David Simpson - Post-Human Trilogy

“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 faked! 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.”

“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.