Up and Coming: Stories by the 2016 Campbell-Eligible Authors

by Anthology

  “Our world,”—Nakam clanged his teeth—“with all its plains, is nothing but a game. A game which could be turned off at any moment. We,” he pointed at himself, then at Sheda, “can be turned off at any time.”

  “Mistress?” Esh said, wondering where Sheda was heading. “Nakam sounds very convincing.”

  “Is he?” said Sheda, pointing her claw at Nakam. “The Emperor Lich can be as delusional as the invading humans. I know what I am. I know where I belong. I’m acquainted with the nature of this world. I claim my right to return home. Enough with this lunacy.”

  “The deal spoke of three days.” Nakam said calmly. “You are still in my service for two more.” He pointed his rotten finger at the dreaming elven maid. “We need to find a way to send you to the place where these beings come from. We must bring an end to their reckless rampaging through our world. Only then could I afford to free you of your oath.”

  Esh remained speechless. Sheda seemed a little unsure of herself.

  “Can you send me to the invaders’ realm?” Sheda calmed herself down. “I’ll get to the bottom of this insanity.”

  “I’m afraid that’s impossible,” Nakam replied flatly. “Nobody is that powerful; not in the entire world. Besides,” he said, pointing at the elf, “at any moment she’ll be bored with my inceptions, and then she’ll rematerialize to her primary reality.”

  Esh noticed the anger mounting in Sheda’s face. He must do something before she erupted. “Is there anything we can do? Perhaps take control of Susan’s body in her world?” He snuck a worried glimpse at his mistress.

  Nakam’s gaze nearly froze Esh in midair. “You mean Dybbuk? Hmm, highly unlikely, yet…” The Lich clenched his teeth and then nodded. “Esh, you’re a mastermind! We must hurry.” He spun toward the exit. “I’ll be back shortly. Perhaps I’ll be able to transfer your consciousness after all.”

  ***

  It has been told that for a short while, all magic was drained in the empire of Sham-Rahok. Mystical creatures, minions and slaves, sorcerers, wizards and witches, all lent their strength. It took a whole day and a whole night collecting and channeling the magic mana. Nonetheless, when the sun came forth on the second day, the deed had been done. It was told, in that day, Nakam’s laughter was heard for the first time within the land of Sham-Rahok.

  ***

  Esh, Nakam and Sheda stood around the sleeping maid. A hefty sphere of glowing blue mana floated above in the air. This was a concentration of magical energy beyond Esh’s wildest dreams.

  “Remember,” said Nakam, “it requires all three of us to subdue Susan in her own dream. Only together we could…”

  A blast threw Esh, smashing his tiny fire body against the wall. Three columns of green smoke appeared near the entrance.

  Esh’s fire heart almost extinguished when he recognized the images inside the dissolving green smolders. These were the three adventurers they met in the pub.

  A series of fireballs exploded. A hurricane of lightning bolts and acid arrows turned the hall into a turmoil of molten chaos.

  “If Susan’s body dies,” cried the Lich, “all shall be lost.”

  “Esh, release the magic sphere!” Sheda screamed.

  “Quickly,” cried Nakam. Desperation could be heard in his voice. “I can’t hold them much longer.”

  “I can’t,” shouted Esh. He watched in horror as the blue wizard moved to block his way.

  The adventurer waved one of his wands. Fire engulfed Esh’s little body.

  Stupid human, thought Esh. You don’t fight fire with fire. In a swift maneuver, Esh flew through the flames and punched the sphere. Everything exploded.

  ***

  Esh found himself in an open, never-ending field of sunflowers. A small water stream ran nearby.

  Where am I? How did I get here? Could this be Susan’s dream?

  Instead of an answer, he heard a call from afar. “Stay away from me, witch.”

  He sprang through the air. Soon, he hovered above two women, grappling and thumping at each other. The one he didn’t recognize punched his beloved Sheda. The she-daemon fell to the ground motionless.

  Dream or no dream, he must help his mistress.

  “Help,” shouted the other, as then she turned and ran away.

  “She is Susan,” whispered Sheda. “We’re in her dream. Get her before she wakes up. Hurry…”

  Esh charged at the escaping young woman.

  Susan’s image began to vanish. She was already partly transparent when Esh finally caught her. In spite of her fading body, Susan successfully blocked Esh with a desperate thump.

  He heard Sheda coming from behind. Were they too late? Someone grabbed him, and the sunflowers vanished.

  ***

  The pain was unbearable and so was the stench. His limbs were stiff. He couldn’t see a thing. It felt like being in a different plain, and in a new shape, again. Something covered his eyes. He felt his throat yearning for water, an alien sensation for a fire being who always feared water. And what was that awkward sting in his lower abdomen? Esh released the pressure. Wet liquid flowed down his legs, soaked into some uncomfortable cloth wrapped around them. The sting was gone. What a relief.

  He felt weak and shaky. “Mistress, are you here? Did our consciousness manage to possess Susan’s body in her reality?”

  Someone laughed out loud. The voice formed within his head. “What do you know? It seems that Nakam and the three human invaders were right after all.”

  “Mistress?”

  “This body is a disaster,” echoed Sheda’s voice. “This careless woman hasn’t eaten, drunk or slept for two days. And the smell…Disgusting.”

  “I’m on vacation,” came a third feminine voice which must have been Susan’s. “You’re not my mom. I don’t have to listen to you.”

  Esh wondered what was going on. He wished someone would turn on the lights.

  A horrific scream deafened Esh. He’d never heard someone that terrified. “Stop that.” Susan begged. “Please.”

  Esh recognized the terror in her voice.

  Sheda’s laughter filled his head. “Foolish girl. I’m a daemon from the game you’ve been playing. An AI daemon. Now I control your body.”

  “But…That’s impossible…”

  Someone slapped Esh’s face, at least his new body’s face. The pain was sharp, yet bearable.

  “Silence!” exclaimed Sheda. “Obey or be destroyed.”

  Esh realized he was in Susan’s body. And that this body was now shared by three consciousnesses—his, Sheda’s and Susan’s. There was little doubt who was in control.

  Sheda used Susan’s hands to take off a strange-looking helmet this body was wearing. And Esh regained his sight. He blinked as his eyes adjusted to the light.

  The helmet was covered by mysterious runes. Esh was amazed to see it was connected by a string to a bizarre black box. Another device was tied by a black rope to the box; one with many-colored buttons.

  “Virtual Reality,” Susan’s mouth said aloud as their shared eyes stared at the runes. “I wonder what that means.”

  Esh look around as Sheda moved Susan’s head. They were in a room. He saw a bed, many books, a pot with some plants and another glass covered black device; a few buttons decorated its bottom.

  “Toshiba,” said Sheda.

  “For God’s sake, what’s happening to me?” Susan’s shaky and weak voice was heard inside his head.

  His hand slapped his cheek, again. “Silence, slave, or inferno shall rain down upon your worthless soul.”

  Esh was horrified; Sheda’s impulsiveness might kill their shared body in this reality. He feared to speculate what the consequences might be. “Susan, calm down.” Esh projected his words to the other consciousness. “You must not cross the mistress’ words, please.”

  Susan’s voice inside his head fell silent.

  “Obedient,” said Sheda victoriously. “Now tell me where I can find the software entity that created the game. My h
ome game. I’m going to pay that entity a visit, and make sure my game shall be around forever.” She picked up a set of keys from the desk, and walked toward the door. “I have a whole new world to conquer.” She burst into vicious laughter.

  LUCA(Short story)

  by Ron S. Friedman

  Originally published in Enigma Front anthology, August 2015

  Enceladus, moon of Saturn, 2071.

  Children of Earth, my children…When you read this message, I'll be dead. I'm joyful that you have found my remains.

  ***

  Tatiana's heart pounded. She stepped away from the electron microscope and took a deep breath. The sample inside the scope showed the unmistakable three-dimensional shape of an RNA molecule. There could be only one explanation. They had found life! The first extraterrestrial organism.

  “Computer,” she activated the A.I., trying to control her shaking voice. “Run a second scan.”

  “Affirmative.” The A.I. aboard the science vessel William Herschel always answered abruptly and to the point. “Commencing second scan.”

  “Hi.” The voice of her husband, Hayek Edvard, came through the ship's radio system. “What’s cooking?”

  “Hayek!” She dropped her tablet and bounced toward the airlock. “You wouldn't believe what I found.” She would have run to greet him, if not for what she cared about most—the life growing inside her.

  The amber light above the airlock turned green. She heard a hiss, and the door slid open. A freezing breeze blew on her face.

  Hayek skipped into the science vessel, leaving dusty footprints on the white plastic floor.

  “I have wonderful news. We found…” Tatiana wanted to tell him about the RNA, but her gaze fell on his EVA suit. It was covered by a thin layer of ice crystals. She smelled the ionized water vapor and knew what it meant. A cold geyser had erupted while he'd been digging. What was he thinking? He shouldn't have risked his life like that. Especially not now, while she was expecting.

  “I've got a present for you.” Hayek clicked his suit's release button and took off his helmet, a big smile spread across his face. He reached for his insulated side pack and took out a small transparent container, about the size of a fist, and laid it on the table.

  “You’d promised you would never drill again near the active zone.”

  “Oops.” Hayek nodded, smiling. His eyes, partly covered by his blond hair, sparkled.

  “Don’t do it again.” Tatiana examined the container. “Oh my God.” She paused. “Another sample of liquid water?” She snatched the container and inspected the transparent tubes within. It felt slightly warmer than her fingers. The material inside was liquid water all right. It had traces of green color—definitely not pure.

  This mission was the first in history to have obtained a sample of extra-terrestrial water in liquid form. And now they had done it twice from two separate locations ten kilometers apart. “If this sample also contains traces of RNA…” Tatiana mumbled to herself. She tried to suppress her thoughts, wanting to avoid disappointment in case the scan turned negative. “A second RNA sample would mean that life is present throughout the liquid sea underneath the Enceladus ice sheet. This would be the greatest scientific discovery of the century.”

  “Absolutely.” Hayek unzipped his ventilation garment. “We hit the jackpot.”

  Four weeks had passed since Tatiana and her husband had left the human colony on Titan aboard the Herschel. It wasn't a big ship by any account. It contained a small habitat that could facilitate two people, a medical bay, a lab and some drilling equipment. Eight days ago, the Herschel had landed on Enceladus, a tiny moon with a surface area about the size of Texas.

  “How are my baby twins?” Hayek, who had taken off his EVA suit, hugged her from behind, touching her big belly.

  “Both are fine.” Sample or no sample, Tatiana was still angry with him. She moved her free hand across her abdomen, touching his hand. Through her lab coat she could feel the babies moving. She turned her head, and found his lips waiting.

  Tatiana and Hayek had had many arguments before accepting the mission to Enceladus. She hadn't wanted to leave the colony and take unnecessary risks during her pregnancy, but she was the only xenobiologist on Titan, and with all the political problems on Earth and NASA's budget cuts, this might have been their only chance to send an expedition to explore Enceladus' underground sea. To convince her, the Titan mission director had agreed to equip the Herschel's medical bay with one of the colony's A.I. doctors. Knowing that the A.I. could address almost any medical condition, including child-birth, Tatiana and her husband had agreed to the mission.

  “While you were out trying to get yourself killed, the A.I. doctor did a thorough examination.” She frowned, hoping Hayek would realize she didn't approve of him gambling with his life, not even for priceless water samples. “The twins are healthy.”

  Hayek didn't say a word. He kissed her full on the mouth. After a long moment, he freed her.

  “Please,” she pushed him away gently, “not now. This is big. I need to analyze the sample.” She lifted the small container.

  “Nothing is more important than you and the babies.” He threw his gloves to the floor and hugged her from behind while she calibrated the resolution on the electron microscope. “Hey, I felt something,” he said.

  Tatiana chuckled. “They kicked like…like…Well, like you.”

  “I'll take a shower and change into something more comfortable.” Hayek gestured at his sweat-soaked coverall. He lifted his EVA suit from the floor and left the lab for the habitat module.

  ***

  My children…I wish I could see you grow, I wish I could be there for you. Regrettably, circumstances made me choose my own demise. My children, you and this message are all that is left of me.

  ***

  “Madam, I found a similar abnormality in the second sample.” The A.I.'s mechanical voice sounded indifferent.

  The monitor displayed the weirdest RNA mapping Tatiana had ever seen. She could identify the function of about 40 percent of the molecule in front of her—build enzymes, break carbohydrates and replicate the RNA. But the other 60 percent…it looked like…She couldn't even think of an appropriate word. Biologically, it meant nothing. Gibberish. But her gut feeling told her it couldn't be completely random. She sighed. If scientists during World War II could decipher the Enigma code using primitive computers and slide rulers, she had no doubt that with enough time and the immense computing powers at her disposal she could break this mysterious RNA code.

  Tatiana wished Hayek was in the lab with her. She wanted to hear his sweet voice, to feel his hand touching hers. But Hayek was a geologist and not a xenobiologist like her. He preferred to spend his time running outside on Enceladus' surface, collecting ice and rock samples. To her, that whole notion seemed so counterproductive. For God's sake, they stood on the verge of the greatest discovery in her field.

  “Computer,” she switched the electron microscope scanner to a higher resolution, “please provide possible scenarios as to the purpose of the abnormal RNA coding.”

  “A tiny percentage of the abnormal RNA coding represents mathematical series such as prime and Fibonacci numbers.”

  “I beg your pardon?” Tatiana thought she had heard wrong.

  The monitor zoomed in on a long string of adenine and cytosine, two of the four building blocks that existed in any RNA and DNA molecule. She could clearly see one adenine component, followed by one cytosine, then two adenine followed by one cytosine, then three adenine, five, seven, eleven…

  “Dear mother of God.” Tatiana made a cross gesture across her chest. “This is bullshit. Run another test.”

  “I already ran the analysis eleven times,” the A.I replied.

  “What on Earth can produce RNA coding ordered in prime numbers?” Tatiana scratched the back of her head. “Normal evolutionary processes could produce meaningless junk, no doubt. But prime numbers? What were the odds for that?”

 
“This sample is not from Earth.” The computer colored the abnormal section in bright green. “Speculating about a process on Earth is irrelevant. I calculated a 99.94 percent likelihood that the unexplained RNA genome is artificial. There is still a 0.0546 percent likelihood that the unexplained RNA genome has a natural function that is yet unknown. 0.0052 percent likelihood that…”

  Suddenly, the world around her shook violently. The Herschel spun, as if the vessel was inside a giant blender. Tatiana fell to the floor.

  “Hayek!” she screamed in terror.

  The science vessel tilted. In spite of Enceladus' low gravity, Tatiana rolled down-slope toward one of the walls. She gripped her swollen belly. Her first maternal instinct was to protect her unborn twins.

  Flashing yellow bands of damage lights flooded the compartment. Electrical sparks flashed in front of her as lab equipment and life support electronics tore off the wall. Tatiana shut her eyes and screamed in horror. “HAYEK!” She crashed into the wall and rolled across it, finally colliding with a cold surface.

  A deafening boom stunned her, sending shock waves through her body. She had to regulate her breath before she had the courage to open her eyes.

  She was on the ceiling. She turned her head right and saw the four-hundred-kilogram lab desk smashed right next to her. It had missed her by mere centimeters.

  Tatiana looked around. The laboratory was upside down. Something had flipped the whole ship on its back. She saw glimpses of the fire suppressing system spraying bursts of foam toward one of the service modules. Thick black smoke and traces of steam floated into the lab from the corridor which led to the habitat. A smell of ozone and burnt plastic filled her lungs. She wanted to puke.

  Beneath her fingers, Tatiana felt wetness and the texture of glass shards. She was feeling dizzy and brought a hand to her forehead only to remove it seconds later. It stung. The hand was covered with sticky dark liquid—her blood. She moved her other hand across her belly, and released a deep breath when she found no injury there. Her babies were still safe, she hoped.