![\"\"](\"https:\/\/buber.net\/Basque\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/maite-and-kepa-v3b.png\")
\u201cThat does sound fascinating.\u201d Maite stood up. \u201cDo you mind if I freshen up before we go?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOf course not,\u201d replied de Lancre. With a wave of his hand, a few spherical drones flew in to clean up the table. \u201cTake your time, we are in no hurry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maite murmured a thanks as she made her way back to her room. Once inside, she nearly collapsed against the wall. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat am I going to do?\u201d she thought to herself. \u201cKepa probably thinks I\u2019m dead. But, instead, I\u2019m stuck here with a madman.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She went to the bathroom. The large pod loomed in the corner. She shook her head, disappointed there was no sink for her to splash some water on her face. Remembering how she felt after using the pod earlier, she stripped down and entered the pod. A few minutes later, she stepped out, feeling rejuvenated. She wasn\u2019t quite sure what the pod did, but she felt like she had just had the best combination of a massage, spa treatment, and shower all rolled into one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She decided to go with something more understated and practical to wear, picking out tight leggings and a long-sleeved shirt that fell past her buttocks. It almost reminded her of the workout outfits people wore in the eighties, though without so much color. She looked into the mirror (at least they still had mirrors!), sighed, and made her way back to the patio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
De Lancre was standing at the railing, looking over the city. He turned as he heard her footsteps. \u201cIf I may say so, you look stunning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maite blushed but said nothing as she approached the railing. Trying to ignore de Lancre, she focused on the view. Buildings reached as far as she could see. There seemed to be no boundary to the city. There was no rural countryside. A pang went through her as she realized that there would be no more baserriak, no more farm houses. However, she did see that the buildings were intertwined with trees and plants. She could hear the call of birds as they flew between the buildings as if they were in a forest canopy. The city itself was as green as any forest she had seen. It was as if the city had pulled surrounding nature into itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe way the city melds with nature\u2026\u201d she began.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAmazing, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow do you plan all of this?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI – we – don\u2019t plan anything, to be honest,\u201d said de Lancre as he turned, leaning on the railing, to look at Maite. \u201cThere is a a central AI that controls all of this, directing the swarms of nanobots to do the actual work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWho controls the AI?\u201d asked Maite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
De Lancre shrugged. \u201cNo one? To be honest, I don\u2019t really know. It was already in place when I got here. I\u2019ve just helped guide it a bit, that\u2019s all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maite shook her head in disbelief. \u201cYou let computers control everything. That\u2019s our worst nightmare where and when I\u2019m from. Is it\u2026 alive?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know. Maybe? I don\u2019t know enough to be able to answer that. Remember, I am from a time where we didn\u2019t even have running water. While I\u2019ve lived literally hundreds of lives since then, most of them are in bubbles where I haven\u2019t had a chance to learn these things myself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maite turned back to the view of the city and watched as another building disappeared in front of her eyes. The awe she felt before was replaced, at least in part, by a sense of dread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n