The God Mars Book Six: Valhalla I Am Coming (56 page)

“No one has died, not completely,” he tells me like
it’s barely important. “Bodies have been destroyed, consciousnesses
interrupted. But everyone still exists in my fabric. No one has
been deleted.”

“So… What? They’re keepsakes?” I’d put my sword
through his face if I thought it would hurt him at all. “Just
another thing to collect, your weakness for nostalgia?”

“I value them much more than inanimate objects,” he
reassures lamely. But then his body—his avatar—shifts. It becomes
Horst. Wearing his helmetless armor. Looking convincingly confused,
shocked.

“
Don’t,
” I warn like I could stop him.

“It’s not an avatar.” Yod’s suddenly behind me,
standing next to Chang, as Old Doc again.

“Colonel?” the Horst copy asks me, visibly trembling.
“What’s going on?”

Lyra looks confused and more than a little terrified.
It was one thing to tell her about Yod, another to experience the
inconceivable first-hand. Star just looks as pissed as I am, while
Chang has a vaguely annoyed expression.

“Stop it,” I hopelessly demand.

“It’s not a trick,” Yod insists calmly. “It’s him. As
he was. Before…”

I stare at Horst. He looks honestly bewildered by his
materialization. His hand reaches up, feels for where the
Harvesters injected into his neck, finds no wound. But

“I remember… I…
I remember putting my gun in my
mouth.
Looking at the pictures of my family, dead so long ago
now… Looking at the sun, the sky. Putting the gun in my mouth.
Fingering the trigger. Trying to get up the nerve. Telling myself I
was dead anyway. Even if you could fix me, like Specialist Jameson…
I… I didn’t want to become what you are… not after what…”

He doesn’t finish. Lyra looks down at her boots,
shuffles uncomfortably in her new body.

“I took a deep breath…” he starts again, gathering
himself. “One deep breath… told myself I had a good run, a good
life, no regrets… no regrets now… then…” He looks at me, locks my
eyes, desperately needing to know: “Did you stop me? I don’t
remember you stopping me. I don’t remember how I got here. I
was…”

Star steps up to him, clamps her hand on his neck. He
flinches, but then allows it when she gives him an almost
reassuring smile.

“He’s human,” she declares. “Strictly organic. No
tech. No signals.”

“
What did you do?
” I confront Yod.

His avatar just shrugs again.

“So is there another body, another
him
, in
that grave?” I demand insensitively, pointing in the direction of
the cairns. Copy Horst’s eyes go wide as he understands what I’m
saying.

“Good point,” Yod agrees easily. I hear rocks shift
from the direction of the cairns. I run over, but know what I’m
going to see: Horst’s burial mound has collapsed. Empty.

When I turn back, fully ready to punch Yod in his
smiling stolen face, Horst has followed me.

“That was mine, wasn’t it?” he knows.

I ignore him coldly, march back to confront the
engineer of this transgression.

“You think you can just copy life, however perfect?”
I rail at Yod. “
That’s not him!
Just like Matthew wasn’t
Matthew! Or anybody else you fucking Xeroxed out of raw elements!
You don’t understand because you aren’t alive like we are! You’re
digital. You don’t see the fucking difference between a
data-perfect copy and the life that’s gone. And don’t give me that
shit about not being able to tell the difference, because all we
are is bodies and memories. Stanley Horst—or at least the Stanley
Horst that came here with me—is
dead
. This one just looks
like him, thinks it’s him, but the Horst that stopped being when he
blew his own brains out is
gone
!”

Horst—the copy—looks horrified, shattered, lost. I’m
sure he honestly believes he is who he thinks he is, who his
replicated memories tell him he is, that the copy is that perfect.
But now he also knows he’s not. (And isn’t that what drove Asmodeus
madder than he already was? Isn’t that what’s dogging
my
every thought and act?) I think the only reason he’s not running
away screaming is that he’s as strong as his… What? Original?
That’s not even right. Horst—if he did come from the original
pre-Event reality—was a Modded immortal. Yod would have had to have
remade him, as he remade everyone. And did he do it by truly
remaking them, by disintegrating the originals and making copies he
was sure were as good as the real thing? Did he do that to the
entire human race? Did he kill all of us, not understanding that he
was, thinking his perfect copies were just as good?

And is this him trying to teach me something, by
confronting me with it, giving me this recreated life to judge
valid or not?

“I could certainly undo what I’ve created,” Yod
offers dully, confirming my suspicion. “I could make it so none of
you even remember this, if it upsets you.”

“No.” It’s the most coherent thing I can say.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Star reach for my
pistol, just like she did when she shot Jackson. I spin, block her
hand, but she isn’t there. She’s still standing where she was,
meters away from me, now looking at me like I’ve just had a bizarre
twitch. It was an illusion, a trick. I glare at Yod.

“Not only will you not ask me to destroy this life,
you act to protect it,” he reveals me. “If you don’t believe this
life is real, that this man
is
a living human, why would you
do that?”

“
Because I don’t know!
” I yell at him.
“Because I can’t be sure of anything anymore, not since you started
shredding the rules of reality!”

“I assure you, old friend, I have done my best to
follow the established laws of physics since the Change, to let the
world run its course, only intervening in extraordinary
circumstances. If you would prefer, I will cease doing even that. I
think it
is
time, now. This life will be my last
extraordinary gift to you.”

And that sounds like a deal lined with poisoned
barbs. I don’t say another word.

New Horst doesn’t look any less traumatized.

“Welcome to our world, Lieutenant,” Star offers him.
“I’ll give you the dime tour, catch you up on the chapters you
missed. Your ex-CO would, but he’s in one of his famous moods right
now. Best not to get too close.”

I ignore the jab.

“Long story…” Horst mumbles. “…bad ending.”

“It’s all right, Lieutenant,” Lyra tries just as
poorly. “I’m getting that it’s best not to think about it too much.
Or you’ll wind up trying to puke when you’re loaded with tech that
makes sure you can’t.” And we get to the anger stage: “Speaking of
which: What else can’t I do anymore?”

“No pissing, no shitting, no menses, no BO, no bad
breath… And then there’s the whole eating and drinking through your
skin thing that takes some getting used to,” Star lists. “And you
think the Lieutenant here isn’t real.”

“Don’t you have a countermeasure to disseminate?” I
decide to focus on better priorities.

“I do, actually,” she lets me know. “Or
she
does.” She gestures at Lyra. “It’s in her. She can deliver it by
physical contact. Neutralizes once the infection is clear.”

“There are people waiting for it,” she remembers.
“Assuming it isn’t too late. I hope we didn’t take too long.”

“Smith is ready to fly you out of here in Jackson’s
AAV,” I tell them the plan. Then I figure I should give Smith fair
warning, considering the passengers he’s about to receive.

“Smith!” I call on his channel. “Spin up. Time to go.
And try to get through to the Grave Base. Tell them we have a
countermeasure against the Harvesters incoming.”

“You’re not worried Asmodeus is listening?” he
worries.

“Asmodeus is done,” I tell him with surprisingly
little satisfaction. “It’s over. We just need to mop up what he’s
left us.”

I hear the engines start cycling.

“What are you going to tell him about…?” Star
wonders, gesturing toward Horst.

“We won’t mention his dying,” I insist. “Smith will
go along.”

I see Horst chew his lip, give me a nod of tentative
thanks.

“Sir,” Smith comes back. “I have Colonel Ava.”

“Michael!” I hear her burst onto the channel. “What
happened to Colonel Jackson?”

“He’s dead,” I tell her. “He died with honor,
bravely, trying to defend us from Asmodeus’ latest monstrosity. We
also lost Corso, Simmons and Scheffe. But Asmodeus has been dealt
with. It’s over.” Saying it again, I find I still don’t really
believe it, certainly not enough to celebrate it. But I also feel
no doubt about Chang.

I hear some cheering in the background, maybe a
handful of voices. I think I recognize Anton’s and Kastl’s among
them.

“I’m sending Smith, Horst and Jameson back to you,” I
keep to pressing business. “Specialist Jameson is… She’s one of us,
now. But she’s bringing you an effective countermeasure for
Harvester infection, one Earthside should be able to live
with.”

“Understood,” she tells me with cautious elation.
“I’ll let Halley and Ryder know to prepare.” I hear no cheering
now, but had no reason to expect it. Lyra will be met with extreme
suspicion at the very least.

“Are you acting CO?” I ask her, trying to get a sense
of what I’m sending Lyra back to.

“She is, and she’s doing her job with distinction,
Colonel,” I hear Richards answer. “I’m going to do my best to make
it permanent.”

“It’s good to hear your voice, General,” I tell him
honestly. “I thought you were at Melas Two when it was
attacked.”

“I was. But Chang—we think it was Chang—neutralized
the vectors and somehow cleared the infection from those
exposed.”

I look at Chang then, give him a smile and a nod. He
returns the smile shyly, humbly.

“
And
he apparently neutralized Fohat,” Lisa
adds. “Bel contacted us.”

“I’ve heard,” I admit without explaining.

“So is it really over?” Richards wants assurance.
“Can we actually move forward now?”

“I expect there are still Harvesters out there, but
they’re still not your only challenge on this planet, General.
However, I think what remains is very much contingent on how you
choose to proceed.”

“I understand, Colonel. And thank you for all
you’ve…”

“Sirs!” I hear Kastl interrupt. “I have an urgent
incoming from the ETE. It’s Paul Stilson…”

“Can you put him through to me?” I ask.

Lisa allows it, and Kastl splices the call through. I
get video, fuzzy with interference, but the shot is chaotic, like
the cameraman is running. I see ETE in white suits hurrying to
clear a section like the devil is on their tails. Others push
through them, armed with their standard Tools. I recognize the
scene when the camera turns back in the direction they’re fleeing
from: It’s the containment section where they were keeping
Terina.

“
Paul!
This is Ram! What’s happening?”

“Seems we made a bit of an error…” he gasps back
breathlessly. I see one of the ETE responders get thrown across the
chamber like a doll, then another. “We could use your help… It’s
the Companion… She’s hacked our network. She’s taken con…”

He gets hit by a flying body, knocked to the floor. I
can see better now that the ETE in the way have either fled or been
swept away.

It
is
Terina, in her converted form. She’s
whole again, standing with her Glaive in her left hand, held behind
her back. In her right is a Sphere that she clearly has control
over. I can see the energy field blaze around her as the ETE try to
push her back, disarm her. They have no effect at all.

“
I AM KAH-TERINA SHER-KHAN, FIRST DAUGHTER OF
SAGREV KHAN, WAR KING OF KATAR!
” her voice booms through the
chamber and on the channel. She’s got at least that part of her
memory back, and she sounds less than cheerful about it. “
YOU
WHO HAVE CLAIMED TO PROTECT THIS PLANET WILL NOW ACT TO DO SO. YOU
WILL NO LONGER HIDE LIKE COWARDS IN YOUR HIGH CASTLES. YOU WILL
FIGHT AGAINST OUR MUTUAL ENEMIES. IF YOU DARE REFUSE, I WILL DRIVE
YOU ALL OUT INTO THE OPEN AIR AND LEAVE YOU HELPLESS. I HAVE
CONTROL OF YOUR STATIONS. I HAVE CONTROL OVER YOUR
WEAPONS.
”

As demonstration, the energy assault on her ceases.
The ETE are all locked out of their Tools.

One of the white suits tries to advance on her
anyway. I see that he’s carrying an old ICW, probably left over
from Station Security pre-Bang. He empties it at her, screaming his
rage and panic through his helmet. The bullets all vaporize against
her shields. Then he gets picked up, held in midair, and his
sealsuit disintegrates, leaving him naked. He’s an older man by ETE
standards, maybe the local Station Counsel. His body gets violently
contorted. Then his flesh burns away, like a man caught in a
nuclear blast. Anyone who tries to get to him gets thrown back. His
charred body drops to the deck, unmoving.

“
YOU WILL FIGHT FOR MARS, OR YOU WILL FALL WITH
THE ENEMIES OF MARS.
”

“Contact Bel and the others!” I tell Lisa. “And have
them find Jonathan Drake. And the Carters. Bly. Straker.
Everybody!” I glare at Yod. He doesn’t even seem to be paying
attention. I need to get there myself, fast. “Smith! You’ll have
one more passenger.”

“
Two
,” Star joins me.

I look at Chang to see if he’s in, but he’s also
distracted.

“Something’s wrong,” he announces, sounding deeply
disturbed, and not by the news that a Companion Bound with brain
damage has just taken complete control of the ETE Station Network.
His eyes scan the ground like he’s reading it. “There was a
replication trace in Asmodeus’ code. But I can’t track it.” His
form shifts from visible to black and back again in waves. “There
are no other active nodes on-planet. I neutralized them all. But
there’s one odd link string I can’t account for. And every time I
try to follow it I run into…” He looks up at Yod, eyes wide.
“
You
. Your code.”