Curtis was still shocked at her appearance. Her years in hiding while protecting Simon had not been gentle. Constant exposure and work had etched themselves in the woman. She had aged tremendously, growing thinner and frailer as her nanids began to fail. As he watched she turned her eyes to him catching his gaze. He felt his worries fade slightly. Her strength was still there. Her stern look and unwavering resolve shone through her eyes. Curtis hoped she could help him find Wren as well as stop ODIN. Their gaze broke as the ship shifted in the air. Curtis turned back to the scene in front of the ship. The vehicles were descending a long ramp that curved to the streets of the city below. Kelly kept their elevation steady following slightly behind the small convoy. Curtis leaned forward trying to comprehend what he was seeing.

  He was not sure what he expected, but it was not the small Eden that sprawled away from him. A small city was thriving in the ruins of the larger one. People moved about their tasks only pausing when they sensed the airship drawing closer. A huge section of land had been cleared leading to the waters of the bay in the distance. He could see the movement of men with machines, each toiling in the earth to convert the city back to fertile soil. Buildings once dedicated to various enterprises had been restored and converted to a new purpose. They were the homes and workspaces of the last remaining humans that he knew existed. The bottom floors of the buildings had been opened and he could see glimpses of green inside them. Indoor gardens protected their crops from the harsh new climate. Curtis felt a smile crease his feral features.

  Despite the adversity it faced humanity persisted and found a way to survive. If they were allowed, the humans left in Seattle would begin to restore the population and their hold on the planet. His smile faded. He knew there was little chance. Between ODIN and the Leviathan, he knew any remaining chance of an independent humanity was quickly evaporating. He felt a growl grow in his chest and stifled it as he turned to Kelly.

  “Do you think they can help Owen?” he asked, nodding his head toward the chamber stabilizing the man in the rear of the vessel. Kelly glanced at him as the ship began to descend to the street where the vehicles were pulling to a halt in front of a large brick building backed by the ancient highway they had followed into the city. Her look told him everything. She turned back focusing on landing the airship. Her drones continued to circle above the building observing for any threat. As they touched ground she turned to face him, dust spinning away from the ship in clouds as the engines cycled down.

  “I do not think they can help him,” she stated flatly, placing her hand over his. Curtis looked at her hand on his clawed and multicolored one. The green tint of her nanids contrasted sharply with his. He felt his frustration at her statement fade at her touch. He looked up holding her eyes with his.

  “We have to find a way, Kelly!” he said urgency filling his voice. The woman smiled at his tenacity, sadness in her eyes.

  “I will do everything I...” She began and then stopped short. Curtis caught her pause and leaned forward covering her hand with his.

  “What is it?” he asked. He could see the excitement of a solution forming in her face.

  “A grove,” she whispered staring at him.

  “What?” he rumbled confused by her statement. He knew the groves were Stephen’s effort to bring back the earth’s ecosystem but did not understand how they could help. Before Kelly could continue Simon stepped next to them.

  “I think they are getting impatient,” he said coolly. Curtis glanced out of the vessel’s window. A contingent of soldiers stood outside the airship with hands resting nervously on their weapons. Curtis stood as he heard the vessel’s door open at Kelly’s bidding. As Kelly moved past him to join the others exiting the vehicle she spoke softly to him.

  “We will save him,” she said fiercely, gripping his arm slightly in reassurance. As Curtis moved to follow her he wished he shared her determination.

  As the ivory figure strode away from the wall of its city, the Leviathan studied it. The white nanids of ODIN were easy to pick out in the gray and brown landscape. The heat of the day did not affect either quantum as ODIN departed. The quantum had been there for many hours. Their negotiations had been intense, but fruitful. It smiled as the afternoon sun reflected off ODIN’s metallic flesh. Their alliance was struck and would be the final blow to the last of the human resistance. It could sense its army already preparing for the upcoming march to Seattle. Humanities last holdout in North America would fall to it and strengthen its horde. In a matter of days, the only remaining humans would be under its or ODIN’s control. Then they would turn to Stephen Fore.

  Irritation bubbled within in it at the thought of the human. Its creator’s disdain for the man had carried over to it. Fore’s perverse attempt at restoring the planet strengthened its resolve to destroy the human and his creations. With ODIN’s assistance it would be an easy task. The original quantum had decreed the man a terrorist, using his technology to bring further harm to the planet. The Leviathan knew it would gladly help rid the planet of Stephen Fore. The Leviathan turned from the quickly disappearing figure. Its scouts would keep close to ODIN ensuring it kept the bargain. Its smile faded as futures spun through its mind. The alliance would only last so long. Then there would be a war between the quantums for control of the planet and humanity. It sent instructions silently to its horde.

  Without pause it could sense its most stealthy children begin moving eastward. They would search ODIN’s realm bringing back any knowledge they could find. Soon the avatar of ODIN became a white speck in the distance before completely fading from view. The Leviathan turned on its heel striding toward the inner city where its army was gathering. Already it could hear the eager howls and roars of its host. Its sly smile returned as new futures began stirring in its mind and quantum body deep within Cheyenne Mountain to the south. Its scouts would not fail. When the time came to face ODIN, it would have all it needed to destroy the rival quantum. The cries of its army rose around it as it stepped in the open courtyard in front of the skyscraper it had long made its home. As it joined its voice with those of the horde, its smile broadened. The next step of its effort to bring humanity under its control had begun.

  NINE

  The sun was just beginning to dip below the horizon across the polluted waters of the Puget Sound, as Simon stood watching its steady descent. The thin layer of dirt and grime on the window he was staring out of gave a surreal quality to the light reflected by the tainted waters. Behind him the conference room they were gathered in was teeming with people. The steady rumble of conversation continued unabated. The room was on the upper levels of the human headquarters facing the developing city steadily growing in the ruins of Seattle. He ignored the conversation focusing instead on the new work being done. The recently cleared land was quickly being turned to use. He knew some would be used for crops but was impressed with the other developments. Windmills were spinning lazily in the early evening wind. Solar panels gleamed on the sides of building and the ground below. The gathered humans were restoring much of what had been lost. He extended his gaze to the bay in the distance and recognized the towers of a water purification plants as well. The humans had been extremely busy in the absence of any hostile force. He knew if left to their own devices they would more than likely prosper in the new world, unless there was interference from the remaining quantums. His mood dipped at the thought of ODIN and the Leviathan.

  Both were formidable by themselves. Now with both active on the planet Simon knew any remaining chances of humanity reemerging were slim. His thoughts returned to the Leviathan. ARES had destroyed Nathan Landis’ creation at Rocky Flats. Simon puzzled as to how it had escaped destruction. No solution presented itself. He felt frustration building. How could they destroy it once a for all? He felt alone once more. He needed Wren. They had always found the solutions together. Now she was beyond him, bonded to ISIS somewhere in the deepest recesses of the solar system. His memories brought back an image as he had last seen her. Resolve bloomed within him. He would help stop the Leviathan and ODIN, then begin his search for his sister. He stepped back from the window as voices rose in anger.

  It was the same as always. Human nature once again in action. The meeting was at a stale mate. Daniel lifted his hand for begging silence. The voices lowered but the whispers of discontent still rippled through the assembly. Kelly and Candace were present as well as what served as a governing body for the remaining populace. It consisted of Daniel and four others. The small council decided everything for the community, keeping the restoration on course and unhindered. The tall woman who had been at the crash site sat at the end of the table opposite Daniel. Simon recalled her name as he studied her. Alex. Despite the change in climate her skin was pale as if she were never outdoors. Her hair was thin and blond hanging limply on her scalp. The other members were seated between the two. All three were old, their nanids obviously failing. Two men and one woman, they were caught between Daniel and Alex. As Daniel lowered his hand, Simon studied the rest of the room. It was a mix of the settlers trying to start over in the abandoned city. Men and women of all ages had gathered to see the newcomers. As Simon looked he saw anger on a few faces, but most were streaked with fear at what their arrival meant.

  “Alex, we must hear them out,” Daniel stated, his voice strained with frustration. The woman laughed in response. It was hollow and without mirth.

  “They have nothing to offer us, Daniel. The only reason you gave them access is because of a relationship from long ago. The only thing they bring with them is misery and risk.” She finished glaring at Kelly and Holt in turn. Daniel sighed heavily looking to the other council members. His voice wavered as he spoke once more.

  “Is the council firm in its decision?” he asked. Simon felt anger flare at the obvious refusal taking place. He stepped forward closing on the council. He could feel the eyes of the room focus on him. It was as if they forgot his presence in the room. Shock and wonder played in turn across the gathering. The only person whose demeanor did not change was Alex. The pale woman glared at him, her disdain plainly displayed for all to see. Simon stopped in front of the table glaring at the council. He could feel the deep consciousness from his awakening stir within his body. The nanids within him responded to his emotion, tightening his armored skin around his frame. He could sense fear begin to trickle into the council members. Daniel shifted uncomfortably, his leathered face streaked with worry. Simon drew a breath preparing to speak when Worth’s hand touched his shoulder. She stepped next to him at the table speaking not just to the council but the crowd surrounding them.

  “This is Simon Fore,” she said flatly. There were a few gasps among the older humans including the council members. “This man sacrificed himself for the good of us all, trying to stop Nathan Landis’ nightmare over two hundred years ago. Now he stands before you again, offering his aid to the remains of the human civilization, restored to us by the sacrifice of the quantum ARES.” Worth paused allowing her words to drive into the gathered minds. “ARES is lost and the shield protecting the planet is gone. The Leviathan has returned.”

  Worth stared at Alex across the table each weighing the other’s resolve. Simon glared at the council as the room erupted in shouting once more. He saw the decision was unaltered. The smug look on Alex’s face told him there was no hope. He turned to Worth and saw she recognized it as well. They had not found the remains of humanity fighting for survival and reemergence, but merely a gathering of lost wanderers waiting for death to overtake them. Simon felt revulsion rise within him at the paralysis seizing the humans, despite the chaos in the room. Without a word he turned striding from the room, dismissing the fearful stares that followed him with a shrug. The noisome protests faded as he followed the ancient halls intent on returning to Curtis. Without the humans aid they needed another way to help Owen, as well as to stop the quantums before the two destroyed what remained of the free humans.

  The information streamed steadily into ODIN’s mind as it stood motionless inside its airship on the desolate plains of Colorado. The connection to the rest of its being in the Eastern United States was agonizingly slow, but necessary given the distance. It was using one of the satellites it seized to provide it with the information it needed to manipulate events to its favor. It was vaguely aware of the Leviathan’s minions lurking nearby the ship. It paid them no heed. It would have done the same if their roles were reversed. ODIN focused on the information coming in having sent all the intelligence it had gathered regarding the Leviathan and their alliance. The information was mundane revealing little of importance. As it continued, video from one of its other satellites began to stream across the connection. The feed was grainy and disjointed at first, the old technology struggling to function properly, but snapped into focus as the high-resolution camera finally focused. The satellite was old, once used by the United States to peer down on its neighbors around the world, providing the country with any advantage it could find. Now it served ODIN.

  As the resolution of the image continued to improve ODIN felt anger slowly settle in its chest. The image was of an airship crossing the northern section of South America, in what was once Brazil. Its anger grew as it recognized the airship. Stephen Fore. After two hundred years the man had decided to emerge. ODIN terminated the other feeds devoting all its resources to the feed showing Fore’s vessel. It was the same as the others that had emerged after the shield imprisoning the man had fallen. ODIN knew its purpose was different. This could only mean one thing. Stephen Fore knew the Leviathan had returned. This complicated the quantum’s plans. Fore may have the resources to stop it. It would have to counter the man quickly, preventing any interference. As it continued to study the craft it noticed it slow and begin landing procedures. Curious, the quantum focused in on the ship as it landed. The ship was approaching a small swath of green amongst the grays and tans of the landscape. ODIN realized it must be one of the sites where the original craft had landed, spreading Fore’s tainted nanids around the planet. It marked the location as frustration bubbled to the surface of its consciousness.

  It had never found all the locations of the ships. When the shield failed, followed by the destruction of the Web, much of its observational capabilities had been disabled or overwhelmed. In the years since, it had located many of them but not all. Now another was revealed. It had known the exact count of the ships on Thurston Island, but had not anticipated Stephen using them all. That was not part of the original plan they had devised. As ODIN found more and more locations, it looked as if the man had indeed used them all. The task of containing the nanids was becoming increasingly harder and more complicated. The only advantage it had was that Fore had engineered the nanids to flourish with human interaction, to connect humanity to the planet as it had never been before. ODIN had foiled that with its conquest of the humans in and around Washington, D.C. No human now willingly took on the advanced nanid strains. It was viewed as a death sentence and had brought Fore’s progress to a halt. ODIN noticed the craft lifting into the air once more. Stephen’s visit to the ship was shorter than it had thought it would be. It watched the craft begin trekking northward once more. The light was quickly fading as the night approached. The ship was becoming difficult to observe, so ODIN switched to infrared. The ship became a bright spot in the sky. ODIN smiled knowing it would be able to track its enemy and finally destroy him.

  Plans began spinning in its mind as the night continued to fade. Just as it settled on a course of action, the ship disappeared from the satellite’s feed. Rage tore to the surface of its mind as it studied the images coming to it. There was nothing. One moment Fore was there and then the ship simply dropped from sight. It pushed the rage aside focusing on the next step to counter its longtime nemesis. ODIN turned to the hatch of its ship stalking out into the rapidly darkening night. Even if it lost Fore, it was now certain where the man was headed. It strode into the night seeking out the Leviathan’s scouts. It smiled as it saw the creature lurking on a small rise in the distance. When Fore arrived ODIN would be waiting.

  The drone dipped slightly under the load it was carrying as Curtis watched it approach the airship. The sun was falling quickly from the sky in the west, disappearing behind the mountains overlooking the gray green waters of the Sound. The drones had been steadily retrieving the supplies that had survived the destruction of Candace Worth’s ship. He was busying himself organizing them and separating out what they would keep and what would be given to the settlement. As the drone slowly drifted down to the ground in front of the airship Curtis heard the doors to the former hospital swing open behind him. The soft groan they issued indicated not only their age, but the need for repairs at the blooming settlement. He turned, curious how the meeting went. As his eyes settled on the armored form of Simon Fore, he suspected it did not go well.

 

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