 |
| on Oib |
Betty stood stiffly within the circle of George's arms. She waited patiently for him to relax his hold and look at her face again. While waiting for the bear-hug to end, Betty felt a wave of new infites slip inside her and start adjusting her mind for a new mission. Betty quickly adjusted her facial pattern nanites so as to shift her appearance slightly... away from the facial structure pattern that was favored by Syon. Her new infites informed Betty that this newly-arrived agent used the code name "Parthney": "Parthey" with an "n" added in.
Betty learned from the new infites that Parthney had lived for just a short time on the planet Oib. While there, he received special training provided by the artificial life copy of Trysta who during her second life used the name 'Syon'. None of that was according the the usual protocol for training new Interventionist agents and now it had led to Parthney mis-identifying Betty as Syon. Had Betty been warned, she would have altered her appearance before the teleportation beam activated and thus avoided the confusion that Parthney had experienced upon his arrival. I'm always the last to know.
A message encoded in her new infites whispered to Betty and struck fear into her: Parthney is no ordinary agent. Betty told Parthney, "I am not Syon."
Releasing his hold on her, Parthney now could see small, yet clear, differences between Betty and Syon. During his training on Oib, Parthney had been told that he would work with a robotic assistant while on Earth, but he had not imagined the possibility of a close physical resemblance between this robot and his beloved Syon.
 |
| LaCy |
Gazing intently upon Betty's lovely face, Parthney nodded slowly. "Right. Of course. Silly of me to think that I'd find Syon on Earth." He thought: Still, this robot had felt exactly like the magical Syon, soft and warm in his arms.
Betty watched as Parthney's eyes shifted to her chest and lingered upon the bulges where her breasts pushed forward against her thin frock. Betty looked down and regretted not having shut off her automated program for making her nipples become erect when she was embraced by George. Betty had used many different body patterns while on Earth, each one selected as was appropriate for the demands of every new mission. Betty tried to recall why she had adopted the Syon body pattern back twenty five years ago when she made the transition from being Marie to being Betty, but that memory seemed to have been taken from her. Betty wondered: Might Syon herself soon arrive from Oib and begin living on Earth, using my body?
Parthney finally pulled his eyes away from the pretty sight of the two bumps caused by Betty's erect nipples and looked around the small teleportation chamber. He felt a sense of claustrophobia. With uncertainty in his voice, he asked Betty, "We are on Earth? Where exactly are we?" He had been told that he would materialize inside a large house on Earth, so he was surprised to find himself in a tiny box-like room.
Betty found in her new infites a message from Syon explaining why Parthney had not been well-prepared for his mission on Earth. Syon had taken pains to explicitly warn Betty: Don't expect very much from Parthney... his mission is simple and he did not need much training.
 |
| An Earth Overseer |
Betty said, "Yes, you are on Earth." She asked, "Why did you arrive here from Klyz?"
Parthney explained, "I just spent a month on Klyz learning about Fru'wu advanced technologies. I was equipped with some special Fru'wu nanites and then sent on here."
Betty did not care to take the risk that Parthney might not fully understand basic facts about the situation on Earth and the dangers that all Interventionists faced. She carefully explained to Parthney the concept that any teleportation equipment on Earth had to be well-hidden from the natives. Only after providing him with that mini-lecture did Betty send the "door open" signal, take hold of Parthney's hand and lead him out of the teleportation chamber. Then, while she carefully sealed up the chamber once again, she explained, "The Earthlings must never enter this hidden room. If one does, the teleportation equipment will self-destruct and we will be trapped here on this world, unable to return to the Core."
Parthney was surprised that such an irreversible reaction might be triggered so easily. He asked, "Would an Earthling even be able to activate the teleportation equipment?"
Betty answered his question with a question, "Who knows?" Betty knew that while it was her job to control the teleportation equipment, it was possible to provide a human with a set of the control nanites that could activate the teleportation sequence. Feeling a wave of sickly horror at the idea of someone as ignorant as Parthney having the power to run a teleporter, she muttered quietly, "Strange things can happen when nanites are involved."
Together, they slowly strolled a distance down the Grand Hallway, the walls of which were covered by dozens of paintings and photographs of the Parthey clan, including the many Interventionists who had lived in the Mansion. Parthney stopped in front of a picture of George Parthey that had been taken by Betty twenty years previously. Betty gestured towards the image, "There you are George, as you looked when you were a young man. Of course, that was when your predecessor was stationed here... the previous agent who worked here with me."
Betty shifted her gaze to another nearby photograph, this one showing a young woman who George had once courted and even brought into the Mansion to live for several years. Betty said, "Sometimes, what appears to be an innocent Earthling turns out to be a meddling Overseer in disguise." Betty tipped her head in the direction of the woman's photograph on the wall and asked, "Do you think you could recognize an Overseer if you encountered one?"
Parthney pulled his eyes away from the photographic image of George Parthney and he glanced at Betty and shrugged. He could see that she was staring intently at one of the pictures on the wall.
 |
| on Klyz |
Parthney followed Betty's gaze to a picture on the wall and looked with interest at that image of the young woman and felt a tingling sensation, a partial recognition. He thought of Hai'zek, the Fru'wu. Parthney had just spent a month on Klyz, interacting with the alien Fru'wu who lived on that planet of the Galactic Core. Strangely, Hai'zek, who Parthney had worked closely with while he was learning about nanotechnology, was somehow now brought to his mind. Parthney wondered: How could a pretty Earth girl remind me of the hideous Fru'wu? Parthney thought about the wings and snake-like orange skin of Hai'zek... thons spidery fingers... He told himself: Actually, Hai'zek spent more time arguing about the correct way to pronounce English words than teaching me about nanites. Hai'zek had been the one Fru'wu on Klyz who could speak English at all well.
Parthney pushed away the disturbing memories of Hai'zek's alien body, turned his head and gazed upon the refreshingly human face of Betty, so like that of his beloved Syon. He replied to her question, "During my training I was equipped with special nanites that scan the environment and that can detect Overseers and automatically inactivate their movements."
Betty was amused by Parthney's confidence and naiveté. She laughed at him and then said, "And after thousands of years battling us, don't you imagine that the Overseers have learned to evade our detector probes and protect themselves from our paralysis-inducing femtobots?"
Hearing Betty's laughter ring out, sounding so similar to Syon's own musical laugh, Parthney started to wonder if he could fully trust everything he had learned from Syon. Having served for so long on Earth, Betty was the true expert on Earthly affairs. While at the Lendhalen training center on Oib, he'd developed a high level of confidence that his mission to Earth would be quickly and easily accomplished, but what if conditions had changed on this world in ways that Syon could not even imagine? Nervously he asked Betty, "Do you mean we could be captured by Overseers at any time, unable to defend ourselves?" He pointed at the photograph that Betty had indicated and asked, "She was an Overseer who infiltrated this base of operations?"
 |
| Leymaygn and Vozgrow at the Lendhalen training center on Oib. |
Betty felt silly having to explain fundamental concepts to a fellow Interventionist Agent. Parthney had a confused look on his face. She took a deep breath and produced a another long, loud sigh. Betty pointed to the image of the woman and replied, "No, she was an ordinary Earthling, but how can you recognize an Overseer? Overseers can morph their bodies into human form. Of course, we do all we can to protect ourselves. We hope that we can defend ourselves against Overseers, but it is not uncommon for Interventionist agents to be captured and imprisoned by the Overseers... held in captivity at Observer Base." Betty felt a wave of terror sweep through her as she thought about the possibility of being captured and imprisoned. "Our defenses have never been perfect. The destruct protocol built into this house exists just in case an Overseer becomes aware of the teleporter's existence. An Overseer could use our own teleporter system to trace back to Lendhalen and compromise our entire operation on Oib. Now that you beamed in from Klyz, our own teleportation records could link us to the Fru'wu. Of course, an additional goal of the self-destruct sequence, beyond destroying the teleporter itself, would be an attempt to also destroy the Overseer."
Parthney shook his head. "I hope you need not be so worried about the Overseers. Syon told me that she had arranged to get help from the Fru'wu: advanced nanite technology that will help us deal with the dangers posed by Earth's Overseers."
Betty searched through her new batch of infites, but found no message from Syon with information about the Fru'wu. She asked Parthney, "Exactly what kind of help?"
He replied, "I gladly accepted Syon's statement that I would be safe on Earth. I did not ask for details."
Betty complained, "Well, that does me no good. How can I take care of you if I'm not kept informed?" Betty started wondering if Parthney carried a new kind of nanite prosthetic in his body... a new defense system that could efficiently shield him from Overseers. Betty asked herself: Would Syon have sent such a poorly trained and incompetent agent as this to Earth without some kind of special protection?
 |
| In the Ekcolir Reality. original cover art by Howard Brown |
Parthney shrugged and spoke with confidence, "Listen, Betty, I don't expect to be here long enough to meet any Overseers. All I need to do is locate one girl, Hana, then she and I can both return to Oib."
Betty quickly found the dossier on Hana that was contained within her new set of infites. She saw that Parthney's mission was to teleport Hana off of Earth. Poor Hana, an innocent Earthling, had become entangled in a bizarre genetic experiment and her knowledge of the alien presence on Earth represented a new threat to Lili's plans for Earth's future.
Betty and Parthney had reached the Central Rotunda at the heart of the Mansion. Betty asked, "Would you like a tour of the house?"
Parthney nodded. "Yes, but let's start with the kitchen. Things have been so hectic today that I have not yet really had a chance to sit down and eat. Before leaving Klyz, I was too nervous and excited to eat much." He patted his abdomen. "I feel like my new body has also not eaten today."
Betty led Parthney to the kitchen and he commented on the furnishings of the house, "So these are the Earthly 'antiques' that I have heard so much about." His finger tips rested upon the smooth and glossy surface of an antique porcelain pitcher that sat on a little side table, but his eyes were fixed upon Betty's body.
Betty rapped her knuckles on the big kitchen table. "Real wood, hand-carved. This table has been here in this room for over a hundred and fifty years." She gestured towards the modern kitchen appliances that were set into the wall within brick-framed nooks. "The original kitchen had giant brick ovens, so not everything has survived the renovations." She pulled open the door to the large walk-in pantry. Betty glanced at Parthney and feeling his eyes following her movements, she said, "I, myself have served here at this station for over a century, so yes, you can call me an antique, too, if you are rude." Parthney smiled and turned to look at the big kitchen sink.
Betty entered the pantry and took a bottle of cooking oil off of a shelf and called to Parthney, "What would you like for breakfast, George?"
Parthney was looking around the kitchen and was distracted by the many new sights and smells. He failed to respond to Betty's question. He reached into a bowl of fruit on the counter and picked up a large blackberry. Never having seen a blackberry before, he sniffed it and then popped it into his mouth. The flavors of the berry exploded on his tongue.
Betty said, "If you are hungry, George, I'll be happy to prepare a meal, but I don't care to guess what you want to eat." Trying to attract his attention, she repeated his name, "George?"
Parthney knew that he was now playing the role of George Parthey, but it would take some time for him to grow accustomed to being addressed by his new name. Parthney was reaching out to grab another blackberry, but he turned to look into the pantry. Betty tossed the little bottle of oil to him. He caught the plastic bottle and shrugged. Parthney said, "I can eat anything. Do you have a favorite meal that you like to prepare?" He patted the firm and flat surface of his abdomen and wondered how long it would take to put on some pounds and modify this new body towards the more rotund shape that he was used to. He set the oil on the counter and grabbed a handful of the berries.
 |
| Viewing the future: Parthney meets Thomas. |
Betty had lived for decades with the previous version of George, a man who took pride in keeping his borrowed body in good shape. Well, so be it. Not every Interventionist can be a responsible individual. She told Parthney, "Since you are now in Vermont, I think you should have a hearty breakfast of pancakes with maple syrup." She carried a big jar of flour out of the pantry.
While Betty cooked, she explained to Parthney about maple trees and how to process tree sap into syrup. "There is an old fashioned sugarhouse nearby, on the Bragg farm. We can head over there today... a visit to the farm would be a great way to introduce you to Earth and to Earthlings and start getting you familiar with the area."
Betty and Parthney sat across from each other at the big kitchen table. Betty sipped a cup of tea while Parthney worked his way towards the bottom of a stack of pancakes, smothering them in an ocean of syrup which he poured from an antique pitcher. Betty had cooked some berries into the pancakes and Parthney enjoyed his meal. Responding to a question from Parthney, Betty described the origins of the fine silver and hand-painted dishware that they were using. She mentioned the names of several now dead members of the Parthey clan, but Parthney apparently did not recognize their names. In Betty's experience, new agents were trained to be able to discuss their ancestors... but Parthney seemed to be an emergency patch being put on an unforeseen problem.
Parthney was not close to emptying his plate, but he found himself feeling overly full. He set down his fork, having eaten only about half of the giant stack of pancakes that Betty had set before him. He drained his glass of milk and said, "I'm ready to head out, if you are. I'm eager to explore Earth!"
Betty put the pitcher of milk back into the cold box and loaded his dishes into the dishwasher. Turning away from the dish-washing machine and back towards Parthney, she said, "The only other thing on your calendar for today is your job." For a moment, Betty enjoyed the look of dismay on Parthney's face.
In a hollow voice Parthney asked, "Job?"
Parthney tried to imagine how such volunteer work fit into an Interventionist mission. He asked, "Whatever for?"
Betty took hold of Parthney's hand and led him upstairs to the room that would now be his bedroom. Betty had her own bedroom down the hall, but she had not used it for more than a decade, not since the Master had invited her to live with him like an honored concubine, sleeping each night in the Master's bed. It had taken them almost fifteen years to slowly mature their working relationship into a passionate and loving relationship. When they finally reached that point, it was a mutual decision that they both wanted to live together more like a married couple than Master and assistant. Betty looked upon the big old bed, stacked high with feather-stuffed layers of mattress.
Comfortable thoughts of the past bubbled up in Betty's mind. She pushed away the sweet memories of the many years spent in this bed with George and she finally replied to Parthney's question, "The volunteer work of your predecessor was a good opportunity for him to have a place within the local community. Your predecessor worked hard to monitor the changing attitudes of Earthlings. Much has changed, in a few short years, ever since the gift of advanced Fru'wu technology arrived on Earth." By such monitoring, George had become aware of unanticipated changes in human attitudes following the recent revolution in artificial intelligence technology on Earth. So alarming were these changes that he had teleported back to the Galactic Core to give a complete report on the problem to Lili.
Even if his time on Oib had been brief, Parthney had been warned by Syon to avoid attracting Overseer attention. Parthney told Betty, "It seems like the safest strategy for an Interventionist agent is to avoid unnecessary contact with Earthlings whenever possible." Parthney picked up a small framed picture from the little table beside the bed.
Betty watched as Parthney looked intently at the photograph. It was the same girl he had seen in the picture below, in the photo-gallery of the downstairs hallway: the girl who had become George's first Earthling lover, so many years ago. Betty had never been able to convince George to discard that photo or at least move it out of their shared bedroom.
Betty told Parthney, "In times past, this was a very busy house, full of children, with many visits from cousins, aunts and uncles... Then the decision was made to phase out Interventionist operations on Earth. In recent decades, this house has been almost empty. Your predecessor invited a couple of outsiders to live here for short periods."
Parthney suggested, "With the arrival of the Fru'wu, Earthlings are now free to learn about aliens and they will eventually understand how beings from other worlds have long shaped the history of Earth. According to Syon, the old struggle between Interventionists and Overseers is gradually coming to an end, or shifting into some new system of cooperative checks and balances. Maybe we really don't need to worry about Overseers anymore. Maybe my predecessor knew this, so he began mingling more freely with Earthlings."
Judging from Parthney's words and the content of her new infites, Betty suspected that Parthney had never been told about one of the usual functions of Interventionist agents: inserting useful gene combinations into Earth's gene pool. However, there was this interesting warning from Syon to Betty in the new infites: My prediction is that within 24 hours Parthney will try to drag you into his bed. He has three interests in life... music, eating, and screwing, not necessarily in that order of priority.
Parthney set down the first photograph and picked up the second one from the table. This was a picture of Betty. Parthney asked slyly, "Does this mean that George enjoys threesomes?"
 |
| George and Keziah at Parthey Mansion |
Parthney grinned. "You did not answer my question."
Betty sighed. "Parthney, please don't concern yourself with the sexual activities and preferences of your predecessor. If you want to engage in sexplay with multiple partners, that is your choice. The people of Earth enjoy a wide range of sexual practices and they like to experiment with the joys of love. In the long run, most people eventually learn that monogamy has some clear advantages."
Betty pulled a set of clothing out of the closet and said, "You better wear these warmer clothes to the farm. It is a bit chilly outside today. This is good weather for getting the sap flowing, so it should be the perfect day for us to visit the sugarhouse." Parthney began pulling off the light-weight garments he had worn while on Klyz and Betty hurried out the door. She went downstairs and used the comunit to send a signal to the garage, ordering out the car.
Parthney came down the stairs, almost dressed and complaining to Betty. "How do Earthlings get through life wearing such scratchy and binding clothing?"
Betty showed him how to use the belt and the zipper of his pants. "You'll get used to it. Your predecessor even learned how to shave." Betty had to quickly unbutton Parthney's shirt and re-button it in order to get the buttons correctly aligned with their holes.
Parthney asked, "Shave what?"
Betty handed Parthney a jacket and led him by the hand out the front door. "Most Earth men shave their facial hair. If you don't want to be bothered shaving, this house is equipped with nanites that will automatically cut your hair, just like you are used to."
Parthney was vaguely aware of the fact that Earthlings did not have access to basic technologies such as personal care nanites. He knew several songs from Earth that mentioned shaving, but he'd never really thought about the implications of using metal blades to cut hair. It was true: on every world where Parthney had lived before coming to Earth (Hemmal, Oib and Klyz) there had been automated nanites that had removed the hair from his face.
 |
| West side entrance for Parthey Mansion. |
As they settled into their seats, Betty asked, "How do you plan to approach Hana?"
The car automatically started moving and Parthney looked out the window and watched the gray forested hills for a minute, noting the presence of some remaining patches of snow. When they reached high speed on a steep hill, Parthney reflexively grabbed for support and found himself holding onto Betty's arm. Betty asked, "Have you ever ridden in a car before?"
"No."
Betty patted his hand. After a moment, Parthney relaxed his grip and Betty repeated the question that she had asked before, "What is your plan for making contact with Hana and getting her off this planet?"
Parthney had assume that his assistant would take care of all the pesky little details during his mission on Earth. He suggested to Betty, "Maybe we do not have to go visit Hana. Can't you just program the teleporter to pull Hana out of her house, bring her directly here?"
Betty was disappointed, but not surprised, that Parthney had apparently given no serious thought to the problem of how to accomplish his mission. She replied, "Due to the unusual nature of her child, it seems likely that Hana has already come to the attention of the Overseers. It is now a race: will the Overseers take her off of Earth before we do? Apparently the Overseers are still trying to account for Hilde and her alien genes, so they have not acted yet. Depending on Overseer plans, we may or may not need to hurry, but we are certainly going to be careful. At a minimum we need to devise and implement a believable cause of death for Hana and also have a plan in place to deal with her orphaned daughter, Hilde."
Parthney thought briefly about his own newborn child back on Oib. He said, "Yes, her daughter... Hilde. The obvious solution to that problem is for you to adopt Hilde."
Betty gasped. "What?"
Parthney explained, "You are going to have to take care of the little girl after I take Hana back to Oib. Syon suggested that you move to Alaska and take on a new identity as Hilde's adoptive mother."
Betty repeated, "Suggested." That simply was not how to run an Interventionist mission. She quickly scanned deeper down into the new infites that outlined Parthney's mission. She reviewed the details that were provided concerning Hilde, discovering that she was a clone, the result of an experiment carried out by one of Lili's descendants on Earth, Peter. For an Earthling, Hilde had an unusual brain and she had been diagnosed as being severely delayed in her cognitive development. However, that was a misdiagnosis. With her high concentration of Asterothrope and Kac'hin genes, Hilde simply would not progress through the usual human childhood stages of cognitive development. Betty noticed that Parthney was pale and was sweating. She adjusted the heating system and asked Parthney, "On what pretext could I arrange to adopt Hilde?"
Parthney suggested, "Well, I'm thinking more in terms of a kidnapping. Why should we involve the authorities?"
Betty thought about it: Why not make it appear that both Hana and Hilde died in some horrible accident? And why Alaska? Might it be possible to raise Hilde at the Parthey Mansion without attracting attention? Betty wondered: Why was it so important to keep this child on Earth? Why not send her to the galactic core where she could be properly raised and avoid endless harassment by Overseers? Her infites told her nothing about Hilde's future on Earth.
Betty said, "We don't want to attract Overseer attention. Using point-to-point teleportation with a free end here on Earth takes much energy, is tricky to control and it is easy for Overseers to detect such high energy teleportation events. It is only really safe for us to use the teleportation equipment in Parthey Mansion for low energy transmissions of hierions from one teleportation pad to another pad. Rather than try to use free-end teleportation, we'll need to travel down to Quaben by conventional means and bring Hana back here so that she can be teleported to the Galactic Core using the fixed-end teleportation equipment at the house. Sending a hadronic biobody through to Oib will be a relatively high energy transmission, but we can risk it, particularly if the conditions are right." During solar storms, it became impossible for the Overseers to trace teleportation signals to their source. Betty began to imagine that it would become necessary to hold Hana as a prisoner at Parthey Mansion until there was a solar storm strong enough to hide her teleportation to the Core.
 |
| map shown on Betty's D-ket display |
As they wound their way through the hills, Parthney began asking questions about the layout of the local towns and the highways. Betty tried to explain to him the meaning of Earthly concepts like "city road" and "state highway". "According to the infites that you passed on to me, Hana lives in Quaben, in a suburb of New Amsterdam. We'll drive down the Interstate... it will not take long to go that far." Betty activated her D-ket display and showed Parthney a map of Vermont and Quaben.
Parthney glanced at the map and said, "I see... we take highway 123 south."
Betty corrected him, "That's Interstate Highway 23, I23."
Parthney closed his eyes and leaned his head against the window for a minute. Without bothering to open his eyes, in a pained voice he complained, "I thought a state was a nation. Are you saying that New England is several states?"
Betty was still trying to provide Parthney with an understanding of the word "state" when the self-driving car parked them in the visitors lot at Bragg farm. Betty was concerned by Parthney's odd appearance and his sweating. She turned off the heating system in the car and sent medical nanite probes into Parthney. Betty pointed to the smoke rising from the sugarhouse, "See the smoke? They have the evaporation trays running." The medical probes returned a diagnosis to Betty indicating that he was suffering from motion sickness.
They got out of the car and Parthney promptly vomited up his pancakes, splattering some on the side of the car. Betty assigned some of her nanites to the task of quickly cleaning up the mess. She grabbed his arm and asked him, "Do you need to sit down?"
Parthney pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped his mouth. He smiled and shook his head. "I feel much better now."
Betty explained, "You are very susceptible to motion sickness. Now that I know that, I can have my medical nanites blunt that response of your nervous system." The medical nanites gave Betty another report: the indigestible molecules that she had put in Parthney's food had also aggravated the problem by disrupting his digestive system.
Parthney said brightly, "Now, show me these marvelous maple trees that produce the syrup."
Out of the car and on his feet, Parthney had no further trouble with his motion sickness. Together they spent a couple of hours hiking the hills of the farm where the maple trees were now gushing out enough sap to keep the sugarhouse running at peak production. The tree sap ran through plastic tubes downhill to the sugarhouse which was strategically located in a valley.
The wind was gusting and when he swayed, his foot dislodged a clump of moss from the top of the boulder. He almost tumbled off the boulder and would have fallen down the steep slope below, but Betty instantly put an arm around Parthney's waist to steady him and said, "That's a lake. We can't see the ocean from here."
He squeezed her tight with his own arm and gazed into her face, smiling.
Betty added, "And remember, I'm Betty."
Parthney chuckled. "Sorry. When I look at you, when I hear your voice, I think 'Syon'."
Betty said, "I know Parthney... and I'm still getting used to it being you inside George Parthey's body." Seeing nobody nearby, she used some of her nanites to make a small telescope and handed it to Parthney. "Look far to the north: that's Lake Champlain. With the telescope you should be able to see the skyscrapers of Burlington."
While looking through the telescope, Parthney asked, "Champlain is a French name, isn't it?"
Betty nodded. "When this part of the continent was settled by Europeans, nobody much cared about the border. French and English settlers alike mostly adopted the ways of the natives and the land was treated like a community resource. Everything changed during the Civil War. France sided with the Southern States, so the North declared war on New France. Lake Champlain was captured from New France, expanding the size of Vermont. After the war, there was an effort to change the name of the lake to 'Tekonta', but I suppose it will always be Lake Champlain. After that horrible war ended, things began to return to normal. The border with New France is now an almost meaningless line on maps; there are no boarder crossing checkpoints anymore. These days, the people of Earth have more important things to do than bicker over borders."
When he was done using the telescope, Parthney handed it to Betty. The nanite components of the telescope dissolved and merged back into Betty's body. They climbed off the boulder and made their way back down the hill.
Parthney said, "I was told that Interventionists are forbidden to use nanites on Earth."
Betty laughed. "We Interventionists are in the business of breaking laws. My body is composed of nanites, and I've managed to live on Earth and avoid the Overseers for thousands of years. The trick is not doing anything silly with nanites... nothing that would attract the attention of Overseers."
Wyonna said, "Yes, and I suppose I'll stay here and keep the farm under family ownership. I'm the only child and I'll inherit... if I can convince daddy that I'm worthy. Otherwise, me old mucker will sell out to one of the bouncy cooperatives."
Betty completed her payment and started putting her purchased items into two bags so that the bottles of syrup would be easier to carry.
As he had during the entire tour of the sugarhouse, Parthney was still raking Wyonna's curvy body up and down with his eyes and he said, "So, you are a farmer's daughter."
Wyonna laughed, "I hope you are not going to tell me one of those silly old jokes!"
Parthney innocently asked, "What jokes?"
Wyonna replied with a giggle, "Racy farmer's daughter jokes."
Parthney said, "Have you heard the one about the whiskey salesman who stopped by a farmhouse on a hot summer day?"
Before Wyonna could reply, Betty brought her bags over and handed one to George. She said, "Hold on, George, I've got a better joke..." Betty asked Wyonna, "Why couldn't the sugar farmer go to church with his two daughters?"
Wyonna smiled at Betty. She had heard the joke before. She replied, "Because they were always raising cane."
Betty took hold of George's arm and quickly guided him out of the sugarhouse before he could tell his joke. Passing through the front door, Parthney glanced over his shoulder and said to Wyonna, "Thank you for the tour."
They crossed the little gravel parking lot and returned to their car. Parthney asked, "Can you explain that joke? I don't get it."
 |
| In the Ekcolir Reality. Original cover art by Robert Jones |
Betty shrugged and loaded the bags into the car. "There was a minor Persian cult figure named 'Cain', a kind of devil figure. That Cain is spelled 'c', 'a', 'i', 'n'. If a youngster gets into mischief, people say that is 'raising Cain'. In the joke, cane sugar and 'Cain' are mixed up."
Parthney said, "I've never understood what a church is. On Hemmal, I grew up singing several classic songs about churches, but I don't understand what they are."
Betty sighed. "That's okay. A church is a kind of temple that is found in western Persia."
Parthney said, "That joke of yours is not the kind of farmer's daughter joke that I heard from Syon." They got into the car.
Betty nodded. "I met Syon before I came to Earth... back then she was quite a hell raiser... not afraid to raise Cain or get up the hackles of the Overseers." The car began navigating itself out of the parking lot.
Glancing back at the sugarhouse, Parthney said, "Quaint, but the whole operation seems very inefficient." His feet were hurting, so he took off his shoes. "And these shoes don't fit my feet!"
Betty explained, "Some things on Earth exist only by momentum and tradition. These days, there are a few Earthlings who are not happy with the effects of rapid technology changes... they cling to the old ways of doing things." She pulled off Parthney's socks, which he had not put on correctly. Now he had a blister on each foot. She sent some medical nanites into the blisters and then pulled his socks back onto his feet. "Look, George. Do you see how to correctly orient them? They are knitted with a heel." Betty then had to explain to Parthney what "knitting" was.
Parthney said, "I've sung songs that mention knitting, but I never knew what they were talking about." He sang:
Sweet harmony I sought
and attained it with his key.
We knit our truelove knot
then named her Abbilee.
He put his shoes back on and complained, "I suppose these are made of leather. Dead animal skin!"
Betty shook her head, "These shoes are part plastic and the soles are some sort of composite material."
Parthney lamented the loss of his easy way of life in the Galactic Core, "Less than one day, and already I miss clothing nanites." He had lived his entire life in the presence of special nanites with the ability to automatically produced clothing that grew around its wearer as needed.
Betty expressed no sympathy. "You have been spoiled by nanites. You are going to have to learn to live like an Earthling."
Parthney looked out the window at the passing forest and muttered, "I won't be around here long enough for that."
For a time they rode in silence, then Parthney picked up one of the jugs of syrup and began looking at the printed label. He started to chuckle.
Betty asked, "What's so funny?"
Parthney glanced at Betty then looked back at the label. He replied quietly, "I was just thinking about a joke that Syon told me." He remained silent, with a grin on his face.
Betty asked, "The whiskey salesman joke? So, tell it to me. I've not heard it. Syon must have learned it in..." Betty did not finish her sentence. She was about to say 'in some past Reality', but she decided not to speak about time travel. Parthney remained silent. She jabbed an elbow into his side. "Tell me the joke. It can't be that bad."
Parthney shook his head. "It took Syon ten minutes to explain it to me and I'm not sure I can really remember it now. It was about a farmer's daughter who worked as a potter. It involved a tired salesman who came to the farm and asked to stay the night, but I still don't really understand money and the idea of selling things. And who knows what 'whiskey' is?"
Betty gave a small groan. "Okay, I get the idea. Parthney, here are some words of free advice: if you are chatting with a cute woman and your mind goes blank, don't start telling her the first crude joke that pops into your head."
"I won't."
Betty said, "You will. You are like a small boy who can't control his impulses. Look, George, I like stupid jokes, but some people are quick to take offense, so until you better understand Earth and people's sensitivities, just let your attempts at humor go unspoken."
Parthney shrugged. "Okay, I'll try not to embarrass you in public."
Betty shook her head in dismay. "Don't embarrass yourself. You were going to tell Wyonna your stupid jug joke while ogling her breasts. Not cool."
Parthney chuckled. "I suspect she would have been amused, but you cut in with your joke." He changed the subject. "Anyhow, I had some difficulty understanding Wyonna. She does not speak like you."
Betty explained, "Wyonna speaks with a very exaggerated Green Mountain accent."
Parthney asked, "What did she mean by 'mucker' and 'bouncy' cooperative?"
"In mountain speak, 'old mucker' means her father, Mr. Bragg. A 'bouncy' person is obsessed with money and profit... someone like Wyonna uses the term in a derogatory way to refer to a 'city slicker'." Betty had to explain the meaning of 'city slicker' to Parthney.
"People travel to Vermont from big cities like New Amsterdam and they want to be entertained. Wyonna's accent is part of the show that she puts on for the tourists, just like her fake breasts." Betty then had to tell Parthney about breast implants.
Still reading the fine print in the maple syrup label, Parthney started asking questions such as "What is GMO?" Finally, when all his questions had been answered, he set down the jug and looked out the window of the car. Parthney's stomach let out a serious growl and he asked, "So, what is the plan? More pancakes for lunch?"
Betty had been expecting Parthney to get hungry again. They had walked five or six miles over the hills and through the forest, enjoying glimpses of dear, turkeys and an occasional lady slipper. In addition to that exertion, Parthney had not been able to keep his breakfast down. She had already ordered the car to take them to a nearby restaurant. She warned Parthney, "You will be recognized at the restaurant I'm taking you to. Remember, you are now George Parthey, long-time resident of Vermont."
Parthney said, "Right. You better do most of the talking. I'm not sure that my nanite voice prosthetic is actually creating a convincing New England accent. When I was on Klyz, Hai'zek did nothing but criticize my English skills."
Betty asked, "Hayzeck?"
"A Fru'wu named Hai'zek. My alien trainer for this mission."
Betty suggested, "I think your voice is fine... you sound just like George. However, speak with a gruff voice. I'll tell people that you have a sore throat."
Parthney knew nothing about diseases. He asked Betty, "Sore throat?"
Betty unsuccessfully tried to explain the idea of a virus to Parthney. She wondered: why wasn't he properly trained? At the very least he should have been warned about the danger of viral diseases. It makes no sense to send someone this ignorant to Earth.
The car turned off the highway and into a parking lot next to a building. Parthney saw a sign on the building that said: Jeena's Etruscan Reconceptualizations. Betty took Parthney by the hand, led him inside and to a dimly lit booth in a corner of the diner, but they were not ignored.
Things went as expected inside the restaurant. They had to speak to half a dozen people who recognized Betty and George by sight. Betty did most of the talking and they were greeted by Jeena as soon as they sat down. After an exchange of greetings, Jeena asked Betty, "Is your Book Club meeting this afternoon?"
Betty explained, "No, the club meeting is scheduled for next week."
"That's right!" Jeena gave Parthney long puzzled stare. "Good to see you, George."
Parthney spoke in a gravely voice, "I'm glad to be here."
Betty explained to Jeena, "George has been under the weather."
Jenna placed her hand on Parthney's forehead then ran her fingers through his hair. "You sound terrible, but you look nice, George, as usual." She leaned over and kissed Betty on the cheek. "You always smell so wonderful, Betty! Today you seem smokey and mysterious." Jenna turned then walked away, but then turned her head to take another look back at Parthney. She said, "Enjoy your meal!" and went back to her work in the kitchen.
Betty muttered to Parthney, "She noticed your altered appearance. The teleporter routine modified the program of your facial nanites, making you appear younger. Jeena could see that your appearance as George is altered. I suppose she will assume that you got a facelift."
Parthney commented, "She was acting strangely."
"Jeena has long suspected that we are living together as man and wife." Betty gave one of her deep sighs. "She can't restrain herself from poking around in everyone's private affairs. When she first came to town, I suspected that Jeena might be an Observer, stationed here to spy on George."
Several patrons of the restaurant came over to say hello and speak with Betty and George.
Mostly there was small talk and brief greetings, but George was asked, "I thought you were leaving town... going on vacation?"
Betty replied for Parthney, "When he came down with this nasty cold, George delayed the trip."
"Well, if you are so sick, you should be at home!"
Finally they were left alone and they had time to order lunch. The table top functioned as a menu. Parthney looked at the images of the various foods that were available and did not recognize most of them. He asked Betty, "What do you usually eat here?"
 |
| Jeena's Etruscan Reconceptualizations |
Parthney said, "Very well, I'd like to try the etrurioid."
"There are many sub-types of etrurioid, with different breads, sauces, fillings and so on... and they come in different sizes. Most of my Book Club friends order a six inch etrurioid, but if you are willing to allow me to order for you then we can do what George and I have done in the past when we are here together: get a foot-long etrurioid and share it." Betty placed their order and knowing that Parthney was hungry, she ordered a standard and popular type of etrurioid that would quickly reach their table.
Parthney was vaguely aware of the meaning of 'vacation', but he asked Betty, "Are we going on vacation?"
Betty chuckled. "Of course not. We have work to do. The Overseers might be getting ready to take Hana to Observer Base, so we can't delay our trip to Quaben for too long. When we are out of town, what harm would be done if your friends think that you are on vacation?"
"I see." Betty had seated herself next to Parthney on one of the bench seats of their booth. Under the table, Parthney took hold of Betty's hand and asked, "Is this a date?"
Betty laughed. "The locals have long been puzzled by my relationship with George. We've always refrained from public displays of affection."
Parthney squeezed her hand affectionately, "I see. We need to get to know each other. So far, you seem like Syon's sister, her twin. It is easy for me to like you, but it seems like you are constantly annoyed with me."
"I'm not comfortable working with a poorly trained agent. It seems like you were rushed to Earth without good preparation and now we are going to be forced to improvise." Betty added, "That talk about going on vacation was just something George made up... trying to prepare the locals for his planned exit from Earth. We had no idea that you would arrive until shortly before you teleported in. I was preparing to terminate all Interventionist operations at Parthney Mansion."
Their giant etrurioid arrived at the table, brought by one of the serving boys. Betty used a knife to cut the long sandwich and she set half on a plate in front of Parthney. He hungrily began to eat, but Betty simply watched him and talked about Earthly foods. "Jeena borrows food from cultures that are scattered all over the planet and pretends that she is giving them an Etruscan interpretation. Really, I think that just means that she adapts them into a form that she enjoys and hopes that her customers approve. This place is always busy, so she is doing something right."
Eventually, Parthney ate the entire sandwich, after which he said, "I hope you don't think I'm rude. I was very hungry."
Betty signaled a serving boy to clear away their plates. "This worked out perfectly. I figured you would be extra hungry and expected you to eat more than half the sandwich. You're a big man with a big appetite."
They left the restaurant and returned to the car. Betty pressed a button on the control panel that was pre-set for their next destination.
Now out of the restaurant, and out of possible hearing range of Earthlings, Parthney was eager to talk some more about their Interventionist mission. He asked, "So, you got no warning that I was coming? When I was training on Oib, as soon as the decision was made to send me here, they should have warned you that I was on my way to Earth. Syon told me that everything would be ready for me here when I arrived."
 |
| Viewing the future |
What could she say? Betty wondered: Could this all have been foreseen? She was vaguely aware that a technology existed for Viewing the future. She'd learned that from stray comments made by several of the Interventionist agents that she had assisted. But who had access to the technology for Viewing future events? Apparently Syon and the other Interventionists at Oib were not among those who could look into the future. It seemed like they had been caught by surprise and were now scrambling to make corrections to the timeline, using Parthney as their tool. Betty lamely said, "There always seems to be a reason for the way missions are conducted. I usually don't ask questions... I just do my job."
Parthney laughed loudly. "But you are annoyed: you don't understand how you can do your job under current conditions."
Betty was glad that he recognized the source of her annoyance. She shrugged. "I know that sometimes an agent like me must be kept ignorant. If I knew too much, I might create a problem and cause the mission to fail."
"I understand your predicament. How can you do your job when you are stumbling around in the dark?"
She smiled and took hold of his hand, "Well, wait and see, George. I do some of my best work in the dark."
Parthney smiled back at Betty and squeezed her hand, "I hope I don't have to wait too long for a hands-on demonstration."
Betty wondered what she should say to Parthney. Almost a year earlier she had received a Priority Message from the Core saying that the Interventionist agents such the Thomas clones who had long been deployed were going to be phased out. Under the terms of the Trysta-Grean Pact, secret alien-derived technologies like Betty herself were no longer going to be tolerated on Earth. She had been expecting orders to depart from Earth, and hoping to get the chance to meet Thomas before she had to return to the Core. But now, unexpectedly, here was Parthney, the poorest trained agent that Betty had ever known. Was he even aware of the existence of time travel technology and Reality Changes? Betty was still searching through the set of infites that Syon had sent to her with information about Parthney and their shared mission. What Betty feared most was the possibility that she was being kept ignorant because she would soon be imprisoned at Observer Base and interrogated by Overseers. Before she could figure out what to say to him, Parthney asked, "Where are we going now... back to our base?"
Betty advised him, "Don't let anyone hear you talking about our base of operations. We all call it Parthey Mansion." She let go of his hand and used her nanites to again assemble a D-ket display. "I'm taking you to the Scientarium campus. We'll get there a little early. Maybe we can get you a few minutes to prepare for your job before the swarm of children descends upon you." Betty handed him the D-ket display and let him read about the Scientarium.
Parthney read from the little flexible display device for a while. He muttered, "I was not told anything about this aspect of our mission." He read about the science enrichment program for children at the Scientarium then he asked Betty, "What am I expected to do?"
 |
| Civil War in the Ekcolir Reality. |
Parthney shrugged. "Well, look now... I'm not going to be here very long. Do I actually have to become George? What does driving a bus have to do with Hana and my mission?"
Betty rather impatiently snapped, "You are George Parthey!" She asked herself: Why am I getting upset with this dufus? Betty squeezed Parthney's hand and in a more gentle voice she continued, "It is not very complicated. George has become locally famous by writing some popular science articles about new Fru'wu technologies and how they have impacted human culture. The local school children who are interested in science appreciate his -your- enthusiasm for new technology."
"I see. Well, you can't expect me to be explaining Fru'wu technology to the people of Earth, even children. I never studied science... I take nanotechnology for granted, like air to breath."
Betty had never previously worked with an agent who seemed to wallow in ignorance. She snapped, "I don't expect you to explain anything!"
Parthney said, "I'm sorry that I don't meet your expectations, Betty. I suppose my predecessor was a scientific wizard. Well, that is not who I am. You can't expect me to be the old George."
Betty patted his hand. "Just be nice to the kids and everything will go fine this afternoon. I'm feeling a bit irked because with your sudden arrival on Earth, I was not able to be adequately prepared. I could have easily avoided wasting your time at the Scientarium." Betty regretted having agreed to help at the Scientarium and now it might amplify her error if she allowed Parthney to interact with dozens of Earthlings who he was not prepared to be with. Was it a mistake to think that Parthney could do this simple job? Something in the misty recesses of her mind whispered: Maybe there is a perfectly good reason for Parthney to take this bus ride today. Betty tapped the side of his head, "I'll be linked to you through our comsystem, so listen to the advice I give you." She tested her ability to send messages directly into Parthney's mind by technology-assisted telepathy. Do you hear me now?
Parthney had been trained in the use of technology-assisted telepathic links. He replied, "Yes, we are connected... I hear you just fine." He squeezed Betty's hand and glanced at her speculatively from the corner of his eyes.
Betty tapped the side of his head with her finger tip. "Send me a message. No speaking!"
Parthney sent her: You are cute when you nag me.
Betty grinned. She recognized that there was a kind of raw sensuality that hung about Parthney like a cloud. He reminded her of a clumsy puppy. She pulled her hand back, away from Parthney. Betty said rather nervously, "I should warn you about something, Parthney. Some of the kids who will soon be getting on the bus with you are rather infatuated with George."
"What do you mean?"
 |
| source |
"I'm not human, so don't ask me to explain the psychology of it. However, I see in the infites that I received from Syon... well, apparently as a musician on Hemmal you have experience dealing with groupies."
Parthney's grin widened. "That is one of the perks of being in a band."
Betty warned him, "Well, you are no longer in a band. Your job is to drive a bus and escort school children back to their homes from the Scientarium. George has a rule: no personal relationships with the locals until after they go off to college, but some of the local school girls don't like to be told to wait."
Parthney asked, "College?"
Betty spent some time explaining the education system of Earth, but with no formal schooling past the age of seven, Parthney got confused over all the various levels of education and school types on Earth. Finally Betty said, "Just get the kids safely home to their parents. I'll be monitoring remotely and following behind your bus in the car, just in case you get into any trouble. You are supposed to be a comforting adult presence for the children... entertain the kids during their boring bus ride then we'll go back home. Tell them about clothing nanites if you like... pretend they are a new Fru'wu technology that will soon be available on Earth."
They had reached the Scientarium and the car parked itself in front of the administration and support staff wing of the main building. Betty led Parthney to the office of Dr. Semina.
 |
| Dr. Semina |
As soon as Dr. Semina saw George she sprang forward and threw her arms around his shoulders. She kissed him and said, "Thank goodness."
Betty explained to the chief administrator, "George had a sudden cancellation in his schedule, so he is available this afternoon."
Mika gushed, "Wonderful! We really missed having you with us yesterday, George. It is crazy how hard it has become for us to attract employees and volunteers. We are terribly under-staffed... as are most schools these days." Batting her long eye lashes at George, she added, "Of course, we would never really be able to replace you." Mika finally let go of Parthney and nodded to Betty.
He said, "I'm happy to serve in any way I can... as long as I have time."
Through the years that Dr. Semina had worked with George, he'd grown increasingly gloomy about the course of technological change, but now he seemed brighter and was smiling happily for a change. Mika reached out and laid a hand on George's cheek. "My, you look well rested and..." She shifted her hand and touched her own face, "Men are so lucky... growing more handsome with age. All I get with the passage of years are more students to educate and deepening crows feet."
Mika was the first actual Earth woman who had touched Parthney and he was intrigued by her stately beauty. He was tempted to quote an ancient poem about the Etruscan goddess of beauty, but Parthney simply laughed and gave a half bow towards Mika. "Like Turan, you are the embodiment of womanly beauty, Dr. Semina."
Charmed by being compared to the love goddess, Mika began flirting with Parthney and Betty was forced to rudely clear her throat. "Dr. Semina, we do have a busy schedule. Perhaps....
Mika gave Betty a scathing glance to express her pique, but she turned away from George and picked an object up off of her desk. The administrator handed Parthney an electronic key fob. "Your route is now up to 26 students, so I've got you using the old 650XK."
Betty and Parthney went out to the parking lot that was behind the Scientarium. Betty told Parthney, "Really, you don't have to start making goo-goo eyes at every woman you meet."
"Sorry, but I was caught off guard. She looked familiar somehow."
Betty explained, "In a way, she's related to you, as are several people who live in this part of Vermont. You were probably feeling a subconscious telepathic linkage to Dr. Semina. Don't let such distractions make you look silly. Both of you should be mindful of maintaining a professional working relationship, particularly with young children nearby."
Parthney laughed and was about to suggest to Betty that she seemed jealous, but instead he said, "Maybe I don't understand the standards of professionalism that exist on Earth. It seemed to me that Dr. Semina was dressed to draw attention to her body, particularly her breasts."
Betty explained, "In this culture, women in positions of authority are expected to publicly celebrate their womanhood. Did you notice the picture of her boss there in Mika's office?"
Parthney grinned broadly, "Yes, the lady with her nipples showing. Even the abstract painting on the wall was constructed around a big breast."
"That woman in the picture is the president of the Scientarium Cooperative, a world-wide operation with thousands of branches. There is a saying: the higher the salary the lower the neckline. A CEO is expected to be something of an exhibitionist in this culture."
They had reached the 650XK bus and Betty activated the door. Parthney got in and started up the artificial intelligence control system by placing his hands on the dataspaq. Betty said, "Remember, I'll be nearby." She returned to the car. The self-driving bus went around to the front of the building and joined the line of waiting buses and vans.
Waiting inside the bus, Parthney was startled when music started to play through the speaker system. It was an abstract jangling type of music that had become popular with kids since the arrival of alien Fru'wu on Earth. Betty could sense Parthney's confusion. She sent him a message via their technology assisted telepathy link: If you don't like the music, just try to ignore it. You can order the bus to turn down the volume.
Parthney tried to make sense of the complex and seemingly random patterns in the music. Using the display screen of the bus, he reviewed the route that would be taken to deliver the 26 students to their homes. Ten minutes later the children started streaming out of the Scientarium and getting into the assembled cars, vans and buses. Some parents were there with family cars to collect their own children and a few kids walked to their nearby homes. A few of they oldest children got into cars and drove themselves home.
Parthney found that the children of the Scientarium ranged in age from age 8 to 18 and those who got into the old 650XK were happy to see that George was back with them as their "driver". Cries of "We missed you!" and "Don't leave us!" and "Tell us a story!" rang out. Several of the students threw their arms around Parthney's neck and kissed his cheek before going to sit down.
When all were aboard, the robotic bus closed its door and set off down the road. The children started singing a song:
Power up the Fru'wu drive,
see the red sun set.
Leaving Earth's fair shore,
let me go home!
Let me go home!
I want to go home.
Why don't you let me go home?
I feel so Fru'wu
I call Reahand my home.
The two stanzas were repeated again and then one of the older students shouted out, "Tell us a Fru'wu story, George."
Parthney told the children a story about clothing nanites and how they would soon revolutionize the wearing of clothes. He made up some nonsense about Fru'wu nanite technology, Parthney himself being totally ignorant of how the Fru'wu actually programmed nanites and turned them into useful forms of nanotechnology. At the end of the story he was asked several questions by the curious students. Again, Parthney creatively answered with whatever popped into his head, which was a garbled account of what he had managed to learn about nanites while in training on Oib and Klyz.
 |
| From the archives of the Writers Block. |
After that, the kids quieted down and the music coming from the speakers was the loudest thing on the bus. One of the older students had seated herself right behind Parthney and now she said, "I can't believe you are abandoning us." There was only a low guard rail separating her seat from the driver's compartment at the front of the bus. She asked, "Where are you moving to?"
Parthney turned in his seat and looked at the girl. As "driver" there was really nothing for him to do; the bus drove itself quite well. He asked, "Moving?"
With its heating system now running, the bus was warming up and the girl slowly unzipped her jacket, glancing up quickly to see if Parthney was looking at her chest. "That's what Dr. Semina told us... that you are going out of town."
"Well, yes, I may go away some day, but 'going' does not always mean 'moving away for ever'. The girl stretched out one of her long graceful legs and rubbed the toe of her shoe against the back of Parthney's right calf. He explained, "Right now I'm just trying to get out of town for a little vacation."
The girl said, "Fun!" She'd kicked off her shoe and was now wiggling her big toe up Parthney's pant leg from the cuff.
Looking at the girl's short pointy nose and her large sparkling eyes, Parthney was reminded of the hermaphroditic Buld who he had grown up among on Hemmal. He wondered: Could there be Buld gene combinations here on Earth?
She asked, "Where to?"
Parthney was intrigued and distracted by the way that the girl was pushing her toe into his pants and he found it a bit of a challenge to pay attention to her words. After his many years of fantasizing about Earth women, he discovered that he was quite sensitive to being touched by them. He could not stop himself from thinking about the anatomical differences that made human women distinct from Buld hermaphrodites.
A vacation? He knew quite a few Earthly place names from old songs, but he had lived for so long in Hemmal's replica of the Sierras that he automatically replied, "Kings Canyon."
The girl said, "California? How nice! I'll be there next fall... at Berkley studying particle physics and hierions." She sat up straight, opened her backpack and pulled out the printed letter of acceptance she had recently received from Berkley. She handed Parthney the letter. "I've been awarded a full scholarship!"
Parthney glanced at the letter. He had no idea what the girl meant by 'full scholarship'. He muttered in a rather bland voice, "That's wonderful." Parthney rubbed his sweaty forehead: he was again starting to feel some motion sickness. Or was physical contact with this cute Earth girl making him feel warm?
Ignoring his seeming lack of interest in the news of her scholarship award, she gushed, "Are you planning to move to California, George? You can tell me. I won't tell anyone else!"
The bus slowed to a stop and let off a passenger; a blonde girl who hugged Parthney on her way off. She told him, "Good night, George!" She turned back to blow him a kiss off of her hand as she stepped out of the bus.
After the blonde turned and waved to Parthney, the other girl who had been playing footsies with Parthney complained, "Ignore Mary. She's such an immature freshman."
Parthney had no idea what a 'freshman' was. He replied to the older girl's question, "I like the mountains of California, but I would not be happy living in a large city..., ah..."
Betty told Parthney the girl's name: Her name is Tatum.
Parthney said, "Tatum."
Tatum said, "George, you know I like it when you call me Tay."
Parthney grinned and said, "Oh-Tay."
Tatum giggled, "I never hear you pun before, George." She took back her letter and tucked it away. She undid the top two buttons of her blouse and said, "It really got warm today. I love heat. I can't wait for summer. And I can't wait until those clothing nanites become available. Just think, they could be programmed to just fade away whenever you start getting too warm." She fluttered her hand in front of her chest, pretending to fan herself, but actually she was trying to make Parthney look at her body.
Betty told Parthney: Stop undressing her with you eyes. She's just a little girl.
Parthney objected: Little? Her breasts are just as cute as yours, Betty.
Parthney told Tatum a funny story about some malfunctioning clothing nanites he had seen on Hemmal (he didn't make the mistake of mentioning the name 'Hemmal' again). Part way through the story he began to describe the unique anatomy of the Buld, but Betty sent him another warning: Don't go there. Earthlings don't know anything about the Buld. Parthney cut the story short.
Tatum laughed at the story and said, "I suppose all new technologies have bugs, but I bet you could trick people by creatively programming the nanites to do weird things."
The bus slowed again and a group of three students came forward. One said to Parthney, "Good to have you back with us, Mr. Parthey."
The bus stopped and two students jumped off. The third said to Parthney, "Good night. See you tomorrow!"
Parthney said, "Don't count on me being here. I'm trying to get out of town for a vacation."
Tatum said, "Move along, Pamela, you are holding things up."
Pamela told Tatum, "Yes, Mrs. Kidwell." She waved to Parthney, turned and with a provocative swing of her hips slowly stepped off the bus.
The bus again moved off down the street. Parthney asked, "Did she just call you 'Mrs.'?
Tatum shrugged, "Yesterday, with you gone, I was in charge. When I start bossing the kids around they tease me by calling me Mrs. Kidwell. I don't mind. I'd love to become as accomplished and respected as mom."
Tatum prattled for the rest of the bus ride, talking about her plans for the future and the science courses she planed to enroll in when at Berkley. The very last stop on the bus route was at Tatum's house, a big colonial style house at the end of a long driveway. The bus slowed, turned off the street and passed a large mailbox with "Kidwell" painted on its side. When the bus stopped in front of her house, Tay undid her shoulder restraint, got up from her seat and threw Parthney's jacket over the camera lens that recorded events inside of the bus. She plopped down in Parthney's lap, put her arms around him and kissed him on the lips. When Parthney just sat there rather woodenly, Tatum pulled back, looked into his eyes and asked, "What's wrong, dear?"
Betty told Parthney: Send her in the house to her parents.
Parthney asked Tay, "You aren't worried that your mother will see you kissing me?"
Tatum giggled and replied, "Don't worry; Mom's a fan of yours, too. In fact, I think she really likes you. But my parents are out of town... at a conference in New Amsterdam. And I'm excited about getting a full scholarship. You and I should do something special to celebrate! I only applied to Berkley because you suggested that I do so. Now I'm very grateful for your good advice. Without it, I'd probably be freezing in Montreal for the next four years."
Parthney suggested, "Best you go, now." Tatum seemed not to hear his words and began nibbling on his ear lobe. Parthney said, "Tell me, Tay, did your parents ask you to behave like a responsible adult while they were away?"
Tatum rested her head on his shoulder and whispered in Parthney's ear, "When I'm with you I feel very adult. We have a special connection, George. I know you feel it too!"
Parthney took hold of her delicate waist with both of his large hands, lifted her off his lap and stood her on her feet. "I do feel attracted to you, Tay, but I drove you home and now you need to go... maybe you should celebrate by taking a cold shower."
Tatum pouted her lips and asked, "Why are you suddenly being mean? I thought you liked me! Have you forgotten your promise?"
Parthney sent a telepathic request for information to Betty: What promise?
Betty sent another message to Parthney: Get rid of her now or I'll come throw her off the bus. She's being silly.
Parthney replied to Tatum's question indirectly, "Please don't forget, Tay, I'm old enough to be your father. You really should be chasing boys who are your age." He got up out of his seat, grabbed her jacket and bag off her seat then pulled her by the hand off of the bus. Parthney led Tatum along the walkway towards the front door of her house. "I do like you, Tay, but I have important travel commitments in the near future and as much as we might like to, I really can't be exploring a relationship with you. If you are really going to grow up, then you have to finish high school and get yourself off to college, not be fooling around with an old man like me."
Tatum signaled her front door open and pulled Parthney inside. She put her arms around him and said, "Kings Canyon! That sounds wonderful! I could meet you there and we can share a vacation together." She locked her lips onto his once again.
They heard someone coming up the front steps to the door. It was Betty. Parthney pulled himself away from Tatum, caught his breath and said, "I have to go, Tay. Good night." Parthney nodded to Betty, stepped through the doorway and walked back to the bus.
Now close to Tatum, Betty looked at the girl's pretty and somewhat flushed face and was reminded of another Earthling named Abigail and events from the past when Betty had worked out of Parthey Mansion as the assistant of a past Interventionist agent known locally as William Parthey. Back then, Betty had a different identity and physical appearance and called herself Marie. In her various guises, Betty had known Tatum's family for almost a hundred years. Tatum was the grand-daughter of William Parthey and Betty knew that Tatum carried a large dose of alien genes inherited from William. Of course, at that time when William impregnated Tatum's grandmother (Abigail), the Thomas clone who had been code named 'Partheky' was on Earth, using the body of William. Partheky's infites had used their sophisticated genecrafting capabilities to make sure that Abigail's daughter, Lori, had a genome packed with some special Asterothrope genes.
Betty pushed away her old memories, put an arm around the girl's shoulders and asked, "Tell me Tay-tay, exactly what was it that George promised you... about the future?"
Tatum asked, "Did he tell you about that?" A dozen emotions flickered across Tatum's face and illuminated her sparkling eyes. Betty waited patiently and Tatum replied sheepishly, "He said that he'll try to find time to visit me after I get to Berkley."
Betty nodded. "I'm glad you remember that. All he said was that he would try. I'm sure you are clever enough to realize that he was just being polite in returning your affection. Really girl, you might be happiest if you just forget about George. Think about all the interesting people you will meet when you start college... and I mean young exciting people, not old geezers like George." Betty patted Tatum's shoulder, turned away and stepped outside.
Tatum said, "There was something different about George today... he looked more alive and he looked more at me. I got excited when mention his trip to California... I imagined that he might be making plans... giving me an invitation."
Betty turned back towards the girl and said, "Listen, Tay, George sometimes does not think, particularly when a pretty girl is smiling at him. You put him on the spot with your question about his vacation destination and he gave you an answer. Then it blew up in his face!" Betty reached out and took hold of Tatum's hand. "In my experience, love is like science: we all must try not to jump to unwarranted conclusions... the one you love might not be able to return your love... for all sorts of reasons. Okay? Now, here is the situation... George and I will be going out of town soon, on business. George's business... which you need not stick your pretty little nose into." Betty gently kissed the tip of Tatum's nose.
Tatum said, "You're spooky, Betty." She now looked at Betty with curiosity, wondering how she knew what had happened on the bus and why Betty had followed the bus to her house. Tatum asked, "What's up... do you spy on George all the time?"
Tatum nodded. "I'm his assistant and I watch out for George's interests. Let this be a lesson to you. Even Dr. Semina could have been listening in on your conversation with George. You were sitting right in front of the surveillance camera inside the bus while you flirted with him. Think, and take care."
Tatum hugged Betty. "Thanks for the advice." She waved to Parthney who was waiting near the bus. "Anyhow, I don't think I miss-read George when we were on the bus. He was sweating and undressing me with his eyes. I'd never seen him like that before."
Betty didn't have to patience to tell Tatum about Parthney's motion sickness. Betty looked into the house and wondered if one of Tatum's parents was nearby. She buttoned up the top two buttons of Tatum's shirt and said, "You have a beautiful body, Tay-tay, and you were doing your best to get George to look at you. If you are going to play with fire, be prepared to see a few men go up in flames."
Tatum giggled, "I was feeling rather proud of myself for getting him all hot and bothered."
Betty shook her head and said, "Say hello to your parents for me. Oh, and tell your mom that I might miss the next meeting of the Book Club. George and I may be out of town then."
Tatum said, "Okay, I'll let her know, but she won't be back in town for another couple of days," and added, "Sorry I made you jealous," and she closed the front door of her house.
Betty stared briefly at the closed door: Jealous? I'm not jealous! She turned and walked slowly down the walkway towards the bus. She asked herself: So what if Parthney is sweet like a puppy? That does not mean I'd fall in love with him his first day on Earth! She reached the bus and told Parthney, "We can let it return by itself to the Scientarium. We'll take the car home." She pulled her jacket off of the hood of the bus where she had placed it, covering the lens of the external television camera that was aimed towards Tatum's house. Parthney stepped into the bus and grabbed his jacket then he went to the car and climbed in. Betty sent the bus away and joined Parthney inside the car.
As the car drove them up the driveway and back to the street, Betty spoke quietly to Parthney, "Sorry I freaked out." A moment later she asked, "What did you think you were doing, going inside with her?"
Parthney shrugged, "Sorry I got carried away, but I thought you wanted me to explain things to the girl's parents." He chuckled and added, "Anyhow, I felt certain that she wanted me inside."
Betty gave a loud sigh. "Think, Parthney, think. This is Earth. You are here for a reason; you are on a mission. Don't mess things up by rushing inside the first woman who smiles at you."
"She did more than smile... Tay was aggressively flirting with me during the whole bus ride. And somehow, I felt like there was an instant connection between Tatum and I."
Betty nodded. "That is something you have to expect on Earth. Tatum has a big load of alien genes and almost certainly you two share a strong telepathic link via subconscious twitino-mediated telepathy. That could give the two of you an almost instantaneous rapport. That kind of connection is probably why Tatum became infatuated with George in the first place. With her genome, she'd feel an attraction to any Thomas clone."
Parthney reflected on his training at Oib with Syon. He ran a finger over his lips. "I was startled by her kisses... that was the first time I had a woman's tongue in my mouth. Now I understand why Syon warned me about the Earthly obsession with kissing. And now that I think about it, Syon did mention that human tongues are larger than Buld tongues."
Betty tried to explain, "Like the Prelands, the Buld were designed as a human subspecies that does not eat solid food, so the size of their tongue is reduced, making it almost impossible for a Buld to insert its tongue into someone else's mouth. Parthney, you'll learn that in this culture there are many reasons for people to kiss each other. Unlike on Hemmal, on Earth many kisses are innocent social gestures, not an invitation to slip into bed and start rubbing genitalia together."
Parthney shrugged, "Well, maybe I miss-read the signals from Tatum."
Betty suggested, "Don't take anything that Tatum does too seriously. For her it is a game."
Parthney asked quietly, "Game?"
Betty nodded. "The alpha female game."
Parthney had never heard the term "alpha female". He asked, "What is that?"
Betty explained more, "Tatum was the oldest girl on the bus and the one assigned by Dr. Semina to be the bus monitor. So she sat in the front passenger seat, right behind you, and played the game."
"I still don't know what you mean by 'game'."
"As the oldest girl there, Tatum was trying to make sure that you talked to her and that she monopolized your time and attentions. She has played this game with George for the past six months. She would have lost face if you had paid attention to one of the younger girls."
Parthney observed, "That's a silly game."
"Yes, it is, but it is deeply ingrained into Western civilization. It goes back at least to the Etruscans, thousands of years ago. Society here in Vermont, and New England as a whole, is particularly matriarchal and little girls like Tatum are supposed to show off their skill for captivating men and getting them to do anything that she asks them to do."
Parthney asked, "She was just acting? Playing a role in a game?" He thought back to his own acting roles on Hemmal, playing parts in the classical epics. Parthney said, "I'm sure things are different on Earth than they are on Hemmal, but it sure seemed like she was ready to-"
Betty interrupted him. "Even if she was, that does not mean that you..." Betty paused and tried to think of something she could say that would be meaningful to Parthney. "I know you grew up on a world where the Buld freely share their bodies and live to have fun, but you are not here on Earth to have fun and boink every hot little tater tot who rubs tongues with you. Little girls think they are being adult and sophisticated when they sneak their tongue into someone's mouth. Usually they are content to practice that on each-other, but Tatum is technically an adult within this society and she's in a hurry to grow up even more. She's caught in the awkward period of transitioning out of her parent's home into her adult life living on her own. It does not help that she's had a crush on George for years."
Parthney asked, "Boink?"
Betty made a fist and hit Parthney on the head. "Boink. You don't need to hit on every girl who flirts with you."
Parthney grinned. "Syon told me many stories about Earth. She warned me that Earth women get jealous. Don't be jealous, Betty."
Betty crossed her arms and laughed. She said, "First of all, Parthney, I'm not an Earthling. Second, I'm not a woman."
Parthney said, "I understand that you are not a biological creature... you're artificial, just like Syon."
"I'm not exactly like Syon. Remember, she was born... she lived for hundreds of years as a woman before her mind was shifted into an artificial body. I was manufactured; I'm a device, a machine... I only pretend to be human."
"I call 'em the way I see 'em." Parthney offered his considered opinion, "Your body may be artificial, but I still think you got jealous."
"I'm not jealous. I don't care if you and Tatum were..." She paused. "Look, Parthney, I suppose I have long been jealous of the fact that George took seriously his duty to spread useful new gene combinations into the gene pool of this world. Anyhow, that wasn't unique to George. All of your clone brothers have seemed to delight in screwing Earth women during their time on this world."
"Well, then what's the problem?" Parthney wondered what it was like for Betty to be equipped with a telepathic link into the minds of all the agents that she worked with, allowing her -no, forcing her- to watch every time that they flirted with an Earth woman. But wasn't she programmed to do that? Hadn't Betty been living through that sort of thing for thousands of years? Parthney remembered the infites that Betty was to have received from Syon. He asked, "Did Syon send you a personal message, did she promise you that you'd be the first Earthling who I boink?"
Betty giggled. "Don't be ridiculous, Parthney. I'm sure you long ago taught Syon that she can't control where you stick your penis. That's what she tried to warn me about: that you enjoy sex and don't restrain yourself from playing love games with any woman who smiles at you."
Parthney nodded, "Well, I grew up on Hemmal, where erotic play is even taught to kids in school. Here, on Earth, the school kids learn math and science and it is not surprising that they boil over with sexual desires." He thought for a moment about Tatum's aggressiveness. He looked into Betty's eyes and speculated about the size of her tongue. "So, Betty... I suppose you've been boinking George Parthey for years. Does that make you too good for Parthney?"
"You're being silly. This has nothing to do with who boinks who or in what order. If this is confusing you then get it over with and boink me right now."
Parthney laughed. "I'd be happy to!" He reached out and started unbuttoning her blouse. Then he stopped. "But don't you think we'd be more comfortable back at Parthey Mansion, in that big soft bed?" He looked out the window into the gathering darkness of evening. "Let's eat first. I'm ready for dinner."
Betty laughed. "Syon warned me that all you care about is food, sex and music."
Parthney observed, "As far as I can tell, many Earthlings are not any different. Several of the kids on the bus were flirting with me, not just Tatum. It seemed like there was a party atmosphere on the bus. Although, I can't begin to understand the music here, I think it even effected my mood. Somehow, the kids on the bus seemed to enjoy the music... maybe a little too much."
Betty explained, "Literature, painting, music... many aspects of Western culture have been systematically sexualized for centuries. Girls on Earth, well, at least in Western society, are taught to be assertive. If they like a guy, they tell him. If the guy smiles back, then the flirting begins. That can go on for years before things get very serious and they become lovers. As I told you, it is a social game. Don't interpret an Earth-girl's flirtation as an invitation to sex."
For a minute Parthney watched the colored sky of his first Earthly sunset, comparing it to sunsets on his home world of Hemmal. He asked Betty, "Why can't I talk about worlds like Hemmal? It is my understanding that some writers on Earth have started publishing books about how aliens have guided human evolution and the development of human society."
Betty giggled. "Sadly, most of those books about aliens have been laughed at and treated as if they were science fiction stories. Almost all Earthlings only care about the Fru'wu, for the very good reason that it is the Fru'wu who are openly here on Earth. Most Earthlings have never heard of Hemmal and other aliens such as the pek and Nereids. If you tell people here in Vermont about Hemmal then it is likely that only listening Observers and the Overseers would be interested and take you seriously. Believe me, you don't want to put yourself in the position of explaining to an Overseer why you know so much about Hemmal."
Parthney asked, "Did you hear that song the kids were singing? About the Fru'wu?"
Betty nodded, "There is now a special program for taking Earthlings to Reahand, the Fru'wu home planet. Millions of kids have applied for the program. Only a few are selected to go; there just is not much room for passengers an the Fru'wu spaceships."
Parthney recalled his own unease at the prospect of leaving Hemmal. "It seems odd that so many would want to go. To leave their homes on Earth. Are they not happy at home?"
Betty replied. "It is the happy, well educated and confident kids who want to visit Reahand. The science fiction genre has done a great job of depicting space travel as an exciting adventure." Betty buttoned up her shirt. "That girl Keziah, the pretty one that lived with George in the Mansion for a time... she was selected to go to Reahand. She was an extremely talented science student, intrigued by alien technology. She wanted nothing more than to see the Fru'wu home world."
For the rest of the car ride home, they had enchanting glimpses of the red sunset through the trees. A half-moon was already in the sky. Betty activated the car's sound system and played some music by Nadine Young.
There's a full moon rising
Hear the star music playing
I've watched you from afar
I love you with all my heart
Betty said, "This is the good music, from two decades ago."
Parthney commented, "Yes, before the Fru'wu arrived. I like this music better than the new stuff."
While they rode home through the gathering darkness, Betty described one of the most popular science fiction movies and its fictionalized depictions of other worlds like Reahand.
Parthney asked, "Are Tatum's parents scientists? She mentioned that they are at a conference."
Betty replied, "They are neuroscientists." She performed a quick internet search and told Parthney, "The world Congress of Clinical Neuroscience is meeting in New Amsterdam this week." She searched through the list of speakers. "Tatum's mom is giving a talk tomorrow, the title is 'Cognitive Delay Syndrome: an Extreme Case'. She handed Parthney her D-ket display. "George, look at the listed authors on the abstract!"
 |
| Tatum and Dr. Semina. |
Betty added, "And we'll be there, too. We can drive to New Amsterdam in the morning." She said softly, "I've always wanted to meet Thomas." Betty realized that there had been a reason for Parthney to drive the bus. Betty sometimes wondered if she was a puppet, her nanite-powered mind linked into the sedronic domain and her behavior guided and controlled by unseen puppeteers. At many times during her artificial life, everything at the end of a complex sequence of seemingly random events seemed to suddenly fall into place, meshing together with perfection. Now, even Tatum's silly flirtation with Parthney seemed to have a purpose and appeared to be part of a plan.
Continue to Part 3 of "Earth: Day 1"
 |
| visit the Gallery of Book and Magazine Covers |
No comments:
Post a Comment