After Earth: A Perfect Beast

by Peter David Michael Jan Friedman Robert Greenberger

“We’re not bombing them! That’s already proved inefficient. We’re going down there and disposing of them by hand, as we should have done ages ago!”

  “But sir!” His second in command is visibly trembling. “The gods would abominate us for our actions!”

  “They already abominate us for our weakness!” His fists clenched, he speaks with thunder in his voice. “I will lead the assault myself! We will descend upon Zantenor, and we will lay waste to the Vermin once and for all! And if any of you has anything to say about it, speak up now!”

  No one in his crew says a word.

  Instead, as one, they pull out their weapons and open fire.

  The Warlord never has a chance. He is blown to shreds, pieces of him flying every which way. The mass of charred meat that collapses to the floor is barely recognizable as a member of the Krezateen, much less as the Warlord.

  The High Minister and the High Chancellor regard the remains on the floor. “Well, that was predictable,” says the High Minister dispassionately. He glances at the second in command. “Set a course for home. And someone please clean up this mess.”

  As the others scramble to do as instructed, the High Chancellor and the High Minister walk away from the site of the Warlord’s ill-advised final stand. “Overall, I thought the creatures performed quite well,” the High Minister says consolingly. “We could not have expected the Vermin to develop some new manner of weaponry to counter them. Had that not happened, the Vermin would surely have been annihilated.”

  “Whatever they develop, we will overcome it,” the High Chancellor says with utter certainty. “Let the Vermin celebrate their victory. In the long, storied history of Zantenor, they will be as nothing—not even a shadow of a shadow. We will learn from our experience. What we create will be faster, stronger, more deadly. In the end, we will devise a creature capable of cleansing Zantenor as our faith commands.”

  “Yes,” says the High Minister. “Not just a predator this time.

  “A perfect beast.”

  To Joan, Deb, and Kathleen,

  without whom we’d get less written

  and life would certainly be less fun

  Acknowledgments

  When we three were invited back in 2011 to help shape the After Earth universe, we had no idea what the experience would be like. Over the last two years, this has turned into one of the most creatively satisfying projects we’ve ever worked on, either individually or collectively. It has a lot to do with how generous and open Overbrook Entertainment has been to our ideas and input, letting us play in their new sandbox. While the initial storyline for the feature film came from Will Smith, it has since been added to by many people. We’re the ones who were asked to take those many ideas and shape them into a timeline that was rich, varied, and deep with future story potential.

  This book resulted from that timeline, selecting a vital point in the After Earth history that also resonated with the feature film, setting the stage without spoiling the film’s fun. Along the way, we had a lot of exchanges with the OE staff, which made this a stronger story and intersects with more of the AE material now available for your reading pleasure.

  We want to thank Will Smith, Caleeb Pinkett, Gaetano Mastropasqua, Clarence Hammond, and Kristy Creighton for their input, guidance, and support. At Random House, editor Frank Parisi had to put up with a higher than normal level of agita, for which we are appreciative.

  BY MICHAEL JAN FRIEDMAN

  Fight the Gods

  Aztlan

  Ghost Hunters

  Ghost Hunting

  Seeking Spirits

  The VidarSaga

  The Hammer and the Horn

  The Seekers and the Sword

  The Fortress and the Fire

  The Ultimates

  Tomorrow Men

  Movie Adaptations

  Batman & Robin

  Justice League

  In Darkest Night

  Wings of War

  A League of His Own

  Star Trek

  All Good Things

  Crossover

  Death in Winter

  My Brother’s Keeper: Republic

  My Brother’s Keeper: Constitution

  My Brother’s Keeper: Enterprise

  Planet X

  Relics

  Reunion

  Shadows on the Sun

  Starfleet: Year One

  The Valiant

  Aliens

  Original Sin

  BY ROBERT GREENBERGER

  Batman

  The Essential Batman Encyclopedia

  The Batman Vault

  Iron Man

  Femmes Fatales

  Hellboy

  Hellboy II: The Golden Army

  Spider-Man

  The Art of Spider-Man Classic

  The Spider-Man Vault

  Star Trek

  The Complete Unauthorized History

  A Time to Love

  A Time to Hate

  Doors into Chaos

  The Romulan Stratagem

  Superman

  The Essential Superman Encyclopedia

  Wonder Woman

  Wonder Woman: Amazon. Hero. Icon.

  The Art of Howard Chaykin

  Stan Lee’s How to Write Comics

  BY PETER DAVID

  Fable

  Fable: The Balverine Order

  Fable: Blood Ties

  Fable: Reaver

  Fable: Theresa

  Fable: Jack of Blades

  Movie Adaptation

  Battleship

  Transformers: Dark of the Moon

  Spider-Man

  Spider-Man 2

  Spider-Man 3

  The Incredible Hulk

  Fantastic Four

  Iron Man

  The Camelot Papers

  Tigerheart: A Tale of the Anyplace

  Knight Life

  One Knight Only

  Fall of Knight

  The Hidden Earth Chronicles

  Book 1: Darkness of the Light

  Book 2: Heights of the Depths

  Sir Apropos of Nothing

  Book 1: Sir Apropos of Nothing

  Book 2: The Woad to Wuin

  Book 3: Tong Lashing

  Gypsies, Vamps and Thieves: Book 4: Pyramid Schemes

  (forthcoming graphic novel)

  Blind Man’s Bluff (Star Trek: The New Frontier)

  Year of the Black Rainbow (with Claudio Sanchez)

  Graphic Novel

  The Fallen Angel

  The Skrel continued to refine the Ursa, making modifications and sending more of their horrid creations to Nova Prime. Each time, the United Ranger Corps fought back, but not without tremendous sacrifice and loss.

  Finally, in 980 AE, Ranger Cypher Raige did something no human had ever done before. He mastered his fear so completely, he was effectively invisible to the Ursa. In the following twenty years, six others also demonstrated this skill.

  Here are three of their stories.

  The remaining three can be found in the After Earth novelization.

  The Earth is a distant memory, abandoned by humanity during a time of ecological catastrophe millennia ago. Humankind’s descendants found a new home on a world they named Nova Prime. There they thrived and grew, until the arrival of an aggressive alien species humans dubbed the Skrel, who attacked the survivors relentlessly for years. But humankind fought back with unfailing determination, led by the valiant United Ranger Corps, and resisted the Skrel’s best attempts to wipe them out. The war persisted off and on over centuries, and then the Skrel genetically engineered a weapon of mass destruction—one that would test Ranger determination and resourcefulness like no other.

  I

  The Ursa lunged, its mouth wide and slavering, letting out a deafening roar designed to paralyze its prey upon attack.

  On first sight, it seemed to be nothing but mouth. Its gaping maw could easily have swallowed Daniel Silver whole. If chewing was required, that wouldn’t be an issue, since its m
outh was crammed with massive fangs. It propelled itself forward on twisted, muscular legs, its talons providing it traction on any terrain.

  It was the most formidable, devastating predator on the whole of Nova Prime, and it was bearing down on Daniel with the speed and force of a hurricane.

  Without hesitation and unfazed by the creature’s speed, Daniel brought his pulser to bear. He was in a partial crouch in order to gain greater steadiness, and he held the pulser in a firm, double-handed grip. His eyes narrowed slightly and he fired off half a dozen quick shots. The Ursa attempted to dodge them, but Daniel adjusted without even thinking about it, each blast hitting home with unerring accuracy.

  The Ursa flipped over onto its back. Its legs trembled violently as it let out an ululating howl of agony, and then with one final wail, a death rattle sounded in the creature’s throat.

  Suddenly the Ursa began to flicker. A faint buzzing noise accompanied the flickering.

  And the monster disappeared.

  Daniel twirled the pulser a few times before sliding it into the holster on his hip. There were a few appreciative whistles and a smattering of applause, and Daniel bowed in response.

  There were many sharpshooting ranges throughout the city. It was a leftover from the more militaristic days of Nova Prime, when everyone was expected to be proficient in small-arms fire. Recent generations had come to rely more heavily on the Rangers, whose training had become more refined and Ursa-centric, thus allowing the balance of the population to pursue less violent vocations. Nevertheless, weapons practice was ingrained into the mentality of the Novans; you couldn’t be too prepared for an Ursa incursion, after all, and even the Rangers couldn’t be everywhere. The range where Daniel preferred to practice was one of the smaller ones in Nova Prime City, but its technology was absolutely state-of-the-art. Like many of the larger ranges, it carried a sizable selection of holographic targets for users to choose from, but there was no denying that the most popular of them all was the Ursa.

  Daniel and the other shooters were standing behind a counter that ran the length of the gallery. The holographic targets were on the other side and would snap into existence at random moments, charging at equally random times from different directions. Glowing numbers at the far end of the range displayed each shooter’s success rate, and Daniel’s was the only one at 100 percent.

  Daniel was over six feet tall, so long and lean that his teen years had been hellish. He’d been constantly tripping over his own feet until his body finally got itself sorted out. Now in his early twenties, he had brown hair so long and shaggy that he sometimes tied it back to keep it out of his eyes. He was all wiry muscle that seemed to develop naturally without his doing the slightest thing in the way of working out. His most charming asset was his ready smile, which he flashed now at the others who were complimenting him on his accuracy.

  “You are incredible, Danny,” one of them said. “No Ursa stands a chance with you.”

  “I know, I know. It’s a gift. What can I say?”

  “You can say it doesn’t mean a thing.”

  It was Tucker who had spoken. Tucker, the guy who owned the place. Short, squat, and barrel-chested, he walked slowly toward his customers. He had no choice in the speed of his gait; his right leg was artificial, causing him to lurch sideways. “Sure,” he continued, “you can pat yourself on the back and talk about how great you are and take all the bows you want. But all the pulser blasts in the world won’t slow down an Ursa. Not in real life. I know because years ago, I was as stupid as any of you, and when I ran into one of those things I figured I could handle it. And I was damned lucky that it only got my leg, because I wouldn’t have lasted more than another second at most. And if the Rangers hadn’t shown up just before that second, there’d be no one standing here to tell you idiots that you shouldn’t get too damned cocky. Fun and games are fine, but this”—he gestured around the shooting range—“that’s all this is. So don’t any of you get any fool notions in your head about taking on one of these in real life just because you can pop a few good shots in its head in the comfort and safety of a shooting range. Because you know nothing about nothing. Understood?”

  Heads bobbed in response and there were mutters of “Yes, sir.”

  Daniel’s smile didn’t come quite so readily as he put the pulser down, feeling an unaccustomed sense of chagrin. But he quickly brushed it aside. Daniel had never been much for allowing himself to be brought down, or at least not for long. It just wasn’t in his nature.

  So his smile quickly returned, and that seemed to annoy the hell out of Tucker. “Did you hear anything I said, Danny? Does anything matter to you?”

  And the smile broadened even more. “Ohhh, yeah. One thing. And that’s more than enough. In fact … I feel like I have to tell someone. So I’m telling you, Tuck …”

  “Me? And to what do I owe this honor?”

  “Because you’re the closest thing I have to a friend. So here it is: I’m proposing to Ronna.”

  “You are?”

  “Yup.”

  Tucker put out a hand and shook Daniel’s firmly. “Congratulations.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

  “No problem. Who the hell is Ronna?”

  “I’ve told you about her. You must’ve forgotten …”

  “I don’t forget a thing, Danny. You’ve never mentioned a girlfriend. Or a boyfriend. I just figured you were, what do you call it … a hermoglodyte.”

  “I have no freaking clue what that is.”

  “It’s someone who doesn’t care about either sex.”

  “Kind of doubt that, but in any event, that’s not me.” He paused, his eyebrows knitting. “Did I really never tell you about her?”

  “Not a word.”

  Daniel thought about it and then smiled again. “Well … maybe I just kind of liked keeping her to myself. Plus, you know, I tell you about her and then you’re always asking how she is, and it becomes a thing.”

  “A thing?”

  “A whole thing, yeah. And time goes by and you’re asking me how we’re doing, and if we’re talking about getting married, and all that stuff.”

  Tucker stared at him. “Daniel … out of curiosity, in your own mind, just how much time do you think I spend giving a damn about your personal life?”

  “Probably none.”

  “Try definitely none. Propose, don’t propose. I absolutely could not care less.”

  “That’s good to know, Tuck,” said Daniel, and he strode out with that typical sway of his. Tucker watched him go and then shook his head.

  “It’ll never last.”

  II

  The city was finally shaking off a lengthy heat wave, and consequently a welcome breeze was wafting through and taking much of the humidity with it. The smart fabric that composed the curved walls of the apartment was allowing the evening breeze to flow through it while keeping out the humidity. The apartment itself was sparsely furnished, the living room decorated with simple, curved chairs and a round table in the kitchen area. Daniel was looking in the other direction, gazing out through a window at the glowing residences of Nova Prime City that studded the landscape, a glittering testament to the resilience of humanity.

  Across the room, Ronna was sitting at the table, picking at the remains of the dinner she’d prepared. She was quiet this evening, which was rather unusual for her. Normally, she was the chattiest person Daniel had ever known.

  Finally, she broke the silence. Sounding as indifferent as someone could when they were relaying information, she said, “Someone called and left a message for you.”

  “Oh, yes? Who?”

  “A guy named Ryerson.”

  Daniel thought about it a moment. He wasn’t familiar with anyone named Ryerson. Except …

  “Not Sigmund Ryerson.”

  “That’s it. You know him?”

  “I know of him. He’s some well-to-do eccentric guy. Why would he be calling me?”

  “He said he heard you were
one of the best trackers in the city. He wants to go on an expedition.”

  “What kind?”

  She looked at him levelly. “He said he wants to track down and kill an Ursa. Be the oldest non-Ranger on record to kill an Ursa.”

  Daniel was having trouble believing what she was saying. “Go out of his way to push his luck with an Ursa? That’s nuts.”

  “You did say eccentric. Besides, you’re a good shot.”

  “Yeah, but it’s like what Tucker was saying earlier today: Blowing apart an Ursa in the privacy of a shooting gallery is one thing. Going in and maybe getting yourself killed … who needs that?”

  “Okay, well, I told you that he contacted you, or tried to. The rest is up to you.”

  “That’s fine, but I really don’t have any plans to get myself killed, so …” He shrugged.

  She returned to picking at the remains of her food as if the preceding discussion had never happened.

  He couldn’t take his eyes off her. Every day that he was with her was a blessing.

  “I can’t believe I’m lucky enough to have you in my life,” he said, giving voice to his thoughts.

  Ronna smiled, but it looked strained. She patted the table across from her. “Could you sit down, Daniel?”

  “Sure can. My knees bend and everything.” He did so eagerly, sitting with his fingers interlaced. “Actually, there’s something I want to talk to you about. I’ve been thinking a lot about our relationship.”

  “Have you?”

  “Yeah. Do you ever think about the night we met? At the bar?”

  “Occasionally.”

  “There was that guy who was bothering you, and I was the bouncer and told him to knock it off. And he beat the crap out of me, which got me fired, and then you took me back here to take care of me …”

  “Yes, Daniel, yes,” she said with vague impatience. “I remember. I was there. Is there a point to this?”

  “The point is that even if it hadn’t been my job, I’d still have jumped in to help you.”

  “That’s …” She closed her eyes for a moment, looking pained. “That’s nice to know.” He should have noticed it, should have realized that her mind was in a totally different place from his. But he didn’t.