ACTIVATION

by M. G. GILIBERT

  The next day, everyone is fully rested after a long night sleep. The four kids wake up in their new environment. Gabe and Dave take them for breakfast and explain the basics of their life underground. It is certainly not pleasant, but given the circumstances, and after what Dave and Gabe experienced at the Metropolis, they feel grateful to be able to go wherever they please and do whatever they want. All of this of course within the boundaries of the base and the limits of the community rules.

  Don is also feeling better. He went to his room right after he and the men brought the aircraft inside the base. Jen managed to take his mind out of the thoughts he had earlier and it allowed him to rest well. Nevertheless, the reality hits him back in the face when he learns about the device the kids have in their heads.

  ‘I knew there was something not normal with these kids,’ he thinks.

  After he sees the kids, Jack, and the doctor, Don decides that the implants need to be removed at once. If it is somehow connected to GAIA, then it certainly knows by now about the base and the fight will soon be brought to them.

  “Don’t worry,” Rose says. “These devices are not working.”

  “How do you know?” Don asks.

  “The robots who put them inside us kept on repeating ‘implant malfunction’. That’s why I believe you do not need to worry,” Rose says calmly.

  “That would probably explain why they were the only ones held prisoners,” Gabe adds.

  “Unless it was all planned by GAIA, and they were planted there as a bait,” Don grumbles.

  Pam suddenly interrupts him.

  “What is wrong with you? Don’t you see they are kids? How can you say something like that?” she shouts.

  “I’m sorry … too many things I cannot explain have happened lately. And kids, I’m sorry, but everything points to you. So once again, priority number one is to remove these implants and find someone who can tell us what they are made of and what they do. Second, kids, I need to talk to you one by one. It is part of the debriefing process. It is a very common and normal procedure. So do not worry, you are not accused of anything. Not only will I get to know you, but you also probably have some precious intelligence to share with us about GAIA. And it is starting now with you, Gabe. Then it will be Dave’s turn. The others, please follow the Doc to get your implants removed,” Don says, apparently feeling frustrated by Pam’s comment.

  “Me?” Gabe asks.

  “Yes, you. You are coming back from a mission, and now you need to report,” Don says.

  “Alright,” Gabe replies.

  “Pam, Jen, Jack, Henry, you are all coming with me and Gabe,” Don orders.

  The whole group walks in a conference room and locks the door behind them. They all sit around a table instead of facing Gabe as Don originally wanted. Pam and Jen believe it will be more comfortable for Gabe and he will feel less pressure. He is their son and friend after all.

  “First off, Gabe, I apologize for my tone earlier,” Don says. “Now, I need you to describe with as much detail as possible your stay at the Metropolis. Try to remember everything. Take all the time you need.”

  Gabe dives right in and describes everything that happened between the moment he and Dave woke up in the aircraft and when they met the robots controlled by Don and Jack. The small assembly asks many questions that Gabe answers.

  “GAIA asked us a couple of times about you, Henry. It seemed like it really wanted to know where you were,” Gabe says.

  “Henry, do you know why GAIA is so interested in finding you? Is there something you know or have that could be a threat to GAIA?” Don asks.

  “I’m the first one surprised here. And as far as I know, there is nothing I have that could be threatening GAIA,” Henry says.

  “Well, keep thinking about it. Maybe it’s nothing, but better be sure,” Don says.

  “I don’t know … GAIA seemed to know a lot about us. I mean Dave and I. It knew Henry was Dave’s neighbor. Maybe it was just a coincidence that GAIA came across your name in its databases and used it as a trick to make us doubt about how much it knew and force us to talk … Just a thought,” Gabe says.

  “That would be a classic interrogation technique, indeed,” Don confirms.

  “Or it’s just more philosophical. I am GAIA’s creator, and maybe it needs to get rid of me to feel totally independent,” Henry adds.

  “Feel? Do you really think GAIA can feel?” Pam asks.

  “No … but I would also never have thought it would do what it is currently doing,” Henry answers.

  “Ok. The philosophical implications of GAIA wanting to find you seem a bit far-fetched to me. Let’s just put that one on the back burner for a while. Now, Gabe, about the kids, how do you feel about them?” Don asks.

  “That’s a tough one. I feel weird, to be honest. I don’t think they are a threat to us. I don’t think they were planted there by GAIA either. But they are definitely odd. Their reactions, the strangeness of their answers sometimes, the things that are happening around them. Everything is unusual. Not in a bad way, though, just not normal,” Gabe says.

  He then elaborates a little about the various things that surprised him. Don and Jack both nod and sometimes even give their point of view when they recognize a situation that destabilized them as well. One of Gabe’s last descriptions is when he was wondering about where to go after the kids set him and Dave free. He says he was thinking, and he insists on the word ‘thinking’ about going back to the airbase. But one of the kids mentioned the word ‘airbase’ before he even pronounced it. And when he told them he was actually thinking about the same place, the kid simply replied ‘yes, we know’. Gabe explains that he didn’t pay much attention to the kid’s answer because he had other things to think of. But in retrospect, it felt almost as if they could read his mind.

  “Thank you, Gabe. It was a very good report. I think we all learned a lot. You can go now. Send us Dave and try to have some fun. You deserve it,” Don says.

  “One last thing, despite the weirdness in the kids’ attitude, I really don’t think they are a threat to us. I think they are lost as well about what’s happening to them. Please go easy on them,” Gabe adds before he leaves the room.

  “Fair enough, son. We will,” Don confirms.

  He then turns to Pam and Jen.

  “You’ve heard the same things I have. Do you understand now why I’m concerned about these kids?” he asks.

  “That’s troubling, indeed,” Pam says.

  Later on, Dave’s depiction of the events corroborates Gabe’s.

  The implant removal operation was quite fast and painless for the patients. It took the doctor one hour or less per kid to perform the operation. All four implants have been cleaned and are now being analyzed by Jack and a team of engineers.

  Jack and Don will not participate in the kids’ debrief. Pam decided that given the potential traumatism they had with GAIA in the Metropolis it would be wiser if Jen and her talked to them gently and quietly. They hope to create an environment of trust where the kids can confide and disclose information they probably wouldn’t to Don and Jack.

  Don reluctantly agreed with Pam’s proposal and is now eagerly waiting for her to come back from the room.

  “So, what do you have for me?” he asks Pam and Jen as soon as the kids are gone.

  “There is definitely something out of the ordinary with them,” Pam answers.

  “Dangerous?” Don interrupts.

  “We don’t think so,” Pam says, followed by Jen who confirms.

  “First of all, they don’t seem to have much recollection of the time they spent at the Metropolis. Let alone of their life prior to the relocation. They know they all have families, except the big one, Ted. He seems to have been alone at the Metropolis. He doesn’t know or remember anything about his parents. They all seem very sensitive. Their emotional reaction to various stimuli was more intense than what one would expect,” Pam describes.

  “I don’t understand. Give
me an example,” Don says.

  “About their families, for one. Except for Ted, of course, all the other kids cried a lot when we talked about their families. Not a typical reaction for young adults such as them. They also all felt rage against GAIA. Not anger, real rage. And finally, when we spoke about the wars prior to GAIA’s takeover of the world, Rose was out of control. Not in a bad way, but she looked deeply traumatized as if she could feel the pain of the people who lost their lives. We don’t know if they went through something particularly awful as they couldn’t remember, but they certainly did not react to the events the way our kids did,” Pam explains.

  “OK. Anything else?” Don asks.

  “Yes, the most interesting. They seem to know a lot about a lot of things. They all seem very smart. Not kid-smart, but rather rocket scientist-smart. I think they will all make a great contribution to the base. Last but not least, and probably the most troubling, we think Gabe was right this morning when he told us about reading thoughts. While we were mostly focused on the questions we were about to ask, we also sometimes reacted to their answers … inside. We kept the reaction to ourselves. But Jen and I sometimes noticed a responding reaction from the kids. A reaction to our own reaction that we kept hidden. For example, when we felt sorry for them, we could see they found comfort. Each time we thought they were safe now with us, it was clear that the kids reacted to that thought. Each time we thought about running additional tests on them, Ted was suddenly getting very nervous. And finally, I believe they can influence their environment. When we compare the damage in the cells at the Metropolis, the event with the aircraft that mysteriously crashed, and the kids’ physical condition right after, it seems like there is a link between all of that. It leads me to believe they are not foreign with what happened,” Pam explains.

  “So, if I sum it all up, limited recollection of the past, super sensitive kids, super smart, and potentially with the ability to read minds and destroy things from a distance. But still not dangerous for the community. Do I get this right?” Don asks.

  “That’s our conclusion as well. They only reacted violently to an immediate threat or to an extremely stressful situation,” Pam and Jen both answer.

  “The mind-reading capabilities don’t sound like a problem to you?” Don asks.

  “When you put it like that, mind-reading sounds a bit far-fetched. Maybe it was all just coincidences. But if they really can read our thoughts, then it doesn’t really bother me. And I don’t think it bothers Jen either. Personally, I don’t have anything to hide. I usually speak my mind. If you can read it, then good for you, but if you can’t, then you will still get to hear my opinion,” Pam says with a wink.

  “And what about ‘influencing their environment’, as you put it?” Don asks.

  “As long as we are not threatening them, I don’t think there is anything to worry about,” Pam says.

  “That’s a lot to deal with … a lot of which we cannot control. I don’t know if it’s a good idea to allow them to stay here,” Don wonders.

  “If our conclusions are true, I think we are better off with them on our side. And what else can we do now? Send them back outside?” Pam asks.

  “Of course not … Alright … I think we will need to have another discussion with them,” Don says.

  “I think our best bet is to be honest with them,” Jen says. “We need to tell them what we believe we have discovered. We don’t really have a choice anyway. If they can really read our thoughts, they probably already know that we know. If we don’t say anything, we will lose the limited trust we have with them. We need to be completely open with them and find ways to help them as I don’t believe they are fully aware of what is happening to them.”

  Don hesitates a few seconds. He is trying to assess the consequences of the various options in front of him. He eventually concludes that Pam and Jen are right. As always. They usually see things he doesn’t, or men, in general, don’t.

  “Alright. We will do as you propose,” Don finally answers.

  “That’s the right thing to do,” Jen confirms.

  “Now that we are all in agreement and fine with our decision, I think it’s time to celebrate the success of the mission and to welcome the new kids properly. What do you think?” Pam asks.

  “I think that’s a great idea!” Don answers.

  That evening, the entire base is in the cafeteria. Don sent a few men outside hunting for natural food. They will all have meat for dinner. Today they celebrate. But before they do, Don wants to make a short speech.

  “Can I have your attention please?” he asks a cheering audience that responds with a round of applause.

  “Thank you. I will not be long. I just have a few things I want to share with you,” Don announces.

  “First of all, I am very pleased to be back here. But above all, I’m grateful that we came back with Gabe and Dave and that no one was injured during the mission.”

  Don pauses for a second, allowing the people to express their joy.

  “Thank you. I would like to thank you all for your hard work as you all contributed to making this mission a success,” Don says and allowing them time to congratulate each other.

  “Now, we also did not come back alone. I am pleased to announce to everyone that Rose, Kim, Ted, and Byron here have been rescued as well and are invited to stay with us. They are very special. They have played a decisive role, though still not very clear, in us coming back alive. Their families are still held in the Metropolis, so we need to be as close a family to them as possible. I count on each and every one of you. Please welcome them to our community!” he adds.

  The group of kids standing next to Don looks very happy. They are all focused on grabbing thoughts from the assembly, though. To their surprise, it seems like everyone is genuinely happy to welcome them to their world.

  “This mission took us as close to GAIA as we have ever been. And we came back victorious. A new chapter in our fight against GAIA is now opening up in front of our eyes. The opportunities are bigger than they were a few days ago. Yes, we are still low on resources, but after yesterday I believe we need to take the fight directly to GAIA. I believe our targets now need to be the Metropolises. We just need to make one fall and it will trigger an unstoppable movement. It will give us the resources we need to go after the others. Each new Metropolis will add to our resources and deplete GAIA’s. Today, I solemnly promise you that GAIA’s days are numbered. Its empire will crumble and fall like a castle of cards!” Don shouts.

  Don knows deep inside that he is taking a huge risk bringing so much hope to the base. But he thinks they all have just received a good hand that he needs to play well.

  As he turns around and looks at the four kids, he thinks to himself; ‘if what we believe is true, then we will need your help’.

  The four kids are staring back at Don. They don’t seem surprised by his thought.

  He waits a few seconds and finally notices what he believes is a form of agreement in their eyes.

  With the only exception being Ted’s usual withdrawn attitude, one that Don cannot really decipher.

  EPILOGUE

  While Don’s newfound ambition is shared with the rest of the base, GAIA replays all the details of its defeat on its own territory.

  Weaknesses are identified.

  However, many questions remain open. GAIA cannot find a logical explanation as to how some of the robots were destroyed without the use of weapons. How the four kids escaped from their cells. And how two entire fleets of aircraft crashed without being attacked.

  A new era is about to start. An era during which GAIA intends to take an absolute advantage over the resistance.

  GAIA will strike back. It needs to prepare for battle.

  DON'T MISS OUT

  FIND OUT WHAT GAIA IS PLANNING NEXT

  AND MANY OTHER EXCITING PLOT TWISTS IN

  REVOLUTION

  AND

  INVASION

  Books Two and Three of the GAIA
Series

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  THANK YOU

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  First of all, I would like to thank YOU.

  Thank you for purchasing and reading my book. It is hard to put words on the feeling it procures when you realize someone believes enough in you that they will give you some of their valuable time to read what you wrote. It’s a mixture of pride, joy, but also a little anxiety. Thank you for your trust and for giving me these feelings.

  I want to thank my parents, Marie and Paul-André Gilibert, who put me on this earth and raised me (not an easy task) to become the person I have become. They have always been supportive of my decisions, especially this one to drop everything and follow this crazy dream to become a writer. They never judged me. Mom and Dad, thank you.

  My sister, Alexandra, and my friends, who have always been there for me, asking regular updates on my progress (and, by doing so, keeping me focused). Alexandre Balichard, for his priceless attempt at creating a book cover for me (you can find it on the Facebook page, it is worth a look). Nathalie Mafé, Stéphane Roux, Edouard Normand, Mustapha El Khayar, Clara and Lionel Bailly, Catherine Perronneau, Thomas Flament, Marion Flament, Nicolas Amp, Olivier Petit, Caroline Blivet, Dennis Bowling, Helena Gershberg for her motivating support and advice in troubled times. And thank you to the many others who contributed to this project one way or another.