Post-Human Trilogy

something landed on the roof of the hangar. Each thud was like a drop of water hitting the tin roof of an old barn at the beginning of a summer storm. In just moments, the thuds began hitting the hangar roof at such a rate that it became a thunderous clatter. “Jesus,” Lieutenant Patrick said in a dread-filled whisper.

“We better get onboard,” Old-timer said, keeping his calm, yet placing a firm urgency behind the words.

In the cockpit of the ship, James, Djanet, and Thel worked furiously to bring all ship systems online. James was shouldering most of the burden, however, since the ship was his design. “They’ve landed on the hangar now, James,” said the A.I. in James’s head. “They’ll tear through the roof and kill you all before you have a chance to escape.”

“Shut up,” he replied under his breath.

“What was that, James?” Thel asked.

“Nothing,” James answered her. “Keep monitoring that door,” he said to her.

“I am. The machines are on top of it and they’re starting to claw through. Structural integrity is still holding, however.”

“It just needs to hold for a minute or so more,” James said as he frantically worked to get the ship’s electrical system running. “I’m not going to have time to test our systems. We’re just going to have to hope this bucket of bolts works!”

Meanwhile, high above Purist territory, Rich streaked toward the Earth while he watched the swarm of androids entering the atmosphere. Rich had faced dire situations before, but nothing compared to what he was facing now. “Rich, you crazy son of a gun. What the hell have you gotten yourself into now? ” he asked himself as he pressed on, the androids drawing near.

He patched into communication with James and the others as he approached. “Commander, I’m en route!”

“Rich?” James reacted, stunned. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“You know…I just missed you guys so darn much!”

The androids were now all around Rich, and he flew in an extremely erratic pattern to avoid making contact with them. They didn’t have magnetic fields, but their appearance was human, and he could see the expressions of determination on their faces as, one by one, they made their way toward him, attempting to apprehend him. He blasted energy at each one, knocking them unconscious and sending them plummeting toward the surface.

“Rich, we’re launching in about thirty seconds, but there are androids crawling all over the hangar!” James shouted. “You’re going to have to try catch a ride with us as we lift off!”

“Affirmative!” Rich shouted, gasping for air as he desperately fought off the thickening hordes of androids. “Commander! Hurry up! It’s raining men out here! Not hallelujah! Not hallelujah!”

26

“Are the doors holding, Thel?” James asked for confirmation before launching.

“The outer surface is torn to shreds, but the release mechanism appears to be operational!” Thel responded.

“Okay, then we’ve got to go! Keep your fingers crossed!” James shouted as he activated the launch sequence.

The hangar doors began to slowly open, allowing the thousands of androids that had crowded on top of the door and had been ripping the metal apart in their attempts to penetrate the hangar to leap down on top of the ship. The hydraulic launcher pressed into action and pointed the nose of the zeppelin-shaped ship up toward a sky that had been darkened by a rainstorm of androids.

Old-timer entered the cockpit, with Governor Wong, Alejandra, and Lieutenant Patrick in tow. “Old-timer,” James said as he engaged the magnetic engines, “keep an eye on the hull. Those things are bound to breach it at some point.”

“On it.”

“Djanet, keep an eye on Rich,” James said.

“I’m already on it,” Djanet said while she watched Rich’s desperate flight toward the ship as hundreds of attackers quickly became thousands.

“Launching now!” James shouted as he throttled the engines and the ship thrusted out of the hangar, shaking off thousands of android attackers as it did so. However, hundreds more managed to maintain their holds on the hull and they used their enormous strength to pound and claw at any ridges or weak spots in the structure that appeared exploitable.

As the ship picked up speed, hundreds more androids surged toward it, joining the fight and covering the ship like frenzied bees on a honeycomb.

Rich saw the ship too as it made its way toward him. He kept blasting magnetic energy at his attackers as he flew in kamikaze fashion, hoping to elude the androids by being completely erratic and unpredictable. “This was definitely a bad idea!”

27

As the ship neared, Rich had to negotiate a landing on the hull of the enormous structure as it rocketed upward, without allowing any of the myriad of androids to get a hold of him. He was nearing exhaustion as he flew and blasted in self-defense.

“I cannot believe what I am seeing,” Djanet said as she watched Rich’s valiant one-man battle. She had witnessed Rich’s bravery once before, but this was on a whole new level. She’d never seen anyone try anything like it. “I have to go out there,” she announced as she began to leave the cockpit.

“Djanet! No!” Old-timer shouted. “It’s suicide!”

“He’s right, Djanet,” James concurred as he gently grabbed her arm to stop her. She roughly pulled it away.

“I’d rather die out there with him than in here, watching.” She stormed out of the room and toward an exit.

“James,” Thel said with pleading eyes that urged him to do something to stop Djanet.

“Let her go, James,” the A.I. asserted in James’s head. “You know you need her out there. It’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it.”

James was rattled as he listened to the A.I.’s words. He instinctively wanted to rush to save Djanet and to resist the A.I., but once again, the electronic Satan appeared to be speaking the ugly truth. “She’s right, Thel. I couldn’t possibly order any of you outside, but we need help to get out of here alive. We need someone to clear the hull of the ship, and that’s exactly what Rich and Djanet will be doing.”

“But they’ll die!” Thel protested.

“Make the hard decisions, James,” the A.I. urged in an unusually sincere tone, suggesting that it had its own survival in mind—if it thought Djanet’s exit increased its chance of survival, it probably did.

“I didn’t ask either of them to go out there, but they’re a special breed,” James replied. “Old-timer, I need you to keep monitoring the hull and direct Rich and Djanet to any serious trouble spots. Thel, I need you to see if you can tap into the engine power without compromising our thrust to generate an electromagnetic pulse strong enough to get rid of the rest of our hangers on.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” Thel nodded as she flipped through a plethora of screens in her mind’s eye.