Post-Human Trilogy

power, and I refuse to accept it. It’s a power no one should have. As we speak, I’m constructing an automated program that will be capable of carrying out the former functions of the A.I. but will not be capable of independent thought. It was a mistake to ever create such a being. Dr. Frankenstein created a monster because he wanted to create man, and that decision eventually led to his own death. We created a god, and that god killed all of us. We can never make that mistake again.”

The crowd continued to be unsettled as the spectacle unfolded. The stakes could not be higher. A single man was in control of the known universe, and his words carried a weight unmatched in history.

“Let me clarify this point. You are agreeing to yield your powers to an automated program that will, in turn, be monitored by the Council, just as before,” Chief Gibson slowly stated, carrying every syllable carefully, as though the slightest error might cause the good news to break apart before his very eyes.

“Yes,” James replied, causing a pulsation of energy in the millions watching that could be sensed by everyone in attendance.

Chief Gibson pounded his gavel until the crowd quieted down to a low murmur. “Then we will adjourn this hearing for the time being and make preparations for the handover of power. That is all.”

Gibson pounded the gavel one last time to close the proceeding before dropping the gavel and striding triumphantly toward James. “You are a piece of work, Keats. You know that?”

James didn’t respond but stood toe to toe with the chief and met his eye.

“Let’s get away from this circus, shall we?” The chief guided James and Thel away from the main hall and into a quiet side room. “You’ve made a wise decision to hand over power to the Council. I should have expected no less from you, considering the infinite wisdom to which you now have access.”

“Indeed,” James replied.

“I want to apologize for the theatrics in there, young man. It’s just that this whole business…well, it defies reason. To think the entire planet was wiped out while we were in a sort of…stasis. Imagine how it feels for us to know we were, in a sense, dead. Our whole world has been disrupted. The order that has existed for nearly a century has been turned on its head. I’m sure you can empathize.”

“I can,” James replied. “Not to worry.”

The chief smiled and placed his hand on James’s arm. “I’m glad we have an understanding. You know, one good thing that has come out of all of this is the Purist situation.”

“What do you mean?” James asked.

“There were more than a million of them before this mess began, and now there are only 10,000. I would say the elimination of 99 percent of that population is very good indeed.”

James didn’t waste a second; he turned and punched the chief across the chin and sent him sprawling to the ground. “It’s a very bad thing, Chief Gibson—a very bad thing. Don’t forget it.”

The chief wiped blood from his lips onto his white robe, and his nans repaired his split lip in a matter of seconds. “You would do well to remember that you won’t be a god forever, James. Soon, you’ll be just like the rest of us, and you’re not making any friends right now.”

“I’ll never be like you,” James retorted, “and I have 10,000 new friends. If you harm them in any way, you’ll hear from me.”

“Once you’ve removed your consciousness from the A.I. mainframe, I’ll have nothing to fear from you,” the chief answered as he slowly stood to his feet, his lips curled in an atavistic sneer.

“You’ll always have me to fear, Chief Gibson, because I’ll always see through you. Goodbye.” Thel followed James out of the room but turned and gave the chief the finger before turning the corner.

“God, that guy is a real piece of garbage,” Thel announced as she and James stepped out into the sunshine through a back entrance to the headquarters. “You should have reconsidered when it came time to bring him back from the dead.”

James smiled and nodded in agreement. “Live and learn.”

“Are you sure about giving power over to them, James? Can you trust them?”

“I’ve given them no power, Thel—only the illusion of power. The automated system will resist control, and if they ever attempt to manipulate it, I’ll know about it. I made sure of that. The nans will no longer record natural emotions and feelings and punish the people who have them. We’ll be free now, Thel. But as long as the Council believes they are in power, it will keep the peace.”

“So what now, James?” Thel asked. “Billions of people want to hear what you have to say. You’re the most famous man on the planet.”

James saw the throngs of people hovering and milling about near the front of the Council headquarters and grinned a sideways grin at Thel. “I’ve got it covered. Let’s go to your place and grab our flight suits.”

As they neared Venus, Thel began to see a difference in the surface of the planet. “Oh my God,” she said to James as they entered the stratosphere together. “You didn’t.”

“I did.”

“You terraformed the entire planet?”

“Surprise!” James announced, laughing.

“The Council said they are abandoning the Venus terraforming project for the foreseeable future while they deal with the fallout from the A.I. situation. They announced that during the hearing and you just sat there quietly, all the while knowing that you had already terraformed the entire thing!”

“Yes. Follow me. I have a nice spot picked out for us.” James veered toward a sandy beach on the edge of thick, lush jungle and set down on the white sand. Turquoise waves gently ran up to lick at his boots. Thel set down next to him and removed her helmet. “It’s breathtaking,” she said, unable to remove the smile from her face.

“And not complete just yet,” James replied before turning to watch as the jungle gave way and a beautiful white resort house emerged from the tree line, courtesy of a cloud of nans.

“Nice touch,” Thel commented. “I’m really going to miss these god-like powers of yours.”

“You better enjoy them while you can,” James replied. “I’ll be completely human again in a few days. But until then, it’s just you and me on this entire planet.”

“Then why are we wearing all these clothes?” Thel asked as she laughed and began to peel off her flight suit, revealing her perfect skin and exposing it to the Venusian sunshine.

“I have no idea,” James said in reply as he began to remove his own suit.

Thel stood naked before him and stepped into the perfect water, kicking up a splash that wet James’s chin. She pounced on James as he tossed away the last of his clothing, collapsing them both into the warm water and the soft sand. Their skin came together and the thought suddenly crossed his mind: Electric.

“I love you, James,” Thel said.

“I love you too.”

TRANS-HUMAN

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thank you to all of my readers for your kind support, reviews, and for telling your friends about my writing.

I want to thank Paul Hurley and Wilhelm Emilsson for their valuable insight.

And, more than anyone, I want to thank my wife, Jennifer. I simply couldn’t succeed without her tireless help and support. She’s the best wife in the universe and all other universes too.