“The man of today seems ever to be under threat from what he produces, that is to say from the result of the work of his hands and, even more so, of the work of his intellect and the tendencies of his will.” – Fides et Ratio, Karol Wojtyla, Saint Pope John Paul II 

Every piece in place.

Every piece in place.

Every piece in place.

Adam Shank broke the encrypted link and sat back, watching his parasitic AI agents infiltrate and replicating to execute the stealthy navigation through the shells and spoofed accounts, embedding instructions and pilfering new information. Archie’s most recent visit and interface with the groupmind achieved its purpose. There was no evidence of detection and he believed his plans remained concealed. He jumped at a touch on his shoulder.

Serena stood behind him with her walker, a worried frown on her unlined face, sightless eyes distant. Lost in the isolation of his intense concentration, he missed the sound of her shuffling approach.

“What are you doing, Adam?”

“Touch talk,” Adam rasped. He hated speaking because it reminded him of before, the years of effective muteness, the bullying, the resentment and anger, feeling trapped inside his uncooperative body, until he’d been set free by the alternative multimodal communication skills he learned at the McJames Institute. His sister Michelle made that happen, the first step on his journey with the emerging groupmind, Homo iunctus, though she didn’t realize it at the time. He was one of the last recruits before the crisis precipitated by the grendel rebellion and escape at the nearby Research Lab, revealing the HI’s presence there.

Serena emitted a frustrated grumble as she fumbled to grasp the back of the chair next to him. Adam watched her in his peripheral vision, knowing that any assistance he might render would be resented by his fiercely proud partner. With her usual determination, she mastered her trembling arms and legs, her beautiful young face contorted with concentration as she let go of the walker and lowered herself into the chair.  She brushed a wisp of her yellow hair away from her face, then reached over and clasped forearms with Adam, her trembling subsiding as they brushed fingers lightly on each other’s skin.

I’m worried about you. About your plan, she tapped and stroked in the touch talk.

His fingers came alive. It’s for us. So we can be free and safe. To have our own babies.

I want that too. But the risks. Being cut off from the others. And our families. Your sister and Bina.

We will be together. Safe and together.

I’m scared.

Don’t be. The rest of the world must help protect us. I will make them. I will fix this. I promise.

Serena heaved a deep sigh and squeezed Adam’s forearm, then caressed it. He suppressed his deep-seated aversion to non-communicative touch, knowing how much comfort she got from holding and hugging. It was the sacrifice he made for her, for love.

I trust you, Serena continued. I just worry.

I know.

Can you contact the support person? We need more groceries. I have a list. And we have to check in with Archie’s case worker soon.

I will take care of it.

I love you.

I love you, too.

Serena was an important piece, one Adam never knew existed or was even possible until he found her. She appeared at the darkest time, after the scattering, chased apart, he and Bibi separated, unable to mesh and grow. Mimi kept them apart. Nothing could be right with pieces missing.

Move the missing piece.

Move the missing piece.

Move the missing piece.

In the next room, Archie’s wrestling show blared, his failing hearing driving the volume of the screen ever louder. Serena stood, found her walker, and moved toward the living room to sit with Archie and help with his hearing aids so she could lower the volume. Adam went to the kitchen to prepare a simple dinner for their improvised family, his little node, the seed of a future they would choose, on their own terms, once the shape was complete with all the pieces in the proper places.

The careful connections with the others helped with that, seeing how the pieces move, the contours and how they fit, what was needed to maneuver them, even change the shapes. The delicate part was next, then the shape would be complete, and finally safe, forever.

After dinner, he and Archie spent the evening playing Hyperion Quest with their tightknit virtual clique. Adam confirmed that none of their gaming community suspected how they’d assisted him. As usual, Serena had to kick them off to make sure everyone got to bed at a reasonable hour. Archie retired bragging about his score.

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