3rd World Products, Inc., Book 4

by Ed Howdershelt

  She sighed and said, "Yeah, I know. Mom raised him to think women are incomplete without marriage and kids. He's got three of them as of last month."

  "Three women? Damn. I thought I had problems."

  Her sigh was audible before she said, "Oh, ha, ha."

  "Did he bring the whole crew with him?"

  "He did."

  "I don't envy you, then. It'll be a show and tell weekend and you can bet you'll get picked for babysitting."

  Sighing again, Sel said, "Yeah, no doubt, but I only see him about once a year."

  "Well, have fun if you can. I seem to be having a family issue here, too."

  "Family? I thought your people were in Texas and..."

  "They are. I mean with Sue. She's apparently developing a temper and a passion for telling me how to live. Today's issue was my diet."

  Sel snickered and replied, "That doesn't sound too serious."

  "Yeah, well, you had to be there, I guess."

  My tone must have told her my feelings; Sel turned serious and said, "She was probably just trying to look out for you, Ed. As I recall, that's part of a flitter's program."

  "This seemed a little beyond basic programming. I'll work it out, Sel. Want some company tonight?"

  "Can't," she said. "Exams tomorrow. Toni and I are cramming with Connie and Mark. I just took a break to say hi."

  "Any news on the condo sale?"

  "Two people looked at it last week. No word yet."

  We spoke for another ten minutes or so, then I started to eat my dinner and found it cold. That seemed vaguely symbolic, somehow. I zapped the food in the micro and took it to the den to watch Deutsche Welle's newshour on PBS.

  After trashing the wrappings of my dinner, I called the flitter down and boarded it, taking the pilot's seat.

  "Head west," I said.

  Sue appeared, sat down in the seat on my right, and asked, "Destination?"

  "None."

  "Altitude?"

  Reaching into the cooler, I said, "Max."

  "Speed?"

  Pulling out an Ice House beer, I said, "Default."

  "You're angry with me, aren't you?"

  "I just want to think about some things."

  "Is that a way of telling me to shut up?"

  Sighing as I opened the beer. I said, "Sue, it's a way of suggesting that I'd rather think than talk right now."

  After some time watching the world turn below or gazing at the unmoving stars above, I reached overhead for my briefcase and took out my datapad, then poked up a book.

  About an hour later, I said, "Back to the house, please," and put my datapad away as my thoughts came together.

  Fact: extensive experience involving human interaction was necessary in order for Sue to meet the standards required by her contract with Elkor and Steph for her release as an individual. If they thought she hadn't progressed enough at the end of the year, they'd refuse to release her.

  On the other hand, they'd probably leave her with me, and at the moment, that idea wasn't altogether appealing. Was I overreacting to Sue's attitude? Probably, by someone else's standards, but I didn't have to live by their standards.

  I wondered if they'd let Sue go early if she seemed ready. But how would she be ready any earlier if she remained with me? Then it hit me; I knew how to help her gather interactive experience as fast as possible.

  "Sue, I want to be able to directly access all flitter controls by voice commands or by using my implants. Make that so immediately."

  She appeared and asked, "Ed, why are you doing this?"

  "Have you implemented my order?"

  "Yes. Why are you doing this?"

  "We'll discuss it tomorrow. Next question?"

  In a somewhat surly tone, she said, "There is no next question, Ed."

  Stepping off the flitter, I said, "In that case, goodnight, Sue. I'll call you if I need you."

  Chapter Sixty-Five

  After breakfast, I got a second cup of coffee and waited until nine. Using the phone instead of my datapad, I called Victoria Chang at the Carrington Youth Center.

  When she answered, I said, "Hi, there. This is the guy who stopped to help when you had that car accident in February. The one with the unusual girlfriend."

  "Ed? Oh, my! Well, hi! What can I do for you today?"

  "Do you have a few minutes to spare today? I'd like to drop by. It's about volunteer work. Maybe I could take you to lunch at Penelope's Garden in beautiful downtown Carrington?"

  "Oooo. You must really want something."

  "Yup. Sure do. No obligations, though. Lunch is just lunch."

  After a pause, she asked, "Do you mind if I bring a friend?"

  "Mind if I pick the friend?"

  "Huh? What do you mean?"

  "I mean the woman who runs your girls' softball team."

  I guess her sense of caution kicked in right about then. There was a brief pause, then I noticed a hollow quality to our connection that usually means someone else has picked up.

  "The girls' softball coach?" she asked, "Why her?"

  "Because the woman I'm bringing with me would be working with her if you decide to accept her as a volunteer. Do you remember Stephanie?"

  With an element of surprise in her voice, Chang said, "Uh, yes, of course. You're saying she wants to coach baseball?"

  "Not Stephanie. Sue, of the same family. And not baseball. It's softball. It's similar, but not the same."

  Barely audibly, someone in the room with her snickered.

  "You know what I mean," said Chang.

  "Yup. And you know why this could be worth some discussion, so how about that lunch?"

  There was a pause, then she said, "We usually go to lunch at noon. Could you show up a little early so Ms. Pullman can meet you and decide for herself?"

  "No problem. Eleven-thirty?"

  "That would be fine."

  "Great. How's your leg?"

  "Good as new, except for some scars around my knee. My husband doesn't seem to mind them, though."

  "Smart man. He's probably learned that there's more to a woman than her legs."

  We chatted for another minute or so, then hung up. I got on the net and checked email and sites until ten, then made another coffee and sat down at the kitchen table.

  "Sue, I'd like you to appear, please."

  She did so, popping into being by the sink in her little black dress, as usual. She crossed her arms and leaned against the counter as she silently met my gaze.

  "Wait here," I said, and went to the den for the Sunday newspaper, from which I culled the department store ad sections to bring back to the kitchen table.

  "That dress is evening wear," I said as I marked several of the ads for women's clothing. "Outfits like these are what you'll be wearing for a while. Today in particular, you'll be wearing this one."

  I tapped one of the ads, a skirt-blouse-jacket combo.

  Sue broke her sullen silence to ask, "May I ask why?"

  "You'll figure it out. You'll also appear and disappear only on command until further notice. I don't want you spooking our lunch guests. I also don't want you being unpleasant around them. You don't have to be little Mary Sunshine, but you do have to be cordial."

  Stepping to within a couple of feet of me, she asked, "Did you really think you had to say that?"

  "You've been cranking off a bit lately, so I'm just making sure you behave. Try on your new clothes now."

  Her black dress morphed into a copy of the outfit pictured in the ad; a light blue jacket and skirt and a white blouse. Her bracelet seemed to clash with her sleeve.

  "If you're going to wear the bracelet," I said, "Make the skirt and jacket a light shade of brown. Tan or maybe a little darker. And you need some other jewelry."

  Rooting through the ad pages, I picked out a few necklaces and said, "Any of these. Vary them daily if you want."

  One of them, a slender chain with a small jeweled pendant, appeared around Sue's neck as she asked, "What? No
rings?"

  "You want rings? Sure, lady. Grab some of these. Wear no more than two at time, though. We aren't going for the ostentatious look."

  I tapped a dozen or so of the only moderately-elaborate rings. Sue raised her left hand and waggled her fingers. A pair of gold interlocking dolphins circled her ring finger.

  "Good enough?" she asked.

  "If you like it, it's yours, ma'am, and if asked, you're to say you picked it out yourself. Same with the others."

  "But I didn't."

  "But you did. I showed you a range and you chose one. You'll say the same about the others if you use them. Earrings. Forgot earrings. And shoes."

  Of the range I tapped in the ads, she chose a pair of cat-face earrings and her pendant morphed to match them. I also selected shoes for all occasions and she went with the low-heeled pumps in a medium brown.

  "Have we forgotten anything?" I asked, then answered my own question with, "Purses," as I reached for the ad pages.

  Sue said, "Wait," and materialized a handbag that matched her shoes, then asked, "Will this do?"

  "Works fine. Looks good."

  "Wonderful," she said, "Now will you tell me what you're up to?"

  Sitting down with my coffee, I said, "Sure. You're going to be a volunteer at Carrington base. By the way, you may have to come up with a last name for their records."

  She just stared at me for some moments, then Steph appeared beside her and asked, "Ed, are you sure..?"

  "Chang knows about field constructs," I interrupted. "Sue needs interaction with people in order to qualify for release according to your agreement. This way she'll get lots of it fast with both adults and teens. The good and bad of both."

  "Have you checked with Linda about this?"

  "Nope. That's the next step. Think she'll say no? I don't."

  As I was getting up from the table, Steph asked, "Have you considered Sue's feelings, Ed?"

  "They'll get plenty of exercise with a herd of teens."

  Her gaze narrowed. "We placed Sue with you for a reason."

  "And I'm placing her with Chang for a reason. I never once considered asking Elkor to replace you, Steph, but I've come close to asking him to replace Sue twice in two days. This is an alternative that will keep her program active and give her interaction."

  To Sue, I asked, "Would you rather shut down until they can find you another position or try my alternative?"

  "I'll take the alternative," she said quietly. "Do you really dislike me so much?"

  "No. I think that some time having to lead as well as follow will be good for you. I also think you'll probably learn why I decided to subcontract some of your experience with Chang."

  After freshening my coffee, I headed outside and called the flitter down, then boarded and took the pilot's seat. Sue sat in the seat to my right. Steph had disappeared.

  I said, "To Carrington base, please," and the flitter lifted as I called up a datapad screen and tapped Linda's icon.

  She answered almost immediately and said, "Hold one," then turned her datapad enough that I could see Victoria Chang in a chair by her desk.

  "Word travels fast," I said. "Hi, Victoria."

  She nodded with a tiny smile as Linda rolled her chair closer to hers and said, "Ed, is there a reason you didn't ask me about volunteering Sue before suggesting it to Vickie?"

  "Sure. It didn't seem necessary, Linda. Our security codes are probably high enough for coaching softball."

  Vickie's smile briefly widened.

  Linda's impassive gaze narrowed a bit as she asked, "What's your ETA, Ed?"

  "Half an hour or so. Are you coming to lunch with us?"

  "We'll see. Let me talk to Sue, Ed."

  Turning the datapad to include Sue, I sipped my coffee.

  "Sue," said Linda, "Are you in accord with this?"

  Without so much as a glance at me, Sue said, "Yes."

  "Is it your idea?"

  "No. Ed says I need a wider range of human experience. Volunteer work was his proposal for acquiring it."

  Linda's eyes again turned to me.

  "Sports, Ed? You hate team sports."

  "I ignore team sports. There's a difference. There's no reason to limit her to softball, either. That was just the first thing that popped into my mind 'cause the season's starting soon and they're always shorthanded."

  There was a pause as Linda sipped her own coffee, then she said, "Not good enough. Dig a little deeper."

  Looking first at Linda, then at Vickie, I said, "Okay. I've found myself wanting some time to myself for the first time in years. Sue will be on tap for missions, but in the meantime, I'm going to live alone for a change. This way I'm not screwing her out of the experience Elkor and Steph stipulated."

  "Just like that? All of a sudden you want to live alone?"

  "Yup. The other day I said something like that to Kent Meyer. At the time, I was just redirecting the conversation, but I've come to realize that it's true. I've had 24-7 company -- human and computer -- since the day after I met Ellen and Gary over three years ago. I want some time off."

  "So you're farming Sue out. What about Steph and Elkor?"

  "Elkor's a quiet observer who likes my cat. Steph is busy elsewhere these days. Both are available."

  "You know I considered Steph and you a team, Ed. Now the team is Sue and you."

  "As I said, she'd be on tap for missions."

  "Who's going to handle your flitter?"

  "I am. Sue's participation in guiding my flitter will be reduced to almost standard-issue parameters. The rest of her will be doing volunteer work at Carrington."

  Turning to Sue, Linda asked, "Sue, is that really a workable arrangement? Can you split yourself like that?"

  Nodding, Sue said, "The most extreme flitter operations possible would occupy less than half a percent of my current resources, Linda."

  Another long pause occurred. Linda finally broke it by saying, "That's a nice jacket, Sue. Ed, Vickie will be in my office. We may have more to talk about before I agree to this."

  I almost asked, 'Why do you feel a need to agree or disagree?' but held my tongue and maintained an impassive expression. Linda had the rank to invite herself into any discussion concerning base operations, however trivial.

  "In fact, if you don't mind," said Linda, "Send Sue on ahead. I'd like to talk to her without her owner present."

  "Owner?" asked Vickie, staring at Linda.

  "Later," said Linda. "How about it, Ed?"

  "No problem."

  Turning to Sue, I said, "See you there, Sue."

  Sue nodded and vanished, then reappeared standing behind Vickie's chair.

  "How soon will she be here?" asked Vickie.

  "I'm already here," said Sue.

  Vickie shrieked softly and unassed her chair as Linda's head whipped around to stare at Sue, who gave her a little smile as she said, "Hello, Linda." Extending a hand, she added, "Hello, Ms. Chang. May I also call you Vickie?"

  Off-screen, I heard Vickie's panting reply, "Uh... Yes. Yes, of course, Sue," and saw her trembling hand extend to take Sue's as she said, "I'm sorry. You... ah... you kind of startled me."

  'Hah,' I thought with a silent laugh. 'Startled you? She scared the holy hell out of you.'

  "Linda," I said to get her attention.

  She turned to face the datapad. Yup. She was still coming down from an adrenaline rush, too.

  I had a private chuckle at that, then said, "Be there in a bit, ma'am. Don't go to lunch without me."

  "Lunch may happen in the mess hall if I don't hear from some people by noon. We have a transport docking at one."

  Hm. She was saying that we'd go nowhere and make no deals without her.

  "Okay. Vickie, if we have to, we can issue rain checks on that lunch at Penelope's Garden. I'll let you guys get on with your interrogation, now. Over and out and like that."

  As my finger descended on the 'off' icon, I heard Vickie say, "It isn't an int..."

  Right. T
he hell it wasn't. No biggie. They wanted to be sure that Sue wasn't somehow being abused, and that was fine by me. The deal had been as good as done when Linda had asked to speak to Sue alone. Taking another sip of coffee, I punched up my book to pass the time.

  About five minutes from Carrington, a datapad manifested itself and some guy in base blues peered at me in surprise for a moment before asking, "You're Dragonfly?"

  "Yup. And you?"

  "Miller. Base ops. We're in level six and alert status is red. That's red, Dragonfly. Ms. Baines told me to get you on the horn. She's on her way down here now."

  "Hold one," I said, poking the 'trace' icon on the datapad. It verified the caller's location, and that was good enough for the moment. "Got a sitrep?"

  He nodded and said, "Yes, sir. One of our trucks is inbound about fifty miles out. He was supposed to check in at eleven. We can't raise him on the radio and a drone is reading high levels of radiation. You're to do a flyby on your way in."

  "Send me the info. Wouldn't flits one and two be closer?"

  "One is on assignment in Washington, DC, and you're already in the vicinity. Two is standing by to support you."

  On my screen appeared a description including make, model, color, fleet number, license plate number, and a picture of the assigned driver, George Peterson. Radiation levels didn't seem all that high to me, but the source was plutonium.

  "Okay, got it," I said. "Later, Base."

  Poking the comm icon off, I said, "Sue, head the flitter to intercept the truck, please, then send a copy out there and see if his radio is on. Also see if the driver is George Peterson. And if ol' George has a cell phone, ring it for me, please."

  Sue instantly said, "The truck just turned east onto state road 36 from US 83. Its radio is off and he's not answering his cell phone, Ed. The man in the driver's seat appears to be George Peterson. He's alive, but unconscious."

  A moment later she said, "The truck contains a nuclear device and is being guided by remote control. Peterson has been drugged and is being held in his seat by restraints. Stopping the engine, interrupting the control signal, or removing Peterson will detonate the device. The timer is set for one-ten p.m."

  Sighing, I said, "They want to nail the transport. Welcome to your first mission, ma'am. Patch the info to base, trace the signal to its source, and let Linda know where it is."