The Infinite when it was Two Digits Old

by Allen Fleishman

  Janet looked at Martin, “What about Joshua?”

  Martin again smiled. “Believe it or not, I have available the world’s leading authority on the topic. In fact he drove in from Oslo to consult on this matter.”

  Sidney looked incredulously at David then Phyllis, “You know about computers?”

  David said, “Only slightly better than anc… I mean, yes, I may look young, but there is no one, and I truly mean no one, who knows more about computer augmentation, than I. It’s my specialty.”

  Janet looked a bit suspicious. “No offense dear, but you look rather young.”

  Martin smiled. He swept his hands toward the enhanced animals. “David knows far, far more than I do.”

  David paused and looked at Sidney and Janet, “What would you like to see in terms of progress in the next three months?”

  Janet looked at David. Her eyes began to tear. “If he could look at me and be aware that I exist.”

  Sidney said, “If he can be responsive to people. I’d worship the ground you walk on if he could lift his head and even sit up.”

  David looked at both, “you realize that he will always have a computer attached. He’s still going to have all the Mongoloid features from the disease and it will eventually destroy him. But I will work on both of your requests. I’m positive I will succeed. However, there is one problem. We will have to hide his identity. That means hiding your identities. I’m also going to need to have unfettered access to Josh.”

  Janet looked at David, “I don’t know anything about that. What do we need to do?”

  Martin interjected, “Two things, could you get plastic surgery and rest, really rest, preferably out of the country, while this blows over? We can have Corey stay here and call you weekly, or more often, with status reports. And Bill, you will need to start all the paperwork for a new company, far from Cambridge. Remember the blank check.”

  Bill looked at Martin and David and finally said, “I don’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth, but all this is one way. What do you want out of all this?”

  David blushed, “Well, after I’m successful, in three months I do have one strange request.” David quickly added, “Which you’ll be free to refuse. No strings attached.”

  Martin added, “Actually two.”

  Phyllis shyly smiled, “Three.” Both Martin and David looked at her; Phyllis had a mischievous smile and a twinkle in her eyes.

  Two days later, the group broke up. Arrangement had been made to take the Ryans to an ultra-exclusive spa in Argentina, where they would go to a plastic surgeon and where a new set of identities had been created. Janet would look ten years younger and Sidney, always a bit plump would be receiving plastic surgery as well. Martin and Corey drove the Ryans to the airport.

  Bill was given a bank account number with funding to cover the severance pay and startup of the next company. Phyllis drove Bill and Rebecca home.

  Corey spent many hours talking to Dr. Mgumba and Martin. She was fascinated in becoming a modern day Dr. Doolittle. It was a veterinarian’s dream comes true.

  ***

  David’s first interaction with Joshua was to jack into the young child’s computer. After fifteen minutes, he unplugged. Phyllis, who had been looking on said, “Well?”

  “They have no subroutines, no entertainment, the kid is begging for excitement. The Ryans never had access to a woman like my mother. I loaded in some programs dad first tried on me 17 years ago, modified greatly, of course. The first thing I’ll do is to map out his brain.

  By the next day, David knew the child’s entire visual cortex, most of the locomotive areas, the affective areas, olfactory and many of the higher areas as well. By the third day, most of the brain, including many of the autonomic areas, was mapped. David told Phyllis that he was noticing that the boy was already playing with his subroutines. He also said that Joshua’s matrix had more and longer carbon nanotube electrodes than his own. The cost of the nanotubes had plummeted in the intervening years.

  On the third night, David started doing isometric exercises on the boy, shunting out the brain, so the child could rest soundly.

  On the sixth day, the remainder of the party, including the menagerie moved back to Larchmont. David, Phyllis and Joshua were in the Fiat with the smaller animals. Martin, Corey, and Mgumba with the other animals were in Martin’s larger car. One of the bodyguards sold the former pizza delivery car to a used car dealership in Munsey New York. The bodyguards cleaned all evidence of the last week from the hotel, including the fingerprints.

  After setting themselves up in Larchmont, David led Joshua on visual expeditions. At first, Joshua had to activate a certain nerve/computer connection in order for the scene to change, then other nerves. It became a game of catch for the two. David added subroutines, which the child needed to manipulate. By the end of the second week, Joshua was looking around his crib. In the meantime, the child’s muscle tone improved due to the exercises.

  David explained to Corey that if she told Janet or Sidney that Joshua was already awake both Ryans would be returning on the next flight. The TV was still playing news items about the Ryans, especially that Sunday morning. Janet and Sidney needed to get the operation and recuperate from it. Corey agreed not to tell the Ryans of their successes. In the meantime, she could be a stand-in for them. Corey sent pictures of the sleeping child and she had a video conference with them nightly. Although the child looked somewhat larger than before, it was disguised by the clothes.

  By the end of the month, the child was sitting up and talking. The vocabulary grew at a double exponential rate. This was in large part due to Martin’s original idea of associating a visual image, with a tactile image, then the sound of the word, and finally, the forced saying aloud of the word, by stimulating the appropriate parts of the body, like the lips and tongue.

  By the middle of the next month, Joshua was standing and would barely shut up. Corey, Martin and Phyllis often took Joshua to the park to play. The child wore a turtleneck sweater to hide the computer.

  The old computer was carefully swapped out and a newer one installed. It was one of David’s 128 core processing units, made from lattices of diamonds and nanotubes. It used David’s operating system. The memory drive contained ‘Knowledge of All Humanity’, although most of it was locked out to Joshua. During this process, Martin was able to turn the computer off for initially five seconds, without harming the boy.

  By the end of the second month, Joshua was already running. Joshua had firm control of many parts of his computer software. He was actively exploring it.

  The Ryans wanted to return to see their son and sent repeated e-mails to Corey. Corey was still vague, but promised that Joshua’s condition had improved. At two and a half months, the South American doctor felt that they had recuperated and were able to leave the spa. More importantly, the furor of the Ryan’s escape was no longer on the news. There were no outstanding warrants for them.

  ***

  The Ryans were met at the airport by Martin and Corey. Janet could barely restrain herself. She wanted to know how her son was. Corey would only say, “You will see shortly. He’s made remarkable progress. Even beyond what you hoped for.”

  They stopped the car at a small, barely used, park, when Janet noticed David sitting on a bench. Janet got out with Sidney and started to approach him. Fear was palpable in Janet’s face. David waved and had a dopey half grin on his face, one side of his smile was flat, the other a silly grin. Janet heard a cry from the side “Mommeeee”. She turned and noticed a young boy running to her. She turned to David. David gave a small nod. “Mommeeee,” she looked closer and saw the small boy with the Mongoloid eyes and cheeks and barrel chest. It was! It was Joshua. Janet turned and ran to the boy and bent low to pick him up. Unfortunately, Joshua decided to jump into his mother’s arms. They collided and Janet ended up rolling backward with Joshua in her arms. Sidney was
rolling on the floor also. All three were crying and laughing.

  The tableau remained for a number of minutes. Each parent picked the boy up and held him in the air, to look at him.

  Finally, David approached, “I think you should have a nice long visit. Why don’t you walk back to our place when you’re done. It’s close”

  Janet looked puzzled. “We don’t have the address.”

  David had a half grin, “Then ask Josh to take you, he has it memorized and his GPS is fine. He often leads us back.” David started to walk back to Martin and Corey.

  Sidney asked, “Trust a four year old?”

  David grinned, “Now’s a great time to start.” David turned and left.

  ***

  Three hours later the Ryans entered Martin’s home. Both Sidney’s and Janet’s faces were beaming. So was Joshua’s. The boy was babbling all about what he had learned to do. Given that he had a digital photographic memory, even the reunited parents began to get tired.

  Martin grinned, “We use the off switch only as a last resort.” At first Sidney frowned, then gave way to a hearty laugh.

  An early dinner followed. Joshua was talking all about how one of his baby teeth was loose. He showed his mother and father how he could wiggle it. Dinner was followed by more playing, finally Joshua was put to bed by his parents.

  The Ryans returned to the living room. Wine and brandy glasses were filled. Martin raised his glass, “To our children, for they shall inherit the earth.” There was silence as each was absorbed with their thoughts.

  Finally, Sidney broke the silence, “David, if you said you would do a tenth of what you did, I would have called you a liar and left, carrying Josh and dragging Janet. You are beyond amazing. You’ve done the impossible, the unbelievable impossible. I am forever in your debt. How did you do it?

  “Actually for the most part I followed in my dad’s footsteps. He is the giant on whose shoulders I stood. I applied his techniques, although I am a bit better at it than he is.”

  Martin was beaming at David.

  Janet looked seriously at David, Martin, and Phyllis. “When we last spoke, you wanted to know if we could do you a favor. You implied we had a choice. It’s been killing me all afternoon. What could you want from us?”

  David looked at his father and Phyllis. They both nodded. David turned around and slowly raised his shirt, until it was off. He raised his long hair so the nape of his neck was apparent. On his back was a wire, which at one end was attached to a flat computer, riding on his hip. The other end went into the back of his neck. David slowly put his shirt back on.

  “Fifteen years ago, when I first awoke, I was like Joshua, except I was the only one. The only enhanced human. I’ve been alone.”

  Phyllis blinked and cocked her head to the side.

  David turned to Phyllis, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.”

  Phyllis smiled, “I know what you meant, alone as the only really enhanced human. Sorry, I know my brain is just jello.”

  David turned back to Janet and Sidney, “I’ve been alone, except for the last three months. I now have a kindred spirit, a brother. In turn, Joshua now knows that he isn’t alone. I’m there with him whenever he calls me, at the speed of light. I understand exactly what he’s going through, in a way I could never explain to you. I now have a brother.”

  “My favor I wanted to ask,” David’s eyes went down, “Would you adopt us? I’ll promise we’ll be a good family.”

  The Ryans were dumbfounded. They sat there.

  Martin laughed. “I believe what he means is could we remain good, close friends. My son at times is a bit melodramatic and is always overwhelming. I’m sorry, it’s something that Joshua will doing to you too. That is assuming that his babble wasn’t overwhelming enough. As David’s father, I know. You will soon feel that Joshua will be grabbing you and pulling you along the biggest wave of life, as he surfs it. You will never keep up. Get used to it. I can offer you a very unusual support group. However, rather than expect an answer, why don’t you think about what he said? You two have been through enough for one day.”

  After a short pause, Martin continued, “For the first time in my life, I think I have a surprise for David, although Phyllis has known from the beginning. Perhaps, she knew even before I knew.” Martin walked to Corey and took her hand, “Corey has agreed to be my wife.”

  David was indeed thunderstruck. Phyllis moved over to sit on the arm of David’s chair. She put her arm around David’s neck.

  Sidney looked at Martin, “Didn’t you have a favor to ask too?”

  Martin blushed, “Yes, it’s also a strange request. You two were the most senior, experienced researchers at the old Lepto-Molecular. For the past twenty years, I’ve been either taking care of David or running his companies. I’d really like to do something I always wanted to do, rather than what I had to do. Would either of you be willing to mentor a junior researcher? Me. Again think about it.”

  Phyllis looked at all the others. “And don’t forget about me. I realize that I will never have anywhere like David’s abilities. Compared to him, I’m always going to be a jello brain. However, I really would like to be enhanced too. Before you say anything, I know all about the neoplastic infant versus adult brain. But as an adult, I will still be able to have all my motor, visual and sensory connections linked to the computer. I would really love to see my first five-dimensional rainbow, or smell a rose, even if I’m doing the dishes at the time or talk to David, without saying Computer this or Computer that. To quote the straw-man, I would like to have a brain.”

  ***

  The next day over breakfast, Janet and Sidney discussed the three requests with Martin, Corey, and Phyllis. David was out of sight, playing with Joshua. Joshua had mentioned that David was going to take them flying as they left to go into the living room. The last Janet saw of them, they were lying on the floor, next to one another, head to head. She hadn’t heard any crashes into the ceiling, so she assumed they were safe.

  “Martin, Phyllis, we thought over the three requests. As strange as each is, Sid and I would be thrilled with each. I mean, an older brother for Josh who is the only one in the world capable of mentoring him, and capable of being his intellectual equal. Why wouldn’t we say yes, especially with Corey and you marrying? Martin, with your abilities, you’re proven abilities, we can take plenty of lessons from you. By the way, do you realize that if your work ever gets out, and they ever get over their sanctimony, you’d surely get the Nobel Prize? However, I hear your concern, you haven’t worked in a dot-your-i’s and cross-your-t’s pharmaceutical company, we’ll do everything we can.”

  Janet looked at Phyllis, “Phyllis, I don’t know if you realize what you’re setting yourself up for. It is a major operation. There is a chance of infection, and you seem incredibly capable right now. In addition, Martin and Dr. Mgumba could have done the operation at any time. I’d prefer a fully equipped OR and a full staff. But Sid, Corey and I would love to assist.”

  Janet then said, “I do have a question though. I know all about C H also being the initials of CompuHead Industries, and there’s C H Electricity, and C H Motors, but when will we meet this elusive Dr. Haines?

  Martin grinned, “You want to meet him? You’ll have to take a left at the third star, fly straight until morning, and you’ll find him. He’s the bigger child.” Martin pointed toward the living room where David and Joshua were ‘play flying’.

  The color drained from Janet’s face. “You’re joking! He’s the elusive Dr. Haines? Everyone knows Haines is in his late 60s.”

  Phyllis spoke up and corrected, “The computer image of Haines is a man in his 60s. For obvious reasons, David needs to protect his identity.”

  “He invented the gravity reflector?”

  Phyllis spoke, “And a bunch of other things like the C H car and his computer is twenty, maybe fifty years ahe
ad of everyone else’s. I don’t think I can claim credit for it, David thought of it first and handed me a tool to research it, but he also invented a force field, a working force field. It takes a very large capacitor to generate it, and has to be constantly discharged then recharged, but banks of them are in the basement of this house now. David’s been busy lately, but when he gets a break, he’s going to look into making it smaller and portable. We don’t think it should be released however. He has already made a portable flying suit. You need one of David’s computers to run it though. The good news is that the computers are ready for you. They use a very high capacity disk drive. Much better than the ones that he sells. The bad news is that it will take a total re-education in values to use it.”

  Corey’s face lit up, “Sidney, remember that micro-encapsulation problem for drug LM15627 we were working on for the last six months? The Teacher, oh that’s the computer assistant I talk to, figured it out in 2 hours. She also explained why our other approaches failed. It was a pressure, micro-encapsulation, and pH issue.”

  Corey continued, “I asked her about LPH disease and she spent a day and a half working on it, but we have the entire program laid-out, including the drug, all the study designs, case report forms for the doctors to fill out, data bases, even investigators who have likely patients. She came up with a really easy way to screen patients for the disease too. The drug is administered using every other week infusions into the patient’s blood, just like Fabrazyme.”

  Corey face lit up, even though she attempted to be serious, “But Phyllis is right, the database has information that is probably wrong to even look at, like that my ex-husband’s grammar school girlfriend is four months pregnant and the bum’s in debt to his eyeballs, but can’t go into bankruptcy. But it really is improper for us to do that.” Corey was beaming.

  ***

  Two hours later, Sidney was sitting at the table with his son. The boy was eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (without any crusts). Joshua was babbling, “And then we banked, past the birds, and we saw this cloud and David told me not to go into it. But I did anyway. Hehe. I knew where I was, I couldn’t get lost. So I raced him into it, I turned and then zigzagged all around. It was so foggy; I could only see 20 feet away. So I stopped and kept totally quiet. I was beginning to get cold and wet. And all of a sudden David came up from behind and grabbed my leg. I tried to get away, and we wrestled in the air. David insisted we come out of the cloud or we would immediately stop. I finally said yes. But he didn’t say anything about flying low. So I flew down, really fast. David was a slowpoke. I headed into a forest. I scared a couple kissing, and touched a deer. The deer ran away. But I was following it all the way. I kept putting my hand on its tush. My face got scratched by the trees and bushes. One time, the deer turned really, really fast and I almost went into a tree, but I stopped and found the deer again. David told me that the deer was getting scared and tired. That it’s wrong to scare animals like that. Dad, is it wrong to scare an animal like that?”