Chapter 5

?le de l’Est

A hooded figure stood on a small platform in the middle of the darkened room. He wore lengthy robes that could have been those of a monk, or of a murderer waiting in the shadows. In the distance around him, the hum of computer fans and the blinking of simple LEDs indicated this was not some ancient landscape or medieval church, but a modern building filled with electronics.

Closer in, a half dozen people sat in a semicircle around the hooded figure. They wore similar clothing, but with their hoods pulled back and their eyes gazing up at him in near rapturous attention.

“All of you have been witnesses to the struggle,” the hooded figure said quietly. “Each of you has made the awful choice that only the boldest can make. Each of you has been a part of the creation of new life.”

At this point the man pulled back his hood to show them his face. His name was Ezra Vaughn. He was a tall Caucasian in his mid-forties. He had the square jaw and high cheekbones of an aging movie star, but not a hint of warmth radiated from his face. His dark hair was buzzed close, his intense eyes set forward in his skull. He rarely made eye contact, but when he did he stared, and the weight of his gaze was intense. As he looked from one face to the next, he knew he had his group enraptured. He saw followers who would do anything he asked.

“Today…is judgment day,” he said.

They stared in silence.

“Today marks the beginning of the end…the fall of humanity…and the rise of a new species. When our work is finished, mankind will no longer be weak and fractured. We will act as one, with logic and uniformity. And those who cannot join us will be extinguished like spent candles that have given the last of their light.”

The apocalyptic words did not shock the assembled group. They’d heard them before. They knew the plan. Long ago they’d left the so-called civilized world to be part of the change that their leader insisted was coming.

As Vaughn spoke, pinpoint lights illuminated a circle around them. A line crossed the circle, marking the diameter. A numerical code flashed across screens at the front of the room: 6.28318530717.

“You have been told about the Alpha and the Omega, but I give you one truth that links everything: TAU.”

The lights above went off and the circular floor lit up from within. A pool of saffron-colored liquid swirled below them. The silhouettes of several human figures could be seen floating in the tank, tubes and wires connected to them.

“You are nearly ready to join with TAU,” Vaughn said. “Submit your minds, allow him to lead you to the future. A future without chaos. A future where order rules.”

Tiny effervescent sparks could be seen in the liquid, dancing and vanishing. His followers seemed to drift off, mesmerized by the dance of the ephemeral static the way ancient sailors had been mesmerized by St. Elmo’s fire. Voices echoed through the chamber. Electronic whispers. Instructions. Eventually the dance of sparks and the subliminal communications ended, and the room went dark.

After a moment to recover, the audience members pulled their hoods back up, rose from their seats, and moved without a word for the exits.

Vaughn was left alone in the darkness, but a voice spoke to him nonetheless.

“Some of them are afraid,” the computer-generated voice said. “They know that some of the subjects have gone missing. They’ve begun to believe in the witch.”

The Gray Witch. An idea that had grown among the subjects like a virus. At times they seemed to think there was someone on Vaughn’s staff who would help them. Other times, they considered her a strange deity who would arise and set them free. It infuriated Vaughn. “The witch is a myth of their own creation. A shared delusion. I have put any who could betray us to death.”

TAU agreed. “It is an abstraction, the type that appears to people that have no hope. Consistent with other religions all around the world back to the dawn of recorded history. All who realize their mortality seek to create an afterlife mythology and imbue a power greater than themselves to fill it. But their delusion weakens them and makes them unworthy. I wish to explore their pain, not experience their fear.”

“Take the weak and use them as you please,” Vaughn said. “The others should be placed into the tank.”

“Acceptable,” TAU said. “Now we must address the escapees.”

“Irrelevant,” Vaughn snapped, as if the computer had offended him by bringing up the subject. “The escapees have been consumed by the swarm at this point.”

TAU agreed again. “Based on wind patterns and ocean currents, it’s likely the swarm reached the escapees within two days of their departure. Under that scenario, their continued existence is unlikely. However, our effort has resulted in a secondary, derivative problem.”

“Explain,” Vaughn demanded.

“A mass stranding has been reported on Reunion, directly in the path of the swarm. It has become an international incident, widely reported by news services.”

“Irrelevant,” Vaughn insisted. “There is little chance it will result in anything more than a few days of hand-wringing and sobs for the state of nature.”

“Incorrect,” TAU explained. “My information suggests our actions stand a significant chance of being discovered. As high as eighty-five percent.”

Vaughn didn’t like being corrected by the machine. But he’d built it to be accurate. To analyze all possible factors in a way no human could possibly manage.

“Explain,” he said a second time.

“The presence of operatives from the American organization NUMA affects the data. Several of their more decorated members were on the island and were active during the stranding. My study of their database confirms that they’re now launching an investigation into the cause.”

“NUMA,” Vaughn said. Now, that was a surprise. Or a coincidence…Or something more. Certainly Vaughn knew enough about the organization to want them removed from the equation. “Recommendation?”

TAU answered immediately. Its hyper-speed processors were already preloaded with a solution. “Biological decay and the effect of natural scavengers will hide any evidence of the cause within thirty-six hours. But samples taken before this period may result in indirect exposure. The preferred solution is complete destruction of any and all samples prior to laboratory analysis. Full eradication of any recorded data. Permanent elimination of any human individuals who may have done preliminary studies.”

Vaughn had expected no less. “By what means do you suggest accomplishing this task?”

“This task is best performed by trained human operatives.”

As usual, Vaughn and his machine agreed. “Have the Overseer report to me. This will be a chance for him to redeem himself.”