by T. K. Malone
“You—”
“I,” Walter shouted Byron down, “get to avenge my country and my marriage, my heritage and my love, of which there are no two things stronger.”
“But,” Byron uttered with incredulity, “but the world?”
“Indeed,” said Walter, who then waved his hand dismissively before peering at Teah. “And now it only remains to question how much of Sable still survives in you, my dear? The answer to which I already know is nothing, nothing at all; the very reason why Connor is expanding so much, why he’s already little more than a husk. Jake explained it all to us, you see. He and Trip, over there, make quite a team, herding you here while maintaining the illusion of your own free will. Quite the double act.”
Teah stared at Trip, grinding her teeth when the man snapped his heels together and saluted.
“So,” Irving went on to say, “you’ll now well understand that we have no further need of you, not now we have Connor. And if any of your men try anything, Zac, what’s left of your brother will die that very instant. As for Byron, well, you get to live, to see the doom your labor of love has blossomed into. But I’m afraid, my dear poor Teah, that you must die, in case any small part of Sable does still hide within you. We gave you your revenge, for which you can thank us.” This time his smile took to it a malign benevolence. “Jake, I believe you’ve a meaningful end planned for our guest?” At which Jake stepped to the edge of the stoop, a shotgun in one hand, a taser in the other.
“Aye, I’ve a fitting end all nice and ready,” he declared. “After everything I’ve been through, it only seems fair that I get to be the one who kills you.” He held aloft a taser. “Do you remember this? The very one you tried to use on that deer, all those years ago. And do you remember this beauty?” He moved in front of Irving and raised the shotgun. “This was Lester’s pride and joy. Seems only right I use it to finish me what Lester shoulda done all those years ago.”
He casually swung the barrel of the shotgun onto his shoulder, out of the way, and pointed the taser at Teah. She looked straight through him, no anger in her eyes, only acceptance, but then, beyond his shoulder, the movement of one of the security cameras caught her eye. She smiled and nodded toward it, ever so slightly, her eye then catching Josiah Charm’s. He, too, was now smiling.
Jake fired the taser, its prongs plunging into her neck, then she jerked, stiffening like a board, her teeth clamped tightly shut, her eyes feeling like they were about to pop. But then bursts of gunfire erupted around them, as if Jake’s attack had started a war.
As the shots continued, her body rallied, somehow becoming immune to the electric shocks, but she realized Jake was smiling now as he lowered the shotgun from over his shoulder, but rather than aim it at her, he touched the barrel to a security light on the wall above him. In that instant, Teah felt the electricity flow out of her, felt the last remnants of Sable escape, and Jake went rigid, his mouth gritted in determination as he froze in place. Then his hair stood on end above skin that began to blister, and he screamed an unholy scream as he violently shook before her.
Behind him, smoke now seeped from the cabin, out around the doors and windows, quickly becoming hot spouts of escaping fumes, as though a great pressure were building within. And then, above all the shots still ringing out, she heard one she recognized above all others, one with a singular ring, and she seemed to hear the bullet travel through the air before Jake’s forehead exploded. For a ghoulish few seconds his body hung before her, unwavering, then it slumped to the ground and she felt a connection break. Teah staggered forward, but held herself upright before two more shots rang out and Walter fell as Irving slumped in his chair. Josiah Charm finally drew her notice, waving a white handkerchief above his head, and all around her, soldiers were laying down their weapons, the scene unearthly silent but for the groans of the dying.
Josiah Charm, though, drew her gaze once more, his voice surprisingly steady: “Wherever your sniper is, tell him to stop. It is Max, isn’t it? Tell me it is, Trip. After all, you wouldn’t want to kill me; it wouldn’t do to get rid of every last bastard in this new world of yours.” He approached Teah and offered her his hand. “Shame about Jake, though; he was actually on your side.” She knew he spoke the truth. “Now, my queen, I think it’s time you ruled.” His laugh echoed around the valley—until another single shot rang out.
A look of immense surprise burst on to Charm’s bloodied face, as though he really didn’t quite comprehend what had just happened. Then, it was colored with acceptance as he fell to the ground, motionless. Teah spotted Kelly walking toward her.
“No bastards allowed,” she growled.
25
Karina’s Story
Strike time: plus 5 years
Location: The Promontory Overlooking New Black City
The rocks leading up to the promontory were like a stack of now-toppled biscuits, worn by the feet of innumerable sightseers who came to visit the place. From it, it was possible to see the new city taking shape. It was odd to look at, but quite brilliant when one took the time to think about it. Connor had once told Karina that it reminded him of the Death Star: a gigantic planet-shaped ship from one of his old films.
Karina opened the throttle of her bike and scrambled up the rocks and along the path at the top. She skidded to a stop at the edge of a vast drop that fell all the way to the scrub beneath, and there she flipped up her visor before kicking the kickstand down. Looking out at the city, she could see what Connor had meant. New Black City was a vast black sphere sitting on a fluted pedestal.
Byron Tuttle had explained its design as the most ergonomic possible for a coastal city. The round shape, he’d assured them, would be ideal for fending off the weather while still being of sufficient volume to house millions. The pedestal’s height afforded ample protection from floods. Although, all in all, it was supposed to be the best fit, everyone still argued about it.
What no one disagreed on was Sable’s methods. Though it was still early days, their suitability had so far proved irrefutable, but Karina scoffed, for there were plenty of folk who still argued. Some had just gone off grid, forming enclaves and compounds of their own out in the countryside, once they’d found out who, or rather, what was in charge. That was fair enough, just as long as they kept themselves to themselves; provided they didn’t sabotage the new world. If they did, then they met with Karina and her companions: The Black City Riders.
She took one last look and kicked the bike’s stand up, pulling it around. While she loved what she did, man-oh-man, but was she looking forward to a few days R&R. Just one more visit and she would be done.
Tearing up the valley, she made it to Project Firebird in no time. Its new entrance was now called Lester’s Gates. The old mine had been transformed into a park area, its entrance built out from the rock face and looking like an idyllic retreat rather than an old prospector’s mine. Parking outside, she secured all her weapons to the bike, powered it down, and almost skipped up the white-stone steps and into its foyer.
“Ah, Karina,” said the welcoming systems. “Have you forgotten something?”
Karina stopped and patted herself down. Damn, grenades; she always forgot those. Dumping them off at a security bin, she went to the elevators and waited. It would be good to see Teah, Kelly, Max, and Trip. In many ways, she felt almost humbled in their presence. They’d been there when Charm and the Meyers had been defeated; when man’s dominion over the earth had finally been broken, as was the man she was now going to see.
She missed Zac, and the lump called Billy Flynn. She missed Noodle’s leering eyes, and she missed Sticks most of all. He’d not followed Croft up the stairs before Loser had blown the stairwell, he’d joined her in their defence of Project Firebird for the nearly two days they’d held out. Afterward, they’d taken him along with them—Zac, Loser, Noodle, Billy Flynn, and the rest of the gang, to wherever they’d ridden off to, and so he’d gotten his wish in the end, to see the world.
What had
Loser said? she asked herself. “When it’s all over, things will never be the same.” He'd been right. Teah’s happiness lay in a log cabin up in the mountains, and Zac’s on a never-ending road. And Connor? Well, she was still working on Connor Clay, and Karina blushed at the thought. He was, if only slowly, coming out of his shell.
The elevator doors opened with a whoosh, and she stepped in. The info-screen showed Molly and Kenny chatting away. Kenny had become Molly’s anchor, although he’d smarted at first when Sable had announced her promotion, but he’d settled in the end. It helped that they only had eyes for each other.
Of all Teah’s regrets, it wasn’t that Zac had left, which admission confused her. Though she’d never be considered one of Teah’s inner sanctum, Karina was now her link to the outside world. More than Zac Clay leaving, more than Josiah Charm dying, or Jake, or Briscoe, Teah had rued Cornelius’ death the most, and she couldn’t explain why. He’d died, along with a man named Wesley, helping prevent The Free World army from breeching the preppers' stockade. Karina guessed her sadness had to be something to do with that. War, she told herself, forges unlikely alliances, let some folk pay their dues.
The elevator eased to an imperceptible halt and the doors opened. She walked out into an open hall, hollowed out from the old rooms that had once been there, and headed to a set of double doors. Looking into an optic scanner by their side, she walked through as it opened.
Karina had to blink a number of times until her eyes became accustomed to the stark-white crystaline glint within. Sable’s brain they called it, the place where Byron Tuttle and Laura Meyers interacted with the AI, both of whom were now at the center of the room, staring at a luminous-green hologram of a woman’s head. Around its neck cycled a series of words, like a necklace.
Laura’s eyes were filled with tears. “It just appeared this morning,” she told Karina. “It’s my mother’s face, her hair, her… Well, it’s just her.” And the hologram smiled indulgently. Karina then noticed that Byron was quietly sobbing, staring at the necklace of words, and she drew closer.
There, slowly passing before Karina’s eyes, the words circled the AI’s neck. She read: “Sarah And Byron: Love Everlasting.”
The end.
I hope you enjoyed our journey. It was a long and twisting road. Would an AI rule better than our current leaders? That’s for you to decide, but I’ve put forward a story where it wasn’t the enemy its so often made out to be.
Will there be any more from this conceived world?
Only if you want it and I can only tell that by the reviews. If you enjoyed it, and you want more then do scribble me something quick.
Here’s the link.
Peace and love,
TK
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Hey, thanks - I hope that was a trip worth taking
I hope you enjoyed Genesis, it’d be great if you could leave a review - here’s the link. For bonus points, let me know-post it in the Facebook group—join the struggle! The Free World series was a great one to write, and now I have a whole created world to play with!
Well, that’s the end of that. I’ll admit, there’s a little gift with Karina appearing, and the possibility of some AI appointed bike riders roaming the country dishing out law and order, and maybe that will come. If you join the newsletter, I’ll let you know, though don’t expect a load of mails telling you what I had for tea that day—there’s Facebook for that.
Thanks so much for getting this far—you’re troopers,
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Join the struggle,
T.K.