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Back Extinction Game
Chapters (33)
  1. Title page
  2. CONTENTS
  3. ONE
  4. TWO
  5. THREE
  6. FOUR
  7. FIVE
  8. SIX
  9. SEVEN
  10. EIGHT
  11. NINE
  12. TEN
  13. ELEVEN
  14. TWELVE
  15. THIRTEEN
  16. FOURTEEN
  17. FIFTEEN
  18. SIXTEEN
  19. SEVENTEEN
  20. EIGHTEEN
  21. NINETEEN
  22. TWENTY
  23. TWENTY-ONE
  24. TWENTY-TWO
  25. TWENTY-THREE
  26. TWENTY-FOUR
  27. TWENTY-FIVE
  28. TWENTY-SIX
  29. TWENTY-SEVEN
  30. TWENTY-EIGHT
  31. Acknowledgements
  32. By Gary Gibson
  33. Copyright page

‘I wish I wasn’t, but I am. You see, Jerry, the Authority are what you get when you let people like Greenbrooke run things. Bleak, austere and absolutely devoid of hope or freedom.’ He shook his head. ‘I’ve been to their world, just briefly. You should see it: endless black skies, people scurrying from door to door to avoid the freezing cold, streets full of empty, barren shops. From what I saw, I’m guessing there must have been a hell of a big die-off once the nukes started to fly. Fact is, they’re already dead, or will be soon, anyway. You can see it in their faces; it’s a real privilege for some of them to be assigned to our island, did you know that? Warm skies, clean air, sunshine.’

‘If the Authority’s alternate is so cold,’ I said, ‘the bees’ll just die, won’t they?’

He shook his head. ‘These aren’t your regular garden-issue insects,’ he said. ‘Remember – they were designed as a weapon. The only way you can take those things out is with a flamethrower. Cold doesn’t matter to them.’ He nodded at Greenbrooke. ‘And even if it does, they’re quite good at finding somewhere nice and warm to live, wouldn’t you say?’ He stabbed at his chest with one thumb. ‘Now listen to me. We’re the victims. The people running the Authority are the same kind of people who decimated our own alternates. Didn’t you dream of finding those people and killing them? Well, I’ve got a chance to do just that, and I’m not giving it up.’

I regarded him bleakly. ‘And what happens to the rest of us?’

Casey turned on his heel without answering me and went to kneel by the laptop controlling the transfer stage. The screensaver vanished, to be replaced by the control interface. One after the other, the status lights on the field-pillars blinked into life as they came online.

That was when I knew it was too late, and he was on his way to the Authority with Greenbrooke.

‘For Christ’s sake, Casey!’ I yelled in desperation. ‘The Authority’ll kill all the rest of us once they know what you’ve done! Don’t you understand that?’

He glanced over and gave me a sunny smile. ‘Not if you show them the recording I’m making just now. That’s your alibi, right there. It proves I’m responsible for everything, and not any of you. I’ll happily take the blame right on the goddam chin, but they’d have to catch me first.’ He smiled broadly. ‘See? I’m not such a bad guy after all.’