HIVE

[K. A. Pital]

The Hive

2045, 3:00 PM, Langley, ANTIHIVE assembly hall

The huge facility had people streaming through corridors, talking and walking, which even the noise supressors could not conceal. However, several rooms remained empty. They lacked doors, but had a table inside. The noise supression system made them totally isolated from the rest of the building.

It would be unfair to say that the main hero of this story could personally appear there; no one could, but yet the person saw everything in the room. Through technology. Pax Technologia, thought he after activating the camera and the holoprojector from his cabinet. The laptop made no sounds. It must be a really simple function for this computer. What if we need to downgrade to prevent emergence, he thought, but the worrisome idea left his mind as soon as other members arrived in the room. Their holograms lighted up the richly decorated interior.

All holograms were assembled around a table with in-built projectors. It was time for the daily situation report.

- Mr. President, I'm sure you've heard the latest news. There were attempts to break the firewalls of our military chain of command members last night. The Hive has been alerted by someone, - the man said.
- In that case, surgeries must be done faster, and as of now, we must dismiss the implanted, - spoke another hologram - apparently the President.
- Sir, I'm afraid that would mean relieving almost our entire chain of command.
- There are still un-implanted people to rise up and take their positions. We'd do more harm allowing them to be in charge of the military still.
- But sir! They're not controlled by the Hive.
- For now. However, you can't be certain the Hive won't break our firewalls tomorrow, not only immediately knowing the full extent of our plans - I'm sure that is by now inevitable - but controlling people covertly. People, who can sabotage anything. Everything. Hell, they might just turn our military against us. Do you understand that? The entire US military will fall to the Hive.
- It might be a Hive bait, sir. Maybe they anticipate such an action. Maybe they'll strike when our military is weakened.
- The Hive doesn't have weapons. It doesn't hold territories in this nation... well, it dominates some territories, but most Hive members are civilians totally untrained for war. Even our weakened military could protect the nation, should the Hive attack us here. Do not discuss this order. Best you do it, now. Do you agree, gentlemen?

The whole room silently nodded.

- Then this question is settled. I want a report on the mental attacks. Now, how is the crackdown on implant trade doing?
- Fairly good by us, sir. Europe's coping too. They have extensive surveillance networks at their disposal. However, many other nations don't. Some don't even resist the trade openly. We are suspecting that their leaders are already in the Hive. This could be true of Russia and India. China is also doing good.
- Has the Hive reacted to the bans?
- So far, no. But it's only been a year. There's millions of implants in circulation. Many people who are sympathetic to the Hive might start travelling to Mexico to get the implants. Their government is impotent and can't hinder the trade at all.

A long and heavy silence lasted for a few moments in the room.

- Press them. Explain that the Hive is a threat, - spoke the President finally.
- How do we do that, sir? I'm sure you know that the Hive is seen by many as a good thing. The Hive is seen as immortality. As freedom. It's tempting. It's everywhere. Hive members... many of them are reputable people. The Hive spokesmen routinely assure that the Hive is nothing more than a willing merger of individuals, and even urge governments to do something about anti-Hive pogroms. In some parts of Europe, the Hive controls 90% of the population, save the government, military and critical public sector jobs. What do you want, to start a war with the Hive? Even after Pogrom Year the Hive remains totally peaceful.
- I'm sure you know what to do. How is anti-Hive propaganda doing?
- Pretty good. Our population has very low subversion rates for the last 2 years or so. Only 10 million have been subverted in total, and the tempo is no more than a few thousand each year. But tens of thousands each year are eliminated, so there's no threat... Anti-Hive pogroms here have intensified. We have the media spin-doctoring it as a people's outrage, but censor all violent events. Extraction surgeries have peaked last year. We can be sure the remaining population remains clean.
- However, the Hive fully knows what is going on. It can't tolerate a genocide of it's members, so sooner or later they would be forced to act. They can't just stand still. We are forcing their hand, for better or worse, - spoke another man, who was silent before. - Did you not see the Hive-sympathetic...
- You mean Hive-controlled? - asked the President with disgust.
- Yes. Their news, given the mind records of the killed people, are full with coverage of this silent genocide. There's shit like this going in other nations, surely, and in some far more violent and excessive... but there's a limit where we can't any longer blame it on the people's rage and excuse zero police protection as "small failures". For the last year, Hive spokesmen have issued demands through the UN to stop the genocide. Those remain un-answered by the nations which set up anti-Hive policies... including us. Looks worse and worse.
- The Hive is not human, - said one of the people. - It's members do not actually die. They are stored in the so-called Hive Infospace.
- It's members are human still, - corrected the man who reported on Hive mental attacks. - Remember, to a normal person, the Hive members remain completely normal people. No change. Except, of course, no violence or lawbreaking from Hive members. And no death.
- In that case we must intensify the media campaign. Find every little difference, hold to every detail that is frightening, that shows the Hive for what it is, a non-human threat. The attacks - I want that to be on the TeleNet and all other media outlets, as the main theme, today by evening - with the right presentation of events, do you understand? This was an act of war and we must show the population that we're rapidly moving towards open hostilities. Session over, I want reports from all of you in the next hour to be on my table. Paper delivery or intranet to be used, with highest security. Oh, and a special report on Hive communications, including cables and satellites, by Mr. Derrick. Dismissed.
- Understood, sir, - said the men in unison and the holograms faded, leaving an empty hall.

***

- Hi, Tanya, - Fred Derrick closed the door. - How's the day?
The house was silent.
- Tanya?
- I'm here, - he heard a whisper from the kitchen.
- What's going on? - he rushed to the sound.

She was standing next to the window.

- They're evolving, Fred. I know they are. The President's new measure? Brain scans for implants, huh? Ridiculous! How do you know they still need implants to communicate? My mother called. I can't trust you any longer. I'll go to the Last Day settlers.

He shook his head in unbelief.

- Tanya, I thought you'd understand! It's science! It can't just connect to any brain!
- Says who? - she cried before he came, Fred noted.
- Says me, - he tried to comfort her. - We know what they can. We know their abilities. We have total bioregistration for implant carriers and we hunt down any lawbreakers.

She turned away from the window.

- Well, this night I felt their presence. Some wave frequency, I don't know... but I can tell you - they are desperately trying to find a way to connect to unimplanted minds. To my mind. This night I almost succumbed.
- Are you sure? - he slowly stepped back. - Try to recall, maybe they kidnapped you.
- No! - she took a kitchen knife and slowly stepped forward. - No, they didn't! It was a presence... like that of a God! It is the Devil here! You're fallen!
- Tanya... please calm down.

His mind was rapidly turning over the possibilities - the Hive found out who is in the ANTIHIVE, kidnapped Tanya and somehow implanted her. Impossible. There's day and night intranet surveillance of his home! Then... maybe Tanya voluntarily went to the Hive? Memory erasure? Mental breakdown? Psycho? What really happened? He needed to get the CCTV records, but for now there was a more urgent problem.

- Tanya, I'm sorry. Avadakedavra - he spoke the codeword.

She fell down immediately.

Fred Derrick ran to the analogphone.

- Police, - he said.

The phone did everything else. The police arrived in a few minutes, taking the unconsious Tanya and himself to the hospital.

***

The codeword was shared by all core members of the ANTIHIVE to protect from a covert Hive action through their family members and daily contacted friends - during the night, a seamless surgery team secretly implanted in their wives, children, grandparents a sound-trigger brain knockout device. And if an ANTIHIVE member even suspects that the Hive has taken over any of his neighbors, he can immediately knock them out with a codeword. Why the commitee chose the one from those silly Harry Potter novels, Fred didn't know. Apparently the President was fond of them or something.

A brainscan revealed nothing, however. Just as all other medical analysis. She was clean. And yet she assured him the Hive tried to break her mind. That's impossible. So she must be mentally ill... Fred was shaken. The constant fear of the Hive - despite the clear knowledge that there's no more than 10 million closely surveyed, repressed Hive members in the entire country - has had grave effects for Tanya's mind.

- Sir? - his driver was ready to pick him up at the hospital gates.
- The Last Day settlers... where's the nearest settlement? - Fred got inside his Dodge.
- There's none of them here. Most are in the north, in Canada, or deep in the southern farmlands, - the driver said.
- She broke down, Benny.
- I'm sure it's just temporary.
- It better be. I feel frightened. I lead the anti-Hive efforts and I see that panic is spreading everywhere in these lands.
- It's only natural. The fear of unknown is our best ally here.

***

The DC Holo-Hall – the most massive hologram cinema of the century – was empty. The fear of the Hive led to a huge backlash against technology.

Derrick's aide Angela was slowly walking around the room, pointing at various images of people.

- What is the HIVE? Most certainly it's unlike any threat we have faced before; it is totally alien to the human mind – but it is born from the human mind still. That could give keys.
- I think, Angela, that the Homeland Security failed already. I'm pretty sure you know what we are moving to.
- It's hard not to notice the nuclear blasts graffitied on the walls of abandoned computer stores, Fred. But I was thinking about them, and their abilities, not us.
- And?
- Well, look here. See? This is rural Africa. What method do the HIVE use? They call themselves «the Uhuru». They use a religion-like method of propaganda. Like Christianity, or Islam. A year of violent fights; old religions are dead, and so are African governments. The Pan-Africa «UHURU» movement, which is just another word for the the HIVE, take over most of the continent. More than that, it's disease free, corruption free, murder free... crime-free. It's frightening? Sure. But look at them.

The scene was depicting people moving in perfect rows at an UHURU parade. No guns; no arms. Just people. In perfect harmony, like DPRK's Ariran ensemble, but even better.

- This threat is greater than communism, than any dictatorship you can imagine. Remember those songs about the greatness of their nations dictators order to be composed and sung by the masses? The HIVE might look similar; but you know that ultimately, a dictatorship will fail. Because of human nature; so we were told. Anything will fail. Humans are selfish. Humans want no one messing in the affairs of another. Evolution. Competition. Survival. Fundamental concepts. We ridicule our enemies – we know they are weaker, they are human, they will fall and their songs of happiness are a mockery, since it's just a facade. And human nature will make them fall.

She smiled and carried on.

- But here we face something different. They, or, rather it – they are not forced to cooperate. They are really cooperating. They do believe what they speak of. What they tell. Human nature is changed. It's a hive mind. Like ants. And the resources this mind has, it's great power, are too huge for us to comprehend. This is why they win. They are for real; not a facade of power; not a facade of plenty. They are power. They are the plenty. They are one; and one is all. It is a different type of creature; not homo sapiens, but homo collectivus.

Fred nodded.

- In Africa, they came as a religion of peace and immortality. In Russia, India and Asia, they come as a new communism. They call themselves the Commune – and this new Russia, after Africa, was the second nation to fall to their rule. There's no Russia; no Ukraine, no Kazakhstan, no Mongolia and even no India and Pakistan – only the Commune. In Europe, they come as true humanism. In Latin America, they come as an alternative to Catolic socialism; or something very very close to that. Do you know that there aren't 8 billion homo sapiens any longer; we can't count them as us. There's a homo collectivus, and it's growing and changing the very human nature. It is the greatest threat an individual, and our species have known.

- Angela, you came here for a reason? I thought you were to deliver a report on the progress of anti-HIVE activities.

- Yes. I have came for a reason, - she smiled and pulled her hair back. - All that bullcrap you've been told about us, is a lie. I have decided to enter the First Stage. You know full well that no agent, no matter whom we tried to insert, remained loyal – all fell into the HIVE and became one. And I'll tell you why. It's like... being one with a real God. The feeling of omnipresence and omnipotence, the endless sea of human knowledge... endless. The ability to see the world with the eyes of any HIVE member. The ability to know anything - not everything - the brain would never allow for such capacity, but anything the HIVE knowns, anything on demand. My implants have already finished their job on copying the mind; and I have spoken to God. He accepts me. I will move to stage 2 and 3 shortly. I came to tell you that this is our only chance. Humanity is doomed.

Fred acted quickly. He pulled out his gun and shot Angela in the chest. When she fell down, he came up to her and shot her in the brain. He knew it was pointless, her mind was already recorded. But in any case he was glad she didn't proceed to Stage 2 – a full HIVE member, in an informal meeting, could just kill Fred and be done with it. How did he get so uncareful? There were no brain scans to enter this facility; but in the morning Angela was still in the Pentagon. It means she went over during this day; buying implants somewhere in DC – and keeping it secret from the Security Commitee watchdogs who followed their every step. Oh well. Another place to crackdown on. He just doesn't know where it is... yet.

***

The first strike was overwhelming. Satellites which served as HIVE channel hubs, any supercomputer centers, rumored or proven, cities full of HIVE population were all targeted and attacked in a single order.

«WAR WITH THE HIVE» posters spammed the streets.

Fred was looking into the Holo-V display at the Pentagon; this last stand of humanity was televised.

- Look, sir. There's a TV transmission over all HIVE and non-HIVE nations, run from everywhere. Look. They are singing. And it seems that it's... a totally alien language. We haven't heard anything like that on Earth. Ever. Two minutes to impact, Bombay. Impact. Moscow. Impact. Seoul. Impact...

Nuclear response did happen. Fred and everyone else in the ANTIHIVE died two minutes later. They thought they gave humanity a last chance by this strike.

In about half an hour it was over; and most Earth cities lie in irradiated ruin. But the HIVE survived. It was hurt. It's power has diminished, but it was still a God – a wounded one.

And from the war shelters, from remote villages, from the polar circle and the mountains, a strange new language sounded again.

[Kristoff]

"Glory to The Many. I am a voice in their choir."

[LadyTevar]

The lack of Quotation Marks made reading that very annoying.

[Stark]

Are you serious?

[K. A. Pital]

This is a translation from Russian; we don't have quote marks in Russian when we write dialogue (as opposed to monologue) so I might have missed those rules. Sorry.

[LadyTevar]

This is a translation from Russian; we don't have quote marks in Russian when we write dialogue (as opposed to monologue) so I might have missed those rules. Sorry.

Well... I learned something new then, because I didn't know that was normal for Russian literary grammar.