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.So much that looks impossible becomes simple if you only wait.""Four billion years.The sun uses up its hydrogen, its core collapses, helium fusion begins, and it balloons into a red giant.Earth is vaporized.""Oh, she'll be somewhere else by then.That's easy.""Five billion years.The Milky Way collides with the Andromeda Galaxy and the whole neighborhood is full of high-energy radiation and exploding stars.""That's trickier.She's going to have to either prevent that or move a few million light years away to a friendlier galaxy.But she'll have time enough to prepare and to assemble the tools.I have faith that she'll prove equal to the task.""One trillion years.The last stars gutter out.Only black holes remain.""Black holes are a terrific source of energy.No problem.""1.06 googol years.""Googol?""That's ten raised to the hundredth power -- one followed by a hundred zeros.The heat-death of the universe.How does she survive it?""She'll have seen it coming for a long time," the mech said."When the last black holes dissolve, she'll have to do without a source of free energy.Maybe she could take and rewrite her personality into the physical constants of the dying universe.Would that be possible?""Oh, perhaps.But I really think that the lifetime of the universe is long enough for anyone," the granddaughter said."Mustn't get greedy.""Maybe so," the old man said thoughtfully."Maybe so." Then, to the mech, "Well, there you have it: a glimpse into the future, and a brief biography of the first immortal, ending, alas, with her death.Now tell me.Knowing that you contributed something, however small, to that accomplishment -- wouldn't that be enough?""No," Jack said."No, it wouldn't."Brandt made a face."Well, you're young.Let me ask you this: Has it been a good life so far? All in all?""Not that good.Not good enough."For a long moment the old man was silent.Then, "Thank you," he said."I valued our conversation." The interest went out of his eyes and he looked away.Uncertainly Jack looked at the granddaughter, who smiled and shrugged."He's like that, " she said apologetically."He's old.His enthusiasms wax and wane with his chemical balances.I hope you don't mind.""I see." The young man stood.Hesitantly, he made his way to the door.At the door, he glanced back and saw the granddaughter tearing her linen napkin into little bits and eating the shreds, delicately washing them down with little sips of wine.-----------------------At www.fictionwise.com you can:* Rate this story* Find more stories by this author* Read the author's notes for this story* Get story recommendations
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