After Impact: After Impact Trilogy, Book 1 Read online

“Just beautiful,” Brody said with a cough and a half smile.

  Avalon gently petted his sweat drenched hair and her voice cracks as she said, “You are strong. You are going to survive this. We all are.”

  Brody nodded. “I don’t know what’s going on. We all got the universal shot so none of us should be sick.”

  Avalon exchanged a look with Ilium. “Maybe the shot isn’t so universal,” she answered, too softly for him to hear.

  Brody coughed. “Sure are a lot of us here. Nobody dies from this right? After a day or two I am going to get better?”

  His chest rose and fell with great effort.

  “Get some rest,” she said, ignoring his question as he began to fall asleep from the medicines entering his IV.

  Avalon plodded back over to Ilium.

  “Do you think we should tell him the truth of his prognosis?” she asked.

  Ilium shook his head. “We can’t. We can’t do anything but work on the cure.”

  “Isn’t that inconsiderate? He has a right to know that he may die,” Avalon replied.

  “Why? If he is going to die, what good does it do to tell him?” Ilium countered.

  Avalon conceded he had a point after a long beat of silence. The decision still left her feeling uneasy.

  Ilium handed her a microchip. “Maybe you can play with the formula?”

  “I don’t know anything about biology. I am into computer science.”

  “Just try for me. You recognize patterns. Perhaps you can see something I don’t see.”

  Avalon nodded her head as she placed the microchip in her shirt pocket and returned to work.

  Avalon inserted the microchip Ilium gave her into a small slot in her bed capsule later that night. She began toying with the computer model determined to figure something out. She could not let Brody die like that.

  A couple of hours passed as the computer worked and she began to groan as her neck became stiff. Moving her head from side to side, she also rolled her shoulders back. Her chamber filled with a song from her playlist that reminded her of Ilium. A smile formed across her lips as she remembered the sound of his voice and how excited he became every time he learned something new.

  Her head bobbed and her eyelids fluttered. This proved much harder to solve than she anticipated, and she finally succumbed to sleep.

  A young man entered her dorm room. No he didn’t enter. He just appeared in the middle of the room. Avalon sat up and dropped down to the floor from her bed.

  “Who are you?” she asked. After she tilted her head a bit she said, “Dexter?”

  “Yes,” he answered taking a step closer. “My name is Dexter.”

  Avalon pointed to him. “But that’s impossible. You got sick. You died!”

  That’s what they want you to believe. I did get sick. Terribly sick. But it wasn’t from a virus.

  Only the last sentence he spoke, his lips didn’t move.

  This is one weird dream, Avalon thought pinching herself.

  That’s cause you’re not dreaming.

  Your lips…they aren’t moving! And you can read minds? Avalon thought.

  I don’t have much time. Listen—something happened to me when I went outside. Something strange. I didn’t die…I changed. Mutated.

  But, Avalon began, you look the same!

  Yes. Outwardly. But inwardly, he patted his chest, I can do strange things.

  Like enter rooms undetected? Was it you? Did you leave Michelle in my bed?

  Yes. As a warning. He began shaking his head as he stared into space. He keeps trying it on girls.

  Who is he?

  He thinks you’re special. That you can handle it. But I won’t let that happen. Cause this isn’t stable.

  “Who is he? What are you talking about?” Avalon asked out loud with growing panic in her voice. But Dexter had disappeared just as quickly as he had appeared.

  Avalon was still a bit groggy when the wallscreen woke her up the next morning.

  That was some crazy dream!

  The computer had finished running its latest analysis. The results were grim, with only a 17% efficacy rate. Something was missing, but she had no time to think about what could be wrong. She hurried to get ready for the day ahead. She videomessaged her results to Ilium, asking him to work on it when he had spare time.

  Then she hopped out of her bed and down to the floor. There were muddy footprints.

  Chapter Twelve

  Avalon struggled to remain calm. Whose prints are these? How did they get here? Who entered my room?

  Judging by the size of the footprints, it was definitely a man’s shoe.

  Why would the shoe be covered in mud?

  Avalon followed the path of the footsteps. The path went from one wall of her room to the other.

  No one can walk on walls! Someone must be playing tricks on me.

  Avalon considered calling the guards, but she knew that the prints would probably be long gone by the time they arrived, just like Michelle’s body had vanished earlier.

  Michelle’s body. Avalon sat down on the floor and rubbed her eyes. The dream…had a guy. Dexter. He said he put Michelle’s body there on purpose. As a warning. And that he meant her no harm, but someone else did.

  Instead of calling the guards, who undoubtedly would not believe her, she did the only thing she knew to do.

  She messaged Ilium.

  He was there waiting outside of her door in five minutes flat. His cheeks were flushed from running. His hair was still damp, which meant he did not have time to towel dry it. The combination of the dark damp curls around his bright blue eyes gave him an adorable quality which was nothing less than sigh worthy.

  Avalon quickly brought Ilium up to speed.

  “Since this is the second time this has happened, we can change your room assignment,” Ilium suggested.

  Avalon shook her head. “No. Dexter doesn’t want to kill me, or even harm me. In fact, he may have been trying to help me.”

  Ilium’s face scrunched as he tried to understand Avalon.

  “What do you mean help you? By breaking into your room, leaving Michelle’s body here, and scaring you half to death?”

  “I know,” Avalon said with a shrug. “But he said he left her there as a warning. That someone was trying to do something to me.”

  “Did he say who?”

  “No. But it is a male.”

  Avalon neglected to mention that Dexter spoke to her telepathically. She hoped she really did imagine that part.

  With a shrug, Avalon added, “Nothing makes sense right now, I get that. But he also mentioned something about special abilities.”

  “Special abilities?” Ilium asked.

  Avalon nodded.

  “You mean, you think it may have something to do with the metahumans?”

  Avalon nodded again.

  “I don’t trust that you are safe alone for one second. I am going to walk you to your workstation.”

  Avalon looked into his piercing eyes and said, “Thank you.”

  Right before Avalon entered the workstation Ilium grabbed her hands and held them. His hands are much larger than I imagined.

  “Listen to me. We are in this thing together. I promised I wouldn’t let anyone hurt you,” Ilium said.

  “Thanks,” Avalon said, letting go of his hands and turning to enter the lab.

  In the middle of Avalon’s daily work queue, the wallscreen lit up and the President told everyone to immediately proceed to the cafeteria for Match Day.

  What could be happening now? Avalon thought.

  “What is Match Day?” Avalon asked Skylar.

  Skylar gave her a look that said ‘you should know this already, duh.’ When Avalon still looked confused, Skylar answered, “It’s the day we all find out who we will be mated with.”

  “You mean it’s automated? There’s no choice in the matter?”

  “Precisely. Both parties fill out questionnaires about their likes, dislikes, etc. This is combine
d with their DNA data on file and used to provide the best match. The best match, of course, is the match which will result in the healthiest offspring. It is not based upon capricious feelings like love which come and go.”

  Capricious feelings. Love is so much more than that. I understand the government wants to avoid all of the divorces that peaked in the 20th and 21st century, but still. Avalon kept her thoughts to herself and nodded her head. “This is strictly about survival of the species!”

  “Exactly. Only about 95% of people match the first round.”

  “The first round? So there is a second round for the other 5%?”

  “Correct. The leftover people that the system, for one reason or another, does not find a suitable mate for are forced to go around asking, begging, fighting, singing, or anything else they can do to find a match that will take them.”

  Avalon’s face twisted.

  “Time to go. Don’t want to be late,” Skylar said.

  “It’s Match Day!” Several girls in the corridor screamed with delight as Avalon rounded the corner to the cafeteria. Skylar did not appear too enthused, and Xin was in his usual nonchalant mode. Why are these girls excited about a day where instead of mating with the guy of their choice, they are forced to go with whoever an artificial intelligence deems right for them? We have had to sacrifice a lot for the sake of the survival of the species. I am not sure it is something to be cheerful about.

  Everyone gathered in the middle of the cafeteria, as the table and chairs had been pushed back against the wall. The President stood behind a large podium in the middle of the room, and guards flanked his sides. The Entertainment committee had somehow developed a platform from which the President could speak, and a large wallscreen displayed balloons and celebratory scenes in the background.

  “Welcome,” the President said.

  “Greetings,” the crowd answered in unison.

  The President smiled as he peered down into the faces of everyone gathered. “No doubt you are probably wondering why we are having Match Day early. As you know, you are here today to learn who your mate will be based upon the best genetic pairing which will hopefully result in viable offspring.”

  Avalon shuddered at the clinical nature with which the President spoke about something so personal.

  “Well, we are forced to have Match Day early because the Ai has detected that some of you have developed irregularities in your gametes which may affect fertility rates.”

  Loud gasps erupted throughout the room. There was a slight lilt in the President’s voice as he gave his explanation for moving Match Day up.

  “Those of you gathered here today are very lucky, as when the others wake up, they will simply be notified of who their partner is. However, the Entertainment chairman deemed a celebratory affair appropriate for you all because you would have been awake the longest by comparison.”

  The President scanned the room with his eyes. “As you know, whoever the AI selects as your mate will be permanent. Unlike in the world of before, we do not have the luxury of selecting a mate based upon such a quaint idea as love. However, in studying some of the civilizations of the old world, many couples grew to love each other after being in ‘arranged marriages’, as it was called back then. Each couple will have exactly one year to produce a child. Twenty couples a year will be asked to produce a child on a rotational basis. After any pair has produced two children during their lifetimes, both parties will be sterilized.”

  Then the President showed a video on a wallscreen where Avalon’s father, Dr. Adams, had presented his plan to the President in order to save humanity so long ago. Everyone in the room clapped at the end of the video.

  “Let this serve as a constant reminder for why we must make sacrifices for the greater good, not only for today, but for the future.”

  Everyone continued to listen. Avalon held her breath. Will you hurry up and just call the names? She glanced up at the countdown clock, hoping the AI would open the doors to the outside even sooner. Maybe she could run away, and not really participate in this mating program.

  “Now, I ask that all of the young men line up against the left wall and all of the girls to stand against the right wall,” the President ordered.

  “Let us begin,” The President stated. Behind him, a large screen stood which displayed photos of newly paired couples as their names were called.

  As matches were called, the pair was to stand together in the middle of the room and hold hands. The audience was instructed to clap after every pair was named.

  “Xin Tu,” the President announced.

  Xin looked attentively at the President.

  “You are matched with Skylar Leatherbury. Congratulations.”

  Xin accepted the match without a word and walked towards the middle of the room. Skylar stood frozen until the President’s eyes fell upon her and she slowly walked towards the middle of the room and grabbed Xin’s hand. The audience clapped appropriately.

  Skylar’s eyes locked on hers. Avalon turned her gaze away. That’s when she caught Elena staring daggers towards her. Elena’s name had not been called yet. Her group of friends all surrounded her, telling her she was a shoe-in for Kael.

  Of course, she is. I am sure if anyone is a match, those two are…

  The President continued to call various couple’s names, and the audience continued to clap on cue.

  “Elena,” the President called.

  She smirked as all of her friends smiled and winked at her.

  Always sure of herself.

  “You are matched with Lananias. Congratulations,” the President said.

  Elena’s entire face darkened. Her mouth fell open as others around the room gasped. Avalon turned to look at Kael. However, he closed his eyes and exhaled.

  Is he relieved that he doesn’t match with Elena?

  Lananias was not a bad choice. An Accipio and one of Kael’s first cousins, Lananias was considered an excellent candidate. However, he was not Kael.

  Elena’s feet slowly moved towards Lananias who quickly met her and grabbed her hand. Everyone applauded, but it was definitely not enthusiastic. It was a slow, muted, confused applause.

  After that match up, the sentiment in the room definitely changed from a charged up energy to one more solemn and subdued. People were accepting their matches, but quite a few were not doing so without hesitation. However, no one dared question the AI’s choices. More importantly, everyone had the good sense not to challenge the President.

  After a while, Avalon noticed her name had still not been called. Before long, no new names were called. Avalon’s muscles began to tense as nervousness overtook her. What’s taking so long? Then the President stopped calling names. Only Kael, Ilium, Avalon, and Raleigh stood against the walls.

  “Well, it appears that the computer had difficulty matching these last few. So now the scramble begins for who will sing, fence, or plain, ask for these ladies hands,” The President stated.

  Murmurs erupted amongst the group. The President’s son, Kael had not been matched? How unusual. Elena had been matched to another Accipio of her status, but it was not Kael.

  Avalon’s body threatened to go numb with the realization of being mated forever to either Ilium or Kael. Raleigh’s hands were trembling, but she held out her hand to Avalon for support. Avalon grabbed her hand and they stood silently looking at the two boys.

  Raleigh’s profile flashed briefly across the screen. Avalon too note of the fact that the two of the shared their favorite poem in common: Dylan Thomas’s “Do Not Go Gentle Into the Good Night”.

  “It is going to be OK,” Avalon whispered to her.

  Inwardly, Avalon did not know who she wanted to be paired with more. Her stomach fluttered for both guys. Ilium was exciting and trustworthy, but Kael was mysterious and an Accipio.

  Before Avalon could finish her thoughts, Ilium started to walk towards her. The cafeteria became deathly quiet. Avalon’s breath caught. In that same instant, Kael strode toward
s her as well, except his stride was longer. Ilium stopped walking and Avalon’s heart stopped beating as everything unfolded around her in slow motion.

  “Avalon, will you be my partner?” Kael asked.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The entire audience gasped in unison. Avalon’s mouth hung open. She glanced back towards Ilium who stood paralyzed in his spot with his jaw tight. Avalon turned to face Raleigh who wore a grin and gave her hand a squeeze of reassurance. All eyes were on her. Avalon’s lips began to move and she said “Yes.” Kael smiled and the crowd erupted with cheer. Avalon’s eyes glanced towards the President’s unreadable face.

  Then Avalon’s gaze fell towards Ilium. The only person who did not clap. As the cheers slowed down, the President called for their attention.

  “Now it is time for Ilium to make his choice,” the President said. Even though everyone knew only one choice was left.

  Ilium stepped towards Raleigh and asked her to be his match. Of course, she answered yes. The audience cheered, but it was much softer and more obligatory than when Kael made his choice.

  The President announced with a royal air, “Today is a day of celebration. Thank you for your cooperation and good luck.”

  Avalon and Ilium were supposed to be happy. But why did my stomach sink when he held hands with Raleigh?

  Avalon stood, frozen in a moment in time. Kael still stood smiling in front of her, an Accipio. Isn’t this what I wanted? To belong? An Accipio pairing would make her an Accipio. It would mean she would no longer have to physically work with the others in her computer lab and reduced working hours overall. Instead, she would be a manager, eating synthetic meat behind closed doors, simply reading over reports every so often.

  However, something burned within her at the thought of Ilium being with another girl. True enough, she had no reason to dislike her, but she was still upset.

  A hand rested on her shoulder. As she turned around she was face to face with Elena who was grinning, but not friendly. No, this smile was sinister. Elena’s grip tightened around Avalon’s shoulder as she shouted, “Congratulations!” to her and then leaned in to embrace her in a hug.