Swarm (Book 4)

by Alex South

  “But the idea, by itself, wasn’t enough. We had been too complacent before, too vague. This time we needed concrete actions. Specific aims, so that we could apply our new philosophy with maximum efficiency and focus.

  “So we thought of a special aim that would encapsulate our new philosophy. An ultimate goal, which, when achieved, would mean we had successfully become what we aspired to be.

  “Our aim was this – one day in the future, we would make a perfect copy of our universe.

  “This would be the ultimate safety against destructive forces, such as humans. To complete our aim, we would have to discover and understand the very forces of creation themselves. We would have to learn why things existed. This came with an added bonus. A second universe would be the ultimate lab. We could use it to run experiments. We could see what a universe could do without water. Or without gravity. We could understand every building block, and its effect.

  “We understood that we might never get there. In fact some of us hoped that we wouldn’t. The most important thing was to give ourselves direction, to give ourselves an idea to unify under. This is something we need. It is a part of our nature, as destruction is a part of yours.

  “The next passage of history was a long one. We set ourselves a simple objective. We needed to start small, so we challenged ourselves to create a planet.

  “As for the great filter, we weren’t sure if we would pass through it or not, but we had no choice but to try. Let me jump forward in time now, because after the war, a long period of peace followed lasting many, many generations. Then came a major breakthrough. We discovered teleportation.

  “We used it for many experiments, but the most important was an attempt to teleport to a point beyond our universe, into whatever held our universe. It had to be one-way teleportation of course. We couldn’t allow whatever was outside the universe to get in. That much was clear.

  “Once we were sure as we could be, we set up our machines to teleport a sensor. We set it for a distance that was gratuitously large – the biggest number we could come up with, which we then multiplied by itself several times.

  “The sensor did not leave the universe. We tried the experiment again and again – with different numbers. Each time the camera would end up someplace unexpected. We began to think that the universe looped back on itself, that if you went far enough in one direction, you would come back on yourself. Indeed with enough experiments, we proved that to be the case.

  “We came to understand. Let me give you a metaphor. You cannot leave a planet by going north or south. East or west. You must go up. You must move in a way that the planet cannot follow you. The universe, it seemed, had the same rules. But it could follow us in all directions. So we had to go up, like the first rocket to leave our planet. What was ‘up’ to the universe? What would take us where it could not follow? We did not know. But we began by naming it. In your language, it would be called ‘God’s up’. Or perhaps ‘the creator’s up’.

  “For now, the possibility of going outside our universe seemed out of reach. This marked a turning point in our history. Things began to grow troubling. There were some riots, some serious disagreements in our society. Our ultimate mission no longer gave us direction.

  “Fortunately, we came up with a new plan. We decided to create a universe inside a universe – a mini universe in some sort of artificial void or bubble.

  “This proved easier to achieve. We became experts of the very small. We made a space, with its own physics, its own matter.

  “In short, we made your universe.”

  There was a pause. Laura felt like she was supposed to be impressed.

  “I’m hungry,” said Laura, speaking over the audio as it continued. It promptly died down.

  “Oh… what would you like?” said Adam.

  Chapter 24

  Night had given in to day. The sky had slowly drained away the darkness, at first giving only a tint which failed to turn off the streetlights above Zack’s head, and then it had focused on the horizon, lifting a band of hot orange there, then the sun rose, and with it a sense of beginning, of day, of the earth waking up.

  Zack kept his wrists moving. He had the sluggishness of a restless night – a kind of simple clarity mixed with fragility. Stones lay at his side, eyes closed, chest slowly rising and falling.

  There was movement at the end of the street. The messenger and his two companions were heading towards Zack.

  The three men stopped a few feet away, held hands and made low ‘ommm’ noises. Stones woke up and scrambled to stand in front of Zack. Frustration rose in him. A voice told him he could break the ropes, raise his arms, raise his body and destroy them. He could rip his freedom back.

  “By sun. By moon. I cast the devil away,” said the messenger. He reached in his pocket and threw white powder over Zack. Stones barked loudly.

  “Thank you,” said Zack after a few seconds.

  They stared at him.

  “The devil is gone. I’m okay again. You saved me.”

  The messenger nodded slowly, then moved around him. Zack felt him working on the ropes.

  A few more seconds, and the pressure behind him eased. He shook off the loose ropes, slowly moved his arms to his sides, then stood up.

  “I want to return to fighting the devil,” said Zack, holding Stones and calming him down.

  “You tell us about the dog. About how to control him,” said the messenger.

  “Yes, yes I need to… um… you have to make a connection with him.” They looked at the dog. Zack could sense their excitement. “So… you hit your leg and say his name… Stones.”

  Stones looked at him.

  The messenger punched his leg with his fist. “Stones!” he yelled.

  Stones looked at him, seeming slightly confused.

  “No. You just pat your leg. Like this.” Zack showed them.

  The messenger tried again. “Stones.”

  “Keep doing it,” said Zack.

  “Stones. Stones. Stones.”

  Stones walked over to the messenger, who broke into a huge smile.

  “You can stroke him now,” said Zack.

  The messenger did so. “And now I control all the animals,” said the messenger. Zack couldn’t tell if it was a question or a statement.

  “If you can find out their name,” Zack replied.

  “How did you find out its name?” said the messenger.

  “It’s… I can show you.”

  “Okay.”

  “Close your eyes.”

  They all did so. Zack’s heartbeat quickened. He could do this.

  “Can you see it?” said Zack, waiting for him to say ‘no’.

  “Yes…” said the messenger. “His name is Stones.”

  “But… you see his name?”

  The messenger opened his eyes. “I saw it,” he said excitedly.

  This answer threw Zack. Clearly the messenger was very susceptible.

  “Great,” said Zack, quickly changing his plan. “But… you won’t be this close normally. Normally you can’t even see the animal. It’ll be hiding. You need to be able to see his name from a proper big distance. Let me show you. I’ll take him over there. See if you can see his other name.”

  “He has two names?”

  “Yeah… this one will be a little bit harder. You need to really concentrate. Okay?” Zack began to walk, moving down the street until he reached a junction.

  “Close your eyes!” Zack shouted at them. He had gained good distance on them, shrinking them to small figures. He could feel his freedom – so close now.

  They closed their eyes, putting hands over their faces like children. Zack walked quickly out of view, then ran.

  …

  Macy felt more tears coming. At her side walked the adults. The more she cried, the more they would feel bad she thought. The more they would understand what they were doing to her.

  Her tears were real. Impossible to fake. If she let out enough, they would see wha
t was real. They would snap out of it. Come back to the real world. She could feel a strange tightness in her throat. She forced it to grow, trying to cry more. At the same time she focused on her fear.

  Chapter 25

  ‘The big city’, ‘the devil’s bowl’ – Zack went through the words they had used, as he jogged along the road. Manchester? It was the closest city. How could he get in? They hated lone individuals.

  He told himself that he would figure it out – he was better prepared now, he knew what to say. So far he had encountered them in the countryside where his isolation was obvious. In a city it had to be different. As long as there was enough of them, he could slip by unnoticed. He just had to be smart – and he had to get there quick. He needed a bicycle or a moped – something he could use to dodge through the streets.

  Chapter 26

  Laura sat down in the chair, a huge tub of chocolate ice cream in her hands, with a spoon jammed into it.

  “Right then. Are you ready Laura?”

  She nodded. The voice began again:

  “But your universe was not the first. Before yours there were others. In the nascent days of our experimentation, we did a lot of things. But one thing we always did was allow humans to live. On different planets, with different resources, and different realities.

  “Each time they went extinct. It was hardwired into them, a kind of inevitable self-destruction. We proved once and for all there was a great filter, and that humans could not pass through it.

  “We began to wonder if the universe was better off without humans in it. Our relationship with them was complex. Without them, we would never have left the ocean, but we knew they were destructive, and dangerous in the right circumstances.

  “However, we were able to find a solution. A solution that has a lot to do with why you’re here. We discovered a way to give humans an existence, and have them help us. We altered their D.N.A., inserting our own codes, which I will call M.N.A. for the sake of explanation.

  “M.N.A. was a culmination of our all our technological advancement. I can’t explain it to you in full detail, as that would take a lot of time. But I can give you a simplified version. M.N.A. contained the unique ability to exist on several levels of reality. It had a physical identity, but also a non-physical identity. Meaning it could interact with solid things, like your body, but also with non-solid things, such as certain types of energy.

  “Our M.N.A. was adaptive. It needed to evolve, develop. Placed inside human bodies, it was able to exist through generations, passing from parent to child – this gave it time to evolve, to grow more sophisticated. Humans helped us grow this exciting technology, in return, we ensured their continued survival. You have this technology in you. And it is, in part, why you are here. I will explain more in the next lesson.”

  “That’s it for today Laura,” said Adam, “Do you want anything more to eat? Or drink?”

  Chapter 27

  Stockport 30 miles

  Zack looked from the sign back to the street. One more corner and he would be outside a bicycle shop. If he could get inside…

  Clouds had spread over the sky, blocking the sun, so that nothing had its own shadow. The houses around him stood in eerie silence and his own footsteps seemed too loud. There were no signs of destruction.

  He moved around a corner and pushed back a sense of helplessness. Ahead stood the shop – locked down with metal shutters over both its windows. He crossed the street and walked up to its entrance.

  He bent down. His fingers found the gap between the metal and the ground. He braced his legs and pushed through them, putting all his strength into pulling upwards. The edge dug into his skin. His body trembled with effort. He stopped. This was stupid. He was stupid. He stood for a while, using his thumbs to rub the pain out of his fingertips.

  He told himself to think – every bike shop would be locked, so he needed one without shutters. He could search for a bike on the street. Or in someone’s house.

  He kicked the metal shutter. He searched for ideas. He pictured himself driving a van straight through it. He could get on the roof somehow. He could find a way in up there. He bent down and tried to lift the shutter again, his whole body shuddered, every part of him attuned to the metal, to its position, to its movement. He stood back up and punched the metal. A sharp pain exploded in his fist.

  He couldn’t do this, he thought, fighting back tears. He couldn’t freak out. He couldn’t. It wasn’t fair on Macy. He started to walk again. His thoughts turned to a friend – Gary. His house wasn’t that far, plus he had bikes in the back garden. How long would it take? Three hours walking?

  No. There wasn’t time for that.

  But there had to be people like Gary. People who didn’t lock their bikes. Gary didn’t lock his because his garden wasn’t accessible from the street. Other people must follow the same logic. If he could find an area with a lot of gardens – where you could only get in by climbing a lot of fences, then the bikes would be left unlocked. It had to work.

  That was his new goal – keep moving until he found another bike shop, or lots of hidden back gardens.

  Chapter 28

  Test – Adam made the word in his head.

  Nothing.

  Test.

  Nothing. He stared at the crystals. He hesitated. He needed something. Anything.

  Information.

  Nothing. He took the goggles off. He had never used them for a purpose outside of his training before. But this was his lab. And he was supposed to be in control. He put them back on and was transported back to the crystals.

  Test… repair… fix…

  No matter how he approached them, the crystals remained outside of him, unresponsive. He took the goggles off again, staring out his office window at the trees.

  Why had they done this to him? Why did they limit him, as if nothing could go wrong, as if he was just a button presser? When, in fact, everything was so unexpected, so chaotic and wrong.

  All because of her. The system was okay. It was her, she was the part that didn’t fit. But why? This whole place was built for people like her.

  Chapter 29

  Zack climbed the wall and dropped down onto the other side. Stones landed at his side. He scanned the area before him. Nothing, just an overgrown lawn and an ugly patio. The sun poured in from behind and the shadows under his feet stretched. It felt strange to be here, in the silence of these gardens.

  On the other side stood another wall, beyond that another, and then another – this pattern continued on until becoming obscured by trees and bushes. Finding no bikes, he moved forwards and jumped the next wall.

  A rotating clothes dryer, rising from the ground like a plastic satellite dish. A shed, slightly green with moss. No bikes.

  He moved into yet another. This time having to force himself through huge rose bushes, their thorns pulling at his clothes. Stones burst through them as if they were nothing. The garden had been woven and twisted around a snaking path, with trellises and carefully governed plants. Zack could not see it all in once glance, forced instead to move up and down, checking for unseen spaces.

  Nothing.

  He headed forwards. With each jump, he moved further away from the street behind him, each garden bringing a fresh hit of disappointment. His eyes scanned yet another empty section and he made the next jump.

  Another overgrown lawn, some small trees at the end, forming a wall of leaves, somehow missed by the breeze, so that they did not stir. He looked towards the house.

  Three bikes against a brick wall. A hit of joy and adrenaline. An uneasy warmth in his head.

  He moved closer. No locks.

  He had to choose one. He looked them over, one in particular looked good – a road bike with a rack on the back, and a basket on the front. Somewhere for Macy. Somewhere for Stones.

  He thought for a moment, a worrying idea starting to grow in him. The city would probably be full of them. He couldn’t cycle around all of them. He would have to ditch th
e bike, and go in undercover. These people loved Stones and he would draw a lot of attention.

  Here, in this garden, there was no one. They were out of view. And he wasn’t sure Stones would fit in the basket very well.

  He looked at Stones who was sniffing a drain. He looked a few gardens over. A washing line. He jumped a couple of walls and began to untie it. Stones followed. Zack grabbed his collar and tied the blue plastic cord around it. He moved over to a tree and wrapped it around a few times, before putting in a knot.

  He took a few steps back and looked at Stones, sniffing a patch of grass, as if it held some secret. Zack went over to him, bent down and stroked his back. Stones lost interest in the ground and stood with a straight neck, before turning towards Zack.

  “I’m coming back. First I’ll get Macy. Then I’ll come back. I promise.”

  Zack stood up straight and eyed the house. He would need to leave Stones some water – if possible, some food.

  Chapter 30

  Laura stared out at the forest. It was beginning to feel familiar. She searched within herself. Did she care? Did she care what they had done with Earth? Did she care that they were behind everything? That they had used her? Her mother. Her father. Her friends. Everyone.

  Did she trust Adam?

  It was hard to have an opinion. Perhaps having one wouldn’t make any difference anyway. But she used to know herself – or at least know what she wanted. Here, looking at the trees, she felt like a stranger.

  The only thing she cared about was the crystals. Was that Adam? Was that another one of his tricks; getting her hooked on that strange light? Make her dependant on him. The sick fuck.