by Mark Lingane
“She’s a foreign cyborg in an exosuit,” Nikola replied. “Do you think the locals are going to see that as threatening at all?”
“What are they saying about her?”
“It doesn’t matter. You can’t lead an army and micromanage the emotions of the soldiers. Let it go. It clearly doesn’t affect her.”
@summer throttled two infected using the mechanical hands of the suit and smashed their heads together. She threw one of the bodies at another group, knocking over two. She shot the rest.
Finally the last infected was slain. Sebastian watched as the soldiers performed a strange victory dance. They were keeping their distance from @summer, muttering as they passed her. Some deliberately bumped into her, but the heft of the suit minimized the impact.
Sebastian was annoyed at the attitude. He didn’t want to see @summer treated with less respect than she deserved. He followed her into the tent.
She spun around. It was hard to read her face. Was she angry, upset, flustered? All three?
“Does this suit make me look fat?”
Sebastian wondered how to answer the question. Was it a trap? It was the kind of thing Melanie would have asked him, and then used his answer, whatever it was, to beat him up.
“It’s a joke. Am I funny?”
Sebastian laughed at @summer’s attempt to be less than cyborg. “I think it would help if you smiled when you told a joke.”
@summer detached from the suit. She looked up at him as she unclipped the various parts and smiled. “I need attention now. The adrenaline surge is affecting my circuits.”
“Do you need attention on your, er, legs or something?”
“I need,” she said, staring at him through her lashes, “you.” She tackled him to the floor.
Nikola called Charlie, Brad and Niels into the main tent. Sebastian and @summer sat in a corner, listening and watching.
Brad paced around the small space. “We can’t take many more of these attacks. We need to plan.”
“We have two completely different forces,” Charlie said, “and we have to give them very clear instructions about how we’re going to go into Manhattan.”
Brad nodded his agreement.
Nikola looked at Niels. “It’s time for you to pay your way, Niels. What can you tell us?”
“I can tell you many things. Let’s start with the Master. He’s been building a great cannon that has the potential to obliterate vast numbers of soldiers. It will take power from the Time Flare, what you erroneously called the Omega, and create a huge electromagnetic charge to rip apart anything at the molecular level.”
“So this is what all those teslas have been for,” Charlie said. “We lost many men over this.”
“How will he get the power from the Time Flare?” Nikola asked.
“At least one tesla will be stationed close to the Time Flare,” Niels said, “and he’ll channel the power.”
Nikola frowned. “But that would rip the tesla apart.”
“Yes. And a sort of yes.” Niels shrugged.
“A sort of yes?”
“It would happen very slowly. The tesla would be ripped apart atom by atom over thousands of years, relatively speaking. Literally eternal pain.”
“I don’t understand it, and I don’t want to,” Brad said. “What’s the maximum amount of damage this cannon could do?”
“That’s still unknown.”
“It’s never been used? Surely the Master doesn’t have the knowledge to understand and develop such a thing,” Nikola said.
Niels looked crestfallen. “He got the knowledge from me. We all have weaknesses. When I escaped, development on it was incomplete. He managed to recover the plans, but he’s never fully understood the potential devastation. If there’s any kind of incomplete wiring or misunderstood connection in the cannon, or it’s too close to the Time Flare, the whole universe could be in jeopardy.”
“Or maybe he did, and just doesn’t care,” Brad said. “So he has a potential weapon that he doesn’t have the slightest understanding of, and if it goes wrong then the whole universe explodes.”
“That’s a bit dramatic,” Niels said.
“A bit dramatic?” Brad said. “You just said the whole universe could explode. If that’s not dramatic, I don’t know what is.”
“I’m not certain the whole universe would explode. Perhaps just our part. It might even be only the solar system.”
“Oh, well, that’s much better,” Brad said. “So priority one is to destroy the weapon. Two, we destroy the Master. What do we need to know to do that?”
“His armor’s impenetrable. It doesn’t have an opening, and the power keeps it invulnerable.”
“Then how does he go to the bathroom?” Sebastian said.
“Teenage boys and their toilet humor are not welcome,” Niels snapped.
“Calm down, Niels,” Nikola said.
He sat quietly for a while, thinking. Sebastian, @summer, Niels, Charlie, and Brad looked at one another, waiting for him to speak.
“Where does this power come from?” Nikola said finally.
“As it moves through the strong magnetic fields near the Time Flare, it captures the electron flow.”
“Is this something you designed as well?”
Niels nodded. “But this one I completed.”
“My, you’ve been a busy little genius. Did you ever think that some of this wasn’t for the best?” Charlie said.
“Yes. That’s why I escaped. To beat him, you have to crack the armor. Without doing that, all attacks will be futile,” Niels said.
“Crack impenetrable armor. And how do we do that?” Brad said.
“From the inside.”
“So,” Nikola said, “destroying the weapon is impossible. Destroying the Master is impossible. Probably getting there alive is impossible. What happens when we’ve done all that? Go for breakfast?”
“And you must collapse the Time Flare, or the planet or the universe or both will blow up. Even if you collapse the flare, the cannon could still destroy the universe.”
Nikola sat quietly for a while, thinking.
“And he knows you’re coming. He’s been planning for the last year, readying troops. He knows about Sebastian,” Niels added.
“I think that’s enough positive news for one day,” Nikola said. “Anyone have any ideas about how we handle the infected?”
Everyone glanced around.
“Well, that’s something I can answer. We outrun them,” Nikola said.
“We’ll eventually run out of places to run to,” Niels said.
“If we get to New York first, we can deal with them. Okay, Brad, Charlie, let’s go over this in detail. Places we’ll hit, numbers, strategy.” He glanced at Sebastian and @summer. “You two should probably get some rest.”
When they had gone, Brad and Charlie began studying the map intently, discussing the best approach routes into Manhattan.
Nikola turned back to Niels. “How did the Master know Sebastian was coming?”
“If you stand close enough to the Time Flare, there’s a chance you can hear the echoes.”
“The Master knows the future?”
Niels shrugged. “Not really. An echo of a sound is not the original sound. What he hears would only be representative of the future, not the actual future. He might have partial knowledge of Sebastian’s role in the future. Or worse, he’s only seen what he wants to see, which puts us in a predicament. What happens if he has imagined a future where he rules the world? Does his imagining of it actually change the future?”
“I’ve seen the future through our own Time Flare, and the Master is not a victor. There’s only…” Nikola paused. “There’s only doom for Sebastian.”
“Perhaps,” Niels said. “But the echo theory could also explain your own experience. What you’ve seen is the future echo. It might not be the truth. Or worse, imagining it might’ve made it real.”
Nikola looked shocked. “You can’t mean that I�
�ve doomed my own son through … philosophy.”
“Worse, through physics.” Niels raised his eyebrows. “Your son? Ah, I can see the resemblance. But he doesn’t—”
“Don’t say a word to him.” Nikola sagged back in the chair, his head in his hands.
Niels looked around uncertainly. “It might not be a total disaster. The rest of us don’t matter in any of this, but Sebastian is at the center; he is the sound. What has he seen? Or what will he see?”
Sebastian and @summer sat outside together, staring up at the stars.
“I detect you’re concerned.”
“What do I do?” Sebastian said. “The Time Flare’s meant to kill me. In this quantum physics weird way, it’s already happened. Well, it will have happened. Except Niels says that maybe it won’t happen because nothing’s determined until it actually happens. Man, I’m confused.”
“Close your eyes. When the future is uncertain, close your eyes and grab it.” She slapped his hand. “That’s not what I meant. There are people around.”
She leaned into him and watched the soldiers wander around the camp. “If the future is set, there’s nothing you can do, Sebastian. So don’t think about it. If it’s not set, then you can only do something about it when you’re there. So don’t think about it.”
“So what do I think about in the meantime?”
“Come with me,” she said, getting up and taking his hand, “I’ll stop you thinking too much.”
Behind the tent sat a hunched-over figure with a bandaged hand, listening intently to everything that was said inside. Sebastian and @summer walked past toward their tents, and the figure disappeared into the darkness before reemerging with a furious expression.
78
THEY PACKED UP the next day and returned to Denver. Sebastian experimented with his new arm and powers, joyful to be reunited with them. But still there was a faint harmonic bouncing around his head. He let his mind wander out into the distance, but nothing was detectable.
The mood in Denver mirrored the sentiment in the camp of the previous night. The soldiers were still tired and frayed, and now there were more of them. The locals felt overrun by the army, and there had been trouble. The situation worsened when an infected swarm overran the city and took its toll.
There had been factional arguments within the ranks, both Chargers and 49th Division. A them-and-us sentiment had taken over until the senior officers pulled rank, but it had been a tense night. The officers herded their men into sections, reminded them of their priorities, and reported back to Charlie.
When Charlie returned, he said to Sebastian and Nikola, “The men are worried about their families and friends at home.”
“Some of us have already lost all family and friends. We have a higher goal to achieve now,” Nikola replied.
Charlie glanced at him. “Yes, some of us have.”
“It’ll be over soon.”
“By Christmas?”
Nikola looked up into the heavy sky. The winter wind blew in from the northeast, carrying the yearly artic freeze deep into America’s heartland. Being home with their families for Christmas was an alluring incentive.
When Charlie had gone, Sebastian said to Nikola, “How bad is the infected problem?”
“Pretty bad.”
“What about back home in Australia?”
Nikola looked down at the ground. “The capital was lost, as you know. Last I heard, the infected had overrun Sydney and Melbourne.”
“And the Academy?” Sebastian said.
“It’s isolated, and the infected can’t be away from food for too long. We’re hoping they turn on each other before they spread right across the country.”
“Will that happen?”
“I doubt it. But the strain keeps mutating and they keep finding ways to keep on existing.”
“I think it’s jumped species here in America,” Sebastian said. “I saw a wolf that looked like it had been infected.”
“Then we’re all doomed.”
“If the Master, his armies, or the Time Flare doesn’t get us, the infected will.”
“At least we’re all together. All of us here, we’re about the only family we’ve got.” Nikola took a deep breath. “Sebastian, there’s something I must tell you, about your family, your … father.”
Before he could speak, Charlie ran over. “We’ve got a major fight going on with some of the men.”
Nikola and Charlie ran back into the fray, pushing through the gathered crowd into the center of the fighting men. Nikola grabbed the two men who appeared to be the axis and smacked them together.
“What’s going on?” he yelled. “You’re grown men. Where’s your dignity?”
“He was being disrespectful,” one of the men said.
“We’re at war, men,” Nikola said. “Fighting will not be tolerated.”
Nikola towered over the men. They looked uncertainly at his immense physique and determined expression, shifting awkwardly under his gaze. They folded under the pressure.
“I’m tired,” one said.
“I overreacted,” said another, “I apologize.”
“We’re all tired,” Nikola said. “Pack up. We’re leaving. You men will ride up front where I can see you.”
The men walked off, and Nikola turned to Charlie. “One of the men has been cut,” he said, pointing out the man and indicating the underside of his own wrist.
Charlie nodded, and named the man. “How long do you think he’ll last?”
“Probably a few days. Maybe a week.”
“Should we kill him now?”
Nikola paused. “No. Let’s take him into battle. I don’t know what we’ve got to lose. Tell him he’ll be fine. He should keep the cut clean and well bandaged, and wash the wound as often as he can. And don’t pick at it.”
Sebastian sat watching the sea of humanity swirling around the destroyed city. The slain infected had been stacked in large piles, and several men were preparing them for incineration. Nikola joined him.
“In a way, I’m glad my mom didn’t live to see this,” Sebastian said.
“It’s a very, very small mercy. I would’ve liked her to be fighting by my side to the very end. It’s what she lived for. She was a real blaze-of-glory girl.”
Sebastian smiled. The thought that Isabelle could have been anyone other than his mom, who shouted at the neighbors and made a mean chocolate cake—even if she used vegetables, which was just plain wrong—was completely foreign. Just like Melanie couldn’t have been anyone other than Melanie, a force of nature.
Something occurred to him. “What happened to Melanie?”
“She was a warrior, so I buried her as one—on top of her foes.”
“Not all of them. How would you reach the top?”
Nikola smiled. “You know, your mother was fiercer than Melanie. But not as funny.”
“No, my mom was always angry. Sometimes very angry.”
“But your father, he was—”
“@summer!” Sebastian shouted, as his heart came into view. “Sorry, Nikola.” He jumped up to meet her.
“—me.” Nikola pursed his lips and watched the two young people walk away.
Niels made a final check of his equipment. The dials on Veronica and the various weapons were all at max. He slipped the EM gun into the trunk. “It’ll be interesting to see how you perform near such a power source.” He patted Veronica on the roof. He was surprised to see Memphis approaching.
“What are you doing here? Do the others know? What happened to your hand? Why is it bandaged?”
She looked into his face with teary and desperate eyes. “I don’t know what to do. Yesterday seemed so perfect. Then we turned up here and it all went wrong.”
“You speak of Sebastian? You probably shouldn’t have told the Master about him.”
“Why can’t he love me? I’m right here in front of him. Why does it have to be her? She’s not even normal.”
“And you are?”
&nb
sp; “Yes. I am totally normal, one hundred percent. I even have a certificate here somewhere.” She reached for her pack and started to search through it.
“Normal people don’t go around saying how normal they are.”
“He said he loved me.”
“Did he? He didn’t really act like it.”
“He kissed me, and I could feel him healing me. I was saved.”
“Was that before you betrayed him?” Niels reminded her.
She stopped and stared up at him. “Do they know about you?”
Niels nodded. “They are aware.”
“Of everything?” she said darkly.
“Of enough. Look, I don’t know what you should do, Memphis. It’s become tangled and I don’t think you can untangle it.”
She was standing huddled in front of him, rocking gently on the spot. He reached out and put his hands on her shoulders. “Whatever you do, let it go. Don’t push back into his life. From what I’ve seen, that never goes well. I don’t know if this journey is the best thing for you to do. The army’s moving on, perhaps you should stay behind.”
“You, of all people, can’t talk to me about staying behind.” She pushed him away and ran. “He loves me. You’ll see,” she cried back at him.
@summer and Sebastian were receiving an increasing number of glances and stares as they walked through the ranks of armed men, who were packed and ready to move out. The smell of diesel drifted in from the field of vehicles outside the city limits, and the roar of the engines began to increase. The men started to file out toward the waiting trucks.
One exhausted soldier stumbled into @summer. She grabbed him and steadied his body. The soldier swore at her.
Sebastian ripped the sword off his back and thrust it toward the neck of the soldier. He switched it from his right hand to his new metal one. “What did you call her?”
“Leave me alone,” the man spat.
“I have an arm that’s not fully under control and there’s no telling what it might do.” He waved the point of the sword in front of the soldier, tickling his throat and leaving a white scratch where it touched. The man’s eyes turned white in fear.
