Sentinels of the Cosmos Trilogy

by John Anderson

  “We don’t have chips. We have brains just like you, except we have two of them,” Ally jumps in. You know Juan you have a picture, an image of yourself just like we did. I thought my life was real; how do you know yours is? Chase probes.

  "Because I don't drink that Dr. Boner’s crap, I know! And I have a very sick child," Juan says loudly. "But how do you really know? Ally says coldly. "I just know!" Juan exclaims.

  Chase says, "You humans all live in a dream; and I know, because I’ve lived in a dream and I recognize and know what that experience is, and you don't. All of your thoughts and actions are mechanical, even more mechanical than mine, you have no free will." Juan sits back in his seat and smiles at both of them, "You're both very good - good robot!"

  They drove to the Washington Hilton, a beautiful luxury hotel where Juan checked them in. They had the top floor suite all to themselves.

  Sitting on the sofa across from Chase and Ally, Juan says, “You know there is only one bedroom in this suite, or don’t you guys sleep; are you even male and female, is that possible?”

  “Are you jealous of us Juan?” Ally says coquettishly. “No! Well, maybe a little,” Juan retorts.

  “So what are your questions? We’re both tired, and we do sleep, and personally I want to take both a shower and a nap,” Chase says.

  “Aren’t you afraid you’re going to short out, in the water I mean?” Juan laughs at his own comments. “Are you trying to be funny or obnoxious?” Ally asks.

  “Alright, who is charge of EOJ?”

  “Congressman Charles Dean,” Chase answers. “Who gives you your objectives?” Juan asks. Ally answers, “We don’t know. Programs are placed into our memory plasma including a unique individual identity for that assignment. We were always kept in a state of ‘waking sleep’ unless we were malfunctioning or needed a specific kind of selfidentity or long term public life was required for meeting the objective.”

  “We would like both of you to work for us, the FBI,” Juan said.

  “We are always under threat of being re-programmed by EOJ; at this moment for some reason we are able to resist their directives, but we don’t even know how we’re doing it. That’s all we know, they could even be watching this meeting we’re having right now,” Chase says.

  “Sam said you were different, he said that Beneizen had given you a new programming in an entirely different language. He said their computers continued to talk to you, but could no longer force you into obedience.”

  “Maybe that’s true, but it’s possible they could have solved the new programming language or could do so at any time. We truly don’t know,” Chase tells Juan. “Sam said the new programming language would be impossible for them to crack,” Juan says. “He told me it was in a language nearly a million years old and comes from a planet a hundred million light years away, I would think that would be safe.”

  “Nothing is impossible, maybe it’s not likely, but Juan, you have a much bigger and more immediate problem. EOJ has a plan to reduce world population and as a test they plan on killing a million people in New York City,” Chase says.

  “They plan on what?” Juan is startled.

  “They plan to kill huge numbers of people to conserve world resources. There are other countries in agreement with that directive. You probably know that President Grant is a Guard and who knows how many other world leaders may also be Guards? We might be able to help you by hacking into the EOJ computer and finding out their specific plans and objectives.”

  Juan is stunned, speechless. After a moment he asks, “Why would you help us, what is your motivation?” “There is a very deep programming in us - call it a more objective morality. What if you could raise the conscience of all mankind, to change how everyone behaves towards each other and the planet itself? They killed Sam and what they’re planning is as abhorrent to us as it is to you. Our natural programming is towards inner balance. We’re not just machines Juan, we’re something quite different, and we have consciences,” Chase explains.

  “What does that mean?” Juan asks.

  “Beneizen’s original intention for us was to be objective judges with both the understanding and the power to solve world disputes. Originally EOJ was meant to be about world balance, world justice, the arising of conscience for all mankind. What is good for the planet is good for all of us. Our original programming is to discover that sense of balance that is deep within your human DNA. Beneizen and Sam just magnified it. You see there is a higher intelligence and universal order far beyond our conscious understanding. There is a binding energy that is so fine that it unites everything in the cosmos. You see Juan; we have a human brain, and slowly that brain and its sense of balance can, if understood and manifested properly, harmonize our mechanical parts.”

  “Oh, well that’s clear, a philosophical robot; who would have guessed?” Juan snaps. “I need to know more about this Manhattan project of EOJ.”

  “We must rest now and recharge,” Ally snaps. Juan looks at both Chase and Ally and says, “What are you two going to do, plug into the wall?” “No, when we are relaxed we can find our creator, and he will recharge us.” she replies

  “Who is your creator?”

  “That is our question, if you leave us alone, we’ll come back rested and serve you well,” Ally answers. Juan gets up from the sofa and goes to the door and says, “I’ll see you two in the morning. Get a good night’s sleep or whatever you do.”

  Chase and Ally don’t say anything as they watch Juan go out of the room, then they smile in unison like Cheshire cats.

  Finally, Ally says, “I don’t trust him.”

  “I don’t trust anyone,” Chase says.

  Juan leaves and goes into the room next door where the two other FBI agents have been sitting, watching the monitor showing the action next door, and says, “They are not to leave their room, understand?”

  “Understood…” the agents nod in agreement. "Do you think I'm a woman?" Ally asks.

  "I think you're the most beautiful creature on earth?" Chase says quietly.

  "Can we mate? Can we have children? I have female parts," Ally says.

  "I don't know. Let's find out!" Chase says as he snuggles up to the lovely Ally.

  "Can we really be a couple? I mean can we have sex?" Ally asks quietly.

  "Why don't we find out?" Chase slowly starts to take the clothes off her sleek white body.

  "Can I get pregnant?” she asks as slowly as ever so slowly Chase finishes slipping her clothes off and they fall onto the floor. “Why don’t you look in the manual," replies Chase. He kisses her gently on the neck and continues, "How human is that? “

  "Very human I would say, very human, but a little lower please," breathed Ally. And then their energies merged, seemingly they became as one. The connection was so strong they felt that they could turn on the lights of all of Washington, maybe the whole planet.

  Juan walks up the entrance promenade of the Hilton directly to the elevators pushes the button and the door opens. Trip Wagner and two FBI Agents join him and they all enter the elevator...

  “Did you speak to them?” Trip asks.

  “I did, and they say they are cooperating,” Juan replies.

  “Good, I want to meet them.”

  Trip was a short heavyset man, bald with a round red weather-beaten face. He was stocky but trim - a very no-nonsense guy. He was also head of the Washington office of the FBI.

  Juan says, “I wouldn’t do that tonight. I would wait until tomorrow; they told me President Grant is a Guard.”

  “My God, and who is controlling him?” Trip asks. “Guess?” Juan replies.

  “Congressman Charles Dean, that man is a monster. Well, I don’t want Chase and Ally to move without me talking to them,” says Trip.

  “They seem to be a little different than the other Guards. They say they want to visit the man who made them,” Juan says.

  “Interesting, and who might that be?” Trip asks. “I don’t know,” Juan repli
es.

  “They’re going nowhere, you understand?” Trip demands.

  They were both exhausted; Ally lay on the sofa next to Chase. He picked up her hand and held it in his; she let him. He pulled her over to him and she came willingly. He held her in his arms and she placed her head on his chest; he stroked her long black hair. “How are your headaches?” Chase asked,

  “They’re still there, still very painful, but not as bad,” she replied.

  “Good, it means the new programming is taking over. It's curious why it takes so long,” Chase said. Ally, continued, “I don’t know what is real or not real in me. There are always voices in my head trying to order me about. There is continual conflict as though different people show up and take control of me. I'm not just one ‘I,’ I'm many ‘I’’s each claiming to be me at any one moment. This division causes the pain and conflict; it seems the only thing I can trust is my body. I know my body is here but everything else is in question. Can you access your rear brain processor from your human mind?” she asked.

  “Yes, although I’m not even sure how I do it, but it seems that the more aware of my body I become the stronger the link to my human brain appears to occur naturally. Socrates would have approved. The turning thoughts and dreams and the pull of my many identities or ‘I’s’ makes it very difficult to separate reality from unreality. But if I struggle and I see this new language it brings a kind of order. You must not allow the random screaming of these divisive little ‘I’’s to make a connection with your processor. This is one of the causes our headaches, our own resistance causes great pain and suffering. We must be vigilant or at any moment we could fall asleep and kill each other. I know it is very difficult to know what to trust,” Chase said.

  He looks into her eyes. They were dark and mysterious and even dangerous. He pushed his warm mouth against hers. Again, his body was flushed with a desire with which he was still unfamiliar, “I want to make love to you again.” he said.

  “Is that what you mean by trusting your body? I don’t mind, but be gentle, remember I'm a girl,” she replied smiling.

  “Do you like me kissing you? He asked.

  “Yes, I like it.”

  Chase ran his hand across her stomach and down into her pants. He knew she wanted him too because she was wet, very wet. “Do you like me rubbing you down there?” he asked.

  “Yes, very much, please don’t stop, but lightly,” she replied.

  He didn’t stop, they made love most of the night. Ally then fell into a deep sleep and he lay beside her aware but unable to sleep. It was clear that both his body and human mind needed to rest, but the mechanical parts didn’t need to sleep, they just kept on working. It was a very difficult state in which to live, almost impossible really. The pulling and tugging of the parts seemed in conflict; his thinking, feeling and sensing all seemed to be at war; what could he trust? Not knowing what your purpose is, not knowing your place in the scheme of things, or what or who you serve. He really felt at this moment that he was a ‘thing’ with an unknown purpose. He did trust the quiet voice of Beneizen resounding in the silence, the man who created him; maybe he could help him find his real purpose. He realized that both he and Ally needed to find their way to him.

  Chase decided he needed to thoroughly examine the codes that Sam had left in the crossword puzzle. Chase had memorized the puzzle page so all he needed to do was search for the first code which linked to the operations handbook for Guards. It contained descriptions of how they were programmed, with a full three dimensional schematic of all circuits and their purposes. Chase found the table of contents and the chapter on diagnostics caught his attention. Their memory cells were called quantum memory. This memory was not digital or measured in bytes as in traditional computers but was stored in quantum plasma. Billions and even trillions of electromagnetic particles that retained a positive or negative charge, arranged into three dimensional strings that formed ideas and language. Actually that brain had the possibility to perceive the universe in a way never possible for ordinary humans. As he scrolled on it was clear he would need to treat his mechanical parts in the same manner as the human parts. They just had different needs, and it was necessary to run various diagnostic procedures almost every day. Special caution about connecting to other computers or entities was emphasized as they were susceptible to viruses. And since many of their physiological functions depended on pre-programmed parts, a virus could be fatal. He also came across an unusual nano-bot. Small micro-antibiotics that selfprogrammed to kill and destroy any invaders, bacteria, virus, cancer, poisons; amazing little machines. Chase knew now why he didn't die from the infection given to him. He decided to send a link to this part of the manual to Ally. As he looked up each of the files from the crossword puzzle he discovered even more. There were directions to Beneizen’s home, the history of EOJ with photos, a history of the world, volumes of books, everything from novels to Quantum Physics, and two strange volumes, one on genetics and one that was in a language that was all symbols that he had never seen before.

  But the burning question for Chase was, “Who or what implanted all this in my head and when?” Typically, Guard’s memories are erased after every assignment. He ruminated, “The biggest problem that Ally and he faced now was that they could probably be tracked by EOJ. It may be impossible for them to remain anonymous. He then decided to shut down for a while and perform the diagnostics the manual suggested while he rested his human parts.”

  Several hours later Chase began to become aware of movements in the room next door. He remained very still and quiet internally. There were no thoughts and this attracted a new kind of listening. Knowing the FBI was in that room he found that he could connect to their spy cameras directly with his mind. He could discern that they were observing he and Ally from the other room and could see what they sere seeing and hear what they were saying.

  In the next room Juan is very tired. He had been asleep on the sofa. As he wakes up you can see the posture of depression in his body. He gets up, goes to the window and looks out. His face is distorted, almost crumpled; he looks like a beaten man. He goes over to the coffee pot and pours himself a cup. He's terrified for his family and what might be happening to them. A machine like Chase or Ally could be moving against them right now. What could he do? He takes his cell phone and calls Esperanza. She told him that his oldest son Hector was showing early signs of the disease his daughter suffered from but that other than that everything was fine. "Thank God!" he thought, “but I need to get them someplace safe." Although he as a parent couldn't help wonder if somehow his children were being made sick to control him. “What a paranoid idea,” he thought, “This was technology gone amuck. He hated these machines.”

  “The coffee’s cold,” says agent Tom.

  Juan ignores him and takes a sip. It’s wretched and he spits it back into the cup.

  “That’ll wake you up!” says agent Harry.

  “So what have they been doing?” Juan asked, as he looks at one of the many monitors with views of the adjoining room.

  “Having sex, all night like animals,” says Tom. “Yeah, like rabbits,” says Harry.

  “No kidding?” says Juan.

  “So what happens when they wake up?” asks Tom. “Trip wants them for analysis in our labs. He wants to take one of them apart and see what makes them tick,” Juan says.

  “Cool,” says Harry.

  “Yeah, I want to take them apart personally, piece by piece,” Juan responds.

  All of them laugh.

  “You really hate these Guards don’t you?” Harry asks.

  “I don’t hate them, but I think they’re dangerous. They have no free will and are the world’s most lethal killers. In a world that is already bordering on chaos, do you think we need weapons like these in the hands of other human beings?” Juan says.

  “How do you plan to stop them?” Tom asks. “I have a stunner,” Juan says as he takes out a little black box with a red button.

  �
�How did you get that?” Tom asks.

  “I got it; I’ve been tracking these things for years. This knocks them right out but you need to be close, within ten feet,” replies Juan.

  “Didn’t you tell Sam Nichols that you wouldn’t destroy them?” Tom asks.

  “I did say I wouldn’t destroy Chase and I won’t. It’s the other one I’m going to take apart piece by piece; I will keep my word to Sam. I have to do that,” Juan says.

  “Man, you really hate these things,” Harry says. Juan thinks for a moment and seems to be staring into space. “No, but I am afraid of them, they could be the downfall of the human race, maybe they’re even better than us. Maybe I’m afraid they’re our replacements.”

  After listening to this conversation Chase realized they had to get out of there and fast. He tried mind talking to Ally but she seemed to be deeply asleep or may have shut her mind down to run a diagnostics program. He thought, “I need to do something that they will not notice. I know they have cameras on us from almost every angle. However, one thing that is really bothering me, Why is Ally in such a deep sleep? Ever since I had become self-aware I was almost never in the same kind of deep sleep I had been before. Was Ally still programmed?”

  “I’m not asleep Chase, I’m just quieter than you, because you’re very restless,” Ally’s’ thoughts resounded in his head.

  “Good, are you always picking at my thoughts?” he asked.

  “I just like to know you’re not thinking of other women,” she replied.

  “Then you know we have to get out of here right now?”

  “I do,” she replied.

  Chapter 36 In the adjoining hotel room Tom and Harry had their faces buried into the various monitors; Tom said, "Well Juan so much for your theory that they can't mate. These two could be porn stars."