Evolutionary Rebel Read online

  “I picked something up and I went with it,” Myers replied.

  “The girl, she is very dangerous. Neutralize with extreme prejudice, that’s the command,” Third Order, Dr. Carlyle, said. His Original, long gone now, had been a famous astronaut and Olympian.

  “There’s something with her—” Myers tried to say.

  “Listen to me,” Bernard interrupted. “You are an Original, and revered for that. You can do things we can’t, and because of that you are outside Aion monitoring, which puts us in a very sticky situation.”

  Myers was more human than artificial, as all the Originals had been. This gave him the exceptional powers of the Replica as well as the ability to retain his original individuality. Individuality in the Replica was all but lost.

  “I understand that, Bernard, but you’re just going to have to trust me,” Myers stood up and began pacing the room.

  “Ben, we are trusting you,” Silva said. “When the Ereb used her mind trick in the bank to hold time, we lost audible control but we could see that you spoke together. We hope beyond hope that you did not disclose Aion’s new solution for the Human Problem with her.”

  He shook his head. “I did not.” Technically he hadn’t told her what terrible things Aion was planning; he had shown her.

  “Dr. Myers,” Bernard said, “when we reluctantly agreed to allow you to go out there in the human world and explore, we didn’t expect this.”

  “I didn’t either necessarily, but you can’t keep me locked up in the bunker laboratories forever.” Myers paused for a moment. “Do you know how rare an Ereb like she is among them? If we could just study her instead of kill her, it might change the course of everything.”

  “We can put you through a Calculation, because you’re sounding as if she’s compromised you,” Dr. Carlyle said. “She is quite remarkable in her own Ereb kind of way, so I could see how she could make an impression upon you.”

  Dr. Ben Myers checked himself for a moment, but despite the fact that Samantha had been incredibly complex—and unexpectedly beautiful—his motives were not at all personal. He had been studying the Ereb’s short history, and what little pieces of information he could gather about them in his laboratory, for a number of years without a live specimen or any biological material of any kind. He had been an anthropologist before Aion, and he had used DNA analysis on ancient human and pre-human fossils found around the world. The idea of studying a live Ereb in captivity thrilled him. He wondered how differently they were anatomically from their supposed human ancestors and how they had evolved so quickly as a new species.

  “Go ahead rip into my mind and you’ll see, she hasn’t gotten inside me,” Myers finally replied.

  “What is happening then? Please explain yourself, Ben,” his mother asked politely. She had long white hair tied up neatly in a bun. Her face was pleasant with soft features, just as he had remembered it. His actual mother smiled more often, however, and had warmth that the Replica mother didn’t exude. That recognition never ceased to make him mourn the loss of his actual mother.

  “I told you my theory, a possible alternative solution to the difficulties we’re having with the, Human Problem—” Myers said before he was interrupted.

  “You still haven’t told us a thing as to how that could be the case,” Carlyle cut in.

  Myers hesitated for a moment, but then went on. “She thought directly to me, and that’s unheard of. That was before Replica tracking systems picked it up.” He stopped pacing and faced them.

  “It’s completely clear now that he has in fact been compromised,” Bernard declared with a sigh.

  Myers replied in frustration, “Do you even know about them? She has something called synchronic sense. It’s a very rare trait in Ereb.”

  “You’re stepping over a line, Dr. Myers, and I would caution you. We are well aware of the Ereb domain traits,” Carlyle reprimanded him.

  Then there was a long pause while the Order conferred with Aion systems. Myers could always tell because the Order looked slightly distracted for a moment when Aion delivered a message to them. He talked on anyway.

  “All we know of the Ereb came from combat. We know nothing of them scientifically, or personally, for that matter, and now is a perfect time to try.”

  “You know the rule, Ben,” his mother said, before getting back to her communication with Aion. The Order had strictly forbidden any personal contact with the Ereb. The rigid program of Aion was clear: the Ereb were too dangerous in captivity, and the only course of action was total extermination.

  “She could offer a solution,” Myers pleaded. He truly believed that the Ereb were unstudied qualities in the environment, ones Aion hadn’t Calculated yet. Samantha was even more unique as a high-status Ereb, and she could give them essential information they lacked; information that could lead to the scientific solutions Aion sought. But as much as he tried to convince the Order, the more they advanced Aion’s program. Ereb were anomalies in the system, threats to the current equilibrium. They were to be terminated as such.

  Myers still had close friends and colleagues out in the human world. He had left them behind, losing them when he gave his life to Aion. Thinking about them as lifeless beings under Aion was tolerable—but imagining their deaths in horrific exterminations, that was intolerable.

  Bernard addressed him. “We have conferred with Aion and it has been determined. The rebels are deeply disadvantaged. Their numbers are low with extinction probabilities high. Your commands are to mobilize for attack immediately. General Zim and you will lead the Replica and we can end this dreadful war for good.”

  “You’re making a mistake,” Myers said.

  “Mistake? Aion doesn’t make mistakes. Our program has been clear and continues to be. Exterminate the Ereb. Do not try and capture one, particularly her. Is that understood, Dr. Myers?” Carlyle appeared incensed, unusually enough for an emotionless Replica.

  “We would prefer that the Ereb were finished before we start human termination to ensure success, but it doesn’t matter. We are to start Extinction Phase 1 within days,” Bernard reported.

  “Give me a little time?” Myers asked.

  “As you know, Dr. Myers, sadly enough humans are adapting, much like a virus does, to our once potent treatments of nanotechnologies. They’re simply not working any more. Humans’ natural tendencies towards violence, malevolence, and destruction will soon resurface. Aion has Calculated the only possible recourse,” Dr. Carlyle stated flatly. There was no sympathy, no remorse, only cold programmatic formulas.

  Myers didn’t bother saying another word. Once Aion had Calculated and determined anything, it was final.

  Myers held incredible power as an Original, but that power had its limits. He had to be cautious. One new Calculation from Aion could be his end. Myers knew all too well that if it came down to an Original’s survival or Aion’s, it would be Aion every time. It was time for him to take another approach, and he’d have to come up with something quickly.

  3

  SAMANTHA WALKED INTO a dark entranceway with Luca and Shark by her side. They carried two large duffle bags of cash taken from the bank. The entrance way led to what appeared to be a wall made from wooden planks. She reached around and popped open one of the loose planks, found the handle, and then pushed. The wall shifted and opened into a giant tavern room.

  The tavern was the Ereb hideout in the middle of nowhere on the outskirts of a small town outside of Buffalo City. It used to be a speakeasy with hidden doors and traps everywhere. On the outside it appeared to be the same old tavern it had been for years, and still functioned as such, but the Ereb had fortified it with steel plates in the walls. What used to be the hidden room underneath the tavern was now a weapons bunker. That’s where they kept the laser blasters, assault weapons, throwing stars, and explosive devises of all kinds, as well as large sums of cash.

  There was a group of Ereb sitting at the bar and at a high table next to it. There was Pete McDaniel, his br
other James, their little sister Janey, and James’s girlfriend, Dani.

  “Sam!” Dani jumped off her bar stool and threw her arms around her. She gazed at Samantha’s face while her hands fell around Samantha’s hips. Samantha gently took Dani’s hands away from her, but took hold of one.

  “Hey Dani,” Samantha replied. She and Dani had a lot of history.

  Dani wore the standard Ereb gear, black boots, jeans, and tank top. She always wore a tight leather biker jacket as well. Dani was jacked with muscles. She had dark skin, short hair, and bright hazel eyes. She was loaded with piercings and wore thick silver rings and bracelets. Her arms were sleeved with tattoos.

  “I see you’re down two,” Pete said, noting Little and Bags’ absences.

  “It was a shit show at the bank,” Luca replied quickly. His partially blown up leg had already healed. One of the advantages of the high-strength Ereb was their power of healing.

  “Bags is running a barrier in the parking lot, and Little…” Samantha frowned. It was never easy for her to lose an Ereb. “Replica scum hit us hard and we lost him.” There was a pause and moment of silence for a fallen Ereb.

  “Who wants a beer? What’d yah say Luca? For Little,” James said from behind the bar. He finished his bottle and grabbed another one.

  Luca shook his head. “Not now James, there’s some bad stuff going down.” “Always, when she’s around,” James replied, motioning toward Samantha. “Way to rub it in,” Samantha replied. “Last I checked, James, you hate Replica more than any of us. You always have your dirty hands in killing them.”

  James glared at her. “How about my cut of the cash?” he gulped his beer and motioned to the duffle bags.

  “I have to do an extinction check first and find some Potentials. All of the loot might have to go to them,” Samantha replied. They tried to spread the cash around to everyone to build the rebel force, but when they were really low on numbers, they held most of the cash for Potentials. They were the ones that were going to need it the most.

  “Why is Bags running a barrier now?” Pete asked. “We haven’t started an extinction level check yet.”

  “We need extra protection. Replica found us fast, and I barely used powers.” She sat down with Pete and Janey at the table while Luca finally left her side to sit with Dani and James at the bar.

  “Hi Sam!” Janey said with smile.

  “How’s my favorite girl doing?” Samantha touched Janey’s long blonde hair that fell below her shoulders. Bright blue eyes and small freckles crossed Janey’s nose and upper cheeks. Her teeth would have been perfect except for the two front ones that crunched in and poked out slightly. “You’re always looking so pretty.” She noticed Shark standing over her. “You can sit down. Relax, have a beer. You’re making me jumpy.”

  Shark nodded and went over to the bar with the others.

  “What happened?” Pete asked. Pete and James looked alike. Even though they had handsome features, their noses were flattened and slightly bent to one side. Both of them had blue eyes, like Janey, but theirs were disarmingly still. They looked like scrappy Irish boxers sitting in their ring corners. In terms of Ereb status, however, they couldn’t be any different. Pete was high on synchronic sense and intellect, a rarity, and James was all strength.

  “I ran into an Original,” Samantha said, getting to the most important piece of information in her mind. Pete’s eyebrows furrowed and his mouth opened.

  “She thinks she did,” Luca called from the bar, “but I think your head’s all screwed up. Aion got in there.”

  James reached over the bar, grabbed Dani, and pulled her up on it. “The Originals are all dead,” he said. “We just have their creepy AI lookalikes to kill now, which is fine by me.”

  “It’s certainly possible,” Pete muttered. “We don’t know the inner workings of Aion.”

  “That’s what I think,” Samantha agreed. After Aion replicated the Originals, it was a known fact that all of them had died out. They were unable to sustain the initial experimentations, leaving only their Replica counterparts. But she couldn’t help but wonder if that wasn’t entirely true. Perhaps some of the Originals lived on—or at least one of them.

  “Go ahead Sam, tell Pete what the Original wanted,” Luca blurted out. There was a mocking tone to his voice and it annoyed her. Luca would never admit it, but it was obvious to her. She didn’t need to read his mind to know what her old ancestral human female instincts could. Luca was jealous.

  “He said something about my synchronic sense and then said he wanted something from me,” Samantha said, mostly to Pete. She knew Pete would understand because he was high on synchronic sense, just like her.

  “Has meaning come to the event with the supposed Original yet?” Pete asked the obvious question, one which any synchronic sense Ereb would ask. In the world of synchronic sense, a supposed accident or coincidence revealed meaning immediately, or shortly after the event.

  Samantha nodded her head toward Pete, and then glanced at Janey.

  “Maybe you should go into the other room for a second,” Pete said to Janey.

  “No, and quit trying to patrotize me,” Janey replied.

  “It’s patronize, Janey,” Pete corrected her.

  “I don’t care, stop protecting me from what I need to know,” Janey said in defiance.

  Samantha sighed. Clearly Janey wasn’t leaving. She was stubborn just like someone she intimately knew. It was silent and everyone was waiting for her.

  “He told me that Aion…” she stopped herself for moment before she continued. “…that Aion is planning the extinction of the entire human race.” Everyone started talking at once and she interrupted. “He said if I surrender to Aion, we might be able to stop it.”

  There was a long pause. “What!?” James finally blurted.

  “He’s lying to you Sam,” Luca said, as if she was stupid if she even believed it for a second.

  “My synchronic sense and compassion told me otherwise,” she replied.

  “Then it’s got to be true!” Janey blurted out.

  James chimed in, “You’d say that because you’re high on compassion, Janey. Come on, who cares anyway? So it’d be a world without humans. It’s like they’re gone now anyway, walkin’ around drooling on themselves.” He gulped his beer.

  “Nice James, and very shortsighted.” Pete shook his head at him as everyone again started talking at once.

  “Sam cares about humans, and we serve her!” Shark announced, quieting the room because he barely ever spoke.

  “That she does, doesn’t she,” James said, acerbically.

  “And we are sworn to protect you, so the last thing you should do is surrender to Aion,” Luca asserted.

  “What was he like?” Janey asked, innocently. Samantha loved Janey like a daughter, and Janey clung to her side when they were together. They were both incredibly high on compassion, which only enhanced their connection. Samantha smiled at her and touched her hand.

  “It was hard to tell, Janey,” she replied.

  Luca groaned. “Can we get an extinction check please before none of us Ereb exist?” It was silent.

  “It’s already been too long. What, a month since last check?” Dani asked.

  “Yes, and numbers showed that we had over one hundred Actualized Ereb left,” Pete replied. Since Ereb were a very new evolutionary development from humans, they were always comparatively small in numbers, but this was dangerous. Replica attacks had been brutal lately, and everyone in the room knew it—but they needed to know the truth and get the number and location of Potentials immediately.

  “Let’s do it,” Sam told Pete. It would take the both of them to conduct an Ereb Extinction Rate. Ereb high in the synchronic sense domain was very rare to begin with, so two of them together was even more unlikely, but they were the only ones who could conduct an EER. This gave them an approximate number of functioning Actualized Ereb and a number of Potentials Ereb within a very large geographic area, like th
e entire world. But an EER would automatically alert Aion and Replica, and they didn’t do it often for that reason.

  Pete said, “Janey, would you please go outside with Bags and put another mind barrier up. Two are better than one.”

  “I don’t want to miss the Red Star!” Janey cried.

  “I don’t blame her,” Dani added.

  “They’ll be other opportunities. Go out and do what needs to be done,” Samantha told her. Janey reluctantly nodded and then walked out of the tavern with Shark accompanying her.

  After a couple of minutes, Samantha felt the energy of the second barrier. She took some deep breaths and focused her mind.

  “Ready when you are,” Pete said.

  Samantha nodded and started the EER search. She opened her mind up and felt Pete enter it immediately. Her body heated up slightly and a tiny red star began to shine from the corner of her right eye. She felt its power radiating out immediately as it grew in brightness.

  Samantha had the Red Star, the incredibly rare mark of the high-status Ereb. The star revealed itself when extinction rates were checked, but more essentially her star was used as the key that unlocked a Potential Ereb into an Actualized one.

  “There it is,” Dani announced. “Amazing.” All their eyes lit as Samantha’s burned brightly over the tavern’s dark spaces. When Samantha’s red star lit, all Ereb eye markings would come out and light up.

  The bright blue mark of strength lit from Luca, James and Dani’s eyes and appeared more like a blazing sun than a star. The rare sliver mark of synchronic sense Ereb shown from Pete’s eye.

  Whenever Samantha would actualize a Potential, their mark would show itself for the first time. Although it was incredibly unlikely, there was always a deep hope that another Red Star would emerge. With each high-status Ereb that became Actualized, their chances of survival increased dramatically. It was a cause for enormous celebration.

  “I never get sick of seeing it,” Dani muttered. Her eyes were wide open, gazing at Samantha in awe. The elegantly thin four-pointed star was slowing spinning and twisting, sending out sparks of brilliant light, searching for its species connections.