by JK Stone
*****
Terrah, Saleria, and Vellia had agreed to stay on the ship for now, but as to being changed, they still needed time to think it over.
Their brothers and their AI’s agreed, and Terrah and her sisters chatted back and forth with them for another hour before Jason called the room to attention.
Looking between Terrah, Saleria, and Vellia, Jason said, “We can create quarters for you on any of the three ships. We need to perform some tests really quick, and if you’ll excuse us, we’ll be right back.”
Jason, Jerren, and Justin stood, and a moment later an archway appeared on the wall behind Jason’s seat and Terrah watched in awe as Jason, Jerren, and Justin disappeared through the archway.
Terrah was about to remark on the appearance and disappearance of the archways when not a second later the three brothers were stepping back in the room, and looking up at Jerren in confusion, she asked, “What? Did you forget something?” At that question, the room erupted into laughter.
Jerren smiled down at her and said, “No, we may have come up with a way to get the dark matter bomb, though.”
Terrah wondered how they could have had enough time to discuss anything in the second the three of the brothers had been gone, and Terrah was about to ask just that when Jerren quickly explained that they had been in a room called the void storage, and regular time did not move for anyone who was in there.
Jerren touched briefly on what Jason, Justin and he had discussed about not being able to lift the dark matter bomb higher than six inches with the anti-gravity feature of their suits. Then he turned to her and asked, “Terrah, if we were to get the dark matter bomb onto the elevator, is there any way to force the elevator to take us to the surface?”
Terrah shook her head and said, “No, there are a set of biometric and retinal scanners that must be activated at the same time, and once the clearance is given, the tactical officer in the control room inputs the destination level and activates the power to the elevator drive motors. I had clearance for that room, but no longer. But even if I still had my clearance, you would need the assistance of at least two Tech Sergeants or higher to activate the biometrics on the elevator to get to, and open the elevator doors on the weapons development level.”
Jerren nodded and said, “That’s what I figured, we may have another way to remove the bomb from the base, but we need to go aboard TDS 3 to see about creating an Ion pulse generator first.”
Calia said she would come along as well in case they needed her help with anything on TDS 3, then Jerren looked between Saleria, Vellia and her, and then he said, “It shouldn’t take us too long. We’ll be back shortly,” then he, Jason, Justin, and Calia headed for the other ship.
Terrah and her sisters were talking with Alise and Eneria then a few minutes later Eneria got an overly focused look, then standing she told them that she needed to go to her ship really quick, and would see them in a while as well, which left Terrah, Saleria, and Vellia in the room with the blonde and Terrah drew her attention, “You have a lovely name by the way.”
Alise smiled warmly at her. “Thank you, it was originally an acronym,” she said.
Terrah was confused and asked, “How so?”
Alise chuckled and replied, “It stands for Artificial, no… according to Jason, the database in the master control room refers to us as Advanced Lifeform Integrated Synaptic Escorts or A L I S E’s.”
Vellia’s smile widened and Terrah could see it was forced, when Vellia asked, “So you were originally an AI?”
Alise nodded and said, “Yes. Until I ate the food we told you about.”
“We’re getting close to developing an AI on Earth,” Vellia said, then added, “We were just able to create the neural matrix and the programmers said they should have the bugs out within three to five years,” Vellia stated and Terrah could hear the apprehension in her voice.
*****
A while later Alise stood and told them that she needed to perform a few scans on Earth, and she would be back in a few minutes as well, so Terrah, Saleria, and Vellia chatted animatedly about the amazing features of the ship until Alise had left the room, and the floor closed behind her.
Once alone Terrah and her sisters had discussed asking for their brother’s help in rescuing Pops, and Terrah put her sisters at ease when she said she would do it.
*****
Jerren and the others entered the second level nearly an hour later and got their attention, Terrah had been about to ask Jerren if they could help Pops, but he began speaking so she decided to ask once he was finished.
“We have a situation we believe one of you is supposed to help with,” Jerren stated with a warm smile.
Terrah was shocked, what could they need our help with she had wondered to herself. Terrah looked at Jerren hesitantly and he continued.
“We’re going to attempt to restart TDS 4. That’s the ship at the bottom of Area 51. What we’re doing is focusing particle beams on the ship’s location and pulsing ion particles to the ship. If the ship can get enough of a charge to open the archway we will need to board the vessel and affect a manual restart.
“That means we’ll try to pour enough energy directly into the engine’s core to allow it to respond to the master control rooms restart signal. And this is where one of you comes in.
“Only the commander or the AI can initiate a system restart, and with the AI offline, we’re left with only one other option. We need to assign a commander to that ship, and we’re hoping one of you would be willing to do it,” Jerren stated while looking hopeful.
Terrah and her sisters began speaking excitedly. Terrah knew Vellia wouldn’t hesitate to volunteer, and she almost laughed out loud when Saleria halted Vellia with her concerns. Saleria’s main concern being a physician was what the bonding would do to them.
A few minutes into their discussion Saleria turned to Jerren and asked, “What exactly happens to our bodies if we do this? It’s obvious you’ve been altered with your glowing eyes, but what else could we expect?”
Alise was the one who fielded Saleria’s question saying, “There are two things I will address, the first is the bonding process. If you are able to apply the binding disk, it will integrate with your neural pathways and will allow you to control the ship and speak in mind with the AI once it comes online. The process will also alter your DNA by combining it with plant-based DNA, which will allow your body to regenerate and heal any minor damage that has been done to it. This is referred to as the chlorophyll procedure.
“The other effects of this procedure are a reduced need to eat, you will gain regenerative abilities from the chlorophyll by collecting the free radiation from space, and sunlight in addition to your digestive system for nourishment. The long-term effects are that you have the potential to live forever.”
At that point, Saleria asked, “Is that what causes the triple helix DNA to be replicated?”
Alise shook her head saying, “No, that is a side effect of eating an Imortum food, they called it Ambrose.”
Alise must’ve known Terrah and or her sisters were going to ask, because she hurried on to say, “Yes, Ambrose is the same thing as Ambrosia, though the recipe we have packs a lot more of a punch than the version the Lantins had ever made.
“If you decide to eat it, it will take two bites to transform you. You will be in a euphoric state for six hours give or take an hour for your metabolism. Once that happens, your body will be adapted to withstand massive amounts of energy, that is what happened to Jerren, he was hit by an energy weapon discharge, but rather than killing him as it would have done before, his body absorbed the energy and stored it. And when we healed Jason, the excessive energy flowed over to the rest of us. That is why most of our eyes are glowing,” Alise explained.
Justin got Terrah’s attention and told her, “When we pulled you out of the surgical suite, you had a hole burrowed in your skull. I don’t know why they were doing that to you, but I was able to heal your wounds with my ener
gy enough to get you to the ship, where the medical unit healed the rest of the wounds you’d sustained. I don’t know for sure if you’ll be able to heal others, but I know Jason and I can.”
“I have the ability as well,” Jerren stated with a nod.
Jason looked from Vellia to Saleria and settling on Terrah he said, “We know from past experiences that just because you volunteer, it doesn’t mean it’ll work. Jerren tried with TDS 3, but it only worked with Justin.
“We can give you time to decide. There’s no real hurry,” Jason said.
The lights seemed to dim a moment and Terrah, Saleria, and Vellia turned to each other.
Terrah huddled with her sisters and whispered, “This is something we’ve dreamt about since we were children. And if one of us becomes the commander of TDS 4, then we can get Pops out of there on our own.”
Saleria agreed but whispered, “Yes, but what happens to the two of you if I were the one? That is a long time to live if you two don’t live as long as me.”
To this Terrah held up a finger and asked, “If the bonding works on one of us, what happens to the others?”
Jason was the one who answered her saying, “If this works, it’ll confirm a suspicion I’ve had. I believed in the beginning that Justin and Jerren were supposed to do this, and after everything that’s happened, I’m having the same, if not stronger feelings looking at the three of you.
“The bonding processes for the ships and the Ambrose have similar side effects when it comes to longevity. Even if we can’t get a binding disk for each of you, you can proceed with the Ambrose and stay as long as you like.”
Jason asked if he had answered all of their questions well enough.
Terrah nodded and looked between Saleria and Vellia who silently discussed who would try it first.
Once they made their decision, the three of them turned back toward their brothers and Saleria said, “We’ll do it. What do we have to do?”
Jason let out a relieved sounding sigh and said, “We know from personal experience that bonding after the Ambrose is easier, so…” he spread his arms and a plate of shimmering golden jelly appeared in front of each of them, and Jason said, “Enjoy.”
Terrah looked between Saleria and Vellia then a moment later, they picked up their utensils and took the first bite.
Terrah was in heaven, she had no idea food could taste this amazing. It felt as if her every taste bud was connected directly to the pleasure center of her brain. Each flavor rolled on the taste buds, and then with an explosion the flavor would change to a complementary counter flavor.
Terrah never had a love affair with food, but this experience had just changed her life, at least for the taste of Ambrose. The experience seemed to go on for a while, then without warning her eyes opened and she sat in astonishment for a moment. “That was intense,” She finally managed to say.
Eneria laughed. “The next bite is even better,” she said with a grin.
Looking between her sisters, Terrah had difficulty believing anything could taste better than what she had just experienced, so she raised the second bite of Ambrose to her lips and closed her eyes to better take in the experience.
To Terrah’s delight, Eneria had been correct, the second bite was indeed better, but that was a serious understatement. The moment the Ambrose touched her tongue, it brought forth a strong sweet with an almost chocolate flavor that was nearly instantly converted to a sour, then sweet to savory, and with every flavor change, her taste buds seemed to explode, and the sensations in her head would course throughout her body as if it were a beacon.
The sensations and textures continued to play with Terrah’s senses for what felt like hours on end, and she’d been engulfed by a euphoric haze that made her want to stay in that condition for the rest of her life, but it ended far too soon for Terrah’s liking, and with what felt like a shiver of pleasure Terrah finally opened her eyes.
Chapter Four
Terrah came out of her euphoria and was unable to do much at first. She just sat there peering between Vellia and Saleria, who both had the same astonished expressions on their faces that Terrah could only imagine was plastered on hers as well. “Damn! That was intense.” She finally managed to mutter out.
Terrah heard Saleria ask, “What?”
Terrah looked over at Alise to see what Saleria was asking ‘what’ about.
Alise chuckled and said, “Nothing, I just enjoy watching the expressions that cross the face while in that state. I have only been able to see it a couple of times before this.”
Saleria chortled and said, “I bet. If I could’ve I would’ve stayed like that for a few days.”
Terrah wanted to laugh because the exact same thought had just run through her mind.
Alise laughed and said, “There were ancient tales about people doing just that. They incurred the wrath of the gods and the Ambrose was taken away from them.”
Vellia drew Terrah’s attention by asking, “Were the Imortum gods?” and Terrah looked over at Alise.
Alise shook her head and said, “No, they insisted they were not, and they did not like people assuming they were, at least according to my first commander Andel, who knew one of them. The Imortum my commander knew was actually Inola. The Imortum were just extremely long lived aliens, either due to the chlorophyll procedure or the Ambrose.”
Looking from Terrah to Saleria then Vellia, Alise said, “they are waiting for us, we should be heading over, are you three ready?”
Terrah nodded and Alise led her and her sisters to the master control room.
Along the way, Terrah heard Saleria ask, “Are your migraines back? You looked alright before.”
Terrah looked back at her youngest sister and felt for her. Vellia had been plagued with severe migraines growing up. They had begun almost immediately after their parent’s deaths and the doctors had told her they must have been stress induced. Thinking about all that’s happened to them in the last few hours Terrah had no doubt that this new stress was the cause.
Vellia looked as if she was forcing a smile and said, “Yes, the Ambrose must’ve neutralized the medication. I had hoped that with the rumored effects of Ambrosia that it would have cured me of the migraines. If they persist, I may ask if they’ll get me some Toradol and some Cyclobenzaprine.”
Terrah, Saleria, and Vellia came up behind Alise and she gestured to an archway, saying, “Here we are. Everyone else is waiting for us on the other side.”
*****
Terrah and her sisters were only in the master control room a moment before Jerren asked, “Who’s going to try it first?”
Terrah and her sisters had decided to attempt this by age, so being the eldest by a few minutes, Terrah wasn’t surprised when Saleria said, “I’ll do it.”
But Terrah felt almost positive that it was going to be Vellia who would end up becoming the commander of that ship, with her life-long ambition to be an astronaut.
Jerren nodded and he gestured Saleria forward. He picked up a dime sized shimmering disk and showed her where to attach it behind her right ear saying, “Have a seat here first, if it works you may lose consciousness for a few seconds to ten minutes.”
Saleria did as Jerren asked, and attempted to apply the disk.
Terrah heard a static discharge crackle throughout the room and she peered over Saleria’s shoulder at the display and read to herself,
TDS 4.
Apply Binding Disk to a new host.
Bonding procedure Failure incorrect host data.
Apply disk to the proper host.
Jerren let out an audible sigh and said, “Okay it didn’t work, whose next?”
Terrah really wasn’t surprised to read that, and she took a quick breath then stepped forward, and Jerren had her take the seat next to her sister’s, then Saleria handed the disk over and mouthed good luck.
Terrah looked down at the dime-sized disk a moment. It looked like a droplet of mercury, and thinking it wasn’t going to work for her e
ither, she pressed the shimmering disk to the point just behind her right ear as Jerren instructed Saleria to do.
A moment later it felt as if she had been jolted by a live wire once again. The current pulsed down her spine, and she lost her bid for consciousness.
Terrah realized pretty quickly that it had worked for her, and after waiting for what felt as if a couple of minutes had passed, Terrah opened her eyes and shook her head slightly.
“How do you feel?” Jerren had asked her a second later.
Terrah looked up at Jerren and said, “Not bad. I felt a pretty strong shock but other than that I’m fine.”
Jerren pointed to the display. “It needs your input,” he told her.
Terrah looked over the display and not seeing anywhere to type in a command she thought how do I input, and a moment later the display changed to read,
TDS 4
Input received command functions TDS 4 Transferred.
Minimal access protocol, reengage full access (Yes) or (No).
Jerren then told her to activate the safety protocol first.
Not seeing that option on the display, Terrah asked, “What safety…” but she didn’t get to finish it before the display changed to add:
Safety Protocol Engaged.
“Oh. Okay… do I activate the full access now?” Terrah asked.
“Yes, now it should be safe,” Jerren said with a warm smile.
Terrah now realized that her mind was the interface, so she looked at the display and thought Yes, and activated the full access.
A moment later Terrah’s mind was bombarded by an influx of data and after shaking her head she said, “Wow. What a rush.” Then looking down she saw the display had changed to read,
TDS 4
Auto data stream 14%.
Jerren let out a relieved sounding sigh and said, “Your mind will get cluttered a few days with a lot of data, but it will clear over time. You need to restart the ship now.”