The End of All Things: The Third Instalment (10 page)

The Colonial Union trade representative for Erie had asked what the problem was.
No problem, Erie (or more accurately its governor for trade) said.
We’ve decided to get out of the export business.

The Colonial Union trade representative pointed out that doing so would trash Erie’s economy.
Erie’s governor for trade noted that its economists said that the change would be difficult but weatherable as long as everyone made certain sacrifices.

The Colonial Union trade representative offered to raise the amount it offered for goods.
Erie’s governor for trade politely declined.

The Colonial Union trade representative hinted that not doing business with them was tantamount to treason.
Erie’s governor for trade asked what particular Colonial Union statute covered enforced, involuntary trade.

The Colonial Union trade representative then made a crack about the entire planet lying down on the job.

This is stupid,
Powell said.

As stupid as the Colonial Union trade representative?
I asked.

Close,
Powell replied
.
We’re wasting our time here, boss.
We’re not stopping anything, or saving anyone, or doing any good.
We’re just walking around a bunch of people lying down, waving our Empees around like assholes.

They could spring up and attack us all.

Lieutenant, I’ve got a guy two meters from me who is fucking snoring.

I smiled at this.
What do you suggest we do, Ilse?
I asked.

I have no idea.
I’m open to suggestion.

Okay, try this one on,
I said, dropped my Empee and walked out into the crowd.

What are you doing?
Powell asked.

Leaving,
I said.
I began to navigate around the prone bodies so I wouldn’t step on any.

Where to?

I have no idea.

I don’t think we’re allowed to do that, boss.
I think the technical term for what you’re doing is “desertion.”

They can shoot me if they want.

They might!

Ilse,
I said, stopped and looked back.
I’ve been doing this for seven years.
You know as well as I do that they’re not going to let me stop.
They’ve stopped rotating us out because there are no more of us coming in.
But I can’t do this anymore.
I’m done.
I turned and started walking again.

They will definitely shoot you.

They might,
I agreed, echoing her earlier words.
I made my way through the plaza and down to one of the side streets.
I turned and looked back at Powell.

It’s not like they won’t know where you are,
she said to me.
You have a computer in your brain.
It tracks your every movement.
Hell, I’m pretty sure it can track your every thought.

I know.

They’ll come get you.

They probably will.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

I won’t.

What will you do?

I used to be a pretty good musician, I said.
I think I’d like to do that again.
For a while, anyway.

You’re nuts, Lieutenant.
I want it out there on the record that I said that.

Duly noted.
Want to join me?

Hell, no,
Powell said.
We can’t all be deserters.
And anyway there’s a lieutenant position opening up.
I think I’m in line for a promotion.

I grinned.
Good-bye,
Ilse,
I said.

Good-bye,
Heather,
she said, and then she waved.

I turned the corner and a building hid her from my view.

I walked down the street, found another street that looked interesting, and started walking down it into the first day of another life.

I think it was a Saturday.

A
BOUT THE
A
UTHOR

JOHN SCALZI
is one of the most popular and acclaimed SF authors to emerge in the last decade.
His debut,
Old Man’s War,
won him science fiction’s John W.
Campbell Award for Best New Writer.
His
New York Times
bestsellers include
The Last Colony, Fuzzy Nation,
his most recent novel
Lock In,
and also
Redshirts,
which won 2013’s Hugo Award for Best Novel.
Material from his widely read blog
Whatever
(
whatever.scalzi.com
) has earned him two other Hugo Awards as well.
He lives in Ohio with his wife and daughter.

By John Scalzi

The Old Man’s War Series

Old Man’s War

The Ghost Brigades

The Last Colony

Zoe’s Tale

The Human Division

The End of All Things

First published 2015 by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC

This electronic edition published 2015 by Tor

an imprint of Pan Macmillan

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Associated companies throughout the world

www.panmacmillan.com

ISBN 978-1-4472-9844-1

Copyright © John Scalzi, 2015

The right of John Scalzi to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

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