All Light Will Fall (6 page)

There was no reason to wait. I clenched my upper body and
ripped through the metal restraints. The humans were startled. I struck the
glass next, and it shattered with ease. The crowd scattered. “Lock everything
down!”

I leapt from the cage. The humans were everywhere, running
and screaming. I inhaled. That sound of terror was liberating.

“Prepare to fire!”

I looked to the left. A line of men held me at gun point.

“Hold your fire!” the doctor shouted. I was before him in
milliseconds, lifting him from the floor. My fingers were around his throat,
the pulse of his blood stirring a feral thirst within me.

I sunk my teeth into his neck and ripped the flesh away. The
man screamed. He bucked forward, and I dropped his body to the floor.

The guards were quick to attack. It was futile. The hot
beads of energy pierced my skin, but there was no pain.

From the entrance, a squad of men rushed into the room.
Before they could attack, I was in front of them.

Humans—they were weak. I was above them. I was all-powerful,
and I would exercise that power.

A weapon laid in a pool of blood on the floor. I picked it
up and aimed at the glass cage. I fired, unleashing my fury on the machine. It
ignited, and as it burned, I was satisfied.

Something moved suddenly. I turned, aiming the weapon. A
woman huddled against the wall of the control booth. She held up her hands in
surrender. “Don’t kill me,” she pleaded. “Please don’t shoot ...” I pressed the
barrel of the gun against her temple. She screamed. I grabbed her, dragging her
by the face all the way to the exit. I tossed the weapon aside and ripped the
door open.

Out in the hall, sirens rang through the building. I heard
shouting. Sixty armed men advanced from the end of the hall. Most were human,
but some were not. They stood tall over the men, moving like human machines.
Still, I had no fear of them.

“Stand down recruit!”

I was being threatened. “Release the hostage and stand
down!” I held firm to the woman. Who were they to command me? These humans, they
had far too much pride.

The woman struggled, trying to escape. “Release the hostage,
and stand down!” I loosened my grip. She was almost free. She thought so too,
and as she was ready to slip away, I tightened my grasp and crushed the bones
of her face. Then she was silent.

The men dispersed, delivering a hostile attack. I charged at
the nearest guard, breaking the bone of his forearm. I threw him aside then
downed the remaining guards in quick, calculated movements.

I came to a still as five dozen security squads blocked my
path. They were surrounded by a fleet of militarized aircrafts. “Recruit 2102,
stand down or we will be forced to eradicate you!” a voice ordered. “This is
your last warning. Stand down!”

I raised a weapon, firing at one of the aircrafts. “Fire!”

I attacked, but it wasn’t quick enough. Five streams of
energy shot out from the aircrafts and took me hostage. “Subject 2102
sustained.” I wrestled against the chains of energy. They were strong. I
couldn’t free myself.

The humans circled around me, staring down at me in awe.
They looked pleased, and I despised them. I wanted their blood. I wanted their
screams.

“Out of the way!” a voice cried. A woman pushed through the
crowd. There was something in her hand. “I’m putting this subject down.”

I looked up, gnashing my teeth at her.

“No!”

The man came from nowhere. He was quick, but the action was
slow in my eyes. He took the weapon from a nearby guard and fired.

The syringe vibrated against the floor. It sounded like a
bell. Everything was quiet as the woman fell face down to the ground. Blood
pooled beneath her, saturating the lab coat she wore. Her dead eyes stared at
me. She looked beautiful in death. Her body was twisted, but had fallen with
grace. Her skin was beautiful too, warm and soft looking.

I looked to her killer. He looked wild, his breaths going in
and out.

“Let this be a warning,” he bellowed. “No one deletes 2102!”
The guards were silent.

“You may think I’m cruel gentleman, but if 2102 is deleted,
the overseers will be outraged. Remember gentleman, the only thing truly cruel
in this world is our inability to control our fate. That is what ARTIKA wishes
to accomplish. That is why sacrifices must be made.”

The man glanced down at me then turned away. He stepped over
the dead woman, bloody footprints trailing his steps. “Get this recruit to the
humanization facility on the double!” The man shouted. “And someone get rid of
this mess!”

I watched him leave. Then I was taken. They locked me in a
cage. There was no way out. It was bolted with steel. There was no sound. I was
surrounded by glass. It was bright inside, too bright. There was no rest. The
humans were watching, always watching. I had underestimated them.

Time passed. When the humans came for me, I couldn’t escape.
They filled the cage with smoke, and suddenly I couldn’t move. They took me
away. I was strapped down and held at gun point.

They took me to a blue lit room. It was full of machines and
wild noise. The humans rushed about in these eye-blinding silver suits, the
letters “mw” on their backs. One of the humans leaned over me, flashing light
in my eyes. I snarled at him. His face was masked, but I could see his eyes. He
was excited. “Let’s get her into the chamber.”

“Yes, Dr. Gerald.”

They rolled me into a smaller area. There was a machine
inside, like a tunnel. It sounded alive, speaking its own electric language.
They slid me inside, and the tunnel closed. I stared at the ceiling. It was
blank, but there were shapes there, tiny micro-squares and nothing else. These
humans, I couldn’t understand them. What were these walls? What were these
sounds?

Suddenly, the tunnel awakened. I could feel it vibrate. Then
came light. The micro-squares turned to color. They formed figures, images. The
pictures flashed again and again. There was sound. There was language. I saw
humans and landscapes. I saw words and shapes. There were numbers, equations,
and formulas. I saw history, the human birth, the blooming of a flower, the
light of the sun, the rotation of the moon. I took it all in. It was almost too
much.

Days passed in the chamber, weeks perhaps. I didn’t know how
long it was, but I could feel it. I understood time now. I understood more than
I should. It was unnatural to know so much. I came to realize this. When I was
freed from the chamber, I couldn’t think. There was too much knowledge. My mind
was drowned in it.

I was taken into a third room. The doctors began the second
stage of what they called humanization. The process was torture. They drilled
seer-tubes into my brain and stuck me with probes. They drew blood and shot
chemicals into my system. Then came the eleo-therapy. The electric shocks were
unbearable. By the end of it, I could hardly feel anything at all.

Days later, I was back in the holding room. A doctor waited
for me. She was an elegant and fairly attractive woman. I sat quietly. I didn’t
move. She observed me behind the glass—waiting.

“Hello recruit,” the woman spoke. Her voice was like water,
cool and clean. “My name is Dr. Hailey. How are you feeling?”

A question? A conversation? This was new. What was I to say?
Ever since I had awaken, I hadn’t spoken a word. “It is for your own good that
you answer me, recruit,” the woman said. She was quite impatient. Waiting
frustrated her. “If you won’t respond, I’ll begin with the introduction. Then
we will see if your stubbornness is worth the risk.”

I said nothing. I would say nothing. I wanted her to suffer
in that way. It was all I could do to seek vengeance.

“First understand this, recruit. You are not human. You are
not like me or any of the other personnel you have seen at this facility. You
were genetically designed in one of our labs. You are the property of ARTIKA.
We built you. We bred you. We are you.”

It was as I thought. These humans knew too much. They did
too much. They were destructive and haughty. Whatever I was, I was proud to be
so.

“You were created for one purpose, 2102. You are a soldier,
an arsenal. ARTIKA built you to ensure the survival of mankind. As you know,
the order of the world has changed. The resources and luxuries provided to
Helio Tellus are difficult to obtain. We have you and those like you to thank.
It is an honor to be a part of the New Eden program.”

I understood now. Somewhere beyond these walls there was
war. There was a struggle for dominion and immortality.

“We know you want your freedom, and you will have it. I’m
here to monitor your progress. If you are cooperative during this final stage,
you will be released. The other recruits are very eager to meet you. After
you’ve settled, your training will begin. It is important that you progress
quickly. A recruit who lacks ambition is of no use and will be put down.”

The woman took the first pause since she had begun. “As of
today, you will also be known as Celeste. You are to abide by all regulations.
Otherwise, you will be severely punished. If you go rogue or attack ARTIKA
personnel again, there will be no exceptions. Do you understand, Celeste? You
will suffer an agonizing death.”

I was silent. Her brow arched. She was irritated. “That will
be all for today, Celeste. But come these next several days I expect a response
from you. Remember what I said. If you are not useful, you are nothing but a
nuisance.”

I turned from her as she left. She was a wretched woman. She
walked and talked as if she were above me. And once I was free, she would
suffer far more than my silence.

For the following weeks, Dr. Hailey cursed me with her
presence. Her perceptiveness came to aggravate me. She was critical,
speculative, and cold. More than this, she was unafraid. I hated her courage
the most. It was that courage that dared her to challenge me.

I was given tests under her supervision to assess my
intelligence. She praised me often, but I ignored it. I didn’t need praise. I
needed freedom.

Over time, I recorded each and every detail of the facility
as well as its personnel. From the steps per second of their strides, the
slight vocal differences in their voices, to their minuscule habits, I captured
it all. Knowledge came to me easily. Whenever I wanted it, it was mine. That
was power. Even in this cage, I had power. The humans knew this, but they would
never admit their inferiority. They felt all-powerful, but soon they would know
the truth. Soon, they would know the danger of what they had created.

“Your performance has been most exceptional these past few
weeks, Celeste,” Dr. Hailey lauded. “You should be proud to be so advanced
compared to our other recruits.”

I stared at the glass as she circled around me. “Thank you,”
I replied.

“You seem to be anticipating something, Celeste,” she
observed. “Would you like to share?” She was prying again.

“No,” I said.

Dr. Hailey raised a brow. “Celeste,” I have given a lot in
this partnership. I have worked hard prepping you for release, yet you repay me
by being elusive and indifferent. It is very upsetting.”

I looked up at her. “Is that so?”

She tapped her nails on the halo-pad she held. She did that
often. “As your overseer, I have the authority to arrange your release. An
honest answer to this simple question, and you’ll be free by the afternoon.”

Bribery? Was that her only tactic? I suppose her drive to
challenge me had run thin. “I want my freedom,” I said.

Dr. Hailey smiled. I became familiar with that smile. At
times, it could look rather dangerous. “Of course. You’ve done well. I’ll have
the preparations ready in a few hours.”

Then she left. That was the end of it. Before the evening, I
would be free. It would not be complete freedom, but that day would come. When
it did, ARTIKA would not know me by number. They would know me by name.