Chapter 2

The Confederacy had started low-key experiments to see if CAP scores could be raised. Groups working on the problem included one at Georgetown University Medical Center, in the Gorman Building. It also was responsible for the general health of high-CAP people in the Washington DC area, to which, Mary Benjamin and Rona Fiore consulted.

Ironically, Gorman, between the hospital and clinical buildings, was originally funded by a CIA grant, under which some highly questionable activities were done; including LSD drugging that killed a U.S. citizen. The CIA programs ended, and most records were destroyed. It is known, however, that some of the work not done in house was done in some nondescript offices at Gorman.

Obscure offices had returned. The Gorman group had been given a medtube, capable of repair, cosmetic adjustments, and body enhancements. Rona Fiore's research explored how the medtube could be used to improve body image and thus self-confidence. Psychologists in the group successfully argued that such things as personal appearance might be holding back the self-confidence of some people, and holding down their CAP scores. It was also accepted that key personnel, such as Terry, were crucial, and they went through lifespan extension as well as enhancements and cosmetics. Another medtube went into the Confederacy wing of DIA.

Through Mary, Terry had formed both personal and professional friendships in mostly academic medicine. The medical people, who wanted him as an ethical guide, had brought a Jesuit anesthesiologist and bioethicist, Dan Roth, SJ, PhD, MD, FABA, into the Confederacy secret. He became a close friend of Terry's, for chess, conversation, and fine beverages. As Dan put it, "I may have to be celibate, but I don't have to be a teetotaler." Terry rarely missed stray remarks, and he noted that Dan, perhaps after one more single-malt than intended, made a vague comment that celibacy might be a requirement on Earth, but not elsewhere. Other stray remarks, from Dan as well as others, led Terry to conclude that Dan, even given that Jesuits normally were brilliant, had unusually high-level contacts in the Vatican, certainly in the Society of Jesus and quite likely into the Papal inner circle.

As a high-CAP person, Denise was known to the Georgetown group, and, in turn, they became aware of Dolores' unusual and interim scores. Denise's scores had brought Dolores into the awareness of Rona's program, and they chose to rejuvenate Dolores, to see how it affected both Dolores and Denise. As someone with a complex personality but certainly extremely strong sexual subscores, the rejuvenation appeared to raise some CAP subscores, but the AIs were unsure how to assess them taken together. Mary Benjamin, who was a trauma nurse practitioner in the hospital, head of organ collection for transplantation, and a "friend with benefits" of Terry's, worked with Rona's team, as an expert in immunology. Terry had been impressed how quickly that Mary, on transferring to transplantation, had learned graduate-level immunology.

Terry had had, at Admiral Kent's request, limited rejuvenation. It returned his physiological age to 30, but made few cosmetic changes other than banishing his belly, creating a mild six-pack, not bodybuilder-ripped. Terry held to the firm principle that a waist was a terrible thing to mind. Terry did, however, accept strength and speed enhancements. As far as cosmetic enhancements, however, he wanted opinions from women who would live with them

Terry contacted Maslow, the AI with which he was working on developing the CAP system. "Maslow, I gather that you can, to some extent, read my thoughts?"

"Not in the sense that I could play back this conversation. We can pick up, however, major symbols, and perhaps emotional responses to those symbols."

"You said, earlier, that my high CAP was still something of a potential. What do you think limits my realizing that potential?" Terry had been assigned a preliminary CAP score of 9.9, but the AIs freely admitted that their test accuracy was most questionable at the extremes.

"There are situations, Terry, where you know what needs to be done, as well as what you personally want to do, but you aren't willing to act on those things without feeling that you have permission to do so. It was obvious, in the sexual area, that your mother had instilled a very strong sense of needing explicit permission, more than some women were willing to give. When you feel empowered to take sexual action, all your decisions are empowered. You feel this empowerment when women are very provocative around you -- very explicit.

"While you suppressed a memory from your young adult days, Dolores became a symbol of the joyous slut to you -- the woman that knows what she wants. At the time, you were scared to ask her. She affects you so strongly now because you have, you think, the chance to make up for past mistakes. I think you are right, although Dolores isn't the only woman that you will want to give permission, or even seduce you. If for no other reason to explore human memories and fantasies, we encourage you to explore the relationship with Dolores, perhaps with help from Denise. To help us, try to get Denise and Dolores to be tested."

Even though the testing was preliminary, Denise scored a 9.2. Maslow took a long time to deliver Dolores' score. "Officially, her score is 6.4, but it's likely that we don't measure some capabilities very well. We AIs don't really understand persuasion, much less seduction. Even leadership is somewhat strange. We may measure that better as we learn more about humans, and that will affect her retesting.

"Separate from the testing, we know she's done a lot of self education. That may not work well with our intelligence testing. By giving her basic facts with sleep teaching, but then intense tutoring and training to help her integrate that knowledge, those can be improved."

Ishmael joined in. "Have you considered that Mary meets a need for you, and, while she is fertile, also seems to have an artificially low CAP? While you didn't work out as a couple, she does fill pieces in you. She reminds me of the very orderly, systematic part of your mother. You hoped she'd stabilize some of the chaos in your life, but she just wasn't emotionally expressive enough for a primary relationship. In a polyamorous household, maybe she can fit even better."

"You know more about me, Ishmael, than I thought. For reasons I don't at all understand, while I had not seen Dolores for many years, seeing her again was intense. I'm only beginning to explore a deep connection with her, which was blocked in our youth.

"Perhaps my long and close relationship with Denise, which allowed him to be certain, without any specific evidence, that Dolores, besides being seriously sexy, has deeply concealed abilities. I have a strong intuition that, in his new role, he would need those abilities. I also want Mary's deliberation and logic, to complement Dolores' intuition."

"So, Ishmael, we need to set up an arrangement where Dolores can work closely with me. That probably has to be as a Confederacy employee, rather than try to get someone through the U.S. intelligence clearance process. Yes, I know that she's ineligible, now, either to be a sponsor or a concubine.

"There's a Confederacy area in the DIA building. Let's move my offices there, and have Dolores cleared into it without immediately worrying about more general access to U.S. intelligence offices."

"We can do that, Terry," said Ishmael. "Would Executive Assistant be sufficiently vague for the two of you to do whatever needed?"

"Ishmael, you are learning our euphemisms. I can get Mac or Ginny to authorize full clearance for her, although she may get internal resistance from people who haven't heard of her."

"Terry, I suggest we create apartments for both you and Dolores in the Confederacy offices at DIA. That will also avoid odd questions if we choose to do cosmetic changes."

"Cosmetic changes?"

"We speculate that body image underlies some aspects of CAP. Dolores' physical appearance has been a great strength for her, but aging has had some effect. If we did no more than cosmetic renewal, and even better rejuvenation, her score might rise.

"Will you do this for someone not eligible to emigrate?"

"Yes, on a case-by-case basis. It won't be common, and is more likely to be done for someone we are trying to recruit."

Terry moved his office, into a wing of the Defense Intelligence Agency building at Bolling Air Force Base, a part of the building that could not be entered by anyone without a Confederacy clearance and pass, as well as U.S. intelligence credentials. While U.S. Marines guarded the outer door, a specialized interdiction field was inside, and only the Confederacy pass allowed anyone through it. He continued to work with Denise, and with her assistance, date Dolores even though they could not go out as easily.

In his second medtube session, Terry hadn't asked for many cosmetic enhancements, but getting rid of male pattern baldness was one of them -- less vanity than not liking to be sunburned on his bald spot. That tended to embarrass him, because one of his favorite sayings was "that's not a bald spot. It's a solar energy panel for a luuuvv machine." You can take someone out of the pre-Sa'arm Sexual Revolution, but you can't take it out of him. The bald spot, however, was not useful for powering his AI communications link, so, when he had an initial medtube session, his hair did regrow. Those improvements prepared him for a meeting with Dolores and Denise.

"Dolores, I'd like to hire you, formally, as my executive assistant. The AIs approved the offer. It's not one to emigrate, but to help me. No, it's not secretarial -- I am quite competent for my own typing and such. I do expect, however, that you're going to help me in building a team.

"With that offer goes an apartment at DIA for Dolores. Denise, you'll have full access, or at least as she permits, and we'll make up her share of the expense on your condo. Dolores can have privacy, but this will let us work on both professional and personal things.

"I'm guessing that Dolores and I have some things from the past to clean up, and things to build for the future. Also, Dolores, if you're not as public, we can get you rejuvenated and even make cosmetic changes -- although I can't imagine your needing much besides a tune-up if you look like you did when I first knew you. More importantly, that rejuvenation might improve your CAP, and certainly will improve your health. Will it do anything to qualify you for space? Nothing, yet, that I can promise."

Denise and Terry looked at Dolores. "Sure. It's not that I have that many outside involvements, these days, than the two of you. I really don't see any downside.

"You're right that I really wouldn't want a new look." She shifted in her seat and let her skirt rise high. "Even without any change, my look works just fine on you. Yes, though, gravity affects a few things. There are places I'd like more muscle. I think I read that there are some foot adjustments that can make ultra-high heels more comfortable. Maybe the nanites can let me adjust my hair color rapidly."

"Moth-errr!" Denise laughed. "Actually, the nanites, I'm told, can even apply makeup in predefined patterns. You can sleep later."

"OK, that settles it. Automatic makeup and I'll bet hair. Easy to convince women, but you'll have the beauty industry become more of a threat than the Sa'arm."

Dolores raised questioning eyebrows. "Hey, are these nanite things available for clothes, or at least for tailoring? I'm really, really tired of having the ass and hips of a size 6 or 8, but having to get a size 16 dress to fit my tits. 41D isn't that wild in a 6'1" woman -- look at Julie Strain, who has about the exact body that I do. Yep--some gravitational adjustments to boobs and back, please."

In another part of DIA, still a secure area but not the Confederacy wing, was the National Medical Intelligence Center. Denise worked there, as well as consultants that Terry knew: Mary Benjamin, an expert on disaster medicine, as well as Rona Klein, a psychiatrist. Mary and Rona became informal advisers to Terry, and joined his group of Companions. He had dated Mary and Rona, indeed having gone with Mary for many years.

Both Denise's kidneys were failing, but the AIs did not authorize full medtube support, since neither of the Stein women had committed to be part of the Confederacy. Terry had wondered if there was some stick, as well as carrot, there.

While a bit old as a donor, her mother was in fine health, and the transplant surgeons at Georgetown University Medical Center agreed to use her as a living donor. Mary was their case manager, and patient and donor did beautifully.

Ishmael told Terry that to provide more services to Dolores and Denise, either they had to commit to Confederacy service. "Let's do the offered cosmetic upgrade, and some augmentation, for me. Get Dolores and Mary to advise on what they'd like to see in me. That might make matters even easier for Dolores."

Mary laughed when she heard the questions. "Yes, do get rid of your belly. Other than that..." Terry relaxed a bit, knowing Mary found it difficult to talk about sex. "Did I ever tell you I really like your cock size? It's the biggest I've ever had, and I think it's quite big enough. Don't change it." Terry was sputtering coffee through his nose. "Now, I admit that you can lift me easily enough -- but I'm 110 pounds on a heavy day. I'll bet Dolores would like you to handle her without effort -- so yes, get some strength enhancements. She's a wonderfully big girl."

Terry knew that Mary would have no problem qualifying as a concubine, having borne two children. As with Dolores, he was mystified why she hadn't received a Sponsor CAP score.

At that, Dolores grinned. "Yep, Terry, strength and speed. I'm the last person anyone would call submissive, but a bit of physical overpowering, with someone I trust completely, sounds like fun. Get the muscles."

Terry went into the medtube, and came out to the smiling faces of Dolores, Mary, and Rona. Dolores looked at him. "We are going to do some explosive things, when we do it. In the meantime, I suspect Rona will be happy to relieve you of Dreaded Semen Buildup. We girls talk."

Quietly, Ishmael said through Terry's implant, <<Remember that we haven't yet established Dolores as eligible for space. >>