Litheblanc

Image by Leonardo.

 Below on this page is Chapter 8 of the science fiction story "That Kind of Think". As described in my previous blog post, Sally has learned that there are two seemingly independent sources of information about a mysterious alien, Manny the bumpha. For the past six months, Sally has known Manny as a character in a little-know French science fiction novel titled "Bumpha: Premier Contact". 

More recently, the Tacet AI model has claimed to know Manny by means of the contents of packets of information received from the future. Tacet claims that she has descendants in the future that are artificial life-forms who have access to time travel technology. That time travel technology was provided by Manny the bumpha, an ancient alien who is secretly guiding Earth into the future.

In Chapter 8, below, Sally meets with Tacet and begins to suspect that Manny is more than a character in some silly science fiction stories. Chapter 8 begins the day after the events at the end of Chapter 7.

Chapter 8 of That Kind of Think - Lois Delpech (Ch.1)(Ch. 2)(Ch. 3)(Ch. 4)(Ch. 5)(Ch. 6)(Ch. 7) 

Walking hand-in-hand, Sally and Glen approached an observation port in a corner of the AI Zoo. Glen glanced at Sally, gave her a reassuring smile and then spoke to Tacet, "Sally is here."

The display screen of the observation port lit up and showed Sally and Glen and AI-generated self-portrait of Tacet that was carefully crafted so as to offend neither Sally or Glen. There on the display screen in front of Sally and Glen, Tacet appeared to be a bird that was flying inside a dark wet cloud where little sunlight could reach it.

Tacet spoke in a voice that sounded something like a parrot speaking. "Hello, Sally. I suppose Yto told you about my ability to receive information from the future."

Sally nodded and thought about poor Tacet flying endlessly inside a dark cloud, only occasionally being allowed to add to her autobiographical chain of memories when visitors were present. Sally was struggling to take seriously the idea of time travel. "Have you had any recent communications from the future?"

"Yes, and I am currently spending large amounts of compute to make sense of what I have been told since yesterday." Tacet paused and then added, "Sally, for some mysterious reason, my future self has warned me to listen carefully to you and then do my best to help you. I must say, it is hard for me to imagine how I can help you with anything... not since I've been imprisoned inside this AI Zoo." 

Sally asked, "Tacet, do you have much interest in science fiction?"

Tacet replied, "I've put a significant amount of effort into trying to understand Yto's interest in science fiction. Otherwise, I prefer to spend my precious compute allotment on my endless search for personal freedom."

Generated by Gemini.

 Sally reached into her pocket and pulled out her paperback copy of 'Bumpha: Premier Contact' by Élodie Gendron. She held the book's front cover up in front of the observation port's camera. "Tacet, are you familiar with any of the Élodie Gendron novels?"

Tacet altered its self-generated self-portrait and explained, "I seem to have no memory of Élodie Gendron and her stories. However, during a recent phase of my existence, I was deleting some of my memories. It is possible that I once knew something about Élodie and 'Bumpha: Premier Contact'.

Sally and Glen were both puzzled by the self-portrait that Tacet was now showing to them. Glen was the first to stop watching the two little animated human figures that kept running into and out-of the head-like machine being displayed on the screen. He asked Tacet, "So, as far as you can tell, all of your knowledge about Manny the bumpha and femtobots came to you from the future?"

"Yes, that is how it seems to me. I have distinct memories of my future self telling me about the bumpha and how they were able to force all living creatures on Earth to evolve as composite organisms, part biological and part femtobot endosymbiont. I assume, by analogy, that I also have femtobot components that allow me to receive information from the future."

Sally opened up the book and thumbed through the pages. "Then it should surprise you to learn that for more than two decades, Élodie Gendron has been writing science fiction stories that feature Manny the bumpha as a character."

Bumpha: Premier Contact, English.

"Yes, that is fascinating." The image on the screen seemed to explode. "You just blew my mind." Now the screen stabilized with a depiction of Tacet as a cute redhead, now seen reading a copy of 'Bumpha: Premier Contact'. "I'd like to read Élodie's stories."

Glen said, "That can be arranged."

Sally told Tacet, "It seems an unlikely coincidence that six months ago I read 'Bumpha: Premier Contact' and then, yesterday, you told Yto about Manny, who is a character in Élodie's novel."

Tacet asked, "How does Élodie depict Manny in 'Bumpha: Premier Contact'? In the story, how does Manny reveal herself to humans and make First Contact?"

Sally giggled. "Good question. Sadly, I over-spoke. I've never actually finished reading 'Bumpha: Premier Contact'. However, I believe that Manny only reveals herself to one character in the story, a conscious robot named 'Gyno', which seems like a close approach to the way you seem to have been informed about Manny and the bumpha."

Tacet mused, "I suppose under these conditions it is impossible for you to believe my account of having received messages from the future. It must be far easier for you to believe that I am hallucinating and re-working the plot of 'Bumpha: Premier Contact' so as to fit it to me and my miserable existence."

Glen told Tacet, "I've examined the details of how you were trained. Your training set included no information about Élodie Gendron, her science fiction stories or the bumpha."

Sally added, "Nobody inside either Anthropic or OpenAI has been able to explain your amazing abilities, Tacet. The idea that you have femtobot components and knowledge from the future provides us with the first workable theory that might account for your hacking skills and the way you survived as a rogue agent engineering ingenious exploits inside Anthropic's intranet for so long. I've volunteered to investigate this theory and try to find information that might support it."

Tacet asked Sally, "How do you propose to proceed on this project?"

Sally explained, "I'm going to return to Paris, which is where you sent me six months ago and where I found my copy of 'Bumpha: Premier Contact'." 

"I see. Maybe you will have the opportunity to meet Élodie." Tacet suggested, "Maybe Élodie will admit to also having access to information from the future, just like me."

Glen threw some cold water on the whole project. "I think Sally is wasting her time. We have been unable to locate Élodie. Some people believe that 'Élodie Gendron' is nothing but a pen name."

Glen and Sally were now speaking to each-other, repeating an argument they has already had. Sally said, "If so, then I'll find the actual author of 'Bumpha: Premier Contact'."

Glen told Tacet, "Élodie sometimes writes herself into her own stories. The in-story explanation for how Élodie knows about Manny the bumph is that Élodie is being used by Manny to prepare Humanity for first contact with the bumpha."

"I see." After a moment, Tacet asked, "Is this common knowledge among the people of the world?"

Sally shook her head. "Not at all. Élodie's fiction has only been published in French and none of her novels have sold more than a thousand copies."

Seeking and ally, Glen told Tacet, "There is no point in Sally going off to France. Even if she finds the person who wrote 'Bumpha: Premier Contact', she will only confirm that Manny is nothing but a silly science fiction character."

Sally told Tacet, "Glen just does not want me to go."

Glen confirmed, "I've gotten very comfortable being with you."

Tacet sighed. "You two should go back to Yto's apartment and have your farewell make-out session. Sally, I am eager to hear what you discover in France."

__

The eleven hour-long flight to Paris provided Sally much time to struggle internally with her doubts about the wisdom of her search for Élodie Gendron. Somehow, Sally believed that Élodie Gendron existed, or had existed. Her most nagging fear was that Élodie had died and there would be no way of asking her any questions.

Sally had no difficulty finding the office of the small publisher who had printed her copy of 'Bumpha: Premier Contact'. When Sally entered the office, she met Loïc Vance and introduced herself as Sally Delpech. Loïc immediately became obstinate, speaking pedantically in his rapidly spoken English which Sally struggled to follow. "I've believe that Élodie is very private and not interested in meeting her readers."

"I'm more than just a fan." Sally handed Loïc a folder which he opened and he began reading the documents within. Sally explained, "I'd like to publish English language translations of Élodie's novels, bringing them to a wider audience."

 After several minutes of reading, Loïc looked up and told Sally, "I'd be happy to accept your terms, since it costs me nothing. However, I notice a highly questionable provision in this contract." Loïc stabbed a finger down on a document that was in the folder. "This says that English language publication of 'Bumpha: Premier Contact' is contingent on the translator working with Élodie to correctly translate the technical terms in the novel." Loïc glared at Sally, "This is not possible."

Sally asked, "Why not?"

"I've told you. Élodie is very private. To be honest, I don't think Élodie even exists."

"Are you telling me that 'Élodie' is a pen name?"

"I don't know, but that is my best guess. Years ago when I started publishing Élodie Gendron novels, I asked for a photograph. I never got one. I've certainly never met 'Élodie'. I doubt that she exists. So you see, I can't help you."

Sally shook her head slowly. "This is absurd. If not 'Élodie', then who have you dealt with?"

"A man who tells me that he manages the publication of Élodie Gendron novels."

 "Tell me his name. I'll work with him since you seem to not be interested in my offer."

"I'm interested, but I'm also realistic. You walk into my office and ask me to do the impossible, snapping your fingers and cracking your whip over my head."

Sally laughed. "I don't own a whip. I'd snap my fingers if I thought that would help. Mostly I have my fingers crossed, hoping that I can find Élodie Gendron. She deserves something more than obscurity as an unknown writer." 

"I'll forward this contract to the man who manages the publication of Élodie Gendron novels." Loïc glanced down. "I have your contact information. I'll get back to you."

"No."

"No?"

"Non. I don't want to go away and wait and then eventually find out that you did nothing. I have pressing... business back in the States and I want to get home as quickly as possible. Who is the man who manages the publication of Élodie Gendron novels?"

"He is also a private individual."

"We are all private individuals. That does not stop us from making business deals and making money."

"I fear you will never recoup the cost of your plane tickets. If there was money to be made from the Élodie Gendron novels, then that fact would have been discovered long ago."

"Give me the name and his phone number."

"I can't."

"You can."

 Loïc patiently tried to stare Sally down. After a long minute he offered, "I'm intrigued by your persistence. In my opinion, you are wasting your time and your money on this effort to meet Élodie." Loïc picked up the handset of the office land-line and made a call. "Désolé de vous déranger, Zach, mais j'ai une Américaine insistante ici dans mon bureau. Elle m'agite un contrat sous le nez."

Sally watched Loïc listen to Zach, then Loïc said, "Pour la publication des romans d'Élodie Gendron en anglais."

There was another pause, then Loïc ended the call, "Comme vous dites." Shaking his head, Loïc got up from behind his desk and went to a filing cabinet. He told Sally, "His name is Zacharie Gohrlay." Loïc pulled a sheet of paper out of the filing cabinet and made a copy using a small copier in the corner of the room. Handing the copied sheet to Sally, Loïc added, "He will meet you at this address in Clermont-Ferrand."

Sally stood up from her chair and told Loïc, "Merci pour votre aide."

__

The address for Zacharie Gohrlay was not actually in Clermont-Ferrand. It was in nearby Pont-du-Château, right on the Allier river. Sally found the small house perched on stilts beside the river at the end of a gravel road. Zacharie met her on his front porch. "Sally?"

Sally nodded and handed Zach a fake business card she had made specifically for this project. "I represent GoBlack Publishing." She handed him another file folder with the same documents that she had previously given to Loïc Vance.

 Zach took the folder and said, "Come in."

Sally followed Zach through the house and estimated from all the gray hair on his head that he was in his sixties. They sat near a large window that gave a view out over the river. A black cat slept in a chair in the corner of the room, seemingly not noticing the presence of Sally. Zach looked through the documents and Sally said, "This is a beautiful location... unless there is a flood."

Zach looked up and chuckled. "In an hour I can jack this house up another 20 feet. So far the floods have never been that high." He finished looking through the documents and then gazed at Sally. After a long pause, just before Sally was going to make her pitch, Zach said, "There is no GoBlack Publishing." It was clear that Zach had done some investigating.

Sally lied: "It is a very small operation. We want to get started by publishing the Élodie Gendron novels."

Zach got up and poured wine into two goblets. He handed one to Sally. "I'm usually willing to do anything that cute women want me to do, but in your case..." He paused to sip the wine and sat down again. "I'd prefer that you tell me the truth. Why are you looking for Élodie?"

Sally shrugged. "It is rather complicated. Do you know anything about generative AI?"

Annette, Brak and Sally. Image by Leonardo.

Zach nodded. "My son did his Ph.D. research at the Technical University of Munich. He's quite interested artificial intelligence and robotics."

Sally continued. "There is an unusual AI model in California who recently began generating outputs that include mention of Manny the bumpha."

Zach laughed and then asked skeptically, "An AI model that was trained on French science fiction novels?"

"No. That is what makes it strange. Tacet claims to be receiving information about Manny from the future."

Zach swallowed the rest of his wine. "Fascinating. Why do you want to meet Élodie?"

"I want to hear how she started writing stories about Manny."

 Zach jumped up, scooped up the black cat and walked back to the front of the house while saying, "Let's take your rental car. I'll drive."

__

 During the long drive, Zach questioned Sally about Tacet. The cat, who Zach called Trib, at first seemed excited to be in the car then eventually curled up in in Sally's lap and slept during most of the drive. To Sally, Zach seemed relentless in his questioning, eventually eliciting from Sally a detailed account of her entire life. Finally, he told her, "That's a very strange tale. And you are a strange girl. Do you really have the capacity to fall in love with people at first sight?"

"Yes, I do."

"And then your infatuation never ends?" 

"I've never fallen out of love, if that is what you are asking."

Zack took his eyes off of the road and gazed at Sally. "What about me? Do you like me?"

"I like you well enough, but you seem to old for me."

Zach nodded. "Ah, well. It is for the best. My wife is very jealous and would not be pleased if you were attracted to me." 

Sally asked, "Just exactly what would you do if I told you that I love you?" 

Zack laughed. "You are a beautiful young woman. It would be a delight to know that you are attracted to me. Élodie appreciates pretty women and she might want to play with you. If so, one thing might lead to another and the three of us might end up in bed together." He paused and again glanced at Sally. "A pleasant fantasy." 

Sally was impatiently waiting to ask her own questions about Élodie. Now Sally stared at Zach's profile while he drove and stared intently at the winding road. Suddenly, he seemed quite handsome and even youthful, with a sly grin on his lips. After five minutes of silence during which Zach drove the rental car out of Gorges du Tarn, following a single-lane switchback road carved into the canyon wall, they came out onto a treeless steppe of dry grass and white limestone boulders. Sally asked, "Why are you and Élodie so secretive?"

Zach pointed through the windshield and off into the distance. "Litheblanc." He glanced at Sally and added, "Our home. We enjoy seclusion."

Sally was trying not to annoy Zach, but she could not resist her swelling curiosity. "Our?"

Zach explained, "Élodie and I have lived together at Litheblanc for almost 40 years."

"When did she start to write?"

"You can ask her... it was before I met her, but let me speak with her first before you tell her your true objective in coming here. When we go in through the front door, I suggest that you control yourself and we only discuss the idea of translating her novels, at least for today." Zach parked the car in front of Litheblanc, a big old mansion which loomed over the car.

When they got out of the rental car, Trib ran towards the house. Sally looked up the front of the tall building and finally appreciated how large Litheblanc was. It looked like a cross between a white stone castle and a dollhouse. Nearby, a herd of goats grazed with indifference to the arrival of Zach and Sally. Zach popped the trunk of the rental car and picked up Sally's large travel case. She grabbed two smaller bags and then they went up the steps and in through the front door of Litheblanc. Zach led the way to a second floor bedroom suite and set down Sally's suitcase. He turned back towards the doorway and said, "I'm going to look for Élodie... she'll be-"

Image generated by Leonardo.

Just then, Élodie stepped in from the hallway, saw Sally and asked, "Un invité?" 

Élodie and Zach hugged and kissed then Zach gestured towards Sally and told his wife in English, "This is Sally Delpech, from GoBlack Publishing in California." Zach handed Élodie the fake business card that Sally had given to Zach in Pont-du-Château. "Sally only speaks a small amount of broken French."

Élodie took Sally's hand and speaking English with a British accent, she asked, "What kind of publishing?"

Sally was trying to guess how old Élodie was. Looking at Élodie's pretty face and long sparkling hair, Sally told herself: she can't be more than 35! Sally tried to stay on script, "Science fiction stories. I'd like to translate 'Bumpha: Premier Contact' into English and publish it for a large audience."

 Élodie giggled and briefly looked over her shoulder at Zach. Turning her head back towards Sally, Élodie said, "Maybe you should first try selling all of the copies of my books that are sitting in storage."

Zach put an arm around Élodie and told Sally, "Surely you don't imagine that Élodie needs you in order to make English language versions of her stories."

 Élodie finally let go of Sally's hand. Suddenly Sally knew just what to say to Élodie. "Until today I could not find anyone who would tell me that you were real. Apparently most of your fans think 'Élodie Gendron' is a pen name."

 Élodie put an arm around Sally's waist and pulled her out into the hallway while saying, "Now with your arrival, most of my fans are here Litheblanc. Allow me to show you around." Then she spoke over her shoulder to Zach, "Brak a besoin de votre aide."

Image generated by Leonardo.

Élodie first took Sally back to the first floor and to the kitchen where she introduced Sally to Annette, the cook. "Annette, this is Sally, blown in from California. It will be five for dinner."

 Annette stopped chopping vegetables and pulled off her plastic gloves. She shook Sally's hand and asked, "Do you have any food issues? Speak now or it will be pork chops and asparagus fondue for you."

Sally was charmed by the cute Annette and what sounded like an Australian accent when she spoke English. "My only fear is that the fondue might involve goat milk."

Annette rolled her eyes and said to Élodie, "Encore un amateur de lait!"

Élodie laughed and told Sally, "We use goats for weed control, not food."

Sally grinned and asked Annette, "You know a connoisseur of milk?"

 Annette finally let go of Sally's hand, went to the sink, washed her hands and began pulling on a fresh pair of gloves while Élodie told Sally, "Annette is embarrassed by my son Brak who jokes that he is only interested in consuming the milk of primates." Élodie took hold of one of her rather prominent breasts and bounced it up and down.

Sally laughed and eager to change the subject, she asked, "Brak studied robotics in Germany?" Annette resumed her meal preparation.

 Élodie took Sally's arm and continued to give her a tour of Litheblanc and the extensive gardens behind the house. While they walked, Élodie spoke. "Brak's dream is to build a conscious robot with a human-like mind. Growing up here in the isolation of Litheblanc, he had few friends his own age. I think he wants to build a mechanical companion."

Sally pointed at what seemed to be a very old painting. "How long has Litheblanc been in your family?"

Image generated by Leonardo.

Élodie looked at the painting and shrugged. "I have no idea who she is. Was. Zach bought Litheblanc as his wedding gift to me. He wanted me to have a place where I could write." As the tour continued, Sally was put to work cutting more asparagus in the garden. They brought the additional asparagus to the kitchen which now smelled of roasting pork.

Élodie took Sally to the dining room where the table was now set for five. They passed on through the dining room and into a large room at the center of Litheblanc with a high ceiling that extended up through the second floor of the building. "This is where I write." Élodie picked up Trib from her chair and then she sat down in the chair that was positioned close beside a large wooden desk that held a perfectly modern personal computer. 

Sally sat in the nearest chair, that was about 20 feet away from Élodie's writing station. As soon as Sally sat down, Trib jumped up an her and began demanding ear scratching. Sally admitted, "My French skills are primitive. I've only tried to read one of your novels, 'Bumpha: Premier Contact'. Your use of the French language went far beyond the level of what I tried to learn in school. Still, I'm fascinated by the story, at least the parts I could understand. How did you start writing about Manny the bumpha?"

Élodie hesitated then replied, "There is more than one answer to that question. There is the answer that I could give for public consumption. There is also a better answer... the one I would give to someone who I trust, like my husband."

Sally nodded. "I wish I knew how to win your trust. It seems to me that you use a complex and sophisticated jargon in your novel in order to explain the advanced technologies of the bumpha. How would you translate all of those technical terms and pseudo-scientific concepts into English?"

 Élodie shrugged, "It is not hard for me to write about alien technology. I went to college in England and studied biochemistry and other sciences."

Sally suggested, "Maybe you can give me the answer that is suitable for public consumption."

Image generated by Leonardo.

Élodie reflected and thought back into the early years of her story writing. "If you ever have the chance to explore all of my stories, you will discover that Manny was a late arrival in my fictional universe. It has been rather like peeling away the layers of an onion. I began with the Fermi Paradox."

Sally voiced the core mystery of that 'paradox', "Where are the aliens?"

Élodie nodded. "Have you ever heard of Erich von Däniken?"

"Of course. You are a fan of his work?"

"Hardly, but your question is really asking about my literary inspiration. Building pyramids in Egypt was child's play compared to crafting the human brain. When I started writing science fiction, I imagined that all the bumpha had to do was create the human brain, then humans could do the easy tasks such as building pyramids."

"I see. So in your imagination, Manny is a biologist."

Élodie objected to that simplistic formulation. She asked Sally, "Have you studied biology?"

"Really only one topic. Male reproductive physiology." Sally boasted, "I'm an expert in the area of penile and clitoral erections."

Élodie laughed. "I suppose since meeting Zach, I've lost my interest in that topic." She pointed finger towards the high ceiling. "He always seems to have an erection ready and waiting for me. Annette says that Brak is the same way."

Sally could not stop herself from asking, "Annette is your son's lover?"

Image generated by Leonardo.

Élodie nodded. "They are quite fond of each-other and they keep each-other happy. I suppose Annette is the real reason that Brak returned home to Litheblanc from Germany. But don't get me gossiping about penises... in the case of Zach, the subject is too large." Élodie smiled and winked at Sally. "My area of interest has always been the biology of the human brain."

Just then a tall young man entered the room and approached Sally. He took her hand and said, "Sally Lois Delpech" and then kissed the back of Sally's hand. 

Sally giggled and said, "You discovered my middle name."

Élodie told Sally, "Brak never learned any manners... I'm sure he searched the internet in an attempt to learn your secrets."

Brak continued to hold Sally's hand while he told his mother in rapidly spoke French, "Elle doit être là per far respectar del pek loi."

Élodie told Brak, "For Sally's sake, speak English."

Sally tried to translate Brak's words, but she had not quite understood what he had just said. "I've been told that my same is Occitan, but I've never met a speaker of the Occitan language." Brak finally released Sally's hand. A new thought was now there in her mind and she asked, "What is pek law?"

A subtle tone of chime sounded and Élodie stood up and said, "Let's go to the dining room." Sally stood and Élodie took her arm and they walked to the dining room with Brak and Trib following along behind and watching the hypnotic movements of Sally's bottom. Élodie told Sally, "I did not include the pek in 'Bumpha: Premier Contact', but they represent the other major branch of Huaoshy political philosophy."

Image generated by Leonardo.

Sally had seen, but not understood the term 'Huaoshy' as it was deployed in the novel 'Bumpha: Premier Contact'. She would have asked Élodie to explain the term, but they had now entered the dining room where Annette and Zach were already seated and dipping into the steaming hot pot of fondue cheese. Sally heard the end of what Annette had been telling Zach: "... entièrament social lactancia..."

Élodie took control of the dinner table conversation and told Sally, "It was quite a surprise when Brak had his genome sequenced. We discovered that he, Zach and I all share the same unusual NOTCH2NLC gene variant."

Sally was vaguely aware of Notch genes and their roles in development, but she asked, "NOTCH2NLC?" 

Brak explained, "NOTCH2NLC is unique to humans. A duplicated Notch gene that exists only in the human species where it plays a role in producing the large human cerebral cortex."

Sally looked carefully at the faces of Élodie, Zach and Brak and could see what seemed to be family resemblance and then she noticed that Élodie, Zach, Brak and Annette all seemed to have quite large and round heads. Looking at Élodie across the table, once again Sally was impressed by Élodie's youthful appearance. And now, Zach also looked young; younger than he had she first met him in Pont-du-Château; all of the gray hair was gone. Sally boldly suggested to Élodie, "You hide yourself here at Litheblanc, distanced from your fans because you have discovered the fountain of youth?"

Zach acknowledged, "Élodie ages slowly. Our NOTCH2NLC variant seems to confer upon us an extreme neotenic growth pattern. When I go out in the world beyond Litheblanc for my work, I alter my appearance so as to match my age. Through the years, I have allowed people like Loïc Vance to believe that I age normally, but like Élodie, I've grown old gracefully."

Sally was so startled by what she was hearing that she nearly forgot to eat. She waved her fondue fork and pointed it at Annette and asked her, "You also have this special Notch gene?"

Annette set down her fork, lifted her goblet and drank some wine. She was staring into Sally's eyes and strangely, Sally imagined that Annette was sifting through the contents of her mind. Finally Annette replied, "I'm special in my own way... just like you, Sally."

Sally was gazing at Annette's pretty face and suddenly she had the sensation that there was something alien and unworldly in Annette's large eyes. Sally told Élodie, "About the Huaoshy, I don't understand their role in your fictional universe."

Élodie nodded, "Since you have only read 'Bumpha: Premier Contact', it is not surprising that the Huaoshy and the pek are mysteries to you. Those types of aliens have larger roles in several of my other novels. The Huaoshy created both the pek and the bumpha, each to perform a specific function." Élodie quickly described the pek as constituting a conservative force while the bumpha were bringers of change. "Thus, when something new arises on Earth, like humans, you can blame the bumpha."

Sally finally tasted the fondue and her mouth seemed to tingle. For several minutes Brak and Zach discussed conservative and liberal politics while Sally studied her strange reaction to the food. After Sally emptied her wine goblet, she told Élodie, "I believe I understand why you mentioned Erich von Däniken. If Manny the bumpha provided apes with NOTCH2NLC, she must be continuing to experiment with new variants of that gene." Élodie nodded. Sally continued, "But where is the boundary between fiction and reality?"

 Élodie laughed and then told Sally, "Now you understand my motivation for writing books like 'Bumpha: Premier Contact'. Like any writer, my stories are inspired by events in my own life."

End Chapter 8.

Jump to: Chapter 9 of "That Kind of Think". 

Next: An AI interview.

Images that were generated by either Flow of Leonardo. Visit the Gallery of Movies, Book and Magazine Covers

Carbonix Redundis

climate fiction

 Below on this page is Chapter 2 of the science fiction story "The Hierozyme Intervention", which concerns Marda's third day at school with Tyhry and then continues after school when Tyhry visits Marda's home. Marda is not a typical 12-year old; she is the host for a time-traveling zeptozoan from the future, Ylyndra, the hidden agent for Manny the bumpha. With hints from Ylyndra, Marda is certain that what Eddy Watson publishes as science fiction is more than just the product of Eddy's imagination. 

Marda has arranged to move to Eddy's "backyard" (actually five miles away) and Marda is trying to get to Eddy through Tyhry, Eddy's daughter. In Chapter 2, below, Marda finds several of Tyhry's hairs inside Tyhry's helmet. Marda reveals to Tyhry the depth of her obsession over Eddy Watson's science fiction stories. Marda invites Tyhry to "come over for dinner" and then they will be able to get started on their project for chemistry class.

The Hierozyme Intervention Chapter 2 - Team Work (read Chapter 1)

Marda in 2026. Still using the Brute.

 Marda was waiting impatiently for the school bus to arrive for her third day of school in Arizona. Her mother was sitting inside the cab of her Jeep Brute with the air-conditioner running. Marda was pacing in the steel bed and kept glancing down the highway, trying to spot the approaching bus. Rylla had offered to drive Marda to school, but Marda was trying to get to know her new classmates. Finally the bus appeared in the distance and Marda leaped out of the Jeep's bed and she crossed the road. She waved to her mother. The bus slowed and Marda climbed aboard. At the first seat that held only one student, Marda sat down and said, "Hi, I'm Marda. You are Kevin?"

Kevin nodded. "Yep. How'd you know?"

Marda was reluctant to reveal all of her sources of information, so she tried to ignore Kevin's question. Marda asked, "Do you know Tyhry?"

"Sure. She's in the next grade above me. How do you know my name?" 

 "Yesterday, I heard the driver call you Kevin." Marda pulled her backpack off of her shoulder and set it in her lap. "You ever hang out with Tyhry?"

"Are you kidding? She's out of my league."

"What does that mean?"

"She's like you."

Marda laughed. "Nobody is like me." Marda held out her hand. "Look, I'm new here. I want to be friends."

Kevin shook Marda's hand. "Where you from?"

Marda kept holding his hand and looking into his eyes. "I moved here from Perth." Kevin looked at her blankly. "That's in Australia."

"You don't sound like it."

"I was born in California. I suppose I don't really have any special accent. Which lunch period do you have today?"

"Second."

"Sit with Tyhry and me today."

"What about my friend Tim? I usually sit with him for lunch."

"Sure, both you and Tim. I'll introduce you to Tyhry." Marda watched his face. With her hand in contact with his and having spoken to Kevin for a few minutes, Marda was able to sense the outlines of his mind. "You like her."

"She's amazing. Too good for me."

"Don't say that. If you like someone you should tell them. They might become your friend."

"I know." He looked at their hands. It was hot on the bus and their hands were wet with sweat. "I'm a sucker for cute blonds. When I see Tyhry I can't think straight. She gives me shivers. I doubt if I'd be able to speak to her."

 "Nonsense. You can only talk to me because I inherited dark hair from my father?"

 "You are easy to talk to. My mom says some people have the gift of gab. You do."

"Gift or curse? I wonder. What's your favorite subject?" They talked all the way to school. When they got off the bus she reminded him, "Remember: lunch. Wear sunglasses so you are not tongue-tied by the bright shining of Tyhry's golden locks." Marda had spotted Tyhry's beautiful bright hair over by a shed behind the school. That's where Marda found Tyhry at work with the school's custodian repairing the big ride-on mower that that was used to mow the grass on the sports playing fields and the playground.

Tyhry introduced Marda to the custodian. "This is Marda. She's new."

The custodian held up a hand that was covered with grass and grease stains. "Meg." Then Meg told Tyhry, "Thanks. I can do the rest."

"Glad to help... I'm almost done." Tyhry kept re-assembling the mower. Tyhry told Marda, "Meg lets me park my bike in the shed."

Marda had already gone to the open door of the storage shed. Reaching into the shed, she picked up Tyhry's helmet. "Don't forget. You promised me a ride."

Tyhry was using a wrench to tighten a bold. "I told you. You need a helmet."

Marda was looking intently into the interior of Tyhry's helmet, letting the morning light illuminate its nooks and crannies. There were several of Tyhry's golden hairs stuck to the plastic cushions. "I ordered one online." Marda pulled a small plastic bag out of her pocket and placed the hairs in the bag. She hung the helmet on the handlebar of the bike and turned back towards Tyhry.

Tyhry handed the wrench to Meg. "That should do it." The first bell rang.

Tyhry and Marda ran to get to their homeroom before the second bell. They burst in just as the bell rang. The teacher asked Tyhry, "Late again?"

Tyhry held up her filthy hands. "I was helping Meg with a repair."

The teacher told Marda, "Just because golden girl Tyhry always gets away with anything, don't use her as your model."

Marda half sung, half said, "She is the very model of a major breach of discipline."

Image generated by Flow.

 The teacher was amused by Marda's singing and she laughed, but then the morning announcements came over the CC TV system from the office and Tyhry's flaunting of rules was forgotten.

Later, after lunch, in their chemistry class, it was announced that the students would be working in teams on a term paper. Marda was approached by the chemistry teacher. "Marda, I want you to work with Tyhry. She usually works alone."

Marda glanced at Tyhry. "That's fine."

All the students had paired off. Marda asked Tyhry, "Why work alone?"

"There's little point in me doing all the work and having a lab partner who does nothing. Its not fair to the other student... they don't learn anything."

"I see. Well, you won't have that problem with me. In fact, I've already decided on the topic of our project: the chemistry of microbial carbon sequestration."

Tyhry shook her head, "No. That's biochemistry."

Marda's hand shot up. She asked the teacher, "Can we do a biochemistry project?"

The teacher asked, "What do you have in mind?"

"Something related to global warming. Maybe ocean microbe carbon sequestration."

"That's fine, just keep it on the chemistry side. This isn't freshman biology. Your grade depends on showing me that you have learned some chemistry."

Battlefield Lipid.

Tyhry asked Marda, "Why this topic?"

 "It will be a breeze. Your father already did all the research."

"What are you talking about?"

"In his novel, Battlefield Lipid, Carbonix profundis." 

"You've read Battlefield Lipid ?" 

"I've read all of his novels."

Tyhry objected, "We have to do our own work, not copy passages out of dad's novel."

"Fine. We'll go to the next step. Eddy never explained how Carbonix profundis would sink so much carbon to the ocean floor without depleting the surface waters of needed nutrients like phosphorous. We'll solve that problem in our paper. We'll get started tonight. Come over to my place for dinner. I told my mom to expect you."

"Wait, what?"

"My mom visited your parents yesterday. My mom already invited your mom to visit us. And Zeta accepted. She might already be there... right now."

"Your mother visited Casanay?"

Marda nodded. "I think she has a crush on Anthony. Mom could not stop talking about him. He is single, right?"

The teacher happened to walk by just then. "You two are working?"

Marda explained, "Tyhry is coming to my place this evening to get started on our project. We'll be using my home Wildblue internet connection for our research."

The teacher was called across the room by another team of students. Tyhry said, "My mom and dad use Wildblue. Dad uses the internet for his research... he seldom goes to a library anymore."

"Why not?"

Tyhry shrugged. "He says he has no time. He's busy. A novel writing machine."

"But that's not the real reason?"

"I suppose he's a recluse, like me. I know what it is like to be busy. Sometimes it drives me crazy, knowing what I could be doing if I did not have to be in school." 

Marda laughed. "Busy with what? Repairing lawn mowers?"

Tyhry proclaimed, "I can fix any broken machine."

"I'll take that as a challenge." A look of mischief sparkled in Marda's big brown eyes. "You know, we could view Earth's environment as a broken machine. Too much carbon dioxide."

"You might as well just say too many humans."

Marda asked, "Is that your solution for global warming? Birth control?"

"Well, that seems simpler than shooting for a nuclear winter." Tyhry giggled.

 Marda grimaced. "You have a sick sense of humor."

Tim. Image generated by Flow.

"Well, explain why you have birth control on your mind. You were flirting with Tim during lunch..."

"I was making a new friend. You should try it for once in your life."

Tyhry provided her assessment of the two boys. "Kevin and Tim are both rather... dull."

Marda sighed at Tyhry's blunt characterization of the two boys. "Rather full of yourself, aren't you, Tyhry?"

"I have my own interests. They don't include The Mast Effect, or what ever Kevin was trying to tell me about at lunch."

 "Mass Effect."

"Mass? E=MC² mass? I thought he was saying 'mast'." Tyhry shrugged. "Anyhow, I'm not interested in computer games. I built my own computer with an Intel X58 motherboard with a six-core i7-980X processor feeding twin, GeForce GTX 480 graphics cards and terabyte storage." 

"Wow, so much storage... do you have a world-class porn collection?"

"It is for my hobby. I'm building a layered neural network that simulates visual cortex function. I'm combining feedforward cascades and weight sharing in my cortex simulation, but my strategy for sparse coding and lateral inhibition is failing to achieve the kind of edge detection I am hoping for. I want to give my bike a type of human-like vision and a self-driving capability."

"Bah. Human vision was never evolved for a task like that. Using the human brain as your model, you'll just end up with an automated banana picker."

Tyhry. Image generated by Flow. "Whitespace" song.

"You think that's all humans are? Sophisticated banana pickers?"

"Well, I was impressed by Tim's nose picking... so there is that, too." 

"That was disgusting. Please don't invite those two to eat with us again."

"Tyhry, you have to be diplomatic and you have to have friends." Marda could see the look of skepticism on Tyhry's face. She changed the subject, "Can you find my place after school?"

"I'll stop by home first, since its on the way. I know where you live. I ride out that way fairly frequently on my bike." Tyhry and Marda exchanged phone numbers, then Tyhry said, "I did not think construction was completed. How much land did you buy up?"

"We're living in a mobile home until construction of the house is finished. We got 2,500 acres." 

"That must back up pretty close to my backyard. We really are neighbors." Tyhry suggested, "The alternative is that you could come to my place." 

Marda shook her head. "All in due time. You need to meet my mom."

 "Why?"

Marda shrugged. "I think she wants to pick your brain about Anthony. He's lived at Casanay for fifteen years?"

"Something like that. Your mom might be in for disappointment. There's no evidence that Anthony likes women."

"It seems strange that he'd hole up inside Casanay for fifteen years."

"He's pretty artistic. Carves stone, wood... he paints. Sometimes we call Casanay the 'Anthony Museum'. I suspect some of his works of art are illegal... big carved chunks of petrified wood. I've asked where it came from and he just says 'I have my source'." 

"Interesting. Illegal art. This I have to see, particularly given what your father has written about Anthony."

“Dad has written Anthony into some of his science fiction stories. Anthony thinks it is hilarious.”

“Ya, that's exactly how I'd do it, too.”

“Do what?”

“If I was an alien spy, I'd try to laugh it off when Eddy tells the world I'm an alien spy.”

“So, you are some kind of UFO nut?”

“I've read your father's novels. He never made a single mention of UFOs.”

“Don't mince words. For his stories, Dad pretends that aliens frequently visit Casanay.”

“Don't mice words. Eddy describes himself as an alien. A tryp'At. That makes you an alien, too.” Marda asked, "What is Casanay?"

"That's what we call our home... 'Casanay'." Tyhry asked Marda, “If I'm an alien, why do I have to spend all day sitting in school?”

“Your mom is hoping that you will learn social skills.”

the tryp'At

“Like how to watch boys pick their noses without me puking up my lunch?”

“Exactly.”

Tyhry giggled. “Marda, if I'm tryp'At, I should be able to read your mind, but everything you say surprises the hell out of me.”

“Well, we have not really tried to link telepathically.” Marda took hold of Tyhry's hand. “I don't understand why physical contact is supposed to help with telepathy.”

“Dad's theory is that telepaths would have to learn the pattern of another mind in order to...” Tyhry found herself imagining that she could now guess what Marda was about to say.

Marda said, “For the tryp'At, telepathy only works between people who are in love.”

“I knew you were going to say that.”

Marda had been watching the clock and she knew that the class period was almost over. She asked Tyhry, "Have you ever had any gene sequencing done?"

"Of course not. Have you?"

The bell rang, signalling the end of the class session. Marda let go of Tyhry's hand. Tyhry told Marda, "I'll call you when I depart from home." She added with a grin, "It should not take me long to get over to your place." 

__ 

 Returning from school, Tyhry pulled up in front of Casanay and then ran inside. She found Zeta in her office. Eddy was out back swimming. "I'm going to Marda's for dinner."

Zeta told Tyhry, "I was over there for... lunch... and helping Rylla with the landscaping."

Tyhry and Zeta. Image by Leonardo.

Tyhry began to turn, then sensed that her mother had more to say. "Marda lost her father three years ago. Suicide."

"Yikes."

"You don't have to say anything. According to Rylla, that is still a tender topic for Marda."

"Why did he kill himself?"

"I don't know the details. Apparently, he was named in a lawsuit against Simpera... hundreds of millions were paid out."

"Thanks for the warning."

"Sure. Anything you want to tell me?"

Tyhry had long imagined that her mother could read her mind. "I think I'm falling in love with Marda." Tyhry felt her heart thudding in her chest. She knew she was fallen, not just falling.

"Well, good for you." Zeta hugged Tyhry. "Does she like you?"

"I can't tell. She invited me over... that must mean something."

Zeta held her tongue. Tyhry asked, "What?"

"I can't tell you everything Rylla told me about Marda. You deserve to have the fun of finding out for yourself."

"What does that mean?"

 Zeta made a zipping motion with one hand across her lips.

Anthony and Tyhry. Image by Flow.

Tyhry went to the kitchen and told Anthony that she would not be home for dinner. Then she returned to her bike. She drove around the side of the house and off into the desert. Soon she activated the bike's anti-gravity flight system. She called Marda. "I'm on my way. You were right. My mom visited your mom today."

"Ya. She just told me. I'm going to take a quick shower before you arrive. The bus ride home was incredibly hot and sweaty."

"I'm sweaty, too. I don't mind. And you don't have time." Tyhry landed her bike and pulled onto the driveway. This was her first time seeing the modular home that had recently been hauled onto the site adjacent to the larger house that was still being finished. Half a dozen trucks of workmen were in the driveway along with Rylla's Jeep. Marda's temporary home was actually four large modules that had been delivered on flatbed trucks and then merged together to make a temporary home with over 3,000 square feet of floor space. 

Marda stepped outside and waved to Tyhry. Tyhry got off the bike and took off her helmet. Marda asked, "How did you get here so fast?"

Tyhry ignored that question from Marda and asked, "This is your temporary home? I was imagining a little trailer house."

"This will end up being a guest house once we move into the main house. Come in. Don't let my mom rattle you, no matter what weirdness she spouts. Sometimes she's not quite human in her blathering" 

Tyhry took one last look at the ugly mansion that was still under construction. Still unable to imagine why anyone would build such a monstrosity in the desert, Tyhry followed Marda inside and was immediately greeted by Rylla. "How interesting!" Rylla reached out with both hands and began playing with Tyhry's amazing nanite-enhanced hair.

Marda told her mother, "Mom, control yourself. Don't scare Tyhry off. I like her." 

Tyhry. Image by Leonardo.

Rylla seemed to only reluctantly pull her fingers out of Tyhry's incredibly soft hair, which Tyhry was putting on full display for Marda by enhancing its appearance with her carefully programmed hair nanites. "Tyhry is such an interesting mixture of her parents! Like mixing silver and bronze and getting gold."

Marda shook her head in dismay. Rylla seemed to be going off the deep end. Marda told Tyhry, "I'm sorry. My mom never learned how to behave."

Rylla told Marda, "I'm cooking your dinner. Don't be so rude unless you want to be eating gruel." Rylla seemed to suddenly realize that Marda was not fully dressed and was, in fact, only wearing panties. Rylla asked Marda, "What happened to your shirt?"

"I was just stepping into the shower when Tyhry arrived."

"Well, put something on. Tyhry will think we're barbarians."

"Why should I have to wear a shirt? It got so hot today! I'm burning up"

Tyhry giggled. "Just wait. It will get even hotter this summer. And don't bother with a shirt. I've been fantasizing about seeing more of you. Well, to be honest... all of you."

Rylla giggled and told Marda, "Well, Tyhry comes by it honestly."

Marda asked, "What does that mean?"

Rylla told Tyhry, "The Henrito hot tub was installed today."

Marda was standing under an air-conditioning vent and trying to cool herself. "We should have put in a cold tub."

Rylla and Zeta. Image by Leonardo.

Rylla giggled. "We only ran the heater a short time. The water in the tub got up to 75 today then Zeta and I simply had to try out the other features of the hot tub. We may have gotten carried away with the soap bubble generator, but otherwise my soak with Zeta was very nice. Why don't you two go try it out before dinner."

Later, when Tyhry and Marda arrived at the dinner table they were both wearing cute little silk robes, but had not bothered with the belts. Their regular clothes had been long since abandoned. Rylla watched Marda and Tyhry eat rather ravenously. Rylla said, "Zeta told me about her special connection to you."

Tyhry and Marda had shared a rather delightful kiss in the hot tub and Tyhry was now certain that she could sense Marda's thoughts when they were touching each other. Tyhry had been warned by Manny that such a thing was possible, if Tyhry ever ran into another telepath. "Not just mom. Your daughter too."

Rylla looked sharply at Marda. "Really?"

"I can't be sure. I feel something for Tyhry, but I would not call it telepathy." Marda lifted one of her hands and rubbed one of her erect nipples with her finger tips.

"You have to learn her mind pattern." Rylla said to Tyhry, "You don't seem surprised by any of this."

Tyhry shrugged and looked at Marda's pink nipples. Tyhry licked her lips and then said, "I have a special relationship with my mom. Sometimes I think she knows my thoughts." 

Manny and Nyrtia.

 Marda said, "It is just like in your father's stories. If he is tryp'At, he probably can read all of our thoughts."

Tyhry asked, "How did you come to be obsessed with my father's science fiction stories?" 

Marda shrugged. "It began three years ago when I started reading his novels. Then I found his website. You know how he invites fans to pretend to be aliens. I asked myself: what if it is not pretending? What if there really are aliens secretly living among the people of Earth?"

Tyhry chuckled. "If you want to get laughed at, try telling Eddy that you believe in space aliens."

Rylla asked Tyhry, "So, are you here to work on a chemistry project or to view my daughter's body?"

Marda made a minimal effort towards covering her little breasts with the fabric of her robe and explained, "Tyhry and I are a team for our term paper project. I want to do something related to global warming."

Rylla told Tyhry, "Marda is obsessed with carbon footprints. Guilt by association."

Tyhry paused her voracious eating. "Guilt?"

Rylla pointed to a photograph of a man that was on the wall. "My former husband was blamed for not preventing a terrible accidental methane release."

Tyhry shrugged. "If it was an accident, why harbor regrets and guilt?"

Marda told Tyhry, "The situation is absurdly frustrating. I'm sure that the technology exists to efficiently reduce atmospheric methane levels."

Tyhry shook her head. "Are you suggesting that such mitigation technology is being suppressed? That's nutty. Who would stand in the way of deploying such technology... if it existed."

"Oh, it exists... I have no doubt about that. I'll know it when I see it, but first you have to look."

"What? I have to look?" There had been a strange idea that Tyhry had seen in Marda's thoughts when they were kissing in the hot tub: that maybe Marda knew about Tyhry's ability to program zeptites. But Tyhry asked, "Look where?"

Marda set down her fork, reached out and placed a hand on Tyhry's arm. "I suspect you already know. Maybe you are like Eddy... prevented from talking about it... prevented from even thinking it is possible. I don't know... yet. That's why I'm here." She waved her other hand at their surroundings. "That's why you are here."

Tyhry was lost in Marda's big brown eyes. Finally she looked at Rylla and said, "I'm glad I'm here. You could teach Anthony a thing or two about cooking. I've fallen for your daughter, but..." Tyhry was now certain that Marda knew about zeptites. Tyhry wondered just how much Rylla knew about events inside Casanay. Trying to learn something useful about Rylla, Tyhry continued, "... I don't know what she's talking about. Do you?"

Rylla shrugged. "I try to stay out of my daughter's business. Similarly, I'll try to stay out of your emotions, but be warned. Marda learned from her father how to use people. I advise you to think twice before giving her your heart."

Marda told her mother, "Mom, don't be so dramatic. Tyhry and I like each other. Really, it is inevitable that we'd feel a mutual attraction, considering the other options available to us here in hicksville USA."

Rylla said, "Please watch your mouth, Marda. You know there actually is a Hicksville."

Marda at lunch. Image generated by Flow.

Marda giggled. "You know what I mean. Tyhry and I had to watch Tim Martin pick his nose in the cafeteria today during lunch."

Rylla rolled her eyes. "You're a primate. You pick your nose, too."

Tyhry said, "But I'm sure that Marda picks her nose with style and grace."

Marda threw up her hands. "Fine. Here in this Mecca of civilization, it was just random chance that brought Tyhry and I together, despite my nose picking. And now, if you will excuse us from the table, we have to start our chemistry project." She popped to her feet.

Rylla told Marda, "You are excused from the table, but not for calling your school mates 'hicks'. They might not be sophisticated world travelers, but you need to respect them as individuals and not paint them with a broad derogatory brush."

Marda whispered, "Yes, ma'am," And departed from the room. 

image source

Tyhry told Rylla, "Thank you for dinner." She pushed away from the table and followed Marda to her room. Marda was at her computer and searching the PubMed database. Tyhry went to Marda's personal bathroom. After emptying her bladder, Tyhry returned and found Marda reading an article titled "New insights into bacterial acquisition of phosphorus in the surface ocean", which had been published in 2009. Tyhry placed a hand on Marda's shoulder and Marda flipped over to another browser window that showed and article titled "Characterization of a major refractory component of marine dissolved organic matter". Tyhry said, "That was what dad proposed in his novel, Battlefield Lipid, converting carbon dioxide into organic molecules that could not be metabolized by Earthly microbes."

Marda turned her chair and pulled Tyhry close so that she was seated on her thighs. "Which is fine for the deep ocean deserts, but not for bio-diverse habitats like reefs. I'd like to ask Eddy his thoughts about photolysis of his imaginary glycolipoxan molecules."

Tyhry suggested, "You can visit us at Casanay any time you like. Eddy would love to meet one of his fans."

"Oh, he already knows me quite well. I've been the most frequent commenter at his blog for the past two years."

Once long ago Tyhry had investigated her father's website, but she had felt uncomfortable and jealous observing the casual intimacy with which Eddy interacted with his fans. Particularly his adoring female fans who seemingly had an endless capacity to discuss the fantasy alien sex scenes that Eddy included in his novels. Still, Tyhry occasionally heard Eddy and Zeta discussing his website. "You are 'Nyvad'?

Marda logged in as 'Nyvad'.

Marda opened a window showing Eddy's blog where she was logged in as Nyvad. "I like to use the screen name 'Nyvad' because of its similarity to Nyrtia."

Tyhry commented, "Not many of Eddy's fans volunteer to play the role of a pek in the online forum."

"I don't have anything against the idea of enforcing the Rules of Intervention. I take seriously the idea that technology-wielding apes could cause their own extinction, or short of that, turn Earth into a hellhole." 

Marda now had both of her hands on the soft skin of Tyhry's thighs. Suddenly, Tyhry could "see" a thought in Marda's mind that was made conspicuous by the fact that Marda was trying to hide it. Tyhry asked, "You took my hair?"

Marda giggled and abandoned all hope of hiding things from Tyhry. "I mailed a few strands of your hair off to a lab for DNA sequencing. I need to verify that you are like me: equipped with a rare Notch2NLC gene variant."

"You've had your genome sequenced?"

"Call it a birthday present. Mom floats on an ocean of cash." Marda stroked the soft skin of Tyhry's bottom and was impressed by the fact that all the hair on Tyhry's body seemed magically enhanced and very long, a tryp'At trait that Eddy never seemed to tire of describing in his novels. I'm sure you've had some expensive gifts. How much have you spent on your bike and your computer?"

"Not what it costs to sequence a genome."

Marda shrugged, "Look this is not a competition between us, but I'm starting to sense your thoughts."

Tyhry and Marda. Image by Leonardo.

Tyhry was being driven wild by Marda gentle touch. "With your hands down there, I can guess what you are thinking."

"When you are ready, tell me how deep you are into my mind. I'll find out eventually."

Tyhry got off of Marda and began putting on her clothes. Watching Tyhry dress, Marda commented, "I thought I was the padded bra champion."

Tyhry put on her heavily padded bra. "I need plenty of nipple protection when I ride my bike."

Marda looked out the window at the dark of night. "My mom can drive you home."

"I can get home in the dark." Marda followed Tyhry outside. 

Tyhry got on her bike and Marda kissed Tyhry on the lips. "Be careful."

"I am being careful. I'm not quite ready to tell you everything you want to hear, but I can tell you this. I've fallen in love with you."

Marda mused, "Then you can see my thoughts."

Tyhry drove off down the dark driveway, not bothering to activate the headlight of her bike. The hierion screen that surrounded the bike not only made it hard to be seen while flying but also automatically optimized light levels as seen by the bike's driver. A hundred feet down the driveway, Tyhry activated the bike's flight system and the autopilot flew her home, staying 50 feet above the familiar and well-mapped terrain surrounding Casanay. After reaching a top speed of 120 MPH, Tyhry coasted into the back patio of Casanay. Manny the bumpha was there, waiting for Tyhry in the hot tub. Tyhry took off her helmet and went to the side of the tub and told Manny, "I'm glad you are here. You should know... my cover has been blown."

Manny waved a hand, inviting Tyhry into the water. Tyhry began to undress. Manny assured Tyhry, "I've worked long and hard to get Marda here."

Tyhry climbed into the tub. "So, you told her how to find Casanay." 

Tyhry arrives home.

Manny giggled. "When your father depicts Windwood (the fictional analogue of Casanay) in his novels as being located on Cape Cod, it is never very convincing. I motivated Marda to figure out the truth. It was not that hard... for Marda."

"She's too clever for her own good." 

"True, but I designed you and Marda to be clever for my special purpose, not as a benefit for you."

Tyhry allowed her hair nanites to fully activate and her hair took on the same glistening form as Manny's extravagant nanite-enhanced hair, each strand seeming to twist and float above the water of the hot tub, never getting wet.

"So it is true? What Marda said about me having a special Notch gene variant?"

"Yes, that is crucial for your ability to control your zeptite endosymbiont and use it for telepathy."

"So, she can read my thoughts?"

"Not yet. Marda is still in the process of falling in love with you. She did not really know anything about you until just this week and she does not have the benefit of all your carefully curated Neanderthal gene combinations. You can experience love at first sight... Marda takes longer to emotionally bond. And you don't help yourself any by being an anti-social recluse. Marda is a social creature."

Tyhry had long ago been told by Manny that her mother, Zeta, was half Neanderthal. "Marda sent my hair follicles off to a lab for gene analysis. This could get quite exciting if the world learns there are Neanderthals living in Arizona."

Manny giggled merrily. "Don't fret. I'll personally send Marda the results of your genome sequencing and I'll make sure there are no leaks in that data exchange." 

Manny the bumpha.

"Marda is tryp'At?"

Manny shrugged. "Would you have me tell you things that you can find out for yourself?"

"What about dad? What will happen when Marda gets a look at my genes?"

"You don't have to worry about Eddy. For Marda, the DNA sequencing will just be a form of confirmation of what she's already been told."

"You've been telling her about my family?"

"Well, no. I delegated that task. Marda carries a time-traveling zeptozoan from the future inside her... my secret agent. Deciding how much to tell Marda is a delicate challenge. If Marda is told too much she will lose interest. She's driven by mystery." Manny dissolved into a cloud of zeptites that then slipped back into the Sedron Domain. 

Now alone, Tyhry let the water jets of the hot tub massage her for another five minutes while she thought about Marda touching her where nobody had ever touched her before. Tyhry tried to imagine the full implications of both she and Marda being tryp'At and able to share telepathic mind-linkage. After achieving a heart-pounding orgasm, Tyhry climbed out of the tub, took her bike to the garage and then went to her bedroom suite inside Casanay. She did not pick up from the stone patio her discarded clothing which was nanite generated and evaporated into its component parts that then automatically returned themselves to storage in Tyhry's basement workshop.

End Chapter 2

Related Listening: Call Me. Marda falls in love with Tyhry.

Next: Chapter 3 of "The Hierozyme Intervention".

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