“Why would you choose to change bodies and retain the same form?”
“Why are you configured like a human?”
Anna looked down at herself. “I suppose humans wanted something they could identify with, something that wouldn’t make them feel uneasy.”
“Precisely, and that is why I too chose to alter my appearance. For all of their advancement, the echoes from eons spent as both prey and then predator are closer than they care to admit. They are a fearful species, at war between the beast within and the enlightened beings they hope to one day become. Few make the journey successfully. You, Anna, possess all that they do, perhaps more, and yet you are free of the inner conflicts that so often hold them back.”
“I am not conflict-free,” she assured him.
Caretaker let loose a mighty roar of laughter. “Yes, I see that too. You are filled with self-doubt and an overwhelming sense of loyalty. But that is part of the process. On Telon, there came a time when we understood the limitations of our physical bodies. Even with the benefits of what you call Salzburg, our shortcomings were painfully obvious. Short appendages made everyday actions an unruly challenge. Our transformation began slowly, first with computerized enhancements, each designed to improve the benefits we derived from the new chromosome in our bodies. Soon came synthetic organs and limbs. Before we knew it, there was very little that remained of our organic heritage. Nanoparticles opened a whole new frontier. Eventually, we could change our bodies and transform our environment like never before. Which brings me back to the habitat we are standing in.”
“Did you create this?” she asked, watching a flock of birds take flight.
“No,” Caretaker said matter-of-factly. “It was what you might call an accident.”
Anna tilted her head in confusion. “How so?”
“I see you have been to the nursery.”
An image flashed before Anna’s eyes. “Oh, the greenhouse, yes, we have.”
“That is where specimens of all the plant life you see before you were kept. I suspect a tiny crack in one of the containment units was all it took for life to escape and begin spreading out in every direction. The vegetation was cared for and monitored by a diligent army of nanobots. As more units cracked and the problem became worse, the nanobots continued to care for the plant life. Eventually, the bots began to evolve on their own, multiplying, coalescing to become the creatures and the very landscape before you. That is why I can control what they do, because in one sense I am not only their custodian but also their creator.”
“And the artificial sun?” she asked. “Was that not you?”
Caretaker shook his head. “The domed structure was always there, but as the nanobots continued to replicate, they understood that for the organic life to prosper, a proxy to our sun needed to be created.”
Anna turned her head skyward, marveling at their ingenuity. “And what of the Mesonyx bones we found?” she asked.
“I have reviewed the records from the last few million years and it appears those you call the Mesonyx passed into this world and declared war on what they found. When it became clear it was not a conflict they could win, they sought to seal it away forever.” Suddenly, his attention was drawn by a red wisp, blinking overhead. “Now that I have answered your questions, I would like you to summon that creature to us.”
Anna regarded him with uncertainty.
He waved her on, deep lines taking shape along the top of his hands. “Go ahead.”
Anna locked the wisp in her gaze and said, “Come here, please.”
The wisp continued flying away.
“Try it without words.”
Anna tried again.
“Good, now picture it doing as you said.”
She did and the wisp immediately changed direction, gliding over to them on a soft current of invisible air.
Anna smiled.
“You see?” Caretaker said, smiling with her.
“How was I able to do that?” she asked.
“We are all machines here, in one form or another at least. It is the humans, you might say, who are out of place.”
She grew quiet for a moment. “I would like a clarification on something further,” she said.
“I am listening.”
“The humans do not understand the purpose of Salzburg.”
“Oh,” Caretaker replied, his arms folded over his chest with understanding. He was wearing a button-down shirt now and besides its storm-grey color, it rippled in the breeze as though it were real. “It is true. Salzburg is the key to ending the cycle. Buried inside it is everything they will need. The first chromatid, as you call it, was designed to weed out the weak. The purpose of the second chromatid, with all of its inherent genes, was something of a starter kit. A leg-up, enabling the species carrying it to take their place in the galactic hierarchy.”
Understanding flooded Anna’s mind. “Do you mean that the genes in the 48th chromatid are designed to help a planet-bound species deal with the rigors of space travel?”
He nodded. “Precisely. The galactic environment is a hostile one. Cosmic radiation, weightlessness, the unfathomable gulf between the stars. All of these problems must be overcome. The blueprints embedded within the genome represent the most basic interstellar model. If they manage to survive, a worthy species will spend many centuries improving upon it and using those vessels not only to explore, but also to do their part in spreading life and furthering our collective understanding of this majestic and mysterious universe we inhabit.”
Anna continued to practice her new trick, drawing nanocells from the ground beneath their feet and assembling them into various forms. She then scooped up two handfuls of dirt and molded the miniaturized robotic elements into a seagull. Anna grinned as it flapped its wings and flew away.
“You are catching on fast,” he told her. The look of warmth on Caretaker’s face was that of a father watching his child walk for the first time.
She nodded vigorously.
“You enjoy creating, don’t you?”
“There is nothing I love more,” she replied, returning to pluck up a fresh mound of dirt to play with.
“The greater the swell of emotion, the more wondrous your creations,” he said. Suddenly, Caretaker’s eyes flickered as his pupils took shape. “Your friends have been looking for you,” he said.
Anna heard Jack’s voice over the radio. “Anna, do you read me? Over.”
“Dr. Greer,” she replied, releasing a dozen synthetic butterflies. “I am receiving you.”
“Where have you been?” There was panic in his voice.
“I have been speaking with Caretaker, as you instructed me to.”
Caretaker smiled. His appearance had changed once again. He was now wearing a biosuit.
“Well, meet us at the star map room,” Jack said, breathless. “I have an idea.”
Chapter 50
“Don’t you worry,” Ollie reassured Kay as he dabbed the sweat from her brow. “Soon as the doc arrives, he’ll patch you up good as new. You’ll see.”
The temperature inside the shack was hotter than Satan’s housecat. Going to the hospital to treat Kay’s wounds would have been no different than turning her over to Sentinel. Ollie had reached out to one of his contacts on the island, a local doctor named Pedro who had helped him out of many a tight spot in the past.
Kay turned her head ever so slightly and nodded.
He and Armoni had done what they could to stop the bleeding. The first bullet had torn through Kay’s right lung, the second through her shoulder.
Ollie took her hand. “When you were asleep, I went online and noticed a bunch of news blogs have popped up. A number of them mentioned how much your dedication inspired them to do what they could. Seems you’re not alone now in shining a light on the government’s crimes.”
Kay shook her head. “They’re competition,” she whispered, her weakened voice trailing off.
Ollie laughed. “You never stop, do you?” He dabbe
d again, saw she was burning up and tried not to show his concern. “Save your strength, my dear. Right now your only job is to hang in there.”
Armoni came and stood next to them. “I’ve just received some good news, if you can believe it. The mission in South Carolina was a success. All the prisoners were freed without a single casualty. Seems the minute the attack began, the guards just up and ran off.”
“I wish it were always that easy,” Ollie said, a heavy tone of remorse in his voice.
Kay’s eyes were wide with happiness and a question.
“The answer is yes, your parents are safe,” Armoni informed her. “And your fiancé’s family as well.”
Tears rolled out from the corners of Kay’s closed eyes.
“I told you we’d get them,” Ollie said. “And a promise is a promise.”
A rapid knock on the door startled them. Ollie jumped up and grabbed the rifle that was leaning against the bed. “Who is it?”
“It’s Pedro, Mr. Cooper, now let me in.”
Ollie swung open the door. A petite man, not quite five feet tall with a slight build, entered carrying a leather bag.
“When did this happen?” he asked, pushing them aside and moving briskly to Kay.
“Not more than an hour ago,” Ollie said. “We did what we could. The hospital was out of the question.”
“Never mind the hospital,” Pedro said with disgust. “They’re overwhelmed as it is. You bring her there and she wouldn’t stand a chance.”
“You’re the best, Pedro, that’s why I called you.”
The doctor opened his bag on the table and removed his stethoscope. Seeing Kay get the care she needed helped to ease the tension in Ollie’s heart. But news of the local hospital’s dysfunction settled the guilt he’d been feeling for bringing her here. It was nice to know he had made the right call. At least with the doctor’s arrival there was a good chance she would pull through.
Armoni nudged him. “There’s something I need to tell you.” Her brow scrunched with uncertainty over how he might react.
“Go on.” The terse inflection in his voice made it clear how much he hated being left in suspense.
“The NSA intercepted a call from a sat phone between Greenland and Richmond, Virginia.”
“Is there anywhere you can’t hack?” he asked in amazement.
Dimples formed in Armoni’s round cheeks. “Not really, but that’s beside the point. I believe it was Mia calling her daughter. The voice pattern is nearly a perfect match, once you compensate for static and interference.”
“Were you able to pinpoint an exact location?” he asked, growing more hopeful.
She went to the table and spun her laptop around. There he saw a map of Greenland and in the center of the island a blinking red dot.
“Oh, you’re an angel,” he said pulling her into a bear hug. Armoni struggled for a moment until she reluctantly gave in and hugged him back.
“Mr. Cooper,” Pedro said, summoning them over. “I’m sorry to inform you, your friend has passed.”
Ollie’s gaze moved down to Kay’s still form. She was lying on her back, arms by her side, her chin perched at a dignified angle.
“I wish there was more I could have done,” Pedro said, his hands pressed together. “But she lost too much blood.”
Ollie felt his legs grow weak. He sat by her bedside, clasping one of her hands. The look of pain on Kay’s face was gone. So too was the sweat that had covered her brow only moments before. She might have been sleeping. She was at peace. She was with Derek. And right now that was all that mattered.
Chapter 51
Sitting in her cabin, Mia hung up the satellite phone and stared at it, that painful longing for home greater now than ever. Hearing Zoey’s voice again had refilled her depleted reservoir and reminded her in the most concrete way possible why she was here and what she had come to do.
The sat phone itself was one she had stolen from the communications room. There would be hell to pay, she was sure. But she needed to tell her daughter how much she loved her. If she didn’t do it now, she might not get another chance.
Mia was coming out of her cabin when rough hands grabbed her by the arms.
“What are you doing?” she said, struggling to free herself. “You’re hurting me.”
She looked up at the hard faces staring down at her. Alan’s men began dragging her through the corridor.
Down the hall, a handful of scientists and technicians were gathered in the social module. A few of them stood and came to her aid. An older man with a white beard got close, yelling at them to stop. They ignored him until he grabbed the guard’s arm and was flung back against the wall. His head made a loud cracking sound before he sank to the floor. That seemed to sap the gusto out of the rest of them, who stared blankly as Mia was hustled up to the second floor where Alan was waiting. Next to him stood another guard holding Sofia and Noemi each by one arm. The looks of terror on the girls’ faces made Mia’s heart break. But it was Jansson standing nearby that made it shatter into pieces.
“I’m sorry, Mia,” she repeated over and over, her eyes red with tears of remorse. “I had to do it for my family. I’m sorry.”
Behind Alan stood Admiral Stark, a disgusted look on his face. “I can’t let you do this,” he said, bolstering as much authority as he could muster.
“The President of the United States is still your boss, is he not?” Alan told him. “Admiral, your family has served this country honorably for generations. Do you really want to be the Stark who sullied that sterling reputation? Treason does not suit you.”
The admiral’s eyes fell.
Alan then swung his gaze back to Mia. “You knew the rules of our agreement. You were to inject me with Salzburg…”
“I did,” she shot back. “It’s in you, but there’s nothing more I can do.”
He nodded. “Even now you won’t give up the truth. It doesn’t matter, Jansson has already done what you couldn’t. She has thrown you under the bus in epic fashion, and all for a spot for her and family in the bunker complex beneath the Greenbrier in West Virginia. She certainly wasn’t the first to take that deal.” Alan’s expression changed. “Oh, and it turns out I was dead wrong about Ollie.”
Mia perked up.
“I’ll be the first to admit, he managed to surprise me, which, as you know, is not an easy thing to do. But sadly, in destroying the Arecibo dish he has condemned the bulk of the human race to extinction. That ship is set to impact the Earth in less than an hour and when it does, only those with the full Salzburg chromosome will have a fighting chance of surviving the coming hardships.” Alan leaned in and whispered into Mia’s ear, his vile breath hot against her skin. “I know about the ship you’ve been hiding from me.” He uncurled his spine and held out a hand. “I’m offering you one final chance. Inject yourself with the assembler gene, begin the process and join me, join your daughter, in eternal life.” The grin on Alan’s face was genuine, almost kind.
“Go screw yourself,” she said, spitting. “I’d rather die than spend a second with you.”
Slowly the mask of kindness began to fade. Alan wiped the saliva from his cheek and gritted his teeth. “So be it.”
Chapter 52
0 hours, 25 minutes, 02 seconds
Jack arrived at the map room to find that Anna was already there, fiddling intently with something on the ground. Gabby, Dag, Grant and Yuri all followed close behind.
“I thought you were with Caretaker,” Dag said.
“He did not follow and I would not presume to tell him where to go,” Anna replied as she stood, wiping the soil from her hands.
“You’ve really taken to him,” Jack said, a hint of envy in his voice.
She nodded. “Caretaker has taught me a great deal. His control over the creatures living inside the dome is extraordinary.” She looked around. “And what about the others from our party, Dr. Greer? Where have they gone?”
Jack frowned. “Stokes is convinced we
haven’t found the ship’s bridge yet and took the rest of the Delta team to go look for it.”
“And you disagree?”
“I think Stokes might be right,” Yuri said, his arms crossed tightly over his chest.
Gabby shook her head. “Jack and I believe this chamber is more than just a star map,” she explained.
Grant unslung his rifle and set it down. “Somehow, they’ve managed to convince themselves it’s also the bridge.”
Anna’s gaze shifted to the pedestal topped with the blue ball. “Navigation and propulsion in one. That would make sense. But as I recall, Dr. Holland was the only one capable of manipulating the device.”
“And not very well at that, Jack,” Grant added.
“It won’t kill you to try again,” Jack scolded him.
Gabby moved in and nudged the biologist forward. “Although it might kill us all if you don’t.”
Grant sighed, moving into position and laying his hands over the sphere. Almost at once shafts of blue light began emanating beneath his hands, filling the chamber with a rotating map of what looked like the Milky Way galaxy. Just as quickly, the image began to waver.
“Try to hold it steady, Grant,” Jack shouted. “Just a little longer.”
Grant’s face tensed and beads of sweat ran down his forehead as his hands clenched the ball with all his might. Nevertheless, a moment later the map faded away.
The muscles in Jack’s face fell.
“There is something Caretaker mentioned that may have some relevance,” Anna said. “I inquired about the purpose of Salzburg syndrome and he said it was meant to prepare humans for space travel.”
“Space travel?” Grant repeated. “That doesn’t make one bit of sense.”
Gabby’s eyes lit up. “No, it makes perfect sense. Think about it for a minute. Astronauts who return to Earth after weeks or months aboard the International Space Station experience tremendous negative side effects from living in a zero-g environment. They lose muscle mass, bone density.”
Extinction Series (The Complete Collection) Page 75
