by Marcus Sloss
“Alright, another simple learning lesson. I am going to start stripping trees for these new residents. Gtower is saying no chance of rain in the next twenty-four hours, so I want to get a lot of building done. Have you seen Harvard? I need this new Gtower update broken down and disseminated.”
“He locked himself inside RV1. He has a full team working intel. I think they are focused on the market right now, though. The fact there are so many vendor stations means our chances of bumping into the same aliens twice from the same portal are almost impossible. I will let him compile the data on the market. I’ll dig into the update Linda Growlen brought. By the way, saw the video of the arm. Pretty awesome. I certainly want a nitrogen reactor backpack.”
I sighed, realizing dangling my legs watching new citizens enter was not going to get me the information I needed. RV3 seemed to be a daycare half the time. That was what we had designated the first floor of the mansion for. I glanced over my right shoulder to see Maria with Jasmine and Mary in the park with a dozen other kids. Awesome, I could use the RV for work without any kids playing. I patted Mitchell’s back in a friendly goodbye and went to study what humanity had learned since the Gnet went dead.
When I arrived, I even kicked out Felix from RV3. With minimal distractions, a fresh cup of coffee, a comfy seat, and my feet kicked up on the dash in my favorite seat, I went to work. My file searching in the updated information pinged red. An alert folder was set for priority viewing. Oh, neat. Someone had prepared a briefing.
I clicked the file and a video started to play. I gulped my coffee at what I saw. Serrated metal on the edges of a crater glowed hotly. The destruction was total in a circular laser pattern. The shaky hand holding the camera walked up to the drop-off. The camera aimed down, only able to see a few feet because of the poor lighting. The camera swapped to an upward angle. A circular hole bored miles through the Earth. At the top was a pinprick of our sunny sky.
Wow. I was about to guess that the alien ship did that when a voice picked up on the video.
“Every AI housing unit has been eviscerated. Every underground spaceship project has been removed from existence. We tested the alien mothership by having a team member rebuild the spaceship assembly part. Just the part, mind you. He was vaporized. It has become abundantly clear the mothership is not leaving. I am afraid to tell President Growlen the truth: that we are never leaving through Earth’s orbit.”
The video cut out. I figured as much. The alien lifeform ensuring our quarantine would not let ships leave if we were to be contained. I had no idea they had so much power. The damage was frightening to contemplate. An inner flame burned for vengeance against those who felt righteous enough to kill so many lives. The more I thought about it, the more I rationalized that the mothership must be AI. Or else the aliens doing this would themselves be guilty of the violence they were trying to avoid. This video showed how daunting that task would be to extract our payback.
A new video started. The timestamp was yesterday morning. I did the math by using my fingers and calculated it was over thirty-hours old. A general stood in front of a view screen without a video or image playing. You could hear people filing into the room. There was a call to attention for the president. I chuckled when Linda Growlen could be heard saying to shut the eff up and to start the briefing. She was always grouchy. The screen behind the general lit up with the Gcorp logo.
The famous G faded as a map of the world illuminated. Red blobs covered most of the continents besides the Arctic and Antarctic. Tiny green squares indicated Xgates with white numbering. Blue circles were probably humanity holdouts. Almost every major city was partly or mostly blue in the United States. I was very, very confused. Europe, England, China, Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada were a sea of red. Hell, eighty percent of the map was gone. Why were the United States, Mexico, Russia, and places like Nigeria still mostly blue in its residential areas? The general in front of the screen cleared his throat for attention.
“Disgusting to view how drastically our world has changed. I gazed upon this map with confusion the first time I saw it. The answer: gun laws. You are looking at the direct correlation between gun laws and the ability to self-defend. Sad. So sad that so many underfunded militaries and weaponless civilians were swept aside so thoroughly. This information is being updated from the recon aircraft that are still launching. Unfortunately, we are getting less and less back every day.
“If we focus on North America only, you can see a lot of blue, actually. The problems are so vast I will only go over the major ones. Starting with a semi-positive note, we know the Xgates arrived with a population density correlation. Thankfully, if a zone of humanity is reduced or eliminated, the Xgates don’t shift. This would have been a scenario we could not have survived if the Xgates relocated until humanity was reduced to nothing. Not great news, but better than bad news.
“The Gtowers across the continent are falling. Many went down in the first days. We have pockets of networks. Those pockets are able to organize, rally, and defend better than those unable to use the Gnet. While that is promising news, we have found issues with every local leader. When we ask for supplies, we are denied. Hell, even Senator Olander, who is running the Fort Knox repository, said he did not have enough gold to spare.”
This elicited a chuckle from the group. Even I joined the video in light laughter.
“Some information of the arriving aliens leaked. Enough that a lot of military men not in this room were prepared. While that is fantastic, it leaves us in a bind. They are not our men anymore. I ask them to raid a planet. Denied. I ask for recon of a city to see its supply status. Denied. I think you get the picture here. The United States fell when the Xgates arrived. When our ability to manage troops from a single location vanished, our forces adapted. They are now independent. It is my personal recommendation to help where we can regardless of this revelation.”
Linda Growlen shouted at two people for side-chattering too loudly. When they quieted, she asked, “How do we strike back? I am talking about that mothership by the moon. The Xgate creators or managers.”
“Unknown at this time.”
“How do we improve our fortification here?”
“There is little we can do with our limited resources. It will come down to this trade market. We have compiled a list of aliens seen. However, the trade partners that are in friendly contact have said to expect our portals to be wildly random with millions of options. There are only so many species spread out. As there are variations of humanity there are variations of aliens. The way I understand the situation is that we may encounter a thousand scary bear aliens, as they were aptly named, with each version having variations of each other. The differences may be subtle like fur coloring, or vast such as walking on six paws.”
You could hear Linda give a loud sigh. “Our very survival sounds like it rests on the trade market. Not very hopeful. I hope the briefing two days from now has more pertinent information.”
“Yes, ma’am.” The video cut off.
I sighed. I could imagine sitting in that meeting wanting to rip my hair out. The information was solid. Those with guns were doing better than those without. There were pockets of human resistance capable of persevering. The news that aircraft were flying for recon was amazing. Deciding I needed to let the information sink in, I watched the outside of the RV. Humanity as a whole was not doing very well. Here, though… we were doing better than most. I could smile about that.
There were going to be some very sad people seeing that areas where their loved ones were located were now coated in red. I was not one of those people. Beijing, where my mom was, and Houston, where my dad was, were still blue.
“In order to be transparent, I am going to give you bad news. If you do not want to know how Earth is faring in these drastic times, do not open the file. I do not have information besides the zones where humans are defending themselves. I do not know where your cousin, mom, uncle, or even spouse is. There is no nam
e database file. I simply have the information I am giving out. I wish I had more. To those who do not see what they want to, there is always hope.” - Cap
Nancy would like to see that Syracuse still stood. Jill, who was outside helping new arrivals, would not like what she saw. I secretly hoped she would not open the file and see Australia was almost all red around the cities. Australians were tough bastards, with many blue pockets away from the Xgates. I figured her husband was probably in a red city if he was on a business trip at the time. Jill saw the notice, chose to ignore it, and instead focused on getting the family with three kids an assortment of new clothes. I watched the cute interaction as they did over-the-outside sizing comparisons. The littlest boy saw a shirt of some cartoon he loved; the garment was immediately hugged in a tight embrace. I was smiling watching the boy when a gunshot echoed across our valley.
I leaped into action. The single shot was near the gate.
I knew what had happened based on the gathering around an armored body. I was conflicted. I had not anticipated suicide over putting this news out. I probably should have, though. I saw the distributed information as more of a hopeful scenario. Then again, I had three babes, a comfy bed, and had been through much worse. I arrived over the body to see one of Bradley’s men from the fire station. Denver had only tiny pockets of blue. The million-plus people had been reduced to probably thousands.
The body was stripped of its vital gear, the backhoe dug a pit, and I tossed the body in myself. Another casualty, another marker. Hopefully they found the peace they sought. The event was… lackluster and somber. Not worthy of the man’s life. I would brief Bradley on the incident later and let him hold a service.
Jill found me as I trudged back to RV3. I let her get in step with me.
“I didn’t open the file,” Jill muttered. I went to talk but she shook her head no. She paused me in an open space. “You look good, Eric. Not hitting on you. Just, you appear more vibrant. Did you dye your hair?”
I tilted my head in confusion. I agreed she generally seemed confused. There was no lust in her eyes. I had not dyed my hair or done anything different besides be electrocuted. That had to be it. “Umm. I was shocked by electricity earlier. Maybe it zapped some of my worry lines away. What were you going to say before my wild hair distracted you?”
Jill fidgeted. “I dated Jarod for five years. We have been married for four. I know I am revealing my age somewhat—not afraid to admit I am almost thirty-seven years old. We were giving back-to-back briefings at the University. DU, actually. The lectures were boring, as was Jarod’s briefing I stayed for. We had coffee after, mainly because I felt empathy for the frail geeky man. Jarod was a safe play for me. The chemist with a decent-paying job, boring nightlife, and video game hobbies. All things that would allow for a peaceful home life. My mom would say, what if a tire goes flat or if you need to swap ceiling fans? I learned quickly those things didn't matter. He was my safe, consistent lover, even if he had odd quirks. Not until Mary was born did we have issues. People with a fear of germs require precautions. The 2020 and 2023 pandemics rattled him so hard he was broken with fear of infections. We took those precautions before Mary, and— Oh, I see your twisted face of confusion.
“Mary is IVF. Not saying it was all bad, just trying to get across that Jarod was… hmm… particular. He feared a lot more than germs. He did not have a masculine bone in his body. I doubt he was ever in a fight. When the aliens arrived, I cried so flipping hard I was frightened Mary would see me in such a terrible state. Mary slept through it, but I considered suicide. I regret those thoughts because Mary is beyond happy now. Happiest I have seen her, ever. She has the freedom and interactions I always dreamed of. In my mind, Jarod died. I am fairly certain he died in his hotel room from dehydration while hiding in a closet. If not, he will. If the water stays on he will starve to death, too scared to fight aliens and humans for his next meal. I am grieving still. Mary keeps me strong.”
I let her into the RV first. Perci was sitting at the table going over her new personnel files. I ensured Jill was done talking. I didn’t think she paused due to Perci.
“I lacked a Mary when I went into my depression. I am glad to have her as a daughter, Jill. I appreciate you letting her integrate into our lives,” I said with a hand on her shoulder.
Perci saw the moment, rose from the table, and hugged Jill.
“You are family now. I will kick out Dalila and Felix Delcroy the moment there is space. That way, you can have your own bed and Mary can sleep in the loft,” Perci said while pointing to the full-sized bed over the driver’s cabin.
The two girls went into a back and forth about how it was and was not necessary. I left them to go use the men’s room. My Gpad pinged. It was Torrez. He was coming home with all our weapons, ammo, and armor. I was reviewing the list when I received a call from Nancy.
“Hey, sexy lady,” I said, answering her ring.
“Are you peeing?”
“Yeah, people pee. What can I help you with?”
“I researched that black goo you were saved with otherwise known as ‘The Virum’. Well, I got some information on your new cohosts,” Nancy said with a pause. I let that term sink in. “We need to either accept the symbiotic aliens as a given in our community or contain the spread. They… Hmm… You are not at fault here, Eric. The virum is incredibly invasive. They will slither out of your body when you overproduce to seek new hosts. Stopping them at that point is nearly impossible. I don’t—”
“I wish you were kidding me right now. We have four portals going blue in a few hours and you're telling me I am infected!?”
“Infected? I guess that works. Let me explain. Willow and I are driving home now with a lot more virum vials. Hear me out. Virum live inside a host body. They want their host to be in peak health. With a body full of virum you can sustain wounds that would kill most hosts. That does not include heavy trauma. Think more or less about slowly bleeding out, or a heart attack. You will be able to avoid a lot of deadly situations with virum. Getting blown in half by a tank round, decapitated by a guillotine, or being run over with squished organs, not so much.
“They thrive off of zinc, it is their main source of food… I guess food works here. If you do not feed them zinc, you, the host, will get sick as they starve. If you feed them zinc, they will reproduce and seek new hosts. They will even seek zinc out in the surrounding area and then—”
“Wait, they can live outside of hosts?” I said in astonishment. I had figured moving a few feet would be okay, but she was insinuating something far more diabolical.
“Everything I am learning is from reliable, verified sources. Yes. The moment you vomited your virum, we, as in everyone near you, were infected. While the majority went back into you to reproduce, there will have been millions of microscopic virum heading for new hosts. I tested positive. I was only near the vomit spot for a few minutes. Willow tested positive too. I will start scanning our community when I am home. I am afraid to say that the president and Dr. Gepstein infected everyone with their effort to save you. If that is the case, which I am certain it is, the best course of action is to embrace these virum. We will be healthier, withstand damage better, and will not age… We will actually return to our peak age. With that said, they do not give us harder skin or make us truly immortal. We are still flesh bags of bone, tissue, and blood.”
I rubbed my temples in frustration. I had no idea how to sell this one to the community.
“Eric, I need you to go to a mirror and look into it,” Willow said while putting her head into the video screen.
I turned to face the wall with the sink. The bathroom mirror revealed a younger-looking man. I looked like I was in my mid-twenties. The worry line wrinkles, the gray hair, and battle scars were gone. Well, shit. I liked not having the baby face. At least the scraggly brown beard gave an older look. Hmm…
“Age rejuvenation would help spin this—”
“We do not have enough to have noticeable effe
cts. I am pushing thirty, Eric. My minor aging issues are still present. I would have to ingest this vial of virum. There is a cure, though, but you will not like it. There is a large organism that will eat these. They tend to cause damage to the body when they eventually hunt out all the virum. So…”
“What about the young kids, like Mary?”
Willow popped back into the image. My frustration was placed on hold when I left the bathroom for the kitchen.
“That little girl with the broken arm, she will be fine. Her arm will heal in minutes and she will be in peak optimal health for her age. They change our cells to fit those criteria. At least that is how it was explained. Each species has its own quirks. The chitin-covered humanoid mentioned how the males grew stronger, the queens larger brooding sacks. However interesting that is, we simply do not have human data. They did say that there will not be a rushed growth. Remember that Down syndrome boy? If he were here, he would be cured. I think. That, again, is secondhand information about how deformities were repaired to peak optimal conditions.”
I sighed while spinning around to absorb the information. Was there much downside? No. Was it freaky and very alien? Yeah. Oh, yeah. I looked like a fucking baby-faced party animal again.
“Just to verify… Everyone in the stronghold is likely infected. There are little downsides. You figured I would support the transition and bought more virum to speed the process?”
“Well, zinc is classified as a rare metal, but according to the Gnet, there are two hundred and fifty million metric tons of it. No idea how much that is, but it sounds like a lot. I needed to make a command decision, Eric,” Nancy said while keeping her eyes on the road. “I could have weakened the entire community by killing the virum and then tried to repair the wounded with insufficient resources. Or I could go all-in on the virum. The sun is setting soon and the golden portal stops in seven hours, blue portals in eight. As much as I feel I should apologize, I know I shouldn’t. This is not my fault or your fault. I can say I’m glad I am not you. People will not like this. Especially after you showed them humanity barely survived the first portals.”
