Memory Edit

Observer Base.

Below on this page is Chapter 5 of the science fiction story "The Hierozyme Intervention", in which a copy of Tyhry is sent to Observer Base by Nyrtia, the Overseer of Earth. Now existing as a replicoid, Tyhry is allowed to recover her tyrp'At body structure.

The original biological copy of Tyhry remains on Earth, but she now has a set of Nyrtia's memory-altering nanites in her femtobot endosymbiont. With her memories and thought processes now under Nyrtia's control, Tyhry is like her father, unable to contemplate the possibility that ancient aliens are watching over Humanity.

The Hierozyme Intervention Chapter 5 - Exile (Chap. 1)(Chap. 2)(Chap. 3)(Chap. 4)   

The Sunday evening routine at Casanay revolved around the playing of a complex stock trading game that Zeta had created and continued to continually modify. The only reason Eddy continued to play was because Zeta had, over the previous decade, incorporated science fiction elements into her game. The goal was to control the economies of the majority of the planets (the game had expanded to include all 112 inhabited planets that Eddy had included in his published science fiction stories).

Starting a gaming session was delayed for two reasons. First, Tyhry made a strange speech immediately after dinner during which she thanked her parents for allowing Marda to sleep over that weekend. She then thanked Marda for "the best weekend ever". Then Tyhry thanked her parents for "the best life ever".

 Puzzled, Zeta had jokingly asked, "Will we be getting this kind of 'thank you' at regular twelve year intervals?"

Eddy had then muttered, "What's going on?"

Rylla had suggested, "I recognize a pattern. Marda becomes very polite when she has done something forbidden."

Marda had laughed and said, "You can blame me for any trouble Tyhry finds herself in." Then she changed the subject and asked, "Zeta, tell me about the high finance game you invented."

The second delay was created by the guests. It took Zeta half an hour to explain to Rylla and Marda the workings of the Galactic Stock Market that was the core of the game. Finally, because Marda was now continually telepathically linked to Tyhry and she was getting extra coaching from Tyhry, she told Zeta, "Okay, I get it... let's play. I've seen the simplified version of this game on Eddy's website."

Rylla laughed and said, "Maybe I should go to business school for a few years."

Tyhry said, "Here's how we'll do this: teams. Rylla, you work with Zeta. Marda, you are with me." She pointed at Anthony who was picking up empty glasses and ice cream bowls, "And Anthony and dad are the third team."

A tryp'At game. Image by Leonardo.

Zeta took Rylla by the hand and said, "We'll be in my office. All stock trades will be announced by phone conference call." She led Rylla off to the master suite.

Tyhry and Marda went to Tyhry's suite of rooms. Tyhry told Marda, "We'll be continuing the game that I've been playing with my parents for the past three months."

Back in the dining room, Anthony asked Eddy, "Do you really need me?"

"No, but you are welcome to try to help my lost cause." Eddy was in control of the economies of only seven planets and had been hopelessly behind both Zeta and Tyhry for months. Eddy contented himself by continually developing a version of the Galactic Stock Market game that was on his website for the enjoyment of his fans who had several years previously organized a series of online tournaments for players of the game.

Anthony was expecting Nyrtia to arrive at any moment. Just before dinner, Tyhry had completed the deployment of her programmed zeptites so that now a continual stream of hierozymes was being assembled from hierions that were collected every time Casanay's gas-burning water heaters were used. It was clear that Tyhry was going ahead with mass production of methane-destroying hierozymes. Having cleared the last of the dishes from the dining room table, Anthony returned to the kitchen and discovered that both Nyrtia and Manny were there. Anthony could not see them: they had not instantiated in human-scale bodies. Nyrtia was inside Pepper the cat's body and Manny was there, inside Trib the cat. When Anthony entered the kitchen, he was linked into the on-going telepathic conversation between Nyrtia and Manny. Nyrtia said: You can handle the memory wipe, Anthony.

A tryp'At game. Image by Leonardo.

Trib looked at Anthony. Manny said: Don't make Anthony do your dirty work. He's programmed to be nice to humans.

Pepper hissed at Trib. Nyrtia said: I've always been very kind to Tyhry. It is you who have brought this upon Tyhry.

Anthony put a popcorn bag in the microwave oven then began loading the dishwasher. He said: I don't mind doing it. I think it will actually give the poor girl a more normal personality if she is robbed of her obsession with programming nanites. Anthony had for years been uncomfortable knowing that a human on Earth was being allowed to use advanced bumpha nanite technology. It would be a relief to put an end to that and get back to normal.

 Manny told Nyrtia: You don't have to do this. It won't be until next winter that natural gas usage will increase and then a significant number of hierozymes will be released.

 Nyrtia was uneasy. It had been absurdly easy for Anthony to notice what was going on when Tyhry started making hierozymes. I don't know what your game is, Manny. I'm nipping this hierozyme nonsense in the bud before you get the idea that this kind of deployment of advanced bumpha technology will be tolerated on Earth.

Manny told Nyrtia: Think of it this way, Nyrtia. If atmospheric methane levels start to drop, it will be a morale boost for humans. They'll see that endlessly rising greenhouse gas levels is not inevitable. They'll buckle down and solve the carbon dioxide problem.

A tryp'At game. Image by Leonardo.

Nyrtia dismissed Manny's sophistry: The humans can do far better than using you Interventions as a model for their behavior. I suspect that if you did magically reduce methane levels then that would only make humans expect the carbon dioxide problem to also magically go away.

Anthony pulled the popcorn out of the oven and put it into a bowl. Wish me luck. He exited from the kitchen and headed for Tyhry's suite. Anthony always worried when editing memories; there was simply no way to avoid unintended damage to the neural circuits. Anthony knocked and entered. Marda and Tyhry were only paying minimal attention to the on-going game. In fact, Anthony had interrupted them in the middle of a long hot kiss. Anthony announced, "Popcorn. Who wants salt or butter?"

Tyhry was a bit irked at Anthony for barging in. "Just set it on the table." She pulled a hand off of Marda to point at the table.

Anthony returned to the hallway and closed the door, but he now had his memory-editing infites inside of Tyhry's femtobot endosymbiont. Ignoring the enticing aroma of popped corn and butter, Tyhry and Marda returned to their deep breathing and kissing. When Tyhry finally went to the popcorn bowl, Eddy was speaking through her phone and describing his next move in the galactic finance game. As he described a complex stock swap that might flip control of the planet Sermyth, Marda said, "I wonder how he came up with the name 'Sermyth' for a planet?"

A tryp'At game. Image by Leonardo.

Tyhry brought the bowl of popcorn back to Marda and to Tyhry it seemed that this was the first time she had ever thought seriously about Sermyth. Tyhry was familiar with the novel "The Hua Nanites" which had been in book stores for three years and the idea that Sermyth was the home world of the Hua, one of the original biological species that had eventually become the Huaoshy. She sat down beside Marda and said, "It's just a silly name."

Marda popped a piece of corn in her mouth and said, "But it is an important planet. How many billions of years ago did the Hua arise? That started it all!"

Tyhry started to undress Marda. "You started it all. It will be my pleasure to finish it."

Marda laughed, but began re-buttoning as fast as Tyhry was unbuttoning. Marda was back in the conventional clothing that she had worn to school on Friday, which was frustrating for Tyhry. Tyhry had planned for Marda to wear the nanite clothing from the closet, which Tyhry could dissolve, instantly rendering Marda naked. Marda telepathically said: Cool it, Tyhry. My mom's gonna get tired of the game soon and want to take me home. We'll be alone first thing tomorrow when you fly me to school. Remember, we need to get the other gas well producing hierozymes... we'll need to get in and out before the workmen arrive.

But Tyhry was not desisting in her efforts to undress Marda. Ylyndra told Marda: Tyhry can't hear you. Anthony edited her memories and I think he damaged her telepathic ability.

Marda asked, "You can't hear me?"

"I hear you fine."

A tryp'At game. Image by Leonardo.

"But not internally? Telepathy?"

Tyhry laughed. "You should not take my father's stories so seriously. Telepathy is fun in science fiction, but really... how could it possibly work?"

Marda felt a sinking feeling. She told Tyhry, "It is worse than I thought. Nyrtia took your memory of us being tryp'At."

Tyhry giggled, "You can pretend to be tryp'At when you are on Eddy's website, but don't expect me to play that game. Now that I have you in my arms I have better games to play."

Marda jumped to her feet. "Tyhry! You are not yourself. Nyrtia must have edited your memories."

 Tyhry looked up at Marda and rubbed her forehead. "Nyrtia?"

"You don't remember? This morning... Nyrtia warned you..."

Tyhry stood up and put her arms around Marda. Tyhry's phone now squawked with Zeta coaching Rylla on how to announce their next move in the game. "Oh, bother. It is our turn next."

Marda telepathically communicated to Ylyndra: This is terrible! Tyhry's mind had been cleansed of more than just the tricks of zeptite programming.

But there was no reply from Ylyndra who had gone to the kitchen. Arriving right behind Anthony, Ylyndra tuned into Nyrtia's commentary on Anthony's work and revealed her presence. Nyrtia said: Good, Tyhry has no memory of what she did."

A tryp'At game. Image by Leonardo.

Anthony added: And there is no way for her to go down that path again. She's now unable to believe in aliens. 

Ylyndra told Manny: I'll be heading out.

Anthony asked Ylyndra: Did you really think that I'd let you use Tyhry to make your hierozymes?

 Ylyndra replied: You did let Tyhry make a few hierozymes. Why not a few more? What would be the harm?

Nyrtia cut in: Don't whine, Ylyndra. We left Tyhry with her memories of Marda. They will be happy together. 

Manny asked: What about the other copy of Tyhry at Observer Base?

 Nyrtia had already instantiated a replicoid copy of Tyhry at Observer Base. Yes, I better attend to that Tyhry. Nyrtia aimed one more jibe at Manny: Better luck next time. Nyrtia exited from Casanay and returned to Observer base.

Ylyndra told Anthony: I hope you can live with yourself. You destroyed Tyhry's free will and agency. 

Ylyndra and Manny departed from Casanay. Anthony went to the great room and tried to be of assistance to Eddy in the game. He ended up helping Eddy debug some code for the online version of the game. Eventually, Rylla returned to the great room, announcing, "I've had enough. I'm not helping, I'm just getting in Zeta's way." And she was satisfied with that, since Zeta had just used her tongue to give Rylla a mind-altering orgasm. Rylla asked Anthony, "Where is Marda? We should be going."

A tryp'At game. Image by Leonardo.

Anthony went and collected Marda and quickly Rylla and Marda were in the Jeep and on their way down the long dark Casanay driveway. 

__ 

Nyrtia allowed the older replicoid to activate the new Tyhry replicoid at Observer Base. As the new replicoid copy of Tyhry began to realize what had happened to her, Nyrtia finished loading her orientation nanites into Tyhry. "Just take things slow." Nyrtia told her new guest at Observer Base, "This is a copy of you from a previous Reality... Tyhry2, meet Tyhry1."

Tyhry2 complained, "Why can't I be Tyhry1? I'm the real Tyhry from the current Reality." She told the other Tyhry, "You are just a ghost from a forgotten Reality."

Tyhry1 laughed. "You're not even Tyhry2. The real Tyhry2 has gone off to visit planet Tar'tron in the galactic core. And don't try to annoy me by calling my Reality a relic of the past. I'll show you a Simulation System that gives us access to all past Realities and also simulations of possible future Realities."

Tyhry2 asked, "Are you serious? You have access to a Simulator, just like in dad's fiction?"

"The alien technology that dad described in his novels is not fiction."

Nyrtia told Tyhry2, "You seem to be adjusting well to your new life. Remember, you are now a femtobot replicoid. Enjoy your artificial life and if you have any questions, just let me know." Nyrtia dissolved her nanite components and drifted away.

A tryp'At game. Image by Leonardo.

Tyhry2 told Tyhry1, "I have a million questions. What is it like to be a replicoid?"

Tyhry2 took Tyhry1 by the hand and led her towards the Fishbowl. "Different. First of all, you do not need to eat anymore. You can eat, but it is pointless. The best thing about not eating is that your new body makes no excrement."

Tyhry2 reached a hand inside her skirt. "I really am a tryp'At. So that's what an allzaurish feels like."

 Tyhry1 yanked Tyhry2's arm, pulling her hand out of her skirt. "Don't play with your allzaurish. I'll introduce you to your new equipment when we get home."

Tyhry2 patted Tyhry1's crotch. "You have a penis?"

"You have a penis. Can't you feel it?"

"Yes, I think I can. I've never felt so... excited." She put her hand down inside the front of her skirt just as they were passing another resident of Observer Base who asked Tyhry1, "Another Tyhry?"

"Ya. Just in from Earth." Then she told Tyhry2, "Stop playing with your genitals."

Tyhry2 said, "The glans of my clitoris is huge and hard."

A tryp'At game. Image by Leonardo.

"Look, if you'll stop masturbating in public, I'll give you an orgasm." Tyhry1 telepathically linked to Tyhry2 and said: A real tryp'At orgasm is mostly a type of telepathic feedback between two lovers.

Tyhry2 felt her sexual pleasure sky-rocketing. No longer able to tolerate her own finger tips on her clitoris nor able to keep walking, she stood still and closed her eyes. She asked telepathically: How old are you?

 Tyhry1 replied: I've been here at Observer base for 87 physioyears. But I stopped this body from aging when I hit 30.

Both Tyhry's achieved telepathic orgasms and before Tyhry1 had recovered, Tyhry1 pulled Tyhry2 back to walking. When she could speak again, Tyhry2 asked, "Where are we going? I saw something in your mind... you are going to show me Casanay?"

"Yes, I want to see how your biocopy is doing."

Tyhry2 put her hand back inside her skirt. "My clitoris is growing!"

"Oh, bother. Didn't you read dad's stories? Don't..." But it was too late. 

Tyhry2's penis had emerged from its abdominal storage compartment. Tyhry2 pulled down her skirt and looked at her penis. "Wow. I'm huge."

Tyhry1 pushed Tyhry2's penis back into its sheath. "Don't do that in public. I'll show how to use your penis when we get home." She pulled Tyhry2's skirt back into place.

A tryp'At game. Image by Leonardo.

Tyhry2 complained, "That was rude. I feel like I'm going to explode."

"You need to learn how to be a tryp'At. For the rest of your life your penis will be erect. You can ejaculate internally anytime you like. Try it." Tyhry1 telepathically showed Tyhry2 how to stimulate her penis without touching it.

Tyhry2 stopped walking again and when she ejaculated she gave a little scream. "Oh!"

Tyhry1 led Tyhry2 inside the Fishbowl and they sat at one of the consoles. Tyhry1 brought up a view of the biological Tyhry on Earth. "She's a horny little devil."

"I get very horny. She gets horny. I am horny." Tyhry2 again slipped her hand inside her skirt and began fondling the swollen tip of her penis.

"Stop that. You can call your copy on Earth bioTyhry. Remember, she is no longer you. From today on, your two minds will diverge. I want to figure out how much she can remember." Tyhry1 brought up a view of Marda who was being questioned by Rylla.

__ 

Rylla asked Marda, "Tyhry forgot all she knew about nanites?"

"I think so." Marda slowly shook her head. "Anyhow, that's what Nyrtia said would happen. I did not want to believe it." 

Rylla said, "At least you were not harmed."

"Wasn't I? How do I know what memories I lost?"

"You seem fine."

"I'm not fine. I don't think Tyhry can even remember having been telepathically linked to me."

"I can tell she still loves you. "

"But she does not remember that she is tryp'At. And what does it matter. The hierozyme project is dead."

Rylla hugged Marda. "You'll be fine, darling. There are a hundred ways to fight climate change. Pick one and get on with your life. I'll be getting on with mine."

Marda asked, "What does that mean?"

"There's no point in me remaining here."

"You are going to abandon me?"

"Rylla will stay with you. But me, Systolina, there's nothing for me here, now."

"Systolina?"

"I'm Systolina, a positronic robot from Deep Time."

A tryp'At game. Image by Leonardo.

"I know Systolina from Eddy's novels. But you are Rylla, my mom."

Systolina held Marda tight. "Your mother died three years ago, along with your father. I stepped in and pretended to be your mother. And Rylla will stay with you even after I depart. So you'll have your mother. And Tyhry. Your life will go on."

Marda pulled back and looked at Rylla. Somehow, Marda knew it was all true and she was not even very surprised. "Systolina. Can you show me?"

Rylla allowed her physical form to shift and she took on the original form of Systolina, as described in Eddy's novel The Nanite Smuggler.

 __

Rylla and Marda continued to talk, but Tyhry1 was satisfied and told Tyhry2, "Wow, I totally missed that! Rylla is actually Systolina."

Tyhry2 asked, "What does she mean? Rylla will remain."

Tyhry1 explained, "Systolina is a replicoid copy of a positronic robot. She'll go back to the Hierion Domain, but another replicoid will remain to care for Marda."

"How weird." 

A tryp'At game. Image by Leonardo.

"Yes, what do you expect when Manny is up to her Interventionist tricks?" Tyhry1 shut off the equipment that allowed for viewing on-going events on Earth. "Okay, let's go. I'll show you where I live. You can stay with me as long as you like, but eventually you will move into a residence of your own." Tyhry2 again had her penis out and was stroking it. "Don't make a mess in here, this is delicate equipment." Tyhry2 was not listening, she was rapidly bringing herself to climax. Tyhry1 deployed a nanite screen that caught all of the semen when Tyhry2 ejaculated.

When Tyhry2 recovered from her orgasm and began trying to rub up another one, Tyhry1 pushed her penis back into her body, pulled up her skirt and led Tyhry2 out of the Fishbowl. Having had a chance to play with her tingling penis, Tyhry2 finally found that she could begin to think about aspects of her future that did not involve orgasms. Tyhry2 asked, "You know how to program zeptites?"

"Yes, of course."

"So I can can continue to learn about zeptite programming?"

"Yes, but don't expect to be babied by Manny. I've had to work hard to figure out how to use zeptites to improve my access to the Sedron Time Stream."

A tryp'At game. Image by Leonardo.

 "Sedron Time Stream?"

Tyhry1 asked, "So you don't have visions of the future?"

Tyhry2 shook her head. "That's just in dad's stories."

"Well, we'll have to investigate what has been blocking you from accessing information about the future via the Sedron Time Stream. That mystery must be related to Manny's current Casanay Intervention. Why did Manny get you exiled to Observer Base for no apparent gain?"

Tyhry2 shrugged. "I didn't do anything. I thought I'd get to talk to Manny before being exiled. I thought Manny would protect me."

Tyhry1 suggested, "There might be a way to crack this case. We can try telepathically linking and see if that improves my access to the Time Stream. So far I've been blocked from seeing your future... apparently there is a Temporal Paradox in play."  

Tyhry1 led Tyhry2 into an underground monorail station. "I live out on the periphery." They boarded a rail car and were soon being transported out of the core of Observer Base. "We'll get to the bottom of these mysteries." Tyhry2 was again investigating her allzaurish. Tyhry1 added, "And I'll introduce you to the anatomy of your tryp'At bottom."

Tyhry2 said, "It is true... I have two vaginas." Then she lifted up her shirt and saw that she now had four nipples. She reached up had felt the tip of an ear, which was now pointed. "The tryp'At phenotype."

"Yes, Eddy described it in detail in his novels."

"And dad is also tryp'At?"

 "Your dad? I don't know. Maybe yes, maybe no. I suspect it is different in each Reality, depending on what Manny is trying to accomplish. If he is, his tryp'At features are all hidden by developmental control nanites."

End Chapter 5 - Jump to Chapter 6.

 Related Music: I had Claude help me with lyrics for a song titled "Literal Legal Fiction".

I tried to create an alien voice using my "4D Nanotech Vocal Lab" tool. I then had Google's Flow Music try to craft a complementary human voice track (Human Response to Alien). The composite video (below) was made with Apple's iMovie from images and two short video clips that were generated by Flow.

Next: Chapter 6 of "The Hierozyme Intervention".

Images by Leonardo. Visit the Gallery of Movies, Book and Magazine Covers.

Carbonix Redundis

climate fiction

 Below on this page is Chapter 2 of the science fiction story "The Hierozyme Intervention", which concerns Marda's third day at school with Tyhry and then continues after school when Tyhry visits Marda's home. Marda is not a typical 12-year old; she is the host for a time-traveling zeptozoan from the future, Ylyndra, the hidden agent for Manny the bumpha. With hints from Ylyndra, Marda is certain that what Eddy Watson publishes as science fiction is more than just the product of Eddy's imagination. 

Marda has arranged to move to Eddy's "backyard" (actually five miles away) and Marda is trying to get to Eddy through Tyhry, Eddy's daughter. In Chapter 2, below, Marda finds several of Tyhry's hairs inside Tyhry's helmet. Marda reveals to Tyhry the depth of her obsession over Eddy Watson's science fiction stories. Marda invites Tyhry to "come over for dinner" and then they will be able to get started on their project for chemistry class.

The Hierozyme Intervention Chapter 2 - Team Work (read Chapter 1)

Marda in 2026. Still using the Brute.

 Marda was waiting impatiently for the school bus to arrive for her third day of school in Arizona. Her mother was sitting inside the cab of her Jeep Brute with the air-conditioner running. Marda was pacing in the steel bed and kept glancing down the highway, trying to spot the approaching bus. Rylla had offered to drive Marda to school, but Marda was trying to get to know her new classmates. Finally the bus appeared in the distance and Marda leaped out of the Jeep's bed and she crossed the road. She waved to her mother. The bus slowed and Marda climbed aboard. At the first seat that held only one student, Marda sat down and said, "Hi, I'm Marda. You are Kevin?"

Kevin nodded. "Yep. How'd you know?"

Marda was reluctant to reveal all of her sources of information, so she tried to ignore Kevin's question. Marda asked, "Do you know Tyhry?"

"Sure. She's in the next grade above me. How do you know my name?" 

 "Yesterday, I heard the driver call you Kevin." Marda pulled her backpack off of her shoulder and set it in her lap. "You ever hang out with Tyhry?"

"Are you kidding? She's out of my league."

"What does that mean?"

"She's like you."

Marda laughed. "Nobody is like me." Marda held out her hand. "Look, I'm new here. I want to be friends."

Kevin shook Marda's hand. "Where you from?"

Marda kept holding his hand and looking into his eyes. "I moved here from Perth." Kevin looked at her blankly. "That's in Australia."

"You don't sound like it."

"I was born in California. I suppose I don't really have any special accent. Which lunch period do you have today?"

"Second."

"Sit with Tyhry and me today."

"What about my friend Tim? I usually sit with him for lunch."

"Sure, both you and Tim. I'll introduce you to Tyhry." Marda watched his face. With her hand in contact with his and having spoken to Kevin for a few minutes, Marda was able to sense the outlines of his mind. "You like her."

"She's amazing. Too good for me."

"Don't say that. If you like someone you should tell them. They might become your friend."

"I know." He looked at their hands. It was hot on the bus and their hands were wet with sweat. "I'm a sucker for cute blonds. When I see Tyhry I can't think straight. She gives me shivers. I doubt if I'd be able to speak to her."

 "Nonsense. You can only talk to me because I inherited dark hair from my father?"

 "You are easy to talk to. My mom says some people have the gift of gab. You do."

"Gift or curse? I wonder. What's your favorite subject?" They talked all the way to school. When they got off the bus she reminded him, "Remember: lunch. Wear sunglasses so you are not tongue-tied by the bright shining of Tyhry's golden locks." Marda had spotted Tyhry's beautiful bright hair over by a shed behind the school. That's where Marda found Tyhry at work with the school's custodian repairing the big ride-on mower that that was used to mow the grass on the sports playing fields and the playground.

Tyhry introduced Marda to the custodian. "This is Marda. She's new."

The custodian held up a hand that was covered with grass and grease stains. "Meg." Then Meg told Tyhry, "Thanks. I can do the rest."

"Glad to help... I'm almost done." Tyhry kept re-assembling the mower. Tyhry told Marda, "Meg lets me park my bike in the shed."

Marda had already gone to the open door of the storage shed. Reaching into the shed, she picked up Tyhry's helmet. "Don't forget. You promised me a ride."

Tyhry was using a wrench to tighten a bold. "I told you. You need a helmet."

Marda was looking intently into the interior of Tyhry's helmet, letting the morning light illuminate its nooks and crannies. There were several of Tyhry's golden hairs stuck to the plastic cushions. "I ordered one online." Marda pulled a small plastic bag out of her pocket and placed the hairs in the bag. She hung the helmet on the handlebar of the bike and turned back towards Tyhry.

Tyhry handed the wrench to Meg. "That should do it." The first bell rang.

Tyhry and Marda ran to get to their homeroom before the second bell. They burst in just as the bell rang. The teacher asked Tyhry, "Late again?"

Tyhry held up her filthy hands. "I was helping Meg with a repair."

The teacher told Marda, "Just because golden girl Tyhry always gets away with anything, don't use her as your model."

Marda half sung, half said, "She is the very model of a major breach of discipline."

Image generated by Flow.

 The teacher was amused by Marda's singing and she laughed, but then the morning announcements came over the CC TV system from the office and Tyhry's flaunting of rules was forgotten.

Later, after lunch, in their chemistry class, it was announced that the students would be working in teams on a term paper. Marda was approached by the chemistry teacher. "Marda, I want you to work with Tyhry. She usually works alone."

Marda glanced at Tyhry. "That's fine."

All the students had paired off. Marda asked Tyhry, "Why work alone?"

"There's little point in me doing all the work and having a lab partner who does nothing. Its not fair to the other student... they don't learn anything."

"I see. Well, you won't have that problem with me. In fact, I've already decided on the topic of our project: the chemistry of microbial carbon sequestration."

Tyhry shook her head, "No. That's biochemistry."

Marda's hand shot up. She asked the teacher, "Can we do a biochemistry project?"

The teacher asked, "What do you have in mind?"

"Something related to global warming. Maybe ocean microbe carbon sequestration."

"That's fine, just keep it on the chemistry side. This isn't freshman biology. Your grade depends on showing me that you have learned some chemistry."

Battlefield Lipid.

Tyhry asked Marda, "Why this topic?"

 "It will be a breeze. Your father already did all the research."

"What are you talking about?"

"In his novel, Battlefield Lipid, Carbonix profundis." 

"You've read Battlefield Lipid ?" 

"I've read all of his novels."

Tyhry objected, "We have to do our own work, not copy passages out of dad's novel."

"Fine. We'll go to the next step. Eddy never explained how Carbonix profundis would sink so much carbon to the ocean floor without depleting the surface waters of needed nutrients like phosphorous. We'll solve that problem in our paper. We'll get started tonight. Come over to my place for dinner. I told my mom to expect you."

"Wait, what?"

"My mom visited your parents yesterday. My mom already invited your mom to visit us. And Zeta accepted. She might already be there... right now."

"Your mother visited Casanay?"

Marda nodded. "I think she has a crush on Anthony. Mom could not stop talking about him. He is single, right?"

The teacher happened to walk by just then. "You two are working?"

Marda explained, "Tyhry is coming to my place this evening to get started on our project. We'll be using my home Wildblue internet connection for our research."

The teacher was called across the room by another team of students. Tyhry said, "My mom and dad use Wildblue. Dad uses the internet for his research... he seldom goes to a library anymore."

"Why not?"

Tyhry shrugged. "He says he has no time. He's busy. A novel writing machine."

"But that's not the real reason?"

"I suppose he's a recluse, like me. I know what it is like to be busy. Sometimes it drives me crazy, knowing what I could be doing if I did not have to be in school." 

Marda laughed. "Busy with what? Repairing lawn mowers?"

Tyhry proclaimed, "I can fix any broken machine."

"I'll take that as a challenge." A look of mischief sparkled in Marda's big brown eyes. "You know, we could view Earth's environment as a broken machine. Too much carbon dioxide."

"You might as well just say too many humans."

Marda asked, "Is that your solution for global warming? Birth control?"

"Well, that seems simpler than shooting for a nuclear winter." Tyhry giggled.

 Marda grimaced. "You have a sick sense of humor."

Tim. Image generated by Flow.

"Well, explain why you have birth control on your mind. You were flirting with Tim during lunch..."

"I was making a new friend. You should try it for once in your life."

Tyhry provided her assessment of the two boys. "Kevin and Tim are both rather... dull."

Marda sighed at Tyhry's blunt characterization of the two boys. "Rather full of yourself, aren't you, Tyhry?"

"I have my own interests. They don't include The Mast Effect, or what ever Kevin was trying to tell me about at lunch."

 "Mass Effect."

"Mass? E=MC² mass? I thought he was saying 'mast'." Tyhry shrugged. "Anyhow, I'm not interested in computer games. I built my own computer with an Intel X58 motherboard with a six-core i7-980X processor feeding twin, GeForce GTX 480 graphics cards and terabyte storage." 

"Wow, so much storage... do you have a world-class porn collection?"

"It is for my hobby. I'm building a layered neural network that simulates visual cortex function. I'm combining feedforward cascades and weight sharing in my cortex simulation, but my strategy for sparse coding and lateral inhibition is failing to achieve the kind of edge detection I am hoping for. I want to give my bike a type of human-like vision and a self-driving capability."

"Bah. Human vision was never evolved for a task like that. Using the human brain as your model, you'll just end up with an automated banana picker."

Tyhry. Image generated by Flow. "Whitespace" song.

"You think that's all humans are? Sophisticated banana pickers?"

"Well, I was impressed by Tim's nose picking... so there is that, too." 

"That was disgusting. Please don't invite those two to eat with us again."

"Tyhry, you have to be diplomatic and you have to have friends." Marda could see the look of skepticism on Tyhry's face. She changed the subject, "Can you find my place after school?"

"I'll stop by home first, since its on the way. I know where you live. I ride out that way fairly frequently on my bike." Tyhry and Marda exchanged phone numbers, then Tyhry said, "I did not think construction was completed. How much land did you buy up?"

"We're living in a mobile home until construction of the house is finished. We got 2,500 acres." 

"That must back up pretty close to my backyard. We really are neighbors." Tyhry suggested, "The alternative is that you could come to my place." 

Marda shook her head. "All in due time. You need to meet my mom."

 "Why?"

Marda shrugged. "I think she wants to pick your brain about Anthony. He's lived at Casanay for fifteen years?"

"Something like that. Your mom might be in for disappointment. There's no evidence that Anthony likes women."

"It seems strange that he'd hole up inside Casanay for fifteen years."

"He's pretty artistic. Carves stone, wood... he paints. Sometimes we call Casanay the 'Anthony Museum'. I suspect some of his works of art are illegal... big carved chunks of petrified wood. I've asked where it came from and he just says 'I have my source'." 

"Interesting. Illegal art. This I have to see, particularly given what your father has written about Anthony."

“Dad has written Anthony into some of his science fiction stories. Anthony thinks it is hilarious.”

“Ya, that's exactly how I'd do it, too.”

“Do what?”

“If I was an alien spy, I'd try to laugh it off when Eddy tells the world I'm an alien spy.”

“So, you are some kind of UFO nut?”

“I've read your father's novels. He never made a single mention of UFOs.”

“Don't mince words. For his stories, Dad pretends that aliens frequently visit Casanay.”

“Don't mice words. Eddy describes himself as an alien. A tryp'At. That makes you an alien, too.” Marda asked, "What is Casanay?"

"That's what we call our home... 'Casanay'." Tyhry asked Marda, “If I'm an alien, why do I have to spend all day sitting in school?”

“Your mom is hoping that you will learn social skills.”

the tryp'At

“Like how to watch boys pick their noses without me puking up my lunch?”

“Exactly.”

Tyhry giggled. “Marda, if I'm tryp'At, I should be able to read your mind, but everything you say surprises the hell out of me.”

“Well, we have not really tried to link telepathically.” Marda took hold of Tyhry's hand. “I don't understand why physical contact is supposed to help with telepathy.”

“Dad's theory is that telepaths would have to learn the pattern of another mind in order to...” Tyhry found herself imagining that she could now guess what Marda was about to say.

Marda said, “For the tryp'At, telepathy only works between people who are in love.”

“I knew you were going to say that.”

Marda had been watching the clock and she knew that the class period was almost over. She asked Tyhry, "Have you ever had any gene sequencing done?"

"Of course not. Have you?"

The bell rang, signalling the end of the class session. Marda let go of Tyhry's hand. Tyhry told Marda, "I'll call you when I depart from home." She added with a grin, "It should not take me long to get over to your place." 

__ 

 Returning from school, Tyhry pulled up in front of Casanay and then ran inside. She found Zeta in her office. Eddy was out back swimming. "I'm going to Marda's for dinner."

Zeta told Tyhry, "I was over there for... lunch... and helping Rylla with the landscaping."

Tyhry and Zeta. Image by Leonardo.

Tyhry began to turn, then sensed that her mother had more to say. "Marda lost her father three years ago. Suicide."

"Yikes."

"You don't have to say anything. According to Rylla, that is still a tender topic for Marda."

"Why did he kill himself?"

"I don't know the details. Apparently, he was named in a lawsuit against Simpera... hundreds of millions were paid out."

"Thanks for the warning."

"Sure. Anything you want to tell me?"

Tyhry had long imagined that her mother could read her mind. "I think I'm falling in love with Marda." Tyhry felt her heart thudding in her chest. She knew she was fallen, not just falling.

"Well, good for you." Zeta hugged Tyhry. "Does she like you?"

"I can't tell. She invited me over... that must mean something."

Zeta held her tongue. Tyhry asked, "What?"

"I can't tell you everything Rylla told me about Marda. You deserve to have the fun of finding out for yourself."

"What does that mean?"

 Zeta made a zipping motion with one hand across her lips.

Anthony and Tyhry. Image by Flow.

Tyhry went to the kitchen and told Anthony that she would not be home for dinner. Then she returned to her bike. She drove around the side of the house and off into the desert. Soon she activated the bike's anti-gravity flight system. She called Marda. "I'm on my way. You were right. My mom visited your mom today."

"Ya. She just told me. I'm going to take a quick shower before you arrive. The bus ride home was incredibly hot and sweaty."

"I'm sweaty, too. I don't mind. And you don't have time." Tyhry landed her bike and pulled onto the driveway. This was her first time seeing the modular home that had recently been hauled onto the site adjacent to the larger house that was still being finished. Half a dozen trucks of workmen were in the driveway along with Rylla's Jeep. Marda's temporary home was actually four large modules that had been delivered on flatbed trucks and then merged together to make a temporary home with over 3,000 square feet of floor space. 

Marda stepped outside and waved to Tyhry. Tyhry got off the bike and took off her helmet. Marda asked, "How did you get here so fast?"

Tyhry ignored that question from Marda and asked, "This is your temporary home? I was imagining a little trailer house."

"This will end up being a guest house once we move into the main house. Come in. Don't let my mom rattle you, no matter what weirdness she spouts. Sometimes she's not quite human in her blathering" 

Tyhry took one last look at the ugly mansion that was still under construction. Still unable to imagine why anyone would build such a monstrosity in the desert, Tyhry followed Marda inside and was immediately greeted by Rylla. "How interesting!" Rylla reached out with both hands and began playing with Tyhry's amazing nanite-enhanced hair.

Marda told her mother, "Mom, control yourself. Don't scare Tyhry off. I like her." 

Tyhry. Image by Leonardo.

Rylla seemed to only reluctantly pull her fingers out of Tyhry's incredibly soft hair, which Tyhry was putting on full display for Marda by enhancing its appearance with her carefully programmed hair nanites. "Tyhry is such an interesting mixture of her parents! Like mixing silver and bronze and getting gold."

Marda shook her head in dismay. Rylla seemed to be going off the deep end. Marda told Tyhry, "I'm sorry. My mom never learned how to behave."

Rylla told Marda, "I'm cooking your dinner. Don't be so rude unless you want to be eating gruel." Rylla seemed to suddenly realize that Marda was not fully dressed and was, in fact, only wearing panties. Rylla asked Marda, "What happened to your shirt?"

"I was just stepping into the shower when Tyhry arrived."

"Well, put something on. Tyhry will think we're barbarians."

"Why should I have to wear a shirt? It got so hot today! I'm burning up"

Tyhry giggled. "Just wait. It will get even hotter this summer. And don't bother with a shirt. I've been fantasizing about seeing more of you. Well, to be honest... all of you."

Rylla giggled and told Marda, "Well, Tyhry comes by it honestly."

Marda asked, "What does that mean?"

Rylla told Tyhry, "The Henrito hot tub was installed today."

Marda was standing under an air-conditioning vent and trying to cool herself. "We should have put in a cold tub."

Rylla and Zeta. Image by Leonardo.

Rylla giggled. "We only ran the heater a short time. The water in the tub got up to 75 today then Zeta and I simply had to try out the other features of the hot tub. We may have gotten carried away with the soap bubble generator, but otherwise my soak with Zeta was very nice. Why don't you two go try it out before dinner."

Later, when Tyhry and Marda arrived at the dinner table they were both wearing cute little silk robes, but had not bothered with the belts. Their regular clothes had been long since abandoned. Rylla watched Marda and Tyhry eat rather ravenously. Rylla said, "Zeta told me about her special connection to you."

Tyhry and Marda had shared a rather delightful kiss in the hot tub and Tyhry was now certain that she could sense Marda's thoughts when they were touching each other. Tyhry had been warned by Manny that such a thing was possible, if Tyhry ever ran into another telepath. "Not just mom. Your daughter too."

Rylla looked sharply at Marda. "Really?"

"I can't be sure. I feel something for Tyhry, but I would not call it telepathy." Marda lifted one of her hands and rubbed one of her erect nipples with her finger tips.

"You have to learn her mind pattern." Rylla said to Tyhry, "You don't seem surprised by any of this."

Tyhry shrugged and looked at Marda's pink nipples. Tyhry licked her lips and then said, "I have a special relationship with my mom. Sometimes I think she knows my thoughts." 

Manny and Nyrtia.

 Marda said, "It is just like in your father's stories. If he is tryp'At, he probably can read all of our thoughts."

Tyhry asked, "How did you come to be obsessed with my father's science fiction stories?" 

Marda shrugged. "It began three years ago when I started reading his novels. Then I found his website. You know how he invites fans to pretend to be aliens. I asked myself: what if it is not pretending? What if there really are aliens secretly living among the people of Earth?"

Tyhry chuckled. "If you want to get laughed at, try telling Eddy that you believe in space aliens."

Rylla asked Tyhry, "So, are you here to work on a chemistry project or to view my daughter's body?"

Marda made a minimal effort towards covering her little breasts with the fabric of her robe and explained, "Tyhry and I are a team for our term paper project. I want to do something related to global warming."

Rylla told Tyhry, "Marda is obsessed with carbon footprints. Guilt by association."

Tyhry paused her voracious eating. "Guilt?"

Rylla pointed to a photograph of a man that was on the wall. "My former husband was blamed for not preventing a terrible accidental methane release."

Tyhry shrugged. "If it was an accident, why harbor regrets and guilt?"

Marda told Tyhry, "The situation is absurdly frustrating. I'm sure that the technology exists to efficiently reduce atmospheric methane levels."

Tyhry shook her head. "Are you suggesting that such mitigation technology is being suppressed? That's nutty. Who would stand in the way of deploying such technology... if it existed."

"Oh, it exists... I have no doubt about that. I'll know it when I see it, but first you have to look."

"What? I have to look?" There had been a strange idea that Tyhry had seen in Marda's thoughts when they were kissing in the hot tub: that maybe Marda knew about Tyhry's ability to program zeptites. But Tyhry asked, "Look where?"

Marda set down her fork, reached out and placed a hand on Tyhry's arm. "I suspect you already know. Maybe you are like Eddy... prevented from talking about it... prevented from even thinking it is possible. I don't know... yet. That's why I'm here." She waved her other hand at their surroundings. "That's why you are here."

Tyhry was lost in Marda's big brown eyes. Finally she looked at Rylla and said, "I'm glad I'm here. You could teach Anthony a thing or two about cooking. I've fallen for your daughter, but..." Tyhry was now certain that Marda knew about zeptites. Tyhry wondered just how much Rylla knew about events inside Casanay. Trying to learn something useful about Rylla, Tyhry continued, "... I don't know what she's talking about. Do you?"

Rylla shrugged. "I try to stay out of my daughter's business. Similarly, I'll try to stay out of your emotions, but be warned. Marda learned from her father how to use people. I advise you to think twice before giving her your heart."

Marda told her mother, "Mom, don't be so dramatic. Tyhry and I like each other. Really, it is inevitable that we'd feel a mutual attraction, considering the other options available to us here in hicksville USA."

Rylla said, "Please watch your mouth, Marda. You know there actually is a Hicksville."

Marda at lunch. Image generated by Flow.

Marda giggled. "You know what I mean. Tyhry and I had to watch Tim Martin pick his nose in the cafeteria today during lunch."

Rylla rolled her eyes. "You're a primate. You pick your nose, too."

Tyhry said, "But I'm sure that Marda picks her nose with style and grace."

Marda threw up her hands. "Fine. Here in this Mecca of civilization, it was just random chance that brought Tyhry and I together, despite my nose picking. And now, if you will excuse us from the table, we have to start our chemistry project." She popped to her feet.

Rylla told Marda, "You are excused from the table, but not for calling your school mates 'hicks'. They might not be sophisticated world travelers, but you need to respect them as individuals and not paint them with a broad derogatory brush."

Marda whispered, "Yes, ma'am," And departed from the room. 

image source

Tyhry told Rylla, "Thank you for dinner." She pushed away from the table and followed Marda to her room. Marda was at her computer and searching the PubMed database. Tyhry went to Marda's personal bathroom. After emptying her bladder, Tyhry returned and found Marda reading an article titled "New insights into bacterial acquisition of phosphorus in the surface ocean", which had been published in 2009. Tyhry placed a hand on Marda's shoulder and Marda flipped over to another browser window that showed and article titled "Characterization of a major refractory component of marine dissolved organic matter". Tyhry said, "That was what dad proposed in his novel, Battlefield Lipid, converting carbon dioxide into organic molecules that could not be metabolized by Earthly microbes."

Marda turned her chair and pulled Tyhry close so that she was seated on her thighs. "Which is fine for the deep ocean deserts, but not for bio-diverse habitats like reefs. I'd like to ask Eddy his thoughts about photolysis of his imaginary glycolipoxan molecules."

Tyhry suggested, "You can visit us at Casanay any time you like. Eddy would love to meet one of his fans."

"Oh, he already knows me quite well. I've been the most frequent commenter at his blog for the past two years."

Once long ago Tyhry had investigated her father's website, but she had felt uncomfortable and jealous observing the casual intimacy with which Eddy interacted with his fans. Particularly his adoring female fans who seeming had an endless capacity to discuss the fantasy alien sex scenes that Eddy included in his novels. Still, Tyhry occasionally heard Eddy and Zeta discussing his website. "You are 'Nyvad'?

Marda logged in as 'Nyvad'.

Marda opened a window showing Eddy's blog where she was logged in as Nyvad. "I like to use the screen name 'Nyvad' because of its similarity to Nyrtia."

Tyhry commented, "Not many of Eddy's fans volunteer to play the role of a pek in the online forum."

"I don't have anything against the idea of enforcing the Rules of Intervention. I take seriously the idea that technology-wielding apes could cause their own extinction, or short of that, turn Earth into a hellhole." 

Marda now had both of her hands on the soft skin of Tyhry's thighs. Suddenly, Tyhry could "see" a thought in Marda's mind that was made conspicuous by the fact that Marda was trying to hide it. Tyhry asked, "You took my hair?"

Marda giggled and abandoned all hope of hiding things from Tyhry. "I mailed a few strands of your hair off to a lab for DNA sequencing. I need to verify that you are like me: equipped with a rare Notch2NLC gene variant."

"You've had your genome sequenced?"

"Call it a birthday present. Mom floats on an ocean of cash." Marda stroked the soft skin of Tyhry's bottom and was impressed by the fact that all the hair on Tyhry's body seemed magically enhanced and very long, a tryp'At trait that Eddy never seemed to tire of describing in his novels. I'm sure you've had some expensive gifts. How much have you spent on your bike and your computer?"

"Not what it costs to sequence a genome."

Marda shrugged, "Look this is not a competition between us, but I'm starting to sense your thoughts."

Tyhry and Marda. Image by Leonardo.

Tyhry was being driven wild by Marda gentle touch. "With your hands down there, I can guess what you are thinking."

"When you are ready, tell me how deep you are into my mind. I'll find out eventually."

Tyhry got off of Marda and began putting on her clothes. Watching Tyhry dress, Marda commented, "I thought I was the padded bra champion."

Tyhry put on her heavily padded bra. "I need plenty of nipple protection when I ride my bike."

Marda looked out the window at the dark of night. "My mom can drive you home."

"I can get home in the dark." Marda followed Tyhry outside. 

Tyhry got on her bike and Marda kissed Tyhry on the lips. "Be careful."

"I am being careful. I'm not quite ready to tell you everything you want to hear, but I can tell you this. I've fallen in love with you."

Marda mused, "Then you can see my thoughts."

Tyhry drove off down the dark driveway, not bothering to activate the headlight of her bike. The hierion screen that surrounded the bike not only made it hard to be seen while flying but also automatically optimized light levels as seen by the bike's driver. A hundred feet down the driveway, Tyhry activated the bike's flight system and the autopilot flew her home, staying 50 feet above the familiar and well-mapped terrain surrounding Casanay. After reaching a top speed of 120 MPH, Tyhry coasted into the back patio of Casanay. Manny the bumpha was there, waiting for Tyhry in the hot tub. Tyhry took off her helmet and went to the side of the tub and told Manny, "I'm glad you are here. You should know... my cover has been blown."

Manny waved a hand, inviting Tyhry into the water. Tyhry began to undress. Manny assured Tyhry, "I've worked long and hard to get Marda here."

Tyhry climbed into the tub. "So, you told her how to find Casanay." 

Tyhry arrives home.

Manny giggled. "When your father depicts Windwood (the fictional analogue of Casanay) in his novels as being located on Cape Cod, it is never very convincing. I motivated Marda to figure out the truth. It was not that hard... for Marda."

"She's too clever for her own good." 

"True, but I designed you and Marda to be clever for my special purpose, not as a benefit for you."

Tyhry allowed her hair nanites to fully activate and her hair took on the same glistening form as Manny's extravagant nanite-enhanced hair, each strand seeming to twist and float above the water of the hot tub, never getting wet.

"So it is true? What Marda said about me having a special Notch gene variant?"

"Yes, that is crucial for your ability to control your zeptite endosymbiont and use it for telepathy."

"So, she can read my thoughts?"

"Not yet. Marda is still in the process of falling in love with you. She did not really know anything about you until just this week and she does not have the benefit of all your carefully curated Neanderthal gene combinations. You can experience love at first sight... Marda takes longer to emotionally bond. And you don't help yourself any by being an anti-social recluse. Marda is a social creature."

Tyhry had long ago been told by Manny that her mother, Zeta, was half Neanderthal. "Marda sent my hair follicles off to a lab for gene analysis. This could get quite exciting if the world learns there are Neanderthals living in Arizona."

Manny giggled merrily. "Don't fret. I'll personally send Marda the results of your genome sequencing and I'll make sure there are no leaks in that data exchange." 

Manny the bumpha.

"Marda is tryp'At?"

Manny shrugged. "Would you have me tell you things that you can find out for yourself?"

"What about dad? What will happen when Marda gets a look at my genes?"

"You don't have to worry about Eddy. For Marda, the DNA sequencing will just be a form of confirmation of what she's already been told."

"You've been telling her about my family?"

"Well, no. I delegated that task. Marda carries a time-traveling zeptozoan from the future inside her... my secret agent. Deciding how much to tell Marda is a delicate challenge. If Marda is told too much she will lose interest. She's driven by mystery." Manny dissolved into a cloud of zeptites that then slipped back into the Sedron Domain. 

Now alone, Tyhry let the water jets of the hot tub massage her for another five minutes while she thought about Marda touching her where nobody had ever touched her before. Tyhry tried to imagine the full implications of both she and Marda being tryp'At and able to share telepathic mind-linkage. After achieving a heart-pounding orgasm, Tyhry climbed out of the tub, took her bike to the garage and then went to her bedroom suite inside Casanay. She did not pick up from the stone patio her discarded clothing which was nanite generated and evaporated into its component parts that then automatically returned themselves to storage in Tyhry's basement workshop.

End Chapter 2

Related Listening: Call Me. Marda falls in love with Tyhry.

Next: Chapter 3 of "The Hierozyme Intervention".

Images by Leonardo and Flow. Visit the Gallery of Movies, Book and Magazine Covers.