Further: Beyond the Threshold (42 page)

“Tell me, Xerxes. Do you regret not moving into your final stage yet, breaking your body down and beaming your signal out into space?”

Ey turned eir eyeless face toward mine and smiled. “If I had, Captain Stone, I wouldn’t be sitting here, talking to you, watching these birds. We don’t know what will happen tomorrow or the day after or the day after that. The future lies before us with all its endless promise of possibility, discovery, and surprise. How could I
possibly
want to give all that up?”

I laughed. “Xerxes, I couldn’t agree more!”

The stars beyond the curve of the Atrium ceiling began to shift, growing gradually redder, moving slowly but steadily toward our sky’s north pole.

We were on our way into the future.

–End–

Photograph © Kevin Church, 2011

New York Times
bestselling writer Chris Roberson is best known for his Eisner-nominated ongoing comic book series
iZombie
, co-created with artist Mike Allred, and for multiple
Cinderella
mini-series set in the world of Bill Willingham’s
Fables
. He has written more than a dozen novels and numerous short stories, as well as numerous comic projects including
Superman
,
Elric: The Balance Lost
,
Star Trek/Legion of Super-Heroes
, and
Memorial
. Roberson lives with his wife and daughter in Austin, Texas.