The Earth's End

by Tara Brown

  The hallways of the castle are busy, as always. Drones cleaning and organizing and a few still finishing small jobs. Those jobs will probably never be done. A last brick here or a window ledge there or a door handle in a closet. In a normal house you would have those odds and ends done in a matter of days. In a castle of this size it might take all year, regardless of the drones. When we no longer have them, it’ll be worse.

  Lee is waiting for me in her control room. I don’t think she has slept yet. I can relate. I didn’t waste a moment sleeping. I stared at Liam all night, noting his face changing as the moon rose and set again. My heart was breaking, despite the stories I told myself of how we would make it out of this.

  “It’s not too late to change our minds,” she says to the computer screen she focuses on, but she’s talking to me.

  “I know. I’ve contemplated that. But Dr. Jacquard is right. You know it, and so do I. They’re making us their slaves. Liam doesn’t realize the feudal system he’s created is just a mirror of the one we’re living inside ourselves. They’re giving us healing and protection for a never-ending lifetime of indentured servitude.”

  “I guess.” She seems bummed out by the idea of taking this all away.

  “What do you miss the most? Hot coffee, fresh donuts, or slushies?” I ask, playing a game we have played a million times.

  “Slushies, hands down. We can have hot coffee any time we want. Donuts too. But slushies would be harder.”

  “Then why don’t we make coffee? Have you noticed that? We don’t eat donuts and coffee. You know why?”

  “Oh my God, the bots are evil.” She spins in her chair and glares at me. “They don’t want us to have happiness?”

  Her sarcastic answer makes me laugh. “No, because it’s bad for us. We eat healthy, we crave foods that are nutritious. They’re controlling what we eat and what we crave. When was the last time you had a period?”

  Her lips part and she scowls. “I don’t know.”

  “Right. We’re not planning on having kids anytime soon, so the ovulation stops.”

  “Okay, well I don’t miss my period.”

  “Right, but what if you decided you loved someone and wanted to have kids with them and the bots decided no, this person isn’t for you? And they had already matched you with another person? What if they won’t turn your ovulation on because you shouldn’t be with the one you want to be with?”

  “I don’t want kids, Lou.” She wrinkles her nose.

  “Then change it to anything else. What if they decide we can’t be around the Littles because we’re not the right parents for those kids?”

  “They can’t do that.” That gets her back up.

  “But they can. They can do whatever they want. Whatever they think is in our best interest and it doesn’t matter what we want.” I recall something she might have forgotten, something I wish I had, and bring it to the table, “Remember when you were pissed at me for being with Liam? And you were angry because you thought I had both of them, and you technically have been in love with Kyle forever?”

  She recoils as her cheeks light on fire.

  “I always knew you liked him and that was why you were so pissy with me when you changed,” I confess and hope she sees where this is going. “When Liam and I became a thing, suddenly you were nice and sweet and friendly to me all the time. Why was that?”

  She narrows her gaze and sits back farther in the chair. It takes her several seconds before she answers, “Oh my God! They made me be nice to you even though you were being all skanky behind Kyle’s back!”

  “Exactly!” I point at her and realize I just made myself sound awful to prove a point.

  “So you admit you were being a ho?” She cocks an eyebrow and smirks.

  “You admit you like Kyle and were angry with me for a long time over it?”

  “Maybe.” She shrugs.

  “Then maybe I was a ho.” I hate that I was but she’s right. “The moment Liam and I were around each other, it’s like I forgot Kyle existed. Which is awful. It’s killing me now.”

  “What are you going to do if you and Liam is just bot plans? And this is a forced relationship? And you’re not really in love?”

  “I honestly have no idea,” I admit, dreading that reality. “But I won’t be with Kyle. I wouldn't do that to him.”

  “Well, you should know, I’ll be doing my best to help him get over you.” She winks but she’s serious.

  “You should,” I agree, though it’s uncomfortable to contemplate. “He deserves to be loved, not manipulated or forgotten when it’s convenient. He’s an amazing person.” I have no heartbreak over them together. That's a strange situation.

  We both cringe.

  “When do you think they’ll come?” she changes the subject and the answer bangs on the door.

  It opens a second later to one of her riders. He bows. “My queen, Princess Lee. There are hordes of live bots and drones coming out of the woods. They are surrounding the town now, coming from all four sides.” He’s saying something that anyone would panic over, but his voice is calm and collected.

  “Guess that answers that,” Lee mutters and gets up. “Lead the way, rider.” She holds a hand out for him to follow her. I follow them both, noting the presence of nerves in my stomach, though they’re dulled by the bots.

  The hallways are busier now, people scurrying more than normal. It’s panic for this place, though everyone is still relatively calm.

  When we reach the lookout on the second floor, I see why.

  The numbers slowly making their way to us seem impossible. It reminds me of a horror movie; they’re dragging their dehydrated and exhausted bodies across the massive fields in the distance. They’re so far back, I can’t see where they stop.

  “What the hell is going on?” Liam storms to where we are, his eyes narrow in on Lee. “What did you do?”

  “The siren must have malfunctioned,” she offers weakly. “I don't know. There was no warning that it wasn't working.”

  “You mean wasn't turning off. It had to have been running nonstop for this to happen.” He stares at the expanse of land filled with humans and not-quite humans making their way to us. “This is a disaster.” He watches for two more seconds before he turns to me. “Can you turn them around? Get them to halt and wait for us to deal with them all?”

  “I can try,” I lie.

  “Can you do it now?” he snaps.

  “Yeah.” I hurry away.

  When I get to the control room, I don't do anything. Instead, I sit in the chair and wait for an answer. The suspense of what comes next is killing me. I don't know what to do, and if Liam comes down here and sees me not solving this problem, I will have some serious explaining to do.

  There’s a knock on the door. I lift my face to tell them to enter but it opens and Leah pokes her head in. “Hi.” She smiles but her eyes are filled with worry. “Tanya told me the moment the horde showed up, Liam would send you down here.”

  “About time.” I sigh, relieved. “He did send me down here.”

  “I think that doctor dude was psychic. Anyway, I’m supposed to say proelium,” she utters softly and something kicks into gear.

  Light flashes behind my eyes, a plan forms. I see answers and Dr. Jacquard’s bots spring back to life, blooming like flowers in my brain. His critical thinking, problem-solving, and genius are mine again.

  I gasp seeing it.

  It’s terrible and efficient and exactly what we need.

  The flowers are made of fire and kick me into gear. I’m not looking, my eyes remain closed, but my fingers move about the keyboard. My own bots are panicking but Dr. Jacquard’s bots have built a wall, trapping mine behind it. My emotions are there too. As the wall gets larger, I sense myself detaching from everything.

  Fireworks burst behind my closed lids, sending signals all over my body and brain. It’s moving fast but I’m able to keep up. With Dr. Jacquard with me I can do anything.

  “Holy shit,
” Leah whispers somewhere in the background but I can’t see her. I’m finishing the sabotage I’ve planted in the computer system for the last five days.

  I’m creating a siren call and uploading it into myself.

  When I’m done, my eyes pop open and I smile at the startled expression on Leah’s face. “Let’s do this.”

  She flinches. “You look evil.”

  “I think I might be,” I agree because what is about to happen next is nothing short of sinister.

  “I’m sneaking back out this way.” She points in the opposite direction I am about to walk. “I’ll meet you out there?”

  “Okay.” I wave and leave her, indifferent to her survival in this moment. I don't care if any of us makes it.

  So long as this ends today, everyone here is fair game.

  27

  The last day

  My legs push as I run through the crowds of people in the small town we’ve built. Liam has an army preparing off to the left. No doubt Lee will lead them, meaning they won’t do anything.

  When I reach the top of the rampart, Tanya is waiting exactly where I knew she’d be, at the very back of town. Houses have been built up, making a view of this area impossible from the castle. It’s off the ground to protect her from the riders and guards, but also not a spot Liam will see.

  “Lou!” She waves.

  “You ready for this?” I ask coldly.

  “Nope.” She laughs nervously. She’s warm and human and fuzzy still. Her cheeks flush and her eyes dart between the hordes arriving and my face. “You okay?”

  “Never better,” I say.

  “When this is over, if we make it, we have some serious catching up to do.”

  My eyes dart to hers, making her flinch, and I know it’s because they’re glowing as they always do when I get fired up. “I doubt either of us is making it out of this.”

  “You really don't feel anything right now, do you? He said you’d be numb, cold, a robot. I told him no way—not you. I said, ‘Lou would never be closed off.’” She takes a step toward me. “But I was wrong.”

  “This is what we would become,” I say matter-of-factly, blinking at her. “This is what a full override looks like. The fate of the humans if the bots win. I had to become it to fight it.”

  “Then I guess we better stop them.” She scowls and her eyes are flooded with emotions I can’t relate to. They’re there; they’re spilling from her. But I feel nothing.

  I offer her a hand.

  She hesitates before putting her soft, warm fingers into mine. She hums weirdly. She is similar to me, but she’s also different. The hum is empty, there’s a void within it. I don't like it. It might be the only thing I’m not indifferent to.

  She climbs on my back, gripping tightly to my neck. She weighs nothing, and yet she might be the heaviest thing I’ve ever carried. And I don't know why that is.

  I turn and scale the rampart, climbing to the ground below, and putting her down. She slips her hand back into mine and we run. We don't have to speak. The plan was formulated with precision and preparation that could only have come from the doctor who helped create these bots. Jacquard knew exactly what they would do. He was able to predict every outcome to a tiny degree of error.

  Which means we can predict it too.

  The bots work the margins and change the plan ten steps ahead based on every action. They’re moving me and directing me and predicting our next course to ensure the outcome will be a success.

  I have Dr. Jacquard in me, taking charge and guiding the way. His life is part of the story too.

  I see the moment he met Tanya. When he lied about her to Liam and hid her away with the help of Harold, protecting her and waiting for his chance to strike. She has been the secret weapon in his armory for a long time.

  We run to the front lawn where I parked the helicopter that is still there with a cover over it. I grab the cover and pull it off, placing my hand on the helicopter. My bots, the ones stored in here, come to life. The machine fires up its weapons.

  Once it’s ready, I stand in the middle of the grass and place Tanya in front of me.

  “Lou?” Liam shouts from the castle. “What are you doing?”

  Tanya can’t hear him screaming at us but she’s trembling, no doubt from the onslaught of people coming this way. And the fact she is about to destroy everything. Maybe even herself.

  “Lou!” he screams.

  Ignoring him, I flex my fingers as something random happens. “Seven Nation Army” by the White Stripes begins playing in my mind. Dr. Jacquard loaded it so I would hear it at this exact moment. Even numbed, that makes me smile. But a second later, the music dies as the programming for the siren call, my siren call, kicks in. The footsteps are closer.

  The people are everywhere. They’re coming to us.

  I part my lips and it escapes me. I open my mouth wider and the sound of my screaming becomes mixed with the siren call. I tilt my head back, let my arms relax out from me, and send the sound into the sky.

  The sound waves travel up and dome out, surrounding us all. The tower keeps the sound waves going.

  There is no escaping me.

  Every bot in North America that is viable is here. Over the last five days, the siren coming from our tower changed, calling whoever could get here and killing off whoever couldn't. Unfortunately, it meant killing off hosts who weren’t sustainable.

  The live ones have jumped ship from their sick or slow hosts, crowding live bodies to the point of boiling over. They’ve attached to one another, becoming one. They’ve caught rides on the healthiest hosts, and driven, ridden, and run to get here. They stopped only when necessary and now they’re here, running at us like a wave. Like a scene in a movie.

  When the siren finishes leaving my lips, I gasp for air and stand up straight, swallowing the blood from the small rips in my esophagus from screaming so loud.

  “Lou!” Liam shouts at me again, he’s closer now. He’s not running. He’s too confident in himself and his bots to run.

  I turn, placing my hands behind my back so they’re still touching Tanya, keeping her with me.

  “What are you doing?” he asks as he makes his way across the field. “What is the plan here?”

  “I’m sorry,” I whisper, knowing he can hear it. Even over the noise of our new guests, he hears it. He thinks he’s walking to me to confront me, but he doesn't realize his bots have been overrun. He’s answering my call.

  He’s coming to me because I called him. He’s too confused from fighting his emotions to understand this. Dr. Jacquard knew this would happen too.

  “Sorry for what?” He’s so lost. The bots have him convinced betrayal is impossible, though his nature would disagree with this if he was permitted to think on his own.

  The helicopter lifts off the ground slightly and turns, facing Liam with the guns ready.

  Everything is prepared for war.

  But it’s not the war he thinks it is.

  The wall of people gets close enough for even Tanya to hear them gasping for air, some struggling to stay alive. They stop, creating a circle around us, stretching a mile out, a funnel of people. They are all inside the dome I have created, a sound wave dome that pulsates the same message on repeat from the towers.

  “Lou?” Liam makes his way to the front of the massive crowd, facing me from only a few feet away. He has to shield his eyes from dust as his hair blows in the wind the chopper creates as it hovers just above us. “What are you doing?”

  “When Dr. Jacquard found out I could take the bots from others, he and I both assumed it was because I killed them.” I pause, offering him a smirk. “Turns out that was not exactly accurate. The bots would’ve come simply because I called them. The death was unnecessary.”

  “Okay, I don't see how this is pertinent. Or I guess why you killed him then.”

  “He made me kill him so there was no chance of failure in this. So you couldn't get your hands on him and discover he was sabotaging you
from the very beginning.”

  The reality that this is all a trap hits him. “Don't do this.” He isn’t angry yet, but I suspect he’s going to lose the war over his emotions any second. His eyes flicker to the left and the right as he plots.

  “I have to. I have to save us all.” I’m detached from this truth, but it rings somewhere deep inside me. It’s important to me. “They want to control us. They want to run everything. We are becoming their slaves. And you can’t see this right now, but it’s the truth.”

  Lee, Erin, Miles, Kyle, and Leah make their way to where Tanya and I are.

  “Is this because of him?” Liam asks, pointing at Kyle.

  “No.”

  “Do you love him still?” His eyes narrow and I see the switch in him. He’s losing the war on his rage.

  “No,” I answer truthfully. It's all I have. Kyle flinches at my answer and again somewhere within me there is a note of pain or devastation. “I love you. That is the honest truth. I couldn't lie to you right now if I wanted to. The bots running me are Dr. Jacquard’s and they have a single mission. They have closed off all other facets of my being to ensure optimal performance from me.” I take a small step toward him, hoping he sees the gesture in it. “I love you, this body and its heart and soul love you.”

  “If you do this, you don't love me.” He goes for manipulation. He can’t help himself.

  “You’re wrong. I’m doing this because I love you.”

  “Lou!” he snaps. “Do you know what happens to me when the bots are gone? Do you know what I become?”

  “A shadow man,” I whisper, not sure why it slips out. It shouldn't have—it shouldn't have made it past the wall.

  His eyes widen. His lips part suggesting he wants to say something but he can’t. I’ve hit him with a weapon he didn't know I had in my arsenal.

  “And my love will save you from him.” I believe this too. “From your darkness.”

  “You can’t,” he whispers back. A single tear slips from one of his eyes. He swallows hard and the emotion shuts off. I see the switch in him. He goes from devastated to psychotic in a single heartbeat. His eyes narrow and he fixates on my friends. He’s choosing which one—which one will stop me.