GAIA

by Morton Chalfy

  The manager was greeting people with a large, though bemused, grin on his face. At sight of Harrison and Helene he gave a big sigh of relief and pulled them aside.

  "Why didn't you tell me the crowd would be this big?"

  "Because we had no idea," said Helene. "Do you have enough food for them all?"

  "Oh yes, don't worry. Will you do an introduction?"

  "Sure," said Harrison. "Can we get something to eat first? We still have half an hour."

  "Okay. That's your table," he said pointing to one directly beneath the largest screen. "Give me an order and I'll have it brought to you."

  From that table they had a good view of the entire room. It was filled with people, several hundred by a quick estimate, and the mood was cheery and upbeat. Conversation knots had formed all over and the words "Gaia" and "Moms" drifted on the air. When one couple noticed the Gaia Globes around their necks and asked where they were available Helene wrote the address out for them and then made a small sign for the table with the information.

  At five minutes to the sermon Harrison stood, rapped on a glass for attention and announced, "Welcome. Welcome to you all. This is a much better turnout than we expected for the first meeting of what we're calling the Urban Gaians and we're excited and happy to see you. We'll be here afterward to answer any questions."

  He signaled the manager to turn on the screen and in just a moment Moms' image filled the screen and the room became quiet. Her sermon was a simple one outlining the meaning of Gaia. "The Earth and all its life forms, past, present and future," and the attitudes and policies needed to save the environment that had given rise to humanity.

  She was resplendent in her High Priestess' outfit, and spoke clearly and in a way that connected with her audience. She greeted the cities she knew were tuned in, showed the web address and closed with a benediction, an invitation to communicate with her and to tune in next Saturday.

  The applause when the screen went dark was loud and sustained and a crowd hemmed in their table immediately. Hours later, after shaking the last hand and answering the last question they met with the manager.

  "Can you open this space to handle more people?" Helene asked.

  "Yes. See that folding wall - it opens to double the space."

  "Let's hope that's enough," said Harrison. "And what about dropping the fee in return for the extra business?"

  They worked out the details and as Harrison and Helene wearily and happily made their way home Helene said, "Monday, first thing, we have to go to the real estate office and rent a space. This crowd is going to grow."

  "More than by a factor of two?" asked Harrison.

  "Way more, I think. We struck a nerve and no mistake."

  "I'll call Moms," said Harrison. "We have a lot of planning to do."

  Chapter Forty-Five

  The next week was a blizzard of work for both Harrison and Helene. She took on the task of organizing a larger, more permanent meeting space while Harrison handled the rising tide of correspondence. While Helene was still on holiday he had to resume lecturing and meeting with students.

  "Why not see if you have any Gaians among your pupils and, if so, recruit some volunteer help?" suggested Helene.

  That outreach brought in Mark and Sylvia, two of his brighter charges and, coincidentally, two committed Gaians. After a day of helping him they were able to take over most of the contact duty and free Harrison to strategize managing growth during long conversations with Moms and Mai Ling at one end and he and Helene at the other.

  Moms was a little stunned by the volume of success they were having but Mai Ling was energized by it. During their second call she arrived with a notebook of ideas and began to articulate them as soon as the connection was made. Chief among them was a proposal to announce a training session at the ranch for outreach volunteers within the month. She spoke rapidly and excitedly. "If we have even half the success you're having we can become a relevant force in a matter of months but we need outreach workers to accomplish that. We can ask for volunteers in this week's sermon. We can hold virtual classes electronically right away and pick a date for training in person at the ranch. We can use some of our cadre here as well."

  "Every cube should house a meeting hall," added Helene.

  "We can only expand so fast or we will turn people off," warned Harrison.

  "Nonsense," blurted Mai Ling, who then looked contrite. "Sorry, didn't mean to snap at you. Too fast is not a problem. We can handle "fast" electronically through the net. Directions for meeting spaces, methods, message, that can all be done over the web. Too slow would be a problem."

  "What about funding for expansion?" asked a slightly miffed Harrison.

  "Contributions have been flowing in like crazy since the convention and merchandise sales are incredible. Everyone wants a globe," said Mai Ling.

  Moms' voice sounded in the background.

  "What did you say? I couldn't hear you," said Harrison.

  "I need Maeve. I can't work as well without her."

  "What about the outreach trip?" asked Helene.

  "What about Lucas?" asked Harrison.

  "Others can do the outreach and I will have Lucas' situation clarified. That is to say I'll have him made legal in all ways."

  "We have cadre who can take the outreach job over," said Mai Ling.

  There were details, too many for conversation, so they divided the tasks and scheduled another conference for Friday, the day before the next sermon. When they signed off Harrison had a sheet of notes for Mark and Sylvia and Helene had a sheet of her own from Mai Ling. In bed that night Harrison felt rocked by developments. "I never thought I'd be doing this. Gaia was always Moms' thing, never mine. Religions are other people's superstitions, not mine. Resisting government intrusion and control has been my focus, not organizing a new religion for a new age."

  "Are you just venting or are you saying you don't feel up to the job or that you don't want to do it?" asked Helene pointedly.

  Harrison shook his head. "No, just venting. To tell the truth I'm excited about it and more than a little apprehensive."

  "But you're in?" she asked.

  "Oh, yes, I'm in. Even if I weren't getting excited how could I be out when the two people I hold dearest in the world are so committed."

  "Moms and Maeve?"

  "Moms and you. You are committed, aren't you?"

  "Oh yes, up to my eyes. I've always loved her work and the chance to help shape this effort and make it grow, perhaps into the force for good she envisions... Oh yes, I'm committed."

  "Good. That's settled then."

  For Helene the morning was a series of calls to possible venues within the cube. When she had called all the real estate agents she could find she had a list of possibles. "I'll be looking at spaces most of the afternoon" she said. "Want to come along?"

  "Yes, I want to come along, but no, I'm not able to. I have a lecture to give and several meetings. How about if I call when I'm done and meet up with you?"

  "Sure, fine. See you later then."

  Harrison delivered his lecture absent-mindedly and was distracted enough during his meetings that he had to apologize to his colleagues. One of his students showed him the outline for his doctoral thesis, went over it point by point and then was startled to hear from Harrison, "What was the subject again?" Met with a look of incredulity Harrison glanced at the time, realized he'd listened for half an hour without taking anything in and apologized profusely. "I'm obviously distracted. Please let me look it over."

  He read through the table of contents, the points listed and bulleted and the opening argument.

  "This looks fine to me," he said. "Be careful to cite all your references. With an idea this novel you'll come under a lot of critical fire. Make sure you're bullet-proof."

  His student's mood went from mildly outraged confusion to gratitude and elation. "Thank you, sir," he said. "Thank you. Uh, may I ask what had you so distracted and if I could help with anything?"

>   Harrison smiled at the application of butter he was receiving. "Gaia," he said. "I'm committed to do some work for the Gaian movement and that has me distracted. Sorry."

  "Can I help?"

  "Probably. Come to the meeting Saturday and then we can talk."

  As the young man left the room Harrison called Helene who asked him to join her at a space on the ground floor that had recently become vacant. On the way he thought about the pleasure he felt working on a project with Helene. The mixture of love, lust and respect he felt for her made their cooperation fun and satisfying. He also considered whether taking a sabbatical would be enough or would he have to retire to have enough time to work on Gaia. "Time will quickly tell," he thought. "A month from now the world could look very different."

  The space looked enormous and cavernous emptied of all furniture and fixtures. Helene and the rental agent, a beautiful black woman whose features unmistakably said Ethiopian, were waiting at the door.

  "My goodness," said Harrison, "it's huge."

  "Ten thousand square feet," said Helene, "and it might not be enough."

  The rental agent walked them through the echoing space pointing out the amenities, "Toilets there and there and there, office space there, new floor covering and paint and all electronics built in."

  They discussed cost and length of lease and restrictions that came with the space and exchanged contact information.

  "You want this for meetings of the Gaians, I understand."

  "Yes, that's so," answered Harrison warily.

  "Then I'm pretty sure I can get you a significant reduction in the rent, say twenty-five percent."

  "Really?" he said, surprised.

  "The owner is a supporter," she replied, "and so am I. If we make a deal I can get a lot of perks for you the owner wouldn't give to anyone else, a couple of months free rent for example."

  Helene said, "We'll take it," and held her hand out to seal the deal. Harrison's eyes widened but he smiled and nodded. After all, they could pass the hat to help with the rent.

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Taking their farewells from Veganville had been emotionally hard for Maeve and Lucas. In the week they spent on the cliff top they had picked up the slower rhythms of life among the Vegans and learned to appreciate their company. Communal dinners were lively and the evenings were full of laughter and games. When they were packing to leave Mary insisted on filling their larder with delicacies "so you'll remember and return." Maeve had tears in her eyes when they climbed aboard the tour bus.

  Their rendezvous with the Buffalo Hunters was a set of coordinates about four hundred miles and a week away. The navigator built into the tour bus accepted the coordinates and picked the best overland route referencing the satellite maps in its memory. At times they rolled along paved roads but mostly it picked its way through the countryside avoiding obstacles. It was slow going but since it was done automatically Maeve and Lucas were free to sightsee, talk over their time with the Vegans and make love.

  On the third day, only halfway to their destination, Moms called to request their return.

  "I think we ought to meet the Buffalo Hunters first," said Maeve. "It's out in the middle of nowhere and they'll only be there for a little while."

  "Well, come back right after you're done. I need you here with me."

  "What about the other settlements we have on our list?" asked Lucas.

  "We're sending other teams out to meet them."

  "Okay," answered Maeve, "if you need us we will come. Just as soon as we're done here."

  When the connection was broken Maeve said, "She sounds really stressed. I hope things are all right."

  Toward evening, while Lucas was lounging in the command seat and watching the play of shadows across the landscape and thinking about dinner and Maeve a red warning light appeared in the center of the windscreen and a loud buzzer began to fill the space. Startled Lucas searched for the meaning of the warnings and was about to call out when Maeve hurried into the cab area. "Get out of that seat," she said forcefully and he jumped to comply.

  She quickly seated herself and with a few flicks of her fingers transformed the windscreen into a 360 degree display with messages blinking in different spots.

  "What's going on?" asked Lucas.

  "The robot has detected a dangerous situation ahead and I'm preparing to deal with it."

  "What kind of..." began Lucas.

  "Shut up and let me concentrate."

  Maeve's harsh tones and acute focus carried the message of real danger to Lucas and he took the cue to shut up and let her work. She was studying the display and flicking her fingers at various points which enabled things to happen that Lucas couldn't follow. It looked to him for all the world like a match in the World Gaming Society and he watched it that way.

  Out of the deepening night he could see several shadowy figures approaching, figures that looked like surfers and skimmed over the ground at relatively high speeds. "What are those?" he asked. For a long moment Maeve did not answer him but then spat out, "Jackals."

  "Jackals?"

  "Mostly young men who live on attacking travelers."

  "How dangerous are they?"

  As if in answer one of the skimmers came to a stop before them and a shoulder held rocket was fired directly at their windshield. Lucas' eyes widened and he instinctively ducked to avoid the blast and then was astounded as the rocket flew by with a roar. Maeve had been making adjustments as she watched the flight and then with a stabbing finger let loose a barrage of glowing balls of energy at the shooter. Lucas could not restrain a cheer as the energy balls struck the shooter and his skimmer, knocking both to the ground. The jackal's body lay there and twitched for several minutes before lying still.

  Maeve had released the insect drones and directed by their images was launching energy balls at all the skimmers and their riders.

  "Is that lethal?" asked Lucas.

  "No. Painful and long lasting enough to incapacitate and teach a lesson, but no, not lethal. It does kill the skimmers though, ruins their motors and controllers."

  The 360 display allowed Maeve to see all around the bus including above it and below and after the barrage she had released it showed the skimmers hurrying off and leaving their downed brothers behind. "That should take care of that," said Maeve, "but we'll keep the shields up and the drones on the lookout for a while just to be sure."

  Lucas was aware that he was still shaking from the sight of the rocket blasting toward them. He was also seeing Maeve in a new and unexpected light. She had been like a warrior princess, totally in charge and intent on defeating her enemies.

  "I should know how to operate our defenses," said Lucas at last. "Will you teach me?"

  Maeve smiled at him, "I will of course but as long as I'm here you won't need it."

  "I could see that, but I don't like feeling so helpless. Are those energy balls like the ones the Army uses?"

  "Sort of. The Army's are lethal though and these aren't, quite."

  "I didn't know they were licensed for private use."

  "They aren't."

  Lucas filed that under more of Moms' influence and let it go. He began to ask Maeve what they were going to do next when a wave of trembling and nausea shook him like a doll and forced him into the bathroom to relieve himself. When he had cleaned up and come out Maeve had hot herbal tea and a warm smile waiting for him.

  "Sorry," he said, "I don't know what brought that on."

  Maeve smiled more broadly, "We were just in a fight for our lives, you just watched a rocket miss us by inches and watched the battle from a front row seat. Not having that reaction wouldn't be normal."

  "How did that rocket miss us? He was directly in front of us when he fired."

  "The bus is equipped with a field generator that produces an intense magnetic shield that bends everything around it. Pretty nifty."

  "I've never heard of that. Do the Joint Chiefs know about it?"

  "Yes. Pretty soon it w
ill be built in to all battle vehicles. Invented by a group of Gaians who asked if we wanted to be a beta tester. Aren't you glad we said yes?"

  "Yes I am," said Lucas.

  For three more days the tour bus slowly carried them into the heart of the Great Plains. Waving grasses and limitless flat land stretched out before them and when the bus reached its destination coordinates and came to a stop they were in the midst of an ocean of grass without another living creature in sight.

  "What do we do now?" Maeve asked.

  "Wait, I guess. This is the right place and the right time so we have to assume they'll be here soon."

  Several hours later, after a meal and drinks and desultory talk to pass the time Maeve looked out the front window and said, "What's that?"

  On the horizon a cloud of dust had appeared. At first it was just a puff, then it began to grow larger and then, faintly, the calls of birds began to sound. A low rumble rolled over the bus and it began to shake slightly.

  "Oh my goodness," exclaimed Maeve. "Look at that!"

  A black mass came rolling toward them through the grass and suddenly they were surrounded by a herd of bison. The adult animals were plodding steadily along and among them youngsters gamboled and cavorted. When they were fully surrounded a series of wild whoops could be heard and a pack of hunters on their horses charged into the herd, spooking the animals and sending them running.

  From the bus Maeve and Lucas were witness to a modern buffalo hunt from front row seats. One wild looking hunter took off after a bull and leaning over from his galloping horse's back, drove the end of a blunt spear into the bison's side. Amazingly to Maeve and Lucas, the bull staggered and fell to the ground with a huge thud.

  "What did he hit it with?" asked Maeve.

  "No idea."

  The melee continued for a while with animals occasionally bumping into the bus and rocking it on its wheels. After a while the action ceased and the dust began to settle.