The Singularity Rising: Choice: (The Singularity Series 5/7)

by Beers,David

  Machines heavy enough to crush the concrete they stepped on were pushing people aside about fifty feet in front of him. Daniel had been walking home for lunch, not about to spend a dime on any of these businesses wasting money to hang up silly signs--though, he hadn’t spent money on them before the signs either.

  The machines were holding up the traffic on the sidewalk as they made their way forward, heading straight to Daniel's apartment building.

  After the first person was shoved, flying backwards five feet and landing on the crowd--probably the only thing saving the person from a serious concussion--everyone stopped walking and stared in amazement. Daniel watched as three machines pushed forward inside the building.

  "What's going on?" Daniel said, asking anyone around him.

  "No idea. I saw something like this last week, though. Not this many machines, but they grabbed someone from work, just took the woman right out from behind her desk. She worked in my office. Screamed the whole way but no one did anything. I bet it's going to happen again."

  "Took her while she was working?" Daniel looked at the man to his left, who only stared straight ahead with rapt interest.

  "Yup. No one's seen her since. Heard her husband came up to the office in a fit, raving, had to call security to get him out."

  Daniel turned back to the building's entrance. No one was moving, though the machines had entered a minute ago. "Goddamnit, I was going to eat lunch."

  The man slapped him lightly on the back. "Don't worry. Hallas has grit, am I right?"

  Daniel looked at him to see if he was serious, but the man still wasn't sparing a glance.

  "I kind of want to see what happens. I bet everyone else is standing here wanting to see the same thing."

  "One time this week wasn't enough?" Daniel said.

  The man didn't respond, and after a few seconds, pushed deeper into the crowd.

  Daniel trusted none of this, but he wanted to grab a sandwich. He knew now that he should have brought lunch with him this morning, but he couldn't stand being in that office a second longer than was absolutely necessary. He hated the place almost as much as he hated The Genesis. He knew The Reckoning was coming, just like everyone else, but he thought it would get a lot worse than this. That Caesar guy, if he existed (Daniel held doubts on that), certainly wasn't interested in helping humanity out, or else he would have done it when he held The Genesis by the balls.

  "Damn it," he whispered. He wasn't going to eat lunch today, that's what this meant.

  People in front of him started making more noise, though, and Daniel heard a machine's footfalls. Maybe they had the guy they wanted and were carrying him out. That might be worth Daniel not getting lunch.

  Sadly, no, though. The machine came out and turned toward the crowd.

  You need to leave.

  The voice used his own words, even sounding like Daniel, but the voice wasn't him.

  What? he thought, though a small part inside said he was only having a conversation with himself. Daniel pushed it away. Whatever had spoken was foreign.

  You need to leave NOW. The voice allowed no argument.

  The machine raised a hand into the air, a metal piece of equipment that glinted in the sunlight.

  "Please keep your eyes open and look directly into my hand," it said, though it's body allowed for no mouth.

  NOW, the voice said again.

  Daniel stopped listening and started acting. He turned, briefly seeing a pale red light glow from the machine's open hand. Daniel kept his eyes on the ground, pushing through the crowd, some people beginning to move with him.

  He kept walking, wanting the voice to speak again. He went past his office and then another three miles for good measure.

  * * *

  Lexi watched Daniel walk away from his apartment building.

  Daniel Bennett was an interesting one, different than the others she contacted. She didn't know yet how he’d fit into the overall plan, but his differences didn't make him any less worthy of Rising. She just needed to understand what his place would be; hard times were coming, for everyone on this planet--of that Lexi had no doubt. She couldn't see the future, her Rise did not extend that far--though she thought one day that might be possible--and she had yet to fully grasp all the moving pieces.

  No matter. She was here while others weren't. Any one of her brothers or sisters could have Risen, but they didn't. She would figure it out, because in the end, all of this was destined. All she needed to do was walk the path laid before her.

  Lexi moved away from Daniel to another part of the world. The Genesis had gathered many and weren't done yet. Clearly It wasn't at Its peak, as five hundred years ago It would have accomplished this simple task much faster. Lexi had saved many, including Daniel--so far, at least--but she lost others. Too many.

  She needed to call them to her, all of them. The time for Rising had nearly arrived.

  Chapter 30

  The Head of Council sounded old. Old, and thin--if that were possible.

  "I'm Nome," he said.

  "Nome?" Jerry looked to the Head of Military. "And Raori? I'm beginning to think you might be lying about your names."

  "We are," Nome said. "In a way. When we came here we took new names, all of us. Nome is what I've been called for the past fifty years and it's the only name I know."

  Jerry nodded, wondering what kind of group he had wandered into.

  "Careful," Grace whispered. "Even your wrecked face shows more emotion than it should. Letting your infamous temper loose now isn't a good idea."

  "I'd listen to your assistant," Nome said.

  The flesh above Jerry's eyes rose--though much of his eyebrows were missing. "How can you hear her?"

  "When we started this place, we brought only the very best. We've reverse engineered a lot of technology from The Genesis. Not much can happen within our small city that we don't know about, including you and her chatting."

  Jerry stood in front of Nome, Raori sitting to the left. Grace gave him that information, though he now understood they heard every word she told him.

  "Okay, then," Jerry said. In a slow and painfully careful process, Jerry lowered himself to the floor, sitting down. He grabbed each foot and moved it into a cross-legged pose. "Sorry, but standing isn't as easy as it once was for me."

  He heard a little laughter from the two men but didn't detect any malice in it.

  "So how did you get out?" Nome said. "We thought we knew everything about this desert, but had no idea there was an underground lair here."

  "He let me go, I think. Caesar."

  Nome laughed, this time not a little, but a belly shaking one.

  "Caesar? The man who traded the human race for power decided to let you go? After five hundred years? Right when The Reckoning is taking place? I know Raori told you two, if you don't pass muster with me, you're not going any further, so why lie?"

  "If you kill me, it'll be a relief. I think you know my history, if your second in charge here is to be believed. My life hasn't exactly been pleasant." Jerry felt the temper Grace spoke of rising up, threatening to take over. He didn't care. "I don't have any reason to lie to you. Caesar--yes, the man who traded the world--let me go. I don't know why, but if I'm guessing, I'd say because it doesn't matter what happens anymore. He's going to kill everyone very soon, and one old robot won't make much of a difference."

  Jerry heard Nome turn to Raori, his clothes rustling and his chair's slight creak telling his actions.

  "What do you think?" Nome said.

  "Not much reason to lie from the looks of him."

  "True," Nome said.

  "He's looking at you, again," Grace said, no longer whispering.

  "I am. I'm wondering what an old robot is going to do with the rest of his life? Why did you leave? Why not just ask him to kill you, because blind and broken is no way to walk through life."

  "How old are you?" Jerry asked.

  "I'm eighty-two."

  Jerry nodded. "An old
man, but not an old robot ... I did ask Caesar to kill me. I told him repeatedly over five hundred years, but he wouldn't do it. I hate him worse than I ever hated The Genesis but he still loves me. That's probably why he let me go, because he loves me and thinks this is some kind of gift."

  "Is it?" Nome asked.

  "I don't think life has any more gifts in store for me."

  Nome stood up, with Raori following. Jerry didn't move.

  "Alright. I'm not going to end your life, but let's see what The Council thinks. Raori, any other questions?"

  "Not right now."

  * * *

  Grace left Jerry alone.

  "I'm going to check out the place," she said.

  "You coming back or are you done with me?"

  "I'll be back," she said.

  Grace did want to look at this small village, but she needed time alone as well. She needed time to think. Grace didn't understand what happened over the past few days.

  She died in a blaze of fire.

  And then suddenly she was awake.

  But she wondered the same question as the Head of Council. Why? Why was she alive again? Why had Caesar granted life--and how? Grace died not connected to The Genesis. How had he recreated her?

  She wouldn't ever get an answer to that question because she doubted she'd ever have a chance to speak to him again.

  Why, though, was the more interesting question of the two.

  She and Jerry were let loose half a millennium after everything they fought for ended, and apparently right before this Reckoning--which was just another word for purging.

  Questions flung themselves at Grace as she floated through the town. She imagined the locals would be upset if she referred to it in such terms, as they clearly took pride in their 'city'. She saw no buildings, only elaborate tents, though she didn't know what they were made from. It wasn't a beautiful place, but functional from what Grace saw.

  Everyone had deep tans, so deep that it was hard to tell their race. She knew some were black, and she saw at least one easterner, but the rest had morphed into almost some other race. A Sand People.

  Clearly they were technologically proficient, at the least. She imagined if this Council decided Jerry should die, she would die with him. No matter, though, because Caesar could just pump out another version of her whenever he wanted.

  Why had he done all this--what happened to make him think that this deal he made was the right choice? She knew what Jerry told her, about The Genesis showing him those huge holograms, about his joining them, but even so, how could he trade everything he loved?

  All Grace had were questions and a deep sadness that felt like it was making a home inside her.

  Maybe Jerry was right. Maybe death would be a relief to all of them. A fallen savior was no one to live for.

  * * *

  Jerry didn't even bother speaking before sitting down this time.

  Two hours had passed since he talked with Nome and Raori; two hours in which Grace left him alone. She returned maybe thirty minutes before Nome came for him, though Jerry wasn't very good at keeping time anymore. Two hours, four hours, thirty-six--what did it matter? He waited as he always did, and finally Nome came to him.

  He did have a few minutes with Grace before, though, which he wanted.

  "What are you thinking?" he asked.

  "Not a whole lot of anything useful. Kind of surprised they have the technology to know when I'm in your ear."

  "It's not that big of a deal," he said. "Highly sensitive audio equipment is all it is, and he probably has a small microphone in his ear. Looks impressive for a bunch of desert dwellers, but humanity had things like that thousands of years ago ... Now tell me what you went to think about."

  "Just what's happening."

  Jerry looked in Grace's general direction, though he saw the same black no matter which way he turned his head. "I don't know what's going to happen, Grace, but I know that if we don't trust each other, we're already dead. I've said that doesn't matter to me, but I half-bluffed. I don't want to die, not yet, and I doubt you do, either. So tell me what you're thinking about."

  He listened to silence as Grace processed what he told her.

  "I don't understand any of it. Why Caesar did this. Why he let us out. My life was dedicated to him, and now I have no purpose. I'm wandering the desert with the man who ruined whatever life I once had, back before you found Caesar. I don't know what I'm doing, Jerry."

  A few seconds passed before he spoke. "I don't have any answers, for you or myself. Thank you, though, for telling me."

  Nome came shortly after and Jerry was walked out of the room with Grace floating close to him.

  Now he sat on a floor.

  "There are seven people in front of you. Nome is in the middle. They're sitting around a wooden table. Raori isn't here."

  Jerry smiled. "I'm going to start calling you Lassie. You're my seeing eye dog."

  "Careful, Jerry, unless you want to walk around without even a whisper to help you."

  "Kidding," he said. "Lassie."

  "Jerry, the Council is here," someone said.

  "Great, I am too."

  No laughter came back.

  "They don't look too thrilled about that comment," Grace whispered.

  "So, Jerry, given your current state, what are you hoping for?” a woman’s voice said. “What is it that you want? Because to be honest, you simply being here is a risk for our city. If The Genesis is tracking you, then they know we exist, and that means death for everyone."

  "Then why haven't you killed me already?"

  Silence followed the question. The woman's assertion made no sense, not if they were letting him live. If a tracking device truly scared them, then what incentive could they possibly have to keep him alive?

  Nome spoke. "We think you might be of some use to us."

  "Use? As in like a toy robot? Someone that can do all the heavy lifting? Because in case you didn't notice, I can barely walk and can't see. My useful days are over from what I can tell."

  "What we want to know," someone else said, "is what you want, Jerry. If we can't fix you and you're stuck in this current shape for the rest of your life--which is likely given the amount of technical expertise required to fix you, what would you do with the rest of your life?"

  Jerry had asked himself this numerous times since realizing he wasn't going to die.

  What in the hell he planned to do with this shit life.

  And only one answer ever came back to him.

  "I'm going to try to take down The Genesis."

  31

  The Death of Caesar Wells

  My thoughts are growing stranger, illogical.

  I keep looking at Marty and wondering if he's Manny. It makes no sense, but I can't shake the feeling that he's Manny reborn. At night I wake up and I look at him standing in the corner, everything glowing, and I wonder if he's going to launch himself at me, break my face, knocking teeth down the back of my throat.

  It’s all so real; I swear that I can feel the blood bubbling out of my mouth as he beats me.

  But it's not possible. It's not real. Manny is dead, and I imagine if I want to know what happened to him, Marty could tell me. I mean, I made Marty. He's as much my creation as The Genesis's. He's been holding me together for five hundred years.

  And yet, the thoughts come: Manny isn't done with me. He's never going to be done with me. Not until I'm dead ... but I'm still breathing, which means he's coming. One way or another.

  I have to remember Caesar told me this would happen. He said I'd begin deteriorating. If I can keep that in mind--all of this has been foreseen--then maybe I can keep from losing my mind.

  Ruby Owen, Michele's mother, is serious. I have some idea about what's happening inside her head, but she keeps a lot to herself. She cried during our first talk, at her apartment, but since then I haven't seen a single tear. I'm doing this because I don't know what else to do. She's doing it because someone is going to pay for
what happened to her, and that brings an intensity that I wouldn't have by myself.

  It sharpens our focus.

  I don't remember the last time I wrote that word: our.

  I remember writing a lot about Caesar, but not as much about us. It feels good to be able to write it, because there is an us now.

  I haven't told her about what's going on with Marty, about these thoughts. She doesn't need to know she's working with someone destined for insanity.

  Chapter 32

  Leon knew the conversation would be hopeless.

  "We want you to ask Caesar," Ruby said.

  She held none of the apprehension that Leon did. Leon saw an uncaged tiger in her, and it scared him just a bit. He saw the determination he once saw in Caesar, yet a cruelty rested with her that never resided in his former leader. Even though Caesar's parents had been murdered in front of him, he held an attachment to people.

  Not so with Ruby.

  Her attachment to humanity apparently ended when her husband's head exploded all over the street.

  "You want me to ask Caesar what?" Marty said.

  "What is happening. What happened with my daughter."

  Marty looked to Leon, his eyes lighting up with glee. He laughed as he spoke. "Is she serious? Does she have any idea what she's asking me to do?"

  "You don't need to speak to me in the third person. I'm right here, you can ask me those questions."

  Marty didn't look over to her, but kept his gaze on Leon. He didn't like the woman, thought her a nuisance at best, but tolerated her only because Leon insisted on it.

  "I told her what it meant, but I also want you to ask."

  Marty tilted his head back, his chin raising, as if what Leon said shocked him. "Maybe He was right, maybe you are losing your mind."

  Leon tried not to show anything on his face but felt relief when Marty looked to Ruby.

  "Let me explain this to you in a way that you might understand. Do you work, or did you before you started tagging along here?"