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.”
7
“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
“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.
“Thank you, Commander. You’re right. I have to help my family.” He didn’t know what to do with himself for a moment and Thel, as she had done many times over the years, reached out to embrace him.
“You’re going to be okay. Good luck, Rich.”
James shook Rich’s hand and smiled. “I’m going to miss you, you crazy son-of-a-gun.”
“I’m going to miss you too, Commander. The world’s always ending when you’re around. It’s been kind of exciting.” He stepped away from them and looked at Old-timer and Djanet who were working on either side of the room. Djanet stared back at him silently, not knowing what to say. As tears began to well in his eyes, he decided it would be easier to make a quick exit. “Tell them I said, bye,” he managed to whisper before bolting for the door.
James and Thel watched him leave with matching expressions of sadness.
“Good luck, my friend,” James said quietly.
“Commander,” Djanet began, quickly regaining control over her composure. “Death’s Counterfeit is ready. We’re standing by for you to reassume control of the A.I.”
8
“How can this be happening again?” Governor Wong thundered in frustration as he spoke to the projected image of Old-timer on his wall screen. Alejandra stood nearby with an expression of dismay.
“I’m sorry, Governor. It has come as a shock to all of us,” Old-timer offered, trying his best to explain.
“A shock?” Wong retorted with fury. “Why should it shock you people? This is the second time this has happened, for God’s sake! You people have created technological monsters that you are incapable of controlling!”
“Governor, with all due respect, we’re trying to help you—”
“
“It’s not our arrogance,” Old-timer retorted.
“It is!” Governor Wong shouted back.
“It’s not ours. We are not our people. We didn’t make the A.I.”
“What are you blathering about?” Governor Wong demanded. “Of course you did! How else has this happened?”
“Bad decisions were made, Governor. But not by us. Not by your friends.”
Governor Wong paused for a moment as his chest heaved with hot breath.
Alejandra sensed that this was her moment to step in. She placed one hand lightly on the old man’s back and spoke. “He and his friends are offering us their help. They’re risking their lives to help us.”
Governor Wong continued to breathe deeply. His temperature seemed to drop suddenly as Alejandra’s soothing words brought clarity back to his thinking as it had so many times before. “Okay. Okay. So what do we do?” he asked Old-timer.
“We’re not sure how long we have. James is going to try to hold them off for as long as possible. You better get the word out to your people, Governor. Get them to gather their essentials and be prepared to move out on short notice.”
“But what are we going to do, Craig?” Alejandra asked. “How will you get us off of the planet?”
“James is working on a plan. We have to trust him. I’m sorry; that’s the best we can do right now. We’ll be in contact very shortly,” Old-timer said before he ended the call.
He turned to see that James had cleared a table and was about to lie down. “Are you going in?” Old-timer asked.
James nodded. “I am.”
“How long will it take?” Thel asked him.
“It should be almost instantaneous. I’ll enter cyberspace, reach the mainframe, hook in, and once I have full control, reanimate my body.”
“You make it sound like the easiest thing in the world,” Old-timer replied.
“It is easy,” James responded. He paused for a moment before adding, “what’s hard is giving up the powers
