The Impossible Future: Complete set

by Frank Kennedy

  A loaf-shaped building beyond this cluster housed food preparation lines and the common dining hall. Sam ate several meals here, all of them stunning in both simplicity and taste. Of all the tasks she might face today, preparing such meals did not seem a challenge. Perhaps even the kind of work to relax her. After all, she spent many hours in the kitchen helping her mother. She took to cooking while rehabbing after she was shot in Philadelphia Redux. Michael loved her cooking.

  But she didn’t enter the building. A cold wind pierced her spine.

  “There you are,” a female voice said. “Beautiful Samantha Pynn.”

  She didn’t want to turn around. Walk. Keeping walking. Yet Sam froze in place. She pivoted to Rosa, who looked over Sam’s shoulder with nervous reverence.

  Rayna Tsukanova stepped off her rifter and landed at Sam’s side.

  “So long I have waited to see what came of you.”

  Three months of darkness onboard Lioness could not block out Aeterna’s sun, but it chilled the warming rays of mid-morning. And just as before, the nails came out, wrapping around Sam’s neck.

  “Your hair is most beautiful this way,” the Ukrainian said. “I like it short. No?” She leaned closer. “What did you think, Samantha Pynn? Did you think Rayna forgot about you?”

  The nails drew blood.

  28

  Two hours earlier

  Imperial compound, JaRa

  R AYNA REACTED EXACTLY AS JAMES predicted. She never understood his connection to the deeper universe or why she did not also receive a gift for sight into the distant past or future.

  “You are insane to suggest these things,” she said, holding a hand over her belly. “Never will Valentin turn against you. He would have to kill us all.”

  “No. He could tell his army that we’re betraying our promise of a shared home world. He could use my speech yesterday and twist my words. Tell the immortals they’ll never be more than a servant class.”

  “But this would be true.”

  “Yes, but for now they are too devout to see the truth. Valentin has never spoken against me. If he does, the army will be forced to choose. He is one of them, not of us.”

  Rayna refused to sit, growing increasingly irate since James revealed the details about his encounter at the lake. He and the boys returned in the late hours, and he chose to wait until morning to explain his original message about his brother’s impending threat. When she woke, she ran a daily holoscan of her pregnancy, which showed she would begin delivery in thirty-six standard hours. She used the diagnosis to accuse James of dimming the joy of her great moment.

  “Always you must be at the center,” she said. “You may be Father of our people, but I am Mother, and this is my time.” She laid both hands over her belly. “You tell me to stop being warrior and have more babies, so I do. I will not bring daughters into this world while you plot to kill their uncle.”

  “I never said anything about killing Valentin.”

  “But it is your meaning. I saw many Cossacks betrayed by loving brothers and sisters. One week they dance together. Soon, a grave is dug. The traitor shovels dirt on coffin. He sheds tears with all others. Though family knows he is guilty, they pretend to look other way. Revenge they will have, but they will wait.”

  “Until when?”

  “After the traitor is satisfied he has escaped justice.”

  “And your point?”

  “Valentin always has been loyal. What happened to Sister Ursula was not his fault. He followed your orders.”

  “And proved himself a poor Admiral.”

  “Is this why you promoted Kane? Do you wish him to replace your brother?”

  “No, I …”

  Rayna’s pistils turned fire-red. “Enough, husband. You are flailing like paranoid lunatic. You have only the word of a crazy man you discovered last night. Do you not see it? This Hadeed was an illusion. They are testing you. What kind of fool thing did he say? He walked this planet four times? What sort of human does this? How did he survive all these years on his own?”

  James despised few things more than losing an argument to his wife. He wished he could produce the Jewels on command to verify his story, but the process never worked that way.

  “Hadeed saw the future, like me. The Jewels guided him. His entire purpose was to tell me his story then end his pain. He intended to watch the sunrise today and walk into the lake. He said dying alone and forgotten was his punishment.”

  “And the great Brother James accepts this madness?”

  “I do. I have interacted with Jewel avatars. Trayem Hadeed was a flesh-and-blood man who reached the end of his journey. Like me, he fought the Chancellory. Like me, he killed millions. He had two sons who he raised to follow his legacy, but both died. He warned me about risking the same fate for Benjamin and Peter. He …”

  “Got inside you like no one I have ever seen,” Rayna snapped. “Even if he was real man, he was sent by the Jewels as test. They created this world. They do not know if you are best to rule it.”

  “And what of his promise that I will soon die? He said it was certain.”

  She waved him off and took a seat before her breakfast platter, a combination of pickled fish and a bounty of every fresh-harvested fruit and vegetable.

  “I am starving. Sit and eat, husband.”

  This was how the past hour developed. At every turn, she diminished his story, belittled his concerns, and questioned his sanity. James searched for any evidence of the Jewels, but the star plane where the Jewels shared the secrets of time and their Creators’ technology was dimmed. The white forest disintegrated.

  He saw a pattern. Their presence steadily diminished after realignment and arrival in the Hiebimini system. Only on landing day, as he set foot on the surface for the first time, did their energy engulf him with dazzling visions of the new civilization to come. Just as quickly, the Jewels seemed to retreat except for the lingering life inside the white forest. He thought, for a time, as if they were handing off the future to him. Trayem Hadeed’s arrival undercut his faith.

  “Do you not see our future?” Rayna asked, her mouth full.

  “I do.”

  “And do you rule our new empire years from now?”

  “I do.”

  “Then you will not soon die. I think this word is mind trap. No? If you die in fifty years, this too will be soon compared to life of immortals. No?”

  Her smug tone indicated she reached checkmate.

  “I do not literally see into the future,” he said. “You already know this. What I see is what I feel. And what I feel is born in the lifeblood of the Jewels. I see paths, I see their algorithm, but no certainty.”

  “Da. Is metaphor. This, I understand. So too do other hybrids. But this is not true for the immortals or indigos. You have guaranteed their future. They must never know it is in question. This Trayem Hadeed, he has put many doubts in your mind. You must dismiss him as a cheap trick. Do you understand, husband?”

  “Yes,” James lied, deciding to allow Rayna her small victory.

  “Valentin must not be hurt. He organizes our defenses. He will lead us into battle. We cannot survive without his army. These things you know to be true.”

  “I do, my love.”

  “Then you will fix relationship. Give him no reason to betray you.”

  “I will try,” he lied again.

  They finished breakfast in rare silence. James took advantage of the opportunity to reflect upon Trayem Hadeed’s message. The man knew too much for his presence to be a “trick.” His conclusions about Ignatius Horne as a sacrificial pawn in both their lives made sense. They were tied together – Ignatius, Hadeed, James, this planet. All paths intersect.

  And still, the doubts plagued him. As he watched Rayna clear her last plate, James decided what he must do. I have to be certain.

  “I have made a decision,” his wife said. “I will not travel to New Caledonia today as scheduled. The births are too close. I do not wish for complicati
on to delay my return. Yes?”

  “Of course. Who is available to travel in your place?”

  “You will do this, James.”

  “My love, I have many responsibilities to …”

  “James, we are very close to securing economic treaty with A’Mauri Confederation. The Elder Council has always negotiated with me, you, or Valentin. They will question our resolve if we send someone new. You are not scheduled to be off world for three more days. Show A’Mauri another miracle. They like fish.”

  He was in no mood to play God for the indigos today, but he also did not want to rouse her suspicions.

  “When?”

  “Two hours. Ulrich will be your navigator.”

  He ran through a quick assessment. Yes. I can make it in time.

  “So, my love, what will you do today?”

  “Make birthing arrangements, of course. I wish to secure beautiful backdrop for delivery. I expect every immortal to view it on their stream. We will then distribute vid to colonial allies.” She flexed her arms as if directing the scene from behind the camera. “The Mother of Salvation guarantees future of Salvation.”

  She wrapped her arms around James and kissed him, sinking her tongue deep.

  “As I told you, husband, this is my moment. No?”

  He knew better than to argue. James also knew he had little time to spare. He encouraged Rayna to take it easy and avoid stress in these final hours then excused himself to complete “important tasks before amazing the A’Mauri Elders.”

  He needed to leave the city without creating a stir. He snuck out yesterday evening with his sons while everyone else celebrated Inauguration far from the imperial residence. However, escaping their view wouldn’t as easy in daylight. Workers filled the avenues between the residence and the southern route to the lake.

  James took the long way around, piloting a rifter through the northeastern quadrant of the city, which was not yet populated and far from the industrial sector. He passed the site of his greatest speech and started toward the waterfall that sourced a river which flowed into the great lake. This area was well-mapped and slated soon for additional orchards and fields. The terrain was less disciplined, and the brush beneath the acacias not yet cleared away. Nonetheless, James navigated without error, turning south at river’s edge and following it to the lake.

  “I will walk out into the lake tomorrow,” Hadeed said. “I will continue to walk until the water is above my head. I will not come back up.” The last native Hiebim vowed to utter the names of his sons with a final breath.

  Rayna said he was a crazy man. A cheap trick. He got under James’s skin. He was a test.

  “You’re a fraud,” James said as he neared the site where he shared fish with the old man. This bastard would not simply walk out into the lake and drown himself. “You’re a coward.”

  James halted the rifter when he reached the camp. The wood had burned itself out, now little more than ash. But the cooking grate remained. And that wasn’t all.

  James hopped from the rifter when he saw the man’s gray cloak folded neatly upon the log where they ate fish. Beside it, Hadeed’s shoes and pants. Footprints, far smaller than his own, followed a single path into the water’s edge.

  “I’m not a fool,” James said. “This could be staged. This …”

  Was not. James knew it when he scanned the shore beyond the campsite and saw where ground had been disrupted. He walked closer and felt his heart plunge when he read the words scrawled in the sand.

  Alone and forgotten.

  Soon.

  For the first time, Aeterna did not seem like a paradise. Every instinct guided James to an unmistakable conclusion.

  “He’s coming for me. He’s coming for me.”

  29

  S AM DID NOT FLINCH WHEN Rayna’s nails pierced the back of her neck. Eyes were turning in their direction, Rosa seemed uncertain how to react, and Sam reminded herself she was no longer onboard Lioness. Keep it together. She won’t do anything in public. Sam recited the words but didn’t entirely believe them.

  “I am having babies tomorrow,” Rayna said. “Everyone will see. I have made arrangements. You will see too, Samantha Pynn.”

  “I’m …” Sam stopped and refocused. She needed to take care. “I’m happy for you, Rayna. I am.”

  “You are poor liar, but is OK. You hate me. I understand why.”

  “I mean it, Rayna. Being a mother is a wonderful thing. I hope your daughters are healthy and happy.”

  Rayna smiled, but Sam sensed nothing beyond malice.

  “I am younger than you, and I will have four children. Poor Samantha Pynn will never have any. Is very sad. No?”

  “I wish you the best, Rayna.”

  She saw the contempt in Rayna’s shifting eyes: The hybrid didn’t like Sam’s platitudes.

  “I know a secret,” Rayna said. “He is coming for you. Yes. Michael Cooper is coming for you. My husband believes this too. That is why he wishes to have Michael killed offworld.”

  Sam gasped. Was this real? Or was Rayna playing games?

  “Michael never tried to hurt James.”

  “He could not if he tried. Is no matter. I believe Michael will come to Aeterna. He will almost rescue poor Samantha. You will see him for a moment, and your love will be strong. Then both of you will be slaughtered. Will be most tragic. No?”

  “Is that why I’m still alive, Rayna? Am I bait to lure Michael?”

  “Could be. You will have to ask my husband. He sees all.”

  The moment seemed endless, the fear paralyzing, the street activity grinding to a halt. At first, Sam didn’t see the giant shadow moving among the silent observers. Only when she heard a new voice did she breathe again.

  “What is this?” Valentin asked.

  “A reacquaintance,” Rayna said, relaxing her grip. “I have not seen Samantha Pynn in so long.”

  “Well, there she is. Recovering nicely, all things considered. Yes?”

  “Indeed. Looking very healthy. I like her short hair.”

  Valentin stepped in closer, out of the crowd’s earshot.

  “This is not the proper venue, Rayna. Go home and take care of yourself. My nieces arrive tomorrow, I understand.”

  Rayna backed away, offering a wide, ingratiating smile. She pivoted to the crowd and wrapped her hands over her belly.

  “Tomorrow will be glorious day! My gifts to our people. You will have the honor to watch me bring them into Aeterna.”

  She accepted the crowd’s applause and hopped on her rifter.

  “Goodbye, Samantha Pynn. We should meet again soon.”

  After Rayna sped away, Valentin addressed the gathering mass.

  “We all have duties. Attend to yours.” Rosa bowed her head and started walking away, but Valentin caught her. “No. You’re with Samantha today. Tend to her needs,” pointing to Sam’s neck, “and walk her through food preparation as planned. Yes?”

  “Yes, Admiral Valentin.”

  Sam felt as if she’d been thrown a life preserver.

  “Why does she hate me so much?”

  Valentin shifted his eyes as the crowd continued to dissolve.

  “As long as I’ve known her, Rayna has been a woman of strong emotions. She thrives on anger and hates more than she loves. I’d tell you not to take it personally, but in your case, it is personal. For her.”

  “But I’m no threat. I never have been.”

  He shrugged. “When she had my nephews, she was agreeable for a few weeks. Maybe she’ll be again. If you can steer clear of her …”

  “I’ll be here for weeks? What do you know, Valentin? She said Michael was coming for me.”

  He flexed a brow. “Earn your keep, Samantha. I’ll do what I can in the meantime. Earn you keep. Yes?” When she nodded, he ordered Rosa to tend to Sam’s wounds. “My schedule is full the next two days. We’re very busy outside the city. When I find time, I’ll check in on you.”

  Valentin didn’t wait for a response
and joined another immortal on a rifter he was piloting when they came upon the confrontation.

  “Come, Samantha,” Rosa said.

  After her neck was cleaned up – the nails did little more than break skin – Sam joined Rosa in a loud, bustling hall consisting of three production lines. In the first, fresh-caught fish were gutted, scaled, and trimmed into fillets. The immortals, none of whom appeared older than twelve, processed the fish using phasic drivers and with the efficiency of seasoned pros. Rosa said they would be served for the evening dine with a pesto sauce, peas, and white potatoes.

  “I don’t know what pesto sauce is, but we’re learning new recipes every day,” she said. “Right now, our meals are simple. Our culinary skills are limited. In time, we’ll bring in recipes from the colonies.”

  The second line shucked peas, diced herbs, and peeled potatoes.

  “Those lines are for cooked foods,” Rosa explained. “We’ll be working with raw produce. They can complement any meal, but we also submit them for pickling, juicing, and hyperfreeze.”

  Rosa escorted Sam to their place among twenty others in the third line. At one end, crates of melons, citrus (five varieties), berries, apples, and peaches awaited; at the other, carrots, kale, lettuce, large nuts, peppers, ginger root, and palm-sized pink tomatoes stood ready for processing. Sam knew little of agriculture, but she never imagined this wide a variety maturing at the same time of year. She had to ask.

  “Did Brother James do all this?”

  “Some, yes. But we also brought seeds from many colonies. The fruit trees were here when we arrived, a gift from the Jewels.”

  Rosa handed her a phasic driver, a multipurpose laser and holotool. Sam used one often at her Boston home.

  “There’s so much here.”

  “Yes. We’re making sure to stockpile all we can. We don’t yet know what the seasonal changes will be like. And if we’re ever attacked … well, we don’t want to take any chances.”