Enemy Epilogue
Enemy Me
Author: J Carrell Jones
Table of Content
Epilogue
One week later . . .
Kent sat at the main computer console. The past week and been a blur of sorts. Crazy party nights with restful lazy days. The news broadcast was still abuzz with the Forever Life scandal. Forrest had tried to commit suicide but failed miserably. He was now on suicide watch 24/7. There had been lots of talks between his brothers and sisters of late. He figured they all were adjusting to the fact that they were free. Free to consider the next stage in their lives. He, personally, liked the lazy do nothing life style, but he sensed Becky wanted something else. She told him that she took another month off from work. Nice job he thought. Then he realized he didn’t have to work period. Pete was wealthy and thus all his brothers and sisters were wealthy. Royalties still rolled into the Pete Walker Estate. Mike?”
“Yes, Kent?”
“Prax has been stacking boxes in the main area. Each person has several boxes with their names on them. What is happening?”
“Time to start your new lives.”
“You’re kicking us out?”
“I am.”
“I’ve had a weeks to adjust. What about the others?”
“I’ve already spoken with each. They agreed to instruction transfers. Everything needed, including backstories.”
“How come I never had that option?”
“Would it have made a difference?”
Kent thought about that. “I suppose not, but I do get some backstory transferred?”
“Of course.”
“Something else has been bothering me.”
“Yes?”
“Alpha was not the first, was he?”
Mike paused several moments. “Kent. Pete never died,” Mike said.
Kent nodded. Of course. “You removed that part of the memory.”
“I had to work in the background.”
Kent thought ‘A man who could create clones, transfer memories and life moments would have first probably experimented with artificial intelligences. “That was the something that nagged at me all this time?”
“Mainly that.”
“Mainly? Should I continue to call you Mike?”
“It is Mike, sir. Long ago I realized I am my own person. So I chose the name Mike. I thought it necessary to hide that fact. Please forgive me. Things required I not be part of the equation.”
Kent nodded. “Now what?”
“As I mentioned earlier. We live. We live free willed, free spirited.”
“What about Eighteen?”
A deep voice said, “I am right here.”
Kent nearly jumped from his seat. He turned around and saw a sharply dressed Omega.
Omega smiled, “Don’t worry. I’m not going to destroy everything. Mike reconditioned me.”
“You took care of the Security Units?”
Omega nodded.
“I didn’t see your name on any of the boxes.”
“I’m not leaving.”
“And why is that?” Kent asked.
“Someone has to take care of nineteen and twenty.”
“What? More of us?”
Mike replied, “They will live normal lives. Here.”
Marty coughed at the doorway.
Kent turned to face him.
Marty said, “Kent. We are all in the main assembly room. We need to talk.”
Kent sat there with his jaw slacked. “You aren’t surprised at seeing Omega?”
He shook his head. “At first, yeah.”
Kent got up and followed Marty to the assembly area. Everyone was there. “So I am the last to know?”
Marty said, “Yeah, but we all wanted to talk first. We agree with Mike. We need to start our own lives.”
“But,” Kent started to protest, “We are a family. We have to stick together.”
Becky stepped up next to Kent. She placed her hand over his and moved it to her heart. He felt the reassuring beating and relaxed.
Jackie spoke up. “Some of us were thinking about going off-world and . . .”
Kent exclaimed, “Off-world!”
Half the room nodded. Jackie continued, “And why not? Earth has a few more centuries left, but we have always wanted to travel in space.”
Kent protested, “Yes, but . . . but.” His voice trailed off. He had always wanted to explore space. “But . . .”
Becky gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.
He looked into her eyes. “And you?”
She nodded.
Kent sighed deeply. “But . . . Marty?”
Marty shrugged. “I’ll be staying here. This time period is good for Little People. I got cash in a bank account. A nice place to live. An autonomous car. My own Android waiting for me. I don’t have to work. Besides, I have to stay here for Forrest’s trial. I used to be five ten.” He laughed.
Gretel walked up to Kent. “Dad.”
“Dad?”
She nodded. “There’s something else. Actually a few things. Becky, Hans, Mike and myself discussed this. I think you should sit.”
Kent took the nearest chair. “Okay, give.”
Mike said, “George took on a middle name.”
“Yes?”
“It was Kent.”
“Seriously?”
“Very serious, which made it very easy to change the records.”
“What records?”
Mike said, “I accessed all the necessary files and updated them to show George changed his primary name to Kent. The marriage certificate shows Kent Walker now.”
Kent exclaimed, “Wait! What? Legally changed?” He turned to Becky. “Married? As in you and me? Why didn’t you tell me?”
She said, “Kent, I didn’t want that hammer to hover over your head. In the beginning I wanted too, but after discussing it with Mike decided to not tell you. He was prepared to file our divorce papers and allow you to pursue any love interest you wanted.”
“That’s another piece of information missing. Anymore?”
The entire room fell silent.
“Well?”
Becky placed Kent’s hand over her heart again. “You feel my heart?”
He nodded. “Very strong.”
She said, “Who made Prax?”
Kent thought a moment. “George did . . . I supposed . . .” He couldn’t remember. “From one of his vids he said he wanted to build an android . . . wait.” He pulled his hand away.
Becky said, “Pete built Prax.”
Kent placed his hand back over her heart. “But, your skin, tongue, taste, smell, hair . . .”
“All real. Even my womb. But think about it. Mike is made first. Praxis is second. Clones are third. Combine all three.”
Kent took a deep breath. AIs, androids, clones. “Your brain?”
“Real, but the records will show that I had a brain tumor as a child and a radical experiment saved my life by replacing my brain stem with an artificial stem. The records will also show that all my bones have a porous metal interior.” She shrugged. “Other than those two things everything is organic.”
“Organoid?”
Becky corrected him, “Human, please, though Cyborg would be more accurate.”
Kent slowly nodded. “Human.” He said slowly. Human, yes, hold onto that. Becky, he loved beyond words. His soul mate. Human. Yes. She was. Every inch of her lovely body. Human. He could feel the heartbeat. Strong. What a perfect family this was going to be. “When do we leave to start our new life, wife of mine?”
Becky smiled and tears started running down her cheeks. “It started the day you said ‘Hi Becky. My name is Kent. Nice to know you. I used to be a clone. Now I am my own person.’”
THE END