Post-Human Trilogy

by David Simpson

  Gibson was momentarily stunned by James’s respectful tone. He still wasn’t sure whether he should suspect that it was sarcasm or part of some sort of trick to make him look like a fool. He decided to play it safe. “Well, we’re listening. This had better be good.”

  “Listening won’t be enough,” James replied. “I’m going to have to show you. You might want to hold on to something.”

  Instantly, the experiences and memories of the twenty-two hours previous to the reversal of the solar system were jacked into everyone present. Djanet, just as Thel, Old-timer, and Rich had earlier, had her saved pattern overlaid with her own. The councillors who were present experienced a program put together by the A.I. that made up, essentially a highlight reel of some of the most intense and poignant memories experienced by James and his companions. In only a few seconds, the experiences were relived as viscerally as they had been originally. When it was over, the room was electric with the terror that they had all just seen and felt and it was as if they all, collectively, had awoken from the same nightmare.

  “It’s over,” Djanet finally said, breaking the silence that hung in the room.

  “What about the nans?” Gibson asked. “They’re still in us!”

  “We’re safe,” James assured the room. “The nan consciousness has been destroyed.”

  “But what about the android armada? They’re still out there,” Gibson observed. “They’ve already proven themselves too powerful to be stopped!”

  “That is where you are incorrect,” announced the A.I., suddenly appearing in holographic form in the room.

  “Oh my God,” whispered Thel.

  “Hello, Aldous,” said the A.I., greeting the chief warmly. “I have missed you.”

  “We’ve all missed you,” replied Gibson, smiling in return. “And we need you.”

  The A.I. shook his head. “What you really need is yourselves.”

  Gibson’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “He means we already have the power, Chief Gibson,” came James’s voice just before a small foglet of nans appeared next to the A.I. When the foglet dispersed, Katherine and Jim stood next to James; concurrently, James had been transformed back into his new, gleaming body, right before their eyes.

  Katherine didn’t waste any time. Before Jim could grab a hold of her arm, she stepped in front of Thel and slapped her hard across the face. Jim pulled her away as James helped Thel regain her footing. “Don’t tell me you didn’t deserve that,” Katherine said icily through tightened lips as Jim pulled her away, walking her as far away as possible.

  Thel turned to James, completely baffled. She looked away from him and at Jim, who had his arm around Katherine, and then back at James. “Who…who was that?”

  “It wasn’t me,” James replied, holding his hands up indignantly. He smiled and drew her to him. “I’m sorry, hon’. It’s a long story that I’ll explain later. I promise.”

  Gibson was awestruck by James’s appearance. He stepped in for a closer look, marveling at the way the skin material, which appeared hard like diamond, moved with the same flexibility as flesh. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” Gibson whispered.

  “You have only needed to imagine it,” the A.I. replied.

  “So what are you suggesting? Are you suggesting that we all change ourselves into these…things?” Gibson asked.

  “No,” James replied. “If we did that, we’d be no better than the androids. They’ve all taken on the same form and stopped growing individually. We will have no individual limits.”

  “That’s why they’re here, Aldous,” Old-timer added. “They’re trying to assimilate us so that they can hold us back.”

  “1 is the true cause of this though,” James pointed out. “She’s the one who has drawn the line and won’t let her people grow. She needs to be eliminated.”

  “But how is that possible?” asked Thel. “You’re only one person. You can’t stop trillions of androids!”

  James smiled. “Yes I can…and I will.”

  “How? she asked.

  “I’m going to go ask them politely to turn around.”

  “They’ll refuse,” Gibson asserted.

  “I hope so,” James replied. He turned to Thel. “I love you. I’ll be back soon,” he said before turning to leave the room.

  “James, wait!” Old-timer suddenly spoke. He sidled up next to James and said in a low voice, “I have a score I’d like to settle. Do you mind if I tag along?”

  James grinned. “I know exactly what you’re talking about. But you’re going to need an upgrade first.”

  26

  The android armada appeared like a giant asteroid belt in the distance, the sun reflecting off each individual body until it blended to form a surface that seemed almost smooth, like smoke.

  “I’m going to get closer,” James announced to Old-timer, who was flying alongside him as they crossed the horizon on Jupiter. “You can hang back here and wait for my signal or you can come along. I promise you will be safe.”

  Although Old-timer had made a hasty upgrade to his physical form before departing with James, the changes were not immediately apparent. The only outward sign that he was not the same was the conspicuous absence of the protective glow of a magnetic cocoon. “I’m not looking to play it safe on this one,” Old-timer replied gruffly.

  “All right,” James nodded as the duo streaked ever faster toward the androids. They slipped in and out of wormholes and, within moments, James felt they were close enough. They pulled up and floated in the zero gravity.

  “Time to give them a call,” James said as he used his knowledge of the android communication system to patch through to 1. He and Old-timer waited in the perfect silence of space for a response.

  “I don’t think they’re going to pick up,” Old-timer said after several moments.

  “As expected,” James agreed. “I guess I’ll just have to leave a message.”

  “Of course. We don’t want to be rude.”

  James patched into 1’s communication, making sure each individual android received his message. “My name is James Keats, and I am representing the humans of this solar system. I’m here to inform you that your leader is not who she appears—that she has held on to power while pretending to pass it on, taking on new forms after each transition, making sure your society remains frozen in time. I am an example of what humanity can become. We can grow. Each of us can become even more of an individual than we previously were. We can become better. Your leader, 1, disagrees. She believes that to change is to somehow become inhuman. The truth, however, is that to remain the same forever is inhuman.” James paused for a moment.

  “I doubt that they’ll listen,” Old-timer asserted.

  “Most of them won’t,” James agreed, “but some of them will. At least now they know.”

  “What’s our next move?” Old-timer asked.

  “Now we make ourselves clear,” James replied. He reengaged his communication with the android collective. “The humans of this solar system will not assimilate. We require that you leave this system immediately.”

  “We have come in peace,” 1 suddenly answered, cutting into the communication. “You are in grave danger. Your nanobots—”

  “The nanobots have been neutralized,” James replied, cutting her off. “You will leave immediately and not reenter our system. You are not welcome.”

  “The nanobots can never be neutralized,” 1 replied, still keeping an earnest tone.

  “You’re not fooling anyone,” James said sharply. “We’ve heard all of your lies before. You will leave this system immediately.”

  1 desperately switched to a new strategy. “This communication is obviously a nanobot trick,” she announced to her legions. “We must carry on to save the people of this solar system.”

  “As expected,” James said to Old-timer. He addressed the collective once again. “You will leave this system immediately,” he reiterated.

  “
We will do what we need to do to save these people,” 1 affirmed, “and we will not be intimidated, especially by one man, however grotesque he may appear.”

  “I like the new look,” Old-timer said.

  “Thanks,” James replied.

  He reengaged the collective to give them one last message. “If you will not leave by your own choice, then I will remove you. This will not be a pleasant experience for you. My lines of communication will remain open. When you are ready to capitulate, you need only signal, and I will allow for your retreat.”

  1 scoffed. “Your ego is boundless.”

  James smiled. "So I’ve been told."

  James held his arms up and placed his palms outward, toward the oncoming astronomical storm of androids. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a moment to ready himself like the conductor of an orchestra. When he was ready, he opened his eyes again, and the dark storm that appeared like a dust storm bowling across the Sahara desert suddenly seemed to slam into something. It was as if an unimaginably huge glass wall had been placed in front of them. James moved his arms slightly, and then, like Atlas hoisting the Earth upon his shoulders, he began to drive the androids back.

  Old-timer’s mouth fell open at the sight. “My God,” he whispered, before speaking to those that he knew were monitoring from the Council headquarters on Earth. “Are you seeing this?”

  “Yes,” Thel replied, astonished at the unfolding surreal picture in her mind’s eye. Everyone present in the room shared the same astonished stare.

  “James…James, how are you doing this?”

  “I can see with more than just my eyes now. I can sense space, time, and matter and manipulate it,” he replied calmly as he concentrated on the android armada, forcing it backward with symphonic precision.

  “But how is that possible?” she asked.

  “Einstein’s IQ was never measured,” James began, carrying on the conversation with the observers on Earth in the same manner an experienced concert pianist can converse with his audience while playing a masterpiece. “It couldn’t be. Who could be intelligent enough to write a test to measure the mind of the world’s smartest man? Yet we can speculate that it may have been in the 200 to 220 range. Brilliant, yet it was only fifty to seventy points higher than the average PhD in his time. With the amount of extra brain connections he had, linking his mathematical genius with the visual center of his brain and his imagination, he was able to undo hundreds of years of physics. He gave us the universal speed limit of light, black holes, and told us time travel was possible. Now, imagine if his IQ had not been 200, but 300. Then imagine 1,000. Then 10,000. What might be seen by such a mind?”

  “And what’s your current intelligence, Commander Keats?” Chief Gibson asked.

  “Much higher, sir,” James replied. Without missing a beat, he addressed Old-timer. “I found the pattern of your target, Old-timer. If you follow my coordinates, you’ll find him.”

  Old-timer grinned. “Thanks, ol’ buddy.”

  “You’re welcome. Enjoy.”

  Old-timer slipped into a wormhole and vanished. Almost immediately, James found his target. “I have located 1’s pattern. I am going in.”

  “James,” the A.I. suddenly broke in, “be careful, my son. Remember, although you have considerable power, the being you are about to confront has considerable power too. We do not know how old she is or what abilities she possesses. As long as there are unknowns, the outcome is uncertain.”

  “What about embracing unknowns?” James pointed out.

  “That does not mean proceeding carelessly,” the A.I. replied.

  James nodded. “I understand. I’ll proceed with caution.”

  Thel was about to speak, but the words caught in her throat as the fear closed in. Before anything could pass her lips, James had disappeared into a wormhole. When he emerged an instant later, 1 stood waiting.

  27

  Old-timer floated above the massive structure of one of the android ships, the carnage James had unleashed unfolding behind him in a spectacular display as the body of the collective was driven back by an invisible force. The ships that had not impacted with the blockade were now, seeing the danger ahead, desperately trying to turn around. Like scared cattle trying to avoid being rounded up, they turned in each and every direction, massive hulls colliding with one another in a traffic jam in space. Androids scattered like fruit flies from a disturbed trash pile and Old-timer smiled.

  He floated into the open, ribcage-like structure of the ship and let James’s coordinates guide him down through the webwork of catwalks. It wasn’t long before he began to feel as though he too, just like James, could sense Neirbo’s presence. He flexed his hands in and out of fists as he prepared to pounce.

  Suddenly, Neirbo appeared below him, crossing a catwalk. Old-timer glided above him, stalking his prey for a moment as he prepared to unleash his new body’s abilities. He crossed his arms, keeping them close to his torso so they wouldn’t get into the way, then began to unfurl dozens of tentacles that had been wrapped around his body, dropping them like fishing wire. They dropped down to Neirbo, deftly circling his arms, legs, and neck as he continued to press on, completely unaware of the danger. When Old-timer was ready, they suddenly went rigid, closing tight on their victim, and tugging him upward, up off of the catwalk, twisting him around so that he came eye to eye with Old-timer. “Hi there,” Old-timer said, expressionless. “Remember me?”

  Neirbo’s mouth was twisted in horror. “No,” he replied, his voice shaking. “I’ve never met you. You must be making an error.”

  “You mean, you don’t know why you’re here? Why I’ve trapped you? You can’t understand why I’d want to hurt you?”

  Neirbo suddenly knew. He looked into Old-timer’s eyes—a man he had never seen before in his life—and it was as though he were looking into a mirror. “Oh no,” he whispered.

  “Perfect,” Old-timer replied.

  They dropped down through more of the catwalk network until Old-timer recognized a dark, metallic room. Neirbo recognized it too. He made a terrified noise, but he didn’t beg or plead—he knew better.

  The coffin popped out of its place in the ground, and Old-timer used his new, silvery appendages to strap Neirbo down. The drill dropped down from the ceiling, the familiar gleaming tip pointing at Neirbo’s chest. He had never seen it from this vantage point before.

  “This will not satisfy you,” Neirbo suddenly uttered, clenching his teeth and flexing his muscles against his restraints defiantly. He prepared his chest for its annihilation by puffing it out proudly, as though it were daring the drill. “You won’t hear a peep.”

  For a moment, Old-timer only smiled, but it built itself into a laugh that he couldn’t stifle. “Do you really believe that?” he asked. When his laughter subsided and he could contain his amusement, he placed his hand on Neirbo’s shoulder in a mocking gesture. “Well, son, that’s because you have no idea how much this is gonna hurt.”

  The drill started to spin. Old-timer stepped away and watched as Neirbo’s defiance melted away. His chest dropped back, and he recoiled against the coffin as unbridled terror began to pass his lips in the form of a prolonged, guttural scream.

  It couldn’t compare to the noise he made when the drill pierced his skin.

  Old-timer didn’t smile. He stood in silence, letting the drill teach the lesson.

  28

  1 was no longer dressed in a flowing, feminine, gossamer gown as she had been earlier—she was now wearing a practical black shirt and matching pants, similar to the clothing worn by the rest of the collective. The soulful, persuasive, seductive eyes were replaced by hard, black pearls. “Do you really think you’re the first of your kind?” 1 asked.

  “I assume you’re about to tell me I’m not,” James replied. He stood perfectly still, only paces away. He was close enough to squash her like an insect, yet he held off. The A.I. had preached caution, and James was gathering information about his surroundings as the second
s ticked by. If 1 had a last trick up her sleeve, he had to know what it was before it was unleashed.

  “Do you really think that you are special? That no other civilization has ever conceived of the path you are following?” 1’s tone shifted increasingly toward mockery. “Do you see me as a monster? Holding my people hostage—destroying individualism?”

  There was nothing worthy of a reply from James, so he remained silent.

  “I’ve lived for thousands of years, boy. No matter what you’ve done to your brain, no matter how fast your mind can compute, you’ve not had the experiences I have had. You cannot even imagine what I have seen or the lessons I have learned. None of your mathematical simulations can match that. Only your arrogance leads you to believe they could. How dare you judge me?”

  “James,” the A.I. began, conferring to him through James’s mind’s eye so 1 could not hear, “it appears that 1’s strategy may not be one of physical force. Rather, her last stand may be far worse: deception. Do not let her confuse you.”

  Although 1 couldn’t eavesdrop on their conversation, she picked up on a slight movement of James’s eye that told her he was listening. “No doubt your A.I. god is whispering in your ear, telling you not to listen to me—asking you to discount all of my experiences in favor of his impenetrable logic. What he can’t tell you, however, is that he knows the future. However, I can.” She crossed the room toward him now, the dark fury in her eyes softening slightly as she began to sense uncertainty in James—a subtle sway in her hips as she moved to help her persuasiveness. “I can tell you the future because I’ve already seen it in the past. I watched civilizations like yours try to spread your intelligence through space, and I saw the consequences.” She placed her hand boldly on James’s shoulder and gazed deep into his brightly glowing eyes. “They created gods—gods that make your A.I. appear like a helpless bacteria in comparison. Gods whose actions defied the logic of their creators and who turned against all other forms of life. Their creators tried to fight them, but it was a battle they could never win. There are so many unknowns. The gods could slip into other dimensions. They could be everywhere at once and yet nowhere at once, impossible to fight, yet inflicting casualties at their leisure.” 1 leaned forward and whispered into James’s ear. “They ate souls.”