EPILOGUE

"Lookin good, Parkin! Lookin... hot!"
He held up his hand mirror and checked his appearance for the
fifth time.

"Bloody hell!"

He propped up the hand mirror, whipped out some floss and set to
work.

Then he took a breath-mint, sniffed his armpits and was satisfied.

He coughed. "Ladies and gents! No, wait, starting over!"

"Re-lax!" came a voice from the doorway.

"Bryce Lynch! Ring-bearer, right?"

"Yeh and if you were less focused on yourself, you would know
that!"

"Focused on me? On me?" Parkin asked innocently.

Bryce sighed. "Nevermind... but seriously... " he studied Parkin
"try and lose the bow-tie, it's stupid... and pull in your jacket, you're
sweating."

Parkin lifted his arms a bit, shocked.

"Just kidding!" Bryce resigned. He knew there was no
reasoning with some people.

He left the room. At least he was finally learning how to relax.
Sadly there was no one to "hang loose" with. Kyle got Christina to
the hospital 4 days ago, and with nothing more than a goodbye
note, they had vanished from the earth. Not that he expected to see
either of them any time soon. Both were wanted "criminals" now,
no thanks to Simon Peller.

The only good thing was that, the 5 country support had dropped
down to 3 overnight.

If that could be considered a good thing.

His friends gathered around him, promised support and protection.
It did nothing for his peace of mind.

"Try and be happy, Bryce... and get out more." he admonished
himself.

He looked up the aisle, concentrated on his best friends, Edison

and Theora. They looked so happy, and it helped relax him.

Max was in the front row, his television set on an elegant table. He
was proud of his friends. He was deeply happy for them, and he
just knew their best days were ahead of them.

He tried his best to smile, but the thought of VR-Christina
roaming around out there in cyberspace, was deeply troubling.
She was a real AI just like he was, and she was alone... and no
known virus protection! Cyberspace was a dangerous place these
days.

And what if she managed to "find" the virus protection she needed
to survive? Then what? Would she be like the old-Christina? The
good hearted soul who always looked on the bright side?

Or the mean, vengeful Christina she was, right before the new AI-
Christina split off?

The possible ramifications were enough to make his cyber-head
ache.

"Outta my mind!" he swore to himself "at least for now... "

Then he got his "happy" back on, and focused again on his best
friends and their new life together.

"Don't cry," Edison whispered softly "best day of our lives,
remember?"

"Will we see her again? Them?"

Edison thought. "I think so... seems unlikely... but... just a
feeling... "
"She really... had an impact on us... didn't she?"

He nodded. He wasn't a man who prayed a great deal, but now he
prayed that Christina and Kyle were ok, somewhere safe, and
Christina had found the happiness she truly deserved.

"Ready... well I think I was... oh, Theora!"

Parkin practically danced up the aisle, Velma trailing behind and
holding the camera. Parkin turned to the guests, smiled brighty,
waved over to the happy couple.

"We are here now, live and direct-"
"Hey, that's my line!" Edison shouted.

Theora giggled a little, Edison smiled. "I'm sorry! Where were we?"

Threora took his hand, looked at it, began to place her ring on his
finger.

"I, Theora Jones, take you, Edison Carter, to be my husband... my
constant friend, my faithful partner and my true love from this day
forward. In the presence of our family and friends, I offer you my
solemn vow to be your faithful partner in sickness and in health, in
good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow. I promise to
love you unconditionally, to support you in your goals, to honor
and respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, and to cherish
you for as long as we both shall live."

Edison was speechless for a moment. Was this actually happening?
He was happy beyond words. It was a piece of heaven, of bliss like
he had never known before.

After several seconds, Murray cleared his throat. "Your turn,
Edison."

"How could I forget?" Edison replied stupidly. The guests laughed
a little in agreement as Edison took her hand, tenderly, and slipped
the ring on.

"I Edison Carter, take you, Theora Jones to be my wife... my partner
in life and my one true love. I will cherish our union and love you
more each day than I did the day before."

His voice broke slightly, his eyes watered with tears of love and
joy.

"I will trust you and respect you, laugh with you and cry with you,
loving you faithfully through good times and bad, regardless of
the obstacles we may face together. I give you my hand, my heart,
and my love, from this day forward for as long as we both shall
live. "

The minister looked on both, proudly.
"You may now kiss the bride."
They did, and the guests stood and broke into thunderous
applause.
Bryce felt himself bouncing on his toes.

"This is so... well, awesome!" he said, as he found himself
relaxing, a little bit more.

THE END