Waking Gods Read online

  —You’re hoping? I don’t wanna sound pessimistic, but what if it’s not happy to see us? How are we supposed to fight this thing if we can’t even touch it?

  —You are not. It would seem prudent to delay the introductions.

  —Is that your opinion or the EDC’s?

  —Mine.

  —I thought so. And how do you suggest we do that? We’ll be in London and assembled in less than twelve hours. I don’t suppose they’ll let us sit there for very long before they send us.

  —Then I would suggest postponing your arrival.

  —Not sure the boat captain will listen to me.

  —Probably not.

  —Oh, no! We’re not highjacking the boat. There’s a, well, a boatload of soldiers aboard. Kara’s good, but she’s not that good.

  —Do not sell yourself short, Mr. Couture. You have proven yourself quite capable as a soldier in the past. But I did not have an armed assault in mind. A mutiny would be, shall we say, frowned upon, under the circumstances. I was thinking more along the lines of the European labor movement of the nineteenth century.

  —Yes. We should unionize. That’ll show them.

  —In the late 1800s, the French anarchist Émile Pouget submitted a report at a labor congress in France in which he advocated for work slowdowns, a strategy that had proved successful in Britain. The British unionists referred to the slowdown policy as Ca’Canny, which did not translate directly into French. However, the French had long likened slow and clumsy work to that of a man wearing wooden shoes, or sabots, and Pouget, in his report, coined the term sabotage.

  —You want me to break the boat?

  —If done properly, it would delay your arrival and offer plausible deniability. Please accept my apology.

  —For what?

  —For giving French lessons to a French-speaking linguist.

  —Oh, I didn’t know. I never studied French etymology.

  —I am aware of that. I still find it impolite to give anyone lessons in their field of specialty.

  —You can make it up with some mechanical knowledge. There’s a room called Engine Room so I can probably find the engine—engines?—in there, but I don’t know anything about engines, let alone boat engines. I sure as hell don’t know how to break one “properly.”

  —I will provide you with all the information you need. I can ask Ms. Resnik if you do not feel up to the task.

  —I can do it. Now that I think of it, why didn’t you? Ask Kara, I mean.

  —I would like this operation to be handled as discreetly as possible. Ms. Resnik is more inclined towards impulsive decision making than you are.

  —Hmmm. I’m not so sure. She’s been … reasonable the past couple years. You might not recognize her.

  —Do you? Recognize her?

  —Yeah. She’s in there. I’ll catch a glimpse of her every now and then. It’s not that I dislike the tame version of her—she’s doing it for me. I’d have to be a real asshole to blame her for it—but sometimes I wonder if she’s wiser or just broken. The thing is, she doesn’t seem unhappy. She says she’s happy, and a lot of the times I believe her.

  —And what have you done for her?

  —Not sure what you mean.

  —Have you altered your expectations in any way?

  —Expectations about what?

  —Life, love. What it means to be a couple, a family? It may not be any of my business, but I get the impression that she has seriously altered her expectations about a great many things in order to meet yours. Perhaps you could meet her halfway. In any case, she seemed in good spirits when I last spoke to her.

  — …

  —Are you giggling?

  —I am. She is in good spirits. That’s just it. I haven’t seen her as giddy in a long, long time. Of course, we’re gonna die tomorrow, but if that’s what it takes to make her feel like that. It’s not like I ever wanted her to change. I didn’t ask for this. The last thing I want is for Kara to be … domesticated. I told her that. I told her a hundred times.

  —You also talked to her about building a family.

  —Yes. I want kids. Someday. That doesn’t mean I want the person I love to turn into something she’s not.

  —I understand your point of view, but, if Ms. Resnik is contemplating motherhood, she might have her own expectations of what it means to be a mother, a good mother. Those might not be compatible with her former self.

  —Kara’s a smart woman. She knows there are many ways to be a good mother.

  —Before Ms. Resnik became … Ms. Resnik, she was a little girl, with a mother of her own. No relationship is perfect, and I imagine that this little girl knew exactly what kind of person she wished her mother to be. Do not underestimate how powerful the wishes of that little girl are, to this day.

  —I seem to remember your telling me you were in no position to give relationship advice to anyone.

  —True. Relationships are not my forte, but without divulging too much information of a personal nature, I can tell you that I did have a mother and father.

  —You know, I like that you’re taking an interest and you make a really good point. Well, good enough to make me feel like an ass anyway. That would have been a great conversation to have, like, five years ago. We have a briefing in a few minutes. I also have a boat to stop. If you can get me instructions tonight, I can try it while everyone’s asleep.

  —I will endeavor to do so. I can access the blueprints they used for the construction of your vessel. I also know an engineer who can help us disguise your act of sabotage as a normal mechanical failure. If I am not mistaken—

  —Yes?

  — …

  —Hello?

  —Forget everything I just said. Please tell the captain to increase speed. You must assemble in London as fast as you can.

  —What’s going on?

  —Are you in your room?

  —Yes.

  —Turn on the television.

  —What channel?

  —Any channel.

  FILE NO. 1440

  NEWS REPORT—JACOB LAWSON, BBC LONDON

  Location: Regent’s Park, London, England

  There are tanks on our streets. Over one hundred Scimitar combat vehicles from the Household Cavalry Regiment and the Light Dragoons were called in from Swanton Morley. Fifty-four Challenger 2 tanks from the King’s Royal Hussars also arrived during the night from Tidworth. They are joined by countless transport vehicles, and eighteen thousand soldiers, half of whom are reservists, tasked with the evacuation of an estimated four hundred thousand Londoners.

  This is the first time such a massive military force has been deployed for civilian protection. In recent years, acts of terrorism have left us accustomed to troops walking the streets of Western cities, but no one can truly be prepared for what Londoners woke up to this morning. In a country that has historically feared militarization, today’s scene is more reminiscent of German troops rolling into Paris than of any crowd control or security effort we have seen before.

  The three armoured regiments and ground troops gathered in the Park Royal industrial area around four o’clock and headed east along the Westway before fanning out, engulfing Central London in minutes. Soldiers then began knocking on doors, escorting local residents into military transport vehicles. It is not a coincidence that this operation is happening at the weekend, while government and office buildings are empty. Nonetheless, the operation is a colossal one and soldiers will no doubt have to persuade several residents to abandon their homes. Civil liberties have not been suspended, so how much power of persuasion the Army has been given remains to be seen.

  The Canning government was under tremendous pressure to act, having lost support from Liberal Democrats, who saw this crisis as an opportunity to silence those who accuse them of being too soft on topics such as
terrorism and defence. A Conservative motion to force the evacuation of London was due for a second reading on Monday, and the government no longer had the votes to stop it. Unable to adopt any legislation without support from one of the opposition parties, the current government decided not to delay the inevitable and perhaps put an end to the rumours surrounding an impending vote of no confidence. The British people, on the other hand, appear to be divided on the issue, with 46 percent of the population calling for military action, 42 percent against it, and 12 percent undecided, according to recent polls.

  The Prime Minister issued a brief recorded statement early this morning but was not available for questions. Amanda Webb, Leader of the Opposition, saluted the Prime Minister for his courage and called today a proud moment in the history of the United Kingdom. No word yet from the Lib Dems, but we expect to hear from them at some point during the day. It would be surprising if they did not take some of the credit, rightfully so, for putting an end to the government’s inaction.

  Reactions have been far less positive across the Atlantic. General Eugene Govender, Commander of the EDC, has called today’s deployment “a reckless move, motivated by all the wrong reasons.” He added, and I quote: “I hope we don’t all pay the price for what amounts to a weak kid being bullied into doing something stupid.” Dr. Rose Franklin, head of the scientific division, refused to comment. Unilateral action by the British Government could signal the beginning of the end for the EDC—

  We’ll come back to the EDC’s reaction, and comments from other world leaders, in a moment. There appears to be some development on the ground.

  Armoured vehicles are now converging on Regent’s Park. From our helicopter, we can see what is clearly a carefully orchestrated manoeuvre, as Scimitar vehicles and tanks are slowly closing in on the park from the east, west, and south. The absence of troops or armoured vehicles north of the park can only be deliberate. I would surmise that the Army is leaving an obvious escape route for the alien robot. The military might also wish to avoid making the intruder feel boxed in and provoke an aggressive response. One thing is clear. This operation is meant to send a message: “You have overstayed your welcome in London.”

  Two armed convoys are approaching the park from the south. One is headed east towards the park on A5205, and a fourth has just turned on Robert Street to enter the park from the east. Armoured vehicles are seconds away from entering the park grounds. I have just been told we will remain on the air for a while longer. We will maintain our position above the south end of the park and give you minute-by-minute updates on the situation.

  The closest vehicles, a long line of Scimitars, are on Park Square, now crossing the Outer Circle and entering the south end of the park. Another group of vehicles is entering the south end on York Bridge … Our colleagues on the ground inform me that the Secretary of State for Defence has just issued a statement … We should have images in a moment, but he thanked the people of London for their cooperation during the evacuation. He also wanted to publicly renew his support for the EDC and assured UN leaders that the military would not engage unprovoked. To that effect, I am told that General Fitzsimmons, who leads this operation, is under strict orders to give the alien a wide berth and avoid any action that could be misconstrued as hostile.

  There is a lot of information coming in, and we will hear a lot more from Dana and Mike in the studio in a few minutes. But for now, we will keep our cameras rolling as we witness these historic events unfold. The first convoy now seems to be stopping and entering formation just short of Chester Road, about five hundred metres from the robotic figure. The other group of combat vehicles has also stopped and Scimitars are now lining up inside the Inner Circle. There has been no reaction thus far on the part of the alien robot. It has not moved.

  It is now the King’s Royal Hussars’ turn to enter Regent’s Park from the east. The fifty-some tanks have very little manoeuvring room if they wish to keep their distance from the visitor. As expected, the Challenger 2s are stopping only a few metres from the Outer Circle, just shy of the Boardwalk. The last group of Scimitar vehicles is entering park grounds at the west end. They are moving a lot faster than the other groups, heading southeast towards the Inner Circle and away from the Hub and the …

  The robot has turned its head.

  This is the first time we have seen it move since it appeared in London a week ago. It is shifting its feet, slowly turning to the right. Its attention seems to be focused on the combat vehicles sprinting through the park from the west. There is some light coming out of the robot’s right hand. White light. It’s getting brighter and brighter. It is raising its arm. There is, what seems like, a disc of light inside the robot’s right hand, which is aimed at the west end of Regent’s Park, where the military vehicles have now stopped their advance.

  Our helicopter is moving farther away, but we still have clear view of the entire—Wha—? There is—what I can only describe as a thin wall of light extending from the robot’s hand for … it must be at least one or two kilometres long. The light wall is paper-thin, roughly the same height as the robot, sixty or seventy metres high.

  It is crossing one of the Scimitar vehicles at the Park’s edge! I do not know if it is inflicting any damage. We are too far to the east to make out any details. Our cameraman is attempting to zoom in.

  There are electrical wires on the ground, on both sides of the beam of light. There are … The robot is moving its arm to the left. It is sweeping Central London very rapidly, turning to its left. It has now stopped after completing a near-perfect half circle …

  …

  Dear God.

  …

  Mike, can you call my wife?

  …

  Mike! MIKE!

  [It’s all—]

  I know. I need you to call Charlotte. Make sure she’s home. I need to know my family’s safe.

  …

  I—I need a moment to process what I’m seeing. There … There is nothing left in the path of that wall of light, which has now disappeared. There is only a crescent-shaped dirt field where … where half this city was. I can see Buckingham Palace at the edge of it. There is nothing but dirt between it and the London Zoo. Half a dozen neighbourhoods have been removed from the London map. Lisson Grove, Maida Vale, Paddington are no more. There is no Marylebone, no Mayfair, no Soho. Bloomsburry, Euston, part of Camden Town … All gone.

  There is no debris, no fire. Just a perfect half circle of dirt. We cannot—

  [Jacob.]

  We cannot begin to—

  [Jacob! We’re off the air. You’re talking to yourself.]

  What?

  [The studio. It was right in the middle of it. There is no BBC anymore.]

  …

  Have you gotten through to my wife?

  FILE NO. 1443

  MISSION LOG—CAPTAIN KARA RESNIK AND VINCENT COUTURE, EARTH DEFENSE CORPS

  Location: London Gateway Port, England

  —Vincent Couture. Would you stop fiddling with your flight suit and get on!

  —Call me by my last name one more time, Kara. I dare you. I double dare you!

  —What are you? Five? Would you just get on this thing, please?

  —I’m coming! Why are you in such a hurry? We’re not coming back. You know that, right?

  —No I don’t. And neither do you. You don’t want to get on the crane, is that it?

  —Of course I don’t want to get on that crane. I hate that thing. It’s flimsy. It moves in the wind.

  —So you’re not scared of the alien robot that just destroyed an entire city. It’s your fear of heights that’s getting in the way?

  —Oh, I’m scared of him too. I’m scared of just about everything right now. And it’s not so much my fear of heights that bothers me when we’re in that stupid cage, it’s the claustrophobia. Though it wouldn’t hurt to put a piece of plywood on
the floor so we can’t see through.

  —Vincent, we’re going up fifty feet, and you get all shaky before we even leave the ground. What would you do if they assembled her standing up, instead of flat on her face?

  —I’d teach college.

  —All right, EDC. Can you hear us?

  [We hear you loud and clear, Kara.]

  Great. We’re in the nacelle—

  —That’s not a nacelle.

  —Shut up, Vincent. We’re in the nacelle with … What’s your name?

  [Lieutenant Martin Crosby, ma’am.]

  We’re in the nacelle with Lieutenant Crosby, from … You’re Army, right?

  [Yes, ma’am.]

  … From the British Army. All right, Lieutenant, we’re almost there. When we get off on the robot’s back, I’ll open the outer hatch, and I’ll clip this rope ladder to that steel bar here. We’re entering the control room through the ceiling. When we’re both inside and I tell you to, you’re gonna pull the ladder up, and close the outer hatch behind us. Did you get all that?

  [Yes, ma’am. I just want to say, I hope you kill those sons of bitches.]

  I appreciate the vote of confidence, Lieutenant, but we’re not here to start a fight.

  [They started it. Kill them all, ma’am.]

  …

  We’re here. Open the gate.

  —Kara. Ladies first.

  —Oh no. Age before beauty. [ … ] Are you down? Vincent! Are you down?

  —Yes! Yes!

  —Well, can you step aside so I can … Thank you! ALL RIGHT! LIEUTENANT, PULL THE LADDER, CLOSE THE DOOR, AND GET OUT OF HERE AS FAST AS YOU CAN!

  —Charming fellow.

  —What did you expect? His city was destroyed. You’d be pissed too if they turned Montréal into a sandbox. Can you help me with my harness before you strap yourself in?

  —Have I ever not helped you before? I get that he’s angry, but he should know we don’t stand a chance against that thing.