“So much for Xerox copies being inferior to the original,” Gecko jibed. “You guys planning to use the ship on the roof of this tower with the spacewarping engine meant for the CEOs?”
Nova 2X, Gecko 2X, and Corona 2X nodded.
“That’s just so Jetsons-cartoon-like,” Nova said.
“Yeah, well, corporate types aren’t exactly known for their originality,” Gecko said. “Good luck, guys.”
Gecko 2X said, “Kids, a little help?” expecting them to read his mind, evidently.
They must have. Gecko 2X, Nova 2X, and Corona 2X flew up the steps, their bodysuits magnetized to provide lift against the metal plates of the building, which apparently the twins had magnetized for them. An interesting hack of the smart-materials of which the building and their suits were made.
“Kids, you need to go with them,” Gecko said.
Ganesh balled his head off, tears flowing down his cheeks as he hugged his three parents in turn.
Nirvana just shook her head slowly at her brother in disbelief and kept uttering, “Techa give me strength,” like some mantra. “It’s just their meat suits! You may as well be crying over your favorite clothes hanging in the closet!”
“Mom, can I just take over running his mind entirely?” she said to Corona.
“No, absolutely not,” Corona managed without smiling.
Finally Nirvana just grabbed up Ganesh and flew him up the stairs behind the others.
Gecko called up their departure on the hologram, watched the family of five blast off into space. Nova wasn’t sure what they were using to escape gravity that fast, but it looked like maybe there had been something to those Area 51 rumors all along.
Nova took a deep breath. Turned to face the music. His sixth sense must have kicked in because the zombie charge of the building had begun in earnest without the kids to hold them back. The mere sight of them changed Nova from female to male form again. “So, what’s best against zombies, karate or good old-fashioned kickboxing?”
Corona and Gecko laughed in concert. Gecko just heartily enough that Nova was convinced this was the first time his being dense hadn’t irritated Gecko in the least way since they’d learned of each other’s existence. Gecko hugged Nova, and kissed him on his head. Since Nova had changed back to male form, that’s how he knew Gecko wasn’t cutting him extra slack just for being in female form. He really had accepted Nova as a gift in his life for the first time versus a burden.
The three of them were already growing sick from the radiation. It wasn’t clear which would feel worse by the time the zombies reached them. Their insides eating them alive, or the zombies eating them alive.
TWENTY-FIVE
“We’re headed like a bat out of hell,” Corona said, gazing out the window at the effect of the superluminal drive, which bent light, making scouting for landmarks impossible. “To anywhere in particular?”
“Not until I can hack the ship’s AI, upgrade its sensors to find us some planet that will welcome us,” Gecko said. “Some place not too primitive, but not so advanced that we start another war against us.”
“So someplace where we’ll be worshipped as gods? Cool,” Ganesh said. “I’ll have to get taller fast if people are going to be bowing at my feet. Otherwise it just minimizes the whole lording it over them thing.”
Nirvana shook her head. “The good news is I’m learning to tune him out.” She was fast at work on modifying some communications device.
“What are you up to?” Nova said, watching the nano leak out of her hands and into the device.
“Building a singularity phone so we can remain dialed into the mindnet on Earth. On any world where there’s a mindnet, actually, or, Techa forbid, something more primitive, like Old Earth’s internet.”
“Singularity phone?” Nova sounded as nonplused as he felt.
“Basically it opens a wormhole through time and space, nullifying any transmission delay. So we can feel like we never left home,” Nirvana explained.
“That could come in handy,” Nova said, making an impressed face.
“Tell me about it. Surrounded by you and Ganesh, I’ll go mad otherwise. Start creating split personalities just so I have suitable company.”
Nova smiled. “I’m glad to see spanking isn’t off the table for spoiled little brats. Now I know I will adjust to parenting a transhuman just fine.”
“Try it and I will turn your hand into a…”
“Quit while you’re ahead, kid,” Corona said, unstrapping herself and getting up to explore the ship. It was quite spacious.
“There are any number of robots waiting to be engaged,” Corona’s voice shouted from around some corner. “Looks like these CEOs didn’t plan on doing much for themselves.”
“Yeah, that’s a good thing. Me and manual labor, not so much,” Ganesh said, speaking with his hands much like Nova did.
“How can you know what your thing is?! You’re like five hours old,” Nova said.
Ganesh gave him a pained look then turned back to Nirvana. “Well, the good news is, now I know how trying I can be.”
“Trust me, that’s just a small taste,” Nirvana said, not looking up from her handiwork.
“Hey, how are you coming with that thing?” Ganesh asked his sister, leaning over to examine her handiwork. “I am totally jonesing for Marvel’s Daredevil, season fifty four. I’m getting tired running the reruns in my head. At this rate I’m going to have to slow down and watch them at unenhanced pre-trans speeds. What is that even called?”
“Being human,” his sister answered absently.
Nova decided it was time to find something to occupy his mind with as well. He unstrapped himself and went off exploring the ship in another direction from the one Corona had headed off in.
It didn’t take long before he managed to startle himself. “Oh, man! I can’t even count the number of 3D printers in here,” Nova shouted excitedly. “And inkjet cartridges to supply them from here to Sunday. You know what that means?! Hot tubs and infinity pools under purple skies with dragons circling overhead. And need I mention the robot masseuses?”
The kids both turned in the direction of Nova with a wtf? look on their faces. They couldn’t see him, but they could tell what direction his yelling was coming from. “You know, he can be damn inspired when he wants to be,” Ganesh said.
“I’ll be damned,” Nirvana said.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
So much research goes into even a highly speculative book of this kind. As much as you’d be tempted to believe it’s all imagination, it’s not. To this end I’m indebted to far too many souls to name. But the short list would have to include:
Those witting and unwitting souls who share their work so freely on the internet. In particular, those folks whose discoveries or reportage thereof weighed heavily in granting my prose that extra realism factor.
My primary Facebook newsfeed folks who keep their nose to the ground for all breaking technology news, especially those pertaining to the transhuman era. Gareth John, Marco Santini, Sergio Tarrero, René Milan, Louisa Baqués, chief among them, but there are literally hundreds of others.
And, of course, to the many transhumanist Facebook groups to which I belong, whose mind-trust is invaluable. Not just for the sharing of great intel, but for the willingness of all participants and experts in their fields to answer questions.
And last but not least, to my loyal beta readers, and to my writer’s circle. They help me to get outside of my own head and help to illuminate all my blind spots when it comes to editing and fact checking.
That said, all errors are entirely my own. As the buck stops with me.
AFTERWORD
If You Enjoyed This Book
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