EHuman Dawn

by Nicole Sallak Anderson

  He turned and left the room quickly, leaving the lovers to themselves.

  “Marcus’ lab is at the L street LMO,” Dawn informed Adam.

  “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s see what he can do for us,” Adam answered with a small smile.

  He took Dawn’s hand into his own and led her onward.

  The pair headed out of the Capitol building and back into the scorching sun. As they walked down the steps of the building toward a row of transporters, they found themselves instantly surrounded by the eHumans milling about the mall. Even though they now had access to Neuro, they mobbed Adam for more information. They recognized him from the Newsreels, and rumors had spread throughout the city as to his importance in the Resistance. Some wanted to shake his hand and let him know they supported him. Others wanted to know where the famous Adam Winter was going, and if they could join him. He answered their questions and requests as best he could, but a deep sense of frustration began to build within him as each step forward became more difficult.

  Dawn watched him try to handle the crowds with a certain curiosity. Ironic that she was the one who’d saved them from immediate danger, yet Adam was the celebrity. A bit of jealousy welled within her, but as she looked deeper into their eager faces, she noticed looks of admiration being cast her way. It surprised her to realized that she was proud to be the one holding his hand. She had to admit, they made an incredibly powerful couple.

  Adam was in the middle of explaining to the crowd his need to get to a “very important meeting”, when he was yet again interrupted by a familiar voice.

  “Well, well, well, if it isn’t my dear colleague, Adam Winter, returned from his on-location assignment,” Anthony Westfield drawled.

  Adam and Dawn turned and saw the man sauntering towards them, the crowds parting to let him through. If Adam was New Omaha’s new darling, Anthony was an old celebrity. Everyone in New Omaha knew who he was and gave him what he wanted. The crowd around them moved back a bit to give the two men some space and a quiet fell upon them. In a show of allegiance, Dawn gripped Adam’s hand tighter. She’d followed Anthony Westfield long enough to knew full well that he was capable of the most devious of acts.

  Adam felt his temper rising as he faced the man who had lied to him for years. Fighting the urge to throw his boss across the crowded mall, Adam acknowledged him through a clenched jaw.

  “Anthony, always a pleasure to see you. I’d love to talk, but I was just leaving.”

  “Really,” Anthony replied, “How convenient. You’ve delivered your lies to these poor people—and now you’re on your way elsewhere. Leaving New Omaha so soon?”

  The crowd began to murmur.

  “Lies?” Adam challenged, “You’re the one who has been telling lies!”

  “Wrong!” Anthony cried, purposefully increasing the volume on his voice, “You’re the Hactivist Adam! You’ve been working for the Resistance as an undercover agent for years. What a brilliant plan it was to infiltrate the city’s Programming Channels, getting us to trust you as you delivered the Newsreels for a century before betraying us!”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” Adam yelled back, raising his own volume as well.

  “Give the city back to the WG, Adam,” Anthony demanded.

  “Why would we do that?” Adam replied.

  “Because the people will die if you don’t,” Anthony spoke with authority. Too late, Adam realized what the man was up to. He watched helplessly as the crowds, nervous about their situation, began to side with Anthony.

  “Yes, you know this to be true,” Anthony admonished, “You know the Resistance will use the city to get what it wants from the WG—even if it means holding us all hostage to the point of death! Who are you to control our lives in such a way? Our enemy isn’t the WG—it’s those terrorists who call themselves the Resistance!”

  “You lie!” Adam cried, but no one could hear him through the panic that quickly swept through the mob.

  The crowd began to get out of control, pushing forward toward Adam and Dawn as if to swallow them whole. Their screams and demands drowned out any attempts either made in their defense. They tried to fend off the tide, but to no avail. The eHumans angrily rushed them and as they collided, another voice boomed out over the crowd.

  “ENOUGH!” Origen cried as he descended the Capitol steps, ElectroShock gun raised to his shoulder and pointed directly at Anthony. The crowd instantly dispersed like cockroaches in a flashlight beam.

  “Back off, you useless media puppet!” Origen ordered as he arrived next to where Anthony, Dawn and Adam were standing. “It’s you who have controlled them, spinning the news for centuries to keep them docile and unquestioning, while the WG have cashed in on their lives.”

  “What’s your proof?” Anthony challenged.

  Origen rose to his full height and aimed the ElectroShock gun directly at Anthony’s chest.

  “This is my proof,” he snarled, his yellow eyes glowing with power and might. No one in the crowd doubted that Origen was the one now in charge of their city. “Leave now, Anthony Westfield, or find yourself arrested for conspiring with the WG to enslave the eHuman population.”

  Anthony continued staring and hesitated for a moment. Adam thought the man might challenge Origen. But he didn’t. Rather, he smiled sardonically and turned to Adam.

  “You’re in over your head Adam. You’ll see,” he whispered, before slinking off into the crowd.

  “To the rest of you,” Origen addressed the crowd, “I recommend you go home. There’s nothing more we can do for you here. We’re not holding you hostage. We’ve freed you from a government that has no concern for your eHumanity in the slightest bit. Yes, the WG has threatened to retaliate, but we will not give in! I promise you that the Global Resistance will protect each and every one of you! Your freedom has finally been granted to you, and we will fight to the death to protect that freedom!”

  The crowds began to disperse and Adam stood by the transporter docks in an awkward silence. The fact that he was now in Origen’s debt made him uncomfortable.

  “Thanks,” he mumbled.

  “Yes,” added Dawn, “That was quite impressive.”

  She stared at her old friend with a sense of relief, knowing that she was leaving the Resistance in the best of hands.

  “No worries,” Origen replied. He had the urge to say more, but held back, as if he were out of insults. “Just get out of here.”

  They nodded and jumped on a transporter together, heading towards Marcus’ lab. Origen watched them drive away, his mind awash in a sea of turbulent thoughts.

  Adam may have survived his foray into the world of the MICE, but Origen was pretty sure that his visit with Edgar Prince wouldn’t be as successful. It was a terrible place to be, torn as he was between desiring the death of Adam Winter and needing the Trojan Horse stored in his database to win this battle. Origen hadn’t planned on finding the One so soon. Things were getting a bit out of his control and Adam Winter had quickly become a wildcard to his plans. If Adam failed, it meant an entirely different world for everyone, including himself. Yet he refused to place all his hopes on a little piece of code, hidden deep inside the RAM of Dawn’s beloved. He’d gone into the Uprising with a plan all his own—one that didn’t need a savior to be successful.

  Hidden in store across the street, Anthony Westfield watched Adam and Dawn drive away, leaving Origen standing alone. Anthony gave a quick laugh at how desperate the dark man appeared. It was obvious he was in turmoil. Served the bastard right. Anthony was a patient man, and would let this game unfold as it went. So far everything was going according to plan.

  “May I help you sir?” a clerk gently asked him.

  Anthony turned his dark eyes to the woman, noting the energy pack on her back and smiling slightly.

  “I see you’re still wearing your energy pack,” he noted, “Don’t you trust Neuro, now that the Resistance has taken control?”

  “I don’t know who to t
rust,” the woman answered, “Better to be safe than sorry.”

  Anthony smiled.

  “Yes, it’s best to take your fate into your own hands dear,” he replied as he walked to the door, gently humming that old Rolling Stones tune.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  The next day, Origen found himself with Dawn, standing side by side in the arsenal. Adam waited in the doorway, a dark silhouette against the blazing summer sunlight that poured into the busy room. The two old friends stood still as statues while hundreds of eHumans scurried about them, preparing the city for war. Machines droned past, troops marched by and various commanders issued orders noisily.

  Dawn was there to say goodbye to Origen. He avoided the words like the plague, knowing full well that the moment they were spoken, she would leave him and he would never see her face again. The futility of her mission overwhelmed him. Yes, it needed to be done. Adam had to go to New Caledonia. But in Origen’s mind, Dawn didn’t have to be by the man’s side. She belonged at home—by his side, as they fought off the WG. Origen needed her as much as Adam did. But Dawn couldn’t see his need, because she had no eyes for anyone but Adam. It was a truth so painful, Origen found it hard to keep his will to live.

  “You’ve not lost any time securing the city,” Dawn said. She too found the parting terribly painful.

  “Two days isn’t a lot of time,” Origen answered, “We may not know what sort of attack the WG will launch, but we’ll meet it nonetheless.”

  “Is Alrisha preparing the network for cyber attack?”

  “Of course.”

  Dawn was well aware of Origen’s plans, and he was aware of hers. She was just making small talk. Adam’s shadow in the doorway shifted, suggesting impatience. A car was waiting to take them to the airstrip to meet Edgar’s HyperJet.

  Origen swallowed his jealousy. He took Dawn’s hands into his own, as he had seen Adam do hundreds of times. It felt foreign to Origen to touch her, yet also comforting.

  Dawn had been the main feature of Origen’s life for almost two centuries. Sometimes they had been separated during the years, but even then they were still linked by TeleSpeak—his mind had always had access to hers. Now, Alrisha had erased all of Dawn and Adam’s TeleSpeak keys, except for the one that linked them as a couple, in order to protect the Resistance while they were in the enemy’s camp. There would be no way to reach her. No way to find out if she was okay. Either Adam would gain control of Neuro—or he and Dawn would die without Origen being informed. That was the reality of the situation.

  Dawn grabbed Origen and held him close. The embrace was almost more than he could bear. Dawn was the only woman he had ever loved. Her body, now so close to his, brought about a mixture of pain, joy, and ecstasy. He slowly wrapped his arms around her and returned her embrace, wishing with all his heart that she would never let go. Hoping that perhaps if he held her tight enough, the two of them would disappear and leave the world altogether.

  “Origen…I’m so sorry,” she began, knowing full well that this might be the last time she saw him. Deep down, Dawn loved Origen. It may not have been the romantic love he felt for her, but it was just as true. She couldn’t stop hugging him. She was afraid that once she let go, she would never see him again.

  “Don’t go with him,” Origen whispered in her ear.

  “I must,” she replied, trembling as she spoke.

  “I don’t understand,” Origen cried, still whispering so that no one in the room could hear his words, “Please Dawn. Don’t you love me?”

  “Yes!”

  “Then stay with me. Please, stay here.”

  “I can’t.”

  “Why not? Do you love him more than me?”

  Dawn hesitated. Origen had finally asked the question. She owed him an answer.

  “No, I don’t love him more than you. But I loved him first.”

  Origen pushed her gently away. He stared one last time into her perfect face. It was true. She had loved Adam before she had become Dawn. She might have always loved Adam, perhaps since the beginning of time, if there were such a thing. Now that he had heard the truth from Dawn, he knew it was time to let her go.

  “Be safe,” he uttered like a blessing.

  “You, too,” she answered.

  Then she cupped his face in her hands and drew it closer. She kissed him gently upon the forehead, sending the sensation of fire along the surface of his skin. Never had he been kissed in such a way!

  “Goodbye, Origen,” she uttered helplessly, finally saying the words they had both been trying to avoid. “May success be ever at your side. You must hold the cities.”

  “Goodbye, Dawn. May you too find success. Do whatever it takes to plug Adam into Archion. Our lives are in your hands.”

  She turned and strode quickly to the door. Just before stepping out into the light with Adam, she glanced over her shoulder. Origen could no longer see her face, for she was now just a silhouette herself. But she could see him clearly, and noted the pain that surrounded him. She raised her hand and waved goodbye to the best friend she had ever had.

  She disappeared through the door.

  Origen stared at the symphony of eHumans moving about him. It was like being in the center of a beehive, workers buzzing everywhere, executing every command in perfect unison. Origen smiled wryly at the thought. These workers were conducting orders so smoothly for their queen—would they continue now that their queen was gone? That, he knew, was the mission’s vulnerability.

  Dawn’s return to Edgar Prince would signify a Resistance loss to the eHuman world. The other members weren’t told the details of her departure, for fear that a spy might send the information on to Edgar. It had been decided by the Council that all Resistance members, except for a few insiders, would think she was a deserter. It was too risky to reveal the true meaning of her and Adam’s mission to the general population. But it was also a risk to keep their departure a secret. No one really knew what the members of the Resistance would think, now that their beloved Dawn was gone.

  Origen raised himself to his full height and strode outside with forced confidence. Yes, Dawn was gone, but he had to move on. He was now the sole Leader of the Global Resistance. The model for others to follow. He couldn’t allow his sadness to consume him.

  Origen looked around, his head doing a 360 degree turn on its axis as he scanned the scene. He could see his troops and their SpiderScouts marching out to form a ring of protection around the city. Drones flew about the sky, monitoring the city and the vast prairie and wilderness beyond. He would be informed right away when something appeared on the horizon. For now, all was as clear as the summer sky above him, which he scanned intently, searching for the HyperJet he knew must be there. After a few moments, he spotted it coming in for a landing. Its gleaming silver sides and sleek design looked out of place among the dark, fiberglass drones that protected the city’s airspace.

  “Hold your fire,” Origen growled via TeleSpeak to the drone operators, “Let the bastard land.”

  As the plane passed over his head towards the city’s airstrip about a mile away, Origen glimpsed its side, and the Guardian Enterprises logo taunted him.

  As anger and fear began to clamp down on Origen’s thoughts, he killed them on the spot. He had no more time for his loss. The HyperJet would take Dawn away, perhaps forever. Origen brushed off his misery.

  There was a war to be fought.

  “I’m ready, Donahi!” he called out as he walked to a group of his commanders, waiting for his briefing, “Bring it!”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Moving at the speed of sound, the Guardian Enterprise HyperJet quickly and quietly made its 7,000 mile journey from New Omaha to New Caledonia. It was faster than any other form of transportation in the eHuman world.

  With the exception of Dawn and Adam, the HyperJet cabin was empty. Their elegant seats were outfitted with plugs, but they refrained from using them, since plugging in meant potentially blowing their cover. Both of them kne
w they might be forced to plug in. If such an unfortunate event occurred, their entire local memory database would zeroize so Edgar and his puppets wouldn’t discover the virus hidden with Adam’s ROM. In the meantime, they wore their energy packs and sat close to one another, holding hands and chatting nervously.

  Of course they were being monitored and recorded. Thus, they passed the ten-hour journey mostly in silence, using their TeleSpeak to share any fears that crossed their minds and making small talk out loud that would suggest they were eager to meet Edgar.

  “It’s still so strange,” Adam admitted.

  “What’s strange?” Dawn asked.

  “The fact that Edgar Prince is my father,” Adam answered, “I’m so used to being Adam Winter. Being Elijah Prince seems like another lifetime to me.”

  “It was another lifetime,” Dawn noted, “All eHumans have had multiple lifetimes. First the one that brought us into the physical world, and then the ones we’ve had as eHumans.”

  “I wish we still had our memories from when we were Elijah and Sophia. That would make all of this so much easier,” Adam said wistfully.

  “Yes. I agree. I wonder…” Dawn mused, cutting herself off.

  “What do you wonder?”

  “Since meeting Edgar, I’ve been wondering what he did after he Jumped. He must have lost all knowledge of himself as Edgar Prince. Yet he had an eHuman body built to look exactly as he had in the flesh. And he took on the same name and life,” she mused, “So how could he continue as Edgar Prince when all his memories of that lifetime were lost when he became an eHuman?”

  “That is curious,” Adam said out loud. Something about Edgar’s eHuman history didn’t add up.

  “Please prepare for landing,” the mechanical din of the HyperJet announced. There was no need for a pilot. HyperJets flew themselves and were remotely monitored by an air traffic control App on Neuro.

  The couple instinctively wrapped their arms around each other.

  “I’m scared, Adam,” Dawn admitted via TeleSpeak, “I don’t want to land. I want us to fly right by, perhaps even off to another planet.”