Apocalypse's Prelude

by Carl Damen

  "That? That's the grand ballroom. There're elevators down there as well; the staircase has been known to cause a bit of vertigo in some of the staff. Immediately below us are service facilities, as well as the pool and gym. You can get to them through the ballroom if you like."

  Edarus walked to the edge of the void and leaned out over the railing. There was something... disturbing about this space, but he couldn't come up with a definite reason.

  A moment later he left the railing, and continued to follow his chief of staff to the family room.

  "Dad!" the voice of Than greeted him before he was fully in the room.

  "I'l just leave you now, then. Call if you need anything."

  Edarus nodded and then gasped as his son tackled him in a bear hug.

  "I thought you'd never get here!" Than continued to hold him, and Edarus tentatively patted his back.

  "Yep, I'm here..." He looked up and saw Amanda sitting in an arm-chair in the far corner. She nodded, and he began to steer Than over to a couch near Amanda. "So, how was your day?"

  Than disengaged and walked with his father. "It was crazy! After the agents showed up they wanted us to leave, but mom didn't want to, but I said we couldn't leave you alone."

  Edarus shot his wife a look, but she seemed suddenly interested in reading the titles of the books on the shelf next to her.

  "So then they took us to a big house in the middle of nowhere, and Mr. Telk was there, but I didn't get to say 'hi' 'cause they put me in a room with some video games. Then after that we all got in a car again and came here. It's really cool here, huh?"

  "Yep."

  Than fell quite as they sat down on the couch. "Hey dad," he said after they had settled in, "is it true? Is Uncle Isaac really dead?"

  Edarus looked to Amanda again, but she was otherwise occupied. "Did you and your mom talk about this?"

  "No, we didn't have time to talk; the agents always needed to talk to her."

  Edarus sighed. "I'm afraid that yes, Uncle Isaac's dead."

  Than turned that over for a few moments. "Why?"

  How could he answer that? "Well... Uncle Issac made some bad decisions a while ago, and it got some people really angry at him. He did some very unethical things, and now the consequences have caught up to him."

  "He made the E.H.U.D.s."

  The boy knew more than Edarus realized. "Yeah. Yeah, he did."

  "But you're not afraid of them."

  The image of Lanlin standing there, the pistol wavering in front of him, flashed through Edarus's mind. How had Than interpreted that? "I was afraid to stand up to them, but I was more afraid of what would happen if I didn't stand up to them."

  Than nodded and then, as only a child could do, radically changed the subject. "Can we watch a movie tonight?"

  Edarus looked to Amanda yet again, and this time she looked back.

  "I think the Gigawatt movie is out," she said.

  Edarus smiled. They'd be able to pretend to be a normal family tonight. "Assuming we can get access to the internet from in here."

  Later that night, Edarus and Amanda sat on the couch, Than fast asleep between them. The room was dark, but lit by the vaguely blue glow of a television set to black.

  "I didn't think he'd make it to the end."

  Amanda snorted.

  "So... What did Than mean, when he said you didn't want to go with the agents?"

  Amanda shrugged and folded her arms.

  "Mandy."

  "It's not safe being around you. You're—you're acting stupid. The country is in the middle of a crisis, and you start jumping at it, trying to be the hero for everyone. You're an action star in front of Lanlin, then the only sane man in the cabinet, and now the bringer of truth for the country."

  "You saw the speech, huh?"

  "What the hell is going on, Edarus? This isn't you. You're a power hound—you lurk in the shadows and acquire favors; you don't make enemies. Why are you suddenly so out there?"

  The good feelings of the previous two hours evaporated. "Because my country needs me to be."

  "If you keep sticking your neck out, you're going to get it chopped off. You want to put yourself in danger, fine. But now we're stuck here with you, and we're in danger, too. On 9/11, at that stupid party, we were there for your career, not mine, and yet I got caught up in it, almost killed in it."

  "MY—" Edarus began to yell, then stopped when he felt the movement against his side. "My career?" he hissed. "I didn't want anything to do with that stupid party. You're the one who always has to go out and be seen."

  "Maybe that's because I'm not seen at home."

  "What?"

  Amanda stood and coaxed Than partially awake.

  "What does that even mean?"

  "C'mon, Than, bed."

  "Mnnnhhh..."

  "Amanda!"

  Amanda glared at him. "I don't want to talk about this tonight. If you can find time in your busy schedule, we can talk tomorrow."

  "I'm ready to talk tonight."

  "And I'm tired! While you've been out moving up in the world, I've had my life uprooted! I've spent all day in little rooms having people tell me just exactly how my life is suddenly at risk, and going over kidnap protocols, and blackmail protocols, and goddamn assassination protocols. I didn't sign up for this shit; this is yours, not mine!"

  "Mommmm..."

  "When you're ready to tell me what's really going on, then we can talk." Amanda glared one last time at Edarus, then she and Than left the room.

  Edarus slumped back into the couch and fumed. Who did she think he was doing all this for? This was so her son could have a safer life, a better world to inherit. Couldn't she see how much all of this was taking out of him? Couldn't she see the sacrifice? He never wanted to be president, he just wanted—

  Mistaren. This was all Mistaren's fault. He had talked Edarus into gambling everything, into committing treason, and for what? For a shot at recognition, for a chance to make his son proud? Well, he was president now, wasn't he? He could take down Mistaren, collapse his coup. See how Amanda liked that.

  Amanda...

  What did she mean about 'what's really going on'? What did she suspect; what did she know?

  The last day had obviously been hard on her, but she had never been the same since her run-in with Lanlin. Had this last little bit pushed her past the edge of reason? Deep down, in a place he wasn't willing to examine, he expected that the opposite occurred; that in the last twenty-four hours, she had climbed back onto the edge.

  God, he wished he could know what she was thinking.

  In an effort to distract himself, Edarus gestured at the television and it lit up. Another gesture and he was viewing the AmeriNews website. The feature taking up most of the space was a picture of his own face, sub-headed with: Presidential Policy—A Radical New Stance From A Radical New Man.

  Beneath that was a link to video responses. He gestured at it and saw icons for sundry commentators, both well-known and man-on-the-street. One usual commentator was conspicuously absent.

  Foremost on the page were responses from Ahmad and Terstein. He gestured at Ahmad's and saw the man back up the claims he had made earlier that day: The late president had been unsettled and threatening, it had been unsafe to go public, Iran and the U.N. were more than willing to help out in whatever way they could, and were even now working to make the Defenders citizens of the world.

  Next was Terstein. Edarus watched with quiet detachment; it was more of the same. Then: "But just because this new president claims to be honest with us doesn't mean we should let down our guard. Too often we've been told that the government has learned its lesson, that politicians are working for the people. They're not; they're working for their reelection. They're working to establish their own royalty, to grant themselves names and titles. They have forgotten that in America, they aren't the government; the people are the government.

  "And the louder they yell 'We've changed!', the faster you should get your guns. Th
e more they speak of sweeping reform and drastic change, the more you should be ready to defend your rights from usurpers. Go along with these politicians, be all means. Help them to find common ground and fix America's problems. But be ready for a betrayal. Hopefully, the betrayal will never come, but if it does, it's better to be armed then to be caught unawares.

  "In the mean time, while they claim they are working for a better world, constantly remind them what a better world will be. Go and shout it on the street corner; you have the right. Walk up to the capitol building and wave your signs high; you have the right. Do everything in your power to make your voice heard by the people who have tried to usurp your will; you have the right.

  "I say this to my friend Edarus Latterndale, now president of this nation: make the changes, right the wrongs. But do not think it can be done without America behind you, or that America will blindly follow you. You gave us words today, words of reconciliation towards the Defenders. Defend those words with actions. Prove me wrong.

  "And I say this to the Defenders: Take the hand extended in friendship, but look out for the hand ready to strike in fear. They have hurt you once; make sure it doesn't happen again."

  Terstein continued on, every word poisoning the populace against Edarus, making his job that much harder. How was Edarus supposed to unite the public if Terstein was doing everything in his power to drive them apart?

  Edarus suddenly felt tired. For the first time, the weight of office pressed down on him. When he had made his speech, he had been caught up in the moment, fighting the fight, preparing to fix what was broken and bring about some resolution with the Defenders. Now it seemed so impossible.

  "Eh, fuck it." Edarus waved the television off, then stretched out on the couch.

  A better world could wait one more day.

  A cold hand rubbed Edarus's arm, and he pulled himself from the ballroom, from in front of the podium, staring down Lanlin, out of the White House and onto the couch of the Camp Eglon family room. He opened his eyes, and found only darkness.

  Sometime in the night he must have undressed; he could feel the cold stickiness of the leather couch against most of his body. He sat up and gestured for the lights to come on, but nothing happened. He gestured at the television and it sprang to life, bathing the room in the harsh glow of static.

  It took several long seconds for Edarus to realize that he was alone, and several more to realize that the television didn't usually project static; dead signal was blue.

  Voices whispering in the corridor drifted into the room, and Edarus instantly snapped awake; visions of an attractive young woman calmly dissecting Issac's speeches—and Issac's body—projected themselves against the darkness.

  Edarus spent a moment searching for a weapon, then realized it would be useless against a Defender, assuming his fears were right. He stood and made his way to the door; if a Defender were here, he was already as good as dead.

  The corridor proved to be empty, though he could still hear whispering from further along the hall.

  "Hello?"

  No answer.

  The possibility of Defender invasion was quickly replaced by the realization that, like most people, guards got bored on night duty and invariably talked to each other. If they happened to get too loud and wake him up, that was a matter to bring up with Ashheart. That went double for the faulty lights.

  Fully awake now, Edarus began to pace through the halls, wishing he had more on than socks and a pair of boxers. With every step, he felt colder.

  After some time he came to a cross hall and found a Secret Service agent standing stiffly at attention.

  "You guys think you can keep it down, huh?"

  The agent didn't respond.

  "Don't be a smart-ass about this; it's been a long day."

  The agent didn't respond.

  Edarus looked closer, trying to peer past the darkness, and saw that the agent was standing perfectly still, his breathing nearly imperceptible. Tentatively, he reached out and pushed on the agent. The agent rocked slightly, but otherwise remained motionless.

  There where whispers behind him.

  Edarus turned quickly, expecting to see someone—

  It was only him and the agent.

  More whispers from the cross hall.

  Not knowing what else to do, Edarus followed the sounds, feeling the air chill and his mind disconnect from the moment. The world he was in no longer seemed real. Frozen agents, frozen air, frozen world...

  He reached a closed door and pushed it open. Inside, laying on a bed, were two bodies: the lithe, feminine form of Amanda, the lanky, boyish body of Than. Edarus padded across the carpet and poked Amanda's arm. The flesh gave naturally, warmly, very much alive, but stopped as soon as he encountered muscle. Her arm was taught, motionless, just as the agent had been. Edarus surveyed his family, heard no sound of breathing. He leaned in closer, saw quick, shallow movements of body, of life.

  More whispering from the door.

  Back in the corridor the air was ice-cold, and mist seemed to be clinging to the edge of floor and wall.

  "I'm dreaming." His voice was hollow and echoed through the emptiness.

  Or are you?

  The voice was unexpected and caused Edarus to jump slightly, but he turned towards it deliberately, unafraid of whatever had spoken.

  Pale blue light came from down the hall, several degrees of magnitude brighter than the dull ambience that had suffused the corridor moments before. Unthinking, Edarus walked into it, feeling the temperature drop as he went. After he had gone several yards, he heard an increase in whispering.

  Doubts began to trickle in. What if it wasn't a dream? What if Defenders... E.H.U.D.s were loose here? Could they have followed, could they have raided the minds of Edarus's defenders? The possibility was certainly there, but Edarus doubted an E.H.U.D. would be stupid enough to waste time like this. They had been trained too well; they would kill and be gone.

  The light grew brighter ahead, burning away all shadow and curling like fog around thin poles that projected from the floor. Edarus stopped, seeing the balcony, the railing that funneled into the stair case, felt the dread he had experienced upon first seeing it.

  Edarus...

  It was a whisper, louder this time, all around this time. He realized that he hadn't quite heard it as it spoke, but rather had felt it in his mind... All the other whispers had been the same. He hadn't realized until now, but the other whispers had come into his mind with no direction at all, merely bringing with them a sense of purpose for one direction.

  The purpose for this summons was down below, down the ladder of wood and crystal and steel, down to the endless plane of polished black.

  I lied, Edarus... I'm sorry for that...

  They weren't purely words, but emotion, image, all translated in his mind as simple phrases. They felt... Unintentional. The source of these word's didn't want them expressed, but could hold them back no longer.

  I lied, my father... my son... There is no peace here, no peace on earth... I lied so that you might do what you must do, what you have always done, what you will forever do...

  As the voice spoke, as the thoughts continued to flow, Edarus felt the cold steel cutting through to his feet, the icy mist curling through his body...

  A shape flashed through the fog, disappearing before Edarus could see it.

  Do what you must...

  Another shape, clearer this time. Definitely human, thin, disheveled... the corpse-like figure went unrecognized until Edarus saw the face: Shara Chuskus. As soon as the association was made, the figure faded back into oblivion.

  Other shapes continued to writhe in the light; all were human.

  With a shocked stumble at the lack of downward movement, Edarus reached the floor. A patch of fog swirled before him, coalesced into Merd Lanlin. This time, he wasn't in charge, wasn't leering down at Edarus. He seemed afraid.

  Edarus stepped forward, and the apparition vanished.

  Further
on, more fog swirled. The shape made this time wasn't thin and wasted as the others had been, but bloated, sagging. Isaac.

  You had no idea... But still you kept going...

  The spectral form of the dead president reached towards him, its mouth wide in a silent scream, then fell forward and collapsed into a swirl that eddied away into the void.

  It all had to happen...

  Yet another shape formed, again thin, again familiar. Mistaren.