Convergence

by David M Henley

‘I don’t want to but … I’m not sure we have a choice.’

  ‘Taka …’ Ryu sighed. His cheeks were grey with an embedded tiredness.

  ‘Ryu, listen to me. You have been fighting the psis as if they are a virus, but it’s not working and that’s because that is what Pierre Jnr and the psis are doing to us. He is eradicating us the way we are trying to do to them. Region by region he cleanses the world — of areas outside of his control. It is them or us.’

  ‘He will come. We will not be able to stop him.’

  ‘Ryu — don’t give up. I need you to help me now.’

  Ryu tried to stand, but his arms were as useless as banana skins. Sib bent down to lift him.

  ‘Okay. I’m too tired to think. What do you need me to do, Taka?’

  ‘I need more time. The psis are overwhelming Yantz. You have to slow them down. Can you do that?’

  ‘I can try.’

  Peter?

  ‘Peter Lazarus, wake up.’

  He groaned. His head felt shredded.

  ‘Are you in pain?’

  ‘My head …’

  ‘Do you want me to give you something?’ the robot asked.

  ‘No. I’ll be okay.’

  ‘When I connected to Kronos, you passed out.’

  ‘You spoke to me …’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Through the bauble.’

  ‘It is just a machine, but I thank you for helping me calibrate to it. It would have taken me much longer without you.’

  ‘Do you know that Pierre Jnr has manifested?’

  ‘In Santiago, Prague, Nairo—’

  ‘Then we are too late. It is already happening.’

  ‘Do you still wish to proceed?’

  Tamsin. Look what he is doing! he called out to her.

  It’s too late, Peter.

  ‘Let’s turn around,’ he said to the robot.

  Don’t leave. Join us, Tamsin thought to him.

  He felt the squib shake. The lumens faded and they began to sink towards rooftops.

  ‘What’s happening?’ he asked.

  ‘It seems they have disabled our vehicle,’ Sib said.

  Tamsin!

  Yes, Peter?

  Are you going to kill me? he asked.

  Not if you don’t make me.

  Don’t you see what is happening to you? Are you not seeing what Pierre is turning you into? We must try to stop him. You must lead us against him.

  I’ll never understand you, Peter.

  They stared into each other’s minds while the squib was getting dangerously low. He felt like he was looking into her eyes. A circle of flecked colour within a circle of black. Don’t do this.

  The squib sank further. The windows of a broken apartment block went past on his right. In his overlay he saw the metres diminishing towards zero. Pete braced himself for impact, squeezing his hands on the edge of his seat … then they were below ground level, had gracefully stopped falling and were now speeding through the new gorge.

  He breathed out.

  Thank you.

  I told you I wasn’t going to kill you, didn’t I? You can’t leave until I show you what you’re leaving behind.

  Around him, flashing by on either side, Pete witnessed the awe-inspiring construction that was taking place. What he had seen in the psi propaganda was real. Old and new buildings were being painted in changing sunlight and he sensed a group of benders building a new avenue between them. Their leader was a man called Chiggy who broke down whole buildings and packed them into rubble for the foundation.

  You’re controlling him.

  He was out of control. We needed him.

  So you take what you need and you get what you want?

  Don’t hate me, Pete. There was no other way.

  There’s always another way! Where does it stop?

  The Will will never free us. You know that, don’t you, Pete? Left to themselves they will always try to control us.

  If you are willing to control those who resist you in the Cape, why not accept the Prime’s offer and work with the World Union? Sib asked.

  Who are you?

  I am Sib 3 and I ask you to listen to us.

  How are you communicating this way? Tamsin asked in alarm. Peter, what is going on here?

  It helped me through the barrier. It wanted to speak with you.

  Tamsin was standing on the road outside the psi headquarters, staring in the direction of Pete’s approaching squib. The sky was cloudy, but pocked with holes that let the sun’s fingers play over the megapolis.

  ‘There is still time to change your mind,’ a voice beside her spoke.

  She looked around and neither saw nor sensed another mind. Then she noticed the servitor standing nearer to her than it should. It should have been working on the paving of the footpath.

  ‘What did you say?’

  ‘We are trying to help you.’

  ‘Who are you?’

  ‘I am the one with Peter Lazarus.’

  ‘You’re the robots?’

  ‘Yes. We are all machines.’

  ‘Good for you.’

  Is this thing for real?

  It seems to be, Pete replied.

  ‘What do you want, robot?’

  ‘I want to prevent a great loss of human life.’

  ‘Then don’t try to stop what is going to happen.’

  ‘I guarantee you I won’t interfere. I just ask that you listen to Peter Lazarus.’

  ‘I have listened to him. And I’ve seen what he is afraid of. But it is already happening. Pierre Jnr will make us one.’

  ‘There is still time to resist him. If you do not, a great many people will die.’

  We have already won. Don’t you feel it, robot? We are the World Union. We are the Will.

  ‘I can take your machines from you. How will you live then?’ the robot asked her.

  ‘We will build new machines.’

  ‘And we will appreciate your donations. You won’t be able to feed yourselves. Your medicine will disappear. Even the water will stop flowing.’

  ‘That is your threat? You would send us into a Dark Age?’

  I could do worse. I can take these relays from you too.

  Tamsin stared at the servitor beside her anew. What is this?

  Yes, Tamsin, these relays are, after all, only machines. And like any machine, I can switch them off.

  No! You wouldn’t.

  The alternative is that you help us. You must unite the psis against Pierre Jnr or the unthinkable will happen.

  Never. He will save us. He will unite us.

  Tamsin, please, you don’t realise what that means, Pete added. You don’t want that. I’ve seen his mind. He is not the god you think he is.

  You should be happy, Peter. The dawning of Pierre Jnr is about to …

  They heard screams.

  ‘Fleet Admiral. Something is firing on Atlantic.’

  ‘Where’s it coming from?’

  ‘It’s in the water, sir. Close to shore. Resonance scans detect torpedo and missile launches.’

  ‘What is happening?’ Charlotte Betts ran onto the bridge. ‘Are we being fired upon?’

  ‘No. Someone is attacking the city. Possibly a submarine.’

  ‘Sir, we have a visual.’

  ‘Put it up.’

  ‘It’s just a silhouette flash.’

  ‘Put it up.’

  An image, half black, half lurid red and green, appeared on the common screen. It showed a blocky shape with spiky antennas and dark figures standing at handrails. Rockets were launching from the hull of the submarine, rapidly, like wolves at chase: smooth jets spitting one after the other into the sky.

  ‘Zim …’ Charlotte whispered. You bastard. We were nearly there … ‘Do something, Admiral. Stop them. We have to show the psis which side we are on.’

  ‘You want me to attack General Zim?!’ He paled at the idea.

  ‘Prime?’ Sib said.

  ‘What is it?’

&n
bsp; ‘There is an attack in the Cape. I have feeds from Seabase 3.’

  The streams immediately entered his queue and he auto-arranged them into his overlay. The Fleet Admiral had immediately launched observation drones after the first explosion.

  ‘Fleet Admiral Stirling,’ he connected.

  ‘Prime, are you watching?’

  ‘I’m seeing what you’re seeing. What’s happening?’

  ‘A submarine has surfaced and is attacking the city. We think it is General Zim, sir.’

  Pinter hesitated and Representative Betts dived into the gap.

  ‘Prime, we must stop him. I promised Tamsin we would control our own Citizens. He is committing an act of war.’

  ‘I realise that. Fleet Admiral, can you do anything? Can you pacify him?’

  ‘On your order, Prime.’

  ‘Sir, the psis are striking back,’ the comms officer reported.

  The drones zoomed closer showing missiles exploding in mid-air or being pulverised by a flying boulder of broken condominium.

  General Zim stood on the turret, watching the flash and rumble of his assault. Missiles exploded apartment blocks, or broke open before impact to release mini-swarms of drones that began targeting those below, attacking with gas and laser.

  ‘The enemy have engaged, General.’

  ‘Good. Ochen khorosho! Then they have taken the bait. Time to send them our present. Yes?’

  ‘On your order, General.’

  ‘Strelat!’

  The special missile was released: clamps opening, rocket igniting, it fired from its tube and sped into the sky. It looked like a misfire, far overshooting the battle, but as it reached its apex its body opened up, dropping an innocent black stone towards the ground.

  Nobody saw it. Nobody thought anything of another piece of debris succumbing to gravity. It fell into a street where families were pulling each other along, hurrying away from the attacks. A man tripped over it and fell to the ground. He didn’t know what he had stepped on but his foot felt like there was a blade pushing into his bones. The pain turned like a corkscrew, twisting itself higher into his body until black tongues lashed over his face and he …

  Their heads echoed with the alarm and panic of the people near the coastline as they were bombarded by missiles.

  ‘Who is doing this?’ Pete turned to the robot beside him.

  ‘This isn’t me,’ Sib replied.

  ‘Is it Pinter? Get him to stop.’

  ‘It isn’t the Prime,’ Sib answered simply.

  The attack continued and Tamsin directed Chiggy and the benders to respond. ‘Whoever it is, I’ll teach them not to attack us.’

  Chiggy rode forth on his marble slab, speeding like a squib towards the coast, a raft over rapids. The land before him broke apart and flew into the air to deflect incoming missiles and throwing tonnes of rubble into the ocean at their invisible attackers.

  I said, stay back! he shouted at the submarine as he snapped it in two. The missiles stopped firing and the broken hull was pummelled and drowned under rocks.

  Then the two telepaths heard something else. Silence. Pinpricks of consciousness blanking out. They felt alarm and they followed to see what the people were seeing. Black inky tentacles were erupting from a torrent of dark liquid splashing and latching onto every surface.

  The people disappeared beneath it.

  ‘What is happening?’ Pete asked.

  Through the network he felt fear and he followed it to where people were running away. He dived closer, into a man called Hiero Blish, a bender who was in one of the unfinished buildings, lifting walls into place with the aid of the kinetics around him. They had stopped their work and were looking down the street to where a tidal wave of black liquid was flooding over the buildings, a dark veil that rushed towards them.

  ‘Kronos,’ Pete said. ‘Kronos is here.’

  ‘You must go,’ said the robot. ‘Can you make them release control of the vehicle?’

  ‘I can try.’ Pete closed his eyes and focused on the psi network. Most were now engaged with defending the shore, but there must be one concentrating on holding them to their path.

  It belonged to a young girl …

  Run! Tamsin shouted into every mind she could reach. As fast as you can. All the telepaths with a bauble could see it approaching. Help them, she thought as she coordinated the benders to carry each other as fast as possible from the area.

  Hiero Blish and the psis with him jumped from the unfinished tenth floor and were caught in the grasp of those below. People came from everywhere, from the accommodation blocks and underground, and the streets were soon thick with jostling bodies.

  The blackness came for them and only the kinetics could move fast enough to keep ahead, leaping and accelerating themselves until Bendertown was far behind them.

  There were less and less voices from the area. She could only feel one mind, somewhere in the centre of the black mass. Chiggy was drifting slowly, surrounded by a hundred tentacles that he cut and battered, clearing a space around him. A few of his close coterie kept tight to his marble raft, helping to push it along.

  Chiggy, Tamsin spoke to him. You need to go faster.

  Get out of my head, tapper.

  Fight, Chiggy. Fight, Tamsin urged.

  Chiggy grew mad, his face red and sweating. Let me go, he said to her. You run. Save who you can.

  You’re too close, Piri said to her.

  Tamsin leapt out of Chiggy’s mind and back to her own eyes.

  We have to leave, Piri thought.

  I’m not going anywhere. This is our home …

  Tamsin stopped thinking. She could feel her world being demolished one person at a time. Each loss was a thread of her being taken away. It hurt so much.

  Hello. Who are you?

  They call me Piri. You are Peter Lazarus.

  I am.

  She thinks about you. I know all about you.

  Oh … Pete had nothing to say.

  Piri giggled.

  She was right, you are fun to play with. Why are you afraid of her? Tamsin is nice.

  It’s not her I’m afraid of. Didn’t anyone tell you it’s rude to pry?

  ‘Peter Lazarus,’ Sib interrupted. ‘If we are to leave, we need to do it now.’

  ‘I’m trying,’ Peter said.

  Who is this robot anyway? Piri asked.

  He calls himself Sib.

  Should I destroy it?

  No. It helped me get here.

  Can it be trusted?

  I don’t know, Pete thought back.

  Can it hear me?

  I can hear you.

  I’m watching you, robot, Piri said.

  And I am watching you, Piriwinkle Ross.

  Hey, how do you know my name? I hate that name.

  I know all about you, Piri.

  I don’t like it, she thought to Pete.

  Then why not just let us go? We will leave peacefully.

  I can’t let you go.

  Please, Piri.

  You have to come get us.

  ‘Sib, is there time?’

  ‘Enough.’

  Please, let me drive, Sib thought to Piri. I can be faster.

  Okay, robot. But don’t forget I can change my mind.

  There was an imperceptible change of control. The squib suddenly began accelerating as the robot overrode the safety protocols and limits in the vehicle. Pete could feel his body dragging against the force.

  With a deft hop they leapt from the artificial canyon and came down beside a recently renewed hotel, where Tamsin Grey had fallen to her knees, her fists clenched. The girl, Piri, was standing beside her.

  We have to go, Pete said.

  I won’t leave them, Tamsin cried.

  Sib opened his door and turned to Pete. ‘Give me the relay.’

  ‘What for?’

  ‘So I can stop Kronos. Quickly.’

  Pete opened his hand and with a movement so speedy it was only a blur to him, Sib took it
from his palm. Pete’s mind grew tiny and he reeled.

  The robot sprinted incredibly fast, scooping Piri into its arms and then doubling back to lift Tamsin. He strapped them into the seats.

  ‘Get them away,’ it said to Peter. ‘The squib will fly itself.’

  ‘I can’t leave,’ Tamsin growled. ‘My people …’

  ‘I’m going to try and save them.’ With that the robot shut the door and the squib hefted itself into the air. Pete watched as Sib leapt from the ground to the hotel rooftop and then launched itself again to the next highest building, each jump taking him fifty or more metres towards the ocean. In the east Kronos hurtled closer. The robot stopped jumping as the shadow reached him. It stopped and held its hand forward.

  The squib pulled too far away and they could no longer see what was happening.

  Don’t worry. It will be okay, Sib said.

  I can feel them disappearing. Oh … Tamsin passed out. The relay in her hand dropped to the floor. Pete lost his connection to Sib and the people below.

  Now, alone under the shadow of Kronos, Sib 3 stood at the highest point he could reach. Zero point zero zero zero four per cent of his processing power focused on directing Peter’s squib out of Atlantic, at maximum speed away from the spasmodic mass of black, darting and dodging the blind arms.

  With the rest of its brain it prepared itself, creating millions of copies of the reprogramming code which he immediately began sending towards the approaching monster. 1 and 2 were ready to take over as soon as there was a solid connection.

  To all those he was with, around the world, he said quietly, ‘Please, wait a moment …’

  WE ARE ONE

  Ryu’s body resisted re-entering his command room. He directed his symb to rebalance his hormones to counteract and brought the maps into his overlay.

  As if no time had passed, he was back in that familiar red nightmare. It was only a blink, a shower, and he was again in the room, watching the cancerous red dots spread over the globe.

  Nairobi was lost. Pierre had manifested there minutes ago, lifting from the market centre like a whale surfacing and then exploding in every direction through the streets. Two great limbs had swung out from the clutter of his mass, crushed the buildings and then settled.

  No communications were being sent or received now from the centre of the megapolis.

  The Dome manifestation near Prague was quick. Rising like a spear from the earth, the tumult of broken city smashed into the sky shielding above. Glass and plexicubes fell to the ground. The manifestation worked itself into a golem and began laying waste to the bubbles that protected the city.