Young Again
Copyright© 2018 by Edward Douglass Patterson
Chapter 41: Mother Jaia
President Gerard Descoteaux was already walking towards her when Doctor Marjolaine Tuilier was shown into his office. He offered her his hand, which she took. The President’s firm handshake bolstered her expectations that he viewed her as a professional with information that he wanted.
“Doctor Tuilier, thank you for coming to talk with me. I understand that you have met Mark Sawyer since the change occurred to him. Is he actually growing younger?”
“The last time that I saw Mark, he looked to be in his late twenties. He was very healthy. The latest information that I have is that he is physically in the top grouping for someone in their early twenties.” I won’t tell him what Teresa told me about the latest tests. When I have the meeting tomorrow with those Leo wants me to talk with, I’m not even supposed to tell them.
“You have met him more than once. Did you notice any differences? Could he have been faking this growing young?”
“Mr. President, I noticed changes consistent with someone growing young and healthier. I was very curious, so I asked questions. I saw pictures of Mark at different ages. The younger ones closely match the man I saw, but he is now healthier and in better shape. Part of that is that he has taken up regular exercise, something he says he regretted the last few years not doing when he was younger. The change is even more effective than you are hearing in the news. A slight scar that I noticed when I first met him is now gone. It was in all the pictures of him that I saw. He said he got it when he was nine.”
“If they can figure out how to repeat this, they will make billions.”
“They plan to make the change available to everyone. Making a lot of money is not their goal.” She paused and looked Gerard in the eye. “The possibility of growing younger is only part of what they have found, and it may not be the most important thing that you will have to consider. They believe that which made Mark young was discovered thirteen thousand years ago. The reason that we don’t know about a very ancient civilization that could have been that advanced is that it was destroyed by attacks by aliens.” She held up her hand so that she could continue. “They found a bunker carved into a mountain. When a plane with ground-penetrating radar flew near to check on it, the plane was shot down by an EMP weapon. Yes, that was really the cause of the crash. They have had trouble with using electrical items near the mountain since then. The entrance was buried by a landslide at the time of the attack. They have information and scientific tests which support this. They are trying to find a way to move thousands of tons of boulders and rocks with only muscle strength. They cannot even take pictures, since cameras now are digital or require batteries.”
“You didn’t see this yourself.”
“No, there are security concerns. You know that someone is trying to kill Ashley Sawyer and Sarah Pierce. They wanted to make sure that I wasn’t connected to them so I wouldn’t become a target.”
“Why would someone be trying to kill a couple of teenage girls or someone who is closely associated with them?” Gerard realized they were still standing. He motioned to some cushioned chairs, and they sat down.
“They believe that those who are trying to kill them are responsible for the North Koreans attacking.”
Gerard paused to think about that before replying. “Even if there was someone behind the attacks, why would they be trying to kill them?”
“I think originally it was because they didn’t want Ashley to tell them about the bomb on the plane. After the second attack in Hawaii, the Sawyers and Sarah didn’t hide the fact that they planned to find out more about who was behind the attacks.” Marjolaine shook her head. “It still doesn’t make sense about all the attacks against them. There is something more, but I left before they learned whatever it is. Everyone that I have talked to or emailed with seems to be in agreement with their plans to go after those that are behind the attack.” She paused and waited until she and the President were looking each other in the eye. “Even the doctors who I communicate with have the same attitude. Doctor May Flower had a reputation as anti-military. When I talked to her yesterday, she told me about the combat training she was taking. She’s thirty-seven. When I asked why, she said that I would have to wait until the meeting to find out.”
“Did you learn anything else?”
“I asked her if they had any luck in finding the plant that was the source of what caused Mark Sawyer to grow young. She said it wasn’t caused by a plant, but then she changed the subject. I got the impression that she had said something that she shouldn’t. The rest of our talk was about my work. She wouldn’t say anything more about what was going on there.”
“It sounds like they know what caused the change in Mark Sawyer. How long do you think it will take to duplicate?”
“Until what happened to Mark, we had no idea that something like that was even possible. Sarah Pierce was placed in charge of Young Again, the company the Sawyers set up to coordinate research on what happened to Mark. Their expectation is that once she is through medical school, there will be enough information coming in from the research to keep her busy running the company full time.”
“Why would they place a teenage not even in college in charge of such an important project?”
“Because they wanted the best. Sarah is the reason that I became involved with MSI. She had read my report, which is written in French and Latin. She understood the similarity with two projects, which she had just heard about in meeting people at MSI. She had them contact me and work out a cooperative agreement. This was within the first couple of hours that she was at MSI after being appointed to the board by Mark Sawyer. I read as much as I could find about MSI after they contacted me. Mark Sawyer is a legend in finding the right people for the jobs he has.”
“Do you know anything about how she is doing with this job?”
“I was told that she offered to resign so that one of the doctors working on the research could take over.” I don’t know what prompted that. Joy avoided the topic more than anything else we talked about. “They unanimously wanted her to continue. Her review of their work and suggestions was very beneficial. They knew none of them could do better.”
“She sounds like a very remarkable young woman. You say she reads French. Does she speak French?”
“She spoke very well when we first met. Both she and Ashley improved by just talking with me. Mr. President, there is something that you have to know. I think that Sarah and Ashley are the two smartest people that I ever met. After seeing the video of their fight with the man with the sword, I could only think that it was a scene from a movie, but that was an actual fight. That man was an assassin sent to kill them. They knew to expect the attack and didn’t tell most of the people there to protect them nor Sarah’s parents or Mark Sawyer. They have a combination of mental and physical abilities that sets them apart from everyone else.” Except Mark Sawyer. Are they really as young as everyone says? No, I have met Sarah’s parents and brother. “I expect them to be part of any of the meetings in Washington they care to join. From what I have seen of them, it is that one or the other will be at every meeting unless there are a lot of smaller meetings happening at the same time. I expect Sarah to run the medical meeting. That will be a problem since I am one of the few non-Stanford doctors that knows her. I will be talking with those that I know to explain about her, but I’m not sure if she will need the help.”
“You expect President DeSantis to allow them to participate?”
“Doctor Flowers says that he and they work together well. She also said she didn’t realize that he was that smart.”
“Doctor Tuilier, would you be willing to come back and talk more about them and what you know about what is going on? I would like to have others become familiar with what I have learned and what other information you can provide.” He paused. “Would you be able to set up a meeting for me with either of the girls?”
“They anticipated your request.” She opened her purse and handed him a card. “Ashley gave me this so that you would be able to contact her. Check with you people about a package from MSI. They were sending a secure phone for you to use.”
“I have one of the American phones, but I understand that it is no longer secure.”
“Yes, this is one that MSI has upgraded based on suggestions from Ashley and Sarah. I’m told that they are supplying them to the US government.”
“Doctor, thank you for your time. I have other meetings, and I also need time to think about what you have told me. The meeting in Washington is much more than I expected. Would you be able to come back the day after tomorrow to tell us more?”
“Yes, may I bring a couple of the doctors that will also be attending the meeting in Washington? They are two of the genetic researchers that are being invited to go to Stanford after the meeting to learn more about what has been learned. I think their expertise may be useful. Ashley mentioned that additional information that you will have secured will help them to believe in what happened to Mark Sawyer.”
“Yes, that would be helpful.” I will get people doing that research as soon as you leave. Gerard rose. “Thank you for your time.” They shook hands again, and he accompanied her to the door.
There was a knock. Marsha looked up from the report she was reading and saw Jinghua standing in her doorway. She certainly looks happy. I can’t blame her for that. Lost sister recovering from mutilations she’s had for centuries, her mother alive somewhere and planning to meet her soon, and a husband that is looking younger every day. “Come in. How can I help you?”
“It isn’t for me. My granddaughter Lenya has asked if we can provide some people for security when she is in Washington. She wants to leave the security people she really trusts behind to ensure the stability of the government. She would like the people we supply to speak Russian so that it wouldn’t be as obvious. Do any of your people speak Russian?”
Marsha’s smile surprised Jinghua. “Yes, but I think that this may also solve one of our problems. Would some SEALs be acceptable?”
“Of course, if they can pass as security and not soldiers. Let’s go talk to Commander Whitner.”
“Steve, is the Commander available?” When Marsha and Jinghua walked in, CPO Zolotov was working on his reports while covering the team’s office.
“Most likely, ma’am. He and the Master Chief are just discussing ideas on how to infiltrate more of our guys into Washington.”
“Perfect. Let him know we have a possibility we would like to discuss with them.”
He glanced over at Jinghua, plainly curious.
“Вы говорите по-русски?” Jinghua had read his name tag.
“Да.”
“You should join us when we talk to the Commander.”
Nancy Russell was surprised at the call from Anita DeSantis. She had met the US First Lady when their husbands had been at the UN to address the General Assembly. “Anita, I guess you heard that I was accompanying Henry.”
“Yes, I was wondering if you would co-host a charity concert with me while you are here. The money raised will go to the relief work for those affected by the North Korean attack.”
“Yes, what do you need me to do?”
“Nothing here but attending the concert. If you could make an announcement in London and promote the concert, it would help with ensuring that it was widely viewed.”
“Do you expect that the concert will be rebroadcast here?”
“Oh, they already took care of that. We just want as many people as possible to hear the Loremasters’ songs. They will be performing all of the songs on their new album.”
“The Loremasters were the ones that performed after the play which Ashley Sawyer and Sarah Pierce were in. I would like to meet those two girls.”
“Oh, they will be sitting with us. They figured that would be a good way to get a bigger audience.”
“How are they involved with the band?”
“The Loremasters’ songs are inspired by what will be discussed at the meeting in Washington. Make sure you attend with Henry. It may be televised, but we are still trying to figure out how big of a venue we will need. You won’t want to miss being there.”
“Is Mark Sawyer really young again? All of the medical discussion will be boring. It will upset our world once they figure out how to duplicate what happened. I’ll be long dead by then, so I won’t have to endure the fighting over who will get the cure first.”
“You won’t be dead, and they realize the problems of ensuring everyone gets treated. Yes, that will cause more disruption, but the other information will cause more. I probably shouldn’t have mentioned that, but Henry will want your input, so make sure you attend.”
“It sounds like your government has a number of announcements.”
“We have some, but we are mostly just hosting the meetings. They are the ones with the announcements, and we aren’t even sure what they all are.”
Ken Overton was waiting in the Phoenix fitness room for the teenagers. He had set up the schedule based on the normal grouping people put themselves into. Once he learned more about what people wanted to achieve, he would create groups of those with similar goals. He was also looking for individuals to lead the different groups when he wasn’t available. He was happy to see Sarah and Ashley had shown up to work out with their friends. They were also in the small group that Jian Chang was teaching, but Ashley had requested military-style training for those who were interested. He expected they would show up for that when he started that for the non-military people.
He looked around the room and considered the changes he was going to have to make. Originally, he had thought that there was much more space than they would need. He now found that he was repeatedly making adjustments to accommodate new requirements and the large number of people they now had. This area was for exercise equipment with an open area with mats on top of the cushioned flooring installed throughout the room. With the mirrors on three walls, the room looked immense since it was twice as large as any similar area of the fitness centers in the area. The quantity of exercise equipment also exceeded that of those centers. With suggestions from the SEALs and Marines, he had acquired a collection of top-of-the-line exercise equipment, some of which the SEALs were modifying to match the increased physical abilities they were showing after the Young Again change. The other training areas in the building were also unique. They most closely resembled special forces indoor training areas, but with Ashley providing the budget, there was never a question of why you need to spend so much but how we could make it better. As for the outside training areas, the President had put his foot down and told the military that they would be setting those up. He told them to find the money now, and he would make sure that the funds were appropriated to cover the projects that it was taken from.
Ken stopped the contemplative thinking over the changes in his programs and looked at what the teenagers were doing. It was the first time that he had done more than glance in at them when they were here. He had been concentrating on the military, which would need the improved physical conditioning to help keep them alive. The teenagers were proceeding with exercises and conditioning regimes that they had developed as a group. As he watched, he found that what they were doing was quite useful, especially for what he had planned for them, so he spent some time observing and asking questions.
After gaining a general understanding of what they were doing, he moved over to one of the mirrored walls of the mat area. There he turned and faced the room. “Would all of you join me over here? I want to discuss what needs to be done to more fully develop the new abilities that we all find ourselves now having. Make a large circle so that everyone can see each other.”
When they all were seated, he also sat down. “I will start off explaining my ideas that I had before I saw what you had developed. After allowing for some general questions, I would like to discuss how to integrate what you are already doing with what I had planned. I will set some mileposts for the next couple of months that I won’t be surprised that some of you will promptly exceed, and I don’t mean just Ashley and Sarah.” He nodded at the two girls.
“I have mostly left you on your own while I concentrated on the development plans for our military group. They had a need that I was familiar with and a goal that is important to all of us. They will be the ones physically going after Omara.” As he moved his attention around the class, he realized that one of them was not a teenager. He gave a small smile, barely a turn up of his mouth, that Jinghua echoed back to him. “For you, I knew that I needed something different. I see two goals. One near, one far. As teenagers, you have been learning over the last few years what your body can do. Now, after the Young Again change, neither I nor the doctors fully know what to expect.” He looked at Jinghua. “Daughter of the Earth, I overheard a comment that you made that leads me to believe that you are finding the changes more than you expected.”
“Yes, Master Overton. I also find that I have changed.” She saw Sarah and Ashley nod in agreement. “I came here today to learn more about what we can do.”
“Yes, that is my plan for this group. Test the limits of what is possible. I think that is something that teenagers naturally do, so I decided that this is the best group to handle discovering our limits. I don’t mean just how much weight you can press or how flexible you are.” He smiled at Nancy Fisher, who blushed. “Sarah discovered the ability to track people. That is a new ability, which the military and the FBI are working hard to learn more about and incorporate into their operations. You should experiment with it also, but you should also look for other new abilities.”
Ken stopped and allowed a few questions.
“Now, I mentioned another goal. One that I feel is just as important. I want you to develop and document exercises that will allow you to maintain these new abilities and limits. There are two purposes to this. One is to have exercises to supply to people after they undergo the Young Again change. The other is to develop habits that you will carry with you for the rest of your life, which is much longer than any of us expected a few months ago. I would like when we meet a thousand years from now for you to offer to buy me a beer to thank me for the guidance that I plan to give you. We can then sit down and talk over what we have been doing.”
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