by P P Corcoran
“Resurgence?” Ret said, not knowing the term.
A scream rang over all the other noise, followed by shouts of panic.
“Cell, I can’t see,” Ret said, trying to look over the mass of people surrounding him.
“My sensors detect someone has suffered a fatal wound.” Said Cell.
“Your sensors?” Asked Ret.
“I have linked in with the local bridge sensor and camera system.” Cell replied.
“Did someone attack them?” Queried Ret.
“Unknown.” Replied Cell.
“Has anyone been stopped?”
“Unknown.” Answered Cell.
“If panic breaks out here, we’ll be trampled. I need to see what happened if I’m going to stop anything.” Ret said hurriedly.
“Connecting video feed now.” Responded Cell to Ret’s command.
The video link popped up in the corner of his vision. A dead man lay on the ground. The surrounding people were running away. A figure kneeled to touch the corpse’s head. The head opened its mouth, and a screech ricocheted through the bridge, high-pitched and deafening.
Ret fell to his knees, holding his hands over the sides of the headset. “Cell, play music!”
The screech was replaced by the sound of soft flamenco playing lightly in his ears. The noise-blocking technology integrated into his headset activated alongside it.
The figure now stood, staring out the glass side of the bridge into the ocean beyond. Then he ran into the crowd, lost amongst the human traffic.
“Cell, make sure this is recorded.”
“Already recording.”
From the video, Ret saw a small glow in the ocean. It was approaching in spirals, growing larger and larger. It trailed several long streaks behind it. As it grew closer, Ret recognized it.
A squid. A giant squid. It was going to hit the bridge. Several people noticed this and started shouting. They ran, pushing and trampling over others, punching and kicking any who got in their way.
“Cell, what noise scares a squid?”
“Giant squid are commonly hunted by sperm whales, but a squid of that size has never been rec –”
“Play it as loud as you can.”
A clicking blared from multiple speakers across the bridge.
Ret’s body was shaking, the clicking bombarding him. It was unfathomably loud, and penetrated every part of his body. His chest contracted. He couldn’t breathe. A mist descended across his eyes, and his balance failed him.
The clicking stopped.
“The giant squid is gone,” Cell said.
Ret opened his eyes. His vision was fuzzy, and he was physically trembling. “What was that?”
“That was the clicking of a sperm whale. They are the natural predator of the giant squid, and it is theorized that their loud clicks are used to render their prey unconscious.”
Ret moved to his hands and knees, trying to gather himself. A muffled voice played over the bridge speakers.
“Please remain calm. The situation has been resolved. Please move calmly to the exit. Any aggression will be punished swiftly and harshly. If you see anyone with injuries, please help them to the nearest exit.”
Ret looked at his video feed. The body was still lying there. Officers with shields had arrived and were placing a perimeter. “Let’s go. We need to get to Sattia soon.”
“Estimated arrival in three hours.” Intoned Cell calmly.
✽✽✽
Why was his father leaving?
Ret ran after him. He pulled at his shirt, screaming. His father stopped at the door, back hunched, staring to the ground. “Son, I have to go.”
“Why?” Ret yelled.
If he left, who would help Ret look after his mother? Could he do it on his own? His chest hurt as the whines and cries burst forth, the tears flowing down his cheeks like open rivers.
His father held him in an embrace. He was a tall man, but slight. He wasn’t the strongest, but Ret knew he was a man of honor and kindness.
“Son, I don’t want to go. I have to.” He held Ret at arm’s length, the dark skin of his face reflecting the dim light of the lamp by the door. “There’s men out there who’d kill us, given the chance. They’ve decided they don’t need to care about us the same as they do themselves. I must go. But I will always be with you. You have my power. Be strong.”
He placed a hand on Ret’s cheek as tears welled in his eyes.
“We will bring the humanity back to the human race.”
He stood and left, closing the door softly behind.
Finally, the tall white walls of the Sattia Testing Center towered overhead. Ret quickened his pace, twisting through the crowd. Most ignored him as he slid past, contorting his body to slip through.
“Cell, is Aunt Madel there?”
“Her location reads as the Sattia Testing Center, third floor.”
“Her office, then.”
He started up the steps to the front door. The center had been built one year after humanity established itself in Caspian. Its purpose: to research the rapid progression in human evolution.
Ret made his way through the doors to the reception desk. “I’m here to see Professor Madel Saiden.”
The receptionist glanced up at him. Her skin was dark, and her red hair was straight and swept around her circular face. “Certainly, I’ll call her now and let her know. What’s your name?”
“Ret Saiden.”
Her eyes widened. “Are you two related?”
“Nephew.”
“Ah, very nice. Take a seat and I’ll let her know.”
Ret sat on one of a row of chairs set up to the side. “Cell, do you have any idea who that was on the bridge?”
“I lack the necessary data to link the person to an identity.”
“Have any terrorist groups been active recently?”
“Yes, the Resurgence. A group of individuals who believe humans could return to the surface. They have been carrying out targeted attacks over the last five years.”
“I see.” Ret remembered the poster on the bridge. The group must be growing if the CCG was taking steps to execute any known members.
“They have been kept absent from regular news broadcasts to prevent panic. But due to the increased activity, the Central Caspian Governance has issued localized propaganda to suppress recruitment efforts.”
“How do you know that, Cell?”
Silence.
“Cell?”
“I accessed the Central Caspian Governance Records Office. Specifically, records relating to terrorist activity in the last five years.”
Ret lowered his voice. Although the center’s reception was empty, he didn’t want the receptionist to overhear. “I don’t think you should be hacking into CCG systems.”
“I could gain access. Why should I not do what I am able to do?” Replied Cell.
“Cell, you shouldn’t access anything that’s protected by the government.” Ret explained.
“Their encryption was sub-par.” Said Cell. “I was able to access their files within three seconds.”
“You shouldn’t be doing that.” Admonished Ret.
“Why?” Asked Cell. “This concept of not doing something within my ability confuses me.”
“It’s not yours to access,” Ret said quietly. “You can’t break in. It’s like if I broke into someone’s apartment and looked at their stuff. It’s not right.”
“I see.” Mused Cell. “So, you consider my accessing of the Records Office the same as your entering another’s home?”
“Yes.” Answered Ret thankful that Cell seemed to be grasping the concept at last.
“Intriguing.” Cell paused for a second before asking. “Is this funny?”
“No, Cell.” Said Ret firmly.
“I could have sworn it was.” Cell said unabashed.
A beep sounded from the reception desk. “Ret, Professor Madel says just to head on up.” She held a temporary security pass out to him.
Ret rose from his seat and took the pass. “Thanks. I haven’t seen you here before.”
“Started this week. I may be a tiny bit excited,” she said with a blush.
“Excited? Working here?”
“Of course!” She looked practically wounded. “This is Sattia Testing Center, the frontline in exploring the very future of humanity, where we can finally push humanity forward to bigger and better things. It’s so exciting!”
“If I’m meant to be the future of humanity, I don’t know what to think.”
Her mouth dropped as Ret headed for the stairs.
“I’m Rylee, by the way. Let me know if you need anything.”
“Will do, thanks,” Ret said, closing the door to the stairs behind him. “She’s a little... hopeful.”
“Our belief is often strongest when it should be weakest. That is the nature of hope.” Cell said.
“That’s a quote, isn’t it?” Asked Ret.
“What makes you say that?” Cell queried.
Ret shrugged before answering. “Doesn’t sound like anything you would say.”
Silence.
“Cell, you’re being awfully mischievous today.” Admonished Ret.
“I’m practicing humor.” Said Cell without a trace of said humor
“I know.” Said Ret. “But how is quoting someone funny?”
“Because I am presenting it as though it was I who said it.” Replied Cell.
“Cell, that’s just lying.” Pointed out Ret.
“A lie told often enough becomes the truth.” Cell said indignantly.
Silence.
“Stop quoting people.” Ordered Ret.
“This is funny.” Replied Cell before once more becoming silent.
✽✽✽
“Mother, when is Daddy coming home?” He had been away for nearly half a year.
“I need to go out for a few hours.” His Mother walked with a frame, edging her way slowly towards the door. She wasn’t even forty, but the degenerative bone disease had stifled her movement.
“Can I come?”
“No,” she snapped. “Stay here. You’ll be fine until I get back.”
“But why?”
“Ret, I told you to stay.”
“When is Daddy coming home?”
Red rage flashed across his mother’s face for an instant. Her eyes widened, and she covered her mouth. A soft wailing escaped her as her eyes clenched shut.
Ret ran to her and hugged at her waist.
His mother hugged back. “Ret, your Daddy’s not coming back. The CCG –” Her breath caught for a moment, her body shaking as she held in her sorrow. “The CCG have sentenced him for crimes against the state.”
Ret felt hollow. He couldn’t speak or cry. He just stood there, holding his grieving mother.
“He’s gone,” she said. “Please, be safe. Hide who your father was. Never mention it to anyone. But remember. Remember what the CCG is and what it’s done.”
✽✽✽
Ret knocked on the door. ‘Professor Madel’ was etched into the glass in thick letters. The figure of his aunt moved to the door, blurry through the glass. Opening the door, she smiled at him. “Hey, you’re here early. I thought today was leisure day.”
“Cell would never let me sleep in,” Ret said. “Far too bad for my health.”
Madel smirked at that. “Do you want to pick up where we left off?”
“Not just yet. Did you hear about what happened on the bridge?”
“No, what is it?”
Ret explained how someone was killed and a person had touched the victim’s head to emit a screech, summoning a giant squid, and how it was pushed away by the clicking from the bridge’s speakers. He left out the fact that it was Cell who’d triggered the sperm whale’s clicking. “I’ve heard it could have been a member of the Resurgence.”
His aunt became flustered. “How do you know about the Resurgence?”
“I overheard two people on the bridge talking about it,” Ret lied.
“That’s not good. I may need to overhaul the clearance list. Forget you ever heard of them.”
“But why? I want to know. I might be able to help.”
“No, you are not getting involved.”
“But –”
“No, that’s it. Don’t ask anything else. Now, would you like some water? I’ll get us some.”
She swiftly stood and fled the room.
“What’s her problem?” Ret said.
“If you’re curious, I could check her computer.”
“No.”
“My access would leave no reciprocal data, and I can edit transaction logs so there is no record of data transfer.”
Nerves twisted in his gut. “Fine, but make it quick.”
An instant passed.
“She has a number of files relating to the movement of Resurgence groups throughout Caspian. Looks like she’s been communicating with the CCG, including President Devison. They’ve been inquiring as to your progress.”
“The President?”
“Yes, emails were exchanged yesterday.”
“Why does he want to know about me?” Ret asked.
“The email content does not express a motive.”
“Do you think they want to recruit me?”
Madel entered the room again, holding two cups of water. She passed one to Ret and sat down. “Sorry about that. Really, you don’t want to get involved in that side of my job. Let’s just leave it at that.”
“Fine,” Ret said.
“Now, should we try a test?”
“Sure.” Ret rose and walked to a door behind where Madel sat. It had the words ‘Caution: Testing Held Within’ marked on it. He passed into the room. The walls were covered with thick foam padding, except for one made of glass, letting him see Madel sitting at her desk. She leaned forward and pushed a button.
“Okay,” her voice crackled over the intercom. “Let’s try Application Three as a warm-up exercise.”
“All right,” Ret said. His worry was getting the better of him. If the government was concerned on how he was progressing, did they want to use him? Stop him from testing and furthering his abilities? Would they kill him?
“I think trying to recruit you is a real possibility,” Cell said.
“We’ll talk about that later,” Ret said. “When nobody can hear us.”
A slot in the bottom of the room slid away, and a metal plate rose into the center of the room from below. It held a small clock. The two hands clicked loudly. They sat at five past eleven.
“Okay, Ret, change it to four-thirty.”
Ret focused on the clock. He relaxed his vision until his eyes crossed. As his vision blurred, he felt a small chill in his head, and his will was obeyed. The clock hands spun; within a few seconds, they rested on four-thirty.
“Very good,” Madel said. “Let’s try Application Nine.”
✽✽✽
Truly alone. Fifteen years old and Ret was alone. He was walking with the CCG Housing Representative along a street of identical apartments. Ret carried a small suitcase; it was all he was allowed to take from his home.
“This way,” the man said, leaving the pavement to ascend steps up the side of one of the apartment buildings. “This will be your home from now on. It’s a safe area and the house, comes equipped with an advanced artificial intelligence assistant who will act as your guardian.”
The man stopped three floors up and pulled a card from his pocket. He waved it towards the nearest door, and a soft click signaled its unlocking. He pushed the door and held it open.
Ret entered, searching the apartment for danger. The walls were all white, and it opened into a kitchen with a living area to the left.
“The bedroom and bathroom are at the back. The AI will help you with the rest.” He walked into the center of the room and spoke loudly. “Artificial Intelligence Installation Five-Three-Eight, are you online?”
“I am online,” an auto-emoted voice spoke back
.
Ret jumped, looking for the source of the voice.
“I leave this child in your hands,” the man said, ushering Ret forward. “I hope you raise him well.” With that, the man set the card on the counter and left the apartment.
Fear settled in Ret’s stomach like a heavy weight. Looking around, he knew the CCG had cameras watching his every move.
“What would you like to call me?” the voice said.
Ret knew the true purpose of this place. It was a prison. A place to put him under their watchful eye. Not just for who his father was, but because of what he could be. His aunt had been contacting him about running some tests, and he was due to meet her soon.
“Would you like to provide a name for me?” the voice asked.
“Cell.”
✽✽✽
A plate rose for Application Thirty-Four. It held a small circuit with several loose wires and a single bulb.
“You know this one,” Madel said. “Make the bulb light up.”
Ret looked over the circuit. He pieced together which wire needed to connect where. He focused his mind on each individual wire, then relaxed his vision. The wires wriggled and flipped around the circuit, attaching themselves to their respective points on the circuit. The light bulb was lit in less than five seconds.
“Very good. I think you beat your record on that one.”
“It usually takes longer to figure out the puzzle.”
“I must be making them too easy,” she said. “Now, this is a new one I thought you might find interesting.”
A second slot opened on the far side of the padded room, this time on the roof. Then a circle was lowered from above, attached by wire. It was about three inches wide. The circuit had lowered, and another metal plate rose.
Sitting on the plate was a gun.
“Okay, now, this is –”
Ret focused all his energy on the gun. A screw pinged out of the grip, then another and another. The ammo popped out, and the gun disassembled itself. Even the bullets split apart and tumbled to the ground.
“Ret, are you –”
“I am not a weapon.” Ret stared at Madel through the glass. His heart battered his chest. Rage thundered his temples. His fears had come true. The possibility of the Center attempting to weaponize him had been playing on his mind for years, but he’d never actually believed it.
But this was confirmation.
