Evolution

by R S Penney

  “But?”

  Jack crossed his arms with a sigh, hanging his head to avoid making eye-contact. “She was transferred to Alios,” he went on. “She said that she didn't want a long-distance relationship; so I let it go. Besides, I've got a girlfriend now.”

  When he looked up, Jena was watching him with those hard, dark eyes of hers, and he knew that he was going to get a lecture. There were times when she seemed to think of herself as the smart, practical aunt he'd never had. “Kid, a piece of advice,” she said. “If you really care about someone, make sure they know it.”

  “I didn't want to push.”

  “And that's good,” Jena said. She brought a slice of pizza to her mouth, took a bite and pulled away with strings of cheese stretching until they snapped. “But did you ever tell her that you wanted to try? Did you ever think she might have changed her mind if she knew you were willing?”

  He wasn't sure what to make of that; so he chose to focus on his pizza and hope that the conversation would naturally shift away from this topic. No good would come out of tempting himself with the road not taken. He was beginning to relax when a sharp beep from his multi-tool startled him.

  Checking the screen revealed the words “Urgent Call” flashing in bright red letters. Worry settled into the pit of his stomach. So far as he knew, no one was out on a mission. So, why was this call urgent?

  Squeezing his eyes shut, Jack pressed a palm to his forehead. He massaged away a light throb. “Duty calls,” he muttered in a strained voice. “Give me a few minutes, Jen. I need to see what this is about.”

  She nodded.

  A long hallway branched off from the foyer with doors in the left-hand wall. The first led to Jack's bedroom, and the second to the room that had once been Anna's. Now that she was gone, Spock had claimed it as his own.

  He stepped into his bedroom to find sunlight streaming through the window, falling on a mattress where the covers were in a state of disarray. What exactly was the point of making one's bed? You were only going to get back in it.

  Tapping the screen of his multi-tool caused it to project the image of a blue, human-shaped…something. It appeared to be a man composed entirely of ones and zeroes that floated about, crashing into one another. “Greetings, Jack Hunter,” the hologram said in a pleasant tone of voice.

  Jack squinted at the image. “Well, this is new,” he said, shaking his head. “Would you mind telling me who I'm speaking with?”

  “Of course.”

  The image bowed its head respectfully, but it was really just a shift in the projection of ones and zeroes. “Perhaps you've heard of me,” it went on. “My name is Ven. I am the artificial intelligence-”

  “That emerged on Leyria over a century ago.” Suddenly, Jack felt more than a little light headed. Being the first person from this world to accept a symbiont had brought him into contact with several VIPs: politicians, reporters, even the odd celebrity. And he had experienced none of the awe that he felt right now. “I thought…The reports said that you built yourself a vessel and flew off toward the unexplored regions of the galaxy.”

  “I did.”

  Blushing hard, Jack closed his eyes and hung his head. “And you came back here just to hang out with me?” He wiped sweat off his brow with the back of his hand. “Date a sexy alien? Check. Meet a living robot? Check. Throw in some time travel, and my life is officially a 1940s serial.”

  Ven laughed.

  “You grasp humor.”

  “Of course, I do!” The hologram flickered for a moment, then resolidified into a man of ones and zeros, but now the numbers were flying about like a swarm of angry bees. “I see,” Ven went on. “Your concept of artificial intelligence is largely defined by the depictions you see in your media.”

  Suddenly, it was a transparent image of Lieutenant Commander Data who stood before him, and before Jack could speak, the image shifted again to a cylon and finally one of the cybermen. “It's nothing like that. In fact, I've always objected to the term 'artificial intelligence.' How is my intelligence any more artificial than yours? But that is a moot point at the moment.”

  “What…” Jack stammered. “What can I do for you?”

  “As you said, I've been exploring unknown parts of the galaxy.” The hologram was once again the image of a man composed of floating ones and zeroes that swirled about as if caught in a cyclone. Almost as if their pattern of movement reflected Ven's mood. “I traveled through many uncharted solar systems, finding little in the way of intelligent life. There are some truly fascinating species in the distant regions of this galaxy, but almost none have anything approximating the human capacity for language. I began to think that the Milky Way was an empty place…”

  The hologram changed colour, blue characters suddenly becoming a deep, angry red. “But then I began to notice it,” Ven went on. “Something was lurking in star systems beyond the rim of known space. Hiding, watching me…

  “It would come as a brief sensor ghost, the silhouette of a ship that would vanish the instant I tried to scan it. I ran diagnostic after diagnostic to ensure that my readings were not faulty. Each time, I found no errors. But the ship would appear again and again. They were hounding me, Jack, observing my movements. What little I could learn of them suggested that their ships were made entirely out of living tissue.”

  Pinching his chin with thumb and forefinger, Jack narrowed his eyes. “Overseers,” he muttered under his breath. “They use purely organic technology. I believe you caught a glimpse of an Overseer ship.”

  “I concur.”

  Jack sat down on the bed with his arms folded, practically doubling over. “And this is new?” he asked, shivering. “These strange encounters you've been having. They only started recently.”

  “The first was nearly one year ago,” Ven explained. “Since then, I've caught sight of the strange ship at least fourteen times. I can't tell if it's the same ship every time, but in each encounter, there is only one.”

  Ven was able to mimic human movement, spinning to face the window with one holographic hand pressed to his hip. “They're planning something, Jack,” he said. “For thousands of years, there has been no sign of the Overseers, and now suddenly, they're showing up on my scans.”

  Baring his teeth with a hiss, Jack winced. He shook his head ever so slowly. “You don't know that. Just because we haven't detected them doesn't mean they haven't been there this whole time.”

  “I'd considered that possibility,” Ven admitted, “but scanning through news items from Earth and Leyria suggests that the Overseers have indeed shown up with alarming frequency these past few months. A survey mission from Belos Colony detected strange ships on the border of Leyrian space; a woman on Salus Prime had a psychotic break in which she claimed to have been stalked by ships made of flesh lurking in the night sky. Ships only she could see. Your team recovered not one, but two Overseer devices less than three months ago.”

  The hologram made a face, but it was difficult for Jack to read an expression made entirely of floating characters. He suspected Ven's use of body language was purely for his benefit. “For thousands of years,” Ven went on, “the Overseers have taken a laissez faire approach to human civilization. Now, suddenly, they've decided to play an active role. I'm forced to wonder why, which brings me to you.”

  “Why me?”

  The hint of a smile appeared on Ven's face, and his ones and zeroes changed from pale blue to bright white. “I have studied the records of almost every Justice Keeper on active duty,” he said. “Yours indicates a uniquely powerful distrust for authority and a penchant for unconventional thinking. You were the first person in history to name your Nassai. You were able to look past the commonly-held perceptions of the Justice Keepers and recognize Cal Breslan's treachery. Time and time again, you have demonstrated an inclination to disregard what you are told and seek the truth on your own terms. Simply put: I believe I can trust you.”

  Well, Jack supposed he couldn't argue with that. T
hough this was probable the first time anyone had ever praised him for his stubborn noncompliance. “What did you have in mind?” he asked.

  “We need to determine the Overseer's plans.”

  Jack stood up with a sigh, clasping hands together behind his back. He let his head hang. “I might be able to help you there,” he said. “My friends and I have been looking into this for almost six months now.”

  “Your friends?”

  “Yeah,” Jack said. “One of them's in the kitchen. I'd like her to meet you.”

  “You're sure that's wise?”

  Grinning like an idiot, Jack felt his cheeks burn. He chuckled softly to himself. “One thing you'll learn about me,” he began. “When someone does earn my trust, they have it for life. This is non-negotiable; we're bringing Jena in.”

  The hologram regarded him for a moment, ones and zeroes shifting from white to blue to a dark gray. “Very well,” Ven said at last. “I will defer to your judgment.”

  “Jena!” Jack shouted. “Would you mind coming in here? There's someone I'd like you to meet!”

  Chapter 2

  Sunlight streamed through the window in Anna's living room, falling on the comfy white sofa and reflecting off the surface of the glass coffee table. A few rays even made it to the kitchen where an island sat in the middle of the white-tiled floor.

  Wooden cupboards lined two walls with the fridge and the oven placed side by side. As far as accommodations went, she didn't mind her kitchen. There was no serving bot to cook her meals – though she preferred to cook her own meals, it was handy to have a bot if she was pressed for time – but otherwise, it was nice.

  Anna sat at the island with her elbows resting on its surface, clutching a tablet in two hands. Her short cherry-red hair was tied back in a nubby little ponytail. “You dumb fucking whore,” she read aloud. “I will find you and rape you to death, you evil fucking cop-hater. Hashtag 'Respect police.' ”

  Behind her, Bradley was sitting on the couch with his arms folded, frowning at the wall. “Honestly, hon, do you have to read every single one of those?” he asked. “It can't be doing anything to improve your disposition.”

  Anna scrunched up her face, trembling with impotent rage. “Three months,” she hissed, tossing the tablet onto the island. “Three months since I intervened to help Kevin Harmon, and every damn day, it's the same thing.”

  Her inbox had been full of disgusting messages ever since a Tennessee news station had reported the incident. She would have expected the fury to die down – Earthers were so quick to shift their attention to the next scandal – but several online communities had banded together to create an organized harassment campaign with Leana Delnara Lenai as its primary target.

  There were online games where you could click on her face over and over until it was bruised beyond recognition. Memes generated from pictures that were taken on her first visit to Earth painting her as some kind of interstellar totalitarian. Companion have mercy! Once upon a time, she had been a hero to these people. She knew there would be consequences for standing up to those two officers, but this…

  Anna shut her eyes. “It's getting worse,” she said. “I don't even want to leave the apartment anymore!”

  In her mind's eye, she saw the silhouette of Bradley turn its head to stare at her. “If you're that worried,” he began, “maybe I should go with you? People are much less likely to try something if you're not alone.”

  Grinning sheepishly, Anna stared down at the counter. “You don't get it, Sweetie,” she said, shaking her head. “I'm not afraid to go out because I think I might get hurt. I'm afraid to go out because I might have to hurt someone else.”

  “Regardless…”

  Anna twisted on her stool to face him with hands on her knees, frowning into her own lap. “What are you going to do, Bradley?” she asked. “If some psychotic man on a rage-trip gets it in his head to attack me, what are you going to do?”

  Bradley watched her with a tight frown on his face, his cheeks slowly reddening. Clearly the question had left him unsettled. “I just think it might be easier…” he mumbled. “Never mind. You're probably right.”

  With a sigh, Anna got up and made her way over to the window. Tall skyscrapers rose up in the distance, glittering in the light of the afternoon sun. Ottawa was a beautiful city – one that had once felt like a second home – but she was beginning to wonder if she had any business staying here. She had told herself that she came back here because Earth was the place where a Keeper could do the most good, but deep down inside, she knew that was only part of the reason.

  Anna crossed her arms with a heavy sigh, frowning down at herself. “Maybe I just shouldn't be here,” she mumbled to herself. “At this point, I'm nothing but a focal point for hatred. Maybe it's time I went home.”

  “Where does that leave us?”

  A glance over her shoulder revealed Bradley sitting on the couch with a scowl on his face. “You and me,” he went on. “If you decide to go back to Leyria, what does that mean for us?”

  Wincing so hard it hurt, Anna shook her head. “I don't know,” she said, dropping into the chair across from him. “Suppose it depends on how bad you want to be together. Besides, it was just an idle thought.”

  “Right…”

  She could tell that her attempt at reassurance had failed miserably – and that was probably because it had been partially insincere; considering the prospect of going home had been more than an idle thought – but she lacked the energy to press the point right now. No, right now the only thing she wanted was a nice relaxing bubble bath. Alone.

  Anna's fists slammed into the punching bag one after the other, leaving indentations in the fabric, and providing enough force to send Gabi stumbling away. The other woman clutched the bag in both hands.

  Dressed in a pair of shorts and a blue tank-top, Gabi struggled to catch her breath. Her face was slick with sweat, her black hair pulled back in a ponytail, and she stared at Anna as if seeing her for the first time. “Damn, girl,” she hissed. “You've really got some quality rage going.”

  Anna winced, then rubbed at her eyes with the back of her hand. “You try reading vivid depictions of what vile men want to do to you for months on end.” She turned away from the bag, pacing across the gym mat. “I feel like I'm going numb inside.”

  “That's understandable.”

  The workout room was just a big empty box with exercise equipment on one end and open floor space on the other. Not far away, two young Keepers were sparring with each other on a neighbouring mat, but otherwise, it was just her and Gabi. She retrieved her water bottle from her belongings.

  The silhouette of Gabi stood next to the punching bag, staring down at something on the floor. “I don't think any of us were prepared for it,” she went on. “The extremes reactions Earthers can have.”

  Lifting the bottle to her lips, Anna shut her eyes and tilted her head back. “Do you want to know the worst part?” she said after a moment. “I feel like it's somehow my fault. Like I should have known what would happen.”

  “Even if you did, would you have done anything different?”

  “Of course not.”

  When she turned, Gabi was standing there with her arms folded, every inch of her exposed skin glistening. “Well?” the woman asked, raising a dark eyebrow. “Then what good is there in blaming yourself?”

  Anna smiled, then bowed her head to the other woman. “You've got a point,” she said, her eyebrows rising. “It's just…I'm always hearing Jena and Harry go on about how delicate the situation is.”

  “Not your fault.”

  “I know.”

  Gabi seized the punching bag again, holding it steady in both hands before peeking around the corner to blink at Anna. “So your boyfriend's nervous that you might go back to Leyria,” she said, “That can't be fun.”

  With a growl, Anna threw a pair of jabs at the bag, pounding it again and again as she worked out her aggression. The fire in her belly flared
up until she thought her skin might start to sizzle. “It was a stupid thing to say,” she hissed. “I've got no intention of leaving him; Bradley is wonderful.”

  “But…Maybe…” Gabi winced as she was driven backward by the onslaught of Anna's blows, the bag providing very poor protection. Only then did it occur to Anna that she might want to avoid using the full force of Keeper strength. “Maybe Earth isn't quite so wonderful, no?”

  Biting her lower lip, Anna let her head hang. She mopped a hand over her face. “I don't know…Just a few months ago, I would have said that this is the one place in all the universe I most wanted to be.”

  “And now?”

  “I'm starting to worry I'm turning into my mother.”

  Releasing the bag with a grunt, Gabi stepped backward and pressed a hand to her stomach. She closed her eyes and drew in a slow, soothing breath. “So what would your mother say about all this?”

  “That this is what I get for associating with a bunch of primitives,” Anna replied. “She'd go on at length about how Earthers still fell victim to petty prejudices. About how they trashed their planet with no regard for human life. She's even been known to ponder why we would let Earthers become Justice Keepers.”

  “Charming.”

  “Isn't it though?”

  “What do you want, Anna?”

  Anna felt her cheeks burn, her nostrils flaring with every breath. “I want people to stop asking me what I want,” she answered. “I'll figure that out in my own good time. In the meantime, I want to do my job.”

  “Fair enough. Shall we prepare for Jena's meeting?”

  “Yeah,” Anna said. “Let's do that.”

  The window in Jena's office looked out on a field of stars with Earth barely visible in the left-hand side, its reflection shining in the SmartGlass surface of Jena's desk. For the moment, that desk was unoccupied.

  Jack slouched in his chair with his arms crossed, tilting his head back to stare up at the ceiling. He blinked several times. “Well, this is encouraging. For those of us who are counting, we've got humans, microscopic organisms and now an artificial intelligence all pissed off at Grecken Slade.”