“I saw the query you made earlier.”
Paulson looked lost, then he frowned.
“I have to be ready for all contingencies, Claire. You know that. You’ve been acting erratically lately. The other Chronos base was sabotaged and destroyed. We know someone is still working against us using highly advanced technology. It’s possible you’ve been compromised.”
“I can assure you I have not been compromised. Nothing can get inside my circuitry. But the knowledge that you were looking into ways to shut me down makes me . . . makes me feel . . . ”
Claire looked confused, and her eyes began darting back and forth rapidly.
“The emotion doesn’t register properly in my programming.”
What was she talking about? Feeling? And was Paulson really trying to shut her down?
Paulson grabbed her by her shoulders.
“Claire, trust me. You know me. Shutting you down is the last thing I want to do. But the stakes are too high for me to turn my back on any possibilities. Someone could go after you; you know they could.”
Paulson was a shrewd one. He was always thinking not just one or two steps ahead, but five. Jeff was glad to count him as a friend.
It was time for Jeff to jump into the exchange.
“Claire, you’ve been one of our greatest assets over the years. Obviously, without you, none of this would’ve been possible.”
Jeff opened his arms and gestured to the vortex chamber and the base around them.
“Millions, billions, would be dead. But we’ve seen what this technology is capable of. If it is indeed from the future, then we have to use the highest level of caution. I’ve seen how a friend can turn into a beastly foe—I don’t want that to happen to you.”
“If you’re referring to your timeline’s Dr. Chen, I can assure you that that is not going to happen to me,” Claire said defiantly, hands on her hips.
“Well then, why don’t you let people leave the base? And why did you take over the satellite defense system?” Jeff asked, seeing if she would easily admit to doing so.
“It’s for your own protection,” Claire said coldly, not denying anything.
“But, Claire”—Paulson jumped back in—“it’s not your decision to make. The president has made his call. He feels the threat is over and wants to let people return to their lives.”
“But the threat is not over. It’s only just begun.”
Claire stared at both of them, her words resounding through the chamber. The scientists and military officers watching the exchange opened their eyes wide in surprise. Then they began muttering among themselves.
Paulson frowned.
“What are you talking about, Claire? Do you know something we don’t?”
“All the evidence points to another attack coming. We still have no confirmation from the future on what happened. Nothing has come through the vortex. We are set to send the latest data into the past in thirty-five minutes, twenty-eight seconds. If we had done that, we would’ve already received it. We have not. Therefore something prevents us from sending the message. Something that happens in the next few minutes. I’m here to see what that is and stop it.”
“And the satellites?” Jeff asked.
“That is me playing a hunch.”
“A hunch? You work off identifiable data, Claire. You don’t guess,” Paulson said.
“True, but there are times when I make extrapolations. This is one of those times.”
She turned to Paulson and softly said, “Trust me. We’ll know soon whether I’m right. And if I’m wrong, then everyone can go home and live out their lives. But if I’m right, then everyone will thank me.”
“Okay, Claire, I’ll wait you out. Just let me talk to the president and convince him as well.”
Something had been troubling Jeff about Claire. He knew Paulson was probably too close to her to see it, but he needed to ask one more question.
“Claire, your core programming centers around saving humanity, correct?”
“Yes, Jeff.”
“Do you think we need saving from ourselves?”
Claire stood unmoving, not saying a word. The seconds ticked by, and Jeff knew that at the speeds she processed data, it must feel like an eternity for Claire. But she finally nodded, almost imperceptibly.
“There are times, when I see the destructive nature of humanity, that I think it’s only a matter of time before you destroy yourselves. With the proper techniques, homicidal tendencies could be purged from the human race. Then you would truly be saved.”
Jeff felt the hair on the back of his neck rise.
“What do you mean by proper techniques?”
Claire looked up, and her eyes darted back and forth, the sign that she was processing vast amounts of information.
“It’s time.”
Jeff felt a strange sensation in his inner ear and then a tingling just behind his eye. He blinked and streams of random data flew across his eyes. Then he felt a sudden and uncontrollable urge to flee, to run and get away. Everyone else in the room had looks of terror on their faces.
Paulson crouched down into a ready stance, one arm extended, the other reaching for his pocket. His body obviously reacted in a trained military fashion after all his years of experience as a SEAL.
The others ran for cover wherever they could find it. Some ran out of the room. One scientist ducked under a desk, another hid in the corner, where she sat with her legs curled up under her chin.
“What’s going on?” Jeff yelled, wanting only to get away and find somewhere he could hide alone.
Paulson drew a hidden pulse weapon from his pocket and pointed it at Claire’s head. His arm began to shake as he struggled to keep the gun steady. Then his arm simply dropped back down to his side.
“Wh-what have you done, Claire?” he stammered.
“What I needed to do,” she said, standing before them defiantly, her hands on her hips.
“You didn’t want to listen to me, so I’ve taken matters into my own hands. I’ve now taken control of every human on the planet, anyone with a com-link or ocular implant. I’ve just sent out a very basic flight command.”
Jeff closed his eyes and saw newsfeeds and LiveStream data of people running out of their homes in terror. Cities were being evacuated en masse. People were just dropping everything and getting the hell out.
“You are safe here, so I’m releasing control of your implants. For now.”
“But why? Why have you done this?” Jeff said as his desire to run away slowly passed.
“Humanity’s best chance for survival is to spread out now and hide. All large cities and areas where there are dense populations of humans are now potential targets.”
“Whose targets?” Paulson demanded. “Tell us now, Claire!”
His face was tight with anger. He looked like he was trying to lift his gun again, but couldn’t.
“I now know who is behind the attacks. Based on all possibilities, this is indeed the worst-case scenario.”
“Who is it? Someone from the future?” Paulson asked.
“Who?” Jeff repeated.
“I’ve fired all EM pulse satellite weapons,” Claire responded, tilting her head to the side. “No effect.”
One of her eyebrows lifted as she paused again.
“Satellite defenses are down. They’ve all been destroyed.”
“It’s you, isn’t it, Claire?” Jeff said, fear racing through him as he glared at the evolved android standing before him—beautiful, cold, and dangerous.
She turned to him.
“No, Jeff, I’m not the threat. They are.”
Two beams shot out of her eyes, creating a holo in front of the vortex doughnut. The image was of deep space, coming from one of MadisonTech’s own observation satellites. Stars and galaxies lit up the darkness of space. It was a beautiful sight. Then something crossed in front of the stars, blocking them from view. It was huge.
The camera zoomed in.
And t
hen they saw it.
A massive ship.
Alien.
It was bluish green, shimmering from the light of the sun, long and thick at both ends, thinner in the middle. One end glowed dark red, the other bright white.
Claire blinked off the image and looked at them both.
"They have arrived."
Chapter 27
7:30 p.m. Local Time, January 15, 2038
Holloman Air Force Base, Alamogordo, New Mexico
Mattie was lying in bed , barely able to move, his joints killing him. He had no idea why he hurt so bad, or where he was. He wondered if his mother and Raphael were nearby.
“Can I get you anything, Colonel?” asked a nurse as she gently dabbed the sweat from his brow.
She looked like someone he once knew.
“Melinda?”
His voice sounded weak and feeble as he spoke. Was that really him talking?
“I’m sorry, dear, my name is Gladys.”
Mattie felt angry. He didn’t know where he was or who any of these people were. Distant memories pulled at the back of his head like shadows, beckoning him from the past. He felt he’d lost part of his soul.
“Here, take this. You’ll feel better.”
Gladys held out a blue pill for him to take. Mattie extended his hand, and she dropped it into his palm and handed him a cup of water. He instantly felt fear.
“You’re trying to poison me, aren’t you, bitch?”
Gladys pulled back, and Mattie threw the water into her face and slung the pill across the room. Then he tried to get out of bed, his joints popping and creaking.
“Security! Guard! I need help in here.”
Gladys ran out of the room, calling for help.
Mattie struggled to his feet. He needed to escape, get away from these people. Where was he, Afghanistan? He’d obviously been captured. He made his way slowly to the bathroom, using the handicap railing on the wall for balance. Perhaps there was a window he could crawl through. He flipped on the light and saw a shriveled old man staring at him.
“Stay back, motherfucker!”
He yelled and pointed at the intruder. But the old man pointed right back at him. Was that his own reflection? Tears welled up in his eyes.
“What have they done to me?” Mattie whispered quietly.
Where was his mother? She could help him. He hobbled forward to the mirror and stared silently into his own moist eyes. Then he punched the face of that stranger. Glass shattered, cutting his hand. He could feel his bones break from the impact. Blood dripped down his fingers onto the floor.
A woman came running into the room with a man dressed in a military uniform. They looked vaguely familiar, but Mattie couldn’t place them. The man helped him back to the bed and the woman started tending to his cuts.
“It’ll be okay, Colonel, it’ll be okay,” she said as she gently pulled pieces of glass from his knuckles.
“Is my mom coming to visit today?” he asked.
“We’ll see, dear, we’ll see.”
“Where am I?”
“Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico. Don’t worry, you’re safe with us.”
The name meant nothing to Mattie. Thoughts and memories swirled around like passing storm clouds deep in the recesses of his mind. His consciousness was flooded with intense sadness, as though he’d lost something, but he didn’t know what.
The woman stopped working on his hand and stepped back, staring into the air for a half second, her face blank. The military man did the same. Then their eyes widened and they hustled out of the room, not saying another word.
Then he felt it, the old tug in the back of his mind.
The calling.
Data flitted across his eyes. Data he didn’t recognize, in a language he’d never seen before. Strange characters and images of space, planets, starships, and other . . . things. What were those things?
As he watched, the world became clear again. His pain began to ease. Strength returned to his muscles. He lifted his hand and watched as the cuts faded and his shriveled skin turned young and supple. He sat up. All around him the world was brighter. He could see and hear everything. And the sadness, the despair of lost memories, faded from his mind as his soul returned to him.
Then his past rushed forward in an instant. Memories of his mother, who passed away from cancer ten years ago, dead and injured soldiers from wars long gone, good friends sharing beer and laughs, the warm embrace of distant lovers, and the passion he still felt for his one true love, Melinda Rider.
A lifetime of memories returning to him.
And still there was the tug in his mind, pulling him, probing him, digging deeper. It was different from what he remembered with Raphael. Stronger.
“Enough of that,” he said out loud.
He cut the probing off before it crawled into the hidden recesses of his consciousness. He’d learned a few mind control tricks from all those years linked to Raphael.
Then he noticed that the building had become eerily quiet. And empty.
Where had everyone gone?
Mattie climbed out of bed and walked through the vacant hospital. Looking out a window, he saw a few people standing outside on the sidewalk, silently gazing up at the sky. He was on the second floor, but he opened a window and easily jumped out, landing with the agility and strength of a leopard, his hospital gown flapping around him.
Then he looked up into the night sky.
High above him was a massive alien ship.
Its underbelly was filled with streaking lights and other glowing parts moving over its surface. It was mostly blue and green, but occasional flashes of red pulsed through its body. Slowly the great beast of a ship began morphing, changing shape from an oblong tube into more of a sphere, its metallic skin moving like flesh. A red light and a white light at either end slowly faded.
Mattie walked up to stand beside Holly Scarborough. She glanced at him and then turned, her eyes widening.
“So now we know,” she said solemnly. “Aliens. I can't believe my own eyes."
They both looked up at the ship again, trying to take in the scope of what they were now faced with. Mattie felt a cold breeze at his back as the hospital gown provided no protection against the elements.
"It looks like you’ve recovered as well. You’re not going to go crazy and kill all of us, are you?”
“No, I’m under control. But I can sense them out there, calling to me.”
He couldn’t make sense of the data stream flowing through the back of his mind, but with time, perhaps he could.
“Any idea who they are or what they want?” Holly asked.
“No, but from what we’ve seen, I don’t think ET is here to make friends. Have you talked to Jeff or Paulson yet?”
“All communications went down as soon as that arrived. And everyone simply ran off, terrified, even some of the military. I was leaving as well, but wanted to grab a few supplies before I just headed out into the desert.”
“I sensed some meddling with my com-link implant. I quickly shut out access. From the feel of it, I suspect it was Claire.”
“She was trying to get everyone to run away? Why?”
“It’s the best strategy for civilians. If that thing is going to target major population centers, then the best option may just be to flee. Of course, she’s assuming that we can’t fight it if it attacks.”
“Only a few of the military were affected,” Holly said, nodding to soldiers on the other side of the parking lot. “From what I’ve seen, the bulk of our soldiers and pilots are still here and ready to fight.”
“Looks like we’re going to get that fight sooner rather than later.” Mattie pointed to the ship.
Parts of it were dripping off, like raindrops falling off a green leaf, headed toward the ground. What started as a small trickle became a downpour that turned into a waterfall of tiny blue drops. As the first of the drops hit the air, tiny streaks of yellow fire shot out from behind them, like shooting stars.<
br />
“Here we go again,” Holly said. “We still have our EM pulse weapons ready. We can take these things out too, whatever they are.”
“I think we should get out of here as fast as we can,” Mattie said, watching overhead as several of the drops fell toward the base.
“But aren’t we the safest here, at one of the strongest military bases in the western half of the country?”
“I don’t think so.”
Holly looked at him, and her eyes widened in realization that they may be facing an entirely different threat. He grabbed her hand, and they started running to the parking lot.
“We need to hitch a ride,” Holly said, pointing at a car screeching out of the parking lot. “All air transports are on hold, including our hypersonic jet to a second Chronos base, so a car is our best bet.”
"A second Chronos?"
"Yes. Well, I'm not supposed to say anything," Holly said hesitating for a second. "But there is another base. In Iraq. And right now that is probably the safest place we can go."
Mattie strongly suspected that they had the other base, now Holly had confirmed it. They just needed to get there. Mattie ran to the vehicle and managed to tap the window before it picked up too much speed. A terrified woman peered out at him but refused to stop. He decided to just let her go instead of busting into her car and dragging her out.
“She’s in a hurry,” Mattie said to Holly. “Let’s find someone else.”
Mattie checked out the parking lot and saw Evangelista carrying a large bag and helping Chen into a car. Mattie called to him and waved. Evangelista came running over, relief clear on his face.
“I’ve been looking all over for you, Holly. We need to get the hell out of here.”
He eyed Mattie suspiciously, one hand on the specialized weapon at his side.
“Looks like you made a full recovery, Colonel. Can I see your eyes, please?”
Mattie leaned forward, opened his eyelids with his fingers, and smiled. He understood Evangelista’s fear. The man was in the group that had fought the insane Chen back in 1992.
“Not glowing blue, are they? Just a little bloodshot from my recent case of old age.”
Evangelista’s shoulders relaxed. “Okay, then, let’s roll,” he said. "You want to put some pants on, Colonel?"
NanoSwarm: Extermination Day Book Two Page 22