Descendant

by Jeffrey A. Levin

  Proto shifts her feet, placing her sunglasses on. “On a scale of one to ten?”

  “Is this a trick question?” I ask, shaking my head.

  “The answer is one hundred, Proto. Eschew is a brilliant, creative highly delusional manic man with chronic mental disorder.”

  “Who’s probably a sociopath as well,” Proto adds.

  I nod, confirming Proto’s assertion. “We’ve got work to do.”

  “Can we beat him at his own game?” Proto inquires, smiling.

  I clear my throat. “I’m not sure if we know what his game is; that’s the problem.”

  “Thank you so much for coming, Dr. Black. I’ve been out here for hours, trying to figure out what to do with the primitive planet Earth.”

  “Sounds like a worthy cause, Eschew. After all, you are a very complex, thoughtful man. I respect that! The entire planet HEVYO is waiting to find out what you intend to do.”

  “Thank you, Raven!” Eschew stares at his creation. Perhaps my friend is right; maybe our own little planet should be entirely our creation. He lifts his finger. No, I’ll wait on this one; I don’t want to hit enter quite yet!

  “All right!” Dr. Black responds. Now, am I correct in saying that your ultimate goal with Earth is not to destroy them but to simply send electromagnetic forces around the planet?”

  Eschew smiles luridly, careful to not reveal his true intentions.

  “Yes, that is correct,” Eschew states, still staring out at the ocean pensively. Eschew wonders if he should make the white clouds turn gradually grayer to create a more ominous, yet brilliant, effect. Eschew waves at the sky, watching his clouds turn a darker shade of gray.

  Raven smiles proudly. “Now let’s see, Eschew; from your blueprints, it appears as if you want our smart beams to do three things. You want them to record all historical events that have ever been written and transcribed while the smart beam makes its journey from Hevyo to Earth.

  Eschew nods solemnly. “That is correct! However, I also want the Earth to be wrapped electromagnetically in a sort of cocoon that will keep all outside forces out. Next I want to develop a quantum chip remote control, safeguarding everyone’s behavior—or, more accurately, potential misbehavior!” He grins. “Perhaps I can take that even a step further.”

  A small little crease at the corner of Eschew’s mouth. He thinks about the plans he’s making with his secret friend.

  Raven smiles. “This is an industrious plan, sir. But I believe we can accomplish it! Of course, you may also want to create a shield around Earth so that these remote-controlled entities can’t get out or receive subliminal messages of any sort from other planets.” Raven studies Eschew’s response.

  “Yes! Indeed, I’d like that!”

  Raven nods. “Just a point of clarification. You want to be able to record all sounds coming from mystical places, whether they be godlike or from evil demons?” Dr. Raven’s eyebrows rise as Eschew pontificates about this final request.

  Eschew stares at the clouds. He envisages that it may be nice to fashion some rain off in the distance. “Rain two miles off, creating a background effect!” He smiles, watching his voice command slowly becoming reality.

  “Very good!” Eschew exclaims. “Now let us talk about the specifics of my own version of virtual reality.”

  My version and what my actual plans are…are two separate things! Eschew reflects.

  Raven nods, staring off into the distance, noticing the rain moving quickly their way.

  “All right Eschew, so I’m going to design a three-pronged laser beam that will perform the following functions: one, the beam will encapsulate all of Earth, turning Earth into a holographic universe at your command, correct?”

  Eschew nods.

  “Two, we will record all history of all planets since their origins, for your scientific records.”

  Eschew nods again.

  “Three, you would also like to record any omnipotent and demonic sounds that are attempting to communicate with all life forms while the smart beam makes its journey toward Earth?”

  A huge smile appears on Eschew’s face. “Precisely!” He then states, “Enter! It’s so much fun to evolve into a God.” Eschew opens his wings, simulating his magnificence as he flies into the sky. Be careful Eschew! he muses. I don’t want to fly too close to the sun.

  Proto places her MUMS recorder down. “So this is what it’s come to?”

  “I’m afraid so, Proto. We’ve upgraded our world’s mania from people aspiring to be demigods—”

  “To gods,” Proto says, finishing my sentence. “And that’s not all.”

  “A loss of our human best human quality—consciousness,” I add.

  “This is going to be another battle. I hope it doesn’t end in too much bloodshed,” Proto quips.

  “It always does. Yes, Proto, humanity seems to be at stake once more. I just have two questions: who in the hell is Eschew’s new friend, and what are they plotting?”

  Proto smiles, placing her hand on my shoulder. “How can I help?”

  I take a deep breath. “I don’t know, but I sure wish Zeke was right here with me at my side.”

  CHAPTER 65

  May 15, 2401

  10: 44:02 a.m.

  Eschew’s three-pronged smart beam screams across the universe, picking up historic information and shooting images back to him, appearing like a gigantic ticker tape that runs from the time of the inception of the heavens.

  Some of the data from the three-pronged Z42 laser beam begins shooting in. Eschew reads aloud. “I have a decision to make,” Eschew says to himself. “Sombrero’s Galaxy… NGC 4594… twenty-eight million light-years from Earth… constellation Virgo… halo makes it look like a sombrero… Angelic high-pitched sounds cascading… society… Utopian… no free will… blissful culture. Andromeda… two point five million light-years from Earth… Andromeda Nebula… NGC 0224… Lots of planets with Entities… Reptilian… Jealousy… Power struck.”

  “So, you’re out here again? Are you feeling depressed, Eschew?” Chandra appears, looking as if she has been crying.

  Eschew’s lonely eyes stare straight out, glaring at the bright red burning sky. “I like it! It’s desolate, but there’s beauty out there even in the darkness.”

  “I’m a little concerned, my husband; you’ve been leaving our marital bed too often. Do I not please you?”

  Eschew turns toward Chandra, smiling lovingly. “This hologram world offers me solace.”

  “Really, Eschew, something’s troubling you. Otherwise you wouldn’t be staring at news tapes coming from the smart beam. What is truly bothering you? I know something is wrong.”

  “Look! Look at that star shooting across the sky!”

  “It’s not real, Eschew! We need a life that’s real! I don’t like seeing you staring off into a dark sky in the middle of the night. There’s got to be something wrong,” Chandra pleads.

  Eschew reaches out, gently taking hold of Chandra’s hand. “It’s Hevyo’s atmosphere; we’ve been trying to repair it for years,” he utters softly. “Our planet is too close to the fiery star X36; when this happens, a planet can begin to heat up, quickly. The temperature on Hevyo will gradually get hotter, beyond our—my—control.”

  Eschew stares off into space. “I’ve tried so hard, Chandra! I’ve wanted so desperately to fix everything. But our situation is hopeless. Our planet is headed for destruction. But I have a decision to make.”

  “All right, I’m listening, Eschew.”

  Eschew snaps his fingers. “Give me a beautiful sky, billowy white clouds, a yellow sky… no rain!”

  New images suddenly surround them. The dark sky is gone, and the bright yellow sky that Hevyonians have witnessed for so many years returns.

  Chandra opens her wings. As she flies upward, she lands next to her husband, Esche
w. “We’ve been married three hundred three years, Eschew! I want to make it to three hundred twenty-five! I want you back! You’re a fighter, Eschew! You’ve always been a fighter! I’m willing to go wherever you want.”

  Eschew takes a few deep breaths. “Sometimes the answers are tough, but I think I have a plan.”

  “No, Eschew, your plan is to save the planet Earth. Remove your tethers! At some point, you’re going to have make the realization that we need to inhabit Earth; we need to make it our own! Please, Eschew, remove your own shackles; think of us!

  “I know what you want, Chandra. Actually, I know what an anonymous, very intelligent individual wants. Is the question about what I want to do or what I need to do? Or is the question about what I’m going to do?”

  Chandra smiles. “The answer is in your soul, Eschew.”

  Earth

  May 13, 2401

  10:46:46 a.m.

  I lie in the midst of sultry sand and eerie dreams floating before my eyes. I see a boy screaming down the bannister and landing on his rear end. Then I see that same boy climbing a staircase set in jagged rocks. The staircase is steep, and the rocks are perilous. There is a large drop to a basin filled with sharp ancient stones that are biting like sharp teeth. A powerful waterfall thrusts anything that comes its way down to the bowels of its hungry maw. The boy falls into the water but holds on to a chipped rock. His lips begin to bleed, and the ravenous droplets seep into the raging water beneath. The boy is scared, lying in a pool of confusion, wondering whether he wants painful life or the quick release of death. Then an image floats in the water: a face—a beautiful face. It’s the face of life and love. The boy holds on to the sharp rock, even though it is cutting his hands. The boy is jolted out of his daydream.

  “It’s coming!” Proto exclaims. She studies her quarkometer. “I can feel it! It’s happening, Michael! There’s a laser beam catapulting faster than the speed of light. It’s headed straight toward us!”

  I move closer to Proto. “Eschew’s lethal weapon is moving through Andromeda already! This is it! Maya, let’s move Osiris’s sword right by the magnetic portal inside Thoth’s mastaba! Proto, I’ll trigger the subatomic valves of the Benjamin.”

  The Benjamin is my name for the formula that fits perfectly with Osiris’s sword. What do you need to know about the Benjamin? Simply put, it’s the invention that will save humanity.

  Menes stares at the spot where Thoth was murdered. I throw Menes the keys to the Explorer. “Start her up just in case we need to get out of town.” I wink mischievously.

  “I hope you’ve got a better plan than that!” Menes winks in return.

  “I’m scared,” Maya says, nudging me.

  “Please have faith, Maya! Have faith in me.”

  Hevyo

  May 15, 2401

  10:47:06 a.m.

  “So what is your plan?” Chandra pleads, folding her wings. “We can’t just pull up our roots on Hevyo without a plan.”

  Eschew expands his wings and lifts his talons toward the sky. “The first of three laser beams will wrap Earth in an electromagnetic field. No one will be able to move unless I hit my E-mote. Trust me!” Eschew stares into Chandra’s eyes, yet he wavers, for even the great Eschew on occasion has his doubts.

  “Then what?”

  “We meet up with an old friend.”

  “Who?”

  A smile flashes over Eschew’s face. “You’re going to have to trust me on this one.”

  “All right then… where?” Chandra pleads.

  “In a mansion on the precipice of a cemetery. We’ll be kept safe within its walls, deep under the castle like structure in the bowels of the earth. We’ll be able to restore energy, heat, and life on Hevyo!”

  Eschew smiles. Yet it’s the kind of smile that hides the truth even from him. “We will be able control large cyborgs at the tip of an E-mote! It’s ours! Now quit worrying!”

  Chandra forces a tiny wrinkle of an aborted smile. She too is afraid to acknowledge the truth, for it is too difficult to comprehend. Is Eschew losing his mind? she wonders.

  “What about Eisenstein? Don’t you need to worry about him?” Chandra probes.

  Eschew shakes his head. “My dear Chandra, we may not be obliterating Earth, but Eisenstein and his little clan are history. Our smart laser beam is heading straight for them! He’ll be dead in minutes! We can finally put the most dangerous family in history into their graves. Their ilk will never return!

  Egypt

  10:49:32 a.m.

  Maya slowly walks toward me and kisses me gently. Proto studiously gapes as she remains glued to her intergalactic net. Menes gently touches her shoulder as if to say everything is going to be all right.

  “The beam is passing Pluto, Michael! It won’t be long!” says Menes.

  “Everyone, get ready!” I shout.

  “The entire Earth is on red alert, Michael!” yells Proto. “I sure hope you know what you’re doing!”

  I take a deep breath. “If I don’t… you needn’t worry,” I say sarcastically.

  Oddly, I think of my father. I can feel his presence. I know what’s at stake. I remember one thing he told me as a child. It was in a brief moment, as if he forgot he was talking to a child: “There’s only one thing you need to know in this dirty world, Michael. We survive at any cost. Remember: whatever it takes.”

  The three-pronged laser beam comes hurtling through the sky! We see it even at a distance, well beyond the moon. Its silvery light is blinding! The demigod Eschew has made his move.

  I think about Maya. I think about Molly. Above all, I think about my role as the one and only descendent.

  I wait… and wait. Then I hit the Benjamin Button and pray.

  There is silence—absolute, utter silence. I stare into the heavens, praying upon a shooting star. I imagine I see Bird Dog on her flying drone shooting out of the clouds, but it’s only an illusion.

  CHAPTER 66

  May 27, 2401

  1:15 p.m.

  “It’s nice to be home,” Maya says, smiling broadly. The chiming voice recognition unit rings resoundingly. “Uh oh, who’s here?”

  “I’m sure it’s Proto. Who else could it be?”

  I glance out the window. “Guess who just pulled into our driveway?”

  “In her super maxed-out convertible purple skycar!” Maya exclaims.

  “You’re traveling in style!” I interject.

  “Well, when you’re famous, you’ve got to flaunt it, Eisenstein!”

  We all proceeded to walk toward our den. It’s nothing fancy, in case you’re interested. We have a lot of artwork, predominantly Mayan. Mainly, Maya has quite a collection of wood carvings. We also are proud owners of the original Saqqara bird that Maya and I discovered during our rendezvous to our cave. I call it our cave because it has been named the Michael and Maya Eisenstein Circa Cave by the American Isles government. I guess, the president, along with congress, wanted to show her appreciation for our efforts—you know, saving the planet and all. Anyway, I love that amazing bird! It reminds me of my love for my wife, the mysterious Maya! Yes, she is the most beautiful woman in the world, along with our amazing daughter, Molly.

  However, Proto is not to be outdone! She is wearing her laser-light-show dear pool shoes. She’s also wearing her oversize, round, translucent blue sunglasses. They blink, so in a matter of seconds blue shifts to purple, which shifts to pink—still not done here! Next little blinking lights come on, spelling messages like “Good to see you!” and “Don’t bother me… I’m busy!” Steppin’ it up, Proto also has on these funky earrings called drop-water ear cuffs. If Proto touches her ears, various lit emojis sparkle, sending messages of love or hate to whomever she’s looking at.

  At 1:30 p.m. another flying car shows up in our driveway.

  “I’m glad he left his bioinspired E
xplorer back in Abydos!” Maya exclaims. “It brings back weird memories.”

  Menes bounds through the door. “I hear that you’re talking about my Explorer? Well, let me tell you something. I’ve been working with experts on a new product using bots as bioinspired Jeep jumpers. The Explorer can now jump much higher and much farther! We’re going to call it Botter!”

  “You remember Menes, don’t you?” I say to Proto, using a mock introduction as an icebreaker. Menes is dressed in khakis and a white shirt as he flagrantly shows off his famous white fedora—the same one he wore in Nefertiti’s.

  “God, am I ever happy to see you!” I proclaim. Menes wraps his arms around Maya. “I can’t tell you how happy I am to see you!” he affirms. Maya smiles, flashing those gorgeous dimples that made me fall in love with her. “The last time I saw you, you were snoring inside that pink sleeping bag in the desert! I see you two are really an item!”

  Maya gleams.

  Before we can leave our entranceway, the doorbell rings again. My heart literally starts pounding in hungry anticipation as I see Uncle Solly at the door!

  “You look like a Jewish Santa Claus!” I utter.

  Solly laughs. “I applied for the job, but my beard was too curly, and of course, I lacked a little girth.”

  “Just a present for my goddaughter Molly!” Solly quips.

  “Thank you, Solly! I mean, thank you for everything!” I smile. “You’ve had my back all along, haven’t you?

  Solly looks like a little boy caught with his hands in the cookie jar as he hands me a folder. “Sorry, Michael! I did talk to the Defense Department; we couldn’t leave you hanging.”

  “You had a backup plan, didn’t you?”

  Solly smiles awkwardly. “Hey, I dug up your dad’s files; your father always had a plan B.”

  Suddenly, Solly throws up his hands. “Not that we didn’t have faith in you, Mikey boy!”