by Gary Naiman
She stared at the trembling young man. “Last chance, 0458.”
Harrier lunged at her, his voice crying out in agony. “What kind of animal are you? Can’t you see he’s broken? For God’s sake! ”
She raised her shackled hands for silence. “Watch your mouth, old man. There is no god, only the Consortium. And there is no Lucinda … only 0021.” Her finger jabbed at him. “But there is a traitor and he is Franz Harrier.”
She glanced at the sobbing young man. “You think I made love to this toad for pleasure? Come, come, Franz ... his pathetic member is smaller than this.” She raised her pinky finger. “So much for you and your Anarchist scum. If this is the best you can muster, the Consortium has nothing to fear.”
Harrier collapsed against the transparent wall. “In the name of God, let him die and be done with it.”
She shrugged. “All I want is the truth.”
Harrier shook his head. “He doesn’t know the truth. He never knew.”
Lucinda gestured to the weeping lad. “Nice try, Franz, but he’s one of your trusted ones.”
Harrier pointed his shackled hands at Jeremy. “Look at him. Do you think we’re that stupid? To entrust our deepest secret to a desperate young man seeking identity?”
“But he’s one of you.”
Harrier smirked at her. “He’s one of the masses, fool. We recruited him to entrap you.”
Her face reddened. “Don’t toy with me, old man.”
“Who’s toying, 0021? We knew the Consortium was monitoring us, so we recruited Jeremy from the masses to thwart them. Easy enough to kill off an iridescent-green and transfer his identity to Jeremy.”
Her eyes flickered. “You expect me to believe that? No way could you penetrate Summit’s personnel data bank. No way could you corrupt an employee’s fingerprints, retina prints, voiceprints, face prints, and brain waves. No way could you pull that off.”
Harrier returned her glare. “You underestimate us, 0021. That’s why we’ll win.”
They strained against their harnesses, their eyes locked on each other. Lucinda’s next words were like a dagger to the old man’s heart. “But you’re here, Franz.” She nodded at his shackles. “I guess something went wrong.”
Harrier’s glare softened. He collapsed in his seat, his eyes gazing at the moonlit forest passing below them.
She shrugged. “I was told you were a big shot before stumbling. Sorry to complete your fall.”
His glistening eyes locked on her. “You were so much like me. So pained ... so impassioned. They wanted you dead, but I called them off. Can you believe that? I called them off because I trusted you.”
Lucinda pressed the small lump on her left wrist, vaporizing her electrostatic restraints. She rose from her plasma seat and glared at the old man slumped across from her. Her forefinger snapped at his face. “You have ten seconds, traitor. Give me the truth and you will be dispatched to Nirvana for a serene termination.”
Harrier squinted at the transparent wall. They had landed in a moonlit clearing. Twin ruby lights advanced toward them from a glowing bunker beneath the trees. The Guardian robots were only a hundred feet away, their laser arms raised.
Lucinda jammed her finger into the old man’s chest. “Seconds, old one. Seconds to claim a painless death. If not for you, then for your pathetic young friend.”
Harrier looked at Jeremy through tear-filled eyes. He leaned toward him and forced a weak smile. “Be strong, brother. We must be strong today.”
Jeremy tried to respond, but the electrostatic discharge had scrambled his thoughts. He managed a weak smile through his twitching face.
Lucinda raised her hand toward the advancing robots. “A moment please.”
The Guardians lowered their laser arms and floated silently outside the sphere.
She jabbed her finger at Harrier. “I won’t ask again, fool. The truth!”
Harrier sighed. “Jeremy is one of us. He will stand a little pain.”
She clenched her fist. “Then know this, traitor. If you refuse to speak now, you can forget the pleasant termination at Nirvana.” She nodded at the glowing bunker. “If you don’t give me the truth now, I assure you an agonizing death in the bowels of this Mediglobe research facility where the Consortium’s scientists will probe your deepest synapses to uncover the demons possessing you.” Her gray eyes burned into him. “I am told the experiments are most uncomfortable.”
The old man looked down. “I pity you, 0021.”
She backed away. “That is your final answer?”
“No ... this.” The old man raised his head in defiance. “Rot in hell, 0021. I’ll be waiting for you on the other side.”
“Fool...”
She exited the sphere and watched the two robots escort Harrier and his traumatized friend across the moonlit clearing toward the glowing bunker. The fresh night air felt good against her face.
A metallic finger tapped her shoulder. She turned to the black robot and eyed its flickering red screen.
The robot’s voice crackled. “Well done, 0021. You have earned many credits today. The Consortium is pleased and requests your presence at a reward ceremony tomorrow.”
She nodded. “I am honored.”
The robot gestured toward the sphere. “I will escort you to your domicile.”
She brushed a bead of sweat off her forehead. “I would like to walk the shore for a bit.”
“Of course, 0021. A time to restore yourself?”
“Something like that.”
She followed the black robot toward the waiting transport. It was 01:34 in Chicago and all was well.
CHAPTER 3
Moonlight
She kicked off her boots and shuffled barefoot along the moonlit shore. The moist sand oozed between her toes before washing away in the incoming tide. The cool water spilled across her bare feet and ankles — calming her — soothing her.
The night air was warm and humid. A band of iridescent clouds drifted across the full moon floating above Lake Michigan. It was a wonderful moment, a moment to be a child again. She paused and folded her arms, her tired eyes gazing at Lake Michigan.
Thirty-four years had passed since they snatched her from her mother’s arms. In those thirty-four years, Lucinda Montavi had received the finest training in every aspect of computer technology, mathematics, statistics, digital and plasma communications, bionics, and robotics.
But the Consortium demanded far more from its chosen ones. Dangers lurked in the shadows and it was imperative its warriors participate in the daily struggle against the Consortium’s global enemy.
Since her childhood, Lucinda had received progressive training in security tactics including front line action against the masses during the 2053 hunger riots. With her unflinching record of excellence, it was no surprise Lucinda received specialized training in enemy identification, infiltration, and entrapment. In the nine years since 2053, she had become the Consortium’s finest warrior against the Anarchists.
She eased down on the sand and squinted at the black creature barely visible in the moonlight. “I would like to rest here.”
The Guardian’s red screen flickered, affirming her request.
She slipped her fingers into a secret waist pocket and plucked out a glowing vial. Six months had passed since her last sniff of Paradisio. She extended the vial toward the robot. “I could use this just now.”
The robot’s screen barely flickered — a reluctant approval.
She smiled. “Just a whiff. It’s been a difficult six months.”
The robot floated silently above the sand.
She placed the vial beneath her nostrils and tapped it while inhaling the spicy vapor. The vapor wafted into her sinuses with a pleasant tingling sensation, but nothing happened.
She glared at the vial. “What’s wrong with you? Are you contaminated? Not permissible, I need you.”
The robot’s crackling voice startled her.
“Perhaps you have outgrown it, 002
1.”
She eyed the robot. “Impossible, no one outgrows Paradisio.”
The robot’s screen flickered.
She studied the vial for leaks, but its glowing contents seem intact. “Blast.” She lifted the vial to her nostrils, but the robot’s voice stopped her.
“No, 0021. Two sniffs can be lethal.”
She held out the vial. “Then what am I to do?”
The robot floated motionless before responding. “Patience, 0021. Your flashback awaits you.”
She frowned at the robot. “That questioning is off limits. You should know that. At no time is a robot to question a human’s innermost thoughts or feelings.”
“I am sorry, 0021. I was merely informing you that your trip is about to begin.”
“That’s enough! How dare—”
The words choked in her throat. The jolt was incredible, a tremendous burst of psychedelic brilliance accompanied by an overture of melodic chords that seemed to emanate from the heavens. Every sense in her body and psyche were tingling. She pressed the vial to her breast and fell back on the sand. After six months, Lucinda Montavi was about to revisit the deepest recesses of her subconscious. She gazed at the stars, and felt everything slip away...
She was floating in interstellar space. There were no planets, only beautiful swirling galaxies that seemed close enough to touch. There was no sound, only deep silence as she drifted toward a tiny speck of light that seemed to be growing.
Yes... it was growing rapidly now. She could see its cold white brilliance radiating toward her. Everything was accelerating. The light was blinding, but she couldn’t look away. Its beams engulfed her. She was plunging into it. The galaxies blurred. Her ears rang from a high-pitched screech...
The light was gone, replaced by a kaleidoscope of spinning colors. She had entered a wormhole. The screech had been replaced by heavenly chords. She was going home...
Silence ... the wormhole was gone. Everything was dark red. A warm fluid encompassed her. Her hands floated in front of her face. She gazed at the tiny digits of her fingers. An umbilical cord spiraled from her tiny belly. A faint voice called out to her.
“Lucinda ... my dearest child.”
The dark redness dissipated. Warm arms embraced her. She opened her eyes and peered at the woman looking down at her. Her lips tingled from a familiar sensation.
A warm spongy object caressed her lips and gums. Her gray eyes brightened. Yes ... she knew that soft, moist sensation. A nipple! She opened her mouth and lunged at it while listening to the soft voice.
“I love you Lucinda. I love you so much.”
The warm liquid squirted into her mouth and throat. It tasted so good ... so fulfilling. She dozed off, her lips and gums sucking at her mother’s warmth.
Then the jarring as her eyes snapped open. She heard her mother’s screams. Firm hands grasped her. She was being torn away from her mother’s straining hands. Her ears rang with her mother’s cry.
“For God’s sake, she’s my baby! My only child! You have no right! She’s my child!”
Powerful arms carried her into the daylight. The daylight became shadow. A vibration radiated through her as she sensed movement. She could feel breeze against her face. A cold metallic hand gently turned her mouth toward a familiar object. It touched her lips, and she heard a soft voice.
“Drink, 0021. Sup the fruit of the gods...”
* * *
“It is time to depart, 0021.”
Lucinda’s eyes snapped open. The black robot floated beside her, its red screen flickering. She sat up on the sand and grasped her head.
“You had a good trip?”
She shook her head. “Not your business.”
The robot drifted backward. “We must go. The honor ceremony is at ten-hundred hours. It is already zero-two-hundred hours.”
She ruffled her cropped black hair and pushed off the sand.
They were nearly to the transportation sphere when Lucinda hesitated, her eyes focused on the illuminated line of people standing in the disbursement center adjacent to the beach. Three cargo spheres glistened in the spotlights, their Zambex 39 robots distributing packets to each person stepping forward. In each case, the recipient’s hand was scanned to insure they had sufficient monthly credits to receive the packet.
Lucinda frowned while recalling the 2053 riots. She watched the approval-monitor flash green with each distribution. No danger of insufficient credits. Everyone knew a monthly allotment’s first priority was Manna. To prioritize otherwise meant starvation and death.
She was about to enter the transport sphere when she noticed a young girl tearing open her Manna packet. The girl snatched a silver container from the packet and peeled away its cover. She devoured the container’s blue contents while her emaciated mother looked on.
Lucinda’s frown deepened. “Little fool, you’ll need that tomorrow. Why didn’t your mother stop you?”
“We must depart, 0021.”
Lucinda entered the sphere, followed by the black robot.
CHAPTER 4
The Leader
The transport sphere descended on Summit’s North America Energy Complex at exactly 09:45 hours. It was a beautiful sunlit morning in Chicago with a large gathering of iridescent-greens awaiting the ceremony beneath Summit’s silver-and-gold executive tower. East of the tower, the complex’s energy transmission dishes lined the Lake Michigan shore, their massive disks pointed skyward to the network of global satellites distributing precious electromagnetic energy to power stations across North America.
Lucinda yawned while studying the agenda provided by the Guardian robot seated across from her.
“You are comfortable with the schedule?”
Lucinda frowned. “Not really, I prefer anonymity.”
“You will remain anonymous.”
“How, there must be a thousand greens out there?”
The robot extended its cantilevered arm “Your anonymity, 0021.”
Lucinda snatched the V-shaped broach from the robot’s metallic fingers. “A light bender?”
“Yes, 0021. Please attach it now. The activation code is three shorts and one long.”
She sighed while clipping the silver broach to her breast pocket. Four taps and her skin tingled from the rush of light-distorting magnetic waves.
“The robot’s screen flickered. “Well done, 0021. In your parlance, you have become a mirage.”
The sphere landed in a circle surrounded by robotic cameras stamped with a familiar white cloud emblem. Knowledge Cloud was the Consortium member responsible for all global media transmissions and their content.
The Guardian pointed to the sphere’s exit portal. “Good fortune, 0021.”
Lucinda stood up and tugged at her green uniform. “I believe the words are good luck.”
The robot’s screen flickered. “I am sorry, 0021. I have corrected the etymology.”
“And my name is Lucinda.” She brushed past the massive creature and exited the sphere. The cameras immediately focused on her, but they would only pick up her shadow floating past them.
Twin black Guardians approached her. Beyond them, a podium faced an audience of one thousand Specialists, all of them clad in the same green worn by Lucinda, all of them transported across the globe for this momentous ceremony.
The twin Guardians paused, their voices crackling in perfect linguistic unison.
“Welcome, 0021. We are honored to escort you.”
Lucinda gave her uniform a nervous tug while following the twin robots to the podium. After thirty-four years of struggle, she was about to face the most powerful person on earth.
She paused behind the robots at the base of the podium steps. “Why have we stopped?”
“Cohesion One, 0021. Cohesion One approaches.”
Lucinda looked up at the massive warrior sphere floating in the azure sky. The cheers began as a woman appeared, her body suspended in midair, her arms outstretched toward the impassioned onlookers.
/> Lucinda leaned toward the robots. “She is Number One?”
The voices crackled. “Cohesion One, 0021. The Consortium’s most powerful entity. All power resides in Her. All must bow before Her.”
Lucinda was overwhelmed. The woman’s silver hair streamed in the breeze. Her gold uniform glistened in the sunlight. Her face was flawless with a perfect nose, high cheekbones, and taut lips. She wore no facial embellishments and certainly required none. If ever there were a leader, this tall, stately figure embodied it.
The cheers intensified as the woman descended onto the podium and extended her arms to the thousand impassioned technocrats. They were standing now, their opened hands trembling in a spontaneous salute to their beloved leader. It was a wondrous moment. The Leader had come. All was well.
“0021?”
Lucinda’s heart fluttered. The Leader had retreated to the rear of the podium and was looking down at her with the most beautiful emerald eyes Lucinda had ever seen.
“Come, 0021. Join me.”
Lucinda was overcome as the woman gestured for her to climb the steps. The roar is deafening. The robots had backed away.
Oh, deity, don’t let me stumble.
Lucinda ascended toward the most powerful person on earth, her legs shaking. Her ears rang as she staggered onto the podium and looked out at the cheering sea of iridescent-greens.
Kneel, fool! Kneel!
She dropped on one knee and lowered her head, her forehead resting against the Leader’s extended hand. She looked up with shaken eyes and forced out the words. “May I?”
“Of course, my dear.”
With tears streaming down her cheeks and the roar echoing in her ears, Lucinda kissed the Leader’s warm hand.
The Leader rested her hand on Lucinda’s shoulder. “Well done, my dear. Please stand with me. I must address the planet and I want you at my side.”
