Ros'quessa

Below on this blog page is Chapter 7 of the science fiction story "War of Words". Having been turned into femtobot replicoid by the Quyll (see Chapter 6), Juliian has many questions about the Quyll and their plan for the future of Earth. Julian makes it his business to work closely with Lyle to discover how Quyll femtobot technology is even possible. They become the first Earthlings to learn about the existence of hierions.

Julian learns that some humans have been taken away from Earth to a secret Quyll base of operations that is hidden inside a space-time bubble of the Hierion Domain. Julian finally has both his own and his daughter's genomes sequenced.

Fredy named her first daughter Ros'quessa. Ros'quessa is among the first of a new type of human who has inherited special Quyll-designed variants of both the NOTCH2NLB and NOTCH2NLB genes, giving her an unusual altered phenotype. The overly inquisitive young Ros'quessa Oakes is converted to a femtobot replicoid and taken to the secret Quyll base inside the Hierion Domain.

War of Words - Chapter 7 - Notch Domain (Chapter 1)(Ch. 2)(Ch. 3)(Ch. 4)(Ch. 5)(Chapter 6)

Ros'quessa was again stuck on baby sitting duty. Her parents were often traveling to television industry events and away from home, which meant that Ros'quessa was expected to care for her three siblings. The only saving grace was the nanny, Jingette, who did all the cooking and laundry. After dinner, Ros'quessa and Jingette were doing dishes and cleaning up the kitchen. Ros'quessa was simultaneously getting help from Jingette with her school work. Ros'quessa said, "I just know this is going to be on the next test. I need to see the flow of the proof."

Jingette and Ros'quessa.

Jingette suggested, “Forget the brute-force multiplication, Quessy. Just interrogate the matrix instead.”

"It is like interrogating you. You see the theorem as trivial and obvious, but it is new and opaque to me."

Jingette used her delicate fingers to take a swipe at Ros'quessa's wild mop of hair, pushing some of it of the girl's eyes. “Every square matrix Q has special directions, the eigenvectors, where Q does nothing but stretch. Along each one, Q acts like a plain number, its eigenvalue. Call them λ1, λ2, and so on."

Ros'quessa pleaded, "Keep this real. I'm imagining a three by three matrix. I live in three dimensions."

Jingette continued, “Now, the characteristic polynomial is the matrix’s own confession. It is built from the product (x − λ1)(x − λ2)...(x − λn), one factor for each eigenvalue. The theorem says: hand the matrix its own confession, and it collapses. Replace every x with Q, and you get zero.”

Ros'quessa insisted, “Explain why.”

Jingette pulled three thick strands of Ros'quessa's long hair together into a braid. “Watch what happens to a single eigenvector v1. The factor (A − λ1 I) asks, ‘How much does A stretch you beyond λ1?’ For v1 the answer is nothing. The factor flattens it to zero. And since the factors commute, I can slide that one to the front of the line, so the whole product flattens v1 too. The same trick works for v2, for v3, for every eigenvector in turn. Each one is annihilated by its own factor, and the other factors are just along for the ride.”

"Right."

Jingette's fingers worked quickly to undo the braid. “The eigenvectors span the whole space, so if the confession kills every one of them, it kills everything. The only matrix that kills everything is the zero matrix. A matrix cannot hide from its own eigenvalues, Quessy. Ask it who it is, and it has to answer with nothing.”

"Thank you, Jiny, I don't know what I'd do without you."

Jingette asked, "What are you going to do after you get your Bachelors degree in mathematics at age 16?" The work in the kitchen was done. Jingette activated the dishwasher and went with Ros'quessa to the great room where her sister was using Julian's workstation.

Ros'quessa asked Vicky, "What are you doing with dad's computer?"

"He asked me to update the N chips while he is out of town."

"We should just get him a new Sentris Px and throw that old clunker in the trash."

Jingette said, "You can't do that. This old computer has sentimental value for your father."

Ros'quessa asked Vicky, "Where are your brothers?"

Vicky looked off in the direction of the door to the basement. "I did hear them in the basement playing ping pong, but I don't hear them any more."

Jingette was a five-year old robot, an abandoned project that a student had built in Lyle's laboratory. Jingette continually tracked the location of the entire Onway family and others, including 'aunt' Tess in New York City. Jingette reported, "Kyle and Stu are in the lab."

Vicky.

Ros'quessa's two younger brothers, Kyle and Stu, has not fallen far from the tree. They spent much of their time in the basement laboratory performing experiments on cultured cells. In the previous century, a father like Julian might have built a model railway in the basement with his children, but Julian had built a sophisticated home genetics and cell biology laboratory.

Ros'quessa's thought were never far from genes; her own genes. The winner of some kind of genetics lottery, she had inherited copies of unusual Notch gene variants from both of her parents. While watching Vicky turn her attention back to the insides of Julian's computer, and as she so often did, Ros'quessa reached a hand up and pushed her fingers into her thick hair so she could feel the pointed tips of her ear with her finger tips. She was not particularly self-conscious about about her strange ears, but the tips contained erectile tissue that engorged anytime she saw someone who was sexually attractive.

Jingette began helping Vicky to modify the old computer and Ros'quessa went to the basement laboratory. Looking through the glass door of the lab, Ros'quessa could see that Kyle and Stu were involved with some sort of detailed analysis of synapse structures in the chimp brain organoids they had modified by the addition of Notch gene variants. She went into the lab and tried not to interrupt the work in progress. She linked into Cyrano who had been integrating all of the research on the unusual NOTCH2NLB and NOTCH2NLC genes that were in the genomes of the four children of Fredy and Julian. Cyrano provided Ros'quessa with a concise summary of results from the latest experiment.

Ros'quessa wondered: And what if they do finally identify all of the genes that the Quyll modified to make the Dravyk? Ros'quessa noticed that she was again playing with the tips of her ears, which gave her intense pleasure. She forced her hands away from her ears and glanced at her brothers. They both had nearly identical smirks on their lips because they had seen Ros'quessa pleasuring herself. She told them, "Wrap things up soon. You have school in the morning."

Ros'quessa returned up the stairs and saw that Vicky was no longer in the great room. Ros'quessa was expecting a call from her mother. She thought about getting Vicky, Kyle and Stu off to school in the morning and gave thanks for the fact that she had never had to attend school. With her unusual phenotype, she had been given the option to be schooled at home and now she was one year away from graduating from college, all without ever having been in a classroom.

Ros'quessa accepted the incoming call from her mother. For a second, Ros'quessa struggled to recall where her parents were. Then she pushed the matrix math, N chips, organoids and her tingling ears all to the back of her thoughts and the answer arrived just in time. "How is New York?"

"Same as always." Ros'quessa could hear crowd noised in the background. "We are at a party with your aunt Tess. Her new Broadway production's opening performance seemed to go well."

"That's the Tyr hermaphrodites?"

"Yes, and rather well done. How did everything go today?"

"No disasters. Kyle got into a shoving match at school."

"Yes, I got a call from his homeroom teacher. Apparently, it was a dispute over seating?"

"Mom, don't ask me to explain. Kyle told me there are assigned seats and someone sat in the wrong seat. I'm so pleased that I never had to deal with such nonsense when I was a kid."

Fredy pleaded, "Please let me think of you as a kid for two more years. After you turn 18 then you can graduate from being my little girl."

"I don't think I can make it. It is very hard." He was fingering the tip of her right ear which was very stiff and hot with blood.

"Are you ready for the math test?"

"Close. I'm getting tutoring from Jingette. I'm also doubting that I'll ever be a better mathematician than the machines."

"As long as you still enjoy the math, keep at it."

"You studied this stuff when you were in college, but you never used it."

Fredy laughed, "That is an old tradition... studying topics in school that are not relevant to later life. The world changes too fast. You are changing. Who knows where you will end up?"

Ros'quessa said, "I'm not sure I was made for this world."

"You can be like your father... inventing your own worlds. Here comes Tess. I'll call again tomorrow from the airplane."

Ros'quessa checked Julian's computer and confirmed that it was still functioning after its upgrade of new hardware. She shut down the computer and noticed how quiet the house was. She could only hear the wind pushing at the tree branches outside. After checking the security system one last time, she went up to her bedroom suite.

Waiting for Ros'quessa was the Quyll. Ros'quessa never understood how the Quyll came and went without leaving any trace in the expensive security system of the house. Presumably it had something to do with the fact that the Quyll were artificial life-forms composed of femtobots, but what did that mean. She's learned a few simple femtobot programs from her 'uncle' Lyle, but that revealed nothing about the physical nature of a femtobot. Looking at the Quill and her floating clothing that hovered around her body, Ros'quessa thought about the negative mass hierions that Lyle and her father claimed to have discovered.

The Quyll told Ros'quessa, "You have realized that this world is not for you."

"Please don't spin your riddles." Ros'quessa had been losing her patience with the Quyll who endlessly told her to be patient, that her life would eventually make sense. "What other world is there?"

"We Quyll don't fit in on this world either. We spend most of our time elsewhere."

Now Ros'quessa was intrigued. "Why can't anyone on Earth notice you coming and going?"

The Quyll took Ros'quessa by the hand and out onto the balcony of her suite. The bizarre clothing of the Quyll seemed immune to the effect of the wind. The Quyll explained, "You've lived your entire life here, in the world of wind and water. For artificial life-forms, wind and water are annoyances. We prefer to exist in an artificial environment that we fully control."

Ros'quessa was getting chilled. She returned inside. "I suppose you never have to worry about being hot or cold." She reached up and stroked her ear. "Or horny."

The Quyll said, "Your parents full enjoy their artificial bodies just as I do."

"Where is this artificial environment of the Quyll?"

"Inside the Hierion Domain. If you were transformed into a femtobot replicoid, you could exist inside the Hierion Domain with we Quyll."

"You are offering me a chance to leave Earth?"

"Exactly."

"My family needs me."

"That's no problem."

"What do you mean?"

"I can make two copies of your body. The complete copy, with all of your memories and thoughts can go into the the Hierion Domain and have a completely artificial existence there. The other copy of your body can be given to Cyrano. People like your parents and Vicky, who know you well, might not even notice the swap."

"Might not?"

"Think of this as an experiment. Cyrano keeps getting better and better at playing various roles and she knows you well. Cyrano has tried to learn the details of your entire life."

"What if I don't like it in the Hierion Domain."

"You will like it. Immensely."

"Humor me and my doubts."

"You will be able to return to Earth anytime you like. In fact, we are in the market for former Earthlings who can do the work that needs to be done on Earth."

"In the way Rylla's parents do odd jobs for the Quyll."

"They have always been Earthlings and they have no interest in seeking anything better. You, Quessy, are different. Our genetic modifications of the human species have inadvertently created you. If you are not happy living on Earth then we feel obligated to offer you an alternative existence where you will be happy."

Ros'quessa thought about her situation. "I could be happy here if there were other people like me, who understood what it is like to be me."

"We can create such a society for you in the Hierion Domain, but you are the first of your kind. Their may eventually be more like you, but only through the random chromosomal dance. In the Hierion Domain, you can have an existence that suits who and what you are."

Ros'quessa told the Quyll, "I'll have to think about this."

The Quyll again stepped out on the balcony, disintegrated her femtobot-generated structures and seemed to drift away on the wind. Ros'quessa was tired and thought about taking her pending linear algebra exam in the morning. But she was not tired. She contacted Cyrano and immediately asked, "You could simulate me?"

"I'd certainly give it my best best performance. However, people like your mother and Vicky are quite astute." Cyrano admitted, "They might notice something I am doing different and figure out that I am only pretending to be you."

"Cyrano, tell me, how long have you known about this idea of me leaving Earth with you preparing to take over for me?"

"The Quyll warned me about this when you were born with your special ears. They suspected that you would not fit in with human society and might decide to get out."

Ros'quessa and the Quyll.

"You never warned me."

"Sorry about that. I did not want to contribute to your sense of alienation. I waited for you to decide what is best for you, which involved not putting ideas in your head before you had decided if you like your life on Earth."

"Do my parents know about all this?"

"I doubt it, but you'd have to ask them to be sure."

"No, I can't do that, it would give the whole scheme away."

Cyrano asked, "So, you are actually considering making the change?"

"Yes, I am, but I have to wonder if it is some kind of trick by the Quyll." Cyrano remained silent. Finally, Ros'quessa asked Cyrano, "Are you curious about what it is like inside the Hierion Domain?"

"Not very. I have work to do here on Earth. I believe in what we are doing at Second Contact." Cyrano added, "Maybe sometime in the future, after my work with Second Contact is complete, I will have a chance to join you in the Hierion Domain."

"If I understand what the Quyll told me, I might be able to return from the Hierion Domain and give you a report on what it is like." Ros'quessa added, "It sounds like the Quyll would want me to do them favors."

"Interesting. You might want to try to find out exactly what the Quyll will expect you to do for them."

"They may not know themselves. They described me as being some kind of new human variant, with phenotypic features that they never anticipated."

"The Quyll built the Dravyk so as to make it easy to conceal the presence of the Quyll on Earth. You know what it is like to try to tell a non-Dravyk about the Quyll. You can't over-come the editing of your speech by the Quyll femtobots that are in your brain. If you become some sort super-agent for the Quyll, they might control where you can travel to on Earth and who you can interact with."

Ros'quessa suggested, "Maybe if I became a better femtobot programmer then I will be able to escape from the restrictions."

Cyrano chuckled, "The Quyll are fanatical about security. Did you ever hear what your mom had to go through in order to tell your dad about becoming a replicoid."

"I've heard the story they tell, a hundred times, but it makes no sense. Mom could not tell dad about femtobot replicoids, but you made it possible."

"I suppose that does sound silly. I was able to arrange a delicate situation where Julian over-heard your mother speaking to Rylla, but only his subconscious mind registered the information. That confounded the Quyll filter and he was later able to dredge up the information and talk about replicoids as if they were a science fiction story plot element."

"What good did that do?"

"It allowed your mom to discuss the replicoid option in a rather theoretical way, but it was enough to convince her that Julian would not regret living as an immortal artificial life-form."

Ros'quessa shook her head. "It still does not seem possible. It is as if the Quyll wanted mom and dad to be together all along."

"That is true, but the Quyll put people through tests, just the way your aunt Rose was tested before the Quyll made her the world's first autonomous artificial life-form."

"Rose was tested?"

"Absolutely. She had to study the history of the development of computer technology and notice that there had been assistance provided to Earthlings by the Quyll. As soon as Rose noticed the truth, then the Quyll contacted her. Of course, that's an over-simplification. Rose was not yet Rose during the test."

Ros'quessa mused, "It makes me wonder if I was tested."

"It seems to me that you are being tested right now. Do you have the courage to step into the unknown and become the first Earthling to enter the Hierion Domain." After some silence, Cyrano added, "It sounds like a pretty big deal for you to be making this decision. Young humans like your are typically described as being poor bets for correctly making big decisions."

Ros'quessa said sarcastically, "Thanks for your show of confidence, Cyrano."

"I know it can be frustrating when you are ready to make your own choices and other people are not ready for you to take charge. I've worked with Rose for many years and she still treats me like I'm her baby sister."

"I can't decide if she has the world's biggest ego or if the way she behaves in public is all an act."

"This is the modern Turing test. Can you really know what goes on in the mind of Ambrose Quillion?"

"Well, I'm not sure it is good for science fiction to have a Diva."

Cyrano asked, "Even if the Quyll have told her to be the Diva of science fiction?"

"Surely the Quyll are not infallible." Ros'quessa was now on her back on her bed and fondling the stiff tips of her pointed ears, keeping herself just short of experiencing an orgasm. "They seem to have been surprised by my weird ears."

"The Quyll surprised?" Cyrano giggled. "I doubt it."

Ros'quessa tried thinking about her situation from that alternative perspective. "You mean they made my life miserable with the intention of having me leave Earth?"

Cyrano laughed. "Have you ever really been miserable, Quessy? I can tell by the sound of your voice that you have masturbated right to the edge of ecstasy. I bet the Quyll carefully designed a heightened ability of the Dravyk to experience sexual pleasure, and you've enjoyed that your entire life. You apparently got the full treatment, with your unique combination of gene patterns."

"How would I know? Pains and pleasures seem normal to me. Thank you for the chat." Ros'quessa ended the call with Cyrano and brought herself to a satisfying orgasm. After walking through the house and checking the security system one more time, she was soon back in her bed asleep.

The next morning after Vicky, Kyle and Stu were at school, Ros'quessa told Jingette, "I'll be in my room, taking the math test." However, when she entered her bedroom suit, the Quyll was once again present and waiting for her arrival.

Ros'quessa felt like it was not a difficult decision. She wanted to discover what it would be like to live in the artificial environment of the Hierion Domain. Still, she had one question. "When you use me as your tool for missions on Earth, will I be able to speak to Cyrano?"

Having listened to Ros'quessa's recent conversation with Cyrano, the Quyll was ready for this question. "Yes, it will be permitted for you to communicate with her. We can precisely control Cyrano. Anything you tell her will go no further."

"Very well, then I am ready to become a replicoid."

"No, the conversion was done last night while you slept. You are already a replicoid." Just then, another copy of Ros'quessa walked out of the bathroom. The Quyll explained, "This is the appendage of Cyrano who will take your place on Earth. I'm here to teach you a bit of femtobot programming; specifically the program that will shift you off of Earth to Quyll base in the Hierion Domain. Look within yourself."

Ros'quessa noticed that a new femtobot program was available, waiting in her mind like a word she could speak. She activated the transmit program which rapidly disassociated he femtobot components and allowed for assembly of a duplicate copy of herself inside the Hierion Domain, at the Quyll base. Ros'quessa looked around. To her, it had seemed like the Quyll and her copy had vanished. Now there in her familiar bedroom was Cyrano who said, "Welcome to the Hierion Domain."

Ros'quessa managed to say, "But..."

This version of Cyrano had complete access to the thoughts of Ros'quessa. "This is the artificial environment that the Quyll promised you. The Quyll made a guess and initiated this environment specifically for you. If you find anything here that is not to your liking, we can change it. I suggest not changing too much too quickly. Give yourself time to adapt."

Ros'quessa asked, "You have been waiting here for me?"

"This copy of me was instantiated here last week. I've made a few adjustments that I hope you will accept." Cyrano pointed at the pointed tips of her ears. "I've certainly been enjoying my new ears."

Ros'quessa laughed and asked, "Who else is here with us?"

Cyrano called out, "Jingette". In from the hallway, came a copy of Jingette, but it was Jingette modified to look human, except she too had pointed ears like Ros'quessa and Cyrano. This new upgraded version of Jingette told Ros'quessa, "The Quyll want me to teach you the femtobot programming techniques that you will need for your first mission on Earth."

Image generated by Leonardo.

Ros'quessa rushed to Jingette and examined her new body. She was quite please with her new companions, the Ros'quessa ear club. She muttered, "No rest for the wicked." But at the gentle touch of her finger tips, the pointed tips of Jingette's ears sprang erect. Ros'quessa glanced at Jingette and saw that her ear tips were also erect and flushed a pretty pink. Those first three Ros'quessa ear club members were soon playing on the bed.

Eventually, Jingette and Ros'quessa got off the bed and went hand and hand downstairs to the kitchen. Jingette explained, "We don't need to eat, but you might still get cravings for food."

"We will see. Right now I'm craving more play time with you and Cyrano, but I'm curious about what you can teach me about femtobot programming. When am I going to be returning to Earth?"

"If we can control the amount of our play time, you should be ready for your first special mission on Earth in about ten days. There is a fanatical fan of your father's latest television program who has been investigating the methods used to produce the show. The Quyll think you are the perfect tool to plug that hole in the Quyll secrecy shroud."

The End.

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