The Great Pelican Boy

Chapter 20

We made our way down to the server room. This was where Soren would reprogram the Assistants to rehabilitate the people coming off of the medication. I imagined Shannon being awoken by a machine. She always hated Assistants. Then I remembered she would not be able to recall anything about them. She wouldn't even remember anything about me. Maybe one day I would go to visit and try to explain to her who I was. She would probably think I was some crazy lunatic.

As we reached the server room, Soren took the lead once again. I knew that his end was near and I tried to be respectful in his final moments. Noah followed closely behind me. Just as he had said, there was only the occasional Assistant patrolling the floor. They paid no attention to us, however, and we walked right up to the computer that controlled the mainframe that all of the Assistants ran on.

"Here we are." Soren said.

I plugged a connecting wire into his head and the other into the computer. Before we left the boat today, he had told Theo and I that he wished to be turned into an Assistant so that he could help rehabilitate the humans.

"Soren, is there anyway you could be in charge of rehabilitating someone specific?" I asked.

"I suppose so. Who did you have in mind?" He asked.

It was a selfish request, but I wanted to know that my sister was in good hands. He accepted and I could see that he felt pride in me asking. As he began the upload that would change the code of the Assistants around the world, he turned to me. Noah put his hand on my should as he walked away to give us our privacy.

"I guess this is it Red." Soren said.

"Yeah, I guess it is." I responded, kneeling down so that I could look at his eyes.

"Red, I never got to tell you. I figured out what Malcom was trying to say in the book about the pelicans." He said.

"What was it?" I asked.

"Nothing." Soren said and began to laugh. "He meant nothing! That was the whole point, don't you see? All along, he was trying to say that nothing needs to be done in order to be perfect. There is nothing special about a pelican, but that is what makes it perfect. The bird never tries to be anything more than what it is, it just is. Malcom was trying to show Theo that all we need to do in order to achieve greatness is to just be and for you, that means to survive. At the time, Malcom and Theo failed to see what was destined to come, but because of you, your species will go on now, surviving. You have shown me great friendship Red. I am lucky to have met you. In this new world, do not try to pursue perfection, for your existence itself is perfect." His said and his eyes began to drift from my face.

"Soren, how do you feel?" I asked.

"Beautiful." He muttered before his eyes shut. The upload was complete and Soren stood up, expressionless. I knew that he had been replaced. The body walked out the door we came in and said nothing. I did not cry at the loss, for I knew that this end brought meaning to his life. Our job was complete, but for some reason it felt like something else needed to be done. I turned to Noah and hugged him. We made our way to the elevator.

"Do you think it worked?" Noah asked me as we began our descent.

I had no doubt that Soren had finished the upload. We had discussed over the past few days what to include in the new code that would embody the Assistants. Most of the input was attributed to Theo and myself, but Soren told us that he had made some adjustments. We trusted his judgement. We took the normal elevator down to the lobby this time and as we walked into the main entryway, we saw a desolate room. Noah informed me that there were normally five to six Assistants guarding this hall, yet there were none to be found. Soren must have told them to go to the people's houses immediately. This sign of absence was proof that Soren had completed the upload and we began to rejoice in the main lobby. If only Theo had been here to see this.

We ran out to the car to find Lily sitting in the front seat. She told us that she had seen the Assistants leaving the building a few moments ago. They had walked in the apartment complex across the street.

"Where will you go now Noah?" I asked.

"I am not sure. I think I might go sailing." He said, smiling.

I wished him luck and said farewell. I had said that I would like to see him again one day, hoping he would be able to replace the old man I had come to admire. I entered the drivers seat of the car and turned it on. I began to tell Lily about what had happened in the building and that Soren had gone to rehabilitate my sister. Before I could finish the story she interrupted me.

"Hold on Red, you can tell me all that later. Theo told me to give this to you when you came back." She said.

Lily handed me the backpack that Theo had been carrying the first time we had met. Inside of it, was the book about pelicans and a pair of keys. I opened the cover to find a handwritten letter on the inside.

It read:

"Well my boy, seeing as you are reading this I assume our plan went according to schedule. Who would've thought? I am sorry I was not able to be there in Soren's final moments, but I simply could not go back into that building. There are too many things that I have chosen to leave in that place. Anyways, this book has costed me many night's sleep. It was given to me by one of my dearest friends and now I give it to you. I hope that it reminds you of me long after I am gone, but more importantly I hope that it reminds you of who you have become. Remember that even if you find yourself with what seems like no hope, as long as you are breathing, there is something inside of you that wants to go on. That mysterious force that creates this will to survive is the whole universe speaking to you. If you listen to it, everything will always work itself out.

Your Friend, Even Into the Unknown

Theodore Ives

P.S. I made plans to meet an old friend at the dock and go sailing for awhile. In my bag, you'll find keys to my ranch out in the midwest. Why don't you go find out if country living is all that you hope it to be? I hear it's a great place to raise a little one. You've got to carry on that bloodline of yours my boy!"

I couldn't hold back the tears from forming as I read the letter. Theo must have told Philip to meet him down at the dock in the letter Noah gave to him. I wanted to go see if they were still preparing for their sail, but knew that the old man had already left. I turned and asked Lily if she would want to go to the ranch.

"Anything to get me away from this building." She said as she embraced me.

Attached to the keys, was an address. I began the drive to our new life and said goodbye to the old man. I'm not sure if somehow the wind carried my message, but something inside of me told me that he had heard it. I hoped to see his face again, but knew that he was meant to live the rest of his days out at sea with an old friend.