Waking Gods

by Sylvain Neuvel

  —She came back.

  —Yes. She came back, never having met you. Why would you expect someone you never met to visit you in prison?

  —You know, sir, this is a lot of fun, but my break’s almost over. What are you really here for?

  —As we speak, there is a team from Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta preparing a rescue mission. I would like you to accompany them.

  —I can’t join a Delta Force team, sir. I’m not an “operator.” You have to be … well, you have to be Delta Force.

  —You would be joining them as an advisor.

  —I’m not a soldier anymore! They took that away too.

  —I am aware of your dishonorable discharge.

  —I’m sure you are, sir.

  —Let me rephrase then. There is a Delta Force team preparing a rescue mission. I would like you to accompany them as a civilian advisor.

  —Do you think sending me on a mission to watch a bunch of soldiers do what I can’t do anymore is gonna make me feel better about what happened?

  —Your personal feelings are not my chief concern at this time, though I believe you might indeed find some degree of redemption in the process.

  —What are you talking about?

  —Do you remember how your mutiny ended at the Puerto Rico base?

  —Alyssa escaped. Everyone else got arrested.

  —Do you remember what prompted said mutiny?

  —Yes. I remember. She said she removed some of Kara’s—

  —Ova—

  —Yeah … She said she would implant them into another person. She was trying to make—

  —She was attempting to create children who share whatever features allow Ms. Resnik and Mr. Couture to operate Themis. She was trying to make pilots.

  —She’s crazy.

  —Crazy or not, it appears she may have been successful … at creating a child. No one knows whether Themis would respond to her.

  —It’s a girl?

  —Why are you smiling?

  —Kara’s a mom! Does she know?

  —Not at the moment.

  —Wait … You didn’t tell her?

  —I saw no need to alarm her until—

  —You said you would, sir. You told me! You promised me you would tell her!

  —I promised you I would tell her when the time came.

  —It’s been ten years! More than that! What are you waiting for? Grandchildren?

  —I had no knowledge of this child until yesterday. Even now, I cannot confirm or deny her existence, nor can I validate the claim that she is the offspring of Ms. Resnik and Mr. Couture. That is what the mission is for.

  —Why send Delta Force? You could just knock on the door and ask—

  —I have reason to believe the Russian Government is sending a team of its own to retrieve the child. I do not know what their intentions are, but considering what length they have been willing to go to thus far, I would not put it past them to … remove any evidence if they feel their mission will not succeed.

  —They would kill the girl?

  —If all else fails. I believe their ultimate goal is to assemble an alternate team of pilots and, once they are reasonably confident they can operate her, take Themis for themselves by any means necessary.

  —Why?

  —They probably feel that the needs of Mother Russia would be better served if the weapon were available to them without the prior approval of the United Nations, preferably on an exclusive basis.

  —They want to use it against us.

  —I do not believe it is their intent to do so now, but they would certainly like to have the option available, if only as a deterrent. If the London events have proven anything, it is that whoever possesses Themis shall never fear a conventional army ever again. That is a very powerful motivation.

  —Why me? What do you think I can do?

  —As you said, it may be as simple as knocking on the door. If possible, I would like her to leave of her own accord.

  —What about her parents? She must have parents.

  —The United States Government would prefer for the child to come alone.

  —This isn’t a UN mission?

  —It is not. Neither the UN nor the EDC are aware of it.

  —Why is the US doing this?

  —Perhaps they too feel that their needs would be better served if Themis were available to them without the prior approval of the United Nations.

  —And you think the parents will just hand over their daughter to a complete stranger.

  —You will have to convince them.

  —And what if I can’t?

  —Step aside. Let Delta handle it.

  —Step a … How long do I have?

  —I cannot tell you precisely. Minutes.

  —What will Delta do?

  —They will do what they need to do.

  —And the parents?

  —They are not part of the mission. Retrieving the child safely is the primary objective.

  —They’ll kidnap a kid?

  —What do you see as an alternative? They cannot simply ask the parents for their permission.

  —Why not?

  —Because it would imply telling them where they intend to take the girl, and the United States Government does not want its involvement known.

  —So you want me to lie to them?

  —I want you to convince them to let their daughter leave with you in under ten minutes. How you achieve that goal is not particularly relevant. That said, I do not believe any parent would willingly let their ten-year-old daughter be trained to pilot a giant war machine should a conflict with powerful alien beings claim the life of one of her biological parents she does not know exist. I would suggest a more compelling story.

  —Even if it works, the parents will know something’s wrong when their kid doesn’t come back.

  —Certainly. They will contact the authorities. At some point, they will come to the conclusion that their daughter has been abducted by a human-trafficking ring or something of the sort. You might wish to alter your appearance slightly. Wear a hat. In any case, your story need only last long enough to avoid traumatizing the child.

  —This is wrong, sir.

  —Indeed. Yet, it is preferable to a dozen men armed with automatic weapons storming the house and grabbing the child. Right is a luxury we do not have at this time. It is an imperfect solution to a less-than-ideal situation. I suspect there will be a lot of those in the near future.

  —I won’t do it.

  —Yes you will. I suggest you grab your personal effects and head over to the airport. Your flight departs in ninety minutes. You will meet with the Delta team at Fort Bragg.

  —I can’t leave just now. What do I tell my boss?

  —I am certain you will come up with something. Think of it as practice.

  FILE NO. 1541

  TRANSCRIPT—LIVE BROADCAST—ABSOLUTE RADIO

  Location: London, England

  —That was Jason Bajada with his hit “Down With the Protest.” We’re live from our brand-new studio in London. You’re listening to the Night Shift with Sarah Kent on Absolute Radio. So nice to be back on the air with you night owls. It is … just before one thirty. Almost time for some freebies! What do we have for you tonight? Oh, you’re gonna love these. There is something very exciting happening this Friday. You know what it is! I know you know. I’ll give you a hint. It’s happening in a galaxy far, far away. Yes! The new Star Wars movie is coming out and we have two tickets for the … let’s make it the eleventh caller. The number is: 020 7946 0946. Here’s some music while you frantically dial in. This is Muse, on Absolute Radio.

  [ … ]

  Hello there, you’re on the air.

  [Hello!]

  What’s your name?<
br />
  [Anthony]

  What do you do, Anthony?

  [I work in a bagel shop on Brick Lane.]

  Do you have good coffee in your bagel shop?

  [Yes we do!]

  All right, folks. You heard the man. If you happen to be near Brick Lane and you need a late-night snack, go see Anthony. I’ll let you in on a little secret, Anthony. The thing I like most about our new studio is the coffee. We have the best espresso machine in the UK. If you hear me go “Mmmm” between songs, I’m having another latte. Well, congratulations Anthony! You and a friend are going to the Star Wars premiere at the BFI Imax cinema.

  I have some great music for you in just … What is going on? You probably can’t hear it at home but there is quite the ruckus outside. Cars blowing their horns. It’s one thirty in the morning, people!

  [Sarah, you need to get out of here.]

  And now I have a visitor! Did you see the big red ON AIR sign outside the door?

  [Look out the window. You need to get out now.]

  There is something happening outside. Probably bladdered Arsenal fans upset over that humiliating defeat. Let’s not talk about that. I know you’re all curious now, so I will look out the window and … Bloody hell!

  [ … ]

  Fuck!

  [Door closing]

  FILE NO. 1543

  INTERVIEW WITH DR. ROSE FRANKLIN, HEAD OF SCIENCE DIVISION, EARTH DEFENSE CORPS

  Location: EDC Headquarters, New York, NY

  —They’re back.

  —Themis has returned?

  —No. The aliens are back. Look.

  —How long have they been here?

  —Twenty minutes.

  —Where?

  —London.

  —London? I wonder why they would choose to land in the same city twice.

  —They chose to land in the exact same spot. Unless I’m reading this wrong, it’s within ten feet from where they appeared a year ago.

  —The robot looks different—

  —Yes. They don’t mass-produce these things. Each seems to have its own … personality. This one glows orange, for one thing. Here’s a picture from last year. Look at the chest armor. It’s a lot smoother. There are fewer carvings. The helmet is slightly different, the forehead. Look at its face. The one from a year ago had sharp traits, a really severe look. This one looks younger, a bit androgynous. It’s almost grinning. We’re calling this one Hyperion.

  —Perhaps they sent a less menacing figure after our last encounter ended in violence.

  —I don’t think so. It’s 237 feet tall—a foot taller than the last one—and it’s standing in the middle of the dirt field the last one left behind. There’s nothing not menacing about it.

  —Is this a live feed?

  —Yes. Why?

  —I am wondering what those tiny white lights are.

  —All around it, I know. I asked myself that same question. There weren’t as many five minutes ago.

  —Can you zoom in?

  —No, that’s not our satellite.

  —We should try television. It has been there long enough for the press to arrive.

  —It’s the middle of the night in London.

  —People must be aware of its presence. It stands in the one place in the city that is not full of lights. It must be visible for miles, like a lighthouse.

  —There. It’s on CNN. It’s a lot more impressive from the ground.

  —I do not see any lights around it.

  —That must have been taken with a cellphone. I’ll try other channels. There has to be some real footage somewhere—

  —Stop. There.

  —Wh … They’re people! People holding candles. There must be a thousand of them. This is so—

  —Inspiring.

  —I was gonna say stupid.

  —The last time the aliens were in London, we sent the army to greet them.

  —We didn’t send the army to attack them.

  —Whatever the reason, the military got involved and we all know how it ended. These people are trying candles and peace signs. Instead of following their most basic instinct and running away, they are trying to make peace with an alien species. I find it extremely courageous.

  —I don’t doubt their courage, but there’s a good reason we have these basic instincts you speak of. This is desperate. It’s futile. These people will die.

  —I will grant you that this is a desperate act, but it could work. Perhaps all it takes is for these beings to see that we are capable of more than what we have shown them during our last encounter.

  —Do you really think it’ll work?

  —I am not overly optimistic about the outcome of this spontaneous endeavor … but I could be wrong. Look at them closely. Some of them are still in their pajamas. They rushed out of their homes to show an alien race we do not want a war.

  —I’m looking. I hadn’t noticed the pajamas. I was more focused on the fact that many of them brought their children with them. Look. There’s a baby. He’s not courageous, he just has stupid, irresponsible parents. I’m sorry. I don’t find that inspiring.

  —I must say, I am surprised by your reaction. I thought you of all people would be inclined to join them.

  —Because I’m suicidal or because I’m losing my mind? Either way, if that’s what you think of me, that should tell you this is a horrible idea.

  —Unfortunately, I do not see a better course of action at the moment.

  —We can send Themis. It worked once before.

  —We do not have Themis. We do not know whether she has been destroyed, or if she even is on this planet, so I should not have to work hard to convince you that sending her is not an option at the moment. Knowing that, would it not be wiser to try to avoid a conflict altogether?

  —I’m not sure that’s possible after what happened the last time.

  —Maybe not, but we have got to try. Whom would you rather send to make peace if not these irresponsible people? I do not think the army is an option.

  —It’s not.

  —Then who? At this moment, a group of ill-advised people with candles is probably our best hope for a peaceful resolution. I believe it is our only hope until Themis is found. I am also worried about the young ones, but one could argue that having children present helps make our message … unambiguous.

  —I see your point.

  —Thank you.

  —Don’t thank me! I still disagree with you. I think this is a bad way to die. It’s pointless. I just don’t have anything better to offer. In any case, what I think doesn’t matter much right now, since these people are there, with their children. I don’t think candles will help, but it’s not like we can send the army to evacuate them. For what it’s worth, I sincerely hope it works.

  —I do too, but I urge you to help us prepare for what comes next if the robot obliterates these families.

  —You don’t think I’m trying?

  —I—

  —Seriously. I don’t think I should be alive, but don’t you think I wanna find a way to make things better? Don’t you think I wanna save these people? Kara, Vincent, you, everybody? I’m trying. I’m trying really hard.

  —I know you a—

  —I don’t know how! I just … I don’t know how to fix this. I’m not smart enough.

  —If you allow me to complete a sentence, I will tell you that I never doubted your willingness to help. Moreover, I am absolutely convinced you can, even if you do not share that conviction.

  —Why? What makes you think I can do anything?

  —Without you, we would not have discovered a giant hand in the Black Hills. We would not have thought to create an argon compound to locate the rest of the pieces. For that matter, we might never have looked for other pieces had you not been so utterly convinced
there was an entire body to be found. Without you, we would not have had Themis a year ago. She probably saved millions of people when she defeated that robot.

  —That wasn’t me. That was all—

  —I was not finished. You are, as far as I know, the only person who has ever cheated death. Some people went to great lengths to make sure you are with us today. I admittedly do not know very much about them, but what little I do know tells me that they are not the kind of people to waste time or energy bringing a complete stranger back from the dead without a good reason.

  —You make it sound like I’m some kind of messiah. Believe me, I’m not.

  —I do not believe you are part of a prophecy. I do not believe you have mythical powers that have yet to reveal themselves. I do not think the people who brought you back even give credence to that sort of thing. While I am reasonably confident you are not “the chosen one,” you are without doubt one who has been chosen. I believe they chose you for very practical reasons, for what you are. And as far as I can tell, that is a brilliant scientist who happens to be in the best position to help humanity when it needs it the most.

  —What if they were wrong?

  —Then we are no worse for it, and I will have had the pleasure of your company for a while longer.

  —You said I could meet them, the people that did this to me.

  —I said you could meet one of them. I only know of one. I will arrange for that meeting as promised, but I have to take care of a few things first. Are we any closer to finding Themis?

  —No. We know for a fact that no one could have physically moved her without our knowing. That leaves two options: Either someone else transported her using technology we don’t have, or she transported herself.

  —Where could she be?

  —If it’s on Earth, it has to be underground, maybe submerged. We’d know if she were anywhere above the surface. If Vincent’s stuck and he can’t make his way back, I’m not sure what we can do but hope he figures it out on his own. If they make it back, I might have found a weakness in the alien robot’s defense.