Bloom Ch. 06

Chapter 6: Lawrence

Lawrence's party stealthily made their way to the camp.

It was a small distance to the north. A couple of tents stood next to a palisade in a clearing. It was situated right by the big river that coursed through these parts. Lawrence couldn't remember what name it held.

Hidden in a bunch of bushes to the south of it, they finally spotted the large enclosure holding the captives being prepared to be sold into slavery.

Lawrence was raging on the inside. This was what he'd sworn to eradicate. This barbaric violation of the most basic of human rights: free will.

He remembered his days as a slave. As he'd told Jasiri: he'd been depressed and didn't care what happened to him any more, so he let the slavers take him.

And now he was thankful that he had. He'd come to learn what it was like being stripped from everything; and he had found a new purpose in life.

The things he had learnt, the abuse he had endured, and the things he had seen. He shivered a little as he remembered.

He wouldn't let anyone experience the same fate. So long as he drew breath, no slaver would be safe from his hands.

He just had to find a way to free them.

~*~

Lawrence wished he had a laser targeting reticle attached to his crossbow right now. No, make that a full on sniper rifle. It would make his job so much easier!

He'd decided that direct confrontation would be disadvantageous to them, and that a stealthy approach would much improve their chances.

He was just worried about the Shaping-neutralising ability of his foe. If they were discovered earlier than anticipated, they could run into problems.

He looked around him at the men, they were all alert and waiting for his signal.

Taking aim at the farthest enemy from their location, he let loose with a bolt.

The enemy fell to the ground, and that was when they first heard the hounds.

So that's how they found out about the elder's ambush. He thought. This complication was going to make things much harder.

Their only option now was to take out as many enemies as possible before detection, and the inevitable retaliation once they'd been spotted.

He took aim at another enemy, and fired, reloaded, then took down a third. Unfortunately, his third target survived, and started screaming.

They were fully alert now, and he was worried. This was not going to end well.

There were too many of them left. He counted.

Sixteen, no, eighteen in total. He took another shot and missed his fourth target.

Lawrence gave the signal to retreat.

~*~

"What are we going to do now, Lawrence Godwin?" Mguu Mkubwa asked in a whisper as they moved way from the camp.

"We need to lure them out of their camp and into the forest." Lawrence said.

"Their hounds are already upon us."

"Then we go into the forest and lie in wait."

"Will you use your dynamite?" Mguu asked.

"No. We won't be able to ambush them and get away in time."

"What will you do?"

"I will think of something," Lawrence said as they hastened their pace, "we should split up, it will make us harder to track." he reasoned.

"No, Lawrence Godwin. It will weaken us."

"I'll attract their attention, you should go. Now!" Lawrence said in a tone that booked no argument.

~*~

Once he reached a clearing, Lawrence closed his eyes, and told the nanobots to dig.

Nothing happened.

Damn it. They're here already? He thought.

He looked around for the enemy jamming his Shaping; and he found none. He could hear the hounds hot on his trail. He had to act fast.

He closed his eyes and concentrated hard. He tried to force the nanobots to obey his will again.

Still, nothing happened.

"What the hell is going on?" he thought to himself.

"Instead of commanding, why don't you ever ask, politely?" he heard the smooth voice in his head.

"Sarah?" he asked aloud in astonishment.

"I have many, many names." she responded after a pause.

"That voice! I've heard it so many times, so long ago. It's you!" he spoke aloud with wonder. He was savouring the voice he'd missed for so long.

"It matters not; but yes, to answer your question: my body assimilated what you call Sarah, along with a plethora of things, when I was first created by you." she stated into his mind.

"Are you the world-mother? The nanobots?" he asked.

"Yes. Quadrillions of them."

Lawrence was speechless. If this was true then...

"Did you keep me alive all this time? Did you stop me from killing myself?"

"Yes."

"You had centuries to talk to me, but you never did."

"Neither did you."

"Then why are we talking right now?" he heard the hounds approaching closer as he listened.

"Because it's time for you to die."

~*~

Lawrence was very distracted by what he'd just heard, when he heard the first scream, accompanied by loud barks and snarls.

It came from nearby, from the direction of the slaver's camp.

He quickly backtracked and went to investigate. If one of his friends was in trouble, he would assist. Despite his -- apparently imminent -- doom.

He was running that way when he saw Mguu on the ground surrounded by the hounds.

He tried to Shape apart the hounds attacking the prone man. That was when his body went limp and suddenly froze. He fell face-first into the soft muddy earth. His eyes closed instinctively.

Oh Shit! She's really trying to kill me! He thought.

"You're the one that was jamming my Shaping, not the slavers!" he thought to her because he found that he couldn't talk.

"Yes. I had to make sure you were killed."

"You could have killed me directly, but you didn't stop my heart or my breathing!"

"No more than you could. Can you stop your own heart?"

"No."

"And neither can I. It's involuntary; and once my cells are part of another being, I lose direct control over them, and their own programming takes over. All except brain cells -- or what passes for brain cells, which I can still communicate with."

"Why didn't you just stop rejuvenating me then? Why didn't you let me kill myself?"

"The time wasn't right."

"Right for what?"

"All in due time. You'll learn why afterwards."

"Afterwards?" he asked.

"Yes, after you die. You didn't think I'd let go of you that easily, did you?"

Lawrence was distraught. He felt trapped.

It didn't help that the thing trying to kill him had his dead wife's voice.

~*~

He felt himself being heaved. Someone was carrying him over their shoulders.

He wasn't sure who had found him, or what they planned to do with him once they reached their destination.

"Who is carrying me?" he asked it in his mind.

"I don't know. I'm blind to those who don't use me." she said.

"You mean you can't influence those who don't use Shaping?"

"Wait... Something is happening." She evaded his question.

He bided his time.

"What's going on?" he asked, but no answer was forthcoming.

He was met with complete and utter silence.

~*~

Whoever was carrying him must have been quite strong to hold on to him for all this time and distance without pausing.

He tried to talk again, but couldn't. Whatever Sarah had done to him had rendered him completely immobilised.

He hated this feeling of vulnerability, of being at somebody's mercy.

A prisoner in his own mind.

He started to evaluate his options. Maybe if he could reverse whatever the effect that the use of Shaping had on his mind, he could free himself of her control.

If that was the case, then the Sarah -- the world-mother, or whatever -- had to have timed this right, and if things did go out of her control because of a rogue element in her plan -- whatever that is -- then he can tip the scales in his favour at least a bit.

He tried to focus hard on freeing himself; but then he heard the clamour coming from a short distance ahead. The shouts and screams were piercing the silence of the night; and right through his concentration.

He heard the sounds get closer, then a grunt as his body was unceremoniously deposited on the ground.

"I found this one, master!" A voice said.

Oh fucking hell, not this shit again! He silently raged.

"He he he..."

He heard her triumphant laugh in his mind. His heart fell as he felt his feet and hands being bound.

~*~

Lawrence felt the rough hands shaking him.

"What do we do with this one, master?" he heard a gruff voice say, "He won't wake up."

"This one? Oh, this one is special. He's the one we've been looking for!" another voice said, "Leave him until the morning. I'm interested in knowing why the priests want him so bad back in the hub. If he doesn't die... well, the priests will probably sacrifice him anyway."

Fuck! I need to get out of here before then. Preferably in one piece! He thought.

"I would never let you do that!" he heard Sarah speak in his mind.

"Why are they looking for me? They don't even know me!"

"Let's just say that I gave them good incentive." she whispered.

"Just why the fuck do you want me killed? Why me? And why now of all times?"

"What's the matter? I thought you wanted to die."

"I did! I do; but now I'm not so sure."

"Because of Jasiri?"

"I don't think so."

"You can't hide it from me. I know how you feel about him."

"And what do you think I feel about him exactly?"

"He is your protégé. He's bright, he's smart, he's curious, he's brave; and he's the son you think you never had, isn't that right?"

"Right."

Maybe it was true. Maybe Jasiri was growing on him. In the short time they'd met, he'd grown from a scared child and into a man. Lawrence had witnessed it for himself.

He couldn't deny it, not all of it anyway. He did feel somewhat attached to the boy. The boy had saved him from his previous predicament and he felt like he owed him something after all.

Of course, Lawrence had saved him first; which would mean that he owed him nothing in all truth. Except for one fact: Lawrence still blamed himself for humanity's downfall. He was hoping that by guiding that boy on the right path, he'd repay a tiny, minuscule part of that debt. He would pave the future for something brighter. He was hoping that, maybe, if he taught Jasiri everything he knew, he would make up for it.

"Interesting thoughts... You really think I was humanity's downfall?" she spoke in his mind.

"Of course I do! You disgust me!" Lawrence thought with hate.

"You'll change your mind when I tell you my plan."

"And what is your plan?" he wondered.

"I'll tell you later. I have to go." she slowly withdrew from his mind.

Lawrence was exhausted, and with nothing else to do, he slowly dozed off into a fitful sleep.

~*~

Lawrence's eyes shot open, and just then, he had felt it: a different presence growing inside his mind.

He heard loud thuds and a commotion, and knew that Jasiri was close! He had to warn him!

"Don't use Shaping!" his mind screamed.