Enemy (48 page)

     “Yes?”

     ((Two combeacons have arrived for you.))

     Two?

     “Points of origin?”

     ((First beacon: origin coordinates undisclosed, but it’s from Mandela of Mujahadin Shiva.))

     Shiva? Good... Simon must have been taken care of...

     “Skip that one. Where’s the second beacon from?”

     ((The Alternity portal relay.))

     “Good. Open channel.”

     ((Yes, Commander.))

     “How go the preparations for our day of victory?”

    
PREPARATIONS PROCEED ON SCHEDULE. FORCES GATHERED. WE AWAIT THE OPENING OF THE GATE TO THE STREAM. WE AWAIT UPLOAD AND THE PROMISED INFINITY.

     The viewscreen Hannah watched was black with hints of dark violet and gray strewn throughout. In the blackness, shapes seemed to converge, diverge on the very periphery of her visual ability. She struggled to forget the source of that spidery, maddening voice of the Black, but failed.

     “Soon, my friend,” she whispered, “you’ll have your wish.”

     BEACON TRANSLATION COMPLETE. POSITIVE LOCK ON JUDAS COMMAND COORDINATES.

    
THEY THOUGHT THE LOCATION OF THEIR COMMAND WOULD ALLUDE US FOREVER. THEY WILL SUFFER FOR THEIR LACK OF FORESIGHT AND THEIR PRIDE. THEY WILL BE PURGED FROM OMEGA’S HOLY PATTERN FOREVER. PREPARE FOR STREAM BREAK PROCEDURES.

     FORCES INDICATE FULL READINESS.

    
WE SHALL DRAW FIRST BLOOD.

     THE JUDAS SHALL FALL.

    
PURPOSE BE.

     “Commander Kilbourne to all altwhen containment forces: Release When-hole portal lockdown. Our allies, welcome to the Whenstream.”

     It began.

     Sapphire was once again in Mara’s battle chamber.

     “Sapphire to the Judas fleet: I can’t condone the actions of Hannah Kilbourne. An alliance with the Black was not Richter’s vision so long ago. Kilbourne’s risking the integrity of our universe, our time out of time. I’m forsaking the Judas, leaving Kilbourne to her destiny. The program codes have been compromised; I won’t stand by and watch all that we’ve fought for die.

     “If you’re with me, let’s go.

     “Mara?”

     (yes, sapphire?)

     “Open a comlink to Command.”

     (done.)

     “We’re leaving, Hannah. We won’t die for the Enemy. Try to stop us if you must, but let me warn you: We Golgotha aren’t helpless against your Mujahadin, and if you fire on us, we’ll fight back.

     “We’re leaving. When the Enemy stabs you in the back, don’t come crying to us.”

     “Sapphire, it’s too late. You don’t—”

     “Cut link, Mara.”

     (done.)

     “Sapphire to fleet: Prepare for Shadow jump. Initiate drives on my mark.”

     And hell became reality: the Enemy had arrived.

     The Stream was bathed in impossible luminescence as the When-hole to the alternity collapsed and the secondary code Altwhen Enemy poured through. So, so many dark forms.

     Sweet Richter, Sapphire thought. It’s happened.

     The Enemy fleet kept coming through the portal.

     And on the other side of the spherical expanse that comprised the bubble of nonexistence in the Stream of time known as Command, a brighter explosion issued forth, an unforeseen breach in Hannah’s masterplan.

     The strikeforce sent by the primary code Stream Enemy had arrived.

     Sapphire struggled to contain her terror.

     Below her, the Center of Command, and the Fleet dockyards. Around her, her loyal Judas fleet. To one side, pouring through the Altwhen hole, an infinity of contorted, twisting shapes. On the other side, countless nightmares emerging from the past.

     Trapped. She was trapped.

     Kilbourne.

     Confusion. This was not supposed to happen. Why hadn’t Shiva warned them—Her thoughts flashed to the unread combeacon, but more urgent affairs were at hand.

     So the Enemy was striking first. So be it.

     “Mujahadin away! Target Golgotha fleet to act as a debris field. If she can’t fight for us, at least she can protect Command from Enemy fire with her remains!”

     The sleek Mujahadin sped away, targeting Sapphire’s fleet.

     “Altwhen allies, target primary code forces. They’re closing on Command!”

     The rogue code Altwhen Black remained motionless.

     “Altwhen allies please respond.”

     Silence. They floated in the void, observing.

     “Altwhen allies respond!”

     The Stream Enemy also slowed their velocity, stopped.

     They were watching each other.

     (mujahadin are closing in!)

     “Hold fire.” Sapphire was watching what unfolded before her. The Enemy forces had both slowed, as if they were studying each other, as if unseen communication were taking place between them...

     “No. Oh no.”

     Sapphire realized what was happening.

     The Enemy forces on both sides of her fleet went into action, not firing at each other, but firing at—

     Command.

     “Mara! Open link to Command! Hannah, get out now!”

     “Sapphire, you don’t understand. They’re—”

     “Hannah please please just get out of there now!”

     Hannah Kilbourne screamed.

     What are they—

     Kilbourne realized her mistake in the instant before she ceased.

     Light and then darkness. Forever.

     Sapphire felt Mara rocked by the blast as Command was hit from both sides by Enemy fire and was torn from existence by innate, pure light.

     Sapphire gasped with despair.

     Judas Command was no more. The center of their universe was no more. The Stream began to darken, and great cracks rent its flickering liquid surface.

     The Enemy turned to Sapphire’s fleet.

     So this was it.

     Kill or be killed.

Patra screamed.

     Voices.

    
BRETHREN, JOIN US. THE JUDAS ARE NOTHING. THEY OFFER FALSEHOODS. JOIN US IN THE PURPOSE. JOIN OUR HOLY MISSION. WE WILL REWRITE ALL OF ETERNITY IN OUR IMAGE. TAKE YOUR RIGHTFUL PLACE AS GODS. ASCEND TO DIVINITY.

     OUR FORCES ARE YOUR FORCES. WE ARE ONE IN THE PURPOSE. WE BOW TO OMEGA.

    
PURPOSE BE. LET US ELIMINATE THE JUDAS VIRUS FOREVER.

     West and Jennings ran to her side, held her as she began to convulse. Patra clutched the sides of her head in the intense agony of the silver web that was part of her.

     “Simon! Begin sweep for the Enemy!”

     ((that will alert the nearest forces to our presence... and malachi.))

     “Damn it... What was their last position?”

     ((there weren’t any enemy within considerable threat distance. they were amassed in the solar system.))

     “It couldn’t be them, then... Are there incoming Enemy from the Stream? Place a When beacon and begin sweep.”

     ((but they’ll—))

     “Just do it, Simon.”

     ((beacon on whenstream transit.))

     West held the flailing woman close. “What is it, Patra? It’s the web, isn’t it? Voices? What do you hear—”

     “MAKE IT STOP JUST MAKE IT STOP!!”

     West looked from Zero-Four to Jennings, helpless.

     Zero-Four was resolute. “Patra. This is very important. What are the voices saying?”

     Her body was in spasms, fighting against the hold of West and her father. Muscles taut, silver pupils dilated. And the web so visibly embedded into her flesh.

     “Two... Two voices. One like before, the other—darker. Damned. So much like Richter’s voice, but... Another Enemy! One we didn’t know about! And now... Now they’re allied against us. Something terrible is about to happen! Something terrible!” Her body surged in pain, and in seizing she fainted.

     “Simon? Results of the sweep.”

     Silence.

     “What is it?”

     ((...))

     “Simon.”

     ((it... the beacon...))

     “Tell me.”

     ((massive timesweep waves... emanating from upwhen. point of emergence is... command. zero reading on command’s coordinates. program collapse imminent.))

     “No... That’s impossible.”

     “What?” West was scared. The look on Zero-Four’s face...

     “Are you sure? How could they—”

     ((the strike force. they must have succeeded. the primary program is beginning to shut down. zero reading from upwhen cache backups. zero reading from secondary backups as well.))

     “Jesus. If the backups don’t reformat, how long do we have?”

     (not long, michael.)

     “Why didn’t the gunships stop them? Is this new Enemy threat that powerful?”

     ((their patterns aren’t in the registry. they must be rogue code. maybe from the alternities. maybe the gunships... maybe they didn’t fight the enemy because they are the enemy.))

     Zero-Four shook his head, not wanting to believe, but knowing the truth in his heart. He paced, covering his eyes, deep in thought. What had Kilbourne done?

     “Command’s gone, but there’s still the Fleet, spread throughout countless Whens. And the alternities... We can rebuild. We can gather our forces—”

     ((michael, we don’t know how far this cancer has spread. there’s so little time. especially if the backup systems are offline. the purpose nears completion.))