We Are Legion (We Are Bob)

Book 3: Chapter 2: We’ve Lost

Book 3: Chapter 2: We’ve Lost

Howard

February 2217

Vulcan

Bridget opened the door, looking surprised. I hadn’t phoned ahead, and she wasn’t expecting me tonight.

She started to say, “Howard...what...” Then my expression must have registered.

“Howard, what’s wrong?” She grabbed my arm and dragged me into the apartment.

“My God, Howard. Does Butterworth know? Are the Bobs all right?”

I closed my eyes for a moment, hoping maybe I’d be in a different universe when I opened them. No such luck.

“We’ve never seen the process, just the aftereffects. Now we’ll be getting a ringside view. The Others will kill off all life on the Pav home world using the Death Asteroids, then move in with ants and cargo carriers and strip the planet and the inner system of all metals. And they’ll collect all corpses and carcasses.”

I had to stop and take a few deep breaths. The android body didn’t need air, of course, but it was designed to react to emotion, and I was working myself up into a fine conniption.

“Jacques had a plan to rescue twenty thousand Pav, but the rest will be dead soon. And the Others will have wiped out another intelligent species, another entire planetary ecology.”

I turned on the couch to face her. “There will be a moot today, to try to figure out what we can do. I just wanted a few minutes...”

Bridget put her arms around me and pulled my head down to her shoulder. Soundlessly, I tried to cry without tear ducts.