Our Best Hope For An Off-World Migration

"Momma! Momma!" shouted Tommy.

Jane woke up. "Don't worry, Frank, I'll go ..."

Frank was sound asleep, snoring.

Jane sat next to Tommy on his bed. "Another nightmare, honey?"

"Yes, Momma. I was going through that tunnel again. Everything became bigger and bigger. And I felt so small."

"Oh, that throbbing dream, like the world's collapsing on you?"

Tommy nodded and hugged Jane.

The next day ...

Jane and Frank Smith arrived at their appointment to speak with Tommy's doctor, Dr. Robert Jenkins, a cyberneticist who specialized in mind transference.

"Dr. Jenkins, he keeps having that same nightmare over and over again. What's wrong with him?" asked Jane.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Smith. We call it the 'rebirthing process.' It's as if though he's flashed back to the time you were in labor."

"But how's that possible, Doctor?"

"Well, he's still Tommy ... Your son."

"But will he be treated the same way? You know, since after the accident?" asked Frank.

"Legally, he has the right to live like both of you, but he'll be restricted to school sports and academics with his own kind, for obvious reasons. When he grows up, he might join the Space Force to explore the solar system and beyond. Or he might become a fellow cyberneticist, depending on his proclivities. That's what I, of course, personally chose."

"You mean you're a ... ?" Jane gasped.

Dr. Jenkins nodded.

"You make him sound like a superhero, Doctor," said Frank.

"In some ways, he'll be one, Mr. Smith, while in other ways, he'll face discrimination from those who fear his physical and mental superiority. Some will even accuse him of being an impostor."

"Not quite so superior, Doctor." Jane frowned. "No grandchildren ..."

"Don't be too quick to sell him short on that, Mrs. Smith." Dr. Jenkins chuckled. "He might be the first one to create a breakthrough AGI and evolve a new species of cybernetic humanoids. Our time here on Earth is limited. Climatologists say we have just a few decades left. Your son's kind is our best hope for an off-world migration."

Jane and Frank both smiled.