The Vampires of Antyllus

by Michael E. Gonzales

  "War, ya say? And who declared this war? You?"

  Wilmington's anger was boiling over; he grabbed the side of an instrument console and aimed himself at the captain.

  "I'm a SUB," he said through clenched teeth. "My strength is a hundred times yours. I can snap your neck like a twig, and I'll do just that if you don't give Narcissia the rest of the fucking override code this very instant!"

  The captain stuck his lower lip out and nodded. Then he quite calmly spoke aloud, "Narcissia?"

  "Yes, Captain?" the pleasant female voice came back.

  "Emergency protocol eighty-six for Mr. Wilmington, here, is authorized upon recognition of my voice."

  "Understood, Captain. Initiating now."

  With that, Wilmington went completely limp. He was neither dead nor asleep. He was as the undead, fully awake and aware, but with no control over his body whatsoever.

  The captain turned to another officer floating to his right and above him. "Number one, see that Mr. Wilmington here gets to a first-class stasis chamber, and be sure and mark it…mark it with a biohazard symbol, will ya?"

  "Yes, sir," the officer snapped his fingers and two crewmen took custody of Wilmington.

  "Narcissia?"

  "Yes, Captain?"

  "How many copies of Major Mitchel's report have you made?"

  "Thirty-six hundred, sir."

  "Have you sent the report back to Earth on the Deep Space Network already?"

  "Yes, sir."

  "'At's good."

  "Sir," Narcissia asked, "you have run a great personal risk by your actions just now. May I ask why?"

  "I took an immediate dislike to Mr. Wilmington. Now, Narcissia, I'd like a cup of coffee, please." The captain glided over to the large view port and looked down just as the sun rose over the limb of the planet. To himself he mumbled, “Texas sheep herder, my ass.”

  ○O○

  Dave climbed back down into the city and made his way back to the second level and into the CMB. He first went to the room where Kathy's procedure was to take place. It was empty; there were tools on the table, and sitting in a shallow tray, half-filled with SILIC, was a SUB's G-buc. Dave ran down the hall, found the elevators inoperative, so he bolted down the stairs and into the CMB's main lobby. Across the room stood Cassie, Mitch, Zolna, and seated was Doctor Alfred Lester. All were engaged in what looked like casual conversation. They all looked up as Dave burst through the door.

  "Kathy?" He demanded, his voice trembling. "Where's…what's happened to Kathy?"

  Oddly, no one moved or even flinched, as if they were seeing right through him. Then there came a light touch on his right shoulder. Angrily, he spun around. "What?" There, before him, stood Kathy. His face must have dropped by her reaction.

  She placed her hands on her hips. "Major, you do not address a superior officer in that tone of voice," she said, smiling.

  Dave stood there a moment, his gaze scanning her, drinking her in. Perhaps they only had seconds remaining before Wilmington's wrath destroyed everything. He reached out and grabbed her and pulled her to him. He nestled his face into the side of her neck. A moment passed…less than a human heartbeat. In that brief passage of time, Dave felt all the tension evaporate from him. He felt as if he had reached his journey's end, and was now being allowed to rest. He was home, where he wanted to be.

  "Dave," Kathy declared, "you're injured." She gently touched the cheek under his eye.

  "It's nothing," Dave replied, using Kathy's own words. He pulled her back into his chest and he kissed her. In that moment, their love reached critical mass.

  When Dave looked up, Kathy seemed more beautiful than anything he'd ever seen in his life. Life. The word reminded him. He took Kathy by the hand and led her toward the others.

  "Listen—" Dave began.

  "No, first you must listen," Doctor Lester responded. "Before we celebrate a happy ending, you must know. Kathy's power is down to twenty one percent. And…before he left, Wilmington had all the SUB recharge stations destroyed. Now the only remaining stations, within several light years distance, are aboard the Demeter. I can't see him allowing you to casually pop in for a recharge."

  Dave stood unmoving, tightly holding Kathy's hand and looking at the floor. Slowly, Dave lifted his head. "It doesn't make any difference," he replied solemnly.

  "What?" Mitch asked.

  "I failed; I failed all of you, all my friends, the people of New Roanoke, the CDF, and the E'lawvat E'meset. And I failed you, my love," he told Kathy as he gently stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers. "Wilmington got away," he paused a moment. "Any moment now, he's going to nuke us from orbit."

  "What makes you say—" Mitch was interrupted before he could ask the question by Zolna.

  "You can't know that!" Zolna’s voice dripped with fear.

  "One of his officers told me his plan, and I believe him."

  "Oh, shit!" Zolna then he fell backward into a chair. "Then all this that we've been through was for nothing?"

  Kathy stepped forward at Zolna's remark. "You could not possibly be more wrong, Sergeant Zolna. No struggle to end injustice is ever in vain. We might not have won this battle, but I swear to you, the war is not over. Not as long as people of conscience stand up for what is right."

  "Wow, ma'am," Zolna replied sarcastically. "You should have music playing behind you for that little speech."

  "Maybe I should, Zolna, or perhaps you think that all those who have thus far died to stop what we patently know to be wrong were just wasted?

  "But you're right Zolna. We could have done nothing; it would have been so much easier. All the humans and most of the Indigs would be alive tomorrow if we had done nothing. Just let the world go by, let the murderers and power mongers do as they please. Had we done that, Zolna, you could have watched the sunrise in the morning. All we had to have done was ignore the concentration camp and the mass murder going on in our backyard, and tomorrow, you would have been alive and comfortable."

  "Damn, Colonel," Zolna replied meekly, "you kinda hit below the belt, there."

  "No, I hit you square in the face with a dose of reality, and you know it. I won't have you die thinking that you, or any of us, did all this for nothing."

  "Listen," Dave interrupted softly. “If there's something any of you'd like to do, or say to someone before…well before, do it now. But please don't tell the others. They are all so happy right now. When the end comes, they will never even know, so let's keep it that way. Okay?"

  Cassie and Mitch went to a window and looked out, arm in arm. Zolna rushed from the room. Doctor Lester just sat looking straight ahead. Dave led Kathy to a love seat in the back of the room.

  He took her hand in his. "I'm sorry," he said.

  "It's not your fault."

  "Who else is there to blame?" Dave asked.

  "How about Wilmington?"

  "Screw him, I don't want to talk about him." Dave then slid off the seat onto one knee. "Kathy, will you marry me?"

  "Are you asking me because you know it's going to be a short engagement?" she asked, smiling.

  Dave did not smile as he answered her. "Kathy, I want to be married to you, if it be for a thousand years or just the next ten minutes. I want to be bound to you forever. Whenever this event is spoken of in the future, I want people to know that at the end you and I became one."

  "Oh, Dave. Of course, I'll marry you. But honey, no one is ever going to know."

  Dave looked up at the ceiling. "Indra," he asked, "did you record the last five minutes?"

  "Major Mitchel, you know that all my sensors record all telemetry I receive."

  "Transmit it to Earth over the DSN will you?"

  "Done, sir."

  Kathy leapt up. "Indra, you still have the recording of Major Mitchel's report on our findings at the clinic?"

  "I do."

  "Transmit that to Earth over the DSN as a priority message!"

  "Ma'am, I executed that mission within seconds of having re
ad the major's report. I also transmitted a copy to Narcissia on the Demeter, she has made and disseminated several copies to various organizations and news outlets on Earth."

  "Really? So Narcissia is on our side?" Kathy asked.

  Dave jumped in and quickly asked, "Indra, if told to launch an attack against us here…would Narcissia follow that order?"

  "Only if convinced of a contrariety."

  "A what?"

  "A contrariety. In logic, the relationship between two contraries. For example, the phrase: in order to save the forest, we must cut down all the trees. Such an inconsistency is extremely difficult to argue to an Advanced Virtual Acumen computer. Without a justifiable contrariety, no AI's human protective governor can be overridden."

  Kathy and Dave looked at each other smiling. "I hope you have a ring," and Kathy kissed him.

  ○O○

  Zolna had burst out of the lobby and zipped down the hall, then flew down the stairs. He waited impatiently for the airlock to cycle then blasted outside. He scanned the crowd of happy, cheering, celebrating Bios and SUBs. His anxiety grew when he beheld the vast throng of E'meset all around him. Now, he understood the phrase needle in a haystack. Zolna was looking for one specific E'meset among thousands.

  The people were all mixed together, and he didn't see one face he recognized. He glanced up at the sky then back into the throng.

  "Hell, this is like New Year’s Eve in Times Square!"

  He stopped the first E'meset he encountered and asked, "Le'ha?"

  The tall man replied, "Ey."

  Feverishly, Zolna looked around until his eyes fell on Reggie, three hundred meters away through the festive crowd. The hooded figure was standing on a low rise leaning on a tall walking stick, giving him the appearance of a medieval wizard, which was indeed an apt comparison.

  Zolna had to restrain himself from knocking everyone down as he made his way toward the Englishman as fast as he could.

  "Sir, have you seen Le'ha?" Zolna shouted.

  "Why, yes. She's just down the trail that leads to Vortain Val Leasa, perhaps fifty meters, greeting her children."

  "Her—"

  "Are you unaware Le'ha is a widow? She has two beautiful children. Go on, young man; do as your heart dictates." The Englishman smiled at him through the mask as if he were reading Zolna's mind. Though a little stunned, Zolna burst down the trail. He spotted Le’ha on the side of the road speaking with two children that, to Zolna's eyes, appeared to be seven to ten years old.

  Zolna stopped and just stood in the middle of the trail, surrounded by the throng of merrymakers. He was torn. On one hand, he was quite touched to see the love and affection Le'ha showed her son and daughter, and on the other, he was profoundly sad, knowing that a mad man's bomb was about to destroy all that was good.

  Le'ha saw him just standing there looking at her blankly and got to her feet. She took her children by their hands and started walking toward him. Zolna quickly snapped out of his sad trance and tried to emulate the look of pure joy and happiness on Le'ha's face.

  "Hallo, my little Zolna," she greeted him. "Look upon this child, this is my son, Poy eka Hondar, and this child is my doctor, Kawness Suitusand."

  "You mean daughter." Zolna's mind was spinning.

  "Do you not remember this boy?" Le'ha asked.

  Zolna studied the boys face.

  "This is the boy whose life you saved so long ago when you killed the T'Pu Iya on the first day of our meeting. So, you see my little Zolna…I owe you much."

  "He is a handsome boy, and your daughter is very beautiful."

  "That is her name. To you it says…Beautiful at Birth."

  "She looks just like her mother."

  Le'ha smiled shyly, "Key'Etos."

  Zolna looked again to the sky. "I know, that means thank you, right?"

  "Coola."

  "And that's yes. Ah…Le'ha can I speak with you a minute…away from your children?"

  Le'ha turned to her children and said, "Eya'Etee P'all laa." Then she stepped a couple of meters away with Zolna.

  "What troubles you, my little Zolna? Clearly you are not happy as are all others."

  "Le'ha, we…I don't have much time, and I just want you to know…well…we've been through a lot together and in that time I—" He looked up again. "Oh, hell…Le'ha, I know I'm a kariecardy Hopeerlun, but—" Zolna stepped to the side of the trail where a Condress tree grew. He withdrew his knife and sliced it open, reaching into the milky sap to remove the round white fruit. He then cut it in half and returned to Le'ha who was staring with an odd, silly smile on her face.

  Zolna offered her a half of the fruit. "I want you to know I have halo vat for you. You are the most beautiful E'lawvat E'meset I've ever meet…damn, you're the most beautiful woman I've ever meet! I'm in sudamine with you and I didn't want to…I wanted you know it."

  "Oh, my poor little Zolna," she smiled and accepted the fruit. "You have carried your heart for me and said nothing. Dave and Kathee did the same for so very long a time. I do not understand you Tuva."

  "Tuva?"

  "Poor Illat gave your people a new name. We now call you Tuva, friends. Those who kill remain Ukse."

  "Well…I just had to tell you and…now I have. I'll let you celebrate with your kids, now."

  "Talme!" Le'ha almost barked his first name at him. "Ula lavat, Ma'in U'lay."

  "What?"

  She bit into the fruit. "Come to me, Talme."

  He approached her and she took his head in her hands. He felt her palms on his cheeks and her long fingers overlap on the back of his head. Being nearly a head taller than he, she bent down and kissed his forehead, then his chin, then she gently kissed his lips. "We learned kissing from you, and we like it very much."

  "Ah…That's…that's good," Zolna stuttered.

  "Come with me, Talme. You must come to know my children, and they you."

  She took Zolna's hand and led him back to her children. For a moment, Zolna forgot about their impending death. He looked again at the sky. This is a far better way to go than I deserve.

  ○O○

  "Don't think I'm going to let you off the hook, mister," Kathy said. "There's a chaplain in the CDF, and among the civilian population we have Priests, ministers, Rabbis, and even a Shaman."

  "Kathy," Dave reached out and wrapped her in his arms, "when we say our vows, well, when we get to that part about till death us do part, we're going to leave that out. I'm going to love you till the last star burns out and the whole universe turns cold and empty."

  Kathy smiled, "Le'ha once told me that death is not an end of love."

  As Kathy and Dave embraced, Indra's voice came over the PA system in the lobby, "May I interrupt, please?"

  "Yes, Indra," Mitch replied.

  "I have just received a transmission from Narcissia aboard the Demeter. She reports that Mr. Wilmington has been judged by the ship's captain to not be in control of his mental processes. Therefore, at the captain's order, Narcissia has rendered Mr. Wilmington's Brain Computer Interface inoperative and placed him in stasis."

  At this news, everyone was on their feet shouting, jumping, and bumping heels.

  "Major Mitchel…Major?" Indra vied for attention.

  "Yeah, Indra?" an ecstatic Dave answered.

  "Narcissia reports that the captain and his command staff have read your report and concur with your assessment of the illegality of the situation.

  "Narcissia also reports that the Demeter is in the final stages before they launch back to Earth. Captain Maurice sends his best wishes and hopes to meet everyone face to face if he is still in command for the return trip."

  Before anyone in the room could react, Doctor Lester leapt to his feet. "Indra, quickly inform the Demeter that we are in desperate need of their SUB recharge stations!"

  A breathless moment passed. At last, Indra replied. “Captain Maurice says he has eighteen recharge stations in storage. He will send them down immediately, and wishes to know if you need
any help assembling them.”

  A collective sigh of relief was heard, and transmitted over Ismay.

  “Thank the captain for us.” Dave was smiling broadly. “But we can handle it.”

  ○O○

  Out in the compound, with the onset of evening, the celebrants built bonfires and the E'meset prepared food. The Tuva brought out some of their food to share. There seemed to be no desire on anyone's part to end the revelry.

  The Bios set up several PEAS, portable emergency atmosphere domes. The people from Earth had no idea what they were eating, but they ate, nonetheless. There was meat, fruit, and vegetables. None bore any resemblance to anything from Earth in either appearance or taste.

  As the fires grew higher, the E'meset produced a beverage that looked like thick milk the color of an eggplant. It did not taste like a fermented drink; there was obviously no alcohol content, but it was intoxicating, nevertheless.

  Zolna, being a SUB, could not, of course, partake of the feast, but he did analyze the contents of the drink. He discovered the presence of compounds that bore a striking similarity to anisatin, neoanisatin, and veranisatins A, B, and C. Anistatin and neoanisatin were potent neurotoxins found in I anisatum. Excessive consumption could result in acute irritability, jitteriness, clonus or myoclonus, increased deep tendon reflexes, nystagmus, and vomiting. It would take an average individual fifteen to twenty-four hours to recover from the effects of too much of this drink.

  At first, Zolna thought to warn the Bios to be careful with the beverage, but on second thought…Ah, why the hell not? He watched a young CDF woman fit a straw from a drink under her mask and take a long pull. Then she resealed her mask and cleared it. She threw an arm over the shoulder of the man she was celebrating with, then lifted her leg and rubbed her calf on the back of his thighs as they both laughed at what was probably some inane joke.

  Zolna sat on the side of the road next to Le'ha playing a game with her children using small carved pieces of wood and colored stones. The fading light caused him to adjust his vision. A moment passed after he'd done so…then he jerked his head up and looked into the darkening sky.

  Over three hours had passed and still Armageddon had not descended upon them. Perhaps Wilmington wanted darkness to fall so that they could all see the missile rocketing toward them.