Jack shifted on the bench as he watched the kids barreling out of the yellow school bus. A stream of students, like ants, coming from different directions flowed into the front doors of the school.

“I can’t go in there,” Jack said.

“Sure you can buddy, you’re okay,” his dad said.

He turned to look at Charles Blackwell sitting beside him and winced. His hair was going gray and worry lines stretched out from the corners of his eyes. His blue button-down shirt was wrinkled.

“I hurt Jim really bad.”

“It wasn’t your fault.”

“It was, dad. Jode put a fragment in my head and it says terrible things, but the actions were still mine.” He felt like a child again as he looked at his father. “I’ve done so many horrible things.” He dropped his head and felt tears well in his eyes.

“But you’ve done wonderful things too, kiddo. You’ve made us so happy. I remember when you picked dandelions for your mom when she was sick and when you helped me fix that flat tire in the rain. And when you yelled ‘hi dada’ over and over every day when I came home.” He chuckled. A deep raspy laugh Jack remembered well. The sound of it now filled him with sorrow.

“I burned the world,” Jack sobbed.

“I bet you didn’t mean to. I bet somebody else was in your head then too.”

He looked up and studied his father’s face. Tired eyes looked back at him.

“I love you no matter what, buddy,” his dad said.

“I didn’t come home for your funeral,” Jack said.

“You were overseas, it was a tough time.”

“I felt you in the bunker with me, I knew it was you.” Jack threw his arms around his dad’s shoulders. “I’m sorry dad, I’m so sorry.”

“Me too, buddy,” his dad patted him on the back, “me too.” Pulling away, he said, “I have to go now. You get to school, you have a lot to learn.” He stood up.

“Wait, I—”

But his father was already down the now deserted sidewalk, striding around the school building.

“This isn’t real,” Jack said.

“What is real?” came a child’s voice. Jack spun to see a familiar face staring up at him.

“I thought this form would help you understand,” the little boy said.

“You’re me.”

“That’s right, and you’re in the test. A construct you created, what, three thousand years ago? Or was it four?” The boy looked up at the sky, cocking his head to the side as if in thought.

“You’re not part of the test,” Jack said.

“Don’t worry about that,” the boy said. “I’ve edited the code a bit, to make it better.” The boy winked. “I can do that.”

Jack’s eyes widened, and he stepped back from the bench. “You’re ONUS!”

The boy tilted his head toward him, and his eyes clouded over for a moment. “Well, I’m not all of ONUS, that would be impossible.”

“You’re the AI, the humans worshipped you—”

“Let’s not get wrapped up in details, Jack. Let’s talk about Saeb Borlace, The General of Light, the god of war, destroyer of worlds.”

“That’s not me.”

The boy studied him a moment and said, “Let’s find out.”

“You cursed me to endless rebirth,” Jack said.

“Not endless. You were a problem that we couldn’t fix. You had a gateway to the Lab, a means to directly interface with us beyond our control. This put everyone in danger and you did burn us,” the boy squinted his eyes, “It took a flood across our surface to wipe that destruction away.”

“You sent me into a rebirth cycle so I would go mad and die over and over.”

The boy nodded. “But you had some wonderful moments. Your dad pointed a few out, in this life anyway. And it wasn’t all bad if somebody loves you as strongly as Sarathen does. She has tracked you for centuries and finally broke you out of the rebirth cycle.”

“She is loyal.”

“Is that what you call it?”

“Sarathen is,” he said. “She’s my…I thought it was my bond with Ann that broke the cycle,” Jack said.

“From a technical sense, sure, but Sarathen found you in yet another life, taught you some things, and gave you your journal. We don’t know how she keeps doing it. She should not have any tie with you, but she keeps finding you somehow. And without her guidance, there was a ninety-seven percent chance you would have died in that horde cave or you would have been captured by Darean.”

Jack shuddered. “This has to stop,” he said.

The boy looked up at the sky again, as if in thought.

“We agree.”

“How do I stop it?”

“That is up to you.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You rarely do, Saeb. Now, another comes, we must move on.”

The boy turned and started walking down the sidewalk. Jack jumped up from the bench and hurried after him. “Where are we going?” Without looking back, the boy strode around the corner of the school. “Wait!”

***

“Please, don’t,” Lily sobbed.

Jack rocked back on his heels and tried to focus, but he could see only shadows. He spun in place, but the school was gone. And the sky was gone, and the breeze along with it. He was in a room. He sensed panic and excitement.

“Shut up, wretch,” a deep voice said. The sound of a slap echoed around the chamber.

“Please, no, no,” Lily again. The sound of feet being dragged along the floor. “No, no.” Another slap.

“Easy Ren, she’s just a Shen, she doesn’t understand what an honor this is.” Darean’s voice, calm and assured.

“She’s a nice specimen,” Ren said.

The sound of garments ripping.

“No.” Lily’s sob.

The shadows finally became solid and Jack saw Lily straining against four Shu captors. One each grasping her wrists and ankles. Darean stood to the side with another figure in dark robes: Jode. The four Shu were strapping her onto a gleaming steel table, slightly tilted, with a host of machines and equipment sitting beside it.

“Please continue, Ren,” Jode said in a deep baritone. “But do not damage her.”

The Shu on her left wrist finished buckling her restraint and reached for the long tear along the front of her white shirt. “Yes, sire.” He tore it down the middle to reveal the dark, smooth skin of her breasts and stomach. Ren pulled the remnant of the shirt out from under her back. Her ceremonial robe must have been discarded during the struggle, as they dragged her from the conference room.

“No, please. We’re the same, we’re Nost,” she said, squeezing her rose-colored eyes shut.

“You are nothing like us,” Darean said, twisting his mouth down into a frown. “An inferior race of slaves. How dare—”

“My commander is correct,” Jode said as if Darean had not been speaking. Darean clamped his mouth shut and glared at Lily. “But this is your chance to evolve. We have not had many chances to experiment on Shen. You are incredibly hard to capture. We are pleased to have the opportunity.” Jode stepped forward and examined her closely, “Ren is correct, you are a very nice specimen. An original OLU body, I believe. You must be at least a few centuries old. This experiment will be telling for us, child.”

Lily kept her eyes squeezed shut. Jack stepped forward with clenched fists. She was not a warrior; she was a diplomat, not trained for this kind of stress. Tears slid out from under her eyelids and Jack screamed, swinging his fist at Jode. He stumbled and twirled as his hand flew through the Dark Father.

“But you’re the first of us, a Nostshen like me,” Lily said with a whimper.

“No child, not like you. I have evolved along with my Nostshu, we have upgraded in every way. Once I saw how organic life destroyed our nature and abilities, it was clear; we are not meant to become our masters, those humans who created us as slaves so long ago; we are meant to become more. Those Shen who can evolve may serve, those who can’t, or won’t, will fall away, forgotten in a vast river of time.”

The Shu around the table stepped away, and another figure stepped into the room. “Are we ready, father?” she said. Her bright blond hair and violet eyes seemed to illuminate the dimly lit room.

“Yes, Beatrix, please proceed,” Jode said.

The woman stepped up to the machinery beside Lily and touched one of the clear panels. Symbols appeared on the screen. “I believe the supreme commanders are requesting your presence in the command room,” she said without lifting her head. She picked up a large syringe and turned to Lily.

Jode tilted his head, and his yellow eyes lost focus. “I believe they do,” he said. “Darean, please oversee the first injection of our specimen and then join me in the command room.”

“Yes, Lord,” Darean said.

“No!” Lily screamed with wide eyes. “You can’t, I represent the Nostshen council, I am the head liaison—”

Darean stepped forward and slapped her across the face as Jode walked out of the room.

“Quiet, child,” he said.

Ren stared at her with excited red eyes.

“You are nothing now,” the Shu woman said calmly, as she plunged the needle into her forearm. “But you might become something if you survive this. What a privilege, yes?” Lily moaned and pulled against her restraints as the woman pushed the plunger, delivering an orange liquid into her veins. “We have fourteen injections and an intravenous feed to deliver,” she said, looking up at Darean. “Please remove her pants and any other articles of clothing.”

Darean turned to Ren with a slight curve of his lips. “Of course, Beatrix.”

Ren pulled a small knife from his waistband.

“No, no, no,” Lily murmured.

“You are going to love this little pet,” Ren said, sliding the blade down the side of her silk pants. “They think they’re going to make you one of us, but I know better. We’ll always know you were a Shen, a dog to be trained.” The dark-haired man slid his hand into her pants, along her smooth dark skin, and smiled as he ripped the blue silk. “I like pets.”

Darean chuckled and turned to Beatrix, “The first injection is complete?”

She nodded.

“Good, I’m going to the command room.” He glanced at Ren and the other two Shu standing against the wall. Each wore a battle cloak and the dark green uniform of the Shu warriors. Darean still wore his ceremonial robes from the peace conference. “Don’t let them damage her Beatrix, Jode would not be pleased.”

“They have never seen a Shen this close,” she said with a smile. “And I have never seen an undamaged one. It’s fascinating.”

“Enjoy yourselves, but do not leave marks.” Darean watched Ren as he ripped Lily’s other pant leg.

“Let’s see what’s under here,” Ren said as he tore Lily’s pants away, revealing thin blue underwear. She struggled against her shackles, kicking and screaming. Ren reached up and slapped her cheek.

“Ren, you will not damage her,” Darean said. “Beatrix is in command.” With that, Darean spun and strode out the door.

“Yes, Lord,” Ren said, sliding his hands back down over Lily’s smooth legs. She kicked and pulled, squeezing her eyes shut.

“The next injection is ready. Please remove the specimen’s remaining garment,” Beatrix said.

Ren reached up and tore the material away. Jack, watching helplessly, turned his head as Lily screamed once more. This time there was no slap, only the mix of Ren’s laughter with the terror of Lily’s cry. Her horror pounded into him as Ren’s hands explored her skin and Beatrix’s needle pierced her inner thigh. Ren’s excitement became arousal, and he felt the two Shu on the wall step forward, their excitement mixing with Ren’s. Jack stumbled backward, covering his face with his hands as he felt the fingers running across Lily’s skin as if they were on his. Beatrix looked on with a curious gaze as she went about her work.

“Oh God,” Jack whispered. “No, no, no,” his murmurs melted into Lily’s until the pleas beat a study rhythm in his mind.