back to where Aja stands guard, expecting a mob of revelers to appear up the stairs. None show. She’s still fighting.
Aja has finally rid herself of the axe-woman. Her swings are more focused, smaller to avoid having the weapon taken from her. Sahel takes small steps toward the door of the bridge. His hands shaking as other revelers brandish their own makeshift weapons, tipping the scales in their favor.
Hallet rolls his eyes, exhaling. “I don’t have time for more back and forth with you.” He presses another button on the remote and the old image changes to a new one. “You sit in that chair and accept the process or the rest of the lower deck is done.”
Alan turns his attention to the footage on the window. He drops the water bottle, barely registering the glass shatter. The footage on the window is of soldiers with small flame throwers, filling the cramped corridor of the lower deck.
CHAPTER TWENTY
“How this happens is up to you,” Hallet tells Alan. “I make one order and they’re gone. You’ll have no one and then you’ll be glad to sit in that chair. Or you sit in it and they’re spared.”
Alan watches the footage on the window. The soldiers in armor pull lower deckers from their small rooms, shoving them further into the lower deck.
“It only takes one to set the others alight, remember? What’s it going to be? Either way, you’re getting in that chair.”
“You’ve told us when to sleep. When to shower, drink water. Taking people’s children. You’ve been making up laws as you go, just to control us. And now, after killing my friends, you threaten to kill more of them?
“The first of many hard decisions that will be made. You might as well get use to it.”
The lower deckers cower, trying to get away from the soldiers. Away from the flame throwers. Children clutch, tightly, to whatever homemade toys they have. Some of them bury their heads into parents’ shoulders, uncertain of the threat hanging in front of them. They feed off of the fear of those old enough to understand what’s going on. But none of them know why.
“You sacrificed Danny for Minister Jada. I suppose this would be just as easy,” Hallet says.
Alan slowly turns to Hallet, his one eye narrows at the Captain. He clenches his fist, again, suddenly aware of the small power cell in his hand. He holds it up and looks at it.”
&n
bsp; Hallet’s expression turns solemn. “Be careful with that.” Hallet starts to rise from the chair. “I’m doing this for the good of everyone on this ship. You are me so you must know that.”
“There is a part of me that knows that. And if this blows up, we all go. But there’s a part of me that also thinks, maybe the human race will still survive.”
“Only if we stay on the ship,” Hallet drops the remote and steps toward Alan.
A small hand tugs at Alan’s pants. He looks down and sees Sahel pointing out toward the walkway
“We’re going home,” he says before running back down the stairs.
Alan walks after him.
“Alan!” Hallet quickens his pace. “Alan, get back here!”
At the top of the stairs, Alan sees Sahel grab Aja by the legs. There are many other legs backing her toward the door to the bridge. Alan starts to step down toward them but the sound of heavy footsteps makes him turn back to Hallet.
The Captain grabs Alan’s wrist, with both hands, trying to wrestle the power cell from his grasp. “We are home, Alan. It is the only home you’ve ever known. It will not be taken from me.”
The two men fight over the small power cell, their arms circling back and forth as Hallet tries to pry Alan’s fingers loose.
“Alan!” Aja yells from outside of the bridge.
Alan takes his attention off of the fight for a moment. He looks back at the footage of the lower deck, the soldiers awaiting Hallet’s command. The short lapse in attention is enough for Hallet to finally wrestle the power cell free. The Captain exhales a sigh of relief as he steps backwards, staring at the little cell.
“Now that this is in more rational hands, I think it’s time we rid you of that conscience. Might as well start there before we make the transfer.” Hallet walks back to his chair and picks up the remote. “All lower deck passengers are—”
Suddenly the remote flies out of Hallet’s hand.
“What?” He turns to Alan, seeing his extended hand. “Doesn’t matter. You still can’t hurt me any more than you could yourself.”
As suddenly as the remote tore from his grasp, The fingers of Hallet’s other hand burst open, pushed by the force of the power cell. The little battery stops in mid air. Hallet reaches for it but it moves high out of his grasp. He turns to Alan. “Don’t.”
“He just said it. We’re going home.” Alan looks toward the Earth.
“The planet is dead! This ship is home!”
Alan swings his arm, pulling the power cell toward him. It stops over his head and he turns around and pushes it through the door as he runs down the steps and out of the bridge. Once the power cell hovers over the machine gap, Alan looks at Aja and all of the revelers on the bridge side of the walkway. “Grab Sahel.”
Aja drops the axe and grabs her son, squeezing him tightly.
Alan swing his arm down and the power cell flies into the machine. Everyone expects another explosion. The only sound they hear is a clink as the cell hits one of the wheels. The surrounding revelers regain themselves and start back toward Aja. Some of them put their sights on Alan.
“Abhorrent,” they all say. The revelers on the other side of the walkway only watch the action on the bridge side. Some unsure of what to do. Others wait until they need to jump in.
“They’re inert,” Aja says. “They’re all inert. They won’t explode.” She hugs her son, tears in her eyes because she knows what is to come when the revelers get to them.
“It was a good idea, I admit.” Hallet steps out of the bridge. “And it was your last card.”
Alan looks back at Hallet then to the nearing revelers. “Not my last one.”
He thrusts a hand out at Hallet, pushing the man back to the steps. Before Hallet can get back to his feet, Alan, telekinetically shuts the door and spins back to the revelers, his other hand, pushing the group away. Some fall to their backs. The unlucky ones fall into the machines below. “Get to cover.” He grits his teeth. The surviving revelers on the bridge side, scramble to their feet in fear. They run for the walkway, pushing and shoving to get across first. Some make it. Others don’t.
“Alan?” Aja says.
“I don’t know if this will work.” He concentrates on the cogs and the wheels in the gap. Both arms begin to shake as he strains to keep the door closed and affect the machines in the gap.
A popping sound is heard and two sides of the wire insulation rise above the walkway. Steam and smoke escape from the gap. Alan closes his eyes and brings his other hand forward. The revelers back away, even further at the sound of metal screeching. The wheels stutter to a halt. Cogs pop out of their placement falling further into the machine, clogging up those parts that are still moving as they’re meant to.
“Mata?” Sahel asks.
Alan’s entire body shakes as he focuses on the machine parts. “We’re going home,” he whispers as the door to the bridge opens.
“Don’t do this!” Hallet yells.
Alan brings his arms down, clenching his fists. A loud crash followed by an explosion booms through the deck. Splintered cables and shattered metal parts fly out of the gap.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
A fireball explodes from the bottom of the Grand Marshall. The vacuum of space, immediately extinguishes it as the large space ship, housing the last of humanity, slowly descends from its orbit. Gravity pulls the ship toward the planet.
A twinge of red lights up on the side of the behemoth as it enters Earth’s atmosphere. Yellow sparks fly off of the metal hull and a trail of black smoke escapes the blown out part of the ship, rising into the air. The smoke looks as if it is a rope the ship slides down on.
The Grand Marshall crackles and bends as the back end of the ship rotates toward the ground. Anything inside that is not strapped down would be thrown against the walls.
From as high up as the ship still is, it would appear to be a speck in the sky. A reddish-white color that seems to get darker as it nears the surface of the planet. If there was anyone to see it, they would, surely think it a meteor ready to strike, causing a planet wide disaster. But the empty buildings, shells of their former selves, see nothing. Their cracking and crumbling surfaces don’t even experience the passage of time anymore than the long burned out vehicles on the roads and crumbling freeways.
Closer to the surface, the roar of the burning ship, while still faint, grows louder. A high pierced alarm rings out through the blaze. A signal to those on the ground that the ship is coming in too fast. A signal that goes unheard.
The glow from the burning metal at the back of the ship, gets brighter and brighter as the heat from the friction warms up long dormant engines. A fire bursts from the thrusters creating an opposite force. It is an automatic response meant to slow the ship down in such events. It has little effect as the hulking space vehicle gets even closer to the surface.
The red glow of friction heated metal begins to lessen as the Grand Marshal breaks through cloud formations, the ground even closer than before. A secondary set of thrusters near the front of the ship ignite, creating a rippling heat wave around the mouth of the thrusters and jerking the ship under its rapid descent. When the space cruiser finally hits the ground, making a large crater, the thrusters crumble and explode under the force. The front end of the ship collapses toward the rear, bending steel and setting off more explosions.
Exterior fire dousing systems activate in areas not completely wrecked, spraying a white fire retardant, dousing the flames on the ship.
A loud screeching sound bursts through the silence as metal grinds on metal and the front end finally falls forward, crashing to the ground and sending a ring of dirt and smoke blasting out from under it.
Small fires litter the ground around the hulking wreck. A few more pop up from the ship, itself. For the first time since it launched, decades ago, the Grand Marshall is home. Sadly, there is no one to greet it.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Bl
ack smoke rises out of the ship, filling the air and darkening the pristine blue sky above. Fallen trees lean against broken pieces of the ship as it rests on the ground that blackened from the impact.
A side door of the craft jerks as though something on the other side were hitting it. When it finally opens, Hallet bursts into the open air, dropping to the ground. His hands go for his throat as he gasps for oxygen. “The poison. The air is…” He looks around, gauging his surroundings and expecting to see dirt and no signs of life. Yet the only place devoid of any color is inside of the crater made by the crashed ship. Hallet exhales and lowers his hands. “The air is…It isn’t poison?”
“I knew it,” Aja steps out of the same door, carrying Sahel. They are both dirty and scraped up but both still alive. She looks at the crest of the crater and sees the tops of trees swaying in the breeze. “Sahel. Sahel, look.” She points to the trees while putting him on the ground. “See? I told you.” She takes his hand and they run up the sides of the crater.
“Wait. We don’t know for sure,” Hallet says.
A sound of whispers and shuffling feet gets his attention as a few more people exit the ship. Many of them are afraid. Some are curious. All of them are still rattled by the crash. “Passengers,” Hallet starts. “Please, go back to…” The passengers ignore him as they spread out, observing their new surroundings.
Aja and Sahel breathe deeply as the breeze cools them. Sahel takes great interest in the trees while Aja shields her eyes from the brightness of the sun that is still hard to look at through the smoke of the crash. It is a welcome sight.
“Mata,” Sahel says. “What are those?” He points out to a group of four legged creatures running through the grass.
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