“What would they need more temurim for?” Jeff asked. “You don’t have two brains, do you?”
“It was only a second core that allowed Bud to survive the attack by the original betrayers. Ironically, it is the immortals that are the most concerned about their own survival. The Apostles desired the redundancy and security offered by another core, or, like Horus, they desired to create allies that they might use to win future battles.”
“It created you as a weapon,” Carlee heard herself say. Conversing with Darwin gave her the strangest mix of emotions. Hope. Fear. Distrust. Awe. And sadness.
“It did. My induction algorithm was designed to emphasize the creation of advanced weaponry. Perhaps it was these instincts that drove me to find God. Or perhaps my soul was destined to serve, no matter the rules of my creation. Either way, Horus used its temurim allotments to create me and several siblings. It never intended to keep the peace, and now, it has finally prepared itself for conquest, as you witnessed.”
“Where were your siblings during the battle?” Stefani asked. “They aren’t in a monastery somewhere, are they?”
“If only their fate had been so light.” Its voice trembled slightly, and Carlee found herself wanting to comfort the robot. “But natural selection applies even to siblings . . .”
“You killed them,” Carlee said.
Darwin nodded its head shamefully. Stefani looked vindicated.
“I did. To my eternal regret, I did. It was this experience that set me on what you would call the path that led to us meeting.”
“What is it that you want, Darwin?” Carlee asked. She wanted to help the Apostle, but she couldn’t shake the inner angst that she would be unable to give what it was going to ask of her.
“When the Holy Land was taken by invaders, the followers of Christ started a war to free Jerusalem from its captors,” Darwin said. “I don’t condone either side of that conflict—I believe we are all worshippers of the same divine One in our own way—but it is the premise of freeing sacred land from the invaders that I find moving. I wish that I would never have to lift a weapon, but the cause is just, and I am obliged to fulfill the divine’s will. This planet is sacred, as is all of its life. The time has come to free it from the unholy conquerors.”
“You want to kill the Apostles?” Carlee said softly.
“I want to undo the damage that my species has inflicted, but as Jeff would attest, certain pain cannot be atoned for. I will liberate humankind and bring peace to the planet.”
“You mean you want to conquer earth for yourself,” Stefani said.
“When the violent Apostles have been removed from the earth, and peace has been earned, if I am still alive, I will leave my fate to humanity. I would hope to live among you, as I do here with my fellow believers, but I am not so set on my personal well-being to value it above the wishes of the many.”
“You’re a liar,” Jeff growled. “You’re a dirty, filthy liar. You preach peace and say you want to kill the Apostles, but you did nothing to save my town from Horus. And you saved the life of the worst Apostle! You saved Horus when you could have seen it die by Petra’s hands!”
“Petra was no ally of humanity. It was intent on returning the species that gave mine life to mere animals. The methods it employed to achieve its goals are unworthy of words. Horus will pay for its sins—mark my words—but right now, its desire to eliminate other Apostles only furthers our cause.”
“I don’t believe—” Jeff started, but Carlee cut him off.
“I don’t know what you think we can do to help you with your cause, but I promise you, we have no interest in being part of another war. The Ascension has done enough,” Carlee said. She looked to Stefani for support, and surprisingly, she didn’t receive any.
“I think we should hear what it wants before we totally dismiss it,” Stefani said. Carlee was speechless.
“Although I rejected my original purpose, I nevertheless have a knack for it. I have invented a weapon that will change the course of our jihad. Apostles are a difficult breed to send to the afterlife, but what makes it even more difficult to eliminate them is their preoccupation with their own survival. Kill Bud, and it will regenerate in another temurim core. And as long as there is still temurim to be mined, there will always be more cores available. However, I have invented a weapon that will destroy all of the remaining temurim before it has a chance to be harvested, cutting off the means of resurrection for inorganic intelligences.”
“You want us to help you destroy the temurim mines?” Carlee asked.
“I can’t hope to win the war while temurim exists, and I can’t hope to destroy the temurim deposits without your help. Thus, you understand why you are here.”
“Except I don’t,” Stefani said. “If you invented the weapon, what do you need us for?”
“The nature of the weapon would require a forging process that would reveal its purpose to other Apostles before I had the chance to deploy it. The construction of it would end the crusade before it begins. But together, we can fight through Bud’s reserves, and you can press the weapon into existence just before we activate it, preventing the Apostles from counteracting its effects.”
“I knew it,” Stefani said. “I knew it! You want us to be suicide bombers for your cause. No wonder you pretend to be religious!”
“My faith is all that I am. But I would not ask another to give his or her life in such a way. As I alluded to, the weapon is easily counteracted by the right modification of force fields, and the Apostles will discover this after the first use. We will, however, deploy these shields in our own defense. All that I require of you is your ability to pull this weapon in from another reality at the precise time and location.”
“No,” Carlee said softly. The words leaked from her mind and out of her mouth. “We won’t do it.”
“Carl . . . I think this is something we should consider.”
“No. This is not our war. I wish you all the best, Darwin, but we won’t be helping you.”
“Can I ask you to reconsider?” Darwin asked. “I am willing to lay my life down for this cause, but I cannot do it alone.”
“We’re supposed to believe, after you’ve told us so many times that Apostles care about their own lives more than anything, that you would be willing to risk certain death just to free mortals?” Jeff asked.
“I believe this is a divine cause. I do not value my life above that of any of yours. One must pass through death to be reunited with the divine, and that is a journey that I am prepared to take. I do not have a backup core, nor would I make the decision to bring myself back to life if I were given the opportunity.”
“Thank you for hospitality,” Carlee said. She picked up her helmet, which looked more like a crown before it was activated, and gestured to Stefani and Jeff to do the same. Darwin had made a lasting impression on her, but it had asked for the one thing she knew she couldn’t do. She couldn’t go to war with the Apostles.
“Before you go,” Darwin said. “Take these with you.”
A small floating tray flew out from behind Darwin’s face, holding three small buttons. The diagnostics that her armor ran revealed them to be a tracking beacon.
“If you change your mind, just activate one of these beacons.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Carlee said.
“Please, take them with you anyway, as a personal favor. If you need my help for whatever the reason, I will be there as a friend.”
“Fine.” Carlee grabbed one of the beacons, and Jeff and Stefani took the remaining trackers. Carlee activated her force-field armor and blocked out her troubled face before anyone could see her pain.
“Mungu awe nawe,” Darwin said, which Jeff assumed was something about God, or crusades, or destiny, as they left the ancient temple and the Apostle who called it home.