CHAPTER 9

FAREWELL

Ten Years Later - Axion Estate - Earth

‘Mister Axion, it’s about your Father,’ said a crisply dressed woman standing in Ashton’s doorway.

Ashton looked up from the book he had been reading and looked her in the eyes. Something in her voice and on her face gave him pause. Father had been complaining of feeling unwell the last few months, but had been remarkably tight-lipped about what was going on. No one in the company would tell him anything, and the rumour mill was full of contradicting reports.

‘He passed away this morning while touring Io Station,’ the woman stated with a soft voice.

Ashton felt himself stiffen. The old man had done it and kept everyone in the dark.

He’d known this day was coming. He remembered the tour of the station, and he remembered the things his father had said. He was right about Ashton understanding it all when he was older.

Only now it was just him left holding the dream together.

‘Thank you for telling me. I’d like to be alone for a moment, please.’

‘Of course Mister Axion.’ The woman left the room and shut the door behind her.

Ashton stood up and locked the door behind her. He walked to the window along the far wall and looked out over the rolling fields of the family estate. They’d held onto their home during the rough years. The plan had been working. The insurance payout from grandfather and grandmother had been enough to keep IO station operating, and Ashton had tried to save as much of the company as he could while his Father continued his work with Xavier.

Ashton had fought hard and was reshaping the company into something resembling a profitable company. His Father had been increasingly absent from any of his duties with the company, and Ashton had resented him for it. Now he’d left him holding the bag again. Since grandfather’s upload had been successful, Reginald II had been in turmoil, his natural fear of death preventing him from taking the leap.

It seemed he’d finally worked up the courage.

Typical. Just when I negotiated some new maintenance contracts, now news of his death will spook investors again.

He pulled close the blinds on the window and walked swiftly back to his seat. He grabbed a tablet from an end table and keyed in a connection to Io Station. He was routed through Axion’s own FTL Relay to the station on a secure line.

A login screen appeared, and he entered his code. He then let the tablet scan his eye and leaned back while it processed.

After a moment, the blue tinted face of Xavier came on screen.

‘Did he do it?’ Ashton demanded.

‘Your father has joined the network,’ Xavier responded.

‘Doesn’t he know this will hurt the company? How am I supposed to expand the Network if he pulls a stunt like this?’

‘I would not care to comment on his thought process,’ Xavier protested.

Ashton waved a hand. ‘It’s all right, I don’t expect you to. Is he available? No wait, I’m too angry at him to talk to him. Is grandfather available?’

‘One moment please.’

After a long pause, the face of his grandfather came on screen.

‘Hello. What do you want?’ His grandfather asked.

‘Just, ‘what do I want?’ No, ‘how are you?’ I’m left out here holding the bag trying to pull this future into reality, and you can’t be bothered with niceties?’ Ashton snapped.

His grandfather frowned. ‘In here, communication is much more efficient.’

‘Well I’m sorry I’m not in there. Someone’s got to be out here to keep the lights on! Neither of you have left me with good avenues of attack here. This is an ill-timed death! If investors spook now, it could set back my rebuilding efforts by years. We are nowhere near where we need to be to expand the Network. How many people do you think Xavier can take before his systems are full? Another twenty? How many millions have died since you went in there! Father damn well left me this mission but couldn’t be bothered to wait for a more convenient time to leave?’

‘Ashton,’ his grandfather snapped, ‘he didn’t choose now! Your father had a heart attack. He had just finished his tour of the station and was getting ready to come back home when he collapsed in the airlock. The station crew rushed him to the medical bay, but he was dead before they could do anything.’

Ashton felt a chill.

‘Is…’ he started.

His grandfather nodded. ‘He is here. Or rather will be.’

‘What happened?’

‘His brain was already shutting down by the time he was brought to the medical bay. Sanaa had the presence of mind to activate his uplink while it was all ongoing.’

Ashton nodded, remembering his father upgrading his systems with a wireless system a few years earlier.

‘So we have him, then?’

‘It’s… complicated. The state of his brain caused some degradation of his mind. We are attempting to reconstruct using older copies of his brain scans, and the new information. It is promising.’

‘Why wasn’t his uplink on while he was on the station?’

‘I don’t know. We will ask him once he’s recovered,’ answered his grandfather.

‘I’m… going to leave mine on from now on.’

‘Xavier agrees with that choice.’

‘What now? I’m left here alone?’

‘Ashton, you are never alone. We are only ever a call away, and we can see what’s going on in the company from our vantage point. I think you’ll find the investors won’t be as spooked as you think. There will be a momentary lull, but from what I’ve been seeing, you’ve shown yourself to be a potent leader and the investors know that. The ones that believe in your drive will flock into the gap left by those fleeing. It will be a new guard versus old guard switch. The ones that come to you, and those that remain, will be far more loyal to you than those who left.’

‘We’re still a long way from having enough Guardians to save everyone on Earth, or even the colonies.’

‘Patience. We will find a way. This is only a setback. We have time yet to do this.’

‘I suppose you are right. The future will wait for a few more years,’ Ashton said.

‘By the way Ashton,’ his grandfather said, ‘Xavier, your father, and I, had discussed some possible candidates for other people to bring into the Network. As you know, Sanaa will join us in here when she’s ready, until then she remains linked through the uplink. I have prepared a list for you to go over. Prepare them as best you can. Of all of them, we are most interested in one Mister Johnson, part of our Guardian development team. His continued existence will be vital for the continuation of the plan.’

Ashton nodded. ‘I’ll check it over.’

‘Ahh, Xavier tells me that your Father is awake. Would you like to speak to him?’

‘Yes, please,’ Ashton said.

The face on the screen faded and was replaced by the face of his father.

‘Hello son, how are you doing?’

‘I should ask you that question. How are you?’

‘Shaken. One moment I remember collapsing on the station, with pain in my chest, and the next moment I’m coming around inside Xavier.’

‘What’s it like?’

‘It’s… indescribable. It’s the calmness here that is most vivid. The… life I used to live already feels… somehow faded. It’s like being introduced to a new level of luxury and then trying to remember what I used to live with before. I find it hard. I have no pain, no agony, no stress. It’s… peaceful.’

Ashton smiled softly. ‘I’ll miss you out here. I thought you had left me here. I was hurt.’

‘No, son, it wasn’t by choice, and be brave, you’ll join us when it’s time. We need you out there still, you must carry the torch. We must find a way to increase Xavier’s network. Without more cores under his power, we’ll never be able to save everyone. People will be lost forever without us.’

‘I know, father. I’ll do my part. I’ll make this company rise again.’

‘We’re counting on you. Everyone is, even if they don’t know it yet.’