-(BG) and (LPJ) are on their way, and (JR) is awaiting our call. Do you expect that anything will change because of consulting with them?
-No, (WK) is gone either way; we just need to keep him going until we don’t need him anymore. I think it will help to have an agreement about it, though. It’ll help me smooth it over with the rest of the LFP.
-You think we’ll need to smooth it over? They were all in agreement as well.
-Yeah, but you know how it goes. When it gets right down to it, there’ll be some members who will change their minds and want to have mercy on (WK). We have to stay the course, though. We can’t lose focus. Have you heard from Oakes yet?
-Yes. He has verified that the soldiers are unaware of the LFP and hope to fade back into civilian life after the Area 51 mission is over, having satisfied their debt to the boy.
-If they survive. Things will probably get nasty over there.
-I doubt that they will target the soldiers or Oakes, but it is the American military. They are not necessarily above killing their own to accomplish their goal. Much like the LFP and (WK).
-Oh, don’t tell me you’re having second thoughts now. It’s simple math: we have X amount of space and resources, and X plus one bodies. Someone has to go. Plus, we have no intention of killing him. And, which member of the LFP do you think is willing to give up their spot, or the spot of one of their family members, for (WK)?
-Your point is well-taken. I just know (WK) is no fool. He likely already knows where he stands, and he is more resourceful than any of us.
-You think he’ll come after us?
-I think it would be strange if he didn’t.
-Oh, you’re such a worry-wart, (SVC). I can talk him down if he does. harden security protocols just in case, though.
-(BG) and (LPJ) have arrived. Are we ready for them?
-Yeah, send them in. Oh, wait… have them bring in that pink box when they come, and get some coffee going, would you?
****
A s the usual, scent of incense and spices that poured out of Dr. Bhat’s lab hit me like a wave because of my enhanced senses. Avi was waiting to greet us at the door, his long, ebony hair in a covered bun on top of his head as usual, and he waved his spindly arms as we approached. “Hello, friends. Dr. Bhat has been waiting for you. Please come in.”
As we entered, Mr. Kane reached out and took Avi’s hand in both of his own, shaking vigorously while asking about Avi’s family. Wow, it seems like… I’m not sure if this is right, but it’s like he feels guilty and is trying to make up for it to everyone…
“I think you’re partly right, sonny boy… guilt over manipulating, lying, misleading, could be all of those and more. Or could be more manipulation. We need to be ready for anything.”
Huh. Is it possible for an A.I. to be paranoid?
“It’s not paranoid if it’s true. We’ll find out soon enough.”
Do we have any choice aside from going along with him for now?
“No, but if he gets froggy, we need to be ready to jump.”
Oh, that’s a good one. I don’t know what that means at all.
“Just pay attention, would you? Here comes Dr. Bhat.”
Oh, boy.
From Dr. Bhat’s sitting room to the left of the entrance came a piercing, high-pitched voice speaking Hindi, which Ava instantaneously translated for me: “Avi! Which idiots are here to disturb my meditation?”
A tiny smile creased Avi’s face as he replied, also in Hindi: “The three idiots at the door are Lucas, Chi Kim, and Mr. Kane. Shall I get an elephant to step on them?”
“Avi! How dare you say such things about Lucas and Miss Kim! Kane, on the other hand… perhaps we could just have him stand under an elephant’s south end after the elephant has had a big meal. Show them in!”
On our way into Dr. Bhat’s sitting room, Mr. Kane whispered to Avi, “I know a little Hindi, and that was quite humorous.”
“Oh, please, I meant no offense, Mr. Kane.”
“And I took none. Thank you, Avi,” he said, rubbing Avi’s shoulder.
We entered the dimly lit room, and Dr. Bhat sat cross-legged on her pillow at the head of a circle of other pillows as usual. Once again I was struck by the… I think the word is aura, of the tiny middle-aged woman in her impeccable white scrubs, her long, graying hair pulled back behind her head, the red dot in place just above the frown lines between her eyebrows as always. She gave us one of her rare smiles, and said, “Well, don’t just stand there. Sit, sit. I’m surprised to see you with these two, Mr. Kane.”
As he stretched out his hand and patted Dr. Bhat on the forearm, I noticed that she flinched just the tiniest bit. “Hello, Darsha. I believe we have struck up a kind of alliance and need your help.”
Dr. Bhat’s name is Darsha? Darsha Bhat… that’s an awesome-sounding name…
“Her first name means to see, to perceive, or to have a vision, and her last name means to be a scholar. So literally her name means that she is a visionary professor.”
Whoa… that’s a perfect description…
“In need of my help? Why don’t you tell me about this alliance first, and then I’ll determine whether I can help you?”
Mr. Kane clapped and laughed, which seemed like an odd response to me. “Very good, Darsha. I can’t blame you for your lack of trust in me. Well, I don’t suppose there is any reason to hold back now, is there?” He then told her the story he had related to us about his past, working for the LFP, and their betrayal, as he put it. I watched Dr. Bhat’s face as he spoke, and she went from eyes narrowed and eyebrows bunched together to… I don’t know, but it almost looked like an expression of sympathy, if there is such a thing.
When he finished, there was a long moment of silence. And then, instead of responding to him, she turned to me. “Lucas, come closer. Let me look at you.”
I scooted next to her, and as she stared into my eyes, I fixated on the red dot on her forehead; it was almost as if I had no other choice. “You’re feeling recovered from your reboot, eh? I can see that… there is great danger ahead, Lucas, and some of it has nothing to do with the challenge of rescuing your father. Not directly, at any rate.”
Great danger that has nothing to do with…
Dr. Bhat snapped her fingers in front of my eyes. “Clear your mind, Lucas. Let’s continue.”
Okay, but…
“Lucas! I can see you thinking.”
Oh, boy… I focused on the red dot until it seemed to leave her forehead and hover in front of her, and I felt panic welling up inside me. Before I could move or say anything, Dr. Bhat broke from her stare and gave me a quick wink before saying, “Very well. Lucas and Chi need my help, and so do you, Mr. Kane, so I will help you. First, though, I have had some of my engineers working on a project meant for you, Chi. Follow me.”
We followed her quick, sure footsteps out of the trailer and to the lab next door, where her staff worked on the jet suits and other tasks. She led us to one of the workstations, where three young engineers were testing a prosthetic arm, and Cheri’s face lit up as we approached. “Is this it? Oh, man, that looks cool.”
She was right; it was exactly the same size and shape as her other arm, but it was a brown synthetic material that seemed to be a cross between skin and metal. As we watched, the technicians triggered the various sensors in the portion of the prosthetic that would attach to what is left of Cheri’s arm, and the hand and fingers flexed and rotated. Aside from the synthetic appearance, you would not have been able to tell by its movements it wasn’t a real arm.
“We’ve made some upgrades on the standard prosthetic currently available. Much higher level of control, speed, and strength, thanks in part to our friends Mr. Harutyunyan and Ms. Houng, and significant increase in energy storage and release thanks to the great Benji Walker. Don’t tell him I said that. And if he calls me Bhatty one more time, I’ll… by the way, where are your friends? They should be here for this.”
I glanced at Cher
i and Mr. Kane, not knowing what to say, but Mr. Kane held up his hands in an ‘I got this’ gesture. “Darsha, you know almost everything now. So do Lucas’ friends, and they decided that they couldn’t wait any longer for things to just happen. They are on their way to Las Vegas in the US, and plan on joining the siege on Area 51 to provide distraction so that Lucas, Ms. Kim and I can have as easy a path as possible to rescuing Lucas’ father. Theirs is a symbolic gesture, to be sure, but they were adamant that they needed to do at least something, and who am I to deny them that?”
Dr. Bhat’s eyes narrowed again, and with her hands on her hips, she turned to face Mr. Kane directly. “You’ve certainly had a change of heart, haven’t you, William?”
I snuck a look at Cheri, and her eyes were wide like mine probably were. Whoa… I never heard anyone call Mr. Kane by his first name before… but then he topped her by clapping and snorting with laughter, and choking as he said, “Please, from now on, call me Bill. All of you.”
For maybe the fourth time ever, she beamed and said, “All right, Bill it is. Now, let’s get this contraption fitted on Chi’s arm and then look at some flying suits, shall we? We’ve made some major upgrades on them, as well.”
15
DIRECTOR’S NOTES
MEETING WITH SVC, BG, LPJ, RJ
121952 08:24
-two hundred twenty-seven seats. That’s it, we can’t fit another person in. Not even a mouse. At two twenty-seven, we are already stretching things to the limit. A hundred-fifty-one passengers and sixty-six essential engineers, researchers and staff, that’s it. We built in additional space and resources for a few space-births, if that’s not too much of a hipster term, because it will be a lengthy trip, but that’s why we kept the LFP to thirty, remember? We could have built a second or third ship, but that would drastically stretch our time frame, and none of us were willing to wait a moment longer than we had to. Now, who do you think would give up their seat to accommodate (WK)?
-(LPJ) We understand, but the ship’s not completed, is it? It seems like a bit of an addition wouldn’t be that big of a deal at this point.
-(BG) And why is this coming up now? You’re right, we agreed to this long ago. Something must have happened recently to bring this back to the table.
-(SVC), you want to take that one?
-(SVC) Ahh, yes, well, you are aware of the pending evacuation of the Bright Hand cavern. All essential projects, along with their scientists and engineers, are being moved as quietly as possible to our site in New Zealand. The rest are remaining in the cavern, and more are being brought in to give the impression that things are progressing as normal there. It is a decoy for the Americans to focus on, and we need (WK) to remain there to keep the place running and bolster the impression that nothing has changed. He had assumed that he would move with the essential projects, and when the director informed him he would hold in place… as you know, he is rather unflappable, but there were subtle signs of his, shall we say, displeasure.
-(JR) Displeasure? I dare say, he must feel utterly betrayed. With respect, I must say it was a mistake to give him the impression that he was a full member of the LFP, and a mistake to tell him he had a seat on the ship.
-Perhaps, but who would have been better to develop and lead the Bright Hand? I dare any of you to come up with someone else who could have done it. And he never would have agreed without those carrots dangling in front of him. Plus, after we’re gone, what happens on earth is no longer our concern. The Engineers and scientists left behind may very well plan their own escape, and (WK) can go with them.
-(BG) If he was so essential, though, why wouldn’t we want him with us? You’re right. Setting up and managing the Bright Hand was monumental, and we could never have gotten close to our goal without it.
-Okay, look. Here’s what it comes down to: I don’t trust him. We’ve agreed to head for the closest possible habitable planet, which is Proxima Centauri b, and even that is a little sketchy… living on the line between light and dark may not be that pleasant. If we end up there, it’s about forty-two trillion kilometers, and at fifteen percent the speed of light, which is the new speed the engineers think we’ll be able to achieve, and accounting for ramping up on the way there and ramping down as we approach, it will take roughly forty years to get there. That’s a lot of time with someone you don’t trust, and with his skills… things could get bad for the rest of us. And, we may find that Proxima Centauri b is not to our liking, which means many more years to the next habitable planet, and… I think you get my point.
-(LPJ) Remind us, please: why are we doing this?
-Why? Oh, come on. It’s the purpose of the LFP! This world is falling, it’s only a matter of time. Whether it’s nuclear war, environmental Armageddon, runaway disease, either natural or man-made, something else we can’t anticipate, or all of those at the same time, it’s happening. It’s like watching a train go off a cliff in extreme slow motion; the outcome is obvious. You know all of this! We all do. So we, forgive me for saying so, but we, the best and brightest, have decided that we must survive, that the human race must go on. We are the golden seed, and must plant ourselves elsewhere. To build a better, smarter, stronger species.
-(JR) Thank you for recounting the LFP vision statement, but Director, wouldn’t you include (WK) in the ‘best and brightest’?
-We don’t need a king, okay? If we take him along, I know that’s how it would go. He’d flash that smile, and use those skills, and soon people would be thanking him for taking over, and that’s not our vision.
-(BG) Now, wait a minute, I’m beginning to think the director is right. An egalitarian society needs representation, but not a figurehead, and I can see (WK) maneuvering himself into that position. Plus, if we say ‘come on, let’s just make space for him’, then what about all the other people we could save but aren’t? There are many others who we could include in ‘the best and brightest’, but we’re not taking all of them along, are we? What about the boy and his group, for example? We have no plans for taking any of them along, and it’s the technology that they developed that is making it possible for us to survive the trip, right? Let’s not be disingenuous. We all know and have agreed that this is really for the best and brightest and richest. That’s what gives us the privilege, not some vague inherent superiority.
-Ouch. Thanks for cutting to the chase, (BG). He’s right, though; we bought our way onto the life raft of the Titanic, and we have to live with that. So, are we in agreement about (WK)?
-…
-I’ll take that as a yes. Different subject: (JR), how’s your boy doing?
-(JR) I suppose I would have to say he is doing quite well. So well, in fact, that he is on his way to Las Vegas. He is a man of action, you see. He felt that he must do what he can to assist his friends, Lucas and Miss Kim. I daresay, if he knew of our machinations… well, he would be unhappy, let’s just put it that way.
-Having second thoughts, (JR)?
-(JR) No, not second thoughts, just regrets. I daresay we all will have regrets, but the importance of our mission outweighs our regrets, yes?
-Yeah… yeah, I guess you’re right. One regret I have right now is that there’s nothing in here to eat. (SVC), could you take care of that?
****
“ Oh, man, this thing is awesome! It’s almost as quick as my normal arm, and twice as strong. It’s light, too. I expected it to be a bit of a burden to carry, but I hardly feel the weight at all. And the grip strength is crazy. It’s three times stronger than my normal hand. Thanks, Dr. Bhat!” Cheri cried, and then her face kind of bunched up, and a tear fell down her cheek.
Dr. Bhat put her arm around Cheri’s waist and pulled her close, and it surprised me because I had never seen her make physical contact with anyone before. “It’s actually closer to five times as strong, but who’s counting. There are many to thank, but I’m glad I could organize the resources, my dear. And, since we are becoming so informal these days, please, from now on, call me
Darsha. You as well, Lucas. Avi, you may continue to call me Dr. Bhat.” I thought she almost smiled, but then she caught herself and continued. “Now, let’s go see about those flying suits. The ones the bloody benefactors called Iron Man suits for some reason. Iron would be much too heavy for such a small suit. Totally impractical and ridiculous, if you want to ask me.”
She led us through a door into the larger portion of the lab, and several technicians were busy making adjustments to two suits that looked totally different from the last time we were in her lab.
“As you can see, we’ve made some changes, again thanks in part to your friends, Lucas. I suppose I should stop referring to them as your friends; they have become friends to us all, yes? Well, at any rate, we have switched to this carbon material; light and flexible, but quite tough. Much, much stronger than iron, like that silly comic book character. The drop in weight has allowed us to go with the single engine system, the same as the one you have been using, Lucas. Benji made some improvements to the energy storage, so they will go significantly farther before they need recharging. Upgraded the helmets, made them stronger and lighter and added a heads-up display and wireless short-range communication. And, if you’re willing to do whatever it was you did to your unit to increase the speed, Lucas, these may go faster as well. Mr. Harutyunyan and Ms. Houng worked on these engines to increase efficiency, but I’m willing to wager that you could improve on them even more.”
“Strap ‘em on, sonny boy. Let’s rev those suckers up.”
Reassemble (Singular Book 4) Page 9