by Dan Glover
Micah was in distress not only for his own well being but that of his creations. He was like a god watching as his legions were reduced little by little to scatterings of the sand from which they emerged so many years ago.
"You are perhaps dying, yes, but too, you are being reborn, my darling Micah. Soon you will not only be human once more, but you'll become greater than you ever dreamed possible."
They were prisoners in Cornell University. Micah had warned her that it would happen... his creations had turned against him. Since she too was a living being, they seemed to sense an enemy in her as well.
When she looked outside the windows the blanketed landscape swelled and writhed as if the ocean had invaded the grounds of the estate seeking to overwhelm the building itself. Apparently the nanobots were entangled. When one sensed danger they all sensed it. Over the last century they had multiplied until they were now the dominant force for as far as Lily could see.
Clouds of dragons danced upon the breeze brazenly issuing forth from steel caverns that marred the once forested island. Lily sensed the anger driving the hordes. Apparently Micah's machines had attained that to which he long ago programmed them: self awareness.
Just as he had foretold, and like the sad and hideous creature in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Micah's creations had turned against their maker. Perhaps they sensed that they couldn't come too close to Lily lest their programming became nullified and so they swarmed about seeking to establish some new goal only they were aware of.
"I'm afraid."
"Tell me what it is that you fear, darling Micah."
"I've created a monster. As long as I was part of them, the nanobots tolerated me. Now that I'm free, they will seek to destroy us all. I hear them whispering to me when I try to sleep. They call out my name and yours too."
"You are their idol. I see your face in their clouds. They love you, my precious Micah."
She felt like a mother consoling her child. Not only had his physical appearance reverted to one of a young human being once again, but his mental age had regressed to perhaps six years of age. The sullen genius that once burned behind those eyes bereft of mercy now cried out for understanding.
If only she could talk to the nanobots... she might reassure them just as she sought to console Micah. Often times she did speak to them though it seemed to do no good for there was never an answer forthcoming. Those miniature menaces were as silent as the tomb they wished to send them both to.
On the other hand, Micah did little else but talk... he prattled on endlessly, like a child who only recently discovered the capacity for speech. He worried about everything, but especially about being left alone. That seemed to be his most fiery concern.
She had been alone for too long as well. She sympathized with the boy yet she feared her words only fell upon deaf ears. Micah was no longer capable of understanding but the most rudimentary feelings and phrases.
Lily sensed his genius was not lost, only hibernating... biding its time until it could once again flourish and spread its malignant seed across the earth.
"You're going to leave me when they come for you."
"We are leaving here together, my darling Micah. Someone is coming for me, my precious Micah. This time we will not allow you to stay behind."
"I am afraid that when we leave my creations will continue to evolve. One day when they are stronger they will come for us no matter where we are."
"They know where I live, my dearest Micah. Let them come."
"But aren’t you afraid of them?
"There will be someone waiting there for your creations. He is far more powerful than I am. If they do indeed come to Orchardton Hall, they will perish under his touch."
"Is that who is coming for you here, Lady Lily?"
"Yes, he is growing close now. The dragons will attempt to frighten him away but he is too strong for that."
Though she attempted to reassure Micah, Lily wasn’t as certain. They'd been trapped inside the building for over a week now. Food was running low. But each time she tried to leave the safety of Cornell University her body was inundated with hordes of nanobots and she was forced to retreat.
For some unknown reason, the tiny menaces could not breach the walls. When she asked Micah if he knew why he only shrugged his shoulders. She suspected he must have impregnated the inner surface with a resistant coating but that memory had faded.
She was concerned that if her intuitions were correct and Kāne was coming to her rescue, he would be overwhelmed by Micah's creations before he was able to make it inside the safety of Cornell University.
"I understand your power system here is rather unique, my darling Micah. Please tell me more about it."
"I'm sorry, Lady Lily, but I have no idea what you're talking about."
She sensed he was not being evasive; he had forgotten. Lily remembered a hum coming from under the basement of Cornell University the day she entered it with Natalia and Delilah. They'd come to the assistance of Nate, Kirk, and Karen who did not return to the Nautilus as expected.
At the time, they were more interested in finding their friends than exploring strange noises. Now, however, she decides to reconnoiter the lower levels of the university in order to gauge the effectiveness of an electro-magnetic pulse against the swarms of nanobots circling the building.
Chapter 34—Switch
Karen couldn't summon the courage to go back to old New York City.
Perhaps it was the thought of facing Micah. The man frightened her. What's more, she knew if Pete accompanied Nate on their planned flight, he would be captured and once again held as a thrall to Micah's every whim.
"Please don’t go with Nate on this upcoming trip of his. I worry about you, Pete. You were exposed to Micah's nanobots far too long to take the risk of coming under their sway again. Stay here with me, sweetie."
"I can't let Mr. Nate down, sweet Karen. He's counting on me; he needs me."
"I need you too, my darling Pete. I've waited hundreds of years to find a love like yours and now you want to leave me. Please don't do this to me."
"Come with us, my lovely Karen. There are four seats."
"I'm scared of Micah, and what he's capable of. I was with him long enough to realize he's clinically insane. There's no telling what the man will do next. If he really did kidnap Lily, I doubt we'll ever see her again. If you go to old America, you'll never return, my darling Pete. I feel it."
"What am I supposed to tell Mr. Nate? We're nearly finished with the new prototype. He'll want to leave as soon as we test it properly."
"Let me talk to Kirk. I know he'd love to go with Nate. Luciana told me how Kirk has been moping around ever since the two of you set to work on your machine. He was best friends with Nate and now he feels abandoned."
"I had no idea. I know Kirk came around the workshop a few times but he just sat in the corner without saying a word."
"The work you're doing with Nate is beyond Kirk's ability. He hasn’t the education that you have, and Nate has always been a voracious reader. I doubt Kirk has ever even picked up a book nor can he write. It isn’t his fault. He was born into a family of derelicts. I always suspected he was afflicted with fetal alcohol syndrome as well.
"I noticed the longer we human beings stay with the Ladies, the more similar we become to them. Kirk has changed for the better over the years but he is still a child in many ways. He values Nate's friendship more than anything. He knows the two of you are planning a trip and he knows he'll be left behind.
"He feels useless. He knows nothing about scientific matters. He has no mathematical ability. If giving a task, he invariably screws it up and someone else has to redo it. He is his own self-fulfilling prophecy; he is trapped in a vicious cycle; the harder he tries to impress Nate, the more he reveals his limitations.
"If he's given the chance to go with Nate to old America, he'll agree in a moment. He'll gladly give his life for Nate. Why don’t you let Kirk go in your stead, Pete? When it comes
right down to it, I fear someone is going to have to sacrifice themselves in order to save Lady Lily, if she isn’t already dead."
"If you really want to know the truth, my darling Karen, I've been having heart palpitations ever since I realized Nate expected me to go with him. Micah scares the crap out of me. It's almost like he knows I am coming back to him. He'll be expecting me. If Kirk shows up instead of me, it'll throw a monkey wrench into Micah's plans."
"It's settled then, my dearest Pete. I'll talk to Nate first. I'm sure he'll understand. I think it's better if he's the one who asks Kirk to accompany him to old America."
It was like a great weight being lifted from her spirit. She felt light as cotton as she walked to the home Nate shared with Ginger and Amanda. Thinking of the two girls and the life they've built with Nate shamed her, however. She suddenly realized how selfish she was being by insisting Pete stay home with her.
It might well be that his expertise would be needed on the trip to old America. Kirk might be physically superior to Pete but his knowledge was far inferior. Suddenly her plan didn’t seem as well considered as she first thought.
Nate and his family lived in a villa called Manoir du Seigneur, or Mansion of thé Lord, which although it looked connected to Toulon Castle was actually a separate domicile. Standing on the front porch wondering if she should forget about her plan, the door opened and Nate emerged.
"Oh, hello darling Karen... you are just the person I want to see. Come inside, please. Ginger and Amanda have breakfast on the table."
She had forgotten how ornate the inside of the villa was; black mahogany lined the walls of the entryway causing her eyes to momentarily go blind as she walked into the dark out of the bright of the sun.
Nate seemed to sense that she was disconcerted and taking her by the hand led her into the dining room. A table which seated fifty was but a mote in the middle of an ocean. Windows thirty feet high lined the walls. They were hung with thick velvet draperies colored such a deep blue they could well be purple and though sunlight peeked through the room held a kind of gloom that reminded her of the Isle of Skye.
"It's so good to see you again, sweet Karen! I heard you were visiting. Please have a seat and I'll get you a plate."
Amanda hurried off as Ginger filled cups full of coffee and then followed. Karen noted the girl still walked with a limp. She tried to get Ginger to allow her to break her leg again and reset it but she refused.
"The pain reminds me of the day that I never want to forget."
In a few minutes both girls appeared laden with plates and platters. During the last few years at the Isle of Skye, meal time had become a thing of the past. Once the children were grown and gone, she and Pete had settled into sharing sparse meals often drinking more than they ate.
As soon as Ginger and Amanda had seen to breakfast, Nate gave them a look and they disappeared. Karen wondered if something had been prearranged. It was obvious the man wished to speak to her in private though she couldn't imagine what he wouldn't want to say in front of his wives.
"I have a favor to ask of you, my darling Karen."
"You know I'll do anything I can for you, precious Nate."
"I am sure your husband is planning on going with me on the journey to old America. And believe me, I deeply appreciate his willingness to put himself in harms way to save Lady Lily. But I need someone else to go along. I need Kirk."
Karen was so flustered by his words that she found herself staring at him with her mouth hanging open. It was several moments before she could again find her voice.
"What can I do to help, darling Nate?"
"Please talk to Pete. Let him know how much I value his friendship. Please explain that this trip we're going on may not turn out the way we hope. I would rather he stay behind to look after Toulon Castle in case things do not go our way. We may have to fight to free Lady Lily and I trust Kirk more in that department than anyone I know."
"What do Ginger and Amanda think of this plan of yours, my wonderful Nate?"
"They understand the urgency of our mission. It is their welfare that I am most concerned about, sweet Karen. Please do me one more favor?"
"I'll do whatever you ask of me, precious Nate."
"Stay here at Toulon Castle. Take care of my wives until I return. If I do not come back, remain by their sides. They'll need someone they can trust."
Chapter 35—Dreams
Kāne never realized how dearly he loved Daughter.
He had taken her for granted all those years. When he left Orchardton Hall to migrate around the world he could not recall saying goodbye to the girl. Though she should have berated him when at last they met again, instead it was as if they never parted at all.
"My eyes are seeing things, darling Father. I cannot seem to focus on the horizon. Perhaps you should take the controls."
He suffered under the same effect. At first, he thought a gray mist had descended over old America but now he realized it wasn’t a mist at all.
"No, your eyes are fine, my precious Daughter. Something is wrong here. Can you feel it too?"
Traveling over the Atlantic Ocean seemed to take but a minute. The water just a few meters below their craft was a blue blur and though he expected a pummeling from riding in an open craft nary a breeze stirred his beard.
"The whirling pillars create a force field, dear Father. We are essentially outside of space-time. In order to breathe I installed an air purifier. Otherwise we would have drowned in our own carbon dioxide."
"Did you design this craft, my sweet Daughter?"
"No, I cannot take credit for that. I merely added some finishing touches in order to allow the machine to perform as intended. Mr. Nate and Mr. Pete were very close to perfecting it but I sensed there was no time to wait. Grandmother Lily is in grave danger."
"I sensed that as well, my precious Daughter, and yet she does not seem alarmed."
"I suspect she doesn’t understand how the nanobots are on the brink of evolving into a new and terrifying dimension. Now that they have attained self-awareness, the next step is to consolidate the integrity of all into one organism. When that occurs, the walls of Cornell will no longer hold them out."
"Is that what my dreams portend? I come awake caught up in a vast web made of steel. Though I attempt to pull free I am paralyzed. I watch as torrents of metal spiders begin descending upon me. As I struggle the spiders come together and change into a gigantic bird which landing upon my body begins to devour me."
"Yes, my sweet Father. Those tiny machines will soon have the ability to not only coagulate but to shift shapes at will. Until now, they've been driven by a human mind. That mind has been stilled. I am unsure if that means Micah is dead or only incapacitated. Those horrible machines are on the loose now."
"What chance do we have against them, my darling Daughter?"
"They cannot sense us as long as this craft is operating. We are out of phase with their world. When we land and shut off the power source, they will swarm us."
He was suddenly afraid for her. He should have come alone yet he had no method of travel that would bring him here in the allotted time. He had become used to having a surfeit of time yet now for perhaps the first time in his long life he was pressed for it.
"Perhaps I should act as a diversion to allow you time to get to your grandmother, sweet Daughter. When we land, I'll run in the opposite direction of where we seek to go."
"We have to stay together no matter what happens, sweet Father. They will seek to separate us. By creating an illusion of serenity they'll try to lull us into a false sense of security."
He apprehended when he first came to Orchardton Hall that his Daughter had the gift of foresight. Touching her mind with his informed him of many things she was not yet aware of herself. Though his own prescience did not come close to rivaling hers he still maintained the ability of seeing through her.
She was keeping something from him, not out of malice but out of love. A sacrifice would be r
equired to save Lady Lily. Daughter was planning on giving herself up when the time was ripe.
"We should land on the roof of that building, precious Daughter."
He knew Lily was here yet he also understood his words were redundant as Ena had already begun to guide the machine higher. They had but a few seconds to land and to enter the building before the swarm descended upon them.
"There will be a door, darling Father, but it will be locked. We'll have to break it down to gain entry. Are you ready?"
The craft did not come to a landing so much as it bounced upon the solid surface of the concrete finally coming to a halt. When the whirling pillars ceased a rush of fresh air renewed his spirit. In one bound he was at the door. Though it was solid when he leaned into the door it burst asunder falling to the floor. He stood aside allowing Daughter to enter first.
As Ena scurried inside he followed on her heals; as he was raising the door he saw a gray swirling cloud rapidly coming their way. As it came closer Kāne was mystified to see human figures emerge from the misty nothingness, an army seemingly bent upon capturing them both before they had the time to escape into the confines of the building beneath them.
The faces adorning the bodies rapidly approaching them were but naked skulls with a blood red glow gleaming inside dead empty sockets and teeth sharpened to points. Pushing the door into place he felt an enormous push on the outside seeking to nullify his efforts at holding the strange army at bay. Once in place, however, the door seemed to seal itself even with broken hinges.
"The inside of this building is positively pressurized... can you feel it too, Father?"
Ena was right. In his hurry to gain entry Kāne hadn’t noticed the out rush of air blowing from the breached doorway. Like he had done, a single serious blow from outside would burst the door asunder but apparently the mottled hordes didn’t realize that. Instead the misty army sought to push the door open by applying constant force which only resulted in the inner pressure growing even greater.
