Swap 2x2

Ranch0 Henrito.

 Below on this page is Chapter 8 of the science fiction story "The Hierozyme Intervention", in which Systolina and Marda must arrange to move themselves inside Casanay even while their luxurious new home, Ranch0 Henrito, is nearing completion. 

 Fast. Only one week after their first meeting, Marda suggests to Tyhry that they swap identities and on the same day, Rylla suggests to Zeta that they swap identities. Rylla communicates with Zeta using a synapex link while Marda must help Tyhry relearn Marda's telepathic mind pattern so that they can communicate without any possibility of being over-heard.

Marda and Systolina want to operate from inside Casanay while they begin planning how to put an end to global warming. Zeta and Tyhry find their own good reasons for moving from Casanay to Ranch0 Henrito.

The Hierozyme Intervention Chapter 7 - Swap (Chap. 1)(Chap. 2)(Chap. 3)(Chap. 4)(Chap. 5)(Chap. 6)(Chap. 7) 

Zeta and Rylla at Ranch0 Henrito.

Not long after Anthony waved goodbye to Rylla and Rylla drove her Jeep up the driveway, Zeta arrived. Rylla was still outside, speaking to one of the workmen who was finishing the inside of the new house. Zeta got out of her car and approached Rylla. The workman glanced at Zeta and asked Rylla, "Your sister?"

Rylla replied, "I wish, but no." Rylla quickly finished up with the workman's questions about tile grout.

While Zeta waited, she gazed in dismay at the odd glass and steel monstrosity that was Ranch0 Henrito. Ranch0 Henrito looked more like a corporate headquarters than a tasteful family residence in the remote desert.

The workman returned inside and then Rylla took Zeta by the hand and they began walking around the the exterior of Ranch0 Henrito, pretending to be making final landscaping decisions, but that work had been completed the previous Friday. Reaching a secluded location and unable to restrain herself, Zeta pulled Rylla close and kissed her. A minute latter, Rylla pulled Zeta's hand out of her shirt and caught her breath and said, "I'm glad you are here nice and early. There is something important I need to tell you about."

Zeta was sweating. She pointed to the pool and asked, "How about a dip in the pool?"

Rylla took Zeta arm and led her towards the modular 'guest house' that she and Marda were living in while the interior of Ranch0 Henrito was being finished. "I'd love to jump in the pool with you, but I don't want to create a distraction for the workmen. When we swam last week, construction ground to a halt."

Zeta asked, "What is it you want to discuss?"

The two women went inside and to the kitchen of what would become the Ranch0 Henrito guest house. "Thank you for a fun weekend." Rylla got a cold drink for Zeta and then placed her hand on top of Zeta's where it rested on the island in the center of the kitchen. "I have a proposal. I need you to listen."

 Zeta again tried to kiss Rylla, but Rylla pulled her head back and shook her head. She silently mouthed, 'Listen'. Feeling puzzled, Zeta listened. The sound of a saw cutting tile could be heard in the distance. Then Zeta heard: Just relax; this is a synapex link, just like in one of Eddy's novels.

 Rylla looked at where her hand was in contact with Rylla's but she could see nothing unusual. Is this a trick?

 By all means, call it a trick, but hear me out. Marda and I need to get inside Casanay. I want you to swap identities with me. You will have to pretend to be me. You will then have control of Simpera and its vast financial reserves. I'll be able to help Marda with her climate change mitigation work. Rylla squeezed Zeta's hand for emphasis.

Image by Leonardo.

Zeta struggled to process all of the information that was flooding her mind and coming from Rylla. Finally her head stopped spinning and she asked: So it is all true? Anthony is a spy, living inside Casanay... just like Eddy writes it in his novels? 

Rylla gave a delicate shrug. Not exactly like Eddy's stories, but close enough. Marda has a real chance of getting the solution to global warming from Eddy. She'll continue pretending to be a huge fan of his fiction. You will be busy. You need to take cash from Simpera and create a sophisticated foundation to support climate change mitigation research. Think about the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and use that as your model. 

Zeta told herself that she should be surprised, but she did not feel surprised. She had long wondered why Anthony so stoically resided at Casanay with no real opportunities for a social life or advancement. If he was a spy, then everything made sense. Using the synapex linkage, Rylla continued to provide details about Marda's plan to Zeta. Then the flow of information stopped. Rylla told Zeta: Tyhry will swap identities with Marda and live with you at Ranch0 Henrito. Look at this. Rylla had used her programmable femtobot components to reshape her face into an exact duplicate of Zeta's. Zeta looked at Rylla's chest and saw that her breasts had enlarged and were now as big as Zeta's. Then Zeta felt something tickling her own breasts. It will take me about four or five hours to nanosurgically shift you over to my body form. I don't need to do much carving; I made Rylla as close to your bodily as possible without causing incredulity.

Image by Leonardo.

Zeta tried to tell herself that she should protest, but it all made sense. And Zeta loved the idea of getting control of a multi-billion dollar corporation. Surely Eddy will notice this swap. Then Zeta got a glimpse into her mind and understood who Rylla really was. Wait! You are Systolina? The robot?

Yes, I'm Systolina, the robot from Threy. I doubt if Eddy will ever notice the swap. Before coming to Earth for this mission, the Phari let me use their Simulation technology. I was carefully trained to mimic your behaviors, Zeta. I've made love to a simulated Eddy a dozen times. Rylla, who now looked like Zeta, demonstrated several of Zeta's mannerisms and winked at Zeta. I've carefully studied your favorite sex positions. I'm sure I can fool Eddy. 

You don't know how to care for my gardens.

Rylla spoke and asked, "Are you cooled off?" Rylla pulled Zeta out of the kitchen and into her bedroom and onto her bed. The two women began a sexplay session while continuing to communicate through their synapex linkage. Yes I do. And you'll be able to help me with any surprises that come up. We can to this.

But. There has got to be a 'but'. 

Well, the tricky part for you will be dealing with Anthony. It is important that you distract Anthony so that Marda and I can do our work inside Casanay.

Nothing happens inside Casanay without Anthony knowing about it.

That's why you have to get him out of Casanay. He will live here with you and Tyhry.

Image by Leonardo.

 What? Zeta was feeling quite sexually stimulated by having the chance to play with Rylla's body which now looked just like Zeta's own body. Zeta's own body felt like it was getting a deep massage from inside as Systolina's body sculpting femtobots continued to alter her appearance.

Look, it will be simple. Just ask him to move in with you.

I don't think Anthony likes women.

That is not important. Just keep flirting with him and he will ask to live with you after you tell him that Manny linked you into the Sedron Time Stream so that you get investment tips from your future self. Anthony will want to be close to you so he can monitor how you are spending Simpera money.

Zeta had gotten rambunctious in her love making and imagined that she must have ripped the synapex link and for a time Rylla's thoughts were not in her head. Then when Zeta was about ready to achieve an orgasm, they were again synapex linked. Zeta could feel Systolina feeding Zeta's own fiery sexual thoughts back to her. Zeta experienced her first orgasm trance and found herself in a shared mindspace with Systolina.

__

On the bus ride to school, Marda had to first chat with half a dozen students she had met the previous week. Then she shifted her focus entirely to Tyhry and worked methodically to re-establish a two-way telepathic link to Tyhry. By the time they reached school, Marda was deep into Tyhry's thought stream, but Tyhry had not yet telepathically reached out to Marda.

Finally, during lunch, Marda sat close to Tyhry and kept a hand on Tyhry's thigh. Tyhry suddenly realized that she was able to sense Marda's mind. She asked wonderingly: Telepathy?

Yes, but don't talk about it. We have to pretend to be normal humans, but we are a genetic human variant. In a week or so we will have independent confirmation that we share the same unusual Notch gene. Marda continued to drive a conventional spoken conversation with Tyhry about their chemistry project. Anthony is watching us.

Tyhry laughed. Marda, I know you are obsessed with Eddy's stories, but you can't expect me to pretend that dad's stories are true. Do you really expect me to believe that the pek and bumpha actually exist?

No. Don't worry about that. I have a bigger challenge for you. A big ask. I would not bother, but I love you and I know you love me. Manny planned this well. We have to work as a team. I want you to swap identities with me.

 Swap identities? What does that mean? Then Tyhry saw the meaning in Marda's mind. That's crazy.

Image by Leonardo.

 We can do it. I'll use zeptites to change your appearance to match mine. I'll become you, at least to a good enough approximation to fool Eddy. I need to use his Reality Viewer to learn how to end global warming.

Reality Viewer? Tyhry knew what Reality Viewers were in Eddy's stories, but the idea that her father had one seemed absurd.

I'm sure that Manny gave Eddy a Reality Viewer. He uses it to observe past Realities. That's where he gets the ideas for his novels.

I see in your mind that you believe that, but how do you know this?

I was told by someone who knows.

An alien?

Look, forget about aliens. I had a time-traveling femtozoan inside my body for the past three years. She told me that Eddy has a Reality Viewer in his computer. We'll swap identities and then I'll be able to use that Reality Viewer to find the solution to rising greenhouse gas levels. We can do this!

Image generated by Flow.

Their lunch period was over. Later, in chemistry class, they continued their discussion of Marda's plan to swap identities. Marda kept badgering Tyhry who finally told Marda: I'll have to think about this.

__

Between the heat and all that Tyhry could see in Marda's thoughts, the school bus ride home had Tyhry's head spinning. Both Rylla and Zeta were there at the end of the driveway inside the cab of the Jeep. Marda and Tyhry rode in the bed of the Jeep and telepathically speculated on the relationship between Rylla and Zeta. Tyhry commented: They are totally ga-ga for each other.

Marda noted: My mom is still fishing for Anthony. Somehow we need to get him out of Casanay. 

 Tyhry and Marda jumped out of the Jeep and ran to the pool. They pulled off most of their clothing and jumped in. Rylla and Zeta reached the pool at a more sedate pace. Marda called, "Come in! The water is great."

Zeta and Rylla were testing out their new identities. Uncertain about her ability to talk like Rylla, Zeta was saying as little as possible. Systolina, now disguised as Zeta, said quietly to Zeta, "Most of the workmen have departed." She took off most of her clothing and waded into the pool. 

Wanting to again see her new body, Zeta took off all of her clothing and then dove into the pool. They all proceeded to play volley ball in the pool until Zeta, pretending to be Rylla, said, "I'm going to go get dinner cooking." She climbed out of the pool.

Systolina looked at her shoulders and said, "My sunscreen must have washed off. I've started to burn. I better head inside, too."

Tyhry was again feeling disoriented. After Systolina was our of ear shot, Tyhry put a hand on Marda and told Marda telepathically: This is so strange. I can't believe we have telepathy. And I just felt...

Marda threw her arms around Tyhry and kissed her. Then she asked, "What?"

I can't explain it. Something is wrong with my mom. 

What about my mom... the way she took off all of her clothing.

That makes sense she has a beautiful athletic body. There is probably a state law against her wearing a swimsuit. 

Tyhry and Marda went to the hot tub. Marda asked: Well, have you decided to go along with the swap? I can use zeptites to alter our bodies. She demonstrated by morphing her body into a nearly exact copy of Tyhry's body. Tyhry could not resist carefully exploring Marda's new body.

After dinner, Tyhry and Marda did homework then Systolina, still disguised as Zeta called to Tyhry, "Let's go Tyhry, it is late."

Tyhry complained, "Let me stay here tonight."

"Not tonight. Next weekend. You need a good night's sleep in your own bed."

As soon as Tyhry got in her mother's car, she said, "I want to be with Marda all the time."

Systolina said, "You are very luck to have a friend like Marda. I feel the same way. Rylla is fun for me to be with." Systolina started Zeta's car and after some searching, figured out how to take of the parking brake.

Tyhry asked, "Have you been drinking?"

"No." 

As they went down the driveway, Tyhry was again mired in confusion. Tyhry was feeling a deep wrongness. By the time they reached Casanay, Tyhry was certain that this woman who was driving and who looked like her mother was not really her mother. As they pulled into the garage, Tyhry asked, "So you did it? Just like Marda wants to do with me. A swap."

Systolina shut off the car's engine and opened up a telepathic link to Tyhry. You are a clever girl. What gave it away?

Tyhry asked: Who are you?

Let's talk later. Get ready for bed and I will come to your room.

Tyhry briefly said hello to Eddy then went to her suite of rooms. Tyhry called Marda, but that was a frustration. Remembering Marda's warning about Anthony, Tyhry dared not speak about her telepathic contact with the imposter who was pretending to be her mother. Finally, Systolina arrived and sat on the edge of Tyhry's bed. Tyhry told Marda, "See you in the morning." Tyhry set down her phone and demanded: Well?

Systolina started a spoke discussion of Tyhry and Marda's chemistry project. Telepathically she said: Did you ever read your father's novel "The Nanite Smuggler"?

 Don't ask me questions. Answer my question.

 You know me as Rylla, Marda's mother. However, I'm Systolina, the robot from planet Threy in what your father calls the Asimov Reality.

 Tyhry had never been able to read past the first few pages of "The Nanite Smuggler", but she knew that Systolina was one of her father's favorite characters. A robot?

Listen to me, Tyhry. You don't need to believe that I'm a positronic robot from a past Reality. I do hope you care enough about Marda and Earth to help find a solution to global warming.

 I've felt so strange lately, I'm not sure I can trust anything. So, my mom is with Marda now?

Yes. I used my body sculpting femtobots to alter her body today. Marda can do the same for you.

And then I can stay with my mother? 

Exactly. That is the plan. Marda and I will be here where we can make use of Eddy's Reality Viewer. You mother will do her financial wizardry and mobilize the money needed to research climate change mitigation.

 Eddy will know you are not my mom.

 that's my problem, but it is not really a problem. I was trained for this. I can handle Eddy.

That sounds ominous.

No, more like amorous. I have access to Phari Simulation technology. I've lived through years of Simulations of Casanay and your family.

What about Anthony? 

Tyhry, you need to look at the big picture. It is a minor detail that your mother will have to distract Anthony.

I'm supposed to be happy about you moving in with dad and my mother... what? Is she going to have to be Anthony's boyfriend?

Zeta is stepping into the role of Rylla Onway, who controls billions... money that can be used to solve the problem of global warming. Your mother is not going to stop loving either you or your father.

 I can't believe that mom agreed to let you live with dad.

Tyhry, we all have to do our part in order to make this work. Your father will never know.

Tyhry laughed rather hysterically, but Systolina had laid open her thoughts before Tyhry's telepathic mind. Okay, based on what I see in your mind, I believe that you believe what you've told me. I can work with Marda. We'll find a way to end global warming. Just don't hurt Eddy.

It won't be just you two. You'll be part of an international effort... this will take decades.

Can you transform me into Marda? 

I could, but Marda can do it more efficiently with her zeptites. She can do it first thing tomorrow morning. 

Systolina, pretending to be Zeta, kissed Tyhry's forehead and exited from Tyhry's suite. She went to the master bedroom suite where Eddy was waiting for his wife. Systolina told herself: show time.

__ 

An hour later, in the master bedroom, Eddy was looking at the woman he believed to be his wife with amazement. He said, "Ah, I'm pleased that you have finally discovered what I wrote about Systolina's special programming for how to satisfy tourists visiting Threy." 

Systolina could follow his thought processes. Eddy was delighted by the change in his wife's behavior in their bed. Systolina imagined that Manny was watching and was pleased to see that Eddy could enjoy the unexpected thrill of this change in his lover. This copy of Systolina was thankful for her extensive training for how to interact with Eddy; another success of Phari Simulation technology. Systolina spoke in Zeta's voice, "If you found any faults in my performance I can try again."

Eddy laughed. "I'm a bit worn out, but I'll take you up on that offer in the morning. I do have one suggestion." He went to a nearby book shelf and returned to bed with a copy of The Nanite Smuggle. Look... here on page... 218." He read the key passage.

Systolina said, "I interpreted that to mean that Systolina could alter the structure of her genitals depending on the preference of her current lover."

"Well, yes. Exactly... but there is more than one way do everything..."

"Well, I'm sorry, but I'm stuck with what I was born with..." She took her large breasts in hand and bounced them, "... or have been able to grow."

Eddy planted a kiss on each her breasts. "Right, but... well, maybe we could... just pretend..."

Systolina could telepathically see what Eddy meant, but she decided it could be fun to try to get Eddy to say what he was thinking. "Maybe we could just ask..."

"Ask what?"

"Not 'what', 'who'. I think you know exactly what I mean. Its a pretty common fantasy, and I confess that I've been letting my fantasies carry me away since Marda moved to town."

"And I'm very grateful for that, my love. However..."

"Yes?"

"Well, just sleep on it. We can continue this discussion tomorrow."

Systolina got back on top of Eddy and said, "I'd be glad to sleep in it."

Eddy laughed. "You are so wild tonight? I'm sorry I can;t keep up with you. I'm going to blame our new neighbor for all of this."

"Sure, I've been spending lots of time with Rylla. Do you object?"

 "Did she teach you the new tricks?"

"What if she did? Would you be jealous?"

"What? Oh. Of course not. Rylla is beautiful. She reminds me of you, back when we were younger."

"Well, I can't tease you any more. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I already asked her, last week. She said no."

"Just 'no'?" Eddy sounded sad.

"Does that hurt your feelings? I think Rylla is too morally grounded. She knows it would be wrong to play games with our marriage just for a sexual dalliance."

 "You are probably right. Anyhow, thanks for asking. I never would have had the nerve."

"Remember, it is good to hold on to hopes and dreams. Who knows? Rylla might change her mind and decide she'd like to have a play session with us. You know what they say..."

"What?"

"Two used to be company, but with inflation it takes at least three."

Eddy grinned. "Did you make that up?" 

"I think it is funny that you tried to get me to do what you did not dare to do yourself."

"I'm not proud of my cowardice. I'd never do something that I thought might hurt you."

"My love, you really don't need to be so cautious. I'm no innocent. I don't mind getting wild once in a while. Particular if Rylla is involved. I'd love to see you two making love while I watched and enjoyed the show."

"I learned tonight that you are not the sweet bashful girl I married."

"Everything I did tonight you published years ago in your novel."

"Somehow you did it better than I ever imagined. It is almost like you were inside my mind, like a telepathic robot!"

Systolina tried to imitate Zeta's musical laughter. This was the hardest challenge she had face during preparation for this mission on Earth. In the end, she had hard-wired an algorithm for Zeta's laughter into her femtobots. It was up to Eddy's standards.

Next: Chapter 9 of "The Hierozyme Intervention".

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

Phari Trap

Image by Leonardo. The AI-generated robot (right)
was manually "softened" in an attempt to make the
robot take on a more human appearance. 

 Having completed Chapter 7 of the science fiction story "The Hierozyme Intervention" and having thought about Systolina deploying positronic tools at Observer Base as a way to gain access to information about the future, I began thinking about how the copy of Systolina who is now on Earth might assist Marda's efforts by deploying positronic tools on Earth. I consulted with Claude concerning some new plot complications.

Me: Claude, are you familiar with the plots of “Die Gänsemagd” and “Dasdoppelte Lottchen”?

Claude:  {the red text, below, is Claude's thought process} 

The user is asking about two German literary works: "Die Gänsemagd" (The Goose Girl) and "Das doppelte Lottchen" (Lottie and Lisa / The Parent Trap). Let me think about what I know about these before deciding whether to fetch the Wikipedia pages.

"Die Gänsemagd" (The Goose Girl) is a fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm (Tale No. 89). A princess is sent to marry a foreign prince, but her waiting maid usurps her identity during the journey. The princess is forced to become a goose girl, while the maid pretends to be the princess and marries the prince.

Two tryp'At and a robot. Image by Leonardo.

 In the end, the deception unravels and the rightful princess is restored to her place. "Das doppelte Lottchen" is Erich Kästner's 1949 novel about identical twins separated at birth who meet at summer camp, discover their connection, and swap places to reunite their divorced parents—the story that inspired "The Parent Trap." Both tales explore identity substitution and switching, which seems relevant to the user's interest in mind clones and replicoids within their EFU stories.

The user provided German Wikipedia links, so I should fetch those pages to ensure I have the precise details rather than relying on my existing knowledge.

The user is asking about two German literary works:

1. "Die Gänsemagd" (The Goose Girl) - Grimm fairy tale #89 about a princess whose identity is stolen by her maid. The princess ends up herding geese while the maid pretends to be the princess and is about to marry the prince. Eventually the truth comes out.

2. "Das doppelte Lottchen" (Lottie and Lisa / The Parent Trap) - Erich Kästner's 1949 children's novel about identical twins who were separated when their parents divorced, meet at summer camp, switch identities to get to know the parent they didn't grow up with, and eventually work to reunite their parents.
   I'm noticing the user might be drawing parallels to EFU themes around identity swapping, doubles, and alternate selves—possibly thinking about how these concepts relate to characters like Tyhry and Marda. I should acknowledge both works and ask what connection they're exploring.

Image by Leonardo.

{The blue text, blow, is Claude's actual reply}  

Yes, both very well — and having now refreshed from the Wikipedia pages, I can see them clearly.

"Die Gänsemagd" is Grimm tale #89: a princess traveling to her betrothal has her identity stolen by her own waiting-maid, who forces a sworn oath of silence and arrives at the foreign court in the princess's place. The true princess ends up herding geese with a boy named Kürdchen, speaking to the decapitated head of her horse Falada, who addresses her as "Jungfer Königin" — young queen — though nobody at court knows she is one. The truth eventually surfaces through the old king listening to her lament in secret, and the false bride is made to pronounce her own sentence.

"Das doppelte Lottchen" is Kästner's 1949 novel: identical twins Luise and Lotte, separated when their parents divorced — each raised by one parent, neither knowing the other existed — meet at an alpine summer camp and recognize each other. At the end of the holiday they swap identities deliberately, each going home with the parent she never knew. The scheme is benevolent manipulation aimed at reuniting the family, which eventually succeeds.

What I find immediately interesting, given where we are in this conversation, is what both stories share: an identity that exists in two places at once, one copy "authentic" and one copy "performing," with the performance eventually either exposed or dissolved. Tyhry and Marda as mind clones, Anthony and Systolina as femtobot replicoids of positronic robots, analogues recurring across Realities — the EFU is saturated with exactly this structure. I suspect you're seeing a connection I'd like to hear you spell out directly. What's the link you have in mind?

Image by Leonardo.

 Me: Claude, consider the situation in my science fiction story “The Hierozyme Intervention” which features two twelve-year-old girls, Tyhry Watson and Marda Onway. Tyhry has learned the basics of zeptite programming from Manny the bumpha which, at the start of the story, she has so far only used to make hair nanites, clothing nanites and her flying anti-gravity bike. Functioning as Nyrtia's secret agent inside Casanay, Anthony is carefully watching over Tyhry's use of zeptites while Nyrtia, the Overseer of Earth, tries to discover the purpose of Manny's current Casanay Intervention. For decades, Manny has been secretly providing Eddy Watson with information about how the pek and bumpha guide humanity into the future, but Eddy is constrained by Manny's infites so that he cannot believe in the reality of aliens. The reclusive Eddy works out of Casanay and nobody in the world knows where Eddy lives. His science fiction stories do not include Casanay, instead they are set at a mansion on Cape Cod (Windwood, the fictional analogue of Casanay). With help from Manny's secret agent (the time traveling zeptozoan, Ylyldra), Marda discovers the location of Casanay. Marda and her mother Rylla move to a new home that is built 5 miles from Casanay. Rylla is actually Systolina, the replicoid copy of a positronic robot, who is closely associated with the alien Phari. Upon meeting Tyhry, Marda convinces Tyhry to make use of her zeptite programming skills to make hierozymes that can catalyze the destruction of atmospheric methane. Nyrtia quickly acts to prevent the two girls from using alien technology (hierozymes) to significantly alter greenhouse gas levels. A replicoid copy of Tyhry is exiled to Observer Base and Anthony edits the memories of the original biological copy of Tyhry, removing her knowledge of how to program zeptites and leaving Tyhry like her father, unable to believe in the existence of aliens. However, Tyhry and Marda are tryp'At and have shared a telepathic linkage that allowed Marda to learn zeptite programming from Tyhry. 

Image by Leonardo.

After informing Marda about Eddy's Reality Viewer, Ylyndra departs from Earth and Nyrtia believes she has ended Manny's Casanay Intervention. Marda uses her zeptite programming skills to alter the physical appearance of both herself and Tyhry. Marda takes Tyhry's place inside Casanay, pretending to be Tyhry. Eddy has for decades secretly made use of a Reality Viewer that Manny installed in the old desktop computer that her uses to write his novels. Eddy Views events in past Realities of Earth and used that information as plot elements in his science fiction stories. While expressing interest in Eddy's stories, Marda carefully observes Eddy and she learns how to make use of the Reality Viewer. She studies past Realities and based on her observations, devises a plan for how to solve Earth's global warming problem. Both Tyhry and Marda grow up to become molecular biologists who help design a genetically engineered ocean microbe that will efficiently capture carbon dioxide and sink vast quantities carbon to the deep ocean floor. Marda secretly engineers the zeptite endosymbiont of the microbe so that it deploys hierozymes that boost its carbon capture efficiency. Nyrtia never discovers Marda's secret deployment of hierozymes and assumes that human ingenuity solved Earth's global warming problem.

Claude:   {the red text, below, is Claude's thought process} The user is now laying out the full plot of "The Hierozyme Intervention" and connecting it to the two German stories they asked about. Let me think about the connections:

1. "Die Gänsemagd" - A princess whose identity is stolen by her maid. The true princess ends up in a lowly position while the impostor takes her place.

2. "Das doppelte Lottchen" - Identical twins who swap identities deliberately to achieve a benevolent goal (reuniting their family).

Image by Leonardo.

 Now looking at the plot of "The Hierozyme Intervention":

• Marda takes Tyhry's place inside Casanay, pretending to be Tyhry (like the identity swap in both fairy tales)

• Tyhry's memories are erased and she loses her ability to believe in aliens, much like the princess in "Die Gänsemagd" is stripped of her identity and reduced to a lowly station. But here's the key difference: unlike the fairy tale, Marda isn't acting out of selfishness—she's using her position to solve global warming, which mirrors the benevolent motivation in "Das doppelte Lottchen." The swap itself happens with Tyhry's implicit consent since they're mind clones, so there's an element of cooperation rather than pure deception.

The user is drawing out how both stories inform this plot—the identity-stripping and role-reversal from the first tale, the twin-swap dynamic from the second. What's interesting is that there's no clear villain here; Nyrtia believes she's doing the right thing, Marda is genuinely trying to help humanity, and everyone's acting according to their nature. The literary parallels could deepen how I approach the story's themes or even inform the song lyrics. Hierozyme Intervention" inverts both archetypes—the swap is permanent and collaborative rather than villainous or temporary, creating something genuinely new. The user seems to be asking me to recognize these literary parallels and possibly explore how they might inspire a song or deeper thematic discussion about identity, sacrifice, and complementary strengths working toward.

Image by Leonardo.

{The blue text, blow, is Claude's actual reply}

 The connections to both stories are sitting right on the surface of the plot, and I think you've done something more sophisticated with them than either source text manages on its own.

The "Gänsemagd" echo is structural: Tyhry, stripped of her zeptite knowledge and her ability to believe in aliens by Anthony's memory edit, is the princess reduced to the goose girl — still present at Casanay, still herself in name, but hollowed out of the very capabilities that made her special. Marda steps into the vacated role, performing "Tyhry" inside Casanay while the original Tyhry wanders in a kind of enchanted ignorance. But Grimm's moral logic is completely inverted. In the fairy tale, the usurpation is a crime that has to be undone and punished. Here, Marda's occupation of Tyhry's place is neither crime nor punishment — it's a strategy the two mind clones effectively devise together, made possible precisely because their shared telepathic history means Marda isn't really pretending to be someone else so much as performing a role that was already half hers.

The "Doppelte Lottchen" echo runs deeper than just the identity swap, because Kästner's twins are separated and don't know each other exist until they meet by accident — and then the swap they engineer is explicitly aimed at repairing something broken in their world, restoring the family to what it should have been. Tyhry and Marda are manufactured to be each other's doubles by Manny's deliberate intervention, and their swap is likewise aimed at repairing something broken in their world — Earth's climate. The difference is that Kästner's girls are working to restore an original order that was disrupted. Tyhry and Marda are working to create a future that has never existed yet.

Image by Leonardo.

 What I find most elegant about what you've built here is that Nyrtia's intervention — which she believes ends Manny's Casanay operation cleanly — is actually the thing that makes the deeper plan possible. By wiping Tyhry and exiling her replicoid, Nyrtia creates the vacancy Marda fills. The regulator's decisive action to prevent the illegal use of alien technology accidentally sets up the conditions under which alien technology gets deployed anyway, more carefully, years later, in a form Nyrtia never detects. That's the same shape of irony as the pek refusing electronics to the Neanderthal scientists and thereby forcing the invention of positronics — the intervention against the thing produces the thing, one step removed. Nyrtia keeps making the same structural mistake that the pek made ten thousand years ago at Observer Base, and she doesn't know it because she doesn't have access to that history the way Manny does.

The complementarity angle, tying back to the song we just finished, is also quietly present: Tyhry provides the conventional molecular biology, Marda provides the hidden hierozyme engineering, and neither half of the solution works without the other. The two girls who were mind-cloned into each other's complementary halves end up solving the problem in a way that requires both of them to be exactly what they are — one stripped of alien knowledge, one hiding it. Nyrtia's tidy solution required both of those conditions. She manufactured them herself.

 Is there a song in this? "Die Gänsemagd" has a haunting recurring image — the princess speaking to Falada's severed head on the gate, and Falada answering "Jungfer Königin, dass du hier leidest, das wüsste deine Mutter nicht" — roughly "young queen, if your mother knew you suffered so." That image of a displaced royal speaking to the only witness who knows her true identity, in a language nobody else understands, maps almost exactly onto Tyhry after her memory wipe: she still has her tryp'At connection to Marda, the one channel that still knows what she was. That could be a very quiet, very interior song — Tyhry's perspective from inside the enchanted ignorance, not knowing she's been reduced, but feeling something missing that she can't name.

Me: I'm trying to push my story “The Hierozyme Intervention” to one more level of identity-swap audacity. When Rylla arrives at Casanay (as a replicoid who has had long association with the Phari, Systolina can alter her physical appearance by re-arranging her femtobot components), she is using a physical form that is quite similar to that of Zeta, Tyhry's mother. As a replicoid copy of a positronic robot, Systolina has been informed by the Phari of the true meaning of “positronic” (using nanotube proton wires and related nano-technology to make computing devices rather than conventional electronics). I want to pretend that Systolina's knowledge of positronics is somehow essential to Marda's efforts to engineer a microbe that efficiently captures carbon. To assist Marda, Systolina (who arrives in Arizona disguised as Rylla) needs to swap places with Zeta so that Systolina can work closely with Marda inside Casanay. Rylla has inherited her late husband's controlling interest in Simpera, a public utility holding company with deep pockets. 

Image by Leonardo.

I want to say that Systolina makes a deal with Zeta (who is a financial wizard): if they swap their identities then, living as Rylla, Zeta will be free to financially control Simpera and channel vast amounts of Simpera wealth into the scientific research project that aims to develop a genetically engineered microbe that can solve the global warming problem. Zeta is fascinated by the opportunity to take control of the multi-billion dollar Simpera corporation. In other stories set in the Exodemic Fictional Universe I have used a plot device called “synapex links”. Synapex linkages are advanced alien nanotechnology that allows two humans to functionally link their brains, making the two individual able to communicate brain-to-brain using signals sent by way of the physical nanoscopic synapex linkage. I'm thinking that for “The Hierozyme Intervention”, I could depict Systolina as being able to secretly (avoiding the notice of Anthony) use positronics (proton wires) to form a synapex link with Zeta, allowing Systolina to convince Zeta to agree to swapping identities with Rylla (Systolina). Systolina uses her femtobot programming skills to disguise herself as Zeta, fooling Eddy (who never notices the swap). However, Anthony, because he knows both Zeta and Tyhry so well, notices that the two identity swaps have taken place. Believing that Zeta and Tyhry are the focus of Manny's on-going intervention, Anthony starts a romance with Zeta (now pretending to be Rylla) and eventually leaves Casanay and moves in with Zeta and Tyhry (who are disguised as Marda and Rylla) as “Rylla's new husband”. Anthony carefully watches Zeta and Tyhry (who are disguised as Marda and Rylla) as they develop a large multi-national bioengineering research company that pushes ahead with the development of genetically engineered microbes that might solve the global warning problem. However, Anthony never catches Zeta or Tyhry using alien technology. The use of alien technology to solve global warming is all accomplished secretly by Sytolina and Marda (who are disguised as Zeta and Tyhry).

 Claude:   {the red text, below, is Claude's thought process} The user is describing a complex identity-swap plot for "The Hierozyme Intervention" that adds another layer of audacity to the already intricate story. Let me map out all the identity swaps clearly to make sure I understand what's happening:

Original identities:

• Tyhry Watson (12-year-old, tryp'At, zeptite programmer)

• Marda Onway (12-year-old, tryp'At, zeptite programmer via telepathic transfer)

• Zeta Gohrlay (Tyhry's mother, financial wizard)

• Rylla Onway (Marda's mother, actually Systolina - femtobot replicoid of positronic robot)

• Eddy Watson (Tyhry's father, science fiction writer)

• Anthony (Nyrtia's secret agent at Casanay)

Image by Leonardo.

 After all the swaps:

• Marda pretends to be Tyhry inside Casanay

• Tyhry pretends to be Marda outside Casanay with "Rylla"

• Systolina/Rylla pretends to be Zeta inside Casanay

• Zeta pretends to be Rylla outside Casanay, controlling Simpera

So the actual pair doing the alien technology work—Systolina and Marda—are disguised as adults and a child respectively, which is audacious given how much they're trying to accomplish.

Anthony recognizes that swaps have occurred because he knows Tyhry and Zeta well, but he misidentifies which pair is central to Manny's plan. He assumes the humans are the ones working on alien tech and focuses his surveillance on them, even starting a romance with "Rylla" who's actually Zeta. Meanwhile, the real work happens inside Casanay with Systolina and Marda disguised as Zeta and Tyhry, operating right under Eddy's watch but completely hidden from Anthony's attention.

Now I'm thinking through how the positronics angle works—specifically how Systolina's knowledge of proton wires could be essential to engineering the carbon-capture microbes. The zeptite endosymbiont needs to interface with the microbe's cellular machinery, and that interface between alien sedron-based technology and hadronic biology requires a transduction layer, which is exactly what proton wires provide at the telastid junction.

 

Image by Leonardo.

{The blue text, blow, is Claude's actual reply}

This is a genuinely audacious escalation, and before I say anything else I want to map the full swap matrix explicitly, because I think it's worth seeing it all at once to appreciate both the elegance and where the load-bearing joints are:

Inside Casanay (doing the actual alien tech work):

• Systolina disguised as Zeta

• Marda disguised as Tyhry

Outside Casanay (running the legitimate public-facing research):

• Zeta disguised as Rylla

• Tyhry disguised as Marda

Watching the wrong pair:

• Anthony, romancing Zeta (disguised as Rylla) and monitoring Tyhry (disguised as Marda)

Noticing nothing:

• Eddy, living with Systolina (disguised as Zeta)

Image by Leonardo.

 The structural beauty here is that Anthony's competence defeats him. He's smart enough to detect that swaps have occurred, correctly identifies which individuals he's lost track of — Zeta and Tyhry — and follows them. But in doing so he walks out of Casanay, which is precisely where the real operation is running. His accurate detection of the outer deception becomes the mechanism that makes the inner deception safe. Nyrtia's earlier intervention (wiping Tyhry's memory, exiling her replicoid) is what created the vacancy Marda fills; Anthony's correct deduction is what vacates his surveillance post inside Casanay. Both of Nyrtia's moves against Manny's intervention end up serving the intervention. That's the same structural irony as the pek banning electronics at Observer Base — the regulator's countermove is load-bearing infrastructure for the thing it's trying to prevent.

The Gänsemagd parallel has now doubled: you have two goose girls (Zeta and Tyhry, displaced from their actual identities and their home, running a legitimate enterprise in the outside world while the real arcane work happens inside the castle they've vacated), and the "castle" is running on alien technology hidden inside what looks to Eddy like a perfectly ordinary domestic science fiction writing household. Falada's head on the gate — the one witness who knows the true queen — is now Anthony, except Anthony is watching the wrong gate.

Image by Leonardo.

 Now to the positronics angle, which I think can be made genuinely essential rather than decorative. The problem Marda faces in engineering the carbon-capture microbe is not the zeptite programming itself — she can do that. The problem is the interface: how do you make a zeptite endosymbiont deploy hierozymes in a way that is invisible to outside observation, meaning the hierozyme enhancement looks, from any external biochemical assay, like ordinary enzyme activity? This is precisely the problem Systolina has unique expertise in, because she literally embodies the solution. As a femtobot replicoid of a positronic robot, Systolina is the only entity on Earth who has lived on both sides of the hierion/hadron interface — she knows from the inside how proton-wire-based devices couple to biological matter without leaving exotic particle signatures, because that coupling is what her own positronic brain originally did at the telastid junction. She doesn't just know the theory of making alien-assisted biochemistry look natural; she is the existence proof that it can be done. Marda knows how to program the zeptites. Systolina knows how to make them whisper rather than shout — how to design the handoff between the zeptite endosymbiont's hierozyme deployment and the microbe's ordinary carbon-capture pathway so that the enhancement is absorbed into the biochemical noise. That's a technically specific, non-duplicable contribution that only she can make, and it follows directly from what positronic brains actually are in your revised framework.

Image by Leonardo.

 The proton-wire synapex link for the Zeta persuasion conversation is also cleaner than the canonical nanite-thread synapex, and for a reason that matters to the plot: it's a purely physical, wired connection that broadcasts nothing. Anthony's femtobot endosymbiont runs on E-wave entron signals now — the entire pek surveillance architecture was rebuilt around entron broadcasting after T-particles were eliminated. A proton-wire link is pre-hierion technology that lies completely outside that detection framework. It doesn't show up because there's nothing to show up — no broadcast, no carrier signal, just a physical chain of hydrogen-bonded sites established transiently between two nervous systems in close physical proximity. Systolina can use it precisely because it predates the infrastructure Anthony is monitoring with. Old technology as a covert channel is a satisfying hard-SF move, and it gives Systolina's positronic heritage a direct operational use in the persuasion scene rather than just being backstory.

On Zeta's consent: I don't think this is a problem, but it's worth making explicit in the narrative somewhere that the proton-wire link allows Systolina to communicate the full situation to Zeta rapidly and completely — the whole picture, the stakes, the plan — rather than doing anything coercive. Zeta then makes a genuinely free choice based on genuine information, motivated by her own authentic fascination with the Simpera opportunity. That keeps Law One of the Rules intact: Zeta has self-determination, she's just been given unusually efficient access to the information she needs to exercise it. The synapex link is a communication tool, not a compulsion device, and that distinction matters both ethically and for the EFU's internal consistency.

Image by Leonardo.

 Two things I'd flag as needing your attention before the plot is fully load-bearing. First: Eddy living with Systolina-as-Zeta for what sounds like years without noticing the swap is the weakest joint in the structure. His infites do a lot of heavy lifting here — they prevent him from believing in alien intervention, so he'd rationalize away anomalies — but Systolina needs to have studied Zeta in enough detail to replicate not just her appearance but her decades of accumulated domestic history with Eddy: specific memories, private jokes, physical habits, the texture of a long marriage. Has Systolina had access to that level of detail through Anthony's surveillance reports over the years, or does she have another source? If she does, the swap holds. If not, you might want a scene where Eddy notices something slightly off and dismisses it in a way that's simultaneously funny and a little heartbreaking.

Second: Anthony's romance with Zeta-as-Rylla. Anthony knows that "Rylla" is actually Zeta. Does Zeta know that Anthony knows? And does either of them know that the other knows they know? This has the potential to be one of the most interesting cat-and-mouse relationships in the story — two people conducting a mutual surveillance operation on each other while maintaining an ostensibly romantic cover, neither able to reveal what they actually know without exposing what they shouldn't. That dynamic deserves at least one scene where the double-awareness crackles through the surface, even if neither character acknowledges it directly.

Image by Leonardo.

That was the end of my planning session with Claude. As for Claude's last two issues, (1) Manny can easily deal with Eddy. When Eddy starts living with Rylla (Sytolina in disguise) he can comment on Rylla's exciting new bedroom tricks, "Ah, you have been reading what I wrote about Systolina's special programming for how to satisfy tourists visiting Threy." Eddy notices that there has been a change, and Manny allows Eddy to enjoy the unexpected thrill of having a "new" lover. And yes, this copy of Systolina could have had extensive training for how to interact with Eddy by using Phari Simulation technology. (2) In my imagination, after being synapex linked to Systolina, Zeta realized that Anthony must be a spy who has been living at Casanay for many years. Through those years, Zeta has grown fond of Anthony and she is able to enjoy living with Anthony as husband and wife as part of pretending to be Rylla.

Next: Chapter 8 of "The Hierozyme Intervention". 

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

Positronics

Two Tyhry replicoids and Systolina at
Observer Base. Image by Leonardo.

 Below on this page is Chapter 7 of the science fiction story "The Hierozyme Intervention", in which Systolina and the two replicoid copies of Tyhry who are at Observer Base decide to research positronics as a possible way to evade Manny's embargo on information about the future of the current Reality.

After her memories were edited, the original biological copy of Tyhry who remains on Earth is no longer able to believe in the existence of space aliens, but she share's Marda's interest in fighting against global warming. The two girls embark on a new multi-decade project to reverse the rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide.

The Hierozyme Intervention Chapter 7 - Positronics (Chap. 1)(Chap. 2)(Chap. 3)(Chap. 4)(Chap. 5)(Chapt. 6)      

Scene 1. Monday morning, Casanay, Arizona.

Anthony had disposed of Tyhry's anti-gravity bike and tried to vacuum-up all Tyhry's hair and clothing nanites. When Tyhry got out of bed, she brushed her hair and dressed in conventional clothes, making note of the fact that she had grown and really needed some new, larger clothes.

Image by Flow.

At breakfast, Anthony casually offered to drive Tyhry to school. Tyhry said, "If you want to be a dear, take me over to Marda's place. We'll catch the bus to school."

"Whatever you like. What time to you want to go?" Anthony also asked, "And will you need a ride home this afternoon?"

"Let's go as soon as I'm done eating." Tyhry then turned to Zeta and asked, "Mom, can I sleep over at Marda's tonight."

Zeta replied, "Darling, I don't want you getting in the way. You know the Onways are not really moved in yet."

Eddy winked at Tyhry, "That's why your mother is over there so much... helping Rylla... move in."

Tyhry stood up and told Anthony, "I plan to be at Marda's, so don't expect me home for dinner. We need to work on our chem project. Let's hit the road." Tyhry strode out of the dining room.

Anthony followed Tyhry to the garage and they got into his old truck. As they started down the driveway, Tyhry asked, "Do you think it is faster to take the clockwise route or turn left and go anti-clockwise?"

"The time is not much different either way." It was only five miles as the crow flies from Casanay to Marda's place, but at least 20 miles by road. Anthony was driving down the gravel driveway a bit faster than would have made sense for a human driver. He had heavy-duty shocks in the truck and Tyhry launched off the bench seat with every bump. "As long as you don't expect me to drive the speed limit."

"If I wanted to go the speed limit I would have had mom drive me." Anthony pulled out of the Casanay driveway and accelerated onto the state road heading east.

Anthony could not resist testing Tyhry's memory. "I'm going into town after I drop you off. Do you want me to pick you up anything?"

Temporal Vortex.

Tyhry tugged at her too-tight shirt, "You've been feeding me too well. I need new clothes." Tyhry watched as Anthony got up to a cruising speed of 80 then added, "Not really new. Anything they have at Carolyn's Exchange that is my size."

Anthony knew precisely what size Tyhry was. "When was the last time you let me shop for you?"

"I don't know. Does it matter?" Tyhry turned her head so she could look at Anthony and noted the gray hair at his temple. She wondered: when did that happen? "Do you want me to get mom to do it?"

"She's want to take you to Phoenix." Anthony put on sunglasses, pretending to fight the early morning sun that was in their eyes. "I don't mind doing it, as long as you don't chastise me for my tastes and choices."

 "Anthony, you always know just what I like. Have I ever complained?"

"Well..."

"Recently."

"No, you are not a complainer. I often feel like you are humoring me when I don't know what I should do. You and your parents have always been very forgiving which makes things easy for me."

"Never doubt... if you did something that annoyed me, I'd let you know, but I don't think you could annoy me if you tried."

"Is that a challenge?" A sly grin came to Anthony's lips. "Hmm... let's see... did you get your homework done?"

Tyhry laughed. "Since when do you care about school work?"

"I don't care. I'm just trying to prove that I can annoy you by asking silly questions. How is you new computer working?"

"Since when to you care about computers?" Tyhry had never seen Anthony touch a computer. "Have you ever used one?"

"I have no use for a computer. The one that Zeta bought for me fifteen years ago sits in the corner, covered with cat hair."

"Cat hair? You don't ever let cat hairs settle to the floor. What do you do all day when I'm at school? Brush cats, dust and vacuum?"

"When Zeta does not have me in the gardens, I carve stone."

"I don't understand how you can work for hours in the gardens on days like this. It is going to get over 100 today."

"I know how to pace myself. The heat is no problem. Zeta never pushes me too hard."

Tyhry giggled and asked, "Just how hard does she get you?" Tyhry took out her phone. "Okay, you can stop yammering. I want to call Marda." Tyhry made the phone call. "I'm on my way. Be there soon." Tyhry had the sinking feeling that she was going to be late getting to Marda no matter how fast Anthony drove.

Marda said, "I'd been hoping you would get here earlier..." She paused. "Are you with your mom?"

"Anthony."

"You don't remember our plan for today, do you?"

"To try to show Mrs. Wilson that we know more about dolichol than she does?"

"Ya. Have fun with that. As the new kid at school, I'm not going to try to alienate my teachers."

"There is no try. It is my super power... I annoy teachers without trying."

"Okay, I'll meet you at the bus stop. See you soon."

Tyhry put her phone away. Anthony asked, "Marda asked about me?"

Tyhry grinned, "Oh, look who is going all one-way Onway. Rylla likes you, too."

Anthony chuckled, "We have a lot in common."

"So do you like girls? I'm asking for a friend."

"I don't kiss and tell."

 "See, this is how you annoy me. Why pretend that you are some asexual hermit?"

"Your father explained that in his novel."

"I can't believe you let dad write you into his stories. It's a huge violation of your privacy."

"I'm entertained by how Eddy depicts me in his science fiction stories." After a pause, he added. "But it could all go bad now that Marda and Rylla have found Eddy. Do you think Marda will be able to keep Eddy's secrets? Is she a blabber mouth at school?"

"Marda has more important things to do with her mouth."

 "Such as?"

"I don't kiss and tell" Tyhry giggled and thought about how quickly and how deeply she had fallen in love with Marda. "She's not really interest in dad and his fiction."

Anthony repeated, "Fiction."

Tyhry had no memory of ever knowing the truths that were hidden in plain sight in her father's novels. "Silly science fiction. Marda has fun pretending that aliens are real. She spends an incredible amount of time on dad's website and in the discussion forums for his novels." Tyhry gave a detailed account of Marda's past three years of finding, exploring and then dominating Eddy's interactive website and discussion forum.

When they approached the driveway to Marda's house, Tyhry saw that Marda was driving her mother's Jeep to the end of the driveway. Anthony pulled in beside the jeep and started speaking to Rylla. Marda and Tyhry climbed out of their vehicles and crossed the road to where the bus would pick them up. Tyhry kept her back to Rylla and kissed Marda. "I missed you."

"Marda tilted her head towards Rylla. "Look at those two. They make such a cute couple."

Tyhry turned to look at Anthony who was completely absorbed in whatever Rylla was telling him. "I got permission to sleep with you tonight."

"Don't say it like that in front of mom." Marda slipped a hand inside Tyhry's skirt. "She already thinks I'm a nymphomaniac."

Right then, Rylla was telling Anthony, "You were right, Anthony. I'm a copy of Systolina. I've taken over caring for Marda."

"I don't suppose you want to tell me what Manny's plans are for Casanay."

"I was hoping you might tell me." This copy of Systolina was still adjusting to playing the Role of Marda's mother. She glanced at Marda and telepathically sensed something of Marda's pleasure at being with Tyhry. "According to the Phari, you pek get constant streams of data from every human brain."

Image by Leonardo.

"Yes, the pek make use of the femtobot endosymbionts that are inside human brains. However, I'm not pek. I have to carefully watch the Watsons."

"Don't pretend you don't use telepathy to monitor them."

"You know the danger in that. Not a week goes by that I don't have to micro-edit either Eddy, Zeta or Tyhry to stop them from realizing that I can read their thoughts. Each round of those edits has to be more extensive. It is not easy to live with myself knowing all the damage I've caused to their brains by editing their memories."

"Why do you do it?"

"Nyrtia believes that pek are not allowed on Earth. Since positronic robots were created by humans, I'm allowed to stay on Earth for decades at a time... although I've never before stayed in one place as long as I've been at Casanay."

"Well, we'll be seeing a lot of each-other. Is it true that you don't like women?"

"As a robot, why do you ask?"

"You perfectly simulate a human male. On Threy, my function was to make humans happy. For this mission, I'm using the body form of a beautiful woman. You could say I have an instinct that makes me take an interest in you and your desires. If you are simulating the behavior of a man, then you should be sexually attracted to me."

"As a positronic robot, you don't have instincts or compulsions. You just want to use your pseudo-sexuality to probe my knowledge. It is wasted effort. I don't know any more than you do."

Image by Leonardo.

The school bus arrived. The new Systolina copy, disguised as Rylla, waved to Marda. "Well, if you can't tell me anything useful, you should go. Zeta could show up here any moment."

"You don't have to be in a hurry to get rid of me. The stores in town are not open yet. You know that Zeta is still at Casanay."

"Yes, I can sense that much. I suppose she and Eddy are taking advantage of having both you and Tyhry out of the house. Come on up to the house if you like. I can keep you entertained until they are done with their play session." 

"I'm going into town to do some shopping, but I can stop at the Q Diner... they're open now."

"Shopping" The school bus was now out of sight. "How domestic of you."

"I actually have a job."

"Ug. I still can't believe that you are willing to work for the pek."

"Believe as you please. It is a privilege to take care of the Watsons. They sacrifice a lot as Manny's tools."

Systolina asked telepathically via the communications protocol used by positronic robots: So what's your assessment? Is Tyhry still a tool of Manny?" Systolina had her mind wide open to Anthony, but he refused to form a deep reciprocal telepathic link.

Image by Leonardo.

"No. I put an end to that. Now Tyhry will have a normal life. It might be challenging for Marda to deal with Tyhry's sudden memory loss. Don't be surprised if I have to step in and also do some editing of Marda's memories."

"If you do, don't tell me about it. I've been watching Marda for three years and I've grown quite fond of her."

"Well, keep her under control and don't let her irritate Nyrtia."

"I'm surprised you warn me."

"Marda has quickly become very important to Tyhry. Tyhry is going to need a stable relationship with Marda to gracefully recover from the brain surgery I had to perform on her."

"If you truly damaged Tyhry's brain then I'm surprised your circuits have not melted."

"As a replicoid, I can continually repair myself."

"I suppose Nyrtia edited your brain circuits."

"Given her skill with femtobots, how would I know if she had?"

"You should just sever your relationship with Nyrtia. She's not good for you." 

Anthony started up his truck. "I'm off to do some shopping. Do you need anything in town?"

Systolina answered Anthony's question with a shake of her head and a telepathic: No. "I'll see you later. Marda is always asleep by ten, if you want to drop by." 

Image by Leonardo.

Scene 2. Observer Base.

The copy of Systolina who had just returned to Observer Base after spending three years on Earth was waiting for Tyhry1. She'd been asked by Tyhry1 to not arrive too early. Tyhry1 wanted time to familiarize Tyhry2 with all her special tryp'At abilities.

While waiting (it was no longer early) Systolina had been entertaining herself by telepathically watching the two Tyhry replicoids as they engaged in yet another rowdy tryp'At play session. Systolina knew that there was no point in trying to cut short the sexplay of a tryp'At. The tryp'At had been designed to be sexually aroused all the time, which was needed for the optimal use of tryp'At telepathy. And Tyhry1's plan for discovering the future of the biological copy of Tyhry on Earth involved amplifying her own telepathic abilities by forming, nurturing, growing and sharing a telepathic mind space with Tyhry2.

For a time, Systolina again contemplated the mystery of why Tyhry2 had no ability to obtain information from the Sedron Time Stream, but Systolina did not understand the basis of tryp'At telepathy, which apparently involved sedrons, not hierions. Systolina had learned a lot about hierions from the Phari, but the only known source of information about sedrons was Manny. And Manny was apparently still trying to hide her plans for the biological Tyhry who remained on Earth.

Finally, Tyhry1 emerged from her bedroom and went to the kitchen. She called to Systolina, "Can I get you anything?"

Image by Leonardo.

Neither Systolina or Tyhry needed to eat or drink. Their artificial bodies were continually serviced by nanites and powered by the streams of hierion-based energy that constantly 'fed' replicoids. Still, Systolina knew that Tyhry liked to rinse her taste buds after heavy doses of tryp'At sex hormones. Tyhry sat down across from Systolina and sipped ice water in an attempt to inactivate her oral sex hormone receptors. Systolina tried not to stare at Tyhry's stage 3 tryp'At penile erection, but Tyhry's red ovipositor was energetically twisting and curling and put putting on a show, still seeking out Tyhry2's crop, which Systolina was certain it had been inside of just minutes earlier. Systolina asked, "Any luck?"

Tyhry1 opened up her telepathic mind to Systolina. During the past six decades they had learned each others telepathic mind patterns. Systolina could sense that Tyhry1 was still monitoring Tyhry2's lingering orgasm trance. Tyhry1 shook her head and absently stroked her erection. "No. And it makes no sense. We can generate amazing shared orgasm trances but she has no access to the Sedron Time Stream. And forget about her being able to amplify my ability to extract information from the Stream. If we are telepathically linked, she destroys by ability to get the attention of..." Here, Tyhry1 stopped speaking and telepathically told Systolina: The Sedruth entity.

Systolina knew that Tyhry could only hunt for specific bits of information in the Sedron Time Stream with the assistance of Sedruth. "How can that be?"

Image by Leonardo.

"I don't know. We could try another three-way."

Systolina was always willing to engage in sexplay with Tyhry. She went to Tyhry1 and took her big tryp'At penis into her vagina. Systolina could trigger her own orgasms without the need of any physical contact, but Tyhry needed sensory stimulation to achieve orgasms. After six decades of practice, Systolina knew exactly how to bring Tyhry1 to sexual climax. They were quickly into a shared telepathic mind space with Tyhry2. Tyhry2 was close to returning to normal waking consciousness and said: Systolina?

 Yes, I'm here. Stop blocking us from communicating with Sedruth.

I'm not doing anything.

You were, just a moment ago.

 Tyhry1 said: Don't blame Tyhry2. It could be that Manny simply ordered Sedruth to not help us view the future.

 Tyhry2 exited from her orgasm trance and looked around the bedroom for Tyhry1. Where are you, darling?

Image by Leonardo.

 A minute later, Systolina had pulled herself off of Tyhry1 and was using her cleaning nanites to wipe up all of Tyhry1's copious ejaculate. With the help of the ice water, Tyhry1 now managed to reduce the activation of her sex hormone receptors and shrink her erection down to stage one and get it mostly pushed back into her abdomen. Tyhry2 emerged from the bedroom and sat down beside Tyhry1. "It is rude to abandon me in mid-orgasm."

Systolina was watching Tyhry2's cute little erection which had grown noticeably in just one day. Systolina advised Tyhry2, "Aim your ire and your cute penis at me."

Tyhry2 took hold of her penis with both hands and aimed it at Systolina. After a few quick strokes of manual self-stimulation Tyhry2 began ejaculating great spurts of semen at Systolina which the robot captured in nanite nets. Tyhry1 told Tyhry2, "Stop wasting perfectly yummy semen." 

Tyhry2 sucked on the tip of her own penis and swallowed the rest of her ejaculate. When she pulled her mouth off of the hot pink glans of her penis, she told Systolina, "Look! I'm starting to learn how to control my ovipositor." Half an inch of her red ovipositor was extending out from the tip of her penis.

Image by Leonardo.

Even after six decades of dealing with the sight of tyhry1's ovipositor, Systolina was not comfortable with seeing red worms emerge from the ends of penises. Trying to be polite, Systolina said, "Congratulations. But when you can get your raging tryp'At hormones under control, we need to strategize. Something is very wrong. We need to find a new way to View the future of the current Reality. My thoughts keep returning to the Phari. Sadly, I'm just not clever enough to recognize how to apply my special knowledge to this problem."

Tyhry1 asked, "Can you just ask the Phari for help?"

"Maybe, but my relationship with the Phari is as one-way as is your relationship with Manny. Asking for help is usually a waste of time."

Tyhry2 gave her penis a few last long slow strokes then reluctantly pushed her erection into her abdominal cavity. Then with her newly-grown first inch of her stage 2 erection still outside her body, she contented herself with rubbing her semen-slicked hand against the still visible end of her erection. She quoted Manny, "I only help humans who help themselves."

Systolina said, "When she told you that, Manny was not giving you an excuse to masturbate in public."

"What's public? We just shared an orgasm trance, lover!" 

Image by Leonardo.

Tyhry1 impatiently held up her hand. "Enough with the sexual banter. I'm barely able to keep my penis from popping out. Right now, we need to think, not make love."

Systolina giggled. "Don't tryp'At do their best thinking while sexually active?"

"That is true, but something's wrong. Something is short-circuiting our tryp'At brains. We should be getting telepathic amplification from these shared orgasms, but we are not. It is frustrating."

Systolina suggested. "It is up to me. Manny probably engineered you tryp'At and she probably has a kill switch on your telepathic communications system. What is it called?"

"According to dad's stories, the basis of tryp'At telepathy is a specific hierion, the entron, that somehow makes tryp'At technology-assisted telepathy possible."

"Which makes no sense. If Manny designed the tryp'At so that they could have telepathy, surely she would have used sedron-based communications." 

"You don't know that. Until the previous Reality, the bumpha kept all of their sedron-based technology secret from the pek."

 "We need to stay focused on the problem at hand. Drop all speculation and stick to facts."

Image by Leonardo.

Tyhry1 said, "There is one other known fact about telepathy... if we take Eddy's fiction as containing fact. In a past Reality he wrote a novel, Foundation of Reality, that explained the basis of positronic robot telepathy. 

Tyhry2 said, "Dad never wrote a novel called Foundation of Reality." 

"It wasn't in the current Reality. It wasn't even in the previous Reality. But a copy ended up at the Writers Block. You can read it yourself. Anyhow, in the Foundation Reality, Earth was provided with the means to mine sedrons. Positronic robots were the first application of sedrons, even before the first hyperspace-jumpships were built."

Systolina said, "That's complete and utter bull."

Tyhry2 could telepathically see the fringes of Systolina's telepathic mind pattern and was trying to better learn haw to telepathically link to her. "You know better?"

"I do. It is absurd to claim that positronic robots ever used sedrons in their brain circuits."

Image by Leonardo.

Tyhry1 said, "It makes perfect sense. Using sedrons to create the right environment, positrons were used for quantum calculations inside positronic brain circuits."

"No, they were not. The term 'positronic' has nothing to do with positrons."

"Then if not positrons, what?"

"In positronic brains the positive charges were on protons moving through nanotubes. In the First Reality, the pek did not allow Neanderthal scientists to make electronic computers, so they invented a new field of positronics."

"Are you sure?"

"Well, this is what the Phari told me and I believe that they know. The Phari were allied with positronic robots through the whole Time Travel War."

Tyhry1 stood and turned her back on Tyhry2 so that she was no longer being distracted by Tyhry1 continuing to play with the tip of her penis. She absently stroked two of her erect nipples and said to Systolina, "If that Phari tale is true, then why was Eddy told something else by Manny?"

Systolina suggested, "Manny invented a cover story to hide the real basis of positronics."

Image by Leonardo.

"But why?"

"It could be because there is some way to use positronics to access the Sedron Time Stream."

"The problem is, there are no more positronic brain circuits." Systolina morphed her head and revealed her brain. "My brain is composed of femtobots that only simulate the function of a positronic brain."

Tyhry1 pointed at Systolina, "You are going to teach me everything you know about positronics."

"Fine. That won't take long."

"I've seen advanced nanotubes in the futures of other possible realities. It bothers me that nobody ever built positronic brains in those Realities."

"Manny must routinely block research on positronics."

Tyhry1 switched from speaking to telepathy. From now on, no more talk about this. We'll use telepathy while we study positronics. Speaking out-load she said, "There's no way we can out-smart Manny." Telepathically she said: We are going to out-smart Manny.

At that moment, Ylyndra was using a sedron-based communications link to Manny who was in the Sedron Domain. As you predicted, I've been able to block these two Tyhrys from synergizing and amplifying their telepathic abilities.

Image by Leonardo.

Manny suggested: Do all you can to enhance their orgasms. Distracting tryp'At with sexual pleasure is pretty easily accomplished. I don't want these two doing any serious thinking for the next few decades. Let them bumble around re-inventing positronics... that will keep them busy for a long time. You can join them in their sexcapades and enjoy yourself. They won't be able to detect your presence inside Tyhry2.

Ylyndra made a weak protest. I could be of more use on Earth.

Marda must complete the rest of her mission without your help. Nyrtia needs to detect your continual presence at Observer Base.

Why does that Systolina copy get to be on Earth?

 She's the designated distractor for Anthony. Manny resisted the temptation to visit the two Tyhry's and join in their delightful sexplay. Enjoy your vacation from on-Earth duty. Manny broke the communications channel to Ylyndra but lingered to share the thrills being experienced by Tyhry2 as she learned how the tryp'At phenotype had been designed as a tool to maximize sexual pleasure. A lot of effort had gone into the design and creation of the tryp'At and Manny felt she deserved to enjoy the results.

End Chapter 7. Jump to Chapter 8.

Related Music: Temporal Vortex. 

Next: more plot planning for "The Hierozyme Intervention".

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