His life has no meaning any more. But he will not disappear anonymously and neither will he be waiting for the Special Forces to kill him! No, he will not give anyone this satisfaction. Nihil raises his head. Now his eyes are icy. He has devised a terrible revenge, which will guarantee his immortality.
He takes a little box out of his pocket and strokes its shiny surface.
"My children, I am entrusting you with an important task."
Nihil opens the lid. He stares at its contents before pouring them gently on the ground. Thousands of viral programs spread in all directions and slip into the cracks.
"Go forth and multiply. Most of all, when in twenty-four hours you outnumber the inhabitants, infect them!"
He closes his eyes and smiles: soon his programs will leave the cracks, covering the cave with a black velvet layer. He imagines them becoming invisible in the daylight, ready to contaminate every life form.
"They will be my army." An army against which no defense exists. He goes through his pockets again. Then he opens his fist. In the palm, a transmitter.
Meanwhile the followers have gathered in a corner. The detonations, the smoke, the bodies torn to pieces. All vivid memories. They have lost their companions, but what is most important, now they risk the same end.
A youth sitting on a boulder, raises his head.
“What if…?” he whispers.
The others exchange quick looks. One of them points at Nihil, who now is leaning against the wall, absorbed in thought. “He will not surrender, nor will he agree to let us go.”
They all remember what happened to the novice, some of them having been present, others informed. Too risky.
They disperse without adding anything else. A follower keeps on staring at Nihil, who, meanwhile, has closed his eyes. It is unlikely that such a favorable situation will repeat itself. The young man goes near the exit and sits down. He turns towards his guide again, who is swinging his head at every breath: he must be asleep.
Now or never! He springs to his feet, plunges into the tunnel. His companions give a start, someone thinks of following him, but in the end all of them remain paralyzed.
Nihil opens his eyes wide. He dashes off in pursuit. The followers throng round the exit, listening to the noise of the battle. The two reappear. The young man walks in front. Nihil is behind, pushing him forward. They pass through the small crowd and reach the center. Nihil darts a fiery glance at his prey. Then he addresses his most trustworthy followers: “Hold him tight.”
But he doesn’t jump at him. For a few moments, he scans the faces. “I will be back soon.”
He goes to a recess, and from there observes the group. Now the followers have gathered round the fugitive and are speaking in low voices. A bad sign: they understand each other.
Nihil clenches his fists, but keeps still.
He had learned from the old man how to control his instincts and to act rationally. Techniques he has not put into practice recently, being sure of his superiority and concentrating on his plan.
Now these methods are essential to win back the followers’ trust. But he must resort to all his self-control. He heaves a sigh and clears his mind of suspicion. With a quiet expression, he joins the group. He stops in front of the deserter. Two followers are holding him tightly by the arms.
“You cannot save yourself by running away,” starts Nihil. “You saw what happened to the others. Security is looking for us everywhere. We can get off only remaining together.”
He addresses the group: “I have more experience than everybody else. Without me, you all will come to a bad end.”
At this point the youth raises his head. He is shaking like a leaf. “They will kill us,” he stammers. He turns towards his companions. “Tell him we must surrender!”
Nihil has heard the one word he had erased from his vocabulary. He flings an arm round the fugitive’s neck and shoves him to the ground…
He stops, suddenly. He stares at his victim for a moment, then, without adding anything else, disappears into the recess again. Sitting on a rock, he listens to the followers’ footsteps, clear at the beginning, then more and more distant. But he remains motionless, waiting for the events.
"Nothing is going to change, however."
WAITING FOR REVENGE
@
An endless walk, the way faintly lit step by step, without any point of reference. Along smelly gutters, across such narrow passages that it is impossible to go through except by crawling on all fours. With the risk of coming out in a blind alley. Many hours later, the tunnel widens out. The dirt floor is followed by paving. Nihil quickens his steps, but he doesn’t let himself be carried away by euphoria: as he gets near the upper world, risk increases.
The tunnel ends with a flight of steps. He points the flashlight upwards. A few meters farther, a metal door, without a handle, without a lock. He reaches the landing, and touches its surface lightly. The door creaks on its hinges.
Nihil takes a step into the dark. The place lightens. He is in a green room, with stairs on the right. A flight of stairs that seems endless. He has got into the basement of a skyscraper. Up there he will be safe: they are hunting him in the underground world. He starts to climb holding on to the hand rail.
Every now and then he stops for a short rest, or raises his eyes in search of a destination that is never reached. Half a day later, the ceiling appears. He rushes to the landing and opens the door.
A blinding brightness. He shields his eyes with a hand and looks around. He has ended up on a terrace, beyond there is nothing but the sky. The highest skyscraper in the town.
Leaning against the security rail, Nihil looks spellbound at three skyscrapers standing against the light like black giants. On the opposite side, others reflect the flaming red of the sunset in their windows. He leans out. A few kilometers below, wide streets and elegant buildings, parks and sheets of water follow one another. In the distance a flock of birds alights on a roof. He forgets his anger.
On the horizon, a row of black dots appears: the Security ovoids! He rushes to a low wall and crouches down behind it. He keeps still, holding his breath. A hiss. Five shadows are running across the roof. The aircrafts disappear in the distance. He stands up and looks at the town again, but this time in a different mood: in his eyes there is grudge, nothing but an immense grudge.
"All this was to have been mine."
Nihil goes to the security rail again. With outstretched arms, he stares into space. Then he turns. In the middle of the terrace, towers a structure with a ladder, ending with a balcony, from which the majestic mast with the flag of Alpha Centauri soars into the sky.
He climbs the steps up to the balcony. Now he is really at the highest point of the town. The sun has set and its purple train is fading away. Above, the sky is getting dark, but the stars are not twinkling yet. A gust of wind.
He grasps the railing and climbs over it. Then he sits on the edge dangling his legs in the void.
He stares at the tiny transmitter in his palm. "Soon I will take my revenge!" He casts a contemptuous glance at the town. "Now!"
He doesn’t transmit any signal. Better to wait until they find him. He smiles at the thought of his persecutors passing from triumph to despair. He remains on the edge, while the icy wind lashes his face and makes his garments flutter.
GENERAL HEADQUARTERS
Defense General Headquarters, Earth.
The gynoid’s body lies on the couch.
When Eve recovers consciousness, General Marcus Rand is next to her. “As soon as I was told about your arrival, I rushed here.”
The woman feels numb. She slowly gets into a sitting position on the couch. “Marcus, I need to embark on the Caravels.”
“What for?”
Eve explains the situation.
“Only the Staff can take this decision. I will fix a meeting.”
The man steps aside and starts speaking to his superiors.
He rejoins the woman. “We are
meeting in half an hour.”
“I knew I could count on you.”
“We have to hurry up.”
Eve jumps to her feet. They enter a corridor and then an elevator.
“We are descending to a depth of two kilometers.”
They fasten their seat belts. A small object rises from the floor and begins hovering. They are in free fall. The elevator starts decelerating; electromagnetic brakes are working.
The door opens in front of the imposing entrance of a nuclear bunker. Eve has always dreamt of entering this place, where the Staff takes vital decisions for the safety of the Confederation and develops strategies towards a distant future. When she served in the army, it was the most coveted goal, for her as well as for many other young officers eager to excel. Most of all, it was an unshakeable point of reference. And now she has the honor of entering it as a civilian, in the same way as heads of state.
They walk along a corridor. She senses the prying eyes of the cameras.
At the end, a robot is guarding a door. They enter the hall. Behind a majestic table, five staff officers are waiting for them.
Eve stops a few meters away, and even though she has not belonged to the army for many years, she springs to attention. Marcus remains a few steps back.
From the center, the elderly officer gazes at her. He is white-haired and has a dark blue uniform with medals.
“General Marcus Rand informed us about your proposal,” begins the Chief of Staff. “You deserve the greatest attention, because of your brilliant past in the army and the help you have recently provided us.”
He looks through a dossier. “You distinguished yourself in the Red Helmets by foiling a terrorist attack which used nuclear weapons. You were decorated for bravery and awarded several citations. You were destined to reach the peak of a military career. Instead you resigned.”
The Chief of Staff pauses. “You are probably wondering why in all these years, we never stopped being interested in you.”
Eve has an impassive gaze - just a blink. Meanwhile the officer continues: “After the military academy, you accepted to undergo a treatment able to improve your mental and physical characteristics. A very secret experiment, that Defense was trying for the first time on a human being. Your memory of the cure was erased, in order not to influence your behavior.
When you resigned from the Defense, we had a moment of hesitation. Finally, we set you free; surely your behavior in other fields would be very interesting as well. This regularly happened. You worked in AISI, distinguishing yourself by the quality of your research.”
His face darkens. “While belonging to the Certification Committee, you were charged with corruption. The scandal was a surprise to us. We didn’t want your life to have anything hidden from us, so we put General Marcus Rand in charge of an enquiry. It was all a plot.
With the brain digitization, you became a virtual being with unique characteristics. You got in touch with the Elects, an organization we appreciated for its participants’ merits. You started transferring your characteristics to its members. Thanks to you, the Elects succeeded in escaping Security, but most of all they began transforming into a new race.”
He gives her a piercing look. “Let’s get to the point. You want to recover the population and stop Nihil. How can you manage it?”
“Once Nihil showed me a new virus. He wanted me to study it, but when I asked how he had got it, I didn’t receive any answer. A few days later, he wanted me to erase it from my computer. However I had enough time to study it.”
“How are you going to develop a treatment?”
“I need the Defense’s simulator.”
The legendary supercomputer which is more powerful than all the other machines in the solar system put together. Placed under kilometers of rocks. One of the most closely guarded military secrets.
The high-rank officer puts on a solemn expression. “Our computer is engaged with important projects and to meet your proposal, we would have to delay the activities in progress. Nevertheless we are willing to listen to your reasons.”
“As you know,” begins Eve, “the virus is lethal. We cannot restore the population, because the backups have been erased. We must develop a treatment, but if we fail, no one will survive.
I applied to you for three reasons.
First of all the Defense supercomputer is the only one that can perform such complex computations in a few days. The other machines would require months.
Secondly, this computer uses unique simulation programs.”
“How do you know what software we have at our disposal?” asks the Chief of Staff.
“I was the one who developed them. The Defense entrusted AISI with this project.”
The officers talk in low voices.
“You mean…” intervenes the top officer, “that you not only have a deep knowledge of the infection, but also of the tools necessary for a cure. In conclusion, you can judge the need for the simulator better than anybody else.”
“So far I have explained two reasons. The third one is that I have already worked with the scientists of the Defense. They are the best team I have ever met. With their help, I am sure I will succeed.”
“The Chief of Staff reads an hologram: “In exchange for your help, you ask to continue the voyage to Alpha Centauri with the Elects. Explain to us the reason.”
“The Alpha Centauri Project marks the beginning of a new era. We want to contribute. You know what I mean.”
The Chief of Staff ends the meeting: “Thank you, captain.”
The sitting is adjourned.
When it is resumed half an hour later, the most senior officer stares at the young woman who is standing at attention. A proud bearing and resolute expression, like the best officers.
“Captain Dirac, you are an excellent soldier, you know Nihil better than anybody else, so much that you worked with him on some secret projects. We are sure your contribution on the Caravels will be decisive.”
He gives a deep sigh. “The Alpha Centauri Project will take the digital people to another solar system. But there is a second and even more ambitious objective, that we have kept secret till now. We believe that, far from human influence, the digital beings will be able to express their potential at best. We are looking for people that can help us to reach this objective.
Therefore the President of the Confederation, having consulted the Net representatives, has decided to accept your proposal. Our simulator is at your disposal, Captain.”
He points to the officer behind Eve. “From now on you can address your requests directly to General Marcus Rand. The Alpha Centauri project has top priority.”
Eve and the young officer take their leave. They reach the elevator.
“You made a hit with him!” jokes the man.
“Thank you for your help, Marcus. You had me put on board and in charge of so important tasks…”
“You know this work better than anybody else.”
On the tips of her toes, Eve kisses him on a cheek.
Now they are on the terrace. They stride towards a streamlined aircraft parked in the middle.
The man hands over a suit. “We will be at the simulator in half an hour.”
They climb the ladder and slip into the cockpit. The engines are hissing. An instant later the aircraft rockets into the sky.
A LEAP INTO THE PAST
General Marcus Rand stops a dozen meters from the entrance. “I cannot go any further.”
Eve looks at him calmly. “If a solution exists, I will find it. In a few days it will all be over.”
“I will be here.”
The woman sets out along the corridor. After fifty meters, she enters a circular room. At the center, is a black column about her height and twenty centimeters thick.
“Here I am.”
“I was waiting for you.”
When she closes her eyes, her programs are sucked into the computer.
She protects her eyes with a hand. Now sh
e is in a space without walls, filled with an intense brightness. Ten individuals in spotless uniforms are standing around her: the Defense scientists.
“Welcome back, Eve!” greets her the highest ranking officer. “Many changes have occurred since you left.”
Her memories flood back.
Everything started about thirty years before on a clear spring morning, when the AISI director called for Eve.
“You have to go urgently to a military base to join a secret project. You will maintain your job with the Certification Committee, but you have to discontinue any other activity.”
“What else?” asked Eve impassively.
“A military ovoid will pick you up in two hours.”
She handed over all her projects. Towards midday, she embarked on the aircraft. A dark restricted space; small portholes along the fuselage. The aircraft headed for the desert to the south of the town, an expanse of black lava stones interrupted every now and then by majestic monoliths. A place she knew well, because she had climbed a few of those peaks. Nevertheless, she was unaware of the existence of the military base.
An hour later, the ovoid landed in the middle of the desert. A dried up square bounded by a ten–meter-high wall, topped with barbed wire, with a huge block of reinforced concrete in the middle. Burning air. Cameras and sensors all around.
Three sparkling robots were waiting for her.
“Doctor Dirac. Follow us, please.”
They escorted her into the building. A garage with a row of electric vehicles lined up along a wall, and the entry to a tunnel on the opposite side. They got into the first trolley that, through a succession of hairpin bends, ran more and more steeply down the tunnel, to the entrance to the main laboratory.
After walking for a hundred meters, they reached a room, where about ten scientists were sitting round a table. A few stood up.
“How was the flight?” asked a fair-haired young man, shaking her hand.
“The automatic pilot was not talkative. I enjoyed the view of the desert. I had never been so far.”
“We have been struck by two of your articles,” stated a senior officer in a corner, with arms folded. “We will put your theories to a hard test.”