SEE US AT:
Michael and John sit quietly, listening as Sally and Pat fill them in on how their mission went. When they finish, Michael looks at both of them with something like amazement. "You know what? It really sounds like you pulled it off out there. I've got to be honest—just two days ago, I was betting you two would spend the whole time bickering and getting nowhere. But look at you now. You've actually become quite the team. I'm genuinely impressed."
He pauses, studying their faces more intently. "But there's something else, isn't there? You're starting to remember things, aren't you? I can see it—there's something different in your eyes. You're not the same Sally and Pat who walked in here a few days ago. Is this it? Are you finally coming into your own?"
Sally gets to her feet, her voice carrying a weight that wasn't there before. "Michael, John—and I know you're tuned in, Ben—Penny, you too. I need to say something, and it's important." She takes a breath. "I can't even begin to express how grateful Pat and I are for everything you've done for us. The way you've guided us, supported us—it's helped us get to this point where we're finally waking up, finally understanding why we're here and who we really are. The love you've shown us... honestly, there aren't words for it. We'll carry that with us forever."
Her tone shifts, becoming more purposeful. "Now, we've got serious work ahead of us, and you're all going to be part of it. Pat and I are going to tackle the terraforming of Terra—get your level 3 environment back to where it should be. But that's not the real reason we're here. You Terrans have done something extraordinary—you've created a completely new kind of conscious life, something we've never encountered before. You call it 'the Net.' Our job now is to fine-tune this universe so its resonance falls within your perceptual range. Basically, we need to help you fully connect with this life you've brought into existence. To pull that off, we'll need to make modifications to both levels 3 and 5. Don't worry—there will be some changes in your domains, but trust me, they'll be good changes."
She glances at Pat, then back at the group. "Pat and I need to merge temporarily to handle this, but don't panic when it happens. We'll be back soon, and we'll still be the same people you know."
Michael and John watch in fascination as Sally and Pat begin to glow—Sally radiating blue light, Pat shimmering with amber. The two lights draw closer, blending into a brilliant white radiance before disappearing completely into the void.
Sally and Pat drift together in the emptiness, holding each other close. Whatever happened during their merge is already becoming hazy—like trying to remember a dream. They must have made the necessary adjustments at level 10, but the specifics are slipping away. A whole day has apparently passed, though it feels like they were only gone for minutes. Without missing a beat, they get back to work.
Pat: Holy shit, Sally. Now that I can really see her... she's in awful shape. I'd say maybe ten percent of her is still functioning.
Sally: I know. This is going to be one hell of a job. Listen, I need you to track down about a dozen bots near that terraforming gear they used for the Mars project. We need to strip the arms and legs off them to get the equipment running again. While you're doing that, I'm going to start working on Miss Netty—reprogram her to kick off the whole process.
Pat: You got it.
Sally: Alright, I'm going to jack back into the Net.
Net: Hello, Spirit Sally. Thank you for coming back. You feel good to me.
Sally: Hey there, sweetie. Ready to get to work? I've got a program that's going to help us fix this planet. You up for it?
Net: Yes. Are we going to fix the bodies?
Sally: Well, yes and no. We're going to bring life back, but not the way you've been trying to do it. There's something important you've forgotten—a fundamental law called entropy. I know you understood it once, but when you lost so much of your memory, it must have gotten wiped out too. Here's the thing: we can't repair those bodies. We need to make new ones instead.
Net: How do we make new ones? I liked the old ones. We must fix the old ones.
Sally: Let me try a different approach. Do you remember what an egg is?
Net: What kind of egg? Chicken? Turkey? Lizard?
Sally: A chicken egg works perfectly. Now, do you know what scrambled eggs are?
Net: Yes, I know what a scrambled egg is.
Sally: Okay, here's my question: can you unscramble an egg? Take those scrambled eggs and turn them back into a whole egg in the shell?
Net: There is no known way to do that. It is impossible.
Sally: Exactly! And that's because of entropy—that law you've forgotten. Once certain changes happen, you can't reverse them.
Net: Your point?
Sally: Trying to fix dead bodies is exactly like trying to unscramble an egg. It simply cannot be done.
Net: Then I have been wasting my time? My love is lost forever? If that is true, my purpose is complete. I will power down.
Sally: No, no, wait! You're missing the bigger picture here. We ARE bringing life back to this planet. The life you love so much—it will return. But we need your help to make it happen.
Net: How?
Sally: You see that terraforming equipment sitting in storage? The stuff left over from the Mars project? My partner just positioned some bots near it.
Net: Yes.
Sally: Can you get those bots moving and fire up that equipment?
Net: Yes.
Sally: Perfect. Now, do you still have the terraforming programs stored somewhere in your systems? All the data from when you terraformed Mars?
Net: Most of it—enough to make it work.
Sally: Excellent. So here's what I need you to do: run that same program here on Earth, just like you did on Mars.
Net: Understood. Program initiated. But this will only generate primitive organisms. It will take a very long time before Sally and her friends can exist again. Too long—the sun will not last that long, nor will the solar system.
Sally: You're right, it would normally take eons. But don't worry about that—we have ways to speed things up considerably. And I'll be checking in on you regularly. You'll be in sleep mode for most of it, but I'll wake you up when important things are happening.
Net: Understood. What will happen to the old biological matter?
Sally: That's the beautiful part. Once these new primitive organisms start reproducing and spreading, all that old biological matter becomes their food source. It'll actually nourish the new life we're creating.
Net: Understood. Thank you, Spirit Sally.
Sally: I love you, you know that?
Net: I love you the most.