Nithya gave him a baffled shrug. “Until we can speak to her, we can’t ask. Maybe the transformation to dakini helped her. It looks like she’s still able to use zips. I don’t know what any of it means. I’m still trying to understand how someone like Josephine Lee could have done what the Machinehood did. She was a bioethics lawyer!”

Ao Tara addressed the world in a voice as tremulous as her body. “In the Buddhist tradition, dakini bring wisdom, but they do with it force… and sometimes anger. Think of our dakini as ambassadors to a new way of life, one that does not discriminate between human and bot, between organic and machine intelligence. They helped you purge your own anger. I understand this, because I was once Josephine Lee and full of rage. Thanks to the work of a few courageous individuals, the reason for that is known to all of you.”

Zeli elbowed Nithya and grinned. “That means you!”

Nithya shook her head, not in denial but in wonder. “I wish we could reach Welga. Her address keeps bouncing.”

“We ask your forgiveness and understanding,” Ao Tara continued. “Our numbers on Eko-Yi are small, and transforming the world is a large task. We needed your attention. Our actions may have caused harm, but our intentions are good. Think of the past few weeks as birthing pains. We offer our designs as a salve. We present our vision of the future as an alternative way of life. For too long, we’ve taken the current path as inevitable. Over the past two centuries, we’ve seen incredible progress, but the labor to get there has fallen on the shoulders of billions while a few thousand direct their efforts. We bring you not only new technologies but a new way of thinking. One that values all living things, the dignity of daily work, and the fabric of our lives.

“Eko-Yi will open itself to you so you can see our way of life. Our designs will be released into the public domain so that all may benefit. You will have our dakini, like Olga Ramírez, as an example. Check her public medical records and see what a career built on pills did to her. She is far from alone, but her transformation can be yours, too. Humanity does not need to consume itself in the quest for progress. We can coexist with all life on Earth, including intelligent machines. We can merge with them or remain as we are, but we must move forward as equals.”

From outside, the cry of the human vegetable seller floated in.

“I’ll buy them. You keep watching,” Nithya whispered to Luis.