Katherine didn’t waste any time. Before Jim could grab a hold of her arm, she stepped in front of Thel and slapped her hard across the face. Jim pulled her away as James helped Thel regain her footing. “Don’t tell me you didn’t deserve that,” Katherine said icily through tightened lips as Jim pulled her away, walking her as far away as possible.
Thel turned to James, completely baffled. She looked away from him and at Jim, who had his arm around Katherine, and then back at James. “Who…who was that?”
“It wasn’t me,” James replied, holding his hands up indignantly. He smiled and drew her to him. “I’m sorry, hon’. It’s a long story that I’ll explain later. I promise.”
Gibson was awestruck by James’s appearance. He stepped in for a closer look, marveling at the way the skin material, which appeared hard like diamond, moved with the same flexibility as flesh. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” Gibson whispered.
“You have only needed to imagine it,” the A.I. replied.
“So what are you suggesting? Are you suggesting that we all change ourselves into these…things?” Gibson asked.
“No,” James replied. “If we did that, we’d be no better than the androids. They’ve all taken on the same form and stopped growing individually. We will have no individual limits.”
“That’s why they’re here, Aldous,” Old-timer added. “They’re trying to assimilate us so that they can hold us back.”
“1 is the true cause of this though,” James pointed out. “She’s the one who has drawn the line and won’t let her people grow. She needs to be eliminated.”
“But how is that possible?” asked Thel. “You’re only one person. You can’t stop trillions of androids!”
James smiled. “Yes I can…and I will.”
“How? she asked.
“I’m going to go ask them politely to turn around.”
“They’ll refuse,” Gibson asserted.
“I hope so,” James replied. He turned to Thel. “I love you. I’ll be back soon,” he said before turning to leave the room.
“James, wait!” Old-timer suddenly spoke. He sidled up next to James and said in a low voice, “I have a score I’d like to settle. Do you mind if I tag along?”
James grinned. “I know exactly what you’re talking about. But you’re going to need an upgrade first.”
26
The android armada appeared like a giant asteroid belt in the distance, the sun reflecting off each individual body until it blended to form a surface that seemed almost smooth, like smoke.
“I’m going to get closer,” James announced to Old-timer, who was flying alongside him as they crossed the horizon on Jupiter. “You can hang back here and wait for my signal or you can come along. I promise you will be safe.”
Although Old-timer had made a hasty upgrade to his physical form before departing with James, the changes were not immediately apparent. The only outward sign that he was not the same was the conspicuous absence of the protective glow of a magnetic cocoon. “I’m not looking to play it safe on this one,” Old-timer replied gruffly.
“All right,” James nodded as the duo streaked ever faster toward the androids. They slipped in and out of wormholes and, within moments, James felt they were close enough. They pulled up and floated in the zero gravity.
“Time to give them a call,” James said as he used his knowledge of the android communication system to patch through to 1. He and Old-timer waited in the perfect silence of space for a response.
“I don’t think they’re going to pick up,” Old-timer said after several moments.
“As expected,” James agreed. “I guess I’ll just have to leave a message.”
“Of course. We don’t want to be rude.”
James patched into 1’s communication, making sure each individual android received his message. “My name is James Keats, and I am representing the humans of this solar system. I’m here to inform you that your leader is not who she appears—that she has held on to power while pretending to pass it on, taking on new forms after each transition, making sure your society remains frozen in time. I am an example of what humanity can become. We can grow. Each of us can become even more of an individual than we previously were. We can become better. Your leader, 1, disagrees. She believes that to change is to somehow become inhuman. The truth, however, is that to remain the same forever is inhuman.” James paused for a moment.
“I doubt that they’ll listen,” Old-timer asserted.
“Most of them won’t,” James agreed, “but some of them will. At least now they know.”
“What’s our next move?” Old-timer asked.
“Now we make ourselves clear,” James replied. He reengaged his communication with the android collective. “The humans of this solar system will not assimilate. We require that you leave this system immediately.”
“We have come in peace,” 1 suddenly answered, cutting into the communication. “You are in grave danger. Your nanobots—”
“The nanobots have been neutralized,” James replied, cutting her off. “You will leave immediately and not reenter our system. You are not welcome.”
“The nanobots can never be neutralized,” 1 replied, still keeping an earnest tone.
“You’re not fooling anyone,” James said sharply. “We’ve heard all of your lies before. You will leave this system immediately.”
1 desperately switched to a new strategy. “This communication is obviously a nanobot trick,” she announced to her legions. “We must carry on to save the people of this solar system.”
“As expected,” James said to Old-timer. He addressed the collective once again. “You will leave this system immediately,” he reiterated.
“We will do what we need to do to save these people,” 1 affirmed, “and we will not be intimidated, especially by one man, however grotesque he may appear.”
“I like the new look,” Old-timer said.
“Thanks,” James replied.
He reengaged the collective to give them one last message. “If you will not leave by your own choice, then I will remove you. This will not be a pleasant experience for you. My lines of communication will remain open. When you are ready to capitulate, you need only signal, and I will allow for your retreat.”
1 scoffed. “Your ego is boundless.”
James smiled. "So I’ve been told."
James held his arms up and placed his palms outward, toward the oncoming astronomical storm of androids. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a moment to ready himself like the conductor of an orchestra. When he was ready, he opened his eyes again, and the dark storm that appeared like a dust storm bowling across the Sahara desert suddenly seemed to slam into something. It was as if an unimaginably huge glass wall had been placed in front of them. James moved his arms slightly, and then, like Atlas hoisting the Earth upon his shoulders, he began to drive the androids back.
Old-timer’s mouth fell open at the sight. “My God,” he whispered, before speaking to those that he knew were monitoring from the Council headquarters on Earth. “Are you seeing this?”
“Yes,” Thel replied, astonished at the unfolding surreal picture in her mind’s eye. Everyone present in the room shared the same astonished stare.
“James…James, how are you doing this?”
“I can see with more than just my eyes now. I can sense space, time, and matter and manipulate it,” he replied calmly as he concentrated on the android armada, forcing it backward with symphonic precision.
“But how is that possible?” she asked.