by Scott Bly
That’s it! Geneva’s Smasher …
It seemed so simple, so obvious. Except for one catch.
I don’t know how to smash atoms.
* * *
“McCallum here.”
“Mr. McCallum, this is Jane Virtue.”
“Yes, Ms. Virtue, what can I do for you?” He hoped she hadn’t noticed the skip in his voice.
“Please, call me Jane. I received the strangest call today.” She described the conversation. “I know it sounds odd, but there was something so earnest about the way he said it that I believed him.”
“Is this the first call where somebody has claimed Mr. Foxx is up to no good?”
She laughed. “No. You’re right. People tell me that every day.”
“Well, don’t worry about it. But I’ll follow up anyway. What did you say the boy’s number was?”
Jane gave him the number from her Caller ID. McCallum recognized it — the same number that had been offline since the boy disappeared down the stairwell. That’s the way they’d tracked him in the first place.
How could she have received a call from it? The boy must have known they could track him. He’d turned it off for safety. Turning it on again would re-enable calls. Clever.
“You’re doing a great job out there, Jane. And good luck. You leave for the tour in the morning?”
“Yes. Thank you, John.”
He called the Comm Team. The number had indeed placed a brief call earlier today, and then it had gone back offline. But now McCallum had a name: Charlie. He dispatched two teams and the spider-bots to search the phone’s general area. Sometimes you actually find the needle in the haystack.
* * *
“Electricity won’t hurt me, old man. Why do you bother?”
“You have outsmarted me, Geneva. Whatever you have done has proven more clever than my imperfect programming. So be it. I have other methods.”
She didn’t like where this was going.
He placed his manicured fingertips at her temples and closed his eyes. He began to speak the strange, soft music that connected him to the Hum.
Two months ago, Geneva would not have understood, but all that had changed. She needed to make him lose his focus.
“Seven, fourteen, ninety-eight.” Random numbers always distracted her when she was concentrating. Maybe it would distract Foxx.
Foxx opened his eyes and shot her a poisonous look.
Awesome. It was working. She threw her voice around the room, whispering, then shouting. She began to sing the most irritating song she could think of. Off-key. Loud.
“It’s your birthday! Happy birthday!”
Smack! Foxx slapped her. Then he sealed her mouth shut with duct tape.
Two minutes later, he was back in a Hum trance.
Geneva was relieved. She felt nothing. But then Foxx pulled his hands away.
Zzz-ap! She felt it all — the painful race of electricity into her ultra-capacitors, the terrible sickness as Foxx’s enchantment sank into her mind, her computers, her sense of self. The Hum succeeded. And what will happen to The Future code? Will he find it?
But along with the electricity and the new programming came memories. Not the fragmented, confused ghosts she had lived with for so long. Geneva’s memories came back clear. They were not complete, but they were readable.
She opened her eyes wide with shock. For the first time that she could remember, she asked herself: Who am I? Not what am I, but Who am I? She tried to shout, but the duct tape stifled all but a moan.
Everything in her world had changed.
Charlie and Callaya stood in the alley where Geneva brought him from the past. To go back, he knew he had to find the exact spot.
He felt it more than he saw it — a manhole cover. To his surprise, it lifted easily. Was it the puppy? He rolled the cover away. The Hum glowed out of the hole.
Charlie was ready to go.
* * *
Geneva could barely tell the difference between the voices in the room and the voices in her head. Foxx had ravaged her programming. She could still process information, yet something was dramatically different.
She tried, but she still couldn’t identify the change.
You won’t find it, my love. You won’t find it because it’s not there.
No! Foxx had found a way into her mind! Now he came over and stood in front of her.
“Mmurrrrmmmm!” The duct tape still sealed her mouth.
There’s no need for words. I have unlocked your memories, my love.
I’m not your love! What have you done to me?
You aren’t a robot, Geneva.
Foxx waited for a reaction. He got none.
You’re human. A real girl.
Liar!
Like Pinocchio. Your tech mods are advanced robotics, even for me. You were quite a challenge in surgery. Reverse engineering isn’t typically done inside a living body. But modern medicine and the Hum kept you alive. I assure you that you’re human: flesh and bone.
She tried to keep her expression frozen, but her eyes fluttered.
That’s right, Geneva. And you will help me now. None of your plotting or scheming will change you back. Your new friend cannot save you. Your power of time travel has always been from the Hum, not from technology. And now, your technology and the Hum will help me to spread The Future. Sleep. Your accomplishments will add to mine. You should feel privileged.
Geneva’s eyes closed. A white fog filled her mind while Foxx made his final preparations to enslave the entire human race.
Charlie cursed LAanges.
He wouldn’t have been able to travel through time back in Eamsford, where the flow of the Hum was strong. It was far too difficult. In this noisy, distracting time, it was impossible. Geneva said it would be easier the second time.
His first attempt had been exhausting. He failed completely.
His second try, he felt the pull of the Hum, but no portal had opened.
He had been counting on Callaya’s help. If only dogs could talk, he thought, she might be able to tell me what to do.
This time he set Callaya between his feet. He struggled to clear his mind. Geneva hadn’t done that, but she hadn’t been drawing upon the power of the Hum.
Or had she?
He closed his eyes and went back in time to that day at the riverbank. What had she done? It had seemed so simple when she touched her fingers together. Effortlessly a tunnel of blue had appeared.
There was something else, though, wasn’t there? Something she’d said or done that had made him think she was a student of the Hum, even though she denied it.
Believe, believe, believe …
Her arms in a circle, she had touched her fingers together. Smasher. Particles inside her accelerated in a circle around her arms until they smashed into each other. A black hole.
Fine for Geneva. But how do I do it? He focused on the part he did understand … synchronize with the Hum. Create a portal.
“Are you ready?” he asked Callaya.
She wagged her tail.
He hummed to himself, and suddenly he felt it — a slight dip, or a catch — where the polarity of the field lines aligned. His spine tingled. There — that was it. The Hum flowed up through the soles of his feet, through Callaya. He felt its power surge up into his arms like electrical plasma. His arms formed a circle, and he felt the flow of the Hum racing around his body faster and faster. It was time.
“Smasher.”
He touched the tips of his fingers together. He closed the circuit.
Charlie could barely keep himself from being blown apart. But he held on.
Believe …
Believe …
Believe …
Then it happened. The air shuddered, changing from a Hum vibration into swirling, liquid energy.
Crack! A flash of light in front of him illuminated a shimmering blue portal inside the manhole.
Without hesitation, he scooped up Callaya and leaped in.
> Foxx didn’t notice it at first. But then he felt the unique discomfort that could only be related to the Hum.
The girl was here, under his control. That left the boy. What are you doing?
Was it the puppy?
Geneva and Gargan had been his greatest achievements — until that dog. He carefully selected the breed for its loyalty and empathy. The puppy would tightly bond with its master. It would love him unconditionally. This time he used more Hum and less technology. The dog was a catalyst — to enhance Foxx’s use of the Hum.
Man’s best friend, he thought bitterly. But now he could neither control nor communicate with it. He’d relied on the dog’s love for him as its creator. Foxx was its master until the boy stole it.
Clearly the dog could amplify the Hum for someone else. Together their power was far, far greater. The stupid boy probably had no idea.
It all brought back one of his painful memories — his twin sister again — the golden girl, so unfairly gifted. He was seven years old when he brought home a baby spaniel. The first thing his puppy did was bolt out of his arms and dash into the lap of his sister! He was too ashamed to try to pry the dog away. And his father had laughed. He thought it was cute.
Now both the boy and the dog had vanished. Where were they?
No matter, Foxx told himself. Soon he would have so much power that a nuisance like the boy would be of no consequence at all.
Charlie and Callaya were alone in the shimmering blue light.
The puppy adapted quickly. But Charlie was fearful. What if he and Callaya were separated? What if he couldn’t find his way home?
Charlie’s strength was draining. He gasped for air.
Grandfather’s strong hand pulled Charlie clear.
The boy opened his eyes. He saw his grandfather’s lined face and white beard. Instead of disapproval and disappointment, the old man’s eyes gleamed with encouragement.
Charlie’s mind’s eye flashed on Geneva’s face.
“Grandfather! You have to come back with me!”
“Easy, boy, easy. I know what you have to do. You will return when the time is right. Now you must come with me. You need to rest and heal.”
Grandfather hoisted Charlie to his feet. “And who is this?” Grandfather asked, picking up the puppy. “Oh, you are very special. I can feel it.”
Charlie looked back at the river. He didn’t want Grandfather to see him cry. “I apologize. I left you,” he began. “You must have been sad, and …”
“I know, boy. I know. You don’t have to explain.”
* * *
In the small mountain cabin, Grandfather brought him a cup of steaming tea. “You need your strength.”
Callaya jumped on Charlie’s lap.
The old man sat cross-legged on the floor across the room from him.
“Grandfather, I need your help. Please come to LAanges with me.”
“I’m proud of you; I know it was difficult for you to ask. But I cannot do that,” his grandfather said. “I have not been honest with you. An important piece of your story is missing. There isn’t much time, so I will tell you now. Then you must be on your way.”
“What do you mean?”
“I told you about the Interrogator. They took your father and your grandmother. Accused them of witchcraft. The rest of us fled.”
“And the Interrogator killed my mother. She was trying to save the others.”
“That is partly true. Charla did die at the hand of the Interrogator. But she was driven to him by her brother. Tricked. Trapped. Murdered.”
“Brother? Why would he want her murdered? Was she a bad person?”
His grandfather’s eyes filled with tears. “No, no — Charla was good. And talented. She was a genius, and you have never seen anyone so kind. People loved her. That can be ruinous to a brother who is not so talented, not so loved.”
“It wasn’t her fault she had more talent.”
“True. But he grew bitter, watching doors open so easily for her when he had to struggle. Charla was kind, but she was not always kind to him. She lorded her accomplishments over him. His envy grew to hatred.”
The old man blew a slow, perfectly formed smoke ring that drifted up above the fireplace. “The evil man who will … bring forth the plague? What is his name?”
“Gramercy Foxx.”
“Hmm. Is he a young man?”
“It’s hard to tell. He seems ageless. But he’s cruel — he uses the Hum to do evil things. How can he do that, Grandfather? I thought the Hum was only for good.”
“When a man does that, he has something deep inside he needs to prove to himself — by proving it to the world. That hatred can only have its roots in unbearable pain.”
Grandfather looked off into the distance, deep in thought. “It has been many years … I had begun to doubt …”
Above the fireplace, the smoke ring condensed into a nearly solid cloud. It changed shape, and Charlie could make out a nose and then a mouth. The eyes opened. There was no mistaking it. The face of Gramercy Foxx hovered in the room.
Charlie’s stomach dropped. “Grandfather, that’s him!”
“Callis …”
“Yes! That’s the name he used! How could you know that?”
“Callis is your mother’s twin brother. I only hope he does not yet suspect your identity.”
“Ladies and gentlemen of the world, The Future … is just twenty-four hours away. This evening the stadium is filled to capacity. More than ninety thousand people are gathered to count down to the most monumental experience of this century.”
Jane stood on a huge stage at one end of massive Crawford Soccer Stadium.
“Over the next twenty-four hours, we’ll check in with cities around the world. Gramercy Foxx himself will unveil The Future, which even I have yet to see. But right now it’s time to kick off the biggest party of the millennium. The Future is bright indeed!”
* * *
John McCallum watched Jane on the wall monitor. She was doing a great job. How could she stay calm in front of the cameras? The few times he’d been interviewed, he came across as grumpy and sour. Well, maybe he was grumpy and sour.
The entire building was locked down. No recycling chutes, user accounts, or elevator shafts had been left unchecked. The TerraThinc Building was secure. There would be no incidents in the next twenty-four hours.
Garcia and Molina were following up on the data collected by the spider-bots. Foxx had instructed them to monitor an anomaly from a distance.
“Be ready for anything,” McCallum had said.
Gramercy Foxx … his uncle? “Grandfather, what happened to my mother?”
“Callis tricked her. He knew her weakness — pride. He wasn’t her match, but he was highly intelligent and excellent at trickery.”
“What happened?”
“It was a dark, dark time, Charles. The Interrogator had come for your grandmother, and then they returned for your father. Who was next? We went into hiding. Callis wasn’t even on their lists — more salt in the wound for him.
“Callis told your mother that he had bribed the guards. She would sneak in and rescue our family. He knew she’d take the bait, and she did.
“But he had really sold her to the Interrogator’s men. He would be rid of his sister. They paid him for his efforts. One of his greatest gifts was for setting traps by persuading people of his truthfulness.”
“So they killed her?”
“You know that part of the story, Charles.”
“What happened to Callis after that?”
“Word got out about what he had done. He was shunned. Driven away.”
“To the future? But how did he do it? He’s never been able to time travel again. My friend thinks he’s stuck.”
“He didn’t do it. Your mother did. Charla was proud — and she bragged to him that she had learned how to open a Resonant Gap, a void in the Hum. Callis merely had to persuade her to keep the portal open. We were being hunted like animals.
Keeping it open allowed an escape route.”
“So he escaped to the future?”
“All I saw was a flash. Then he was gone.”
“Smasher,” Charlie said softly.
“What’s that?”
“My friend Geneva learned how to time travel. She smashes atoms together.”
“Atoms? You’ve learned a lot in the future. Is that how you came back?”
“I reopened a portal that was already there. And I had a little help,” Charlie added, ruffling Callaya’s head. “But please, Grandfather, tell me the rest.”
“There’s nothing left to tell. The coward fled. He entered the portal the morning the Interrogator put them to death.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I should have, but I didn’t want to burden you with such a tale.”
Charlie felt a burst of anger. “You should have told me the truth!” Callaya jumped off his lap.
“You lack the years to understand what it means to helplessly stand by as those you love are taken from you and murdered in cold blood. And you will not raise your voice to me.”
Charlie locked eyes with his grandfather. For the first time, he didn’t back down.
A high-pitched snarl distracted both of them. Callaya crouched low between Charlie’s feet and growled at his grandfather. The old man laughed.
“Please call off your brave protector,” Grandfather said.
Charlie exhaled slowly. “I’m going back tomorrow. Somebody has to stop Foxx. You could come, you know. After all, he’s your son.”
“I can’t help,” Grandfather said with finality. “Look at me. I’m an old man, Charles. I’d like to say I’d kill him for what he did, but in truth, he would certainly kill me. As he may kill you. But I won’t stop you.”
“But how can I stop him?”
“Callis will fall, Charles, because he must. His actions are selfish. He cannot succeed. You will find his mistake, his weakness, and you will exploit it.”
What weakness could there be?
“If he’s so evil,” Charlie began, “how can he be so powerful? You always say that in order to connect to the Hum, I have to keep love in my heart.”