Book 3: Chapter 13: Flying Cities
Marcus
February 2215
Poseidon
“I suppose you’re all wondering why I’ve gathered you here.” I turned to sweep my gaze across the assembled invitees. I saw several eye-rolls, some smiles, and a couple of blank faces that said, ‘please let this be over soon’.
Philistines.
“Sorry, I always get a kick out of saying that. In this case, though, it’s appropriate. There’s a project I’ve been actively working on for about fifteen years now. I think you’ll be interested.” I gazed around at my audience, gauging their mood. I noted that several of them were peering back at me with at least as much interest. Very few people had seen me walking around in my android body, as yet.
I’d arranged this meeting on a remote section of the Great Northern Mat, about three miles from the population center of New Malé. Personal flyers sat, parked randomly on the thick vegetation surface. The invitees were a heterogeneous mix of security, administration, and technical people, as well as a few individuals with no credentials at all, except that I liked and trusted them. My friends, whom I’d come to think of as the inner circle, stood off to one side. They’d declared that this was my show, and they would stay out of it.
I tried to suppress a grin, then gave up and let it come. And why not? In effect, I was about to create a new nation.
“Okay, Marcus, this is getting old. Give.” That was Yoshi, a senior infrastructure engineer and one of Kal’s friends from work.