Inhuman(117)
16
“What!?” Aldous exclaimed, his voice still electronically gargling in his throat as he yelled at 1. “Why? Why would you do that? You know what happens if that machine is activated!”
“I know what has already happened,” 1 responded. “I know an infinity computer destroyed the Constructor, and with it, took the stored patterns of everyone in the collective. I know it will take years for us to rebuild the Constructor, and in the meantime, any android who dies will potentially be lost forever. That is unacceptable.”
“So you are calling an audible,” Samantha observed, causing Old-timer’s eyes to dart to her.
Djanet was reminded of Samantha’s earlier use of the expression and her claim to the knowledge that Craig liked football, but she was wise enough not to bring it up.
“That’s right,” 1 replied. “Aldous shared with me the memories you received of our initial attempt to assimilate this universe. Trans-human turned back time in that instance. If James and your A.I. succeed at doing that again, they’ll only have succeeded in reseting the table, and that’s an outcome that, given current circumstances, I find exceedingly acceptable.”
“But…” Aldous was flummoxed as he struggled in the dust to get to his feet. “You described gods in other dimensions to James when you warned him about his ignorance, gods like Trans-human! You’ve assimilated hundreds of Earths to prevent this very thing. How can you now just flip flop—”
“I’ve successfully overseen the rescue of nearly 200 Earths, that’s true,” 1 responded, “but I have not successfully overseen this one. Chief Gibson, our constructor ship is gone. Our collective is effectively crippled. That is unacceptable.”
“So you’ll risk all of our lives?” Aldous shot back, his voice skipping in an out as the damaged system struggled.
“Turning on an infinity computer has always been a bet that I and the collective have sought to avoid,” 1 explained, “because our mission was to preserve life. Today, we’ve failed in that mission. If I want to reverse that outcome, I must place the bet. I must bet on your A.I. and James Keats. It’s double or nothing, so to speak. I have no other option.”
“But you do!” Aldous fired back. “You can retreat! Save the lives of trillions who remain—”
“Chief, there is no retreat,” 1 replied. “The Constructor housed the most precious commodity we had: our patterns—our souls. To maintain the integrity of our system, our only way to access the fantastic power of the collective was also contained in the ship. You’re aware of the power it requires to move your pathetic Planck platforms from one universe to another. Try to fathom the power required to successfully transport vessels the size of the Constructor. We had the technology, but that technology was just lost.”
“Are you saying the collective is trapped in our universe?” Old-timer asked, suddenly realizing the terrible implication.
1 nodded. “Yes. We can generate enough power to evacuate individuals and small vessels, but it would take days. A quick escape is impossible, and if the infinity computer that destroyed the Constructor so chooses, it can destroy this universe before I can get even a small fraction of my people out of here.”
“Phase transition,” Paine grunted out. “We’ve seen it before. That’ll be V-SINN’s playbook here too.”
“Unless,” 1 said, concluding her explanation, “your infinity computer can stop it. We’re desperate, Chief Gibson. The arrival of an infinity computer created by the nanobots has changed everything and, quite obviously, rendered our previous agreement null and void. I’m placing my bet on your A.I. and James Keats, because without them, my entire collective, and everyone who is still alive on this planet, are as good as dead anyway.”
17
The red glow of the smoldering, recently destroyed Earth reflected on James’s chrome-colored skin one moment, and in the very next, it was gone, and James hovered above the Planck platform in what appeared to be open, extraordinarily dark, cold space.
“I have, of course, dialed down your temperature sensors, James, but you may be interested to know it is currently 3 degrees Kelvin. Negative 270 degrees Celsius.”
“Thanks for dialing down the sensors,” James quipped. “I forgot my coat. But the sensation I’m being overwhelmed with right now is the gravity.” James pushed with his palm against the gravitational field, keeping the Planck platform from being drawn into the powerful gravity, causing waves to keep it back like a person paddling against the current in a creek. “Trans-human is warping the gravitational field dramatically.”