Temporal Assistant Psion

Figure 1. Anya Penmewly, 2025

Below on this blog page is Part 4 of a collaboratively written science fiction story that I call The Asimov-Sagan Time Nexus. In Part 1 of the story, Dr. Anya Penmewly (Figure 1) performed heart surgery on Isaac Asimov, allowing him to live into the 21st century. With his extended life, Asimov becomes an advocate for the idea that a manned mission should be sent to Mars. 

We can wonder: how old is Dr. Penmewly when she travels back through time to the year 1981? In my imagination, she might have been 55 years old. For this story I've made use of DALL-E and Mr. Wombo for creating illustrations. I've struggled somewhat the find a way to get Mr. Wombo to create images depicting Anya in such a way that she appears to be the correct age.

Some of the text in The Asimov-Sagan Time Nexus was generated by ChatGPT. Can you tell which parts?

 Figure 2. Mars walk.

 Alternate History. Asimov and Carl Sagan and Sagan's wife, Anny, play major rolls in getting the people of the world to fully fund planetary space science. At the end of Part 3, Carl Sagan is suddenly stricken with a mysterious illness. Now Anya must act to save the life of Carl Sagan so that he can complete his role in placing a man on Mars.

After rushing off to a secret Time Service facility that is equipped with advanced technology which will allow Anya to devise a medical treatment that extends the life of Carl Sagan, Avya, Dr. Penmewly's daughter, is recruited for a time travel mission that will speed-up the development of technology needed for a mission to Mars (Figure 2). Dr. Penmewly is not even aware of her daughter's mission because two duplicate copies of her daughter are made, making it possible for one copy to stay in her correct place in time while the other goes to 1916.

 Figure 3. Podgory Space Dock

The other copy of Avya is sent back through time to Princeton in the year 1916 where she meets Henry Jones. They fall in love and Henry soon realizes that there is something wrong with Avya. He discovers her Psion and she admits that she is from the future.

Avya shows Henry a photographic image of a future space station (Figure 3), and she speculates that this was what Henry's father had previously seen in a vision (1898). 

In this timeline, Robert Goddard never had tuberculosis and is in charge of a government-funded rocket propulsion development project. Avya teaches the people in Goddard's rocket project everything she knows about rockets. Henry ends up working as a kind of spy, trying to learn about secret rocketry research being conducted in Europe. However, it is Avya's daughter, Ayvanna, who makes sure that all rocket propulsion secrets are shared between Europe and America, accelerating the pace of space exploration.

Part 4 of The Asimov-Sagan Time Nexus. (Part 1)(Part 2)(Part 3)

Anya in 1993

 May 21, 1993. Anya held Janet's hand and explained, "It is something I know from the future. Carl is very sick. But I know how to cure him using technology from the future. I'll need to spend six months in a biology lab to make the cure. Carl's treatment must be individualized and crafted for the specific somatic chromosomal abnormality that is causing his illness. Then I'll return and continue as Isaac's health coach and physician." 

Isaac's brows furrowed in concern upon hearing about Carl Sagan's illness. Who could have seen such a plot twist lurking in the unseen and mysterious future, forcing Isaac to spew one more overly-long monologue about his great friendship with Carl? Yes, he had developed a deep friendship with Carl over the years, their shared passion for science and exploration and multiple wives and a wide variety of sex partners forging a bond between them. Janet's eyes widened, mirroring Isaac's concern, as she processed the unexpected news.

"Carl is sick?" Isaac's eyes rolled up in their sockets and he began to stammer, like a positronic robot dealing with a conflict between the Three Laws of Robotics, "Processing...processing... processing... processing... processed." Isaac's eyes came back into focus and he said, "That's terrible!" Isaac resumed his delivery of his lines as specified in the script, his voice now tinged with worry. "We must do everything we can to help him. If you have knowledge of a cure from the future, Anya, then it's imperative that you use that knowledge to aid him. His contributions to science and his dedication to expanding our understanding of the universe are invaluable."

Janet, too, expressed her concern for Carl. "Anya, if there's something you can do to help him, we fully support your decision. Carl has been a dear friend to both of us, and his impact on science and education is immeasurable. Also, I can never forget the weekend when Isaac and Carl swapped wives and Carl gave me a half dozen electrifying orgasms. Please, take all the time you need to work on the cure. We will eagerly await your return, knowing that you're doing everything in your power to assist him."

Carl and Anny

Isaac reached out, placing a comforting hand on Anya's shoulder. "Anya, you have become an integral part of our lives. Your knowledge and care and your frequent uninhibited administration of pheromones to Janet and myself have been invaluable to both of us as we seek to keep having multiple orgasms each day into our twilight years. While we will miss your presence and particularly the presence of your incredible pleasure-producing tongue during this time, Carl's well-being is of utmost importance. We trust in your abilities and eagerly await your return to continue working together and providing us with much desired sexplay sessions."

Janet nodded in agreement, her eyes filled with a mix of gratitude and concern. "Please keep us informed of his progress, Anya. If there's anything we can do to assist you or support Carl in any way, please don't hesitate to let us know."

Anya looked into the caring eyes of Isaac and Janet, appreciating their understanding and support. "Thank you both for your understanding. I will keep you updated on Carl's condition and my progress in developing the cure. Rest assured, I will return as soon as possible to resume my role as Isaac's health coach and physician. In the meantime, take care of yourselves and each other. It is up to the two of you to generate enough orgasms each day to compensate for the time that I will not be able to spend in bed with each of you during the next six months."

With a mixture of emotions, the trio continued their conversation, discussing their hopes for the future, the advancements in space exploration, and the ongoing collaboration among nations. They also had a long three-way sexplay session there on the living room floor. While Carl's illness weighed heavily on their hearts, their shared determination to re-unite in six months served as a guiding light in the face of uncertainty.

Avya in 1993

Janet, Isaac and Anya were laying in a tangle of limbs and other body parts in the middle of the living room floor when Anya's twelve year old daughter, Avya Isley Penmewly, got home from classes at Stuyvesant High School. Like both of her parents, Avya was a nerdy science student who had begun high school at an unusually early age. Avya chided Janet and her parents, "Is this all you do during the day when I'm at school?" Anya had allowed Avya to think of Isaac as her father.

Anya got off of the floor and strapped on the E-sized bra that she now wore, her breasts having grown larger during the time of her pregnancy with Avya and the years during which Anya had breast fed Avya. Anya told her daughter, "Today is a special day. I was having a long, and I do mean long..." She glanced at Isaac's erection, "goodby sexplay session Janet and Isaac before departing. For the next six months your father and Janet will take care of you."

Avya was dismayed. "What do you mean?"

"I have an emergency mission that will require all my attention for the next six months."

Fiction?

Avya was well aware that her mother was a Temporal Agent from the future. The secret of Anya's origins had been kept within the immediate circle of her friends and family, but Anya wrote and published science fiction stories about time travel, as if inviting someone to guess her secret identity as a Temporal Agent. Avya asked her mother, "This is part of your time travel mission? Why can't I go with you?"

Janet pulled on her panties and stood beside Avya, putting an arm around the young girl. "Don't worry darling, Isaac and I will be here for you while your mother is away."

Anya explained, "During my training for this mission, back when I was living in 2046, I was warned that I would have to save Carl Sagan's life, but due to the constraints on Temporal Paradox™, I did not know the details. That time has come." She looked at Janet's erect nipples and then watched Isaac rather comically trying to get his still semi-erect penis back into his pants. "Now that we all have come, I'll be on my way to a secret laboratory that has been established by the Temporal Service here in the 20th century just so that I can manufacture the gene-programmed stem cells that will save Carl's life."

With wonder in her voice, Avya said, "Gene-programmed cells? Oh, please take me along. I'd love to observe these advanced cell biology techniques from the future. After all, I'm trying to find a good idea for my next Science Olympiad project."

Anya sternly shook her head, "Due to mysterious temporal constrains, you must stay here. And I want you to be brave about this... I must leave today. Now, come with me to my room and help me finish packing."

Avya dutifully helped her mother finish packing her two large suitcases. Avya continued to argue her case that she should be allowed to go with her mother to the secret gene-programming laboratory. "Just think of all the other lives that could be saved by this advanced medical technology. You must allow me to learn these techniques."

Anya said firmly, "No, I was warned during my training that gene-programming technology cannot be used for any purpose other than saving Carl's life. If this technology was applied to others during this decade, it would dramatically alter Earth's historical timeline in unfavorable ways. And please do not forget; I know you have read the script for this story and and we both know that you will not be with me for the next six months. So stop providing logical reasons in support of your desire to be with me! In science fiction stories it is perfectly normal for twelve year old girls to be abandoned by their mother for extended periods of time."

Anya was in a hurry, trying to conform to the temporal constraints that were carefully described in the script, all in an attempt by the author of the story in order to keep the plot from bogging down in endless chatbot-generated blather. "Now, give me a hug and I'll be on my way. A cab is waiting for me." She handed Avya a small business card. "You can call me at this number. You'll get an automated answering service only, but then I'll call you back. Any time you want to talk, just call."

As specified in the script, Avya could no longer restrain her tears. Anya wiped the tears off of her daughter's pink cheeks, kissed the tip of her nose and then picked up her bags and departed. Avya looked out the window and watched the street until the cab carrying Anya pulled away and moved down the street. 

whimsical self-portrait of Ayllo
on a time travel mission

Avya went through the connecting door to her room and threw herself down on her bed. She picked up her Psion and recorded the phone number that had been given to her by her mother. Avya rolled off of the bed and slipped the Psion into her pocket. She opened up the top drawer of her big antique wooden dresser and placed the business card in the drawer. Then there was a strange sound and she looked across the room to where there was a tall woman who was dressed in a formal Temporal Service uniform. She said, "Hello, Avya, I'm Captain Ayllo."

Avya wiped her eyes to brush away her lingering tears. She had heard her mother speak of Captain Ayllo who had trained Anya for her time travel mission. Working under a contract that flirted with violations of child labor laws, Avya asked the obvious question as demanded by the script, "You are from the future?"

Captain Ayllo approached Avya and explained, "Your mother could not be told what I will now tell you. We must not allow her to know of your mission... that would only distract Anya from her important work." Ayllo was rather dismayed at the fragile appearance of the very young and vulnerable girl that stood before her. Using a Temporal Viewer could somehow never really prepare one for meeting someone in the flesh. Ayllo continued, "I must send you further back in time to complete your own time travel mission."

Captain Ayllo

Avya laughed rather wildly and then asked, "Are you joking?"

"No, you have an important mission in 1916. Exactly 100 years before our goal of getting the first crew landed on Mars."

"Mother has told me about that!" Avya explained excitedly, "I've been studying robotics... I'm going to help get people to Mars by 2015!"

"Yes, that is part of our plan." Captain Ayllo held out towards Avya one of the newer Psion models. "Here, let's trade. I've stored in this device information that will be important for your mission in the past." Avya wordlessly pulled her Psion out of her pocket and exchanged it for the modified one that Temporal Agent Ayllo has brought to 1993 from the future.

Captain Ayllo spoke rapidly, "Now, listen carefully. I have only a few minutes before our Temporal Window closes. Using the Time Travel Machine, we can make copies of people. Avya, in just a moment, I will duplicate you. One copy of you will go to 1916. The other copy will remain here to complete your important work in the 21st century. Are you ready to begin?"

Her heart racing, Avya nodded. To the original copy of Avya, it appeared that Captain Ayllo simply vanished. Just then, Janet knocked, opened the door, looked in from the hallway and asked, "Were you speaking to someone?"

Avya ran to Janet and threw her arms around her. She asked, "Why did I have to stay here?" This copy of Avya wished that it was she who could have been sent into the past on an exciting time travel mission. But no... she would remain here, stuck in Time, and have to keep secret her contact with Captain Ayllo and knowledge that a copy of herself had been sent into the past.

Janet patted the girl's head and told her, "Your mother leaving us for six months was a sudden surprise for all of us. I suggest that we all go out and do something fun. Is there a movie you would like to see?" Janet knew that there was.

Avya had not yet seen Back to the Future Part V. She leaned back from Janet and said, "Could we see Back to the Future?"

Isaac was there behind Janet. He said, "I've been wanting to see that myself." So that evening they all went to the Lincoln Plaza Cinemas and saw Back to the Future Part V. Avya could not stop thinking about the amazing idea that a copy of herself had been sent into the past. She wondered if she could find historical records of that copy in the library.

 _______________

 The duplicated copy of Avya arrived in 1916. It seemed as if the world had blinked out and then returned, with everything changed. Then she heard crickets chirping and she realized that she was standing in the middle of a grassy lawn behind a big old-fashioned house. The glow of yellow light coming through several of the windows was all that illuminated the yard. Avya could well believe that she was in 1916. The sky was cloudy and almost black. In the distance, two dogs barked back and forth to each-other. Avya still held the Psion. She opened it, activated the screen and saw a short message: Go into the house and find your mission collaborator, I. Jones.

Her heart racing with excitement, Avya went onto the back porch. Her feet were now wet with dew and she wished she had been wearing shoes when Captain Ayllo sent her into the past. 

Avya turned off her Psion, put it into her pocket and rapped her knuckles on the back door of the house. After about ten seconds, she heard foot falls then the door opened. A middle aged man looked at her and he seemed to have trouble focusing his eyes. He rubbed one eye with the back of a hand and Avya could see that he held a pen in his other hand. Finally he asked, "Is there some problem, miss?"

Avya was amused by the man's thick Scottish accent. Suddenly she felt like she should not lie to this gentleman. "I need help. I'm lost." 

Just then, she noticed a boy enter into the kitchen behind his father. He asked, "Who is..." At the sight of Avya, the boy fell silent. 

The man said, "Maybe we need to perform introductions. I'm Henry." He looked at his son who was staring at Avya, a sly grin growing on his lips. Avya was staring at Indy, and she felt a shiver go up her spine. The man tried to catch the attention of his son by clearing his throat and then when Indy finally looked at his father, Henry nodded towards Avya.

The boy looked back and forth between his father and the cute girl and finally said, "Oh, I'm He... Indy."

Avya put out her hand and said, "Hello, Henry. My name is Avya Isley Penmewly."

Henry skeptically raised an eyebrow but took her hand in his and said, "What a charming name. Please come in."

Avya finally came through the doorway and Henry closed the back door. Indy asked, "Where are your shoes? How did you get into our back yard?"

Avya meets Indy

Henry scowled at his son and then told Avya, "Forgive my son, he has no mother so he has no manners. Let's go into the parlor and you can take a seat... rest your feet" He led Avya into the parlor. "You look like you came from a distant land and I can't quite place your accent."

Avya sat on the velvet upholsterer couch and then Henry and Indy settled into chairs. Avya wished she could tell the truth, but she did not dare. Avya started lying, "I've been raised out of the country... my dad is a writer and we've traveled all over the world. Then he got into trouble in Spain. He told me to come here and find his cousin."

Indy asked, "What kind of a name is Penmewly? There is nobody with that name around here."

Avya smiled and replied, "You can blame my mother for my unusual name. Maybe we have been running from bill collectors my whole life... before we used the name 'Penmewly', our name was 'Jones'."

Henry said, "You don't look like you are related to me... your mother must be very beautiful."

"Yes, she is... or was. She was 45 when I was born..." Avya left that dangling as she thought about her mother, the Temporal Service Agent. Everything was happening so very fast to Avya and she could not yet think of herself as a Temporal Agent.

Indy was trying to put together the jumble of puzzle pieces that Avya was methodically spreading across the floor. "You just got to Princeton? Did you take the train down from New York. And you lost your shoes?"

Avya thought about her favorite movie and said, "Well, a bear ate my shoes, and yes, I know New York quite well. I do hope you can give me a place to stay... until I find my family."

Indy scoffed and began to say, "A bear? That's cr-"

Henry said, "We'll have to try to find your family. We've been living in Utah for the past several years, so there are many new people in town that I don't know. There could be a dozen different Jones families." He told Indy, "Take Avy to school in the morning. Ask Principle Thronklin to check the school system records." He told Avya, we'll solve this mystery... in time."

_______________________________

A week later, all efforts to find Avya's relatives had been abandoned. She had quickly made herself indispensable around the Jones house by cooking, cleaning and shopping. Avya was now enrolled at Princeton High School. The Jones house was on Park Place, half way between the high school and the University where Henry had an office, although he often worked in his home office.

For Avya, that week had been a whirlwind of learning the way of life and daily living in 1916. She had obtained useful hints from her Psion. Soon after arriving in 1916, Avya had decided that the Psion must have advanced computer technology from the future, most likely from the 21st century. She'd discovered how to switch the device's screen to a high resolution color mode. The vast memory of the device contained encyclopedic volumes of information about the world of 1916 and quite a large biographical file on Henry and his obsession: searching for the Holy Grail, a fabled lost artifact of the ancient world.

Among the many full color image files in the memory of the Psion was one labeled "Podgory Space Dock", showing a large orbital space station. While alone, Avya often stared at the image, trying to imagine how far in the future it would be until such a station could be built in Earth orbit. She wondered: and what is a Podgory?" Even more perplexing was the text paragraph under the image that said:

Get a cleaning job that will get you into the laboratory of Dr. Goddard. Find ways to share knowledge of rocketry with the staff in Goddard's laboratory. With your assistance, the pace of space exploration will be advanced, making it possible to send a manned mission to Mars by 2015. Also, show this image to Indy.

The Jones house.

The Psion contained seemingly endless files on rocketry, including electronic guidance systems. Avya knew little about electronics, but she began to learn from the Psion and its artificial intelligence teaching system. She began thinking in terms of several years that she imagined it might take her to accomplish her mission. However, it was only one week into her life in 1916 when Indy came into her bedroom late one night while she was using the Psion. She'd fallen asleep while reading about electronics. When Indy burst in to her room, she awoke and tried to hide the Psion under the covers. He demanded, "What is that?" For the past three days, Indy had taken to watching Avya through a secret peephole that allowed him to watch her undressing from up in the attic.

Avya had to show the advanced hand-held computer to Indy, but she put it into the primitive display mode that emulated an actual 1993 Psion. For her part, Avya forced Indy to admit that he had been spying on her. Indy told her, "Of course I've been watching you. Dad has not been able to discover anything about you. Were you sent here to spy on him? Discover what he knows about the Grail?"

Avya chuckled nervously, "I can't take you seriously... or your father. Who spends their life trying to prove that a fable is real?"

Indy was trying to figure out how to use the Psion, but he was pretty much just randomly pushing buttons. "Where did you get this? I've never seen anything like it."

Avya decided to give the answer that was true for her original Psion. "It was a gift from my father."

"Your father. The mysterious writer." He gave up trying to understand the purpose of the Psion. He looked at Avya, which had become his favorite avocation. Indy was completely infatuated with her. "What has he published?"

"He was born in Russia... so nothing you would have heard of... things like his Foundation books." Avya enjoyed the way that Indy watched her. She admitted to herself: And I like looking at him... hearing his stories about Utah... his dreams for the future.

"His books might be in the library at the University."

"No." She said it with complete confidence.

"How do you know? They have a million books."

"Well, take me there, we can find out." She would have to start learning her way around the University in order to accomplish her mission.

"Fine. We'll go tomorrow."

"After school?"

"First thing. The library opens at seven." He seemed in no hurry to go back to his room. 

Avya leaned her head close to Indy and she was now quietly whispering, "Indy, I want to show you something, but you have to promise not to tell anyone. Not even your father."

"Fine."

Avya the rocket scientist.

Avya held the Psion so that he could not see how she used the controls. She switched into the high resolution mode and brought up the image of the Podgory space station and then turned the screen towards Indy. It took a minute for him to understand what he was seeing. He asked, "Why are you showing this to me?"

Trying to be as quiet as possible Avya restrained herself from blurting out: it is in the script! Insted, she calmly said, "I have a crazy idea. I think you have seen this before."

"I have, but how do you know?"

Avya admitted, "When I clean you father's office I read his books and writings. I saw something like this in his Grail diary."

Indy explained, "It is a vision he had... not long before I was born. That vision is what drives him to search for the Grail. But you are telling me that he never saw a cup... he saw this space station?"

"I think he did."

"This makes no sense. I have to show this to dad."

"You promised to keep this secret."

For a long minute Indy looked at Avya, her face glowing in the light that was emitted by the Psion. Indy asked, "Does this have a battery in it?"

Avya rolled out of her bed and pulled a box out from under the bed. She opened the box and took out a power cord. This had been her first electronics project. Making a power cable that could re-charge the battery in the Psion. She'd followed instructions that were in a file in the top directory of the device. "You can't tell anyone anything about any of this. Just keep telling people that I'm your cousin from Europe."

"That's wearing thin. You know too much. Everyone thinks you are a genius... including me. I don't believe you are sixteen."

"How old do you think I am?"

Indy took that opportunity to feel her breasts through the fabric of her silk pajamas. "You're just a kid. I'll guess that you are only twelve."

Avya had enjoyed the gentle touch of his finger tips on her stiff nipples. "Before I came here to Princeton, I was already in high school. If I'd given my real age, they might have sent me back to seventh grade." A glance at his pajamas proved that Indy was also erect. She said, "Just tell me that you'll keep my secrets... like you promised."

"It is going to cost you."

"Cost what?"

"I'll think of something." He slowly leaned closer to Avya. He brushed his lips against her cheek and the went back to his room.

Science nerd Avya.

The next day, of course they failed to find any of the three books called Foundation, Foundation and Empire or Second Foundation. When a librarian had asked for the name of the author, Avya, who was intent on having to keep track of as few lies as possible, replied, "The were published under the name 'Isaac Asimov'."

The librarian had never heard of a writer named 'Asimov' and none could be found in the library's catalog of books. The librarian was only able to tell Indy that the name "Podgory" was of polish origin.

Avya asked Indy to show her the building where Dr. Goddard had his laboratory. When they were standing in front of the building, Indy said, "Rockets and your Podgory space station."

Avya nodded. "Eventually, rockets will take people into orbit... and beyond." She almost mentioned the name 'Grissom', the first man to stand on the surface of the Moon, since he had been born in Indiana. She asked Indy, "Why does everyone call you Indy?"

He answered her question with a question, "Why do you suppose?" He had his own personal question for her, "Are you from the future?"

She giggled. "Time travel? Have you read The Time Machine?"

"Yes, I have."

"If I was from the future, do you think I'd tell you?"

"I don't know. I want to know everything about you." He put his arms around her, pulled her close and kissed the tip of her nose.

It was a chilly fall morning and she enjoyed feeling the warmth of his body against her. Avya surprised herself by pressing her lips against his. For a minute they kissed, then pulled apart and began walking back home, holding hands. When they reached Park Place, she asked, "If I wanted to get a job at the University, how would I do it?

"A job?"

"Sweeping floors... washing dishes... doing laundry... if I worked for the University then I'd get paid."

Indy led Avya into the house and said, "Here, you are family. You can't really expect dad to pay you... although it is nice to have you around helping with chores... even if Mrs. Wick now has nothing to do." Mrs. Wick was the cleaning lady who came to the house three times a week.

Avya made a quick lunch and said, "We can go to our afternoon classes. I don't want to miss my calculus class."

Avya in 1932

Indy commented, "You're the only girl in that class. You are younger that all the guys. I heard you got the top score on an exam, just two days after you began attending the class."

Avya shrugged. "Math is easy for me. I've already taken a calculus class... back home."

"Where is 'back home'?"

"New York."

"Where in New York?"

"Does it really matter?"

"Or should I ask: when in New York? 1960? 1970? 1980? 1990? Are you from the next century?"

"You should not ask. Its not polite to concern yourself with a woman's secrets."

Indy laughed and again put his arms around Avya. "I'm going to find out everything about you... eventually. You might as well tell me now."

She leaned against him and muttered, "I wish I could tell you everything you want to know... but..."

He said, "You can trust me. We're going to be a team."

She ran out of the house and headed for school. When he caught up with Avya, Indy took hold of her hand and asked, "What is the name of the game you are playing?"

She replied, "That's the problem... I'm not sure that it is a team sport. I was told to show you that image of the Podgory space station, but nothing more."

Indy mused, "Podgory is a Russian name of Polish origin." He wondered why Avya we so reluctant to tell him her secrets. What can she be hiding? "In the future, does Russia develop rockets that can reach outer space?"

Ksynya Virganskaya

Avya was thinking about the future as she knew it, with the first orbital sputnik being sent up in 1954. But what if her presence in her own past changed things? Could her actions cause a huge space station to be built by Russians at some time in the far future? Or would her act of providing help to Goddard prevent Russians from building the Podgory space station? Avya squeezed Indy's hand and told him, "I've only known you for a week. For now, the game we are playing 'wait and see'. I have to find out if I can really trust you." She kissed his cheek and ran off to her math class.

That evening, Avya was browsing through the numerous files in her Psion when she came across an image of a mysterious woman. The caption for the image was 'Ksynya Virganskaya'." The accompanying text was:

 Assign Ayvanna the task of approaching Ksynya at the Golden Jubilee celebration of the International Peace Bureau. She will have access to Russian autonomous vehicle computer code.

Avya was perplexed. The image of Ksynya looked like a young, glittering and self-indulgent version of a woman who Avya had briefly met a week previously: Captain Ayllo of the Temporal Service. 

In what would be their pattern for the next five years, Indy quietly came into Avya's bedroom. They kissed rather passionately and then glancing at the image of Ksynya, he asked, "Who is she?"

"I don't know. I only just found her image. What is the International Peace Bureau?" The next day, the librarian at their school was able to answer that question. 

______________________________________________

Avya on her wedding night.

 October 1921. Through the years, Avya and Indy grew quite close and eventually they were married. Their first child, Ayvanna, was born in 1921. Occasionally, they went with Indy's father on trips to Europe and the Middle East, but mostly they remained in Princeton where Avya became an indispensable part of the rocketry research and development process in the United States. 

Avya's knowledge of rockets, jet air craft, atomic energy, computers and other technologies from the future allowed the U.S. military to dominate the world and enforce a lasting peace. In Avya's Reality, the new timeline for Earth did not include any major wars after the Great War.

Watching her daughter grow through the years, Avya could not understand why Ayvanna did not seem to have any of Indy's distinctive facial features. She recalled sometimes hearing Janet comment on the fact that she looked nothing like her father, Isaac. Avya had once asked her mother, "Is Isaac really my father?" Anya had replied, "Such a silly question. He's the only man I've ever had sex with since the day I met him... there in 2046." Anya had seemed to slip off into reminiscences of past times. Avya let the matter go. Only later would Avya understand that the Temporal Service, having found a talented Temporal Agent, often made use of clones of that agent.

_____________________________________________

Ayvanna in 1941

 September 1941. It was not until 1941 that Avya's daughter, Ayvanna, was allowed to meet Ksynya. By then, Ayvanna had done her senior research project in the Princeton Robotics Laboratory under the supervision of Dr. Alonzo Church. She had met Alan Turing during the time that he was visiting Princeton and collaborating with Church on development of CORGY, a computerized rocket guidance system. By this time, Avya was a senior rocket scientist in the NRP (National Rocketry Program) which was headed by Dr. Goddard.

The evening before her flight to Switzerland, Ayvanna, her younger sister, Alyssa, her mother Avya and her father, Indy, lingered over dinner. Unlike Ayvanna who was very similar in appearance to her mother, Alyssa had many of her father's features and could easily be credited as being Indy's daughter.

Ayvanna had been trained for this mission to Europe through the course of her entire life. After Goddard's famous speech before the League of Nations in 1925 and the public release of the details for the RAX rocket guidance system, the European Space Agency had formed and began development of its rocketry facility on Usedom island. Ksynya had grown up in Peenemünde, the daughter of one of the Russian rocket engineers who worked in collaboration with Wernher von Braun at the Usedom rocket base.

Avya in 1941

Ayvanna was well-acquainted with all aspects of Ksynya's life and her work with International Peace Bureau. Working as Avya's personal intelligence agent, Indy has been able to confirm that there was a secret autonomous vehicle project at the Usedom rocket base. Based on evidence gathered by Indy during his frequent visits to Germany during the 1930s, the autonomous vehicle project was somehow linked to the secret European atomic energy project.

Over dessert, Ayvanna commented, "I wish we knew something about the European atomics research. Or even this country's secret project at White Sands Missile Base." In fact, Ayvanna was something of an expert on that topic, but in the current atmosphere of paranoia over atomic secrets, she had no desire to make that public knowledge.

Indy's investigations indicated that an atomic weapon would soon be tested at White Sands. Alyssa reminded everyone, "Someone in Washington must know that the Europeans have an atomic bomb. I suppose I should rest more comfortably knowing that my school has been stocked with medical supplies and food in case of an atomic attack."

Avya reminded Ayvanna, "When you contact Ksynya, don't say anything about atomics. We have to keep our eye on the ball. Your trip to Europe has always been about the development of the robotic systems that will be needed for space exploration."

Ayvanna in Geneva, 1941.

Indy shook his head sadly. "It is hard to maintain focus on that long-range goal when the whole world is fired-up over the applications of atomic energy."

Ayvanna asked her mother, "What should I do if Ksynya wants to talk about atomic energy?"

Avya sighed and placed a hand on top on one of her daughter's hands. "I don't know. This is all in your hands now." Avya had pretty much given up wondering if her actions could change the future. Although she had never paid much attention while in her world history courses, as far as she could tell, the world's timeline of historical events continued to unfold exactly as it had in her Reality. Still, there were many unknowns. Would she live long enough to meet her future self, maybe even witness her own birth? All such mysteries seemed trivial now that Ayvanna was going off to Europe.

For the past five years, Ayvanna had carried the Psion, ever since she had discovered how to decrypt some files in the device's memory, revealing that Captain Ayllo had long ago foreseen the time when Avya would transfer the Psion to her daughter. Those encrypted files held a message just for Ayvanna, providing details on exactly how and when to approach Ksynya during the Golden Jubilee celebration of the International Peace Bureau. Those instructions made her mission seem quite simple, but Ayvanna's parents were worried and full of doubts.

Next: Part 5 of The Asimov-Sagan Time Nexus.

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