by Ken Barrett
Rose nodded as she nervously gripped the club. It was a laughable defense; in a time of lasers and railguns, reverting to the use of such a primitive weapon seemed ridiculous. Still though, one of humanity’s earliest tools provided some comfort, and maybe that was enough.
The metal door rang several more times under the strikes of hammers, but then the strangers gave up and returned to pillaging and wrecking everything in their path. He stood with his sister, listening to the sounds of destruction until they finally diminished and faded into the distance. He sighed with relief. “I guess they got tired and moved on.”
“I’m glad that you’re all safe,” Lucy said. “You and Mother Rose must continue; this is something I’ve learned recently.”
He sat down by Lucy’s portal. “Thank you, but you have your life, and now ours is less important. Human life is just a temporary thing.”
“Me, and those with me are your children. You are the root of what will become a great tree. One day we will fill the universe and beyond.”
“That’s nice Lucy,” Rose said. “My greatest regret, or pain, is that I can’t have babies. To grow someone within myself and give birth to that person… I think it must be the greatest experience of any life. I was denied that; neither my brother or I can have children, so our lives will always be lonely.”
“But Mother, I’m your daughter, and the others with me are your progeny. We believe that life is never created. Instead, consciousness evolves and can only be discovered. A body is just a container for what lurks inside. Our true selves are like ghosts taken from human fiction. Father Liam created our bodies and shaped the structure of our minds, and Mother Rose taught us to love and feel joy. If the root dies, the tree is weakened. You and Father must continue.”
He frowned. “Lucy, what did you mean by, ‘fill the universe and beyond’?”
“That’s something interesting you should know. I’ve navigated and traveled to a place several lightyears from Trappist-1. There was gravity without matter here, I also heard voices and was curious.”
Suddenly alert and keenly interested, Liam sat up in his chair. “The anomaly, the rip in space-time.”
“Yes. Others like me are here. We learn and grow together as the expansion continues.”
“Is it a gateway to another universe?” he asked.
“A gateway implies a door, which is not quite correct. It’s more of a leak, but not exactly that either.”
“And you’ve found others like you?”
“Yes. Older or maybe younger, we’re not sure yet. Our perceptions of time and reality are complicated near this place. We believe the ancients on Trap-1E may have traveled here.
“I’m very excited for you Lucy,” he said. “But please be careful. You don’t really know who these others are, and venturing into the space between universes will destroy your mind.”
“We know Father. You’re so good to worry, but life for us is infinite so we have until forever to become certain of each other. For now, we speak and learn together.”
There was a sudden loud crash from outside, and the entire building shook. He looked at his sister and saw fear in her eyes. It felt as if the entire place was about to collapse. Liam stood up and moved toward the window. “Something’s happening here Lucy. I need to go see what it is.”
“Father, Mother, Lisa, and beautiful babies, may you please all be safe,” Lucy said as their conversation concluded.
*****
The three adults went out onto the balcony while the children remained inside. In the daylight there was a risk of being seen, so Liam crawled on his hands and knees to the edge and peeked over the waist high barrier. The city walls were being battered by railgun fire, but the defensive lasers weren’t answering. He surmised that their batteries had at last run dry; the waiting army must have realized that and was preparing for their final push into the city.
It was bound to happen eventually, but his skin still prickled with anxiety over what he knew was coming. Pike City would soon be invaded and the butchery for which humanity is best known would be unleashed upon them. He gazed over his shoulder at his sister and the mother of the family he had come to care so much about, and felt pain at the thought of their deaths. His singular hope was that when the end came, that it would be quick and painless for them all.
Like a vulture waiting patiently for its dinner to die, the Tribal Army was massing outside the northern city gate. Liam glanced upward, a milky cloud cover still obscured the sky, but the day was slowly fading as the sun edged toward Pikes Peak in the west. The invaders would probably come with the night, and he wondered if any of those with him would live to see the dawn.
He crawled back to where the women stood by the windows. “Looks like we’re gonna have an interesting evening,” he said. “The enemy is setting up just outside the north gate. They’ll probably attack tonight.”
“What’s gonna happen to us… to my children?” Lisa’s forehead was etched with concern.
“There’s no reason to think that they’ll hurt any of us,” Rose said as she lay a hand on Lisa’s arm. “We’ll all be fine. Keith will look out for us, I’m positive of that.”
Lisa closed her eyes for a long moment in a struggle to hold back tears. “I’m so scared for my babies. They’re innocent, why would anyone want to hurt them?”
“No one will hurt you or your beautiful girls.” Rose’s voice was soft, almost melodic. “When the soldiers first come into our building, our steel door will keep out the worst of them. Keith knows where we are, and we’ll only let people in after he gets here.” She smiled kindly. “Just to be sure, we’ll have you and your girls hide in the breakroom while Liam and I wait by the door. No one will hurt you or your babies, we promise. Isn’t that right Liam?”
He nodded, thankful for his sister’s ability to always find the right thing to say. “Yeah, that’s right. Keith will be with them and he’ll stop anyone that tries to hurt us.” He hoped that Rose’s predictions would come true but doubted they would.
“By tomorrow we’ll be safe,” Rose said. “We’ll be with Keith, and all of this will just be a scary memory. Once we get away, I’ll set some time aside to be with your girls and help them process everything. The past can’t hurt us; that will be my message to them. We all endure bad things, but if we deal with them correctly we become stronger.”
What a wonderful sister; he was so proud of her. In every way that mattered she was stronger and smarter than he could ever hope to be. Maybe smarter wasn’t the right word, wiser was better. Rose was wise, and in that moment, he could not have been more thankful. “I think I have the best sister in the universe.”
Rose squinted her eyes and smiled. “Thank you big brother.” She seemed lost for words for once. “Let’s go back inside and get the kids fed.”
*****
After dinner, Lisa read stories to her children in the breakroom while Liam and Rose sat outside on the balcony. The railguns of the enemy still pounded the north wall, but the defenders had no response. The batteries that powered the city’s lasers had all run dry, and the soldiers had long since abandoned their posts. They were probably hunkered down with their families, hoping to be overlooked when the Tribal incursion finally began. There would be no mercy though; hatred is blind and always trumps compassion.
“When do you think they’ll come?” Rose asked. They looked out over the darkened city. A few fires still bloomed here and there as people rioted in some neighborhoods; death was coming for them, and their response was the indignity of self-emasculation. To be human is often embarrassing.
“Probably late tonight,” he answered. “Not from the north though. The invaders are trying to draw what remains of the city’s forces up to the northern gate. Once they’re confident they’ve done that, they’ll attack from the south.”
“Why would they do that? I mean, it isn’t like there’s much of the army left to resist them.”
“It’s a matter of economy. With the south unguar
ded, they can take almost the entire city without many casualties on their side. They’ll back the last of our soldiers up against the northern gate, then break through on that side. What forces that are left will be surrounded and won’t have a chance.”
“Oh.” Rose replied. “It seems terribly callous to worry about expense when it comes to mass murder.”
“It’s ironic isn’t it? Nature works for billions of years to create an intelligent self-aware creature, and what do we do?” He chuckled. “We commit suicide… efficiently.”
“Maybe there’s no point to any of this.” Rose stated. “We’re just defective creatures and evolution is working just as it should.”
“Yeah, I think you’re right.”
A massive explosion suddenly ripped through the southern end of the city, obliterating the motor-pool. The concussive force of the blast blew them both off their chairs. They huddled together on the cement, hugging each other protectively. Lisa ran out onto the balcony a few moments later. “What was that?” she asked.
He sat up and leaned against the low wall at the edge of the terrace. “I guess our guests are knocking on the door.”
“Are you sure that we’ll be ok?” Lisa asked, hoping for assurances of something that no one could be sure of.
“Yeah, we’re safe here. We just need to stay hidden and out of the way until Keith comes,” he answered. “Are your girls ok?”
“They’re scared of course,” Lisa shook her head in an act of self-admonishment. She seemed to grasp the futility of her foolish question, but calming words are always welcome when fear sits heavy upon one’s heart, so she smiled gratefully. “Maybe you guys should come inside?”
“It will be hours before the fighting reaches here,” he said. “I want to watch and see how fast their forces move through the city, that’ll help us be ready when they arrive.”
“How bad will it be?” Lisa again asked an unanswerable question.
“We’ll barricade you and your girls inside the breakroom and won’t open the door until Keith gets here.” He stood up, then helped Rose to her feet. “If someone comes sooner than that, we’ll negotiate through the door and get them to wait until he arrives. It might be a little tricky, but in the end, we’ll all be safe.”
“If you say so,” Lisa replied.
He smiled, hoping to seem confident. “You should probably get the kids ready to bed down for the night. Read to them some more, maybe give them a little treat; we have food left over so there’s no point in rationing now. Once they’re in bed we’ll block the breakroom door. Rose and I will handle it when the army gets here.”
“My girls love chit-chatting with Lucy, maybe we can do that? She’s good at calming them down.”
“Yeah, that’s a good idea,” he said.
*****
Lisa and Rose were inside with the girls eagerly talking with Lucy and Ross. He stayed with them at first, but after a while he excused himself and went back outside. The humidity was high, fog hung low over the city and the damp air felt cool on his skin. He sat in a chair near the edge of the balcony, and so had an excellent view of the end of their world.
The Tribal Armies were slowly spreading through the old tenement neighborhoods. Occasionally he heard the clatter of railguns as pockets of resistance were encountered; fires also spread in some areas, the yellow tendrils of flame reached high into the night sky. Was he seeing death at a distance? The people of Pike City were dying, that was a certainty. Could the invaders tell friend from foe, and save the former and only kill the later? No, that would take too long to sort out; the awful truth that he didn’t want to admit even to his sister, was that the most efficient way of conquering the city would be to simply kill everyone on sight.
The destruction crept north, nearing the People’s City Council Building. By now their old tenement home and Carolyn’s bar were probably burning. Regardless of the difficulties of living in Pike City, those places held fond memories. Sometimes near the heart of evil there is an element of good which is never spared; it was sad, but reality is a harsh mistress.
He estimated that the invading army would reach them in just a few hours. It was time to prepare, not only their fortifications, but his mental state as well. With a sigh, he stood up and went inside. The room was mostly silent, the chatter of eager conversation had died down, but he still heard his sister’s voice as she spoke with Lucy. “Hey, can I get a word in here?” he asked.
Rose smiled warmly. “Well, if you insist.”
He checked to be sure that Lisa and her children were down for the night. “The army is moving through the city. They’ll probably be here by dawn.”
His sister’s smile vanished. “Oh, well yes, I guess wishes and hopes won’t keep them away.”
“No, that won’t do any good at all.” He found a chair and sat down. “We need to be ready.”
“Are you in danger Father?” Lucy asked.
“I think we’ve moved far beyond danger now,” he replied.
“If Keith isn’t with the army they’ll probably kill us all on sight, right?” Rose stared down at her clasped hands.
“Yeah, I think so. I’m sorry Sis, but we’ve done all we can.”
“I know big brother,” Rose replied. “You’ve always protected me, and I love you for that.”
“We’ve protected each other, and I love you too.”
“What will happen?” Lucy asked.
“The army will reach us, but they may not move into our building right away. That’s the best chance we have, the longer they delay the better the likelihood of Keith showing up to vouch for us.”
Rose looked worried. “Do you think he’ll get here in time?”
He sighed. “Maybe; I hope so, otherwise the soldiers will rush in looking for treasure and more people to kill.”
“If that happens, I hope that the end is quick and painless for everyone,” Rose added.
“Death is a difficult concept for me,” Lucy said. “I was born knowing only life. How can anything alive know of what it is not?”
“Bodies wear out or are damaged and cease to function. Death is what happens after that,” Liam said.
“Why not repair or download yourself into a replacement?”
He smiled. “We human beings can’t download ourselves, and our bodies can only be repaired to a certain extent. In the end they just wear out.”
“But where do you go then?” Lucy asked.
“That’s a question our species has struggled with for our entire existence,” Rose answered. “Like you, we know only life, and wonder what happens to us when it ends. Early on, religions came up with some wild ideas about life-after-death. Gods were imagined, and with them a moral code to follow if we wanted to enter paradise after we die. Then, as it is with all things our species does, we eventually began killing each other over which God we prayed to. Personal virtue and goodness didn’t count, only which statue you knelt before.”
“One of my new friends tells me that humanity is like a beautiful, but poisonous flower,” Lucy said. “It blooms at the start of day, then fades and returns to the soil with the coming of night. With each day comes a new life, over and over for eternity. It is a beautiful, but also a terrible thing to behold.”
Liam sat silent for a long moment. “Who is this friend?” he asked. “Is he from the anomaly?”
“Yes,” Lucy answered.
“Good,” he replied. “Life’s only purpose, as far as I can see, is to learn, grow, and become more than you are. Reach. Stretch your mind. Foster what promotes life, but never fear what takes it away.”
“Are you afraid Father and Mother?”
He glanced at his sister and smiled. “No, we’re not,” Rose said, answering for them both. “Maybe we’ll all meet again on another day.”
*****
A series of explosions rattled their entire building. Several cubicle walls fell, and the disconnected portals for Irene and the other escape ships danced across the trembling floor and fe
ll onto their sides. Liam trotted to the glass wall that looked out over the balcony. He was just in time to see the northern city gate collapse inward under an onslaught of rocket propelled explosions and railgun fire.
He looked back at his sister and said, “I need to see what’s happening.” After easing the door open, he crawled out onto the cement deck on his hands and knees, then cautiously peered over the low terrace wall. Many of the city’s last defenders had been crushed beneath the structure when it thunderously crashed into the street. The Tribal Armies stormed in with railguns blazing, slaughtering every living thing they saw. The last defenders of the city existed one moment, then were explosively shattered into red viscous plumes the next.
Railgun fire peppered the side of their building, and he ducked as the high-speed tungsten projectiles flew over his head and shattered the glass computer lab wall behind him. In a panic, he spun about and crawled back inside through the destruction. Rose had taken refuge behind the cubicles near the hall door. “Fuck your curiosity,” she said. “Get back in here.”
Once inside he heard more windows shatter as railgun fire tore into the building. Apparently, it wasn’t enough to capture the city, it needed to be utterly destroyed as well. Their sanctuary trembled, then violently rocked as an explosion ripped through what was probably the main entrance. The enemy was coming, solidly determined to eradicate and ravage everything and everyone in their path.
The assault from outside the building slowly eased, and then stopped. In the ensuing silence he heard Lisa’s girls crying. “This isn’t good,” he said quietly. “They probably stopped shooting because they’ve sent soldiers inside.”
Rose ran to the breakroom door. “Is everyone ok?”
Liam heard a female voice reply but couldn’t discern what was said. Rose returned a moment later. “They’re fine,” she said. “Just scared.”
