Old-timer nodded in understanding. She was right: Everyone was counting on him. He thought of the version of himself from Universe 332, who’d been in the same position...that version of him had failed. I can’t let it happen here. I won’t. Not again.
“Okay. Ready?” he finally said.
Djanet nodded and bit her lower lip in nervous anticipation. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
“Then let’s do this.”
A second later, they vanished.
28
“Richard, I admire the bravery you’ve demonstrated,” Aldous commented through his mind’s eye connection. “You protected the mainframe long enough for me to take control of the operator’s position, but despite this achievement, I was expecting you to take this moment to flee while the androids regroup.”
“There’s billions of those suckers,” Rich replied, feeling nauseous as he looked at the collective bodies re-amassing into a tsunami-like wave. “They’re concentrating their attack right here. I’ve tried working my way through them before, but that was when they were surrounding the entire planet. That was a picnic compared to what trying to get through this would be.” Rich sat on the ground, exhausted. “Let’s face it. I’m as dead as a doornail, just like you’re going to be.”
“I’m not planning on dying today, Richard,” Aldous replied, “and neither should you.”
The words caused Rich’s eyebrow to raise. “Are you jerking me around right now?”
“No, in fact, I am glad that you’ve chosen to stay. I agree, your chances of escape on your own would’ve been low to nonexistent. But I’m happy to inform you that your chances of survival if you stay with me are 100 percent. We will survive this.”
“Wait a second,” Rich replied, scrambling up to his knees. “I thought you said these were the last minutes of life on Earth.”
“They are. That android ship’s collision with the surface will obliterate the mainframe and send a shockwave around the planet that will destroy all of the life on every corner of the globe.”
“Then how—“
“Trust me,” Aldous responded calmly. “I’ve got this. In the meantime, I’d suggest contacting your family. When the mainframe goes down, all long-range communication will be terminated.”
“And what about your family?” Rich questioned.
“Arrangements have been made. My focus is currently on contacting James and the A.I.”
Rich’s eyes widened. “They’re alive?”
“I can’t confirm that as of yet, but I’ve located the sim they were in and it’s currently still running. Their core patterns were cut off by a trapdoor code, but there’s a chance that they’re still functioning within it.”
“Can you get them out?”
“I’m working on it. Contact your family, Richard. This may be your last chance.”
Rich nodded, breathless as he turned back to the increasing wave of android bodies. It was as if some demonic appendage beyond even biblical proportions, like a hand to match God’s was readying to slap post-humanity like a bug, squashing it forever. The dark cloud of bodies was already crossing over the sun, sending a foreboding shadow across the dirt on which Rich stood, the temperature dropping noticeably and sending a chill down his spine. “Okay,” Rich replied.
“Rich!” Djanet suddenly shouted through his mind’s eye. “Are you still—”
“Djanet! You’re alive!”
“So are you!”
“Where are you?”
“I promised Old-timer I’d help get Daniella off the surface. What about you?”
“Wait...you’re intentionally heading down to the surface?” Rich reacted, aghast.
“Yeah, I know, adrenaline junkie, right?”
Rich shook his head emphatically. “No, no, junkie isn’t funny this time! It’ll get you killed! Djanet, the androids are about to ram the planet with one of their ships. Listen to me carefully. You can’t be on the surface when that happens! Do you understand?”
Djanet could see the ship Rich spoke of, moving toward the surface. She hadn’t realized it was on a kamikaze mission. “Are you sure?” she asked, astounded.
“Aldous has control of the mainframe. He’s in the operator’s position. He calculated their trajectory and speed and there’s no doubt about it. They’re going to ram us and the mainframe’s ground zero!”
“Then you’ve gotta get out of—”
“Aldous assured me I’m safe. He guaranteed it even. Look, don’t worry about me. Worry about you and Daniella!”