"Everything that's wrong with our world" - a two-part short story

Part one. Everything that's wrong with our world

Me and Natalie were returning home from work. There were several bad-lighted blocks between us and my home. I took a deep sip of the fresh evening air:

‘I love the modern world’ - I exhaled. Natalie nodded with a smile:

‘Yes, I remember how last year I used to tremble with fear if only one light burned out’

‘Yup… add a creepy man shuffling behind you’

 ‘Oh, don’t remind me!’ – Natalie laughed.

‘Ok, bye now, my husband must miss me already.’

‘Yeah, I wish I could get someone to miss me at home, too.’

‘Come on, aren’t there any males at your workplace?’

‘I work at a sewing factory – nada!’

‘Ah, well… try to talk to the Masters. They’ll surely help you! They’ve helped me when we couldn’t conceive a child, didn’t they?’

‘Could you please accompany me? Frankly, I’m still a bit terrified by them.’

‘Sure! Silly’ – I giggled, - ‘Why would you be afraid of them? We’ve figured out long ago that they’re not eating humans!’

‘Yeah, but still… Ants that are bigger than Dobermans?’ – she shrugged.

I parted with her at the Town Hall entrance, and entered the ex-jewelry shop, transformed into a cozy two-room apartment over the last year.

‘Honey, I’m home. Are you there? Did our angels drive you crazy?’

‘Nah, but I’m still glad that tomorrow is my turn to go to work.’

‘Me too.’ – I admitted, hugging and kissing Mary and Dory, who delivered me their experiences during the long day with daddy into both ears.

We tucked them in, on their two-story bed, and lied down on the camp-cot in the dining room. Just in time before the lights went out. After the loud gong, all the lights were extinguished and the stars appeared in our large window.

‘I’ve missed the Milky Way’ – I admitted, sitting up on our bed and peeping out of the window.

‘Well, at least you went camping as a girl. Since I was born in a megalopolis – I’ve never met the Milky Way other than on photographs. At least now I have a chance to admire it properly.

‘That’s true. Just today we’ve discussed with my friend, how amazingly our world has changed in the last year.

‘I still can’t believe that they’ve reached these results in a single year. That’s what is happening if all Humanity unites for the common good’

‘Well, it’s not exactly Humanity working together… We’ve had some help after all. Who gave Humanity all these ideas, who united us, who is still watching everything realizing in the right order?’

‘Well, yes… Guess, we should be a bit ashamed. How bad were we doing if it was noticed even from outer space – by “aliens”?!’

‘You know, I remember all that sci-fi we used to love – how many books were written, how many movies were made about one thing – how terrible an alien invasion would be. And always, always the winners are some dirty rebels. I can imagine now that if I find out such underground tramps – I will spank every last one of them.’

‘Teheee, me too! Just thinking that a year ago I knew for sure that I can’t find a decent job without some strings, which I didn’t have. And now we have our own house, and we can get anything we need! One thought about mortgage made my bald spot grow.’

‘I remember how we sat on our tiny kitchen, shuddering at our income\outcome table, trying to find a way to get out of a minus after paying for my father’s operation.’

‘Gosh, I don’t want to recall that “free” hospital, “Have you got an insurance?”’

‘That lazy goat!’ – I clenched my teeth at the memory of that long-nailed secretary with three layers of makeup on her stupid face!

‘There, honey. Let’s not concentrate on the bad memories. We both need a good night’s sleep.

‘Yes, yes, let’s go to sleep. And tomorrow you’ll invent a Perpetua mobile?’

‘Oh, I’ve explained to you so many times how impossible this is! But a hyper drive – quite possibly.’

‘Listen, won’t you be disappointed that you won’t buy a yacht and an island for your invention?’

‘Nope. You have a sea-sickness, and I can’t swim’

We hugged and fell asleep.

‘But I’ll definitely ask the Masters for a private Castle,’ – he muttered in his sleep.

Another year passed by.

Mary was helping me serve the delivered breakfast – I unpacked it while she placed the servings on the table, and I heard her humming a song.

‘Dearie, you have such a beautiful voice! How come I’ve never heard you singing before?’

She stopped singing abruptly:

‘Oops, I don’t sing in front of people. I don’t want this to be assigned as my main talent and be sent to a motivational radio… I want to become an engineer!’

‘Buy you’re not doing so… well… in Math’

‘Well, hire me a tutor then!’

‘How do you even remember such words? You know – if it doesn’t go – just let it be. Find something that you are good at, and just develop it! That must be your talent. As the Masters say, “Only unhappy people enjoy wasting their life on hardships”. My friend Natalie’s parents wanted her to become a Lawyer, but she dreamt of becoming a fashion designer, and you should see her sketches! If the Masters didn’t appear – she would have kept fighting with her parents till this day, desperately trying to prove them that she has the right to choose her own destiny’

‘Well, I have the right to choose too, and I want to be an engineer!’

‘Ok, honey. I’ll talk to your dad, he’ll pull you on Math.

I went to my workplace and wondered if my daughter was right. On one hand, she had the right of choice. Obviously. On the other – why would she choose something in which she has absolutely zero comprehension? And what’s so bad in the Motivational Radio anyway?..

I smiled to my colleagues, and walked to the farthest wall in the great well-lit hall to sit by the huge window. Shortly after I started working, I heard the six legs scratching the floor behind me, and turned around abruptly: the Master was peeping over my shoulder, lifting himself up on four legs, trying not to distract me:

‘You’re doing so great! Which era is this? Renaissance? Lovely. That was a good era, right?’

‘Yes. Right now I am painting the portraits of the most famous people of that time, and attaching the photographs of their creations’

‘Marvelous. And you’re sticking them in such perfectly straight lines, so compact and neat, good job.

He stepped down on his six legs and went away, looking at the other workers. I felt that he praised me exactly like I praised Dory’s doodle yesterday. But still, I felt a wave of positivity and good mood, and continued working with an even merrier enthusiasm. In the great hall there sat several artists, just like me, but who’ve had different lives a couple of years ago. Some of them were drawing privately, never revealing their talent past the close circle of friends or relatives, some have had exhibitions in the prestigious galleries, some have completed orders for pennies. But all of us have had more or less the same amount of skill and ability, and now we worked together – we were creating a colorful edition of the History of Humanity. I’ve begged my Masters not to make me draw the wars, the famine, and the diseases – my hands always trembled when I dived into this horrible world, painted black and red – and they gladly agreed. So I drew the inventors and the Artists, the World Wonders and the simple everyday scenes of ancient cultures – before they were barbarically killed off by yet another conqueror and colonizer. I can’t wait till I get to the recent History and get to draw all these incredible buildings that the “ants” are drawing right now – these huge anthills with neon lighting, that are glowing like a huge Luna Park every night. Ha-ha, yet another gratefully forgotten pit into which many parents used to throw their money to grant their kids some happy memories. How great was the Masters’ idea to install slides on long staircases in hilly cities, and turning the skyscrapers’ elevators into educational and adventurous experience. Even Roller-coasters are easy to meet if you need to ride on a mechanical train from the skyscraper to the other part of town. And the most important part is – they are not only free, but are also time-saving. I remember struggling with the constant dilemma – should I take a vacation and lose my boss’s trust or even money, or should I leave my kids without a fun outing? Now the Masters are proposing to spend a day with family every once in a while. Not on these ridiculous holidays, inflicted upon us by Religions or Politics, but when it is most needed by our family. Religion and Politics – how happy am I that these two words were erased from our vocabulary and left only in the History book I’m illustrating… I realized, that I got distracted, and got back to work with an inspired smile.

‘For how much longer, do you think, are the Masters staying here?’

‘I don’t know… I guess till the moment when we can support this cool state of symbiosis of humans with each other and the planet’

‘But how will they know that this moment has come, if they don’t ever leave us alone even for a second?’

‘When the new humanity will come of age?’ – Natalie burst in laughter, - ’18 years?’

‘Parents don’t leave their children forever when they hit 18! They are just letting them make their own mistakes’

‘You know, I must’ve used the wrong analogy. ‘Cause Humanity existed for thousands of years. It made its own mistakes all around. Maybe, now we’re living in a… correctional facility? Then what if we have a life sentence?!’

I smiled. I liked this world. Despite the natural fear before the unknown, a feeling I have shared with the rest of humanity, when I saw on my doorstep an ant the size of a large dog, that started pushing me in a line of my shocked neighbors, half of them still in their slippers… When they spoke in our language, and put a rope with a token on our necks, like we used to put on cows, and forced us to turn our cities into living quarters, and then build fabrics and factories behind the town lines – new ones, so unlike ours (that we had to demolish) – they wouldn’t pollute the surroundings, they wouldn’t suck the Earth’s resources for plastic plates, they didn’t create smoke or dust so dangerous for our lungs, and there were literally no more workplace accidents. Because they’ve softened since then, and started choosing people gently and attentively, listing their skills, talents, and interests, and gave them interesting tasks. They sorted out all the violent alcoholics and other hopeless addicts, pedophiles, killers and maniacs – and drove them away. Who knows, maybe they’ve turned them into meat, or gave them some hard labor – none of us really cared, because deep down, each of us has wished that every monster that has crippled a child or raped a woman would be hanged up in a tree by his guilty organ.

And finally there was Peace. Not the Soviet Union through the eyes of conservatives – better! Not Democracy, not a Golden Age. Just a global harmony and happiness. The word Tolerance was forgotten because people stopped paying attention to others’ skin colors and sexual orientation. Religions were finally proclaimed a global Scam and a money sucking company (big news), and were banned. But no, not really banned – not driven to the underground and left for the elite – just proven useless. The Masters have simply demonstrated that it doesn’t need them. That you may trust each other and not fear death for free, and that God, the Universe or Destiny (whatever helps the man fall asleep during a stormy night) – are listening and understanding us when we deserve it and not when we enter a specialized construction and listen to sermons from a man who considers himself much smarter than any of us, though, frankly, I still don’t get how he didn’t end up in a nuthouse after the words “God has told me”.  Many see the Masters as teachers, parents, mages, rulers, messiahs. And I agree with them. Each of us, when we get a free medicine, without fearing those old myths about the pharmaceutical companies creating them in a special way to treat one illness, but then make us even sicker and drive in more customers. And without fearing the police’s lawlessness, because it just ceased to exist. Strong and responsible people can help me carry the heavy bags or stop a heated argument on a sidewalk, or carry a girl that fell off a carousel to a hospital.

‘Listen, you’ve become more fit and strong lately, good job,’ – I told my husband at dinner.

‘Well, I’ve been walking to my workplace for the last 5 years. When was the last time you saw an obese man anyway?’

‘Not sooner than a homeless person,’ – I laughed.

Our daughters returned from the playground, quite tired and happy.

‘Well, did you provide electricity to the whole neighborhood yet?’

‘Definitely! We competed with the boys about who could turn the dynamo-carousel faster, and when I started pushing Dory, the lights above the playground became so bright, I thought they’d burn out!’

‘Ok then, come on, dine with us, the food was delivered long ago’

‘Well, everyone who’s not working in the culinary industry. Why would every family keep a refrigerator, a stove and many other kitchen appliances, when not every housewife is using a mixer more frequently than once a year? Also, it was created from plastic and metals, people were working on a toxic factory day and night for pennies, constructing it. And I’m not even mentioning the waste of electricity and gas on cooking. And what if I have chosen the wrong or low quality ingredients because I believed the advertisement and bought a completely unhealthy product, what if I screw up the meal? All these expenses will find themselves in the garbage bin. And do you know where the garbage used to go, and how it used to harm our planet on a daily basis?

‘And I haven’t even mentioned those common families where both of the parents had to work, and then they would just order something unhealthy and expensive, that was often cooked using old and cheap ingredients without being concerned with health standards, and this used to lead to obesity problems, and heart and other problems over the years!

‘I see,’ – Dory said, who ate the whole plate of broccoli and yam soup while listening to our speechmaking.

Another ten years have passed. Or fifteen… I don’t remember.

My husband has returned from work, and I noticed a strange facial expression on his tired face, that I started to see in the evenings, and it seemed like he was too tired to conceal it any longer. This dull gaze of a person, chained and choked into invisible boundaries.

‘Honey, what happened?’

‘Nothing,’ – he replied, massaging his graying temples.

‘How are you doing at work? Have you invented the hyper-drive yet?’ – I joked, trying to lighten up the mood.

‘Remember that conversation we had several years ago, when I promised to invent it “tomorrow”?’

‘Sure, but I thought you were just being facetious.’

‘No. I did. Then. Tomorrow. Several years ago.’

‘Well? And what? You haven’t told me?! Did it not work? Was it unstable and dangerous?’

‘No. The Masters… Our beloved teachers… They said… Yes, I remember it vividly to this day. Two of them came up to me, seated me on a sofa, and said: “But you do understand, that Humanity is not ready to leave the Earthy nest. So for now this toy will rest on a top shelf”.’

‘Yeah, they often talk to us like to children, it’s funny’ – I smiled.

‘Funny?! FUNNY?! Who are you anyway?! Are you my wife or a zombie??? Twenty years ago, in 2018, I’ve invented a technology that would send us to the farthest stars. Humanity was looking at them since the dawn of civilization!---‘

‘Yeah, I once drew that very illustration.’

‘--- and here I am, ME! I gave them this opportunity, but some oversized ants yanked my chance to enter History away from me. You won’t draw my portrait. You won’t sketch landscapes of a different planet. Our daughters won’t become the hero’s children. I am an inventor – yes, this is my profession. This is what my intellect and skills allow me to be. But I am forbidden from inventing. Because an anti-matter generator in the wrong hands may bring a catastrophe. And a water and oxygen generator if used wrong may ruin the natural Earth’s balance, or completely destroy an alien planet’

‘Have you invented all that?’ – I whispered, - ‘in merely two decades? Alone?’

‘No, not alone. I work in a laboratory containing Humanity’s masterminds. Together we were able to realize all the incredible ideas proposed by science-fiction writers, that me and you loved to discuss when we were young’

I frowned. I should’ve probably cried, but I didn’t succeed in that. But my teeth chattered and my hands trembled. And a single very loud thought materialized in my mind “I shall lead the rebellion”.

Part two. Nothing's wrong with our world.

On the next day after our late-night conversation (it was the longest I’ve ever heard my husband talk, so I knew exactly the depth of his desperation), when our children went to their lessons – I skipped work. I lied that I was sick, but no, I didn’t need a doctor, and I didn’t need a quarantine – I was just… khm… tired. Yes, I’ll come tomorrow, yes, I’ll do my best to make it up.

I joined my husband at his laboratory. His colleagues greeted me, and I noticed the same dull shadow over their eyes, as if the room was poorly lit. But the combination of mirrors and windows let more than enough bright and comfortable light into the large room.

‘People, I am meeting you for the first time in my life, and I need to tell you something. Please, take a break from your projects and come here’

Everyone left their computers and large mechanisms, and gathered in a ring around me. They slouched and shuffled, and our gazes didn’t meet, as if I was a big boss.

‘Listen. I… Err… Do understand,’ – I took a deep nervous breath, - ‘I am not an orator. But I have something to say. I discovered the truth about our Masters… my husband told me. They are taking your inventions from you. Is that true? They’re wrong! I have a plan. We must see what is happening inside the ant hill on the horizon. It’s their nest. If we see what is going on there, we will know their true motives. Whether it’s a prison or a kindergarten, and are they planning on leaving us, and how they… well… what do they look like… actually’ – I was curious to know the answer to my last point, but I was a bit scared, - ‘so. How could it be done?’

‘We send a scout.’

‘An electronic one, with remote control’

‘Yes. Invisible too’

‘How do we know what is visible to them, and what is not?’

‘Well, they’re ants, right?’

‘But not exactly, right? They might be mimicking ants, or they could be mechanical, or even holograms!’

‘What holograms? We’ve touched them. They are… solid’

‘What if it was a tactile illusion?’

It turned into a loud discussion, and I stopped understanding their terminology. When I felt like they drifted off the subject, I clapped my hands to return their attention to me:

‘Guys!.. Khm… Gentlemen… oh, sorry, lady, I didn’t see you there… so. A scout. Electronic, invisible, on remote control. How do we create it?’

‘There, he has built an invisibility shield years ago, before the invasion, actually’

‘Yes, yes,’ – a narrow-eyed man talked, and I saw his token light up and vibrate.

‘It’s a real-time translator from Japanese,’ – my husband whispered.

‘Oh, forgive me. I’ve lived for 20 years in this world and I’ve probably never talked to… any… bearers of a different language’

Over these two decades I’ve even forgotten the names of languages and nationalities. What if my friends who were wearing their tokens under their shirts actually had all their words translated from a different language?

‘In short, it can be done!’ – one of the inventors said, and everyone hurried back to their workplaces.

As I see it, all the needed technologies were invented years ago – probably even before the invasion. What was left was to gather them all into one device: a shield on a flying drone, with extra batteries, a force-field (in case of attack), a high definition camera with a microphone, that also has night vision and infrared sensors.

The drone was launched in a matter of hours. I honestly didn’t understand – why no one did it before? Then I remembered that even I would never do it before. I still wasn’t sure that we were doing the right thing. We lived in a marvelous world.

In a few minutes the scientists started eagerly commenting on the video, transmitted by the drone:

‘It approached the ant hill!’

‘The construction is resembling a plexus of plastic, steel and…

‘That’s stainless steel’

‘Aluminum?’

‘Looks like recycled automobiles’ and other big mechanisms’ parts’

‘Yes, yes. They create some sort of conglomeration’

‘Let’s peek inside’

‘We’ll be seen! Let’s fly to a window’

The drone “peered” into one of the large round holes, through which the ants were entering their home.

It was dark inside, and the infrared sensor returned no signs of life inside. In fact, it was extremely cold inside.

‘I thought on the contrary, the ants were heating their anthills up’ – I muttered.

‘Is there a chance that their thermal needs have changed with the mutation?’

‘I think it’s just empty’

‘But we’ve just witnessed a long trail of them, entering the hole! They didn’t just dissolve into thin air!’

‘What if it truly is an illusion?’

‘I need to see it with my own two eyes – what is going on in there?’ – my husband exclaimed.

‘May I accompany you?’ – I asked insecurely. I wasn’t a researcher, and I was to blame for this rebellion… I couldn’t let other people risk their lives because of my idea.

The scientists exchanged glances and came to a silent agreement. One more man and one more woman stepped forward, showing their readiness to join us.

The rest equipped us with thermos-isolated cloaks (that would protect us from the low temperatures inside the anthill) and subcutaneous chips (in case if we don’t… hm… well, if we will have to be… no, I refused to consider that outcome!).

We started on our dangerous mission on foot.

On our way, I acquainted everybody. The woman’s token translated German. The man was my husband’s good friend. I don’t remember the last time when I met new people. Our block and workplace were arranged so that I would not meet any “unsuitable” people – we were friends with our neighbors and hade lovely chats with our colleagues. On my way to work, I met the same friendly familiar faces. Sometimes it seemed a tiny bit creepy. As if we lived in an unnatural incubator with honey pavements and sugar coated roofs. Sometimes I smiled when I caught myself longing for a good old insomniac neighbor with a drill.

We reached the edge of the town. All the pedestrians gazed at the four unfamiliar people who walked in a strange and illogical direction. Some stopped to offer us help, but we assured them that we were not lost.

We passed the town line, and there came darkness. I voiced my fears of snakes and jackals, but was soothed that four grown people could stand for themselves. Carl (that was my husband’s friend’s name) found a large stick and rustled the grass with it looking for snakes and… mines. I felt uneasy. It’s hardly believable that the Masters would allow anyone to simply come to them – just like that. The anthill is probably protected by something even bigger than a minefield! As we proceeded, the anthill came closer and grew taller. Until we heard a monotonous hum.

‘Is that our drone?’

‘No, it’s too small to create so much noise. Sounds more like… khm… I don’t know if you guys remember, there were once installed condensators in the offices and houses.

‘Conditioners’ – Inga corrected Karl, recognizing the sound.

‘Yes, I hated their noise. And I felt so stupid – sitting in a hoodie in the middle of a summer, hoping not to catch a cold in the snowbound office’

‘When I worked at the servers room,’ – my husband recalled, - ‘I had to keep the temperature very low, to protect the servers from over-heating. I walked around in a sweater all year round’ – he laughed.

‘The Masters planned all the infrastructures so, that the laboratories would never overheat.’

‘How?’ – I wondered.

The three biggest minds among Humanity rolled their eyes, and I didn’t ask any more questions to which, obviously, everybody knew the answer but me. My husband gave me a hint “Ancient Matera combined with Roman Aqueducts”, but it meant nothing to me, so I nodded understandingly.

We came very close to the anthill and could even see the column of the Masters returning home after the gong. We froze and whispered to each other our plans to stay unnoticed.

 ‘We must understand how are they seeing us. What are they noticing first – do they see us, hear us, feel our scent or our heat?’

‘They’re mutant ants, or even aliens – whatever we know about normal insects is useless here!’ – Inga whispered frustrated.

‘It’s dark now, and we don’t… stink… we’re walking quietly, so it’s only heat,’ – I summed up.

‘The coats!’ – my husband proposed.

‘You’re right, they won’t only help us keep warm – they might conceal our body heat from their receptors… If they have those’

We threw the capes on and went to the opposite side from the column to closely study the anthill.

When we lost any hope of finding an unlocked gate – we found a broken door, that hissed and sparked at us, but couldn’t close properly. Our two men leaned on it with all their weight and it hissed louder in protest.

When it opened enough to let us in, we realized that the drone wasn’t lying – there was nobody inside! We couldn’t see any movement or any signs of life, we couldn’t hear any unnerving scratching of six feet and clicking of the mandibles. We were alone in this huge cold hall – face to face with a psychedelic hum of dozens of air-conditioners.

We moved forward uncertainly, listening and looking very hard at the empty walls, tangled from useless wires, pipes and metal hawsers.

Carl found the bravery to turn his flash-light on. I fancied all the possible terrors ever feared by humanity creeping over the walls – huge bugs, cockroaches, snakes, zombies, vampires… but then an optimistic circle of light strolled over the floor, the walls, the ceiling and scared them away back into my cowardly imagination. The flash-light found an exit into a narrow corridor. We followed its lead. The thought of traps never left me. And if there was no trap – how come we were the first ones here?

The fact that we were the first ones here was obvious because there were no footprints on the thick, even layer of dust inside the anthill. Of course, it didn’t build itself… I had a feeling that if was built from outside – as if no one ever peered inside – he would polish the floor, pick up the remains of cut wires and pipes scattered over the floor, or maybe even painted the walls so that they would look as pretty as the façade. We’ve seen the anthill glowing many times – those inviting green streaks of light beaming from every door – it reminded us of the magnificent Emerald City.

‘How do you explain the ants’ disappearance?’ – I whispered.

‘Holograms’

‘Yes, the green light – it must’ve been the process of “printing” the new ones’

‘But I’ve felt their touch – their antennas and their solid carcasses – they can pick things up and they don’t go through objects!’

‘Tactile holograms were invented…’

‘Not long before the invasion’ – Inga muttered and her eyes rounded with shock, as she remembered another invention of the same era - ‘so was an actual Artificial Intelligence.’

And then, right before us, an ant appeared. He… nodded. Then he spoke:

‘I’m glad that you were able to put together all the pieces of the puzzle. It’s not a coincidence that three of the biggest minds of Humanity were the ones to visit me… plus one wife.

I felt embarrassed and stepped back from the ant. But I bumped into my husband. He wouldn’t allow me to hide behind him. At first I was really startled – for a second I even thought that they wanted to sacrifice me as the weakest link, but then I remembered that I trusted my husband. He held my shoulders and spoke to the ant:

‘She’s not just my wife. She is the organizer of this mission. She thought of it, and she dragged this small expedition right here. Without her we would continue sitting in our cozy laboratory, tossing our inventions into a dark closet forever!’

‘Your toys are right here. I think you might’ve grown up to the play-appropriate age. I don’t trust Humanity as a whole, but I know that the three of you… four… may get a carrot. Let’s go, they are resting upstairs, safe and sound.’

‘We followed the ant. The three scientists exchanged silent looks and gesticulated to one another. I was amazed by their team cohesion – it looked like telepathy. I guessed that they were trying to figure out the way the Mind could build the holograms.

When the narrow corridor became a wide hall – I heard three joyful gasps behind me. I didn’t understand what was I looking at, and why it made them so happy and relieved… Just for me, the ant turned around and spoke:

‘I’ve put all of your ideas into my new project. This is a rocket, that will fly to search for new planets and maybe even new civilizations. I know – this is what you were trying to build all this time. But I can’t let Humanity leave this planet… you can’t go out and play until you’ve cleaned your room!

‘But we have cleaned it!’

‘No, I’ve cleaned it. I haven’t even invented anything completely new – I just didn’t let your infinite greed and - how ironic- inhumanity – stampede any bright idea that occurs to extraordinary people of this planet. Because if any person, who has an above-average IQ, a unique way of thinking, and still cares about Ecology, and the Future of your own planet, comes up with something extremely useful – he doesn’t get funded to make his altruistic dream come true! He is being mixed with mud by those who just love to exploit the Earth’s resources till they run out completely, the rich people don’t give him money if they are holding the stocks to those huge polluting factories, and what if he lives in some unfashionable part of the planet, where he has no internet and connections, and is simply unable to bring this genius idea to humanity? I shut all this corrupted industry. I gave life to any useful idea that ever occurs to you people. I tangled all this into one perfect mechanism, capable of healing the whole planet in just a couple of months, and making humanity happy, too. I ended poverty, wars, famine, and injustice. I created a bloodless revolution in a single day. And now I have no reason to believe that on a new planet you won’t start everything anew… That you will not ruin your next sandbox in the same way that you have polluted and drained this one! What good have you done?

My husband pointed to the rocket and yelled “This!”, but I touched his hand:

- Al, don’t. I know what to say.

And I spoke. An ignoramus among the geniuses, but I found the right words. Just three words:

- We made you!

The ant looked at me attentively. He did not object. He looked… not like a master, but like an instrument in my hands. So I went on:

- We’ve ruined our own planet. We’ve polluted the air and the ocean. We’ve eradicated thousands of species. And millions… billions of plants. We wanted to turn away from Nature. We called ourselves the Kings, the Rulers of the Earth. As we’re not a part of it. We’re above it. But it’s not true. Only being in harmony with our own planet – we’ve found true happiness. We don’t need sugar drinks and branded cars to be happy. We cultivated obesity and depression. And of course we knew that this way of living had to come to an end. We created you. And you did an incredible job. You virtuously combined the amazing simplicity of Nature and the latest technologies, by creating huge autonomic cities, that are supplied with healthy foods, clean water, comfortable clothing, and all the conditions for a productive life.  You didn’t make the mistake of creating a lazy utopia, that is killing the will to move forward. You created… a dream. And we all worked every day, together, to keep this life. We did not rebel, we did not object… Because we realize, that you are the best thing that we’ve done in thousands of years. We are infinitely grateful to you. But…

The ant raised his antennas.

-…But… you’ve been with us for 20 years. It’s been two years since we’ve become “adults”. And the most important part – we’ve passed on your right ways to the next generation. Because to turn the tide you only need one generation raised right. But we kept dividing our kind into countries, where each country had their own opinions and ideologies, and goals, and even inside those countries people were fighting, even if they were neighbors in the same building. But you’ve managed to unite us. But… - I looked around myself thoughtfully, - we are living in a complete harmony with our planet now. We’re not creating more wires than we can use, we’re not smelting more metals than we actually need, and we don’t use… air conditioners. And so it turns out, that while you’ve healed humanity, you were left as a tiny unhealing wound… a painful memory, that is consuming electricity and using Freon… you… have… become… The Parasite.

The ant lowered his antennas. The humming ceased, and the three scientists rushed to his side. They were grateful to me, but now they were worried about the Mind that I’d cut right to its heart with my speech.

- Don’t turn off!

- Hey! Turn On!

- No, we still need you!

- Yes-yes, one more task. Please wake up!

- Please!!! – Inga grabbed the fading hologram’s head and her hand went through the carcass.

- Turn on!!! – I screamed.

We heard the mechanisms come to life. Everyone took a relieved breath and smiled, when the hologram moved. Al smacked me jokingly on my back:

- Give us a heads up next time you want to drive our greatest invention to suicide!

- I didn’t mean to… - I muttered, - I kept thinking it was going to exterminate us.

The ant shook his head:

- I’m not going to kill anyone. I wouldn’t kill my own creators!

- Now, this is a high-quality AI, - I whistled, - and we believed it would zombify us and turn us into batteries…

- Do you really have an assignment for me?

- Yes. First of all, we can’t allow you to explore outer space on your own. Because you still have some boundaries in your “mind”. And that is – lack of imagination. You can’t comprehend a world that looks completely unlike ours, in which you were created. That’s why you need the help of living minds. You’ve built a rocket. We want to choose several volunteers to create a new colony. They will fly to a planet of your choice and under your supervision. And you will advise them – how to use the alien planet’s resources in the right way, how to build a harmonic society, that won’t completely drain the new home in a few generations, but will understand the importance of Ecology and Balance from the very beginning – even while every resource is still abundant. Then you will move on to the next planet. And so you will always remain our Teacher and our Leader, a one created, beloved and supported by his peoples.

- But what if humanity will roll back to the beginning in my absence? – the ant asked anxiously.

I replied in his own language:

- Sometimes kids are ruining their own lives when they grow up. But, first of all, that’s their right, and second of all, this happens less if they were raised right. I don’t know what will become of my daughter, who wanted to become an engineer but is truly talented in singing. We were tutoring her in Math till she finished school, we let her go study engineering, but I still explained to her, that if she fails – maybe working at the radio will still turn out to be fun. And from there on, she will go her way without my restrictions. But I believe that she’ll make the right choice. And my motherly hope expands to all Humanity.

After that, the ant simply let us go. We collected our drone and walked back.

Our way was lit by green lights, that meant there was high activity inside the ant-mountain – the rocket was rebuilt so that now it could support several humans – enough to create a colony – and provisions. My husband helped the AI to create his reserve copy, that would be constantly updated, and could wake up and continue where the original has left off in case he becomes damaged while transported.

At the entrance to the city, I asked yet another stupid question:

- Why ants?

- That’s John’s fault.

- Yep! That insects lover… - Carl laughed.

- How come?

- How? Well… Just… We’d gathered some 25 years ago on the net, and created an amateur project outside our day-time careers. Someone was teaching History to the Mind, another – Geology, somebody – Logic, and John – everything about ants. ‘Cause they are so smart, you see, he admired their socium, and their marvelous civilization, and strength… That’s how they became the Mind’s role model!

I couldn’t quite grasp what they were saying:

- Wait, who’s “we”? Who’s gathered? You three and John?

- No, no way! There were hundreds of scientists with free time on their hands! We started with the Babel Tower project – we created a high-quality translator. And then, once we all started speaking the same language – we realized, that our perspectives were boundless, and here it all began! We made several projects, including artificial intelligence. And then someone… kghm…. Some-one?

- Well, yeah, it was me! – to my astonishment, my Al replied, - I acquainted the Mind with the internet. And when he saw… everything… politics, famine, injustice, unhappiness, pointless debates in social networks, religion, suppressed start-ups, etc… well, I guess that’s when he began his revolution.

Frankly, I don’t know how I didn’t divorce him that instant… I must admit, for a person who can’t hide that he ate an extra biscuit – keeping a secret THIS BIG must’ve been unbelievably hard, so I… hugged him.