Gene. Sys. (27 page)

“Hurry!” he yells down at me. “The Ragnarok has
started and nuclear weapons are detonating. We only have a few minutes before
the one here detonates.”

Fear fills my heart. I get to the top and the
scientist helps me carry Fe to the Fly. When we get there I see Rene sitting in
the front passenger seat.

“Glad to see you,” he says with an immense sense
of relief.

“How did you find us?” I ask as I strap Fe into
her seat. The scientist climbs into the pilot’s seat and starts the engines.

“We flew into the city, saw the rollpods and
then saw a steady stream of outsiders running into this building. It made the
most sense.” He turns his attention to the scientist. “Get us going, Jose!”

I buckle in as the Fly lifts off. A few bullets
hit the side of the Fly and I see that outsiders and drones have made it to the
roof. They are shooting at us. After a couple of moments the shooting stops.

I look out Fe’s side of the aircraft and see the
pyramid as we rise higher.

“It’s beautiful,” Fe whispers.

“Yes it is.” I take her hand. “Get some rest.”

Her grip tightens for a second and then loosens
back up when she falls back to sleep. I’m glad that she’s okay.

As we fly past the compound, I take one last
look at where I came to be. Where I was created. It is the complete opposite
from the peaceful place I once knew. Gunfire continues to be exchanged between
the two sides in a place that is now more rubble than standing structures.

“Brace yourselves!” Jose shouts.

I look out the side and see a giant missile
making its way towards the city we just left. A few seconds later, the sky
around us gets brighter and is soon followed by a giant boom. I try to look
back, but the rear of the Fly blocks my view.

Without warning, the Fly tilts forward and
shakes. I see a giant wave of energy race past us. As fast as these aircraft
are, the wave was much faster. Luckily, Jose seems to be an expert pilot and he
maneuvers us through the turbulence. After a couple of shaky minutes, we are
back on a smooth path.

“Where are we going?” I tap Rene on the
shoulder.

“Johannesburg, South Africa,” he says without
looking back at me. I remember reading about South
Africa,
it’s supposed to be one of the most beautiful places on Earth. It’s also on the
opposite end of the continent from Egypt.

“We’ll be there in about an hour,” Jose adds.

“Get us there faster,” Rene demands.

I sit quietly and look out my window for the
next forty-five minutes. My mind thinks about 80 and what he did. I also think
about how I set 80’s actions in motion by showing him the value of life. I’m
not sure if I regret telling him or not. I think about all the drones and
scientists who gave their lives for us to succeed. I think about the other
Genesys. Did they all reach their bunkers?

My stomach churns and my heart aches as I
remember what happened to Cal. Did he
survive
? I want
to know, but I will have no way of finding out until after the two years we
have to spend in the bunker.

Finally, I think about Ev. She must hate me. I
betrayed her to go save Fe. She and I were in this from the beginning, we were
the first created and we were supposed to be in the same bunker. Instead, she
will now have to spend the next two years in a bunker with Sil—if they
even make it there safely. My heart yearns for her and I find myself missing
her.

“Go! Go! Go!” Rene yells, scaring me out of my
thoughts.

“What is it?” I look around and see the cloud
trail of a nuclear missile coming towards us. When I look down, I see a city
with lush green foliage surrounding a large amount of glass and steel
buildings. From up here, the city looks to be in great shape. A direct contrast
to the city we just left.

“Get us down! Fast!” Rene shouts at Jose.

Jose changes the course of the Fly to the
ground. He keeps the craft going at its top speed. “Buckle up and hold on
tight. This will not be a smooth landing.”

The ground gets closer and closer. We are
heading towards an open field that ends at a small mountain. I do my best to
hold myself in my seat and use one of my hands to try to secure Fe even more.

My body gets thrown forward as the Fly hits the
ground. The Fly bounces a few times and then begins to spin as we quickly
approach the mountain. Parts of the Fly tear off and a small fire starts on the
control panel. A few moments later, the Fly comes to a stop. We are a few
hundred feet from the mountain and I can see the outline of a steel door.

“Get out!” Rene yells back. His face is covered
in blood.

I unbuckle Fe and do as he says. I pull Fe out
and quickly check her vitals, she’s breathing and her heart is still beating.
She’s just unconscious and somehow stayed that way throughout the crash.

 
“What about Jose?” I say as I pick Fe up
in my arms.

Rene runs over to me. “He’s gone.”

We look back at the city and see that the
nuclear missile is making its descent. Rene runs towards the steel door and I
run after him, carrying Fe.

“Hurry!” Rene shouts. It seems as though it was
directed at
himself
more than it was to me. He reaches
the steel door, opens it and runs in.

When I get to the door, he steps back out. I
look at him. “What do I do?”

“Put her in her hyperbaric chamber. It will heal
her as she sleeps.” He pushes me in.

I run in and lay Fe on the bed of the chamber
and seal the top. Instantly the hyperbaric chamber jumps to life. Vitals and
other information get displayed on the glass of the chamber.

I run back out to Rene just as the missile hits
the city. A bright flash spreads out from the city and a giant cloud rises to
the sky. The boom that follows shakes the ground I’m standing on.

“Come on.” I grab Rene’s arm.

“I love you, Atom. You are my legacy.” He
brushes my hand away and pushes me into the bunker.

I run back towards him but he slams the steel
door in my face. I try the handle but it won’t budge. Above it is a digital
display, counting down from two years. I look out the small window in the door
and I see Rene standing a few feet away from the door.

“What are you doing
?!
”
I scream.

A few hundred feet in front of him I see a giant
wall of fire making its way towards us. It engulfs the Fly with ease.

“Get back here! Don’t!” I kick and punch the
door. Tears running down my face. “Dad!”

He looks back at me as the wall of fire takes
him away from my life. A few seconds later, the wall of fire hits the door and
all I see is the yellow, orange and red of the flames that are the end of the
world. This is why I was created.

EPILOGUE

For two weeks I mourn. I cry for my father. I
cry for Ev and the other Genesys. I cry for 80 and Grant and anyone else who once
was
.

I check out the window in the door from time to
time, but all I see is
a darkness
cast by the grey
clouds that have not left since the explosion.

The only thing that seems to brighten the
darkness is Fe. I check on her to make sure she is fine and every time I do I
smile. She looks angelic as she sleeps. At the risk of the relationship I might
have lost with Ev, I am glad I went back for Fe. The Genesys are my
responsibility and I need to lead them to E.D.E.N.

After doing one last check around the bunker, I
climb into my hyperbaric chamber. I grab the lid and slide it over my body. The
lid hisses and seals into place. I take a deep breath and close my eyes.

*****

I dream of standing
alone in a vast, white abyss.
It’s cold and the ground feels hard and slick
like ice. The sky is also white and the only reason I can tell that there is a
difference between the ground and sky is because I see a figure out in the
distance. I run towards the figure and as I get closer I can tell that it’s a
girl. Her hair reaches down to the small of her back. She is thin and fairly
tall. Her back is to me so I reach out to touch her. Right before I do, she
turns. It’s Ev.