Chapter 15

Day 7

John’s eyes flickered for a moment, and nothing seemed to want to focus. His head had a deep ache in it, making it hard to grasp any of the thoughts wanting to surface. Then he remembered Kirkuria, and he tried to sit up. John felt a hand on his chest forcing back into a prone position.

“Easy, Big John,” he heard Mora’s voice say soothingly.

“Big John?” he croaked.

He heard Penny giggle.

“Yeah. It seems the procedure stimulated some of your neural pathways, and had a strange side effects. Mora got to see how big ‘little John’ can actually get.”

John groaned again. The girls didn’t know if it was because of their bad joke, or if he was still struggling for consciousness.

Suddenly his eye shot open, and he sat up. Their attempts to hold him down were brushed away like so many leaves in the wind. He turned to stare at the table where Kirkuria was lying. Sam stepped into John’s line of sight.

“She’s all right, John. She is resting comfortably. Please lie down and give yourself some time to recover.”

John flopped back down heavily.

“I’m sorry ... it’s just...”

“We know,” said Penny, “you show so much concern for those around you. Even more so, for those you love.”

“And we appreciate that you have become so very protective of those you love,” finished Mora.

“That’s why we love you, so much,” the two girls said in unison.

That comment, though staggering in and of itself, reminded John of something.

“Sam, what did Kirkuria mean when she said she had already bonded with me? She doesn’t even know me. We have only just met.”

Sam sighed and said, “John, I was hoping that you would wait for Kirkuria to explain that, but ... Bonding, to a Rhylertian, is far more than any ceremony, though there is that type of bonding as well. In this case, something happens deep within a Rhylertian. It has been studied by science for ages, and they still can’t explain what happens. It’s more than a commitment, for them. It is a linking of two, or more, individuals. You have something on your planet called ‘love at first sight’. I use that just as reference, not as an example. Bonding at first sight, though extremely rare, does happen. There is nothing Commander Zan can do about it. Her life, from this point forward, is inexorably linked to yours.”

With worried concern, John glanced first at Penny and then at Mora. He found himself confronted with two smiling faces. It was odd how they both reached out and each mirrored the other as they caressed his cheeks in the same manor.

“We were watching your meeting on the monitor,” said Penny.

“It was impossible to miss the charge that passed from you to her, and back again. It was plainly visible, even on the monitor,” Mora finished

John felt like he was watching a tennis match rolling his head from side to side on the pillow, trying to face the one who was talking. Mora walked around the bed and linked her arm with Penny.

“In our own way, Mora and I have bonded with you as well.”

“Though you see us as too young at present to welcome us into your home, we will wait. Penny and I have bonded to one another as well,” Mora added.

“We will fill the absence of your love, with the love we have for one another, until the day you accept us,” Penny finished.

John had tears running down his face. How did he get so lucky? Here were two young women, who not only did not hide their love for him and each other, they were proclaiming their willingness to wait for him. For him! They were even prepared to share that same love with another woman whom he and they barely knew.

It was an overwhelming feeling. Through some unknown mechanism, Kirkuria’s life was inexorably joined to his ... And this happened before the DNA procedure had had an opportunity to influence her. Try as he might, he could not deny that he returned the feelings that each of these women had for him.

Hands came and wiped his eyes, and he received a kiss on each cheek.

“Now we only have one or possibly two more to add,” Mora said confidently. Then looked even more distant before adding, “I suppose that could change, but there is the potential for two right now.

John, Penny, and Sam, turned to look at her after she made that statement.

Mora’s brow furrowed, and she continued to have a ‘far-away’ look in her eyes. She was silent for several moments.

“I can see us. We are a family, but we aren’t here on the moon. We are living on something large that is in space. A very large ship ... perhaps a spaceport. I can clearly see John, Kirkuria, Penny and myself, but there are also two other shadowy outlines. Yes, I can clearly see the others, but they are in shadow. One is lighter than the other, as if less determined that she will join. I am guessing that we have not met them yet or that there are events that will have to happen before they will decide to join us. Try as I might, I cannot tell you who they are, but in my heart I know that they will be an equal part of us.”

With that, Mora’s eyes flickered. It was easy to tell that she was back with them, in the here and now. Everyone seemed very thoughtful after Mora’s announcement.

Finally, Sam broke the silence. She asked John if he thought he could sit up yet. He worked his legs over the side of the bed, and came to a sitting position. Mora and Penny hovered close by to catch him if he faltered.

John sat on the edge of the bed, and allowed events to wash over him. Only a year before, though very much alone, he had been happy. He had been a design engineer, his profession of choice, and on the fast track to success. Four months ago, he had gone back to the family’s farm, after his parent’s death. He had invested everything he’d had, to save the farm. A week ago he had been sitting on his roof, wishing for something different, when saw a UFO landing in his field.

Now what did he have? There were two lovely young women who proclaimed their love for him ... not that he could he deny his feelings for them. He also had a woman from another planet who claimed to be bonded to him, and found that he wasn’t opposed to that notion, either.

It’s amazing what could change in just a single seven-day period of time. If the Bible was to be believed, God created the universe in only six days, and on the seventh, he rested. This was John’s seventh day in his new life, but there was no rest in sight for him! Oh, well ... you can’t have everything.

Sam asked John a series of questions. All were designed to test his cognitive abilities. Some things don’t change, regardless of the progress. He remembered being asked similar questions after standing in the way of a line drive, and being struck in the forehead with a softball. Now there was a laughable term! There had been nothing soft about that damned ball!

Mora must have noticed the smile that crossed his face at the memory, because she asked about it. She and Penny listened attentively while he related the story, and then burst out laughing. John initially furrowed his brow at their behavior. The realization that they were seeing it from a different perspective dawned on him. He supposed had he watched something similar happen to someone else, he might be laughing as well. Though he didn’t join them, he did smile tolerantly.

After a couple more tests and a full scan, Sam said he was free to go. John was curious and asked Sam why he had been so disoriented when he first woke up. Especially since the genetic material wasn’t removed, it was merely replicated. Then he asked a question he was sure he should have asked prior to the procedure. That was: how was his being male was going to affect Kirkuria?

Sam was thoughtful for a moment, then said, “The reason you were disoriented, has much to do with the retrieval of the genetic material. Although the material itself was replicated ... the procedure, I’m sorry to say, is quite intrusive. This is why you are suffering a little disorientation. As for the genetic material ... I did have to alter the chromosomes of the material, slightly. If it were possible for you to have an identical twin that was a female, then what I used on Commander Zan would have matched perfectly. This means that the bond between you, will either have lessened effects, or that it will be similar to the bond shared by identical twins.”

In a weird sort of way, it made sense to John. Even modern studies have proven that there is a sort of unspoken communication between identical twins. Then something else fell into place for John. He knew why he was feeling so disoriented. All of the areas of his brain that had been communicating so seamlessly, were now silent. After all the time he had wished them to be silent, now that they were ... Even with three women who proclaimed their love for him, he felt more alone than he could ever remember.

He searched his mind. They were still there, and they were functioning. They seemed to be befuddled, though, just as he was. He was pulled back into the room as his arms were being yanked to bring him to a standing position. He looked into their two smiling faces, and couldn’t find it in himself to be even the slightest bit upset.

“Sam says you will feel better, sooner, if we get you up and moving,” Penny said, trying to sound stern.

She failed miserably, when she giggled after saying it.

“I am going to stay here with Kirkuria and Mora is going to look after you. She wants to get to know you better.”

John looked to Mora who nodded with a shy smile.

“John,” Sam began, “Adam and I found that with my new processing capabilities, I can not only run the base, but take care of med-bay as well. So at the moment, he is in the process of transferring to his temporary mainframe.”

John searched his mind trying to come up with any objections that might apply. He could come up with nothing, so he nodded.

Mora led him out of med-bay by the arm. John felt so weak that he wasn’t sure he could resist, even if he wanted to. Not that he had any reason want to.

“I know just what you need to make you feel better,” Mora said with her beautifully accented English. “You need coffee, but not just any coffee. It must be made from beans grown in Columbia. They are the best, and will help you clear your head.”

John wasn’t about to argue with her, and allowed himself to be seated in the community dining area, in his usual seat. He watched as Mora went to the replicator. She seemed to get into an argument with it. His attention was pulled away when Bill approached, and seated himself. After taking a good look at John, he asked.

“Are you all right? You look pale and a bit out of it.”

“I just donated some genetic material to Commander Zan. It has left me a little disoriented.”

“I was going to see about continuing our conversation from earlier,” Bill said with true concern in his voice. “I think I will give you some time to recover before we get back into it.”

John struggled, trying to remember any conversation the two of them might have had. Only vague impressions came to him, and for some reason he kept seeing John Wayne dressed as a cowboy pushing his hat up off his brow with the barrel of his gun saying, “I’m the new sheriff in town.”

He was yanked back, when he felt a hand squeeze his shoulder. He was startled to see that Bill was standing, and in an unusually friendly manner, had gripped his shoulder. Bill said that he would stop by later, and see how John was feeling. John felt himself nodding in acceptance, and watched Bill walk away. For a brief moment, the image of Bill was overlain with that of John Wayne, right down to the spurs on his feet. John shook his head, and looked again. It was just Bill, working his way through the other people. He was stopping and talking to many of them.

Mora slid a mug of coffee in front of him, and settled herself next to him with a mug of her own. He lifted the mug. Before he had a chance to take a sip, the smell hit him. It was amazing. The only thing that even came close was the rich coffee smell you get when you first open a can of ground coffee. Even closer would be the smell you get when you grind your own beans.

“Drink!” Mora insisted.

John took a sip and his eyes opened fully. He had tried every type of coffee offered in the specialty shops, and thought he had a good knowledge base on coffees. Nothing could compare to the rich full-bodied drink he was sampling now.

“Silly machine,” Mora said disgustedly.

She had switched back to her native tongue showing the extent of her irritation.

“It didn’t even know the difference between a Columbian coffee bean and all the others.”

John assumed that the ‘it’ she was referring to was the replicator.

“Can you believe?” Mora asked moving the hand not holding the cup around animatedly. “It actually had to have Sam access one of the satellites, to do a scan of Columbia, before it could produce a decent cup of coffee.”

John smiled inwardly. He realized that Mora expressed as much with her body language, as she did with her words. It was a quality he found endearing. He also discovered his cup was nearly empty. He asked Mora if she would get him another cup. This, it turned out, was exactly the right thing to say. She practically beamed at him as she quickly went to the replicator.

John realized that he really was feeling more like himself.

‘It’s the caffeine in the coffee,’ the ‘know it all’ supplied, ‘the stimulant has acted as a catalyst to kick-start the neural-connections between the areas of your brain.’

As much of a pain in the ass as this area of his brain was, he felt happy that the connections were being re-made. Mora returned with a cup for him. He set aside his empty cup, and took a sip of the new one.

“This has got to be the best coffee I have ever had.”

This comment won him another brilliant smile. In fact, he must have hit this one out of the park, because Mora stood and walked around the table to where he was sitting. He expected a kiss on the cheek as she normally did. He was shocked when she kissed him full on the lips. He wasn’t exactly sure of what he had done, but he hoped to hell he figured out how to do it again. The kiss left both of the breathing hard, when she pulled away.

A short time later Mora announced that John’s mind was no longer foggy. She was going to see if Penny wanted to trade places. John felt the loss of her company, before she was out of sight.

“Don’t worry, Love,” Mora thought to him, “I am now, and will always be, a part of your life. There is also a part of me, that will always be with you, no matter where I am.”

John smiled at the thought, and somehow he knew she was right. Bill chose that time to come back over.

“So the Dynamic-Duo have left you to your own devices, have they?”

John looked at Bill wondering at the reference.

“You aren’t still addled, are you?” Bill asked with some concern.

“Well, I don’t think so. I remember our meeting now, and even understand why you were John Wayne for a moment. I’m just curious about the dynamic-duo remark. The only two people who are around me a lot are Penny and Mora. Is that who you mean?”

Bill furrowed his brow over the John Wayne comment, and chalked it up to John’s disorientation. But he searched John’s face, and realized that he really didn’t see what was going on right under his nose.

“You really don’t know, do you? Of course, you don’t or you wouldn’t have asked. You should pay more attention to your two young ladies. Whenever they are with you; hell, whenever they are in the same room as you are, both of them are constantly scanning the room looking for any sort of danger to you. At a glance it looks like they just scanning around the room curious as to who else is in attendance. But even the lack of a pattern can be a pattern, if you know what you are looking at.”

It was John’s turn to furrow his brow.

“Most people,” Bill continued, “when glancing around a room, do so in the same pattern. In special ops, they teach you to use a random pattern. They also teach you how to recognize someone that is using a random pattern, because they don’t follow a pattern. What it boils down to, my friend, is that you have two bodyguards as well as companions. I don’t know for certain, but I would guess that they are just as lethal as you are.”

John opened up his mouth to argue but Bill cut him off.

“Don’t even try to argue the point. Those sticks that are holstered in your lower back, aren’t there for lumbar support!”

They talked for a while longer, and Bill decided he had given John enough to think about. There would be other days for him to find out a bit more about the social structure John had planned. They shared some small talk. Bill had been out meeting people, even though he didn’t officially start the job until the following day.

“By the way, what is that wonderful smell?” asked Bill. “It reminds me of a freshly opened tin of coffee.”

John smiled and explained what it was, and what to ask the replicator for. Bill grabbed John’s empty cup and went to the replicator. John noticed that Bill looked back over his shoulder a couple of times before returning to the table with two fresh cups. John’s brow was furrowed when Bill slid a cup over to him and took his own seat.

Noticing John’s curiosity, he hooked a thumb over his shoulder.

“I think that machine is developing an attitude, and may require looking into. After I made my request it beeped and bopped. I am almost convinced it was telling me off. I’m just as certain that it gave me the raspberry after it produced the coffee!”

John burst out laughing, and nearly tumbled out of his chair, only barely catching himself at the last moment. He had tears leaking out of his eyes before he regained himself. Seeing that Bill was staring at him like he was mad, he related what had happened with Mora, and the conversation afterward. Though Bill smiled, he apparently didn’t see the humor John saw. John did use his implant to send Adam and Sam a message that the replicator in the dining area needed to be checked immediately.

However, at his first sip of the coffee, Bill’s eyes shot open.

“This stuff is amazing! I have been buying 100% Columbian coffee for years, and it didn’t taste like this.”

John smiled before saying, “I asked about that, too. Mora said that the beans that the big companies buy, aren’t the top quality beans she insisted be used for this coffee. I thought I knew a bit about coffee, but...”

His comment was cut off by a squeal from across the room. John looked to see a maintenance drone enter. It was the same egg shape that all of the drones were, but had multiple arms sticking out of it and this one was about three-foot from top to bottom. John could understand how someone could see this as frightening seeing it for the first time. It looked like techo-Frankenstein’s nightmare gone wrong.

He stood up on his chair’s seat, and raised his voice.

“Please don’t be alarmed. This is a maintenance drone. It is here to check out the replicator.”

As if this was its cue, it approached the replicator. It switched smoothly through its available arms first removing the fasteners and then opening the access panel. At this point the replicator began complaining, noisily issuing beeps. The drone extended an arm, and a moment later the replicator went silent. John could only assume that the drone had shut it down.

Using his implant he sent to Sam and Adam, “Which of you is acting as the operating system for the base?”

“I am, Sir!” Adam sent back.

“Check your personality programming. Make sure it isn’t bleeding over into other systems. We just had a replicator develop an attitude problem.”

A few moments later Adam notified John that during the transfer there was a bleed over of code, and that Sam was fixing it. John wondered why Sam was fixing it. Then he remembered. He and Sam had locked Adam out of his own programming, after he had used John as a guinea pig.

Things returned to normal after the maintenance drone was done and disappeared again. Slowly, the noise level in the dining area returned to its former level. He and Bill passed a little more light conversation before Ray appeared with a smile on his face. Bill took that as his cue, and excused himself.

Ray seated himself. John held up his hand, and retrieved two new cups of coffee. After handing one to Ray, he told him to go ahead. Of course, after Ray had sipped the coffee, he had to rave about its excellent quality.

John waited, and eventually Ray shared what was on his mind. Apparently, the flare had passed them, and there had been no leakage. Sam had cleared a flight for Ray to pick up some of his team members.

John told him that since it was nearly the end of the day, the team could spend the evening. He, John, would set aside some time for them the following day. The two talked for a brief while longer, though most of it was about Ray’s excitement. Apparently, two of the people coming up, had been on his old Seal Team. Soon the conversation waned and came to an end. Ray went to see if the shuttle was ready yet.

A while later the Dynamic Duo came bouncing in, and greeted John warmly with brief hugs and kisses to both cheeks. John realized that with the energy they were displaying, it was no wonder that they were called the Dynamic Duo. They were both full of energy.

They explained that after Kirkuria had opened her eyes, smiled at them, and had gone back to sleep. Sam had done a full scan. All the damage that had been done had been restored, and the muscle and bone growth were underway. Since there was little more to be done, they decided to have their evening meal with John.

The conversation was light, friendly, and full of laughter. They were soon joined by Paul, Martha and Helen. The teasing and laughter continued until well after the meal was finished.

Paul and John did have a brief moment to discuss business. He explained that while he had a good understanding of AIs now, Sam was still an enigma. He explained that her programming differed so much from the original, that she could no longer be considered to be in the same classification as the other AIs.

John was glad when the end of the day came. He realized that some of his relief was because he was still recovering from the procedure performed earlier, but it had also been a long day.

He stripped off his clothes and climbed into bed. He had barely pulled the covers over himself, when sleep carried him away.

Kirkuria’s eyes fluttered open. Terror flooded through her, because she didn’t recognize where she was. Then, memories started coming to her. Her reckless landing. The Admiral’s insistence that she call him John. The amazing ships. Her foolish attempt to make it to med-bay on her own. The strength in well-defined muscles, as John swept her into his arms as she collapsed. She even remembered the body wracking pain, when she was awakened by John for permission to save her life. All that was left to her, when her memory was restored, was the concerned face of John as he looked down on her.

Suddenly that image was swept aside, and was replaced by Sam asking her how she was feeling. Kirkuria could tell that her concern was genuine. There was something out of the ordinary about Sam that she couldn’t put her finger on. Sam’s intelligence, grace, and beauty stirred something in her. It was a feeling she had experienced and enjoyed in the past. She couldn’t help but wonder if Sam was one of John’s lovers. It would make access to her easier. She suddenly realized that she didn’t want to be alone.

“Sam,” she whispered though her dry throat.

Sam gave her a sip of something that made her throat feel much better.

She looked up at Sam with pure adoration, before asking.

“Could you help me get to where John is? I don’t want to be alone!”

Sam’s smile surprised her.

Sam had been expecting such a request, after Kirkuria’s proclamation of her bonding to John. She was glad that since so many people had arrived, and so few of them knew she was an AI, she had taken to using energy fields to give herself substance at all times. It helped when someone actually bumped into her, and didn’t pass through her.

She helped Commander Zan into a sitting position. Kirkuria draped an arm across Sam, and Sam helped her stand. It was slow progress, and Kirkuria was amazed at Sam’s strength. When she had nearly fallen, Sam had cupped her breast in an attempt to catch her. A thrill had raced through her exhausted body. She was able to clear her mind enough of her desires, to make a request of Sam. Sam agreed that she would see that it was done.

Sam finally got her to John’s quarters, after Kirkuria had insisted on two rest stops. She helped Kirkuria into John’s bed. Before she knew what was happening, Commander Zan had snaked her arm around Sam’s neck. She pulled herself close to Sam, and kissed Sam full on the lips.

Sam was even more shocked when Kirkuria said, “I love you Sam,” before closing her eyes and drifting away into unconsciousness.

Sam staggered back two steps, and simply stood there, trying to process the strange inputs her mainframe was receiving.

John found himself deep under water. Realizing he could tell which direction the surface was, he began swimming with all of his strength toward it. He didn’t seem to be making any progress. He swam even harder. His lungs were starting to ache from the lack of oxygen. He knew he was going to have to take a breath soon, or he was going to pass out and drown.

He focused his very essence on the surface, and clawed his way toward it. He was sure his lungs were going to explode as he finally broke the surface, only to find himself gasping for air in his own bed. He froze at the next discovery. He was not alone in his bed. There was a woman sharing it, and the two of them were spooning very closely. He carefully extracted his right hand, which was cupping her left breast. Moving the hair from her face, he saw that it was Kirkuria who was using his left arm as a pillow.

Removing his arm was a breeze compared to trying to extract his painfully engorged cock that she had trapped between her thighs. Finally, he managed, and moved his legs over the edge of the bed. It was then he heard the quiet alarms sounding.

Well, quiet as far as alarms go. It sounded more like background noise, if you didn’t know what it was.

Adam appeared, startling John. Upon seeing John awake and sitting on the edge of the bed, he began rapid fire questioning. Why are you awake? Is something wrong? Did the equipment malfunction?

John finally had to raise his hand, to get Adam to stop.

“I don’t know why I woke up. I feel that something isn’t right. There is something wrong, and I can’t place my finger on it. I must have sensed it in my sleep, and fought my way to consciousness to find the source.”

“That’s impossible John! No one has ever been able to come out of enhanced sleep while the program was active.”

“You can check the equipment, if you want. But, as you can see, Commander Zan is still under its influence.”

Adam looked over at Commander Zan. He was quiet for a moment before speaking.

“You are correct, John. Everything is working properly. Commander Zan is under the influence of one of the enhancers, and the others check out perfectly.”

“Adam? Do you know how Commander Zan got into my bed? Not that I am complaining, but I am curious.”

“Mother told me she was helping Commander Zan get here, at the Commander’s request. That had to be about two hours ago.”

Then it clicked in John’s mind.

“Adam? Where is Sam?”

“Hmmmmmm ... Oh, my!”

“What?” demanded John.

“She is refusing any and all attempts at communications.”

John thought furiously.

‘Check for her holo-drone,’ the know-it-all supplied.

John relayed the thought to Adam, who then wrinkled his brow.

“Scans show that her drone is hovering in your office, but it has been modified with a small anti-grav unit.”

John was on his feet rushing to his office not caring that he was nude.

He noticed a small black box that was sitting on his desk, but ignored it. Sam’s drone was hovering in the air, completely visible. Suspended in an anti-grav field below it, was a 4x9, business-sized envelope. On the front was John’s name, in beautiful looping letters.

Back on Earth, in a secret bunker, a lieutenant who had recently gone AWOL from the United States military wasn’t having any better of a day. In fact it had turned out quite a bit poorer than any projected ‘worse case scenario.’

“Please tell me, Sergeant, how ... after five years of recruiting and training hundreds of like thinking people, and after two years of meticulous preparation ... we failed to meet even ten percent of our planned objectives?”

“Sir, it seems that General Benton survived being shot. Because of that all but two facilities, not only changed their access codes, but also severed all hard-line connections to the outside world. We are certain that they are using wireless connections, but we are unable to discern and hack them in the time-frame that we were given.