Original Design

by William Latoria

  He and Zahera said their goodbyes the next day, and Blackshade was on a conveyance back to the Foundation. He hated leaving Zahera, but it was time for him to get back to work.

  Chapter 15

  Upon his arrival at the Foundation, he was ushered back into a conference room, where he gave a full debriefing to President Silvia and President Novatrix. Soearth joined them, and he recounted all the details about what had occurred at Roswell, leaving out the parts where he and Zahera had gotten together of course, their personal lives were not the concern of the Presidents. They listened intently, and asked intelligent questions, but he knew they both must have known everything he was telling them, and he felt this was a huge waste of his time. Still, he knew his duty and performed his task as professionally as he could. Once the Presidents were satisfied, they thanked him for his time, and left him and Soearth alone. With only Soearth in the room with him, Blackshade immediately posed the question that had been pressing on him for weeks.

  “The Omegas showed me that humanity is breeding itself into extinction. Most of the world’s governments, including Candaerica’s, know about it. Did you?” he asked, already knowing the answer. The information the Omegas put into his head let him know that Soearth was one of the handful of Candaericans that knew, but he wanted to know if the man would admit it.

  Soearth blanched at the question, “Bill, what you’re asking me is highly classified…” he began.

  Blackshade put his fist into the table so hard, the pseudo-oak splintered, “Did. You. Know?” he demanded.

  Soearth looked intimidated, the word, ‘Scared’ scrolled across his forehead almost immediately after he hit the table, “Yes, I’ve known for a long time now. It’s the problem I’ve spent the most time on, before the Omegas arrived.” he admitted quickly.

  Blackshade shook his head, “Why didn’t you tell me? Why haven’t we told the world?” he asked, knowing the reason but refusing to accept it.

  Now it was Soearth’s turn to be angry, “Don’t be stupid, Bill!” he told him heatedly, “You know damn well why we haven’t told the world! If we do, all it will accomplish is a mass panic and turmoil. No good will come of it at all, and in the end, it will only inhibit our ability to try and change our fate.”

  Blackshade’s shoulders slumped, “Is there a fix?”

  The anger left Soearth as the words, ‘We are doomed’ danced across his forehead, “No. None. Science hasn’t progressed enough for us to fix our DNA.” he told him hopelessly, “Some scientists in China thought they were on the cusp of a breakthrough, but that was months ago, and now with the state of their country, I don’t even know if the research still exists, let alone the researchers.”

  Blackshade didn’t look up, “The Omegas can’t fix it yet either, but they’ve discovered the flaw in our species and think they can figure it out in time.” he informed his friend, “They think we have a hundred or so years, before it gets so bad that we can’t produce viable children.”

  Soearth shook his head, “Their estimates are generous.” Soearth answered glumly, “Our own estimates show that the degeneration has already begun. Just look around; birth defects, early, unexplained deaths in otherwise healthy people, lowering pregnancy rates, mental and physical defects that were rare a generation ago, are almost common now, and with each new generation, there seems to be some sort of new epidemic that plagues them.” he shook his head miserably, “In a hundred years, we probably won’t recognize what’s left of humanity.”

  Blackshade was stunned, “That’s not what the Omegas told me. They said there was at least one hundred years or so before it hit a critical point.”

  Soearth shook his head, the word, ‘Doomed’ broadcast on his forehead, “The Omegas haven’t been studying us that long. Their timeline isn’t right. They might tell you that the next time you see them.” he looked up at him, a glimmer of hope shone on his face, “But, maybe if we combine our efforts! We could share what we know of our situation, and they can use their science to possibly save us in time!” he said, almost feverishly.

  Blackshade nodded, “It’s possible, but I think that’s what they’re already doing. They can access any of our records, from what I’ve seen, so if they need any information from us, they can literally snatch it out of the air.”

  Soearth shook his head in disgust at himself, “Yes. I should have realized that. I apologize, my emotions got the better of me.”

  Blackshade shook his head, refuting the apology, “If acting on emotions isn’t human, then I don’t know what is.” he said half-jokingly, trying to lighten the mood.

  Soearth caught what he was trying to do with his comment, and smiled. The word, ‘Friend’ appeared on his forehead. Blackshade took the opportunity to change the subject, “So, what do you think of what happened in Roswell? How do you think people will respond to what happened?” he asked.

  Soearth smiled at the questions, “What occurred in Roswell was the first real miracle to happen to humanity in its history.” he told him matter-of-factly, “It also gave great weight to the argument that the Omegas did indeed create us, and that humanity is exactly what they claim it is, discarded machinery. I, for one, have been deeply moved by the events in Roswell, not only the Omega’s actions, but humanity’s as well.”

  The smile on Blackshade’s face disappeared as the memory of the attack, and Kara’s death, returned to him. “Yea, some of the attackers were our own Air Soldiers. My own people!” he said, his anger beginning to rise.

  Soearth looked at him sympathetically, “It was ignorant of us to not realize that in an event of this magnitude, there would be those that would not want it to happen, that there would be those who would oppose it, and even take life, or become a traitor to their country, in order to stop it.”

  Blackshade shook his head, “No, that’s not fair. Zahera was expecting it. She had three levels of perimeter security using drones, walls, and barricades. She implemented human patrols, multiple ECPs, and stayed active in the day-to-day protection of the camp.” he said defensively, “There was no way she could have known that her own troops would betray her. No Commander could, there’s just no way to plan for that.”

  Soearth nodded in agreement, “I agree, but now there is precedence, and we know others might be inspired because of it. So, moving forward, we have to be prepared for the next group of traitors, because they’ll be far more ready than this first group, and because of that, they might achieve their goal.”

  Blackshade stood up and began pacing across the room, “Is there Intel that suggests there might be more traitors among us?” he asked heatedly.

  Soearth shook his head as he turned around on his chair to face him, “No, but do you really think there won’t be?” he asked him, disappointed, “Was there Intel that the Air Soldiers that sympathized with the extremists were going to do so? Would you have acted on it if there was? How do you monitor a person, an Air Soldier, without breaking every privacy law that we have?”

  Blackshade’s pace quickened, “We check their blogs, their internet, monitor their calls, check any e-mail they receive, and if they set off any red flags, we detain them and bring them in for questioning!” he answered reflexively.

  Soearth shook his head in irritation, “Congratulations, Ambassador, you’ve just committed three felonious acts by invading a person’s privacy without permission or probable cause. Nothing you find can be used against them in court, and the next person to take over your role, after you’re sent to prison, will be far more hampered and afraid to watch their people, making it easier for those that want to rebel to do so. You might as well give them a free pass to attack the Foundation while you’re at it.”

  Blackshade stopped in his tracks and rounded on Soearth, “Ok, fine. What the hell would you have me do then? Just wait to get shot in the back?” he retorted, frustrated.

  Soearth smiled, the words, ‘He is listening’ scrolled across his forehead, “Be prepared. Have contingencies. Don’t let one or two peopl
e have too much control of the operation. Try not to leave those that are apt to be sympathetic to the enemy alone for long periods of time. If someone does isolate themselves, you watch them, talk to them, see how they react to the interaction, then, if they seem to be up to something, you get the proper investigators involved so they can legally pry into their lives. If you catch them preparing to commit treason, you hang them from the highest tree and burn them at the stake for everyone to see. Make it so the next person that gets it into their head to be treasonous is more terrified of the punishment than whatever cause they think they’re championing.”

  Blackshade had to admit Soearth’s advice was good, but he didn’t think he would be able to implement his idea, “Sounds great, but I can’t be everywhere at once.” he told him dismissively.

  “I’m well aware of that, Bill.” he replied to him condescendingly, “No one said YOU had to do any of it. Have Colonel Vuloom appoint those she trusts to the task, and hopefully she’ll catch the next traitor before they can execute their plan. From what I understand, the only reason you’re here now is because of the augmentations the Omegas performed on you.” he responded bluntly.

  Blackshade saw his point and had to concede the fact, “You’re right, Soearth, you’re right. I’ll send Zahera an e-mail telling her all of this. Hopefully it’ll help her catch the next one before they can sabotage our drones.” he told him, “Of course, Zahera is smarter than I am, and she’s probably already figured this out.”

  Soearth smiled, “Let’s hope so. The news on the internet isn’t exactly pro-Omega right now.” he told him, as he began bringing up multiple displays showing different articles and blogs about the events in Roswell, as well as the planned protests at the Foundation.

  What he saw wasn’t good, but it wasn’t all bad either. From what he could tell, religious groups and the bloggers associated with them, were fully condemning the resurrection. Religious leaders were referring to the Omegas as demons, and the Air Soldiers that took part in the resurrection operation as cowards and murderers. Many were calling for Zahera to be brought up on charges for the deaths of the people that attacked the camp, and that the Air Soldiers that fired at Candaerican citizens be given the death penalty. None of the bloggers said anything about the fact that eight Air Solders had been gunned down by the people they were trying to turn into martyrs, nor did they say anything about the Air Soldiers that had turned traitor and sabotaged the drones, or gave the traitors military grade weapons. It was typical internet rhetoric, and he wasn’t surprised to see it so skewed. The bloggers went on telling people that their various gods wanted them to resist these “curses” the Omegas were trying to mask as gifts. They all quoted different religious passages and phrases in order to loosely defend their view points. A few didn’t bother with religious references and claimed that their God had come to them in a dream, or a vision, and one even claimed she received her instructions from the Almighty, when he came to her in a waffle. It was all very typical, and had the usual internet-warrioring in the comment sections for each one. Some people supported the article, others decried it, and in the end, both sides devolved into empty threats and ridiculous insults. What he took away from it all was that religious leaders and their followers were desperately trying to get people to reject the Omegas, because of what they believed their faith demanded.

  Not all of the articles and bloggers were anti-resurrection or anti-Omega. Some of them were pro-Omega and even made plans to counter-protest at the Foundation on the day of the anti-Omega protest. Not surprisingly, the South Americans that had loved ones brought back, or that had been resurrected themselves, passionately defended the resurrection and all those that helped make it happen. A few articles even suggested that a handful of small groups were getting together to worship the Omegas as the true gods of the human race, and that as their machines, it was humanity’s duty to serve them faithfully. While Blackshade didn’t agree that the Omegas were gods, he liked that there were people out there who saw them as allies instead of enemies. The comment sections were more of the same of course, one side threatening and insulting the other until the entire discussion devolved into nothing more than empty school yard threats, but it was refreshing to see that not everyone was against the Omegas, and that there were those who appreciated the resurrection.

  Blackshade was intrigued by the idea that some people were forming groups to worship the Omegas, but when he tried to find information about these groups he failed miserably. He supposed it was understandable, if these groups really existed they would have to be wary for a while. People were always prone to violence when it came to people believing in things that were different from their own beliefs. A small fringe group worshipping the Omegas as gods would be an easy target for a group looking to vent their frustrations or prove themselves to the people of their faith. He couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed though, he would have liked to learn more about why they thought the Omegas wanted to be worshipped.

  He had been reading through the articles for what felt like a short amount of time, when a yawning Soearth stretched in his chair and turned off the displays. Confused, Blackshade looked over at his friend wondering why he had done so.

  Soearth met his gaze and rolled his eyes. The word, ‘Machine’ appeared on his forehead. “I know you’re some kind of superhuman that doesn’t require food or rest, but us mortal creatures still do, and I want a break. I’m exhausted with reading though all of this nonsense. All of these people are just trying to make this all about them, or their association. What they should be focusing on is the fact that death is no longer permanent! That the Omegas are here to stay, at least for the short term, and that the potential for the universe to be opened up to us is a huge possibility! Yet all these small minded fools care only about is their version of an invisible, negligent, omnipresent thing that probably doesn’t exist and that doesn’t care about what happens on this tiny ball of dirt. If he exists at all! It’s all so petty, it’s disheartening.” he said crankily.

  Blackshade thought his friend made a good point, but only shrugged and nodded in response. Standing up, he stretched before joining Soearth at the door. The man was looking at him with an odd look on his face.

  “What is it?” he asked, worried.

  Soearth waved his hands around to indicate his body, “You’ve become larger!” he said, just now noticing.

  Blackshade laughed, “Yea, the Omega’s technology really did a number on the ole’ body. You’re right about that.” he said, agreeing with him.

  Soearth’s interested peaked, “I can see that!” he responded excitedly. He pushed the input for the transference cube, “I’m buying dinner. I want you to tell me everything!” he said, as a tone indicated the cube had arrived.

  Following Soearth into the cube, Blackshade was still chuckling, “That sounds as good of a deal as any.” he told him agreeably. He wasn’t hungry, but sitting around chatting about the Omegas was just the break he needed.

  ………………………………………………………………………………………………………

  The next few days were spent gathering as much information as they could on the religious groups coming to protest the Omega’s presence on Earth. There had been a few pro-Omega articles, that had asked the anti-Omega groups what they thought the Candaerican government could do to remove the Omegas from the planet, and their responses had been ludicrous. According to some of the religious leaders, their God would provide Candaerica with a way to fight the Omegas. Others said that the government had super-secret weapons deep underground that could be used to destroy the Omegas. Others followed similar logic but said that the technology the government had was acquired from another alien species that met with their leaders in secret. They claimed that the government received this technology when they allowed aliens to set up a massive transporter in the Bermuda Triangle; which was why so many things disappeared in that part of the world. Blackshade had to admit, it was a
clever theory, but he knew for a fact that the Bermuda Triangle was nothing more than old Russian technology that had malfunctioned terribly and been dumped in that part of the ocean over a century ago. The reason things disappeared there, and why locating things in that area was almost impossible, was because whatever the malfunctioning Russian technology was, it had incredibly strong magnetic properties that heavily distorted any electrical systems that came into range, and occasionally, the combination of the sea water, temperature, and whatever was discarded down there, would send up a concentrated electro-magnetic pulse that would destroy all electronics and cause any machines in the area to crash or sink. It had been one of the first things he had learned about as a B-52 pilot and always found it incredibly interesting that no one had ever recovered whatever it was down there. The Russians, of course, vehemently denied it, but the information was obtained from a former Russian researcher that had defected from their country and had in their possession, physical evidence proving this claim. The American government, at the time, didn’t press the issue, because there was always a more pressing issue for the nation to deal with. It was simply an interesting situation that an uninformed society was using to further their own agendas.