A New Night

No Good Deed Left Unpunished

Once again, I woke on the sandy beach of the Island. It was night now. The wind was colder than it had been as it blustered through the trees. The looming clouds above blocked out the stars, and the Night People were nowhere to be seen. It was as if the entire world were built to reflect the anger I felt as pressure rose in my chest. My chest and the rest of me were flesh again, so I did not feel as intimidating as I was used to feeling in the body of a hulking robot. Still, I mustered up as much anger as possible, making the wind blow and the waves crash as they struck the sandy shore.

“Jackie!” I shouted into the wind that came from the sea.

“I’m here, Bassella,” Jackie said, appearing by my side out of a momentary golden shimmer.

“We helped you,” I said as I faced her. I grabbed her shirt with my small, pale hand. I willed it to be a clawed, metallic hand. Somewhat to my surprise, this worked. I grew in stature until I was looking down at her. I didn’t know what more I would do ... I don’t think I could find it within me to hit her. Even if I could, I didn’t think it would do anything.

“I know,” Jackie replied, calm as ever. Though there was a very evident somberness in her demeanor. “I advised the Triumvirate that none of you had been compromised by your presence here, certainly not to an extent that would harm the development of your respective cultures. However, they disagreed.”

“But we saved your people!” I said, releasing her shirt as my eyes welled with tears at the cruel unfairness of it all. “We helped the Triumvirate and prevented deaths, and you betrayed us. I thought your society was supposed to be wise, good, and perfect!”

“No society is perfect, Bassella,” Jackie said and smoothed out her shirt. “We have tried to be as good as possible, given the new challenges we must constantly face. But this is new to us, and we are not of one accord on what the wise solution would be. None of us wish to punish you and your friends. A few of us who think what you have learned here is culturally insignificant would even return you to the world below. Even those against the notion acknowledge the injustice in keeping you here and see why you would see it as a betrayal. But to potentially doom the civilizations of Earth just to keep a clean conscience would be a more grievous sin in their eyes. I can’t blame them for that. If I thought you understood our way sufficiently enough to pose such a threat … I would have also voted to betray you.”

This made me angrier at first. Then I realized what she said, “But you don’t think we’re a threat to them … not even me?”

Jackie closed her eyes and shook her head. “Your friends saw nothing they wouldn’t have figured out for themselves within a few centuries. Even you could not possibly understand the intricacies of our world without a few years to play catchup. You aren’t one of us … you’re one of them. All these new peoples of Earth are reaching ages comparable to yours, give or take some paltry millennia. You are far closer to them in your understanding of the universe than you’d ever be to us.” She stopped with this, but her mouth hung open just a bit. It looked like there was something more.

“What?” I asked.

Jackie sighed. “I will admit to feeling conflicted on the matter on another level. Change is coming, whether from you or from them. I’ve told them as much for many years now, and the solution they’ve come up with is radical, dangerous, and flawed in a way that I don’t believe you to be.”

“What are they going to do?” I asked, feeling suddenly afraid.

“Did you happen to see the drones working on the Wall?” Jackie asked.

I almost shook my head but then remembered. I had seen something—though it had been too quick and blurry to know what I had seen. “I saw … something.”

“They were construction drones,” Jackie said, drawing in a deep breath. “They’re improving the Wall … building onto it. To isolate the Immortals and avoid their potential devastation of the many developed species encircled by Walls, the Triumvirate will use an energy field to make the Walls impenetrable. Then, the Triumvirate will demolish the Sky Cities and depart this planet forever.”

“B- but …” I stammered, “what about the Night People?”

“They … and the other species that have developed on the outskirts of the old Walls will be left to fend for themselves against whatever the Immortals choose to do. Though it will be the civilizations inside the various walled cities will arguably have a worse situation ahead of them—doomed to imprisonment without the space or resources to grow.”

“Why would they even think that’s a good idea!” I demanded, baffled that such a supposedly advanced civilization could think of doing something so stupid.

Jackie shook her head. “Because the only alternative in their minds is the inevitable fall of the Walls, followed by the Immortals or some species like the Hunters annihilating everyone else. It’s not strictly kosher within our laws of non-interference, but Earth is a unique situation that we have already influenced to too great a degree.”

“But …” I said, feeling myself clenching my jaw so tightly that it hurt. “We could find a way—especially since I know what the Immortal Golems can do. I mean, my gun worked fine on Steelface. And he didn’t even want to conquer! He just wanted a ship to get off this planet.”

“Be that as it may, the Triumvirate will never allow it,” Jackie said, her face downcast. “The situation is grim, no matter what course the Triumvirate take. So I’m going to do what I must so that you can at least give the Night People a fighting chance to avoid extinction or enslavement.”

“You’re … going to let me and my friends go?” I asked, confused. “Even though the Triumvirate won’t allow it?”

“Not just your allies, all of you,” Jackie said solemnly. “This new Wall may stave off the Immortals for a little longer. But without the Triumvirate on the planet watching, they will soon find another way. I saw what the Hunters can do … and they may be the only ones who can fight back if you and the Night People fall. That’s why I’m also speaking to the Queen right at this moment. Her intentions are not noble, but she may still be able to raise the only army that can withstand the Immortals. Additionally, you and she can help one another escape the Sky City.”

“But … the Queen and Gar would never trust me!” I protested.

“You can make peace with them; you have to,” Jackie said. “Find them in their sleep, learn how their minds work. Do what is needed to win them over. Then escape from this place.”

I thought about this for a moment, feeling my heart race. Everything ahead of me seemed so doubtful … impossible even. Not even Jackie thought my chances were particularly high. But if it was the only way I could free Romalla, Scraa, and Dro, then I had no other choice.

Still, one thing bothered me. “What about you, Jackie?” I asked.

Jackie gave a slight smile. “I think my time has come, anyways. Not much will change when I’m gone. The world will be just as beautiful and terrible a place as it was with me in it. But I’ve done all the good I could have ever done. I’ve passed on all that I know. Maybe that’s enough for me to feel okay about leaving, knowing that I helped make this world a little less terrible for someone.”

I stuttered for a moment and then said, “I … we can figure out a way together to-”

Jackie lifted a hand to stop me and shook her head with a smile. “Live your life. Do as the kinder, braver, and more compassionate part of your heart compels. Cherish those close to you. I’m sorry I could not help you more with the Golems. But if anyone short of an army can stop them, it will be the four of you. And even if you can’t … just never stop fighting.”

I wanted to say more, but Jackie placed her palms together like he had before—creating a glow between them. The wind caught this flicker of light and carried it gently to me like a floating hair.

Without thinking, I caught it. My hand was impacted by a minuscule jolt. This traveled like a minor tremor up my arm, my shoulder, my neck, and into my mind. Suddenly, I could see both inside the calming program and also beyond it. I could see the entire city—information, sensory details, and even platforms where I could manifest a holographic form.

It was like I had been left a spare key to the world around me. I didn’t know how I knew this or even what all I knew, but it would be enough to get out. I put my palms together like Jackie had. Nothing happened at first. Then came a golden light between my hands that grew until it consumed me and everything around me in the blink of an eye.