In the City of Tomorrow: Chapter 28

Laura Fields and Davis Carpino told the Stryker twins that they would appreciate being dropped off in the Tau Ceti system. Laura had a sister that lived in Star City ans Davis had a number of friends there.

“Are you sure you’ll be all right?” Amy asked. The four of them were standing on the bridge of the flagship Stryker, which was still just outside the Wall that surrounded Sol.

“We’ll be fine,” Laura replied. “I’m sure we can find work on Xanthe. Don’t worry about us! You’ve done more than enough as it is, and you both have much more important things to be concerned about.”

“What part of Star City do you want to be transported to?” Amanda asked.

“If you could drop us off at a subway station I’d appreciate it,” Davis said. “I’m sure both of us could get home from there.”

“All right,” Amanda agreed.

“Thanks for coming to save us,” Laura said. “I hate to think what would have happened if you hadn’t shown up.”

“I just wish I could have saved the captain,” Amy replied. “I was too late.”

“That’s not your fault,” Laura replied. “Don’t worry about him. He made his own decisions and that finally caught up with him.”

After saying goodbye Amy transported both of them to Xanthe. After they were gone Amanda turned to her sister. “So what are we going to do now?”

“The first thing to do is put this armada back where I got it,” Amy replied. “Then I guess we need to say goodbye to Tim and Governor Nicholas.”

“How are you going to put the armada back?”

“It’s not hard,” Amy replied. “Watch.”

Amy commanded the fleet to head back to her nameless construction planet and a moment later the entire armada entered hyperspace. When the fleet arrived Amy divided the ships into groups and had each group land, one after the other. As the ships touched the ground she transformed them back into inert soil by altering the configuration of the programmable matter that made up each vessel. It took several hours but eventually the enormous chasms in the planet’s crust were filled and the entire armada was liquidated. The two girls were left standing on a barren knoll that overlooked a large, empty plain.

“That’s amazing!” Amanda said. “You can’t even tell the ships ever existed. This planet looks untouched!”

“It just seemed like the right thing to do,” Amy replied. “We didn’t need them anymore and I hated to leave behind a big mess. This way everything is back to normal.”

“So where do you want to go next? Amanda asked.

Amy paused for a moment. “Let’s go see the governor. Right now he’s in his office but he’s about to head home for the day. If we hurry we can catch him before he’s gone.”

Amanda shook her head. “How do you know these things?”

“I left some nanites in Star City so I could keep an eye on what’s going on. They make transporting there a lot easier. Spotting the split-second when the Gate is open can be kind of tricky, especially at this distance. That’s not the kind of thing I want to misjudge.”

“Do you have nanites floating around anywhere else? We’re about to make a giant leap into the future and I really don’t want us to leave behind any 73rd-century technology.”

“No, I don’t, and I’ll be sure to clean up the nanites at Star City when we’re ready to leave.”

“What about the Wall around Sol?” Amanda asked.

“What about it?”

“Are you going to put it back to the way it was?”

Amy shook her head. “Why would I do that? Steve already told us the Wall was still in place in the future. I don’t see how it makes any difference what technology is used to keep it going.”

“But what if that changes something? Couldn’t people like our brother study what you’ve done and learn from it?”

“I really doubt it. 73rd-century technology is so far ahead of anything the Rangers have that it might as well be magic. It would be like taking a FTL drive and giving it to a bunch of cavemen and expecting them to figure out how it works.”

“If you say so,” Amanda said reluctantly. “I just don’t like this. We’ve been talking to people and doing things, and I’m just afraid that we’re going to mess something up.”

“You worry too much, Atzi. Besides, from what I’ve heard the future is a pretty terrible place. I don’t see how we could possibly make it worse.”

“I guess,” Amanda replied. “Are you ready to go?”

Amy nodded. She waited for a few seconds and then transported both of them to Governor Nicholas’ office. His outer office was empty and his secretary had already gone home, but they could hear the governor moving around in the next room. A moment later the door to his inner office opened and Governor Nicholas stepped out of it. He stopped when he saw the Stryker twins.

“Oh!” he said. “Sorry – I wasn’t expecting you. Please, come on in.”

“No, it’s ok,” Amanda replied. “We won’t keep you. We just wanted to tell you that the Poneri are gone, the Wall is safe, and it’s time for us to leave.”

Governor Nicholas paused a moment to process that information. He then let out a long sigh of relief. “That is wonderful news. I’ll admit I was concerned about the outcome of that battle but I had faith that you would be victorious. The defeat of the Poneri is a fantastic gift to mankind. With them gone we no longer have to worry about who might be lurking out there in the darkness. The only enemy left now is ourselves. Thank you both very much.”

Amanda nodded. “You’re welcome, sir. Is there anything else you need?”

The governor shook his head. “You have already done more than I could have asked. Mankind is deeply in your debt. I wish you well on your journey into tomorrow. I hope to see you both again one day, after all of this is over and the Lord has called us home. I have no doubt that you will do as well in the future as you have done in the past.”

“Thank you,” Amy said. The girls told him goodbye and then disappeared.

After they were gone the governor stood there for a few minutes, thinking. It was late at night and the rest of the building was deserted. He knew that his wife was waiting for him at home but he couldn’t help but think about what had just happened.

He had told the girls not to tell him what the future held but he still wondered what they would find when they got there. What kind of place is the future if the only hope it has left is to resurrect a long-dead hero from the distant past? What has mankind done and what danger do they find themselves in? At what point did things go wrong?

The governor finally shook his head and sighed. I will be forgotten long before five thousand years have passed, and everything I ever did will be long gone as well. There is nothing I can do to save the distant future from its fate. All I can do is live my life as best I can and leave the future to others. But I do pity you, Amy and Amanda. At least here you have people that care about you and your family. Will that be the case where you are going?