EHuman Dawn (32 page)

The crowd went wild. Long had Origen held the imagination of the people. He was hero and a legend to many in the room. The eHumans jumped up and down for joy and began chanting his name.

Adam glanced at Origen, contemplating the man who now ruled the eHuman world. Adam had been in the room when the High Court had deliberated the next actions. The High Court was a mixture of Resistance members and various world leaders who had pledge allegiance to the Resistance. These leaders had been working with the Resistance for decades behind the scenes to thwart the WG and their time for justice had finally arrived.

At first, many in the room had suggested that the new leader should be Dawn. After all, she was the face of both the Resistance and eHumanity as a whole. But Dawn had turned down the role, stating that there were many mysteries of the world she wished to explore. She’d been tightlipped when Adam pressed her for more details, telling him that she would reveal her plans in good time. The High Court then naturally asked Origen to lead them, and he had accepted without hesitation.

Adam wasn’t completely sure about Origen’s ability to govern. While he would certainly make a better leader than Rosario Donahi, Adam worried that Origen was too power-hungry to
let things go at the end of one year. Too often the Resistance Leader had shown his cruelty in ways that gave Adam pause. Was he the sort of man who would be able to grant eHumanity its freedom, or would power corrupt him as it had every other leader in the history of mankind?

Origen rose from his seat and the crowd finally silenced.

“People of Gemetria,” Origen began, “The time has come for us to form a new world! Together, we shall create thriving communities, based on concern for one another and the needs of our people! I pledge to help you form your new local governments. There’s room for many styles of governing in this world. Let those of you who feel called to lead step forward and claim your place in history! I promise to keep you safe while you march forward with this endeavor!”

The High Court members at the high table clapped and nodded their heads approvingly. Origen gave the crowd a stunning smile and continued.

“Not only does our government need to be open, but so also does Neuro. Neuro is the fabric of our society. It knits us together and enables eHumanity to exist. Without Neuro, we cannot have the luxury of our eHuman bodies. Without Neuro, we would be nothing.

“Yet to allow one private entity to govern Neuro has proven dangerous. Our minds have been nothing more than a commodity for some to abuse in order that they might increase their wealth and dominance over us! No more! As my first order of business, I declare that Guardian Enterprises will not own Neuro in any way! This includes the hardware, software, and Lifestyle Management Offices!

“All current employees of Guardians Networks will be fired. A new hiring process shall begin immediately! Applications for new Guardians, financiers, and business owners shall be taken! Neuro shall now come under the management of both the local governments and the business owners, who will work together to link all LMOs and eHumans together! And most
importantly, individual eHuman databases will be protected from all forms of data manipulation by law! Your minds and your memories are sovereign! No one has the right to use you or manipulate you for their own purposes!”

“Really Origen? I don’t believe you!” a voice cried out from the gray prisoners.

To the surprise of everyone in the room, it was Edgar Prince. His eyes were livid with anger and frustration.

“The people are sheep! You are nothing but a fool if you think they can govern themselves!” Prince continued.

“Silence!” Origen cried, glaring down at Edgar Prince from his post, “It’s time for my second act as interim World Leader. To hand down judgment upon Edgar Prince and his cronies!”

The room fell silent once more. Edgar Prince stared up at Origen, who hesitated, losing himself momentarily in the man’s stare. Quickly he shook it off and continued, hoping no one else in the room had noticed. But he wasn’t quick enough for Adam, whose keen eyes hadn’t missed a thing.

Adam hadn’t forgotten Edgar’s confession on New Caledonia. There was a traitor amongst them, and Adam was paying close attention to everyone—including Origen.

“What punishment could possibly suffice for the centuries of manipulative rule that you and your fellow elites have imposed upon us?” Origen asked Edgar directly, “What could this court possibly do to make up for the billions of lives lost since the beginning of the Great Shift, when the free-thinking people of the world rejected your eHuman gift?

“What could possibly make up for the years that many of us spent working around the clock in factories, making goods that you would sell to the unsuspecting population? Or the fact that you’ve spied on every single memory and action we’ve taken?

“What can I do, as the supreme commander of the freed peoples, to make up for the fact that we can’t remember our loved ones in Chengdu, or any of the other cities you unplugged? In the end, I’m not sure there is any punishment in existence to bring justice to those of you who have used us and treated us as commodities in order that you might profit and live off of our unconsciousness.”

Origen paused and took the moment to look each WG member in the eye. His eyes stopped and rested upon Edgar Prince.

“But Edgar, we’ve thought of something.”

A woman wearing a bright colored suit entered the room. Her raven hair framed her dark skinned face. She walked with an uncommon grace, as if she were from a different planet and had just touched down upon the earth. Her dark eyes focused solely on Edgar Prince as she crossed the room and climbed the platform to take her place next to Origen. At that moment she turned and looked at Adam, giving him a slight smile, in spite of the seriousness of the event. Instantly, he knew who she was.

“Evelyn!” Adam cried, just loud enough for Edgar to hear.

Edgar Prince struggled once more against his bonds.

“I would like to introduce the members of the WG and the elites of New Caledonia to our newest member—Evelyn Prince, the architect and mind behind Neuro,” Origen announced.

“Evelyn?” Edgar said, “Is it really you?”

“Yes, Father,” she answered.

“Evelyn Prince, who has spent the greater part of the last century inside Neuro as a cyber-entity, has been tasked as the leader for the Open Neuro Project, which will guarantee that Neuro and the LMOs of the world will continue providing us with the best services, while also remaining open to all who wish to use it!”

Adam noticed Origen smiling at Evelyn with a look of immense respect and admiration.

“In addition,” Origen continued, “Given that she is one of the most brilliant minds of our time, I tasked her with designing punishment for the criminals before us. I hereby sentence each of the seventy members of the WG, as well as Edgar Prince and the twenty-three executives of Guardian Enterprises, to one hundred years of Limbo!” Origen declared.

The crowd remained silent. No one, not even Adam or Dawn, was familiar with the term.

“Limbo?” Rosario Donahi called out, “What is Limbo?”

“Evelyn, would you please explain to the defendants the nature of their punishment?” Origen asked.

“With pleasure,” Evelyn answered, “Limbo is the state in which each of the judged shall be plugged permanently into Neuro, without any ability to unplug from their wall sockets. During this time, the judged shall have no use of their eHuman bodies. Rather, their Lux will be completely immersed in the Limbo App.”

“And what exactly is the Limbo App?” Edgar Prince demanded.

“The Limbo App is one of my finest creations,” she explained, a tone of joy in her voice, “Essentially, the application is simply a bunch of memories. Billions of memories actually, taken from the eHumans who were murdered in some way or another by the WG over the past two hundred years.”

“Billions of memories?” Rosario asked, still puzzled.

“Yes, specifically memories of the last moments of their lives, when they realized they were dying at your hands,” Evelyn clarified, “You’ll experience every feeling, thought and action they lived in their dying moments. You’ll be right there, as if it were happening to you. Take Chengdu for example. You’ll relive every single person’s death in that city. Over three million in all! From the moment they discovered their RMO was closed and that they were going to die, until their last moment before their bodies shut down.

“And that’s just Chengdu. Before I Jumped from my MICE Tower in New Omaha into my eHuman body, I uncovered almost two billion different deaths for you to experience. It will take one hundred years for you to experience them all. And the best part is, your Lux will not know that it is an App that is running. Your Lux will experience every single moment as if it were its own!”

“You can’t do that!” Rosario Donahi cried out desperately, “No Lux could withstand such pain!”

Evelyn Prince turned to the former World Leader and smiled.

“Perhaps you’re right,” Evelyn agreed, “The Limbo App has never been tested before. You’ll be the first.”

Origen smiled at Evelyn Prince.

With the exception of Edgar Prince, the gray-robed prisoners began to struggle and cry out against the action. Origen called to the black-clad Resistance guards to come forward and control them.

“No!” Rosario cried out again, “You can’t do this! It’s unfair! It’s unfair!”

The entire room erupted in conversation mixed with cheers and jeers.

“Order!” Dawn called out while pounding the gavel once more upon the great wooden table.

“Guards,” Origen said, “Bring the prisoners to their cell. It is time for them to plug in and begin their 100-year incarceration.”

“No!” they cried out, continuing to struggle against their captors. Only Edgar remained still. He stared at Evelyn and Origen with a slight smile upon his face that made Adam sick. The guards surrounded them, and the line of captives began to file out a door to the back of the hall. The crowd stared in silence. The punishment frightened everyone in the room.

Edgar Prince forced his guard to stop so that he could address his traitorous offspring one last time.

“Elijah and Evelyn,” he said from across the room, “You’ve made a grave mistake! Your enterprise will fail! You’ll see! The world is not as it seems! This is not the last of me, my dear children! Remember, I’m a man of many plans. I’d watch my backs if I were you!”

Then he turned to Origen and smiled maliciously. A chill came over the entire room.

“And yours as well, Mr. World Leader,” Edgar taunted icily.

Origen waved his hand in dismissal.

“Be gone, Edgar Prince. Your time has ended!”

Three guards finally pushed Edgar through the door, which closed behind them with a loud clang.

“And now,” Origen announced to the crowd gathered in the Golden Hall, “It’s time to celebrate!”

Adam turned to Dawn and smiled. In spite of what had just transpired, Adam couldn’t resist the enthusiasm of the crowd, and joined in the cheering.

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

The celebrations in Gemetria continued nonstop for three days. Fireworks, parades, dancing and music filled the skies, streets and dance halls. Pleasure Zone orbs were traded like candy. It seemed the eHumans had no problem letting go and enjoying the victory. Similar festivities were being held in cities all over the world.

One of the first things the couple had done upon arriving in Gemetria, was upgrade their eHuman bodies with the latest in Pleasure Zone Technologies. As a result, Adam and Dawn had left the festivities early and taken to their suite, located on the eastern end of the palace, to enjoy one another’s new features. As the sun began to rise, Adam and Dawn sat upon their balcony overlooking the city, wrapped each other’s arms. It was a glorious sight to see all the joy and love that had replaced the orderly and purposeful obedience of eHuman life.

“We’ll need to get back to work, eventually,” Dawn murmured into Adam’s neck, which she was covering with light kisses. Her fingers caressed his chest, gently sending him waves of delight.

Adam answered softly, “Can’t we celebrate one more day?”

Dawn laughed.

“Origen’s already at work,” she reminded him.

“Which is why I’m glad you turned down the Job of Supreme Commander,” Adam teased her.

Dawn shook her golden hair out of her face and gazed at Adam. His dark eyes met her green ones and each one remained silent with the gratitude that only reunited lovers can share.

“Well,” Dawn said hesitantly, “Now what?”

“What do you mean?” Adam asked.

“You know, each of us made vows to ourselves during the Great Shift,” she explained, “I vowed I would find you in the eHuman world, and remind you of your inheritance as Elijah Prince.”

“And I vowed I would find you,” Adam replied.

“And plug into Neuro’s source code to load the Trojan Horse, giving power to Evelyn,” Dawn added.

“Who vowed to protect me while doing so,” Adam finished.

“It seems the three of us have fulfilled all our agreements,” a voice called from behind them.

Adam and Dawn turned to see Evelyn Prince standing in the doorway. Her dark eyes pierced Adam’s with a sense of familiarity that overwhelmed him. It seemed his Lux knew her intimately. She was his sister—and somehow the light of his consciousness knew this, even if his memory did not.

“Sorry to intrude,” she said as she walked across the balcony, “The door was open so I came in.”

“No problem,” Dawn replied, “You’re always welcome.”

“I’ve been wondering,” Adam asked his sister, “Why did we work together to create this plan? I can’t remember a thing and I was hoping you could. Edgar said that all of his constituents had the MindScrape procedure done.”

Evelyn gazed at him with sadness.

“Unfortunately, I wasn’t privy to that procedure. I never qualified as one of his constituents. I’ve no recollection of the day you and I made our plan. But Dr. Neville did include a data file in my software that leaves a hint.”

“Really? What?”

“It seems that our mother was against becoming an eHuman and didn’t want to Jump. She’d recently gone missing, and while ‘Daddy Dearest’ hadn’t told me anything directly, I knew he had a hand in her disappearance.