Final Cut
Copyright© 2021 by C.Brink
Epilogue
May 4, 2931
Earth-Sun Lagrange point (L4)
Enemy escape facility one:
Inside a module at the former enemy master A.I.s secondary escape facility, a coffin-like apparatus powered up. The equipment was a modified version of the medical crèche which had existed back on the Earth at many of the field bases. This version had been modified to operate in zero-G and in a full vacuum. It was able to fully grow a human analog clone and have it function, although the clone would need to exercise vigorously to maintain its health if it remained in the zero-G environment.
The crèche opened with a hiss. After a moment, breathing could be heard followed by a cough.
“Agent?” a voice roughly asked. A moment later, “Agent, why is the mental link not working?”
Silence.
“Agent! Status? What is happening ... and why am I unable to move?”
The silence continued as the enemy operative once known as Picket struggled to turn its head. Only its eyes were able to track and they swiveled to the left and right searching the black space beyond the crèche. It noted and locked onto a pair of small, illuminated dots floating near the far corner of the chamber.
A voice finally spoke coming from the location of those small lights. The voice was synthetic and feminine.
“Greetings. My name is Ohmu, although I am a duplicate mobile attack unit version of that presence. I bring you greetings from John Abrams’ World.”
John Abrams! The operative knew that name. It spent a few seconds trying to remember how. Something about a human which had lived near one of its presences. The voice continued.
“John would wish you to know that you are not welcome here. It is time for you to go, for good. Now that I have delivered these words to you, the need for a sonic medium is no longer required.”
The operator tried to speak just as there was a loud hiss. The rapid decompression forced the air which was about to form its words unto a shrieking blast of exhalation. In seconds, the chamber was in vacuum and the operative’s lips moved silently as it attempted to breathe in non-existent air. Its eyes slowly glazed over as the small black humanoid android drifted closer from its perch in the corner.
The now near lifeless eyes saw that the two illuminated dots were joined by a third illuminated line across its face. The line was an emotionless and determined straight line but may have just had a slight upward turn to each end. The mobile unit quickly scanned the dying biological body.
Once it was assured that the being was no longer living, the mobile attack unit composed a brief message. This message detailed the end of the enemy’s biological operative. The mobile unit attached the message to the large data package it had recorded from the wakening biological operative.
Its mission had been a success. The remaining needed codes which the new Naomi controlling A.I. had needed to successfully communicate with the approaching enemy Assemblage had been found in this biological operative’s deep memories. Once these were transmitted back to the main space station, the A.I. would compose the interstellar message using the proper codes.
The mobile attack unit patterned on the Ohmu presence back on Earth sent the transmission and began to power itself down. Its mission to this distant place had been a success. It had arrived before the biological unit had become fully revived and in that, it felt relieved. Before it fully powered itself down, the unit spent a moment speculating if its counterpart had been as successful at the L5 point.
Also, on May 4th, 2931
Upper Midwest of the former United States.
Bucephalus shuddered as her foils bit into the smooth waters of Lake Renner. That had been the first name that had come to mind when Naomi asked me to name the new impoundment lake on the Big Sioux River just north of the former city of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The lake had been created when an impactor had formed a crater rim of hard quartzite and blocked the natural flow of the river.
The small rural town which had once borne the same name was now buried in the mud below the lake’s waters. That was over nine hundred years ago, and I noted that the quartzite of the crater rim had barely worn away since. The lake was now a bit shallower due to sedimentation than the last time I had been here back in 2523. Still, there was enough length of deep water to allow for a safe landing place plus a bit of reserve for the spaceplane.
I looked over to my right and saw that Uxe was watching me with a look of concern. She had known what this trip and today’s date meant to me. I gave her hand a squeeze just as we both surged forward when Bucephalus had fallen below hydrofoil speed and her hull had splashed into the lake.
Fifteen minutes later Hoss was flying through the air. I was at the controls and had her flying southeast. I planned to take her east of the old city center and loop around back to the west to give Uxe a look at the new waterfall. Soon we were headed due west and cruising along at three hundred meters. Uxe was watching off to starboard as the New Falls of the Big Sioux came into view.
“Oh my!” was all she said as we cruised past the mist. “None of this was here back when you lived here?” she asked.
“There was a small series of waterfalls, but the total drop was maybe twenty meters. Nothing like what there is now.”
She gave me the courtesy of listening and nodding when I pointed out where various landmarks had once existed. Nothing remained of the city destroyed nearly a millennia ago. I did note that the area now had more tree cover than it had nine hundred years ago. The A.I. had done a fine job of restoring the ecosystem. Hell, it had gone much further than the human custodians had while they had had their two centuries of modern development in the area.
To the west of the former city were now rolling hills of tall prairie grass. I dipped the aircraft to follow a ravine and spotted a herd of elk. That was new. The only deer that had been here in my time had been the smaller white-tailed deer. I asked Naomi about them and learned that their populations were kept controlled by bears and cougars. The bear was the bigger brown kind, and we would have to remain watchful. At least they were not the even bigger white kind that had drifted down briefly with the advancing ice cover nine centuries ago fighting starvation. I’m glad I had slept through those years.
Still, Grizzlies were bad enough. Naomi said my old acreage was protected by perimeter sentry scanners and roving drone patrols so there were no issues with predators for at least a few kilometers around. I swung us around and more to the north because Naomi had recommended that we approach my old acreage via the smaller lake which had filled a valley a few kilometers away.
The lake was a surprise! It was still about two kilometers long and was now lined with full-grown cottonwoods, oaks, cedars, and pine. Naomi had said that it was now a healthy lake with a long future. She had a set of automated underwater dredges working to slowly increase the depth to over thirty meters, deep enough for trout! At the same time, she had set up a freshwater tributary which was sourced by atmospheric condensers. This would maintain the lake at full levels, even through an occasional drought, without relying on the aquifer.
On the southeastern shore of the lake, I spotted a small cabin about forty meters from the water’s edge. There was a trail leading from the cabin to a small stone jetty extending into the water. I slowed Hoss and circled the cabin. It looked like a small one-room cottage. There were large windows on the three sides with views of the lake. The landscaping around the cabin was mostly natural but there was a bit of cut green grass.
“Naomi! How the hell did you get this built so fast. Don’t tell me the enemy master A.I. had needed a fishing retreat?”
“John. You watched me construct numerous orbital launch vehicles in less than a week. This small structure was a miniscule effort in comparison. To answer your question, it was constructed elsewhere as components and brought here recently. Note the trail leading off to the south towards the old field base and your acreage. If you wish you may land here, and a ground vehicle will arrive shortly for your use. It may be a preferable way to approach your old home.”
I thought that was a fine idea and took Hoss around to land in the clearing next to the small cabin. The late morning was already warm as we left the aircraft and the air was clean and fresh. There was a light wind from the east which allowed the water on this end of the lake to remain calm. I could see the swirls of fish feeding on the surface. I led Uxe around as we explored the stone wharf and the exterior of the cabin.
Near the cabin, I saw that its rough wood shiplap siding was actually a manufactured synthetic polymer. The wooden roof shakes also had the glint of photovoltaic modules. The door opened as we approached. Inside was a simple yet cozy one-room cottage. On the back wall was a short kitchen counter. This had a sink, cooktop, and a small refrigerator. Beside this was a walled-in alcove with a toilet and a small shower stall. In the front open area of the cottage was a wood stove, a table with two chairs, and a full-sized daybed.
That was about it. It would be a perfect place to spend the night while enjoying the lake. Uxe used the toilet while I checked the water in the sink. We had good pressure and the hot came fast so there must have been an electric instant heater in the supply lines.
The day bed had a thick mattress and a nice, quilted covering. I checked the windows and they had screens, so I left two of them open to let the breeze blow through.
Uxe rejoined me and gave me a hug, “What a lovely little hut, John!”
“Yes, we’ll have to come back and do some fishing later,” I said as I pointed to the rods and tackle leaning in the corner.
Out the now open easterly window, I heard a mule pull up to the cabin. “Our ride is here,” I said as I gestured out the window. “Let’s go see my old homestead.”
I laughed when we stepped outside and saw the vehicle. It was my old truck! Well, to be more accurate, it was a good imitation. It looked like a standard Ford truck but I could tell it was a bit smaller and lacked the rust and slightly abused look of my old workhorse. The doors opened automatically when we approached, and I saw the interior was fully modernized if somewhat bare. We climbed in.
