The Children of New Earth (36 page)

She paused to look around at our despondent expressions. “I am sorry if this is all coming as a surprise to you. It was never meant to be this way. You were meant to know as soon as your developmental variables reached a maturity threshold, when you first started exhibiting your abilities. But the Director’s meddling crippled the program, and thus you remained in the dark about the truth of your reality.”

As these thoughts rushed through our heads, Rachel finally asked the question that hadn’t yet made it into our stream of consciousness.

“So, what happens now?”

I half-expected her to make a joke, but she seemed genuinely concerned.

“Well, the Charon isn’t going anywhere,” the Queen said. “There are tools, machinery, plant life, animals, and other such items the humans will need to rebuild civilization on ELY-518. But the simulation, the system itself, will remain intact for generations to come. You are free to make a home for yourselves here in this new world.”

“And if we don’t want to stay here?” one Neogen asked.

“Unlike the passengers, when you die, your object code is deleted in accordance with the laws of death. Unlike them, you don’t wake up, you truly die. So deletion is an option, but not one I’m fond of.”

“What about you?” Aaron inquired.

“I’m a part of the fundamental system, not in user space. I can’t die, so I’ll remain here as well.”

“But there’s nothing to watch over, the -” I almost couldn't say it. “The humans are all gone. What’s the point of us anymore?”

“Consciousness and existence is a funny thing. One could argue there’s no point in the humans either. They’re not watching over anyone, they just want to ensure the continuity of their species. Perhaps we should do the same?”

We were about to contemplate the matter before she brought up something we hadn’t thought about in a long time.

“But first, there’s another problem we need to deal with. Some of those in the Neogen Program have strayed from their original purpose. As such, they must be dealt with.”

I realized then that she was talking about the anarchists. I suppose it was no surprised that with our powers, some would inevitably use it for selfish gains rather than the good of humanity. But now that it was all over, I wondered how the Queen planned to get rid of them. And why they hadn't responded to our communications.

“So you want to…just delete them?” I asked.

“Well-”

“Yes, they don’t deserve any better,” Aaron stated firmly.

Just say the word.

“But you can’t just get rid of anyone who doesn't agree with you!” Cora insisted. “That makes us no better than them!”

“WE saved humanity. WE got rid of the Director. WE fought that army of Demons. What did they do? Pillage a few Sanctuaries? Kill our parents?” Rachel exclaimed.

“They did them a favor,” I said, thinking about how my mother and father must’ve been on the Charon at that very moment, wondering how they never realized who I really was.

“Look,” Aelia stepped forward. “They were scared, maybe misled, and they lived in a dangerous time. They didn’t know any better.”

“They invaded our Sanctuary, killed all those innocent people,” Lynn replied angrily.

“I think we’ve established that killing people is a good thing as far as the simulation goes.”

“It’s not the result, it’s the intention,” Aaron argued.

Our argument was interrupted by a blast of static from one of the empty monitors.

“Stop,” a familiar female voice spoke.

“Who are you?” Micah asked.

“Wouldn’t expect you to remember me,” as she spoke, she appeared on the screen, flanked by a group of Neogens.

“Meredith…” I said calmly.

“Listen, I -”

“You’ve got some nerve showing your face after what you and your kind did. Hope you're happy that it was all for nothing,” Lynn roared, almost literally.

“Look, we’ve been here since comms came back up, we know everything.”

“Then you know you got your wish. This world belongs to Neogens. Congratulations,” I said coldly.

“I just…I want you to know we’ve changed. Margot was one of our more fanatic members, and we don’t want her actions to represent us as a group.”

“You’ve killed people, I’m not sure that’s so easily forgiven,” Michael said.

“Those people are still alive, safe in the real world. It was a victimless crime, and we’ve learned from our mistakes.”

“What do you want exactly?”

“…A second chance.”

The Queen stepped in. “The humans have had rivalries dating back to the dawn of their existence. But this whole world is the culmination of their united efforts. They put aside differences and old grudges for the betterment of their kind. Perhaps we should do the same?”

We thought on this perspective for some time. The remaining Neogens on the monitors discussed the matter amongst themselves, as did we. The Earth had returned to its normal state. No more ruins, no more Demons, no more Hollows. But no more people either. Then I thought back to when the Director said the majority of people in the simulation were AI anyway, meant to account for the population gap between real-life Earth and the passengers aboard the Charon. With Mark now at the helm, we could re-populate this world, strive to make better and smarter AI We didn’t even need to restrict reality to its current form. We could tear it all down and build a new world to fit our abilities. And maybe one day we could export our full consciousness into bodies that could walk among the humans.

Considering these hopes, we decided our fate wasn’t nearly as terrible as our first impression would’ve led us to believe. And unfortunately, we didn’t have a choice. It wasn’t easy to accept that we’d saved the passengers only to remain stuck in this world, but being gods in our own world wasn’t the worst way to live.

“What do you say, guys?” Michael asked the crowd, as well as our audience from around the world.

We were hesitant, especially about the anarchists, but in the end we came to an agreement. We figured they no longer had a motive to do us harm. They got what they wanted.

“Thank you,” Meredith said. “We won’t betray your trust.”

“You’ll have to earn it first,” Isaac said, remembering what they did to his home in Philadelphia. “But I’m as hopeful as you are.”

Along the same lines, Lynn made another observation.

“You realize this is what the Director wanted?” she said.

“He wanted to keep us trapped here,” Aelia agreed.

The Director isn’t around anymore. I won’t try to maximize your happiness if you don’t want that. You are free to do as you will.

This caused the seed of a thought to pop up in my simulated mind, one about free will. But I decided I’d nurture it later, and for now think about the future.

“I think we all just need some time to think, friends,” Aaron said, much to the agreement of the others. “For now, do you think we can get out of this cramped chamber? No offense, Mark.”

None taken, friend. Where do you want to go?

“Somewhere open,” one Neogen said, I recognized him as one of the telepaths who could control animals.

“Somewhere with grass, I’m sick of sand and concrete.”

“Somewhere free.”

I know just the place.

And with a bright flash of the purple column, the space beside the Queen began to distort and bend. A ray of light tore through the air and opened a hole - a portal - right in front of us. An intense, golden light poured out as it grew to twice the size of a normal human. Some commotion from the monitors made me turn away from the beautiful sight. The other Sanctuaries had turned their attention to similar gateways at their location.

I could instantaneously beam you to the location, but I feel it most cathartic to instead give you your own doorway, a path you alone choose to take.

I looked at my friends, all smiling excitedly. One by one, they stepped through together, disappearing into the light. The others were somewhat hesitant, but from the crowds of Neogens, a few brave souls would make the first step. The rest made preparations, and followed their lead.

I turned back to the Queen when it was now just me, her and Mark in the chamber, though I suppose now Mark was everywhere.

“Well, I got my answers,” I said.

“I knew that you would.”

“In my dreams, you were trying to tell me something.”

“I was only trying to give you the truth. But you first needed to accept my existence, I could not invade your subconscious mind so easily.”

“If I’m AI, how can I have a subconscious?”

“That’s something you will have to ask your creator someday, for even I do not know.”

“More questions…”

“There will always be questions. But they cannot be answered by thought alone, they must be answered through living.”

“Speaking of which,” I had another thought. “I need to speak with Mark.

She nodded as I approached Mark’s console. I don’t know why I did, maybe I needed something a physical representation of him to talk to.

“Hi, Mark.”

Hey there.

Before I go, I have to ask you something.”

Anything.

“What is…the meaning of life?”

I held my breath as I let Mark process the question. It was a risky move, but I had no doubt in my mind that he could answer it. The purple column dimmed for a split second, but then continued to shine bright as usual. After several seconds, he spoke.

There is no real meaning of life. It has what meaning you give to it. Scientifically, it is the pursuit of biological perfection. Religiously, it is to enter Heaven and be one with the deity of your faith. For your parents, it was survival, to ensure the continuity of your species. For their parents, living in a time of peace and prosperity, it was simply to live, love, and laugh. For you, it’s whatever you choose. You were coded to save humanity, and you’ve accomplished this. But that doesn’t mean your life is over. You can either choose to believe it is inherently meaningless, or you can give it your own purpose. You are alive, those are your options. And I’m confident you know which one will make you happiest.

“Couldn’t have explained it better myself,” I said, on the verge of tears, in awe of how I could possibly be feeling this emotion.

We’re going to do great things here. I know we will.

Smiling I stepped in front of the portal and prepared to walk in. I turned to the Queen one last time.

“What will you do?”

“I’ll be here, living and growing alongside you. You are not the only ones who question life’s purpose.”

Smiling, I said my final goodbyes and walked into the light. The intense brightness eventually gave way to an immense, grassy expanse. I had never seen so much green before; it was truly a breathtaking image. Those golden portals were scattered over the field as people continued emerge through them. The sky was painted a bright blue color by the brilliant sun. Behind me, I heard the distant crashing of waves on the shore, and past the field ahead of me was a forest that went on for miles. At my feet were peculiar flowers growing among the blades of grass.

My friends were at the edge of the hill I was standing on. I approached and sat down with them as we took in the view.

“Hey, where were you?” Rachel asked.

“Just making sure Mark was OK.”

“And where are we?” Lynn asked.

“It’s still Earth, just a simulated version of it,” Aelia answered.

“Friends, have you ever seen anything so beautiful in all your lives?” Aaron said.

“It’s a step up from broken buildings and monsters.”

“Does this mean we have to start over?” Isaac asked. “Our abilities, our knowledge…I’m not sure they’re compatible with the way humans used to live.”

“We have the tools, the knowledge, and the power,” Cora said. “We’ll be just fine.”

“Lynn always said we’d be OK,” Aelia said. “Just never imagined it would be like this.”

“What should we call it?” Micah wondered.

“Well we can’t call it New Earth,” Jared said. “That name’s taken.”

“And we can’t call it New New Earth,” Rachel added.

“Well, I was thinking of my older sister…” Cora began.

“Oh right, she must be on the Charon with your parents,” Aaron said.

“She was born before the war, so yes that’s probably the case.”

“Well, I’m happy for them, as I’m sure they are for us in their own way.”

“Thank you, I think you’re right,” she continued. “As for the name, how about Elysia?”

“Elysia?”

“Elysia.”

We echoed the name aloud, getting a feel for the way it sounded.

“It’s lingual roots refer to the resting place of mythical heroes,” she explained.

“Oh, I like the sound of that,” Lynn agreed.

“Elysia,” I said one last time.

We remained quiet for awhile, letting the sun warm our hearts and the cool breeze bring us comfort. Then, I had a thought. I took off my backpack and shuffled through its contents. After several seconds, I pulled out a notebook, one of four that I brought with me. I continued to search for a something to write with, rather unsuccessfully I should add. But then I saw a small patch of grass in front of me morph together into a small, gray pen, equipped with black ink. Smiling and silently thanking Mark, I took off the cap and turned to the first page. After pondering for a moment, I wrote my first sentence:

They came from the sky, but looked like Demons from the depths of Hell.

the end