Fain Child

In the Ekcolir Reality,
New York was founded in Virginia.

Here (below) is the second installment of Terminus Planet. In the first part of the story, Isaac Asimov met Ariel and Marcia, two fellow students in his creative writing course. Ariel claims to have had visions of aliens who have long visited Earth.

Asimov wonders how his rather mundane science fiction stories can possibly compete against the fanatical convictions of UFO cult members. Clearly the wise path towards a stable career for Isaac lies in science research, not fiction writing.
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5. Visions of the Fru'wu (read parts 1 - 4 here)

in the Hierion Domain

Asimov looked at Ariel and it seemed to him as if her face was hard set in defiance of all doubters. She had knowledge of space aliens that came from beyond the domain that is inhabited by mere mortals.

Asimov was well aware that a whole cult had grown up around the idea that aliens with advanced technology were on their way to Earth and were soon to arrive. Some believers had a religious-like enthusiasm for the idea. Marcia was seated beside Asimov and she rested a hand on his leg. She told Isaac, "Relax, I'm not a UFO believer, either."

Asimov shook his head. "Maybe I'm just not lucky. I've lived in New York my whole life. I seldom see a star through the city lights and I've never seen a UFO."

in the Ekcolir Reality

Ariel said, "My mother is one of the many people who have had visions of the Fru'wu. If I'm a nut, I must have rolled some distance from the tree. So far, I've only had visions of the fain."

Asimov reflected on his own visions of artificial lifeforms and robots that seemed almost like memories from a previous life. He asked Ariel, "You have these visions when you sleep and dream?"

Ariel explained, "Maybe 'vision' is not the right word. It is more like a memory. I remember the fain."

Asimov nodded sympathetically. He suggested, "Maybe aliens use telepathy to reach us from across vast interstellar distances."

Ariel shook her head. "The fain can travel quickly to Earth from the Andromeda galaxy... the trip only takes two years. They've long been visiting this world."

Marcia had an interest in telepathy. Sometimes she felt like she could see into the thoughts of other people. She told Asimov, "Maybe there is something like the positrons in your story that can carry telepathic signals. Some kind of radiation phenomenon that scientists have not yet discovered."

Ariel said, "The Futuria members who report being in contact with the Fru'wu speak of strange particles called hierions."

Asimov sighed. "Sadly, I've never had telepathic contact with anyone, let alone aliens." He thought about the flashbulb like vision of Marcia he'd had earlier that evening. He placed his hand over that of Marcia and said to her, "Although, a short time ago, I imagined that I could see you... it was a flash of near vision... I saw you with a book."

Marcia giggled and said, "I'll take this as solid proof that you are a fellow nerd. Most young men tell me that they have dream visions of me naked and in their bed." She asked, "What book?"

Isaac & Raysel in the Ekcolir Reality

Asimov shook his head. "There was a galaxy on the cover. I guess I was just thinking about the fain from Andromeda. And sex with Neanderthals." In 'The Code of the Fain', the aliens arrived on Earth in the far past and took some Neanderthals away from their hunting grounds near the Ural mountains. Asimov commented, "I've never heard of any Neanderthal remains being found in Siberia."

Ariel shrugged. "I thought it would be cute to have some remnant of the visiting aliens that could be discovered, something frozen in permafrost." Most of the story took place in the Andromeda galaxy, but the implication was that 20th century humans on Earth were related to the human-fain hybrids of Andromeda. At the end of the story, one of the hybrids arrived on Earth and began a secret mission. The fain/human agent was not recognized by the Earthlings as being of alien origin.

Asimov gently squeezed Marcia's hand and voiced another qualm about the story, "There is no good evidence that you and I are descendants of Neanderthals."

Ariel asked, "What do you mean? Everyone says that we had cave-dwelling ape men as our ancestors."

Asimov winced. He did not want to try to convince Ariel that Neanderthals were just a variety of human and one that might have been a separate branch of the family tree, a branch not leading to modern humans. "The Neanderthals might have all died out during the last ice age without leaving any descendants on Earth. Your story is fun... suggesting that remnants of the Neanderthals live on in another galaxy."

Ariel said angrily, "That's not the point of the story at all!"

Marcia admitted, "Asimov is right. His interpretation is suggested by the story." She told Isaac, "But our goal in writing the story was to suggest the idea that aliens can trick us. And by extension, maybe the fanatics in Futuria should think twice about what could happen when aliens come to Earth."

The Ekcolir Reality

Ariel complained, "People like my mother are hopeless. They won't even try to imagine how contact with space aliens might cause problems for Earth."

Marcia said, "I doubt if anything can be done to change the minds of the true believers."A cold shiver spread through her body. Marcia muttered quietly, "Not until something terrible happens... some techno-catastrophe."

Asimov felt a twinge of doubt about his own story, 'Callisto', in which he depicted his alien artificial lifeforms waiting patiently for Humanity to develop advanced technology. Would such watching aliens be content to only watch? "I guess my preference if for optimistic tales about first contact with alien visitors. I despise alien invasion stories."

For a time they discussed alien invasion stories that had been made into movies and then their journey across the boroughs was done. They arrived a half hour late for the Futuria meeting and so they had missed the brief business part of meeting. Upon entering into the house, Isaac asked Ariel, "Can I use the phone?" She pointed towards the kitchen and he tried calling his lab partner's home number, but she was not in.

Most of the evening at the Adler mansion was little more than a relaxing party for many of the guests. Asimov followed the sound of laughter down a flight of steps and came to an indoor swimming pool which connected to an even larger pool in the backyard. Asimov went to join a group that was lounging by the pool. After a warm summer day and some scattered thunder showers, the sky was now clearing. By the pool, the talk was easy and some of the party guests were roasting hot dogs and marshmallows at a fire pit to one side of the pool.

Asimov settled into a chair beside the pool. That evening he met several well-known writers and entertainment figures. Several times he wondered what had become of Marcia, but he was having such interesting conversations that he never went searching in the house. About midnight, the crowd began to thin.

It was late and Asimov was thinking about the chemistry class he had at 8:00 AM. He was also feeling guilty for having ditched his lab partner.

Returning inside the house, he tried calling his lab partner again by phone and was now concerned that she apparently had not yet returned home at this late hour. Or, maybe she was angry and did not want to speak to him. Wondering what had happened to Ariel and Marcia, he searched through the first floor of the Adler house then sat on a sofa near the front door trying to imagine a better course of action than returning to campus alone.

Marcia came down the broad curving stairway from the second floor and sat down next to Asimov. She leaned her body against Asimov and asked, "Where have you been hiding? I needed your support against the UFO nuts."

"I was out by the pool chatting with a group of writers."

Marcia slumped against Isaac, her eyes drooping. "You are lucky to have slipped outside. I got a stern sermon from Ariel's parents about the true religion of the Fru'wu."

"Ug. I'm glad I missed that."

"I spoke right up and told them that I don't believe in UFOs. Now Ariel is mad at me for spouting off."

"She'll get over it. I think she really likes you." He watched Marcia's face carefully but could not judge her thoughts. There definitely were times that he wished he had telepathic powers.

Marcia's eyes shut and she saw the name "Giskard" on a book cover. The flash-like image faded quickly. Strangely, it seemed to Marcia that the book had been written by Ariel. She had the feeling that her life was mysteriously being linked to both Isaac and Ariel. Her eyes fluttered open and she asked Isaac, "Where did you get the idea for positronic robots?"

"I don't know. I've always had the feeling that..." He paused. He did not want Marcia to think he was crazy. "...they exist."

Marcia reached out and brushed his cheek and ear with her finger tips. "You sound just like Ariel with her spooky visions of the fain..."

He was glad that she seemed to see nothing odd in his belief in the existence of mysterious unseen robots. He was now tingling from the gentle touch of Marcia's hand and he was tempted to reach out and touch her, but Isaac was worried that he could not reach Gertrude, his lab partner. He wondered: Where can she be? "Well, I suppose I should get back to the campus. I have a chemistry quiz at 8:00."

Marcia asked, "You live on campus?"

"No, I live with my parents in Holly Point."

Marcia said, "You're not 21 are you?"

"No. I'm only 19."

"Liar." Marcia got up and pulled Isaac to his feet. "Let's go." They left the party and rode the subway back to N.Y.U. A cold front had come through and swept out to sea, bringing the first cooler air of the approaching fall.

On the subway, they were both dozing. Suddenly Isaac opened his eyes wide. "Marcia, tell me. Why does your story end with the fain agent arriving at Earth? You never explain why she has come all the way to Earth from Andromeda."

Marcia didn't lift her head off of Asimov's shoulder. "I asked Ariel about that last week. She never really gave me an answer. Ariel truly thinks she has been in contact with the fain. The best guess I have is that her 'memory' of the fain does not include any information about why the fain are interested in Earth." After a minute of silence, Marcia added, "Well, Ariel has suggested that the fain are friendly... that children of the fain will arrive after the Fru'wu and try to repair the damage done by the Fru'wu. Maybe Ariel plans to expand the first draft... make a longer story and explain why the hybrid agent is on Earth."

"Damage?"

"Catastrophic damage. Ariel is certain... and that is why Ariel had a falling out with her mother and why they always argue. I thought I could join in the argument tonight, but by doing so, I seemed to annoy Ariel." Marcia gave a delicate shrug. "Ariel believes that the Fru'wu are a danger to Earth. She wants our story to be a warning... and a reminder that we need not fall into the arms of the first aliens... who arrive on Earth." Marcia was slipping into sleep and speaking very quietly.

Asimov squeezed her gently and asked, "What do you mean, children of the fain?"

Marcia's eyes were closed and Asimov wondered if she might have fallen asleep. He stopped pestering her with his questions. Isaac enjoyed the feel of his arm around the soft, warm girl. He wondered about the relationship between Ariel and Marcia. Were they lovers?

His interactions that evening with a few of the members of the Futuria group had driven home to Isaac the fact that those who believed in the existence of the Fru'wu had become a dominant force in the science fiction world of publishing and movies. He was an outsider looking in at the UFO believers and could not prevent himself from thinking that belief in the Fru'wu was a kind of mass delusion spreading among weak-minded fools. Before the subway car reached N.Y.U., he was feeling settled in his thinking and more committed than ever to becoming a research scientist. Writing science fiction stories was a fun hobby, but was no way to make a living.

As they reached street level above the N.Y.U. subway station, Marcia said, "I have an apartment one block over. Come with me. You can crash at my place."

Asimov shook his head and said, "First I'll swing by my locker in the Student Union and get my chemistry books. I need to read a chapter in the textbook or I'll flub the quiz."

Marcia took out a pen and scribbled on a scrap of paper. She handed the note to Isaac along with a key and told him, "That's the address. I'll see you in a bit. If I fall asleep, wake me up when you come in."

Asimov rushed over to the student union. There were still quite a few students about, mostly in the the smoky outdoors pub that during summer months sprouted off the southeast corner of the Student Union building. He went to his rented book locker and quickly grabbed his chemistry books.

Thinking sweet thoughts about Marcia and wondering at the strong attraction that had so quickly fired up between them that evening, he turned from the bank of lockers and nearly ran over his chemistry lab partner.

Gertrude prevented herself from being bowled over by throwing her arms around Isaac and she asked, "Where have you been?"

Asimov replied, "I got invited to a meeting of Futuria." He noticed the smell of beer on her.

Gertrude asked, "Isn't that one of the UFO cults?"

Asimov shrugged. "I got to talk to some of the Futuria members tonight, some pretty famous authors. None of them said that they had seen a UFO or been abducted by aliens. I think they are really engaged in wishful thinking... looking for ways to make a better future. The world would be more interesting with space aliens walking the streets of New York." Looking into her face, for just a moment he noticed the odd tilt of Gertrude's exotic eyes and wondered: would I recognize an alien if I saw one?

Gertrude laughed musically and held tight to Isaac. "Who needs aliens when I have you?" She pushed a hand up the back of his neck and let her fingers run through his hair. "When you didn't show up, I studied for a while... wondering where you were... then I went for a drink."

"I'm sorry Gertrude. Right when I got the invitation this evening, I should have contacted you and let you know where I was going. I tried to call-"

"That's okay. I don't own you... not yet. I had a chance to think this evening... I decided that the only sensible course of action is that I'm not going to let you out of my sight." She kissed Isaac. "I'm a little tipsy, but I like feeling this way. I think I've fallen in love with you, Mr. Asimov." Somehow, Asimov forgot all about Marcia and the key to her apartment that was in his pocket.

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6. Gnome Films

Alien city of the Ekcolir Reality

Ten years later, Asimov received a phone call from Marcia Greenberg. She explained the purpose of the call, "Mr. Asimov, I'd like to discuss the possibility of a film based on your Foundation stories."

Asimov was working at his typewriter, composing a journal article. Laboratory notebooks were spread across the table to his left. He had been expecting a phone call from his wife, so he was working without having turned off the phone's ringer. He took his fingers off the keys and asked, "What did you say your name is?"

"Marcia Greenberg. You probably don't remember, but-"

"I remember you quite well." Asimov grinned and leaned back in his chair. "What a wild time we had in Professor Sollar's writing class. Making up stories about alien sex and I even turned Giskard into a sex-toy robot and..." He had not thought about positronic robots for years. Briefly he wondered why not, recalling how he had once been obsessed with the idea of robots secretly watching over Earth. "We had fun trying to out-do each other, didn't we? And that other girl... what was her name?"

"Ariel."

"Right. I see your names occasionally. You both work in the film industry, don't you?"

"We do. Ari recently got herself scooped up by Apex Pictures. I'm now with a small startup and we'd like to make a movie version of Foundation."

Asimov chuckled, "I must warn you, Marcia; others have tried and failed to pull those old Asimov stories off of the printed page and adapt them to other media. Nobody has been successful."

"Yes, I know. But we here at Gnome are interested in the hard science fiction niche market. Our production costs are low and we don't need a huge return at the box office. In fact our strategy aims at the new direct-to-home market via video cassette."

Asimov asked, "Nome? You are in Alaska?"

Marcia laughed. "Gnome with a 'G'. We are Gnome Films."

"I'm sorry to say, I've never heard of your company."

"We are just starting out. What I want to do is send you a script. We have a funding source for the project already, so if you give us the green light, we can start on production."

"I believe one of the major film studios currently owns the filming rights for the Foundation saga."

Marcia explained, "I have news for you. I purchased those film rights about a year ago. The script has come together and now I'm seeking your approval."

"You wrote the script?"

"Most of it was written by Ariel Adler."

Asimov reflected for a minute on his fond memories of being in the writing class with Marcia and Ariel. When that course ended they had drifted apart. Then he had gotten busy with graduate school. And of course Gertrude had become a central pillar of his life. Pushing away thoughts of Gertrude, he told Marcia, "Fine. Go ahead and send me the script."

Marcia enthused, "Thank you, Mr. Asimov. If there is anything in the script that you find objectionable, just say so. We here at Gnome want to get this just right!"

Asimov heard his doorbell. "One minute, please. Someone is at the door." Asimov walked from his study to the front door of his apartment.

When he pulled open the door, he saw a delivery girl holding out a small box. "Package for Asimov." She looked at her pager and asked, "Isaac Asimov?"

"That's me." He signed for the package.

Returning to the study with the package, Asimov picked up the receiver and said, "You assumed I would say yes."

Marcia giggled. "I did."

Asimov had the box open. He looked at the first page of the script:

Terminus Planet

(Foundation)

by

Ariel Adler and Marcia Greenberg

(based on the Foundation stories of Isaac Asimov)

Asimov asked about the title, "Why call it Terminus Planet?"

"Well, this script does not cover the entire Foundation epic as you wrote it. Everything in this first film takes place on Terminus itself or in the nearby Four Kingdoms."

"First film?"

In another Reality

"We are thinking that there will be a series of three films. Right now, Ariel has started on a script for the middle film of a trilogy which will focus on the mentalic powers of the Mule... her working title is Telepath of Kalgan."

Asimov complained. "I don't like it when people change the names of my stories."

Marcia laughed. "Remember how it took you all of five minutes to change the name of 'Out Foxed'?"

Isaac laughed. "Yes! I do remember that." He also remembered how torn he had felt between Gertrude and Marcia. That period of indecision lasted about a week. In the end, he'd surrendered to Gertrude's charms and gave Marcia back the key to her apartment.

Having two scientists in the family had worked well for a while, but eventually they had stumbled and their careers had moved in two different directions. Asimov tried to shake off the clinging regrets about his ten year affair with Gertrude. He was ready to escape the past and eager to focus his thoughts on Marcia. "As I recall, you and Ariel ended up with 'A's on that class assignment. Dr. Sollar liked 'The Code of the Fain'. I only got a 'B' with my silly robot story."

Vasilia's robotics laboratory.

Marcia sighed. "I've always felt bad about that. I suppose you were so busy with all your science course work and the task of trying to get grammar and style points from Dr. Sollar that the story itself suffered. As I recall, it was a fun story with telepathy and some diverting discussion of design considerations for the robot's genitals."

"Yes. I was still a horny teenager when I wrote that story and when I met you."

Marcia giggled. "Too bad sexcapades and escapism have gone out of style. These days everyone is so wrapped up with and enraptured by the aliens and the wonders of Fru'wu technology..." Her voice turned more serious. "Did you ever get that robot story published?"

in an alternate Reality

"No. But it does not matter. My literary claim to fame is the Foundation stories. I'm happy with the way that the Foundation saga resonated with so many people. Had I been a bigger success with my fiction, my career as a scientist would have been disrupted... so everything worked out just fine." Asimov thought about his positronic robot story and how it had never been accepted for publication. He often wondered what might have happened if that first robot story had been published and then became the first in a long series of additional stories about robots. He pushed that thought away. "I'll read this script and get back to you."

Marcia said, "Thank you, Isaac. Goodby."

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Next: Parts 7 and 8 of "Terminus Planet".

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