by Blade, CG
“Well, at least some of my equipment still functions” Ray told Petra nodding his head frowning. Everyone standing around glued to the massive Vidscreen next to him was in shock, silent.
In the distance, Jet-Carrier after Jet-Carrier crashed into what remained of the stone monument and nearby structures over the course of the next twelve hours. Dust, debris, earth, and metal flew in all directions for miles as this continued to shake the earth around the area causing mass panic and widespread fear which immediately spread throughout the country. The mysterious Georgia Guidestones, three miles west of Elberton, Georgia, in the middle of serene farm country, now looked like the center of the world’s largest junkyard as millions of vehicles equipped with the newest technology consisting of land, air, and bots powered by AA5C39 were now immobilized. They began piling up on top of each other smashing into one another converging at one point on the US map. The outlying areas filled with survivors and people fleeing their homes and businesses, gathered up their children, the handicapped, and the elderly quickly running for cover. Ambulance and Police-Carriers that usually transported the sick and corrupt were now part of the ever-growing crushed metallic landscape. Plumes of smoke and fire erupted from several hundred homes and buildings around an area that stood decimated from the millions of Aeolus Cruisers, Rayson Delivery Drones, and Rayson Jet-Carriers that had crash-landed at the spot. USNN’s newsfeed went black as the three largest satellite networks controlling American homes, transportation, and the military were now lifeless. The Home Link Network the National Transportation Network and the National Military Network sat—crippled.
Chapter 10
COLLAPSIBLE
Thursday October 17th 9:00 AM
The view from space of ‘Cybergeddon 76’ resembled a beautiful shining powerless pinwheel that spread out across the surrounding states with its epicenter in Georgia. Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, and South Carolina now engulfed with immobilized and unmovable useless pieces of trashed equipment that had piled up as Eagle 1 orbited overhead snapping picture after picture relaying them to the Vidscreen in the Lecture Hall at the med lab. A thick layer of smoke and ash originating from Elberton, Georgia had traveled as far as the Atlantic Ocean reaching the island of Bermuda, blanketing North and South Carolina and the southern parts of Virginia. The Meredith Lecture Hall was abuzz and filled once again with over 200 techs, scientists, and doctors. “Why?” was the question that was filling heads as they were scurrying around trying to analyze data and answer the question the entire world was asking.
Petra walked into the dimly lit Lecture Hall dressed in her cobalt camos through the crowds of the many scientists who were standing around excitedly sharing their theories of the horrific event in small groups. She noticed Ray and Jackie standing in the back of the hall discussing something very intimate. They seemed very ‘close’ to each other as she approached them.
“Jackie I am glad to see you are up and doing well.”
“Thank you Petra and good morning.” She and Ray discontinued their conversation. Jackie still had a small bandage on her head but her broken arm had healed quickly. Her aromatic musky perfume filled the air around them.
“I am leaving for Georgia. I want to assist in any way I can and assess the damage. I may also find a reason for what happened.”
“I am leaving also Petra. I am going to Rayson’s headquarters to see if I can be of any help there. After all it was my equipment that malfunctioned.”
“I do not believe this was equipment malfunction Ray. This seems—intentional.”
“You can’t be serious Petra, who would kill hundreds maybe thousands of people like this?”
“I do not know but there are too many coincidences, Emily, the slice video, the massacre in Hawaii, and now this. Someone also wanted me offline permanently and they do not know I am still functional.”
“I am traveling by Magna-Rail out of Albany to Rayson in DC Petra. Obviously, the only way left to get there so I guess this is goodbye for now. Thank you and good luck.” He held out his hand and she shook it firmly in hers. His typical red tie swung loosely around his white shirt.
“Thank you Ray and good luck to you. Keep in touch—somehow.”
Ray reached into his suit pocket and handed each of them a small orange dust covered plastic device. They smelled musty and old.
“What’s this Ray?” Petra was looking at it flipping it all around eyeing it intently as if she was a detective looking for fingerprints at the scene of a crime.
“It’s a cellphone Petra!” Jackie chimed in smiling holding it gently in her palm as if it were the Holy Grail.
“Yes Petra it’s an Orange Company cellphone product to be exact.” Ray began cleaning his off, blowing a small amount of dust in the air “These were Tangerine models, UPhones they called them. The company went under due the extravagant amount they were charging customers for their products and services. They kept announcing that they were coming out and upgrading model after model every six months. People just got tired of paying exorbitant fees and all the hype surrounding it so my grandfather bought them out and dismantled the company long ago. I still had a couple lying around. I carry them in my equipment case for emergencies like this one. I had Jerry link them to Eagle 1 this morning so at least the three of us can communicate over the satellite network if we need to.
“Jackie—Jackie—hello?” Petra was holding the cellphone up to her mouth at different angles trying to test out the alien device. She was speaking to it becoming increasingly frustrated that it wasn’t responding to her attempts to make it function properly. Jackie was covering her mouth while laughing, amused at Petra’s growing animosity aimed at the non-functioning piece of hardware.
“You have to turn it on first.” She told her giggling. “I’ll show you later Petra. Bye Ray.” Jackie turned and gave Ray a peck on his cheek as he waved signaling to Jerry on the other side of the room that he was leaving.
“Oh fuck it!” Jackie exclaimed as she grabbed Ray around the shoulders and hugged him hard locking lips with him.
“That was nice.” he said with a big grin as he stared into her brown eyes returning the gesture with a kiss that lasted a minute or so.
“Bye Ray. Be careful.”
“I will, you too.” he winked at Jackie with a smile one last time and told Petra goodbye before he and Jerry exited through the doorway to the elevator area.
“Don’t say it Petra—not a word!” Jackie told her smiling and glowing like a woman who was in love.
“Okay Jackie. I won’t tell you that you are with child and very pregnant.”
“Oh-no!” Ter gasped.
Without hesitation, Petra caught and scooped Jackie up in her arms as her eyelids closed and her body went limp. She collapsed as if a child had dropped her like a worn out rag doll—again.
“This seems to be a habit of hers now Ter.”
“Yes Petra she is diverting more blood flow to her uterus and will become more nauseous over the next two weeks.”
“That is great news Ter.” Petra said sarcastically “I wonder if Ray knows about this.”
“I would think not Petra. She has only been pregnant for four days.”
Petra gently carried Jackie like a prized possession to the hallway while twenty-eight doctors in the room suddenly stopped their conversations and quickly followed her into an elevator. The elevator was crammed and they were all trying to get a look at Jackie cradled by Petra’s arms while respectfully avoiding any pushing and shoving in the process. The elevator eventually stopped at the infirmary floor and Petra laid her out on a bed explaining her condition to them.
Thursday October 17th 11:00 AM
Dreama walked into the front door of the ‘rented’ Hawaiian mansion like every day was Sunday trotting gleefully with a cigarette dangling out of the corner of her mouth. She hadn’t noticed Emily, waiting patiently for her, sitting on the couch in the living room. She threw Dean’s borrowed sunglasses on the wooden table next to the
door and slipped out of her sandals. She danced her way into the kitchen humming a bouncy melody in the hot morning sun poking through the windows and the skylight from above. Retrieving a fruity liquid from a container in the refrigerator, she gulped it down quickly letting the liquid seep all over her face and chest in the process. She wiped her mouth clean with her arm sniffing the fruit smell in the process, returning the container back on the shelf. Shutting the refrigerator door, she noticed Emily standing behind it with a strange look in her eyes.
“Hi Emily, where’s the priest?” Dreama exclaimed looking around scanning the area as if she didn’t have a care in the world.
“Come over here right now—this instant!” Emily angrily pointed at the ground in front of her. Dreama sheepishly walked over and stood directly in front of Emily like a child who was about to receive a spanking for an earlier indiscretion. “Are they gone, our four helpers?”
“Yep, they’re on their way to Japan.”
“Japan!”
“I took them to the beach and pointed them towards Japan and told them to start walking. The last thing I saw was the top of their heads.” Dreama said giggling.
“Great!” Emily said sarcastically “The priest is in the garage spending time with the doc. Now come here.” Emily grabbed her by the back of her auburn hair and forcefully stuck her wet tongue down her throat moving it as far around in her mouth as she could with the tip of it. Dreama was instantly aroused moaning loudly as Emily fondled her large tanned breasts pinching the tips of her nipples. Emily playfully inched her fingers down Dreama’s smooth silky stomach and eventually in between her thighs as each of their pleasurable moans harmoniously increased an octave. Dreama began eagerly returning the favor as Emily clinched on to Dreama’s tight buttocks, carrying her in her arms, and setting her onto the kitchen counter. Emily ripped off Dreama’s shorts sending red Skittles flying from her pockets, scattering across the floor. They rattled and tinked until they became still. Emily knelt on the tile floor below her and began to pleasure her. Dreama slowly lay back on the hard countertop closing her eyes bucking her hips forcefully into Emily’s face as she held on to the heels of her feet eyeing her blistered painted toes pointing straight into the air.
“What the—hey—what the hell are you doing Emily?” Dreama suddenly picked her head up looking between her breasts. Emily was forcing a tube into a panel in her midsection squeezing clear liquid into her from a small container in her hands. Dreama began to feel dizzy and queasy as she tried to maintain her composure by grasping onto the edges of the marble kitchen countertop. She rolled off the counter and onto the floor dazed and confused. “Why—why would you do this?”
“I’m sorry dear—you’re just too much of a pain in the ass. You are a bad seed baby. We cannot have you running around slicing and dicing people for no reason and ruining our plans. You draw too much attention and you’re just a risk we can’t take right now sweetie—but I have enjoyed our time together!”
Dreama began to thrash around the kitchen convulsing and shaking violently as Emily tried to catch her and contain her to one area. Small appliances on the kitchen countertops went flying, clanking, and crashing off the floor and walls as Dreama continued her spasms, flailing around with piercing screams trying to stand upright several times but losing her balance in the process. Emily grabbed on to her and forced Dreama’s head firmly to the floor squishing her face and cheek into the warm tile with one hand as the rest of her body wracked with violent convulsions. She began to feel around the back of Dreama’s neck and skull with her free hand, searching for something. Emily pressed two forefingers between vertebrae C1 and C2 below Dreama’s skull digging her nails into the area then pulling with all her might. Red-coated circuit boards with long clear wiring and tubing started to appear as she yanked on them hard, grunting, while holding Dreama’s neck still. She stripped the wiring away from her neck leaving a gaping hole. Fluid squirted from her neck coating everything in a five-foot radius including Emily. Hot red liquid began to pool up on the floor around her as she tossed the liquid coated micro devices and tubing away over her head pleased that they had landed in the sink.
“But—I—I—loved you.” Dreama told her, garbling her words, choking as the frothy liquid leaked from the corners of her mouth. Her metallic eyes rolled back into their dark sockets and her eyelids closed for the last time.
“I know you did baby—I know you did.” Emily said lovingly as she held Dreama’s head in her lap and started to hum as she stroked her soaked auburn hair rocking her back and forth waiting for the rest of the sweet-smelling syrupy corrosive crimson liquid to drain from the back of her torn synthetic neck. She fumbled around on the floor looking for her Vidset now covered in the sticky liquid while holding Dreama’s head at an angle so it would finish draining completely. She rested the crimson covered Vidset carefully on top of Dreama’s wet hair. She cleaned off the crystal display wiping her fingers over it and spoke into it.
“It’s done.”
“Good,” the masked digitized voice told her on the other end of the Vidset “begin operation Faded Glory immediately.”
“Understood.” Emily ended the conversation and gently let go of Dreama’s head setting it on the floor. She rose up dripping in crimson solution and walked to the door leading to the garage. Opening the door to the garage, she spoke softly “lights”. They illuminated the room through the series of color changes revealing silence. She walked into the garage covered from head to toe in Dreama’s fluid and stood behind Dr. Parsons Trefoils who was sitting silently in a chair in front of the Codex Gigas staring at the cobalt twenty-dollar bills on the wall in front of him. She held the sides of his head with both of her hands like a vice and twisted his neck until she heard a ‘crack’. He fell limp onto the floor. The sound of the body and the chair hitting the concrete and bouncing once startled the priest sitting in the corner of the room holding his knees. He jumped a little. “Guess it’s just you and me now buddy.” she told him squatting in front of him as he sat on the floor next to some empty crates.
A message quickly caught Emily’s eye from a Vidscreen sitting on a table. It was flashing a warning icon on its crystal screen. “Subject Terminated—Subject Terminated—” the scrolling message appeared on the Vidscreen. Connected to wiring, the processor powered a tank full of gelatin crimson. “Damn! That is just great, great, just great,” she muttered to herself walking over to the tank shaking her head in frustration. Opening the warm tank lid by unlocking electronic clasps, she immersed her hand in the gel and felt around the bottom for something. She strained and grasped onto a submerged head pulling it up through the thick gelatin substance. Eventually, the head appeared dripping gel and lifeless. Emily raised it up staring at the gelatin-coated face. She wiped away any of the substance still on it and stroked the hair and cheek with the back of her hand. “I’m sorry honey—I really am. You would have loved your new life.” Engulfed by liquid, she set the scarred and shaved head back down gently as it slowly sank to the bottom sucking gel down with it as it traveled downwards. The sweet smelling corrosive liquid ran down Emily’s arms as she stared at the second screen attached to the other tank.
“Stasis Complete—Incubation Complete—Stasis Complete”
Emily smiled at the screen and began wiping her fingers, hands, and arms clean with some rags she took from the tabletop. She began instructing the Vidscreen to complete various biological and communication commands, as she walked over to the second tank and opened the lid of the large cylindrical glass incubator. She pushed her fingers, hands, and arms down through the gel. Propping up the head on the side of the tank, she wiped away the substance from the face and eyes, removing the feeding and air tubes from the subject’s throat and mouth. As she was cleaning it gently with a soft towel, it began to show signs of movement and life. “Dreama honey, are you okay?” She softly asked stroking her sticky face with more clean towels.
“Where—what—where am I?” Dreama asked barely able
to crack her eyes open through the heavy gel.
“You’re in heaven baby.”
“Am I—dead?”
“No baby—you’re reborn—again.”
Chapter 11
TRANSFORMABLE
Thursday October 17th 1:00 PM
“I feel—bad, very bad.” Dreama spoke slowly opening her sticky gel covered eyelids with a sneer on her flushed wet lips. She felt around her head with the tips of her shaking fingers. Shaved on one side she fingered her tacky long flowing auburn hair down to the ends. Her left temple was throbbing as if her skull had been beat with a hammer. Her fingertips were running gingerly over her head trying to feel what object was attached to her temple. It felt like metal plating.
“What—what’s on my head?” she asked confused, groggy, trying to comprehend her situation.
“It’s a filigree baby and it’s beautiful! We had to cover your scars so we decided to pretty you up a little.” Emily eagerly grabbed a small broken mirror off a table with a satisfactory grin on her face, holding it up in front of Dreama. The filigree on the left side of Dreama’s skull was ornamental bronze and copper etched with an ancient pagan symbol. The swirling filigree relief represented rebirth, and fertility. It ran from the middle of her head to a spot behind her ear. She could see and feel large scars poking out on either side of the undersized six-inch plate screwed through her skin and bone. Her irises began pulsing beautiful flaming golden rings.