by Luigi Robles
Once the aisle was empty, Larissa grabbed the three boxes of flares. She placed two of them in the middle shelf and opened the third. She took one of the flares out and expertly lit it. She placed the live flare back inside the box and quickly walked away with the shopping cart. As she got two aisles down, the fire alarm began to sound, and by the third aisle, she heard a small but rapidly escalating crackle, accompanied by smoke, lots of smoke.
“Please evacuate the building,” the alarm said. “I repeat, please evacuate the building. A fire has been reported in the building. Remain calm, and please make your way out of the building in an orderly fashion through your nearest exit.”
Panic ensued as people ran towards the exits, Larissa focused on finding somewhere to hide, she had a plan, and she intended to see it through.
“Fire suppressors will be deployed in t-minus 60 seconds,” the alarm said.
This is as good a place as I’m ever going to get, Larissa thought as she hid behind the large bags of dog food, clutching the bat. What are the chances that they will leave with the people getting out of the building? Firefighters will respond within a few minutes if the alarm was able to summon them. But if someone intercepted it, I don’t think they will be leaving the store anytime soon. Fire or no fire. I have to be ready. I just hope this works.
Fire suppressors began to inundate the store, creating a thick mist, making it hard to see any farther than just a few feet. The mist wasn’t harmful to breathe in for a short period of time, although it did cause eye irritation.
The building had fallen silent, with only the alarm sounding in the background. Larissa had her eyes wide open, searching for any movement.
Then, just behind her, she heard a low buzz. As she turned, she saw a small drone examining her. It was a scout drone. Without wasting any time, she swung the bat as hard as she could at the small drone, pulverizing it in one swift movement. It looked as if the drone didn’t get the chance to complete its scan. But Larissa knew those scout drones all too well. It was old tech, and as far as she knew, there was only one group that still used them to smoke out their victims: mercenaries.
“We know you are here,” a stranger shouted. “It’s only a matter of time before we find you. Why don’t you be a sweetheart and come out all on your own? I promise you; it won’t hurt one bit.”
So, this is a hit? Larissa thought the question. I must have seriously pissed off someone or something. Stay calm, Larissa, just breathe.
Larissa grabbed the shopping cart and pushed it with all her strength. The shopping cart flew down the aisle and came to a violent stop, crashing loudly into one of the center islands. Bat in hand, she ran as quietly as she could towards where she thought she’d heard the voice, parallel to the center aisle. She stopped and turned into an aisle as she saw another drone coming her way.
“Oh, come on, sweetheart,” the stranger said. Yes, by the sound of it, the voice was coming from the center aisle. “Why do you have to go and make this difficult? Just come out, come out, wherever you are, and we’ll call it a day.”
Larissa kept moving towards the center aisle, and when she saw the back of the stranger’s trench coat, she didn’t think twice. She ran towards him and swung the bat, hitting him on the side of the head, knocking him unconscious, she hoped. Although from the looks of it, the injury she caused might be a bit more serious.
She tried to take his assault rifle, but when she saw that a user ID would be required to operate it, she tightened her grip on the bat.
Using the same tactics, creating a bait then a distraction while avoiding the drones, she brought down seven more mercenaries, softening the blow on the last one.
“Hey, wake up, buddy,” Larissa said as she repeatedly slapped the stranger on the cheek. “Don’t go to sleep just yet.”
When the stranger opened his eyes, he tried to get loose. But Larissa had her knee over his chest and the bat on his neck.
“You aren’t going anywhere, so I suggest you start talking,” Larissa said as she pressed her knee into the stranger’s chest.
“I’m not telling you anything,” the mercenary said. “The rest of us will soon be here, and there’s nothing you’ll be able to do then. So, do what you have to do.” He turned his head away from Larissa.
“Tell me,” Larissa said as she pressed the bat into his chin.
“Speaking of…” the mercenary managed.
Larissa looked up and saw that she was surrounded. At least twenty-five mercenaries encircled them.
“Hey, pretty lady,” one of the mercenaries said. “We don’t want to mess up that pretty face of yours, do we?”
Larissa stood and released the man, and also let her bat fall to the floor.
“By the way,” the mercenary said as the rest began to point their guns at her, “there’s no way this will have a happy ending. They don’t exist. OK, darling?”
Larissa sighed in resignation.
The building began to rumble, and a loud noise approached. Seconds later, big chunks of the roof came crashing down on each side of the circle of mercenaries. Two of Sodenia’s drones? Larissa thought as she saw the large drones hovering just a foot above the ground, occupying most of the space. Kya, I really hope some of you is in there.
“Lay down your weapons immediately,” the drones said simultaneously in a loud, raspy robotic voice, “or I will open fire.”
“Nev—” the mercenary managed to yell before he was interrupted by the drone’s firepower.
4
The Council
Cross sat behind his desk inside the council’s bunker near Washington, D.C. He was having his third glass of whiskey while trying to patiently wait for the results of the attack he had just launched. The hit was directed at Sodenia’s original flight crew, Colonel Green, and General Nicolas M. Truman. His most trusted assistant Joan was with him in the office, monitoring the situation on a tablet. They both sat quietly, with just the noise of the fire burning and crackling in the fireplace filling the room.
Cross had always felt safe in the council’s bunker, he had designed it with the end of the world in mind. It made him feel powerful, impenetrable, and invincible. The bunker was larger than most facilities that he knew of. Its walls and doors were thick, ten inches of solid steel with six feet of concrete for the walls and fifteen inches of alloy steel for the doors. It was located underground, with stockpiles of provisions that would last hundreds of years. What harm could come his way behind those walls? He and the remaining members of the council just needed to get their hands on the one thing that would bring the world to its knees—Sodenia.
“Is there any news on the block of iron floating in Earth’s orbit?” Cross asked. “Have we been able to reach them yet?”
“We’ve been sending multiple messages,” Joan said while looking at her tablet. “But so far, the new ship has been unresponsive. We have no way of knowing if they are actually getting our messages or not.”
“Try all bands, all frequencies,” Cross said. “Everything we’ve got. Even if you have to send them a hand-written letter, do it. But we have to be the first ones to make contact with them. Have everyone in communications work double time or whatever it takes. But we must be first this time.”
“I will send a message to the appropriate channels,” Joan said.
Cross took a deep breath and tried to relax as he sipped his whiskey. “Give me an update on the other matter at hand.”
“All assets have been deployed.” Joan looked at her tablet. “The mercenaries are now en route to the ESAF officials, and they have already begun to follow the flight crew.”
“Good… You know it’s always good to hear good news.” Cross chewed on some Ice. “And where are the other chairs and senators?”
“They are less than twenty minutes away. I’ve instructed the guards to get them inside the bunker as soon as they arrive. We have transport waiting for them near the landing pads already.”
“Keep pressing the issue”—Cross glanc
ed at his watch— “We don’t have time to be waiting around for them. Once they get here, have the facility go on full lockdown mode. Nobody enters or leaves.”
“Yes, sir,” Joan said faithfully.
After the demise of the council on board Sodenia during the second Acram attack, Cross and two other council members were the only ones left. And Cross was the head of the organization. They had ascended to power through funding for ESAF and other government organizations, always asking the same thing in return. Control. Although there were three members left, including Cross, the roots of their power were buried deep in politics and other worldwide organizations. Power not easily erased.
After recent events, ESAF had finally begun pushing back, trying to dismantle the very thing Cross had worked so hard to create. They wanted nothing to do with the council, and this infuriated Cross, but he knew that soon everything would be coming to an end. Once he got hold of the ship and somehow managed to control its deranged AI, a new world order would ensue, and Earth would finally be making real progress. There would be no sign of ESAF then. Too many minds had set the world backwards hundreds if not thousands of years by now. All that the world needed was one great mind.
But I do wonder, Cross thought, what should I name the new space organization? My new organization. It should be something similar to that repugnant Earth Space Armed Federation. But what? How about Earth Domain Fleet? Yeah, that’s it, we are getting close. But now is no time to be dreaming about a name. This damn habit of mine must be getting to me, but this doesn’t make me weak. No, there isn't any man on earth that can resist a good whiskey. Enough of dreams, now is the time to focus on the task at hand.
“This will be one clean operation,” Cross said, breaking the silence. “We will wipe the slate clean, and it will be as if they never existed in the first place. Hear me out, Joan. This will be the beginning of a new form of government. A government where only those who are chosen to lead make the decisions. A government that will devote itself to the preservation of the human race, no matter the cost. A strong government that answers to no one. Because that’s the only way that humanity will survive what’s coming. And make no mistake; things are coming.”
Joan nodded.
“You see, power is simple,” Cross continued as he took another sip of his whiskey and leaned back into his chair. “You just have to know how to control it, and never loosen your grip on it. This world has had many empires: Spanish Empire, Roman Empire, Qing Dynasty, Mongol Empire, British Empire, and the Great Ottoman Empire. All with one thing in common: massive power over the world. But all have fallen and have been forgotten by the world. Some turned into pacifists, some were betrayed, and some just didn't have the capacity to rule. But all had one thing in common, and do you know what that is?”
“I’m not entirely sure, sir,” Joan said, looking away from the tablet.
“Take a guess,” Cross said, putting the tips of his fingers together.
“The lack of control over the power they had.” Joan sounded unsure of her answer.
“Exactly. They were too trusting, too loose with their reins, too hesitant to demand. And that made them weak. Power requires dominance, a supreme control, and unwavering resolve.”
Joan nodded.
“I can assure you as long as I am alive,” Cross said as he leaned back and took another sip of whiskey, “that will never happen.” Cross stood up from his desk and pointed his drink towards Joan. “Never. The council will be strong, and it will remain standing. And if people in power oppose us, we will just have to take their power away from them. Make it our own, by any means necessary.” Smiling with self-satisfaction, Cross sank back into his chair. “The things we will be able to accomplish will give real meaning to the words ‘new world order.’ Power is a simple thing. Remember that, Joan.”
Joan nodded in agreement.
“And you know what else,” Cross said as he pointed at Joan, using the index figure in his drinking hand. “I like you because you are smart. Smarter than anyone I know, smarter maybe even than me. That is why I have decided.”
“What is it that you’ve decided, sir?”
“I’ve decided that I will make you second-in-command of our new organization.”
Joan nodded, but this time with a visible smile.
Cross thought highly of Joan. For the past ten years, Joan had been serving Cross without complaint. Never requesting time off, never hesitating to get the job done. Cross saw in Joan a younger version of himself. He saw in her strength, conviction, but most of all, he saw someone willing to do whatever it took to get the job done. And if Cross was right about Joan, they shared the same ambitions, the same goals. He was aware of what Joan ultimately wanted: she wanted to sit where he sat.
When this operation is finished, Cross thought, ESAF will surely fall. Truman is the only one holding ESAF together. Green is a small fry, but when Truman falls, he will be second-in-command because of his close ties to Sodenia; I am sure of it. And when there’s no flight crew left, well then, that wretched AI is going to have to agree to a new one. I’d like to see how she can manipulate the numbers on that equation. The real question is, how to get rid of her? That blasted AI is still a big problem. But we’ll get rid of her. I am sure of that, even if she is half-alien or whatever she claims. No one is above the council. Sodenia needs to be a warship, and it needs to be under the council’s command. Then and only then, there will be nothing in the council’s way. There is no wrong in trying to survive, no—
“Sir,” Joan said, interrupting Cross’s train of thought.
“What is it?”
“Two out of the seven attacks have already been foiled by the flight crew,” Joan said. “The other five attacks are still in progress; however, the flight crew seems to be putting up a fight.”
“How many mercenaries did we send to each?” Cross asked, standing up from his chair.
“It depended on the field conditions. Three to seven for the flight crew. And for the heads of ESAF, only two, to their homes.”
“Whose idea was that?” Cross asked, beginning to feel his blood boiling.
“The mercenary group themselves came up with the numbers, sir,” Joan said as she typed away on her tablet. “They seemed pretty confident.”
“Why wasn’t this brought to my attention?”
“It was, sir, but you gave a dismissive wave and said, ‘let them do what they think is best’ and left the room.”
“This is why you can’t trust anyone one,” Cross said, nostrils flaring. “Even me. Request backup. Not one or two more. Get all of them to split up and finish the job. We can’t have this operation ruined; they’ll know it was us. Let’s not give Truman the excuse he needs.”
“I understand, sir,” Joan said, one eyebrow raised. “Already working on it.”
“By the way,” Cross said, slowing down, thinking he had brought the situation under control. “Who were the two that managed to escape?”
“Fain Jegga and Pycca Evans, so far.”
“Send a larger group to those two,” Cross said. “No one escapes tonight.”
“Working on it, sir.”
“You won’t survive this one, Fain. You won’t,” Cross murmured. “None of you will.”
“Sir,” Joan said. “Reinforcements are already at the scene.”
I almost feel bad for them, Cross thought. But no, not really. This is for the greater good. The good of humanity; it’s the only way Earth will survive. I am right to do this, I must do this.
“T-minus three minutes until the aircraft carrying the rest of the council gets here.”
“Good, at least that’s one less thing to worry about.”
“Sir!”
“What now?” Cross asked, not knowing what to expect.
“I’ve just gotten word that we have detected several of Sodenia’s drones flying towards the flight crew and the heads of ESAF, and several more are inbound towards this facility.”
Joan’s words sent c
hills down Cross’s spine, chills that he thought he would never feel again after he became a part of the council. He felt fear once again. But soon after, the fear turned to anger, to bravado. He would face whatever was coming his way head on. He hadn’t ascended to his position by being a coward.
“If it’s a fight they want,” Cross said slowly as he took the last sip of whiskey, “it’s a fight they’ll get.”
5
Nightfall
Kya was heading towards the council’s facility on board one of Sodenia’s drones. Three more fully armed drones escorted her there. From the drone, she was able to control the twelve other drones she had sent to aid Sodenia’s flight crew and the other two members of ESAF. Kya was able to paint a clear map of each situation and view anything the drones were viewing in her head. However, she could only do three at a time, and even then, the images she saw became increasingly distracting.
Luckily, the drones were fully capable of functioning without her fully controlling them. She settled for choosing their targets and switching rapidly between drones to ensure the survival of those she wanted to protect. But things weren’t so easy for Kya lately, not like before. She had encountered a big problem in her AI journey towards understanding humans.
The more I try to think like a human, Kya thought, the more my thought process slows down. As if my mind is trying to enjoy the little moments, the moments that bring me happiness, joy, warmth. But then the same happens when I worry. I inhibit myself from thinking, from processing the necessary information. Is that what it’s like to be scared? Or angry? But without being able to analyze the data, I won’t be able to make the right decisions. I need to be in full control of my mind—
Twelve messages from the drones entered Kya’s mind, interrupting her thoughts. Ten of the messages were simultaneous, and two of them came seconds later. The messages that came in last were from the drones that were dealing with Larissa’s mercenaries. All twelve messages were identical: All targets have been nullified.
