Book 4: Chapter 21: Earth Abides
Bill
September 2334
Virt, Earth
I pinged Charles, and received an invitation to drop in. I was surprised by his VR; it appeared to be the hotel suite that Original Bob was staying in on the day he died. I couldn’t keep a perplexed expression off my face.
Charles laughed. “I know, Bill. It’s been called everything from morbid to macabre. But it grounds me, somehow. Reminds me where we all came from, y’know?”
“Yeah, okay. At least you’re still trying. Most VRs I visit these days are just Bob-1’s default library theme.” I invoked a La-Z-Boy, sat, and accepted a coffee from Jeeves.
“So to what do I owe the pleasure?” Charles asked.
I replied with a helpless shrug. “I’ve been popping around everywhere, evaluating damage from the Starfleet attack. I guess I just wanted to take a break in a location that I already know isn’t affected.”
Charles nodded slowly. “I’m still not sure if we were just lucky, or if they left us alone out of some kind of respect.” He gestured to his picture window, where Earth hung in the heavens. “Or maybe we’re just irrelevant.”