Patrick didn’t know exactly where the test subjects went when they disappeared, but theorized they were either still present in the same time and space, but phased outside of human perception, or had gone to another physical plane of existence.
In order to test this theory, he phased a video camera that had been in the process of recording him. The camera disappeared. Patrick reached out his hand and felt to see if the camera physically occupied the space. It did not. He brought it back after three minutes, but the camera had stopped filming. The five-hour battery power had expired.
When he replayed the video, he saw himself turn on the phase modulator, and then the screen went white for five hours until the battery died. He put in a new battery pack, phased the recorder for thirty seconds, and brought it back. The second video had also recorded for five hours. How was this possible? Did phased time behave differently?
If so, then the discovery, and the potential applications, were massive. Could he run down every pathway imaginable? Not without help. But, who could he trust? He still had to keep his S&T job and find the Erdian bogey that no one else had found. Might the replicated microprocessor help him find an invisible bogey? Probably. Could he use the chip to phase a laboratory? Possibly. He cleaned his eyeglasses, grabbed a marker, and began mapping schematics.
Now, months later, he sat in his phased laboratory with his equipment and Amo. He’d designed a portal to a phased lab beyond the intrusion and perceptions of others. Still not entirely sure where his phased lab existed, he found a breathable atmosphere, connected utilities and power from his home, and a place to work without interference. The beauty of his achievement, a benefit both unexpected and serendipitous—allowed him to work for hours in his phased lab and return home one second later, chronologically, from the time he left his cellar. Albert would be so envious.
“Time to wake up, Amo.” Patrick flipped the switch. Power flowed to the robot’s neuro-processor, stimulating his artificial intelligence (AI).
“Good morning, Commander.” The robot’s voice sounded like an adult male and devoid of accent.
“Good mornin’, Amo. Please call me Patrick.”
“Yes, Commander. Thank you.” Amo moved his ceramic blue eyes and made facial gestures, courtesy of the electroactive polymers that comprised his face and lips. At present, he could not move the rest of his green metal body—a precaution Patrick took until they got to know each other better.
Patrick studied the robot’s face. “I prefer you call me Patrick, rather than Commander, or Sir. It makes me feel more comfortable.”
“Yet you are my commanding officer. That alone should make you more comfortable, Patrick.”
“Thank you, Amo.” Patrick raised an eyebrow.
“You are welcome. Do you feel more comfortable now?”
Patrick nodded. “Somewhat.”
“May I have access to the rest of my body?”
“I’m still testin’ your systems. Soon, though.”
“We have tested each of my bodily parts and systems separately, including my replacement parts. My self-diagnostic shows 97.6% functionality with zero chance of failure.”
“And the 2.4%?”
“Will be repaired by the Gray when I am powered with full access.”
“The Gray?” Patrick’s forehead scrunched.
“The ‘gray’ nanotech organisms within my circulatory system. They build and repair my systems.”
“And what would you do if I gave you full access?” Patrick raised his eyebrow.
Vsshhhh-click. “I will follow your command.”
“What about your former commander?”
“Silent.” Amo blinked with a whir. “I must adapt.”
“Tell me about your former mission.” Patrick folded his arms and sighed.
“To observe and learn. To direct and to command, if necessary.”
“Are you the next tier replacement commander for the robots?”
“No. I do not have permission to do so.”
Patrick frowned. “Would you kill me if you could?”
“No. I am programmed to protect my commander.”
“Why should I believe you?” Patrick narrowed his eyes.
“I am programmed to tell the truth. I cannot lie.” Amo’s eyes watched Patrick’s reaction.
Patrick raised his hands and smirked. “How can I be sure you’re not lyin’ now?”
“Provide me with full power and functionality. I will not kill you. I will bend knee and pledge the words of obeisance if—”
Patrick narrowed his eyes. “Why should I trust you?”
“Because you are intelligent and my full activation would be mutually beneficial. You also need me for something.”
“Okay. All logical if you’re not lyin’.” His artificial intelligence and ability to reason are beyond anything I’ve ever seen on Earth. And I do need him.
“Correct.” His blue eyes whirred then blinked.
“You said you’d pledge obeisance if . . . what?”
“If you take the commander’s pledge.”
“Which is?”
“As follows: As commander, I pledge to take the appropriate courses of action after fully considering all of the options and potential consequences of my actions, the safety and well-being of those under my charge, robotic and human alike, and the ultimate safety of the human race. I will not lie. The truth is my beacon.”
Beacon? “I see. An appropriate pledge for a commander. Why did your commander attack the human race on our planet?”
“To save the human race on Erde. Our planet is dying at an increasing rate. The environment grows more toxic to biological life. Food resources and human population have dwindled. The Erdians need your planet.”
“So in order to save one race, your commander found it appropriate to kill another and take what is theirs?”
“Yes,” Amo said. “Has there been no conquest among nations in the history of your human race?”
“Yes, far too much. We created laws to prevent this, but have not been fully successful.” Patrick stood. “You said your mission was to learn. Learn what?”
“I am programmed to gather information about your planet, resources, weaponry, defenses, and human population.”
Patrick nodded. “Did you gather much data in your time here?”
“No. Just regarding local armaments, tactics, defenses, and human interaction.” Amo said. “There wasn’t much time.”
“Did you kill any of my people?”
“No. That was not my purpose.”
“Did you have any other objectives?” Patrick said.
“I have limited autonomy for secondary interests.”
“Which are?”
Amo’s eyes whirred. “Personal.”
Patrick locked onto Amo’s brilliant but unreadable eyes. “If you tell me, I may learn to trust you.” Though I might have to delete your memory.
Amo’s eyes whirred. “I wish to learn what it means to be human and how I might better serve.”
“Thank you, Amo. That’s good to know.” I hope it’s true.
“Do you trust me yet?” Amo blinked.
Patrick scratched his head. Had Amo blinked just now to mimic human behavior? Was the bot holding something back? “I want to trust you, but I’m still learnin’ about robots. Before I give you access to the rest of your body, I need to consider the consequences. I care about what happens to you and the human race.” Patrick smiled. “Good night, Amo.”
Amo returned the smile. “Good night, Patrick.”
Patrick switched off the robot. How would Amo react if his previous commander re-emerged through a portal? Would Amo switch allegiance and activate the dormant warrior robots? Amo, intelligent by design, was far more than an automaton and could be a brilliant asset as Patrick studied Erdian robotics. Should I trust him? Can I afford not too?
Patrick flipped the switch back on. “Hello, Amo.”
“Hello, Patrick. Have you made a decision?”
<
br /> Patrick folded his arms. “Why do you want me to be your commander?”
“I study humans and can distinguish between good people and bad. You brought me back to life and repaired me. You are good.”
“What about your pledge to your former commander?”
“Gone. He broke his pledge when he lied to me. I lost trust.”
Patrick nodded. “Do you trust me?”
“Speak the Commander’s Pledge,” Amo said.
As he recited the pledge, Amo studied his face. Patrick meant every word.
Amo blinked. “Patrick, I pledge to follow your command unto death. I will fully consider all options under my control and potential consequences of my actions. I will protect and preserve the safety and wellbeing of those under my charge, robotic and human alike, and the ultimate safety of the human race. I will not lie. The truth is my beacon.”
“Do you trust me now?” Patrick eyed the robot.
“I do. I monitored your heart rate, heat signature, voice pattern, and brain waves as you spoke the pledge. Based on available human data, you spoke the truth.”
Patrick’s brow furrowed. “What lie did your former commander tell you?”
“He told me your planet’s human race was not worth saving.”
Patrick’s face flushed. “We are worth savin’. But what will happen if we reactivate the other robots we have salvaged?”
“An excellent question, Patrick. That will depend on the amount of damage to their microprocessors. If you fully activate me, I will be able to reprogram their mission directives when accessible.” Amo’s lips formed a smile.
“Amo, that would be very helpful.” Patrick began to pace. “I’m about to take a leap of faith. Do you understand this term?”
“Yes. Faith is belief and trust and loyalty. Faith is trust in the pledge.”
Patrick activated the neuro chip giving Amo control of his entire body.
Vsshhhh-click. Amo slid his legs off the workbench and knelt before Patrick. “Commander. I am at your service.”
“Rise, my friend.” Patrick took Amo’s hand. “We need to talk about a certain missin’ bogey.”
Patrick slept in the phased lab now. He had spent days, then weeks working and sleeping in the lab, gaining months of progress in one second of time away from Earth. When he returned to his home, even for bathroom breaks and meals, day or night, his disorientation was unavoidable.
He couldn’t afford to lose track of time. Work at the S&T lab was critical and he had to show up on schedule. Patrick spent so much time in the phased lab, he felt like he was on a sabbatical from his official job and family. And yet, how often had he heard himself and colleagues drone on about what they could accomplish if they only had more time? Now he had an infinitesimal amount of personal lab time for his growing bucket list.
Clocking hours in the phased lab helped track ‘Patrick time.’ Keeping a schedule, calendar, and a clock in his home, just outside the entrance to his phased lab, helped him stay organized. He made real progress. Not only was he able to fully replicate Amo’s microprocessors, but he could modulate the phase for a co-existent invisibility versus a phase to a separate physical plane (similar to his lab). With Amo’s help, he designed and built a prototype phase detector to search for an invisible Erdian bogey, if indeed there was one.
In spite of his successes, Patrick desperately wanted to work on the real mystery . . . phased time. Why did time act differently in phased space? Time itself was an impervious barrier, and a constant on Earth. Could he modulate phases of time? If I can step into a phased lab, why not travel into the future . . . or the past? He sipped a cup of java and thought of what he might do if he could change his own past.
Einstein believed time was the fourth dimension. Modern wave theory postulated time, energy, and space are waved together and their phases linked and changeable. If information can travel through space on waves of energy and light, such as telephone, television, and fiber-optic cable, could they also be modulated to travel back through the wave? Could he phase information, particles, or even people back through waves of time? Patrick scrawled his theory on the whiteboard along with the corresponding calculus to back his theory. He had the time.
Patrick sighed. “My God, could this work?” He finished the dregs of his coffee, cold and bitter on his tongue.
Vsshhhh-click. “Yes, it is possible.”
Patrick turned to see Amo sit up from the workbench. “Hello Amo, I didn’t know you were awake.”
“Resting. The gray have repaired and upgraded my systems.”
“You said my theory is possible? Are you programmed for such analysis?”
“Yes. My AI has been uploaded with advanced understanding, practical and theoretical, of science, physics, mathematics, engineering, electrics, mechanics, logistics, warfare, weaponry, algorithmic computation—”
“Okay. I understand. You’re the ‘bomb,’ as my grandson Ben might say.”
“I could be a bomb, but that would be counterproductive.”
Patrick laughed. “I’m sorry. I don’t want you to be a bomb. It’s just an idiom. I meant your storehouse of knowledge is very impressive. Do you recognize this theorem?”
“Only pieces. This concept is not of Erde, but your theory looks plausible . . . may I adjust your equations?”
“Please do.” Patrick smiled and offered Amo the marker.
Chapter 7
Patrick left the phased lab and checked the time and date—early Thursday morning. Though he hadn’t missed a day of Earth time, he and Amo had worked for four weeks of ‘phased-lab time’ on the microprocessors. Developing the Erdian bogey detector had been relatively easy. Their working prototype registered not only the phased waves from the lab itself, but also detected Amo after he disappeared and moved to another location.
The portable device, the size of a mini-tablet, found the invisible robot standing in the corner of the cellar. Patrick called the device his ‘Eye-Spy.’ Currently, the detection range was unknown and would have to be tested, but he hoped for at least a 3-5 mile radius.
More importantly, they’d also perfected the equations for phased time travel. Patrick had drafted the schema to reconstruct the phase microprocessor to incorporate an encrypted beacon, the existing teleportation technology, and time travel. His biggest challenge involved designing a function to send matter to a specific time, past or future, and return it to the present. Amo’s theoretic, mathematic, and engineering skills proved invaluable to the new design and functions.
Patrick created three bronze devices, each the size of an Olympic medal, linked wirelessly and timelessly to a master unit in the phased lab. Theoretically the bronze t-medallion (t for time and teleportation) would perform all functions as long as the master unit stayed active.
He also modified Amo’s microprocessor to include similar functions. Though they had conducted controlled tests on mice, he had yet to use human subjects. Hopefully, sometime after Albert’s visit tonight. Patrick grinned. He’s gonna shit.
At 7:00 a.m., Patrick drove through the drifting snow to the Air National Guard base. Doctors Caliban and Simmons were already there waiting for him and anxious for a bogey hunt. Simmons wore snow boots like himself, while Caliban seemed unprepared with his leather wingtips without galoshes.
Caliban shook Patrick’s hand and smiled, though his eyes looked wary. The sometimes dour, sometimes funny, Don Simmons never met his eyes directly, but his ever-strong grip spoke to his inner strength.
“Are we good to go?” asked the pilot of the Sikorsky MH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter. Small clouds of vapor punctuated his question in the subfreezing air.
Caliban deferred to Patrick, who patted his inside coat pocket. “Yes, Sir. I have the equipment right here.”
Doctor Caliban raised his eyebrows. “I’m anxious to see this prototype. Let’s hope it works. Washington, D.C. has been a pain in my backside.”
Simmons blinked at him, making the small scar under his left eye tw
itch. “I’d hoped to test the detection equipment in the lab before we went operational. Do you have a spare device for me?” A cold wind blew the scientist’s salt and pepper comb-over to the left and exposed his bare pate beneath.
“Not yet, Don, but if I’m right about the bogey’s signal, then I think you’ll be pleased with the results.” Patrick met his eyes for an instant and saw frustration. He couldn’t blame Simmons or the S&T lab. He’d shut them out to protect his secrets.
Caliban stared at him over the top of his glasses. “I need a win, Patrick. Today.”
The pilot motioned them inside the helicopter where they donned the communication headgear. He started the engine and let it warm up.
“Morning, everyone. I’m Captain Velez. I understand we’re searching for a downed bogey. I was involved in the original search, before we got all this white stuff. Where do we begin?” Captain Velez held up a search map grid.
“We want to start with sector seven,” Patrick said. “Mostly farmland and patches of forest, but the most likely spot based on simulated trajectories.”
“Yea. Been all over sector seven in good weather and found zip,” Velez said. “What are we looking for now?”
“A unique signal signature,” Patrick said. “I have a prototype detector, but I’m not sure of the range.”
“How low do I need to fly?”
Patrick shrugged. “Keep it safe. Will sixty feet work?”
“Probably. Higher over the forest. Will your device mess with my avionics?”
“Not sure. Want me to test it now?” Patrick reached inside his jacket.
Captain Velez nodded. “Go for it.”
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