EHuman Dawn Read online

  “Everything work out alright? You weren’t followed, were you?” he asked. Adam noticed he had a European accent, probably northern.

  Dawn turned to a blank video panel and touched three icons on the screen. They enlarged to show the lobby of the building they’d just entered, the street outside the building and the hallway in front of the room they were in. No signs of life.

  “All clear,” she answered. Then she turned to Adam, “Adam, this is Origen. Origen, Adam.”

  Origen held out his hand without hesitating, and Adam shook it. The handshake was firm and sure. Origen gave every impression that he was a man to not to be messed with. His energy filled the room. Adam suddenly felt very insignificant.

  Origen nodded to him. “You’re awfully quiet for a Newsreel host. Anyway, let’s get you fitted for an energy pack. And then we’ll tell you who we are—and what happens next.”

  Origen walked to one of the shelves along the wall. He pulled down a black canvas backpack. He gestured to Adam, who approached with trepidation, and fitted it on to his back. It secured tightly around his front. There was a significant weight to it and the pockets on the outside were filled with equipment.

  “Is this my camping gear?” Adam asked. He nearly laughed. The intensity of his situation was starting to make him feel giddy.

  “That and more,” Origen answered, “In the outside pockets are knives, climbing rope, waterproof gloves, a hat and mask, and small explosives, in case you need them. Packed inside, is your life link.” With that, Origen stepped behind Adam and pulled out a long, copper wand that attached to a flexible, golden, metal cord that disappeared into the energy pack. He put the wand in front of Adam’s face and instantly Adam recognized it: a plug.

  “But how?” Adam began.

  “Don’t worry, you don’t go into the network. The plug fits into your outlet and the recharger is hidden in the energy pack. The unit is full and can completely recharge your Chi-Regulator in about four hours—”

  Adam’s face lit up at this statement.

  “Yes,” Origen continued, “Fifty percent faster than what you’re used to.”

  “But what do you mean full?” Adam inquired.

  “It extracts the energy of the sun,” Origen explained, “Then it converts that stored energy into electricity, which recharges your Chi-Regulator.”

  “The energy of the sun?” Adam was astounded, “I don’t understand.”

  “Plug him in. Then take a seat, Adam,” Dawn spoke, “We need to get down to business and we have much to share with you.”

  Origen grinned at Dawn affectionately as she passed him to sit upon the couch. While she began to touch the table top, Origen plugged Adam into the pack. Instantly Adam could feel the energy pulsing from the pack to his Chi-Regulator. Adam turned and looked at Origen, who was now sitting closely beside Dawn on the couch across from him.

  Adam was surprised to notice he felt jealous, making him suddenly feel like the fool. He’d destroyed all of his belongings and given up his life in order to follow this woman. For some reason, it had never crossed his mind that she would probably already be involved with someone else. What an absolute idiot he was. He sat slowly down on a couch opposite the couple and gazed at the screen top table that was between them.

  Two visuals were displayed. One was of a group of twelve beautiful people, including Dawn and Origen. The second showed a thin man with a serious face. Wrinkles surrounded his brilliant blue eyes, almost hidden by his wire-rimmed glasses. Gray hair stuck out from his head at all angles. An unnatural covering of hair along his jawline surprised Adam. Facial hair was a rare eHuman decoration. Of course, so were wrinkles—and this man had plenty of them.

  “At the beginning of this millennium,” Origen began, “research had just begun to take off with regards to the technology needed to create and sustain the eHuman. Those in the field of quantum physics began to postulate that perhaps the human being was more than just various forms of carbon molecules bound together. Perhaps other particles, like electromagnetic energy particles, such as photons and sound waves, had something to do with our makeup. It was Dr. James Neville,” Origen pointed to the image of the serious man, “who discovered that the human being was made up of not one, but three bodies: The physical, carbon-based body we all know as the flesh, a torus-shaped electromagnetic field we call the etheric energy body, and lastly, an individual light body, comprised of consciously coalesced photon particles. We know this as the Lux. These three worked as a unit, with the etheric energy body being the entity that attracted the Lux to the carbon body to inhabit it, the way metal is attracted to a magnet. The etheric body kept the threefold organism together.

  “The eHuman was created to replace the flesh, and the Chi-Regulator was invented to generate the etheric energy body so that the Lux would inhabit the eHuman form—and voila, the Dawn Project was born. A few decades later, the first successful eHuman, Dawn here,” she winced as he spoke of it, “was created. After two more years of intense work on the part of the Dawn Project research team and a company called Guardian Networks, Neuro was invented and the Dawn Project went public, ushering in the Great Shift. A brilliant public campaign was the catalyst created to convince the people that it was a good idea to ditch their flesh bodies and become eHumans.”

  Adam looked at them with astonishment. Flesh? Etheric energy? He had never thought to think of these things before. What had they looked like before the Great Shift? How different was the eHuman from the original, carbon-based, human form?

  “That public campaign was led by the Original Twelve,” Dawn continued, cutting into his thoughts, her hands opening to the table top image of the group of beautiful people, “Also known as the O12. Origen and I, along with ten others, were the first set of eHumans created. We were sent out on a campaign around the world, to convince everyone to willingly take on an eHuman existence. The president of the United States of America at the time, Ruth Donavan, as well as leaders from other major countries, joined us.

  “One of the main reasons for Jumping, as it began to be called, was to support a newer, greener and more prosperous society. Human civilization had collapsed. Unemployment was over thirty percent. Gas was rationed, as was electricity and heat to homes and offices. Food was scarce because the soil could no longer support growing enough food to feed the increasing population. Due to agricultural debauchery, much of the farmland was no longer fertile. The water supply was also compromised, causing most marine life to be endangered.

  “We were on the brink of world war and disaster. Six of every ten people had one form or another of a terrible, often fatal disease called cancer, or other environmental diseases.”

  “The eHuman existence was a perfect solution to all our problems,” Origen said. “We wouldn’t have to eat or drink, solving the global hunger issue. No more fighting for the little bit of land that was left. Water issues would disappear, as well as illness, aging and dying.

  “Most important for those in power, we’d no longer reproduce. No eHuman can give birth to another. The number of individuals on the planet would now be held steady, with no one coming or going...unless there was an accident. The industries that supported birth and death were also added to the list of things to be abandoned in the new era. In addition, all new cities being built would be powered by an efficient Energy Grid that would be managed by Neuro. Our every need would be met in a timely, and individualized, way.”

  “This story seems familiar,” Adam said, searching his oldest memories. “I remember attending an O12 rally as a Newsreel reporter. But what does this have to do with your work as an anti-WG organization?”

  “Ah,” Origen picked back up the story, “that’s the crux. It took about ten years to build over 200,000 new eHuman-capable cities and Jump all 7.6 billion people to the eHuman platform. ‘The World Back To Work’ was the slogan for the labor movement needed to pull off this monumental task. When we moved into our new cities, we switched not only to a new era of immortal liv
ing, but also to a new world of efficiency and democracy under the newly formed World Government! We would live forever and ever, as one united people, without the threats of famine, war, or disease. Or so the story went.”

  “And the story’s been true. We’ve lived forever in a better world, haven’t we? So why rebel against it?” Adam wanted to know.

  “The eHuman has been successful,” Dawn answered, “Yet at what cost to our freedom and individual rights? What good is immortality, if it’s completely under the control of the WG, who can switch off our lives simply because a group of people chose to live or think a different way?”

  Adam was silent.

  “Early on,” Dawn continued, “it was discovered that human memory couldn’t survive very long after a Jump. It was widely assumed that our memory in the flesh was stored in our brains. But since brains are organic, there was no way to extract or store its data, except perhaps in human consciousness; our Lux. Dr. Neville and his scientists had hoped that local memory consciousness would follow the Lux into the eHuman body. I was the first successful Jump. When I opened my eyes, I did recall what had just happened to me and who I’d been in the flesh. But slowly, over a period of three days, my memories began to disappear. Eventually, I could no longer recall a single moment of my pre-Great Shift life. This was the case time and again, for each of us in the O12.”

  “This failure to remember things of the flesh helped those in power devise the plan for the Great Shift,” Origen continued. “As the politicians plotted together, they architected not only new cities, but a whole New World Order, starting from scratch with all of society ignorant that it was new or different in any way. In this new world, only one entity would provide power to the Energy Grid—the WG themselves. This meant that whenever any city, group, or individual disagreed with WG policy, a simple flick of the switch would wipe out their electricity. Since the new cites only have rail and airline to connect them, and the WG owns those as well, there’s virtually no chance to escape a city-wide shutdown. Complete power over us. Which was never part of the original Great Shift promise.”

  “And no one could argue with it, since no one remembered huh?” Adam responded.

  “Only those in the government and the O12 knew the Great Shift campaign promises. So yes—they got away with it because the other 7.6 billion people didn’t know any better,” Dawn replied bitterly.

  “But the Guardians, not the WG, have complete control of Neuro and the LMOs, correct?” Adam asked.

  “Yes, and they officially work for Guardian Networks, a privately owned firm. A separation of power, so to speak,” Origen replied.

  “But the Resistance has proof that they really work for the WG,” Dawn added.

  “Then the WG owns all aspects of our lives—not only our thoughts and actions, but also our energy source!” Adam blurted out, a note of disgust clear in his voice.

  Neither Dawn nor Origen replied. They’d given this story to new recruits hundreds of times, and the reaction was always the same. There were no words that could comfort them, no explanations that could make it right.

  So be it. Truth has a disturbing way of silencing a room.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Except for the buzzing of the various computer displays and servers, the room remained silent. Neuro never slept. It was constantly searching for information, looking for answers and data patterns that would alert its masters to any anomalies—but also knowing all answers before the questions were even asked.

  While the network hummed beside him, Adam sat still, trying to connect the dots in the story. All his life he’d assumed the Dawn Project was a feat of scientific magnificence whose aim had been to liberate people from death, disease, and hunger. The Great Shift had been the gift of Dawn’s success to all mankind, allowing peace and prosperity to reign.

  Adam glanced at Dawn, who was deep in her own thoughts. She was looking down at her hands. Strands of her blonde hair had fallen out of her hair tie and now hung around her face. It was hard for her to share her story, for it was always wrapped in the cloak of her guilt. Not a day went by that she didn’t regret her choice to become Dawn. Granted, it had been a series of desperate and heartbreaking events that had led her to take the first Jump, and the girl she once was never could have foreseen the eventual totalitarian outcome for humanity.

  She tucked the loose strands of her hair behind her ears and raised her head to look at the handsome, chiseled face before her. She stared at Adam, who returned her gaze with a look of solidarity, his cool eyes beneath his brow, searching her face for some sign of hope, his full lips set firmly together in a serious manner. He looked as though he too suffered an ancient pain of his own. She began to shiver, momentarily taken aback by his presence, mixed feelings running amok within her. She couldn’t believe he was finally in her custody. Getting him to Avalon was her only priority now. The sooner the better.

  For his part, Adam still couldn’t believe it was her—the Dawn of eHumanity. At that moment a knock sounded on the door, in a pattern similar to the one Dawn had used earlier, causing everyone to turn their heads.

  “That’s my backup,” Origen explained, “Looks like it’s time to head out.”

  Origen stood, returned the knock and opened the door. A short man with curly blond hair entered the room. He was dressed in a suit and a tie and carried what looked like a shopping bag. He gave Adam the once-over, and Dawn took the opportunity to explain.

  “Adam, meet Evan. He’s one of our members. This room is one of our Resistance outposts in the city of New Omaha. From here we can monitor things and offer a safe place for our people to come when traveling. It also serves as a storeroom for supplies,” she gestured to the shelves, “Origen and I have been here for three days. Now Evan is taking over. Origen will join us as we make our way to the nearest RCC.”

  “RCC?” Adam asked.

  “Resistance Control Center. In addition to the outposts, many major cities in the world have an RCC nearby,” she answered.

  “Time to travel,” Origen said, “Get your rain gear on, Adam. It looks like we’re in for some weather between New Omaha and the RCC. After all the work of getting you here, we don’t need you to short out on the way.”

  Adam nodded. He took off his clothes and put the slick suit on. It was indeed one piece that covered his entire body, made of a thick sort of rubber, with a small hole at the base of the spine where the plug on his energy pack would insert. He needed help zipping up the back. He put on the boots which were heavy with thick soles, made for hiking rough terrain. Even though he hadn’t climbed any mountains or scaled any walls in his entire lifetime, he knew his body would be able to do it. There wasn’t anything the eHuman couldn’t physically handle, except large quantities of water and nuclear bombs. The eHuman couldn’t be shot, stabbed or maimed. Even a beheading was nothing more than a trip to an LMO mechanic.

  “The firepower included on this backpack—I assume it is for killing eHumans?” Adam asked.

  “Yes, it is. They’re ElectroShock grenades. Just time the release and aim true. They go straight to the Chi-Regulator and stop it. Of course, they’ll work on the WG drones, robots and SpiderScouts as well. We all live on electricity,” Origen answered with a smile.

  “Wait a minute,” Adam suddenly blurted, “If these energy packs use the sun to recharge, why can’t everyone live off the grid? I mean, solar energy could be harnessed by anyone, couldn’t it?”

  “Many people have thought about using it, Adam,” Origen explained gruffly, “But the instant they get on Neuro to recharge, the Guardians erase any knowledge of those thoughts. The knowledge of solar power is not permitted on Neuro. All traces of it are diligently erased and kept secret. Hell, even you might have thought of it a million times. But those thoughts no longer exist in your database.”

  “Shit,” Adam moaned.

  “Unfortunately, solar power isn’t the only secret the Guardians keep,” Dawn added.

  Once Adam was dressed and all
three donned their energy packs, they left the outpost. Origen took the lead, Adam in the middle and Dawn at the rear. They made their way out of the dark basement, up a few sets of stairs and back outside to the dark sky.

  Adam noticed that they were in the industrial part of town, where the Transportation Department had their repair headquarters. It was relatively silent at the moment, many workers had the evenings off, but during the day, PTDs, HyperTrains and HyperJets would be coming and going as they came in for repairs and upgrades, then back out again to work. They crossed several sets of tracks before moving into the shadow of the larger storehouses, buildings containing goods from other cities.

  “Where are we going?” Adam asked.

  “Quiet for now,” Dawn shushed him, “once we’re in the sewers, I’ll explain more.”

  “Sewers?” he asked as the word was unfamiliar to him.

  “She asked you to be quiet!” Origen hissed, impatiently. It was always the same with the new recruits—asking questions when they should be silent. Origen was completely vexed by the entire experience. He never went on these sorts of missions. They were beneath his status as one of the O12. Yet Dawn had begged him to accompany her on this one. Even though it had seemed strange to him, he’d agreed to her request. When Dawn asked him to do anything, he always said yes. He couldn’t help himself. He’d loved her for ages.

  Origen took a moment to turn and gaze over Adam Winter’s head and look at her. He was startled to catch her looking at the newcomer with—what was it—longing? He shook his head and continued leading the way out of town. He must have been imagining things. There was no way his Dawn was attracted to this neophyte, pretty-boy Newsreel host. Impossible.