Edward looked around and silently asked permission to proceed. When the others nodded their approval, he asked his friend, “Are you ready?”
Al said, “Doc, I’ve been waiting for this since I found out what I am. Yes…I am ready.”
“I want you to understand something. The time you spend in enhanced mode will subtract significantly from the lifespan of your body’s power-pack. The twenty-year span is based on being in human mode only. When it gets depleted to a certain point, it will have to be replaced. Hopefully by then, I will be able to build a new one. Is that acceptable?”
“Come on Doc, let’s get on with it. Oh, wait, what if I can’t handle it? What if it’s too much for my puny human brain?”
“You are controlling a very sophisticated computer that in turn controls your body. It can recognize high levels of stress and immediately take you back to being human. It is one of the many fail-safes built into the system…um, your body.”
Al was resolute. He had to know. “All right, let’s do this.”
Dr. Florida smiled and said, “All right, sit perfectly still. Here is the phrase: The metal of a man is measured by what is inside.”
“The metal of a man is measured by what is inside,” Al repeated.
No human being had experienced what Al now went through. The feeling of power steadily ramped up until it was ringing in his ears. Something changed, and the ringing went away. Everything he saw became crystal clear for a moment and then exploded into a blinding light. Then the light went out, and so did he. Chris had to reach over and grab him to prevent Al from falling out of the chair.
Thirty minutes later Al woke up and asked, “What just happened?”
Chris was the first to answer, “You overloaded your brain and passed out. How do you feel?”
Al looked around, “Well, I think I’m okay…my head is a little fuzzy, but otherwise, I think I’m good.”
“I don’t believe you were ready,” Edward said, “You were too nervous, and you need to be relaxed. Maybe even close your eyes until everything else boots up. Do you want to try again?”
“Yes…but give me a minute—okay?”
An hour after Al passed out they tried again. This time, he tried clearing his mind and sitting perfectly still with his eyes closed. The transition was much better the second time. The power ramped up much as before, but when the ringing went away, he could hear like he had never heard before. He quickly discovered he could tone it down and make the overwhelming input of sound more bearable. For a moment he just sat there; adjusting.
Chris started the timer about the time Al opened his eyes. For a half second, his eyes tried to focus and then everything became clear. There were small, discreet indicators on both sides of his vision giving basic readings of power, temperature, and distance. In-between the information tell-tales was the sharpest, brightest, and most detailed world Al had ever seen. He found that if he focused on a particular spot and concentrated, he could zoom in and out at will.
“I can hear you now,” the captain pointed out.
The sounds the mechanisms made inside him were indeed louder. Not too loud; but loud-er. He slowly stood up, hearing each motor, and feeling each actuator react to his commands.
“Man…this is unbelievable. I can see better, hear better, and it feels great!. Let’s do some testing.”
He took three steps forward and fell on his butt as his legs ran out from under him.
Chris helped him up. “Maybe you have to lean into it or something…you think?”
“Ha! Now why didn’t I think of that?” Al was brushing himself off and laughing at the same time. He had a good feeling about this. “What’s the first test?”
In a large flat area nearby, Chris measured off forty-six meters (fifty yards) for a track and placed a marker at both ends. The captain stationed himself at the far end, and Chris stood by Al. Edward prepared his data pad to record the occasion.
Al walked the first time to the far marker and then jogged on the way back. Each progressive trip became a little faster until he thought he was ready for the clock.
He felt a need to let go and see what, exactly, he could do. He picked a tree in the distance, waved at his friends and took off running towards it. His enhanced eyesight allowed him to see every rock or branch in his path, and he was there and back before anyone had time to complain. He was very fast, and already enjoying his newfound freedom immensely.
The fifty-yard dash he did in a little over four seconds. Almost a second faster than the fastest human ever recorded.
“Now we have to see if you can jump,” suggested Chris.
As it turned out, Al was also good at propelling himself upward. When he bent down and tried hard, he could clear thirty feet straight up. It didn’t take long for him to figure out he needed to bend his legs when he landed after he left a few dents in the softer soil and almost fell. The feedback he received felt a lot like pain.
He was amazed how much was visible from thirty feet up, and he did it three and then four times, checking their surroundings. On his fourth jump, he noticed something move behind the shuttle. A flash of gold caught his attention where gold should not be. Something was watching them from the other side of the aircraft.
He motioned to get down and pointed to the rear of the shuttle. Chris and Edward ran for cover while the captain took two steps to his left and picked up the rifle propped against the rock where he had left it; pointing it in the direction Al indicated.
The cat-like animal must have sensed he had been spotted, and came around the shuttle at a full charge, pouncing for the closest victim—the short, wild-haired roboticist. Unfortunately for the beast, it was too slow.
Al didn’t take the time to think, he just reacted by knocking the creature out of midair; throwing it twenty feet into the open. It took the captain a second to realize what had happened, but he quickly gathered himself, aimed, and shot the thing several times with the laser.
“We should have checked this place out better earlier. Let’s have a look around now,” suggested Al. “To make sure we don’t have more visitors.” He reminded himself once again. Never let your guard down.
After a thorough search of the surrounding area, Captain Effinger stood staring at the dead animal, the rifle nestled in one arm. “It looks almost exactly like a saber-tooth tiger, with beautiful white and gold fur. Look at the teeth on that thing. I’ll bet it weighs, at least, a hundred pounds!”
Chris said, “I wouldn’t want to run into that thing anywhere without a rifle…by the way, nice shot, and thank you. It was headed for me next, umm…after he finished with Doctor Florida.”
The captain looked at Chris. He then shook his head and replied, “Don’t thank me…thank Al. If he hadn’t been here, I think Edward would be dead; maybe you too, if I couldn’t get a shot.”
“I am so very glad Al, that you are my friend and not my enemy,” exclaimed Chris. Al just grinned while the rest silently agreed.
At precisely one hour into his first test in enhanced mode, a timer somewhere wound down, and he became normal again. Well, as normal as he could be. Al could feel the power slipping away, and he realized once again how good it felt. He wanted it back.
On the way back to the settlement, Edward chuckled and said, “You know Dr. Hawthorn even spelled it m-e-t-a-l, instead of m-e-t-t-l-e, in the phrase we used to take you to enhanced mode. A genius with a sense of humor. Incredible.”
****
Ana was trying to imagine what it would be like to run like the wind and jump thirty feet into the air. No sprained muscles or stomach aches or any of the other things associated with being human. To never have your body grow old.
“What was it like Al…in enhanced mode?”
“It’s hard to describe,” was Al’s answer. “You know how sometimes you wake up refreshed and rested, with every fiber of your being telling you to get up and do something? It’s kind of like that, only times ten.”
“Do you remember waking
up feeling like that before you became…Al Clark?” Kayla asked.
“I remember only that it felt good. What I did with it is what I don’t remember.”
They were gathered together at Liz’s place. When Chris moved out to a place of his own, she was allowed to keep the double sized quarters they had. Rank does have its privileges.
“How do you like having a place of your own Chris?” asked Al.
“Oh, it’s great. Nobody bugging me to do this or do that…no offense Mom.” Chris couldn’t help but laugh, and they all joined in.
“Seriously though, it’s nice to have my own stuff, in my own place, and…it’s so quiet.” Chris was enjoying this and could not resist kidding his mother.
His first friends in the new world watched a beautiful sunset, and afterward, they retired inside to eat—and to talk. It was early evening, and the original six: Chris, Liz, Ana, Kayla, Cody, and Al, gathered for support.
“I have a question,” said Al. “What do you think will happen at the trial this weekend?” He had visited the prisoner several times and found himself feeling sorry for her. She seemed more and more to be a victim of circumstance.
Liz had doubts about whether or not Tammy Shoemaker would be allowed to live.
“There are people here that want her head on a stake at the gate, and some that think we should stone her. It will be a tough fight for the defense.”
Al pointed out, “I hope the jury realizes that we are already down to eight hundred and thirty people. For a healthy community, I think the more people, the better.”
Chris said nothing but appeared worried.
To change the subject, Doc Cody asked Al, “Have there been any more sightings of the dinosaurs…the Riktors?”
“Actually no. We’ve found some tracks, but nobody’s seen one around here in a while. Although we did find a pair of smaller ones pulling rocks from the entrance to the Sansi caves during one of the watcher’s rounds. The man on duty made the watcher drone visible and tapped them on the head a couple of times. They ran away, and the natives could be heard cheering from inside their caves.”
“Do you think they learned their lesson about attacking us?” Chris asked.
Al thought for a second, “I would like to think so, but I don’t believe it. I think it would be wise to keep our guard up. I have four armed men continually circling the compound, the two watchers a little further out, and Robot Nine roaming all over. I think we’re safe.”
Around the village, Al had seen the visitor from the caves following behind Rahul and Cindy, “How is the native doing? The Sansi girl?”
“She is a bundle of sunshine,” replied Ana. “Everywhere she goes she leaves people smiling, and people love talking to her. She’s due to go home soon and tell her tribe of her time with us. How I’d love to be a fly on the cave wall then.”
“She asked me how the little people can live in the radios. She is a riot,” Chris added.
It was one of the good evenings. An evening that one remembered as pleasant later in life. They talked, and made wisecracks, and laughed. Trying hard to be hopeful for their future
****
Kira wanted to leave, she missed her home, and then again she did not. She was torn between leaving these wonderful beings and going back to her loved ones. All the time thinking that she might not be allowed to return to this magical village, either because the gods were not happy with her, or because someone else from her tribe deserved a turn.
The wonder of the things she saw while living with them made her feel thankful. The ones called Cindy and Rahul were very helpful and showed her everything she asked about, and some she did not.
There are waterfalls inside their homes where they can clean themselves, she was thinking, and soft rocks that bubble in the waterfalls and make dirt disappear.
She was taken up to their starship and given a slow, well-explained tour of the Excalibur only two days ago, and the images were fresh in her mind.
Her beautiful blue home slowly circled below her, while she held tight to the rail; trying to keep from falling. They tried to explain why the Sansi could see the ship as it passed overhead at night, the machines and robots that they commanded, and the habitat hub where you could fly. They were only partly successful. Even without fully understanding, she loved it all.
They showed her the medical center, where it was possible for the gods to heal themselves, and sometimes go to die. A God…killed? For a while, it confused her. The idea took a while to sink in. A smart girl, she eventually figured it out.
The two Kuthra she was staying with, and a God that carried a stick that shoots fire accompanied her to the caves. As soon as they were close enough to see her home, they were greeted by what must have been most of the Sansi tribe.
The natives were very excited and glad to see them; talking all at once. Members of the tribe brought baskets of fruit out and laid them before their guests as a tribute to their saviors.
The two contact specialists and the girl had come a long way in their ability to communicate, but they could not keep up with the rapid-fire conversation going on between Kira and her tribe.
Cindy turned to the girl and asked, “What are they talking about Kira?”
“They say to me…that you have saved them.”
Puzzled, Rahul asked, “What did we do?”
“You…made the Riktors run away with the magic floating rocks that cannot be seen. My people are very…happy.”
The contact specialists had no idea what they were referring to but enjoyed the party regardless. After a while, they figured out enough to know that somebody had neglected to keep them informed about matters concerning the natives. Someone should have told them the Sansi were attacked and Chief Al Clark, they decided, would the first person they would talk to about it.
Kira was glad to be home. She had missed her family and friends and the simple, familiar life that they led. Most of all she had missed Toji, her special friend that would hopefully someday become her mate.
The things that she had learned while with the Kuthra told her that the gods were in many ways very much like the Sansi. The Gods that came to save them were smart and powerful, but they were not all-powerful. The Kuthra, like her people, could be killed. As the party of three Gods left the Sansi, her people raised their right hands above their heads as a sign of farewell. Watching them leave, Kira was thinking, not only are they strong and powerful—they are very brave.
****
Sitting in her prison, Tammy Shoemaker was scared and angry. Angry that she was afraid. Her parents told many times that giving yourself to your cause would lead to a place in heaven. A beautiful place where you would live forever. Lately, though, she was beginning to have her doubts.
Her prison was a standard habitat module, placed as far away as possible from the rest of the settlement with bars added to the windows. A ten-foot chain link fence surrounded the habitat, with barbed wire on top, giving the prison a fifteen-foot walkway all around. She was allowed thirty minutes a day to spend in the Yard; which she treasured.
Most of the time she was alone inside her cell, with her guard stationed in the yard. The captain had stopped by once, the big cheese security man twice, her lawyer and psychiatrist switched hours every other day. Christopher Morris, however, was seeing her more and more.
He surprised her two weeks ago when the guard knocked on her door saying she had a visitor. Standing outside was Chris, with a lot of questions; most of which she had answered numerous times. At first, he appeared self-righteous and patronizing. But as time went by, Chris kept coming back, and she began to think that maybe he cared. He was always so thoughtful, and supportive, that Tammy started to think of him as her ray of hope.
Her life on the Excalibur had been a solitary one. The girl made no friends, afraid they would ask too many questions, so there was no one to talk her out of her activities of destruction. She had affected her sabotage thinking she was helping her cause, but looking back now, she r
ealized she had left her cause behind a long time ago. Never again would she have the consultation of her step-parents, or set foot on the polluted over-populated Earth. During her incarceration, she had been given time to think, and began to realize her parents had been wrong on many matters. In Tammy’s eyes—she had played the part of a puppet and a fool.
Chris was sitting across from her at the table when she asked, “Do you really think they’ll let me live?”
“They can’t…execute you. You have too much to offer the colony. With your skills, there must be a hundred jobs you could do.”
“They won’t believe I’m sorry. If I were them, I wouldn’t either.”
“I believe you are sorry. I’ll tell them that. I know a lot of people that will testify the same way.”
“You’re talking about maybe a dozen people out of eight hundred and something. I find it hard to be optimistic after what I’ve done. To most of these people, I am a murderer, at the very least.”
Chris reached over and took her hand, “Listen to me, there are a lot of good people here just trying to live their lives. They work hard and try to be fair to each other. I think you’ll find more forgiveness in them than you expect.”
He turned her hand over and took on a scholarly attitude. Looking at her palm, he said, “You have a long life line…that ends in three children…and a lot of laundry to do. I see dishes…and robots—lots of robots.”
A smile grew on the girls face, “You don’t know anything about palm reading. How could you possibly make those predictions? You must be crazy.”
“Crazy huh? We’ll have to wait and see, won’t we? But I’m pretty sure I got the robot part right.”
Chapter Eighteen
Al knew that he needed sleep. It was a fundamental part of being human. He was thankful it was only about four hours a night, instead of the average eight for most people. He could tell when he needed sleep by a lack of concentration and a frustrating fuzziness in his head. Still, he hated to waste time sleeping.
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