You have been here for nearly a millennium. You have seen my ancestors come and go. You have remained a strong and vigilant warden, and we thank you for that.
The darkened tree rustled again, seemingly breathing its acknowledgement.
Nageau rested in tranquility before he felt a strange sensation in his mind, as if something—or someone, were tapping his consciousness. He opened up and reached out to the presence. When he sensed it, he laughed in delight.
Jag! Is that you, youngling?
Elder Nageau?
It was Jag, alright—a little faint, but definitely him.
Yes, youngling. I see that you have managed to find me.
Ah, yeah. I thought it would be difficult, but it turns out that it wasn’t too bad. So many people seem to be . . . I guess . . . dormant? It’s like their consciousness is inactive, whereas yours is prominent. I tried reaching out to Marshall to see if I could find him, but I can’t connect with him. And yet, he can seek you out in here?
The Elder chuckled.
Telepathy is a strange gift, and one that can take some a lifetime to master. Do not fret—there will be some people with whom you cannot connect for the time being.
Okay . . .
I actually had intended to reach out to you, Jag. I am extremely relieved to know that Mariah and Tegan are safely back with you. I tried many times to reach them while they were being held, but their consciousness was not yet receptive.
That’s alright. At least you tried, and I really appreciate that.
Jag paused, as though wavering.
Uh, Elder Nageau, I’m really happy I found you, but something’s been bothering me. It’s become obvious that whoever we’re dealing with out here is very powerful and has the means to carry out whatever it is they intend to do, and . . .
Yes?
I just don’t know how our . . . our small band can stop this. We’ve accepted—well, re-accepted—our responsibility but . . . We’ve seen things, Elder Nageau. While we may not have a lot of evidence, I’m sure we have enough information that we could help the authorities fight back this scourge.
He paused again, waiting for Nageau to respond. When he received no answer, he continued.
Mariah and I saw an incident earlier. Actually, we were there as it happened. It was regular people going at each other, trampling one another just to get some bread. We were—we were really shaken up.
Nageau gazed up at the tree that loomed protectively over him.
I hear you, youngling. It is rather serendipitous that you chose to reach me when I am at a very special place in the forest. I have not ventured to this hallowed spot for many years. But that is a story for another time. Jag, the most important thing we are trying to do now is find out who exactly is behind this. Having looked at recent events and the evidence from Mariah and Tegan, the Elders and I have come to the conclusion that there are only two possibilities. Two people. While the authorities may, with their current capabilities, be able to stop the one, the other individual—if indeed this is the person behind this cataclysmic scheme—will most likely be impervious to their methods. But far worse, if cornered, the devastation that could be unleashed by this person will have irreversible consequences. Only those chosen by the prophecy have the ability to put an end to this. You must trust me, youngling. I cannot stress this enough.
Yes, Elder Nageau.
Nageau ran his fingers absently through the grooves in the tree’s bark.
Go, Jag. Continue with what you are doing. I believe you have found the means to determine the center from which these entities arise.
Alright. Take care, Elder Nageau.
You too, youngling.
Jag severed the connection between them.
Nageau pushed himself away from the tree and drew back his shoulders. He took one last look at the waterfall before whirling around and striding back into the forest, vanishing into its green embrace.
A
ari, Tegan and Marshall hurried toward the single-story rectangular building, eager to see what Dr. Josh Ferguson and the new day would bring them. It was a rare overcast day in California that loomed over them.
Aari’s phone rang just as they reached the door of the laboratory. The other two continued into the building but Aari stayed outside when he saw that it was Kody who was trying to reach him.
“Be right in,” he told Tegan and Marshall as he answered the call. “Hey.”
“Hey, dude. How’s it going?”
“It’s fine. We met Marshall’s contact yesterday and we’re about to step into his lab right now. Everything alright there?”
“Yeah. We’re searching for more information, trying to figure out where the nanomites are coming from and how far they’ve spread. We’re hoping to find a pattern or some other clue.”
“We have vital info that the authorities don’t, Kode-man. These things, they come out from a central point somewhere, arrive at the target zone, destroy the crops, then either return to where they came from or go to their next target. If you guys can figure out the pattern for a given area, the focal point will be the epicenter. That would be where these things are originating from.”
“We’ll gather more data and let you know if we find anything. It’s hunting season, buddy.”
“Okay. And I’ll fill you in later on what we learn from here.”
As Aari was about to hang up, Kody said, “Uh, Aari?”
“Hm?”
“Things are actually getting bad pretty quickly over here. Jag and Mariah got caught up in a riot that broke out at the local Walmart yesterday.”
“
What?
”
“They were pretty shaken up,” Kody said quickly. “But they’re doing better today.”
Aari leaned heavily against the door to the building. “Oh, man . . . ”
“I really hope we find a solution soon.”
“You and me both.”
“There’s one more thing. My dad called last night on behalf of all our parents. They think we’re all in Kansas right now with Jag’s granddad but they’re getting worried about us, what with the riots and all. My dad said they’re asking if we could cut our trip short and head back home.”
“And what did you say?”
“Being the man with the golden tongue—hey!”
Jag’s voice came on suddenly. “Golden tongue, my foot! He was sweating when he was speaking to his dad.”
Aari laughed as Kody returned on the other end after presumably taking the phone back from Jag. “
As
I was saying, being the man with the golden tongue, I told him that we were already halfway into our trip and would like to complete our
adventure
before returning.”
“Did he agree?”
“I guess. It was a reluctant agreement. But yeah, that’s all the news I’ve got.”
“Alright. Call me if anything else crops up.”
“Yep. Bye, dude.”
As Aari ended the call, Tegan emerged, with a strange look on her face. She held the door open. “Come on, Aari. We’ve been waiting for you.”
“Sorry. It was Kody.” Aari followed her inside. “You, uh, okay?”
“Yeah, I just thought I heard . . . Never mind. They’re waiting for us.”
They entered a waiting area with a few chairs and found Marshall already seated. Aari filled his companions in on his call with Kody. As he made a move to sit down, Josh emerged in his lab coat and glasses to greet them in his characteristically youthful and energetic way. “Good morning!”
Marshall rose to meet him warmly. “Morning.”
As Aari greeted Josh, he took stock of the man’s bloodshot eyes and noted a layer of disquiet behind his genuine smile.
This can’t be good,
Aari thought as Josh led them through a long corridor with spotless linoleum flooring. There were doors on either side of the passageway, each with a window that allowed Aari and the others to look in. In each chamber were people and a variety of equipment. Some workers operated in dim amber light and were covered in cleanroom suits that left only their eyes exposed, while others worked in brightly-lit rooms while wearing civilian clothes or lab coats like Josh’s.
Josh led them to a medium-sized meeting room with a round table at its center. An open laptop rested on the table. As Aari took a seat, the bright ceiling lights reminded him of a doctor’s office but the notion instantly disappeared when he saw an image on a flat screen mounted on one wall.
“What is that?” Marshall asked as he and Tegan sat down on either side of Aari.
“That, Marshall,” Josh said, “would be one of the three specimens you brought to me yesterday.”
Aari shuddered. “That’s a disturbing-looking thing.”
Josh dimmed the overhead lights so the image could be seen better. “You’re not wrong.”
The main body of the specimen was dark gray with a black hexagonal core. Attached to it was a long, ribbed appendage, at the end of which were four blades arranged like pincers. To Aari, it looked like either a tail or an extremely long neck.
Josh gestured at the image. “Let me start by saying that whatever this thing is that you found, I’ve never, in all my years of working with MEMS and nanotech, seen anything like it.”
“What are MEMS?” Tegan asked.
“Micro-electro-mechanical systems,” Aari replied without missing a beat.
Josh smiled his approval and said, “That’s right. They’re essentially really, really tiny machines but a level removed from nano. Nano is a way smaller scale.
“I’ve been here all night, studying this thing and subjecting the specimens to a range of tests. Here’s what we know. We’ll begin with the structure of the nanomite. It’s completely unique. It’s made of a material that I have never seen before, which in itself is amazing. It’s a special semi-conductor, like silicon but it runs much cooler. It’s special because it’s capable of receiving optical signals. And here’s the clincher: It’s able to transform itself mechanically, moving the bonds that hold it together in order to rearrange and create new bonds with other nanomites.”
Josh looked at them excitedly but only saw blank stares, though Aari was feverishly trying to piece together what he’d just heard.
Marshall rested his cheek against his fist. “Wanna say that again in English?”
“Basically, what we have here is a nanomite that receives instructions—or programming—through optical radiation. In other words, digitally encoded light bursts. And because it’s cooler than silicon, it leaves practically no heat signature.”
“Which means it’s not observable on infrared or thermal imaging systems?” Marshall asked.
“Yes, unless you had an extremely sensitive system and knew exactly when and where to point the sensors.”
Aari, Tegan and Marshall looked at each other.
“One other advantage of its ability to rearrange its bonds,” Josh said, motioning in awe at the image on the screen, “is that it can deflect light or let it pass and make itself virtually invisible to the naked eye.”
Aari could see the man was dying to ask them how they had found and captured the specimens in the first place. Neither Aari nor the others were in a position to offer an answer to Josh’s unasked question and he felt apologetic about that.
“What you’re telling us is, we’re dealing with something that is pretty much undetectable by any kind of sensor,” Tegan said.
Josh nodded. “I’m afraid so. And the news gets worse. I’ve tested one of the nanomites under extreme conditions of heat, pressure and shock. This
thing
came out unscathed.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that it’s pretty much indestructible.”
“How can we stop it, then?” Aari asked. “How do you stop something that can’t be detected or destroyed?”
“I don’t know. It’s just . . .
too
perfectly designed.”
Marshall tilted his chair on its two back legs as he pondered. “What about EMP?”
Josh took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “As I said, it functions on a basis of optical radiation and as such is impervious to bursts of electromagnetic pulse.”
“If it’s optical-based, couldn’t we use light against them?” Aari pressed. “Like a laser beam?”
“Possibly. It depends on the type of laser that is employed. But more importantly, you’d have to find them first. They probably come out at night and leave before dawn because that makes the most efficient use of their stealth capabilities. My assumption is that going stealth during the day would drain a considerable amount of their energy.”
Tegan tapped the table with a finger. “Where do they get their energy from?”
“They’re designed with extreme efficiency in mind,” Josh said, “which explains the formation they assume to get to and from their destination.”
“You’re talking about the bird-shaped swarm,” Aari said.
“Yes. It’s a highly efficient mode of transporting the nanomites.”
“I get it,” Tegan said. “It’s like geese flying in formation. It allows them to fly seventy percent farther and longer without tiring.”
“Bingo. And another way that they’re efficient is right here.” Josh walked up to the screen and pointed at the nanomite. “The claws you see here double as a propulsion system when in flight.”
“That still doesn’t answer where they get their energy from,” Marshall said.
“Of course, sorry. Our little friends here get their energy from background radiation, like dim light and radio waves which, by the way, completely permeate our environment.” He rested his hands on the table and leaned in. “There’s something else . . . I believe these things operate at two levels of protocols. One is for them to carry out their primary function from the instructions they receive, probably on a daily basis to keep their targets current. But it’s the second protocol that troubles me. They seem to have a set of self-defense instructions built in. When I did the extreme testing on the nanomite, its attitude changed. It turned into a berserk red micro-rocket that bounced around the test container. Looks as though if it senses a threat, it will fight back. It does so by disengaging its stealth mode to conserve energy for the fight. And that was just a single nanomite. I shudder to think how an entire swarm of these things would react if directly threatened.”
Marshall stared up at the ceiling in frustration. “How would anyone even create these things?”