Chapter 7
Darkness was pretty much complete by the time they arrived at the spaceship and Floyd had to dig out his small emergency flashlight. Lina was so exhausted by the stress, bad air and exertion that Floyd finally just picked her up and carried her. He handed the flashlight to Tesla who seemed more interested in figuring out how it worked than shining it on their path. The ship was dark and the door did not respond to the opening sequence, staying firmly closed locking them out in the cold bad air. Floyd began pounding on the door and yelling at Mr. Watson to “Open the damn door!” Floyd heard the click of the lock but the door did not open. He sat Lina down on the ground and pulled on the emergency lever and the door gradually swung open. When he picked Lina up she was shivering and was confused. The airlock was packed pretty tight with the three of them but he was able to cycle the door and finally they were in his ship. The stale air of the ship smelled wonderful compared to the acrid air they had been breathing. After laying Lina in his bed he moved forward into the cockpit followed closely by Tesla.
Everything had been powered down but his keyboard and monitor. He sat down and typed, “What the hell is going on?”
Mr. Watson typed back, “The remote has become very aggressive and has been trying to hack into our files. The safest thing was to shut down all external communication and all non-hardwired functions.”
“I need to get some food into me and my friends. Then we need to come up with a plan to neutralize the threat.”
Mr. Watson typed, “The food dispenser is operational but you need to manually input your request.” He added, “My estimate of supplies did not include two guests.”
“These guests saved my life and we’ll do our best. Maybe you should use some of your CPU cycles to see if we can make food out of the green stuff growing in the lake.”
Floyd returned to the small living quarters and tried to manually select food for them to eat. Several bursts of his colorful language were required to obtain enough food and some fluids. He was not sure what he had ordered but figured it all tasted the same anyway. Lina had warmed up enough to eat but was still in a daze. Tesla was so busy looking at everything that Floyd had to remind him to eat first. He tried talking to Mr. Watson but got nothing in response so they moved forward to the cockpit. Floyd typed in, “Can you monitor our talking without risking the intrusion?”
Mr. Watson responded, “I think so, but I do not dare use the voice protocols.”
“OK. You listen and we will read your responses. It seems to me that we are being electronically attacked and by the rules of war have the right to strike back in order to protect ourselves. Mr. Watson, if you have any objections state them now.”
Mr. Watson typed, “We are on a mission of peace but the attack is very real. Our survival would seem to depend on either neutralizing the attack or negotiating a peace agreement.”
Floyd then summarized for the ship’s record the events leading up to the present situation. He asked Lina if she thought the Sanctuary would negotiate a peace agreement.
Lina’s tail drooped almost to the floor as she responded, “It would seem that some of the leadership so fear you and your ideas that they intend to destroy all traces of your existence. I do not think a peace treaty will be possible.”
Floyd turned to Tesla and asked, “Will your people be harmed if we destroy the relay?”
Tesla had what appeared to be a surprised look on his face and he thought for a bit before shaking his head in the negative. Floyd spoke up saying, “Tesla has indicated he did not think his people would be harmed if we defended ourselves.”
Tesla had started pointing up and using many hand gestures trying to tell them something. Floyd had to consciously calm his mind to better understand what the Fixer was trying to say. An image formed of a laser being fired from the mountain top and a bright flash of light in the sky. He asked, “Are you saying they used a laser to destroy our communication relay?” Tesla was nodding his head and jumping up and down in excitement that Floyd finally understood his message.
Floyd summarized their situation for the ship’s log, “Our mission of peace has been endangered by acts of war by those of the Sanctuary. We will now act in a defensive manner to protect ourselves and the goals of the mission. No acts of aggression will be instituted by our ship’s company except in defense of our ship and mission.”
With the formal paperwork complete Floyd asked for suggestions. Mr. Watson typed, “Destroying the relay before permanent damage to our data banks should be the highest priority.”
“How would you recommend we accomplish this?”
Mr. Watson typed, “I would expect that some sort of violent act will be required.”
Floyd turned to Tesla and asked, “Does the relay have the ability to protect itself or to attack us directly?”
Tesla sat and scratched his head much like Floyd did when thinking. He began using hand motions to indicate the ability to shoot out a laser beam. Floyd said, “The relay can use a laser to defend itself?”
There was no doubt that Floyd’s interpretation was correct because Tesla was bouncing on the crate he was using as his chair. They discussed using one of the thrusters to fry the relay but Mr. Watson was not sure they would reach a high enough temperature before the relay could move out of range. After listening to multiple ideas - none of which seemed feasible - Floyd said, “Sounds like we need to build a bomb and I will try and sneak up on the relay to position it.”
Tesla was shaking his head and started to pretend he was an airplane. Floyd said, “The airplane is much too easy of a target for a laser.”
Tesla was shaking his head in the negative and went through his routine of pretending to be first a big airplane and then a small one. Lina recognized the message and said, “The Fixer wants to use the little airplane to deliver this thing you call a bomb.”
Floyd asked, “How would we control the model airplane?”
Tesla started digging through his many pockets and brought out a miniature controller he had built for the model airplane. Floyd asked, “Do you think the simple controls we installed would work?” Tesla responded by pretending again to be an airplane and pointing at his controller. Floyd sat and scratched at his electrodes while he thought. He asked Mr. Watson what the energy release would be if they crashed a liter of rocket fuel into the relay. Mr. Watson did the calculation and summarized by typing, “It should be sufficient but the addition of an oxidizer would help. We have some chlorine which may be adequate but creating a stable mixture will be very difficult.”
Floyd asked, “Wasn’t there some nitrous oxide in the medical kit?”
Mr. Watson typed, “A single use canister of nitrous oxide is included in the medical kit for use in pain relief for dental procedures. I think humans commonly referred to it as laughing gas.”
“Yeah, but when I was a kid, we would hook up a tank of nitrous to our hot rods and they would really take off with the extra power it provided. How much nitrazine could react with the nitrous in the canister?”
Mr. Watson typed, “The mixture would be explosive with a best mix of 450 cc of our rocket fuel combined with the nitrous oxide in the canister. Explosive combustion will occur but an exciting charge or event will be needed to start the reaction.”
“So we need some sort of primer that would rupture the canister and start the reaction. Any suggestions?”
Mr. Watson typed, “There is nothing in our inventory which seems to meet your criteria. The ship’s hull does have twelve explosive bolts that were designed to separate the crew module from the spacecraft in case of an emergency.”
“Display the bolt you think is easiest to access and I will have Tesla start to work on it while I retrieve the model airplane.”
“Are you sure your small friend is capable of safely removing the bolt?”
Floyd had to laugh a little as he replied, “If you showed him enough pictures he would take apart the whole ship and put it back toget
her better than ever. He is a Fixer.”
Lina asked, “What am I to do?”
“Mostly I want you to rest but I need you to open the door when I get back because Mr. Watson is unable to.”
Floyd put on the one jacket he had and his small backpack before exiting the airlock. His senses were immediately assaulted by the cold acrid air but he concentrated on watching his steps on the rocky ground. There was enough of a moon that he did not need his flashlight and made fairly good time to the airplane. He did his best to tie the plane down with the straps he had brought and then reached into the back and carefully pulled out the model airplane. The wind had died completely but he protected the delicate structure anyway. He debated putting on his space suit but decided to just carry it back to the ship. As he made his way up the hill he paused several times just to enjoy the fullness of the sky and the freedom that seeing the stars brought. When he arrived back at the ship he tried to use his foot to knock on the door but the soft soles just did not work. Rather than setting everything down he used the helmet that was cradled in his arm to knock and heard the click of the release.
Lina was waiting in the airlock and took the spacesuit from him as he concentrated on protecting the model airplane from the door closure. Once inside he handed the plane to Tesla and told him to see if he could figure out how to charge the battery pack. Floyd then went forward to check with Mr. Watson who typed, “Your small friend is much less clumsy than you are. My fear of him accidentally activating the bolt and causing damage to the ship was unfounded.”
Floyd picked up the explosive bolt with the attached wiring. Using some of his precious duct tape he attached it to the nitrous oxide container after removing the built-in breathing mask. Mr. Watson had already searched their inventory and identified a water bottle in the emergency kit of sufficient size which Tesla was sent to retrieve. His curiosity delayed him as he tried to figure out how everything in the storage locker worked. While waiting for Tesla, Floyd worked on a way of bleeding a little of their rocket fuel from the aft thruster. He would siphon it through the vent line, while Mr. Watson controlled the flow valve. It was nearing midnight before they finished their bomb and Tesla had completed the electrical connections. Floyd ordered a rest period and wanted a wake-up call one hour before sunrise. Lina was doing a little better breathing the ship's air but doubted she could sleep. She lay next to Floyd in the small bunk and tried to control her thoughts. Floyd was back in his military mode and seemed to fall immediately asleep and began snoring not so softly. His regular breathing finally brought her sleep.
Floyd awoke just before the wake-up call was set to go off and aroused his companions. They shared some food but Floyd could not figure out how to get the damn machine to provide him with a cup of coffee. Tesla had been watching and when Floyd gave up Tesla went up to the machine and started punching buttons. The machine responded with a tube of coffee. Floyd accepted the tube and offered some to his companions but they refused.
Floyd planned their mission by drawing a circling approach so that the model airplane was aligned with the rising sun. He hoped this would limit the relay’s ability to detect the plane. Tesla practiced using the miniature control and seemed confident. The plane was rigged so that on impact the wiring to the explosive bolt would short and start the reaction.
Being ever so careful not to bump the model airplane with the bomb taped on its side Floyd and Tesla entered the airlock leaving Lina behind. They worked their way around the back of the ship until they could just make out the glowing panel on the relay drone. Now they waited in the cold acrid air until the edge of the sun became visible. Floyd held the plane as Tesla powered it up and then Floyd launched it into the air. At first the controls did not seem to work and the plane dove towards the ground only to be saved by Tesla finally figuring out his controller. The rising sun was bright enough to force Floyd to use his hand to shade his eyes. He told Tesla, “That is high enough, level it out and begin your turn to the left.” Tesla did his best but the sun was blocking his view of the plane and he was over-controlling it, risking a crash. Floyd kept advising him, “A bit more to the left and let it start descending.” Only when the plane had completed the turn was the sun enough to the side that Tesla could see what he was doing. His small furry hands kept manipulating the controls and on Floyd’s command he began the final dive.
The relay drone seemed to finally sense the approaching airplane and began to target it with its laser. It was too late. When the laser finally hit the small fast moving target it had approached to within a few feet. The laser succeeded in destroying the tail of the airplane but the trajectory of the bomb did not change and a second later the remaining portions of the model airplane struck the relay drone. It was not a huge explosion but enough to knock the relay drone on its side and destroy all external features.
Floyd was yelling and pumping his fist in the air shouting, “We did it! We did it!”
When he looked over at Tesla, the Fixer had collapsed and appeared to be unconscious. Floyd picked up his small friend and returned to the airlock yelling for Mr. Watson to open the damn door. When the door opened Floyd carried Tesla into the airlock and then into the ship putting him in the berth. Lina wanted to know what happened and Floyd explained, “I don’t know. The explosion damaged the relay and when I looked down Tesla was lying on the ground.”
Lina was quiet for a moment before saying, “His chip was activated.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“The Fixers' chips are programmed to prevent any damage to the Sanctuary. It prevents them from doing any harm.”
Floyd asked, “How does this damn chip work?”
Lina did her best to explain how the chip was inserted shortly after birth and how the nerves grew into special receptors on the surface of the chip integrating it with the nervous system. Floyd asked if they could remove the chip. Lina responded, “I do not think so. The chip is part of our nervous system and not much would be left if you removed it.”
“Is there any way of turning it off?”
Lina was quiet as she searched her memory. “I cannot be sure without referencing the computer, but I seem to recall an incident where a Fixer was exposed to a high voltage and the chip quit working.”
“Mr. Watson, do we have anything that could generate a high voltage field?”
Mr. Watson replied, “The ship’s inventory does not contain anything with high enough voltage to damage a silicon chip.” He added, “We could create a Tesla coil easy enough using the charging circuits for the motorbike. It would provide the high voltage but only minimal current.”
Tesla’s breathing was becoming ever more shallow and Floyd made his decision saying, “Mr. Watson, get me a design that I can build.” Turning to Lina he said, “I need you to start shaving all the hair off of Tesla’s head.” He rummaged through the cabinet and handed her the clipper he had used to trim his hair and beard. She accepted the task but could not help stroking the furry head before she started.
By reversing the flow of current and putting both charging circuits in series they could produce enough voltage to inactivate the chip but would probably induce major seizures much like electro shock therapy. When Floyd finished the wiring he asked, “How are we going to test it?”
Mr. Watson replied, “We do not have equipment to measure high voltage and it would appear that Tesla is becoming critical. I recommend that you proceed and hope for the best.”
“Seems like I’m the one who is supposed to say that. Show me again where you want me to place the needles.”
Mr. Watson displayed the diagram he had created and Floyd began sticking the needles into Tesla’s scalp. He hooked up the wires and after making sure nothing conductive was touching Tesla, checked with Mr. Watson. As soon as he flipped the switch Tesla became rigid with every muscle in his body contracting to the maximum. This was followed by violent seizures and Floyd turned the cur
rent off before Mr. Watson had finished his countdown. Seeing his small friend in such agony was more than Floyd could take. Tesla went limp and Floyd was afraid to even check if he was breathing. Lina picked up the limp Fixer and held him tight against her saying only, “He still breathes.”
Mr. Watson spoke up saying, “Tesla’s brainwave pattern appears to be normalizing.”
Lina asked, “Does this mean the shock worked?”
Mr. Watson as always was very cautious and replied, “Only time will tell. The initial changes in Tesla’s brainwave pattern seem encouraging. What damage we may have caused is impossible to know at this time.”
Tesla had begun to shiver and Floyd helped Lina place the Fixer in the berth. Lina said, “I will lie next to him and see if the extra warmth helps.”
Floyd nodded in agreement and said, “I could really use a beer about now.” Going forward to the cockpit he asked Mr. Watson, “Do you have any information on the Fixers?”
Mr. Watson replied, “Only the information that was shared with you about their domestication thousands of years prior followed by genetic modifications to improve their abilities.”
Floyd was quiet as he thought before saying, “At first I thought of the Fixers as biologic robots, but they are obviously sentient beings. That damn chip turns them into slaves and by cloning, they keep them asexual. Hell of a way to treat somebody.”
Mr. Watson asked, “If a computer could, by your definition, be considered sentient does that mean it is also a slave?”
Floyd thought of the Ancient One he had interacted with and said, “I’m not sure. Seems the best way is to work as a team.”
Mr. Watson asked, “Why did you refuse the offer of immortality that the President of the Sanctuary offered you?”
“I hated being on dialysis knowing it was the machine keeping me alive. I was alive but also seemed to be dead because I had lost the freedom to do the things I enjoyed. I had lost the ability to experience life except for what the dialysis machine allowed me. Gone was the freedom to climb mountains and go fly fishing. I know there were still lots of things I could do and I still had family but it seemed life had become so much less, especially without my wife.” After a pause Floyd continued, “It felt like they were going to lock me in a machine and deny me my feelings, which is what seems to give meaning to life. It would have been like being hooked to the dialysis machine forever only much worse.”
Mr. Watson interrupted the conversation by saying, “The brain waves I am monitoring are getting stronger. Tesla seems to be starting a recovery.”
“That was a horrible thing we did to Tesla. Earlier in life I wanted to be a doctor, but after this experience I think it was probably best that I didn’t. How do doctors live with all of the suffering they cause?”
Mr. Watson replied, “You did what needed to be done. If a broken bone needs to be set, then the doctor must do what must be done.”
Floyd stopped at the food dispenser and had some tasteless food substitute and some of the vitamin drink that Mr. Watson was so proud of. He checked on Tesla who was cradled in Lina’s arms. Floyd said, “I can take a turn watching Tesla if you need a break.”
Lina replied, “I think I had better stay with Tesla. I do not understand how my people could do this. Tesla saved both of our lives and to see him suffer so much is beyond comprehension.”
“Tesla knew the consequences of doing what he did. That is bravery far greater than anything I could imagine. Mr. Watson says the brain waves are becoming more regular, so there is hope.” While Lina tended Tesla, Floyd took time to dress in his space suit and inspect the outside of their ship. Everything seemed in order and he wandered over to the relay drone. The explosion had charred the exterior and destroyed all of the antennas but some sort of light was still on. He asked Mr. Watson, “Are you getting any signals from the relay drone?”
Mr. Watson replied, “Your act of violence seems to have destroyed the unit’s ability to broadcast but I detected a slight change in background activity when you approached so it is still active at some level.”
As Floyd turned away to return to the ship he could not help but give the drone a kick. This caused the drone to make a humming sound and the laser began to fire in a random pattern. All Floyd could do was say, “Oh shit!” as he ran for cover as fast as he could in the bulky space suit. He was hit with a glancing blow from the laser and it was only the reflective nature of his helmet that prevented a serious burn. Once he was safely inside the airlock Mr. Watson began his monologue about never kicking a sleeping dog. Floyd had to listen to the lecture because he knew Mr. Watson was right. When the monologue finally ended Floyd asked, “How are we going to turn that thing off?”
Mr. Watson replied, “It would appear the proximity detectors are still working so direct intervention will be difficult.”
“I know it will be difficult but we need to do something. We can't have that laser firing off and hurting someone. I suppose we could let the wind just bury it in the sand.”
Mr. Watson responded, “A surprisingly good idea. The gradual buildup of sand should not activate the proximity sensor and the laser will become ineffective with even a minimal layer of sand obscuring it. I would strongly recommend that you avoid that quadrant if you insist on continuing your excursions outside of the ship.”
“You think so, Sherlock?”
“I assume that you are using a figure of speech which refers back to the detective series which featured a Sherlock Holmes. It would seem that this was a sarcastic reference which would imply that my simple statement was so obvious as not to need expression.”
Floyd did not even respond except to ask, “How long until the damn wind buries that thing?”
“The seasonal winds are much reduced and I have calculated that it will be 23.43 sun cycles before the drone is covered enough to render it inoperative.”
The next couple of days went slowly with Lina refusing to leave Tesla. Floyd made only short excursions with the electric bike as much to justify being outside as to scout the area for a possible response from the Sanctuary. One morning Lina joined him for breakfast and said, “Tesla woke up last night.”
Floyd and Mr. Watson had many questions but Lina explained, “He was awake for maybe an hour and fell back to sleep. He seemed very confused.”
Later that day Tesla again awoke and was able to drink a little of Mr. Watson’s flavored drink. He stared at them but did not otherwise respond. Floyd was afraid the electric shock had damaged Tesla’s mind but Mr. Watson thought otherwise saying, “The brain waves seem to have returned to a pattern that would be normal enough for a human. I do not have any experience with Fixers.” This caused Floyd to scratch the leads in his own scalp which brought on another admonition from Mr. Watson to “Quit picking on your leads. You have already damaged them.”
Lina insisted Floyd get a nut and bolt for Tesla to play with. At first he just looked at them and then picked them up one at a time. Soon he was struggling to put them together. When he had accomplished the task, Lina presented him with a mix of nuts and bolts and after struggling at first to separate the sizes, he soon had them all put together. Lina kept providing progressively more complex mechanical puzzles and after initially struggling Tesla would master them and could then complete them faster than Lina could. She asked Floyd, “Can you make one of your toy airplanes out of paper for Tesla?”
Floyd sat on the small berth which was crowded with Lina and Tesla and carefully began folding his paper airplane. Tesla for the first time got excited and started bouncing on the bed. When Floyd launched the airplane Tesla stood on the bed and stretched out his arms pretending to be an airplane and then dropped to the bunk. Floyd was puzzled and Lina had to explain that Tesla wanted to know what happened to the model airplane and the relay drone.
Floyd said, “Our attack worked and the drone is incapacitated but still able to fire the laser.” He added, “You did a good job pilotin
g the model airplane and we owe you much for all you have done.”
Mr. Watson spoke up saying, “You need to tell Tesla how you know the drone can still fire the laser.”
Tesla cocked his head to the side and appeared to have a questioning look on his face as he looked at Floyd. As Floyd retold the story, the Fixer would go from a look of anxiousness to excitement and when the story was finished he was bouncing up and down trying to tell Floyd something. Even Lina had trouble making sense of Tesla’s gyrations and she had to make him slow down. After watching for a while she said, “Tesla thinks he can salvage the drone for our use.”
Floyd said, “It is too dangerous. We will let the sand bury it.”
Tesla was shaking his head and pretending to reach inside something and turn a switch. Lina did not need to explain what Tesla was trying to say. Floyd thought for a bit before replying, “When you are well we will consider it.”
This seemed to be the stimulus that Tesla needed and he progressed much more quickly but yet a dullness persisted about him. Mr. Watson felt that it was the loss of the chip which had left a void which was producing a form of depression. In a few more days Tesla wanted to go out on patrol with Floyd and despite Lina’s worries Floyd agreed to take him. They made up an adapter so that Tesla could sit in the large backpack which Floyd strapped onto his back. He tried to assuage Lina’s worries by saying, “I will be careful and only stay out for a short time. If the acrid air bothers Tesla we will come right back.”
They exited the airlock and the bike no sooner began moving than Tesla was standing up in the backpack leaning over Floyd’s shoulders. The excitement must have been contagious because Floyd found himself driving faster than he had planned and even doing a bit of a wheelie. Their short ride continued until the charge indicator forced them back to the ship. They entered the airlock together and Tesla was full of energy. Lina greeted them and was going to complain they had stayed out way too long, but the excitement that Tesla was showing was enough to cause her to hold her scolding. As Tesla used his antics to explain what it was like she just watched and smiled. Only when the Fixer was done did she tell Floyd, "It looks like your treatment has worked."
They were sharing their evening meal of ship rations when Floyd asked Lina, "How is it that you seem to know what Tesla is saying?"
Lina was quiet for a bit before she responded, "I was never really aware of the Fixers before my rescue. I think they may have reprogrammed my chip when they gave me that anesthetic."
Tesla was busy eating but did nod his head in agreement. Floyd asked, "Why did they give you an anesthetic?"
Lina subconsciously rubbed her belly before replying, "I think maybe they implanted me with some Fixer eggs. I have begun to show the early signs of pregnancy."
"You think you are carrying some Fixer clones?"
Tesla had stopped eating and was watching them intently. Lina replied, "Maybe, but it might be more than that."
Even Floyd had stopped eating and just looked at Lina for an explanation. Lina said, "Mr. Watson has been working on this so I will let him explain."
Mr. Watson said, "The limited genetic testing that I have been able to complete reveals marked differences between the human genome and that of The People which would preclude interbreeding. The Fixers have a genetic makeup which is remarkably similar to humans. Interbreeding might be possible between humans and Fixers."
"OK, but what does that have to do with Lina being pregnant?
Lina spoke up in a quiet voice, "Females of my people have the ability to retain sperm for up to three months following intercourse. I expect you remember my coming into heat."
Floyd could not help smiling at the memory but asked, "So you think the Fixers implanted an egg and my stored sperm fertilized it."
"Yes, but one other thing. Females of The People have a uterus with six lobes."
"You mean that you could be carrying six baby Fixers?"
Tesla could no longer control himself and was clapping his hands in joy. Mr. Watson chimed in, "It is possible that the offspring will be fertile which would allow further procreation. This could lead to a new race of people."
Floyd sat back against the wall of the ship and said nothing. He just stared off into space remembering the birth of his own children. He then realized if what Mr. Watson said was true, these would be his children. Six more mouths to feed and no way their supplies were going to last until they could harvest enough grain to feed themselves. Raising six kids all at once was more than Floyd could imagine. He finally spoke up saying, "If any of this is true we have a lot of work to do. We need to create a larger shelter and finding a food supply is critical."
Mr. Watson replied, "The green algae-like organism has sufficient protein and fat to sustain humans but it also contains a neuro toxin which will have to be neutralized. I will continue to work on this but would suggest you spend more time tending the grains you were to have planted."
The conversation gradually died down and they went to bed. Lina seemed to fall asleep on Floyd's shoulder almost immediately. The worries of providing for six children kept Floyd awake for most of the night. It was only with the help of Mr. Watson who started stimulating his brain through his electrodes that sleep finally came.