by John Ricks
Gray said, “Yes. If nothing else, it will strike fear in their hearts.”
I said to Little Yellows, “Two statements: the enemy of my enemy is my friend; and the bigger they are, the harder they fall.”
Little Yellows smiled and said, “Those are interesting statements. Try these two. First, never underestimate your enemy, and second, always underestimate your friends.”
I laughed and said, “Freedom is not free; it is paid for by the blood of those who fight for it.”
She said, “If we were all clear, there would be something else to separate us.”
I said, “Ah, we have a similar saying. If we were all white, then our eyes would be on trial.”
She said, “The sun sets only for love; the moons rise for lovers.”
I was trying to keep my mind closed; she was getting too close. I kept this banter up for a while as Green continued.
Chapter 17
Prank
“‘Mother!’ He calls me that just to irritate me.” Susan paused for some time to think outside of Freddy’s build area. “So Freddy wants us to keep Julia away from him. How interesting. Maybe I should invite her to stay the summer. No, I won’t do that to him or to the girls on this base. I love that kid too much for that. Kid! More like young man and becoming more handsome every day. He may pay no attention to it, but the girls on this base sure do. If he starts wearing clothing that shows off that hard-muscle physique he’s been developing with all the hard work and exercise, I’ll have fights and jealous rages to contend with, in addition to everything else.”
Susan left the build area and stopped in the new office building long enough to admire the new structure. Colleen had said she needed somewhere to do paperwork in the build area, and Freddy overheard her. The next day, several hundred robots were working on the issue. They completed the project in just three days—and it was amazingly beautiful. The office was set into the side of the mountain, with windows looking out into the build area on one side and shielded windows looking out on home base on the other. Susan walked up to the guard. He snapped to attention and gave a perfect salute.
“Good morning, Captain James.”
She returned the salute. “Good morning”—Susan read his name tag—“Petty Officer Owens. Is Colleen in her office?” It rankled her that there were too many people on the base for her to remember all their names. Her irritated look was not lost on the petty officer, and he became nervous.
“Yes, ma’am. She just went in.”
“Thank you. Carry on.”
As Susan entered, she took the opportunity to look around. Smiling, she thought, Perfect symmetry. I’ll bet everything is within one-thousandth of an inch. Each corner was rounded just a little to keep people from being cut on the perfect edges. The natural, highly polished rock colors stood out in a beauty that could not be duplicated. It was the same in the build area, but there were so many robots doing so many different things that she never noticed the beauty of the place. This was a quiet place to think—a peaceful place to contemplate. In the center was the most exquisite and spectacular water fountain ever designed. She walked past the fountain and ran a hand across it. The water was as smooth as glass. The fountain was suspended in the air several feet off the floor and continued up twenty feet. The dome-shaped ceiling was two hundred feet above that. The fountain received water from a source that could not be detected, even with scanners, and then the water simply disappeared. In four levels, it cascaded over sea creatures, outlining them in a white froth. Then the water became like glass again until it fell on the creature below it. The creatures were not really there, as you could put your hand through them and feel nothing but water. Yet every curve, whisker, hair, and movement was highly visible. The creatures moved around like they were playing on a beach. The engineers and scientists had studied the fountain but had no idea how Freddy did it. Freddy thought of everything to make this a great place to work, contemplate, or just relax. Susan got a little angry when she realized that Freddy never relaxed anymore. Far too many demands, she thought. He really needs a long vacation.
She walked into the foyer of Colleen’s office and up to her door, giving it three light taps. Unlike the build areas, the acoustics here were very good, and knocking loudly would have startled Colleen.
“Come in, Captain.” Colleen didn’t have to speak above a whisper with the dot still following her.
Susan walked into a very nice room, fit for a little girl—all pastel pink—but Susan found it sickening. All the chairs were slightly too small for a grown-up. The desk was short and too small. There was a small canopy bed with pink lace and ruffles, and there were dolls all over the place.
“What happened, Colleen?”
“Freddy happened—that’s what. I’d finally arranged this place how I liked it, and he changed it to this!” Colleen’s tone indicated pure repugnance; Susan I could not blame her. Colleen continued, almost in tears because she was so mad. “I have no idea where the other furniture went, or I’d have it changed back right away.”
“This furniture was supposed to go to the new dorm for specials. I’ll bet there’s a little girl there with your office furniture. I’m sure she’d love to exchange.”
Colleen picked up the phone and called the dorms.
A girl answered. “Dorm two. This is Peggy. How may I help you, Chief Colleen McMasters?”
It always unnerved Colleen that they knew when she’d call. The phone hadn’t even rung.
“I seem to be the proud owner of a little girl’s room of furniture, and I hear you may have my office furniture.”
The girl giggled. Colleen started to get angrier.
“Freddy is very good,” said the girl. “We never caught him. We never even had a hint. You’re in your office, so I’ll send over a couple of kinetics to pick up that stuff, and then we’ll reset your office to exactly the way it was.”
Colleen said, “Thank you.”
“Don’t be mad at Freddy. He works so hard, and he worries about Becky. He hasn’t had any rest in a long time, what with the war and all. We’re protected and get schooling and playtime. He gets nothing except more work. Have you noticed that the longer he works, the more pranks he plays?”
“No. I never noticed that.”
“Count it out. You’ll see.”
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
After Colleen hung up the phone, Susan asked, “So is everything straightened out?”
“Yes, Captain. It’s all fine. Peggy said that Freddy needs a vacation. That’s the reason he’s playing pranks again. He’s overworked.”
“Good. I was just thinking the same thing. Colleen, please get with the correct personnel, and set something up—two full weeks this time, with lots of rest. I want him back here in an emergency, so keep a shuttle ready to pick him up and bring him back, if necessary.”
“I can’t help feeling that we’re rewarding him for playing his pranks, Captain.”
“Freddy will not look at vacation as a reward, but make it a nice, slow cruise to see Alaska and the glaciers. And Colleen, don’t tell Freddy, but invite Julia Pears and her family.”
“He’ll have me shot. I love it,” she said with a big smile.
“I think he needs to get better acquainted with her and she with him.”
“Playing matchmaker, Captain?”
“No. Not with that frilly little pest. Still, he needs a girlfriend. Someone who’s smart, loves him, and won’t let him step on her. It would be nice if Becky would forgive him for that Tammy issue, but that’s out for a while. So to set him up with someone, we need him to slow down, force him to take a break, and think. Doing that in a romantic setting with a very lovely girl like Julia may just be what he needs to start him thinking about other girls. Besides, it’s my turn to play one on him.”
“I don’t think he’ll g
ive up on Becky so easily, Captain. However, we’ll set it up so that the guards know to leave Julia and Freddy alone. Still guarding with scanners but not showing themselves. I’ll set it up for first-class cabins next to each other and the time that they need to spend together.”
“They need to plan out that magazine.”
“Perfect. I’ll get right on it. School’s out soon, and Julia will probably love the chance.”
“Keep me informed, Chief.” Susan left, knowing Colleen would make sure that Freddy paid for this last prank. Smiling, she pictured Freddy stuck on a slow ship, with Julia there to take pictures. She nearly tripped as she laughed at the thought.
Green said, “They don’t allow him enough rest time. It’s been three years, by his time frame, since his last vacation. That is dangerous. If a Red becomes overworked, he could make mistakes. That would not be a good thing.”
Gray said, “Even the military takes time off for fun and games. To work for so long is not healthy.”
Blue said, “We take time off also, but this is different. He could take the time off but does not. Why?”
Green said, “He has too much to do. There are no others to take his place. They have lots of Greens, but I think this is their only Red.”
Yellows said, “In their entire species, they have only one Red? We do not think so.”
Little Yellows said, “He is not the only Red, but he is the top Red.”
Gray took a step back, “We took their top Red. No wonder they are after us. I would trade all our Clears for our top Red.”
Green smiled until Blue said, “Gray, you would trade all our Clears for a good drink.”
Gray smiled. “Probably. Green, continue.”
I said, “Gray should try our Kentucky whiskey. If you want an alcoholic drink, it is very strong.”
Gray exclaimed, “Your species has alcohol?”
I smiled. “In thousands of different blends and types. Some aged and some not. It is a passion of many of our people, though I don’t understand why.”
Green said, “A Red would not.”
Gray said, “Thousands, you say. Your species may have some redeeming qualities after all.”
Chapter 18
Overhearing
What Susan and Colleen didn’t remember was that I have always monitored Susan when she was in the shop. From the first day that Susan was allowed in, she’d had a dot attached to her. She exchanged it for a clear dot right away, but I have always monitored her. She knows this. I love her dearly and don’t want her harmed, so I always insist on monitoring her constantly. Now, Susan is so used to the dot that she forgets someone could be listening in. Her dot is a “command dot,” so only another command dot could listen. I am the only other one with a command dot. Normally, I pay no attention, unless my dot warns me that something is about to happen. Then, I’ll take action to protect Susan. I’ve saved her life several times but never told her. When she started talking to Colleen and said my name, it got my attention.
I drummed my fingers on my newest invention, thinking, So Mother and Aunt Colleen are planning to play a prank on me. What should I do? I’d like a vacation. I’m tired, and I know it, but I don’t want to be stuck on some slow-moving, glacier-watching ship for two weeks with Julia.
With Becky, it would be nice. Then, I might even find a way to slow the ship down further—but not with Julia. Yuck! That’s boring, not restful. “Why does Mother think that I need to spend time with Julia, of all people?” I wondered aloud. “Matchmaking! I’m only fifteen. I’m too young for marriage! For goodness’ sake, Julia likes to watch me blush! Susan puts up with her only because she’s a weapon to use to keep me humble. In fact, I can feel Mother’s dislike for her, and it’s strong. It may be because Julia is a lot like the frilly little girls that Susan seems to dislike. That’s possible. Susan may be prejudiced against frilly little girls. Goodness knows she’s not frilly. Maybe it’s not the girls. Maybe it’s the frills. What I should do is go along with this, and be kind and nice to Julia. Lead her along and make sure reports get back to Susan that I’m falling in love with Julia. That would chap Susan’s hide, and I’d bet she’d pull me off that ship as quick as possible. No, that’s not fair to Julia. I may not get along with her, but that’s no excuse to treat her badly, and I wouldn’t want those reports getting back to Becky. So Susan has a problem with little-girl frills. So do I. Most boys would. Although, some of the older girls really look nice with a little lace and ruffles. Interesting. I’ve never seen Susan wear anything with lace. What if I went along with a vacation? Something less boring but still with Julia. Suppose I require that my mother comes along with me. Just the four of us—Julia and her mother, me and mine. In fact, I could insist that she dress appropriately so that she doesn’t stand out. Julia’s mom is very frilly. That would mean that Susan would have to dress frilly also.” I smiled at my cleverness but quickly realized that plan wouldn’t work—Susan would simply say no. What would Susan agree to? Something not frilly, at least for her. “Got it. Dot, contact Colleen.”
“Hi, Freddy. How can I help you?”
“Aunt Colleen, please tell Susan that I overheard her conversation with you just now.” Quickly, I added, “Remind her that it’s not my fault that she did not request a private talk with you. She knows that I still monitor her when she’s in the shop. I don’t want to be blamed for this.”
Colleen’s mind was radiating surprise. She said, “Thank you for being nice enough to let us know. I suppose you’re not going to allow us to send you on vacation. Are you?”
“Actually, I think it’s a great idea but not the location or the method of travel. I have a few new toys that I’d like to try out, so I need some time in the field—say, camping in the mountains, by the ocean, or in the jungle. It won’t take me very long to test my new equipment. Therefore, I’ll have plenty of time to spend with Julia, planning my input to the magazine. I will allow Julia and her mother to participate, however, only if my mother comes too. If Susan won’t go with me, then I go without Julia. I will need twelve volunteers to play military games. And Colleen, we need to be way away from everyone, as it would not be good to let the world know what these inventions are. It will take approximately two weeks in the woods. Not much for me to do once I set the volunteers to work. You think someone can teach me how to fish? If Susan agrees to go along, then I’ll let her plan out the whole expedition. She can take whoever else she wants with us, as long as it includes twelve volunteers and her. At the end of the expedition we will need to go to Mars. If Susan agrees, then we can take Julia and her mother to Mars also. I should think they’d like that. Besides, once I test out my theories in the jungle, I want to test them on Mars.”
“Freddy, I’m not sure that the captain will go for this.”
I teleported into Aunt Colleen’s office and said, “Just see if she can stop me.” And then I teleported out. Colleen was on the phone to Susan before I could close out the conversation through the dots. The stuff was about to hit the fan. Time to hide.
I slammed my shields up and went into my hidden office. Everyone knew the entrance but they had no idea what’s back there, and Susan does not have access. In fact, the dot would warn her that entering the area would be extremely dangerous. That was because I told the shop computer not to give access to anyone, especially Captain James. It was also because my next project was there and in its start-up cycle. It was probably the most dangerous thing I’d ever attempted. Besides, I wanted it to be a surprise.
I was right. Susan came looking for me right away, and she wasn’t alone. She had three of the specials with her. I told the shop computer that I didn’t want to be disturbed and continued working on my project. I heard the shop tell her that entrance into this area is restricted. She tried to override that, but the shop computer told her that I was busy working on something that was important.
“If Freddy is distracted a
t this point, it could kill him.”
This was true, as I had purposefully started working in that area of the project. Shop was programmed never to lie but getting around that was easy, if needed. Just do what you want the shop to report. I was really in it deeply now, so I had to pay attention to what I was doing and stop thinking about how mad Susan might be. Time was getting short, and my best and most dangerous project to date had to become reality in just a few short hours—or all would be lost.
Green said, “He is working on a grand project. I am curious as to what it might be.”
Black said, “We would never allow a Red to work alone. They are watched and closely monitored. Do you remember, Green, the issues one of your precious Reds created when she tried to move an asteroid into orbit around the home world?”
Green cringed. “That was hundreds of years ago. We have done great things since then.”
Black smiled. “Yes, because you are watched and not allowed to be on your own.”
Blue said, “All the colors have created issues in the past.”
A Purple in the corner whispered to another, “And we end up cleaning the mess they make.”
They all looked at the Purple.
Gray said, “Unless the mess they make puts us into war—like building machines that think.”
Green said, “Machines have had the ability to think for a thousand years. It’s when we made them sentient that the trouble started, and we did that at the request of the Grays for better fighting machines.”
I mumbled, “Fools.”
Little Yellows whispered to me, “We agree with you on this one.” Louder, they said, “Green, you need to continue.”
Chapter 19
Safety
Susan exclaimed, “That little pest! He’s doing this on purpose! He knew I’d be coming after him to find out what he’s planning and how he can teleport in and out of places.”
One of the specials, Andy Roberts, said, “Captain, I can feel him, and he’s really working hard on a project of some sort. I can’t tell what the project is, as his shields are up, but it’s something important and very dangerous. I can feel his worry.”