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| a famous film of the Ekcolir Reality |
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| in the Ekcolir Reality |
Here is the conclusion of "Foundation Reality Simulator"...
8. Danela Steel. (read parts 1 - 4) (read parts 5 - 7)
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| 1973 in the Ekcolir Reality |
Then one day, Petra had received an email from Sydney requesting a video conference. One of the new applications of the WorldNet was video conferencing, but Petra had never used that technology, one of many now being made possible by contact with the alien Fru'wu. Petra went shopping and purchased one of the newer computers that came with a built-in video camera and she also obtained the best video conferencing software available.
Petra tested her new setup by contacting Sven at his lab. He was getting close to completing his Ph.D. and was planning another trip to Perth the following month, but he was pleased to now have the means to at least see Petra electronically on a regular basis by videolink.
Then, Petra got her first look at Sydney.
The two women looked at each other for a moment, then Sydney said, "I had no idea that you are so young."
Petra giggled. "I have to do some delicate juggling to keep clear of the child labor laws. I still live at home with my parents." She adjusted the position of the little microphone she was wearing. "However, I must say that I no longer feel all that young... a few of the Foundation writers are even younger than me."
Sydney shrugged negligently, indicating that Petra's age was of no importance. "I need to ask you a favor."
Petra had been receiving regular updates from O.A., the analogue of Isaac Asimov in the Hierion Domain, and she knew that progress was being made on Robots of the Fain. She'd been waiting to hear directly from Sydney about the story, maybe get a first draft. "I'm here to help you with your writing in any way I can."
"You've kindly stayed out of my hair while I write... for that, I'm very thankful." Sydney smiled rather wickedly. She continued, "My understanding is that Isaac Asimov is a member of the Foundation."
"To be perfectly honest, Isaac has never paid dues, so he is not officially a member of the Foundation for Science Fiction. However, I'd describe him as an honorary member who is closely connected with the Foundation's board of directors."
"The easiest path towards obtaining such approval would be to let Asimov read the novel."
"Yes, but I thought you would like to read it first. As you'll see, some of the characters in my book are people who have also been characters in the Foundation stories that Asimov wrote back in the 40s."
"Send me your manuscript. I will certainly read your story."
"Thank you, Petra. There is one other matter that we need to discuss." She paused and Petra waited patiently. Sydney continued, "I started writing Robots of the Fain in the traditional format of a novel, but I believe it should become a movie, not a book."
Petra suggested, "Our other option would be to first publish a few chapters in Alien Stance, then release the full novel."
"I've made a little video teaser for the story." Sydney touched her keyboard and the video began feeding through to Petra...
The opening shot for Sydney's video was as if a camera was zooming in from planetary orbit towards an island archipelago. The bold text overlay said "Terminus Planet". The surface of Terminus continued to expand and one particular island grew to become a green jungle oasis in the blue sea.
The view cut to a shoreline where a lone human figure was seen making use of a robotic construction crew to cut through the vegetation and move a large boulder. As the big rock was pulled off the ground and then rolled to the side, glints of shiny metal could be seen down in the dark depression where the boulder had been. The man inactivated the robotic excavation crew and moved a laser scanning device on a tripod close to the depression in order to record details of the archeological site.
Approaching along the beach towards the archeologist's dig was a woman. The man noticed her approach and stopped his work. Drawing near, the woman waved and called, "Dr. Fara! You are a difficult man to find."
Dr. Bulson Fara, seemingly resenting the interruption of his work, asked testily, "What do you want?"
"I'm an historian, Danela Steel. I want to discuss your work."
Fara gestured towards the idle excavating equipment and said, "I explore ancient ruins. There is not much more to say."
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| Vega Sector |
Fara shrugged and reactivated the big digger, using it to push some fallen trees out onto the nearby beach. He tried to stir up so much dust and create so much noise that Danela would depart. However, Danela ignored both noise and flying sand and went to examined the sparkling metal fragments that were in the dig. Bulson shouted, "Don't touch that!" He shut down the robots, dropped his remote controls and grabbed hold of Danela, yanking her out of the depression where the big boulder had rested. "I have not had a chance to make my collections."
Danela took hold of Bulson's upper arms and looked directly into his eyes. "This site looks like it must be very old. In your published article of last month, you reported having dated similar finds Terminus as being over a million years old."
Bulson was impressed: Danela's grip on his arms seemed like two steel vices. When first seen, she seemed slim and fragile, but her graceful sculpting deceptively concealed her strength. Relaxing his hold on her, Bulson stepped away from Danela and grabbed a plastic collection bag. Bulson had wondered if anyone would read his article, that he hoped would be the first of many about his discoveries on Trantor. However, with the Empire in collapse and the Periphery of the galaxy fragmenting into independent states, what remained of on-going scientific endeavors was rapidly crumbling. Handing gloves and the sample collection bag to Danela he said, "Make yourself useful." He pulled on a pair of sterile gloves and then bent down and picked up one of the smaller metal fragments. With gloves now on her hands, Danela struggled a bit to open the collection bag, but she held it out towards the archeologist. After briefly looking at the glinting shard, he dropped it into the bag.
Danela asked, "Who could have made these metal objects, Dr. Fara?"
Danela rattled off a series of questions, "Someone? Who would bother? For what purpose?"
Ignoring her questions, Bulson took the sample bag away from Danela, turned and walked away from the shore. "Come on. I want to date this." Fara led Danela from the beach and up a slope to where a small small spaceship with surrounding tents were perched on the highest point of the island. Just over the rise was a small aircar and waiting there in the shade of a tent was another woman. As he approached, Bulson called out, "Back again, Lydza."
"Hello, Bulson." Lydza was watching Danela and she asked, "Who is this?"
Danela held out her hand towards Lydza and asked, "Lydza Crast, of the Journal?"
"Yes, I report for the Terminus City Journal." Lydza did not bother getting to her feet, but she shook Danela's hand. "I try to know everything that happens on this little world. I don't remember the arrival of an historian."
Danela's lips twisted into a grin. "I just dropped in. My spaceship is down there." She pointed towards her landing spot, marked only by a glint of sunlight reflection visible in the distance.
Fara had gone into one of the tents where he was analyzing the composition of the newly-collected metal shard.
Danela asked Lydza, "Who do you think left behind the ancient ruins on this island?"
Lydza shook her head and asked her own question, "Who could have been here two million years ago? Not humans."
"Two million?"
"Bulson keeps getting older and older dates as he moves from site to site along the island. He has systematically been exploring along the shoreline from north to south." She stood up and looked towards the tent. "Let's see what the number is for today."
Danela was looking back towards the end of the island where she had found Bulson at work. "That's the southern tip."
Lydza turned and followed Danela's gaze. "Ya, he decided to stop his systematic search and went right to the hook." The south end of the island was a curved arch, shaped by ocean currents pushing against the island.
Danela followed Lydza into the dim tent where Bulson was at work. He was using a device that counted cosmic ray-induced fractures in metal crystals. Their density in the newly collected metal shard would provide a good estimate of the site's age. He pointed at the data display screen and told Lydza, "This new sample is over five million years old."
Danela said, "So, we must conclude that someone occupied this island for a stretch of at least four million years."
Bulson explained, "It isn't just this island. There are similar sites on other nearby islands... all of them very old, dating to ancient times well before humans ever traveled between the stars."
"All these archeological sites hold artifacts from the same culture?"
"I don't think so, but after so long, not much remains. The objects at this site, the most southern, are different in appearance than the other more recent ones."
Lydza told Bulson, "This is fantastic. Five million! Can I announce this latest discovery?"
"Based on one sample? Please don't, Lydza."
"But-"
Danela laughed and said, "I see why you try to avoid publicity, Dr. Fara."
Lydza looked at Danela with suspicion. "How is it that you showed up today, right when this amazing discovery took place?"
Danela explained, "It is my job to maintain human confidence throughout the galaxy." She leaned close to Bulson and peered at the data on the screen. "Imagine how the people of the galaxy would react if they knew that alien creatures were running around on worlds like this one, millions of years before humans first appeared on the plains of Africa. That would be a serious blow to the collective human spirit and the common belief that humans are unique, the natural rulers of the galaxy."
Bulson felt a hot flush move through his skin. He looked at Danela's finely sculpted face from just a few inches distance. There was something unnaturally perfect about her skin and her eyes glinted; they almost seemed to glow in the dim light of the tent. He jumped to his feet and backed away from Danela.
Startled by his quick movement, Lydza asked, "What's wrong..." Then Lydza felt as if Danela had struck her. The other woman's eyes flashed and bore down upon Lydza. Her vision dimmed and Lydza fell to the ground with a soft thud.
Bulson looked up from the fallen form of Lydza. His heart was racing. "What did you do to her?"
Bulson raised his hands to the sides of his head. He could feel his thoughts and memories being re-wired. "Who are you?"
"It would do neither of us any good if I told you." Danela took a slow step towards him. "You won't be allowed to remember."
Struggling to retain control of his mind, Bulson insisted, "I need to know."
Danela shrugged and eased her telepathic onslaught. "Long ago, about five million years, interesting events took place in the dwarf galaxy that was home to an alien species called the fain. That was in what humans call the Large Magellanic Cloud, which at that time was making a close pass by another little galaxy. At that time, the fain explored a few worlds in that second galaxy, planets such as Terminus. A fain family actually settled here, right near the spot where you found this." She picked up the sample bag that contained the metal shard.
Bulson asked, "How do you know all this?" He was outraged that Danela had assaulted a journalist and wanted to rob both Lydza and himself of their memories. "And why do you want to hide these facts?"
Danela explained, "I long ago made my own study of the ancient fain." She paused and seemed to reflect for a moment on the past. "Anyhow, Humanity is in a dangerous predicament. Aliens want to take control of the galaxy away from us. I'm working on a defense that may allow us to continue to control our own destiny. People would panic if they knew the danger that we face."
"They can't face that danger if they don't even know about it."
Danela nodded in agreement. "Knowledge can be dangerous. Believe me, I know human nature. It is best that you not publicize your discovery in the conventional scientific way."
"I've already published my preliminary results. Other archeologists will come here. Even if you kill me, others will duplicate my work."
"I won't kill you, Dr. Fara. I want you to write a retraction, explaining how you mistook naturally formed metal crystals for manufactured metal fragments."
Bulson laughed nervously. "Fat chance of that!"
Danela insisted, "You will publish the retraction. And even if you dropped dead this minute from a stroke, I'd publish such a retraction in your name."
With a growing sense of panic and terror, Bulson asked, "How is it that I can feel you inside my brain?"
"I'm a telepathic robot. I have long experience adjusting the microstructure of human brains."
"You are an agent for the aliens who want to take control of the galaxy?"
"Quite the opposite. It is my job to defend the galaxy against meddling aliens and protect Humanity. I've been at this for 20,000 years. I certainly won't have my work disrupted by you."
Bulson felt his legs growing weaker. He sank down to the floor of the tent and sat beside Lydza. "Interesting that you took so long to get here. It must be difficult for you to watch over an entire galaxy."
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| gravitic drive spaceship |
"No, I don't understand." Bulson felt very tired. He let his head rest on the ground, but he forced his eyes to stay open, gazing up at Danela.
"There needs to be an outward-directed Space Force to help defend the Foundation, blocking fain infiltrators. Some fain agents are already on Terminus. It is warnings from you and discovery of a few fain agents that will lead to creation of the secret Foundation Space Force. The meddlesome fain agents will be neutralized and my plans for a defense of the galaxy will move ahead."
Bulson slipped into unconsciousness, his eyes closed, and the video faded to black.
When the video feed coming from Sydney came to an end, the image of Sydney's face again appeared on the screen. Petra sat for a short time in silence then she said. "Well, you are right. We need to ask Isaac if you can use the planet Terminus for the setting of your new novel."
Sydney smiled shyly and corrected Petra, "Film." She insisted, "I want this story to be presented to the world in the format of a movie. I want to make a big impact on how people think about space aliens."
Petra nodded. "I'm partial to the motion picture medium myself, but I paid you to write a novel. Still, I'm impressed with your work on this demo video. In either case, written novel or film, we need to get Isaac onboard. In the past, he has allowed Ariel Adler to make new Foundation stories. And now that I think about it, you've also taken some of Ariels plot elements and used them in your story. We'll have to consult with her, also."
"Why not? It was Ariel who first introduced the world to a positronic robot with telepathic powers."
"Yes. The robot Giskard. But I have been careful to not mention Giskard in my story."
"So what? Positronic robots with tel-"
Sydney interrupted, "If you check with Isaac, I'm sure you will learn that he invented the idea of positronic robots with telepathic abilities. That was way back in the late 30s."
Petra was skeptical. "Surely not."
"I'm telling you it is true."
"How do you know?"
Sydney hesitated. "For the past year, ever since you asked me to write a novel about robots and the alien fain..." Sydney seemed at a loss for words.
Petra asked, "Yes?"
"It is so very odd..." Sydney struggled to explain her unusual experiences. "I feel just like Bulson Fara, as if someone has been inside my brain, influencing my thought processes... altering my memories."
Petra giggled quietly. "Listen to me, Sydney. I know what it is like to feel as if you were given a story idea by your muse. Accept the gift and do your job... write the story. Only a fool questions the source of their imagination."
Sydney complained, "Maybe you are some kind of child prodigy, writing since you were a toddler. In my case, I lived 33 years before I ever felt like a muse visited me in the night and gave me a story idea." Sydney gave her head a violent shake. "Anyhow, that was all too much of a coincidence. You paid me to write the story then the story magically popped into my head almost at once."
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| mind clone telepathy |
Sydney shook her head. "I won't try to convince you... you don't know what has taken place in my mind. All I need is to hear from you whether or not you are willing to send my screen play for Robots of the Fain to Asimov. I'd hate to be forced to delay while I re-write everything in the form of a novel."
"Go ahead and begin work on the novel version. Even if your story does go direct to film, we will want to publish the novelization. I'll pass the screen play on to both Isaac and Ariel and let you know how they react."
Sydney sighed. "I wish you would leave Ariel out of it. Check with Asimov. He'll tell you that he created the idea of positronic robots."
9. Giskard. Marcia, Petra, Gina and Ian Mott finally found time in their busy schedules to all meet in person. During that meeting in Perth, they made important decisions for how to deal with some of the growing pains that were effecting the Foundation for Science Fiction. When the business matters had all been settled, Ian departed, eager to communicate key decisions to other members of the Foundation for Science Fiction.
The three women walked out of the offices the Foundation for Science Fiction and got into Marcia's luxurious rented aircar. Marcia asked the autopilot to take them to a nice restaurant for dinner. Turning her pilot's seat to the side, she told Petra, "Isaac told me about Sydney's story... Robots of the Fain."
"I got his email." Petra shook her head in wonder. "I was surprised to learn that Isaac was writing about positronic robots back in the 1930s."
Marcia nodded and explained, "I read his story about Giskard when we were still in college, but it was never published. It was only much later that Ariel asked for permission to write her own positronic robot stories. That got Isaac thinking about robots again and in 1953, he wrote a rough draft of a new robot story, inserting positronic robots into the life of Hari Seldon. Sadly, he was then too busy with lab work to complete the project. He let Ariel develop the idea."
Petra sighed. "And he let Ariel take all the credit." Petra opened up her bag and pulled out a hierion probe. "Marcia, I want your opinion on an important matter... I've decided that my work is being hindered by Gina's reluctance to use the Bimanoid Interface."
Gina growled, "Put that nasty probe away. Let's have some fun and relax this evening. I'm in the mood to celebrate the successes of the Foundation."
Marcia smiled indulgently. "I hear you, Petra, but Gina has a mind of her own. I think she is truly afraid to drop her defenses and open her thoughts to another person."
Gina nodded. "I'll blame Deomede for that. I'm ashamed of how he inserted... his thoughts into my mind... how he used me."
Petra giggled, "You resent how Deomede used you to make the Foundation a success? That seems unlikely at best..." Petra suspected that many women would volunteer to have Deomede insert into them his thoughts and anything else he had. "I suspect it goes deeper than that. I think you miss Deomede."
"Even if I did, which I don't, he's in the Hierion Domain. I doubt if I'll ever see him again."
Marcia told Gina, "Tonight you can drown your sorrows. I'll get tipsy along with you."
The aircar was tilting downward for a landing. Petra put the probe back in her bag. Upon landing, Marcia and Gina were quickly out of the aircar. Petra lingered inside for just a moment then followed.
The night progressed as Marcia had suggested. Petra watched the two older women drink considerable wine and they became increasingly relaxed and informal. After dinner, they migrated from the dining room into the adjoining bar. Marcia entertained everyone within ear-shot with tales of Isaac's most famous public exercises in telling obscene jokes at inappropriate times.
When it was quite late and they were returning to the aircar, Petra asked Marcia for the key. "I'll fly."
Marcia complained, "You don't have a license."
"I just got my learner's permit."
Gina told Marcia, "Let Petra fly. All she needs to do is blow the tube and turn on the autopilot." All the aircars automatically checked their drivers for intoxicating levels of alcohol in their breath.
Petra activated the aircar and entered into the computer a flight plan. Once again she brought out the hierion probe. "Now is the time Gina. You've delayed and delayed to the point where I won't have it any more. I don't have time to keep dealing with all the information that Relda is trying to send through to Earth from the Hierion Domain."
Gina stuck out her tongue at Petra. "You can't make me do it."
Perta turned on the probe and pointed it at her own head.
Marcia asked, "What are you doing, Petra?"
Petra remained silent. The aircar flew on through the night. Gina complained to Marcia, "I can't stand it when she does this."
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| in the Ekcolir Reality |
Gina objected, "I have a company to run. I don't have time to be producing movies."
Petra's hand slipped into her bag and she switched on a remote control device. Behind Gina, a second hierion probe was activated and it sent a beam of hierions into Gina's brain.
Gina stammered, "I don't have... have time..." Then she fell silent.
Marcia looked first at Gina then turned towards Petra in alarm. "What just happened? Did she pass out? I didn't think she was that drunk!"
Petra explained, "She's fine. I just linked her up with Relda"
Marcia looked at the big hierion probe that Petra had used on herself. It was resting in the seat to Petra's side. "How..."
Petra picked up the probe and stowed it away in her bag. "This isn't the only hierion probe in the world, you know."
"Sure, but..."
"There's another probe, right behind Gina." Petra pointed.
Marcia giggled. "You little sneak..." After a few minutes of quiet, Marcia thought to inquire about the flight plan. "Where are we going?"
"I put us in a high altitude loop. We're going nowhere. I'm waiting to see how Gina does when she tries to use the Bimanoid Interface." Petra and Marcia both watched the motionless Gina. "We'll know when Relda is done with Gina."
Marcia rubbed her head. "I'm trying to remember that robot story you had me read about a year ago. If memory serves, it had similarities to Robots of the Fain."
Marcia nodded slowly. "Okay, but I don't quite understand the link between robots and the fain."
"There is still much to be sorted out. Someone went to a lot of trouble to obscure that connection. The fain were at risk of getting in trouble with the pek for having helped the humans of the Foundation Reality."
"Helped how?"
"Just what you said. The fain, or at least their legacy, some form of artificial life that was created by the fain before they themselves became extinct... they inserted the secret of positronic telepathy into Giskard, using the girl Vasilia as a cover story, making it look like an accident." Petra looked at the look of dismay on Marcia's face. "Danela never knew about the role played by the fain in giving Giskard telepathic powers."
"What about the pek? Why were the fain afraid of them?"
"Good questions. I've learned a little about the pek from O.A. Apparently they are a very ancient type of alien that has been spreading from galaxy to galaxy for hundreds of millions of years."
Marcia found it hard to imagine such long time spans... what might an advanced alien species like the pek accomplish in a hundred million years? She whispered, "And the pek are still here with us."
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| the Trysta-Grean Pact |
Marcia asked, "About the pek... if they are still around, are we safe? Maybe it is not wise to publish the truth about events from the Foundation Reality, even now..."
Petra shrugged, "According to both the other Asimov and Relda, the pek have had to step back from affairs on Earth. Under the terms of the Trysta-Grean Pact, Grean the Kac'hin is representing pek interests on Earth."
Marcia closed her eyes. "Grean? Another alien?"
Petra was now watching Gina with growing interest. She had some telepathic contact to Gina which operated mostly at a subconscious level. However, with the hierion probe switched on, that link seemed more robust. Gina had a film of sweat glistening on her face and she was breathing deeply. Just watching Gina, Petra was becoming sexually aroused.
Just then Gina said, "Okay, turn it off."
Petra shut off the hierion probe and Gina was cut off from the Bimanoid Interface. Gina's face was flushed and she was running her finger tips over her lips. Petra said, "Welcome back." She then set instructed autopilot of the car to set a new course and take her home.
Marcia asked Gina, "Well, was being under the probe as bad as you feared?"
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| "First Encounter Summer 1982" by Davian-Art. Alien-human hybrids. Image license: CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 |
Petra laughed, "It could get interesting if you start naming the hybrid agents who are on Earth."
Gina said to Petra, "So, the idea amuses you..."
"That and the fact that you look like you just-"
"Well, unfortunately, I didn't. Not that I didn't want to. It was frustrating. While I was in communication with Relda, she kept thinking about Deomede. I swear I could feel his penis inside me, or her... Relda." She put the wet cloth back inside her purse. "Telepathy brings new meaning to the threesome."
Marcia asked, "What did Relda say about human-alien hybrids?"
Gina replied, "That's a topic that seems close to the surface of Relda's mind, even when she's talking about other things."
Petra said, "Deomede is very unusual. I suppose the Ek'col are some sort of alien-human hybrid."
Gina said, "Let's forget about Deomede." She again wiped her brow. "If we can. Let's start closer to home... Marcia, tell Petra about your son, Sven."
Petra asked, "What about Sven?"
The aircar was dropping down towards Petra's house. Marcia said, "Back when Sven was born, Isaac and I were told that he..." She fell silent. It was clear that Gina knew the truth, but Marcia could not say the words with Petra there. Svahr had put some kind of lock on her memories.
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| mind clones |
Glancing back at the aircar as it lifted into the night sky, Petra was thinking about Sven. Sven was scheduled to be in Perth the following month. Petra was in love with Sven and she was tired of their long distance relationship and ready to suggest that they get married. She'd already begun looking at possible locations for a new femtobot research lab in Scotland, close to Perth and the headquarters of the Foundation.
Petra was ready to get more story writing help from the Hierion Domain, and she was thinking about ways to expand her telepathic network. The other Asimov was ready to bring Petra's replicoid into the Writers Block. She needed Sven's help to learn how to modulate her femtobot endosymbiont and give her a chance to take control of her replicoid and put it to work for her. Slipping into the house of her foster parents, Petra told herself that she would be very happy to move out and not have to continue hiding her secret life from her well-meaning but clueless parents.
10. Piero. When Gina was disconnected from the Bimanoid Interface, Relda muttered, "Well, it is about time." She had long expected Gina to start making use of the Bimanoid Interface and now it had finally happened.
Deomede had been following along, using his non-verbal telepathic link to Relda to monitor her emotions. He asked, "Now can I take Piero to Earth?"
Relda had been in the middle of riding Deomede to a sweet climax when Gina had linked in. Through her telepathic conversation with Gina, Relda had remained linked physically to Deomede. Laying there in his embrace, she had become a bit over-heated. He was still hot and hard inside her. Relda whispered into Deomede's ear, "One minute, please." She hurried things along, but it took more than a minute for her to achieve her orgasm. Mission accomplished, she unhitched herself from Deomede and sprawled on the bed beside him. She wiped some sweat from her brow.
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| Interventionists |
Relda provocatively spread her legs and asked, "You don't want to finish the job?"
Deomede gave his head a sad shake. He bent across the bed, kissed her wet labia, then moved away and stood beside the bed. "I have to run. I have a job on Earth..."
Relda asked, "Job? Is it that waitress? No? Don't tell me you're going to screw Gina one last time?"
Deomede grinned. "Not a bad idea, but the time constraints don't allow it."
"Then you must have the old stand-by at the book shop in your sights."
Deomede said, "Her name is Iona."
Relda had learned to manage her jealousy. In her view, three or four high quality orgasms was quite enough for each day. Deomede had explained to her that as an Ek'col male living with an Asterothrope female, things had been different. Trysta was designed to be a baby factory and she was always eager for another orgasm. Also, Grean considered it part of Deomede's work to spread his special gene combinations around on Earth, so it was unreasonable for Relda to expect Deomede to resist the charms of other Earth girls. Relda suggested, "If Iona is so much fun, maybe you could bring her home sometime."
Deomede laughed. "I'll have to ask her if she is happy on Earth. She's a successful business woman with two small children... I suspect she would not volunteer to move to Eternity, no matter how nicely I asked."
"How many of Iona's children are yours?"
"Just the oldest one, Ann. And don't ask for details. Grean already has her in preparation for her own mission, scheduled to begin in about twelve more years. I'm restricted from looking into Ann's future due to a Time paradox." He blew Relda a kiss and walked out of their bedroom. As he walked, his erection began to fade and he activated his clothing nanites. Knowing the current conditions in Perth, Deomede dressed in several layers including a close replica of Earthly thermal long-johns. Soon he was out the front door and on his way to Grean's workshop.
Fifteen minutes later, Deomede finished looking into the immediate future. He shut off the Viewer. Piero had arrived in the workshop and he asked Deomede, "All set?"
Deomede replied, "Yes, I'll go with you and keep you company. The ideal time for you to make contact with Gina is still a few hours in the future."
Piero gazed at the nearby time machine and suggested. "Just give me a quick flip into the future."
"No, I have a few..." As usual, lurking time paradoxes prevented Deomede from telling Piero too much about his future. "...last bits of advice for you. We'll make good use of the available time." Deomede and Piero teleported to Earth.
Arriving in Perth, they watched Marcia's aircar land near Gina's apartment building. Gina and Marcia got out of the car and went inside.
Settled in at a table inside the pub, Deomede ordered breakfast. He told Piero, "When we teleported, all the feeding nanites and such were stripped out of you. I hope you like eating and..."
The waitress brought a pot of tea to their table. She told Deomede, "You better like eating, the both of you... making me cook in the middle of the night..." With mock ire, she exclaimed, "Men!"
The waitress went off to cook their meal. Piero said, "Yes, I've had plenty of practice eating and pissing and..." He noticed a middle-aged man at the next table, behind Deomede, who seemed to be listening to their conversation. "I suppose I need to watch my mouth."
Deomede chuckled. "Don't worry about it. The locals can't do anything even if they notice you are acting strangely."
Piero complained, "It will take me a while to get used to the cold. Gertrude forgot to prepare me for that."
"Ask Gina to take you shopping. Buy a warm coat and some gloves."
Piero lowered his voice and said, "So, I suppose you've watched me and Gina..."
Deomede warned, "I can't give you any details about your future with the girl." He examined his own mind. "Well, I'll say this, she really likes back rubs." He grinned and held up his index finger, pointed at the ceiling. "Just be yourself... everything should go smoothly. If not, we'll make adjustments as needed. Remember, you'll have Relda working in parallel from..." He did not want to mention the Hierion Domain. "...the other side."
"Just wish I'd gotten to know Relda better. Where is she always hiding?"
"If you were literate, you'd know."
Piero shrugged. He spent most of his time playing music at dives around Observer Base and he was not particularly interested in Deomede's hobby: exploring the literature of Earth. Deomede explained, "Relda practically lives at the Writers Block. Well, I suppose much of the time she's snooping around inside the FRS." Deomede knew that Relda had made important discoveries inside the Foundation Reality Simulator. She was eager to send large amounts of information to Gina by means of the Bimanoid Interface.
Piero lamented, "Wish I knew what Relda finds so fascinating about that past Reality. It is all over and done with... so who cares?"
"Don't fret. You'll learn that along with Gina. Suffice it to say, the Foundation Reality was when the positronic robots lost control of Eternity... one of the most important events in all human history."
The waitress returned and placed plates of steaming eggs and cakes in front of both men. Fascinated by Deomede, she tried to pick up the thread of the conversation. "You two robot men? I could use one of those new domestic robots here on nights like this, washing dishes and cleaning."
Deomede picked up a fork. "Thank you for cooking... smells great." He picked up his knife and cut a strip of bacon in half. "No, we don't work in the robotics industry."
She asked Deomede, "I've seen you in here before, haven't I? Six, Seven months ago. Hana was on duty... she waited on you that day."
"You have a good memory." Deomede reflected on Hana. It had been nine months previously. He'd told Relda all about Hana's kinks and, intrigued, Relda had begun experimenting with non-missionary methods of achieving orgasms.
"I wouldn't forget a pretty face like yours."
Deomede handed her a 20 pound note. "Keep the change. Just keep the hot tea coming. Its a cold night out there."
The waitress glanced at Piero and tried to judge his reaction to Deomede's generosity. She was stuck by his exotic appearance, but she felt none of the hot volcanic sexuality that seemed to emanate from Deomede. She turned and went to check on the needs of her other customers. Piero asked, "How often do you visit..." He silently mouthed the word "Earth".
Deomede did not really like the food, but he buckled down and forced himself to eat. He had no interest in drawing attention to himself and wanted to blend in with the patrons of the pub. "I visit Perth fairly frequently. When we're done here, I'll go down the street and pick up a couple of items from a bookstore."
Piero knew of Deomede's hobby of collecting books and movies. "How do you know that just by... I mean, you buy a book, the last copy on the shelf. Then someone else does not have the chance to read it... that changes the whole pattern of their life..."
Deomede laughed. "Don't worry about such things. You never had training in temporal dynamics, so it is hard to explain..." Deomede noticed that Piero kept glancing over Deomede's shoulder at something. Deomede looked over his own shoulder and smiled at the man sitting at the next table who seemed interested in what Deomede was saying. Suddenly, Deomede recognized the man. It was Dani, Ariel's partner. "Care to join us?"
Dani moved his chair over and sat with Piero and Deomede. "Piero, this is Dani. Once you meet Ariel, you'll not be able to avoid bumping into Dani occasionally."
Piero and Dani shook hands. "I don't expect to see much of Ariel. I understand she's some sort of recluse."
Dani shrugged, "She works with her film crews, but you are right. She seldom socializes. It is a full time job for me to keep her entertained."
"I can imagine."
Piero looked at the card and then asked, "Think?"
Deomede tapped the side of his head with a finger, "Dani is like Wendy. He'll know when you need him."
Piero was surprised. "I thought all..." He nodded towards Dani, "It is my understanding that they were all removed from Ear-" Again he mouthed "Earth".
Dani explained, "Well, if Grean wants something done, it gets done. She felt bad for Ariel, so... I was the solution to that problem. As they say, there is an exception to every rule. Anyhow, with Fru'wu technology spreading so quickly, robots are becoming common."
Deomede told Piero, "So, you see, Dani's situation with Ariel is just like your situation Gina."
Piero had spent the past ten years anticipating his mission on Earth, knowing he was expected to become Gina's close companion. He asked Dani, "How long have you been at it?"
"Next month it will be 25 years." Dani and Deomede proceeded to share with Piero their advice for how to get along on Earth. Eventually, the conversation turned to Gertrude. Dani said, "I suppose you will be tempted to visit your mother."
Piero shook his head. "Grean gave me a rather stern warning about that. Apparently there are still some lingering antagonisms between Gertrude and Marcia. I'm to stay clear of Gertrude... not stir up that hornet's nest."
As the sun began to rise, the two men -one an Ek'col, one a fain-human hybrid- and the robot stepped out onto the sidewalk. Deomede invited Dani to visit the book store. Dani said, "I'll walk with you a while."
Deomede shook Piero's hand, "Have fun!" He handed Piero two small items: the hierion probe that he had taken out of Marcia's aircar and the key to his own aircar. Deomede pointed down the street to where the aircar was parked.
Piero glanced at the aircar, which he had previously viewed from the workshop. He nodded and put the little probe and the car key into his pocket, turned and went to find Gina in her apartment. Deomede and Dani walked the other direction along the street. Dani asked, "Does he get 20 years?"
Deomede laughed. "You make it sound like a prison term."
"Oh, I don't mind living on Earth. But someone who grew up in Eternity? It could be tough on the kid. You have seen his future, I presume."
"He and Gina will have a long happy life together. Piero becomes a rather famous underground musician in Scotland." They had reached a dark alley way that branched off of the street.
Dani gazed into the dim alley. "Okay, I should be getting back to Ariel before she notices that I'm out of place."
Deomede nodded. "See you around." He watched Dani walk away down the alley. Dani finally turned and looked at Deomede. There was a rule against daylight teleportation in public. Deomede looked both ways along the sidewalk and then nodded to Dani.
Dani activated his teleportation return code and disappeared from Perth. Instantly he was back in New York.
Deomede continued his stroll through the now bustling city and arrived at the book store an hour before opening time, just as the owner of the shop arrived for the day. Iona smiled at Deomede, "I have those books that you ordered." She took him inside. Iona was very glad to see Deomede again. She managed to get in two orgasms before opening time.
About dawn, Marcia left Gina's apartment and returned to her car then flew back to her hotel. Her flight back to New England would be an orbital, and her scheduled upwhen via space elevator was at 9:30 that morning.
Piero watched Marcia's flashy aircar rise into the sky and then he rang at the door to Gina's apartment. Over the intercom system, Gina said, "Marcia? Did you forget something?"
Piero pretended to be a paid messenger. "Telegram from Relda."
Gina asked, "What?"
"I have a message for you from Relda. Open the door, Gina."
When the door opened, Gina looked at Piero. "Who are you?"
He handed her a note from Relda. Along with the note, a cloud of infites crossed over and entered into Gina. Piero watched her carefully, trying to judge if she noticed the arrival of the information nanites. Gina read about half of the note and then turned. She said quietly, "Come in, Piero." He followed her inside. He closed the door and then went up the stairway to her bedroom. Gina set the note down on her desk and continued her morning routine, getting ready to go to work. Walking like a sleep-walker, Gina got into the shower. She was thinking furiously, processing the contents of the infites.
Piero set aside the guitar. "Sorry to spring this on you so abruptly."
"You can keep playing. You're good." She reached out and touched his beard with her finger tips. "I'm... a bit of information over-load..."
He apologized, "Sorry to just show up this way, but Deomede said you like surprises."
Gina observed, "You are not like Deomede, but... you're not exactly human are you?" Relda's note referred to Piero as a hybrid, the son of Gertrude. An idea popped into Gina's head, apparently triggered by some memory encoded by the infites that Grean had prepared for her use. "Who is your father?"
"My other parent is Leira."
"The copy of Ariel?" As she asked the question, the mystery sorted itself out, with the help of her new infites. Gina realized that while Leira had started out as a copy of Ariel, Grean had gone ahead and converted her into a human-fain hybrid, complete with testes and penis.
Gina giggled and said, "Incest?"
Piero replied, "Gertrude and Leira grew up in the same household, but they were not actually sisters."
"So, you are supposed to be my man Friday?"
"Your helper, maid, cook, lover... whatever you need."
Gina shook her head and looked again at the note. "What is it with Relda? She describes you as my 'reward'."
Piero laughed. "You nearly drove Relda crazy the way you delayed using the probe. I suppose now that some of your time will be spent using the Bimanoid Interface to communicate with Relda, she wanted to find a way to make it up to you. Relda even expects you to find time to start writing again."
"Ha! Sure I will, in my 'spare' time." Gina was so busy with work, she could not even contemplate taking time to write a story. It was her job to manage the publication of other people's writings. Still, she did regret not having time to create her own stories.
"We'll work on your schedule. First priority is getting you fed and to work in time for your first appointment today."
Gina began thinking about that appointment. It was a meeting to discuss plans for a possible new movie deal. Marcia had not had time to finish reading the script, but there it all was, now suddenly available in her memory. She whispered, "A gift of the infites!"
Piero said, "I hope you are not upset that I slipped some infites into you."
There were years of memories in the infites that were slowly emerging into Gina's consciousness as appropriate. Gina discovered that she had a whole biography about Piero in her mind. "How is it possible... it is as if I've lived your entire life..."
Piero explained, "Grean probably just transferred everything available from my replicoid into the infites. Replicoids never forget. You might now know more about me than I do myself!"
He put the guitar back in the closet then headed for the kitchen while saying, "Take your time. I'll fly you to work. I'm your chauffeur."
Gina asked, "You just arrived on Earth and already you own an aircar?"
"It was a gift, from Deomede." He went down the stairway and into the kitchen. He found a space on a high shelf to store the hierion probe. As soon as Gina adjusted to having him around, Piero would suggest that Gina check in with Relda and get the latest news from the Writers Block.
Related Reading: robots of the fain
Next: a bit of backstory
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