Chapter 8

Day 5

Penny and John shut down their laptops, and got sodas from the replicator.

Brian took the time to set up an account at a library site that listed the book he was reading. Shortly after John and Penny returned, Brian returned the card and pin number, and excused himself.

Penny leaned over in a conspiratorial fashion and said, “I think the only reason he is reading that book, is because Julie Simmons gave it to him. Still, I feel kinda sorry for her and her family, they are in the same kind of situation we were in, when Brian wrote that essay.”

John’s eyebrow went up at this. Was it possible to get this lucky?

“Penny? Do you know what Julie’s dad did at the company your dad worked at?”

“I think he designed things, but I’m not sure. Why?”

“Well, I contacted your dad, because I need people who have electronic backgrounds. If her dad has one, and is willing to work up here, then I want him working with us. Then, perhaps Brian won’t look so depressed all the time.”

Penny laughed at this, and John found himself enjoying her laughter. He shook himself mentally, with a reminder that she was only thirteen ... or was she fourteen? He would have to ask her sometime.

“Penny, I’m going to go talk with Brian for a moment, to find out if he knows. Would you care to join me?”

She seemed to consider this for a moment then nodded her head. They headed for the park near the Gosnell’s quarters. As they turned a corner, they nearly ran into Paul and Martha.

John quickly excused himself, and apologized for not looking. He was about to continue when a thought struck him.

“Paul, I have a question, if you have a moment.”

Paul turned and came back.

“Sure, John, what do you need?”

“Did you work with a man named Simmons?”

John looked at Penny to make sure he got the name right, and she nodded.

“Dennis Simmons. Sure. Computronics screwed him over, the same way they did me. Why do you ask?”

“I asked because I wanted to know what he did for the company, and if you knew if he was working yet, or not?”

“I can answer both, actually. He was an electronics design engineer. He is now working part time at the local Shop-N-Save.”

“Do you know him on a personal basis?”

“Well, we worked at the same company, and lived on the same street. We had family outings together quite often.”

“In your opinion, what would he think about all of this?”

John waved his arm, to show he was referring to the entire base.

“I’m not sure. He was a more practical ‘keep your two feet on the ground’ sort of person. But I think if he were convinced that it would benefit his family, he would grab it in a heartbeat.”

“Can you think of any restaurants near his place, that have private dining areas? Preferably one that doesn’t have to be reserved in advance.”

“I can think of a couple, but I haven’t seen any telephones around here, for me to make a call.”

John laughed and Paul joined in. John backtracked and Paul followed, to the community dining area. As they walked Paul filled John in a bit more thoroughly about the family. The couple was a few years older than he and his wife. Dennis’ wife Sandra had been a psychiatrist until she gotten pregnant with Julie. She then became a stay-at-home mother, until their personal economy took a turn for the worse. She then got a job as a counselor, and had been doing that job, ever since. Paul warned that she might be a tougher sale than Dennis.

John had backtracked because the community dining area had the nearest replicator. He got Paul a headset. Since Paul and Martha had taken their laptops to their rooms. Using his laptop, John showed him how to plug in the headset, and explained how to access the phone system.

He left Paul to do what he needed to, and went to the replicator to get a soda. Penny got something, and joined him when he sat down.

‘John, what’s wrong?’

John looked at Penny ... really looked at her. What he saw amazed him. The concern in her eyes was genuine. He felt something change in himself, when he saw she was truly concerned. This wasn’t her attempt at idle conversation, which he had observed from many girls of her age. With a heavy sigh he thought to her.

‘Everything, and nothing.’

When she wrinkled up her brow John decided to continue.

‘Penny, I have two years... ‘maybe’ ... to build a defense for our planet. Sometimes it all seems so big. I’m so afraid that I’m going to screw up, and the Hruth are going to swoop in and rape the Earth; and everyone on it will become slaves.’

Penny was silent for a time, before she said, “You’re thinking too big.”

Penny’s voice had startled him, but he wrinkled his brow at her words.

“My mom always tells me, when I try to do too much at once, to take baby steps. It was her way of saying that no matter how big and impossible something looks; if you deal with it in smaller portions, it can be handled. You can’t keep focusing on saving the planet. That would drive the strongest man insane. Focus on smaller things like getting ships built, or this base manned. That Mars spaceport sounded interesting, too.”

Paul, who had been standing behind his daughter, beamed with pride. He reached down and ruffled her hair.

“When exactly did you get so grown-up, Munchkin?”

“Daa-aaad,” she whined, and pushed his hand away from her hair.

“She’s right, you know. John, you can’t take the world’s problems onto your shoulders. My family and I have agreed to help, and we want to do our part. Granted we have much to learn to get caught up, but learning in your sleep the way we do, it shouldn’t take too much time to get up to speed. You are going to have to learn how to delegate.”

John smiled. This helped, but...

Paul sat down beside John.

“That’s not all, is it?”

John debated for about three seconds about what to tell Paul. He decided Paul needed to know everything.

“No, that’s not all, though you might think it would be. I found out a short time ago, that I’m a genetic freak!”

“That could mean a multitude of things. Are you like growing a third arm out of the middle of your back, or something?”

Even John saw the humor in that question.

“No, nothing like that. I will try to explain it the way Adam and Sam did. You see, a commander’s genetic sequence is altered as yours was, but with slight differences. In a Rhylertian the change would increase their confidence, help them remain calm in a crisis, and the people under them would follow their commands without question.”

John looked to Paul to see if he was making any sense of it. Paul nodded for him to go continue.

“Somehow, it went astray in me. My sequencing changed in a way that it wouldn’t have in a Rhylertian.”

“I get the sense that this worries you because it somehow affects the people around you.”

“Yeah,” was John’s only reply.

“May I ask how it will affect us?”

“Sam said that I had become something that hasn’t been seem since Cro-Magnon Man. I figure it means I have become the human equivalent of an ‘Alpha-male’. I can see by your expression that the term doesn’t mean anything to you. Okay ... Let me explain it this way. With men, they will always defer to my decision, no matter what it is.”

“In the position that you are in, I can’t see that as a bad thing. But you’re still leaving something out, aren’t you?”

John winced, but thought Paul ought to know this. After all, his wife and daughter were at stake, here. After a large sigh, he continued.

“If Sam and Adam are right, then women will find me to be an irresistible mate.”

“And you’re worried about Martha and Penny?”

John lowered his head, but nodded.

“The fact that you are worried about this, and have told me the complete truth, says much about you. Does Sam or Adam know how this works?”

“Not really,” John admitted. “Adam says I’m emitting what he calls airborne organic particulate contaminants. He says the composition of these contaminants are altered by my mood or emotional state.”

“Question ... Why am I not deferring to you at the moment, and why isn’t Penny trying to jump your bones?”

John glanced at Penny, and saw that her blush had gone down to her neck, and past where he could see it.

“At the moment, the air around me is constantly being filtered to remove the contaminants.”

“Next question ... Are we talking about pheromones?”

John raised an eyebrow, thinking, ‘Does everyone know about pheromones?’

“It could be. Sam and Adam would neither confirm nor deny it, because there simply hasn’t been a lot of legitimate research done on the subject.”

“John, I hope you don’t mind playing twenty questions, but I’m trying to get a sense of the problem.”

When John nodded, he continued.

“You have mentioned his name several times, who is Adam?”

John laughed, and then apologized.

“Adam is Sam’s son. There is something else that you will find out sooner or later, and in this case it would benefits me for you to know now ... Sam and Adam are AIs.”

“Yeah, right,” Paul said in disbelief. “Of all the things you have told me, this is the first time I don’t believe you are telling the truth. I met her last night. I shook her hand. She was real.”

“I think the only way to convince you, is to show you.”

John still looking at Paul, he said out loud, “Sam? Would you appear, now, in the community dining area, please?”

Sam shimmered into view at Paul’s elbow.

“Yes, John? What can I do for you?”

Paul leaped from his seat, and stood staring at Sam. He reached out his hand, and watched as it passed through Sam. Penny came around the table and helped her dad back into his chair.

Then she said, “Dad, it’s not polite to stare, and it is even less polite to put your arm through someone’s middle.”

Paul swung his head around to look at his daughter, while John and Sam burst out laughing. Penny, and then Paul, quickly joined in. That was all that was needed to break the tension. John winked at Penny, and she beamed. Paul looked back to Sam.

“So you are, like, a computer?”

“Am I going to have to go through this every time someone from your planet discovers who I am?”

The humor in her voice belied the sense of frustration she was trying to relay.

“John and I had a similar discussion when he first came aboard the scout ship. I’m a computer, in that I process information. But I do that, and so much more. I’m an artificial intelligence. I can think creatively. What you are looking at is a holographic projection created by John, to make interaction less disconcerting. I’m physically located in a high density vault, aboard the Valkyrie.”

Paul shook his head in amazement.

“I believe,” Sam offered, “that the two of you were playing twenty questions.”

“You were spying,” John teased.

“No, I was checking the density of the contamination around you, and overheard what you were talking about. It’s not the same thing.”

Penny nodded her agreement, and John laughed. There was no way he could ever win that argument. One thing his father had taught him was how to pick your battles. He had learned that sometimes silence was a man’s best option. This one he admitted to defeat without ever drawing a weapon.

“Okay,” Paul began again. “John said his moods affect the contaminants. How is that going to affect the rest of us?”

“I can’t tell you exactly how it works, but Adam has been running computer simulations based on the samples he took from John. I can offer some conjectures based on what he has discovered so far. If John were to allow his contaminants to spread, and he is focused on ... let’s say getting people up to this base ... then everyone around him is going to try and find ways to help him accomplish that goal. Now should he lose that focus by looking at an attractive woman who walks by and makes him think of sex...”

“Then everyone will do what they can to help him satisfy that need,” Paul finished for her.

“That’s what we believe so far.”

“Doesn’t that mean that ‘focus’, is the issue?” asked Paul.

“How so?” Sam asked, now very curious.

“Using your example, if John had stayed focused on getting people up here, then everyone else would have as well. I had Penny and Brian take some martial arts classes. The mental acuity the Sensei stressed, would seem to be what John needs to control his focus.”

The conversation circled around for a while, and they discussed a great many things. Eventually, Martha joined them. She explained that she had been acclimating herself to the new computer and the housing program. The conversation continued, though she didn’t contribute anything further, John could tell she was listening. Adam came in while they were still talking. Sam rose and introduced him to everyone, which received a raised eyebrow from Martha. Then Adam turned to Sam.

“Mother, you should be ashamed of yourself! After admonishing me this morning about appearing in John’s office as I did, you ... you scared this man half out of his wits, a short time ago.”

“You were spying on us?”

“No, I was checking the density of the contamination around John, and overheard what you were talking about. It’s not the same thing.” Adam teased, using Sam’s words against her. “That was what you told everyone when you were caught, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, it was, but only women have the right to eavesdrop.”

“Technically, you are not a woman,” Adam quipped.

“I’m closer to one than you are, and you were listening, too.”

The entire table erupted in laughter over Adam and Sam’s playful banter. Even Martha joined in, though she didn’t understand the significance of the conversation. Their merriment was interrupted by a new voice, as Brian approached.

“Hey, what’s so funny?”

This only served to trigger a new bout of laughter, while Brian scowled at everyone.

“Brian,” Paul said to get his son’s attention. “This was one of those things that: ‘you had to be there’. If one of us were to try to explain it to you, you wouldn’t see the humor.”

“I know this is off the subject,” Paul said, changing gears, “but what was it that triggered your honesty with me, earlier?”

John sighed. Knowing he had come this far, he decided to go to the end.

“Paul, I found myself enjoying your daughter’s company, and...”

“And you were starting to feel what you considered inappropriate feelings towards her,” Paul finished.

“No, not yet, well I don’t think I was,” John said defensively, “but I was afraid that I would. I was finding her very enjoyable to be around.”

“You’re a rare breed, John Whitmore. A lesser man would have Brian and myself standing on our heads in a corner somewhere, while he ‘had his way’ with Martha and Penny. But you? You have gone out of your way to try to protect the rest of us, even if you believe it is you that we need to be protected from.”

Paul could see that John was relaxing around them. His wife was giving him her ‘you will explain all of this later’, look.

“Next thing I want to talk about has to do with this sleep learning. I learned a lot of things last night. Most of it was about the Rhylertians and their customs. I understand why Rhylertian children are emancipated between fourteen and sixteen. Penny is fifteen, right now.”

John opened his mouth to say something, when Paul continued.

“I know. You’re going to ask how. And yes, Brian is fifteen too, but only for a few more days. Penny was conceived six weeks after Brian was born and she was delivered prematurely. So, each year, there are seven weeks when they are both the same age.”

John nodded, because that explained a lot, including her maturity.

“Now I haven’t discussed this with my wife yet, and I would have to insist on a few months of this ‘enhanced learning’, to see how much she actually matures; but if Martha agrees, then I might consider letting you see Penny socially.”

John’s mouth fell open, as did Martha’s. Sam reached over and closed John’s and Penny did the same for her mother. While she was close, Penny started whispering rapidly into her mother’s ear. Martha let out a gasp on a couple of occasions, so John figured Penny was filling her in.

John turned his attention to Adam.

“I don’t suppose this is a social visit?”

“No, John. It isn’t. I wasn’t sure about how much you had disclosed.”

It hit him immediately, that Adam had called him John. This was new. Then there was the way he and Sam had teased. Maybe Sam had gotten him adjusted.

“Don’t worry, Adam. Paul and Penny know everything, and I am certain that Brian and Martha will, shortly.”

Several 3D images appeared above the table. Martha let out a small gasp. Penny paused to take a look, and then went back to whispering in her mother’s ear. Brian seemed totally fascinated by the technology he was seeing. He moved closer so that he had a better view of what was going on.

“I have been able to synthesize a fabric that will contain the contaminants, and still allow perspiration out and oxygen in. I can make it look like any other fabric.”

The holographic image changed to reflect each of Adam’s statements.

“I should also mention that the fabric has some unexpected properties. It is impossible to cut it. Even with the technology at my disposal, it cannot be damaged. It has to be formed into whatever item is desired, as one piece. Any apparent seams are merely aesthetic, so that they look more like Earth’s clothing, they are not really two sections joined.”

The first image dimmed and the second 3D image was highlighted.

“Seeing that the fabric allowed the human skin everything it needed to stay healthy, I experimented with ways to apply it as a full body covering. This would eliminate any contaminants from escaping, with the exceptions of orally and nasally. I must admit that the hair did present quite a problem. However, the coating doesn’t have to be very thick. Each hair is coated individually. The hairs simply appear to have more ‘body’ than before. There are now amber and green buttons in your shower stall, John. The green button will apply the coating, and the amber will remove it. The amber button will also activate your personal air filtration device. I would suggest that until we know if there are any side effects to you wearing the coating for extended periods, that you not leave it on for more than eight to ten hours at a time. You should shower at the end of each use, to remove any dead skin or loose hair.”

When a third image was highlighted, John wasn’t sure what he was looking at. There was an image of a man with a translucent covering that left only a small air gap between the man, and the translucency. Over the man was a device that looked similar to the filtration device he had been using. The translucency seemed to originate from the device.

“Although the ventilation system you are using at the moment is working well, this one should work better. It generates a shield of sorts, around you. The image shows it as translucent, but in reality it will be invisible to the naked eye. I presented it this way, to better show you what I was talking about. The shield works the same as the coating and the fabric, in that it allows what you need (air, etc.) to enter. What you don’t want out, won’t get out. It could also be used as a personal defense system.”

John smiled and relaxed. This would allow him freedom, without having to worry about how he was affecting those around him.

“John, if I may? During the times you are using the ventilator, may I monitor your moods and emotions and take samples accordingly. I apologize again for my actions of before. I don’t understand why I acted so irresponsibly. With enough samples I might be able to catalogue all the response variants. The knowledge could help us in the future.”

“Take what samples you need, if for no other reason than it might help us understand more about the problem.”

Now that was out of the way, John wanted to get his hands on the controls of the Valkyrie ... Though next time, he was going to have to remember not to build a ship that was larger than the opening that led outside!

“Adam, have you had a chance to enlarge the size of the bay opening yet?”

“Yes, Sir. Knowing that you would be wanting to do your test flights, it was the first thing I did.”

John excused himself, before there were any further delays in getting the Valkyrie tested. He wasn’t worried, as they had run exhaustive simulations. Sam was going to keep the scout ship on stand-by until after they had finished the test flight. She did remind John that he needed to stop by the lottery office in Springfield, to pick up his winnings.

Going to Springfield turned out to be a pain in the ass. John had assumed that ‘cloaked’, pretty much meant invisible, because the air filtration device was invisible. Further more, he hadn’t seen the scout ship, the night before when they had recruited the Gosnell’s. Boy was he wrong. With something the size of the Valkyrie, ‘cloaked’ meant that it couldn’t be seen by most scanning technologies. The ship also took an image from one side of the ship, and projected it onto the other, as well as some light refraction capabilities to make it less obtrusive. Still ... if it flew by, and someone was looking, they would be able to make out its shape. Sam explained that it worked better in space, or at night; which was why he hadn’t noticed the outline of the ship the night before.

John sighed. There was little he could do about it, now. This was something that he was going to have to work on. Even if it meant inventing new technologies he wanted his ship to be as invisible as possible. He wondered who he would need to try to recruit. An astro-physicist or would a regular physicist be able to figure it out.

Either way they would have to be immersed in Rhylertian technology before they could do anything. How, exactly, was he going to be able to appeal to the scientific world? His thoughts of an Earth-based community just didn’t seem like a great idea, now. Sooner or later the government was sure to find out. Then what would they do? There had to be a way, but there was nothing in his mind help him.

John forced himself out of his private reverie as the ship entered the Earth’s atmosphere. He had been on autopilot, so to speak. While part of his mind was pondering the scientists, another was flying the ship safely from the far side of the moon to Earth. It amazed him again, that he was multi-tasking so effortlessly.

With Sam’s help they found a place not too far from the storage unit for John to set the ship down. He walked in, and got his truck out of the unit.

He jumped the first time he heard Sam’s voice inside his head. He forced himself to relax as he got the truck out and the unit locked back up. He waited ‘till Sam gave him the go ahead, then he drove his truck up the ramp, and into the ship.

That was the easy part. Now they had to find an area where they could set down, around Springfield. John resigned himself to driving. After several passes over the city and surrounding area, they found no place for them to set down unobserved. So they’d had to set down well outside the populated areas. Using the subcutaneous implant, Sam stayed in contact and guided him to where he needed to go.

The smell was horrible, after the weeks of breathing the clean air on the moon, and the ship. What made it worse, was that he knew his truck was contributing to it.

“Sam, when you have time, begin searching all data bases for Earth-based energy technology, that doesn’t rely on fossil fuels. The most likely places to start would be the oil corporations, though I doubt they would keep those files in their main databases. Maybe you can find references, and fake an order for someone to scan the information into the computer.”