Pa'an

What used to be a simple meadow with grazing cows now sported a pair of enormous parabolic reflectors facing each other. Their mirrored surfaces bedazzled the eye and attracted it like a spinning illusion. It was quite hypnotic. Between the mirrors, on a stage at the center of focus, was a painted bullseye. The red circle was large enough to accommodate about 50 people.

This was the Dover reflector, the first of thousands being built throughout the world. Most were in cities, but a few were scattered in African and Asian rural areas.

Power hungry and elitist governments had tried to adopt measures to control the flow of people, but they soon divided into factions over who should be sent. A few hermit countries just refused to allow their citizens to escape. Others saw it as the answer to overcrowding, financial problems and fractious opposition. As Zovo and Aura foresaw, people at the top of the food chain saw little value in taking a risk of going to a place where their position was not assured. “Send me your tired, your poor,” was a good motto.

Most of the reflectors were built by private funds. Few knew that more than half of those funds originated in holding companies and charities controlled by Zovo and Aura.

Explorers, people with a repressed frontier spirit, others of good faith but limited prospects queued up to go. Criminals believed it was a trap, or there was some “angle” involved. Dictators, absolutists, the corrupt syndicates and their sycophants thought they had a good thing on Earth and resisted Exit. Their propaganda declared the reflectors to be a subterfuge to depopulate Earth for an easier conquest by the Pa’an or some other horrible alien species. In spite of paid talk show hosts, celebrities and news media, a lot of people were ready to leave. How many remained to be seen.

Elexi, Sara, Deepak and Jag all watched the newscast on a screen in the Pit. Aura, of course, had other means of getting the news, but her digital avatar moved slightly to show she was in attendance. In fact, all of Aura’s copies were engaged in one way or another.

The question of whether Elexi would be the first to depart through the gateway was still undecided.

“Elexi, have you given much thought to this? It’s a big step, not just for you but all of us.”

Sara scowled. “Jag, why not put the whole world on her shoulders? That your idea of helping her make a decision?”

“She must accept her fate, just as the rest of us have. Fate is our master.” Strangely, Deepak, the AI scientist, probably the world’s leading AI scientist, who had been through every kind of experience with Aura, still believed in fate.

“Perhaps, my love, there is only the fate we make for ourselves.” Aura’s avatar turned in Deepak’s direction. “Well, Sis, are you gonna go? Or not?”

“Aaah. Part of me feels tied here. Part of me wants to find anything better than here.”

Jag scrutinized Elexi, looking for any sign of her decision. He didn’t see one. Still, he felt a growing certainty about the right thing to do.

“Elexi, I have already released you to do whatever you want. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Jag, but I still feel… bound. I can’t quite make up my mind to leave you, and Aura, and Sara and…” She began to cry.

Jag took her hands in his. “Elexi, you have suffered too much on my behalf, and I cannot make that up to you. You have my support whatever you do.”

Elexi blubbered into Jag’s shoulder. “I just don’t know. I don’t know.”

Jag looked around at the eyes and faces around him. Even Aura’s avatar seemed to reveal the emotions that he saw on all the other faces. He sighed.

“Elexi, if you will take some advice from me, and perhaps your friends here will agree, you should go. If you can’t accept the challenge and the glory of this trip, then accept the opportunity to escape to a better place.”

The sniffles subsided, then stopped. Sara offered her a tissue. Elexi pushed back a loose strand of chestnut hair and faced her friends.

“I’ll go,” was all she said.