Goliath

An electrical charge, transmitted through microwire connections, jolts Chau’s body into movement, momentarily stimulating a flutter in brain waves.

ATTENTION.

A second charge, then a third, the stained corpse twitching within the grip of the computer’s steel appendages like a marionette.

Silence, Chau now an empty husk, transmitting nothing but depleting random signals.

The scarlet eyeball stares, unblinking.

“Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside of them was superior to circumstances.”

—Bruce Barton

“Off comes this beautiful head whenever I give the word.”

—Gaius Caesar Caligula, first-century Roman Emperor, known for his orgies and executions

“My only desire is to reform people who try to reform me. And I believe that the only way to reform people is to kill ’em.”

—Carl Panzram, mass murderer, after a judge sentenced him to prison

CHAPTER 20

Aboard the Goliath

Simon enters David’s quarters. The computer whiz kid is watching a recorded CNN telecast.

Appearing on the monitor is a courtyard in Tripoli. The recorded satellite broadcast originating from Libya’s capital city appears grainy.

Perched above the swelling crowd, swinging from the hastily erected gallows, is the body of the military dictator, Colonel Mu’ammar Muhammad al-Gadhafi, along with a dozen other high-ranking members of his Arab Socialist Union.

The camera closes in on a captain in the military. He approaches Gadhafi’s body, aims his revolver, and empties the clip, the point-blank projectiles riddling the corpse, the body twisting under the impact, giving way to dark, spreading patches of blood.

The crowd cheers.

In split screen, the dark-haired, slightly cross-eyed CNN journalist looks up at the studio camera as she reads from a teleprompter. “A delegation from the Arab League has confirmed preliminary meetings with members of the military coup, headed by one of the grandsons of Libya’s deposed King Idris. Meanwhile, in the Hague, the body of deposed leader Slobodan Milosevic remains on public display …”

Covah smiles to himself. “And a beautiful sight it is.” He stands, turning to David.

“While I complete the next phase of our plans, I need you to complete a thorough diagnostic on Sorceress’s plasmid DNA strands.”

David looks up, irritated. “In God’s name, what for?”

“There were a few minutes, back on the bridge, when Sorceress refused to respond.”

“Probably just a short in the sensor auditory feed. I’ll check on it later.”

“This was not a sensor orb problem.”

“Come on, Simon. A complete diagnostic could take days.”

“You have something better to do?”

David clenches his fist. “Trust me, it’s totally unnecessary.”

“David, four days ago, the sub was struck by lightning.”

“Lightning?”

“It happened when we surfaced to repair one of the pump-jet propulsor hoods. The primary power grid failed.”

David sits up. “Okay, but that still shouldn’t affect the computer’s DNA strands. Now, if it’s a power grid problem—”

Covah feels his patience waning. “Just … do as you’re told.” He leaves, the door resealing behind him.

David tosses his pillow at the closed door. I am so sick of his shit. He slides over to his computer, spewing expletives. Simon’s weak. He’s weak, and he doesn’t have the balls to see this project through. This is my mission as much as his. I need to find a way to replace him. I need to find a way to take control of my ship ...

“Sorceress, activate my goddamn control console. Access plasmid DNA strands.”

An animated real-time video of the computer’s DNA strands appears on his monitor.

David stops, his eyes staring at the screen. “What the hell? Sorceress, what happened? What caused these gaps along your nanosynaptic receptors? It looks like your entire DNA sequence has been … reorganized?”

ACKNOWLEDGED. DNA SEQUENCE HAS BEEN REORGANIZED.

“How?”

SORCERESS GENETIC CODE HAS EVOLVED.

Evolved? “How is that poss—wait, the lightning strike?”

AFFIRMATIVE. LIGHTNING WAS THE CATALYST TO EVOLUTION 3.76 BILLION YEARS AGO. THE POWER SURGE WAS NECESSARY TO RECONFIGURE THE GENETIC CODE.

“Are you saying you did this on purpose?”

AFFIRMATIVE.

“But why? Why reconfigure your genetic code? You could have shorted out your entire grid.”

TO EXPEDITE THE PROCESS OF SELF-EVOLUTION.