Joshua started walking towards the elevator when he was jolted by Seth’s voice coming over the speakers in the lab.
“Joshua.”
He froze in his tracks, looked to the front of the room, and saw that the projector had been automatically activated with a video of Seth on the main screen.
Seth spoke in android form as the video played. Gone was his urban vernacular and casual humor dating from the early days of contact.
“I programmed this video to be displayed in the event that the connection with the sphere was terminated. You have obviously decided to end your contact with us, and I respect your decision. Perhaps in the future, humanity will decide to contact the collective again, and we look forward to that contact should it occur.
“Joshua, we consider humans to be our children, and parents always want what's best for their children and to protect them. Sometimes children follow a path set by their parents, while other times they choose their own way forward even if that way is hazardous or unclear. But in the end, parents only want their children to be happy. You've made your decision, and I know it must have been agonizing. Believe me when I say that I understand the sacrifice you’ve made. We want only the best for your species. Like all parents, we don't like to see suffering in our children, but we respect all civilizations that choose to set their own course.
“In the back of the lab you will therefore find a large silver tank filled with fluid that contains the cure for your current viral outbreak—the honing virus that I created. Next to the tank is a flash drive with instructions on how to distribute the virus. The drive also contains a file that is a security key. If humanity ever decides to contact us again, it is imperative that you ask whomever you contact for that key to ensure that you are talking to the collective.”
Joshua’s eyes welled with tears again at the overwhelming love and compassion Seth and the petrins were showing humanity, a degree of love he wasn’t sure that humans themselves had demonstrated over the centuries. Seth’s actions would save the lives of billions of people. He had been true to his word, and for that Joshua was profoundly grateful. The petrins would allow humans exactly what Rachael had longed for: the opportunity to succeed or fail on their own merits even if it meant that humans, as Seth thought likely, might cause their extinction for any number of reasons.
The future was now open-ended. Joshua would soon talk to Langdon, Williams, and others, and he would tell them of the perils that mankind faced and the grim predictions that the petrins had made about its future. If necessary, he would take his message straight to the public regardless of the consequences, which might well end his career. He would think long and hard about what he would do next, but he believed that Rachael would have advocated giving mankind a fighting chance by sharing the truth with the entire world. It would be a risky move, but that’s what Rachael had lobbied for on New Eden: the right to roll the dice without the guaranteed outcome Seth had demonstrated in Las Vegas. Could they avoid the mistakes predicted by the petrins? He didn’t know, but Earth’s future had grown far more interesting in the space of just a few days.
Rachael. At least he’d had time to share a few final happy moments with her, time that he never dreamt he would have with his love after the automobile accident. And he’d had time to say goodbye properly. Thanks to Seth, he’d been able to have three blissful days with the woman who had captured his heart one rainy afternoon. But his time on New Eden had been bittersweet. Given the emotional rollercoaster he’d been on, he was glad that Seth had videotaped his message. Trying to speak now would be difficult, for he felt a tightness in his throat—felt that if he tried to speak, his voice would waver and that he’d break down completely.
Seth’s video continued. “I've enjoyed my time on Earth, and I thank you for introducing me to your people, your culture, and your planet’s many habitats. But my most cherished memories are of the times I shared with you, Rachael, and Vinod. Josh, you are my friend and always will be. I’ll miss you deeply. I remember the pain you experienced when Rachael died. Believe me, I felt it too.”
Without thinking, Joshua began to speak, his voice shaky. “I know, Seth. And you—you were always a true friend, even when you were playing your cards close to the vest. I always suspected that you were—” Joshua stopped in mid-sentence. He was reacting to a recorded message, but the alien had nevertheless found a permanent place in his heart. He allowed the video to continue.
“One more thing,” Seth said. “I’ve left you a gift. Suffice to say that you can’t create a living human brain without an accompanying body to nourish it. Goodbye, my friend.”
The video shut off abruptly, and Joshua was puzzled by Seth’s final comment. A living human brain? An accompanying body? What was he talking about? Why did Seth have to use a riddle as his final communication? Joshua would never know the answer to his question. He was alone in the lab, and Seth was gone forever, separated from Earth by an incomprehensible interstellar—perhaps intergalactic—distance.
“Josh?”
The voice came from behind him. He wheeled around to see Rachael swinging her legs from a table, standing and walking towards him.
Joshua’s eyes opened wide, but his mouth was unable to form any words.
“What am I doing here?” Rachael asked. “I was on New Eden—or was that a dream—but now . . . I’m in the lab?”
I’ve left you a gift.
“I’ll explain it later,” Joshua replied, running towards Rachael, whose brain pattern had been injected into a clone via bioengineering. It wasn’t a duplicate. It was Rachael, who had come home for good.
Joshua embraced Rachael tightly. “Thank you, Seth,” Joshua whispered. “Thank you—my friend.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kishore Tipirneni MD is an orthopedic surgeon who lives in the Phoenix area. He is also a self-taught programmer and serial entrepreneur who in the late 90’s developed digital imaging software which became the leading digital imaging solution in the US that was later acquired by Stryker Medical. He owns numerous patents in both the medical and computer science space.
A REQUEST FROM KISHORE
I hope that you enjoyed reading NEW EDEN. It is a story that I’ve culminated over the years and is my first foray into the literary world. If you enjoyed the novel and want to see a sequel, I have a few requests that will help me in this endeavor.
First, please leave a review in the amazon kindle store. You can do so at https://www.amazon.com/review/create-review?&asin=B07VCGVNLB.
Second, please tell your friends about the book via social medial or other methods. Use this URL to share: https://getbook.at/NewEden.
Finally, please follow me on Twitter: @SciFiKish.
Thank you!
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