by Ted Iverson
“And three, two, one, we’re off.” Another wave of the hand and the cameras clicked off and the lights dimmed. Ty took off the microphone pinned to his lapel and laid it on the desk. Walking around to his brothers, Uncle Nate, and Aunt Peggy, he stated matter-of-factly, “I’m bushed; let’s call it a night and go home.”
There was no arguing. It had been a long day and plenty of sleep would be needed. Monday, April 5th, 2055, would be a new beginning for Space Tech and the four brothers…
Chapter Six
A deep red hue filled his room as Alec rolled over onto his back. He put his hand over his eyes to shield off the glow of the streaming morning sun. He felt as though he hadn’t slept at all, except the clock told him otherwise. It was now 5:45; the clock had read 10:15 the last he remembered. Seven and a half hours of sleep were more than he normally got each night. Yet, he could easily roll over, block out everything, and fall back into a deep slumber, had his conscience not been telling him that just wouldn’t work. There was too much to do.
Alec rubbed the sleep from his eyes, flung his legs over the side of the bed, then sat up and gave a yawn. He walked over to the large arched window and watched the sun continue to rise.
“‘Red sky at night, sailors delight. Red sky in morning, sailors take warning.’ How could such a beautiful sight mean a warning?” His thoughts continued out loud, “I wonder where they built that ship?”
“I’d like to know that myself.”
Startled, Alec turned quickly and, out of instinct, swung his right fist at the voice.
Orion blocked Alec’s right with his own left hand. Holding the fist at bay, Orion smiled and said simply, “Good morning. A little jumpy today, are we?”
“What were you thinking, sneaking in like that?”
“The door was ajar, and I thought I’d managed enough racket to wake the dead. Besides, you’re the trained cop. Aren’t you supposed to be aware of everything?”
“Well, you got me there, brother.”
“Nice view from here.” Orion observed the sun streaming through the budding branches as they swayed from an early spring breeze. “Must’ve been unbelievable for Mom and Dad. I’ve experienced just the tip of space on the Orbital Lab and Luna, but imagine approaching the speed of light. It had to be both frightening and breathtaking.”
There was a short pause in the conversation, then Orion resumed, “I have my doubts about being able to find those prints in a week—really less, if Zach and I have to figure it all out and get Ty to understand it in enough time for that meeting. Analyzing the data from StarDancer’s flight is really a non-issue. We have people for that work. It’s the blueprints. If we find them, those will take the time.”
“Yes, time’s the issue—or maybe lack of it,” Alec offered. In the same thought, it occurred to him that the timing was right: with Mom and Dad gone, the grant expiring, and his brothers having to throw together a plan at the last minute, it seemed easy to think of a conspiracy. It would have to be proven, but who and why? He shook the thoughts away.
“Lack of time, yep, that seems to be the real issue, but no matter what, we should make a plan for today. Don’t you think?”
“Yes, let’s head down for some coffee and talk about it.” Alec was glad Orion didn’t catch concern in his voice or the thoughts behind it. He would have to approach this like anything else. Eliminate one thing at a time. If it were anyone else who had died, it would’ve been easy, but these people were his parents, and there was no way that this was about to be easy.
Seated at the table, coffee in front of them, Alec looked at the clock. It now read 6:10. “Where do you think we should begin?”
“Me? You’re the one with the expertise, Mr. Detective.”
“Maybe so, but I don’t normally look for schematics to spacecrafts that have disintegrated. I just thought you might have some ideas.”
“Yeah, I get the point. Well, it really depends on if there are one or more copies. If there were more than one copy, it would be best to have separated them, in case one got destroyed or something else.”
“Like?”
“Like what?” Orion retorted quickly.
“Whoa, don’t get so defensive. I was just merely saying that you could be right. It could be something else,” Alec replied.
“I know you’re thinking about things you aren’t going to share with us, Alec. And that’s alright, but don’t think that I’m talking about those concerns.”
“Slow down! I haven’t said anything. If you think I know something, you’re wrong. I don’t, but I do know we’ll have to consider all the options, look at the facts, and even try some educated guessing. It’s entirely possible that someone may not have wanted this mission to succeed. You and I both know that the implications were going to be far reaching if the FTL project was a success. Again, I’m not saying that was the case, but it is quite possible.”
“And in that scenario, if the project continued on...”
“Yes,” said Alec, “the danger would still be there for those resuming the mission. Right now, though, all we have is some data suggesting that it was an accident, some flaw in the design or some unforeseen happening. So let’s go with that until we find out otherwise.”
“Okay, I think we need to start here at Space Tech. But we’ll need to get Zach looking at the Lab. We know for a fact that the ship wasn’t built here on Earth. It had to be built either at the Lab or at Luna, though I have my doubts it was built at either. I have to believe that the reports will mention where they launched. We should be able to trace it.”
“Well then, let’s call Zach.”
They grabbed their mugs and headed out of the kitchen to one the small offices where their dad had worked. He had at least three different offices in the home, neither one more important than the other. Where he worked depended on what view he wanted and the kind of mood he was in. Each office was located at a different side of the house.
The office they chose faced north and overlooked a large wooded area, a perfect habitat for Midwest wildlife. Alec sat down at his father’s old desk and ran his hand across the top, not really looking for anything in particular, just trying to find some old presence. Now, moving his hand slowly under the desk, he looked for something real. He located the small button under the desk, and the palm identifier slid out. He placed his hand on it and within seconds a small holopad rose in front of him, while a section of the desk’s top slid open and the keyboard appeared. He smiled at Orion.
A few taps at the keyboard and the pad came to life with the same blue fuzz that he’d seen the day before. “Zach should be appearing pretty quickly. Why don’t you take over from here?”
“Thanks.”
Alec got up from behind the desk and Orion took his place as an image formed from the fuzzy static. The image was that of Zach.
“Hey guys! How are you doing? We’re not so bad up here. Everyone seems to be upbeat and ready for this. It’s really an amazing thing. Everyone’s volunteering for anything they can do to help. I have already assembled a team to work on the decoding of the mission data. We began early this morning.”
“Sounds as if you’ve got a good grasp of things. Do you need to head up that team or can you find someone to do it? If you can find someone, we need you for another task.”
“That won’t be a problem. What’ll you need me to do?”
“We’ve got to find those schematics. I’d bet my life that they’re not down here. The best we might find are some random items, but not what we need.”
“I’ve thought about that too. They couldn’t have built it down there. It would have to have been up here, out of Earth’s gravity. A ship like that would have been way too large and heavy. I don’t think that they would’ve built it in parts and transported it here either. Got another team working on the origin of the launch. I can tell you for certain, though, it didn’t launch from here or the Luna. No one saw anything, no records, nothing.”
The records that we got
uploaded to us from the OEC really weren’t much help. I think they were really more bystanders than actual participants. NASA’s records were more audio than anything and, sorry to say, there wasn’t much there either.
“Seems that wherever Mom and Dad had mission control,” Zach continued, “it wasn’t humans who ran it. I’m guessing when we locate it, it’ll be all automated. Pretty bold stuff, huh? They really wanted this to remain a secret.”
“Do you really believe that? That means they would’ve had to pretty much build that thing themselves,” Orion stated.
“Not exactly.”
“What do you mean? Spit it out.”
“Seems as if, for the last couple of years, at least according to information I’ve uncovered, they’d been dabbling in sophisticated robotics. I’m not talking your everyday robotics. What I’m talking about is real sci-fi stuff here.”
“Science fiction stuff? As in?”
“Strong AI.”
A tap on Orion’s shoulder made him turn around. Alec looked inquisitively at Orion and mouthed the words: “Strong AI?”
Orion put one finger up to his lips for quiet, then quickly turned back to the excited figure. “No way! I knew Dad was interested, but to really have gone that far?”
“Hey!” Alec interrupted. “What are you both babbling about? You’ve totally lost me.”
“Oh, sorry, Alec.” The figure crackled, faded, then reappeared. “Strong AI is another term for artificial intelligence. The theory behind strong AI is not to just have a robot with intelligence, but to build one that would be able to learn, to progress, maybe even beyond us. Basically, you wouldn’t even know it wasn’t human. You know, like in all the sci-fi movies and books, except that this is real.”
“Which means,” Orion interjected, “that if you actually had some working replicas, you wouldn’t need humans to do the work. Not only that, but they wouldn’t need to be able to breathe and could work in any conditions.”
“The cold and vacuum of space?” Alec threw in. The scope of what they were talking about was beginning to sink in.
“That’s right; you’re getting the idea!” Zach was almost out of breath with excitement.
“What next?” Alec wanted to know.
Swiveling in his chair so he could see both Alec and Zach, Orion offered, “Zach, you said ‘dabbling in.’ You don’t have proof, do you?”
“Not yet. I’m guessing that when we find the launch point, we’ll get answers to a lot of our questions. Orion, there’s one more thing you and I need to discuss, but you need to be here for that.” Zach’s tone turned to one of concern. “It’s time you let the landlubbers alone and get up here. I think soon we’ll be taking a short trip.” He half stood up, leaning on the desk, “Guys, this could be huge. If Mom and Dad perfected this capability along with FTL, the world will change.”
Knowing the others could finish the conversation without him, Alec walked off to a secluded corner of the office and collapsed into a chair. He’d felt all along there was more here than what was evident at first glance. Zach’s last statement, asking Orion to join him, made Alec even more suspicious. He could see that his two brothers were crawling out of their skin with excitement. After all, science was their thing. He, however, was now trying to think as fast as he could while still trying to remain calm, sorting out the few things he knew. Fact: his parents were dead. Fact: he didn’t like Senator Axion’s speech or his halfhearted attempt at compassion when they’d met yesterday. Fact: the ship had to be built off world and the schematics were likely there. Gut feeling: things often weren’t as they seemed. He also had the feeling that all they were currently looking at about the accident would turn up nothing. He peered toward Orion. He could see that his conversation with Zach was completed, as Zach had given a wave and his bluish figure faded from view. Alec knew he’d need to find a place to contemplate the events unfolding before him. He also would need to seek some advice. There was really only one place he knew of to go. The only question now was when to leave.
Ty awoke from a deep slumber to find he had actually slept through the night. Daylight filtered through the curtains, and the position of the sun told him that it was much later than he was used to getting up. He climbed out of bed and stretched, the fog in his head clearing. Yesterday had worn him out both emotionally and physically, but today he felt ready to go. As he made his way down the hall, he noticed that the doors to the other bedrooms were open and the rooms empty. No surprise considering how late he’d gotten up. He headed downstairs, where he found Alec and Orion seated in the dining room.
“Good morning, guys. Hope I haven’t missed anything. Coffee?”
“In the kitchen,” Alec pointed. “Missed anything?” he chuckled. “Never.”
“Great, let me get my coffee and I’ll be right back.” He returned with mug in hand and took a seat “Okay, the lowdown if you please.”
Alec motioned to Orion.
“Let’s see, we got up and were discussing where we might start to look for the schematics when we came to the conclusion that we needed Zach’s help. We contacted him and were greeted by his usual smiling face. He has a team already breaking down the streams of information about the launch. He did tell us that NASA and the OEC really were no part in the launch or the tracking, so anything we get from them will be really basic and probably of no use to us. They were just along for the ride.”
“But there had to be a launch point and control center. If so, who was manning it?”
“That’s the good part. We don’t know!” Orion looked much too happy making that announcement.
“That’s the good part?”
“Yeah, we get to find it. Zach is trying to go backwards from the disintegration point to find the origin of launch, but it will take a while. It’s not like they just blasted out of a dock and announced to everyone, ‘Here we go!’ No, this launch was well planned. We have a hunch they wanted this as secret as could be. They probably fired small retros to get them moving and coasted to a point far enough away from wherever before they engaged the engines.”
“So, no plasma trail or magnetic signatures right out of the gate. That’s what you’re saying?” asked Ty.
“Yes, but there’s more.”
“No, really? Do tell.”
“Hey, what’s with the attitude?”
“Sorry, not enough coffee?” Ty raised an eyebrow and half smiled to show he was genuinely sorry.
“No problem, man. As I was saying, Zach told us that he’d uncovered some unique information. He said that Dad had also been working on an AI project and that could be why none of us really knew about the FTL launch. We’re just guessing, of course, but if he indeed had some AI beings...” Orion left that question open for his brother.
“No way! Everyone knows any good scientist is always trying to find a way to create AI; it’s been that way since, umm... over a century, the mid 1950s, I believe. No one has achieved any semblance of one, and you’re trying to tell me that our parents were successful? Okay, not only successful, but had an AI crew to build a ship and man some sort of mission control?” Ty let out a hysterical laugh. After a minute, the laughter stopped. “You two are dead serious.”
“Well, as serious as we can be at the moment. We don’t have proof, but all indications are that no one, in this world at least, has helped with the project. So, if Zach really has information on that, I think we should not overlook the possibility.”
Ty sat back in the chair, a blank expression on his face. Orion took advantage of the pause to head into the kitchen for more coffee.
Alec looked over at Ty. “Orion’s right you know. We have to consider everything, or we gain nothing. He’s leaving mid-morning to help Zach with the investigation up there. You and I will work down here. I’m with you. This all seems so... so bizarre. What if those two are right? It opens up way more than any of us bargained for.”
“Okay then, good. I’m going to clean up now. I’ll be down in a little bit and we�
��ll get on with the day.” Still in shock, Ty rose and left the room.
Orion returned, cradling his coffee cup between his hands as if it were the most delicate thing on Earth. “Ty?”
“He needed a little alone time, I think.”
“Think he’ll be alright?”
“Him? What about me? I’m not sure I can comprehend the possibility. I know you and Zach are kind of pumped about it. What should I call them?”
“At MIT we called them Thinking Robots, but, heck, how about T-Rob for short?”
“So, you have T-Robs running the control center. Your creators are now gone. Who’s in charge? I know they don’t have the need for food and other necessities like you or me, but what becomes of them?”
“All good questions, but first we need to find out where Mom and Dad launched from, fly there, and see this so-called station for ourselves. It may be automated, with no so-called T-Robs. We need to take this one thing at a time. As excited as I may be, I am cautious. I think Zach may be jumping to conclusions here faster than we should right now. Go figure, huh? I’ll calm him when I see him; don’t worry. We all need to be focused on one task at a time. I’ll get my things together and get ready, or there’s no telling what he’ll get into.”
“Yes, I need to get moving, too. It’s getting late, and there’s a lot to do. Ty and I will head back to Space Tech and poke around there, and you can get a shuttle up to the OBL. I’ll let Ty know that Aunt Peggy and Uncle Nate went back to their place. Otherwise, he’ll wonder where they are.”
“Sounds good.”
A little time later they all met in the entryway of the large house.
“The hovers are out back in the larger hangar. I didn’t see the need to get a driver over here. We should go.” Orion picked up his pack and headed out the door.