All characters are 18 years old or older. I hope you enjoy this next installment in this series. If you have any suggestions, questions or comments feel free to ask. Please vote and if the muse inspires you email me or comment about this or other story lines.
*****
Recap:
A few weeks have passed since Greg's hospitalization after the EMP nearly killed him. The pulse had a striking effect on Greg fusing his mind with two artificial personalities. The A.I. that was installed in his implant mirrored his own so that wasn't difficult to adjust to. However, Ariana was so large and so vast with nearly ten thousand years of experience. The worst part of it was when a word or phrase would trigger an alien memory. Those were difficult to reconcile. He would find himself cursing in languages he had never experienced or were utterly alien. The worst and almost daily trial of dealing with perfectly normal people made his life a chore. His telepathy was so strong now that he could glean years of experience with a single mental gesture. He found humans so damn petty. Their only saving grace was his friends and lovers. Through their eyes he found an emotional anchor.
To help bolster Greg's recovery Nick Shaw did the only thing he knew how to do, pile on more work. He passed on the President-Elect's suggestion of Greg becoming the liaison between Numenor and NASA. Since it was inevitable that there would be Blink tech in space and once that happened the solar system would be opened up for exploration and exploitation. Citizens in space were just a matter of time. The private sector would climb over each other to mine comets and asteroids. In a few decades we would have colonies on the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. Who knew what a century or more might see?
Christmas with the Robinsons:
Oh Joy, Christmas with my family! Rhea and I sat in the limo awaiting the arrival of the jet carrying my daughter. It had been two weeks since I was offered the position of liaison with NASA. I had actually flown down to spend time with the ranking members and I met with the administrator and his staff. The tension in the air had been stressful from the very beginning. They were upset that they had been kept out of such a world shaping event. I had been warned that they were less than happy with Nick so I asked him if I could negotiate and smooth things over. Nick told me he trusted my judgment. I offered NASA the chance to pick the first people to walk upon the surface of Mars. Granted that a robot would be the first humanoid to set foot but NASA would pick the best people for the mission. That smoothed things over in less than an hour. They sent out the word through the upper echelon and I did put a bug in the Administrator's ear about a certain general who would love to retire with that under his belt. They loved the idea of a war hero being a part of the first mission.
"You are a million miles away," Rhea whispered in my ear.
"Sorry, I was thinking about NASA," I replied. "I kind of envy him."
"General Grant was a perfect fit for team alpha. You made it possible. I think Nick will make it happen. What little boy or girl hasn't dreamt about space travel?"
"You are hiding something," I said feeling a hint of something suspicious lurking in her thoughts.
"Be good it is Christmas after all."
That was the end of that conversation. Cindy's jet landed and taxied onto the tarmac and came to a rest so that it could be refueled for the next leg of our journey. The gleaming blue jet had wisps of steam rising off the engines. Rhea and I walked up to the jet as the pilot opened it up. The crew loaded our luggage as we climbed aboard. Cindy hugged me and then Rhea as we sat down and began catching up. She told me that she was still staying at the Pickman House. To pay her rent she was keeping the place clean. The professor had allowed her access to the basement to do laundry after he went down for an hour or so alone and made things safe. She had no idea what that meant but the skittering sounds ended after that day. Cindy believed he had laid out some kind of rat traps.
"I found a secret room..." Cindy said after a long silence.
"Down in the basement," Rhea said and Cindy nodded. "What kind of room?"
"It looked like a dungeon, you know a sex dungeon. The furniture was dusty but really nice. I bet the previous users were into some pretty kinky shit."
"That matches what the neighbor had said." I offered and Cindy looked at me.
"You met her?" She asked and I nodded. "She creeps me the hell out. There is something off about her. I just can't put my finger on it."
"I only talked to her for a few minutes. She overheard my last visit." I said and Cindy turned crimson. "She thinks you have a daddy complex."
We all laughed at that. The pilot told us we were refueled and the weather was still holding. The pilot buttoned up the aircraft and prepped it for flight. We buckled up and fell quiet waiting for the takeoff. I felt my stomach tighten in knots and it had nothing to do with flying. It had everything to do with seeing my family again. I began a mantra I had picked up from a book I read when I was just a kid.
"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."
"What are you saying dad?" Cindy asked smiling at me. "Is that your charm against grandma?"
"What is wrong with your mother?" Rhea asked and Cindy waved her hands in warning.
"Too late..."
"What is wrong... wrong..."
The words tumbled as Cindy cringed but Rhea just smiled. I stopped and looked over at the redhead. Rhea said those infamous words. 'She seems like a wonderful woman.' I was in full panic mode now. The two hour flight went by far too quickly. I was the only one that appeared to be dreading the horror that was to come. What was wrong with them? The flight tower contacted our jet and told us we were clear to land. I had the brown paper bag out and breathing into it as the pilot told us to buckle up for a landing. We didn't crash, damn! The jet touched down so smooth I had to congratulate the pilot as we disembarked. We walked to the waiting Range Rover. While the weather today was cold and clear there had been nearly two feet of snow dropped in the area over the last few days. Rhea climbed into the driver's seat while I helped the ground crew load our luggage.
I climbed in the back so that Cindy had shotgun. I didn't want them to see me in an enduring moment of weakness. The first part of the drive wasn't too bad. However, once we left the main streets it was slow going. Even with the Range Rover it took us over an hour and a half to reach my mother's house. The driveway was full of cars so we were forced to park on the street. The engine was switched off and I felt a kind of paralysis take over until Cindy stuck her tongue out and called me a coward. I'd show her. I got out and grabbed the luggage. Cindy and Rhea went to the front door and knocked. The door opened and I caught the first glimpse of my Uncle Trevor. He stepped aside so that we could come in. I stood there looking around at all the festive decorations still holding the luggage.
How do I describe Trevor? Well he is my mom's younger brother and only sibling. He had his own business and was fairly successful from everything I had heard. He was tall, lanky and moved with awkwardness that was more than physical dexterity. He had the same coloring from that generation, dark hair and dark eyes. He was happily married with one daughter and two sons to carry on his name and his genetics. He had married late in life and was dealing with teenage boys in his fifties. I could feel the bad attitude radiating off of him and I had been in the house scant seconds.
"And so it begins..."
"Gregory!" My mother called out as she made her entrance. "Trevor you lazy ass help him with the luggage. You must be Rhea. She is absolutely gorgeous! How the heck did he land you?"
