James's Descent Ch. 07

Enter history

The grand finale

Enter ratkind"

Not that they have to... with no more room to grow, looks like that empire is falling apart from anarchy... and their core world just lost food imports and they have nothing going for them. There goes that planet. Hmm, not far from theirs... maybe they could use it one day. The ecumenopolis would collapse to anarchy and that empire went to shreds. A fine lesson to all. Meanwhile, the machines were adapting, but that adaptation seems to have locked them in. Safe to come out now? Nope, here comes another species. No, wait, those are OTHER robots.

Genocidal robots... built by some idiots far away. James would see as they would go and purge the galaxy of dozens of new alien species before retreating to their core... is that a ringworld? Yep, that is a ringworld. And in their final moments, the rest of the galaxy found out where they are and bombed it to shit. Then the OTHER machines came back online to once again clean the galaxy. Huh.

"Man, he took his time in the sun

Had a dream to understand

A single grain of sand

He gave birth to poetry

But one day'll cease to be

Greet the last light of the library"

Another generation of aliens, damn, can't he get a moment of free time in the galaxy? Though why was he waiting so long? Oh, right... the machines. This time the empires didn't even form right. They awoke and... HO, what is THAT? It's the other machines coming back from some sort of isolated system. They're fighting the genocidal mechanoids... and not genociding the other people. What a change of heart. Maybe they felt sorry.

James saw as the machine worlds were finally decimated, to the safety of the galaxy... but that also meant that he might have no more space to go out and develop. All of those other empires looked like bastards, to be honest. Okay, some were more or less nice, but most were just the usual. Hopefully, they will... YES. Here they go destroying themselves again. He knew they had it in them. Okay, it was a plague, but still counts.

Okay, just a few hundred years more to be safe. How far is this? ONE MILLION YEARS.

"Man, he took his time in the sun

Had a dream to understand

A single grain of sand

He gave birth to poetry

But one day'll cease to be

Greet the last light of the library

Man, he took his time in the sun

Had a dream to understand

A single grain of sand

He gave birth to poetry

But one day'll cease to be

Greet the last light of the library"

Looks clear... clear... nobody bothering this specific section of space for a while... okay, locked on. Time to send everyone into the future. James started to focus on getting the people. He did not care about the things, just the people. They'll make more stuff... or he'll make more stuff.

Focus. The air shimmered in the colony. The walls of the killbox broke and the enemies they were facing multiplied. A hasty retreat inside got half of the people as the enemy tide was no longer held back. It did not matter... they broke the walls of the courtyard as well. They were getting stronger by the second.

"We were here!

We were here!

We were here!

We were here!"

Past tense. It was important that James take them to a time when whatever the world was doing could have NO enemies to send at them. If the colony was safe from this bullshit, then they would be safe with nothing left in the galaxy. Yep, looked clear. He did not even notice how they were getting decimated out in the courtyard. Nathan had a glorious last stand before he got overwhelmed, a few of them making it inside, a bit knowing that there was not much point... the stone walls were weaker. They broke through almost immediately. They needed to give one last moment of defense.

Pam would find the door before her bursting open, a warcasket wielding a hammer just like hers, but she had a bit more going. She needed... just to hold them back a bit more. Just a bit. Just a bit. She'd swing at the enemies coming in, blowing them across the hall with every strike. The music turned somber. A shot pierced her heart... and her arms would move no more.

James had several enemies behind him, ready to undo him. A voice whispered in his ear of what he needed to do. He did not hear it... he was far away. And in one second... he was gone. All of them were gone. The bodies disappeared, those still alive just blinked out of existence. The colony had no more residents. It would fall under an angry force that could not see how to undo this act of bullshit.

And then... time would roll on.

*

A verdant field on a world with no sapient life. The wind blew silently as life went on. Peaceful, human-less existence allowed animals and plants to do as they pleased with the planet, which was not much. And then.... Blink.

James saw the change of scenery as they all blinked into existence. Screams could be heard for a few seconds before confusion came over the survivors... a few who escaped to deeper corners of the base. As the man stood and turned... he saw more bodies than survivors. Pam lay lifeless before him. Sadness took him for a second before he remembered something.

"Okay, I won't stand for that. Get up."

Hand raised and the bodies brimmed with life again, wounds healed, consciousness returned and groans of pain erupted from the recently dead. The girl found herself on a grassy field and wondered if this was some sort of afterlife. At least he was there with them.

"Uh... are we dead?"

"Nope." Something in him burned. Maybe he pushed too hard.

"Then.... What did you do?"

"We're currently about a million years in the future of the moment you last remember. No more enemies for the world to send against us. Fuck off, you loser, I WON."

Slowly, they came to their feet... looking around, there was a sudden realization. They had nothing. AGAIN.

"Where's the base? Wait, did it sort of... go away in time? Too much for me."

"Base was right here. You haven't moved... well, in the relative, planetary sense. Just slowly went away, then the mountain went away. It's somewhere that way."

He pointed to the west. Pam felt a bit bad that all her hard work was for nothing. But no... it was not for nothing. He was here. Her soul felt like it could finally relax. When indeed. A lot of waiting. But the time came.

"So... start again? No more raids, no more nothing?"

"No enemies. Yep, you can just... relax. And..."

As he drew breath to say something else, the man just... went out. Pam saw as he fell backward and was just a bit too slow to catch him. Where the hell were her superpowers? The girl would come to see him with his eyes closed, unmoving. Anna was the first to make it to their position, but everyone gathered close as well. A hand on his wrist and listen to his chest made the older woman relax.

"Tell me he's not dead!"

"He's not. Just... maybe he exhausted himself."

"PHEW!" Pam smiled warmly, holding the man to her chest. Finally, even if there were a few hiccups. She looked to this virgin soil, this untamed land... Pam had to start building again. Hopefully, the trees still did that thing where you could turn them to planks ludicrously easily. "Our base for him. Fair trade, hmm?"

"No. He gave us a world without enemies. This is a very generous trade."

"If he's right. Maybe he's not." Nathan came to see, but he was worried.

"No. He's right. This matters. He thought it through. I know he did."

A thousand people looked around to consider what they were offered by this man... a new world. A fresh world, unburdened by all the previous mistakes. They swore that those mistakes would not be repeated.

"Well, time to get started on building a new base. Fi, can you take care of him until I can set us up? If nobody minds, I'll build the hospital FIRST."

"Not a base. A town. You heard him... no need to be all clustered together."

"But I LIKED the underground. Easy to heat up, all shiny everywhere! Okay, fine... not like we're gonna walk all the way to the mountain to make a new base." Beat. "We'd have to make the starter one first anyway."

Fiona would come to see to her father. No tasks for her right now. Though she might have some soon. The man looked so peaceful. No, he was not dead... she checked every so often. Breathing, barely stirring. He just set the record for the most a father would do for his daughter.

And around her... people would slowly get to work.

*

Eyes open. James saw a ceiling lit by natural light. Then he saw a window... and the bed he was in. Turning his head revealed the rest of the hospice, with three beds lined in one corner, of which he was occupying the center one. The one to his right was holding a sleeping figure that he recognized, still clad in that uniform, but nothing else. The climate changed and the pelt coats were unnecessary, as was the armor.

"Fiona."

The girl shot up like she was zapped. Then she saw the man looking at her. The scientists' face beamed. She was on her feet and at his side in a second, stumbling over her feet to see him.

"You're awake!"

"Yes, thank you for stating the obvious for the court record. How long was I out?"

If he was joking, it meant everything was fine, even if he was not moving yet.

"Over a week. Okay, ten days if you want to be precise."

"I had a lot of sleep to catch up on after a million years. Well, thank you for caring for me, I assume you did that when you could let others do it."

"I like it. Maybe I can be a doctor here."

"And you have no passion in medicine. Well, to show that people aren't the sum of statistics. Right, well... I'm still a bit stiff, and not in the lewd way, so mind giving a hand with being a bit decent, even if everyone out there might be cool with me walking around naked?"

He was undressed to ease the process of taking care of him. The man need not state the obvious, such as praise for the room already being built and such. He could move but needed assistance with just about everything. He hoped it was not permanent.

"I see you have upgraded to windows despite the structural weakness."

"Less to worry about when you know attacks aren't gonna come every week."

The sun burned at his eyes as his daughter helped him cross the threshold outside. The sight was one to impress him, even mildly. Basic as it might be, he saw what might qualify as a settlement in the more traditional sense. Separate buildings, all made of wood if they did not need something sturdier. But some were already being upgraded with masonry. Plentiful gasps came as the outsider walked through the budding town.

"Oy, what did I say about that praise? Relax. And good work on the place."

"I think there's someone else you need to praise for that."

"Oh, yeah... Pam will probably explode with excitement. How about you show me off to Anna first since she's not gonna rush me?"

Their path was altered. James noted that he was close to something akin to a town center, with all the "important" buildings around this part. The great hall was not recreated exactly, but they did their best. No more radio signals or TV for now, even though they had one... no signals going out. It might take a few years until they put up some programs.

He was no city planner and neither were they, but it seemed like there was a structure to it. Housing went all around, even in free spots between other buildings, most often with the idea of someone living close to their place of work. They already had a workshop, a warehouse, a freezer... though without his guidance they just went whenever. Mostly where the people thought it was a good idea. The man was being taken to the west end of the town, where it looked like farms were set up. Fiona brought him up to date, even if James could simply look into the past to see what the people did.

"It's not everyone here. Just about fifty of us. The core colony and a few of the others who resonated best. The others went a bit further to set their own place. Not far, but just to get enough space. A few went off on their own... mostly because they still held on to other religions. Hope they're not going to be a problem."

"If it's one of those following raider ideologies, they might be. But this time no more bullshit enemies out of nowhere."

So he declared, so it will be... for a while.

"Mom got to building the essentials after your little protective hut was done. We upgraded to that... hospital... just a couple of days ago."

"Good work to be done in just a few days. Bet that power is shining."

"Uh... how should I say this... the powers are gone."

"GONE? They're nanites in your body permanently changing its structure. They can't be gone."

"Oh, the nanites are still there, just... inactive. Like they went off."

"That means the genes are done because those were powered by archite genes."

"Yes. And..." She was interrupted.

"The psychic powers are gone because they were actually effects created by distant archotech worlds who are now gone."

"We still have the link, but... "

"Nobody's answering the phone. Eh, okay... we can deal."

"We've grown a bit used to them, but... you taught us to not take things for granted. We can still work. OH, the bionics still work. And the archotech limbs."

"I swear I did not do that on purpose. Maybe the other things had a kill switch or something. Maybe I should be grateful that it did not include one to kill you guys as well."

They made their way to the fence of a property, more of a polite fence than one to tell people "fuck off and come back with a warrant". In the distance, he could see people working a field. Anna had returned to her roots, which meant that she was helping out with plant work and cooking. Relaxing work, at times. She saw that burgundy color at the edge of her vision, turning to see the man half-supported by his daughter. Her hands paused what they were doing, the woman straightened up to dust herself off before advancing at a quickened pace. She stopped just on the other side of the fence, looking like she was holding equal excitement to her daughter, but one that was controlled.

"Bet you guys worried like hell for me."

"You pull through. But yes, we did. Back on your feet? Take all the time you need."

"Feeling a bit stiff, but yeah... might need... a while. Might have overexerted myself a tad."

"You did something of a scale most of us cannot even imagine. I think you can relax for the rest of your life. And we would be fine with it."

"Nope, once I'm back into decent shape, I'm finding a job." Beat. "Though I doubt any of you guys need reports."

"You never know. Did you see Pam yet?"

"We're seeing her next since she'll probably body me and drag me into a spot to fuck me senseless. Not that I mind, but I might not perform my best."

Anna chuckled. She could rely on the former, but her daughter had grown enough to reconsider the latter. But it felt good to see him standing. To see that it was not all for nothing.

"Thank you." She said that as if to sum up everything she wanted to say.

"Just doing my part. Guess we can start making a new civilization now."

"One without others to dictate how we should act."

"And if you guys thought about some sort of idea of me leading you... NO."

Another smile. That was the point on which they all agreed, that even if James might be the best to lead them, he would refuse. But a clever girl thought of a way he could without officially doing so... and it would mean a way to keep him close.

"Go see Pam. She has quite a surprise for you."

"I usually hate surprises. They are either bad things or things people decide on without thinking of me. The last pleasant surprise was a Star Wars T-shirt."

"You'll like this one."

Might as well face the music.

*

Pami was close to directing these things, but she still liked to do manual building. However, with every day it seemed like her role as head of family was going to become a bigger and bigger part of it. Can she just give that to someone else? Maybe THIS is why James completely hates the idea of leading... no, this has to be it. He knew what all the weights of it were long before and pulled out. Clever bastard.

Every day a new house. She was efficient, even if they were not much. She managed to solo them, but the rest usually needed help to raise one in a day. Plenty of experience. But with each one, they were getting closer to that peak that the colony was at. She missed EVERYTHING already... the booze, the TV, that warmed bathing area in the west side... damn, they need a bathing area. No, not a bathroom, like a place to just chill in water.

The girl straightened up and felt her back cry. At this rate, she'll end up like her mother with that ever-so-noticeable back pain. Looks like... FUCK. She was out of smokes. A sigh as the girl looked up in defeat. Right, the one this morning was the last one. Her look turned to the sight around her, hoping some thoughts might be distracting enough.

A bit of pride there... even if these houses were basic as heck, they did the job and there were absolutely no cracks for the wind to blow through. Plank by plank, they were building a new home. A better home. One where they didn't have to worry about pigs attacking or distant psychic droning or volcanic winter or whatever. Just... rain, wind, the occasional storm. One after another, people were moving out of the bunkhouse and into the individual homes. Not much to talk about in them, just a common room, bedroom, and bathroom with a spare room in case of kids.

Then she paused as a red-coated figure made its way down the battered dirt path.

James approached slowly, in full sight of the girl that froze in place, almost looking forward to her running to him to knock him over with a hug. As he got just a few meters away, Pam made a sound of suppressed excitement, practically holding herself in place not to do that.

"No, come on... it's not you if you don't explode. Give us a moment, Fi... think I can stand long enough for her to run me over."

The girl made an expression of sad joy. Yeah, it wasn't her if she didn't do that. Pami ran to him to hug the man with just a bit too much force but didn't quite knock him over. She squeezed until her heart was satisfied with the facts... that it was over. The wait was over. James mostly let himself be held by her. Their daughter would give them the metaphorical room as the two would move over to sit on the beam fence. Pam still did not let him go, even then.

"I thought... that something was keeping us apart AGAIN! All good now?"

"Getting there, but I can at least sorta-stand. Might have used my power a bit too hard."

"Worth it. But... uh... we won't make you. How much do you know?"

"Fi brought me up to speed on most things. Oh, and I can just look back and see what you've been doing. Still have powers if you worried that I burned them out or something."

"You know... if you came and said you are just a regular guy... I don't think I would have cared. Sooooo... what can you do now?"

"Feeling my way around, but... a good amount of things. Not omnipotent or something, but I can do stuff that the usual guy can't."

"Nice. Can you finish all my jobs so I can relax from building stuff?"

He gave her a look of "no". But Pam was joking. They need their challenges and it was not impossible for her. And she kinda liked it. As the man reached in his coat for his pack of cigarettes... an act that was unneeded since he could just summon them, Pam looked to it with a bit of lust.

"Uh, can you spot me one? Out of smokes."

"Right. Nothing but what you had in your pockets."

"I really wish you could have sent us over with at least half of the stuff we had... or a quarter. Or ten percent." A sigh. "But, we can manage. We had less than this once."