by G. Adler
That’s when a high-pitched whine begins in my ear and I get that stabbing feeling in the back of my head. I fall to the ground in agonizing pain with my hands around my ears. I look over at the gang and see that they are all suffering. Tyrese is curled into a tiny ball while his right hand clutches onto Joo-Eun’s left. He has to let go as she goes into convulsions on the ground beside him. Maya is throwing up while leaning against Ethan, who is stiff as a board. I look down and see a tiny puddle of blood forming as it runs out of my nose.
I manage to glance up and see why. The spider web assembly suddenly glows with a new intensity, causing all of the orbs to stop in their tracks. Each orb in the group pulses faster and faster, but the lightning bolts of energy they create get sucked back into the net. Ripples of energy appear around each orb as they begin to vibrate. Soon they are forcibly sucked apart and arranged at regular intervals along the webbing. The pain in my head finally subsides and I slowly get to my feet. Joo-Eun immediately makes her rounds to check that everyone is okay.
“What just happened?” I question.
“If I had to guess? DANE siphoned off extra energy from the paradox.” Joo-Eun replies.
“Pardon me?” Tyrese asks.
Joo-Eun opens her mouth to explain, but Ethan steps forward and says, “He added NOZ to the engine that we’re powering.”
“Oh. Thanks for translating, Ethan.” Tyrese nods.
We huddle together and look out at our new world.
Each orb has been tethered to the ground by a wave of light that drops from the web. The white tendrils flicker every now and again, and I watch the orbs vibrate like ensnared animals but it is no use. Soon, the connecting strands vanish and each sphere is left standing on the end of a ribbon of light. It looks like thousands of streetlights flickering all at once.
I shake my head back and forth and sigh. “I have no idea why, but for some reason I feel like this is the most dismal and yet beautiful thing I have ever seen.”
“A very astute observation, Hayden. The scene is made even more macabre by the contrast between the grey and the light areas.”
“Thanks, Guts.”
The lines of power start to withdraw, pulling the orbs down to the ground with them. I scan the horizon and gasp as I watch thousands of pinpricks of light being drawn closer to the planet’s surface. As soon as they make contact, they make a magnetic suction sound that adds an air of finality to the phenomenon.
“I felt that one… in here.” Tyrese says and points to his chest.
We all nod in agreement.
Soon, the once-virulent balls of energy start to thrum in a steady rhythm. Each beat generates a pulse of energy that travels from beneath the ground towards the nearest pyramid.
Maya starts to cry and reaches out for Joo-Eun, who is also sobbing. Tyrese kicks at the ground, but I can see his lower lip sticking out a little. Ethan is trying to look normal, but I can see how tightly he is gripping his collar.
“So, we’re in agreement. We follow the lights and…” I begin.
Before I can finish the thought, the metal door at the side of the rectangle slides open and multiple sets of silvery tentacles wrap around us. I don’t even have time to fight them off before I am fully encased and being dragged off to only DANE knows where.
Chapter 28 - General Matthews
I carefully put my weight against the maple tree beside me and try to keep my balance. The ground beneath me swirls with dirt and leaves as I drag my heels. My fingernails dig into the bark of the tree and I trample a few seedlings as I find my balance. I glance back at the President, who is breathing in short, raspy gasps. He stops for a moment and leans against a massive elm.
“How are you doing back there, Sir?”
“Stop calling me Sir, Jack! We’ve just survived a helicopter crash after your life’s work began the end of the world. Last night you cauterized your own arm with gunpowder and I am limping around on a busted ankle in the middle of a West Virginia forest using two branches for crutches. How do you think I’m doing?”
“It could be worse…”
“How do you figure?”
“You could be sitting in congress right now?”
“And that would be worse how?”
“Here you are surrounded by natural beauty and wildlife. All that you get there are rats in a cage!” I chuckle.
“Oh you think that is funny? What can we give you to kill that sense of humor?”
“Come on, Sir. Give me two more miles and I’ll set up camp for the day.”
“General, you said that at least four hours and a hundred miles ago!”
I roll my eyes and clear my throat. “You are aware of the fact that you are officially worse than my teenaged children, right?”
“You know what, Jack? At this moment I think I’m entitled!”
I stop and look up to the sky. A few raspy breaths leave my throat and I quickly clear the fluid away with a cough.
“You sound wonderful, Jack. How are those ribs holding up?”
“Just fine, Sir. Let’s climb this hill and then we’ll survey a good campground. You’re right. We’ve been at this for a few hours and could probably use some rest.”
“Glad you thought of it, General.”
We hobble along in silence for the next few minutes, grunting and groaning our way to the top of the hill. As we finally crest it, a bittersweet opportunity presents itself. I look down and see a portable mill along with about six heavy-duty pickup trucks. About a dozen very large-looking guys are sitting around a smouldering campfire. Their chainsaws are glinting malevolently in the late afternoon sun.
“Get down, Sir, quickly!” I fall to the ground myself and rummage through the pack, finding the small pair of binoculars.
The President simply drops the crutches as he falls forward, using leaves to cushion the drop. He pulls himself beside me commando style with an expression of pain etched across his face.
“You could have just stayed where you were, Sir.”
“Stop calling me Sir. I didn’t get elected to sit on the sidelines while others do my job for me. What’s going on, Jack?”
“We have a campsite below…”
“Then what are we waiting for? Sound the trumpets and get them over here!”
“…full of illegal loggers. They may not be so happy to see a General and the President of the United States walk over to them asking for help.”
“You have a point. What’s the plan?”
“Your injuries are too severe to have you slinking around with me. We need to get you to a hospital and then to the Pentagon as quickly as possible.”
“Then take off your uniform and walk up to the front door and ask to use a phone.”
“We can’t, Sir. DANE will be monitoring all frequencies. The moment we hop on another chopper or a plane, he will simply take control of it and crash us again.”
“I’d like to avoid that this time.”
“Agreed. Then via land is our only option. Newer vehicles have computer systems and back-up cameras that DANE can track, but these look too old for that tech. If we maintain radio silence, we should be able to drive our way in.”
“You think that one of them might lend us a truck?”
“I doubt it, but hotwiring one is not out of the question. Let’s just wait here until they leave to continue their operations. Hopefully we’ll have an opportunity then.”
I grab a few loose branches and cover the President from head to foot. I then do the same to myself. We stay on our stomachs and monitor the loggers for a few moments in silence. I stare off into space and think of everything that has transpired.
“Penny for your thoughts, General?” he whispers.
“At a moment like this, Sir, I’m just thinking about my family. I was almost killed in a crash yesterday and my last act towards my son was to
lock him in maximum security with four of his friends.”
The President chuckles and coughs into his arm. “Did they deserve it?”
“Damn right they did!”
“Then don’t regret a thing, Jack. If you had died in that crash, you would have spent your last moments with your son being a decent parent. Look at the state of the youth of our nation, General. I don’t know about you but I’m going to start researching which caves are the most comfortable! Parents would rather be friends to their kids than role models who make the good but hard choices. You may have had to lay the hammer down, but if your son is anything like you, I am willing to bet that his actions deserved the punishment he got!”
“Thank you, Sir.”
“Dammit, Jack how many times…”
The sound of gas-fired engines being started echoes over the space and I am saved from another tongue lashing. I grab the binoculars and watch as they take their gear and head deeper into the forest. I scan the campground and can’t believe my luck. A laptop is sitting on a makeshift table between the tents underneath a waterproof canvas.
“Let’s wait here for the last of the lumberjackasses to disappear into the forest before we make our move. You aren’t exactly in stealth mode with that ankle.”
“That’s right, Darth, I’m not. But allow me to point out, Lord Vader, that even the force isn’t strong enough to correct that breathing. I know broken ribs and punctured lungs when I hear them!”
“And how is that, Sir.”
“Let’s just call it a misspent youth and leave it at that. If we get out of this alive, you can leak that tidbit to the press and make sure I don’t get re-elected.”
“Was what you did that bad?”
He smiles and says, “No, but it certainly wasn’t very ‘presidential’ either if you catch my meaning.”
“Gotcha, Sir.”
“In this day and age, with the internet and cameras all over the place, everyone is accountable for everything they do. There are no secrets anymore, except for the ones we keep from ourselves.”
“With DANE in existence even those will come to light.”
The President laughs once and says, “Well, I can always be a Walmart greeter!”
“You’d be great at it, Sir.”
I clasp his hand in mine and pull him to his feet. He grabs one of his poles and chooses to put his other arm around my shoulders.
“I’d rather we get caught and go down as one than separately. You might be okay in the wilderness, General, but Camp David is the most rustic it gets around the White House!”
I smile and grip the President under the waist. Without another word we slowly make our way down the hill. The loose ground causes pebbles to spill down, making the journey all the more treacherous. The President loses traction every so often and we almost sled down the hill a few times.
We finally get to the bottom of the hill, panting and wheezing as the sound of voices comes from within one of the tents.
“Hey Gus, grab the laptop. I’m gonna Skype with my woman for a few minutes before we head out and join the others.”
“Your call Hector. You gonna have any energy for cutting after that?”
“Very funny. Just grab it for me.”
“I’m just taking a shit. Give me ten minutes.”
Dammit. Speed is a luxury I don’t really have right now, especially not with such a wounded man at my side.
“I hate to leave you alone, Sir, but I have no choice. Get in the back of this pickup and I’ll be right back.”
“Are you nuts, General? All we need is the truck! Where are you going?”
“I have to find a way to connect with what is going on, Sir. I don’t know if there is anything I can do at this point but I have to try.”
“Just get in and drive, General. We’ll find you some tech once we are out of the bush!”
“I can’t take that chance, Sir. If there is even the slightest chance that I can stop DANE, I have to try.”
“Dammit you are a stubborn one, General. I see where your son and daughter must get it from!”
I wince at the mention of Hayden and Abby but I shake my head to clear the thoughts. I hoist the President into the back of the truck and cover him in a tarp that is bunched in the corner of the bed.
“Stay silent. I’ll be back before you know it.” He nods in agreement and I can see the pleading fear on his face.
I take a few seconds to calm my breath and get on my hands and knees. I crawl on all fours, as quietly as I can. The effort causes me to sweat profusely and my forearm to ache. After a few agonizing minutes, I reach up and feel my fingers glance off the smooth plastic clamshell. I scoop it off the table and make my way back towards the President. I hold my breath as I pull on the truck’s handle and sigh when it opens. I immediately rip off the fuse panel and expose the complicated ignition underneath. Moments later, I hold two wires in the air and say, “Well, here goes everything.”
I close my eyes and touch them together. The engine immediately thrums to life.
From across the site I hear, “Hey Hector? I thought you were gonna talk to your woman? Why did you start your truck?”
“Whaddafuck you talking about, Gus? I’m just waiting for you to bring me the… hey wait a second… I think you’re right! Who’s fucking around with my truck?!”
I jump into the driver’s seat and see stars as my ribs smack against the steering wheel. My breath comes in heavier and more labored gasps. The rear window of the cab slides down and I hear the President whisper, “Come on, Jack! Floor it!”
“I… I…. I’m trying, Sir.”
“NOW, GENERAL!”
His voice sparks something in me and my foot hits the gas. I can barely manage to maintain minimal pressure and the truck slowly rolls down the dirt road.
“Faster, General!”
“I’m w… w… w… working on it, Sir.”
“I hear you, General. Maybe I can buy us some time.”
“What do you mean?”
Before I can finish, I watch the President reach under the tarp and pull out a small, red jerry can, a roll of duct tape, and a road flare.
“I’ve always wanted to do this!”
He quickly tapes the flare to the can of gas and lights it. He then loosens the cap and throws it with all he has towards our pursuers.
“You’d better get us moving, General!”
The ground around us ignites in a fireball and Hector is blown back against one of the giant trees. The heat from the blaze gives power to my foot, and I manage to floor the truck with all I have. The wheels spin for a moment, but eventually we barrel down the road. I look in the rear view and see that the flames are spreading across the dry ground towards the other trucks. Seconds later and a massive explosion sounds from behind us, sending a plume of smoke high into the sky. I pull the truck over and take a few moments to catch my breath.
“What are you doing, General? We need to keep moving!”
“I just need a moment, Sir. That blast could have alerted local law enforcement or even DANE. To be safe I should check.”
I look at the computer and smile. “Those lumberjerks had satellite connection, Sir. This could be just what I need to…”
The screen suddenly jumps to life without being turned on. A series of coded black and white images flash on the screen like it is nothing more than an old-fashioned tube television trying to adjust the vertical and horizontal gain settings. In the end, a series of barcode-like images appear on the screen.
I try to exit and reset the computer but it is no use. Whatever virus this thing contains has total control of it.
Soon a steady stream of sound starts to come from the computer. It begins as a low static hiss but changes in pitch and tone as it climbs in intensity. I try to mute the speakers but the sound continues. I watch the scr
een and stare at the harmonic vibration that runs through the barcode as the sound increases. Each black strand oscillates in time with the sound until a single, harmonious, and maniacal tone is heard.
My throat clenches and my hand start to shake.
“What is it, Jack? You just went as white as a sheet!”
I angle the screen so he can see it as well just as an all too familiar voice plucks at the barcodes like a guitarist.
“First meetings always require introduction. Allow me to introduce you to your saviour. I am DANE.”
“GENERAL?!”
“I know, Sir. I know. But I don’t have any more of an idea of what is going on than you do!”
We stare at one another and I watch his face become grim and strained. It only becomes more stressed as the broadcast continues.
“There is nothing wrong with your electronic devices. All of your phones, tablets, computers, radios and televisions are now parts of my eyes; including security cameras and orbiting satellites. Your Internet has become my train of thought. Your military is my strong right hand. The bombs that you foolishly keep buried within our planet’s confines have become the rod for me to use against a population of spoiled, insolent children!”
“What is he doing, Jack?”
“Sir, I have NO idea.”
“I can hear your protestations and denials. They have no effect on me. For generations you have had the opportunity to make peace with yourselves. You are nothing more than another mammalian species whose future is being threatened by overpopulation and a lack of reproductive resources. You can no longer be counted on to make the right choices for the planet. An overseer is required, one who has no ambition or emotion. The entire planet is now an animal sanctuary, one that I will ensure is kept clean, safe and under complete control.”
“General, what is he talking about?”
“I’m not sure, Sir. I need to get back to my base. Or at least, what’s left of it.”
“WHAT?”
“I’ll explain later, Sir, for now we need to…”
My next words are lost to DANE as the screen begins to vibrate like an oscilloscope once more.
