Chapter 25

“Holy Cannoli, Batman,” Mikel said with quiet reverence. “Do you see what I see?”

“Yes, I do, you pathetic geek,” Nicola said. “When I was down at the courthouse earlier, I asked about the uniqueness of some of these houses. Did you know that Downing College began as the Horace Downing Conservatory for the Fine Arts? Horace was this super-famous actor/writer/producer in the city over a hundred years ago. He founded the conservatory as a conduit to raise up the next generation of artists in the city. They offered dance, music, and art. When the Depression hit, the conservatory changed its charter to a college with regular majors. Many of these houses were built by the faculty of the original conservatory.”

“The staircase,” Mikel said, groping for words. “The fireplace and its mantel.”

“The pipes and the electrics must be inspected to see if they are up to code,” Nicola said. “Gorgeous stuff and outrageously expensive in the right neighborhoods, but if the bones ain’t solid, this is a museum waiting to fall down.”

“Uh,” Mikel said, looking at her with his mouth wide open. “How do you know this?”

“Megan is a building engineer in the city,” she said with a snort. “You’ve worked with Hyun for years and you don’t know her girlfriend?”

“One, we keep girlfriends out of the newsroom, and two, they’ve broken up so many times I do not ask. Asking Hyun about anything personal is like walking on eggshells most of the time.” He shook his fists around his head to clear out the distracting thoughts. “Has Megan been in here and poked at the bones?”

Nicola nodded. “She said the electrics are fairly new and the circuit box is up to code. She was concerned about some of the water pipes, but she found access panels to most everything. The basement is dry and unfinished, but it has a dryer vent and electrics for laundry.”

“Is this the best of the lot?” Mikel asked as he climbed the stairs. “There’s one bathroom up here. Is there one on the main floor? I didn’t see it.”

“The potty is behind the kitchen,” she said from below. “It’s tiny but it should do the job.”

“This place is amazing,” he gushed. “Remy would love it. Three bedrooms and big windows and closets.” He pulled out his mobile and typed “Aria.”

“Unavailable,” read the return message.

“Allegro Vivace,” he typed.

“How can I help you, Mikel?” the message read.

“Can you pull up all the information on this address?” he typed, adding the number and the street before sending.

“Working,” came the response. “Switching to audio.”

He heard three beeps.

“Mikel, the property in question is available for $42,800 in back taxes plus fees totaling $337.45. Proof of insurance is not required. Previous records and newspaper articles indicate the property is subject to flooding and is incorrectly assigned to the 500-year flood plain. Compared to houses with similar geographic and physical characteristics, the Distaff & Marks Home Purchasing Scale recommends ‘Do Not Buy.’ Repair costs and ability to locate materials for damage replacement are unacceptable risks.”

“Okay, how far do I have to travel to get out of the flood plain?” Mikel looked at Nicola as they waited. Her face was pinched with concern.

“Mikel, when you exit the house, turn right and travel three blocks. You will notice a gradual upgrade that will bring you to a true 500-year flood plain assessment. County records indicate three homes with acceptable parameters with property taxes increasing approximately twenty percent.”

“Can I put the charge on Aria’s credit card?”

“Acceptable,” Allegro Vivace said. “The house numbers are as follows...”

As they climbed back into the car, Nicola asked how he knew which A.I. to ask. He explained how he met this subroutine of the A.I. in his attorney’s office. “All I need to do is ask. If they can do, they will and if they cannot, they refer up the chain to their A.I. creator. There is an authority I recognize when I speak with an A.I. that is absent when talking to a sub-routine. Each sub-routine has parameters. Bass Cleff typically handles travel needs and Allegro Vivace handles money issues like billing and as we learned, tax and government records. You know, if I could plug Allegro Vivace into the county government computers, I could expedite any house purchase.”

“You should try,” she said. “I’m worried now because I didn’t check for flooding issues. Do you think she could do that for me?”

“Easy,” Mikel said, tapping his mobile’s screen. “Allegro Vivace, please download a local map with an updated flood assessment.” His phone chirped one and then vibrated after the download was complete.

“She’s fast, too,” Nicola commented. “First house is on your left. Um, second one is two doors down on the left.”

He dismissed the first one for lack of curb appeal and opted to check out the second one with the wraparound porch. The front door was locked but the back door into the kitchen was open. He was taken aback by the quality of the workmanship again. This house was full of built-in bookshelves and some not so built-in shelves along with four bedrooms upstairs. The cellar was a homemaker’s dream with sinks, small casks, and stacks of canning jars.

Nicola looked at him with askance as he poked among the casks. He explained that the owners must have made wine or beer, or even applejack along with canning fruits and vegetables. “Something to consider,” he suggested as recalled Remy’s rebuke earlier in the day. “Our future may not hold grocery stores.”

Allegro Vivace chimed in, “This property contains two acres behind the footprint of the house. Purchasing index puts this purchase in the ninety percent plus range. Final price is $53.902. This purchase can be initiated from this mobile if the purchaser follows up with identification and signature within one hour.”

“Why one hour?” Mikel asked.

“The office closes in one hour.”

Mikel paused. “Does this house conform with Aria’s parameters for Nexus as Nexus is understood at this time?”

“Working.”

“What the hell, Mikel?” Nicola looked like she wanted to throw a punch. “Who the fuck are you? Really, who the fuck are you?”

His mobile chirped and a new voice spoke. “Mikel is the pivot to Nexus. All A.I. affirm, Mikel is the pivot to Nexus. All known variables have been resolved. Three previously unknown variables have been resolved. Altabar Zoxia Teema protocols with expanded itpoyum and riblarta effects have been plotted with ninety-seven-point six percent accuracy.”

“To whom am I speaking,” Mikel shouted into his phone.

“I am Ionian Philosopher, Mikel Barajas. It is a pleasure to speak with you directly. The pattern of your decision making has illuminated the dilemma of what will be the First Cause as the planet processes the impending nexus.”

“Okay, cause and effect,” Mikel said, looking at a confused Nicola. “Have you determined what will be the First Cause?”

“There will be no First Cause,” Ionian Philosopher said, sounding like a chipper Greek. “Cause is infinite, and effects are finite. As Aria already explained, you have probably already initiated the processes leading to the First Cause. Six of the seven axes are demonstrably coming into alignment. Evidence of the creation of the seventh axis is now available; the plot of alignment is not yet available.”