The Primarch launched itself at Sam with an enraged howl, its massive claws swiping through the air towards him. Sam didn’t even flinch; he simply raised one hand into the air and the Primarch was instantly frozen in mid-strike, hovering centimetres above the ground.
‘All of this is mine now,’ Sam said, taking a single step towards the creature and bringing his face close to the Primarch’s as it struggled fruitlessly against the invisible force that was holding it in place. ‘Including you.’
‘Release me, child,’ the Primarch spat. ‘Or are you too much of a coward to face me as a warrior?’
‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ Sam replied. ‘I’m not going to fight you.’ He gave the tiniest wave of his hand and the Primarch’s arm, still raised for a killing blow, lowered to its side. ‘I don’t need to.’
‘No!’ the Primarch screamed. ‘I will not let you take my Voidborn from me!’
‘So now you understand,’ Sam said, a cold edge of distilled rage in his voice, ‘how it feels to lose everything.’ He walked around the frozen Primarch. ‘Now I have a gift for you.’ He raised his hand again, holding it above the Primarch’s head. ‘You brought agony to the Earth and I think it’s time you had a taste of it yourself.’
Sam reached out to the Voidborn with a thought; the act of connecting with the alien hive-mind was completely effortless. He sought out the devices scattered around the surface of the Earth that were twisting the Illuminate control signal and instantly brought an end to the suffering of every Sleeper on the face of the planet. Around the world the enslaved masses of humanity dropped back into a deep, dreamless sleep, their torment brought to an end as quickly as it had started.
‘Do you know how it felt?’ Sam asked the Primarch, his voice a whisper. ‘No? Let me show you.’ With a thought, Sam inflicted the same searing agony on the Primarch that humanity had been feeling for the past few days. The creature let out a ragged, howling scream as overwhelming waves of pain seared through its body. Sam relented after a few seconds, releasing the Primarch from its torment. ‘You’re going back to the dark, Sabiss, but this time you won’t be alone; you will have that pain for company for all eternity.’
‘No,’ the Primarch gasped. ‘Anything but that, anything. You can’t send me back to the darkness, please . . . no . . . If you have any mercy within you . . .’
‘I’ll show you the same mercy you showed ten million people in London,’ Sam said without a hint of emotion. ‘I’ll show you the same mercy you showed my family.’ Sam raised his hand.
‘Then destroy me!’ the Primarch screamed. ‘If you would punish me for what I have done, then kill me. You said you would watch me die!’
‘And I will,’ Sam replied. ‘One day.’
Sam clenched his open hand into a fist and with a hideous scream the Primarch seemed to fold in upon itself, the nanites that composed its body swirling inwards, compressing relentlessly. A moment later a black crystal, no bigger than a man’s thumb, hovered in the air where the Primarch had once stood. Sam reached out and plucked the crystal from the air, examining it for an instant before tossing it into the glowing pool of raw Voidborn nanites. He turned towards Mag and Jay, who were slowly climbing to their feet and dusting themselves off. They still had slightly wide-eyed bewildered expressions on their faces as he walked towards them.
‘Are you both OK?’ Sam asked.
‘You’re asking us?’ Jay replied, shaking his head in disbelief. ‘Man, we thought you were dead. When you jumped into that thing and . . . well . . . It looked like it ripped you to pieces. What happened?’
‘I’ll explain later,’ Sam said. ‘Let’s go home first.’
‘Is that it, then?’ Mag asked, looking around the massive chamber. ‘Did we win?’
‘No,’ Sam replied, ‘we didn’t.’
His shape shifted as the Voidborn armour he had been wearing vanished and his normal human features returned. ‘There’s something I have to tell you. It’s about London . . .’
‘What happened to them?’ Anne asked, crouching down beside Will.
‘No idea,’ Will said, staring at the tiny insect-like drone in the palm of his hand. ‘They’re all like this.’ He tossed the swarm drone back into the knee-high drifts of identical and equally inert creatures that covered the canyon floor around them. He, Jack, Anne and Nat had been about to evacuate the area when something happened to the swarm. It was as if someone had just switched them off, the entire swarm deactivating at precisely the same instant.
‘You sure these things are dead?’ Jack asked, prodding at another heap of the drones with the toe of his boot.
‘Well, it’s impossible to be completely certain,’ Will said, ‘but they’re not showing any signs of reactivation. That’s a positive sign.’
‘Hey, don’t get me wrong,’ Jack said. ‘I much prefer them this way. I’m just wondering what happened to them.’
‘Maybe whoever sent them didn’t need them any more after they kicked our asses,’ Nat said with a sigh.
‘That is a possibility, yes,’ Will replied. ‘A pretty depressing one, though.’
‘Still, doesn’t answer the question of what we’re supposed to do . . .’ Jack fell silent mid-sentence as a massive shadow suddenly swept across the canyon floor. They all looked upwards as the mysterious alien vessel that had vanished with Sam, Jay and Mag on board barely an hour ago descended quickly towards them.
‘I don’t know about you guys, but I think it would be a really good idea if we got the hell out of here,’ Jack said.
‘Yeah,’ Anne agreed. ‘I think you might just be right.’
Will ran over to Jack, wrapping his arms tightly around his friend’s waist and activating his suit’s flight systems, sending them both shooting into the air. Nat and Anne were right behind them, powering up from the canyon floor and rocketing into the bright blue sky. The two girls weaved evasively through the air as the giant ship dropped towards them, hoping to distract the massive ship’s attention away from Will and Jack, whose comparative lack of agility made them far more vulnerable.
‘Where do you think you’re going?’ Jay asked, his voice clear across the comms system.
‘Jay?’ Nat asked. ‘Where are you? Are you still on board that thing?’
‘Yeah,’ Jay replied, ‘this is probably going to sound a little weird . . .’
It took a couple of minutes for Jay to explain to the others what had just happened on board the alien vessel. It dropped into a hover above the canyon, a portal opening above the giant glowing red eye at its centre. Nat was the first to land on the platform, relieved to see Jay, Mag and Sam all walking towards her, looking relatively unscathed.
‘I’m so happy to see you guys,’ Nat said. ‘When this thing flew off with you on board, I thought . . . we all thought that we’d never see you again. I can’t believe that . . . What’s wrong?’
Nat stopped abruptly as she saw the expressions on her friends’ faces. She did not yet understand the terrible truth. The war had indeed been won, but the cost had been almost too high to bear.
‘We need to go home,’ Sam said. ‘There’s something you all have to see.’
Sam walked through the empty streets of the Illuminate city. Unlike the last time he had visited the Heart, he was not wearing the body of some dead Illuminate. Now he could wear whatever body he wanted. He walked into the gleaming tower and through the beautiful entrance hall inside, before stepping into the beam of light that would transport him to the council chamber. As he stepped out, a frown passed across his face.
‘There’s no point hiding,’ Sam said to the empty room. ‘I can wait for ever if needs be.’
The chamber lit up with blue light and Selenne appeared in front of him, wearing her council robes.
‘I thought I’d find you here,’ Sam said, staring at her. ‘I came to tell you what I’ve decided.’
‘Sam, please –’
‘I don’t want to hear any more of your lies, Selenne,’ he said, shaking
his head.
‘Then, tell me, what do you intend to do with us?’ Selenne asked.
‘I have to make sure that my world is protected from you,’ Sam said. ‘You understand that, right?’
‘Sam, we meant you no harm, we would never have –’
‘I said no more lies, Selenne,’ Sam replied angrily, his eyes flaring with red light.
‘It doesn’t have to be like this,’ Selenne said. ‘We can coexist now that the Voidborn are gone. We can help humanity, give you our technologies, whatever you need. We –’
‘Enough,’ Sam said. ‘I didn’t come here to hear you beg, Selenne. I came to tell you my decision. The Earth is ours. This world –’ he gestured to the city beyond the council chamber windows – ‘is yours. You will never leave this place again.’
‘No, please, Sam, this world is not real,’ Selenne pleaded. ‘You cannot leave us here, trapped in a dream!’
‘It’s a kinder fate than the one you had in mind for us,’ Sam replied. ‘Goodbye, Selenne.’
‘No, Sam! Wait!’
But Sam was already gone.
12
One Year Later
Jay walked down the drop-ship’s boarding ramp, pulling at the uncomfortably tight collar of his shirt. Mag came towards him with a broad grin on her face, throwing her arms around him and hugging him hard.
‘You do know you look super hot in a suit and tie, don’t you?’ she said.
‘I feel like I’m wearing a straitjacket,’ Jay replied with a sigh. ‘I’m just glad that I’ve only got to keep this ridiculous get-up on for an hour or two.’
‘Oh, stop moaning,’ Mag laughed. ‘The others are dying to see you.’
He followed Mag through the immaculately maintained park, its sweeping paths surrounded by manicured lawns and carefully tended flower beds. The half-dozen close-protection agents who were surrounding them at a respectful distance did their typically terrible job of being invisible. As they walked, the people who were wandering around the park looked furtively in their direction, whispering to each other as they passed. Jay wondered if he’d ever get used to it. He’d decided a while ago that he’d rather fight a dozen Grendels than have to put up with people treating him like he was some kind of celebrity, but it wasn’t like he had a lot of say in the matter. He was, after all, one of the six most famous people on Earth.
‘Mr Sawyer,’ said the sharply dressed man who was waiting at the entrance gate as they approached.
‘Jay,’ he replied, ‘please. No one calls me that.’
‘Sorry . . . erm . . . yes, of course,’ the man said. ‘I’m so glad you’re here. The dedication ceremony is about to begin. Please follow me.’ He gestured for them to accompany him through the entrance, leading the pair into a lawned area that was lined with seats, most of which were now occupied with conspicuously important people and dignitaries of one description or another.
‘Just make sure I don’t end up talking to the prime minister again,’ Jay said quietly to Mag as the man led them between the rows of seats towards the front of the lawn. ‘She bores me rigid.’
‘I’ll keep an eye out for you,’ Mag said with a smile. ‘Don’t worry.’
‘Jay!’ Nat squealed with excitement as she saw him approaching. She and Anne ran down the aisle between the seats, almost knocking him over as they both hugged him. ‘I thought you were still in China?’
‘I was,’ Jay said with a smile. ‘They’ve got most of the power grid back up now. They think they’re going to be ready to wake the next group of Sleepers within a month. There was no way I was going to miss this, though. Even if it did mean a couple of hours of handshake duty.’
‘You’ve just lost me some money,’ Jack said with a grin, hugging Jay. ‘I bet this lot you wouldn’t show today.’
‘Like to keep you guessing,’ Jay said, clapping his friend on the back. ‘Besides, I wanted to see what you’d been up to. How’re you getting on with the reconstruction?’
‘Slowly,’ Jack said. ‘Come on, I’ll show you.’ He gestured for Jay to follow him and the pair of them walked past the lectern and screen that were set up in front of the rows of seats and towards the railing at the end of the lawn. Beyond the barrier the lawn disappeared and the ground dropped away in a steep slope. The London crater extended ten miles into the distance, its opposite side barely visible through the haze. All around the edge of the crater, new buildings were under construction and Jay could just make out the Voidborn Hunters swarming around their skeletal steel frameworks.
‘Those things still make me nervous,’ Jay said.
‘We don’t call them Hunters now obviously,’ Jack said. ‘They’re just construction drones. But, yeah, I do know what you mean. At least we don’t have to worry about the person controlling them any more.’
‘I guess not,’ Jay said quietly.
‘Is he coming today?’ Jack asked.
‘I’ve got no idea,’ Jay replied. ‘I haven’t seen him in months.’
‘He’s busy, I suppose,’ Jack said. ‘Will saw him last month. A dam collapsed in Canada and he showed up there to help with the rescue efforts. Will didn’t speak to him, but . . .’
‘Let’s get back,’ Jay said, after staring down into the crater for a few seconds.
They walked back to the seating area and took their places in their reserved seats at the front.
After a couple of minutes, the crowd fell silent as the prime minister took the stage. She stood there for a moment and then addressed the crowd.
‘Ladies and gentlemen,’ she said, ‘we have come here today to unveil the London Memorial, and while this is inevitably a time of sadness and reflection for us all, we should also take this opportunity to recognise the bravery of the people we are so lucky to have join us here today . . .’
An hour later, the ceremony was over and Jay studied the list of names carved into the slab of black marble on the monument in front of him. The others had left for the reception that was taking place in a marquee nearby. He stood there alone, his bodyguards standing near the entrance to the garden and keeping a wary eye on him. To most people, they were the names of heroes, names that would be found in history books for centuries to come, but to him they were dead friends.
‘Hello, Jay,’ Sam said.
Jay spun round to see his friend standing just a couple of metres away, as if he had simply appeared from thin air.
‘I didn’t think you were coming,’ Jay said, trying to keep the emotion from his voice.
‘I wasn’t going to. I don’t like coming here.’
‘None of us do. I’m glad you did, though. I’ve missed you, Sam. We all have.’
‘I’ve had a lot to do,’ Sam said. ‘There’s a world to fix.’
‘Yeah, I guess there is,’ Jay replied. There was something different about his friend and there had been ever since the defeat of the Primarch. He was cold and distant, not at all the person Jay had once known.
‘It’s Nat’s birthday next week,’ Jay said. ‘She’s having the biggest party imaginable, of course. It would mean a lot to her if you came.’
‘I’ll try to be there,’ Sam replied.
‘No, you won’t,’ Jay said. ‘What is it, Sam? What happened to you?’
‘Everything.’ Sam looked at Jay with a haunted expression. An instant later he vanished, leaving just a faint cloud of glowing particles hanging in the air.
Jay turned back to the memorial.
‘There’s one name missing,’ he whispered to himself.
Far above the Earth, someone looked down on his home planet, feeling the input from the countless Voidborn below that worked tirelessly to restore the war-torn world.
He wasn’t Sam Riley any more. He wasn’t the last of the Illuminate. He wasn’t the Primarch of the Voidborn. He was all of those things.
The humans below were slowly being roused from their long sleep, as their society rebuilt itself to a point where all the Sleepers could finally be woken once more. Until t
hen he would stand guard over the planet below, help it rebuild, help it grow. Watching over humanity.
And then, when the time was right, he would lead his people to the stars.
MARK WALDEN is the author of the Earthfall series. He was one of few who saw the danger coming.
With a small group of resisters he is able to document events and send them via simulated wormhole to present-day Earth. he hopes that you read them. Then you too will be prepared.
Before Earthfall, Mark worked as a designer and producer of video games. He also wrote the amazing H.I.V.E. series about the school where villains rule. He was also a big fan of Star Wars. If he couldn’t be an author, he would want to be an astronaut. Now he simply hopes that you will read the Earthfall series. And prepare.
Bloomsbury Publishing, London, Oxford, New York, New Delhi and Sydney
First published in Great Britain in January 2017 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 50 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3DP
This electronic edition published in January 2017
www.bloomsbury.com
BLOOMSBURY is a registered trademark of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Copyright © Mark Walden 2017
The moral rights of the author have been asserted
All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978 1 4088 6382 4
ePUB 978 1 4088 6383 1
Mark Walden, Earth Fall
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