Chapter 24

"Yes, General. I am fully aware of what your instruments and theory's have told you. But as I have told you before; We are but a woman's University. An institution of learning." Susan said into the phone as Jill came into her office.

It was three months after the night of Susan's induction at the temple.

Jill smiled at her and sat down. Susan reached out and squoze her hand a moment.

"Yes, General, I know that. But your technicians have been over every square inch of this place." Susan replied, rolling her eyes.

"That is a religious structure, General. How could it have any effect upon what you're talking about?" Susan asked, grinning at Jill.

Susan was not lying. She just wasn't telling all she knew, nor would she. She met every pointed inquiry as to what could have caused the power vortex with a similarly pointed question asking the others to explain how the university could have anything to do with it.

"We worship the goddess Aphrodite, General." Susan replied.

Jill looked startled. Susan grinned broader.

"Yes, General. I'm glad you think that's so quaint. You are entitled to any opinion you wish. That is your prerogative. Religious freedom is ours." Susan replied, suppressing a giggle.

"Alright, General. If you yourself will personally accompany your technicians and vouch for their behavior. We are a girls school. I will personally direct you of a tour of the temple. You may take your measurements and then you will go away. I cannot tolerate any further disruptions to my students. They've paid good money to be here and they deserve freedom from harassment. This includes your people trying to interview them whenever they go to town. I'm not about to tolerate it anymore." Susan said, forcing anger into her voice, but still grinning.

"Alright, General, but this is the last time. I will see you day after tomorrow. Then you will go back to your slide rules and your rockets or whatever it is you do and we will go on being a University." Susan said.

"Alright, General. See you then. Good-bye." Susan said, hanging up the phone.

"Ulll ... That man needs a C-4 enema to equal the pain in the ass he's been to me." Susan said, frowning a bit.

"Not that I question you, but could you explain to me why you told him we worshipped Aphrodite? Jill asked.

"I told him the temple was a religious structure. It didn't matter a bit to him what kind after that. He sees them all as structures used by simpletons. If he thinks we are idolic worshipers not connected with any other religious organization, then he will undoubtedly think us greater simpletons. He asked me straight out what we worshipped. I told him. The truth was the best lie." Susan replied.

"I see, I think." Jill said.

"So what brings you away from your busy schedule to visit little ole me?" Susan asked.

"I just thought I'd drop by and see how our new High Priestess is doing. Besides wanting to know how you are doing as a dear friend that I know and love so well." Jill said.

"Your new High Priestess is doing well. Your friend is up to her ass in alligators as usual. And I miss you desperately." Susan replied.

"You know that my bed, arms and heart are always open to you twenty-five hours a day. I realize with the schedule you have adopted that you don't have much free time. But I will be glad to help you chase away any alligators you may encounter. Don't call ahead, just drop in. Please." Jill said.

Susan stood and pulled her friend into her arms. She kissed her tenderly.

"Thanks Jill. You will always be special to me. You seem to know just what I need at just the right time." Susan said, hugging her tightly.

"Thank you, Susan. It is you who have always made me feel special. You are the special one to me. You've never let your position get in the way of what we share. I'm grateful for that." Jill replied.

"Okay, enough mushy stuff. How about a pizza and a beer tonight?" Susan asked.

"God, wish I could. I've got a night class to teach tonight and tomorrow night. How about ... night after next?" Jill asked.

"I don't know how long the little fiasco with the General will take, and besides I'm booked with Ron. I think we need to spend a little time alone." Susan replied.

"Okay, I'll leave my schedule with your secretary. She has yours -I assume- have her schedule us a night for pizza and beer when she can fit us in." Jill said.

"You got it ... do I have a secretary?" Susan asked, grinning.

"You know very well you do. She's one of the buisiest women on the planet." Jill chuckled.

"Oh ... I remember, that blur I see pass through every now and then." Susan giggled.

"Yeah, that's her. Well, love. I've got to scoot. I love you." Jill said.

"As I love you." Susan said, pulling her back into a long kiss.

After Jill had left, Susan sat back in her chair and sort of rubbed her eyes.

"A Dr. Floyd from CERN on line three. Says he will only talk to the head person. You want me to get rid of him?" Susan's intercom announced.

"No, I'll take it. Best to get it over with. Thank you Tracy." Susan responded, lifting the line.

"Yes, Dr. Floyd. Dr. Susan Rowe here. What can I do for you?" Susan asked.

Ever since the induction, the whole world had been scrambling. There was no nuclear material anywhere. Reactors were down all over the planet. There had even been brave excursions into the bowels of the Chernobyl and Three Mile Island plants in search of material. It was all stone cold inert. The reactors were not the reason everybody was scrambling. Everybody had also finally determined that their nuclear weapons were dead. That fact was not made public by anyone, but it was surmised by the scientific community and the rumor of that fact was generally known among them.

Most were elated. Some were mad as hell. Everybody wanted answers.

Study of the event had led smack dab into Rowe University's lap. Scientists from all over the globe wanted to study the ground beneath them, the air above them and stick their noses into every nook and cranny at the University. There was nothing for them to find. Rowe University did not have any nuclear material. They explained that in fact they had their own set of dead fuel rods. In fact two sets of dead fuel rods. Why hadn't they told anyone about the first set? Who would have believed them if they had?

Most the scientists accepted this. They climbed over every square inch of the Rowe reactor with all sorts of instrumentation. Nada, zip. No clues.

Ron found Cindy at her microscope, where she usually was.

"Any chance I could borrow your toy for a bit?" Ron asked.

"Which toy?" Cindy giggled.

"You're microscope. You know I don't treat the other as a toy." Ron smirked.

"Yeah, A girl can hope though ... lets see. I'm due for a break anyway. What do you need to look at?" Cindy asked, pulling Ron's hips next to her from her chair and draping her arms around them.

"Some powder from one of the fuel rods. I'm not sure what the hell it is. Spectrometer say's it's carbon. It should be at least partially lead, but you know it wasn't normal decay. I just want to take a peak at it." Ron said.

"Sure. Load up a dish there, lets take a look." Cindy said.

"Ahh ... can't I drive the train Mr. Conductor?" Ron asked, giggling.

"That's Miss Conductress ... Guess that doesn't have the same ring to it. Okay. Sit down, I'll watch. I know you won't break it." Cindy said, relinquishing her throne.

Ron set his sample in a tray and inserted it into the vacuum chamber. It took a while for the sample to pull down. Air molecules would have scattered the electron beam illumination source and blurred the reflected image on the detectors. By sucking all the air they could out, this problem was greatly reduced. This also limited the electron microscopes to use on dead cells. Any live cell would rupture in the vacuum. Exploding from the relative pressure difference from inside the cell to the outside. Samples could, however be set in epoxy and studied through the thin layer.

A series of blob shaped images appeared on the monitor. Ron reached out to the controls and changed the focus, bringing the image in crisper. It was still blurred a bit as the Vacuum pump hadn't yet done all it's work.

"Hell, you don't need my toy to see that. You could almost see that with a child's microscope; it's so big." Cindy mused, getting to her feet.

"Not that big. You're just used to looking at very small." Ron said, refining the focus.

"Well, I'm gonna get a bite to eat and then call it a night. Have fun." Cindy said, kissing Ron on the cheek.

He turned his head and made it a real kiss.

"Mm let me know when you want to play with my other toy." Cindy giggled, heading out the door.

Part of Cindy's old personality had emerged after Susan's induction and Aphrodite's message. She seemed -to the people around her- to be more carefree and happy. It wasn't because she wasn't still attentive to her work. If anything she was more. But her attitude had returned to more of what it was like. Like her joking with Ron. Both knew that she was -and wasn't- joking. They had shared themselves many times. They had a comfortable relationship. When the mood struck them, they played.

No, Cindy's transition was based upon the message that Aphrodite had given her, that her goal would be reached. It wasn't the light at the end of the tunnel, it was the fact that there was light at the end of the tunnel. If she traveled far enough, she'd reach it. She was just as determined to reach her goal and just as devoted in her quest. But she was also in a better mood overall.

She spotted Barbara in the cafeteria. Sitting by herself. Cindy got a plate of the nights special. (Not bad, better than most institution foods.) She moved to join Barbara at the table.

"Hi love. What's shaking?" Cindy asked, plunking down opposite Barbara.

"I'm thinking about reactionless thrusters in a three dimensional rotational quadrant." Barbara replied.

"Ouch, I'm sorry. Hope it doesn't hurt." Cindy giggled.

"I know you know very well what I'm talking about; motors." Barbara replied.

"I know. I was just having fun. You know, fun?" Cindy asked.

"Yes, I remember fun. Like our ski trip a couple of years ago. I quite enjoyed that." Barbara said, nostalgically.

"You didn't act like it much at the time. You were thinking pretty hard about the rod, even after Susan had demanded you take a vacation." Cindy said.

"Yeah, I know. But once I had it figured out I had fun. Once I figured out about the matrix seed crystal and found out that it wouldn't be available till after the first of the year. Then I had fun." Barbara said.

"Yeah, I remember that. Talking at the top of the hill. Then that glorious skiing." Cindy mused.

"Yes, and then after ... remember when we took Susan's advice and examined each others derrières? Now that was fun." Barbara said.

Cindy nodded moving a bite of food to her mouth. It never made it. The fork stopped in mid-air hanging before her open mouth. Her eyes wide in amazement.

Barbara looked up at her curiously. Cindy's mouth still hung open.

Inside her mind was matching the shape of a curve; Of Susan's derrière, of the keyhole on the cancerous cell, of ... the image just now on her microscope that Ron had been looking at!

"That's it!" Cindy said, dropping her fork and bounding out of the cafeteria.

"Was it something I said?" Barbara asked the empty spot where Cindy had been.

Cindy came screeching around the corner into her lab, gasping for breath.

"I was just going to come find you. You got me thinking about that other toy of yours." Ron chuckled.

"That sample, where is it?" Cindy asked, abruptly.

"Right here ... funny thing that. Biggest dam Bucky-balls I've ever seen. Must be around four-hundred atoms." Ron said.

"376, get it back on the screen." Cindy ordered.

"Sure ... don't want to play anymore?" Ron said, turning the microscope back on.

"If this is what I think it might be, you can play with it to your hearts delight anytime day or night for the next five years." Cindy said.

"Well that's certainly the best offer I've had lately, want to run it yourself?" he asked, moving aside.

"Yeah." Cindy said, sliding into the seat, totally distracted from the conversation already.

"Key to your lock?" Ron asked, putting things together.

"Yeah, maybe." Cindy said, adjusting the microscope.

"Great, if it is. I never would have suspected it fit your chastity belt too." Ron giggled.

Cindy flashed him a grin and turned her concentration back to the microscope.

She adjusted the scope until she got the image she wanted. She sat looking at it for a long while, first matching the curve in her mind. Then she set about taking actual measurements, her excitement growing all the time.

She called in an image from disk on a second monitor and looked between the two. She rotated the first image a bit, seeking the right angle.

Cindy was shaking a bit as she pulled the second image in over the first. She rotated the two images to match up inside and outside curves. Finally she used a fine resolver to fine tune the two images. The edges of the two images blurred and then lined up exactly.

"Bingo!" she said.

"I can see that. What does that mean, exactly?" Ron asked.

"It means that you have a new toy to play with for the next five years. How much of this stuff do you have?" Cindy asked.

"Oh, lets see ... about eight tons." Ron said, distracted by her statement.

"Eight tons!?" Cindy gasped.

"Sure, two full sets of reactor rods. Totally inert and useless." Ron replied.

Cindy launched herself at him. Kissing and hugging him. Tears pouring down her cheeks.

"What the hell is going on?" Ron asked, taken aback by her assault.

"Maybe inert radioactivity ... But maybe not useless either. You may have just cured cancer!" Cindy replied, tears pouring down her cheeks.

Cindy didn't wait. She mixed the first solution from the fuel pellets just an hour later and injected it into a tumorous growth on a mouse. Next she went straight to a primate, a monkey, injecting it too. The dosage was probably massive, but there was no information on any ill effects from carbon. Not that anybody had ever been exposed to C376 before. But Cindy knew in her heart that she was on the right track. Her brain told her to use it on the animals first, not on her patients in the hospital.

"Now what?" Ron asked, having tagged along.

"Now we wait." Cindy said.

"How long?" Ron asked.

"I don't know. I'll check them in the morning, but who can say. It may take a month, it may not work at all." Cindy replied.

"What do you think?" Ron asked.

"I think it might work ... I also think, dear heart, that I have at least twelve hours to kill before I would know at the earliest. So how about first payment on that promise I made you?" Cindy asked, pulling him into her arms.

"Wow, a new toy, all my own. Just like Christmas ... lets go unwrap it." Ron said, kissing her.

"You can't fool me ... I know you've peeked before." Cindy giggled, leading him by the hand.

"Can we make this fast, General Scott? I've got people coming in from NIH in Atlanta and from all over the world right after that." Susan asked.

"Yeah, sure, Dr. Rowe. What's all the excitement about? The halls were fairly buzzing." General Scott asked.

"The excitement is; that one of our doctors may well have cured cancer." Susan replied, distracted.

The general was silent for a moment.

"You are joking, right?" he asked.

"No, General. I'm not." Susan replied.

"What kind of Cancer?" he asked.

"All kinds of cancer. A general treatment for all types." Susan responded.

"And it works?" he asked.

"Cured a monkey and a mouse overnight." Susan replied.

"My god... " he said.

"Precisely General. So you see the importance. Can we get on with this?" Susan asked.

"Certainly." he replied.

They were walking up the path from the administration building to the temple. Several technicians in uniforms lugged equipment behind them. Struggling to keep up with Susan's brisk pace.

"I don't really see what you expect to find in our temple." Susan said.

"I just like to be tidy and cover all bases." the General replied, cryptically.

"No you don't. You old bastard. You want to try to trip me up. You're all set to hit me with a lot of facts thinking that I'll bust and come clean ... well are you in for a let down." Susan thought.

"If you say so, General." Susan said, kind of shivering a bit suddenly.

"We tried before, we couldn't get in." the General said.

"Nobody asked before this." Susan replied.

"Yes, well. You said we could look at anything." replied the General.

"Yes, so I did. I was referring to the physics labs and he campus in general. I didn't expect you would care about a religious structure." Susan replied.

"Actually, I don't." said the General.

"Then why are we doing this?" Susan asked.

"Just to be thorough." replied the General.

"Well, here you go." Susan said, pulling the door open and holding it.

The General examined the door.

"Hmm no lock. It was like the damn thing was welded shut when we tried it." the General mused.

"Our security measures are our own business General. Make your tests." Susan responded.

The General stepped inside, waving the technicians in behind him.

They fanned out looking at multipurpose meters supported by neck straps.

"Hm. Nice place ... You seem to be very security conscious ... Dr. Rowe." the General said, nonchalantly.

"I run a world renowned University that houses some two-thousand seemingly helpless women. An obvious terrorist target. Of course I'm very security conscious. General." Susan replied.

"Seemingly helpless?" he asked.

"Nobody is completely helpless, General. Not even women." Susan said.

"Quite so, Quite so." he said, looking around.

He walked up onto the dais. Susan mentally unlocked the chamber door.

"What's in here?" he asked.

"My private chambers." she replied.

"May I?" he asked.

Susan shrugged.

The general opened the door and entered the chamber, Susan mentally locked the rod cabinet. She walked up and joined him.

He was looking at the bed.

"A most unusual set up for a church." he said, smirking.

"Not a church. A Temple." Susan corrected him.

"I fail to see the difference." he said.

"Look it up." Susan said.

"You seem fairly hostile, Dr. Rowe. Why?" he asked.

"General, I have been very patient with you since you first requested to examine my University. Your technicians have stuck their noses into every nook and cranny around here.

"I am not here to give you a lesson in semantics. I am spending my precious time to satisfy your curiosity.

"You wanted to look inside our Temple and take measurements. Fine, you are here, take your measurements.

"I am not here to give you specifics of our practices. That is none of your business and I will not go into them with the exception of saying that this bed is not here for purposes of sexual recreation, as your smirk implied, and I find quite insulting. Now believe whatever you wish, make your tests and get out of my University." Susan replied.

"Alright, Dr. Rowe. I've been patient with you too. From the very first your answers have been nothing less than evasive. You are not cooperative in the least. I think there is something going on here at Rowe University, and I damn sure intend to find our what it is." replied the General.

"I really don't care what you think General. You are an American Military officer on foreign soil. I have a good relationship with the Austrian government. And frankly I don't like you very much. You expect me to give you answers to questions that you don't have a clue about. I feel no such compulsion. The questions are yours, not mine.

"As far as what goes on at Rowe University, education goes on here. The finest education to be had on the planet. But you don't qualify for that, General. This is strictly a woman's school. Now if you want to determine what goes on here, take a look at the accomplishments of our graduates. That will give you your answer. That type of education requires devotion and discipline. A term which you should understand very well. That discipline is what you and your men are disrupting here. I have tolerated it as long as I am going to. If I am harassed any further I shall lodge a formal diplomatic complaint against you. Now if you are quite through, General, kindly get out." Susan replied, calmly and rationally.

"Almost through. What's in this cabinet?" the General asked, kind of grinning.

"Religious artifacts." Susan replied.

"May I look in it?" he asked.

"No" Susan replied.

"What was that you said about being cooperative?" he said.

Susan send a mental command that sealed the rod case and fogged it.

"Alright General. Just to satisfy your curiosity. It contains an ancient book written in Greek." Susan replied, pulling the door open.

The General peered into the cabinet.

"Nice box. What's in this other one?" he asked.

"That General is none of your business. It is an object which we consider most holy and is not for the eyes of a pompous lout." Susan replied.

"Alright, Dr. Rowe. I guess we're though for now." replied the General.

"General. I think that you will find that you are through, period!" Susan said, closing the cabinet door.

"We shall see. Thank you for your time. Dr. Rowe." the General said, waving his smirking men out and following them.

"Oooh, he's a nasty one." Jane said.

"Certainly the exact type that we are hiding our secrets from." Susan replied.

"You were a bit snooty with him." Jane replied.

"On purpose. He expected me to be if I wasn't hiding anything. He was purposefully trying to provoke me. Trying to trip me up." Susan replied.

"So you just got snooty, but about things that you would have likely gotten snooty about if you weren't hiding something." Jane said.

"Precisely." Susan giggled.

"And why mention sex?" Jane asked.

"To verify his suspicions. If he thinks were a bunch of perverted dykes then he's unlikely to think us capable of depleting the worlds nuclear warheads." Susan replied.

"And?" Jane asked.

"And he was prone to the idea anyway. He had a little incident in military school with a chum. Now he thinks that all single sex schools are nothing but schools for homosexuals." Susan giggled.

"I see. You handled it very well, but I doubt it will end here." Jane replied.

"No, of course not. Next he'll try to get an Austrian search warrant and make a clandestine raid on us. But first he'll send some spies to try to infiltrate us. Maybe try to get in here and open the second box." Susan said.

"It sounds like you have things well in hand. Tonight, my love?" Jane asked.

"Tonight I see Ron." Susan replied, distant.

"Gonna marry the man?" Jane asked.

"He hasn't asked again." Susan replied.

"What does he think?' Jane asked.

"I don't know. I haven't intruded." Susan replied.

"Afraid?" Jane asked.

"Maybe ... but I don't think so. I just don't want to know until he makes up his own mind." Susan replied.

"If you say so love. I'll butt out. That's your affair. I'm just concerned about you." Jane said.

"Thanks ... but I'm doing fine. Isn't it wonderful about Cindy!" Susan asked.

"Yes! Incredible. I'm thrilled. We've got a pellet from Green River Reactor. We're going to start tests ourselves right away." Jane replied, letting Susan change the subject.

"You in bed?" Susan asked.

"Part of me's asleep in Anne's arms. I must say, this took some getting used to. Being in constant communication with you while I'm asleep or you are." Jane said.

"Yeah, it took some getting used to, but the loving sure is better. " Susan giggled while kissing Jane full on the lips, like she was there.

"I'll never get used to you talking to me while you kiss me either." Jane giggled, back.

"At least I never talk to you while I'm licking you ... Oops, gotta run. Tracy just tagged me that the doctors from NIH are here." Susan replied.

"Alright dear, tune out. I'll carry on this conversation with your subconscious." Jane giggled.

"And none of those tongue tricks either. I almost lost it coming up the path with the General. That wasn't very nice... " Susan said.

"Fibber. You know for a fact that it was very nice. But I promise ... I love you." Jane said.

"I love you too, bye now." Susan replied.

One of the first things the High Priestesses had discovered the morning after Susan's induction, even before they woke up, was that their subconscious's were constantly linked. They carried on whole conversations without being consciously aware of the fact. The information was just there when they needed it. They could tune into these conversations or communicate consciously when needed also. But essentially, they were always linked. This had real advantages, and a few drawbacks. There was no real privacy. They each could rummage around at will in the others subconscious. They could know exactly what the other was consciously thinking or doing at any given moment. In practice they didn't do these things. They mostly respected each others privacy. Especially after Susan dropped in in the middle of an orgasm. It was quite embarrassing for her as she instantly shared it.

Susan composed herself and went to meet the doctors from NIH.

"Dr. Rowe, this is Dr. Weber and Dr. Peters from the National Institute of Health in Atlanta." Tracy said as she walked up.

"Doctors, So nice to make your acquaintance. I'm Susan Rowe." Susan said.

"Knock of the Dr. Rowe crap. You know I'm Susan." she told Tracy, mentally.

"Doctors will be doctors. They aren't impressed by anything less." Tracy responded.

"Dr. Rowe. How very nice to meet you. I understand you did the ground work for this with Dr. Townsend." Dr. Weber said, shaking her hand.

"Please, call me Susan. Mostly just supplying the equipment that Cindy -Dr. Townsend- needed to do her work. This has been her battle all along." Susan said.

"Well that is quite often more than half the battle. Dr. Rowe." Dr. Weber replied, ignoring the invitation to use familiarities.

This meant that Susan had to use their titles too for the duration of the visit.

"Yuk!" she thought. She would do it, because these men had worked hard to get where they were, and genuinely deserved the respect. It was just that Susan preferred to run things on a friendlier basis.

Susan shook Dr. Peters hand as well. She didn't need the contact for a good reading anymore, but it was socially expected. These men were patently skeptical at best, but that was their job.

"Shall we join Dr. Townsend and let her explain her research herself." Susan offered, gesturing.

"Certainly. Lets get down to brass tacks." Dr. Weber said.

"Excuse me, I don't follow, Doctor." Susan said.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Rowe. I mean that I find it refreshing to get to the purpose of a visit so fast. Usually when we visit an installation we end up stuck in an office socializing with the director until he ... or they rather, are ready to let us get on with our business." Dr. Weber replied.

"Yes, I see. Well Gentlemen, you will undoubtedly find our installation quite refreshing then, we're all business when it comes to peoples professional time. It's not that I am opposed to socializing, but the time for that is after business." Susan said.

"We appreciate that Doctor. We are fully aware of the excellence of this and your sister installation in the States. Your work stopping the AIDS virus was exceptional. That is why were are here. We did not dismiss your claim to have cured cancer lightly." Dr. Peters said.

Susan kind of chuckled.

"I'm sorry, Doctor. But I thought we were beyond platitudes. I realize it is your job to be skeptical. But we don't claim to have cured cancer. We have cured cancer. We witnessed total remission in two test animals in the first twenty-four hours. At this moment we are conducting the prudently required upper primate tests. But we expect to win approval for terminal patient tests in a very short time. Before you leave here you will have all the information that we do including a large sample of the medicine. It should be in plentiful abundance right now. We have eight tons of it." Susan said.