Earthfall: Retribution by Mark Walden Read Free Book Online Page A

mankind’s last hope for concerted resistance to the Voidborn slowly gathered around Jay and Jack, their shared grief obvious.
    In the dormitory, Rachel sat down on her bed and buried her head in her hands, trying desperately to forget the last image of Sam that she had burned into her memory, the single look of fleeting horror on his face before he was gone for ever. She wiped the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand just as there was a soft knock at the door.
    ‘Go away,’ Rachel said, her voice hoarse. ‘Whatever it is, I’m not interested.’
    ‘As you wish,’ the Servant replied. ‘I have something important to discuss with you, but we may address the situation later if you prefer.’
    Rachel took a deep breath before standing up and opening the door. The Servant was walking away down the corridor.
    ‘Wait,’ Rachel said. ‘What do you want?’
    The Servant turned and looked at Rachel with something that almost seemed like curiosity.
    ‘I have been given certain instructions that I must follow in the event of the death of the Illuminate,’ the Servant replied.
    ‘Sam,’ Rachel said quietly, ‘his name is . . . was . . . Sam.’
    ‘The Illuminate made his wishes quite clear as to what should happen if he were killed. I am to answer only to his chosen successor.’
    ‘OK, so now you belong to Stirling. What’s that got to do with me?’ Rachel said impatiently.
    ‘I fear you misunderstand me,’ the Servant replied. ‘Doctor Stirling was not the Illuminate’s chosen successor. You were.’
    ‘Me?’ Rachel asked, sounding bewildered. ‘Why? I don’t have any connection with the Voidborn other than this damn chip Stirling put in my head when I was a baby. I’m not like Sam – I don’t have some kind of weird psychic bond with you or the Mothership. I can’t control the Voidborn or anything like that, so what exactly is it that makes me qualified to take over from him?’
    ‘You were chosen by the Illuminate – it is not my place to question his decisions. My only function now is to serve your will.’
    ‘Just what I need,’ Rachel said with a sigh, ‘something else to worry about. Stirling’s going to love this.’
    ‘Is there anything I can do to assist?’ the Servant asked.
    ‘No, not really,’ Rachel said, shaking her head. ‘Just help Stirling work out what those things in Edinburgh were. We need to find some way to stop them, because I have a horrible feeling that this won’t be the last we see of them.’
    ‘Understood,’ the Servant replied. ‘I will render whatever assistance Doctor Stirling requires.’
    The gold-skinned machine turned to walk away.
    ‘Did you feel it?’ Rachel asked. ‘When Sam died.’
    ‘No,’ the Servant replied, turning back towards her, ‘that was not the nature of the connection between us. I could sense his presence when he interfaced with a part of my consciousness in some way, but that was all. The Illuminate is gone; you are his successor. I do not feel anything. That would be an emotional response and as such it is not possible for me to experience it.’
    ‘So you don’t care,’ Rachel said, feeling her usual resentment towards the Servant’s cold, mechanical nature.
    ‘I cannot care,’ the Servant replied. ‘It is not part of my architecture.’
    ‘Yeah? Well, sometimes I envy you,’ Rachel said, feeling the knot of grief in her gut. ‘I really do.’

    Everything hurts , Sam thought to himself. Everything really, really hurts, but that’s a good sign. It means I’m not dead.
    First question , he thought. Why am I not dead?
    He slowly opened his eyes and looked around. He was in a long, narrow chamber, but it was hard to make out any detail as only the faintest grey light filled the space. A slightly brighter light was coming from somewhere above and behind him, but he couldn’t crane his neck to make out exactly where because it would involve moving, and right now his entire body was telling him that