Tears form in his eyes, and I notice him biting his lip to stop from crying. “This project was a failure from the start. Playing God… that was Gerard’s idea. I was a simple carpenter, but he was always trying to expand. When he made Ava, I knew he had gone too far. He really loved that girl. So much so he wanted to give her her own story.”
He stands, shaking his head. He checks out a machine and groans loudly, hammering the edge of his fist against the screen, shattering it completely.
“What have we done?” he asks. “Not only will I lose you and the others. I’ll lose Gerard. My company will mean nothing. Just another space travel catalog for the wealthy elite to buy their toys.”
The entire room starts to shake. Smoke fills the room, and Elon quickly grabs a mask to filter out the fumes. “Don’t worry. I won’t leave you,” he says. “I know how hard this has been for you.”
“Ava...”
“Just know that I’m sorry. I’m just so terribly sorry.”
And then suddenly, it all stops. The sounds die down. The lights drop out. My body stops convulsing, and all the pain I just felt goes away.
At first, I wonder if I’m dead. But after a few seconds pass, I hear Elon’s scant breathing. “I’m sorry,” he says, again.
I’m struggling, but I manage to move my hand an inch. I try moving my leg without much luck, but after a few seconds of trying, I get somewhere. Of course, I’m a total train wreck.
I fall onto the floor, cables dragging out of my flesh. Elon jumps, back hitting the glass barrier. “What the… you’re supposed to be...”
“Dead?” I grumble. “Heard that before.”
Stunned, Elon runs over to one of the working hologram screens. He drags his finger near the light, clicking through a set of various commands. Finally, he pulls up an image. It’s a planet, a world I’ve never seen before.
He zooms in on the landscape, pinpointing where life exists on many planes of the map. After a few seconds of tinkering, he apparently sees something that startles him.
He gasps, tears falling from his panicked eyes. “My God,” he whispers. “It’s him.”
I try to stand, but I immediately stumble like a newborn first learning how to walk. My arms hit the bed, angling it against the ground. I let out a shrill noise as my pain receptors return to baseline.
And then I see what he’s seeing. Red text that reads: Gerard Lancaster. The Creator.
“He was right,” Elon says. “He’s fused with the simulation.”
Although the pain is excruciating, I can’t help but smile. He really did it.
“He got what he wanted,” I say. “Now it’s my turn.”
An alarm starts to ring above our heads, sharp and raw like a serrated blade. Elon looks up and shakes his head.
“I’m afraid your turn isn’t going to happen, old friend,” he says.
I stand and finally feel able to hold my position. I’m learning how to use my body in this place, albeit slowly.
“What do you mean?” I growl.
The automatic doors slide open. Red flashing lights wash over his face. He blinks and swallows. Something is troubling him, so I ask him again.
“What. Do. You. Mean?”
This time, I’ve got my hand reaching for my neck, so he gives it to me quick. “Ava,” he stutters. “She… She didn’t come back.”
I nearly lose my balance again, but his throat sure keeps me steady. “You better be joking.”
Elon isn’t a bad guy, but I’m not doing this run-around-the-maze bullshit anymore. I’m not leaving without her in my arms.
I want that sunset. I want that kiss.
I want her fuck.
Now.
He chokes, but I’m barely even squeezing. “Please,” he says. “I tried to help you both. Tried to warn you of what might happen.”
I tighten my grip. “Don’t patronize me.”
“Okay, okay,” he cries. “I’ll help you. Just let me go.”
I ease off. “Talk.”
He swallows and rubs his hand over the red fingerprints around his neck, coughing. “Look, Gerard never told me what would happen after this. But if she’s anywhere, she’ll be in the server room,” he says. “There’s door inside that leads into the simulation. It’s not far. I’ll show you.”
He starts for the automatic doors, but I grab the edge of his shirt. The truth is, I don’t know what this world has in store for me. For all I know, it’s crueler than the one I was just in. I’m not worried, but I’m not stupid either.
One false move, and I could lose everything.
Ava, my family, this brave new world… Everything.
“If you fuck this up for me, I’ll kill you. And there won’t be another world you mysteriously wake up inside. You’ll just be dead. Got it?” I grunt.
He nods his head, sweat falling from his forehead. “Got it.”
Above us, the sprinklers turn on, soaking the computers, lab equipment, and everything else in the room. That’s our cue to leave, so we run through the hallway, enter another set of automatic doors, and then we hit the server room.
The doors close.
Everything is quiet, spare the muffled noises coming from behind us. It’s cold in here. Ice cold.
“This is it,” he says, thrusting his arms around a metal barricade. “This is where you were born.”
Thousands of servers sit in working order. Row upon row, stacked like headstones in a graveyard. I step down and exhale, breathe visible.
I get it. I’m somewhere inside here. Me, a script of active code. Everything I did inside that world was pre-determined, but out here, there are added variables.
I am defying the laws of nature.
Right?
Or am I doing exactly what I was supposed to do? Did Gerard plan these movements too?
“Which one am I?” I ask.
He comes up beside me, pausing near an opening in the rows. “Right here,” he says. “Server number two. My creation.”
“I’m not all you. I’ve got Gerard in me, too,” I say.
I walk up to the black box, and I can feel the electricity cause my hairs to rise. The surface is smooth, mirroring my dark, monstrous reflection.
I place my hand against the top, feeling the soft tingle of incredible processing power. I move my arm, and it seems to whirr louder.
And then I feel Elon grab that arm, softly squeezing. “Don’t do it,” Elon says. “Don’t be a hero.”
I was designed to be a villain, but I broke the rules. All I want is to be a hero, but only if I have her.
Elon doesn’t get it. I’m not a role model. I’m burning the system down with a smile on my face. Tonight, this all ends.
All of it.
At first, I remain calm. I’m just looking at what they’ve made here. In a way, it’s fascinating. But it’s also my life, my hopes, and my dreams. Something like this should not exist.
“I understand,” I whisper.
He exhales, sharply. “Oh, thank God. Gerard wouldn’t want this,” he says.
He still doesn’t get it, but I do. You see, I’m learning with every second that passes. It’s all an extraordinary lesson.
I raise my arm again, clenching my fist until it’s hard as stone. “I understand what I have to do.”
Elon’s eyes widen, reflection distorted on the surface of my server. “No. Please, Kalxor. You can’t do this.”
But I can. I can do anything because they programmed me to act powerful. They programmed me to destroy anything that comes between Ava and I’s love. That includes Elon.
“I have to destroy myself,” I say. “I have to destroy all of it.”
I crash my fist into that metal, crushing it like a tin can. Sparks fly, and the box grows hot. The acrid smell of electricity rushes through my nose, reminding me of who I really am and what I’ve become. Driving me crazy.
I smash through it again. And again.
And again, until my fists are a bloody, bruised mess. I roar a
nd charge through another row, ripping through thick cables with my teeth. Every bit of rage I concealed around Ava, I let out onto this room.
I allow my anger to rise into an unstoppable crescendo, and there’s nothing Elon can do to stop me. His creation is over.
Well, at least, somewhat over. I should be dead. But I’m not.
When I open a door at the back-end of the room, I see my world again. It’s blinking, moving in and out of focus like a broken hologram set. Finally, the power drops out, and the world is dark.
Elon stumbles behind me, weeping like a sour child. “What have you done?”
I pant, feeling guilt sweep over me. I’ve destroyed it. It’s a wonderful thing. It has to be a wonderful thing…
But as the darkness settles, a new image appears. There are at least one hundred ground troops, weapons drawn, automatic and deadly. Red lasers circle around my body, darting in my vision.
I blink and focus on them, weighing my options very carefully. It’s not looking good. They wear tactical gear and pristine body armor, each holding no expression whatsoever.
One soldier leans into his radio comms device. “Target acquired. Requesting to open fire.”
I read their badges. Earth Federation. AI Unit.
“Elon,” I whisper. “What the fuck is going on?”
He inches back as the unit closes in on us. “I told you to follow me,” he says. “We needed to be careful.”
My body tightens. Panic riddles my mind. “Where is Ava?” I ask. “Where is my family?”
Elon’s Adam’s Apple darts up and down as he swallows. Slowly, he raises one finger and points.
“Behind them.”
I see her, the woman I love. The woman I was meant to be with throughout eternity. One soldier throws her to the ground, kicks her, and cackles with laughter. When she echoes his movements with a painful gasp, the violent brute aims his rifle at her head.
“Stay down,” he says.
“Ava!” I scream.
“Kalxor, just do what they say,” she mutters.
My heart floods with loving endorphins, but they are cut off when another soldier brings in my family.
They want me to react. They want to kill me.
What am I going to do?
I thought the end would be easier. I wished for a happy ending.
That kiss. That sunset. As cheesy as it sounds, it would have meant everything to me.
Instead, I got this.
The darkest night of my life.
But I’m not done fighting for her.
No way. No how.
15
Ava
I do not understand where I am.
I am sprawled on the floor, restrained by tightly wound, zip-ties like I’m some dangerous prisoner. My eyes twist, dizzying me.
“She’s awake,” a voice says.
I open and close my eyes in rapid succession, blinking so hard it actually hurts. At first, I wonder if I’m still in the simulation. But when I look up, I see stern faces, thick helmets with bulletproof eye-protection, and Earth Federation grade weaponry.
No, I’m not inside the simulation. That game is over and done with. I’m in the real world now.
Home sweet fucking home.
All the courage I gained inside that place wears off as soon as one of those violent thugs knocks the butt of his rifle against my cheek. I slide across the floor, pain shooting through my skull down to the nerves in my toes.
The group of soldiers laugh. “Morning, sweetie-pie. Have a nice nap?”
I furrow my brow, inhaling. “Where am I?” I ask.
Another boot to the stomach causes me to hurl. Fuck. I didn’t expect to wake up like this. I held onto faith that the bond I shared with Kalxor would be enough to connect us again on the outside.
Apparently, I was wrong.
“Look at her squirm,” the soldier taunts. “No alien to save her now.”
“Robot fucker,” another grunts and guffaws.
Elon’s not in bed with the Earth Federation. He hates the government. I’d pry for more answers if I didn’t expect them to abuse me more.
Turns out, they’re going to do that regardless of what I say.
The head soldier bends and grabs a bunch of my hair, twisting his fingers deep to get a lot a lock on me. Searing pain tugs at my scalp, forcing my jaw open.
He pulls me onto my feet and looks at me, dead in the eyes.
“Tell me. Did you enjoy fucking that beast?” he asks.
I don’t reply, and I’m trying my hardest not to tear up. I’ve felt a lot of pain, but I’m not sure I can handle any more.
Another armed, black-booted soldier meanders around me. “Are you deaf? He asked you a question.”
I bite the center of my tongue until my jaw darts open.
“Yes,” I whisper. “Now, please stop abusing me.”
Another round of laughter and snide comments, taunts to break me down, so they can get inside my head.
I can’t believe I wanted to leave my father’s simulated world. Wherever he is right now, it must be better than where I am.
The officer in charge pushes me toward a door. When it opens, I know exactly where I am. I see the grand staircase that once led to an enchanted forest full of wild animals, hunters, and cultists. However, all of that has seemed to disappear. I’m standing in a giant warehouse, empty and devoid of any and all life.
“System’s malfunctioned,” he says. “I’m going to need you to fix it.”
My breath quickens, chest seizing up at every opportunity. Me? Fix this by myself? There’s no way.
“Why me?” I ask.
The officer shoves me, knocking my ankles out from under me. I rack my kneecaps against the concrete and wince.
“Your father signed a contract with the Federation,” he says. “But it appears he has… disappeared.”
Disappeared? That means he never got out. He did what he promised he’d do. He let the world swallow him whole.
Did Kalxor escape?
Please tell me he escaped…
“My father hated me. He tricked me into coming here,” I say. “He tried to kill me.”
The officer forces his fingers around my chin. He pinches so hard I fall back. He doesn’t let go, and his breath stinks, hot, near my face.
“Don’t lie to your government,” he warns.
He lets stands over me, rolling his rifle against his chest.
“What makes you think I’m lying?” I ask.
“We know all about your time with Kalxor. We know your father brought you there to validate your life experiences. Frankly, I don’t give a shit. None of that information is what we’ve been ordered to take,” he says.
I feel a tear roll from my eye, so I bend my head and stare at the floor. “Then what is it you want?” I ask.
“Your father is somewhere inside that thing, but we can’t find a way in,” he says.
“It collapsed,” I admit. “The entire fucking simulation caved in on itself.”
He shakes his head and paces the room. “No,” he growls. “It isn’t destroyed. It turned into an all-knowing machine.”
A what?
I actually laugh, despite the danger of doing so in front of such an audience. “Do you know what you’re saying?” I ask. “You’re describing a deterministic system. A monolith of massive proportions. A God machine...”
“Yes,” he says. “And your father, the architect, has betrayed his planetary obligation. We need that system to continue our understanding of the universe. We need it to help people, Ava. Don’t you understand?”
His boots stop before my eyes, enough shine and shimmer to reflect my image back at me.
I’m bruised. Welts cover my face. Yes, they’ve done a number on me. And they wish to inflict more pain.
“You don’t want to help people,” I say. “You want to enslave people. You want to rob people of life, love, and freedom.”
The officer grinds his teeth. “Everyone has
a plan. Your father knew that best,” he says.
I can’t believe I’m going to say what I’m about to say.
“My father was kind hearted. You are nothing but a cog in the machine.”
I expect the next blow. This time, it doesn’t hurt as bad.
I feel courage rise within my chest. It helps me stand. It helps me face them.
“Are you saying you won’t help us dig through the system source code?” he asks.
“I’m saying go fuck yourself,” I mutter.
The officer chuckles softly, and I expect to feel another blow. Except, it doesn’t happen. And when another soldier steps up to the plate, the man puts out his hand to block him.
“No more. She’ll be useless if we kill her,” he says.
The soldier to his side looks angered he never got his turn on me. “But sir, she refuses to comply.”
“Of course she refuses,” the officer says. “She’s cyborg scum, programmed by Gerard himself. I never expected her to obey our orders, and neither did the chain of command.”
I suck in a quick breath. It’s suddenly freezing in this room. “If you knew I wouldn’t follow orders, why demand it in the first place?” I ask.
“I thought it possible you came installed with a voice of reason. Turns out I was wrong,” he says.
And then he bends his radio comms device toward his mealy mouth. He barks into the radio. “How far are they?”
A voice rings back. “Scientists just fled. Servers are overloading as we speak. Find the girl?”
Who’s he calling girl?
He nods. “Got her with me now.”
“Good,” the voice says. “Keep her there. Elon doesn’t know it, but he’s leading him right to your squad. Sit tight.”
The officer glares at me, and I immediately feel like I’m going to be sick. My stomach lurches, and I vomit across his boots.
The officer’s mouth twists with anger, nostrils widening with disgust. He presses the radio button once more. “Keep his family near. If they act up, shoot their blue heads off.”
Kalxor’s family… I can hardly believe my ears.
He wanted to be with them again so bad. All the memories he thought were fake, he got to return to. But a cruel twist of fate has taken them away again.
Alien Beast: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance Page 14