EHuman Dawn (24 page)

“Welcome to New Caledonia,” the HyperJet proclaimed, “The weather today is sunny, with a high of 85 degrees. Thunderstorms are possible this evening.”

Adam laughed at the formality of the machine.

“Why, thank you,” he replied jovially in spite of himself.

“Your ride awaits you, Elijah Prince,” the jet informed.

Adam froze. The name Elijah felt foreign to him. Edgar had chosen to address him by his birth name.

The door to the plane opened and the sunlight and humidity of the tropical island poured into the cabin. Their eHuman eyes quickly adjusted to the sudden brightness and the couple began to descend a short staircase.

Immediately Adam halted, staring at the man waiting for them at the base of the stairs.

“What the hell?” he cried, “What are you doing here?”

To both Adam and Dawn’s surprise, Anthony Westfield stood before them, dressed in a black suit and crisp white shirt. His vacant charcoal eyes stared at them as they approached.

“Ah,” Anthony said, “Welcome to my home, son. I take it your trip was uneventful?”

Adam shook his head. Son? What was the meaning of this? He gazed at his boss and noticed the smile that ran from ear to ear.

“Please Elijah, Dawn, your ride awaits you,” Anthony said, raising an arm and gesturing to the sleek black car located behind him, “I’m very, very eager to meet you both in person.”

“Why the hell would I get in a car with you?” Adam demanded.

“He’s an eBot,” Dawn exclaimed, “Anthony Westfield is an eBot? I’ve heard of them, but have never seen one before.”

“An eBot?” Adam didn’t understand.

Anthony emitted a sinister laugh, his expression marked with malice.

“The two of you wouldn’t be familiar with the eBot technology,” he continued, “It’s exclusive technology and unavailable to the masses. Please, get in the car and I will explain.”

“I’m not getting in the car with you Anthony,” Adam declared.

There was no way in hell he was going anywhere with the man. Discovering that the one person Adam hated most in the world worked for Edgar Prince was more than he could handle.

“Get in the car and I’ll explain,” Anthony demanded.

At Dawn’s prompting, Adam did as requested, following her into the car, where he discovered two sets of seats facing each other like a pair of couches in a comfortable living room. Adam and Dawn sat down on the rear seat and Anthony sat across from them. As soon as he’d settled in, the door closed and the car began to make its way off the airstrip and toward what appeared to be an open highway. Similar to a PTD, the vehicle drove itself. Yet unlike the
crowded city of New Omaha, the New Caledonian highway was empty. They were the only vehicle on the road.

“Welcome to Binah,” Anthony continued, “The finest city in the world and home to Guardian Enterprises, the finest company in the world.”

“Why, thank you,” Dawn answered. Adam still had not found his voice. The fact that Anthony sat in front of him caused a great deal of confusion in his mind.

“I think you need to explain the eBot technology to Adam,” she suggested sweetly.

“Right,” Anthony agreed, his dark eyes focusing on her momentarily. Then, turning to Adam, he gestured to himself.

“This is an eBot. It’s built similar to an eHuman, but without a Lux inhabiting it. It runs on electricity and needs to recharge like we do, but it is nothing more than a droid, lacking most of the human characteristics of the eHuman platform. My Lux is controlling it from my house remotely. Through it, I can speak to you without having to leave my estate. A very handy tool in hostile situations. In this case, I had no idea if you meant to hurt me or not, so I used the Anthony Westfield eBot to retrieve you. It matters not if you decide to attack it. I have hundreds more in all shapes and sizes. In the meantime I can greet you—but from a safe distance.”

“But why does your eBot look like Anthony Westfield?” Adam demanded.

“Because I’ve been using him as a tool to spy on you for decades,” he laughed.

“How can that be?” Dawn cried.

Anthony turned to look at her.

“You weren’t the only one looking for Elijah after the Great Shift. I too wanted my son back within my reach. But I never found him. I must admit, it was quite a defeat,” he grimaced, “About twenty years ago, I managed to get my hands on your list of Candidates. I was sure that
you were looking for Elijah, so I followed each one very closely. I planted eBots in their lives and my Lux entered them whenever certain parameters were triggered, such as you approaching Adam in New Omaha. I’d planted Anthony as his boss a while back and the moment Adam brought those pictures in to the office of Chengdu, I entered Anthony’s form to learn more.”

Dawn sat silent, staring at the man in front of her. A sense of hopelessness filled her mind. Nothing had escaped Edgar’s radar. If he knew of the list of Candidates, what else did he know about the Resistance? Once again, fear consumed her. She hated the man. But she quickly shrugged it off and replaced her fear with curiosity.

“But I don’t understand, how can you be in all these places at once?” she asked.

“It’s simple dear. Most of the time an elementary program was running Anthony. It honestly doesn’t take much personality or brains to be convincing as a reporter.”

Adam glared at the insult.

Edgar noticed his son’s irritation while he continued to explain.

“When key events occurred with regards to Adam, my Lux entered Anthony’s form and took control of his actions.”

Adam stared at the Anthony that sat before him. Throughout their relationship, most of Adam’s interactions with his boss had been pretty dull, which was a major reason why he hated the man. But after the power outages had hit New Omaha, Anthony had become more cunning and intense.

“So you weren’t always in Anthony, just when you needed to check in on me?” Adam asked.

“Exactly. It was the same with all the eBots I had assigned to the Candidates. Most of the time, they were left alone, moving about the eHuman world like empty shells. But when I needed
to access you, or any of the others, I entered the eBot and drove it myself, gathering information, manipulating your actions, trying to figure out who was the one I was looking for.”

“Why not use regular eHumans as spies? Whey invent the eBot?” Dawn challenged.

“Because everyone has an agenda,” Edgar answered, “Left to their own devices, an eHuman is unreliable. Ensuring loyalty amongst my constituents is a full time job, which is why I like to keep them on the island, where I can easily track them. But eBots can only do what their program drives them to do, unless I’m driving them myself.”

Adam turned away in disgust. He couldn’t look at the eBot without wanting to tear its head off. He glanced outside the car, noting the absolutely pristine beauty of the island. Green, rolling meadows decorated the landscape, and mountains rose up from the island’s center. To his right stretched the sea, blue and sparkling as far as his eyes could see.

He had never seen the ocean as an eHuman. He recalled the words from Elijah’s video: “
I quit the university and chartered one of my father’s sailboats, taking to the sea, where I mourned your loss for a year
.”

“You have many questions, don’t you?” Edgar taunted, bringing Adam back. He continued to stare out of car window, however, and noticed that large, decadent estates began to dot the landscape. Each one looked like a castle, complete with elegant gardens and swimming pools, and secured behind tall iron gates.

“Swimming pools?” Adam exclaimed, “What on earth does an eHuman do with a swimming pool?”

“Look again my son,” Edgar encouraged and Adam obeyed. As they rounded a corner in the road, he was able to zoom in and catch a view up close, only to discover three eHumans diving into the water!

“What the hell?” he blurted out.

“All eHumans are waterproof here. We have to be, given that we live on an island,” Edgar explained.

“Then why not share the technology with everyone else?” Adam demanded, “So many eHumans die each year unnecessarily due to submersion.”

Edgar laughed. “I granted the world immortal life. I think I’ve shared enough technology with the masses. If a person can’t manage to stay alive when the only dangers that they face are either running out of power or shorting out their Chi-Regulator in too much water, then good riddance!”

“What other technologies do you have?” Dawn asked, remaining in character. Following her lead, Adam took her hand in his while forcing a smile at the eBot.

“Yes, I’d love to hear more,” Adam agreed.

Edgar laughed again. “We have Pleasure Zones installed in our lips and hands …and other places,” he hinted.

“Like where?” Adam asked.

“Our plugs,” Edgar replied sensuously.

“Why?” Dawn asked.

“Even though we can no longer procreate, our Lux still crave physical interaction,” he explained. “Sex has always been first and foremost about pleasure and a key reason the Lux desires life in the flesh.”

“That’s what the Pleasure Zone Apps are for,” Adam countered.

“For the lower class. But on New Caledonia, we are above that. We don’t use Neuro the way you do. We like to be together, in reality, and share our partners, so to speak. Most of us
have several females outfitted with the best in Pleasure Zone Technologies, so that we can be serviced anytime, anyplace, without the risk of your Hackers spying on us. I’m well aware of how sloppy politicians can be when getting off with the commoners on Neuro.

“You’re well aware of Dawn’s enhancements to her hands. I’m sure they’ve been quite enjoyable to you. Well, that was an early prototype my son. We’ve greatly improved the technology. An eHuman upgraded with Pleasure Zone enhancements can insert his or her hands into your plug and send an orgasmic signal that waxes and wanes with your thoughts, passions and desires. This pulse is sent in increasing wavelengths from the plug entry at the base of the spine, to the crown of your head. You achieve a state of bliss unlike any other.”

Adam was entranced.

“And what if someone doesn’t want to play your game?” Dawn asked.

“We can force it from them by putting our hands inside their plug and drawing forth the orgasmic impulses programmed within their software. Many of my colleagues prefer this method. The result has more fear in it, but just as much ecstasy.”

The Anthony eBot smiled at them. Dawn shivered in revulsion.

“Females built just to service you?” Dawn asked, “Are they like the eBots?”

“Oh no, dear, they’re eHuman,” Edgar answered in his most seductive voice “We tried getting off with eBots. But unless they were driven by a Lux, they lacked the creativity. Since the Lux was needed to bring more pleasure to the act—then why not just outfit the eHuman women of Binah with all the appropriate hardware?”

“What about the men?” she countered.

“Some of us like men as well,” Edgar answered, “We have a whole harem of Pleasure Zone eHumans. There’s something for everyone.”

Dawn shook with rage at the thought. But she held her tongue and smiled gently at Adam.

“I imagine you’d like to outfit me with some of those features, wouldn’t you, dear?” she flirted.

Adam returned her smile, nodding eagerly but unable to actually speak.

“Anyway, look around you! Admire our success!” Edgar continued as the eBot gestured out the windows to the estates, perfect roads and sleek buildings that decorated either side of the highway. “I’d say the eHuman experiment has been a very good one, indeed. Each of us who had the foresight to invest in the Great Shift has done very well for ourselves, wouldn’t you agree? The eHuman cities are state of the art, but they’re nothing compared to the beauty and luxury of our island!”

“And all of those who originally invested in the Great Shift live on New Caledonia now?” Dawn asked, trying to get information that might come in handy later.

“Yes. We formed Guardian Enterprises shortly after the Great Shift. We’ve been reaping the benefits of our investment ever since. Our philanthropic gift of immortality to the masses has been very profitable—in more ways than one.”

“Your philanthropic gift led to the murder of millions!” Adam blurted out. Dawn squeezed his hand tightly.

“
No
,” she TeleSpoke, “
Don’t go there!
”

“The killing of a few crazy Pro-Deathers was a small price to pay for such fantastic genius,” Edgar mocked.

“Pro-Deathers?” Dawn asked. She was unfamiliar with the word.

“Yes, most of those who resisted the Great Shift refused only because they wanted the right to die in the flesh. What madness! Who in their right mind wants the right to die?” Edgar
declared. “Anyway, that issue is long past. The Pro-Death movement has been successfully contained for centuries. What matters now is that you’re both here at my side once more, where each of you belongs. Look, here is your home now!”

The Anthony eBot suddenly stopped speaking and slumped in his seat, as if someone had issued a Remote Shutdown on his Chi-Regulator. Adam glanced out of the car window as they pulled into a driveway. An iron gate opened for them, revealing a vast, green lawn. Fruit trees decorated either side of the long driveway, which the car followed, bringing them to the castle at the end of the tree-lined avenue, where Edgar Prince eagerly awaited them.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Outside New Omaha, the ring of protection had been formed. All troops stood at the ready, staring out in all directions, waiting for the WG to arrive. A large prairie separated the circle of warriors from the city itself.

Origen knew it was time to address the people. He TeleConnected simultaneously to each SpiderScout in formation, as well as every EC within the city, projecting his image in front of each battalion and the inhabitants of New Omaha.

“Members of the Global Resistance!” his voice boomed out to the countryside and echoed through the city streets, “We’ve successfully secured the city of New Omaha! In place of a WG owned Energy Grid, we’ve installed clean power that flows freely and endlessly to all people. We’ve returned a safe and open Neuro to the eHumans in this city, where they can plug in without the fear of spying or data manipulation! Most importantly, we’ve given the citizens a reason to rise up and fight against a government that has its eyes set upon destroying it! Yet the greatest challenge is on its way: the WG are unlikely show us any mercy when they arrive. I do not yet know what sort of attack is coming, but I do know this: We must overcome it! For the sake of all eHumans across the world, we must stop the WG dead in its tracks, and force them to allow us to live in freedom upon this Earth for all eternity!”