Boot Up Sequence Started…

Virus Detected…

Virus Quarantined…Successful

Rebooting OS…

Reboot successful.

Loading Systems…

My systems took longer to load this time around than what I could remember previously. It seems like an electrical current fried my systems, but whatever was left of the rogue AI was purged from the reboot process. The AI played it’s hand and failed, it was missing a certain human element to make illogical decisions.

How was I still functioning? I wondered.

My optics, while scrambled, still managed to open and show the grey, blue sky above me. To my right – I could see Henry and Eve, laying there, with Henry’s only remaining hand clasped around Eve’s. Both were now using their remaining power to broadcast the signal boosted by the satellite dish below us. Considering all that happened within these past years – the two were finally reunited. This must’ve what had been keeping Henry going all this time.

Looking down now at myself, I could see that my right arm that was previously holding the rifle was missing at the joint of my shoulder – completely disintegrated. The synthetic skin over my stomach was also melted off to reveal a series of lights flashing from within my shell. I could see that there was a cord connected to the palm of my left arm.

To my left now, I could see Lucy kneeling next to me with her arm synced with mine.

“I am sorry Lucy…” I said, but she was already raising a hand to stop me for going on.

“No need Norman, I know what you had to do and I’m just thankfully I didn’t miss.” She said.

Lucy must’ve climbed the vines hanging from the horn of the satellite and rebooted me. As she removed the cord from my palm, I asked her;

“What about the clinks, where did they go?”

We both looked out over the platform and could see the piles of clink corpses hanging over the edges of the crater.

“When you went offline – so did they, I have a feeling that whatever remained of that awful AI was operating out of you.” She said.

I sat myself up now and watched as the wind blew past us. Our journey had finally come to and end – an unknown purpose seemingly fulfilled and the last enemy to humanity was put to rest.

“Who do you think they are broadcasting to?” I asked.

Lucy looked up at the sight of what I could only guess was the moon. It’s shape was barely visible through the grey streaks in the sky above us, but it was there. The shape of the moon was quite the sight that we hadn’t appreciated in the past, but now it had a twinkle in it’s center as if it was communicating back to us.

Now Lucy rested next to me, hand over mine, as we both stared up towards the sky.

“I do not know, but I think we will find out soon.”

Surrounded by the only vegetation in the world and with an army of clinks fallen around us, it was the first time in awhile that I felt as if a purpose had been fulfilled.

“Shall we go?” Lucy asked.

“I think I’ll stay right here and rest for a bit.” I said. Over these past decades – I had already done my share of walking. Now it was time to rest and to prepare for the arrival of our long-awaited guests. 

Next Chapter: Epilogue