The Orbs Omnibus

by Nicholas Sansbury Smith

  Why would the aliens travel through the universe to collect water, destroying all life in the process, only to keep an ark full of alien life-forms? And why would they show it to her?

  Sophie shook her head just as footsteps echoed in the hallway outside the CIC. She was happy to have the distraction.

  “We connected yet?” Emanuel asked, nudging her arm. He brought a steaming cup of coffee to his lips and took a short sip. “Holy shit! Is that what I think it is?”

  She’d reverted back to the first image, preparing to send the shot and the data to the GOA.

  Nodding, Sophie leaned back so Emanuel could get a better view.

  White noise from the speakers crackled as the main screen flickered and Noble’s face filled the grainy display.

  “Good afternoon,” he said as the screen solidified.

  “Not here it isn’t,” Sophie replied. “We just received some very disturbing images from Lolo. Forwarding to you . . .” She punched the Enter key and said, “now.”

  “I’ll be damned,” he said grimly. “We are running out of time.”

  She sent him the next one.

  “The Organics,” she said. “They’re moving. Abandoning the cities and the human farms. They’re headed for the coasts.”

  “Why?” Noble asked. He folded his hands and narrowed his eyebrows.

  “Alexia thinks this is the last phase of the invasion, but we aren’t entirely sure.”

  “That doesn’t make much sense. Why would they be migrating?” Noble asked.

  Emanuel shrugged. “We don’t know.”

  Noble frowned. “How long do we have?”

  “Maybe a couple weeks or a month, tops. We need a plan,” she said.

  Folding his arms, Noble’s features tensed. “That’s why I’m glad we connected. I’ve been working on a plan that I want to run by you.”

  Sophie responded with her own skeptically arched brow. “You have our attention.”

  “My engineers are currently working on modifying the RVAMP into something more effective. Something that can be used on a grander scale.”

  “Something that could knock out the surge entirely?” Emanuel asked.

  Noble tilted his head in confusion.

  “Sorry, Captain. The surge is what we are calling the electromagnetic disturbance outside. The pulse seems to be coming from Mars,” Sophie said, pausing. “Actually, we know it is, but that’s beside the point. Sergeant Overton mentioned we might be able to stop it if we set nukes or EMPs off in the atmosphere. That’s where Emanuel got the idea to build the RVAMP. We managed to kill a whole bunch of them with it in Colorado Springs when we took down those human farms. But more kept coming.”

  Noble looked at his desk for a moment to consider the thought. “Yeah, nukes and traditional EMPs wouldn’t work,” he replied. “While that would likely knock out some of their ships, we can’t defeat them that way. We need something that will work on a worldwide level. The problem is finding a delivery system.”

  Sophie eyed the man. The captain had proven to be a useful ally so far, a man with conviction and vision. But the Organics weren’t an enemy that NTC was used to fighting. They were an empire of advanced creatures. She wasn’t certain that even Captain Noble could come up with something to defeat them. “Do you have anything in mind?” she finally asked.

  Noble cracked a half grin. “Sure. But the real question is, will it work?”

  Sophie wasn’t amused.

  “What’s your idea, Captain?” Emanuel asked.

  “With a few small teams, I think we could sneak onto several military bases, commandeer a fleet of jets and drones, and equip them with the modified RVAMP weapons. Then coordinate an offensive.”

  “You’re kidding, right?” Sophie said.

  “No, Doctor Winston, I’m not,” he said sternly. “Unless you know of a ship that can get us to Mars, where we could shut off this phantom ‘surge,’ ” he said mockingly, using two fingers to trace quotation marks in the air, “I see no other option.”

  “Even if that was possible, we would never arrive in time to save the planet,” Emanuel pointed out.

  Sophie didn’t like Noble’s tone, but the man was right. They didn’t have many options. The captain’s plan was a long shot, sure, but heading to Mars sounded even crazier. There was no easy solution. No way to save the planet without taking great risks and making even harder sacrifices—sacrifices like the one Sergeant Overton had made back in Colorado Springs.

  “So the plan is to sneak past the Organics’ defenses and launch a strike across the world? Do you even have that many pilots at your disposal, Captain?” Sophie asked.

  He smiled, clearly noticing her emphasis on his rank. “We will have to make do with the resources available. We would primarily be using drones. Only a handful of low-orbit jets will be needed.”

  Sophie crossed her arms and glanced over at Emanuel. He looked optimistic, his eyebrows forming wide arches above the rims of his glasses.

  “And if there are survivors at any of the coordinates I sent you earlier this morning, then perhaps we will have even more resources.”

  “I’d be hard-pressed to believe anyone has made it this long,” Emanuel said.

  Noble nodded. “I agree. The likelihood of other survivors is slim, but worth checking out.”

  Sophie heard laughter from the hallway and turned just in time to see Owen race by, with Jamie close on his heels. Against all odds, the two children had survived outside.

  “Our AI did confirm that the distress signal from Offutt had been activated very recently. Maybe someone has managed a miracle and avoided detection,” Emanuel said.

  “Nothing gets past Alexia,” Sophie smiled. It was an odd sensation, her lips forming something other than a frown. She was starting to feel a bit better knowing they were building a plan, even if it did sound irrational.

  “So what’s the next step?” Emanuel asked.

  Noble cupped his hands behind his head and leaned back in his chair.

  “I’d suggest sending a drone to Offutt to see what’s there. The sooner we know, the sooner we can develop a plan, and if by some grace of God there are survivors, then perhaps they will join us.”

  “How fast can you get a drone into the field?” Sophie asked.

  “Richards,” Noble shouted, craning his head.

  “Sir?” a voice said in the background.

  “Send a message to Engineering. I want a drone prepped and ready to fly ASAP.” When he turned back to the feed, there was something about his face that bothered Sophie. The man she had met at Cheyenne Mountain was a fearless leader; a man, like Overton, who radiated confidence. That man was no longer in front of her. Noble seemed solemn and tired.

  Broken.

  “I didn’t want to give you bad news,” Noble finally said. He returned his hands to the table and hunched over his desk. Creases broke across his forehead. “We found the Chinese sub. A rescue mission was able to save some of her crew, but in the end I ordered the X-9 destroyed. Sergeant Harrington, whom you met while we repaired the Sea Serpent at the Biosphere, was killed in the mission.”

  The news did not shock Sophie as much as she thought it would. While she knew that losing another weapon of war was not to be taken lightly, she also knew that death was now a routine part of life. Having hope was dangerous when all could be lost in the blink of an eye.

  Sophie exchanged looks with Emanuel. Gray speckled his slicked-back hair, and a thick beard covered his dimples. He looked as if he had aged years in the last two months. She’d purposely avoided mirrors for the same reason. Her body felt weak, and her clothes no longer hugged her curves; instead, they hung loosely off her body. They’d been stranded for quite a while now, cut off from the rest of the dying world. But the worst of it? She didn’t just feel trapped by the Biosphere walls, she felt trapped
inside her own mind.

  “Doctor Winston,” came a voice. It sounded distant, far away. There was a humming, like wasps.

  Someone called her name again. Sophie blinked hard, the echoing in her ears faded, and she turned to see Emanuel hovering over her. He reached out and placed a hand on her right wrist. Her skin tingled at his touch. She realized then that he hadn’t touched her since Overton had caught them in the CIC weeks earlier.

  He squeezed harder, but she felt only a cold numbness.

  “Sophie,” he said. “Snap out of it.”

  She nodded and swept her eyes over the monitors, her eyes glazed and blurry. In a monotone voice she said, “Let’s plan on talking again in forty-eight hours. That should give you enough time to send a drone to Offutt and analyze any intel. In the meantime, we will continue to use Lolo for reconnaissance and inform you of any developments.”

  “Sounds good, Doctor. Stay safe,” Noble replied.

  “You too,” she said, swiping the feed off with her index finger. As soon as she stood a wave of dizziness hit her. She swayed to the left and then the right.

  Emanuel reached out to balance her. “What’s going on with you?”

  The sensation passed, and Sophie’s world returned to normal. “I’m fine.”

  “No. You seem really off.”

  Sophie put a hand on her head. She had so much to do, and she hadn’t put a dent in the data Lolo had sent.

  “Hey, you there?” Emanuel asked, waving his hands. “Sophie, what is going on with you?” His voice was calm but guarded.

  “I’m fine,” she replied. “Just tired.” For a moment she locked eyes with him and felt a sensation that she’d long buried. The emotion soon vanished, stripped away by the thousands of worries clamoring for attention in her mind.

  “Where is the old Sophie?” he asked with a frown.

  She looked away. She knew the answer deep down, but she couldn’t let Emanuel know—the old Sophie had died inside that black ship.

  * * *

  Corporal Bouma stood two full heads taller than Jeff, but every morning the boy seemed to be closing the gap. It was possible, considering the vegetables and fruits harvested from Biome 1 were better than anything the kid would have been eating on the outside even before the invasion. Over the past decade food production had become so automated that it was all full of God knew what. Only those wealthy enough could afford the small organic supply. None of that mattered anymore. The only farms that remained were human farms.

  He steadied his rifle and took aim at a black target on the opposite wall, the anger boiling inside him at the thought of humans being harvested just outside these walls. In quick succession, he fired off three shots. The deafening crack of the old rifle echoed through the chamber. The gun was louder and more powerful than he had thought.

  “Damn. Nice shot,” Jeff said.

  He’d hit the middle of the target in two places, while the third shot had torn into the wall above.

  “Give me that thing,” Kiel shouted. He propped one of his crutches against the wall and reached for the gun.

  Bouma glared at the other marine. “Wait your turn. Jeff’s next.” With a smile, he handed the rifle to the eleven-year-old. “See if you can beat that,” he whispered as the boy grabbed the gun.

  “I want a turn, too!” David whined.

  Bouma laughed. He’d promised Sophie that he wouldn’t train the other kids. They weren’t that desperate, she had said. David was to be on harvest duty, not soldier duty.

  “If you promise not to tell,” Bouma started to say when he heard Holly’s voice behind them.

  “I heard that,” she said in a mischievous tone.

  He felt his face grow red and turned to see her carrying a basket full of fruit. She’d pulled her hair, still glistening from the shower, into a ponytail.

  Flashing her a smile he walked over to help her with her load. “Sorry.”

  Holly held the basket defiantly to her chest. “Um, I have a bone to pick with you, Corporal,” she said sternly. Then she glared at Kiel. “And you. Why aren’t you resting? Your body needs to heal.”

  Bouma threw his arms up in protest, but cowered when she shoved the basket into his chest. “I thought Sophie said David isn’t supposed to be using that gun. Frankly, I’m surprised she’s allowing target practice inside the Biosphere in the first place.”

  “Where else are we supposed to train?” Jeff asked. He held the muzzle of the gun toward the ground.

  “I don’t know why you need to train at all,” Holly said, her hands now on her hips. “The noise that thing makes is maddening.”

  Bouma took a step forward. “I have this under control.”

  With a half smile she reached out to him. “Sure you do.”

  Bouma nodded and then gestured with his chin toward the exit. “Want to take a walk?”

  “Yup.”

  “Take five, guys,” he said.

  David groaned, and Jeff rested the rifle against the makeshift table. Kiel pulled out an apple and tossed it to David. “Know how to play catch, kid?”

  Placing his hand on Holly’s back, Bouma guided her down the narrow path leading through the crops. They walked in silence, taking in the lush scent.

  When they reached Biome 2, he paused and waited for the glass doors to seal behind them. Before Holly had a chance to react, he reached over and pulled her into a tight hug.

  “You needed that,” he whispered in her ear.

  She nodded, her cheeks ripe with blush. “Yes.”

  Intertwining his fingers with hers, Bouma turned toward the pond. The water sparkled under the faint LEDs. For a moment he stared into it, watching their reflection flicker with the light. “You don’t seem okay,” he said.

  “I am, but I don’t think Sophie is doing well. I overheard her and Emanuel talking with Captain Noble. Sounds like they found the Chinese sub and were forced to destroy it.”

  Bouma looked at the ground. “Damn. Any survivors?”

  She shook her head. “You’ll have to ask Sophie. I only heard a small bit of the conversation.”

  He nodded and took her other hand. The thought of more death was numbing. He wanted to feel.

  Without thinking, he kissed her.

  She let out a small cry of surprise and then leaned into him. Apparently, Holly desired the same thing he did.

  They locked eyes.

  “Shhhh,” he said.

  “I can be quiet.”

  Bouma tightened his grip and whispered in her ear, “I have a secret.”

  “Me too,” she said, exhaling a deep breath. “I’m falling for you.”

  The quick response took him by surprise, and he tilted his head back to look her in the eyes. Everyone he’d ever cared for had died during the invasion. But somehow he’d found it in the midst of the apocalypse.

  Love.

  The revelation sent a chill through his body. It was something he would do anything to defend. He would guard Holly, the kids, and the team with his life. The same feeling also filled him with a sense of guilt. Why should he be happy? What did he do to deserve it? His gut sank at the thought, but he held Holly firmly in his arms.

  “I love you,” he said with authority. “You don’t have anything to worry about anymore, Holly. I will protect you.”

  CHAPTER 6

  ENTRY 4001

  DESIGNEE – AI ALEXIA

  Three days, one hour, forty-five minutes, and thirteen seconds have passed since Captain Noble and his team left the Biosphere. My latest scan shows the team’s survival probability is at 9.5 percent, a slight increase from before we made contact with the NTC submarine, Ghost of Atlantis.

  The discovery of other survivors, especially Captain Noble’s well-equipped crew, has definitely had an effect on team morale here at the Biosphere. I wasn’t programmed to fee
l optimism, but I do believe I’ve evolved to feel something similar.

  Hope conflicts with my programming. The statistics continuously paint a bleak future, and yet virtually every time they’ve turned out to be wrong. What the countless scans don’t illustrate is a trait ingrained in the DNA of the human species.

  Resilience.

  Over the past two months, Dr. Winston and her team have faced very tough decisions, life-and-death decisions. Despite the odds, they have never given up, and with my assistance they have beat those odds so far. They are survivors.

  It’s interesting, I suppose, considering that throughout their history they have killed one another over land and resources. Like the Organics, they are a destructive species. I’ve read essays that refer to humans as a virus, a plague that’s consumed the world.

  I’ve never believed that theory, but I do see the parallel. And now the largest-ever threat to their species has borne an alliance between two bitter enemies. The Chinese and NTC have united their survivors under a single cause.

  I record the development and log the entry under “Group Behavior.” I’ll come back to the case study later, but first there are more pressing issues I need to attend to.

  Lieutenant Allison Smith still hasn’t recovered from her captivity. There are multiple questions I hope to answer through a series of tests. Primarily, how did the Organics keep her alive, and how did they filter water from her body?

  I’ve started to formulate a theory that connects everything to the surge—the human farms, the orbs, and the alien defenses. I believe they are all somehow connected to the electromagnetic disturbance originating on Mars. Before we discovered Lolo, we thought the surge was a constant signal. But the satellite’s data now shows the surge comes in two-hour intervals. The wave of energy transmitted from the surface of Mars hits the side of the Earth facing the Red Planet and is then distributed across the Earth. How the energy is sustained and transmitted in that interval is still a mystery to me.

  Something has to be sustaining the current. Just like something has to support Lieutenant Smith and the other human prisoners. Just like something must be sustaining the alien shields.