“Will you shut up please?” James said, putting his hand up to block Gibson’s face from his vision and stepping further into the room. “I want to know exactly what’s going on here—from the beginning.”
Djanet spoke in response. “The new upgrades you made to the A.I.’s long-range sensors before you transferred your powers to the operating program detected something about two hours ago. At first, we thought it was the sensors malfunctioning because the size and speed of the anomaly didn’t make any sense, but the object has continued heading this way, directly toward Earth, and it doesn’t seem to be affected by gravitational pull or any of the natural forces that would alter the trajectory of a naturally occurring phenomenon.”
James remained silent for a moment as he took in this information. It meshed perfectly with the analysis that he had made on the way back to Earth. It was time to share the horrifying truth with those assembled. “That’s because it isn’t a naturally occurring phenomenon. It has a purpose.”
5
The room remained in stunned silence for a moment, until Chief Gibson finally scoffed and snapped, “Have you completely lost your mind, Keats? Something that big cannot have a purpose.”
“Why not?” James challenged his superior.
Gibson was at a loss for words at first as he tried to assemble an appropriate line of reasoning. “Because it’s impossible for something that big to be alive! Have you not seen its size? We’ve calculated it at...” Gibson paused for a moment as he tried to call up the correct figures in his mind’s eye. After a moment of flustered searching, he looked desperately for someone to help him—his eyes fell on Djanet. “Girl! You were the one who told me the size! Tell him!”
Djanet tried to keep her composure but exhaled deeply before answering, “It is well over one million kilometers in diameter—nearly ten times the size of Jupiter.”
“Holy...” Rich said under his breath.
“You see?” Gibson shouted. “How can something that large be alive?”
“It depends what your definition of alive is,” James replied.
Gibson turned away in disgust and threw his hands in the air in frustration as he gestured toward the other six Council members who were there in person. “It’s always riddles with this man! Insufferable!”
One of the other members of the Council, Jun Kim, tried to remain even-keeled. “Commander Keats, can you explain what is happening so that the Council can understand and take appropriate action?”
“Certainly,” James replied before answering frankly, “You’re almost certainly about to be wiped out by an alien race of machines.”
The room became deadly silent, and even Gibson had nothing to say as he whirled around to fix his disbelieving eyes on James. With no one willing or able to respond to his statement, James continued. “We have less than seven hours to evacuate the entire planet and the solar system. The faster people get out, the better chance they’ll have of escaping. The people on Mars will have even less time so you better issue the orders immediately.”
Again, it was a long moment before Gibson finally let out a guffaw. “You want us to abandon the solar system?”
“You have no choice,” James said.
“We have no plan for a solar system evacuation. What do you want us to do? Where do you want us to go?” Gibson demanded.
“It will be everyone for themselves. There will be no rendezvous point—the alien machines would be able to use that information to pursue us and kill the last of humanity.”
“The last of...” Gibson couldn’t finish the sentence. In his worst nightmares, he’d never dreamt of anything as horrifying as this.
“James,” Thel began as she stepped beside him and laced her fingers around his arm, “what’s happening?”
“You must be mad,” Gibson finally said as he leaned against a workstation, his legs feeling as though they might give out on him.
“I’m sorry, but you simply do not have time to debate this,” James said.
“Why?” Gibson demanded. “How do we know you’re right? You want us to evacuate the entire species based on what? You’ve barely looked at our data!”
“I studied the data you sent me on the way here, and I’m telling you there is only one explanation for what we’re seeing,” James explained in an even but urgent tone. “If I’m wrong, I’m sorry in advance. We’ll know in a few hours, and everyone can return to Earth. But if I’m right, and I’m almost certain I am, then there’s an alien race of machines heading this way and their numbers are so vast that we don’t have a hope in hell against them.”
“How can you possibly know this?” Gibson asked, still disbelieving.
“I have to confess, old buddy, I wouldn’t mind an explanation myself,” Old-timer said.
James nodded. “It’s simple...and you’re right, Chief Gibson. Nothing organic could possibly be moving that quickly toward us so, by your definition of living, nothing alive is headed our way. However, that’s a pretty damn narrow view of the definition of life.”
“You’re an arrogant—”
James cut Gibson off before he could finish his remark. “The anomaly wasn’t affected by gravitational forces so this isn’t a natural, mindless path that it is taking. It is heading toward Earth and it has a purpose.”
“And that would be...?” Gibson asked, sarcasm and hatred dripping from his words.
“To make contact with the A.I.,” James replied.
6
“The A.I.?” Old-timer responded, astonished.
“How can you possibly know that?” Gibson demanded suspiciously.
“The A.I. told me that he intended to find another being like himself in the universe and join with it,” James related. “As far as he was concerned, it was a virtual certainty that there was another being like him. Apparently, he made contact.”
“With an alien?” Rich asked, in disbelief of the absurd turn of events.
“Then what do we do, James?” Thel asked, fear creeping into her voice.
“We have no choice,” James explained. “If the A.I. told the alien A.I. that it had wiped out humanity and was reproducing, then it is in for a surprise when it finds out the A.I. is gone. We can only assume that, from that point on, its intentions toward us will be hostile. Our only chance for survival is escape.”
“How do we do that?” asked Old-timer.
“Every dwelling in the solar system can be cocooned in a magnetic field and become its own ship,” said James “The replicators onboard can provide all of the air, water, and food necessary for as long as the people within need it and until they find another habitable planet.”
“You know damn well there’s almost no chance of anyone ever finding a habitable planet in their lifetime! What you’re talking about is the mass suicide of the species!” Gibson spat with vitriol.
“It’s better than a species-wide holocaust,” Thel yelled back at him.
“She’s right,” Old-timer concurred. “This is the best alternative.”
“It’s the only alternative with any chance of survival,” James asserted. He turned to the rest of the Council members. “I’m sorry, there is just no other way.”
“We can’t possibly evacuate everyone in time,” Gibson said, desperately fighting back.
“I might be able to buy us a little more time,” James said.
“How much?” Old-timer asked.
“And how?” Gibson demanded.
“Maybe an hour. Maybe only minutes...but it would mean reassuming the powers of the A.I.”
“What?” Gibson shouted furiously. “Now I see your game, Keats! This is all some kind of sham cooked up by you to get back into the A.I. and take control of the solar system!”
“That’s absurd!” Thel responded in James’s defense.
“Chief Gibson, have you not been listening at all?” asked Councilor Kim. “Have you not seen the evidence for yourself?”
“I’ve seen data on a computer screen—data that could be fake
d! Could be faked by him!” Gibson shouted while pointing in James’s direction.
James ignored the accusations and explained his reasoning to the Council members. “If I assume the position of the A.I. again, I’ll be in a position to facilitate the evacuation and to fight the alien machine forces. I’ll also be able to help the Purists.”
“The Purists? Why are we wasting our time on them?” Gibson retorted.
James snapped around and shot Gibson an atavistic snarl. “Why am I wasting my time on you?”
Gibson stepped toward James with his fists threateningly clenched.
Old-timer quickly stepped between them. “Hold on, Aldous. The Purists aren’t what they used to be,” he said.
“What they used to be?” Thel reacted with surprise.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Djanet interjected.
“Aldous?” Rich said, shocked to hear Old-timer addressing the chief on a first-name basis. “You two old chums or something?”
“What’s going on, Old-timer?” James asked, finally.
Old-timer nodded and held his hands up reassuringly against the barrage of questions. “We’ve got...history. Look, you have to understand that things between the Purists and us haven’t always been so...civil.”
“They’re bloodthirsty barbarians!” Gibson yelled, furious. “Haven’t you told them, Craig? Haven’t you told them what those people have put us through? What we’ve both lost?”
“What the hell...?” Rich whispered in almost-breathless surprise. “What is he talking about, Old-timer?”
Old-timer stood in the middle, James and the others on one side, and Gibson on the other, desperately trying to insert reason and balance into the discussion. “In the beginning...there was a lot of blood. A lot of misunderstanding.”
Gibson snorted and turned away, disgusted. “Putting it rather mildly, aren’t we Craig?”
“They aren’t the same people, Aldous. I know. I’ve met them. Years pass and things change,” Old-timer asserted to the chief. “They aren’t the same Luddites you remember.”
Gibson ignored Old-timer’s arguments, instead turning to the Council to make his own argument. “If we need someone to assume the powers of the A.I., then it should be me. I’m the highest-ranking member of the Council, and I’ll put our resources where they’re needed. Helping our people.”
“Don’t let him assume the A.I.’s powers, James,” the kind voice whispered in James’s ear again. The voice startled James and his muscles became rigid, alerting Thel.
“What’s the matter?” she asked him.
James didn’t respond as he watched Chief Gibson continue to try to persuade the rest of the Council. “And if this is an attempt by Keats to grab power once again, then allowing me to take control will thwart his selfish plans.”
James didn’t have time to solve the mystery of the voice. For now, he needed to heed its advice. “If I’d wanted control, all I needed to do was keep it when I had it. No clever ruses were necessary. And the reason you should grant me permission to take on the A.I.’s powers again is because I have the most experience—there’s no time for on-the-job training.”
There was a moment as the Council members talked the decision over with each other. In less than a minute, a consensus was reached.
Jun Kim spoke for the Council. “Aldous, I’m sorry, but we have to agree with Commander Keats on this vital decision. As our last act as the Governing Council, we’re authorizing James Keats to assume full control of the A.I.’s powers and to commence the evacuation of the solar system.”
7
“Everyone in this room needs to get their own evacuation plans in order and to get off the planet as quickly as possible. Good luck to you all,” James said.
Gibson backed away, in shock at his defeat in the impromptu election and the coming disaster. “You’d better be right about this, Keats. Or I promise, I will destroy you.”
“Good luck to you and yours, Chief,” James replied before turning his back on the Chief to allow for Gibson’s humiliating retreat.
“Here we go again, huh, guys?” Rich commented as he scratched his head.
“What’s the game plan, Commander?” Djanet asked.
“The first thing we need to do is get Death’s Counterfeit operational so that I can reenter cyberspace and assume control of the A.I. mainframe,” James said.
“I’m on it,” Djanet began as she went to a workstation to prepare the transfer of James’s consciousness.
“Then, we’re going to need to get down to Buenos Aires to help the Purists,” James said. “They’re going to have no idea what’s going on, and they’ll need our help to get off the planet.”
“We? Does that mean you’re going to be in two places at once again?” Old-timer asked.
James nodded. “I’ll be able to control my physical body as well once I’m in the A.I. mainframe again, and I’ll be a better help to you once I have direct access to the A.I.’s database and computing power.”
“How are we going to help the Purists?” Old-timer asked.
“I honestly don’t know yet,” James admitted. “We only have a few hours to figure out how to get 10,000 Purists off Earth and out of harm’s way. I can only hope there’s something I can come up with once I’ve assumed the A.I.’s powers again. Old-timer, you better contact Governor Wong and tell him what’s happening so that they’re as prepared as possible for our arrival.”
“You got it,” Old-timer nodded as he stepped away to make the call.
“What about us?” Rich asked as he and Thel stepped forward.
“Rich, I know you want to help us, but you have a very big family that needs you right now,” James began. “You don’t have to stay behind with us to help the Purists. If you want to be with your family, we completely understand.”
Rich was momentarily dumbfounded by the suggestion.
Djanet turned ever so slightly away from her work, temporarily focusing most of her attention on the nearby exchange.
“He’s right,” Thel chimed in. “Your family will be looking to you now. Maybe you better go to them.”
Rich was stunned as he quickly turned these events over in his mind. James and Thel were right. His family would need him and, if he stuck around, he was increasing the chances that they wouldn’t survive. He would need all the time he could to get their plans ready and their group off of the planet. Yet making this decision meant that he almost certainly would never see James, Thel, Old-timer and Djanet again. It was a shocking and bitter pill to swallow after everything that they had been through together.
“Thank you, Commander. You’re right. I have to help my family.” He didn’t know what to do with himself for a moment and Thel, as she had done many times over the years, reached out to embrace him.
“You’re going to be okay. Good luck, Rich.”
James shook Rich’s hand and smiled. “I’m going to miss you, you crazy son-of-a-gun.”
“I’m going to miss you too, Commander. The world’s always ending when you’re around. It’s been kind of exciting.” He stepped away from them and looked at Old-timer and Djanet who were working on either side of the room. Djanet stared back at him silently, not knowing what to say. As tears began to well in his eyes, he decided it would be easier to make a quick exit. “Tell them I said, bye,” he managed to whisper before bolting for the door.
James and Thel watched him leave with matching expressions of sadness.
“Good luck, my friend,” James said quietly.
“Commander,” Djanet began, quickly regaining control over her composure. “Death’s Counterfeit is ready. We’re standing by for you to reassume control of the A.I.”
8
“How can this be happening again?” Governor Wong thundered in frustration as he spoke to the projected image of Old-timer on his wall screen. Alejandra stood nearby with an expression of dismay.
“I’m sorry, Governor. It has come as a shock to all of us,” Old-timer offered, trying
his best to explain.
“A shock?” Wong retorted with fury. “Why should it shock you people? This is the second time this has happened, for God’s sake! You people have created technological monsters that you are incapable of controlling!”
“Governor, with all due respect, we’re trying to help you—”
“Help us? Is that what you call it? We were nearly wiped out last time! You may have rebuilt your civilization in a blink of an eye, but ours can never be rebuilt! Never! That is the price of your arrogance! That is the price!” Governor Wong leaned over on the table in front of him and paused as the fury that made his face red hot nearly overwhelmed him.
“It’s not our arrogance,” Old-timer retorted.
“It is!” Governor Wong shouted back.
“It’s not ours. We are not our people. We didn’t make the A.I.”
“What are you blathering about?” Governor Wong demanded. “Of course you did! How else has this happened?”
“Bad decisions were made, Governor. But not by us. Not by your friends.”
Governor Wong paused for a moment as his chest heaved with hot breath.
Alejandra sensed that this was her moment to step in. She placed one hand lightly on the old man’s back and spoke. “He and his friends are offering us their help. They’re risking their lives to help us.”
Governor Wong continued to breathe deeply. His temperature seemed to drop suddenly as Alejandra’s soothing words brought clarity back to his thinking as it had so many times before. “Okay. Okay. So what do we do?” he asked Old-timer.
“We’re not sure how long we have. James is going to try to hold them off for as long as possible. You better get the word out to your people, Governor. Get them to gather their essentials and be prepared to move out on short notice.”
“But what are we going to do, Craig?” Alejandra asked. “How will you get us off of the planet?”
“James is working on a plan. We have to trust him. I’m sorry; that’s the best we can do right now. We’ll be in contact very shortly,” Old-timer said before he ended the call.
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