Chapter 49
3 hours, 57 minutes, 29 seconds
“It’s a long shot,” Gabby said, casting a holographic image of the schematics before them. “But as I went over these, I couldn’t help thinking about the time we spent on the Atean ship in the gulf. The bridge had all sorts of computer stations. What if the same thing existed here and we could use something there to contact the incoming ship directly?”
Jack thought about it for a moment. “You know the Atean ship is vastly different from the one we’re on. I mean, they aren’t even built by the same civilization.”
“That is true,” Grant interjected. “Although theoretically, they are all variations on the blueprints coded into the Salzburg chromosome. Surely there must be similarities.”
“How about you ask Caretaker?” Dag said, looking around and noticing the being was gone.
“Anna’s missing too,” Jack said, worried. He called out to her over the radio and she didn’t respond. “Did anyone see where they went?”
Yuri shook his head. He was busy poring over the blueprints as well. “Give me a few minutes and I’ll find you that bridge.”
“Start at the top,” Dag suggested.
Jack shook his head. “That’s even less helpful. We need to find either a bridge or a communications room on this ship and there’s no time to go hunting around. We need to find Caretaker.”
•••
“What do you think of this world?” Caretaker asked. They had left the others in the altar room debating over how to prevent the impending disaster. The two of them were out in the open now, walking along a path in the jungle.
“I should be back with my friends,” Anna said, wishing to turn around, but also honored that Caretaker thought enough of her to speak just the two of them.
“Your friends need to figure this out on their own,” he reassured her. “You cannot solve all of their problems and expect them to be worthy.”
“That does seem logical.”
Caretaker laughed. “Of course it does. But you are more than mere logic, Anna. The drive in you to create life goes beyond mere biology. It is the engine that has helped to populate this galaxy and many others as well.”
“Then why do you destroy?” she asked.
He paused. “Every creature planted by us or any other civilization has the same opportunities. Once a planet has been seeded, tampering with their development is strictly forbidden. Each species is imbued with the potential to evolve and dominate their surroundings. Do not forget, humanity’s distant ancestor was introduced many times in the past. It is always the same crop, only the environment and the choices made along the way determine a species’ success or failure.”
“Do humans generally do well on planets seeded by you and others?”
Caretaker stopped by the yellow trunk of a nearby tree and leaned against it. “You must not forget, humans are never sent, only their distant ancestors. The same is true of all the species we have selected, cultivated from many different worlds. As they evolve, the habitat in which they live directs the form they take. To my knowledge, this is the only time Homo sapiens has appeared on the hominid evolutionary tree in any meaningful way.” Caretaker rapped his knuckles against the trunk to emphasize the point.
“I am curious about your species,” she said. “You will have to forgive the question, but I am not completely clear on how much of you is machine.”
He grinned, his cheekbones becoming more prominent. “Do you recall my previous form?”
Anna pulled up a video of Caretaker she had recorded during their initial encounter.
“Please don’t be frightened by what happened,” he said, as though watching it himself.
“I don’t understand how you are able to perceive my thoughts.”
“You are different from the others,” Caretaker said, resting a hand on her. “That is what I have been trying to tell you. Now, if you look closely at my original form, you will see a loose approximation of what the organic version of my species once looked like.”
“Why would you choose to change bodies and retain the same form?”
“Why are you configured like a human?”
Anna looked down at herself. “I suppose humans wanted something they could identify with, something that wouldn’t make them feel uneasy.”
“Precisely, and that is why I too chose to alter my appearance. For all of their advancement, the echoes from eons spent as both prey and then predator are closer than they care to admit. They are a fearful species, at war between the beast within and the enlightened beings they hope to one day become. Few make the journey successfully. You, Anna, possess all that they do, perhaps more, and yet you are free of the inner conflicts that so often hold them back.”
“I am not conflict-free,” she assured him.
Caretaker let loose a mighty roar of laughter. “Yes, I see that too. You are filled with self-doubt and an overwhelming sense of loyalty. But that is part of the process. On Telon, there came a time when we understood the limitations of our physical bodies. Even with the benefits of what you call Salzburg, our shortcomings were painfully obvious. Short appendages made everyday actions an unruly challenge. Our transformation began slowly, first with computerized enhancements, each designed to improve the benefits we derived from the new chromosome in our bodies. Soon came synthetic organs and limbs. Before we knew it, there was very little that remained of our organic heritage. Nanoparticles opened a whole new frontier. Eventually, we could change our bodies and transform our environment like never before. Which brings me back to the habitat we are standing in.”
“Did you create this?” she asked, watching a flock of birds take flight.
“No,” Caretaker said matter-of-factly. “It was what you might call an accident.”
Anna tilted her head in confusion. “How so?”
“I see you have been to the nursery.”
An image flashed before Anna’s eyes. “Oh, the greenhouse, yes, we have.”
“That is where specimens of all the plant life you see before you were kept. I suspect a tiny crack in one of the containment units was all it took for life to escape and begin spreading out in every direction. The vegetation was cared for and monitored by a diligent army of nanobots. As more units cracked and the problem became worse, the nanobots continued to care for the plant life. Eventually, the bots began to evolve on their own, multiplying, coalescing to become the creatures and the very landscape before you. That is why I can control what they do, because in one sense I am not only their custodian but also their creator.”
“And the artificial sun?” she asked. “Was that not you?”
Caretaker shook his head. “The domed structure was always there, but as the nanobots continued to replicate, they understood that for the organic life to prosper, a proxy to our sun needed to be created.”
Anna turned her head skyward, marveling at their ingenuity. “And what of the Mesonyx bones we found?” she asked.
“I have reviewed the records from the last few million years and it appears those you call the Mesonyx passed into this world and declared war on what they found. When it became clear it was not a conflict they could win, they sought to seal it away forever.” Suddenly, his attention was drawn by a red wisp, blinking overhead. “Now that I have answered your questions, I would like you to summon that creature to us.”
Anna regarded him with uncertainty.
He waved her on, deep lines taking shape along the top of his hands. “Go ahead.”
Anna locked the wisp in her gaze and said, “Come here, please.”
The wisp continued flying away.
“Try it without words.”
Anna tried again.
“Good, now picture it doing as you said.”
She did and the wisp immediately changed direction, gliding over to them on a soft current of invisible air.
Anna smiled.
“You see?” Caretaker said, smiling with her.
“How was
I able to do that?” she asked.
“We are all machines here, in one form or another at least. It is the humans, you might say, who are out of place.”
She grew quiet for a moment. “I would like a clarification on something further,” she said.
“I am listening.”
“The humans do not understand the purpose of Salzburg.”
“Oh,” Caretaker replied, his arms folded over his chest with understanding. He was wearing a button-down shirt now and besides its storm-grey color, it rippled in the breeze as though it were real. “It is true. Salzburg is the key to ending the cycle. Buried inside it is everything they will need. The first chromatid, as you call it, was designed to weed out the weak. The purpose of the second chromatid, with all of its inherent genes, was something of a starter kit. A leg-up, enabling the species carrying it to take their place in the galactic hierarchy.”
Understanding flooded Anna’s mind. “Do you mean that the genes in the 48th chromatid are designed to help a planet-bound species deal with the rigors of space travel?”
He nodded. “Precisely. The galactic environment is a hostile one. Cosmic radiation, weightlessness, the unfathomable gulf between the stars. All of these problems must be overcome. The blueprints embedded within the genome represent the most basic interstellar model. If they manage to survive, a worthy species will spend many centuries improving upon it and using those vessels not only to explore, but also to do their part in spreading life and furthering our collective understanding of this majestic and mysterious universe we inhabit.”
Anna continued to practice her new trick, drawing nanocells from the ground beneath their feet and assembling them into various forms. She then scooped up two handfuls of dirt and molded the miniaturized robotic elements into a seagull. Anna grinned as it flapped its wings and flew away.
“You are catching on fast,” he told her. The look of warmth on Caretaker’s face was that of a father watching his child walk for the first time.
She nodded vigorously.
“You enjoy creating, don’t you?”
“There is nothing I love more,” she replied, returning to pluck up a fresh mound of dirt to play with.
“The greater the swell of emotion, the more wondrous your creations,” he said. Suddenly, Caretaker’s eyes flickered as his pupils took shape. “Your friends have been looking for you,” he said.
Anna heard Jack’s voice over the radio. “Anna, do you read me? Over.”
“Dr. Greer,” she replied, releasing a dozen synthetic butterflies. “I am receiving you.”
“Where have you been?” There was panic in his voice.
“I have been speaking with Caretaker, as you instructed me to.”
Caretaker smiled. His appearance had changed once again. He was now wearing a biosuit.
“Well, meet us at the star map room,” Jack said, breathless. “I have an idea.”
Chapter 50
“Don’t you worry,” Ollie reassured Kay as he dabbed the sweat from her brow. “Soon as the doc arrives, he’ll patch you up good as new. You’ll see.”
The temperature inside the shack was hotter than Satan’s housecat. Going to the hospital to treat Kay’s wounds would have been no different than turning her over to Sentinel. Ollie had reached out to one of his contacts on the island, a local doctor named Pedro who had helped him out of many a tight spot in the past.
Kay turned her head ever so slightly and nodded.
He and Armoni had done what they could to stop the bleeding. The first bullet had torn through Kay’s right lung, the second through her shoulder.
Ollie took her hand. “When you were asleep, I went online and noticed a bunch of news blogs have popped up. A number of them mentioned how much your dedication inspired them to do what they could. Seems you’re not alone now in shining a light on the government’s crimes.”
Kay shook her head. “They’re competition,” she whispered, her weakened voice trailing off.
Ollie laughed. “You never stop, do you?” He dabbed again, saw she was burning up and tried not to show his concern. “Save your strength, my dear. Right now your only job is to hang in there.”
Armoni came and stood next to them. “I’ve just received some good news, if you can believe it. The mission in South Carolina was a success. All the prisoners were freed without a single casualty. Seems the minute the attack began, the guards just up and ran off.”
“I wish it were always that easy,” Ollie said, a heavy tone of remorse in his voice.
Kay’s eyes were wide with happiness and a question.
“The answer is yes, your parents are safe,” Armoni informed her. “And your fiancé’s family as well.”
Tears rolled out from the corners of Kay’s closed eyes.
“I told you we’d get them,” Ollie said. “And a promise is a promise.”
A rapid knock on the door startled them. Ollie jumped up and grabbed the rifle that was leaning against the bed. “Who is it?”
“It’s Pedro, Mr. Cooper, now let me in.”
Ollie swung open the door. A petite man, not quite five feet tall with a slight build, entered carrying a leather bag.
“When did this happen?” he asked, pushing them aside and moving briskly to Kay.
“Not more than an hour ago,” Ollie said. “We did what we could. The hospital was out of the question.”
“Never mind the hospital,” Pedro said with disgust. “They’re overwhelmed as it is. You bring her there and she wouldn’t stand a chance.”
“You’re the best, Pedro, that’s why I called you.”
The doctor opened his bag on the table and removed his stethoscope. Seeing Kay get the care she needed helped to ease the tension in Ollie’s heart. But news of the local hospital’s dysfunction settled the guilt he’d been feeling for bringing her here. It was nice to know he had made the right call. At least with the doctor’s arrival there was a good chance she would pull through.
Armoni nudged him. “There’s something I need to tell you.” Her brow scrunched with uncertainty over how he might react.
“Go on.” The terse inflection in his voice made it clear how much he hated being left in suspense.
“The NSA intercepted a call from a sat phone between Greenland and Richmond, Virginia.”
“Is there anywhere you can’t hack?” he asked in amazement.
Dimples formed in Armoni’s round cheeks. “Not really, but that’s beside the point. I believe it was Mia calling her daughter. The voice pattern is nearly a perfect match, once you compensate for static and interference.”
“Were you able to pinpoint an exact location?” he asked, growing more hopeful.
She went to the table and spun her laptop around. There he saw a map of Greenland and in the center of the island a blinking red dot.
“Oh, you’re an angel,” he said pulling her into a bear hug. Armoni struggled for a moment until she reluctantly gave in and hugged him back.
“Mr. Cooper,” Pedro said, summoning them over. “I’m sorry to inform you, your friend has passed.”
Ollie’s gaze moved down to Kay’s still form. She was lying on her back, arms by her side, her chin perched at a dignified angle.
“I wish there was more I could have done,” Pedro said, his hands pressed together. “But she lost too much blood.”
Ollie felt his legs grow weak. He sat by her bedside, clasping one of her hands. The look of pain on Kay’s face was gone. So too was the sweat that had covered her brow only moments before. She might have been sleeping. She was at peace. She was with Derek. And right now that was all that mattered.
Chapter 51
Sitting in her cabin, Mia hung up the satellite phone and stared at it, that painful longing for home greater now than ever. Hearing Zoey’s voice again had refilled her depleted reservoir and reminded her in the most concrete way possible why she was here and what she had come to do.
The sat phone itself was one she had stolen from the communicat
ions room. There would be hell to pay, she was sure. But she needed to tell her daughter how much she loved her. If she didn’t do it now, she might not get another chance.
Mia was coming out of her cabin when rough hands grabbed her by the arms.
“What are you doing?” she said, struggling to free herself. “You’re hurting me.”
She looked up at the hard faces staring down at her. Alan’s men began dragging her through the corridor.
Down the hall, a handful of scientists and technicians were gathered in the social module. A few of them stood and came to her aid. An older man with a white beard got close, yelling at them to stop. They ignored him until he grabbed the guard’s arm and was flung back against the wall. His head made a loud cracking sound before he sank to the floor. That seemed to sap the gusto out of the rest of them, who stared blankly as Mia was hustled up to the second floor where Alan was waiting. Next to him stood another guard holding Sofia and Noemi each by one arm. The looks of terror on the girls’ faces made Mia’s heart break. But it was Jansson standing nearby that made it shatter into pieces.
“I’m sorry, Mia,” she repeated over and over, her eyes red with tears of remorse. “I had to do it for my family. I’m sorry.”
Behind Alan stood Admiral Stark, a disgusted look on his face. “I can’t let you do this,” he said, bolstering as much authority as he could muster.
“The President of the United States is still your boss, is he not?” Alan told him. “Admiral, your family has served this country honorably for generations. Do you really want to be the Stark who sullied that sterling reputation? Treason does not suit you.”
The admiral’s eyes fell.
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