EHuman Dawn (17 page)

“Ah,” Adam began, “So all we have to do right now is get them to put on the energy pack. The program will take care of the rest.”

“That’s what we hope,” Alrisha answered.

“You seem hesitant,” Adam said.

“Well,” she continued, “most people never even realized they were under tyrannical rule. They’ve lived inside Neuro, believing the Newsreels and forgetting reality. It won’t be easy to stay off the network, not when you never felt any harm from it before. The evil of the WG is insidious. Most people in New Omaha aren’t looking for a fight or a revolution. They had no idea the WG had plans to power them off.”

Adam gazed about the room, noting the level of activity. eHumans darted everywhere, in and out of the room like bees in a hive. They were all linked via TeleSpeak and were taking orders every second. He looked at Alrisha and Dawn grimly.

“Then it’s obvious,” he declared, “the time has come to take Neuro into our own hands, once and for all. When will you be ready to plug me in?”

“Once we understand the MICE Tower and how it’s secured,” Alrisha answered, “I don’t want to plug you in until the dangers are clearer. Your safety is of the utmost importance. Edgar might have been expecting you to eventually sabotage him. I need to know if any safeguards were put into place for such an eventuality.”

“Besides,” Dawn continued, “We need to report to the Council. It’s time to introduce you to everyone and bring you on as a formal member of the inner circle. They’re eager to meet Elijah Prince.”

Adam shook slightly at her words. The knowledge of his past life didn’t make the way forward any easier. He still had a hard time believing he could have anything hidden in his database that would release the eHuman world from bondage. He felt no desire to be a messiah. Yes, he’d always wanted to be admired, and he’d always wished that he was more than a local New Omaha celebrity. Indeed, he had always had a sense that he was more important than anyone gave him credit for. But didn’t all eHumans feel that way? Wasn’t this misguided conceit
a simple part of eHuman nature? Now that he was on the verge of doing something truly important, he felt unworthy, less than perfect, and scared that he was going to let everyone down.

While Adam suffered through his feelings of inadequacy, Origen emerged from his place in the shadows of the MICE Tower and moved cautiously towards the group, enduring his own dark night of the soul. He hadn’t spoken with Dawn, other than to give and receive commands during the siege, since the revelations back at HQ. He longed for the comfort of his relationship with her—but something had changed within him. There was a darkness, a jealousy that went far beyond simple disdain. He’d lost the battle for Dawn’s heart and he knew it.

The problem was, he didn’t know what to do about it. Pursuing Dawn had filled almost every minute of every day since he could remember. The moment he had first laid eyes upon her, he had been in love.

Origen recalled the day the two of them were unveiled to the world at the 2045 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Scantily dressed, they had marched hand-in-hand onstage to an overjoyed crowd delighting in the ultimate singularity product. They were the first eHumans. The throbbing bass line of the music that had blared through the convention hall while they strutted about, showing off their various features to a spellbound audience, still echoed in Origen’s mind. He’d been the happiest man in the world on that day: immortal, strong, and beautiful, with the most important woman in the world on his arm. Dawn and Origen—the future of humanity.

Now she stood before him holding hands with a different man.

Origen felt like he was falling into an abyss. His unrequited love had been the constant fire that had kept him alive. The hope, the possibility that he would win her heart, had been the
drumbeat that had set his steps forward. The only thing left for him now was war. At least he had that.

“It’s time,” Origen said clearly, without a single hint of emotion, “The Council awaits our guidance.”

Dawn and Adam were startled by his words. They’d forgotten him in all of the excitement about the MICE Towers. The trio stood in an awkward silence. Once again, it was Alrisha who removed them from their uncomfortable situation.

“Lead the way, Commander,” she said.

Although Origen glared at her, Alrisha felt a huge sense of relief. If he could still glare, then he wasn’t dead inside. For all his shortcomings, Origen was their best warrior. The Resistance needed his malice, his fury and his anger, if they were going to hold off the WG retaliation, which was sure to happen sooner than later.

Alrisha hoped it would be later. The more time she had the better—because cracking the security kernel of Neuro had just become a lot more complex than she’d anticipated.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Adam stood before the members of the Resistance Security Council. He felt completely exposed. Their eyes also tracked Dawn as she strode across the room to stand beside him. The rumors had already spread that Elijah Prince had been found. Was he this Newsreel reporter who stood before them? Could Dawn have finally discovered the solution to their peril?

The large, open hall was ornately decorated in the typical, retro-Renaissance fashion of the WG, and as Adam’s eyes scanned the domed ceiling above his head, he noticed that the artwork depicted the legend of Prometheus. His eyes hovered upon the haunting image of a ferocious eagle, attacking the chained Prometheus, as the Titan cried out in vain to his gods, who would not lend a hand.

What sort of gods would punish someone for sharing the gift of life with humanity?

Edgar Prince’s smiling face flashed in Adam’s mind.

The image made him shiver.

“Greetings, members of the Security Council,” Dawn announced, the joy of her own success blinding her to Adam’s insecurity, “We’re here today to celebrate our victory and establish plans for securing the cities from the WG permanently!”

The eHumans in the room clapped and cheered at this news. Dawn raised her hands to quiet them.

“But the greatest news is that we have finally found Elijah Prince!”

With this, the room began to hum with interest. So it was true. Dawn had secured the greatest prize of all.

“May I present to you Adam Winter, host of the New Omaha Friend’s Network Newsreel,” she announced with pride, gesturing her arms towards Adam, who made a slight, awkward bow, “After submitting Adam to testing, Origen and I both agree that before the Great Shift, he was Elijah Prince.”

Rather than cheer, the members of the council stared at him with distinct curiosity. Adam knew they were TeleSpeaking, using a key that he didn’t possess. He also knew that he should say something, but all words escaped him. Instead, the image of Prometheus being punished by the gods filled his mind.

“So why don’t we have control of Neuro yet?” a nervous Council member asked.

Through the fog that had entered his mind, Adam heard Alrisha explain that the virus hadn’t yet been located within Adam’s database. Until she was confident that no danger lurked within the MICE Tower security kernel, she couldn’t risk plugging him in. Impatience buzzed through the room like a swarm of hornets, and the mood quickly went from eager joy to frustration and complaint.

Still Adam could not speak.

Shit,
he thought to himself,
I need to say something to them!

Instead thoughts and programs whirled through his mind, clouding his judgment. It was the closest thing to a panic attack that an eHuman could experience. He knew he was blowing his big moment.

Origen used Adam’s momentary loss of words to launch his description of what needed to be done next to maintain the physical security of the city. The council members discussed the details, all the while staring up at Adam, obviously desiring some sort of response from him.

As the discussion began to die down, Dawn nudged Adam. In spite of his fears, he forced himself to speak. Any words, no matter how poorly phrased, were better than nothing.

“All of these plans are solid,” he began hesitantly; “Your leaders have done an excellent job.”

Silence filled the room. In an attempt to increase his confidence, Adam accessed the image of Elijah Prince from his database and continued.

“And yet it is I whom you wish to hear from. Yes, it’s true, before the Great Shift, I was Elijah Prince, and somewhere within me lies the software needed to take Neuro from the WG. All of us, myself included, would like to download that software as soon as possible. And we will. I may not know what I promised as Elijah Prince, but I know what I can promise you now. As Adam Winter, I stand before you and swear that I will do whatever it takes, no matter what the risk to myself. I will not rest until Alrisha and I have found the code, and successfully downloaded it. Until that moment in time, I’m at your service.”

The people in the room stood and applauded Adam. He’d done his job—yet for Adam himself, the moment was torture. Images of Sophia, Elijah, Prometheus, and Edgar Prince ran on repeat within his mind. He felt as though he was going to shut down right then and there. Fighting the urge to flee from the room, he turned to Dawn.

“
Please,
” he begged her, using their private TeleSpeak link, “
Get me the hell out of here.”

Dawn immediately turned the meeting over to Origen and excused herself and Adam. As soon as the pair exited the room, Adam began to run with all his might towards the nearest door. He didn’t know where he was going. He simply needed to get away. All his systems were on overload. He reached the front doors to the Capitol building and without thinking, thrust them open and flung himself outside—into the most public place in the city.

Adam gazed at the queues of eHumans forming in grassy mall before the building. The haze of the hot July sun beat down mercilessly on their plasticine heads. They were agitated, but not by the impossible midwestern summer heat and humidity. A siege had just taken place in their city. Each of them wanted to know what the hell was going on. It was the least private place in the universe. And yet, the commotion seemed to calm him. Adam turned to look at Dawn and shrugged.

“Well,” he said, “We knew it wouldn’t be easy.”

She nodded, overwhelmed by the frustration of the people before her and her need to shield Adam from their hostilities. He didn’t seem stable at the moment. Her vision of today’s victory had been very different. Yes, she knew that the people were unaware of their peril, but some small part of her had longed for a savior’s welcome—the people greeting her as their leader and with applause. Instead, they herded before her, grumbling and groaning about having to be parted from their latest Virtual Programming show.

From his vantage point on the Capitol building steps, it also appeared to Adam that the population didn’t seem pleased with this major intrusion into their otherwise pleasant lives.

At that moment, a familiar face caught his eye.

Jill.

She immediately shoved her way through the crowd and up the capitol stairs, a mixture of anger and relief on her face.

“Adam!” she cried as she approached him, grabbing him forcefully and shaking him, “Where the hell have you been? You left, out of the blue, with just a message on the EC? I thought you were out on an assignment! You said you might not come back! Now you’re here! What the hell is going on?”

Adam shrugged her hands from his body and smoothed his shirt nervously. In the excitement of the past few days, he’d forgotten all about her, and every other person he’d ever known in the city.

“I was out on a story,” he began, wondering how he could explain what he’d experienced to her. It seemed like an eternity had passed since he’d left the apartment and set out on his journey with Dawn. “And my investigations led me to the Resistance, which led me right back to New Omaha.”

“What the hell is going on?” Jill demanded, “Are you back for good?”

At that moment she noticed Dawn protectively reach out and take Adam’s hand into her own. Immediately she sensed Dawn’s claim on her former lover. Jealousy quickly replaced any feelings of concern she’d had for the man.

“Adam, who is this woman?” Jill demanded. For some reason her face seemed familiar.

“Jill, this is Dawn, the leader of the Resistance. Dawn, this is Jill, one of my former housemates,” Adam replied, feeling incredibly more uncomfortable with every second the two women spent in one another’s company.

“Housemate?” Dawn asked, knowing full well that the woman before her had a much more intimate claim on Adam than merely sharing a dwelling.

“Leader of the Resistance?” Jill asked incredulously. She was no fool, and she knew Adam all too well. The pieces of the puzzle began to fit together within her mind.

“You’re the woman from the harem!” Jill accused, “The other night. When Adam and I were about to engage in, well—you interrupted us!”

Shame began to course through Adam’s entire being. The incident had been embarrassing enough, but given his attraction and desire for Dawn, and his newfound history with her, he wanted to forget that their first contact had been in a Pleasure Zone App. Worse yet, he could see where Jill’s thoughts were going, but there was nothing in his power to stop the envious woman’s tirade.

“You left to follow this woman!” Jill accused Adam, now standing right in front of his face, “You lied when you said it was about work. How long have you been seeing her? Did Miranda know? Ugh, I always knew you were deceitful!”

She turned to Dawn now and glared at her.

“Be careful!” Jill advised, “Adam’s insatiable. No number of partners can satisfy him!”

Dawn stared at her without expression. Jill’s words stung—Dawn had followed Adam long enough on the network to know that the woman spoke the truth. But she’d never let it bother her. Even now, Dawn still wasn’t sure that his romantic past mattered. She’d had long held the habit of living in the present. Besides, she hadn’t just risked her life and gone through war to listen to a jealous tantrum.

“Trust me, I know who Adam is,” Dawn replied coolly, “And I’m sorry to inform you, but he’s not coming home. His place is within the Resistance now. As for you, I suggest you get an energy pack, plug in, and await further instruction. We need everyone to be on board if we wish to remain in control of this city.”