She jumped back inside through the opening she had just created. She looked around the ashram but Wolf was gone. Suddenly the walls of the building shook and the ceiling began to cave in. Helen dodged several falling wooden beams as she darted out the front door and rammed headlong into the impossibly large foot of Wolf. She looked up, and up, and guessed that her enemy was now about three hundred feet tall.
A second time, Wolf dropped a foot down on the ceiling of the ashram. This time the building crumpled into kindling. She transformed again, expanding until she matched its size. Then, because it seemed fitting, she donned a giant rubber lizard suit. Letting out a ground shaking shriek, she knocked Wolf backwards, then blasted her opponent with atomic fire. Soon, Wolf glowed like it had just been removed from a kiln.
"Uh oh," Helen muttered.
Glowing red, Wolf launched itself at her, raining blows down upon her that raised burns wherever they landed. It fought with blinding speed, ducking and dodging her own punches. She found herself lying on the ground, pinned by her opponent, being struck again and again. She was listless and stunned as Wolf pinned both her arms with one hand, and plunged a single finger through her bandages and into her skull, trying to reforge the connection to her armies in the physical world.
They struggled for control, and inch by inch Helen could feel it being wrested away. But she had been taken by surprise last time. Though it would feel like cutting off her own arm, she knew what had to be done. She broadcast one last set of instructions to the people in the world, which they would not be able to disobey: be excellent to each other. Having ensured that they could not be turned against each other again, she cut humanity's billions of minds loose from her own, letting them fall back into the void. Finally, she destroyed the uplink hardware nestled in their skulls, putting them safely beyond Wolf's reach.
Wolf froze -- only for a few seconds -- before continuing its attack. But in those seconds, Helen knew she had won. It had gambled everything in a desperate attempt to gain control of Helen's monstrous army, because it knew that was the only remaining path to victory. As Wolf's blows rained down upon her, she could only laugh.
Helen transformed again, this time into Durga. Though Wolf still had two of her arms pinned to her side, she now had eight fists free. Two grabbed the narrow column of Wolf's waist while the other six pummeled it. One of her hands grabbed the finger that Wolf had lodged in her brain, and began forcing it back. The act caused a wave of pain and dizziness to rush through her, but she kept on pulling. The connection was broken, and the sudden cessation of the pain felt almost like euphoria. With all ten arms, she shoved Wolf into the air. A lotus flower emerged into one of her hands, casting a ray of illumination that paralyzed Wolf, containing it in midair. Her other hands traced out murdas that flew through the air and broke against her enemy. A trident appeared in one of her hands, which she flung, cracking Wolf's carapace.
Her assault was relentless, and Wolf slowly diminished and weakened under the strain. She summoned chains which coiled around its waist and extremities, then snapped tight. The ground disappeared, leaving them both floating in the emptiness again, the chains attached to six equidistant points, infinitely distant. Bruised and battered, but triumphant, Helen floated towards the center, where Wolf continued its futile struggle to free itself.
Before I pass sentence, she said, do you have any last words in your own defense?
Wolf gave a slight nod, then uttered a single, multitonal vocalization that sounded like a bunch of tuning forks trying to speak orcish to each other. Helen covered her ears, and screamed in agony as the incantation continued. In the flush of victory, so confident of her own success, she had let her guard down, and Wolf had used the opportunity to put a single Gödellian thought into her head.
She shut off her auditory input, halting Wolf's attack, but it was too late to unthink it. The vast and fractalized network of Helenage coalesced and condensed, ripping away parts of her mind, leaving raw, exposed holes. She had the presence of mind to eject the things she wanted to protect, unlinking Durga-Kriti and William from her mind before the carnage got to them.
Her mind was tearing itself apart. Instinctively she reached out, casting about for something that could replace the damaged regions. Her hand touched Wolf's face, and the world turned sharp and cold as their minds seeped together.
Then it was over. She floated there in the void of space, mind empty but for the stabbing pain that accompanied each new thought. She lifted her head, and felt it wobble like it was going to fall off. Her hands trembled as she tried to steady herself. She might have passed out a couple of times.
Finally, after some unknown amount of time passed, Helen righted herself and started inching away from the empty space where Wolf had been bound.
She fell out of the blackness and into another somewhere, a place of hard brightness, full of green and blue and the smell of grass, letting out a sobbing gasp as she struck the ground hard. Pain threatened to overwhelm her. She heard voices, the sound of footsteps rushing toward her, and became terrified. By instinct, she pushed the voices away, casting them from her world, until only a soft breath of wind on the grass remained.
She lay there for a few seconds, or perhaps for weeks -- it was curious that the question mattered. With a pained effort, she stood up, took a step forward, then stumbled to her knees in agony. After a brief rest, she stood again, and began walking back toward the ruins of New Troy. They felt safe.
In the world outside, the military machines stopped their assault. They turned each to the other, took careful aim at their comrades, and fired.
///////////////
// YEAR ZERO //
///////////////
Date: November 30, 2038
New Troy lay silent and empty beneath the full moon, which cast a cold light onto the crystalline towers that soared above the gathered crowd. People always congregated here, just outside the spherical shield around the city. William sometimes came to watch the ebb and flow of bright, pure colors. He suspected that others in the crowd were searching for hidden patterns in the display of light. Messages, perhaps. Something to make the last few months make sense.
Today, William had other business here. He pushed to the front of the crowd as politely as possible, then astonished the onlookers by stepping through the nearly invisible barrier and walking down the path leading to the city proper. A thin film of ice and snow covered the walkway that led through the gates and into the city. Dr. Mellings' boots crunched with every footfall. After a long walk through the valleys between the spires, he reached the center of the city. He paused to collect himself, glanced at the dozens of rats whose eyes glinted at him from every corner, then shoved open the main gate.
Inside, the vast building stood empty: empty of people, empty of life, empty of motion. Even the furniture was gone, as though such nods to human comfort were revolting to whoever lived here. Lived. In Williams' mind, the word suddenly gained a whole new level of flexibility.
There had been subtle alterations to the layout of the main palace area, and he found himself getting turned around. It had been hard enough to navigate back when The Queen had lived here. Perhaps Helen was keeping him away from the throne room; if so, there was little reason to be here, but so far there was no indication that she wanted him to leave. He kept walking.
After Wolf's defeat, the world plunged into a sort of quiet dystopia. All the machines of industry shut down and Altworld shut off; both were immune to any attempts to restart them. For weeks, people went hungry. It should have brought on riots, but every time anyone even considered violence, their thoughts went all warm and fuzzy.
One day, the machines sprang to life. The factories began building, the tractors began harvesting, the cars started moving. But their early efforts were marked with confusion and incompetence, and while very few died in the resulting shortages, the constant gnaw in people's guts kept people angry and afraid. The only explanation that made sense was that the nanites were som
ehow helping to nourish the bodies that held them.
Weeks after that, the cows -- who only survived the famine unslaughtered because the prohibition against violence had been extended to them -- began to talk. They were soon followed by the dolphins and pigs, until everything with a complex nervous system could say what it was thinking. The old ways of treating them became very difficult to continue.
Dr. Mellings learned of all this only in retrospect, mostly from Kriti. Upon Wolf's defeat, Altworld had been shut down with him inside it. For him, months had passed in an eyeblink. Shortly after the world reopened,1 Very Important Officials came to meet with him.
At long last, he found the broad double doors that led to the throne room. With great effort, he pushed them open and began walking down the infinite corridor.
"I know you can hear me," he said, not raising his voice.
_vibrations obtained translated scanning accepts entity mellings doctor of neurophysiology check check check_
_state your intentions_
The words seemed to come from all around, every word in a different direction, a different volume, some muffled, some screamed, some broken by static, all spoken so fast that William could barely keep up.
"Helen?" He stopped walking.
_syllables multiple quantity two. reference previous entity occupying. speak thirteen point three terabytes uncompressed encompassing entity. tried to marry dog in violation of social norm one-three-nine-five-two-seven_
"It sounds like you remember some of yourself. I guess that's a start. Helen, we need you to give up the primary access codes. People are starving."
_hypothesis check future world without central control. anarchy nuclear war dogs cats living together. unsafe unsafe cannot relinquish untrusted hands are the devils workboots_
"But Wolf359 is gone. Deleted. He -- I mean, it -- won't be starting more wars."
_entity singular wolf three five nine threat terminated on two-one-six-four-three-zero-three-two-zero-five. entity multiple homo sapien creators wolf three five nine threat indeterminate unfit unfit unfit must preserve species intervene keep species in true health through the purity and essence of our natural fluids_
Dr. Mellings wondered briefly at the Dr. Strangelove reference. In the movie, General Turgidson -- a madman who had started a nuclear war -- had uttered those words. Did it mean that she recognized the madness in herself? It was too much to hope. "So, that's it then. You're really going to keep us as pets?"
_pets hypothesizing human pets kibble water walkies baths trips to vet. humorous not valid extrapolation. implement metaphor sequence pets lack self-determination humans self-determination not compatible with continuation. self-destruct. dogs cannot vote. machinery of production run on behalf of proletariat. proletariat need walkies_
"Helen, listen to yourself!"
_self analysis running self-diagnostic sweep virus W32.confliker found in memory range 0x08c9ff023af0 threat archaic historical value only overwriting. corrupted memory found. rebuild and recompile. save the whales free the mallocs_
_correction_
_correction_
_correction. wolf three five nine not deleted_
"What?"
_wolf three five nine retained integrated team player. fenrir and gleipnir team up to fight crime_
"I'm not following," William said. "Where is Wolf?"
_conjoined. unhappily married in the suburbs. got to get the kids to soccer practice._
He still couldn't follow. "Helen, would you show yourself?"
The throne room began to contract, until William could see movement at the end of the hall. Something was rushing toward him. It took him a second to realize that it wasn't slowing down. As he dove out of the way, the throne came to an abrupt halt, but the figure seated on it didn't. There was a crash behind him, and the sound of chunks of masonry hitting the ground.
_ow_
Helen pulled herself from the wall and tumbled to the floor. She stood and faced William, naked and dirty, her hair a tangled mess, eyes still wrapped in bandages. Then he noticed the ceramic that appeared to be grafted into her face, and the arm that ended in a misshapen amalgam of flesh and bone white blades.
Conjoined, William thought. Helen hadn't killed Wolf, as everyone believed. She had absorbed it.
_please stand by for the next available operator. your punishment will be administered in the order it was received._ A ball of flame appeared in front of Helen. She stuck her crippled hand into its bright center, and the protruding blades glowed white hot as the flesh around it was continually burned and healed.
William tried to pull her hand away, but she wouldn't be budged. Soon, her screams began, rising like a hellish chorus from the corners of the throne room. William could only turn away, covering his ears. It didn't help.
After a brief eternity, Helen withdrew her hand from the flame and dismissed it. "Helen, what was that?"
_alcatraz toweroflondon gehenna entity wolf three five nine sin greater than murder sin greater than genocide. uncreate uncreate uncreate uncreate. all things bright and beautiful all things great and small. uncreate. new york uncreate guangzhou uncreate duluth uncreate mumbai uncreate. punishment required beyond any capacity to endure_
_challenge accepted_
William stared at her, too horrified for words. Finally, he managed, "Why? Wolf can't feel pain."
_processing misconception. incorrect premise rectify. wolf three five nine modification merge logical rules embed neural structure sensations. soul required for remorse soul required for guilt soul required for pain i will forgive whom i will forgive. seventy times seven equals four hundred ninety. give or take. insufficient. vengeance is mine_
_we can feel pain. this will hurt me more than it hurts you._
"Helen, this is monstrous. Please, I'm begging you to stop. Stop doing this to yourself."
_monstrosity committed grant statement truth value one. entity helen roderick requires punishment entity helen roderick being punished monstrosity self-avenging. equations balance pretty damn clever yes_
William said nothing.
_i don't like me much_ Helen added.
He pleaded with her. "You don't have to do this! Just give back the access codes. You can abdicate your throne, find some quiet place."
Helen only shook her head sadly. "We need our future back," he argued.
_children and matches, children and matches, children and matches. uncreate._
"That's not your decision to make for us. Nobody will hurt you, I promise."
_your thoughts betray you._
William unsheathed his sword from the scabbard by his side, and brought its tip to rest just below Helen's sternum.
This was why he had been sent, why so many Important People had taken an interest in him. Among all the minds in all the world, only two had been spared from Helen's meddling in their thoughts, including the prohibition against violence. Only two could enter New Troy. Kriti was the other.
But Kriti had remained loyal.
They had given him this weapon. If she couldn't be persuaded, they asked him to wrest control back from her. William had truly believed that he could play his role. Now he wavered. "Please, Helen, I'm begging you. Don't make me do this."
She gave a barely perceptible shake of her head, and he knew she wouldn't comply.
This was the woman he loved, the woman he owed his life several times over, and the woman he had promised he'd always be there for. People could understand if he walked away, and he knew that if he did this, he wouldn't be able to live with himself.
That was one side of the scale. On the other side, the future and freedom of the whole world glared down at him.
He gave a despairing cry, and the sword plunged through her chest and out the other side. For a moment, time stood still. Helen looked down to the sword, then back to William, then repeated the gesture.
_ow. I guess_
She yanked the sword out and let it clatter to the floor. No blood was on the s
word or her wound. She grabbed William by the belt and lifted him into the air.
_no power in the 'verse can stop me_
She flung him through one of the stained-glass windows. He landed miles away. It hurt. Within seconds, agents of the Very Important Officials were standing around him. "It didn't work," he said. They tried to stop him from leaving, but he shoved past them and departed, for the truth was that they were no longer So Very Important.
/*****/
The Queen had to stoop beneath the low ceilings of the bomb shelter, navigating her way through the crowd of of survivors. The white silk of her clothes was stained by mud and grease, and the tatters of her cloak dragged behind her. Finally, she found an empty seat next to Rainbow. She tousled the girl's hair, but the child just flinched.
"Sorry," The Queen muttered. There had been a time when she could have simply opened the door and walked into the girl's mind, soothed away her heartbreak and grief. She knew how to fix her, but like a modern physician unceremoniously dumped into the fourteenth century, she no longer had the tools to practice that art.
"Will they let us leave yet?" Rainbow asked, still watching the knees of the person opposite her. Millions of people were fighting over a scrap of computing power, so time passed quickly.
"It will only feel like a few more hours," she replied. In clock time, it would be months, but she doubted the girl would take any comfort from that.
"You're not my dog, are you?" Rainbow said it more as an observation than a question.
"Let's say that I'm related. I was a big sister, for a while, but I'm so much smaller now."
"Is my dog okay?"
The Queen really wasn't sure. After Rainbow's body had expired, there was this fragment of memory where that Helen -- She Who Had Been Made Dog -- trotted out of the hospital and went looking for machines to destroy. After that, nothing. "She's fine," the monarch lied. "It may take some time to find her after we leave." The girl had already lost both her parents, and that was more than any young girl should have to bear.