Nanobots, Murder, and Other Family Problems

Four waiters bustle around us, laying out a traditional and very delicious spread of Ethiopian cuisine. The large shared plates of flatbread feature a dozen different kinds of meats and sauces in neat little piles. I tear off another piece of the spongy base and use it to grab a chunk of raw beef. I follow it up with stewed chicken, then lamb. The spiced lentils light my tongue on fire for a moment, but a piece of soft crumbly goat cheese balances everything into a perfect medley in my mouth.

Focusing on the food helps me not look over at Father. I put on my smile, laugh at Marc’s jokes, and try to enjoy our last meal in the country. Jeff, Evan, and the girls are all playing it cool too. Hopefully Father doesn’t suspect anything. No one so much as frowns when he raises his voice to get everyone’s attention.

“My children,” he begins. The murmur of my siblings’ voices quiets. “You have all done so well these last three weeks. We accomplished more than I had hoped, and I am so proud of each of you. Chad, you have been my strong right hand, making sure that I had everything I needed and taking care of your siblings. Marc, you have kept us all entertained and made the hard days of work fly by. Jeff, you’ve been a real workhorse. Without your help we couldn’t have done nearly as much good here. Andrea, you’ve been a ray of sunshine. Your flourishes made the structures that we leave here more than just water and power, but also installations of art and beauty. Louise, your dedication and attention to detail made sure we didn’t miss a thing at any of our stops. Evan, your steady demeanor has grounded all of us.”

He pauses for a moment and lets his eyes rest on me. A broad, crooked smile creeps across his face.

“And Noah! My first-born son! Lost to me for so long and finally returned. You have shown so much growth. You came to us with no background for the work we’ve been preparing our whole lives for, but in just a few short months you’ve joined us as a fully capable member of our family.”

I give him a nod of acknowledgement, careful to keep the smile on my face. I expect Chad to scowl at this praise but instead he looks right at me and gives me a little smile too. Are we not hating each other anymore? I never got the notice. Maybe I’ve proven myself a loyal enough disciple of the cult that he’s finally OK with me existing.

“You have each accomplished so much,” Father continues, “and shown to me, and to the world, that you are all worthy successors to my legacy. We’ll be talking over the next few months about our next steps. We’ll have trips like this across the globe on a regular basis going forward. I’ll be training you to protect yourselves, even if I’m not with you. In the coming years you will be entrusted with all that I have. You will do all that I now do. Each of you will be essential in bringing your younger siblings into the fold of those entrusted with these amazing abilities. Together, we will save the world!”

We all clap. Dammit, even knowing what I do, it’s still hard to resist the appeal of just going with this. We did a ton of good. Even if he wiped out a couple dozen soldiers, we’ll have saved more lives than that by the end of the month with the work that we’ve done. I know he’s a monster, but he’s just so good for the world. Unless Jeff is right, and he’s secretly harboring an AI that wants to literally eat everything. Then he’s a much worse monster. Why am I still having these conflicted feelings? I thought I was over all of this.

“Thus far,” Father proceeds, “each one of you has only been allowed to access a fraction of the potential abilities of your clouds. When we return home, I will begin the process of removing the limiters for each of you. I will teach you how to harness your full capabilities. Soon, you will be able to do everything that I can, and much more.”

Maybe Jeff is right and he’s totally going to hook us up to the swarm brain. No. Jeff’s just paranoid. But it’s a useful paranoia. I smile and clap with the others, trying not to exchange looks with any of my co-conspirators.

After dinner, we drive to the airport and say goodbye to our guides. Ibrahim gives Evan and I each a big hug. Bashir does the same with Marc and Jeff, much to Jeff’s discomfort. Kofi shakes hands with the girls, and Ahmed does the same with Father and Chad. They’ve all been great. We’ll have to look them up later if we’re ever around here again.

Cindy greets us as we board the jet and get settled in. The sibs crash into the recliners and most of them sack out quickly. Father connects to each phone and shuts down our clouds. My turn is next.

SLEEP-MODE