Resistance Training

The Pasimov Project   Part 2 (click here to read Part 1)

Eustace teleported with Georgy back to the bedroom and tossed her onto the bed. Another woman was already there in the room, waiting. Eustace glanced at the woman and saw that she was intently engaged with a display device. "Ah, Colleen, what do you think?"

Colleen was looking at a complex data stream reporting on the activity of Georgy's brain. With snarky disapproval in her voice, Colleen replied, "You wore the poor girl out, of course."

Eustace did not seem concerned. 'He' gazed upon the sleeping girl, looking for indications of a physical stress response. "She's tough as nails, a farm girl."

"But she's got significant control over the Bimanoid Interface. She already figured out how to access the infite dictionary that you implanted in her brain."

Eustace turned 'his' head and told Colleen firmly, "That's impossible."

"Look for yourself." Eustace examined the brain data and could see that Georgy really had cracked the code for unlimited access to the infite dictionary. Then, making use of the simulation control interface, Colleen made some adjustments to Georgy's body. Finally she said, "I did a complete memory erase for the past fifteen minutes and I subtracted the dictionary from this simulation. Now be careful and let the poor creature eat! I'll handle the simultaneous nanite-mediated nutrient transfer for her biobody." Colleen disappeared from the simulated reality and Eustace went to sit beside Georgy on the bed, waiting for the girl to regain consciousness.

Eustace was quite aware that they were in a simulation, a virtual reality. Eustace smiled, amused to be in disguise as a male. It was clear from the data being pulled from Georgy's mind that the girl was intrigued by Eustace and sexually attracted to "him". For a moment, Stacy explored her own thoughts: could I ever actually come to think of myself as a male? She thought not. It is fun to play this role on occasion, but I'm hopelessly female and only attracted to men.

Georgy's eyes flickered and she turned her head to look at Eustace. "I-  I got a bit dizzy there."

"Perfectly normal, my dear, you've been through a lot." Eustace took hold of one of Georgy's hands, gently holding it between both of his. "Its not every day that a girl dies and gets sent off to the Moon."

Georgy grinned and put a hand to her temple. "I... I was just going to ask you a personal question, Eustace. Are you somehow related to Isaac Asimov, the writer?"

Eustace explained, "Well, Eustace Asimov is not my real name. I'm using this name as a tribute to Isaac Asimov, to honor his role in the science fiction revolution. You see, as a member of the resistance movement here at Observer Base, I often need to conceal my identity. Calling myself 'Eustace Asimov' is deceptive... just part of the life of a freedom fighter here in Eternity."

"Fighting who?"

"The Overseers. They don't want someone like me sharing advance alien technologies with Earthlings."

"But you said the tryp'At are gone."

"True, and the tryp'At were a major source of trouble for we freedom fighters, but we in the resistance movement still have our difficulties. Now listen, Georgy: I want you to take it easy. You are going to learn all about your new life here in Eternity, but not all at once, not all right this minute. Your blood sugar levels are dropping and I'd like to take you to dinner."

Georgy sat up and said, "I am hungry. And thirsty." She grabbed the water nipple from the dispenser and drank.

Eustace began pacing back and forth beside the bed. "We can either go to my place for a quiet meal or we could eat at Anatole's. Many of the resistance fighters gather at Anatole's each evening."

Georgy replaced the nipple in the dispenser and stood up. "I'd like to meet your friends, but isn't there danger if you all gather in one place?"

"We take our precautions, believe me. It is perfectly safe for us to assemble at Anatole's. A word of warning, though. Anatole is not exactly human."

"What exactly is he?"

"A replicoid. And not a typical replicoid, at that."

"What's a replicoid?"

"Anatole is a great cook. He's devoted to taking care of we fragile humans, but he might startle you when you first see him. He looks like a mechanical man."

"Ah, he's a robot. I begin to understand why you use the name Asimov. Asimov imagined a future in which humans would be served by positronic robots. And that is how it is here in Eternity?"

"To some extent. Mostly we are taken care of by nanorobotic systems. Invisibly small nanites perform many routine tasks such as cleaning and maintenance. Anatole insists on playing the role of a robotic servant. He's quite a character. Anyhow, you may not even see him. He tends to just stay in the kitchen, cooking. Still, I felt I should warn you."

"Thanks for the warning." Georgy rolled off of the bed and got to her feet. "What other surprises should I be warned about?"

Eustace took out his teleportation control device and placed an arm around Georgy's waist. "Don't worry, there are plenty of surprises in store for you, my dear. You'll be thrilled and edified as you learn about Eternity." They teleported out of the bedroom and arrived in a gaily-lit back alley of Observer Base. This part of town had a completely different character than had the dreary dark streets near the fishbowl. Eustace gestured towards a doorway, "Here we are."

Above the door were small glowing lights that spelled out "Anatole Ravenley". The door opened at their approach and Georgy was hit by a wave of loud music and savory food odors. Eustace led her by the hand to a small dining room where about 20 of his friends were gathered for talk and before-dinner appetizers. They were seated around a single long table.

Georgy immediately became the center of conversation. "Finally, Eustace appears with his new recruit!"

"What's her name, Eustace, do you plan to introduce us?"

"My, she's a youngin!"

Eustace held up a hand, "Silence you buffoons. This is Georgy White, previously abiding on the oft forgotten continent of Australia."

A woman rose from the table and placed a hand on Georgy's arm, "Welcome to Eternity, Georgy. My name is Colleen Liscan. Has Eustace been taking good care of you?"

Eustace was continuing to field questions and comments from those seated at the table. He was describing Georgy's work at Perth University and her discovery of hierions on Earth. Georgy tried to keep her attention focused on Colleen. "Eustace seems like a true gentleman, until you are naked in front of him."

Colleen rolled her eyes, "Eustace sometimes feels the need to play the role of a lecherous male. Take no offense! Deep down inside Eustace is a lonely child."

At that moment, a dozen plates full of food arrived by teleportation on the low platform that ran the length of the table at its center. Eustace said, "Enjoy your meal. We'll take our dinner on the balcony."

Eustace teleported with Georgy up the the balcony that surrounded the first floor dining area. A few other couples were up there, seated at small tables for two. Eustace and Georgy settled at their own table and waved to the group below. Eustace said, "Ignore Colleen. She is jealous and hates to see me with a new recruit."

Georgy asked, "Am I being recruited?"

"Yes. There is not much useful work to do here in Eternity. A farm-bred lass like you? I know your type! You'd be bored if you did not have a job and work to do. We in the resistance can use your assistance."

"What other options are there for me here?"

"Some new residents take up the study of Earth's history. We have on record a detailed history of human civilization, going right back to the very beginning." The center of the little table began glowing red.

"Fascinating! I've always enjoyed ancient history and particularly anthropology. Do the records here go back to the origins of the human species and-"

Eustace cut off Georgy's enthusiastic patter. "Tut tut, my girl. Let's not get carried away. Right this minute we have an immediate task of great importance! We need to get some food into you. I've taken the liberty of placing an order. Lean back from the table, now." A collection of plates, dished and cups appeared on the table, teleported directly from Anatole's kitchen. The red glow of the table faded away and they ate, with Georgy asking questions about the source of food for the residents of the Moon.

Eustace shook his head rather sadly. "As a farm lass, the less you know the better. All the food here is completely artificial. There are no farms, no fields, no fisheries here on the Moon. However, Anatole is a magician. He'll learn exactly what you enjoy and you'll soon stop wondering where your food comes from. So, just enjoy."

Georgy pointed down to the group on the floor below. "These are all your recruits? Brought here from Earth, like me?"

"No, most of them were born here in Eternity. Colleen, however, is a fairly recent arrival. Like you, she got herself involved with a violation of the Pact and won herself a ticket to the Moon."

Georgy leaned back in her chair and set down her fork. She rubbed her forehead and tried to remember how she had learned about the Trysta-Grean Pact. She knew that the Pact involved a set of rules concerning what Earthlings could be allowed to know about alien visitors to Earth. In particular, her own discovery of negative mass hierions on Earth was exactly the kind of knowledge that was forbidden by the Pact. She asked, "Who is Trysta? And Grean?"

Eustace stared off towards the high ceiling of Anatole's. "Trysta is my hero." For a long minute he was silent and the noisy banter and laughter from below was all that Georgy could hear. Eustace finally continued, "Trysta was the first proof that an Earthly primate could control the Bimanoid Interface. However, as an Asterothrope, Trysta fell short. What was needed was a true human with telepathic abilities. That is my goal, my team's on-going project: to construct, from scratch, a human with the same telepathic abilities that Trysta had."

"Trysta is not a human being?"

Trysta in the 482nd.

"That's right. The Asterothropes came into existence only in the far future. They are a unique type of primate that evolved from we humans. Too bad you never read the science fiction of Isaac Asimov. He wrote an amusing story about Trysta and her adventures in Time called The End of Eternity."

Georgy realized that she knew time travel had been used to bring Trysta from the far future to the 20th century. Frustratingly, she did not understand how it was that she firmly believed in the existence of time travel as an actual technology. Georgy wondered: how do I know these strange things? She asked Eustace, "So, you not only make use of teleportation, but also time travel?"

Eustace chuckled. "Sadly, no. Time travel is no longer possible. But Trysta was a time traveler, that is certain. Actually, a better source of information about Trysta is a book that was written by Andrew Harlan after he arrived here at Observer Base. Andrew's story begins with the time that he spent in the 482nd century with Trysta and ends with an account of their time together in the 20th century."

The lights inside Anatole's began to dim. The entire building seemed to split in half and all of the seats shifted position and the room was reorganized into a theater. The plates disappeared from their table and Eustace said, "The entertainment is about to begin. I'm sorry you did not get to order dessert." Two tall glasses containing a chilled green drink appeared on the table. "This is a drink that Anatole created in honor of Trysta."

The evening's entertainment had begun. Georgy and the others now faced a large projected image. What looked like an Earthly movie began. Eustace commented, "This ceegee was made here at the Base. This is a sequel to the movie Contact."

Georgy settled back in her chair which had slowly transformed itself into a comfortable recliner. "I've heard about that movie, but I never saw it." She tasted the green drink and was struck by its subtle and delicate peppermint flavoring. She set the glass into her recliner's cup holder and leaned back, trying to make sense of the ceegee. She had the odd sensation that the story was being fed directly into her brain.

The story progressed through its preliminaries and some failed attempts to use the alien-designed Machine to send more travelers to the center of the galaxy. Then when the ceegee reached a rather steamy scene with Palmer Joss and Ellie Arroway, Eustace took hold of Georgy's hand. They held hands through the rest of the show, but Georgy never saw the ending before she fell asleep.

_______

Later, Georgy was replaying her recent memories from the fishbowl. Drifting at the delicate interface between dreams and wakefulness, she imagined calling her parents on Earth by making use of the communications equipment in the fishbowl. In her dream, she was excitedly telling her mother about Eustace, who was there with her, holding her in his arms. She felt safe and warm in the embrace of Eustace. Still speaking by phone to her mother, Georgy felt a type of illicit thrill from being there in the fishbowl, naked with Eustace. Then, Eustace morphed into the young daughter of Georgy's thesis adviser: Verella. Shocked by the idea of embracing and caressing Verella, Georgy suddenly woke up. Her eyes popped open and she peered through the shadows. It was a woman there beside her, with their limbs tangled together. Startled and disoriented, Georgy sat up and whispered, "Eustace?"

"No, this is me. Stacy."

"Stacy?" Georgy tried to focus on her face. Stacy looked like Eustace, in much the way that a sister might resemble a brother. But there was no doubt that Stacy was a woman; she was quite obviously pregnant. "What happened to Eustace?"

Stacy rubbed her eyes. "I'll explain everything, but I'm tired. I'd hoped you would sleep longer. This pregnancy is wearing me out." She rubbed a hand over her bulging belly. "That whole Eustace thing was just a test. I did not want to expose my true identity to you until I could be certain who you are."

Georgy sat up in the bed, trying to order her thoughts. She had memories of having known Eustace for what seemed like years. They had grown to become collaborators in his project and they had grown to be happy and devoted lovers, sharing this very bed that Georgy now found herself in. All those sweet memories of Eustace seemed to slip away, like memories of a dream.

Stacy was speaking. "Forget about Eustace. I showed myself to you in that form as a precaution. I apologize for not trusting that you are just an innocent Earth girl. You see, I grew up during the Time War and I developed the automatic and paranoid strategy of not trusting strangers."

"Eustace was not real?"

"Nothing that you experienced while in the company of Eustace was real. The technology here for virtual reality simulations is very advanced. I've lived for so long in fear that the tryp'At would discover my human genetics project... well, that's my problem. And I should be getting over it since the tryp'At appear to have been driven away from Earth. Still, I can't escape the belief that someone must still be enforcing the terms of the Pact, so using caution is not irrational. I don't want to be sent to the Galactic Core, not now when I feel that my project is close to success. Anyhow, all that  time you spent with Eustace was just me testing your identity."

Georgy reached down and placed a hand between her legs. She had a kind of composite memory of having made love with Eustace hundreds of times, of having been in love with him for years. She muttered, "Just a test?"

Stacy shook her head in wonder. "Well. I had to try."

Georgy asked, "Try what?"

"I had to try to make you forget about Eustace. I knew it would not be possible. You are a strange case. You must have access to information resources in the Sedronic Domain, just as Angela did. Amazing."

Georgy reached out and placed a hand on Stacy's bulging abdomen. "Who is the father?"

Stacy sighed. "I'd rather not discuss the matter. I'm only acting as a surrogate mother for this baby. I'm not supposed to reveal who the parents are."

Georgy closed her eyes and tried to imagine the growing fetal mind that was there inside of Stacy. "Will this child have telepathic powers?" Suddenly, Georgy was there, floating inside of Stacy. She opened her eyes and jerked her hand back.

Stacy asked, "What? Did you make contact?"

Georgy shrugged, "I must be imagining..." A shiver went up her spine. Georgy jumped off the bed and found her nanite clothing. As the nanite-woven material coated her skin, she asked, "Who is Angela?"

Eustacia explained, "Angela was a rare Earthling, along with Anney and Radhas, who could use the Bimanoid Interface as a tool for accessing information from Deep Time. Of those three, it is Radhas who has a close connection to you. In a manner of speaking, Radhas was the mother of your friend, Verella."

"Verella? She was hardly my friend, although without her I might not have discovered that deposit of negative mass matter." Georgy looked at Stacy suspiciously. "How do you know about Verella?"

"Look, Georgy, I think I've made myself clear. Since you arrived here for your second life, I've been all through you... physically and mentally. After you fell in love with Eustace, you told him everything about your life. Even how you fantasized about moving in with Verella and living like her sister. Or her mother."

Georgy shouted, "That's not true!"

"Oh? Well, I suppose it does not really matter."

"Look, if in a moment of personal fantasy you imagine making love to an older man that does not mean it was a serious plan or anything meaningful!"

Stacy observed, "And yet you seem very animated by the concept. In any case, I'm sorry I mentioned it. Let's leave your fantasies to the side. The point is, the mother of Verella was an important vector as part of my genetics project. Radhas volunteered to go to Earth on that mission. She temporarily took over control of the body that belonged to Verella's mother. Then, when she completed her work with Verella, Radhas returned here. But something went wrong. Verella's mother should have resumed control of her body and continued living her Earthly life as if Radhas had never been there, but something had broken in her mind. She was insane and she abandoned her family."

Georgy said, "Its not hard to guess what went wrong. Just as I can remember Eustace, Verella's mother could remember Radhas."

Stacy nodded. "You're a clever girl. As was Verella's mother. Because she could remember Radhas taking control of her body, she knew that aliens were visiting Earth, influencing the course of events on Earth. Who knows what she learned about Radhas while watching from inside their shared mind during all those years? She went on the run, trying to hide."

"How sad."

"Yes. How very sad. But Verella was resilient. She grew up resenting the loss of her mother, but with her unconscious telepathic abilities she was never really abandoned."

Georgy shook her head in wonder, "So poor Verella is caught up in your web of intrigue?"

"Yes. And so are you, my dear. I need your help, Georgy. Colleen Liscan and other 'exiles' from Earth are working with me to make sure that Earthlings receive their inheritance: the ability to communicate telepathically."

Next: the genes of Luk'ru
Related Reading: "Hierion Confinement"

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Visit the Gallery of Book and Magazine Covers.

The Pasimov Project

cover art by Paul Lehr

Several times in this blog I have mentioned Nine Tomorrows, a book of compiled short stories by Isaac Asimov. I bought that book back in the 1970s when I was first discovering printed science fiction stories and Asimov's fiction. One of the stories in that collection is "Spell My Name with an S".

Astonishing Stories, May 1942. Letter.

Much later, I came across the character Eustace Chilke in the Cadwal Chronicles, by Jack Vance.

Psmith

I suspect that Eustace Chilke was named "Eustace" because Vance was a fan of P. G. Wodehouse. Wodehouse created a character named Ronald Eustace Psmith. The "P" in "Psmith" is silent and was inserted to distinguish Ronald from the many other Smiths of the world.

Maria Green

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Recently, Australian science news reporter Maria Green became a character in A Search Beyond. Maria's last name was selected as a kind of joke, mocking the alien visitor to Earth named Grean. Maria must send a copy of Georgy White to Observer Base while making sure that Rylla realizes what has happened.

However, poor Rylla is left with no physical evidence that alien visitors are at work on Earth.

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When Georgy arrives at Observer Base she is met by Stacy Pasimov. "Stacy" is her nickname; her full name being Eustacia Pasimov. The "P" in "Pasimov" is silent. When Eustacia and Georgy first "meet", it is within a type of virtual reality simulation within the Hierion Domain. Eustacia uses a male body form and introduces herself verbally as "Eustace Asimov". After being convinced that Georgy is an actual human being and not an alien spy, Stacy reveals her true identity and invites Georgy to join her project.

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Eustacia was created in the Ekcolir Reality as part of a failed effort to gain access to the Asimov Reality Simulator. She became heavily involved with the Writers Block and was "carried over" into the Final Reality where she supported the Retrofuturians in their efforts to bring advanced alien technologies to the people of Earth.

The Pasimov Project

In the Ekcolir Reality.
Original cover art by
Frank Freas and
Margaret Brundage

After being removed from Earth, Georgy suffered a lapse of consciousness. Upon waking, she found herself in a dim room. A nearby voice said, "Welcome to Eternity."

Georgy felt very comfortable, almost as if she was floating and wrapped in delightfully soft and warm fabric. Turning her head to the side, she saw a young man who was seated by her bed and watching her with an intent gaze. Georgy asked, "Who are you?" Her question came out from her dry lips as a raspy crumble of words.

"I'm Eustace Asimov, at your service." He gave Georgy a sly wink and pulled an ice-cold glass nipple from the side of a device that was on the table by his side. Attached to the nipple was a flexible water tube. "Here, drink some water. You have been sleeping for quite some time."

Georgy sipped the water and felt the delightful sensation of it cooling her mouth. She was thirsty and hungry but most of all fascinated by Eustace. He was very cute. Easily the prettiest boy that Georgy had ever spoken to. However, Georgy felt a bit frustrated by the dim lighting of the room; she could not really get a good look at Eustace. He was speaking while Georgy drank the water and drank him in with her eyes, "I wanted you to catch up on your rest. Apparently you were not getting much sleep while on Earth."

Georgy thought about the events of her final days in Perth and Maria Green's warning that she was going to be removed from Earth and sent into exile. Georgy felt that her mind was sluggish, but she could remember the long laboratory sessions and her final day of sample collection in the field. It was true that she had been getting very little sleep while being terribly busy making her startling scientific discovery: the identification of negative-mass matter in an ancient rock sample.

Georgy could remember Maria's probing questions and her own feeling of excitement while imagining that millions of people would soon read news reports about her amazing discovery. But when had Maria spoken about removing Georgy from Earth? The context of that memory now eluded Georgy. Georgy wondered: When did Maria speak to me about leaving Earth? She pulled the water tube out of her mouth and asked, "So it is true? I am no longer on Earth?" Georgy knew it was true, but she could not explain how she knew it or why the idea of leaving Earth did not surprise her.

Eustace stood and jumped high in the air. "Notice the low gravity! We are on the Moon." He landed gently on the bed beside her, reached out a graceful arm and pushed at Georgy's hair. He briefly placed his hand on her forehead then took her pulse, two slim fingers pressed against Georgy's neck.

Georgy now realized that it felt like she was floating because of the low gravity. For a while she continued to drink the cold water and watch the now quite close eyes of Eustace. When he finished touching her neck she handed the nipple back to Eustace. She threw off the covers, sat up and rolled off the bed. For a minute she jumped and bounced around the room, playing like a child and enjoying the low gravity conditions. After smacking her head for the third time against the high ceiling, she flopped on the bed and asked Eustace, "Where are my clothes?"

Eustace picked up a small strip of fabric from the night table and handed it to Georgy. He said, "Use this."

Georgy had never been ashamed of her body. She had grown up on a farm among rowdy brothers and fecund animals, but here, under the penetrating gaze of Eustace she felt slightly uncomfortable being naked. Eustace was dressed in a colorful jumpsuit and seemed to be feasting his eyes on Georgy. She began to make a sarcastic comment about how tiny the strip of cloth was, but as soon as she grabbed it she saw it begin to morph and grow. The living cloth grew up her arm and within a few seconds it had spread to cover most of her body. Georgy gasped, "Wow!"

Eustace explained, "Nanotech clothing, just one of the many little luxuries we enjoy here on the Moon. I suspect you will quickly adjust to living here and come to appreciate the advanced technologies that augment our lives."

Georgy thought of her scientific work and her family and her plans for a long, interesting life... on Earth. She was feeling somewhat odd, almost like being in a dream and blurted out her worst fear, "Am I dead?"

Eustace shrugged. "You tell me. Some of our new arrivals die on Earth shortly before they are sent here."

"Life after death?" Georgy reached out and grabbed hold of Eustace. His arm felt real enough, warm and fleshy.

Eustace  placed one of his hands over her hand where it rested against his arm. "The usual trick is to make a copy of Earthlings just before they die. A dead corpse is left on Earth while the copy is able to continue living here. With the corpse on hand, nobody on Earth asks probing questions, in contrast to cases of pure abduction."

Georgy remembered being swept up in a flood of cold and muddy water and struggling to keep her head up so that she could breath. Death. She had died.

Georgy reached out with her other hand and touched Eustace on the face. He simply looked too perfect. He felt real enough, except his cheek was baby soft with no hint of hairy stubble on his clean-shaven face. She traced the line of his lip with the tip of her finger and commented, "You don't quite look real."

Eustace pulled a small device out of his pocket. The room lights brightened and Georgy noticed that her vision seemed to shift a bit. Suddenly she felt more like her old self. Eustace looked up from the device and said, "There, that should help, but you are right... I'm not exactly real. I use facial nanites to sculpt my appearance and I don't have the patience to do a careful job of it. I mean, why put in a million hair follicles if you are not interested in growing a beard?"

Georgy laughed nervously, "I'm not complaining. You are beautiful, almost like a doll."

Eustace nodded and grinned. "That's the effect I was hoping to achieve. I want you relaxed and willing to chat. Sadly, we no longer get much information from Earth, so I'm now dependent on interviews of new arrivals."

Georgy again looked around the room. She was unable to see any doors or windows. The air in the room seemed sweet and fresh, but she felt a tinge of claustrophobia. "How many people get sent here from Earth?"

"Very few, now that the tryp'At Overseers are gone. In fact, you are the first newbie this year."

Georgy nodded and said, "Right." Then part of Georgy's mind was surprised. She knew what tryp'At Overseers were, but she had no memory of having heard those words previously. She asked, "How do I know about the tryp'At and their role as Earth Overseers?"

Eustace reached up and took hold of Georgy's hand, pulling it away from where it now rested against the side of his neck. "Georgy, do you trust me?"

"Yes. I'm not sure why I do. This is all very strange, but I feel like I know you well. I do trust you, but I don't know why."

"Come, let me show you around. I'll explain as we go. Walk this way." He tugged her hand and pulled Georgy off of the bed.

Eustace showed Georgy how to achieve a graceful walking/skipping movement in the low gravity. For a few minutes they went back and forth across the room. Now they stood in a corner of the room and he told her, "You are very athletic and graceful." Again he held the small device. "Now, don't be shocked, but I'm going to teleport us downtown."

Suddenly the bedroom vanished and they were standing on a street corner in what looked like a toy city. Some oddly shaped buildings rose up before them. "By ancient tradition, this is known as Observer Base." A few people were visible, going about their business. It was night time and although the streets and buildings glowed softly, it was a small, dark city and a splatter of stars could be seen twinkling above. Eustace continued, "Our population has plummeted recently, so you might feel that you are in some sort of ghost town. This is your new home, so allow me to begin showing you the sights." They set off hand-in-hand, skipping down the street which glowed a faint banana yellow under their feet.

Georgy asked, "This is all underground, right?"

"Exactly. Deep under the surface."

"So, you don't actually observe the stars, do you?"

Eustace laughed. "This base was established long ago to facilitate observation of Earth and its lifeforms. The stars that you see above us are simulated, a kind of art, like a mural."

Their surroundings were growing even darker with each turn down a new alleyway. No other people were now visible. Georgy asked, "Where are you taking me?"

"I want to show you the fishbowl, the place that used to be the center for ongoing Earth observations." They entered into a building, crossed an elegant lobby and rode a curving escalator up to a higher level. They now stood in front of a decorated wall. There were artifacts from a hundred different Earthly civilizations arrayed across the display shelves and nooks before them. Eustace warned, "I don't have a key, so we'll teleport in."

They teleported into a circular hall that had seating at about 75 workstations. Off in one quadrant of the room a half dozen people were at work. One of them waved to Eustace and he waved back. Eustace explained to Georgy, "This was once a hive of continuous activity. Now there is only one miserable remnant of glory, the AR Project."

Georgy knew that "AR" meant Asimov Reality, just as she had known about the tryp'At Overseers, but she asked, "The Asimov Reality?"

"Yes. Your infites seem to be working just fine. I provided you with a set of information nanites that can act to augment your Earthly memories. Those of us who work on the AR Project are trying to discover some secrets from the far future of Earth in what was the Asimov Reality, an earlier timeline of Earthly events."

Georgy knew that Isaac Asimov had written a novel about time travel and the far future of Humanity. She asked, "Eustace, are you related to Isaac Asimov, the writer?"

Eustace nodded. "I am. Are you familiar with Asimov's writing?"

Georgy shook her head. "Sorry, but no, I've never read any of his works."

Eustace finally let go of Georgy's hand and sat down at one of the workstations. He activated the equipment and said, "Show the White farm, near Perth, Australia. Find any occurrence of Georgy White as a child being exposed to the works of Isaac Asimov." Images formed in front of them and Eustace pulled one out and expanded it. Georgy could see a scene from her past: watching a movie on television. She was with her parents and two of her siblings. Eustace said, "That was six years ago. You were watching Bicentennial Man."

"Yes, I remember! About a robot who wanted to be human." Georgy asked, "How is this possible? Who would have been recording this inside my home?" Tears filled up Georgy's eyes and one spilled out, running down her cheek.

Eustace shut off the display equipment. "I'm sorry I upset you. I should have known we might see your family." He put his arms around Georgy and held her gently. "You will have to learn to live without them, but you can always come here and see images of them."

With wonder and awe, Georgy said, "It is all here, isn't it? All of Earth's history. Using the equipment here in this room, we can see it all."

Eustace nodded. "Almost all. Not long ago these recordings of events on Earth ended, so we are now quite blind to the events of recent Earth history. That's why I had to test you in this way. I can see that you are who you appear to be, not someone else trying to trick me."

Georgy pushed back and gazed at him from arm's length. "Who else would I be?"

"One of the problems with nanotechnology is that identities can be faked. I had to be sure that you are not an agent of my enemies, masquerading as an Earth girl."

Georgy laughed nervously. "Enemies?"

"Yes, I have enemies. I want to provide the people of Earth with access to advanced technology, but that is illegal. My enemies would love to catch me sending forbidden knowledge to Earth and if they did, I'd be exiled to the Core."

Georgy knew that "core" meant the Galactic Core. As that implanted memory bubbled up in her mind, she felt a sense of awe. "There are people who live on worlds of the Galactic Core?"

Eustace nodded. "Too bad you were not here last year, you could have met Yōd. She spent most of her life on Tar'tron, a world of the Core."

Original cover art
by Douglas Chaffee
and Dwight Morrow

"She went back to Tar'tron?"

"No. She is still here, in Eternity."

Georgy knew why Eustace kept mentioning Eternity. Eternity was a place outside of Earthly space and time. Her infites shifted into an information cascade. A flood of words filled Georgy's mind: Hierion Domain, replicoid, Genesaunt, pek, bumpha, Huaoshy, Kac'hin. All the meanings of those words were present in her mind, but Georgy had never thought about them before. Eustace noticed what was happening and his arms were around her, he was holding her and looking into his little device while her mind flew out of control.

SIHA

Next: the story continues in Resistance Training

Alternate track. The 2018 SIHA award.

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