by John Ricks
“Done.”
“You can probably use that five or six times before the belt will need recharging. If there was a power pack added to the belt, then you could do it all day. Last but not least, toggle on ‘TBG,’ or tractor beam gun,” The shield became light blue. “Point at the section you just cut off. Lift it with your mind. Very good. Now bring it here, and set it down for a stool.” The section of log floated through the air, flipped to the ends, and sat gently down. “Doing that once should be no problem. If you do that more than once without a power-pack backup, you would be so tired you would drop where you stand.
Patricia toggled off TBG and removed her helmet. “That’s amazing, and it was all done off my own power?”
“Mostly your own wasted body energy. But when you go into the TBG or beam modes, you start using up more than wasted energy. It’s best to have a power pack to use for those modes.”
Susan asked, “Will our wasted energy recharge the power packs?”
“Sure.”
“Then I would prefer that the belts have that power pack to use. Then when we rest, we can recharge the pack and start out fully charged.”
“I agree, Susan, but right now, I want to test out the belt without the extra power. I need to see the effect it has in the human body, if any.”
Colleen asked, “If any? What about Maggie?”
“Maggie did that to herself. Have you noticed that I have been touching each of you when I did not need to?”
“Yes.”
“I’m monitoring your vital signs and your energy, protein, and fat use—everything that your body is burning up and will need replaced. So far, everything looks normal, but we need to give it a little time to see if there are any long-term effects.”
Julia said, “That’s why you touched my arm? Sweet, I’m a guinea pig.”
I looked over at Julia and said, “You don’t have to test the equipment, but there will be a lot of young adults moving to my new home on Mars, and they will need to know that these belts work for them. You’re doing them a big favor.”
The cook yelled out, “Dinner!” So we all headed toward the food. Something about camping makes me hungry. I’ll have to research that.
During dinner and over the next couple of days, it came up several times that the belt was a nice assassin’s tool. Julia and Aggie came to me to talk about it.
The new Gray said, “They have these for their ground troops?”
Red said, “Count on it.”
Gray thought for a second. I received the opinion that this Gray was different.
Gray finally said, “Are we thinking of taking over their planet?”
Blue said, “That was the idea.”
Black said, “As new information is coming in, we are revising our plans accordingly.”
Gray said, “Expected, Great One. Your kind is not one for wasting our color. Still, this will make it difficult. Our hand weapons will not penetrate their shields.”
I said to Little Yellows, who was still holding me, “Liar.”
Little Yellows said, “Gray, he does not believe you. Your predecessor carried in a weapon that could reach through the shields.”
Gray said, “The fool.” Then he went back to thinking.
Red asked, “What is going through your mind, Admiral?”
I said to myself, “So that’s it. This one was their genius admiral, and I already told him I knew his hand weapons worked against my body shields. I worked with Susan long enough to know these types. Any little bit of information pulled out in any way will help them. Time to be quiet.”
The Gray said, “Then he knows our weapons will breach his ships’ shields.” No one said anything. He looked at Little Yellows.
Little Yellows said, “He said and thought nothing.”
Gray said matter-of-factly, “Good, then they do.” Then he looked at Little Yellows, waiting for a response.
Little Yellows said, “I received nothing, Admiral.”
Gray said, “Green, please continue. Perhaps we can get some reaction when we read his memories.”
Green said, “As you wish, Admiral.”
Chapter 29
Tools
Aggie asked, “Freddy, do you have a minute?”
“Sure, Aggie. Hi, Julia. What’s up?”
“Have you heard what the team is talking about lately? They’re calling your belt the ‘assassin’s belt.’”
“Typical.”
Julia became a little hot. “Why are you making these things for them?”
I knew this argument was going to come up, so I prepared for it. Goodness knows I argued this out with myself often enough. “Now Julia, if I made a toy for a two-year-old, these girls would find a deadly use for it. Sure, the belt can be used for assassins’ work, but so is a glass cutter, and that is not what it was designed for. Watch.” I got up from the log stool and opened my repair kit. I pulled out a small hand ax. “Do you know what this is?”
Aggie answered while putting a hand on Julia’s mouth. “It’s a hatchet. Used every day by woodsmen.”
“True, but note the power supply in the handle. When I turn it on, it vibrates and becomes a super-hatchet. Watch.” I walked over to the log and, in one whack, cut a two-foot piece off the end. I used my abilities to levitate it in the air and bring it back over to where they were. I set it down as a second stool. “This is a lazy person’s hatchet.”
Summer saw me cut the log and came over. “Can I see that?” I handed it to her. “Nice; this could cut right through standard armor and split a man in two.” She walked off with it to test it out.
I yelled to her, “I want that back when you’re done!” Then I turned to Julia and said, “See what I mean?”
“Yes. So most of the things you build are not weapons?”
“Of course not. Look. I built a ship to bring in materials from the asteroid belt. The ship has lasers to cut the asteroid into manageable chunks. It has a beam that agitates and makes the molecules fly apart so that you can pick out the metals you need, and it has a tractor beam strong enough to pull in all the material. The shields are extra strong in case the materials accidentally hit the ship. Beautiful design. You know it as the shark-class ship called the Razor.”
“But that was the most fearsome ship in the war!”
“Exactly. I didn’t build it for war. And it is actually being used to pull materials from the asteroid belt with a lot of success. But anything and everything I build is used by the military first, and they have a different set of minds than you and me. I started out trying not to have government influence in my projects. However, I could not build the ES Protectress fast enough to save the world without their help, so I allowed it. Then bad people started paying way too much attention to me, and I needed the government’s protection. Then the war started, and again we all needed the government’s help. I had to give them all the ships. Things never work out the way I planned them.”
Aggie patted my arm and said, “I’m sorry, Freddy.”
I added, “I used to cry myself to sleep, thinking about the people that could be harmed. I don’t anymore. I design, build, and show it to the military. They take all responsibility for how it is used. Not long ago, my AD was used to help disguise a man so that he could become president. Should I not have invented the AutoDoc?”
Julia answered, “No. That was a great invention. People love you for it.”
“Yet it is being used to harm people. When the IC chip was invented, it led to portable computers, cell phones, and thousands of things we use every day. Do you think the inventor envisioned it being used for guidance systems for missiles? I think not, and I don’t think it would be appropriate to hold Intel or Motorola responsible for the way IC chips are used. I’ve thought about this long and hard. It comes to this: I need to invent. I want to see people make it to other worlds
, and I want to visit other worlds. I am going to invent things that get us there and allow us to stay as safe as possible. Others will find other uses for my equipment. Can’t be helped. But that should not slow me down.”
Aggie said, “Looking at it that way and thinking about it, you’re right. It does not matter what you invent. The military will turn it into a weapon. However, you are making progress toward colonizing other worlds.”
“And in such, I’m making a better world for all of us.”
Julia kissed my cheek really quick before I could pull away. “I like that.” She started writing in her notepad—“A better world for all of us.”
I jumped up and yelled, “Summer!” and then teleported to her side. I grabbed the stump where her hand used to be and stopped the bleeding. Then I asked, “Where did it go?”
“It’s over there.” Using her one remaining hand, she pointed to a spot on the ground.
I walked her over to the spot and picked it up. Julia and Aggie were running up, along with several of the team. Without thinking, I handed the hand to Julia and said, “Wash this off, please.”
Julia fainted. Aggie caught her. Maggie took the hand and ran over to the small waterfall. When she returned, I reattached the hand to the arm and healed it. “You know the drill, Summer. There’ll be little to no use of that hand until the mending hardens up. Three days hand rest for you. And next time I let you play with one of my toys, you have to have adult supervision.” Everyone laughed, including Summer. Aggie was smiling, and Julia was just coming around.
“Where’s the hand? Oh, Freddy. I’m sorry.”
Aggie said, “The hand was washed off and reattached. With Freddy here to do healing, the girls are not in danger.” Julia picked up her pen and notepad and said, “Mom, tell me everything. I want to know each detail.”
They walked off, and Summer said quietly. “Not the girl for you, Freddy. Not if she faints at the first sign of blood.”
“I already knew that. If Becky were here, she would have picked up the hand before I did and started washing it off without needing to be told.”
“You don’t know that for sure, Freddy.” She ruffled my hair. “You’re blind with love, boy.”
“Yes, I suppose I am. I’ll have to test it sometime. Want to cut your hand off for me on cue this time?”
“No!”
“Darn. I’ll just have to wait until something comes up.”
Gray said, “She cut her hand off without a word or scream. He attached it, and she said nothing. Are all their military that strong?”
Red said, “We picked up few military. The ones we did pick up were stubborn. Luckily, their minds are easy to probe.”
Gray said, “And this one’s mind—is it easy to probe?”
Red said proudly, “This one is their top Red. Probing is difficult. We are barely getting what we have now. We have allowed him to think and work on escaping so that he would allow us to probe as much as we have. He did not know about the dampening helmet.”
Gray said, “Tricky, Red. I like you. So that is why you allowed him to cause all that trouble.”
Black said, “I was wondering that at first. When I figured it out, I was upset that Gray kept doing things to cause this creature to give away what he was doing.”
Gray said, “I watched the foolishness of my pen mate with distaste. I am sorry for his stupidity. However, I have little in my pen to work with. He is a good one for special projects, and I would like him back in one piece, please. I learned much watching the banter.”
Black made a motion to another, and that one left.
Green said, “May I start before he closes up entirely? He is trying to shut me out.”
Gray said, “Yes, please continue.”
Red said, “One thing first. Gray, what did you think about his warning?”
Gray said, “I took it seriously. This is the first race to give us trouble besides the undead and machines. We can ill afford a third front.
Black said, “Green, please.”
Chapter 30
Empathy
The next day everyone was out testing the equipment except Petty Officer Parks. She had camp cleanup, including latrine duty. Susan, the cook, Aggie, and Julia were also in camp. Julia and Aggie were miserable. Even with the special equipment, they were constantly attacked by bugs. Poor Julia was even attacked by the birds.
Susan came to me with two fishing poles and said, “Freddy, it’s time to teach you something about fishing and camping.”
I grabbed my helmet and said, “Great, let’s go. Anything to get away from Julia’s screaming and complaining.”
Julia and Aggie grabbed their helmets and came with us. Julia asked, “Where we going?”
Susan answered, “We are going fishing. Betsy found a little pond only a few hundred feet from here that she says has lots of fish. I am going to teach Freddy how to catch fish.”
Aggie asked, “May we tag along?”
Susan smiled and, in her lecturing tone, said, “I hoped you would. I would like to give all three of you some pointers on camping.” We started heading down from the camp. “Now the first thing you should understand about camping is that bugs, birds, wolves, bears, men, and all kinds of pests can smell. Some pests, you don’t want to attract.”
Julia said, “Like bugs.”
Susan continued. “Yes, like bugs. Bugs love flowers. The reason they are attracted to flowers is what? Aggie?”
“I would guess the sweet smell.”
“Correct, and what else?”
“The way flowers look.”
“Close. It’s the colors. Certain bugs are attracted to specific colors and smells, like a young boy to the smell and look of a barbecue. Example: that nice yellow dress Julia is wearing with the bright white ruffles looks just like a flower to half the bugs and birds in this jungle.”
Aggie said, “That’s why Julia was dive-bombed several times by a bird this morning, and the bugs are constantly following her.”
Susan answered, “Sort of. The bugs are following her because she is the best food source in the jungle. She smells just like a flower and looks like a gigantic flower, and it makes them hungry. Some bugs, like the praying mantis she screamed about this morning, are looking to eat those bugs. Therefore, where is the best place to find dinner for the bug-eating bugs?”
I answered, “On the flower?”
“Exactly! The bird was trying to eat some of the bugs that were attracted to you, as climbing on you put them out in the open and made them easy pickings.”
Julia said, “That’s not fair!”
Aggie said, “Who ever told you life is fair!” She turned to Susan and asked, “So you’re saying that we are bringing this on ourselves by wearing sweet-smelling perfume and other toiletries?”
Susan smiled. “Try washing your entire body, including hair, in nonperfumed soap and then dressing in non–bright green, dark brown, and dark grays, and see what happens. Another issue: Julia takes a lot of notes. There are two issues with this. First, we are testing equipment. If any mention is made toward what equipment we are testing and its uses or effects at any time by anyone, you will never see Freddy again—ever.”
Julia turned hostile. “That has to be the umpteenth time you told me that.”
“I understand that, so please explain why your notes include the armband, belt, and helmet you are wearing. Oh, I almost forgot—and the vibrating ax. I noticed you didn’t say anything about fainting.”
“How did you know that?”
“I can go invisible. Remember?”
“That’s not fair. Besides, no one will ever get those notes.”
“You’re right. They are being burned as we speak.”
Julia tried to turn around and go back to camp, but Susan reached out, picked her up, and placed her back on course for the po
nd. “We’re going fishing. The second issue is that you use bright pink paper and scented ink.”
Julia’s eyes widened, “That’s why the bugs are always climbing up on my notepad!”
Susan said, “Correct. Your notepads are being replaced with marine-issue standard green pads and pens that don’t have scented ink, like bubblegum and cherry. Where did you get that junk?”
Julia became defensive. “Any good office supply store.”
Susan’s smile widened. “Good. I was worried that there was a camping store out there that was selling that stuff. It is apparent that you did not come prepared for camping. We are helping you so that you can enjoy this trip and so that you don’t hurt your voice—and our ears—with all that screaming. All your clothing and toiletries are being replaced with standard-issue military. Everything you brought is being replaced with items that are better suited for camping. When we return, you will take a bath and wash off the stench of that perfume, and the clothes you are wearing now will be packed away.”
Aggie said with genuine appreciation, “Thank you.”
Julia stubbornly said, “And if I refuse?”
Susan’s smile vanished. “Then you will be given a bath and left to dress or not dress, your choice.”
I said, “I think I’ll take a walk when we return. I don’t want to be around for that.”
Aggie said to Julia, “Child! It’s going to be a horrible two weeks if we have to spend the entire time swatting bugs as big as my fist. The captain is doing us a big favor. Now you apologize.”
“I’m sorry. I will comply with this. But I don’t like people going through my notes.”
Susan very sternly said, “You had better take good notes and tell the whole truth because we have everything you have done so far on scanning record, including this walk. We can show the world the truth—the fainting, the screaming. You could become the biggest laughing stock on the face of the planet.”
I looked up at Susan and said worriedly, “I don’t think that will be necessary.”