by Karl Morgan
After a minute, there was a giant gasp, as if someone was desperate for air. They all opened their eyes and saw that Stella was awake and breathing. She looked at Josh, threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. “Josh, you fixed me. Thank you, thank you. I was sure my electronic memory was gone.”
Josh smiled at her, kissed her lips lightly and replied, “It is.”
“What?” Ted shouted.
Josh turned to him and said, “Don’t you remember? I told you I can’t fix machines. You need a mechanic for that.”
“I don’t understand, Josh,” Stella asked.
He kissed her again and said, “You’re alive now, Stella. Welcome to the human race.”
§
“Brother, are you okay?” Nisfat said to Barsat, who was still unconscious. “Brother, please wake up!”
Barsat’s eyes opened and he began to cough, hacking up some blood onto the gray dirt. “What happened? Where am I?”
“We seem to be on the moon, brother. How is this possible?”
Barsat forced himself to stand up, and promptly fell into his brother, who held him up. He could see the Earth rising on the horizon, casting stark shadows on the crater they were inside. “Is everyone else okay?”
“No, brother. We are badly beaten and need rest. I have also learned that Zinta went to face Joshua alone and has been killed.” The others were either lying on the ground or sitting on small boulders watching him.
“Dead? How is that even possible?”
“I don’t know, Barsat. That is just what Infaz told me. He and Zinta were using cyborg bodies to create havoc in San Diego when Joshua showed up. It seems that we have underestimated the man’s power.”
“Why didn’t you take us back home?”
“As I said, brother, we are all too weak. Some cannot even stand up yet.”
Barsat pushed his brother away and stretched out his wings. “We are wasting time here.” He began to flap his wings and lifted a few feet off the ground. A sudden cramp caused his left wing to buckle and he fell down on top of Nisfat, causing both to drop to the ground. The others began to laugh. “I suppose we might as well rest here.” As he sat up on a large rock, he spied two people walking down the wall of the crater in their direction. They were still a mile away or more, so he ignored them and closed his eyes. Almost instantly, he fell asleep.
He woke again, but now was in human form in a hospital ward which held fifty or more beds. He could see his brothers in the beds nearby, while the others were empty. Henri tried to sit up, but found he was held down by restraints. He struggled to get free, but could not budge. Two doctors wearing surgical uniforms and masks approached and stood by his bedside. Simultaneously, they pulled off the masks, revealing themselves to be Armand Sattu and Emmanuel Judah. “Oh shit!” Henri exclaimed. He looked around and saw his brothers, who were not restrained, sitting up on their beds watching. “What do you two want?”
“I’m just here for moral support, Barsat,” Judah said.
“I hold you personally responsible for your brother’s death, Henri,” his father growled. “Your stupid tricks are going to kill all of them if you don’t stop now!”
“Zinta acted on his own, Adlat!” Henri screamed. “Besides, it’s already too late to go back.”
Armand looked at Judah and asked, “Is it too late, Manny?” Judah only half-smiled and shrugged his shoulders. He refocused on his son and asked, “What happened to the souls of the people whose memories were put into the cyborgs?”
“How the hell would I know? Their bodies died. Souls are not my business.”
Judah pushed Armand out of the way and thumped Henri with his finger. “That is a damned lie, Barsat! If they died, their souls would have been accounted for. Where are they?” he demanded, almost screaming and beet red in the face. Henri began to laugh.
Armand put his hand on Judah’s shoulder and replied, “There, there. We will get to the bottom of this, Manny. Let’s please be calm.”
“I’m sorry. I lost my temper for a moment.”
Henri stopped laughing, but was grinning from ear to ear. “Look at the two of you. Can’t you see? You’re old and your senses are dull. You need to retire or go die and leave this world to the young.” The others began to laugh as well, pointing at the older men and shouting. The restraints fell off Henri and he stood in front of his father laughing.
A long staff appeared in Judah’s right hand and he slammed the end on the hard tile floor, shouting, “Enough!” Instantly, the twelve men’s faces disappeared, replaced by flat sheets of skin. They frantically began to paw at their faces, trying to feel what was happening. “Your turn,” he said to Armand, who waved his arm in a large circle.
Their faces reappeared, but they were no longer in the hospital. The group was now in a large cavern, floating in the air over a lake of magma. On the shore of the lake, Judah and Armand stood watching them. Judah shook the other man’s hand and disappeared. “Will you give up your plan?” he shouted at his sons.
“Screw you, old man!” Henri growled. Armand disappeared, and the twelve plummeted into the pool of lava. They screamed for an instant until their bodies were pulled under. It was deadly quiet, with only the bubbling of the molten rock breaking the silence. After five minutes passed, twelve skeletons began to climb out of the boiling rock. The bones glowed bright red. As soon as they cleared the lake, their bones began to cool. Once they were white again, sinew and muscle began to form on their bodies. Minutes later, the twelve naked monsters lay gasping for air. “Damn it, that hurt like hell,” Barsat said at last. “Are you all okay?”
Nisfat managed to sit up first. “Perhaps we should take father’s advice. It might not be too late, brother.”
“Nonsense, brother! Clearly, we need to plan better and we can’t risk any one of us ever being alone with Adlat, Emmanuel, or Joshua.”
“Father could have killed us, Barsat,” another demon noted.
Barsat chuckled, “No, I don’t think so, and that will be his downfall.”
§
Caliph Hossain was pacing back and forth in his temporary office in Islamabad. The attack in Vienna has shaken him and his faith to the core. Winged demons were the thing of legend, they could not truly exist. On the other hand, all of the others in the room remembered every detail as well. And what of Ibrahim? Had he always been a machine? And what about the other world leaders? How could he be sure they were living human beings? A door opened and Field Marshall Ali walked in. “Good morning, Blessed One, how may I serve you today?”
“Thank you for coming, Ali,” the caliph smiled. “How are the negotiations coming with the Asian Republic?”
“Very well, sir. We are finalizing the new maps and should have the final agreement ready for your signature within a week or so.” He looked around the room carefully and then said, “May I talk frankly with you, Caliph?”
Hossain pointed to two chairs on either side of a small table in one corner of the room. They walked over and the caliph sat down, followed by Ali. “What is on your mind, Ali?”
“Blessed One, I have heard the rumors about the incident in Vienna, and it all seems impossible to believe. What really happened there?” The caliph told Ali about all the details he remembered, including the robot caliph, the winged beasts crashing into the room, the other men morphing into similar creatures, the wall of fire aimed at them, and his instant relocation to Saint Stephen’s Cathedral. When he stopped, Ali had a stunned expression on his face and his mouth hung open. “Really?” he squeaked.
“Ali, I understand your skepticism. I was actually there and have a hard time believing it. After all, such things are not possible in the real world, and yet, that is exactly what happened.” Hossain leaned forward and added, “I also have doubts about the other world leaders now. Is there a chance they have been replaced by robots as was Ibrahim? And where is this all leading? Is this the end of the world?”
“Do you think Joshua Carpenter can stop all of this madn
ess?”
“That is unlikely, Ali. After all, he is just one man. Ibrahim was replaced by a machine, and Joshua did not know that or try to save him. A nuclear was detonated in our beloved capital city, and he did not prevent it. It hurts me to say the prospects for our future are not bright.”
“On the other hand, Blessed One, with the destruction of the robot Ibrahim, you are now the rightful caliph of the United Caliphate. This is a true miracle for our people,” Ali countered.
Hossain chuckled softly. “I appreciate your optimism, old friend, but who is to say we will not be replaced by robots. I have seen old documentaries on Ibrahim. He was definitely a baby, a child and a young man, so he could not have always been a machine. If my fears are realized, a robot Hossain will rule in my place.” Ali did not reply and looked frozen in time. Hossain touched the other man’s hands and found them cold and as hard as marble.
The door opened and Henri and Claude Sattu walked in calmly. “My dear Caliph, it is so good to see you again,” Henri grinned.
“Guards!” Hossain shouted as he stood up and removed a pistol from his belt, pointing at the two. “What’s the meaning of this? Guards!”
The Sattu brothers stood calmly. “If you’re going to shoot, shoot!” Claude barked. Hossain pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. He looked down at his hand and saw that it was empty.
“No one will come to your rescue, caliph,” Henri said. “However, we do have a friend we’d like you to meet.” A man walked in the room wearing a long hooded robe. He stepped between Henri and Claude and pulled off his hood. The thing, undoubtedly a cyborg, looked exactly like the caliph.
“You bastards will not succeed, Sattu!” the caliph spat. “Joshua will stop you!”
Claude began to laugh, and his brother joined in. “You were lucky he was there in Vienna, Hossain. Where is your savior now?” He put his hand on the second Hossain’s shoulder and asked, “Are you prepared, Kali?”
“Of course, Master,” Kali replied, and then turned to Hossain, saying, “You know you were the last one. Now, we control the entire world.” He smiled and then walked over to the table and sat down across from Ali. “Take care, brothers!”
Henri, Claude and Hossain were standing in a large room full of silver and glass chambers. The abrupt drop in temperature caused Hossain to shiver. “Welcome home, Hossain. I’m afraid this is where we leave you now,” Claude said.
“What is this place?”
“Take a look yourself,” Henri replied. “Let’s see if you can figure it out.” He pointed to the nearest chamber and added, “You might want to start right there.”
Hossain looked at the two men and then around the room. He knew the true natures of these demons and that escape was improbable, so he walked over to the chamber and looked inside. Caliph Ibrahim was laying there with an odd half-smile on his face, which seemed to be frozen. “You are monsters!” he shouted as he turned, and saw they had changed into winged beasts again. “I demand you release me and these other people immediately!”
Barsat raised his right arm slowly, and Hossain began to float above the floor. “You are in no position to demand anything!” Nisfat ran over to the next chamber and pulled the top open.
“You will regret this, demon! God is watching you!”
“I’m counting on that, dear Caliph,” Barsat smiled. He moved his arm down quickly, dropping Hossain into the empty chamber. Nisfat slammed the top closed. Barsat walked over to the chamber to see the caliph pounding on the lid. “Sleep well, Hossain.” He pressed a button and Hossain froze instantly, with the same half-smile on his icy face. He turned to his brother and said, “Is the next stage of your plan ready?”
“It has already begun, master.”
Chapter 15
It was the beginning of a bright warm day in Sydney when it started. A group of twenty men poured into the streets attacking anyone in their path. It became clear they were cyborgs when they started to pick up vehicles and toss them through storefront windows. Police responded quickly, but their weapons were useless against the machines. People were panicking and rushing to escape the robots pursuing small groups for attack. A young woman tripped and fell to the concrete after the heel broke off one shoe. Almost instantly, a cyborg grabbed her by the neck and hoisted her into the air. She was tearing at the hand on her neck as the machine was choking the life out of her. A business man rushed to her aid, but the cyborg slugged him in the face with his free hand and he fell to the ground unconscious. There was a brilliant flash of light and a dazzling winged woman wearing a white uniform and a silver breastplate stood before the cyborg, wielding a long silver sword. The cyborg growled but continued to hold the woman in the air. In a single sweeping move, the woman in white swung the blade, chopping off the hand of the robot, dropping the woman to the ground. The woman spun with the momentum of the weapon, slicing the head off the machine, which then crumpled to the sidewalk. She knelt next to the other woman and pulled the mechanical hand from her neck. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, thank you. Who or what are you?” the victim coughed as she rubbed her throat.
“Tracy, my name is Prudence, and I’m a friend.”
“How do you know my name?”
“It’s a bit complicated. Right now, I have to get you two out of here,” Prudence replied, pointing to the man with blood all over his face.
A low, guttural growl filled the air around them. Prudence jumped to her feet and found they were surrounded by eight other cyborgs, each holding boards or metal pipes as weapons. “You might as well give up, boys. Even a hundred of you are no match for me!” An odd shadow passed over them, causing her to look up, but she only saw blue sky. The cyborgs began to laugh.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Prudence Judah, my old friend,” a voice said from behind her. She spun around again to see a winged monster with glowing red eyes staring at her. The line of cyborgs broke so the beast could approach. “You know, I thought you guys didn’t get directly involved in the lives of the humans. This is a serious broach of protocol.”
“Don’t give me your bullshit, Kartak!” Prudence scoffed. “We know that your brother is behind these machines. There is no human memory in any of them.”
Kartak began to laugh. Thin lines of black smoke began to emerge from the nostrils of the cyborgs, including from the head of the decapitated one. The smoke coalesced into nine blobs and started to solidify. Prudence was beginning to tremble and looked down to see Tracy and her intended helper who was now conscious and watching the events unfold. The blobs were changing into the form of more monsters like Kartak, and Prudence knew she had only a second to act. She waved her free arm toward Tracy and the man and they vanished. “Ah, you’re so nice to think of the humans, Prudence. However, you should be worried about yourself instead!” Kartak laughed.
Now she was surrounded by ten monsters, pounding their fists together and sneering at her. She spun around, trying to keep an eye on each, motioning threateningly with her sword. “You bastards never could fight fair, you know,” she grunted.
“You’re the one with the sword, Prudence,” another monster replied.
“Ten to one, are you kidding me?” she laughed.
They jumped her at the same moment. She managed to stab two of the monsters before the rest grabbed her and wrestled the weapon away, which disappeared when it was taken. The two wounded beasts had also faded away. The rest slugged and kicked her until she fell to the cement. They continued to kick her until she was unconscious. “That’s enough, brothers,” Kartak said. “You know what to do now.” The remaining beasts rushed back into the city. Kartak picked Prudence up and flew away.
Minutes later, the seven demons took to the air and began to dive into the supports for the Harbor Bridge. After several attacks, the bridge buckled and twisted as it fell into Sydney Harbor.
Another group of twenty monsters flew low over the eastern Pacific Ocean. After several minutes, the group split into two with one group flyi
ng northwesterly while the other continued straight. Half an hour later, both groups flew straight up until they reached the outer atmosphere. Then they dove downward, flapping hard and gaining speed. They were traveling more than a thousand miles per hour when they hit the water with their wings tight against their backs. They hit the fault lines on the sea floor, causing massive earthquakes off the Chinese and Japanese coasts. Fifty foot tsunami waves rushed toward Tokyo and Shanghai. In minutes, the cities were flooded and buildings collapsed under the force of mountains of water.
§
Josh woke with a start and sat up in his bed at his family’s home in San Diego. He had seen the destruction in Asia in his mind and wondered if it had been a dream. He was drenched in sweat and his heart was racing. After a minute, he began to calm down and thought he could hear someone crying close by and became worried about his mother. He turned on the light and was shocked to see Connie Judah sitting at his desk, wiping tears from her face with a tissue. “Connie, what’s wrong?”
“You know what’s going on, don’t you?”
“I had a dream about an attack in Australia and tidal waves in Asia, but that was just a dream, wasn’t it?”
She shook her head. “No, it just happened. Barsat and his brothers have attacked my family as well. Josiah and Prudence are missing. I think they might have been killed.”
