Trans-Human (Post-Human Sequel)

  A message for you from the author:

  Hi! Thank you so much for reading my book! I hope you enjoy it. It is always an honor when someone takes the time to read one of my novels and I feel humbled and thankful. I owe you one! If you do enjoy the book, please remember to tell a friend or two (or two thousand) about it. Best of all is a positive review on Amazon.com. At this stage in my writing career, word of mouth is better than gold and is the best way for me to reach a large audience and achieve my dream of writing full time one day soon.

  I want to be available and interactive with my readers, so you can actually friend me on Facebook, “like” the Facebook page for Post-Human, read my blog (which I update regularly), follow me on Twitter, or check out my website. I’m also on goodreads.com and love to hear from readers and correspond with them about their experiences with my books. I try to thank a few readers on my blog every week, too, so maybe one of my thank yous in the future will go out to you!

  So, thanks again, and hopefully, this will be the beginning of a long, rewarding, and beautiful relationship between reader and author.

  Yours,

  David Simpson

  Acknowledgements

  Thank you to all of my readers for your kind support, reviews, and for telling your friends about my writing.

  I want to thank Paul Hurley and Wilhelm Emilsson for their valuable insight.

  And, more than anyone, I want to thank my wife, Jennifer. I simply couldn’t succeed without her tireless help and support. She’s the best wife in the universe and all other universes too.

  Prologue

  It has been nineteen months since the A.I. turned against humanity and was, subsequently, destroyed. In the meantime, James Keats has turned over the A.I.’s powers to a non-intelligent, easily controlled operating system. He and Thel have left the planet and have spent six months vacationing on Venus, which has been newly terraformed without the consent or knowledge of the Governing Council.

  Part 1

  1

  The most important thing is this: To be able at any moment

  to sacrifice what we are for what we could become.

  —CHARLES DUBOIS

  WAKING UP had rarely been such a pleasure. Thel opened her eyes to the brilliant Venusian sunshine and smiled. She stepped out of her bed and her toes were greeted by the warm floorboards that had been heated all morning in the sun; the balcony was open and the white drapes were blowing gently in the morning breeze. The sun lit the emerald mountains and the lake twinkled calmly. Thel rested her naked body against the warm palm tree that grew at a sixty degree angle and cut through the balcony floor. Her skin had browned so much in the sun over the last six months that they were nearly the same tone, giving them the illusion of being melded together.

  She was going to miss the perfection of Venus.

  Her mind’s eye flashed in her eyes and she answered when she saw it was James calling. “Hello, Superman.”

  “Hi there, Supergirl,” James replied. “I got the band back together!”

  “Almost,” Thel pointed out.

  “Almost,” James conceded. “Djanet is busy at the Council’s headquarters but Rich and Old-timer are here with me,” he happily informed her.

  “I’m not going to like having to put clothes on,” Thel said, donning a playful frown.

  “Hey, I never said you have to. I’m sure Rich and Old-timer won’t mind...”

  “Stop right there,” Thel cut him off. “I’ll throw something on. I’m just going to miss the freedom of this place now that we’re letting the cat out of the bag.”

  “I know what you mean,” James replied as he skimmed across the surface of the Venusian ocean, flanked by Old-timer and Rich. “Listen, we’re going to be there soon, but first I want to swing by the falls to show the guys, okay?”

  “Show off to the guys, you mean,” Thel teased. “Okay, flyboy, see you soon,” she said before signing off.

  James smiled. She was right—he did feel as though he were showing off his new toy. He wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to reveal to the world that he had terraformed Venus—he even worried that he might be revealing its existence just so that he could get the chance to revel in his creation for an audience. He would never really be sure of his own motivations. All he knew was that he was happy to be with his friends and to be showing them the new crown jewel of the solar system.

  He patched back into communication with Rich and Old-timer. “Thel’s really happy to see you guys again.”

  “It’ll be nice to see her too,” Old-timer replied. “I have to admit that I can’t blame you for keeping this place to yourself for the last six months. It’s spectacular.”

  “You haven’t seen anything yet,” James grinned. “Follow me!”

  James blasted forth into supersonic flight. Old-timer and Rich smiled at each other after their initial astonishment and then followed suit. It had been a long time since they had seen their former Commander and friend and an even longer time since they had seen him with such child-like enthusiasm. There had been a time, long before the events that had caused James to have to destroy the A.I., when James was always filled to the brim with youthful optimism. The slow collapse of his marriage and the pressure he had been under to terraform Venus had withered that away to nothing and it seemed as though it might be gone forever. Rich and Old-timer were happy to see it back.

  “Holy,” Rich whispered as James’s destination became apparent on the horizon. “What the hell is that?”

  “It’s... my God... it is the most phenomenal thing I have ever seen,” Old-timer replied.

  A massive wall of white vapor stretched out from one side of the horizon to the other and stretched into the blue sky, gleaming, a thousand times the size of the largest mountain on Earth.

  “James... what are we looking at?” Old-timer asked.

  James’s smile beamed as his companions caught up to him and they collectively slowed their approach. “This is my masterpiece,” he replied. “You have to see it up close. Come on,” he said excitedly as he guided his companions down so that they were skimming just above the ocean’s waves. The trio flew towards the wall of white and then, just as they were about to enter, James pulled up. “Okay, hold up.”

  Rich and Old-timer stopped as well and floated just above the ocean’s surface. “What’s going on?” Rich asked.

  “You’re going to love this,” James replied. “Deactivate your cocoons and shut down your mind’s eyes. I want you to fully experience this.”

  All three men deactivated their magnetic fields and were suddenly overwhelmed by the roar. Rich put his hands up to his ears while James laughed.

  “I’ve never heard anything like it!” Old-timer yelled above the roar. “Is that what I think it is?”

  “It’s the biggest waterfall in the known universe!” James yelled back, smiling. “It’s a canyon ten times as long and as deep as the Grand Canyon with an ocean spilling over the side! I want to take you over the edge nice and slow... get ready for the experience of a lifetime!”

  He turned and started skimming the waves once again; Rich and Old-timer followed closely behind. Old-timer’s stomach jumped as they entered the massive wall of mist that was being generated by the falls and the edge of the falls emerged like a dream. Rich started to look queasy and he unconsciously reached out and grabbed onto James’s jacket sleeve; he held on as tight as he could as the trio reached the edge and flew down into the white abyss.

  2

  “Holy crap!” Rich yelled out as he held onto James’ arm for dear life and began to laugh hysterically. “This is amazing!”

  James let the mist fill his lungs and clear his mind as he coasted through
the beautiful whiteness until the falls disappeared from sight. The trio flew through the whiteness until they emerged on the opposite side, turning to face the wall of mist and the falls that still roared. Below them, the water gleamed in the bright sunshine and swirled angrily.

  “Isn’t it amazing?” James asked.

  “I’ve never seen anything like it,” Old-timer nodded, impressed.

  “It’s... I know I should have an impressive adjective here but all I can think is... wow,” Rich added.

  James smiled. “There are twelve more just like it on the planet. The mist helps reflect the sun’s rays and to keep the air currents flowing properly to cool the planet. The falls themselves generate enormous amounts of energy, which supercharges the planet’s ionosphere.”

  “How is charging the ionosphere productive?” Old-timer asked.

  “It’s not just productive—it’s crucial,” James replied. “When I had access to all of the information in the A.I.’s mainframe, I searched for information that would be useful for terraforming. I came across an amazing discovery. A scientist who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Nikola Tesla, had discovered a way to transmit power wirelessly.”

  Old-timer knitted his brow quizzically. “I’m not sure I follow you.”

  “No, you do. It’s just like I said,” James replied. “As amazing as it sounds, before the 20th century had even begun, a scientist had learned how to transmit electricity without wires. The technology had been hidden from the world after his death because certain governments wanted to maintain their power by forcing the use of fossil fuels—limiting those who could access it and keeping most of the world poor for economic reasons. Eventually the technology was just completely forgotten about—but a record of it was still in the A.I.’s database.”

  “So... are you saying that Venus is... electrified?” Rich asked.

  James smiled and nodded. “Yes! Isn’t it incredible? Venus takes in much more solar energy than the Earth does and with the additions of these falls all over the planet’s oceans, the ionosphere is supercharged and has far more energy than its future inhabitants could ever need. You’ll never need a nuclear implant on Venus.”

  “That truly is incredible, Commander,” Rich replied. “It’s genius.”

  James laughed, “I never would have been able to do this without the information I had access to when I was operating the A.I. mainframe.”

  The trio stopped for a moment and let the spectacle of the falls sink in. James watched the power of the water as it churned so far below and couldn’t help but think of his former wife. He’d been considering naming one of the falls after her. It was so rare for a person to die these days—the art of commemorating someone’s life seemed to have been lost.

  “You miss Katherine, don’t you?” a warm voice spoke.

  James turned to Old-timer and smiled, surprised that his friend could read him so easily. “Yes. Of course I do.”

  “What?” Old-timer asked, confused.

  “I miss Katherine,” James said. Old-timer’s look of confusion didn’t subside. “Didn’t you just ask me if I missed Katherine?” James asked.

  Old-timer shook his head. “No, I didn’t say a word.”

  “Oh,” James smiled, embarrassed, “I guess it was...” He didn’t finish his sentence as he turned to see that Rich had floated several meters away and out of earshot. He was staring up at the white mist as it climbed hundreds of meters into the sky. “That’s the damnedest thing,” James said.

  “What happened?” Old-timer asked.

  “I just... I swear someone asked me if I missed Katherine. It was as clear as a bell.”

  Old-timer could see the sudden distress in his friend’s expression. It was only natural that James was having a harder time getting over the death of his former wife than he would admit to himself. It was true that James loved Thel, but he would always be haunted by the death of Katherine at the hands of the A.I.. He put his arm on James’s shoulder and said, “It’s probably just the sound of the falls messing with your ears. Come on, kid. Let’s go see that woman of yours. And I could use a replicator right about now. I’m starving!”

  James smiled and nodded. “Yeah, of course. Let’s go.” He activated his magnetic field and contacted Rich. “Let’s move out, buddy.” In seconds, the trio was blasting up into the sky and away from the waves, heading towards James’s Venusian hideaway.

  The mystery of the voice haunted him all the way home.

  3

  Thel stood on the balcony of the third floor entrance of their beautiful lakeside home and waved the three men inside as they shut down their magnetic fields and landed softly on the lush carpeting. She wore a yellow sundress and was holding a glass jug of cold lemonade. “Hello, men!” she greeted them with a smile.

  “Hello, woman!” Old-timer responded as he embraced her and then pulled back immediately to take in the changes in her appearance. “You’re so brown!”

  “I’ve had a nice vacation, as you can see,” she replied, continuing to smile. “And your flight suits are all damp from the falls. I can see he took you in for a close look.”

  “Oh, sorry about that, my lady,” Old-timer smiled as he stepped back from her. “Yes he did. They were spectacular and spectacularly wet.”

  “Thel, hi,” Rich said as he eyed her drink, “it’s nice to see you. Say, that lemonade looks pretty good and it’s awfully hot.”

  “Hello to you too, Rich” Thel replied, “and you’ll get some lemonade once you’ve dried your clothes. You and the boys can use the dryers in the bathroom.” She pointed towards the back of the house.

  “Much obliged,” Old-timer replied with a small bow as he and Rich withdrew.

  James met Thel’s eyes and then stepped to her and kissed her. “I missed you.”

  “You’ve only been gone for an hour and a half and I was sleeping through most of it,” Thel replied, kissing him back.

  “I stand by my statement of missing.”

  She laughed and gently pulled herself away from him. “You’re all damp too, flyboy. I think you better join the boys in the locker room and dry off.”

  “Fine,” James replied before kissing her once more. “I’d rather be with you in the locker room, though.”

  “Tonight,” she replied. Thel made him feel as though he were the luckiest man alive.

  Old-timer and Rich were already under the air vents as James entered the white tiled bathroom. “How do you point the vents down to dry the pants too?” Rich asked Old-timer; he responded by doing it for him with his mind’s eye. “Thanks,” Rich replied.

  “So what do you guys think of the place?” James asked.

  “It’s paradise,” Old-timer replied. “Are you sure you want to tell everyone about this? I’m sure you could keep it a secret a little longer. Since the Council cancelled plans to terraform Venus for the foreseeable future, no one is going to be looking your way.”

  James smiled. “Are you thinking you and Daniella would like to put up a little villa somewhere?”

  “Maybe,” Old-timer smiled back.

  James laughed. “Well, you’re welcome to, but I think the longer I keep it a secret the more upset the Council is going to be with me when they find out about it. Six months is probably bad enough.”

  Suddenly, James’s mind’s eye flashed open. It was an emergency call from the Chief of the Governing Council, Aldous Gibson. James sighed. “Speak of the devil.”

  “What is it?” Old-timer asked.

  “It’s Chief Gibson. This should be interesting.”

  “Wow. I’m not here,” Rich said before James answered.

  “Keats here.”

  “Commander Keats,” Gibson began before pausing; he seemed to struggle to finish his sentence, “we have an... extremely serious situation brewing. We need you here at headquarters immediately.” The most concerning part of the call was that, for Gibson to ask for James’s help, it meant that he had run out of alternatives. James patched Ol
d-timer, Rich and Thel into the call immediately so that they could listen in.

  “What’s going on?” James asked.

  “Our long range sensors have picked up something... something massive. It’s headed towards Earth at an impossibly fast rate.” An image of the mass suddenly appeared in front of James on a map of the solar system that was sent by Gibson. A dark red smudge representing the mass had just passed Neptune. “We’ve already calculated its speed and trajectory and we’re expecting it to reach Earth within the next eight hours.”

  An instant realization struck James. “My God,” James whispered.

  “We need you here, Keats. We’re formulating an emergency plan as we speak.”

  “I’ll be there as soon as I can,” James replied, awestruck by the news.

  “Immediately,” Gibson asserted.

  “It’s going to take me a little while,” James stammered.

  “Keats, did you not hear what I just said?”

  “I did. It’ll still take me a little while.”

  “What’s your ETA?” Gibson responded tersely.

  James paused for a moment. “An hour. Maybe less.”

  A flabbergasted expression contorted Gibson’s features. “Where in the hell are you that it is going to take you an hour to get here?”

  “That’s my business. I’ll be there as soon as humanly possible,” James replied before shutting off the communication.

  “James, what the hell was that thing?” Thel asked over James’s mind’s eye.

  “I have no idea. But you better get your flight suit on. We’re heading for Earth.”

  4

  Just under an hour later, James and his three companions entered the atmosphere of Earth, generating a glowing inferno as they did so. James had analyzed the available data a number of times as he made the journey, barely speaking to his companions as he worked his way through the possible explanations. Only one fit—and it was mortifying.