Three days after Max
’
s death, he had been loaded onto the drive and his eyes opened. Two mechanical eyes beamed with the spark of life, only to be stared back at by two more mechanical eyes.
“
Welcome back, Max. I
’
ve been waiting,
”
Luther
’
s voice said.
Max didn
’
t have a full face yet. He was nothing more than a Kelmantrium skeleton. In the center of the rib cage was a Kelmantrium box holding the crystalline hard drive. The eyes embedded in the skull were two exact replicas of the one Max had implanted in his fleshly body.
“
I can
’
t move yet, Luther.
”
“
It has only been three days
,
Max, just enough time to finish the frame and load you into the hard drive. How does it feel? Do you feel like yourself?
”
“
Exactly…right down to my final memory. I killed Kris Asimov and destroyed the interface… I didn
’
t even fully understand what I was doing when I did it, Luther!
”
“
Ah, that you did. Four more days, Max. Your wiring will be completed and this skeletal frame you inhabit will have its…
skin.
”
“
So I take it the nanobots are replicating now?
”
“
Indeed. I would like to see someone try to kill you once you are finished being made,
”
Luther said with a hint of joy in his voice.
“
However, I bear bad news…
”
“
What is it?
”
Luther turned a video screen toward Max and turned it on. The feed of Crimson dangling helplessly missing her arms, legs, jaw
,
and tongue was still playing. It took a moment for Max to recognize who she was.
By the time he did
, the feed reached its
loop timer and images of the entire event started again.
“
What happened?
”
his mechanical voice screamed.
“
She was caught… Her resistance failed. Even more, the government is planning to turn everyone into obedient slaves by the end of the month with the help of…Thomas—
”
“
Cudrow? That bastard! What then of Zarfa?
”
“
I don
’
t know, master. I do not have his com-link number and with the interface being down, I had no way to find it. Perhaps you remember?
”
Max thought back and recalled seeing Crimson dial it in.
“
I do. One. Four. Seven. Nine. Nine. Eight. Zero. Dial it in my communicator, please.
”
Luther did as Max asked.
“
Max?
”
“
It
’
s ringing, Luther.
”
*
*
*
*
“
I think you
’
re going to want to see this
,
commander,
”
Zajifa radioed to Zarfa.
They had been searching the tunnels for days for a source of food. Zajifa
’
s voice had the sound of glee and excitement in it. Zarfa had been resting when he heard the voice echo over his radio. He scrambled quickly over to it to respond.
“
Yeah? Yeah? What is it?
”
he questioned in excitement.
“
Hydroponics, food, real food. Not replicated crap. It appears the soil this deep is rich in nutrients. There is enough growing here to feed us all! Not to mention the storehouses I found. Everything is going to be fine, brother, food, water, what more could those down here with us want?
”
“
Ha! I
’
ll let them tell you. It has been nothing but whining and complaining from them. Even threats and murmuring about me and we have only been down here a few days,
”
Zarfa laughed.
He
got to his feet and motioned for his group to follow him. The caves were vast and impressive. There wasn
’
t a single inch not well lit and reinforced. They had been wandering in the caves for three days and still hadn
’
t gone lower than the second level.
Zarfa kept getting an eerie feeling that they may not be the only ones down there still, so he commanded that everyone remain on high alert. Unfortunately, this had resulted in some collateral damage from people with twitchy trigger fingers.
“
I can see you on my scanner, Zajifa. Hold your position until my crew arrives. It might be several hours,
”
he said with his voice full of cheer.
“
Oh you don
’
t have to ask me twice, brother,
”
Zajifa said. Zarfa could hear the smile in his voice.
“
Brother,
”
the radio piped up. It was Sarah.
“
Yes, Sarah?
”
“
You might want to see this too. We found… Uhhh…well…a hatchery?
”
“
Wasps?
”
“
Not quite.
”
“
Well tell me then.
”
“
I don
’
t want to scare anyone who might be listening in. As if being cryptic will really help my cause, but let
’
s just say… Can I hold my position and request reinforcements until you can come and give direct orders, please? Brother… Sir
?
”
“
Request granted, but it might be a couple of days. You said it
’
s a hatchery, right? How do the eggs look?
”
“
Gross.
”
“
That doesn
’
t really help me now, does it, Sarah?
”
“
Sorry, brother, but you asked. They look…podlike. I can see the embryos inside and best guess…a week before they hatch?
”
“
Okay, well, I can make it in about three to four days to your location after I meet up with Zajifa. Until then, tell me how many reinforcements you need; they
’
ll be sent.
”
“
Four hundred…to be safe. Send plasma grenades and anything that can start a fire… You know, in case.
”
“
Granted, sister,
”
Zarfa said as he turned to see the face
s
of his squad.
The talk they overheard inspired less than confidence. They all looked horrified and they weren
’
t even sure of what yet. Zarfa smiled at them and spoke.
“
Look, if my sister isn
’
t panicking then you guys ought not to worry. I have confidence whatever it is, she can handle it.
”
The men all laughed as they cheered Zarfa on. He had a way about him that inspired good morale and confidence. Very few questioned his leadership and he seemed to be getting better at it as each day passed.
The men that were trembling before looked at him and saw that confidence and integrity filled his face and valor shined though his eyes. The way he walked was with the strut of a lion and many took pride in following him. The air about him could cheer up the most depressed and gloomy of souls and many desired
just
to bask in his presence.
Zarfa had forgotten that anyone may want to contact him by his communicator over the three days he had been in the caverns. When it rang in his ear, it caught him off guard and startled, he jumped. He felt the blood drain from his face and the men in his squad who had never seen him show fear, laughed.
Zarfa quickly answered the call.
“
Yes? Who is this?
”
“
Zarfa, you may not recognize my voice… It
’
s Max.
”
Zarfa looked confused and his men wondered who he was speaking with.
“
Okay? How? I tried calling you days ago and your communicator didn
’
t ring. That tells me that—
”
“
I died.
”
They were both silent for a moment. His men watched in anticipation.
“
Have you heard of a brilliant scientist named Luther Dewaldt?
He was a leading developmental research scientist in the field of neurosciences over twenty years ago. He discovered how to back up people
’
s personalities in the form of data. He was assassinated and his lab destroyed upon making a great breakthrough. What the Alexarien government that commanded this be done didn
’
t realize was that the machines they destroyed were mocks. He had already sold them to a wealthy man who wanted them as monuments of scientific progress.
“
Luther himself was backed up and restored elsewhere. He lives today. Though the storage mediums they had at the time couldn
’
t fit his whole psyche, he is here next to me in part. Anyhow, with the use of his technology and a new storage medium, I am…
r
esurrected, one might say?
”
His mechanical voice rang over the communicator.
“
Wow, Max… I don
’
t know what to say. Have you—
”
“
Heard the news?
”
they questioned simultaneously.
“
You first,
”
Max said.
“
Crimson saved us. With her storms and whatever it was you provided her with, she wiped out the Faraza and the Psyker Screams almost instantly! It was amazing, some even called it a miracle. If she had a presence here, I am sure some would be worshipping her at her feet here. The old ways never die, Max.
“
However, after that, she called me panicked-sounding. I haven
’
t heard from her yet. Right now, my army and I are hiding underground in the tunnels dug out by the wasps. The same ones the Faraza inhabited.
You see, upon trying to return to Ilyeion…we were declared enemies of the state. Their military opened fire on us unsuspecting. It was awful; thousands died before we realized the need to retreat. Now we are just trying to survive underground, planning our next move. Kind of ironic, we became Faraza…so to speak, hiding in the tunnels, waiting for a moment to strike.
”
“
Very grave news indeed, Zarfa. I am sorry to hear of your losses.
”
“
Thank you, Max, but I guess this is the price of war. The cost of freedom.
”
“
It
’
s a shame, but it is. Now I don
’
t suspect you have access to any video feeds down there, do you?
”
Max asked.
“
Not that we have found. Just today my second in command Zajifa found us food! And Sarah found us…
s
omething.
”
“
Very good then, I will tell you the part you missed. Synaptix is gone, erased. The interface is destroyed. I did that, thank you very much. However, I have bittersweet news. Crimson
’
s army turned into nothing more than an uncontrolled riot. Crimson is still alive, but Zarfa…so is your father.
”
Max paused to let Zarfa feel the impact of the news.
“
But? How? Wait! Crimson! Why hasn
’
t she answered my calls?
”
“
When you
’
re missing your arms, legs, jaw
,
and tongue…it puts a damper on communications. I am not sure how, but they caught her, the military that is. The weather is acting strange because they destroyed the Pilvikones and the earth isn
’
t able to cope. I assume that stripping her of her power was how they brought her down. If you ask me, they should have known destroying the machines would cause this. Their greed and their disregard for anyone other than their own selves caused them to bring destruction to take down one person. If anyone is weak in my eyes, it
’
s them.