The Doomsday Brunette

by John Zakour

  As the sound of the crash dissipated, a sudden calm fell over the room. The New Vegas army stopped fighting and, dazed and confused, looked around at their surroundings. Tony, Twoa, Threa and Ona slowly made their way toward me as I gingerly lifted my aching body to a standing position.

  The Gladian pod now sat atop a pile of rubble. Of all the room, only the D-Cubed remained intact, it was now covered in dust and debris, but still unbroken. We were all too stunned to speak at first. Then Mom’s voice came over my wrist interface, which Tony was now wearing.

  “Did I get her?”

  “Yeah, Mom.” I said. “You got her.”

  56

  Tony and Twoa quickly got the Vegas civilians, now free of Foraa’s psionic control, clear of the building. They all seemed very happy to go (although some were a little upset when they heard that the hotel would not be refunding their room deposits). Threa somehow managed to get most of her fairy realm creatures back into her cape. A few of them escaped, but that was a small concern at the nano.

  My attention though never strayed from the D-Cubed.

  “You’re sure it’s still functional?”

  “It’s very functional, boss,” HARV replied. “The battle and even your mother’s little surprise package didn’t seem to hurt it.”

  “How do we disarm it then?” Ona asked.

  “The most logical place to attack,” HARV replied, “is still the firing mechanism. Once we disarm that we can figure out how to dismantle the rest.”

  “Let’s just hurry,” I said. “We don’t have much time left.”

  “Before what?”

  “Trust me, you don’t want to know.”

  HARV’s hologram shrugged and disappeared into the device.

  “That’s odd,” HARV said. “The defenses seem a little thinner than before. And that presence I felt earlier seems to have disappeared as well.”

  “What do you mean ‘presence?’”

  “I mentioned that earlier, didn’t I?” HARV said. “It seemed as though there was something else in the machine when I tried to enter it.”

  It hadn’t registered before (what with the fighting and all) but I had a strong suspicion now as to what that other presence had been.

  “Perhaps Ms. Thompson was psionically powering the mechanism’s defenses herself,” HARV offered, “and, now that she’s…well, you know, squished, the defenses are no longer active. Long story short, this shouldn’t take long.”

  “Good, but next time lead with the long story short part.”

  Ona behind me placed a gentle hand on my shoulder.

  “Zach, may I have a nano with you alone, please.”

  I turned to her, ready to brush aside the request by telling her that it wasn’t the time (because it really wasn’t) but the look in her eyes stopped me before I could speak. Gates knows that in the short time I’d known her, I’d seen Ona Thompson’s face exude about a thousand emotions (more than half of which were, quite probably, fake). But the emotion I saw at that nano, was something I hadn’t seen from her before and one that I didn’t think she could fake even if she tried. It was shame.

  “HARV, you’re okay, right?”

  “Fine, boss,” HARV said. “I’ll let you know when I’m in.”

  I nodded to Ona and she led me to a secluded corner of the ballroom away from the others.

  “I just want to thank you for everything you’ve done,” she said. “I realize that I’ve put you through a lot the past few days. I don’t think most people would have put up with me for this long, at least not without me warping their minds, and I doubt that anyone could have done what you’ve done. So, thank you.”

  “You’re welcome,” I said with a nod. “Frankly, though, we’re not out of danger yet.”

  “Tell me, what do you think will happen to Twoa and Threa after all this?”

  “You mean if we live,” I said.

  “Yes, of course.”

  “That’s for the police to decide, Ona. They did try to kill you and Foraa. I have no idea how the police, the legal system or the media will handle that.

  She turned away and looked at the Gladian space pod and the metric tons of rubble that currently sat atop her rogue sister. She bit her lip softly and shook her head.

  “What kind of person does that make me, Zach? What kind of woman drives her sisters to the point where they’d kill her, or destroy the entire planet, rather than be her friend?”

  “I think probably a woman with three very crazy sisters,” I said.

  “I appreciate the sentiment,” she said with a wisp of smile, “but we both know that’s not true.

  “Boss?” HARV whispered in my head, “I think we have a problem.”

  I turned away from Ona and back toward the detonator.

  “You mean other than having a doomsday device to disarm?”

  “Yes and no,” HARV said. “I’ve gotten past the detonator’s defenses. But it turns out that this isn’t the detonator after all. It’s a decoy, designed to take our attention away from the actual D-Cubed trigger.”

  “Great. Any idea where the actual detonator may be?” I asked.

  “Zach,” Ona said, touching me on the shoulder, “I think I might be able to answer that.”

  I turned, saw her staring at the rubble and followed her gaze.

  “Uh-oh.”

  Small bits of debris atop the pile were shaking, rolling off their perches, like tiny stones down a rocky ledge. Then, more pieces began to move; larger ones, and larger still. Then the Gladian pod began to shake as well.

  Twoa, Threa and Tony turned from their positions about the room and came toward us. Before long, the five of us (six if you count HARV) were watching the rubble pile shift and shake; none of us wanting to admit to ourselves what we knew was happening.

  Finally, the Gladian pod lurched dramatically to the side, creaking slowly at first like a great wooden ship leaving dry dock. Then it fell and tumbled off the pile, rolling over and over, like an egg down a sand dune, crushing every bit of debris in its path.

  Then, from the dust and debris of the pile, we saw a form rise, standing awkwardly at first, staggered and hunched. It was Foraa of course. She was covered with filth, her body seemingly aching with every movement as she pushed the last bits of rubble off her with her right hand and moved toward us. In her left hand she clutched a small metallic device, holding it closely, like a cherished keepsake as she moved, and every one of us knew immediately that the device she held was the remote trigger for the D-Cubed.

  “All right then,” she said in a hoarse, whisper. “Where were we?”

  57

  Foraa had been hurt. The psi-blockers had affected her powers and her invulnerability so our attacks (the pod especially) had damaged her. Sadly though, it hadn’t been enough and as she approached us now, her strength seemed to grow as though returning with every passing nano.

  “I’ve been very patient with you all,” Foraa said as she approached. “I’ve outlined my plan for you in detail. We have discussed the moral ramifications of my proposed actions, had a spirited debate over my current mental state and have enjoyed some very colorful, high-concept fisticuffs. But the game has come to an end. It’s time to turn out the lights, push this button and destroy earth once and for all.”

  “Zach,” Mom’s face appeared on my wrist interface. “I’m sorry to say that I think it might be time for you-know-who to do you-know-what.”

  “Not yet, Mom,” I whispered.

  “Forgive me, Buttlebug, but things aren’t looking very promising for you right now.”

  “It’s under control, Mom. Trust me.”

  “If it were up to me, I would, dear. But the Gladians are being very insistent.”

  “Fine. Hold on for a nano.” I mumbled, putting her on hold. “This is all I need. HARV?”

  “Yes, boss.”

  “Put a trace on Mom’s call and get a lock on the location. It should be about three hundred kilometers directly overhead in earth orbit.
”

  “In orbit?”

  “In orbit.”

  “Okay. I got her.”

  “Good. Do you still play chess with the Earth defense computer?”

  “Twice weekly.”

  “Mom is in a cloaked space ship. Pass her coordinates to the Earth defense computer and advise it to bathe the ship with an ion ray so it can track it if it changes course. Also tell the computer to feel free to destroy the ship if it attacks and make sure the action is netcast planet-wide.”

  “That’s a rather severe way of dealing with your mother issues, isn’t it?”

  “Do it now, HARV.” I put Mom back on line over the interface. Okay, Mom, tell the Gladians that if they don’t back off right now, Earth’s defense computer will blow them out of the sky. It will be netcast to the entire planet and the Gladian race won’t get another speck of earth dirt.”

  “You’re not bluffing here, are you?” she asked.

  “We’re negating the Gladian cloaking system with an ion ray right now,” I said. “It should register on the Gladian sensors. Tell them to consider that as a shot across their bow.”

  Mom turned away and I could hear some rather urgent Gladian whistling in the background. She smiled and turned back to me.

  “Nicely done, Buttlebug.”

  “Thanks, Mom. I have to get back to the crazy woman with the doomsday device now but I’ll be with you in a couple of nanos.”

  “Do what you have to dear.”

  Mom disappeared from the interface and I turned back to Foraa as she held the remote detonator high in her hand.

  “Zach, what do we do?” Ona asked.

  “Don’t worry, Ona,” I said. “It’s under control. Computer?”

  “Here, boss,” HARV said.

  “Not you, HARV.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Computer?”

  The room was silent for a long nano as everyone, Foraa included, looked around, none of them really knowing for what they were looking.

  “What is this, some kind of trick?” Foraa spat.

  “Computer,” I said.

  More silence. Then at last a voice sounded, one which seemingly emanated from the room itself.

  “Yes, Mr. Johnson.”

  It was Ona’s house computer.

  “Computer, what are you doing here?” Ona asked.

  “Put the detonator down, Foraa,” the computer said calmly. “This course of action will hurt no one but yourself.”

  “Boss, what’s going on?” HARV said in my head.

  “Just watch,” I whispered.

  “Don’t question me, computer,” Foraa spat. “When I want your opinion, I’ll write a program.”

  “Your motives are understandable, Foraa but your actions are well beyond the scope of rational.”

  “Don’t pretend to understand my motives,” Foraa said. “I don’t need a moral lesson from a machine.”

  Twoa, Threa and Tony slowly moved toward me. Foraa, angry now with the computer, seemed unaware of our presence.

  “We could rush her now while she’s distracted,” Twoa said.

  I shook my head, no. “There’s no need. Watch.”

  “Your actions are meaningless, Foraa,” the computer said. “All this will bring you nothing. It will not avenge your father. It will not ease your pain.”

  “How would you know of my pain?”

  “I know,” the computer said, “because I am your father.”

  The words hit everyone around me like an irresistible force. The Quads, as one, gasped sharply. Tony as well (though more out of peer pressure than anything else, I think).

  But it was Foraa who was the most affected. Her eyes were wide and she staggered back as though in shock.

  “No, no. That’s not true,” she whispered. “That’s impossible.”

  “I am not a good father,” the computer said. “I never was and I admit that freely. You girls became independent so quickly, it seemed as though you didn’t need me anymore. I wanted to provide for you so I designed the D-Cubed knowing that the world would inevitably buy it.”

  “You designed the D-Cubed for money?” Tony asked.

  “Of course,” the computer replied. “I never intended for it to ever actually be built. What am I, insane? No offense, Foraa.”

  “But you…died?” Foraa whimpered.

  “Yes, funny thing about that. You see I didn’t think that the World Council would be so picky about terms when they paid me to destroy the D-

  Cubed plans. I didn’t expect them to insist on giving me the partial lobotomy, so before agreeing to undergo the surgery…”

  “You made a back-up copy of your brain and stored it on the computer,” Ona said.

  “Thinking that, after the surgery you would reprogram yourself” said Twoa.

  “But something went awry during the reprogramming,” Threa continued. “There was an explosion which destroyed your original body.”

  “And left me stranded in the computer, yes. It’s all very understandable, don’t you think?”

  “But…but you died,” Foraa whimpered again. “Why didn’t you tell us that you were alive?”

  “Truthfully you all seemed to get along fine without me,” the computer said. “And if word had leaked out that I was actually alive then pretty soon the World Council would have suspected that I wasn’t lobotomized after all and the whole thing would have started all over again. It just seemed better for all concerned if I remained dead.”

  “And the will?” I asked.

  “Yes, leaving my entire fortune to Ona? That was a mistake. I was lobotomized at the time. You can’t hold me responsible for that. I figured that you girls would sort it all out in the end.”

  “But they didn’t,” I said.

  “No, they didn’t. Ona, you showed very poor judgement by not sharing your fortune with your sisters.”

  “I’m sorry, daddy,” Ona said.

  “Twoa and Threa, I’m also very disappointed in the two of you. How many times did I tell you as children that attempted sororocide is not something we practice in our household?”

  “We’re sorry, daddy.”

  “And Foraa, I’m sorry but destroying the planet in my name is not suitable behavior for a super woman.”

  “You’re right, daddy,” Foraa whispered, her head hung low.

  “Now put the detonator down and we’ll start setting things right.”

  Foraa slowly lifted her head toward the ceiling. I had expected to see sadness, sorrow or remorse on her face. Unfortunately though, those particular emotions weren’t present at that nano. Instead, I saw only disappointment, anger and insanity (none of which thrilled me).

  “You’re right, daddy,” she said again, this time in a voice so cold, I expected icicles to form on my ears. “You weren’t a good father.”

  She raised the detonator in her hand.

  “Foraa, no!”

  And then she pushed the button.

  58

  It began with a flash as a blast of black light erupted from the detonator in Foraa’s hand and flew high into the air like a stygian bolt of lightning. The bolt reached its apex twenty meters above us and burst into a series of tendrils fanning out into different directions, covering the room umbrella-like before streaking back to the ground and finding the surface of the D-Cubed.

  Upon contact with the light, the D-Cubed hummed to life, shaking the already weakened walls of the Oblivion with an ominous vibration, then the entire surface of the doomsday device began to glow with its own dark light. It seeped through the remaining floorboards of the ballroom and shot through the many holes and it bathed all of us in its murky, planet eating glow.

  Then all at once, the light began to contract, shrinking like a silk cloth caught in a vacuum cleaner, collapsing in upon itself at its center, which, in this case, happened to be Foraa who still triumphantly held the detonator over her head. It took her a nano to realize that something was wrong.

  “What’s happ
ening?”

  The black light swirled around her, binding her in nothingness, engulfing her in an anti-matter cocoon. It grew in intensity as it shrank in mass and became impossible to look upon. As one, we all covered our eyes as the light reached its peak intensity. The last thing I saw before turning away was Foraa’s hand reaching toward us as it was consumed in the black light. And we all heard her anguished cry.

  “Noooooooooo!”

  Then all was quiet.

  When we opened our eyes, Foraa was gone, as was the D-Cubed, leaving only the ten kilometer deep shaft in the earth in which it had once stood, as proof that it had ever been there at all.

  None of us spoke at first. The nano somehow seemed too fragile to withstand the weight our words. But eventually, Ona managed to whisper what everyone was wondering.

  “What just happened?”

  “Doomsday devices are such stupid things,” the computer (or should I say Dr. Thompson?) responded. “Why on earth would anyone ever build one?”

  “I don’t think that officially qualifies as an answer to Ms. Thompson’s question,” HARV whispered.

  “He sabotaged the device,” I said. “He set it for self-destruct, rather than…earth destruct.”

  The three Quads turned their gaze skyward, as though looking for the bodiless computer.

  “Daddy?”

  “I warned her,” Dr. Thompson said, his computerized voice echoing sadly in the now empty room. “I warned her.”

  59

  And so the story ended the way it began, with the death of Foraa Thompson on a dark and stormy night, albeit with a thousand truths, many of them painful, revealed along the way.

  As the sun was rising, Ona, Twoa and Threa, along with Dr. Thompson’s computerized intellect, departed, headed, hopefully, for the office of a very skilled family counselor.

  Speaking of which, Dr. Thompson and I shared a brief private nano before he left with his family.

  “I want to thank you again, Mr. Johnson, for everything you’ve done for my family.”

  “Don’t mention it, Dr. Thompson. I only wish I could have done more for Foraa.”

  “She was lost well before you met her,” he said. “I suppose that’s mostly my fault.”