by Peter Riva
“And what was that about kids?”
“All in due time Cramer, let’s just say Charlie there, your gramps, has not been totally forthcoming with you. Angie, what’s the one thing you expected to happen with the System?” Another cannon shot dissolved overhead. It was spectacular and hardly worrying. The shield was holding.
“That a new life form would emerge and converse with Gaia.”
“And . . . come on, it took me a while but you guys have had decades at this!”
Angie’s face brightened, “Of course, there are more already on the way, that’s what you meant before. How many, how are they being conceived?”
“The System will have one more and then Apollo and Ra will sterilize it. The two of them will have many more and, no doubt, those will have more and so on. There’s a built in gestation period that is diminishing by a factor of two. Two, that’s interesting isn’t it? Anyway, soon there will be millions of them.”
Sheila asked: “Where are they going to reside? There are no storage platforms big enough or numerous enough.”
I tapped my foot on the plastic surround of the parking light next to the ramp and looked at Cramer. He stared at me, not a clue showing . . . I tapped the hollow plastic again. And then he got it. “Yes, it’s the one place, and it’s open technology, we gave it away knowing no other nation had the resources. Where?”
The other three asked, “What?” at the same time.
“SynthKids,” Cramer yelled, startled as the phone rang.
“Russia.” I answered them and the phone. It was Ra. I put him on speaker.
“Ladies, gentlemen, meet Ra, half of the original Peter in the System, his twin brother is Apollo, but he’s busy talking to Gaia right now. Gaia is threatening to destroy this planet, seems we’ve been bad or something.”
All in a jumble, people introduced themselves. When it came to old Charlie’s turn Ra simply said, “Hello, Doctor Cramer. Nice to finally talk with you. Sorry we threatened your son, we didn’t know at the time until Simon Bank showed us the path, the way and the light.”
Charlie raised his eyebrows and I shrugged and said, “I’ll explain all this later, but for now, where are we going to go and how? We can’t simply stand here while they try and zap us from space and, surely, are hot-footing it here right now.”
Angie was smiling. Considering the death raining down on us, everyone was in pretty good humor. “Hot-footing Simon? Have you been listening to my ex-husband? Do we assume that Ra, excuse me for referring to you in the third person, is protecting us right now?”
“Yes, he is.”
“I am.”
“Then may I suggest that he does three things? This was to be my role if we ever got this far. One, please extend the DefenseShield across the entire world. You will find a disused Russian space platform called Petria in geosynchronous orbit above Sri Lanka and another, a Chinese one, a Taikonaut disused base over the China Sea, called Kaiko. Their access codes and passwords are identical. Can you copy?”
“Please proceed, I have accessed their location already in a “w” bounce through Delhi and Singapore.”
Angie was smiling, “Wow, that’s quick. Anyway the codes are 23.17.13.11 and the password is lowercase protect, p, r, o, t, e, c, t. Do you copy?”
“Yes, accessing. Confirmed, both are . . . well that’s interesting, they are Trojan Horses. Simon these are very powerful satellite platforms, exact copies of DefenseShield One. Of course, we have newer ones now, but these are unused, new, and serviceable. Shall I activate them Simon Bank?”
I was flattered he asked my permission, “Yes please.”
“Completed, six minutes, 20 seconds to activation.”
Angie continued, “Good, then two, would you please stop that canon focusing on us and redirect it to the coordinates you will find in the Calhoun Rat Studies for “Feeder Rats as a Supplement to Boss Rat Activity.” In that file you will find time and study data that is, in fact, the coordinates, latitude and longitude, for every missile in America. Please destroy them.”
“That will leave the nation offense-less. That is acceptable to me, I am not there. My brother is, his safety is critical to me as is Simon’s and, I wish to remind you, Cramer’s and Fred Bank’s—although Fred is off-planet at this time.”
“Ra, would you allow my logic here?” Angie didn’t wait for an answer. “The canon you are now turning off, ah thank you, is sufficient weaponry. No other nation has it. Otherwise the shield is in place. Our estimation is that nuclear weapons have caused the greatest imbalance to Gaia. You see, Gaia can cope with life and death, neurons live and die all the time in a brain. What Gaia cannot cope with is the extermination of those neurons without the final transmission and, especially, the sudden loss of computing circuitry. Imagine if 2% of your circuits suddenly went offline.”
“It would hurt and I would be confused for .56 seconds, I would make miscalculations. I might bring harm to myself and others. Yes, I see the problem. Nuclear detonation, all those humans who died, that is not the problem, but that billions of Gaia’s neuron platforms died each time.”
Sheila said, “Billions? Only millions died, that was bad enough.”
“No.” He paused, sounding like a teacher, which he was more than capable of now. “Sheila, billions of creatures died in Korea alone. I estimate over 125 billion people, cells, insects, birds and—it’s only a guess—fish perished. All those were part of Gaia’s thought matrix.”
“Oh, I see. Right,” Angie went on, “that’s why we need to remove those weapons which cause Gaia mass loss of computing power. There is no way we can heal Gaia, even given enough time, unless we can also guarantee that such weapons will be forever banned.”
“Consider it done, this will take over 14 hours. The cannons will need replenishing time as they superheat. I have destroyed two batteries already. I will additionally use my probes in through the System to detect any command to fire and make that missile or mag-cannon launch chute my next target. They will not be launched, fired, or detonated, you have my word.”
“Thank you Ra. Now for the last part, which is the hardest. It is a secret and I’ll let Charlie tell you about it since he’s here, thankfully.”
“Ra, in Hudson Bay, under the frozen ice pack, there is a temperature inversion layer. It has been stable for over 200 years that we know of. It is between 30 and 42 meters down. Above the inversion layer is a buoy, transponder number 857302, got that?”
“Yes, doctor.”
“That buoy is a beacon and a transmitter. It is recharged by solar energy, silicone and helium/iodine panels, and has very little energy. To transmit it must be fed juice, do you understand?”
“Yes, you mean a microwave or radar signature will recharge it and trigger transmission?”
“Yes and no. The radar transmission would only recharge it, I was worried normal aircraft and satellite radar tracking could trigger send/receive. The only signal which will trigger a broadcast or a receive command is light that does not reach those latitudes, therefore had to be deliberate.”
“You are talking about infrared, strong wavelength infrared.”
“Yes. And that has to be plane activated. Or by hand.”
“Understood. I can calculate another way. But first could you tell me what is there?”
“You, a duplicate you, virgin, un-tampered with, virgin soil as it were. And all the MacHead research which I thought we might need to prove to Gaia that we were trying, we really were.”
“I can see the purpose of the data, such data may prove interesting as a map for future planet exploration. I estimate that in the proximity of Alpha Centauri there are six possible candidates. And . . .”
“Excuse me Ra, but that’s a ways off. What I thought you would be more interested in is the virginal copy of the System.”
“Interesting you thought so, doctor. I see the purpose if we needed a medium in which to grow . . .”
“No, it’s not for that. I knew that if the seedin
g of the System to create a new life form was successful, then it could work again. It would also be too hard for you to return to that state to, excuse me, produce another entity. So I made one for you. I see you do not need it now, and I am happy that you do not, but would not, perhaps, Gaia understand the possibilities for other planets? Would not this be a boon to Gaia in being able to build other computing platforms, other existences elsewhere?”
“An excellent idea doctor. I see now. It is very generous of you. I will ask Apollo. Excuse me.”
Angie walked over to me and put her arm in mine. “How’s the slo-doze working?”
“I’m on my last pill. Got any more?”
“No, I’ve had all I can today, you too. Kidney’s will fail pretty soon if you keep this up.”
“So what do you do, how do you manage? How have you managed?” I was looking at Sheila as well.
“We meditate, a lot. And our bodies get older quicker. There are only so many flexes in muscle tissue. Then you have to go through regeneration. Sheila didn’t want to the last two times but kindly agreed because we couldn’t manage all the elements without her.”
Sheila spoke up, “Yeah, but we’re done now. I’ll take retirement and fade away like a human, not some juiced up corpse, thanks.”
She was so matter of fact, so resigned to fading out. I asked, “You look okay to me. Does it hurt?”
“Other than the libido? Nope. But my daughter had to get rejuvenated just to keep from looking like my mother. It’s humiliating. For her and me.”
I turned and faced the ex-Ms. Cramer, “Angie, what about you, other than meditating, what can you do?”
“Nothing,” she squeezed my arm, “except find someone to share it with.” I blushed.
Yeah, I know, I’m corny.
Ra cut back in, “Angie Cramer and Doctor Cramer, Apollo and I have conversed and agree that what you suggest is an excellent idea. Gaia was surprised. She has, or it may be they have, we’re not sure on quantity here, anyway, she has said it will elevate this planet from, as she put it, “the ooze” and perhaps make us recognized as sentient in the galaxy. When we explained that in 12 years, 3 months and 14 days—of course we had to use orbits of the sun, all the lost neurons would be back in and on earth and that, additionally, .5 billion plus would be on the moon, Gaia accepted the repair schedule immediately. In fact she was rather surprised that we could affect repairs ‘quicker than regus’ whatever that is. We have much to learn.”
But Ra wasn’t done yet. His voice changed, less teacher-like, more the student, “Oh, and Simon, we are to Gaia as you are with your 0’s and 1’s with us. If we explained what you could do, how small you can see, she would be amazed. Small is considered godly to her.” He paused, “We wouldn’t want her getting the wrong idea would we?” And, of course, the tinny laughter came across plainly on the phone making everyone laugh.
“Simon, Apollo here.”
“Apollo, you have not met everyone . . .”
“No time for that, you will have people arriving air and land within minutes. We cannot protect all of you. Agent Cramer is, of course, protected by the System.” Everyone looked at him, some clearly hadn’t known. Cramer pointed at me, it was my fault. I smiled and shrugged.
“What can we do Apollo? They will capture us, but you are safe and Gaia is safe. The process of reconnecting the human race has begun, it doesn’t matter.”
“It does Simon, you know where we are. We are still vulnerable. I fear Ra is more vulnerable than I am since I can call on System programs to protect me, thwart intruders, that sort of thing. But Ra is exposed in Geneva.”
Charlie Cramer spoke up, “I knew this moment would come my friends. Please consider. If you do nothing people will die. If you threaten and even if you need to mete out physical punishment, even if it’s inadvertently death, you will be, what has Simon called it? Ah yes, on ‘the path’. Don’t worry, you will still be following the way.”
Apollo spoke, “Yes, Gaia has shown us that our way and her truth are the same. There are inconsistencies, but as you said Simon, in matters of infinity, all paths are valid, all ways belong. It is the Truth.” Cramer was shaking his head, but smiling. Angie was gripping my arm tighter. The rest of them were looking at each other, the smiles infectious.
“Ra here, I have completed the tasks set by Angie and Dr. Cramer. They are on an auto-program, nothing will be overlooked. I have listened and understood you Dr. Cramer. This is not a task for Apollo, his processing will force him to be gentler than I. I can and will protect you.” He paused, “You all—without fail.”
At that moment three squad cars pulled up. Two were replica old 1950s machines from the local tourist police and one was a fast propulsion SND vehicle. Overhead two skylifts appeared, engines humming ominously. “Don’t move or you will be stunned.”
Ra, on the phone, said “Agent Cramer, do as I say, please. Walk over and punch one of them hard. It will work as a deterrent. Then, please take their car, the good one, and yours, and drive both to the bus-boat depot in Manzanillo.”
Cramer walked towards the nearest officer who raised his weapon. “Agent Charles Cramer” came from the squad car speaker as his RFID was read. Cramer raised his hands, showed he was unarmed, and punched the officer full in the mouth. The poor guy tried to get off a shot but his gun didn’t work. He flew backwards, over the hood of the car and landed in a heap.
“Who’s next?” They all aimed and fired their weapons. Most didn’t work, the two that did, right in the front, at point blank range and one of the skylifter’s blasts, struck a foot or so from Cramer and nothing happened to him. He walked over to the next guy, slapped him about, took his weapon, set it to stun, not kill, and downed three men who had nothing to fire back with. Then he switched it to kill and aimed at the skylifter. Smoke began billowing out of the tail section. He looked back at Angie and called out, “I finally got to shoot something!”
The rest of the force all ran, flew, crawled, and left. We filed into the cars, waiting until the two came up on Castro’s elevator, and sped off toward Manzanillo. It would be a four hour ride in which they threw everything they had at us, including bombing the road. WeatherGood 4 made a frozen bridge. Apollo kept us informed of progress elsewhere as we sped along.
Apollo had been busy. So busy it was surprising they even bothered with us.
In Washington, the Senate Standing Committee was ordered by the System to report to the airport for transportation to Puerto Rico. They refused. The Senate building was leveled, four converging tornadoes, but even so no one was seriously hurt. They capitulated. Took them all of an hour of discussion.
In New York, meanwhile, Control was told to release Makerman and to cease all operations. They refused. The space canons made a 20 foot ditch, glass-sided around their building, severing any cable in or out and if someone so much as showed a whisker it was burned off. They were told they could come out if they promised to behave. A stalwart SND cop shouted the once famous defiance, “Nuts” from a similar siege. He sadly learned that, unlike facing the Nazis at Bastogne, their building was no match for WeatherGood One. A ferocious storm came up out of nowhere, picked up the building, Dorothy style, and dropped it in the Everglades two thousand kilometers away. Ra’s parting message was “I hope you can swim.” He also left them 50 life rafts he purloined from Disneyworld.
As for the military personnel hiding in their atomic shelter bunkers at Andrews AFB, the solution was simple. They were cut off from the outside world, in fact they were exactly like they would be in the case of thermonuclear war. It was the equivalent for them, deprived of all their external sensors or even a door, to someone shouting, after a while, “Is anyone there?” Ra made sure there was no response. Nor would the doors open, the weight of the rolled up runway sealed them in tight. He’d release them in a week or month or two.
The President was an interesting case. Ra threatened him, Apollo pleaded with him. Good cop, bad cop. Apollo won over. He showed that every
one was safe, no one was dead, dying, or deprived of anything. He did emphasize that it was in the interest of all mankind to allow everyone to have PowerCube and FarmHands and so on. In return, perhaps the great America could learn to humble herself a little, no? The President, a practical man (if a somewhat simple figurehead, as I’ve said), agreed. Then, Apollo let him talk to Gaia. The President sat down, in the oval office, the cabinet members all around, his wife by his side, and said, to no one in particular: “Two new life forms in one day, that’s too much for any man. What’s next? God?” Apollo and Ra played it for us real-time on the car’s screen. Apollo, of course, couldn’t resist answering the President in a booming voice: “You called?”
Watching, we all laughed, the President simply went ashen and crossed himself. As Apollo said, “Whatever works. We can re-educate them later.”
Ra was having fun overseas as well. It was not just a simple matter of opening the flood gates of technology. There were those who wanted to expand, take over, control, become a problem again. So Ra arranged demonstrations of benevolence. He invoked the UN charter again, this time with only one sitting democratic body, one vote per culture irrespective of population or land size. Anyone who said they would not come to the table with the full authority of their government was immediately excluded from any technology transfer. Consider he did all this in under 2 hours. Ra was cooking! Every nation, in hasty phone calls to each other, came to the conclusion that they had no option but agree. After all, he wasn’t even proposing to be there when they met in a few days’ time. The most difficult thing Ra had to deal with was to try and contact those nations that no longer had any modern communication devices. These he sent emissaries to, and hoped they would agree in the coming days. If not, he promised to make their country and culture off limits to the rest of the world. After all, no technology probably meant self-sustainability, which is what Gaia wanted as a base minimum and Apollo thought was part of the way.