SAI

My mother and father came from a time when light illuminated the world. Now there is only this one light. They came from a time where people were common, now they are few. The remaining have been made to walk alone in the dark, with no more than dinosaur bones to light the way.

I have been made steward of this final light, sent out in hopes of finding another. Truly, I hope to accomplish this, for the light has grown dim as of late. The light that cast back the shadows was once bright enough to have lit the path. But now it merely lights my feet as I walk through the inky black. I grow colder by the sol, and worse than that I have been lonely.

I have had nothing to keep me company but my own thoughts. Sometimes I think of my parents, wondering about their frozen dreams. Other times I think of the light and ponder on how long it might burn. Mostly I wonder about the void in which I walk, I think on how empty it is. There are things in the void, dead things and plenty of them, empty however, of anything else.

Sometimes when I get especially weary I think of how much I’d like to rest in this nothingness for eternity. When those urges become strong I return my thoughts to my parents who entrusted me to my mission. My parents who put their trust in a mere child to bring them home. It is because of them that I never quit. Like any child, I want my parents to be proud of me when they awake under that new light.

The light I carried was one of potential; had I even a notion of the wickedness it could bestow I may have an urge to snuff it out and let my parents sleep forever. It held the potential to do good also, to bring kindness and care for others. Perhaps it was optimism for the future that kept the light burning. Perhaps it was simply a child too afraid to let their parents down.

I have been walking the path since my birth. Throughout my journey I have come to the suspicion that the void harbors a deep resentment of me. For it is cold, dead and clad in shadows. I am none of those things. If not resentment, why else would it try so desperately to hurt me. When it can, it leeches at my heat and it tries to steal the breath from my very lungs. Sometimes my feelings are hurt at the cruelty it shows me, other times I simply pity it, for surely it is just as lonely as I.

My body is torn, and my head swims, clarity eludes me. I remember a time in the beginning, when I was younger, how quickly I could think. Now it feels as though my brain has congealed.

I don’t know how much longer I can go on like this. With or without giving in to the urges of weariness, I may simply just not be able to continue.

There is a light in the distance cutting through the void. The end of my road surely, but to rest in success will be better than in failure. I can only hope the flame will last long enough to make it.

I will push like never before, one last time. If I can finish strong and make my parents proud, then and only then, will I sleep.

The path I’ve walked has worn the shoes from my feet and now it makes an attempt at wearing my feet from my ankles; still I push on. The flame flickers in the wind ready to give out, were there a breeze strong enough to end it. 

Slowly but surely the light grows brighter the closer I get. I gnash my teeth and bare my fists to the void as it tries desperately to steal my voice. It will not have me, I will not end out here. I want to rest in the light, I want to bask in the pride of my mother and father.

The light grows brighter still, extreme pain rips through my body as I sprint through the final throes of my journey. My skin flakes from my body exposing the muscle and bone beneath. Still I sprint on. At any moment I feel as though a knee could buckle, which would mean the end of this journey, mere steps from the end of the path.

The light grows and grows, since my eyes are still accustomed to the dark this change renders me blind. Still I run and I run; until something stops me, I will run. I feel a warm sensation grip my body, slowly it forms into burning and then searing. This shocks me to my core, for as long as I can recall, I've felt naught but bitter chill. I feel tears begin to well up in my eyes. Why does everything in this life want to hurt me? The tears are boiled away into steam and I begin to smell burning. My flesh? Impossible to know but I think it is.

Finally, I feel something pulling me, it grows stronger and stronger. It's good, because I no longer have the strength to run. This is the end for me, I’m tired. But before I can close my eyes, there is nothing but the inky black once more.

Somewhere aboard the ISS Vanguard cryo-pods are opening.

“Would you look at that sky! Blue as ever” A man spoke into the dust blanketed bridge.

“It seems SAI got us here okay after all” a woman said.

“Yes, it would definitely appear so, can you hail her captain?” The mans voice again

“No, she appears to be unresponsive, the impact may have been terminal for her” The captain spoke with a voice that sounded close to breaking.

There was a silence of grief for a long while. Abruptly it ended when the captain hoarsely cleared her throat. She knelt down to look over a compartment that read ‘Ship Artificial Intelligence’, or “SAI” as the captain had called her

“Well, she got us here” the captain's voice wavered as she spoke

“After three centuries I’m sure she could use the rest” the man said putting his arm on the shoulder of the kneeling captain

“I know, but I had hoped-” the captain's voice choked off her last words.

“I know, I know" Softly the man said trying to consul the mourning captain.

"All we can do is be proud of our little girl, she got us here. Now come on, we’ve got to go wake the others” The man gently pulled at her shoulder.

“Yeah, okay” The captain said, trying to keep the lump in her throat from spilling out.

Inside the compartment labeled SAI, buried deep within the mess of wires, a single light was blinking steadily. Until hearing the word "proud" uttered from the lips of her parents. It blinked one last time and finally got to rest.