Post-Human Trilogy by David Simpson

loading bay built into the side of a rocky outcrop on the eastern side of Mount Andromeda. It was hidden by a convincing holographic image of a snow-covered slope, but the image was only visible one way, and the post-humans had a clear view of the Purist invasion force gathering outside.
    “I won’t leave you, Aldous!” Samantha shouted back as her body thudded against her husband’s; their embrace was tighter than any they’d ever shared.
    “What about the A.I.?” Aldous shouted. “What about Craig?”
    “I sent them through!” she replied.
    He took her face in his hands and held it just inches from his own. “You uploaded the A.I. into Craig? Do you know how reckless that was?”
    “I don’t care, Aldous! I love you! I won’t live if it’s not with you!”
    A precious second passed as he considered the ramifications of her actions. She loved him as much as he loved her. Their bond was beyond reason. He knew the right thing—the logical thing—was for her to protect the A.I. He knew the logical thing was for him to sacrifice himself to save her. But he’d been wrong. He should have known she wouldn’t leave him. A huge part of him had wanted her to do just what she’d done—to choose between him and her former husband. He’d tested her without even consciously realizing it, and he’d won. To Hell with Craig Emilson. The right thing to do would have been for them to go through to Universe 66 together. Now, everything they’d worked for was in jeopardy. Craig, who could barely protect himself, was now charged with protecting the most important entity in the history of humanity.
    He turned and faced the spectacle that loomed in the air, mere meters from the facility entrance. An ever-darkening wall was forming of dozens upon dozens of stealth harrier transports, the preferred delivery system for super soldiers. Every second, more planes joined the wall and hovered, forming a nearly impenetrable impediment.
    “I’m sorry I led you to this, my love,” Aldous said, his voice nearly failing him as he struggled to keep his gaze fixed on the death-bringers.
    “It’s not over yet,” Samantha replied. “We’ll take more than a few of them with us.”
    “No!” Aldous quickly shouted, turning to Samantha and the other post-humans assembled. “We’re not killers. They’re the ones that are here for war, not us. We won’t lose sight of who we are!”
    “It’s a little beyond that now, don’t you think?” Samantha replied. “They’re here to kill us.”
    “It’s not that simple,” Aldous answered, turning back to the rapidly assembling force opposing them. “If they suspected we were here, they could have deployed a tactical nuke. There’s no need for all of this...this show.”
    “Then what do they want?” Sanha shouted from amongst the increasingly large group of assembled post-humans.
    “I don’t know. To negotiate our surrender?” Aldous conjectured.
    “Or to look us in the eye,” Samantha suggested, “and make sure they get every last one of us.”
    Aldous didn’t counter Samantha’s suggestion; it was plausible. Her words had sent a palpable spike in tension in what was already a barely controlled terror amongst those assembled. He turned to them and called out, “A show of hands! Who wishes to make a run for it? We will do our best to cover your escape!”
    At first, no hands went up.
    “This will be your one and only chance!” Aldous shouted.
    A long handful of seconds passed before the first hand went up. Once one went into the air, several others followed. A few seconds later, nearly half of those assembled had raised their hands.
    Aldous nodded. “Okay. When I give the word, you must flee as fast as you can and scatter in all directions! We’ll do our best to disrupt any pursuit!”
    Sanha was not amongst those who chose to flee. He sidled up beside Aldous and Samantha and shared a determined expression with them. “Any predictions to ease my mind, my old