Continuum

Stevo considered this. Mary was somehow becoming more alien than he had ever imagined. But he was greatly relieved to know that his world might yet survive.

Mary continued her thoughts, "Yes, we will help you shut down the Continuum, and we can even mitigate much of the destructive effects of doing so. We will place some of our own where they are needed to maintain your infrastructure until someone is trained and able to take over. You must understand however that many people will die in spite of all we do. Those are the ones who have become too dependent on the human Continuum. Its termination will likely be too much for them. I am sorry."

Stevo was pained at the reminder. "I know Mary. Many people are already dying from neglect. Others are already exhibiting mental breakdown. I have no idea how to help them all. The Continuum has become their ultimate reality, and their horror. Once that is gone . . ."

Mary grew solemn. "I have run some calculations about this, my friend. Instead of completely shutting down the Continuum, we could limit it to low band voice only. I think we could do it so that people would believe it was an overload of the system. So many people now have lost the ability to control or even understand the equipment, that we might get away with it after all. At least that way people could be able to rebuild your world more quickly. With the automatic language conversion still in place, they could still communicate with one another at least."

Stevo resisted the urge to kiss her for this. "Yes, Mary! It will work. I know it!" He got up and walked around, thinking furiously. He had not noticed that they were on speaking terms only. She had quietly removed his ability to communicate his thoughts. Having controlled this whole encounter, she now knew that she must do this one last thing.

* * *

Reluctantly, Mary stood too, and walked in front of him to face him. "By now you must realize that this crisis is not the greatest danger to your world. Stevo."

He stopped, and looked at her blankly. "What do you mean, Mary?"

Mary stamped her foot and put her hands on her hips. "Look at me, Stevo! Use your eyes!" She demanded. "Me and my kind - the Unity - we are the greatest threat there will ever be to your world!"

He was beyond surprise at this. Suddenly he was very tired. He wished for a chair to sit on right now. He was concerned anew about Mike and his other sons, - and he wished mightily that he were back with his boys in their little home right now. But that was not to be. Perhaps he should have gotten others to do this task, but there was no one else he could have trusted.

"I do not understand you Mary!  What do you mean saying that you are our worst threat?"

"Think it through, Stevo. I said use your eyes. Have you not noticed how different I appear now?"

"I have been noticing, Mary. I just did not place too much importance in it, compared to everything else!  I thought perhaps my mind or my memory was playing tricks on me. You are vastly different now than you were before you went away. I haven't even asked why, - or more importantly, I did not ask if you always had this capability. What are you wanting to tell me, Mary?