Free Alluvium by Nolan Oreno Page B

born it will always remind me of my sin. My foolishness. I hope it never see’s the light of day."
     
    [SUBJECT 22 IS PREPARED]
    [INITIATING SURVIVAL PROTOCOL...]
     
    Hollis, you must hear me without confusion: this child’s birth will not bring an end but a beginning. It must be born in good health, and the consequence of its death will surpass any that you have ever experienced before. You may not be able to comprehend this yet, but you must try, and in time with the passing of events it will become clearer to you. It is because of the child’s priority that you must hide the truth of its origins from any and all of the colonists, especially Colonist Saul Lind. You and Autumn are the only two that can know the truth, and only then can the child be born free from harm. For this reason, you must keep your mind in sound condition to protect the child. No more drugs can enter your system and no more unnecessary ventures out into the desert.
    “But-”
    When do you approximate you will perfect the seed? When will EDN be ready?
    “I- I couldn’t tell you. Months- years. Never, maybe."
    You must finish EDN before the child comes into the world. It is imperative. Both the seed and the child must be born together for the future of humanity to continue. You no longer have a choice in the matter of starting your research for you now have a timeline. You will restart your research in the upcoming days.
    “But-”
    You do not see this now, but your conception with Autumn may be the only thing that can save your species from oblivion. Without your initial betrayal on Earth, there could have been no possibility of rebirth on Mars. Your destiny is now one with humanity’s.
    “It’s a-”
    I am afraid that you have a great deal ahead, Hollis, and I am no longer your therapist but your guide. Our sessions will increase in frequency as I will check up on your progress in this effort, but you must keep our conversations private and our motivations a secret. No one can know about our arrangement, not even the Commander.
    [DETECTED: CONFUSION]
    “What is this? You’re all smoke and mirrors! There’s no way you could possibly know all this! Nothing can know the future, not even a supercomputer!"
    I can, for this what I was designed to do: to guide your species back from the brink. I will see you in a few days for our first check up on your progress. But most of all, remember that you must see this child as a blessing and not a curse, no matter the circumstance under which it was conceived.
    “This is insane. This is absolutely insane."
    It is the only way. Now, please, see your way out, we’ve run far over our allotted time. Goodbye, I have another waiting.
    [...PROGRAM END]
     

Part Six: Abscission
     
    Weeks passed under the faint and flickering sun and in this time Hollis had grown more comfortable with the Computer. His foremost suspicion to the machines teachings drifted away with each and every session, and slowly did his understanding to the bigger picture solidify. Both the man and the machine developed a fellowship to which the end sought the survival of a dying race and only just that. Their intentions were unmistakably simple, but the road to get there required careful navigation. This is what the lessons consisted of: Nearly every few days the two would meet and the man would relay the paths available for him to the machine, and the machine would calculate the safest route to which the man should take. At the end of each taken path more would appear and diverge and lead the man astray, and the computer would once again calculate the best route to take. It was a careful dance on thin ice, and one misplaced step could send them all plunging into the frozen abyss of extinction. However, any kind of failure was not an option in whatever they were attempting to accomplish, whether it be to heal old emotional wounds, redefine a social relationship, or begin research on EDN. The calculating computer was not designed for