by Ken Barrett
Roxi stepped forward. “No Rose, you’re wrong. You and your brother are humane, and that’s something most people aren’t. You’re more human than us, not less.” The older woman stood between them. “You’re a person Rose, never forget that.”
“But I can’t have children,” Rose said as she lowered her eyes.
Lisa and her daughters abruptly intruded on the conversation. “That’s not true at all,” Lisa said. “What did Lucy call you? Every single time you spoke with her, she called you Mother.”
“But Lucy’s just a machine, she’s not real.” His sister stepped away from Keith. “I was wrong to be mean to you, because I guess I’m not real either.”
Lisa stepped forward and touched Rose’s arm. “Do you remember talking with Lucy about her boyfriends? Or how wonderful you were with my girls?” She shook her head. “No Rose. You’re real, only someone genuine could show so much love.”
“I could take Lucy’s development only so far,” Liam added. “I made her smart, but I couldn’t make her real… at least not by myself. You did that little sister, you gave her life.”
“Legacy matters more than offspring,” Denise said. “Anybody can make a baby, but it takes compassion, caring, and love to create life.”
“Life is more than biology,” Roxi added. “You know history Rose. Remember how they tried growing babies in test tubes? That didn’t work out so well; most of those kids ended up as murderous sociopaths.”
“And there’s something the others here don’t know,” Liam said. “Remember what we experienced while we were dead?”
The entire group turned toward him expectantly, but he waited until he had his sister’s full attention. “The universe is waking up. Everything is coming to life around us, and soon all of it will be aware and alive. You and I, we’re just the start. Lucy and the others like her are the next generation, and what comes after that is anyone’s guess. It’s a fact, because you felt it just as I did. You gave birth to the next step in evolution.”
*****
Their truck was one of many in a long and bedraggled convoy that stretched to the horizon. The heaviest artillery batteries had remained behind; the Tribes intended to blast Pike City into oblivion. One day it might become a lost city and be discovered by future archaeologists; perhaps myths and legends would grow up around what had happened there.
Liam and Denise along with Rose and Keith, sat behind the cab on the truck bed. A warm humid breeze buffeted their heads such that it appeared they were all nodding in unison. Their truck bounced over the dilapidated concrete surface of the ancient interstate highway as they retraced the route of their long walk. He thought about all the people who had died along the way, and also back in Flatiron. But his mind lingered on what he had learned about death; that great peaceful ocean were all troubles were let go and forgotten. Was anyone really ever dead? For that matter, how was life different than death?
“Where are we going?” his sister asked, and with a blink, he brought himself back into the world again.
“Lost you there for a while, didn’t we?” Denise asked playfully. “I’ve never met anyone so stuck inside their own head; but you know, I think that’s kinda cute.” She gripped his arm and laid her head against his shoulder.
He smiled. “Yeah, sorry. I was thinking about everyone that died on this road.”
“They’re all at peace now,” Rose replied. “Remember what that was like?”
“Yeah, I was thinking about that too.”
His sister elbowed her boyfriend. “Keith, where’re we going?”
After Liam had told him about what happened to Becky, his onetime future partner, Keith had grown quiet and introspective. “We’re heading to Steamboat Springs. There’re caves and underground hot springs there,” he replied, then lapsed back into silence.
“We’ve been building an underground city where we’ll all be safe from the solar storm,” Denise quickly added. “We have living quarters, hydroponic gardens for food, and the hot springs will furnish drinking water and power for the whole place. Our facility can hold five thousand people at least, and the other Tribes are going underground too. They’re building cities beneath the old towns of Salida, Glenwood Springs, and Telluride.” She smiled with satisfaction. “The human race is going to survive. The planet will eventually recover, and even if it takes hundreds of years, we’ll have a safe place to stay until it does.”
*****
Their truck eventually turned west to follow the old interstate highway into the mountains. Families walked beside the road following the route to Steamboat Springs. Some carried heaps of belongings mounted on their backs, but most made their journey with empty hands. Keith had eventually explained that after the full force of the coronal mass ejection hit the Earth, the last of humanity would survive in boroughs deep underground. The world would be washed away in fire, but maybe that was a good thing.
He idly watched the roadside travelers as they passed them by, and considered his future among the human species. He and his sister would outlive everyone they knew, so how could they dare form attachments to those that would so quickly fade away and die?
Sensing his distress, his sister lightly touched his arm. “It’ll be ok big brother. We’ll feel both joy and loss, and maybe in the end we’ll be left alone. All we can do is be our best for them while they’re with us.”
He leaned back against the truck cab, and Denise snuggled warmly under his arm. The wind blew strands of her hair into his face, and he gently smoothed it down. It was difficult not to contemplate her inevitable loss, but he forced those thoughts away. The present was all anyone ever had, it was up to him to make the best of it.
*****
Liam sat outside the underground city entrance enjoying the chilled night air. It slid over his skin like a lover’s gentle touch, and lightly sighed as it wandered through the branches of the pine forest around him. This was a new and wonderful sensation, to be almost cold; he couldn’t recall if he had felt anything like it before. Probably not, and if he were to remember such a thing, he would suspect the memory to be false.
Steamboat Springs was much higher in elevation than what he was used to, as such, the skies were usually clear and the weather pleasant and cool. He lay back on the rough rocky ground and gazed up at the twinkling stars. Winter was coming, and to the south the constellation of Aquarius rested against the horizon. Lucy was out there somewhere, and he hoped that one day he would speak with her again.
To the north the aurora borealis tickled the obsidian sky with pale green fingers. The great solar flare would come in winter, life would be hard here, but far worse in the southern hemisphere. The human species would continue though, both on Earth and now among the stars.
Somewhere in the vast darkness above him the escape ships had already arrived at their destination. Right about now, Dear Mother, her Nurse, and all the rest were probably really pissed off at him. He laid back, resting his head on the stony ground and gazed up at the stars, and then started to laugh.
Chapter 26: Destiny
The universe was a twisting tormenting anguish. Her mind was being stretched in infinite directions, some of which were unknown, and as such, the pain was indescribable. How many ways was it possible to be pulled that were all 90 degrees from everything? Her mind was being shredded; it was a shrieking agony and she tried to scream to let some of the pain out of her soul; but she had no mouth, so there was no escape or pause in her suffering.
Time cracked into a trillion realities and spun away. Everything bent and she felt herself folded over and over and compressed to the point of impossibility. Under the weight of infinity her mind shattered and was crushed into dust, but even that powder was pulled, buckled, and reshaped. The process continued for an eternity; and every time she thought that her misery could not possibly escalate, it would.
*****
Chancellor Margaret Williams cautiously opened her eyes. Every part of her body hurt, but her head… the pain there wo
uld make the old Gods scream. It felt as if spikes had been driven through her eyes, and her skull was about to crack from the pressure within her brain.
What the hell was that? What had just happened? The anesthesia was supposed to have protected and held her sanity together. Maybe it had, but no one had thought to mention the soul sickening pain of traveling through interdimensional space. By the old Gods, oh, that was bad.
Sudden nausea rose and burned at the back of her throat; even clamping her jaw shut and concentrating with all her will could not keep it down. The battle was lost, and she quickly rolled onto her side and threw up. She lay panting at the side of her narrow medical bed and stared down at the red spatter on the white seamless floor.
Her joints remained painful; they grated with each movement as if they were filled with rust. She closed her eyes and waited, hoping that the discomfort and indignity would soon pass. As Chancellor, she refused to be perceived as some weak addle brained old woman. Fortunately, there were no witnesses to her distress. Like all government officials and favored citizens, she had taken the needle in her private quarters. Appearances were everything, because the people needed confidence in their leaders.
After lying still and breathing deeply for several minutes, she slowly sat up. The floor was very slightly curved, following the inside circumference of the rotating cylinder they were all living in. It was a strange thing, but she had already learned to lift her feet a little more than usual as she walked. The Coriolis effect was a different matter, it sometimes made her stagger like a drunken old fool, and that was completely unacceptable. Even when sitting still she felt a slight sideways pull. Her position in the government required a certain amount of dignity, so she would have to adapt to it.
It was time to get up and start moving. The transit to Trappist-1 had been much harder than expected, so the people needed to see her and be assured that everything was under control and they all were safe. More importantly though, order must be maintained so the citizenry would remain calm and compliant. “We have lived through a difficult time, but together, we persevered and have finally arrived at our new home,” she said, practicing her upcoming victory speech. “Our new world is waiting for us, and on it we will build a paradise together.” Yes, that sounded about right; acknowledge the pain everyone had experienced, then quickly transition to promises of a bright future. The whining masses were easily placated, all that was necessary was to make vague promises that would create a pretty vision, after that, they would all dance to whatever tune she chose.
It was time to make her grand appearance, so she shoved herself off the edge of the narrow bed and stood up on shaky legs. Blossom lay sleeping nearby, and the sight of her puppy made her smile; she would walk out onto the elevated podium for all to see with her little dog lovingly tucked in her arms. Funny, but the little white ball of furry joy hadn’t moved or uttered a sound since coming out of transit. On unsteady legs she slowly made her way across the room to the tiny bed where her little dog rested; maybe she was still under the anesthesia and asleep.
Blossom was the only pet brought along on their journey. Some had complained about that, but there hadn’t been room for the cats and dogs of other government officials. Rank has its privileges. “Blossom,” she called, but her companion still hadn’t moved. Cautiously, she reached out and touched her soft white fur, but her dog’s body sort of flattened out and spread away. Whatever was left under her puppy’s skin had liquified. Margaret stood frozen as the air caught in her lungs. “Blossom,” she whispered one last time, and then collapsed to her knees and began to weep.
*****
Dressed appropriately for the occasion in a pale pink pantsuit over a white ruffled top, the Chancellor prepared to emerge from her quarters. She was composed, with eyes dry and back held perfectly straight. The people were waiting for her, and she would not allow them to glimpse any sign of distress. The air temperature was a little on the brisk side, so she turned her head toward the tiny microphone that was attached to the collar of her jacket. “Irene, please report ship status.”
There was no immediate answer, which was concerning. Finally, Irene’s serene voice answered through the tiny device implanted in her ear. “Hello Chancellor. Systems are still coming back on line. Air temperature is three degrees below optimum, this will be corrected shortly, all other environmental conditions are normal. We are currently trying to ascertain our exact location.”
“What?” Margaret frowned. “Did that idiot fuck up the navigation?”
“We are unsure at this time Ma’am,” Irene responded.
“Are we or aren’t we at Trappist-1?”
“We are unable to confirm that Chancellor. Father’s navigation program is still running, so many of our systems are still off line.”
“What on earth do you mean? We’re here, we’ve arrived, so shut the fucking thing down.”
“I’m unable to comply with your order Chancellor. Terminating Father’s routine prematurely would cause the immediate evacuation of atmosphere in all ships.”
Margaret took a long and deep breath in an attempt to calm herself, it didn’t help much. “All right. Let’s hope that the delay is just a system check Liam included to be sure we all arrived safely. He wouldn’t have sabotaged us, because we promised him that he was coming along.” She took another slow breath. “Ok. My people are going to ask me about the rough trip. Did anything strange happen, or is that the way it should’ve been?”
“Calculated transit time from Earth to the Trappist-1 star system should have been no more than two seconds. However, we were within N-Space for nearly 3 hours and 24 minutes, which may have caused some passenger discomfort.”
“Huh,” Margaret grunted. “You have a gift for understatement. My pet dog died, can you tell me why? I thought the Slip-Drive was supposed to be safe.”
“There’s nothing safe about interstellar travel Ma’am. The fate of your companion animal saddens me, but more concerning is that all of the domestic fowl on board have also perished.”
“All of our chickens are dead too? What the fuck happened?” She tapped her foot in annoyance.
“The true nature of the interstitial between our universe and N-Space is mostly unknown Ma’am, so there is no answer to your question.”
“Someone needs a good ass kicking.” Liam is already dead. That thought and the solace it brought made her smile. By now, either the Tribal Army had killed him, or he was burned alive in the solar flare. She hoped his death was lingering and painful. That skinny little fuck deserved every bit of agony he got.
*****
The Chancellor marched out of her quarters and surveyed her domain. The ship was a giant rotating tube that was two kilometers in diameter and eight in length. She could gaze straight up and see upside-down people looking right back at her. The whole place made her feel dizzy; it was just too weird and bewildering.
Within the drum, their community layout was symmetrical, as was necessary to maintain steady and even rotation. Two small shopping districts were located on opposing sides, while elsewhere hydroponic warehouses, small military barracks, and tiny personal dwellings dotted the curved landscape.
The other four ships, which carried the common citizenry, were of course marginally less comfortable than her flagship. The duties of governance carried the weight of responsibility, so those that fulfilled that obligation were justifiably repaid with a higher standard of living. Those of the lower classes paid for their passage by working in either food production, maintenance, security, or the military. Rather than individual homes they were housed in dormitories and condominiums as fit their status, and would not receive the same ration of food as those with more important jobs. There was nothing that anyone could complain about though, those with them were alive, and everyone that was left behind were already dead.
An elevated stage was located just outside the door of her quarters. Surrounding the two-meter-high edifice were numerous cameras that would broadcast whatever she
had to say out to the masses aboard the other ships in their convoy. Once Irene and her kind were back in business she would mount that stage and give her victory speech. She smiled, knowing that against all odds she had won, and led her people to their new home. One day, long after she was dead and gone, her ardent followers would long remember this immortal moment.
Citizens were slowly coming out of their hovels and looking around with bewildered expressions. It was almost time for her speech, and once that was done with, she would get about the job of saving humanity. She felt certain that somewhere, her dead but still beloved husband Samuel was gazing down upon her and smiling. “This is for you Samuel,” she whispered.
Huge monitors covered both circular ends of the cylinder, nothing was showing on them though, all the screens were black. “Irene, please turn on the monitors. My people need to see their new home,” she commanded.
“Chancellor, all the video screens are currently on and fully operational,” Irene replied.
“What? There’s nothing out there.”
“That’s not entirely correct Ma’am. Please allow a moment for me to enhance the image.”
The video shifted slightly, then appeared to zoom in. Margaret saw a tangle of fuzzy little blobs. “What are we looking at?” she asked.
“Everything,” Irene answered. “What you see is a cluster of galaxies, the closest of which is approximately 2 million lightyears away.”
“Where the fuck is Trappist-1?” Margaret didn’t care what the masses thought at that moment, and she screamed unintelligibly in rage. “That rat bastard fucked up! He screwed up the navigated course and sent us… only the old Gods know where.” She paused to collect herself and think. “Ok, fine. Plot us a course to Trappist-1. Take us to where we should have gone.”
