The vehicle speeds towards the hospital, flying over the heaps of bodies.

  COLONEL

  Many hospitals are already full. We have started diverting the arrivals towards other welcome points. The problem is that there are too many sick people.

  The colonel points to a few soldiers arranging the bodies in interminable lines on the sidewalks.

  COLONEL

  Often this is the only help we can provide.

  Now the passengers stare IN SILENCES.

  COLONEL

  We have arrived.

  The vehicle stops in front of the entrance, waits for the passengers to get out and leaves towards a parking lot.

  The entrance is blocked by a crowd of civilians.

  COLONEL

  They are the victims' relatives who are waiting for the arrivals. We shall go in by a secondary entrance.

  They walk along the building towards a small door, in front of which a soldier is waiting. They enter.

  INT. alphacity hospital -- CONTINUOUS

  The soldier takes them to a crowded hall.

  FIRST AID STATION

  The HEALTH OFFICER is attending to patients together with his team.

  He leaves a little girl to an assistant and runs to meet them.

  health officer

  I am sorry I cannot receive you better, but here the situation is critical. We are overwhelmed by new arrivals.

  The hall is crowded with bodies lying on stretchers and the few staff are working hard in the narrow space.

  HEALTH OFFICER

  Very soon we will not be able to accept patients anymore. How is the preparation of the clearing hospitals progressing?

  COLONEL

  According to plan. But shortly they will be full. We shall be forced to leave the patients in the streets.

  CORRIDOR

  They set out through a corridor packed with stretchers. On them bodies, with waxen complexions, lie motionless.

  HEALTH OFFICER

  Many arrive here without an identification code. In these cases we compare their genetic code with the data in the registry office, and then we publish their names and try to contact their relatives. Unfortunately our efforts are almost always in vain, whole families are usually infected.

  ROOM

  They step into a room where a mother is sobbing over her son's body.

  HEALTH OFFICER

  Here relatives meet patients.

  A few steps further, a man is asking to take away his sick wife.

  C573Y

  What do you do then?

  HEALTH OFFICER

  We are happy to discharge the patient. We accept only those who are without any other assistance.

  beat

  Our medicine is powerless. In my whole career I have seldom met such serious injury.

  C573Y

  What type of service do you provide?

  HEALTH OFFICER

  Only decent accommodation. This situation humiliates us, our mission is something else. How is the Computer Science Institute going with the treatment?

  C573Y

  They are performing the first tests.

  HEALTH OFFICER

  They have been lucky to escape the contagion. How was that possible?

  C573Y

  During the infection they were in the bunker for a meeting.

  The guests take their leave.

  EXT. ALPHACITY -- MOMENTS LATER

  Now the situation in the main streets has improved.

  The victims are laid out in orderly lines on the sidewalks and the carriageways are crowded with troops and vehicles.

  The rescue teams are advancing into the side streets still covered with bodies.

  COLONEL

  Within a few days we will reach everywhere and with a bit of luck we will have a cure.

  C573Y

  Even worse moments are approaching.

  COLONEL

  Why?

  C573Y

  The virus can reappear at any time. We must destroy it, but how? As to the treatment, we don't even know whether the damage is reversible. What is to be said about the fact that the population has attacked our troops, or that the ships don't respond to the controls anymore? The real reason is that someone is trying to take possession of the fleet.

  INT. flagship armory -- MORNING

  Nihil wakes up in a war android, unfastens the belts holding it against the wall and checks his new body.

  It is black as the one he left on the Earth, but much bigger and covered with a shield.

  Around him, about one hundred androids are waking up.

  He puts a rucksack on his back and a few plastic bombs, then he gathers his followers.

  NIHIL

  I connected to the computer of the ship. Security has occupied the bridge, but they are only a few. Now we will attack them.

  The metal wall isolating the armory from the rest of the ship slides open.

  Nihil points his arm towards the exit and crosses the threshold. THE SOUND OF FOOTSTEPS echoes down the corridor.

  INT. FLAGSHIP BRIDGE -- MOMENTS LATER

  C573Y is on the bridge, barricaded with five blue-shielded androids. He looks at the image of the ship.

  The covering dissolves. A hundred lights are rushing from the armory along a corridor.

  They stop in front of a reinforced door. The officer magnifies the picture.

  A black android gives orders with such an imperious tone that all obey in silence.

  He puts some plastic on the lock, and rejoins the group crouched at safe distance.

  INT. flagship corridor -- CONTINUOUS

  A DETONATION. A raider rushes to the hatch. While he is opening it, the others take aim.

  A volley of fire hits the Security front line.

  The soldiers react with a barrage of fire, but soon their resistance weakens. The invaders burst into.

  For a few minutes there are flashes and CRACKLING OF WEAPONS. Then dead silence.

  The followers make their way among pierced bodies and detached limbs, with dazed looks.

  From the end of the corridor, comes A MOAN.

  Nihil runs towards the barricades, disappears behind a heap of rubble; three shots in a row.

  He reappears with a triumphant smile, waving his group to set off.

  INTERCUT BETWEEN FLAGSHIP BRIDGE AND CORRIDOR

  C573Y reaches the command armchair and sits down.

  A hologram appears in the middle of the room: AUTOMATED DEFENSE PROCUDERE ACTIVATED. A list materializes. The program looks through the items, selects some of them.

  The floor trembles, it opens. A stainless case surfaces, its cover glides sideways.

  Inside are thousands of marbles. They start BUZZING, take off, gathering into a black swarm. The main door opens; the spheres leave at full speed.

  Nihil is placing some explosive on a lock. When the hatch bursts open, he throws himself to the floor rolling beyond the threshold, the nearest ones with him.

  The others catch just a glimpse of a dark cloud in the distance.

  An instant later, BANGS, flashes and smoke. The spheres return from the end giving the final blow to the survivors.

  Next to the door, is a red button, the emergency closing. Now the marbles are halfway, they will reach him within a minute.

  The button is few steps away, but the way is covered with bodies. He may waste precious moments.

  Nihil jumps to his feet, hurls himself against the wall. A BANG. The switch breaks into pieces. The door closes with violence, flinging the bodies aside.

  He crashes to the ground, his arm aching. The spheres have not reached him! Nihil counts the survivors, a dozen in total.

  NIHIL

  We are enough to win!

  They stand up and reach an impressive titanium door.

  The bridge is a few meters farther, full of floating spheres.

  C573Y and the small group of Security soldiers have withdrawn into a corner.

  He doesn't feel easy. From the screens, he inspects the attackers, concentrates on Nihil.

  C573Y

  What's that rucksack?

  addressing the computer

  Activate the radar.

  The image of the content appears in the main screen. An invisible eye magnifies its surface and examines it.

  It stops in front of the identification code. The answer is in very large letters: ATOMIC BOMB MODEL AB1521-X.

  C573Y

  What's the power?

  computer

  Enough to trigger the explosion of helium 3, the nuclear fuel.

  C573Y

  What about the other spaceships?

  COMPUTER

  Would be annihilated in the thermonuclear explosion.

  C573Y

  Move them away!

  COMPUTER

  They will reach the safe distance in ten minutes.

  C573Y

  Too late. When will the android program be accessible?

  COMPUTER

  Impossible to forecast.

  Meanwhile Nihil is inspecting the surface of the armored door, looking for weak points. He checks his fellows.

  All lined up, aiming their guns, ready to pour a hail of fire onto the enemy lines.

  Nihil dips his hand into his pocket, extracts some plastic.

  With care, he starts placing it along the opening mechanism. His eyes are sparkling.

  He stops for a moment, leaning against the door. Now he can move his arm hardly. It gets blocked, his sight become blurred.

  He sends a message appearing in his visual field: REQUEST... REQUEST IMMEDIATE TRANSFER TO... ALPHACITY HIDEOUT.

  Black.

  EXT. alphacity skyscraper -- DAY

  A blinding brightness. Nihil shields his eyes with a hand and looks around.

  He has ended up on a terrace, beyond there is nothing but the sky. The highest skyscraper in the town.

  Leaning against the security rail, Nihil looks spellbound at three skyscrapers standing against the light like black giants.

  On the opposite side, others reflect the flaming red of the sunset in their windows.

  A few kilometers below, wide streets and elegant buildings, parks and sheets of water follow one another.

  In the distance a flock of birds alights on a roof. He forgets his anger.

  On the horizon, a row of black dots appears: the Security ovoids!

  He rushes to a low wall and crouches down behind it. He keeps still, holding his breath.

  A HISS. Five shadows are running across the roof. The aircrafts disappear in the distance.

  He stands up and looks at the town again, but this time in a different mood: in his eyes there is grudge, nothing but an immense grudge.

  NIHIL

  speaking to himself

  All this was to have been mine...

  Nihil goes to the security rail again. With outstretched arms, he stares into space. Then he turns.

  In the middle of the terrace, towers a structure with a ladder, ending with a balcony, from which the majestic mast with the flag of Alpha Centauri soars into the sky.

  He climbs the steps up to the balcony. Now he is really at the highest point of the town.

  The sun has set and its purple train is fading away. Above, the sky is getting dark, but the stars are not twinkling yet. A gust of wind.

  He grasps the railing and climbs over it. Then he sits on the edge dangling his legs in the void.

  He takes a little box out of his pocket and strokes its shiny surface.

  NIHIL

  My children, I am entrusting you with an important task.

  Nihil opens the lid. He stares at its contents before pouring gently on the ground thousands of viral programs.

  They spread in all directions on the terrace.

  NIHIL

  Go forth and multiply. Most of all, when in twenty-four hours you outnumber the inhabitants, infect them!

  He closes his eyes and smiles, imagining his programs covering the terrace with a black velvet layer, then, while becoming progressively invisible, descending the walls of the skyscraper.

  NIHIL

  Against my army no defense exists.

  He remains on the edge, while the icy wind lashes his face and makes his garments flutter.

  INT. EARTH ARMY HEADQUARTERS first floor -- AFTERNOON

  The gynoid's body lies on the couch. When Eve recovers consciousness, General Marcus Rand is next to her.

  RAND

  As soon as I was told about your arrival, I rushed here.

  Eve slowly gets into a sitting position on the couch.

  EVE

  Marcus, I need to embark on the Caravels.

  RAND

  What for?

  Eve explains the situation. Rand listens. Voices cannot be heard.

  RAND

  Only the Staff can take this decision.

  The man steps aside and starts speaking to his superiors. Then he turns toward Eve.

  RAND

  We are meeting in half an hour.

  EVE

  I knew I could count on you.

  RAND

  We have to hurry up.

  Eve jumps to her feet. They enter a corridor and then an elevator.

  RAND

  We are descending to a depth of two kilometers.

  They fasten their seat belts. A small object rises from the floor and begins hovering. The elevator starts decelerating.

  RAND

  The electromagnetic brakes have started working.

  INT. EARTH ARMY HEADQUARTERS bunker -- MOMENTS LATER

  The door opens in front of the entrance of a nuclear bunker. At the end, a robot is guarding a door. They enter the hall.

  Behind a majestic table, five staff officers are waiting for them.

  Eve stops a few meters away, and even though she has not belonged to the army for many years, she springs to attention.

  Rand remains a few steps back.

  From the center, the CHIEF OF STAFF gazes at her. He is white-haired and has a dark blue uniform with medals.

  CHIEF OF STAFF

  General Marcus Rand informed us about your proposal. You deserve the greatest attention, because of your brilliant past in the army and the help you have recently provided us.

  He looks through a dossier.

  CHIEF OF STAFF

  You distinguished yourself in the Red Helmets by foiling a terrorist attack which used nuclear weapons. You were decorated for bravery and awarded several citations. You were destined to reach the peak of a military career. Instead you resigned.

  beat

  You are probably wondering why in all these years, we never stopped being interested in you.

  Eve maintains an impassive gaze - just a blink.

  CHIEF OF STAFF

  After the military academy, you accepted to undergo a treatment able to improve your mental and physical characteristics. A very secret experiment, that Defense was trying for the first time on a human being. Your memory of the cure was erased, in order not to influence your behavior.

  When you resigned from the Defense, we had a moment of hesitation. Finally, we set you free; surely your behavior in other fields would be very interesting as well. This regularly happened. You worked in AISI, distinguishing yourself by the quality of your research.

  His face darkens.

  CHIEF OF STAFF

  While belonging to the Certification Committee, you were charged with corruption. The scandal was a surprise to us. We didn't want your life to have anything hidden from us, so we put General Marcus Rand in charge of an enquiry. It was all a plot.

  With the brain digitization, you became a virtual being with unique characteristics. You got in touch with the Elects, an organization we appreciated for its participants' merits. You started transferring your characteristics to its members. Thanks to you, the Elects succeeded in escaping Security, but most of all they began transforming into a new race.

  giving a piercing look

  Let's get to the point. You want to recover the population and stop Nihil. How can you manage it?

  EVE

  Once Nihil showed me a new virus. He wanted me to study it, but when I asked how he had got it, I didn't receive any answer.

  A few days later he asked me to erase it from my computer. However I had enough time to study it.

  CHIEF OF STAFF

  How are you going to develop a treatment?

  EVE

  I need the Defense's simulator.

  The high-rank officer puts on a solemn expression.

  CHIEF OF STAFF

  Our computer is engaged with important projects and to meet your proposal, we would have to delay the activities in progress. Nevertheless we are willing to listen to your reasons.

  EVE

  As you know, the virus is lethal. We cannot restore the population, because the backups have been erased. We must develop a treatment, but if we fail, no one will survive.

  I applied to you for three reasons.

  First of all the Defense supercomputer is the only one that can perform such complex computations in a few days. The other machines would require months.

  Secondly, this computer uses unique simulation programs.

  CHIEF OF STAFF

  How do you know what software we have at our disposal?

  EVE

  I was the one who developed them. The Defense entrusted AISI with this project.

  The officers talk in low voices.

  CHIEF OF STAFF

  You mean that you not only have a deep knowledge of the infection, but also of the tools necessary for a cure. In conclusion, you can judge the need for the simulator better than anybody else.

  EVE

  So far I have explained two reasons. The third one is that I have already worked with the scientists of the Defense. They are the best team I have ever met. With their help, I am sure I will succeed.

  CHIEF OF STAFF

  In exchange for your help, you ask to continue the voyage to Alpha Centauri with the Elects. Explain to us the reason.

  EVE

  The Alpha Centauri Project marks the beginning of a new era. We want to contribute. You know what I mean.

  CHIEF OF STAFF

  ending the meeting

  Thank you, captain.

  The sitting is adjourned. When it is resumed half an hour later, the most senior officer stares at the young woman who is standing at attention.

  A proud bearing and resolute expression,like the best officers.

  CHIEF OF STAFF

  Captain Dirac, you are an excellent soldier, you know Nihil better than anybody else, so much that you worked with him on some secret projects. We are sure your contribution on the Caravels will be decisive.

 

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