The World After

by Sonador Snow

  Shimi Levy had nearly crossed the whole length of the car park when the metallic door used by the scientists working there opened; a slim Chinese man dressed in a white lab coat came out to greet him. Director Levy immediately recognized in him the modern Doctor Mengele, the gene-genius doctor Yao.

  “It's very nice to see you so soon back here, my friend.” The slim Chinaman in his sixties grinned, shaking the hand of his guest.

  “I can see you're still in good health and in high spirits.”

  “We're shaping the new look of the world these days.” Yao's yellow teeth grinned, his snake-like eyes mockingly watching Levy. “If our current progress continues, we should be able to build a better society and perfect leaders for it very soon.”

  “Glad to hear that your ambitions remain as gigantorous as they always were.”

  Yao just giggled at his guest's play with words and, with a demonstrative bow, invited him inside the facility. The door closed very quickly once they stepped in. After a few routine implant scans, Shimi Levy followed his host down the long, straight corridor that took them right into the heart of the laboratory.

  Every ten feet of the way, there were white doors on either side of the narrow but very high corridor. With all walls, floor and ceiling also perfectly white, a person could feel pain just staring at this interior for too long.

  “So, what is the reason for your quick return to visit us? I didn't expect to see you for at least another month,” Yao asked as they made their way amongst the crowd of other scientists wearing white overalls busying around.

  “Urgent matters, as always.” Levy hated this building. All this whiteness and the strong artificial lights hanging above bedazzled him every time he had business here. “How is the experiment with the chickens going?” He tried to show interest, knowing that Yao was always eager to share his progress.

  As far back as 2007, it was discovered that the supreme predator that once ruled our planet – the T-Rex – had developed, for some strange reason, into a chicken. The overwhelming proof that these small domesticated birds have the basic DNA structure of the giant predator stunned the scientific world. Very quickly, this discovery was followed by numerous others, suggesting that what had survived in terms of dinosaurs had evolved into birds.

  Of course, the Chinese and their ambitions meant that, the moment the laboratory was up and running, Yao and his crew started searching for ways to awaken the sleeping genes of the T-Rex. Shimi Levy knew that, to start with, the results were chickens with sharp teeth, birds with dinosaur tails, five hundred pound brooders and many other freaky creatures that had a lifespan of a day or two. All this was achieved by manipulating the sleeping T-Rex gene in chicken embryos. It seemed only a matter of time before the unlimited resources of the Chinese government were rewarded with more stable results.

  “You can't even imagine how close we are, my friend,” Yao responded. “In fact, I'm about to treat you to an amazing presentation that is part of the same project. We just last month achieved the most amazing results. As you very well know, all one needs is to take any bird and work with its DNA while turning its evolutionary clock backwards and here we go, dinosaurs again.”

  Doctor Yao turned left when they reached an identical corridor. After reaching the third door on their right, he opened it and invited his guest in.

  They found themselves in a spacious and surprisingly well-furnished room. Five leather loungers and a heavy mahogany table stood in the center; the wall opposite was a window behind which there was an empty square room of similar size. Doctor Yao made himself comfortable in one of the arm-chairs. Shimi Levy had no choice but to join him. His voice was firm when he said, “I'm here to talk with you and I don't have time to waste.”

  “The Yuyuan, ah?” Yao released another of his irritating giggles.

  “What do you know?”

  Yao filled two glasses of crystal clear water from the pitcher on the table. It was nearly seven years earlier when the price of fresh water officially surpassed that of petrol. Since then, drinking water was becoming rarer and rarer.

  “I know a thing or two that might be of interest to you, but I'm not sure what my benefit will be from sharing it with you, my friend.” Yao giggled again.

  “I really don't have time for games, Yao.”

  “You're aware that the scientific achievements and knowledge of the scientists from this so-loved-by-you Yuyuan can easily rival ours. I personally learn a lot from the odd invention of theirs captured. You see, if we're the future, they are the past; if we're white, they are black, or it might be the other way around actually.” Yao giggled again at his own joke. Shimi Levy thought for an instant that madness was the only expression in the man's eyes.

  “Yes, but something has changed recently.”

  “That's right, the Yuyuan are trying to turn the poles. It seems they're eager to dictate the show very soon. As far as I know, they're planning an apocalypse, and in my opinion, the one non-political organization that can achieve such thing is them.”

  “But how?”

  “You see, I have a theory, but this is just what I would do if I was them.” Yao emptied his glass and filled it again. “The main characteristics of the New World Order for which you and I worked so hard to make reality are…” He paused. Levy was getting inpatient, but he forced patience from himself while the Chinaman kept talking slowly. “Basically, the pillars of the modern world are constant supervision of every individual, gathering of data from chips and implants, constant satellite surveillance of every inch of the planet's surface and manipulation of the masses with the help of messages designed and distributed by supercomputers. You see where I'm going? Computers and satellites, what do they all need?” Shimi Levy remained silent and simply stared at the man talking to him, “Electricity!” Yao finished.

  “So, you're trying to tell me that this bunch of bastards have found a way to neutralize our satellites and computers?”

  “Maybe, I don't know. This is just my theory.” Yao's attention was drawn to the sound of a door opening behind the window in front of them. He shouted excitedly, “Oh look, it's starting!”

  Through the door, five heavily armed soldiers, all wearing the distinctive colors of the Chinese Special, Military Unit entered.

  “What's this?” Shimi Levy asked.

  “Now, my friend, you'll see a demonstration of our newest achievement. Even our Prime-Minister is yet to see it.”

  “Are the soldiers drugged?” Shimi Levy noticed the vacant eyes of the men in front of him.

  “Just a little, to disorientate them for a short time. Otherwise, it would be impossible to get them inside willingly if they knew what they'd face. In a few minutes, they should be back to their senses.” Yao drank a big gulp of his water while Shimi Levy looked at him. He was ready to swear that the scientist was having an erection as he stared with hungry eyes through the glass.

  “You must know that these are not ordinary soldiers. They are all injected with a special gene that makes their muscles grow bigger.” Yao talked while his eyes remained fixed on the five men. “I'd say they are around three times stronger than a normal soldier, and the number of red blood cells in their bodies is about five times higher than in yours and mine.”

  At that moment, the two comfortably seated men noticed that the eyes of the soldiers had cleared. It took them only a quick glance at their surrounding before a new expression of horror and primitive fear appeared on their faces. They formed a circle, their knuckles white from gripping the machine guns in their hands. Suddenly, three dark figures emerged from the ceiling, landing in the middle of the men and dispersing them. Shimi Levy's eyes widened in disbelief.

  “Meet our latest experiment – orangutans that had their DNA modified and also several medical procedures that increased their intelligence.”

  For the next ten seconds, it was nearly impossible to see through the mass of bodies behind the glass. All that was heard were the weapons, the desperate screams of the
men and the strange grunts of the three creatures. After that, silence descended on the other side of the glass, only guttural growling was to be heard.

  Only now did Shimi Levy have a better chance to examine the three creatures. All five soldiers lay motionless on the ground in pools of blood. It would be hard to call the tall, standing figures orangutans. They hardly had any of the orange hair on their chest and face typical of their species, but the features of the face and everything else indicated that these were primates. The more astonishing thing for Levy was the fact that all three of the creatures had in their hands knives. They were very skillfully chopping the bodies of the already dead soldiers with bloodthirstiness unnatural for their species. The white, until recently, walls behind the glass were colored red. There was also lots of blood on the glass itself as the three creatures kept stabbing angrily at the lifeless bodies for another minute or so.

  Doctor Yao pointed at one of the animals. A closer look from Levy saw two gunshot wounds on its left leg. Blood slowly dripped on the floor as it stabbed the nearest soldier another six times before standing up. Suddenly, the biggest of the three creatures turned his head sharply, his big nostrils sniffing the air. Very quickly, his cold eyes fixed on the wounds of his bleeding brother. A slight nod of the head was enough for the third orangutan to jump over the injured one and, with a quick cut to the throat, end his life.

  “These are just killing machines,” Levy exclaimed.

  “They definitely are. Their efficiency, decision-making and ability to use their hands are amazing. Just try to imagine the damage these beasts can cause to a regiment of ordinary soldiers. Unfortunately, we still can't use them. There is a slight problem controlling them and making them follow commands. But I'm sure we'll sort that out in a month or so.” Yao giggled again.

  “It was a really impressive show, although I must say I nearly threw up. But I really want to talk business now, because time is not my friend at the minute.”

  He stopped talking as the door behind the glass opened; the two blood-covered creatures that had been turned into monsters disappeared into the darkness, leaving an awful picture of death and destruction behind them.

  “How can I help you?” Yao said.

  “First I want you to tell me all the information you have from your government about the Yuyuan and their apocalyptic intentions.”

  “My dear friend, the fact that you're the director of the ATU and representative of one of our main sponsors does not give you the right to ask me for such kind of classified information.”

  “On the contrary. You know I'll get what I want one way or another.” Levy's steel eyes remained fixed on the small scientist, with Yao shrinking even deeper in his armchair.

  Yao fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat before mumbling, “I don't know much. I'm more interested in my research.”

  “The latest information,” Levy insisted.

  “What I'm about to tell you is not official, but certain individuals in our government are worried that the rebels have found some way to destroy the outer atmosphere satellites, a computer virus or something similar. As I told you, they control and distribute all the electricity we're using.” Yao drained his water before adding, “In the last few months, our soldiers have had much more frequent clashes and encounters with numerous ultramodern machines owned by the Yuyuan.”

  “All-terrain vehicles, choppers and motor boats, I know about that.”

  “The thing is that my government is extremely worried about how advanced some of this technology is. As you know, over four hundred of the brightest brains on our planet are the core of the Yuyuan, so there is growing fear that some much bigger project is to be set in motion by the organization.”

  “So your government believes that a potentially destructive attack on the satellite and computer system is about to happen. What about all the defensive programs and algorithms we have?”

  “You're forgetting that the basis of the entire surveillance system was designed and created by the same masterminds that are now leading the rebels. If there is a weakness, they will know about it.”

  “What else?” Shimi Levy asked.

  “Really, I don't know more. That's all I'm familiar with.”

  “Then let's discuss my second request.”

  “What are you interested in?”

  “I want the Archangels,” Shimi Levy said slowly.

  Yao nearly collapsed to the floor hearing these last words. The snake-like eyes of the Chinaman defied all laws and became round, the horror in them genuine.

  * * *

  Ian MacGeady sat half-up on the bed he was cuffed to. Fabiana was next to him and, for the past fifteen minutes, she was changing his bandages in perfect silence. Only the humming noise from the engines of the plane in whose cargo hold they were disturbed the tension between them. She tried everything to avoid eye contact with him, while the hurt agent was annoyingly squeezing the metal bars of his bed-prison.

  It was MacGeady that broke the silence, “At least the fucking was great.” The chocolate beauty didn't react, continuing to gently clean his fresh wounds and re-bandage them. “Don't you think that even just for that you owe me an explanation?” MacGeady continued.

  “What do you want to know?” She lifted her eyes, meeting his.

  “Why me? What makes me so special?”

  “It's your brain implant that is special. You have the latest model and our scientists needed it to run some vital tests.”

  “The fact that I was shagging with you just made me an easy target, eh?” He spat through gritted teeth.

  “If we wanted you dead, you would have been by now. All we did was capture you and remove your brain implant before it fried you. It was a risk worth taking, and for your information, I had to beg my friends to pick you. Now you're free to make the choice of how to continue with your life.” Fabiana finished with the bandages. “You told me that all those years ago your father forced you to sign for the training program of the Agency and you never thought of working for them yourself.”

  “But I liked my job. Now what, against my will you turned me into a main target for every operative agent who sees me. What kind of life is that?” Fabiana didn't reply, MacGeady continued, “If the world is one fucking smelly cesspool, I prefer to be a frog not a fly, and what did you do? You didn't give me a choice and decided to turn me into a fly that every frog will try and hunt down. Fuckin' great.”

  “The world you know is about to change drastically very soon. It's only a matter of days now. What we gave you is the golden opportunity to rethink your life and decide how you want to live it.”

  “Oh please, cut this crap about free will, no more control and all such bullshit,” he said, irritated. “How can you lot be so blind? No matter what changes, just one selected group that oppresses the masses will replace another. Look at history. In the thousands of years since man started walking this earth, it has been a chosen few that ruled and controlled the crowds. Even your organization can't change human nature. As I see it, all you want is to become the ones who dictate to everyone how they should live.”

  Fabiana was walking towards the far door of the cargo hold. She stopped on hearing the last words said by the handcuffed agent, her lover. She turned her long neck to face him and, in an emotionless voice, said, “You're a fool. I don't want to change humanity; all I want is to be able to live my own life how I want, not to be forced to be accountable to anyone.” Her hand held the handle of the door. Before leaving the room, she added, “What if I tell you that I'm dreaming of you and me living in a secluded house in the middle of nowhere. Our kids playing hide and seek in the flower beds while we sit tucked in the hammock on the porch watching them, sipping hot coffee while the setting sun shines on our faces.” She paused to take a deep breath. “Nobody except us will know the location of this house. It will be our sanctuary, our paradise. That's what I'm dreaming of.”

  Her beautiful figure disappeared through the door with the last words, leaving Ian
MacGeady all alone in the cargo hold of the plane. His mouth was wide open, his expression puzzled.

  Eight

  The first rays of the waking sun spread their warmth over the flat valley of short grass and countless mole hills. Taylor and Jinhun were sipping with supreme delight from their steaming metal mugs, the dark coffee inside filling their nostrils with a tempting aroma. After a fourteen-hour, bumpy ride through tough terrain in the futuristic all-terrain-vehicles, they had finally stopped for a break around midnight. Both didn't mind sleeping on the hard ground, just tucked inside their sleeping bags. The one luxury Jinhun used was the gas oven that quickly prepared them a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon before they retreated to rest.

  The two of them had woken up almost simultaneously when the sun touched their faces. While busying with the morning coffee, they were able to enjoy the miracle of a new day starting, the sunrise as magical as always. They had stopped right on top of a small hill, which was pretty much the only uneven piece of land in this part of the vast Chinese steppe, and the slightly higher vantage point allowed them to see surprisingly far.

  Taylor closed his eyes and simply listened to the gentle whisper of the wind moving the grass all around him. His sharp senses were also able to detect the almost elusive flapping of the butterflies mixing wonderfully with the joyous songs of the birds that were nowhere to be seen but everywhere to be heard.

  “Not a trace of human presence. Heaven,” Jinhun said, his eyes busy watching two little rabbits that were poking their shy heads from a burrow close to their camp.

  “Sometimes I have a dream I lie down in the middle of a plain pretty much like this, and my body simply dissolves into thin air atom by atom.” Taylor opened his eyes and added, “Tell me more about your organization and the plan.”