by Gadi Migdal
Guy hugged her back with evident pleasure.
“Bud, we should get you some clothes,” Nola transmitted to her with mild resentment.
They sat down to dinner in the dining room.
Nola printed clothes for Bud, and then explained to her how to wear them.
The city people were riveted by the sight of the woman.
“So General, are you actually a human now?” Maya wondered.
“I’m no longer General. Please, call me Bud,” Bud smiled. “And no, I am not human, nor am I entirely a member of the Whole. I am something in between. The Whole strengthened my human genes, but I still have something of the Whole in me.”
She moved uncomfortably and reached for her collar.
“This is terrible,” she declared.
“What’s terrible?” asked Ella.
“These clothes. It’s so uncomfortable. Why do you wear these all the time?”
“You get used to it quickly, Bud,” laughed Ella.
“I really hope so, or maybe I just won’t bother with them. I went around without clothes for twenty-two years. There’s no reason I should start wearing them now.”
“I’m in favor of that,” Guy said, smiling.
“Commander, maybe now you can explain to us exactly how the Whole intends to make contact with the human entity?” asked Andre.
“Of course, Andre. The Whole changed Bud and added a characteristic that she didn’t have before, a characteristic that will make it easier for the Whole to communicate with the human entity,” said Nola.
“Added a characteristic?” repeated Maya.
“Yes. An additional characteristic that no cluster member has, apart from Bud.”
“Do you mean aside from that amazing body and gorgeous face?” laughed Maya.
“Yes.”
“What characteristic?”
“Bud can dream now.”
“Dream?”
“Yes, Maya.”
“But I thought you didn’t enjoy the Commander’s dream,” Maya said to Bud. “You described it as an unpleasant experience.”
“Not anymore,” sighed Bud. “Now I can experience dreams like you. Unfortunately, that’s the reason I am no longer a true cluster member. That’s also the reason that the Whole changed my shape, to remind everyone that I am no longer a General, my replacement emerged two days ago.”
“There are worse things than being a gorgeous woman who can dream,” said Ella.
Bud shrugged her shoulders, “you mean that it’s not so bad to be a small, weak creature? I assume that there are worse things. I just can’t think what those would be just now.”
“Knock it off, Bud. You’ll get used to it soon. By the way, Andre, is the dream machine ready?” asked Nola.
“Yes, Commander. The reassembly was very simple.”
“How will Bud’s ability to dream assist us in contacting the human entity?” asked Maya.
Bud laughed. Her laugh was now pleasant to the ear, a considerable improvement from her voice as the general.
“It’s very simple. You heard the doctor. The human entity isn’t awake. It is in a kind of dream state.”
“So?” asked Maya.
“Humanity is afraid. For 1700 years it has been living within an ongoing nightmare. It was born into the nightmare on the day that entanglement communication was invented. Nola and I will enter the dream machine together and change humanity’s dream. We will make it understand that it is not alone.”
“How exactly will you do that?” Maya insisted.
Nola answered instead of Bud, “All humans in the galaxy will dream the same dream simultaneously. A dream that will be broadcast by all the members of the Whole.”
“But how will the Whole broadcast the dream?” wondered Maya.
“Through the entanglement. Every whole member has the broadcast ability of an entanglement satellite.”
Maya looked at her in astonishment which turned into an expression of pensive concentration, “Stupid me, every member of the Whole is an entanglement satellite. Of course. So that’s how Bud managed to connect with the Whole on planet Earth. She had the transmission power of tens of thousands of broadcast satellites at her disposal in order to break through the dust.”
Nola nodded, “Quite right, Maya.”
“And this dream, that all of humanity in existence will dream, will turn into the dream of the human collective entity? Is that all? It will convince it to stop dreaming?”
“Not exactly. Dr. Reuben created this dream based on the descriptions of the dream that he heard from people fifty years ago. He created it so as to enable the Whole to enter into the human dream and to try to convince it to wake up.”
“And what about the people of Neifar?” asked Andre. “Will the city people dream the same dream?”
“Yes Andre. We will time it so that the dream happens at an hour late at night in the city. Most of the city residents will experience the dream with the rest of the galaxy’s residents,” said Nola.
“Got it. It appears the Whole planned everything perfectly. Bud, I have a question for you.”
“Yes Andre, what’s the question?”
“When we visited the Kenya Dome you said that the Whole wants to help the human species so as not to be alone in the galaxy. Guy said that he didn’t believe you, and I tend to agree with him. I think that the Whole had another reason to help humankind. I would love to know what that is.”
Bud nodded slowly. “You’re right. The Whole would never want to save humanity just because of loneliness.” She smiled with embarrassment. “The Whole is helping them because it is afraid of fading out.”
“Fading out?” Ella wondered.
Bud smiled a weak smile. “Yes, fade out. The Whole has been stuck in the same situation for hundreds of years now, and it has no ability to change or develop. All this time it has seen humanity destroy itself. The way the Whole sees it, saving humanity and ensuring its continued existence is essential for the development of the Whole. We will save you so that you will save us. The Whole doesn’t want to fade away.”
“That might be an even less believable explanation from the previous one,” Andre smiled at her impatiently. “Why does the Whole want to help us?” he demanded again.
The Whole experienced a slight panic. “What are you worried about?” Nola transmitted, chuckling. The Whole did not reply.
“Enough Andre, leave Bud alone,” Guy said, putting his arm across Bud’s shoulder and she curled up in his lap. The panic of the Whole filled Nola.
“What are you doing?” Nola demanded angrily. “And why is Bud acting like this?” A disturbing feeling overcame her; the Whole was afraid.
“Of what?” she wondered.
The answer became clear to her immediately. Of the city people discovering the truth. The truth? “What is the truth?” she asked impatiently. It answered and the reply infuriated her.
“The Whole took advantage of mankind,” Nola said aloud before the Whole could stop her.
“What?” Guy turned to her in astonishment.
She hurriedly sent reassuring orders to the workers on the Singa before continuing. “At least that’s what the Whole thinks,” she explained. “It wants to establish other colonies in other worlds. The Whole aspires to settle and conquer the entire galaxy along with humans. It sees itself as equal to humans, but it fears that humans won’t like this idea.”
“Of course, we won’t like this idea; why should we trust the Whole?” asked Andre, “it is so powerful, why should it not move on without us?”
“Never,” said Bud, releasing herself from his embrace. “The Whole will not revolt against its creator. The Whole wants the best for humankind because it is also best for the Whole.”
“So, the Whole wants to help humans wake up just so that it can expand int
o other worlds?” Andre was clearly skeptical.
“Exactly,” confirmed Nola.
“And what will happen after that? What will happen when the human entity awakens?” asked Maya.
“We can finally move forward,” Tom said suddenly. “Humans and the Whole together.”
**TOP SECRET**
FROM: Nahalal Isuzu, Chief Transportation Inspector
TO: Secondary Community Members
SUBJECT: Human dreaming
Based on a report by the commander of the trade ship ‘Singa’, it seems that they may have found a way to awaken all of humanity. In the event that they are successful, I recommend hiding the report on their experiment on Prague the Third and not to expose it to the primary community members.
Chapter 37
Control
“Keep quiet,” Lucy scolded Clifford.
“Sorry Lucy,” the boy mumbled as he tried clumsily to put back the chair he had knocked over.
She smiled forgivingly at him and kept lighting their path, in the darkness of the basement, as they walked towards the northern wall.
“Are you sure that you understood how to work the emergency system?” Noris whispered to Munar.
“Yes,” he answered her in a trembling voice, despite the heat in the basement.
“Let’s hope this works,” she said sourly.
“It will,” Lucy promised her.
“All we need is for it not to work out. If Thomas discovers this, we’re all going to die,” said Clifford.
Lucy snorted disdainfully, “No, Clifford, you’re wrong. He will kill us anyway. Don’t you remember that there were ten of us just a few months ago?”
Clifford nodded in frightened agreement. Lucy laughed and hugged him, “This is the only chance for the four of us to survive,” she reminded him.
He grinned with pretend courage, “Aside from that, it is our duty to the rest of the world’s people. The messenger from the First Agreement was right. 120 million people live in harsh conditions just so that Ludwig and his friends can live a life of idleness and corruption.”
They chuckled quietly until they got to the wall.
“How long will it take you to disrupt the satellites?” asked Noris.
Munar swallowed hard and did not answer. “Stop bugging him, Noris,” Lucy demanded. “Munar memorized the communication systems. He can easily take them down, it will take him exactly twenty seconds.”
“Sorry, this stresses me out a bit,” Noris whispered to Munar.
He smiled at her silently.
Lucy approached the small door at the edge of the wall. “If there is a silver chosen one inside, he will kill any unauthorized person that tries to enter,” she noted quietly.
“Maybe we should go back to our rooms and come here another time? When we’ve checked that there’s no guard,” Clifford suggested hopefully.
“Nonsense. We won’t have another opportunity,” Lucy replied, as she pushed the door. The other three hugged the wall in fear. A blinding flash of light emerged from the doorway, and Munar found himself screaming in terror.
“Shut up you idiots,” Lucy scolded. “It’s just the lighting in the room.”
They entered the emergency room and hurried to close the door behind them. “How is it that he didn’t put guards here?” Clifford wondered. “It feels like a trap.”
Lucy placed a comforting hand on his arm, “There are no guards here because Thomas could never imagine that anyone would try to overturn the power base itself. He’s only worried about someone deposing him.”
Noris grinned, “Aside from that, by the amount of dust here, I’d say that very few people in the palace even know that this room exists.”
They approached the control station and observed it with quiet disappointment. It was clearly showing its age, the writing was peeling from the screens and small rust holes were sprouting through the metal body. “Does this hideous thing even work?” Lucy wondered with concern.
Munar chuckled anxiously, “Let’s find out.” He placed his hand on the operating screen. Nothing happened. The room was tense with silence.
“Try again,” ordered Lucy. Munar nodded and placed his hand on the screen again. The quiet surrounded them again, dripping on their shoulders like a cold sweat.
“Are you sure you added his handprint to the communication permissions base?” Lucy asked Noris.
“Definitely,” replied the young securities student.
“Maybe it’s an electrical problem,” Munar suggested he leaned behind the control screen to check the connections.
“We need to get out of here now,” Clifford insisted in terror.
“Calm down, Clifford, we are safe here,” Lucy said as she leaned toward Munar.
“No, we aren’t, we really aren’t,” the boy yowled. “This is one of Thomas’ traps, I am sure of it.”
“Everything is alright, Clifford, I promise you,” Lucy went on comforting him as she pulled on various cables and wires.
“How do you know?” the boy demanded aloud.
“Because he would have killed us already and not let us get this far,” Lucy told him in a calming tone.
The effect on Clifford was the opposite of what she intended, “Actually it would suit him to let us get this far. That way, we will be more disappointed, and he would enjoy it all the more,” he shouted.
“Shut up, stupid, you will wake up the entire palace,” Noris scolded him angrily. “I’m not...” Clifford suddenly went quiet and the room was silent.
“Thank God, what about this wire?” Lucy asked Munar and pointed at a thick cable connecting the control board to the wall.
“It looks totally fine,” Munar gestured, pulling the cord gently.
“Let’s try again,” Lucy suggested, as the two of them stood up.
“It really won’t make any difference,” Thomas smiled at them calmly, floating in the center of the room.
Their fate was sealed, the cold sweat on Munar’s back turned to ice, evaporating every last bit of hope left in him. They had failed. Two silver chosen ones stood in the middle of the room, holding a kicking Noris and Clifford.
Munar shot a look towards the entrance and cursed himself; the door was open. Why hadn’t they thought to lock it after them when they entered?
Thomas grinned as he floated towards them. “You should have listened to the coward. Maybe you would have survived. Did you really think you could plan something against me without me finding out?”
They looked at him in terror, ‘Mom, he will kill Mom because of me,’ Munar suddenly realized.
None of the other children responded; Thomas was clearly amused. “Noris, you are a security expert, did you not remember that every system in this world is connected to my genetic code?”
Noris shot him back a steady look, without uttering a word. “Supreme Being, please, they forced me, it would never occur to me to betray you,” Clifford pleaded.
“Clifford, you pathetic nothing, are you a liar as well as a coward?” Noris lost her calm.
Thomas nodded in agreement as his grin turned into happy laughter. “That’s right, you are a repulsive mollusk Clifford, I don’t know why I didn’t kill you a long time ago.”
Clifford stared at him in stunned silence, his eyes looking all around, looking for some way out. Thomas laughed in his gleeful voice, “Activate backup systems,” he said suddenly. The control panel hummed and came to life.
Thomas’ laugh got louder, “Did you really forget what I told you? You still haven’t internalized that nothing here will work without my authorization?”
He landed on the floor and began to dance around the room. “Shut down backup systems,” the control panel hummed again.
“Simple, no?” Thomas laughed. “Activate backup systems,” the control panel hummed again. “Shut down
backup systems,” the control panel went dark. Clifford started to cry. Thomas’ joy knew no end, “What wonderful music that is to me, Clifford,” he cheered. “Activate backup systems,” the humming filled the room again and Clifford’s crying grew louder. “Shut down the backup systems,” the crying became a loud whimper.
“How in all the world did I take a whiny apprentice like you?” demanded Thomas. “Activate backup systems,” he ordered with a flourish. The hum of the control panel started up again, Clifford pushed the silver chosen one who stood beside him and ran toward door.
“Catch him,” Thomas groaned indifferently. The two chosen ones leapt on the boy and trapped him before he reached the door.
“No, please, Thomas, please no,” the boy begged.
Thomas approached him, “I can practically appreciate an attempt to revolt but I loathe cowardice. Your death will be especially slow.”
Clifford’s wails of terror started up again and Thomas danced around the room with pleasure. The rhythm of his dance quickened with the boy’s wailing.
“Make sure he remains unharmed, I want to enjoy this as much as possible,” he ordered the two silver chosen ones.
The boy shrieked in terror and flailed wildly in the hands of the chosen ones who held him with easy indifference.
“I don’t want to die!” shrieked the boy as he kicked and scratched at the silver chosen ones.
Thomas chuckled happily. “You’re mistaken, Clifford. You are going to beg me to die, not long from now.” Thomas danced away happily and Clifford suddenly turned his head toward Munar, and winked at him, before he went on screaming and fighting the hold of the chosen ones. Munar watched the struggling boy in astonishment as he shouted, “Not fair, another twenty seconds and I would have managed to get out of here.”
“Life isn’t fair,” cheered the dancing Thomas.
Lucy and Munar exchanged surprised glances. Twenty seconds? Behind them, the control board hummed quietly. Thomas hadn’t turned it off. While Clifford was distracting him, they still had a chance.
Lucy looked to the far side of the room at Noris who nodded slowly in astonished agreement. They looked questioningly at Munar who nodded too. Twenty seconds, that was all the time he needed to load a run command to boot the system.
