The Human Chronicles Saga : Boxset #2 (The Human Chronicles Saga Boxsets)

by T. R. Harris

  Trimen looked at Adam with undisguised contempt. “I will be analyzing the scanning process and assist in the tuning of the Gift. It is part of my specialty,” he said with incredible effort, “even though I am still adamantly opposed to the procedure.”

  Adam looked at Convor and raised his eyebrows. Convor placed a hand on Trimen’s shoulder. “He understands the difficult situation we are faced with, yet you cannot expect us to be pleasant and cordial.”

  “I understand,” Adam said, “but what about the Jakreans? I just want to remind the two of you that if word of this gets out before the data packet is released, it won’t be my fault.

  “This is all your fault!” Trimen corrected. “If you did not insist on the procedure, none of this would be necessary.”

  “You got me there, so the sooner we get it done, the sooner we can all go our separate ways.”

  Convor motioned for Adam to lean again on a padded table that was swiveled into an upright position. Once he did, the table was brought to a level position and a small, round pillow was placed under his head by one of the Jakreans. Convor noticed Adam’s scrutiny of the tiny gray creatures.

  “The testing is complex. The Jakreans are efficient with the setup of the equipment, yet their thought processes do not go further to the reason for the setup. They will remain silent.”

  Trimen began to place very ordinary-looking electronic monitoring contacts to Adam’s temple and forehead, along with a thin, silver mesh strip that reached from one ear to the next along the top of his head. Wires from all the contacts ran to the bank of equipment. Adam knew this was some kind of advanced electroencephalogram, a device that would read his brainwave patterns, so he had no fear. He was curious, however, how his alien brainwaves would compare to those of the Formilians, and particularly, of Arieel’s. He had witnessed firsthand the control she had over all surrounding electronic devices. He was sure it was much more involved than simply thinking the phrase: turn on lights or disable flash weapon. He knew there had been research going on back on Earth involving this very technology called artificial telepathy, although the Formilian’s were a couple of thousand years more advanced. He was hoping his training process would be accelerated because of the advanced nature of the device….

  Convor and Trimen turned away from Adam and sat before monitors in the array of equipment. Adam cocked his head slightly and saw sine waves begin to scroll across the screens. “Please do not move: we are beginning the scan,” Trimen said, his voice still edged with contempt.

  Almost immediately, Adam saw the two Formilians begin to tweak controls and glance at each other with ever-increasing frequency.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “Nothing,” Convor shot back a little too quickly. “Please remain still.”

  “It doesn’t seem like nothing.”

  “There is nothing wrong. It is just that you have an alien brain … and you are a male.”

  “And that’s significant … how?”

  Convor swiveled to face him. “Are you aware of the fact that the brains of most Primes have two hemispheres?”

  “Yeah, the left and right brain we call it. One is the practical side, the other the more emotional one.”

  Convor’s eyes grew wide. “I am surprised you are aware of this. But that is correct, in a very basic understanding. It is the same in most species. As you know, all Speakers are female, and therefore the right hemisphere is the more dominate, which is characterized by feelings and cultural awareness. However, most of the major functions of the Gift are controlled through the left hemisphere. The waves coming from this side are much more defined and sequential, more visual if you will. Our Speakers must be trained to utilize the left hemisphere of their brains in order to master control of the device, which is unnatural to them at first.”

  “That makes sense. So what’s the problem with my brain?”

  “Nothing.” Again Convor’s response was more emphatic than Adam expected. “Like I said, you are a male. That is all.”

  “Explain.”

  Trimen was the next to turn to face Adam. His expression had softened somewhat and he appeared to be almost excited. “A male brain has seldom been tested for compatibility with the Gift before, and that was simply for experimentation, to see if the Gift could be modified to function more with the right side of the brain. But never has an alien brain such as yours been tested. This is all new to us.”

  “So is it going to work?”

  The question seemed to surprise the two Formilians. They looked at each other, and after a moment, Convor turned back to Adam. “It seems a Human brain is strong and the brainwave patterns very defined. Your thoughts are – how can I describe it – sharp? This could also be a result of the fact that you are a male, and most of your thoughts are dominated by the left side of your brain. The best I can say is your waves have very defined edges, while the Speakers’ are … fuzzier.”

  “Is this going to be good or bad? It sounds like it should be a good thing.”

  Convor turned back to his equipment and he and Trimen stayed engrossed in the readings for a few more minutes. Then they both turned to him again. “Yes, this is a good thing – in a way,” Convor said.

  Adam shook his head, which caused the lines on the monitor to gyrate for a few seconds before settling back out. “In a way?”

  “Your thoughts are coming primarily from the side of the brain where the Gift works the most efficiently. This is an advantage you have over our Speakers. You will not have to be trained in this aspect to such a degree, since this is your natural way of thinking and processing information. However,” he paused, just enough for Adam to grow concerned.

  “Go on!”

  “The Gift – the device – will have no trouble reading your thoughts.”

  “And….”

  “It may have trouble selecting which are commands and which are simply random or everyday thoughts. Even though you will not have to be trained to structure your thoughts in a certain manner, you will definitely have to learn how to control them.”

  “You mean if I think about it, it’ll happen, even if I don’t want it to?”

  “That is a very real possibility. Remember, the Gift was designed to operate with a female mind, with a more nuanced thought process. Looking not only at the added strength of your brainwaves, but your waves appear to have fewer nuances, analyzing events in more basic, stark contrast.”

  Adam surprised the aliens by flashing a wide grin. “This is not news to me,” he said to them. “It has always been an accepted difference between our genders. Women – the females – are more emotional and complex. Men, on the other hand, are simpler, less-complicated. Our women have found this to be a problem. Men are more cut-and-dried, more black-and-white in our thinking, while our women want to add more color to their thoughts and actions. So like I said, this isn’t news to me. All I want to know is how this affects my implant?”

  “In truth, it will make the tuning of the device much easier than with a Speaker. However, training to use the device will be more critical – and the need more immediate. The processor in the device will begin to decipher your thoughts immediately upon activation and it will be overloaded with a myriad of well-defined thoughts. The Morlic-Speaker could be eased into the process, having begun at a very early age with a less-complicated mind. You will not have that luxury. Do you still insist on the procedure, even knowing the risks?”

  “I don’t see this as a risk,” Adam said. “You’re saying my learning curve will be shorter than that of a Speaker. All I have to do is learn how to separate my command thoughts from my normal thoughts. That doesn’t sound too hard.”

  Convor and Trimen looked at each other, before Convor turned to addressed Adam again. “That is the most difficult part of the training process for a Speaker; it is what takes the years of training. Our minds are constantly producing thoughts, even as we sleep. The device will be monitoring these thoughts constantly. Do not misunderstand me: Whe
n I say your thoughts are very strong and well-defined, this does not mean you are any smarter than a Speaker – more than any Formilian for that matter. As you have said, it simply means your thoughts come with more contrast. The device will have to work harder to learn the difference between a command and a thought, something that is easier to discern in a female.”

  “Can you teach me how to do this?”

  Convor pushed back in his chair, his eyes narrowing. “Now you wish us to train you as well? First you intend to confiscate our technology and knowledge, and now you also want us to train you on how to use the Gift you are stealing from us?”

  “Not a complete training program. Just go over some of the highlights, some of the guidelines I should follow. If you don’t, then it’s going to be harder for me to hide my new powers, if you want to call them that.”

  “I will agree to give you the basic guidelines on how we train Speakers, but it will still not be enough, nor will it happen fast enough. There will be consequences the moment the device is activated.”

  “When is it activated?”

  “Upon implant – normally.” Convor’s eyes grew wide. “Speakers are given the Gift at the age of five. Their thought patterns at that time are very basic and arriving from the right side of the brain at a slower pace. There is usually very little fear of unintended consequences in the Morlic-Speakers. In your case, it would be wise for you to have a means of activating and deactivating the device at will. This will protect you, as well as those around you.”

  “Cool – that will work! What do I do, just think ‘device on’ or ‘device off?’?”

  “No, it will have to be a mechanical switch. Using your mind to control the activation of the device will not solve the problem.”

  Adam thought of the communication device he had implanted behind his left ear. Simply pressing the tiny, subcutaneous button turned it on or off. So another switch like that placed behind his ear….

  But then he hesitated. This new power would be used to control electronic devices, including flash weapons. Therefore it would be helpful if he could activate it while even under duress. An idea popped into his head.

  “I have the perfect place to implant the switch – the pit of my back.”

  Convor and Trimen both recoiled. “Why?” they asked simultaneously.

  “Just put it there. And make it so that I can’t accidently turn it on. Make it something that I will have to press three times within three seconds to activate. That way I won’t be turning it on or off by accident just by sitting back in a chair or lying down.”

  The image that immediately came to Adam’s mind was the one of him strapped to the chair in Foruka’s office, with his arms tied behind his back. In that position, he would still be able to activate the device. After that, who knew? Getting to learn the device, along with all the neat things he could do with it, would be most of the fun!

  He smiled back at the aliens. “Now that that’s settled, when can we get this show on the road?”

  The blank stares on the faces of the two aliens made him smirk. “When can you do the operation?”

  “Your waves are now stored into our equipment. Once the device is assembled, it can be tuned in a matter of minutes.”

  “How long does it take to assemble the device?”

  Convor looked down at his feet, his lips pressed together tightly. Adam could sense the incredible conflict he was experiencing at the moment. This was it, the time when his betrayal to his religion would become real. When he finally looked up at Adam, he was fighting to hold back the tears. “It will take about three days for the teams to complete their tasks; we have been assembling these devices for two thousand years; we are very good at what we do.” He hesitated again before speaking. “You will have the Gift within your body two hours after its full assembly.”

  In a way, Adam felt sorry for Convor. He knew that much of Convor’s distress came from the spiritual aspect of the procedure, which was something Adam didn’t buy into. This was simply an artificial means of controlling nearby electronic devices. It had nothing to do with gods or magical powers, no matter how the Formilians looked at it. The fact that they did attach such a strong religious significance to the device – to the Gift – only helped to harden Adam’s resolve. Seeing Convor’s emotional reaction to the situation brought only three words to Adam’s consciousness: Get over it!

  20

  Good to his word, three days later Adam was reclined on a hospital bed in a sterile room occupied by only him, Convor and his assistant Trimen. According to a still very upset pair of Formilians, the most complicated part of the operation would be implantation of the pressure switch under the skin of Adam’s lower back. The actual control module would be more routine, the result of literally thousands of similar implants into the Speakers of the past.

  The two aliens didn’t bother with surgical masks; in fact they both seemed rather nonchalant about the operation. Adam wasn’t sure if this was result of them not caring about Adam’s procedure or because it was so routine to them. He chose to believe the latter, if only for his own peace of mind.

  From a small table next to the bed, Convor pulled back a white cloth and lifted a shiny metal cylinder about the size of a cigarette. There were no markings on the device, just a smooth surface that belied its hidden power.

  “Is that it?” Adam asked. “It’s pretty small.”

  “It must be placed inconspicuously under the skin; it cannot be any larger.” Adam could see both the aliens gazing upon the device, now held gently by Convor with two fingers. They each had faraway expressions, as if looking upon an object of major religious significance – which what it was to them. Convor lifted the module up a little higher, until the light from a bright lamp above the bed sparkled off its surface.

  “Throughout all of time, Mislin and Sufor have guided the workings of the universe,” Convor spoke in a soft chant, as if reciting a practiced ritual. “With miraculous precision, they have guided our hands and our knowledge to provide us this channel to their glory and to their creation. We dedicate this Gift in the name of their greatness, to their eternal control over all that we are.” His voice began to crack at the end, and then he glanced down at Adam, his eyes full of tears. “May you forgive me for what I do, my Lords. To maintain your glory for the benefit of all, I must commit this greatest of all sacrilege. An outlier – and a non-female of the Speaker-strain – shall gain access to your holy chambers and witness your power first-hand. Forgive me, and all who have assisted. We have done this for you. Guide the wisdom and actions of Adam Cain for the preservation of your glory and of your Gift.”

  Adam felt like shit. This was really a big deal for the Formilians. Could he let them go through with this just for his own selfish desires? This event was something that had never happened before in their entire history. First all, a male was to be implanted with the device, and secondly, it was an alien male to boot.

  He swallowed hard, looking at the shiny silver cylinder with added reverence. It was so small, and yet it carried so much potential power. With it, he would be able to control nearly every electronic device within half a mile. He would learn to control it with his thoughts, and then transfer those thoughts to the devices he sought to control. As Convor had explained over the past three days, it would not work in all circumstances, namely in locations with very few electronics or those of primitive design. Yet the Formilian micro-processors dominated the Expansion universe, so out here Adam would have incredible access to nearly every operating system on every planet. Hell, the aliens even used computer-control for things as simple as lights, doors and temperature control, and all the way up to the operating of starships and flash weapons. He doubted if the device would have much influence back on his native Earth, since a lot of their devices there were powered by simple circuits without computer or micro-processor control. But he might be able to disrupt the flow of electricity to those circuits. He wasn’t sure; that would all be part of the discovery pha
se of his training.

  But now looking at the innocuous-looking device, Adam’s heart began to race. There was so much potential here for some real superman shit to take place, and not just the occasional bashing of alien skulls. Yes, he would go through with the implant in spite of the Formilian’s attempt at laying an incredible guilt-trip on him. Screw them! To Adam, this was simply a tool, a piece of equipment not unlike his FN 17 SCAR assault weapon. Besides, he truly believed that he would use his new powers for good, something even the Speakers had not done in all their long history. All they had ever used this incredible Gift for were extravagant exhibitions and as a means of keeping the population mesmerized into obedience. Adam Cain was a force for good, and now he would be even a more-powerful force….

  “Let’s get on with it, Convor,” he said finally. “And relax; I’m not looking to commune with your gods anymore then they wish to commune with me. Your religion will be safe, as will be your culture and society.”

  Convor lowered his hand and placed the device back on the table. “Your words are meant to appease, but they cannot. By using the Gift of the Gods, you will be accessing their power. In that way you will be constantly communing with our gods – as you so sarcastically call it. It cannot be avoided. You may not believe as we do, but you cannot dispute the power our gods exert throughout the universe. Their presence is everywhere and in everything. Our very bodies rely on their energy to survive. They are everywhere and in everyone and everything. Can you not see their glory as you look out at all around you?”

  “That’s an impressive speech, Convor, and I can see how you can put a supernatural significance to what is just a basic force of nature. I suppose it is better to believe in something than to believe in nothing at all.”

  “As you do….”

  “I suppose. But I am not without spirituality or morality. I just believe those traits originate from within each of us, and not from some external god or gods.”