by Jay Morris
“Amy, from the time I was 14, I only loved one woman, and I knew I was responsible for hurting her, I didn’t mean to, but I did. She left me and for ten years I have been alone. I never wanted anyone else. She got remarried but it didn’t matter, I still didn’t want anyone else. I figured I would wait you know? Then the world ended and we were all up to our eyes in shit and pain and death. I had a reason to live again.”
Amy crosses her arms and said “And?” He continued
“And I grew to love you all, and ...well, maybe I was lonely, I don’t know, I found myself especially caring for you.” He shook his head, “but I was older and then, well you were with Darnell.”
Still Amy was quiet so he went on,
“Things got better, then the invasion, and that poor girl. I was so angry.”
This time Amy did speak “and then I was with Carl”.
He added “and you were with Carl.”
“John, I am so sorry, I don’t know why I did it, I was worried about you and Johnny” she said then she added “Maybe we all have some issues.”
I couldn’t see his face but it must have been strange because Amy asked him “What?” He paused then answered,
“I thought it was because of, well, me. I figured I wasn’t good enough.”
Amy stood on her tip toes, took his face in both of her hands and said
“You are an idiot. It is about you.” And she kissed him.
Day 35, Continued, Storage Area, West Virginia Welcome Center
“Query-Estimate Bio-Tech-Hazardous-Duty-Modified Lethality
“Query-Acknowledged Estimate-Bio-Tech-Hazardous-Duty-Modified Lethality (100)”
“Estimate-Not-Recognized Estimate-Out-of-Bounds Estimates-Normalized”
“Query-Repeat-Estimate Bio-Tech-Hazardous-Duty-Modified Lethality”
“Query-Permissive-Statement-Factual-Chronal Estimates-Normalized”
“Insistive-Communication-Topic-Modification-Negative”
“Statement-Factual Estimate Bio-Tech-Hazardous-Duty-Modified Lethality (.98)”
“Permissive-Universal-Broadcast-Emotive-Composite :{ Fear, Anxiety};
The gray sighed deeply at the conversation being held inside his mind droned on and on, the news as far as his/their relationship with the Indigenous-Life-Aggressive had gone better than anticipated, better than he/they believed possible. He/they were struggling very hard to make sense of their spoken language but he had only picked up a few words with any confidence at all:
Ger-Aa was the form of address they had chosen for him/they,
Ta-Ang was the name of the most excellent orange liquid food,
Pah-Tee meant to run to another room very, very quickly,
D-raw was the graphical communication ritual that required one’s tongue to be seen,
and
Tuh-Kerr was a minor curse of some common application.
Not much but it was a start.
Day 35, Continued, Command Area, Vehicle 1-3
He had begun to dread these and this one was no exception. In the Southern Continent attached to his, a Defender had successfully slain three of the monsters and was pursuing the last two when it stepped into a rather cleverly concealed pit containing 2-3 inch diameter wooden stakes six to eight feet long that were sharpened to very sharp points. The defender was still viable but it would require another three to four days to extricate the Defender and implement body repair protocols.
More mixed reports claimed kills of several Indigenous-Life-Forms but in at least one case the life form killed three Da-Nah and four underlings before it too was killed by their associated Defender. The images he received showed an all-black, hairy creature of almost 450 pounds, genetic tests revealed it to be only a distant cousin of their enemies. In fact, further analysis showed that it only reacted defensively when attacked by the Da-Nah. Fools.
The monsters were proving to be elusive, the Defenders were so big, and so awkward the monsters were gone before any attempt to corner them could be affected. A new protocol was required, he had the basis of an idea but he wanted to talk to Director 20 to get her input. If this worked it would reflect positively on both of them, but of far greater importance to him, the monster would be dead and his Da-Nah would be safe and they could live in peace.
Day 36, West Virginia Welcome Center
The next morning Tucker was in a foul mood, his leg was very sore and stiff, so much so that we held an after breakfast meeting around him as he lay on the floor of the store room. Tucker always looked rather rough, but that morning he was exceptionally so, his eyes appeared sunken to me, like they were retreating from the light. He hadn’t truly been able to take a shower in who knows how long so his thin, grimy, silver hair was wild and unkempt and looked like someone had flattened a gray squirrel and glued it to his head. I was watching him while we waited for Amy and the girls to get back from the ladies room, Tucker was looking at a map and I saw how wrinkled and gnarled his hands were, he kept rubbing them like he was having trouble getting the fingers to move, he cracked his knuckles twice as if they were frozen. It sounded like someone had stepped on some bubble wrap. For the first time in a long time I remembered that he really was ‘Old Man Tucker’.
Amy and the girls, Silent Bob and the alien as well came in from the ladies. I was surprised at first but Silent Bob was attached to Lucy and Gina, and who knew what was going on in the gray’s Charlie Brown head. I asked Amy how that went, she said “Fine, except Gina and Lucy had to take turns so Bob could hold someone’s hand and E.T. here kept trying to follow every single one of us into the stall. Diane West snickered a bit and that made me chuckle and in response Amy told us to shut up.
We all sat around Tucker except for the gray who stood off to one side next to the storage shelves.
“What’s up with him?” Tucker asked. It was Lucy who explained
“He’s standing next to the Tang, I think he wants to have a tea party.”
Gina explained “He likes Tang.”
Tucker looked at the sky and said “Oh Brother”.
Shaking his head he pulled out the map and I saw that he had been drawing on it.
It took several tries and three cups of Tang, but Tucker finally got the little gray to understand that one marked place was where we had first, well, met. Two more cups of Tang held lovingly in three fingered hands for everyone to agree where the initial landing spot was near our old lodge, and then the white trails radiating from the primary landing site. The gray had learned to nod when agreement was made, when and how I don’t know, but he did, in fact I think he enjoyed nodding. At least until Tucker produced the picture of the giant Golem with the swords. Then our little friend seemed to go into a trance.
Day 35, Continued, Storage Area, West Virginia Welcome Center
“Query-Urgent-Transitive Locative-Hazardous-Duty-Biotech-Modified.”
“Status-Factual-Unknown Pod-11”
“Status-Factual-Unknown Pod-14”
“Query-Factual-Initial-Query-Locative”
“Status-Factual-Unknown Pod-16”
“Status-Query-Locative-Initial-Indigenous-Life-Aggressive” “Status-Factual-Unknown-Transitive-Pod-14/Pod-31”
“Status-Factual-Aid-Assistance-Ally-We Quantity-Estimation (0.0).”
“Statement-Insistive-Source-Estimation (0.0)-Tuh-Ker”
“Query-Terminology-Undefined-Tuh-Ker”
“Statement-Factual-Locative-Positive
Hazardous-Duty-Biotech-Modified Transitive-Pod-11/Pod-17/Pod-8”
“Statement-Factual-Amenable”
“Query-Terminology-Undefined-Tuh-Ker”
Day 36, Continued, West Virginia Welcome Center
The little gray just sat there, unresponsive, eyes that remained open. Several minutes passed and Tucker finally said
“Oh, for crying out loud, does anyone know what he’s doing?”
Several ‘no ideas’ and ‘beats me’ later, Lucy whispered something to Gina who then relayed the message to th
e rest of us.
“He is talking to the smiley faces in his head.” Lucy nodded in agreement.
“What are you talking about honey?” Amy asked.
Lucy showed us the pictures that he had drawn of himself and of course we had seen them already, the little gray body with an abundance of heads.
“We don’t understand” Karen sighed.
Lucy sighed even deeper,
“He will let you listen if he touches your head but it doesn’t sound like much, buzzys and hums and things.”
She then reached up and gently touched Amy’s temples with her finger tips and did her best to imitate what she heard in her head. She was right it didn’t sound like much. Then Lucy went on to say
“He has L.S.D.”
Tucker looked shocked, “What?”
Amy patted him on the shoulder and said
“She means E.S.P.”
Lucy crossed her arms and said “That’s what I said.”
“Yep, that’s what she said” Gina agreed.
Silent Bob nodded vigorously.
That’s when the gray woke up, he leaned forward, examined the map carefully and pointed at a location on the map. One of the white lines Tucker had drawn went right under his chubby little finger. Tucker leaned forward and looking at the map said “Outstanding.” The little gray nodded so hard I thought his head might come off. But Tucker was smiling and that could be either very good or very, very bad.
Day 36, Continued, Common Area, Pod 8
As per new protocol the four vehicles were arranged in a rectangle, the huge armor plated defender stood silently in the center of the open area in the middle. Da-Nah siblings of all ages were scrambling around it, trying to climb upon it, examine it as closely as possible. Why not? This was a unique being/device, a new protocol such as this had not been seen for millennia. And yet here it was in their encampment, standing right there among them. It was beautiful in a way, not in classical or even Neo-Da-Nah, but in its strength, in its ability to make the Da-Nah feel safe.
The mothers and fathers watched with peace in their hearts as the siblings reveled in its power and in its threat of violence, in the opportunity to watch their very own monster slay a nightmare come to life. To perhaps be able to watch it rend, and tear, and crush that awful thing, oh to destroy that which goes bump in the night, it was nearly intoxicating in its promise of death.
Was this Da-Nah? Not strictly, no. the Da-Nah abhor violence, their concerns, their loves are the aesthetic of life, the sophistication of their biotech, their beloved families, and most of all in the joy of being Da-Nah. There could not be anything more glorious than to be awakened every day by the local stars whose energy warms the ground and lights the path of the Da-Nah.
Director of Pod 8 was exhausted, as were all of her technicians, but they had exceeded the requirements and earned their accolades. For the first time in more than two planetary rotations he would sleep in the loving arms of two of her spouses and one of their alternate mates as well. Love and happiness and peace. Once more all three were the domain of the Da-Nah.
But not all was well in munchkin land because even then a human was watching them through a scoped military rifle, ensuring the details given by an escaped underling were true. Just as she was unaware that the underling guards were purposefully not looking in her direction at the behest of that same underling. She crawled away into the forest, leaving no sign, not even the smallest trace of her presence.
Day 37, West Virginia Welcome Center, 2:00A.M.
I had just been relieved from watch duty by Diane, there was something bothering her because she was snippy, more taciturn than usual, she refused to say anything about it so I just shrugged and went downstairs. As I did I heard voices coming from the office, Amy and Carl again, but this time they were arguing. I had thought everything was good when Tucker and Carl had spoken, Carl and Diane going to scout out the location where the gray had said the giant monster was. Indeed it was there and they said it was just as big and mean as was described. Now I know I shouldn’t have done it, I should have just gone on by but I was curious.
I stood against the wall a foot or so from the door of the office.
“Carl, please, don’t be like that.” Amy said.
Her words sharp and clipped. Deputy Weir’s voice was slow and drawn out,
“Now just how am I?” he asked.
“Just let me explain, please?” Amy pleaded.
Carl chuckled, “Well, how could I reject such a heartfelt request.”
Amy sighed and took a deep breath before she began.
“I don’t know why I said those things to Tucker, really I don’t.”
“Hummm” was all Carl said.
“REALLY!” she protested, “Tucker and I aren’t physical, we only have kissed a couple of times. It’s just that we need him, he knows a lot.”
Weir interrupted her, “Sure we need him, but you can’t screw with him like you do, he’s serious, and he’s dangerous.”
Amy protested “I am not screwing with him!”
“The hell you aren’t and you know what? You are screwing with me too because you don’t even know how much you care for him.”
“Not like that, no, not like that, he’s a good fighter, he provides...” she began.
Weir cut her off again, “Bullshit. You can keep lying to yourself if you want but believe it or not, I actually do like that crazy son-of-a-bitch and I’ll be damned if I’m the one who screws him over again, you can do whatever you think is right. Now, I think it is time you let me get some sleep.”
I heard Amy saying something but above that I heard Carl heading towards the door so I backed into the shadows. The door opened and Amy backed out, all she got was one last “Carl!” before he shut the door in her face. She growled in anger then she headed towards the store room.
I sat there in the dark thinking about Amy Driscol, she was the closest thing I had to a mother but her sleeping around was disgusting and I didn’t think it was right for her to treat Tucker the way she was. To be honest I didn’t really understand what was going on with Amy, she was important to us and I think by then we loved her like she was our mom and I don’t mean just Lucy and me, but Gina and Silent Bob as well. But something was wrong inside her, when she spoke to Tucker or was with me or the girls, I believed her. When I heard her talking to Carl, it was like she was a different person, conniving, and self-centered. I just could not make those two pieces fit no matter how I turned them.
I waited a minute or two before going in the store room; Tucker was snoring just inside the door, just in case I need to take a walk he always said. I used to believe him, but I think it was so he could die heroically; what a schmuck. Beyond him in a little row was the gray, Gina, Silent Bob, Lucy, and Amy who was pretending to be asleep, then over against the far wall was Karen. I stepped along their feet, checked the safety and set my rifle against the wall, I took off my coat and put it over Karen’s feet. She rose on one elbow and flipped the blanket open invitingly for me. I was in trouble.
Karen wrapped her arms around my neck as I lay next to her and we kissed. I swear she was an elf or a witch or something because she stole my breath. She kissed my face and neck, then I felt her hot breath on my ear and she whispered,
“I talked to Diane.”
I couldn’t speak, then her fingers intertwined and she brought our hands, inside the blanket, I felt her undo my belt then she unzipped my jeans. Suddenly I couldn’t speak, breath, or swallow. She moved and my fingers came in contact with her smooth, soft cotton panties. My head was swimming and I noticed just how rapidly she was breathing. Then my eyes snapped open when Amy said quietly but firmly,
“Kids, now is not the time, and it is not the place.”
She rolled over and stared at us. Karen muttered “Uuugh!” and she rolled off of me and lay flat on her back. I looked at Amy, she was staring at me with that mom face of hers and she whispered
“We WILL talk about this in the morning,
now go to sleep.”
Yeah, right.
Day 37, Continued, Biological-Analysis/Sequencing Vehicle, Pod 20-2
Director 20 stood looking over the shoulder of the seated technician, she was clearly superior to any other technician in the operation of the device. She made a mental note to add a comment to her permanent record. She hoped that this effort did not blow up in her face, while it was true that she was not implementing a genetic modification they were certainly preparing one, and it was one Director 1 had not approved of, in fact none of the directors were even aware of. She would keep this as a preloaded genetic modification in vehicle Pod 20-4, even though this would stop all other jobs from progressing. If necessary she could load the biotech defender, and it would be ready in less than three planetary rotations, closer to two and a half. Admittedly this was a rotation longer than the three approved modifications but her design was far more extensive and would require insertion of new skeletal components that were already being manufactured.
Something inside her felt that the other three designs, while impressive, were still basic enhancements to the Hazardous Duty Biotech, while her design was something completely new, something agile and fast, something deadly.
Day 37, Continued, Forested Area near ‘Peaks of Otter’ Virginia
Director 17 moved slowly behind his enhanced biotech, arrayed to either side of it were 8 of his underlings. One technician or senior offspring followed behind each of the underlings. Counting himself that brought the total to 18. Each underling was wearing what was in human terms a welders mask because of the experimental modifications to their light sticks. One of his own offspring came up with the original protocol after viewing a report on the projectile weaponry of the indigenous life forms-aggressive. The Technicians were armed as well with various implements and devices of their own choosing, including; a long alloy leverage bar, a micro-laser cutter, and Binder-gun.