They slowed as they climbed above the new, magma ocean, and marveled as they saw what was left of the android ship, a structure that was two-thirds destroyed, the tail end of it sinking slowly into the liquid surface of the planet, melting as it became one with the body it had destroyed, trillions and trillions of fragments of debris forming a plume all around it, most of it still glowing red hot even as it orbited high above the Earth itself.
“Look out,” Rich said as they narrowly avoided the body of an android woman, unconscious as it dropped to the surface of the Earth so far below. It was a body that Aldous surmised must have been blown into what used to be the stratosphere in the wake of the impact of the android vessel, and was now being pulled back down by the Earth’s gravity to the lava’s surface below.
Rich flipped on the rearview so that they could regard the totality of their surroundings. The whole Earth was glowing orange with debris—red hot dust had been catapulted into orbit, some of it at rates so fast that they’d escaped Earth’s orbit and were hurtling away from the Earth into deep space. Chunks of Earth the size of mountain ranges had also been expelled and were spinning, wildly out of control as they burned like hot coals, orbiting the planet they’d been a part of for billions of years.
“The Earth,” Rich began, “the greatest miracle the universe has ever seen—is gone.” He turned to Aldous. “It looks like you and your wife were right not to have children. At least you didn’t have to live through witnessing their death.”
Aldous shook his head, his face pale as he took in the enormity of the destruction. “No Richard,” he corrected, “I saw my children vanish too.” He steeled himself again, clearing his throat before speaking in as strong a tone as he could muster. “Your children aren’t dead. You can’t give up hope.”
4
“Hi, I’m Jules.” The android smiled as she stood at her front door and held out her hand in greeting for Old-timer.
Old-timer smiled in return and shook her hand—a hand that he noted was tiny in his—Jules didn’t appear to be even five feet tall, and her slender frame suggested that she might not have weighed as much as 100 pounds—in her previous organic incarnation.
No mercy, he thought to himself.
Jules brushed past the two men as she closed the door to her apartment behind them, and Old-timer awkwardly moved to force a turn from Anisim so that she couldn’t see the impaling of the now thread-thin appendage at the back of the android’s skull. The awkward move in the narrow hallway caused Jules to furrow her brow slightly, though her smile didn’t fade.
Old-timer hoped she’d dismiss their awkwardness as understandable given what she thought was the circumstances.
“Boy, you guys are not slick at all when it comes to dealing with women.”
“No, ma’am,” Old-timer replied, relieved as his assessment was validated. Jules passed by again and gestured for the men to take a seat on her couch. Behind them was a glorious view of the ultramodern city and the sparkling lake that gently lapped at its shore.
“Ah, a Southern gent,” she observed. “I’ll get you fellas a drink,” she continued as she turned away. “I knew Anisim was awkward,” Jules said as she made her way into the kitchen, “but you seemed like you had game,” she said, staring right at Old-timer flirtatiously. “What’s your name, cowboy?”
“Craig,” Old-timer replied.
“Whereabouts are you from?”
“Texas,” he replied.
“Really? I shoulda guessed.” She returned to the room with two glasses of a clear liquid.
Old-timer didn’t ask what it was, but took it from her just the same. “Yes, ma’am.”
Jules caught Anisim’s eyes for a moment and noticed that he seemed distraught, but he turned away from her gaze quickly and sipped his drink and she seemed to dismiss yet another red flag, turning back to Old-timer. “So, you’re what, six-three, six-four?”
“Six-five, ma’am.”
“Six-five, a gentleman, and handsome? So how the heck are you single?”
“I’m not, ma’am,” Old-timer replied. “In fact, that’s why I’m here.”
Jules seemed rocked by this, taking a step back just to keep her balance as her expression suddenly became befuddled. “Uh, what? I’m not, uh...that kind of…” she looked down at Anisim questioningly.
“I’m so, so sorry, Jules,” Anisim whispered.
“What is going—”
A second later, Jules called out in a faint cry, followed by a gargling sound that quickly faded, Old-timer having infiltrated her nervous system with a dozen, thread-like tendrils, impaling her thighs, forearms, spine, and the back of her skull. Just as he’d done with Anisim earlier, he took complete control of her nervous system.