SINGULARITY

THIRD SEQUENCE

"Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality."  -Emily Dickinson

As the pod began to open the cool voice farewelled him, "we trust that you enjoyed your time today, and hope to be see you again soon."

The cable in the back of his neck unplugged itself as it retracted, and Zaccaheus sat up and looked around the room. He saw Cavil a few pods away from him rising out of his pod, stretching his arms as he did so. He was no longer in the guise of an old man; neither of them were. They both stood up out of their respective pods and began to walk towards the exit.

"Cavil, that place was beautiful."

"I'm surprised you'd say that, seeing as it wasn't real."

Zaccaheus grinned, "I gotta tell you, I was never really one for fishing. I guess being so old made it enjoyable."

Cavil put a hand on his shoulder as they walked out the door and towards the lift, "You're forgetting, we are old."

"Age means nothing when you can live forever."

Together they took the lift down. Outside it was begining to get dark. Zaccaheus glanced at his watch; an analogue one, "Its six thirty."

Cavil leaned against the glass and crossed his arms while he gazed at the stars, "Six thirty two to be exact. Why d'you still check your time on that? Its ridiculous. People laugh you know."

"Because I like watches, these ones especially. Used to buy a lot of them before things changed. You say you like the way life used to be, maybe you should try preserving some elements of it."

The elevator reached the ground floor and the two of them stepped out. Together they walked across the foyer and exited the building. The street was empty.

Zaccaheus called for his car, which came driving out from a parking lot behind the police station. He turned to Cavil, "I better head home to see Iris. Don't go into the AR tomorrow, or even better, for a few days. Spend some time with Alessandra. We'll catch up later."

"Will do. Think I'll walk home tonight. Nice weather."

Zaccaheus stepped into the car, giving Cavil a final brief wave, who returned one and began to walk away from him down street. The chord plugged itself into the back of Zaccaheus's neck and the soothing voice spoke to him, "Identification confirmed; Officer..."

He interupted, "I'll be driving manual this time."

A compartment infront of him unfolded neatly and a wheel extended from it presenting itself to him. He gripped it and put his foot on the accelerator. He was glad he'd learnt to drive before automation became standard; he relished the control something as ordinary as driving a car gave him. Or at least the illusion of it; the cars AI's were designed to override the driver's actions if it assesed them as dangerous. In a way the thrill of speeding down the road was no more real than the thrills he had chastised Cavil for seeking within the AR.

He put his foot down hard and began to accelerate, streets lights flying past him until they were nothing but blury white lines. He didn't have to worry about the speed, the AI knew the traffic was non existant so wouldn't try and stop him. The danger was non-existant, yet the feeling was exhilirating; he let the window next to him roll down and felt a forceful blast of cool wind strike him. He smiled as he gripped the wheel firmly; this was one of his few remaining guilty pleasures.

Among the blur of the buildings, he was able to make out the old school. It caught his eye everytime he passed it. No one had been there for years. When it came to the point that information could simply be downloaded, who needed to learn anymore? In a era when all scientific discoveries were made by increasingly intelligent AI's that dwarfed the capacity of the human mind, what was man's purpose, or his use? And plus; no one wanted children anymore, not in this new world.