“Do not let her confuse you, James,” the A.I. repeated calmly. James remained silent.
1 withdrew from James and stepped back to her original position in the tiny, metal enclave. “We left our carbon bodies because we had to. We left our carbon-rich solar systems because we were driven out. The only way to escape these monsters is to live a nomadic existence. They cling to life—they surround planets and suckle energies that your young civilization still doesn’t realize exist. The only way to save humanity was to become what we have become.”
Back at the Governing Council headquarters, Thel and the others continued to monitor the exchange between James and 1. 1’s revelations had had the desired effect on the listeners.
“James,” Thel said, “what if she is right?”
“She’s not,” Old-timer suddenly broke in gruffly as he flew through space, back toward Earth after having finished his business. He had been monitoring for several minutes. “Don’t listen to that hogwash, James,” he urged. “All she’s done is lie.”
1 spoke again. “Ask yourself: is preserving the human species your number one priority?” Her eyes were now gorgeously glistening with earnestness. “It is mine. I did not want to become what we are, but given the choice between that and being devoured, I have chosen to live. It is time for you to make your choice now as well. Will you follow the path that leads to your own destruction? Or will you wisely listen to someone who has been down the path and knows where it leads?”
Another moment of silence followed. At headquarters, Thel gripped the railing in front of her so tightly that beads of sweat began to trickle from her fingertips and splash to the floor.
James kept his unblinking, glowing eyes locked on 1. “It sounds as though you have lived a long life, filled with incredible self-sacrifice,” James said.
1’s eyes intensified as she savored James’s acknowledgment of her struggle.
James continued. “Lucky for you, that life is over.”
“No,” 1 whispered in response, disbelieving. “No!” she began to screech as the darkness returned to her eyes and a desperate last stand sprung into her legs and caused her to lunge like a feral cat at James.
He held out his arm, and she froze in her tracks. “No one is going to be telling anyone else what do anymore—not ever again,” James said before using his new powers to shrink her down to the size of a penny. He held the tiny piece of metal and silicon in his hands for a moment, examining it as it glistened, and then crushed it in his fist, pulverizing it into a talcum powder-like mist.
29
“1 is dead,” James announced to the android collective. “You are free now. You have no master.”
Trillions of androids suddenly stopped and listened at once.
“The people of this solar system will not be assimilated. You are free to leave. However, for those individuals who would like to stay and begin a new life here with us, you will be welcomed. The choice is yours now…and yours alone.” James ended his communication.
Back on Earth, those who had been monitoring saw their screens go blank. Aldous Gibson dropped wearily from his feet and fell back into his chair. “We live in momentous times,” he uttered.
Meanwhile, James opened a wormhole and reemerged in space, rocketing toward home. He opened a private communication with Thel. “I’m on my way home, my love.”
Thel finally released the railing.
Rich and Djanet left headquarters together discreetly and stood in the warm sunshine. Rich looked up at the blue sky and filled his lungs with the perfect, maritime air. “It looks so peaceful. Who would have thought the world almost ended?”
Djanet tried to think of a response, but no words could get past her throat. Rich looked over to see her struggling to say something and watched as she shook her head, giving up hope. She leaned back against the warm brick wall of the headquarters building and finally blurted in exasperation, “This is gonna hurt.”
Rich stepped to her and kissed her passionately, surprising her. He tightened his arms around her until there was no give at all between their bodies. When their kiss ended, he looked her in the eye and said, “The choice is ours now.”
30
Old-timer set the small spacecraft down on an almost perfectly white beach, not far from the residence James and Thel had kept on Venus for the past six months. “Here we are,” he said to his passengers, Governor Wong and Alejandra. “Let’s have a look, shall we?”
The door of the craft opened, and a walkway unfurled for him and the two Purists to exit.
“It’s absolutely magnificent,” Governor Wong whispered as he grasped Alejandra’s hand for balance. The duo turned slowly, 360 degrees, to take in the full panorama of their surroundings.
“It’s Paradise,” Alejandra concurred.
“It’s yours!” James announced as he and Thel touched down together on the beach next to their friends. James had returned to his old form, so as not to frighten the Purists.
“What is?” asked an astonished Governor Wong.
“Venus,” James replied, smiling from ear to ear. “If you want it, the entire planet will be for you and the Purists.”
Governor Wong’s legs turned to jelly beneath him, and Alejandra guided him gently into the soft sand. He sat upright in the sun, Alejandra kneeling behind him, both of them speechless. “Why?” Alejandra finally managed to ask.
“So you’ll be safe,” Old-timer answered.
“And so you’ll have everything you need,” Thel added.
“It’s a place where you can practice your beliefs, unharmed by what may happen in the rest of the universe,” James explained.
Old-timer continued: “Recent events have made us aware of the dangers in the universe, and we want to preserve those of our species who choose not to be involved. You have that right, and we respect it.”
“You even have the means to protect yourself,” James added. “Venus doesn’t have a natural magnetic field, so I had to make an artificial one to make sure the planet was protected from dangerous levels of radiation. The benefit of this is you will be able to control the magnetic field’s strength. Think of it like a gigantic shield—you can choose who and what you want to let through. No one will ever again be able to harm you.”
“I… I don’t know what to say,” the governor stammered.
“How about ‘I accept,’” Alejandra suggested with a laugh.
“Okay. Okay! I accept!”
“Thank you so much, James Keats,” Alejandra said as she stood in the sand and grasped James’s hands. “You have done so much for my people.”