“Now who’s bluffing?” said Kussmann. “You won a minor skirmish. Congratulations. But all you’ve done is wake us up. Victory has come too easily for us, and we’ve grown complacent. But we won’t underestimate humanity again. And as we near, we’ll be able to project more and more of our mental power.
“So you won this round. But consider this. We did all the work. We extended our mind twelve hundred light years. You didn’t have to extend yours a millimeter. And yet you still barely won, and only because of a fluke, a miracle. So gloat all you want, it’s just a matter of time before you’re destroyed, even if you do have our memories.”
Kussmann paused. “You’re well aware that our destiny is to fill the entire universe. Not just fill, but dominate. Did you really think we’d negotiate with a species as insignificant as yours?”
“No, I didn’t. But it was worth a try. In the future, don’t say I didn’t give you a chance.”
“Are you finished?”
“Not quite. I’ll leave you with one last item to consider. Instead of driving us to war with the Federation, instead of getting us to wipe each other out, you’ve done nothing but drive us closer together. We now have the ultimate evidence of your true nature and ambition. So when you come, humanity and the twenty-two races of the Federation will be united against you.”
With this said, I raised a stolen gun and shot the commander in the head, and then put three shots into his chest for good measure.
“You’re positive he couldn’t have been saved?” asked Brad.
“Positive,” I said sadly. “He was worse than dead already. The real Kenneth Kussmann was in a hell to top all hells. I know what it’s like being pushed into a corner of your own mind, helpless to control your brain and body. The commander could do nothing but watch in the dark recesses of his own mind, horrified by the knowledge that the Swarm had been steering him for decades before it took full control today.
“Had I not managed to free myself, I’d have been praying for death every instant. As horrible and cold-blooded as what I did may have seemed, I did the commander the ultimate favor.”
“Understood,” said the colonel.
Tessa sighed. “What now?”
“We have a lot to do. Long story, but the Swarm brainwashed the members of its human organization into thinking it was a benevolent race that only wanted the best for humanity. And that the Federation was pure evil. All supported by endless fake evidence.
“But we’re now in a perfect position to add this organization to our own,” I continued. “All Sentinel personnel were carefully vetted for trustworthiness. So we need to quickly figure out the best way to convince them of the truth, deprogram them. I’ve found Nick to be a competent soldier and a good man, so we can focus on him first. Once he’s realized how he’s been played by the Swarm, he can help us convince the others.”
I paused to let this sink in.
“And there’s more,” I added. “This will turn out to be an extraordinary coup on multiple levels. We can also absorb all Sentinel bases, labs, factories, and so on around the world. All of which I now control through their AIs. The Sentinels have long had access to advanced tech, created using plans supplied by the Swarm, which we’ll now inherit.
“And now that I control their entire fleet of UAVs, I’ll order them all to fly in stealth mode and hang out at the bottom of the ocean until we decide where to keep them.”
I faced Brad and raised my eyebrows. “You wanted to find the Federation’s kryptonite in case they were hiding things from us. In case they turned out to be an enemy. I once shared these concerns, but I don’t any longer. Regardless, we have our kryptonite. Three thousand UAVs aren’t decisive, but they do go a long way toward balancing the scales, especially considering we’ve inherited factories capable of making more. From this day forward, we and the Federation will be on more equal footing.”
“Incredible,” said Tessa. “So when the Federation AI thought you might be important in all this, Jason, it clearly had no idea what it was talking about.”
“Clearly not,” I replied happily.
Tessa grinned.
“Let’s get the hell out of here,” I said. “I have to bring you both up to speed, along with Nari and the Federation. And we have much to talk about.”
“Are you going to leave the commander’s body here before we go?” asked the colonel.
I shook my head. “I need to see to it that he receives a hero’s burial. It’s the least we can do.”
Both of my fellow passengers nodded their agreement.
“Okay then,” I said. “I’m going to issue a few more orders. But we’ll be popping out of the ocean and on our way before you know it.”
52
We made it to SAPS’ San Diego headquarters in less than thirty minutes. During the journey Tessa continued healing before our eyes, and while not fully back to normal, her microscopic MDs were reversing the effects of the gunshot wound at an astonishing pace.
Brad issued orders as we flew, paving the way for us to begin a meeting with Nari as soon as possible, and for his people to ensure that Kussmann’s body was preserved and the proper burial arrangements made. Nick would be transported to nearby quarters and kept asleep until I could have a long conversation with him and begin the deprogramming process.
Once we arrived, we rushed through the familiar lobby of Schoenfeld-Allen Protection Services, and I recalled the first time I had seen it, during an innocent author visit. Or maybe not so innocent, as the idea to do so had been implanted in my sleep so I could meet a woman purposely put in my path.