“Adam soared with the possibilities. Convinced he could use these super-humans to finally create the cure no doctor could prescribe, he became obsessed with pressing humanity to its limits. But the ‘Sleepers,’ as they called them, showed little practical potential for accomplishing what Adam asked.
“After months of testing, they stumbled upon a cure for cancer, but it did little to help Adam’s unique infection. So they continued their unspeakable tests inching forward in progress. No test subjects immerged with the ability to solve Adam’s dilemma. And most died in the process of trying to advance them to that level. Considering all the research his facility accomplished and his vanishing life, Adam weighed his options. There had been breakthroughs in the department working with telepathy and similar success gained by the group working on the human psyche. At this point Adam hatched his diabolical plan. Utterly convinced the human existed who could cure him, he pitched the idea to his company of infecting the world.
“Together he and his company created his ideal drug calling it Protocuss. It was a combination of enhancements to creativity, telepathy, regrowth of dead cells, aggression, and developing the parts of the brain that could spark these new developments. Through research they narrowed down a specific gene required for the desired abilities to immerge. So they imbedded into the drug a special agent. When combined with its counterpart the drug would simply kill the host if the gene was not present. Adam saw no point of wasting his time on people without potential.
“So under the guise of a cure for cancer, he infected the world with his masterpiece. For five years, he sat back watching the world spin out of control desperately hoping with the new medical advancements he’d indirectly find a cure. I believe, at this point, he may have been willing to let the world live if it could produce him a cure. But when the drug turned south and the world began falling to pieces, he unleashed the second part of his plan. Using a prototype of the Weather Witch that you came across, he started infecting the world with the activating agent. In the flip of a switch, he murdered billions.
“He created a world where he was in control. The aggression combined with the regrowth of dead tissue in Protocuss caused the zombification. The dead preyed upon the few living who refused the drug. Most of the first level zombies were tasked with removing the remaining human race. The creativity in the drug caused the zombies to build artful structures throughout many of the places they collected.
“The telepathy in the drug was Adam’s way of keeping the world under control. Through it, he created a vast army that spanned the globe. He essentially formed a grand network of minds. The first level zombies were the brute force of his operation. The second level zombies were minor leaders and the kings managed regions. And lastly the Sleepers, operating out of this bunker, managed the kings. Each level was directly controlled by the level above it.
“There are details I still don’t fully understand, but Adam managed to create an elaborate system of odds. The more prevalent the gene, the more aggressive the zombie became. The more aggressive he was, the more likely he would be to feed. The more he ate, the more he advanced his skills of telepathy, creativity, and like abilities. In this way, the most promising rose to the surface. Basically he killed everyone without potential of giving him what he wanted and sifted the remainder based on this one ability. If it weren’t so evil and murderous, it could have been a great achievement of mankind.
“Although the theory of their plan should have worked, they had several fatal oversights.
“First they greatly underestimated how much a zombie would have to eat to evolve. Zalac realized quickly that lack of opportunity and food would be a major problem. It was taking four and five full human feedings before a level one would evolve to two. The human-zombie ratio after the infection couldn’t support the kind of widespread growth Zalac needed. Most second level zombies would die of starvation before they ate the dozens required to mature. And, in the end, only one would ever evolve from king to Sleeper to join Adam here.
“Their second oversight happened in the drug itself. Protocuss made the zombies far too creative. They built cities. kings started displaying tendencies to build and manage their cities instead of wanting to mature. The defensive ring around Colorado Springs that the zombies built should never have happened. Ideally, the zombies were meant to be very aggressive, roaming monsters. But the kings gave out visions of peaceful, quiet cities. The kings were far too independent. The Sleepers had control over them but not nearly enough.
“The kings constantly had these projects they were allowed to pursue. Our king in Colorado Springs manufactured Val into a zombie-human hybrid. Some desperately tried to reproduce. The network was poorly managed and unruly. This was one of the reasons Zalac bit when I offered to run it myself. They thought a single person could unify it.
“Don’t misunderstand me, either way it was all a horrible plan to unleash on humanity. But it’s even worse because Zalac got almost nothing out of it. Adam never found his cure.”
“And what happened to Adam?”
“He is here. Well, what is left of him is here. He slipped into unconsciousness several months ago. Through mercy I do not understand, the Sleepers did keep him alive. After all he’s done to them, they still serve him in a way. I don’t understand it. But Sleepers and the culture in the network of minds are very unlike our own.”
“Could the Sleepers have cured him?”
“I honestly don’t know. Perhaps they could and what I’ve mistaken as their mercy is actually a prolonging of his suffering. They are powerful and mysterious beings. Perhaps they rain down a constant lightning storm of nightmares upon his sleeping mind. Their actions elude and confuse me.”
Sara rested her head against the pillow and looked up at him. She thought on all this and accidentally drifted back into sleep.
When she woke again, she stared at him through sleepy eyes. As if she’d asked before and he’d told her a hundred times, she said, “Tell me again how you saved me.”
“Are you sure you want to revisit the story of your salvation from this happy place?”
“Yes, if we have time.”
Brady smiled at the mention of such an outdated thing.
“At first, I had only a limited involvement. I wanted only to save you. Connor’s family had died, and he loved the idea of saving me from that pain. So he offered to help me find a cure if I could get my hands on the actual virus. But he had no intent of travelling around the US looking for it. So we setup in the mountains where he would be left alone and I went out in search of it.
“In the beginning, I had such grand dreams. I saw myself creating a remnant of humanity able to wage war against Zalac. I did not go deep enough into the future to see the folly of that plan. All my initial actions were bent towards that end. Connor embraced this idea fully. Long after I gave it up, he still clung to it.
“I used Val’s group to infiltrate the mountain complex knowing they would all die. Though a part of me regrets it, it was necessary. The military had preliminary information and the extracted virus that I needed. Even now I see the price of the virus as those souls.
“I had not considered Val in my plans. I had left her to die with the rest of the company. I stood at the door of the Humvee ready to leave her to her fate. But something happened to me when I heard her desperate cries over the radio. I opened up all the doors she would need to get out and prepared to save her. It was an impulsive act of sheer mercy that I did not understand. I did not even realize then how much would depend on her.
“Back in the cabin, I processed everything that had happened. I searched Val’s past and found she was an infected. Had I stopped there, I would have killed her before she woke. But in a second act of mercy, I considered her in my plans. I wanted to see if she could be saved. Knowing full well what she was and could do, I factored her into my plans. And she became a great asset. I used her direct connection to the king to make him aware of me. He became fascinated with me to the poin
t of obsession. This was the missing piece I needed. Now I could truly infect myself and attempt to save you knowing I wouldn’t be killed on sight. I knew zombie kind would see through my disguise no matter how clever. I could not hide my active mind to their hungry eyes. But now I didn’t need to. The king would not let his minions eat me.
“Before I became infected, I had several deep, meaningful talks with Val. My heart still feels the impact of their words. At this point I knew her betrayal. But I still loved her.
“But Connor was right. I kept him very much out of the loop. I told him only enough to keep him working on the project. He was right to be frustrated with me. I didn’t even tell him the woman he was falling in love with was a zombie. But I knew - given the choice - she would not eat him. And I needed them still to interact like humans because I couldn’t allow the king to know I guessed Val’s true nature. For if he caught wind of this, he would know he was being played and I would be killed immediately.
“With my plans set, I walked freely into the corrupting light of the king’s glare knowing full well the horrors awaiting me. I resigned myself to them knowing I would eventually wake to challenge him. I considered you worth it, Sara. You were worth all my struggles and more.”
She stared through her tearful eyes at him and embraced him.
“A curious thing happened I was not completely expecting. When I started to break free from his influence, the king came to me and offered a chance to rise through the network of minds. He scraped my skull, which I later found to be a sign of affection in zombie culture. But I felt like I could not trust him. The kings are devious and it confounded me that he would make such an offer. From what I knew of the kings, they were extremely jealous and gave their power to no one.
“Not until I reached the Nex and spoke with Protocuss did I understand what actually happened there. The king’s offer was not his own. It was from the Sleepers here. They had dreamed of a champion coming to rescue them. When they saw my intentions and my actions, they offered me the chance to rise under their influence and eventually be poised to attack Zalac with its own army.
“In the end, I am glad I refused for I found their plans lacking. Although they made mention of you and us being together, it was still within the network of minds. As far as I can tell, their plans never involved us becoming human again. Although we might be together, I could not abide the thought of you being a slave forever. Even a slave to me.
“So I refused their offer and challenged the king. We broke free. I used what little kingly influence I had left to cause an uprising within the ranks to create the chaos of our escape. But even then the king found us and would not let us leave without fighting him.
“You were saved, Val was freed, and all seemed right in the world. I greatly cherished the time in the cabin and tried not to think of the consequences of my actions. But I had failed to realize how the king’s obsession and his death rippled into Zalac. I had awakened a dragon. One that’s burning hatred of me was matched only by its love for me.
“Though I greatly tried to keep myself out of the future and just relish your presence, I could not shake the thought of the space shuttle and the coming war. I commissioned Adus and gave him some of the cure to start a colony in Orlando. Without even pressing deeply into its meaning, I saw the date your band of humans would arrive. As a gesture of hope, I gave him the time and location of your arrival. I told him to secure the shuttle and a few NASA employees to drive it.
“Luckily, during this time we could move about freely. Zalac was off dealing with other matters in the world and did not have the resources to deal with us immediately. This allowed us to gather forces and move into Colorado Springs.
“I looked in time and saw the rise of a second king in Colorado Springs. This was a great mystery to me because I thought I had broken the connection of the Colorado Springs area and Zalac by killing their king. I thought all zombies would now be aimless without this connection. But now I know a select few can reattach themselves to Zalac’s network of minds at will. Moses had this ability. Even while I was here commanding the network, Moses startled me by communing directly with me one day. Even without the assistance of a king!
“Seeing now a second king rising, I knew my opportunity had come. I would weave a ruse far more complex than the first. This one would require everything from so many. This was about the time we went to Chicago in search of information. While there, I walked through the coming war and the entire rest of human history on this planet. You know this for you saw me from time in time. Not wanting to repeat my previous mistake, I scoured time for thousands of my own lifetimes. I searched every possibility I could see or imagine. It was then that I forged the plan we enacted. Those perfectly laid steps alone ensured your survival and our reunion.
“I saw there the folly of my dream to save humanity. I could save only you and perhaps these Sleepers. All else I had to discount to death. A terrible plan. But what else could I do? The world was ending and I was powerless to stop it.
“On the way back to Colorado Springs, I needed to communicate directly with the Sleepers. My plans would have to involve them and their cooperation. I had refused their first offer and I did not know how I sat with them. In the Nex, I met Protocuss. I spent some time with him learning about him and his Sleeper companions. He told me their story and even showed me the robot Zalac created to ‘reintegrate’ the Sleepers into human society after having their minds so deeply tampered. He told me about how, when Zalac moved out of the Nex, he and a group of others used their powers to remain behind. His companions would later abandon him and became the hotel hosts. He alone remained in that place of quiet solitude and has only recently joined us here.
“He and I communed directly with the ones here. I asked them if they would tolerate this new plan. I would use Zalac’s obsession with me to get them to incorporate me into their ranks. I would weave a lie so enticing that they would make me leader of their army. I told the Sleepers if they were willing and there was a way, I would become the fifth level zombie. I would command them directly and thereby take the whole network of minds under myself.
“This was the only way I saw to keep a little band of humans from being completely overwhelmed by a continent of the dead. I knew my game would be dangerous. It would be quite a thing for Zalac to swallow to make me commander. And if Zalac ever thought I hindered their army, they would kill me. I had to walk a very fine line.
“In our telepathic conversation from the Nex, I asked the Sleepers if they would plant the idea throughout Zalac that I alone could give their founder what he wanted. I lied that I could produce the cure Adam wanted so desperately. At the time, Adam was still conscious and somewhat involved in Zalac. I knew if he were conscious and still had influence, he would bite this bait. The Sleepers willingly subjected themselves to the idea of me dominating them. They said it was a small price to be liberated.
“But even if I could secure the zombie army, this did not ensure your survival. For there were things outside of the network’s control that would kill you. The Weather Witch and the missiles Zalac controlled could kill you all in an instant. The hound, one of their greatest achievements, was outside the network’s control. I needed a plan to combat both of these if you were to survive.
“For the Weather Witch and the missiles, I wove a weak defense at first. But it was the best option from the choices I had. Eventually I would convince Zalac you were pregnant and that our child was very important to them. This would keep them from simply killing you with a missile. And while you were with your party, this would protect them also. But I couldn’t spring this idea too early. They were not yet convinced they wanted to assimilate me much less my offspring.
“Protocuss told me in our telepathic conversation at the Nex that already Zalac was taking us seriously and was preparing to nuke us as they had done with several other human uprisings in the world. I asked the Sleepers to hurry the idea of me being Adam’s only option and I rushed back to Colorad
o Springs.
“This was where my plan against their missiles was the weakest. Although the idea of me being Adam’s cure stuck, I knew if I ever left Colorado Springs there would be nothing to keep them from destroying it.
“Now I had to convince Zalac I was falling under the control of this second king. This is the reason my actions became so zombie. I needed them to believe I could not resist their control and I had no allegiance to humans. I needed some dramatic display to push them over into belief. So I murdered Robert in front of the eyes of their satellites. This sacrifice secured my ascent into their ranks. I convinced everyone, especially you, that I was wholly corrupted and against humanity. With Robert’s blood still on my face, they captured me with their greatest agent. And the first part of my plan sprang into action.
“I knew if I left, Zalac would use their missiles against us. But I had no choice but to leave. Though I knew you would survive, this part of my plan grieved me deeply. For I left the souls in Colorado Springs under Conner’s command. I knew this to be a mistake but either they would die to a nuke or horribly be eaten soon thereafter. The nuke seemed the more merciful option. This would be the first great human price tag of my plan and not the last.
“Zalac struck and destroyed everything we had worked for. Our homes and our friends. Zalac thought they had killed everyone at first. But you and your company were just outside of its deadly reach. And I used its magnitude, to rip open your mind to walking in time. There in the horrific explosion you began to see your race around you. You felt them, as I do, moving through your soul as blood does your body. Their skin and skeletons burned away and you saw the dying - naked soul to naked soul.
“It was to be like me that I gave you my gift. That you might have some avenue for your pain. Some crater to channel the waters of your grief into. I introduced you to suffering – even enough that you would want to take your own life. But I knew your pregnancy would stop you. Peace, even yet unborn, gave you enough hope to get you through.
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