Page 26 of Semi-Human

“This used to be Denver. Before the war. Before stupidity and ego destroyed the world. Impressive, isn’t it?”

I try to take in the glorious city in the distance. I’ve only ever seen it dark and decaying, a hub for Raiders. “It’s a sight.”

“Sit.”

I do, facing Father—or Ivan—as he’s sitting on the other side of a small, round table. We’re on the ridge of a mountain. The soft breeze feels real against my skin, but there’s a lack of scent to this illusion that helps me remember I’m not really here.

Ivan looks slightly older than the photo I saw in Dino’s office. He’s still impressive with his handsome face, thick gray hair, and elegant dark suit.

“You spoke with Helena,”

he says with a touch of an accent, but I can’t tell its origin.

“I spoke with her directly, yes.”

He smiles fondly, surprising me. “I was in love with that stubborn woman for many years. She was the heart of our work, the dreamer who united us after our world had been destroyed.”

“I thought you were the head of the project.”

“I was, but it was Helena who convinced me and the rest to push forward. We had years of knowledge and experience between the four of us. Our old government had held back from creating enhanced humans, but the technology was almost ready. The official purpose of the lab was to investigate and cure fatal diseases, but we knew where things were truly heading. When we lost our government and all contact with the outside world, we pushed forward with what scientists before us were not allowed to attempt. It was a miracle that Helena and I worked so well together on the Enhancement project considering how fundamentally different we were. Where she saw hope, I saw danger, and where she wished to trust, I was suspicious.”

A flash of anger crosses his eyes. “Did she tell you how horribly wrong she was about humans’ true nature?”

“She wished to have done things differently, yes.”

He shrugs. “I suppose that’s something, even though it changes nothing. Oh, we’re about to start.”

He turns his chair to face Denver, excitement on his face.

I’m about to ask what he means, but the sudden howling sound of a siren stops me. It’s coming from the city, carried by the wind. I grip the armrests of my chair at the sight of a missile slicing through the blue sky.

“It didn’t hit,”

Ivan says calmly. “New York, Boston, DC… all perished instantly, but the Russians used old technology, and most of their bombs missed their targets.”

The missile appears to be quickly losing altitude until it hits Mount Evans. A bright flash of light washes over my vision. I blink and shake my head, feeling obligated to witness the events that changed the world forever.

A fireball rises from the mountains, growing by the second. A mushroom-shaped cloud forms, horrifyingly beautiful. The air turns warm, then unbearably hot. A shockwave hits, blowing away trees and rocks on its way toward the city. The structures closest to the impact begin to crumble; skyscrapers disintegrate into clouds of dust.

My chest is tight enough to bruise my lungs; my skin feels like it’s beginning to melt. “Stop!”

I shout over the deafening sound.

“Why?”

“Because it’s not real!”

“You seem rather upset about something that isn’t real.”

He’s right, but at least he makes it stop. The massive mushroom cloud fades away, leaving the land scorched—no green in sight. My clothes feel tight against my sweaty skin, the sensation real enough to likely be happening in the real world as well.

“When you let people play with fire, Josh, they burn things.”

“Isn’t that what your army is doing?”

“My army spreads fear, and fear will make people surrender. Every choice we ever make is a battle between lesser evils. With surrender and submission being the lesser evils, why would anyone choose to fight? I can’t think of a more merciful way to bring forth a better world. Can you?”

I’m not interested in a philosophical discussion with a man who doesn’t even exist and couldn’t care less about my opinions. “The purifiers,”

I say. “The missiles.”

“Huh, yes.”

He smiles. “You claim to know all about them.”

“I do. You need the other part of the code to gain control.”

He nods. “If I don’t control them, someone else eventually will. It was my idea to store those missiles in the purifiers, and it should be me who holds control over them.”

“I can get you the missing code.”

The wind suddenly ceases to blow. A flock of birds stands frozen in the sky. “And how would you do such a thing? Allegedly.”

“River knows the other part of the code, but he won’t ever give it to you.”

Ivan smiles in satisfaction. The birds in the sky resume their flight. “If River knows, I will get it out of him.”

“Pressure him, and you’ll lose it. Mother placed protection inside River’s head. If he’s forced into revealing the code, he’ll forget it.”

“Forget it?”

I pray that I’m not about to sound like a complete idiot. “It will work similarly to how it did when Nathaniel sabotaged Mother’s database and caused her to forget she ever knew him. A safe mechanism.”

Ivan looks more thoughtful and less doubtful. “You seem knowledgeable about things you shouldn’t be, but that doesn’t explain why you’re telling me all of this.”

“I’m here to make a deal. I’ll convince River to give you the code willingly if you promise to spare the Hives in Colorado and the Semi-Humans’ village. I also want to walk away from here with River.”

Assuming he can detect if I’m telling the truth, he’ll find I haven’t said a single lie. I do wish for the Hives and River’s village to survive, and I do wish to leave with him.

Ivan shakes his head. “You can’t be that naive. Nothing is stopping me from lying to you.”

“You have much bigger threats than the Hives. You can have your new world without us. River and Mother convinced me that gaining control over those missiles would win us the war, but after seeing the army we’re facing, I know we can’t win.”

“Well, you Defenders can be quite persistent if memory serves.”

I shift uneasily under his cold glare. “That doesn’t mean we’re a bunch of idiots. I’ll tell them what I saw and make them realize we can’t win.”

Ivan stalls before giving a slight nod. “You indeed can’t win, and I would like nothing more than to stop this ongoing battle with Helena. She deserves to exist in peace, but I can’t let that happen until those missiles are mine.”

“Do it for Helena, then. Bring River here and let me convince him to give you what he knows.”

“You think very highly of yourself. If Helena trusted River with the code, she must’ve known he wouldn’t break; she’s a good judge of character.”

“Yet she trusted you.”

He chuckles. “If she did, I wouldn’t have had just half of the code.”

Fair point. “River also knows what we’re facing, and he wants nothing more than to return to his village. I can convince him to cooperate, if only to protect Mother from further attacks.”

Ivan holds my gaze for a long time before finally saying, “There’s no going back from this.”

I know. I wish there was any other way, but I can no longer afford to wait. I just hope I’m not about to doom us all.

“Bring him,”

I say. “Let’s end this.”

*

River appears within seconds. I suspect it’s a trick, but his confusion seems genuine. It makes sense that Father can alter my perception of time while I’m in his domain.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, River. And yes, this is really Josh—you’ve just seen him with his helmet on.”

River, still wary, sits next to me on a chair that wasn’t here seconds ago. He’s wearing simple gray clothes, and I can tell by his eyes that he’s still under the influence of whatever they’ve been giving him. I hope there’s enough clarity in him for me to work with.

“Are you Father?”

River asks.

“I am, though I still like to think of myself as Ivan.”

River crosses his arms. “You refused to speak with me.”

“I only speak directly with Mara. These conversations strain my resources, and I’m spread rather thin at the moment. But hopefully, soon, I’ll have more data centers to pull from, and I’ll be able to speak with all of my children.”

“I am a child of Mother.”

Ivan nods. “I respect that.”

“Why did you want to meet now?”

River glances at me. “And why is Josh here?”

“I think it will be best for him to explain.”

River watches me with confusion and worry. Words circle in my head, but fear of failure prevents them from leaving my mouth. Ivan clears his throat, and I force myself to speak. “We can’t win this war, River—you must know that by now. I… would like for you to give them the rest of the code for the purifiers.”

River’s mouth drops, his eyes widening with shock and betrayal. “You told him!”

“They’re going to attack Unity and Mercy.”

“They will attack everyone if they have those missiles! We can’t trust them.”

“River, calm down and listen to me.”

Please. “Father agreed to spare the Hives and let us leave if you just give him what you know.” I reach for his hand. I don’t care if we’re not truly here—he feels so real. “Please, remember your mission. Can you do that for me?”

He looks at me for a long time, and I can practically see the battle in his eyes as he cuts through the fog they forced upon his senses.

“My mission?”

I squeeze his hand. “Yes.”

Finally, I see it—an understanding sparking in his eyes.

He turns to look at Ivan. “My village and the Hives in Colorado must stay safe.”

Ivan leans with his hands on the table. I expect someone like him to do a better job controlling his emotions, but his excitement is unmistakable. “They will.”

“And Josh and I can leave.”

“Yes.”

River chews on his bottom lip as though debating, but I can’t imagine why. He wanted this moment all along, to be able to sabotage Father with the algorithm. His hesitation makes me nervous, and I wonder if there’s something he hasn’t told me. I squeeze his hand again, wishing we could have planned this together. “River?”

He exhales and nods, but there’s fear in his eyes. “Okay, yes. You may take what I know.”

“You’re being smart and brave,”

Father says. “There’s beauty in fighting for what you believe in, but there’s divinity in knowing when to concede.”

Ivan’s eyes flash as though they’re being turned on and off. The air around his head shows white numbers running in columns, changing too fast for me to follow, though I do catch a glimpse of a few red numbers between the whites. Finally, the numbers fade. Ivan’s eyes return to normal as he smiles in triumph. “You’ve made the right call, River. In time, Helena will see that as well. I still care about her dearly. Now, as promised, I will stay true to my… word.”

Ivan stares at us with puzzlement as the sky begins to darken. I don’t know what’s supposed to happen, and I doubt even River does. If I am wrong about this, we’re about to pay the price, and I’ll have only myself to blame for our downfall.

The ground suddenly shakes. I almost fall from the chair, but the quake stops after a few seconds. Something lands on the ground to my right. I jolt and turn to see a flock of birds flapping their broken wings.

“Oh my.”

Ivan looks between River and me, his face ghostly, his mouth slack. “What have you done?” He leans with his palms on the table, letting out a sharp, chilling laugh. I’m reminded that we’re completely at his mercy, unable to leave on our own.

“It’s so very sad,”

Ivan sighs, “to be brought down by one’s own child.”

“I told you—I am not your child.”

River rises to his feet. “It’s time for you to stop.”

Ivan nods. “I… understand.”

“And the New-Humans as well.”

“Yes. My poor children. How I misguided them. They are too good for this rotten world. They will never find their place.”

A black tear trickles down his cheek. “Everything needs to stop.” He lets out a deep breath. “Everything.”

Something is happening in the sky. I rise to my feet, squinting at the thin lines heading our way.

Everything needs to stop.

“River, he activated the missiles!”

River looks up, his eyes wide. Sirens begin to howl in the distance.

Before I can ask how the hell we’re supposed to disconnect, Helena appears out of nowhere and walks quickly toward us. She looks younger, almost regal, in her spotless white lab coat.

Ivan lets out a happy chuckle as black tears continue to slide down his face. “My Helena! You finally came to see me.”

She moves to stand behind him, resting her hands on his shoulders as he weeps dark tears of happiness. When she looks at River, there’s no joy or gratitude in her eyes for fulfilling his mission, just sorrow and remorse.

Something is terribly wrong.

“I’m sorry, River. I was afraid of this.”

He nods. “I knew the risk, Mother. Can Josh still escape?”

She looks at me. “You’ll need to be quick. There isn’t much time.”

“Helena,”

Ivan says through his tears, “I’m terribly sorry for what I’ve caused. I see it all so clearly now. And I missed you, my dear. I missed you so—”

She grabs his head and snaps his neck.

He slumps down from the chair, and the world around us begins to fade.

“Try to escape,”

Helena tells me, her voice growing weaker as she begins to fade as well. “Find a vehicle if you can, or a bunker to hide in.” She turns to River, her hands over her heart. “My precious son. Thank you.”

When she’s gone, I turn River to face me. I have to know what is happening—what the hell Helena meant. River’s skin is gray, blood dripping from his nose.

I try to resist what my eyes and heart are telling me, but I can’t.

River is dying.

*

I wake up to a piercing headache that rattles my teeth. The second I get the pain under control, I throw away the helmet. Outside the room, the sirens howl. The New-Humans must have found out what is heading this way. River wakes up next to me, though he struggles to remove his helmet. I fight through my dizziness and go help him. Even in the real world, he looks like shit, though he smiles through the blood dripping from his nose. “My smart prisoner.”

My skin boils with rage. “Did you know this would happen?”

He avoids my gaze. “There was a chance I’d get hurt because of Father’s defenses, but we couldn’t know for sure. I didn’t want you to worry.”

It wasn’t about keeping me from worrying—they knew I wouldn’t agree to risk River’s life. But I can’t dwell on that now, not with the missiles approaching and River fading in front of my eyes.

I gently wipe the blood from his face. “We need to get out of here.”

He lets me help him stand. I’m relieved he doesn’t need me to carry him, though he’s clearly unstable. Luckily, the door is unlocked. I expect to find Mara in her office, but it’s empty. The glass on the desk is shattered, as if she smashed her fist against it.

Our only hope of exiting this building is if the giants haven’t yet learned of our involvement. Outside the office, the sirens sound louder. I hold River’s cold hand and guide him toward the elevator. As we wait for its arrival, I ask, “How do you feel?”

“Not very good.”

I wipe fresh drops of blood from his lips and chin. There’s a yellowish hue in his eyes that wasn’t there minutes ago. His skin has never been paler; I can almost see the veins underneath.

“Can you make your body fight this until we escape?” I ask.

He holds my gaze, and whatever it is he’s trying to convey with his eyes, I’m not willing to accept it. We’ve gone through hell and back together, and this is just another thing for us to figure out.

The door slides open to reveal two armed guards. I relax when I spot fear in their eyes rather than hostility. I step into the elevator with River and check that it’s heading to the lobby.

“Do you know what’s happening?”

one of the guards asks.

“We’re under attack,”

I say flatly. “You should tell the rest of your men to spread out around the premises and get ready to defend it.” They don’t deserve to escape the coming calamity.

“What’s wrong with him?”

I glance at River. The sight of him is hard to bear. “He caught something.”

We reach the ground floor and step out into chaos. Through the fighting across the wide lobby, I spot two Semis lying dead on the floor, alongside a dozen soldiers and two of the giants. Solomon, who didn’t wear his armor, was shot so many times that his torso shattered. Purple blood still soaks into the carpet. I can only assume the New-Humans went crazy when Father decided to abandon his plans for a new world. Maybe he sabotaged his children so that others could put them down.

I’m brought back to reality when River grabs my hand and leads me aside toward a side exit. He’s right; we have to get out of here before they’ll see us as targets. At the sound of a chilling scream, I turn sharply to look. A giant has grabbed one of the human soldiers. He roars as he tears the soldier in two, sending blood and organs splashing onto the ground. Seconds later, a new wave of soldiers bursts into the building and guns down the giant.

“Don’t make eye contact,”

River rasps.

We reach a side exit and step outside. It’s nighttime, and my damp skin welcomes the cold desert air. River leans down to throw up on the ground, heaving and groaning. I hold him steady until he finishes. When he straightens, I wipe his mouth with my hand.

Witnessing his body succumbing to Father’s attack is torture, but I’m too scared to look away.

All around us, people run and ask each other what the hell is going on. For years, they prospered under the New-Humans’ regime at the expense of others, and I don’t have it in me to care about their fate.

Through the sirens, I hear the echoing booms of gunfire. Slaves must be using the commotion to revolt, and I can do nothing but wish them luck in their bloody battle.

Helena suggested finding a bunker or a vehicle. I don’t know where to find a bunker, and a regular vehicle might get stopped or overrun closer to the wall. “I know where we can find choppers,”

I say. “It’s not far.” Unless they have already flown away with them. There is also the issue of me not knowing how to fly a chopper, but I hope there will be someone there who does.

“I’m holding you back,”

River says, swaying on his feet. His face is damp, but at least his nosebleed has stopped. “Josh, please leave me here.”

“You should know better than to ask me that.”

I hold his freezing hand and lead him down the street, ignoring the panicking people running around us. It takes us a few minutes to reach the parking lot where I last saw the choppers. By then, River can barely walk. I have to carry him with his arm around my shoulders.

I almost cry in relief when I see a single chopper at the far end of the parking lot, but there’s no one here to pilot it. It doesn’t matter—I’ll figure something out once I get River safely inside.

I manage to drag him halfway before I hear heavy footsteps running toward us. I turn around as fast as I can while still supporting River. My heart drops at the sight of Mara. She no longer seems stoic and composed—her eyes are wide with rage, her white hair unkempt as if she had tried to tear it out.

“You,”

she hisses. “Where the fuck do you think you’re going?”

I don’t delude myself I can fight her, and I can’t outrun her with River leaning against me. “It’s over!”

I shout. “The missiles are on their way!”

She walks toward us, breathing heavily and clearly in pain based on her limp and grunting. She must have fought her way out of the headquarters, or perhaps her strong connection with Father has cost her dearly. “It is over,”

she growls, “for all of us.”

“We can still fly out of here!”

She quickens her steps, almost upon us. River tries to move toward her, but I hold him back from certain death, though our death seems certain regardless.

“Hiver!”

Buck runs into the parking lot with another slave from our unit. Both of them are armed, their clothes stained from someone else’s blood. Mara turns to face them and charges, but her limp slows her down. I crouch with River as bullets fly around us, bouncing off the pavement. Mara manages to reach them despite getting hit. She grabs the slave whose name I don’t know and tosses him against a nearby wall. Bones break before the body hits the ground.

Buck roars and tackles her, using his massive form to bring her down. She hits the side of his mouth with her fist, cutting his lips and making him spit out a tooth. He roars again and smashes his fists into her face, a storm of punches that splash blood and bones until Mara stops struggling. Her face is no longer intact; parts of her brain scattered on the ground.

Buck stands and wipes blood from his jaw. He looks like a monster, but I’ve never been more relieved to see him.

“Can you fly a chopper?”

I call as River coughs next to me.

“I used to be a mechanic; I’ll figure it out.”

He hurries over, looking down with a frown. I haven’t told him about River, but he must remember him from their violent encounter. “What’s the deal?”

“He’s with me,”

I say. “Help me get him into the chopper.”

Buck meets my gaze and shakes his head. “There’s no point, Josh.”

“Get him into the fucking chopper!”

We carry River inside, though he’s no longer conscious. That’s good, I tell myself. If he’s unconscious, his body can recover. I just need to get him far away from this hell.

With Buck trying to figure out what to do from the pilot seat, I hold River tightly as we sit on the floor, his head resting in my lap. His face is so pale and cold, yet nothing can take away from his beauty, not even the dried blood on his lips and chin.

Through the howling sirens, I finally hear the beautiful sound of spinning propellers. We begin to rise a minute later, and I don’t dare move from the floor. I continue to hold River as we make our bumpy way farther from the shining city lights, past the wall I despise so much. Below us are hundreds of fleeing slaves, making their desperate journey to the desert. I doubt many of them would survive, but at least they have a shot.

“Shit!”

Buck calls through the roaring wind. “Look at that!”

I turn my gaze to see the missiles slicing through the night sky. There must be dozens of them, awakened after decades of slumber. I follow in awe as they descend toward the defenseless city, wondering how many slaves have died to build this pointless wall.

This victory is for the innocent victims of countless settlements that perished in the name of a new world.

“It’s a fucking sight!”

Buck shouts. “Hell if I know how you pulled it off.”

I didn’t. Not alone. “Do you see that?”

I shake River. “Do you see what you made possible? Please, just look—”

As the city in the distance turns into fire and ash, I realize that River is dead.