“Wagons—ho!” M1 gave the command and five minutes later we were standing in a ruined Quonset hut on Nexus.
CHAPTER 42
It took us about an hour to reach the trolley line we used before. Another twenty minutes and we arrived at our old camp. Lamont was giddy with delight.
“Anything before we leave for home?” M1 asked.
“The next month or so will be a busy time for us, Alice said. “Moses may have to remain on Earth considering his role in all of this, but I’d like to put a time limit for the rest of us.”
We tossed that around for a while and the tentative plan we settled on was six weeks for the Dance Band. The immediate fate of Moses, Mary, Abraham and Lamont would be decided by Washington.
“My people are expecting us to return by the same route that we used when we went away,” Shan said. “I wish there were some way that we could let them know that we are safe and doing well.”
“How about this?” M2 volunteered. “We could make a quick detour to the Shenandoah portal—pop through and call Arnold the blacksmith. He should have his radio with him so the time of day or night there shouldn’t matter.”
“I have a better idea if it’s okay with Moses,” M1 said. “We’ll delay our trip to Ganymede for twenty-four hours and go to the farm in person to grab a fist full of morse fur.”
Of course, Shan was ecstatic, but the degree of enthusiasm shown by the other crewmembers made it quite clear that none of us were eager to see our adventure end. Me, I was delighted. Moses made no objection. He only had eyes for Mary and the thought of more alone time with her was very appealing.
We were in high spirits as we boarded the trolley for Nexus Central. We were at the conclusion of our grand concert, but suddenly we had an encore.
CHAPTER 43
Just under one hour later we were exiting the dome on a fine Shenandoah afternoon. Ket Gai hung low on the horizon and a fresh breeze washed over us. More and more, this planet was becoming my ideal. Blue raced away to again herald our arrival. Shan took the lead and we struggled to keep up as she followed Blue’s trail.
This time the entire farm community, most of whom were riding three and four up on a morse, greeted us at the farm’s edge. All were in that peculiar hunched over position that allowed the rider to keep his or her hands in contact with the velvet coat. It was a triumphant procession back to the central building. Once there, the farm folk got busy preparing a banquet and we stood back to let Shan enjoy her status as empress for a day. I spent a good amount of time communicating with my morse and the others did the same with theirs. I took a walking tour of the farm buildings then returned to the banquet. This is a nice place, I thought. A person could get used to the great country, the people and their way of life. If ever my wanderlust diminishes, I might find my way back to here. Harry disappeared for a while, but no one mentioned his absence.
The sun went down. People moved in and out of the building, but I was content to sit with my wine and my cigar, basking in the glow of success. At one point Shan sat down next to me. “Moses would like a word with you,” she said. “He is out by the pasture fence.”
There were lanterns hung from tree limbs and poles, sufficient to negotiate between buildings. I found Moses waiting for me at the edge of the illuminated area. There was enough light to see the two male morses leaning close against the fence, snorting with pleasure as Moses rubbed the velvet fur under their tremendous jaws.
I learned earlier that the males were free to wander off through the woods at their pleasure, but banned from the inner compound where the girls hung out. Arnold, becoming adept at morse concept communication, was able to convince the large beauties to defecate in a particular spot, downwind and well away from the houses. This eliminated their single objectionable feature. The big beauties were thriving here on an abundance of excellent fodder. The faint hope that someday we would be able to reclaim our mounts had evaporated in the last few hours. The lovely ladies would not be leaving the farms of Shenandoah. Also their manure was an extremely good fertilizer.
I joined Moses at the fence and took over stroking the jaw of one morse while we talked. “When we arrive back on Earth,” he said, “will they call you James or Jim?”
“I’ve not given that any thought,” I replied. “I can answer to either name, but why do you ask?”
“I’m speaking as a diplomat right now. It is possible that you may achieve a position of considerable importance and you might choose to use your original name while having it known that your nickname is Jim. This is by no means a critical decision at this time, but I mention it as an example of details that may become important should you rise to prominence.”
I thought about it for about five jaw strokes and two grunts. “You must have plans for me that I don’t know about.”
He smiled. “I do have many plans for you and your companions, but at this time they are all contingency plans. As we have been doing the past months, we will again be sailing in uncharted waters. We must prepare ourselves to change course whenever the need arises.
“Thanks to YDRII, I have the experience of scores of years and a few planets. I am the ultimate diplomat or, if you prefer, master manipulator. If things go well, the path will be smooth and the Dance Band can return to the stars.” He stopped for a reflective moment. “You know I am long lived, but I am not immortal. It would be difficult in the extreme to assassinate me, but not impossible and there would be no one to replace me to continue my work. That fact is the reason for our meeting this evening.”
He paused again to let that sink in.
“As I see it,” I said, “you and YDRII are now one of a kind—unique in the galaxy for the foreseeable future.”
“What you say is true,” he said, “but the workings of chance and fate have shown me a partial, but very workable solution. It would give me a great deal of comfort to know that if I should cease to exist, the whole process might continue rather than collapse. The future of my people hangs in the balance.”
“Okay,” I said, “I give up. What’s the solution?”
“Not what,” he said, “but whom and the answer is you James—or Jim.”
I had no immediate response to this bolt of lightning. Even my stroking hand quit working until I felt a solid nudge from my morse. “I’m listening.”
“Your personality, character and brain function are the best possible fit for what I have in mind,” he said. “The way that your mind constantly works making connections between disparate bits of information is why you are so suitable. For now, just assume that my judgment is correct. If you wish, we can discuss it in depth later on. Did you notice that YDRII is not with me on this evening?”
I looked around. “No, but I do now.”
“But he is with me,” Moses said, while taking a thick medallion from his shirt pocket and putting its chain around his neck.”
“I’m listening,” I said.
“This medallion is YDRII temporarily reconfigured for our arrival on Earth. He can take many forms. He collapsed his shell and it is in my backpack along with the replicator, a reserve power supply and certain of his armaments. As you see him now, he is fully functional.”
“Okay, but how does all of this affect me?” I asked.
“It does not, but this does,” he said, as he pulled a similar disk from a side pocket. “This is the house computer. YDRII has spent a full Earth day reprogramming it and his efforts were successful. I must emphasize that this computer is not the equivalent of YDRII. Should you agree to this, your relationship with this device will be more like the relationship that Shan has with Blue. Another difference is that you will be able to disconnect whenever you wish. In short, this computer will be an assistant when needed rather than an extension or companion.”
“You know,” I said, “in my limited contact with the house computer I had the sense that it had a degree of consciousness and was a bit lonely. In the reprogramming was this personality eliminated?”
“Oh, no,” Moses said. “It has self-awareness and is the same basic computer and will remain so. When not in your service it will still be able to receive audio and visual input from the surrounding environment. In short, it will not be lonely unless you tuck it away in a drawer.”
“Fine,” I said, “but how about some details?”
“Let me explain,” he said. “Should you agree to do this, I will give you a large package of information. It will reside in a portion of your brain where it will not interfere with normal functions. You will feel nothing directly, but you will have a sense that something has changed.
“You will be able to access the computer in two ways. First, just think of it and it will be there. Second, if the need arises from an external event, for example a bullet flying in your direction, it will link with you and more important, it will act. It has excellent defensive capabilities. Of course when there is no longer a need for a link, it will be as though it was never there.”
I asked the big question. “Can it kill?”
“You must be thinking of the laws of robotics, but those laws originated on earth. In short, both YDRII and the house computer have the capability to terminate life forms while linked to its associated human.”
“And how about when I’m making out with a girl?”
“Just set it aside. It is a machine. It will make no judgments.”
“Is this reversible?”
“You may have the process reversed at any time.”
I had one last question. “Is this a secret?”
“Yes, except that I will inform your companions and the Director. Eventually, other people will find out about both of us. It is just one more thing for us to manage when the time arrives.”
“All right,” I said, “let’s do it.”
“Your ability to make rapid decisions is one more talent that makes you the ideal choice.” He had me put the medallion around my neck. “Here, hold YDRII in your hand. The transfer will be faster.”
I was expecting some reaction, but I felt nothing. In my mind’s eye, I saw one of those large, clear party balloons with a smaller balloon inflating inside the larger. I don’t know if that image was a by-product of the big download or purely my imagination, but soon Moses reached to retrieve YDRII and the process was complete.
Of course, I had to run a few tests. I thought about contacting my computer and there it was. I didn’t have to think of the mechanics of connecting any more that I had to think of how to blink my eyes, I just did it. Moses gave me a few more minutes to flex my new mental muscles, then we left the morse males. They snorted indignantly until we were out of sight.
Things were quiet around the big table when we walked in. Everyone was there, full of food and wine and getting sleepy. Moses told Arnold that we needed to have a private meeting and the blacksmith quickly cleared the room. Shan’s parents were reluctant, but they left. They and several others went to the benches out front to wait there until they could return.
Moses made a complete report to the group around the table. It only took him about ten minutes, but when he finished there were no questions, only comments from the Terrans.
Amy wound an imaginary crank on my back. “So, we have our own bionic man?”
“I’ll never play poker with him again,” Harry said.
“Will you do my taxes?” M2 asked.
Shan chimed in. “Can I have the device you call a Ralex?
“Sorry,” I said, “not this one.”
“You won’t need a time keeper anymore.” She felt my skull with both hands and looked deep into my eyes. “I do not detect any change.”
“Can you cloud the minds of mortal men?” Alice said, while poking my chest several times.
“No,” I replied, “but I can manipulate the behavior of over-confident women.”
“James is still James,” she pronounced, “and we’re good to go.”
“One last item as long as we’re here,” M1 said. “Moses and I have been talking about the desirability of bringing Arnold into the picture, at least partially. In the near future, there may be a lot of Special Forces passing through here on their way to the Omaha portal. Arnold would make a good guide and liaison. Moses could give him English and other necessary information before we leave. What think you all?”
“We have a lot of good will here,” Alice said, “and Arnold seems to be a very solid citizen. When the folks here learn that our intent is to give the gray men the boot, I don’t think there’ll be any lack of cooperation. By the way, when do we tell them?”
“Arnold will know before we leave,” M1 answered. “When the first advance parties arrive, that’s when the rest of the farm inhabitants will know. They’ll be very helpful as guides and things like that. We’re also thinking Shan should bring in the first advance party.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Me,” she exclaimed, “but what can I do?”
“You are a figurehead,” Moses said. “Your presence in the first few days will help greatly in gaining the confidence of your people.”
Amy put her arm around Shan’s shoulder. “Shan, you are about to become a legend among your own people by bringing in the army that will free them. Your people will tell the stories of your exploits down through the ages.”
“When I finish,” she asked, “can I rejoin the Band?”
“Most definitely,” Moses said. “You are a free individual as are your friends here. The lone contract we will ever have is our freely given words.”
Shan just looked down, hiccupped and wiped her eyes.
“Hey James,” Harry called to me, “what time is it in Washington?
As I made a great show of consulting my Ralex, I discovered that it was gone. Shan, the watch thief, raised her arm to display the stolen Ralex and a huge grin. She slipped it off and tossed it back to me.
“Shan, I’ll definitely buy you your very own watch.” I glanced at the time piece and said, “It’ about noon and everyone will be out to lunch.”
“Out to lunch is their normal condition,” Harry said, “but my point in asking is that I think we’ve relaxed enough. It’s time to go home.”
This time no one asked for a vote. We were ready.
“I called out to Harry in a falsetto voice. “Henry… Henry Aldrich!”
“Coming, Mother.” he replied.
Amy was the only one who got it and laughed.
“WHAT!” Alice shouted. “Is this another one of those old geezer references that only James, Harry and Amy know about?”
Amy took the floor and told her about the old radio show of the same name. “So when we heard Mrs. Aldrich calling for Henry, we knew it was time for the show to start.”
“There’s just too much to know,” Alice said, “but between all of us, we know everything. Shall we depart?”
The entire farm population, including the morses, escorted us to the edge of the forest. We said our goodbyes and followed Shan as she went into the woods. The only difference was that this time Arnold joined our caravan, walking next to Moses in deep conversation. During our trek, Amy informed me that the name of my computer would be ‘Lonesome Joe’. The girl was uncanny.
By the time we reached the dome, Arnold’s education was complete and he was enthusiastically on board with the program. M1 suggested that to make him a true believer we should take him with us for a quick look at Nexus and to experience the much lower gravity. Moses thought it was a good idea so Arnold, with his eyes shut and his hands on Shan’s shoulders, stepped through the portal to Nexus. Minutes later, Arnold returned to Shenandoah and we headed for home.
Part 5
CHAPTER 44
We exited the Hollow Mountain portal with varying degrees of trepidation. Mary, Shan, Abraham, Bob, Lamont and Lonesome Joe were entering what was to them an entirely new world and civilization. The rest of us had a greater concern about political matters, but we were all apprehensive. There was no change in the portal chambers, but hanging from the bank vault doorframe was a
computer-generated banner that said, “Welcome Home”. We paused under the strip of paper to listen to the sound of classical music coming from the well-lit cafeteria doorway.
“Carl must have found more skylights,” M2 said. “Look at those big globes in the ceiling.”
“Hang on a sec,” M1 said, as we began to move. “It would be fun, but not fair to walk in and surprise him. Maybe he has a heart condition. I’ll give him a shout from here.” He put his hands to his mouth, megaphone style. “Hey there, Carl, anybody home?”
Two heartbeats later, we heard a feminine squeal, followed by the scraping of chair legs on the stone floor. Next was the crash of a dinner plate hitting the floor, followed by running footsteps and the appearance of Anna and Carl in the doorway. They halted long enough to see that it was us, then ran over to begin a round of hugs, handshaking, jaw dropping introductions and backslapping.
Anna kissed Alice on both cheeks. “This is incredible. Oh my God, you look so young.” She turned my way and rewarded me with a hug. “That pill did wonders for you. Much more and you’ll be a teenager, but you’re still brown—and your hair’s not gray anymore.”
I heard Carl’s voice above the babble, “Oh, gosh… I forgot. My job is to notify the Director the minute you return. Come into the cafeteria. I’ll make coffee. No, Anna will do it. She makes a better brew.” He stopped a moment to gather himself together. “I know I’m not making sense, but it’s been so long. We’ve waited here month after month, not knowing when or if you would return.”
He ushered us into the well-lit lunchroom. They had moved in a bank of communication equipment. New kitchen equipment, comfortable chairs, a couch and a big TV completed the picture of a snug apartment. The TV was on. I remember it was a Simpson’s episode. Shan went and stood in front of it, utterly mesmerized. Amy located the clicker and proceeded to dazzle the young Shenandoan even more.
Anna busied herself with the coffee maker while Carl went to his communications console and picked up a thick binder. “I report daily,” he said, “using random conversations as though I were talking to a friend in the States. If I have no news, I read from this section of pre-written scripts. On the first page here, there are three different messages I’m to use on your return. They cover some basic contingencies.”
LOST AND FORGOTTEN: Book 2 The Secret Path Page 29