"You could do as your subordinate suggests and kill us, presumably ending our threat. Wouldn't that be the safest course?"
"I would kill you to save the human race. But unlike you, I don't kill people until I'm sure there's no other option."
"I see that you used Amelrina's synthetic to access our world. How did you know it contained our destination coordinates?" He paused, gazing into her eyes. "Did she tell you?"
"No." Jamie made herself say the word without hesitation. She'd anticipated the question, but for all she knew their lie detection capabilities far exceeded their own – not that any advanced technology was necessary to suspect she was lying. "We have a person with augmented intelligence" – she nodded to Steven – "who suggested that possibility."
"I see."
"I know you believe you're justified in exterminating us, but I think you're wrong," Jamie said quickly, hoping to distract him from Amelrina.
"Many of us have also questioned it." He glanced at Amelrina's synthetic as if to underscore that point.
"You created us, didn't you?"
"You and many, many others like you."
"So like God," said Tildie, "you got disgusted with your creation and decide to kill us all off except for those people in your Noah's ark?"
"That myth was in truth a warning from us. It, along with religion in general, introduced the possibility in your minds that you needed to regulate your behaviors for the better or face dire consequences from a higher power since you hadn't developed the moral judgment to reach such conclusions otherwise."
"Shit," Jake snorted, "that worked out great, didn't it?"
"We tried to put you on the 'path of righteousness' many times, within the ethical limits we imposed on ourselves."
"But you our friends now," said Thomas. He deepened his voice. "You are our friends and would never hurt us."
"Perhaps." The man smiled at him. "But that will be our choice now, Thomas."
"Say what?"
"We've taken measures to counter your voice command harmonics."
He appeared content to let the implications sink in. Our one effective weapon neutralized was Jamie's first thought, which she was certain was shared by the others.
"Then why aren't you trying to kill us?" asked Tildie.
"Perhaps for the same reason you hesitated to kill us." He turned his large grey eyes back on Jamie. "And there is no guarantee we would succeed. Your will and adaptability are phenomenal. Your presence here itself defies all odds. Sometimes even the greatest technology cannot measure a being's spirit."
"Uh, thanks?" Jamie couldn't quite compose a smile. "But weren't you using your predictive technology to condemn us?"
"True. And it is an extraordinarily accurate technology, I promise you. But it – and we - are not omniscient."
"Good to know," said Tildie.
"You surely represent the most aggressive of your species. It required relentless aggression to get here. And yet at the penultimate moment you showed mercy. Therefore, we are revoking your extinction status. Please have a nice day."
Tildie choked up a "Wha-?" Jake and Horner looked at each other as if they'd been slapped. Jay let out a strangled laugh. Jamie started to smile in disbelief.
"That was an attempt at humor," said the synthetic. "Which can be a bit tricky with different cultures and species."
"Oh." Jamie cleared her throat. "Um, good one."
In the silence that followed, Jamie imagined a whole new universe of possibilities unfolding.
"So what now?" Tildie asked.
"You go home. I assume that would be your choice."
"What about all the people on the ship?"
He gave Jamie a rueful smile. "You have fomented something of a revolution there by your comments and yours and others' disappearances. Those who remain may not wish to continue living an illusion, no matter how attractive. But we will honor our promise to them if they do. Return or stay will be their choice."
The chamber's walls rolled back. He motioned them along with him toward the nearest wall and the figure-eight symbols that marked the gateway.
"I would like to ask you a personal favor," he said, as the wall faded and a bright yellow sun shone through a stand of fir trees. "Please do not destroy the multiverse."
Chapter 31
THE BIG SCREEN TV roared and the denizens of the Alkie bar watched, mesmerized, as thousand of "returnees" celebrated their reunion with friends, family, and Mother Earth in a standing-room only 400,000-strong crowd at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The host of the event was none other than Brian Loving, shorn of locks and wearing stubble instead of a beard, but the cameras still loved his perfect white grin and soulful gold-flecked hazel eyes.
"Today, brothers and sisters, we stand here a little wiser and a little older, but we haven't lost our faith!" he cried. "We may not have found heaven up there" – he pointed to the skies –"but nothing's stopping us from creating paradise here!"
In the Alkie, a legion of rolling eyes followed a chorus of disgusted groans, loud enough to compete with the blaring television.
"Sheeeit," Thomas snickered. "The pretty white boy acts like he done saved the world when everyone at this table damn well knows it was a couple brothers from the hood."
"What hood?" Terry asked. "We grew up in Grand Forks, North Dakota."
Thomas laughed and clapped his kin on the back. "Hood is in the heart, little brother."
Jake opened his mouth to say something, but kept his peace. Horner raised his beer stein, sending a thin golden geyser to the roof as he forgot his strength in the heat of the moment or because it was his eighth beer.
"To brothers," he said, his voice a grave rumble.
Everyone raised their drinks. Zach squeezed Jamie's hand under the table and they traded a quiet, rueful smile. Glasses clicked and people cried "Hear, hear!" Even a reluctantly grinning Thomas Mayes joined in. But then now he truly was one of them, having accepted a commission on IED's Team One for a what was rumored to be a huge signing bonus. After a few drinks, Thomas had shared his grand plan: become a "DIE" hero, rise to an executive position in DARE, parlay that into a run for Congressman or Senator, and after a term or two, onto the Presidency. "I'll be doing it the old-fashioned way this time," he chuckled. Jamie wouldn't be betting against him. But then she was a few Margaritas to the wind herself.
She glanced at Zachary's handsome face, glowing with camaraderie and alcohol, and was struck by a sharp wave of sadness. The world was overflowing with super-healthy, super-energetic people. The alien threat was over. She could have a great life with a great man and millions in the bank. The future was so bright it made her want to squint.
Only one nagging little problem: she would have a great life while her family was rotting in the ground. At least they were here. In another world they were struggling along without her. The unfairness of it was soul-wrenching.
Zachary gave her a concerned look as she rose and excused herself to use the restroom. Her ever-sensitive and caring man, who'd been hinting of a future together, of a marriage proposal waiting in the wings. And smart enough to know she didn't actually need to use the restroom.
But in the bathroom it felt satisfying to splash some cold water on her face. A dash of cold reality. There was no such thing as paradise, either in the aliens' heaven or here on Earth. They'd all just have to do their best and make do with the hands they were dealt. The face in the mirror was still young, though she felt ancient. Maybe she and Zachary would get married and create their own family. Another daughter or two. Or a son. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
"Hey." Tildie had come up behind her. "How's the woman in the mirror doing?"
"She was just telling me about my good fortune."
"I can tell from your expression she had a cheery message." Tildie placed a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, let's take a walk. Something I want to talk to you about."
"Okay." Jamie guessed it would be about her and Jay's upcoming nuptials.
> They walked out of the Alkie into the now-deserted mall, Zachary shooting her a question and Jamie responding with a shrug of ignorance.
"Let me guess," said Jamie. "You want me to be your maid of honor?"
"Of course. Goes without saying. You're my best friend, silly. No, this is something else."
"Oh. This should be interesting."
"I'm endlessly fascinating. Ask my library stalker."
They stopped in front of the DARE to Dream clothing boutique and Tildie motioned to the bench there. They sat facing Lao Tzu's Traditional Chinese Cuisine and Burgers. A thought popped into Jamie's head.
"Are you pregnant?"
"No! Stop!" Tildie slapped her arm. "No, this is something Jay and I've been discussing. It was his idea, actually. And to be honest, I'm not all that happy about it."
"Okay."
"It's kind of crazy..."
"Til, please, put me out of my misery."
"All right." Her friend breathed in. "It's about your family. You know, the one you saw during your Phantom Zone walkabout."
Jamie's smile withered. A cool mask slipped over her face, matching the chill in her stomach.
"Jay believes he can take you back there. Take you back and drop you off."
The cold spread outward from Jamie's stomach, extending icy tendrils into her skull. At the same time, a feverish heat started up in her brain – the possibility like a bright star in a bleak cosmos. Or a nuclear detonation. Jamie shuddered.
"I don't want you to leave, Jamie. Believe me. But I want you to be happy. To have the happiest life possible."
Jamie couldn't believe she hadn't thought of that possibility. Or maybe she had? Because it felt both frightening and familiar.
"I don't know if I could find my way back, Tildie," she said. "I'm not sure how I found them in the first place."
"I'm guessing your heart knows the way." She smacked herself on the forehead. "I can't believe I just said that."
Jamie gave her a pained smile. "Even if we did find them, Jay might not be able to find his way back."
"That did occur to me." Tildie's voice had gone flat. "He says he's confident he can do it."
A minute or two went by. Jamie didn't want to consider the possibility seriously, didn't want to expose herself to that level of disappointment. Didn't want to sacrifice someone else to her selfish desires. She wanted to tell her friend firmly: "No." But once thought, the idea couldn't be unthought. The dream couldn't be undreamt.
"Are you willing to take that chance, Tildie?"
Her friend gazed at the Chinese restaurant across from them as though her life depended on discerning the menu on the front window.
"I love him," she said. "But I also love you. Not in the same way, of course. No hot lesbian crush implied."
"Shucks."
"He believes he can do it. I can't tell him no."
"I can." Jamie faced her. "You could lose him, Til." She added with a forced smile, "Bad enough to lose your maid of honor."
"I'm not going to twist your arm. It's just something we both agreed we should throw out there."
"Consider it thrown. Thank you."
"Is that a no, then?"
Jamie smiled at the hopeful note her friend couldn't remove from her voice. An idea flashed in her head.
"For you and Jay, yes."
"Oh? Is there another option?"
"Maybe. Or maybe it's just the Margaritas talking." She noted Tildie's raised eyebrows. "Someone who once made a profession of escorting people to heaven."
"Ha. Wouldn't it be funny if that popinjay was willing to do something that selfless? If he's your option, I think you'll be staying in our world a bit longer."
"I have to think it over anyway. Even if Brian offered, I'm not sure I'd accept." What remained of Jamie's smile crumbled. "I need to have a conversation with Zachary before taking this any further."
"WE BOTH know what you want to do," said Zachary later that night as they lay in each other's arms.
What Jamie wanted to do was make sweet, tender love. And after that, maybe some love that wasn't so sweet and tender. Sadly, she'd felt morally compelled to tell Zachary what she was thinking, so they got to have this joyous conversation instead of lovemaking.
"You know I don't blame you," he said, stroking her frown. "How could I? We've only known each other a few months. How can that compare to years of marriage, to your daughter? To a family?"
He sounded so calm and rational that Jamie almost didn't hear the brittle note of desolation in his voice. She reached up and held the hand caressing her face.
"So of course I understand that you're considering it, Jamie. And I appreciate your honesty. I kind of wish you'd waited until after..."
"But that wouldn't have been honest."
"Right." Zachary sighed. "Sometimes I think you're too honest."
Jamie attempted to dodge the cognitive dissonance building in her brain as she contemplated going from Zachary's arms into her husband's, but she couldn't deny wanting both. She guessed she just wasn't that strong.
"So you don't hate me," she said softly.
"God, no. And since we're being brutally honest, I was never even sure I wanted to settle down and have a family." He turned his head until their eyes met, inches away. "Then I met you."
Jamie was shaking her head, not wanting to hear the rest.
"And then I could imagine a family. Picket fences, house in the country, the whole thousand yards."
Jamie felt like sinking out of sight into the mattress. She loved Dennis, but Zachary was one great guy.
"You're not making this easy," she said.
"I don't want to make it hard, baby. But I also don't want you to go without knowing..." He made a growling sound in his chest. Jamie felt her own chest contract.
"Knowing what?"
"That I love you."
Jamie wanted to slap herself on the forehead. She wanted to bolt out of bed and smash through the walls to the outside for a clean breath of air.
"It's okay, Jamie." He touched her stiff left arm. "I'm not trying to talk you out of anything. Just thought you should know."
"I love you, too, Zachary."
There. It was said. He gave her a small, wounded smile.
"I was kind of hoping you'd tell me the feeling wasn't mutual."
"I almost wish that was true."
"Well, anyway. Thanks for telling me that. But we both know it doesn't change anything, does it?"
"It would make it a lot harder to leave."
"You're going to ask Loving?"
Jamie made a helpless gesture. "I guess I'll talk to him about it. He'll probably shoot it down."
"I'm not so sure. His messiah complex still seems to be in full bloom. Have you thought about how it might be? Aside from your family, I mean. Loving's double and his equivalents in other countries are gathering people to the alien ship. That world, from your description, didn't receive Amelrina's gift. You'd be the only augmented person there. The destruction of that Earth would be imminent."
"Yes."
"Christ. I think I just sold you on it, didn't I?" Zach smacked himself on the forehead. "Now you definitely have to go save their asses, as Jake would say."
"I haven't thought about that. For me, it's all been about my family."
"The whole thing is insane. How many Earths live and how many die? How many of your husbands and daughters? What's the point?"
"I've been thinking the same thing. I'm not going to even try to answer the big questions, Zachary. It just comes down to individual lives for me."
"What other choice do we have?"
Jamie rolled over and rested her head on his bare chest. Her fingers trekked lightly down the muscular curve of his stomach.
"If this was our last night together," said Zach hoarsely, "how would you want to spend it?"
"The same way I wanted to spend it our first night together."
She leaned up and their lips met longingly, achingly, gently – ex
tending the moment until Jamie wondered if it – if they - would ever end.
BRIAN LOVING said yes.
In fact, Jamie didn't even have to ask. She just mentioned her other family, and Brian volunteered. Turned out he, like Jay, had made a "wrong turn" once and glimpsed a parallel world. He was even entertaining the prospect of facing his alternate self and "setting him straight."
Five nights later, Jamie served as "best woman" at her best friend's marriage to Jay Utrecht. They'd moved their nuptials up three months because Tildie was adamant about Jamie being the one to "give away the bride to a lifetime of bondage and unending servitude." Jay had felt the same way. Particularly about the "unending servitude," which earned him a sharp shock from his bride to be.
It was part-wedding, part-farewell party. Jamie's handing off of the tearful bride was followed by a seemingly infinite number of tearful goodbyes – far too many for Jamie to process in one night. Mort Anderson was misty-eyed as he spoke of her "extraordinary service," and even the Mayhem Twins seemed verklemmt. "Show those pussies how we do things on the other side," said Jake. Thomas Mayes startled everyone by shaking her hand gravely and adding: "That's right, BB. Show 'em what's up."
Karen and Kevin Clarkson showed up. If Karen was reading Jamie's anxious thoughts, she gave no indication. Of course, she was well-practiced in that now. Kevin, her sweet and brilliant former science student, surprised her by holding out his arms. She drew him in for a hug with well-practiced gentleness. Terry Mayes, standing nearby – he and Kevin had been locked in a chess game most of the evening - got the same treatment. Brian Loving looked on from the background with a warm smile and benevolent eyes.
As midnight drew near, Brian teleported her and Zachary out onto the grassy fields above them for a final moment together. Possibly final moment. The moon shone through a misty sky, in about the same phase as the night when she'd rescued Jay. Her next stop was her Dad at their place in Fargo. A dry run for the big event tomorrow morning. A final goodbye to her dad and this world. Possibly.
Super World Page 53
