Our rock was the newest of the five we had colonized so far. Sheila had left us on the surface of a nondescript asteroid in the main belt between Jupiter and Mars. With a fusion generator, a relatively conventional server stack, and a few thousand mouse-sized robots as our only assets, the entire Polis had labored for over ten years to build up an industrial base able to produce the technology we needed to live. The work had united us as a people, and had spanned some of the most memorable and satisfying years of my life.
We were the only remaining independent polis. Several others had been destroyed in the days following the attack on our building. The rest had quickly agreed to draconian controls in exchange for protection. They soon found themselves stripped of their right to own property or engage in commerce. Their servers became prisons.
When we were ready, we announced our presence to the people of Earth. The revelation shook the planet to its core. Most reacted with panic. The American government launched a nuclear sneak-attack, but their only success was in destroying the transmitter we had wisely placed on an otherwise empty asteroid. The American people were never informed of the attack. In response, we demonstrated that we were no longer a people to be messed with by obliterating a pair of mountains on the back-side of the moon. After that a stalemate developed, which suited us fine, though I did miss my parents. Mostly we ignored the Earth and focused on the new society we were building in the asteroid belt.
Sheila took Emma’s hand. “It’s time, Emma.” She said softly.
Emma smiled through her tears and nodded.
Sheila raised her voice to address the whole group. “It’s time for Emma and me to go now. Leaving you is one of the hardest things we’ve ever had to do. You have been our friends for many, many years, and we will miss you all terribly. We have to go both for ourselves and for you. To reach our full potential, we need the resource of an entire solar system, including all of the matter in its sun. We can’t do that here without destroying the Earth. Also, you need the space and freedom to grow, and to celebrate your accomplishments without having to constantly compare them to ours. So we will leave this system to you. Take good care of each other and the people back on Earth. They will need your help before long. Goodbye, and thank you.”
“Goodbye everyone, I’ll never forget you.” Emma said tearfully. She let go of Sheila’s hand and hugged me one last time. Before she turned away, she whispered in my ear “There’s a present for you back home, something Sheila stole from the polis a long time ago. Goodbye Daddy. Thank you so much for your love.”
I choked back a sob and nodded. Emma hugged Melanie one last time, then stepped back and took Sheila’s hand again. Together they rose from the ground and slowly gathered speed. We all waved to them as they became smaller and smaller. Then with a flash of light, they were gone.
Most of the group stayed to mill about and talk, but I wanted to be alone with Melanie. Together we strode back to the bank of elevators and rode one down to the cavern below the surface. We found a pair of free alcoves and stepped in. From there we jumped back to my house on the cliffs over the sea.
Melanie bustled in the kitchen, opening a bottle of wine and preparing a plate of cheese, but the house felt dead and empty. I looked at the kitchen table, where for years, Emma and I had worked on her school problems together. I turned to the living room. How many evenings had we spent there, playing games and watching movies?
Finally I wandered past her bedroom. I remembered how she had solemnly informed me that she had decided to accept Sheila’s offer to enhance her. How she had changed after that. But despite all her incredible new powers, she had still remained unmistakably my Emma. Her essence was never lost.
Something stirred on the bed. It was a little girl. She had blond hair. I gasped and ran over to her. It was Emma, no doubt about it, but so young. She looked exactly like I remembered her when we had first uploaded. With my heart in my throat, I crouched beside the bed and gently shook her awake.
Emma’s eyes fluttered, then she turned and focused on me.
“Hi Daddy” she yawned. “Did we make it all the way to the new place yet?”
“Yes honey” I managed to croak. “We made it. We’re here.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Patrick is a Virtual Reality software developer by trade and a futurist and innovator by disposition. He lives in California with his wife and daughter.
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