Lucy wet her lips. It was tempting. To wield that much power. To have that much control. She felt herself edge forward. Then she stopped.
“No, I don’t need to do this,” Lucy said. “I’ll never become Mother.”
“Wouldn’t you like to see what you were designed for?” Dr. Beck said. “What you’re capable of?”
Lucy couldn’t deny her own compulsion to hop into the machine and see what she could do. But she resisted. Enter that chair, and she might be lost to it forever. Taste real power from the chalice, and normal life might never measure up again.
“No,” Lucy said, taking another step back.
Dr. Beck looked mildly surprised. Or perhaps disappointed.
“There’s a part in all of us that’s a little mysterious,” Dr. Beck said. “It’s in every human, and you’re very much human, so why wouldn’t you experience the same thing?”
“What does that mean?” Lucy said.
“It means not everything is predetermined,” Dr. Beck said. “It means that no matter if we create something in our own image, it will always find its own way. It means you can choose what you want to do. You were the culmination of many years’ hard work and numerous failed attempts. You were our best effort of victory.”
“You’re my creator,” Lucy said. “When I was out in the desert, lost and not knowing where I was going or where I’d come from, I wondered if I had any family missing me. Now I know, I don’t.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Dr. Beck said. “You have a very large family. You are genetically engineered. You might have the most perfect genome in the world, free from hereditary disease in all its variations, but your genome didn’t come from nowhere. It came from us. From everyone in the City. We are all inside you. The very best of us. Look.”
He took a worn photograph out of his pocket to show Lucy. Thousands of men and women, all smiling. Happy.
“It’s a family photograph,” Dr. Beck said. “Of your parents. All of us.”
“But what am I?” Lucy said.
“You’re you,” Dr. Beck said.
“But I’m not like the others,” Lucy said.
“No,” Dr. Beck said. “You’re not. The truth is, none of us are like any others. Your differences are just a little more pronounced.”
Dr. Beck turned the terminal off. The computer screens flickered, then turned black.
“I’m sorry you had to find out this way,” Dr. Beck said. “I never planned for you to discover what you are like this.”
“How was I going to find out?” Lucy said.
“You weren’t,” Dr. Beck said. “You were an empty shell we were going to program once you docked with the rest of the mothership.”
“So I am a slave,” Lucy said.
“You are one of a kind,” Dr. Beck said. “We attempted to make you forty-nine times before we finally succeeded. You are perfect.”
“I’m not perfect,” Lucy said.
“As perfect as it’s possible to be,” Dr. Beck said. “You were created with a purpose.”
“To save the world,” Lucy said. “I know, I know. You created me. That’s why I still have no memories from before I was born.”
“That’s right,” Dr. Beck said. “You were created with one single, simple purpose. To save the human race.”
“No pressure,” Lucy said.
“You were to be Mother,” Dr. Beck said.
“Mother?” Lucy said.
“The brain of the entire ship,” Dr. Beck said. “You’d be plugged into the system. The assault ships would be your fists, the ion cannons your feet. Thousands of tiny droids waiting for your command.”
“Where is this fleet?” Lucy said.
“Hidden behind the dark side of the moon,” Dr. Beck said. “We assembled it. Every City in the world had their part to play. They launched their components, knowing they would be destroyed shortly afterwards. Maybe some escaped. Most probably didn’t.”
Dr. Beck turned his head to one side and looked at her. A smile came to his lips. It made Lucy a little uncomfortable.
“What?” she said.
“You want to know something strange?” Dr. Beck said. “We never programmed you with a personality. We created a bunch of happy childhood memories, nice birthdays, special events and so on. So you would have something nice to fight for when you became Mother. But we never had time to give them to you. You weren’t meant to have a personality. You were an empty shell, escaped into the world. You turned the situation to your advantage, using it as a voyage of self-discovery. You somehow unlocked a part of yourself, some part of you that we didn’t know was there. You created who you are. It’s something unexpected and wonderful to behold.”
“I don’t feel wonderful,” Lucy said.
“I can’t imagine how it must feel to be you right now,” Dr. Beck said. “A great many people put their love and passion into you. My team. This entire City. We put everything we are into you. They would not be disappointed by what they see now. And neither should you be.”
Lucy thought about that. It was like looking at the night sky, at all the blinking lights, entirely too big to fully comprehend. She was human. The only real difference between her and anyone else was her skeleton. And that wasn’t visible by anyone when she wasn’t hooked up. It was a great relief.
Beep beep. Beep beep.
“What’s that?” Lucy said.
“The perimeter,” Dr. Beck said. “Something’s trying to get in.”
28.
THEY WERE rushing through the corridors when the alert lights began to flash. Red. There was no accompanying alarm.
“Where’s the alarm?” Lucy said, struggling to keep up with Dr. Beck despite his stiff legs and need for his walking cane.
“The alarm only attracts them more, drives them into a furvour,” Dr. Beck said.
The cafeteria door opened, admitting Fatty clutching an armload of food.
“What’s going on?” he said. “A disco someone forgot to tell me about?”
“Rage attack,” Lucy said.
“Oh man, not now!” Fatty said. “I was about to have dessert!”
“Apologies, but the Rages appear not to care one jot for your lunch break.”
Fatty jogged after them, hastily shoving lumps of chocolate and sweets in his mouth, dropping the wrappers behind him. If the Rages did manage to get in, all they needed to do was follow Fatty’s leavings.
They reached the security room to find Donny was already there checking the monitors.
“How are we looking?” Dr. Beck said.
“It’s the hole,” Donny said, not taking his eyes off the screens. “About half a dozen of them entered the facility.”
“What about the rest?” Dr. Beck said.
“They’re just standing there,” Donny said. “Waiting for a sound to distract them.”
“What got their attention?” Lucy said.
“I don’t know,” Donny said. “The lights started flashing before I got here.”
“A spark, a noise, could be anything,” Dr. Beck said. “I didn’t want to do this now but it looks like we’re going to have to set charges.”
“I’ll do it,” Donny said.
“You set the charges outside the City, about half a mile out,” Dr. Beck said. “You’ll need to plant two. At least one hundred yards apart. We don’t want one setting off the other too early. Especially not if you’re still holding the second. The first one will get the Rages’ attention. They should—should—begin to leave, heading toward the noise created by the first charge. Once they’re outside the facility, I’ll set off my own charge, creating a rock slide and covering the hole once and for all. Of course, that will result in some much-unwanted Rage attention. That’ll be your cue to set off the second charge. In fact, wait for me to send you a message before you set it. I might need to set off two charges in case the first doesn’t work. The Rages ought to then follow your second charge. It’s better if you set them around this area.”
He brought up a map of the local area on one of the other screens. Dr. Beck pointed to a space directly adjacent to the valley where the Rages were threatening to enter the facility.
“How will I get there in time?” Donny said.
“We have vehicles,” Dr. Beck said.
“Seriously?” Donny said, excited. “Why didn’t you say that before?”
Dr. Beck shrugged.
“It never seemed particularly pressing,” he said.
“Cars and motorbikes might have been the one thing to wake our father from his coma!” Donny said.
“A car fan, I take it?” Dr. Beck said.
Donny rolled his eyes. “You don’t know the half of it.”
“Can we get on with this please?” Lucy said.
Dr. Beck and Donny shared a “and who made you the king of the shire?” expression.
“Getting back to the plan as instructed,” Dr. Beck said. “When you make your return trip, you ought to drive in a large arc. Have you driven a stick before?”
“I haven’t driven anything, ever,” Donny said.
“Take one of the automatics then,” Dr. Beck said. “Hit the gas and steer.”
“What about me?” Lucy said.
“You sit here,” Dr. Beck said, gesturing to the chair. “Do you see that door there?”
He pointed to the screen on the top left. It was aimed at a door that led into the facility.
“If one of those creatures gets too close, or looks like it’s building up the courage to enter, you let everyone know,” Dr. Beck said.
“What about me?” Fatty said, face still smothered with chocolate.
“You need to head down to the basement and watch that door,” Dr. Beck said. “If even just one of those things gets in here, it could be a huge problem.”
“I’ll do that,” Jamie said, entering the security room.
He was still panting from his exertion to get there. Fatty, despite himself, looked relieved.
“Where’s Dad?” Donny said.
He already knew the answer. He wanted to blame Jamie.
“In his private ward,” Jamie said.
“If those things get in here they’ll rip him to pieces,” Donny said. “Why don’t you think? He’s defenseless.”
“All right, calm down,” Dr. Beck said. “The hospital is located on the other side of the City. Even if one of those things gets in it’ll take a while for it to get to your father. In the meantime, we defend the entire City.”
He turned to Jamie and Fatty.
“Both of you go,” Dr. Beck said. “You’ve fought Rages before. So long as everything goes to plan, you’ll never have to engage them. But if you do, kill them fast. Take no chances.”
Jamie nodded with confidence. Fatty less so.
“Get what you need from the weapons department,” Dr. Beck said. “I suggest the old weapons, the ones you’re used to. They’re silent and will get the job done effectively. Smash the cases and take what you need. I’ll deactivate the security door from here.”
Dr. Beck took in his little team of defenders. He looked proud.
“As for me, I’m going to set the charge on the mountain,” he said. “Oh, and in case I need to make changes to the plan, take these.”
He opened a drawer and took out a handful of beepers. Handed one to each of them.
“I’ll set them to silent,” Dr. Beck said. “The last thing we need is for the Rages to hear them. Make sure to check them every couple of minutes. Any questions?”
The guys attached a beeper to their pants. No questions.
“All right then,” Dr. Beck said. “First stop, armoury. It’s in the Weapon Research Division.”
29.
DONNY ACTED nonchalant, unimpressed by the vast collection of weaponry. Dr. Beck could easily recall clearly his own slackjawed expression when he’d first laid eyes upon it.
“Grab whatever you need,” Dr. Beck said.
Jamie moved for a groovy-looking short sword with jewel-laden crossguard. Fatty, never one to do things by half, nor to be outdone, moved for an axe with a long handle. One swing with that baby and the Rages would fall in their droves. They might even collapse just looking at it.
“I’ll be in the security room,” Lucy said. “I don’t need a weapon.”
“Take one, just in case,” Jamie said.
He picked up a matching short sword and threw it on the floor, smashing its case. He picked it up, mindful of the glass shards, and handed it to her.
“Thanks,” Lucy said.
Her affection for Jamie was not lost on Dr. Beck.
“Donny, come with me,” he said, leading him to a single set of large drawers in the corner.
Opening one, Donny could see this was where they kept the real fireworks. C4, Claymore mines, and enough charges to bring down the Empire State building. Dr. Beck picked up two and handed them to Donny, then took another two for himself.
“You know how to use these?” he said.
“Set the timer and run,” Donny said.
“Concisely put,” Dr. Beck said. “Be careful with them. They can be highly volatile.”
They returned to the others.
“Is everyone clear of the plan?” Dr. Beck said. “If you’re not, speak now.”
Everyone was clear.
“All right then,” Dr. Beck said. “Everyone get into position.”
They exited the room and broke off, heading in their disparate directions.
“Jamie,” Donny said, calling after him.
His brother turned to look at him.
“Good luck,” Donny said.
30.
THE CITY was huge. No other way to describe it. Endless corridors led onto other corridors, that led onto yet more, sprouting outwards like some great tree. It was difficult even if Donny had a map—which he didn’t—and had to rely solely on the signposts helpfully posted at regular intervals.
Why Dr. Beck hadn’t thought to tell them about the vehicles they had stationed here before was beyond him. Donny could have left to visit the commune in no time. And the car itself was evidence of the City’s existence. He imagined the looks on the commune members’ faces. What would they make of it? In fact, what would they make of the City itself?
Things were beginning to look up for their little commune, as well as for those in the area. Donny pictured a sprawling City thriving and bubbling with activity, all survivors. It was about time they had an easier experience.
They would need to create some kind of structure. Leadership. Share their knowledge and skills. To be sure, it was a large vestment of Rages outside the City, but he’d seen—hell, he’d fought—a great many more Rages, all while armed with a great deal fewer weapons than they possessed at the City.
The vehicle service centre was located in the City’s basement. It was where he expected it to be. How else could they expect to get the vehicles outside? He continued to follow the signs. Finally, he came to an archway with the word, VEHICLE SERVICE STATION stencilled above it.
Damn. It required a passcard or code. Of course it did. Everywhere in this place did. He was about to turn back and locate Dr. Beck when the light above the door suddenly blinked green and slid open.
Gotta love electronic doors.
There were so many things you could do with these alone. No need for a man to stand there on duty day and night, no need for anything. . . so long as you didn’t forget your keycard. What a hassle that must have been back in the day.
Donny stepped inside the room. Automatic lights flickered to life and illuminated a large room. Everything in the City was big and oversized. What he saw there took his breath away.
Jackpot.
Motorcycles. So many it could have furnished half a small Reaver clan, though they weren’t the sit-up-and-beg style bikes the Reavers’ preferred. To be sure, there were some of those there too, but the majority were built for speed, with names Donny had never heard before.
Kawasaki.
Honda.
Suzuki.
Very foreign-sounding names to his ears. He wondered which part of the world they had come from. Places he couldn’t even begin to imagine, he thought.
And there were cars. Old cars. Blocky and beautiful. Others, newer and more powerful. Sporty. There were even larger vehicles referred to as buses and minivans. And even larger ones than that with a big hose pipe on the top. Shiny and red like something from another planet.
And then Donny fell in love. Now he understood his father’s passion when talking about these metal marvels of engineering.
He’d found the one that represented him. It drew him like a moth to a flame. The one he would drive out of this place.
A Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R.
He opened the shiny door and got inside. Shut the door behind himself, shutting out the world’s problems. The smell was fantastic. The feel of the wheel in front of him, luxurious. There were various buttons and dials. He ignored them all. To his left, within each reach, was a short stick. It couldn’t be that difficult to drive, surely.
The keys were already in the ignition. He turned them. The engine roared, then rumbled. Donny’s heart raced. He let out a childish chuckle. He couldn’t believe he was about to drive his very first car! And a Mustang no less!
His father had told him multiple stories about “shifting up and opening her up,” and “making the road beg for mercy.” It was accomplished by depressing the gas pedal, he understood. Donny pressed the gas. The engine roared but he didn’t move. He held onto the steering wheel, preparing for the car to bolt forward. Nope. Not an inch.
He tested the pedals. The gas. The brake. The third one didn’t seem to do anything, but it felt like he was pushing against something when he used it.
He summoned every memory he had of his father telling him driving stories and wished just one of them had been about how to drive rather than how it felt to do it.
31.
“WHY IS it always us that have to fight the Rages?” Fatty said. “Now, a ship, that’s the way to fight these things. From the air, out of harm’s way. No way they can harm us from up there. We could wipe them out easily.”
After The Fall (Book 2): The City Page 9