The Uprising

by L. J. Suarez

  Despite being very young at the time, Ava remembered a great deal about what had transpired during those dark days. How an evil cabal called the Shadow Order was responsible for the creation of the virus, infecting one resident of the Lazarus district in Empyreum and thus spreading the disease throughout the old human habitat like wildfire. It nearly wiped out the last remnants of humanity left on Earth. Those that survived the pandemic had decided to leave the confines of the Capital to carve out their own path in their own corner of the planet, far away from any Monad interference.

  After relocating to this region and the establishment of the Gray Zone, humans hadn’t seen a single Monad since. Proximity beacons were deployed throughout the Gray Zone border, which covered a radius of 600 miles. Any craft that came near the zone would receive an automatic warning message from one of the beacons to veer off. Now, for the first time in twenty years, the thirty-one-year-old human had come face to face with a Monad ship.

  Ava was already plotting how she would slip in and salvage as many parts from it as she could carry. But there could potentially be survivors trapped inside. Ava lost track of how long she idled on the hilltop as she contemplated her next move. Despite knowing that contact with Monads was forbidden, Ava couldn’t just turn her back on survivors who might be in need of help.

  Taking in a quick breath, she made up her mind. Ava carefully slid down the side of the hill and darted for the downed craft. She was moving at a steady pace, feeling the weight of her staff holstered onto her back. She slowed to a walk as she neared the derelict ship. The craft was in much worse shape than Ava had realized. The front section where the cockpit would be was smashed against a rock wall. It appeared the ship’s starboard wing had been ripped off, and a huge piece of the portside hull was exposed. Debris fragments were scattered everywhere, along with small pockets of flames.

  Ava let out a cough; the smoke in the air had filtered through the scarf shielding her mouth. Tilting her head to one side, she observed the large breach on the ship’s portside slowly sealing itself. Somehow the hull was reassembling every inch of itself at a microscopic level. The ship was literally repairing itself.

  Amazing.

  Ava entered through the ship’s exposed portside and was taken aback by what she saw next. Six transparent bubbles occupied the main compartment, illuminating the dark-gray interior walls with a blue glow. Marveling at the beautiful, soft lights, she stepped toward one of the bubbles and spotted a figure encased inside. Ava realized it was an unconscious Monad woman. She reached out her hand to touch the surface, and immediately retracted it. She had no way of knowing if these glowing bubbles would harm her if she dared touch them. Ava studied the woman a bit longer. She had almost forgotten how bizarre Monads looked. Yet at the same time, they didn’t look all that different from them. There was a point long ago when they were human, but after centuries of genetic alterations and evolution, they had in essence modified themselves to be something more, a sort of human 2.0. And people like Ava became a page in ancient history—until they were eventually brought back. There was something different about the Monad woman inside the bubble.

  More…enhanced.

  Ava remembered that a typical Monad had their NI implant tattooed along one side of the neck. However, the unconscious woman’s NI appeared to stretch out from the bottom of her neck toward her chest and up along her cheeks, forming thin lines which reached her eye sockets. The NI gave off a slight golden brilliance throughout her face and hands that contrasted with the brown hue of her skin. Five other enhanced Monads were encased in bubbles throughout the cabin. Ava had no idea if any of them were alive or dead, as she had no way of checking for a pulse.

  That was when she caught a glimpse of a conscious Monad male seated toward the back of the main cabin, staring right at her with his big eyes while encased inside the blue sphere. She carefully moved down the aisle toward the man and inched her face close to his. The man wore gold, curved lenses on the surface of his eyes that matched the rest of his augmented NIs; giving him an intimidating appearance. He appeared to be in shock; his lips were slightly agape, as if he was trying to say something.

  “Are you alright?” Ava asked.

  The man didn’t reply. Instead, he continued to stare on as if trying to ascertain whether she was real.

  Ava noticed tiny objects moving through a gash on the Monad’s large forehead. She studied the objects as they successfully healed the wound before retreating inside the Monad’s skin.

  “Can you understand me?”

  The man finally nodded his head in acknowledgement.

  Ava removed her hood, followed by her goggles and scarf. Judging by his facial expression, the man was clearly shocked by Ava’s appearance. It was obvious the last thing he’d expected was a human coming to his aid.

  “Are you hurt anywhere else?” Ava asked.

  The Monad looked down as if checking his body for injuries. He shook his head. “No.” His voice seemed distant, as if in a daze.

  Ava nodded. “That’s good.” She turned to the bubble surrounding the man. “Now, can you come out of there for me?”

  The Monad stared at her suspiciously.

  “It’s ok,” she assured him. “I’m not gonna hurt you. But I can’t help you if you stay inside that sparkling little bubble of yours.”

  The Monad brought his arm over to his face. Ava watched in wonder as a holographic screen materialized over his arm. He pressed a few buttons on the digital screen, and suddenly the bubble surrounding him vanished, causing Ava to take a step back.

  “Wow,” Ava muttered.

  The Monad began to fidget with his seat restraints, seemingly unable to remove them.

  “Let me help you.”

  The Monad eyed Ava, then nodded.

  Ava slid her staff between the man and the restraints and pulled up with all her strength. With a metal snap, the restraints broke off. She reached out to try and help him up, but quickly pulled back. Ava raised her hands up in defense at the seven-foot-tall Monad. “Ok.”

  The Monad slowly rose to his feet on his own and turned to the next chair over, where an unconscious boy was seated. He knelt before the child and place his hands on the top end of the bubble. As soon as he did, a small ripple vibrated across the bubble’s surface. He began speaking to the boy in Monad. Ava couldn’t make out any of the gibberish he was saying. Only one pronounceable word stood out—Jarzon.

  Jarzon, she repeated to herself. Most likely the boy’s name.

  The boy’s eyes finally opened. He looked toward the man kneeling before him and replied in Monad. Once again, Ava was left in the dark about what was being said. For all she knew, they were both plotting to kill her and leave her corpse for the horalos to feast on. It was said that the Monad language was a mix of multiple languages derived from the ancient human dialect spoken many millennia ago, back before humans and Monads had split from their common gene pool.

  After a few exchanges, the boy deactivated his bubble.

  Ava gestured to the man with her staff to help free the boy from the restraints. The Monad gave her his blessing with a single nod, and she proceeded to pull the boy’s restraints apart, this time with the man’s help.

  The restraints snapped clean, and the Monad helped the boy out of his seat and brought him in close for an embrace. A slight smirk crossed Ava’s mouth as she watched the tender moment. They both turned to face the strange woman who stood before them.

  Ava pointed a finger in the boy’s direction in an attempt to lessen the obvious tension in the air. “So, your name is Jarzon?”

  Jarzon looked up at the man, then turned to Ava and gave a slight nod.

  Ava knelt before the boy, who looked no older than eight. “And he is your father?” she said as she pointed to the Monad.

  Jarzon gave another quiet nod.

  “My name’s Ava.” She placed her open palms to her chest as she introduced herself. “Nice to meet you, Jarzon.” She turned to Jarzon’s father. “I
didn’t get yours?”

  Jarzon’s father studied her a moment. “Damari.” He tilted his head and said in a frail tone, “You…are human?”

  Ava rose to her feet and briefly looked down at her body as though to double-check. “It would appear so. Can you tell me what happened?”

  Damari hesitated, then, “Our transport was caught in a meteor storm during our trip to Gaia. The hull was breached, and we crashed here. If it weren’t for our life-support cocoons, we would all be dead.” There was a short pause before he continued. “Judging by your presence, we are within the Gray Zone?”

  Ava nodded. “That sounds about right. Were you able to contact your people before the crash?”

  “The copilot attempted to send out a distress call, but all communications were damaged during the storm.”

  Ava turned to the other Monads encased in the blue bubbles. “Why don’t we check on the others and get out of here? I can take you to my settlement. We can treat any injuries you may have.”

  Damari visibly tensed at the suggestion. “Our NIs have already healed all our injuries. Our people will be coming for us once they realize what has happened.”

  “If your communications were down before the crash, it could be a while before they find out and send help. The closest Monad city is nearly three thousand miles away. I suggest you all come with me. Our village is only a few hours’ walk west from here, with plenty of food and water. Plus it’ll be dark soon, and this area will be crawling with horalos. Trust me, you’ll all be a lot safer with us.”

  Damari and Jarzon both exchanged worried stares. Damari said, almost hesitantly, “Very well, we shall go with you.”

  Ava nodded and let out a half-smile. “Great! Now let’s get the rest of these people out of their bubbles so we can get the hell outta here.”

  * * *

  Ava led the six Monad survivors out into the desert between two mountain ranges. It had been nearly two hours since they’d left the crash site, and none of them had said a word to one another since. All of the survivors’ injuries sustained in the crash had been healed thanks to their NI implants. They all kept pace with the one human leading them to safety; the promise of food and shelter can be a great motivator. The temperature was in the low forties as the sun set, with the high winds making it feel lower. The gray mist that filled Earth’s skies allowed a portion of sunlight to reach the surface—enough to keep the inhabitants below from freezing to death, but not enough to tan their skin.

  Moving up an incline, Ava stopped short, with the Monads doing the same. Standing next to her, Damari looked out at what lay ahead. A lush green valley surrounded a series of huts and stone structures perfectly nestled within the mountain range. Torches were already lit throughout, with a windmill at the center of all the structures; its blades slowly turned with the wind in a clockwise motion. Several stacks were blowing dark smoke from some of the huts. A wooden fort extended upward by the front gates.

  Ava looked down proudly at the structures as Damari gazed on in amazement. “What is this place?” he said.

  Ava let out a breath as a large grin formed on her lips. “Home.”

  Chapter 3

  New Lazarus was a haven to the last living humans on the planet; named after the community first established in the Monad Capital twenty years ago.

  Ava and the Jafner survivors followed one of the New Lazarus patrol guards down a dirt path with torches lighting the way on either side. Every settler they came across stopped in their tracks and stared at the Monads the moment they entered through the main gate. Even the guard at the fort who now escorted them had been hesitant to grant them passage, but Ava was quite persuasive when getting others to do what she wanted—whether politely or aggressively was up to the other party.

  Damari sped up to catch up to Ava. “This was not a good idea,” he said as he nervously looked at all the settlers staring at them. “We should not have come here.”

  “Relax,” Ava assured him. “Like I said; no one here’s gonna hurt ya. Most of us just haven’t seen a Monad in a long time. Some of our youth have never even met one.”

  “We have never seen humans this close before,” Damari said.

  “There’s a first time for everything,” Ava said. She couldn’t blame Damari for being fearful of what he was seeing. With their side-shaved heads and a mix of animal-skin garments and put-together rags, the New Lazarus settlers’ appearance was aggressively tribal compared to the more formal wear of the Monads. Ava herself sported a similar hairstyle, with the sides of her head completely shaved while her ginger-colored, curly hair flowed from the top. Even through the thick clothing, Ava and the other humans’ slim and extremely well-toned builds were noticeable. A lifetime of extreme physical activity—both maintaining the human sanctuary and navigating the Outlands—had resulted in peak physical condition.

  “Where are we going?” Damari said.

  “To see the Committee.”

  “What is this…Committee?”

  “They are the ones who founded this settlement and led our people for all these years. I have to tell them what happened.”

  Damari continued to scan his surroundings as he walked along with Ava. “I have read about your people back on Telos. Especially during the Shadow Order incident. Now you all live out here?”

  “That’s right,” Ava said.

  “To leave the safe confines of Empyreum in order to live a life of hardship and uncertainty. I am unsure if that is brave or foolhardy.”

  Ava smirked. “Maybe a little bit of both.”

  “Were all of you created at the Science Institute labs?”

  “Our elders were. Most of my generation are 100% homegrown humans born in Empyreum. The younger settlers were born right here in New Lazarus.”

  “How did you construct this place?”

  “The homes and structures around you were built using the land itself. We grow our own vegetables at our garden and hunt our own food in the Outlands. It would had been a lot easier if we had one of those replicator gizmos from Empyreum, but the committee felt it would be better not to accept any Monad tech. A real shame if you ask me. So we had to make do with what we’ve got.”

  “Incredible,” Damari said. “I feel as though I have traveled into the past.”

  Ava shook her head; genuinely amused by Damari’s insatiable curiosity.

  “I can see why you built your colony here. The water supply and vegetation from this valley is virtually limitless.”

  “Not only that, but the mountain ranges renders us invincible against orbital satellites.”

  The welcoming smell of raw horalo meat being cooked in a fire pit filled the air as the group passed through the main courtyard, causing Ava’s stomach to growl. Various flags of distinct designs and vibrant colors were on display against the walls throughout the courtyard; waving gently in the wind. Each one were symbols that represented nations of the old world from which each settler had originated from. They were initially displayed at the Old Lazarus marketplace.

  “How many of you are there?” Damari asked.

  “Well, we were just shy of ten thousand when we first established the settlement. Today we’re well past forty thousand. To tell ya the truth, we’ve lost count. I can say that our population more than doubled since we left Empyreum, but our numbers dwindled significantly after the virus was unleashed. Hence why we didn’t waste any time in ‘getting busy’ when we got here; if you catch my drift. You know, to repopulate our species and whatnot.”

  “That would explain the many young faces,” Damari said.

  Ava nodded. “But don’t let their faces fool you. They can handle pretty much anything thrown at them.”

  “What are those for?” Damari pointed to four massive wooden barrels, each one connected by a series of metal pipes toward the bottom. A group of settlers were lined up in front of the last barrel with buckets in hand. The settler in the front lifted a small nozzle linked with the barrel, where water was flowing into hi
s bucket.

  Ava gave Damari a playful smirk. “You sure are a curious fella.”

  “Forgive me. I am an engineer, so I am curious about how all things function.”

  Ava nodded in understanding. “That’s what we use to purify the water we collect from the streams. When we extract the impure water, it’s poured into the first barrel which is filled with layers of charcoal, coarse sand, and gravel. Once it passes through the materials, it’s then passed through the pipe and into the second barrel with the same layers as the first. That leaves us with filtered water to extract. Sounds primitive to someone like you, but it’s the best system we have for removing any pathogens and sediment. We still boil the water when we take it with us to our dwellings for good measure.”

  Damari nodded thoughtfully. “Does anyone else know the location of this settlement?”

  Ava shook her head. “Doubtful. That was on purpose, to prevent any unwanted guests from wandering here.”

  “And here we are,” Damari said.

  Ava shot him a quick glance before they arrived at their destination. A guard with a longsword strapped to his back pushed aside the front flap of a red tent and led them inside. Ava and the Monads were met by four individuals standing over a table at the center of the room with their backs to them. They each wore dark robes and spoke in hushed tones that Ava couldn’t make out. The guard walked up to the one in the middle and whispered something into his ear. Ava looked around the room, her eyes flitting over the familiar shelves along each side. Over the years, dozens of sculptures and plates of different shapes and sizes had been collected from the Outlands.