by Jaspre Bark
She sent her anger out to find every human being in the place. She tore the life out of each one she found, working her way through every floor above and below her. Putting an end to the misery of the dying and the living alike.
Until finally she found the last four human organisms cowering behind a mound of furniture. These she recognised. They had helped her in what now seemed like a former life. These she spared.
It wasn't easy to reign-in the virus. It hurt. It took all her strength to do it. Like wrestling a prize bull to the ground by its horns. The virus was made primarily to kill and it didn't like being stopped.
Exhausted, Anna fell to the ground.
The bullets stopped. There was no more firing, just silence. Greaves wondered if this was some tactic, or whether they were going to finish the job hand to hand, but nothing happened.
"They're dead," said Colt, sticking his head out. "All of them, they just dropped dead."
Greaves looked up to see that he was right. The guards lay slumped on the ground.
"It's Anna. She's done it. She used the Doomsday Virus to kill them all and rescue us." He couldn't believe he was still alive. He stood up and went to examine the bodies of the dead guards.
"How do we know this is her?" said Colt. "And not some other thing that got loose?"
"Look how quickly it killed them all. We wouldn't be alive now if there wasn't some human intelligence behind it."
The other three came from around the barricade to see. Colt and Hiamovi retrieved some of the guards' weapons. Neither one of them taking their eye off the other.
"Time to leave I reckon," said Colt. "After you Hiamovi."
"What, and show you my back? I don't think so. No, we'll leave here shoulder to shoulder all the way."
And that's how they left, with Greaves and Cortez following.
Anna propped herself up on her elbows then got carefully to her feet. Her strength and vitality seemed to come back to her in a big wave. So did her remorse.
Her clarity returned and she realised what she had done. How she had sinned and trespassed upon everything she'd been raised to believe in. All those lives she had taken. All of them sacred, no matter how they'd been spent.
She was worse than all of them, scientist and soldier alike. She'd committed mass murder and she'd enjoyed it. It had given her more pleasure than anything she had ever done in her life. She was a monster.
Looking back over the last few months it was easy for Anna to see how she could have arrived at this point. The people she'd travelled with, and had come to see as her friends, all of them had killed without compunction, as a matter of course. She'd come to see it as necessary to survive, if not natural.
Then there was all the anger she had stored away inside herself. An anger she had never faced or acknowledged. An anger that had grown in strength exponentially until nothing could hold it in check. Anger that cut her off from the still quiet voice of God.
There was also the laboratory that triggered her response. All of the hideous secrets it kept. All the suffering it displayed. And the men who caused it, regretting only what it hadn't brought them.
This was the sort of place in which Anna was created, along with the virus that surged thorough her. Her origins lay in suffering and torture. In spite of what Greaves believed, nothing born in this way could ever bring a brighter future for mankind.
No matter how pure and bright the vision that might have inspired it, no new world could be created like this.
Anna discovered she had more knowledge at her disposal. It seemed the virus was able to digest and recall every bit of knowledge from its victims' brains. Every guilty secret, each childhood memory and all the disparate bits of information that her victims had hung on to was now at Anna's fingertips.
She picked through it all, like turning the pages of an encyclopaedia, until she had gathered the bits she needed.
The secret route to the surface.
The location of the micro-glider stationed in the hangar along with something called a sub-sonic bomb.
The whereabouts of the public address system that could be worn around the neck.
Where a working rocket launcher could be found.
And the exact spot on which the Neo-Clergy had built their metal bridge across the lava.
Then she went to find them all.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
As he walked out of the complex alongside Hiamovi, Colt knew that he was being watched. He'd detailed men to find and monitor every exit and he was pretty sure Hiamovi would have done the same.
They were both wearing their bio-hazard suits and the first thing they did was take off the head gear and shout to their men, while walking cautiously away from each other.
Colt scanned the surrounding area for any sign of his boys. He saw that Cortez and the runt Greaves were hanging back, trying to remain neutral and not pick sides. Colt would see they weren't harmed until he'd gotten the virus.
Two redskins popped out from behind a rock close by, and two more followed them. Colt reached for his weapons and called for his men again.
Eventually as the redskins ran to surround their leader, Carl Jennings appeared with three other men.
"You took your time," Colt snarled at them. "Where in hell were you?"
"Sorry Mr Colt sir. We just wanted to make certain it was really you, and not some redskin trick. We were sent word that you were held prisoner."
"I was but I got myself out. And now we've got a war to finish."
A signal flare went up. Colt wasn't certain who had fired it, but it set a stampede in motion. From the north side of the plateau Colt's troops advanced at a jog. Hiamovi's warriors advanced to meet them from the south.
Colt, Carl and the other men pointed their weapons at the redskin party, who also had them in their sights. Both armies gradually fell into formation behind their leaders. There was a tense expectancy in the air. Thousands of men and women faced each other down. All of them eager to spill blood.
Cortez stood by the entrance to the complex. He was weighing up the situation.
"Come on," said Greaves, tugging at his arm. "Let's go and get Anna."
"Wait a moment," said Cortez. "I have a feeling about this."
In the distance, coming towards them, Cortez heard the put-put-put of a small engine. He looked up and saw an aircraft come into view. It was a micro-glider.
The pilot hanging beneath it was carrying a rocket launcher. Aiming it towards the north she fired. This caught the attention of everyone on the plateau. The rocket found its target. There was a giant burst of flame and smoke followed by the sound of falling, rending metal. The pilot dropped the rocket launcher. It landed mere feet away from Cortez.
"Now there is only one way off this plateau," said the pilot. It was Anna. She addressed everyone through some speaker strapped to her chest that carried her voice across the whole area.
"You've come here to seize the world's deadliest biological weapon," Anna said. "As your leaders will tell you, I am that weapon. But I am not going to be the prize in any battle. I have the power to kill everyone left on the planet. Sparing only those whom I choose. That power does not belong to any one set of people, nor any creed or faith. It would not bring hope or salvation to them. It would simply be the death of their faith.
"The one thing that can bring a war of faith to an end, is the one thing it's fought over: faith itself. It is through my faith that I have come to this decision. I should never have been created. I was born out of evil intentions to do the bidding of evil men. If I continue to live I will only create more evil intentions. So I am going to put a stop to that.
"I also hope to put a stop to this conflict. Strapped to my body is a sub-sonic bomb powerful enough to blow me into tiny little shreds. The blast will send these tiny fragments raining down over every part of the plateau. The Doomsday Virus that flows through my body is so infectious that if the tiniest bit of my flesh touches you, or someone near you, you will die painfully
within seconds.
"The bomb is set to go off just before I run out of fuel three hours from now. Three hours is just long enough for every man and woman to leave this plateau by the pass to the south, but only if everyone works together. If you get cannot put aside your petty conflicts, you will all die.
"Only the river of lava that flows around this area will keep the Doomsday Virus from spreading. But if anyone returns within your lifetime they will certainly become infected. If they leave they will take the virus with them and wipe out all life forever. Once you have left this plateau, you can never return.
"The future of the earth is now in your hands. Your decision will affect all life on the planet. Choose wisely."
Greaves ran right down the middle of the two armies. "No Anna stop," he cried out. "Don't you realise what you're doing?"
"Of course. I know exactly what I'm doing."
"But it doesn't have to be this way. You can fly over the lava and drop the bomb into it. You don't have to die. You can live and you can save the world. Why do you want to throw away everything we've worked for?"
"It wasn't anything I ever worked for," said Anna. "It's what I've been working to stop.
Colt signalled to Hiamovi that he wanted to talk. The two of them broke ranks and, surrounded by a party of their men, met in the middle of the two armies. Colt's men measured themselves against the redskins, who stood their ground and stared right back. Both sides trying to psych the other out.
"Do you think she means it?" said Colt. "What if that bomb ain't for real?"
"Can we afford to take that chance?" said Hiamovi. "You saw what she did to everyone in that complex. Why wouldn't she mean it?"
Colt looked up at Anna. Her arms were stretched out at her side, her hands were just a little above her head with the palms turned out, and her legs were together.
For the rest of his life, when he thought back on that moment he was never entirely sure why he made the decision he did. Maybe it was the fact that he knew their armies were too evenly matched for either to strike a decisive victory. They would only suffer losses that neither side could ultimately afford.
Perhaps it was the realisation that they needed each other. To remain in power Colt had to keep his people scared of Hiamovi, who in turn needed him to terrify his own people. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement. If either side were to fall, the other would not be far behind.
But then again, it was possible that it was because, hanging there, Anna reminded him of his vision of the Lord in all its intensity. And that meant it was impossible to deny the compassion that arose within him.
"Okay," said Colt. "But my people get to leave first. You wait till we're all off and then you follow."
"Oh no," said Hiamovi. "That won't work. We leave this plateau like we left the complex. Shoulder to shoulder, everyone of my people and yours."
"Alright," said Colt offering his hand. "That ain't gonna be easy, but you got yourself a deal."
Hiamovi had accepted Colt's hand. He had made only one provision to the deal. That he and Colt be the last to leave the plateau. Only when both their armies were safely across would they leave, side by side.
Now he stood with Onatah, watching his people march along the tiny causeway, right alongside Colt's men. A scuffle broke out in the centre of the line between one of Hiamovi's braves and another of Colt's mob.
"You two either side," Hiamovi bellowed at the line. "Grab that brave." The men in the line did as they were told. "Now throw him over the side."
"And I want you to do the same with that son of a bitch," Colt hollered from his side. Both captive men tried to plead with their leaders. But to no avail, their comrades pushed them over the side into the burning lava below.
"I want you to understand," shouted Hiamovi to his people. "That there are no sides at this moment in our struggle. We all have to work together or we all die."
The lines settled down into silent animosity, marching along next to each other. There were no further incidents.
"Not quite the outcome that we envisaged is it?" Onatah said. "And yet, maybe it is."
"How do you mean?" asked Hiamovi. "I can't believe any among us foresaw this."
"Perhaps we all did. We came here to bring about the Fifth Age of Man, didn't we? At least that's what I thought we were fighting for. Didn't the prophecy say that a Kachina would arise from one among us. I saw that girl as clearly as everyone else. She is one of our people. Yet she has the power to kill everyone on the planet, sparing only those she chooses. That would make her a god in human form or, as the Hopi would have it, a Kachina."
"Go on." Hiamovi said.
"She's supposed to appear in the sky at the return of Pahana and herald the coming of the Fifth Age of Man. She will bring about an end to our greatest struggle and deliver us from our enemies without any bloodshed. Forgive me if I'm wrong Great Chief, but isn't that exactly what we've just seen?"
"I suppose you could see it that way."
"Great Chief, we staked a lot on coming back with the Doomsday Virus and striking a decisive blow against the Neo-Clergy. The UTN is not a single rock solid alliance, it's a series of very tenuous ones. We need something the tribes can unite behind to keep them together as a nation. What better than the arrival of the Fifth Age of Man, the fulfilment of the prophecy? A fulfilment to which we have over two thousand witnesses."
"And what about Pahana?" said Hiamovi. "The brother who returns with the lost tablet to lead his people?"
"You might not know this Great Chief," said Onatah. "But Cheveyo always believed you were the harbinger of Pahana's coming returned to his people. That's why he supported the UTN so fervently."
"Ah yes, Cheveyo." A great regret welled up within Hiamovi.
"You know Great Chief, an act of mercy towards one of our most prominent Hopi chiefs might just be what the tribes would expect from the returned Pahana. It might signal a new direction for the UTN. Especially if you were to restore his position on the inner council, wouldn't you agree?"
"You are a wise woman Onatah," said Hiamovi. "And you know how to plead a cause. I am glad we are friends, from now on, please call me Hiamovi and not Great Chief." Off in the distance, for the first time in what felt like an age, Hiamovi heard Coyote howl.
"And she was raised in a Christian community," said the Prophet. "That's what she told you?"
"Enough with the questions," said Colt. "I've been through this with you already."
"But don't you see what this means? The prophecy, the one I've been preaching for months. The one I told you would come to pass. It has. You saw it. Didn't I tell you it was going to happen?"
"I didn't see nothing. 'Cept a wasted opportunity."
"Oh no Samuel. You don't get away that easily. Didn't I tell you an angel who had once been a woman would appear in the sky above the two armies and turn herself into a bright and shining star."
"What?" said Colt in disbelief. "That squaw who just fouled up months of planning? She ain't no angel. She's just some medical freak show is all. 'Sides, I didn't see her turn into no star."
"She said three hours didn't she?" said the Prophet. "It's dusk already. In another hour it's going to be night and that's when she detonates. Lighting up the sky like a star."
"Now you're just straining to fit the facts to your story."
"No I'm not. Didn't I also tell you she would deliver us from the hands of our enemies without a single drop of blood being spilled? Look what's happening now Samuel. We're walking side by side with our enemy off the battlefield without a single casualty. This is a genuine miracle we're witnessing here. And you know what that means. You know why God sent you that vision of our Lord Jesus Christ?"
"No Robert. But I don't think anything's going to stop you from telling me."
"Why you're the new Moses I saw. Come to deliver his people unto a new kingdom, just like the Israelites. This was your testing ground Samuel. God sent you here to cleanse you, to make you a better ruler. This was your t
ime in the wilderness, and you've come through. What's more you've got a genuine miracle, as witnessed by thousands of the faithful to legitimise your rule. There aren't many rulers who can say that."
"You're a wily old buzzard aren't you Robert. I should always keep a close eye on you."
"Why Samuel, coming from you, I'd swear that's a compliment."
As the sky darkened Cortez stood at the mouth of the pass and watched the explosion. He did this in honour of his friend and her great bravery.
Once over the bridge, the two armies had parted and gone their separate ways without incident. Perhaps this was because the area was about to become contaminated or because they had nothing left to fight over. Maybe it was simply the will of Allah.
Hiamovi had offered Cortez a place in the UTN before he left. Cortez had neither accepted nor declined. He wasn't certain what his options were just yet. Hiamovi had understood and had given Cortez a location where he could meet up with the UTN later if he chose.
He thought it a little ironic that Anna had indeed become a saviour, of a kind, to these two causes. Not at all the sort of saviour that Greaves had foreseen.
Greaves had refused to leave the plateau when the others did. Cortez had tried at first to persuade him to come with them, then he had simply attempted to drag him away. But Greaves fought too hard and, in the end, Cortez had honoured his wishes and left him there. He was no longer in Greaves' employ and the two no longer had any obligation to each other.
As the explosion faded from the night sky, Cortez said a prayer to Allah for the safe conduct of Anna's soul. He also asked for guidance on what he should do next and where he should go.
A verse from the Qu'ran came into his mind, as if from nowhere.
'Allah guides whom He wills to His light… Allah is knower of all things.'
Cortez smiled to himself. "Well that," he said aloud to the empty landscape around him, "is as good an answer as I'm likely to get."