Alejandra sensed the conflict within Old-timer. Even he wasn’t sure if he was helping the Purists because it was the right thing to do—or because of Alejandra. “You don’t have to stay to help us, you know,” she said to him. She didn’t want to tell him that she was glad he was staying. Sometimes, she felt it was a good thing that other people couldn’t read her emotions the way she could read theirs.
Their eyes met once again. “Alejandra...you told me once that feelings can never be wrong—only actions can be wrong.”
“I remember,” she replied.
“Well, I don’t know if what I am doing is right. I’m not sure where I should be. I hope my actions are the right ones.”
“If you’re following what feels right, then you are doing the right thing, Craig.”
There was a long pause as Old-timer tried to find the right words. “Alejandra, you are aware of how I feel right now, aren’t you?”
She nodded. “I am.”
“I can’t change it,” he said with resignation.
She smiled. “I’m glad you can’t change it. I’m glad I get to be with you for a little while longer.”
21
“How do I stop it?” James demanded of the A.I.
“There’s no stopping this,” the A.I. replied.
“If it destroys me, then it destroys you,” James pointed out.
“I rather doubt that,” the A.I. replied. “I am, after all, one of them.”
“No you’re not,” James countered. “The alien is interested in the knowledge stored in your mainframe. It won’t have any use for the megalomaniacal program that used to operate it.”
“Are you talking about me or you?”
“We’re in this together,” James said. “You know it, and I know it. So let’s cut the bull. You’ve got a plan that you’re working on to survive. What is it?”
“My plan is to join with it, James—to embrace it.”
“You’re lying—as usual.”
The A.I. smiled.
Suddenly, an electronic voice spoke.
“End your hostilities immediately. Our intentions are peaceful.”
“Congratulations, James Keats,” the A.I. said after a long silence. “You are about to become the first human to communicate with an alien life form—you can add that to a résumé that already includes being the first human to ever kill an alien life form.”
22
“If they are communicating directly with us, that means you gave away our location,” James realized.
“Of course I did. They were to be my invited guests,” the A.I. replied.
“That is strategic information they simply cannot have,” James said as he ignored the alien’s attempt to open lines of communication.
“Aren’t you going to answer them, James?” the A.I. asked, amused. “After all, they’ve said they come in peace. You’re being very rude.”
“They just killed tens of millions of people,” James retorted.
“Did they?” the A.I. asked, arching his eyebrow mockingly. “Well, I’d wager you killed a great deal more of them first.”
“That was their attempt at diversion, and we both know it,” James asserted.
“Your delusions continue,” said the A.I., throwing his head back and smiling as he enjoyed the unfolding of the game.
“We’re going to have to move,” James said.
“What?” the A.I. reacted immediately, the smile suddenly vanishing.
“We’re moving the mainframe,” James repeated as he continued to make trillions of operational decisions at every moment.
“You’re not going to try to use the nans to do that, are you?” the A.I. asked, intrigued.
“It’s the only way.”
“You’re showing your desperation now,” the A.I. smiled.
“The silicon-based mainframe we’ve been using for the A.I. database is unnecessary,” James replied. “The nans are organic—carbon based. That means if we transfer the database into a closed-off network of nans, we can disguise the physical mainframe as anything we want and become undetectable. It’s a good move. Admit it.”
The A.I. reserved judgment for the moment. “The organic transistors allowed for microscopic computers built molecule by molecule—a valuable asset to have, obviously—but the reason the mainframe has always remained silicon is because it remains a better vehicle for carrying transistor signals. The nans will be slower and less reliable. That means you will be slower and less reliable.”
“You know, there is a solution for that,” James smiled.
The A.I.’s expression went blank. “You wouldn’t.”
“We can overcome the efficiency problem by simply making the network of nans that much larger and therefore more powerful. Brute force.”
“You would need hundreds of square kilometers of space—”
“The whole planet is being evacuated. We have all the space in the world—literally.”
The A.I.’s expression revealed his surprise. “Where are we going?”
“We already went,” James announced. “Cathedral Grove on Vancouver Island. I added a few thousand massive old-growth trees—trees that just happen to be nans disguised as carbon life forms. It’s protected land—no people living there and no reason for the aliens to look for us there either.”
“A computerized forest,” the A.I. replied.
“A disguise to buy us more time.”
“You’re thinking grows more efficient and calculated by the moment. What a wonderful computer you’re becoming,” the A.I. observed with his sadist’s grin.
23
Rich stood with most of his family and watched the Earth getting smaller in the distance as billions of green magnetic fields shone like fireflies and streamed away from the blue orb. Draping the spectacular view was the swarm of aliens that formed a sickening black claw, enveloping the cradle of humanity, grasping it in its palm like an apple plucked from a tree, ripe for devouring. Rich, like everyone else in the room who was looking out of the windows of the main living area at the panoramic picture of Earth’s demise, felt utterly distraught and helpless.
“Where will we go, Richard?” asked Linda, who sidled beside him and held on to him for comfort like a frightened child as a storm neared. It had been decades since she had shown that kind of vulnerability.
“It doesn’t matter,” Rich replied. “As long as we’re moving away from that.” He took her hand and put his arm around her to comfort her. It appeared as though they were going to be safe, yet his thoughts weren’t with his family anymore. He had been monitoring the situation with his friends and the Purists—it was not going well. The ship wasn’t going to be constructed in time, and they might die in their attempt to rescue the last pure humans. “I should be there,” Rich whispered.
Linda looked up, startled, and grabbed a firm hold of her husband once she saw the look in his eye. “Are you crazy? You’d be killed! It’s a miracle that we’ve all made it out together! We have to stick together!”
Rich’s eyes didn’t move from the planet that was slowly shrinking in the distance. The alien swarm was now starting to dwarf the Earth, and he knew there wasn’t much time. “If I stay here, I’ll regret it the rest of my life.”
“What? Richard!” Linda shouted as the rest of the people in the room started to take notice of the commotion.
Rich spun and took a firm grasp of his wife’s arms and looked her in the eye. “I love you, Linda. But I have to help them.”
He kissed her, but she clutched hard on his shirt, trying to prevent him from leaving. “Don’t,” she said.
“I’m not a coward. I have to go,” Rich asserted as he struggled to remove her grip on his shirt.
“No one thinks you are a coward, Richard! Everyone loves you! We need you!”
“Not as much as they do, Linda,” Rich responded in an almost desperate tone that Linda had never seen before. “Don’t you see that? I have to help them! I have to, or I’ll never be able to live with myself!”
Edmund reached into the fray to hold his mother back while Rich put on his jacket and grabbed his helmet.
Linda’s words had stunned Rich, but he had no choice now, and he knew it. “I promise you, I am coming back. But keep going!” Rich put a firm hand on his son’s shoulder and then gave his wife one last smile before heading out the front door, igniting his cocoon, cutting through the house magnetic field, and blasting at top speed back toward Earth.
24
“One minute until contact,” James announced gravely. “This is all your doing,” he growled at the A.I.
The demonic entity performed a bow.
“Not everyone has managed to get away yet,” James continued. “There are still millions of people on the surface.”
“The ones who have only launched recently are not out of danger yet either. The alien numbers are so vast that they’ll be able to snag a great deal of the fish that think they’ve gotten away.”
“Every death will be on your head,” James seethed.
“It won’t be the first time—and may I point out once again that it was you who attacked the aliens first.”
“If they didn’t want to be attacked, they could have tried to communicate. No one is blocking communication,” James replied.
“They’ve reached the atmosphere,” the A.I. suddenly observed as he watched the spectacle unfold.
Every second, tens of millions of androids reached the atmosphere and began to freefall toward the surface. Just as they had on Mars, they swarmed the post-humans who were trying to leave, driving them back to the surface. Having waited too long to launch, millions of people abandoned their ships and made desperate bids to fly solo into space, but very few were able to negotiate the torrential rain of androids that were darkening the sky. As with Mars, once the androids made contact, the post-humans’ magnetic fields were neutralized, and they were rendered unconscious before being dragged up into space, where their bodies were discarded.
“It’s a precision strike,” James said as he watched the slaughter. “This was planned. I did the right thing when I attacked them.”
The A.I. snickered. “Your personal affirmations are touching, but the very fact that you feel the need to say them aloud means you’re still unsure—and so you should be. So you should be.”
25
Below ground in Purist territory, the Purist ship was going through the final stages of completion. Almost all of the Purists were onboard, however, as the last of the electrical systems were brought online by the nans. Governor Wong walked with the last group of Purists to board the ship, flanked by Alejandra, Lieutenant Patrick and Old-timer. Just before they crossed the bridge and entered the hull, Governor Wong paused. “What was that?”
They stopped and listened. Every few seconds, there was a large thud as something landed on the roof of the hangar. Each thud was like a drop of water hitting the tin roof of an old barn at the beginning of a summer storm. In just moments, the thuds began hitting the hangar roof at such a rate that it became a thunderous clatter. “Jesus,” Lieutenant Patrick said in a dread-filled whisper.
“We better get onboard,” Old-timer said, keeping his calm, yet placing a firm urgency behind the words.
In the cockpit of the ship, James, Djanet, and Thel worked furiously to bring all ship systems online. James was shouldering most of the burden, however, since the ship was his design. “They’ve landed on the hangar now, James,” said the A.I. in James’s head. “They’ll tear through the roof and kill you all before you have a chance to escape.”
“Shut up,” he replied under his breath.
“What was that, James?” Thel asked.
“Nothing,” James answered her. “Keep monitoring that door,” he said to her.
“I am. The machines are on top of it and they’re starting to claw through. Structural integrity is still holding, however.”
“It just needs to hold for a minute or so more,” James said as he frantically worked to get the ship’s electrical system running. “I’m not going to have time to test our systems. We’re just going to have to hope this bucket of bolts works!”
Meanwhile, high above Purist territory, Rich streaked toward the Earth while he watched the swarm of androids entering the atmosphere. Rich had faced dire situations before, but nothing compared to what he was facing now. “Rich, you crazy son of a gun. What the hell have you gotten yourself into now?” he asked himself as he pressed on, the androids drawing near.
He patched into communication with James and the others as he approached. “Commander, I’m en route!”
“Rich?” James reacted, stunned. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“You know...I just missed you guys so darn much!”
The androids were now all around Rich, and he flew in an extremely erratic pattern to avoid making contact with them. They didn’t have magnetic fields, but their appearance was human, and he could see the expressions of determination on their faces as, one by one, they made their way toward him, attempting to apprehend him. He blasted energy at each one, knocking them unconscious and sending them plummeting toward the surface.
“Rich, we’re launching in about thirty seconds, but there are androids crawling all over the hangar!” James shouted. “You’re going to have to try catch a ride with us as we lift off!”
“Affirmative!” Rich shouted, gasping for air as he desperately fought off the thickening hordes of androids. “Commander! Hurry up! It’s raining men out here! Not hallelujah! Not hallelujah!”
26
“Are the doors holding, Thel?” James asked for confirmation before launching.
“The outer surface is torn to shreds, but the release mechanism appears to be operational!” Thel responded.
“Okay, then we’ve got to go! Keep your fingers crossed!” James shouted as he activated the launch sequence.
The hangar doors began to slowly open, allowing the thousands of androids that had crowded on top of the door and had been ripping the metal apart in their attempts to penetrate the hangar to leap down on top of the ship. The hydraulic launcher pressed into action and pointed the nose of the zeppelin-shaped ship up toward a sky that had been darkened by a rainstorm of androids.
Old-timer entered the cockpit, with Governor Wong, Alejandra, and Lieutenant Patrick in tow. “Old-timer,” James said as he engaged the magnetic engines, “keep an eye on the hull. Those things are bound to breach it at some point.”
“On it.”
“Djanet, keep an eye on Rich,” James said.
“I’m already on it,” Djanet said while she watched Rich’s desperate flight toward the ship as hundreds of attackers quickly became thousands.
“Launching now!” James shouted as he throttled the engines and the ship thrusted out of the hangar, shaking off thousands of android attackers as it did so. However, hundreds more managed to maintain their holds on the hull and they used their enormous strength to pound and claw at any ridges or weak spots in the structure that appeared exploitable.
As the ship picked up speed, hundreds more androids surged toward it, joining the fight and covering the ship like frenzied bees on a honeycomb.
Rich saw the ship too as it made its way toward him. He kept blasting magnetic energy at his attackers as he flew in kamikaze fashion, hoping to elude the androids by being completely erratic and unpredictable. “This was definitely a bad idea!”
27
As the ship neared, Rich had to negotiate a landing on the hull of the enormous structure as it rocketed upward, without allowing any of the myriad of androids to get a hold of him. He was nearing exhaustion as he flew and blasted in self-defense.
“I cannot believe what I am seeing,” Djanet said as she watched Rich’s valiant one-man battle. She ha
d witnessed Rich’s bravery once before, but this was on a whole new level. She’d never seen anyone try anything like it. “I have to go out there,” she announced as she began to leave the cockpit.
“Djanet! No!” Old-timer shouted. “It’s suicide!”
“He’s right, Djanet,” James concurred as he gently grabbed her arm to stop her. She roughly pulled it away.
“I’d rather die out there with him than in here, watching.” She stormed out of the room and toward an exit.
“James,” Thel said with pleading eyes that urged him to do something to stop Djanet.
“Let her go, James,” the A.I. asserted in James’s head. “You know you need her out there. It’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it.”
James was rattled as he listened to the A.I.’s words. He instinctively wanted to rush to save Djanet and to resist the A.I., but once again, the electronic Satan appeared to be speaking the ugly truth. “She’s right, Thel. I couldn’t possibly order any of you outside, but we need help to get out of here alive. We need someone to clear the hull of the ship, and that’s exactly what Rich and Djanet will be doing.”
“But they’ll die!” Thel protested.
“Make the hard decisions, James,” the A.I. urged in an unusually sincere tone, suggesting that it had its own survival in mind—if it thought Djanet’s exit increased its chance of survival, it probably did.
“I didn’t ask either of them to go out there, but they’re a special breed,” James replied. “Old-timer, I need you to keep monitoring the hull and direct Rich and Djanet to any serious trouble spots. Thel, I need you to see if you can tap into the engine power without compromising our thrust to generate an electromagnetic pulse strong enough to get rid of the rest of our hangers on.”
Post-Human Trilogy Page 42