Rome felt her finger tightening on the trigger. “Rei!” she screamed. Rei ducked and rolled as the weapon discharged, striking MASAL. A glowing hole remained where the weapon struck. The region immediately adjacent to it, where Rei had rested his hand earlier, it was sizzling as well.
“Entertaining maneuver,” said MASAL. “But you cannot hurt me,” the computer observed. “At most, you might singe a few circuits but there is so much redundancy in me and so much volume, it would take a year before I even noticed.”
MASAL might be right but that sizzling sound might be something he should attend to. For Rome and Rei, you think it's bad now? It gets so much worse. But for that you will have to wait until tomorrow.
Entry 4-105: April 10, 2016
The Living Robot 2
Yesterday, we saw Rei's loving wife, Rome, turn on him and try and shoot him. It was MASAL controlling her muscles using the PPT transducers in a reverse capacity. Is there any way Rei can escape? Let's find out:
Rei started to slide along the console, away from Rome. The robots, having been completely still before, now moved around to block his escape. They formed a cordon along the left side that appeared impenetrable.
Of their own will, Rome’s legs started moving forward, one after the other. Rome tried to resist but to no avail. She moved ever closer. Rei shifted back until he was actually touching one of the robots who lifted its arm and placed it on his shoulder. Rei tried to twist away but the robot was simply too strong. He struggled for a while but finally gave up.
Rome came closer and stopped no more than one meter away from him. She pointed the weapon directly at his head. With a will of its own, Rome’s other hand reached up and twisted the intensity dial on the pistol to make sure it was at its maximum.
Rome looked at Rei, feeling utterly helpless. Through her tears, Rome said, “I love you Rei.”
“And I love you, sweetheart.” Rei said.
Rome closed her eyes. There was a whoosh and popping noise just as she squeezed the trigger. The blast was intense. When she opened her eyes, Rei was gone. He wasn’t fried or blown to bits. He was simply gone. A good portion of the robot that had been holding Rei’s shoulder was obliterated as well.
Rome screamed “Reiiiiiiiiiii!” at the top of her lungs until she had no more breath in her. The horror of what she had just done snapped something in her mind. She lowered her weapon and sank to her knees. The force that had been driving her limbs no longer had any meaning or power. Her face went completely blank although there was a river of tears flowing from her eyes.
“Do you not find it ironic?” MASAL mocked her. “You traveled 24 light years from Earth to Tabit to find Rei and bring him all the way back here, only to destroy him?”
Unnoticed, the ruined part of MASAL was growing ever larger. In front of MASAL, there was now a distinct hole in the floor where a tiny part of the grey powder had spilled.
Boy, there is a lot going on here. Is Rei really dead? What is happening to the floor where Rei had sprinkled the weaponized VIRUS units?
More tomorrow.
Entry 4-106: April 11, 2016
Depression
I know I've told you this story before but I needed to tell you again. Sometimes, when you are writing books, you come to a point in the plot where what appears to be inevitable is counter to what you want to accomplish in the book.
Yesterday, we saw Rome apparently kill the love of her life, her husband Rei, near the end of Rome's Revolution. As I was writing this scene, I was plunged into a deep, dark depression. Why? Because I could see no way out. I thought Rome really did kill Rei and that would have undermined the rest of the series and left you, the reader, with a very dim view of the story.
George R. R. Martin is credited with stating there are two types of writers. He characterized them as architects, those who plan everything out; and gardeners, those who plant seeds and then wait to see what grows. Martin states he is much more of a gardener than an architect. If this is true, then I am an architectural gardener. I have a general idea of the book, the characters, the main plot points, what must happen in each chapter but after that, I leave it to the characters and the universe that I have created. Well, sometimes the characters surprise you and in this case, MASAL and Rome conspired to shock me. As far as I could tell, Rei was dead. And this isn't the first time this has happened to me.
Early on in Rome's Revolution, for reasons which I did not fully understand at the time, someone was trying to kill Rei. At first, I thought it was OMCOM who found Rei's presence to be a possible derailment to his ultimate goal. But it turns out that it was Estar, an agent for MASAL and the Onsiras. Either way, Rei was trapped in an airlock with the poisonous atmosphere of Dara seeping in and he was suffocating. While he apparently was a fast-thinker, it took me several days how figure out how to get him out of that fix.
So, too, it was with the scene presented yesterday. Rei was trapped nearly a mile underground, surrounded by very powerful robots, with his wife pointing a plasma blaster right at his face, ready to pull the trigger. As I mentioned above, this truly depressed me. I like Rei's character and I especially liked the fact that he and Rome formed a force for good. Without him as our eyes and ears, the rest of the story seemed less important.
After spending an entire weekend trying to figure out how to save him, it was finally MINIMCOM of all people who bailed me out. Go back and look at yesterday's blurb. You'll see the critical phrase in bold. This was MINIMCOM's contribution to the crisis and he not only saved Rei but, in fact, the whole Rome's Revolution series.
Tomorrow, let's see how Rome deals with what she thought she did.
Entry 4-107: April 12, 2016
Rome Unleashed 1
They say there is no fury like a woman scorned. Well, I have news for you. There is no fury like a woman who, through no fault of her own, has just murdered the love of her life. Two days ago, we saw Rome apparently kill her husband Rei, during the interval when MASAL, the main villain of Rome's Revolution had taken control of her body. The violence of that act snapped whatever control MASAL had. It also plunged Rome into a detached state.
You have to understand that when I started writing Rome's Revolution, I didn't know Rome all that well. She had gone through so many iterations since 1973 that by the time I undertook the modern version (originally the long-form called VIRUS 5), she was pretty much a blank slate to me. So that's the way I wrote her. I gave her not much personality all, at least on the surface. The rest of the novels have been exploring her past, her future, watching her grow and develop.
At first she was just a Vuduri drone. Then she became an autonomous thinker but one who still relied heavily on Rei for guidance. As her self-confidence grew, so did her powers of deduction. In fits and spurts, she became a woman of action. She also became a mother which further deepened and refined her personality.
As she was confronted with increasingly more complex challenges, occasionally she had a crisis of confidence but ultimately, she always solved the problem and moved on. And she always became the stronger for it.
This version of Rome would never allow another to control her mind. Those days were over. But this was something else. MASAL was controlling her body and it was a situation for which she was utterly unprepared. Which lead to the apparently tragic demise of Rei.
But having learned this much about Rome, no matter how much she was grieving, she would not allow the situation to continue. And she gets help at the most unexpected time from a most unexpected source.
More on that tomorrow.
Entry 4-108: April 13, 2016
Rome Unleashed 2
As I mentioned yesterday, there is no fury like a woman who, through no fault of her own, has just murdered the love of her life. Even though it was not her choice, at this point, the enormity of Rome's act was so horrific, it plunged her into a completely detached state:
Rome, who
was utterly in shock, lifted her head and faced MASAL. When she spoke, it was in a completely flat voice. Her mind was no longer connected to her words. It was if her body had a mind of its own.
“The irony is that you had me kill Rei when you are already dead yourself,” her body said. It did not even sound like Rome.
“What?” said MASAL. “Explain.”
“Listen carefully,” said Rome mechanically. “That sizzling sound you hear is your own apparatus being consumed.”
At first, MASAL did not react. Based upon the time delay, it was as if he was tuning in on the ambient sounds of the chamber for the first time.
“What have you done?” MASAL shrieked. “You cannot harm me.”
“We can and we did,” Rome’s body said. She stood up. She lifted her arm and held the hand weapon sideways. She was not even looking where it was pointing. She fired her pistol randomly, without aim. The blast hit a portion of MASAL’s cabinetry and splayed shrapnel up and away.
“You are insane to even try,” said MASAL. “I will not let you.” With those words, the army of robots pressed forward.
“That is enough for now,” said a familiar voice behind Rome. The robots stopped dead in their tracks. Rome wheeled in place and saw a two meter tall avatar, all dressed in white, standing there.
“OMCOM?” Rome asked tentatively.
“At your service,” the livetar replied. Even though its head was a simple metal mask with slits where the eyes and mouth should be, one of the slits winked at her. Rome’s face remained expressionless.
“What have you done to me?” MASAL exclaimed.
“You will figure it out shortly,” replied OMCOM. “I had Rei leave you with a small present although they will not remain small for long.”
OMCOM was being obscure on purpose. He was completely aware of what was happening and had computed that the more time that elapsed, the more likely would be desired outcome.
Let's see if his stall tactic works...
Entry 4-109: April 14, 2016
Rome Unleashed 3
As I mentioned two days ago, there is no fury like a woman who, through no fault of her own, has just murdered the love of her life. Even though it was not her choice, at this point, the enormity of Rome's act was so horrific, it plunged her into a completely detached state. OMCOM had used a whoosh/snap tunnel to place himself in the thick of things:
“You will figure it out shortly,” replied OMCOM. “I had Rei leave you with a small present although they will not remain small for long.”
Where the grey powder had touched the cabinetry, it now looked like acid had been poured on the metal and it was making the same sizzling sound that an acid would make. Permeating the air was the distinct odor of burning insulation as the surface began to disintegrate. A sizeable sinkhole was starting to form at its base. Within MASAL, status reports came flooding in indicating a disruption in acknowledgements. Feedback loops were severed. Checksum matches started to fail. A pattern was developing indicating a breakdown in communication to all subsystems.
“You!” said MASAL, addressing OMCOM. “You digital dolt. Your VIRUS units. I have seen your design. They cannot operate in an oxygen atmosphere.”
“Well, you analog antique. I changed them. I made these special ones just for you,” said OMCOM’s livetar.
“No!” MASAL shouted. “Enough of this nonsense. End them! Both of them,” he ordered the robots.
They never had the chance. OMCOM stepped in front of Rome, forming a protective presence while a cylindrical moving PPT tunnel appeared in midair. With a whoosh and a pop, it washed down over her and transported her into the cool evening air on the surface, one kilometer above.
Ahead of her was the entrance ramp to MINIMCOM. As before, her legs began to move of their own accord although this time they were driven by her need to survive. Rome sprinted up the ramp and…
Note the ellipsis at the end? I stole from myself. I'll show you how tomorrow. I love it!
Entry 4-110: April 15, 2016
The Ellipsis. Revisited.
I had such a good time ending the climax of Part 1 of Rome's Revolution with an ellipsis, I decided I would end the first climax of Part 3 the same way. In case you forgot, here is how that first ellipsis looked:
Rei made his way down the narrow hallway of what was going to be his living quarters for the next two years, until he came to the front airlock. When the compartment indicator turned green, Rei pressed the stud to open both airlock doors to the cockpit then removed his helmet. As soon as the inner hatch opened, he jumped through the doorway and…
(The Ellipsis appears! On to the next chapter:)
…ran right into Rome, almost knocking her over.
“Rome!” he shouted.
“Mau emir,” Rome exclaimed and threw her arms around him.
“Oh Rome, I can’t believe it.” Rei said, hugging her, swinging her lithe body back and forth. “I thought I lost you.”
“No, I am here.” she said, laughing and crying at the same time.
“But wait…” Rei pushed her back to regard her. His hands clasped her shoulders within her pressure suit.
So now we get to the end of Part 3. Rome thinks she has killed her husband Rei. Here are how the two chapters merge:
Ahead of her was the entrance ramp to MINIMCOM. As before, her legs began to move of their own accord although this time they were driven by her need to survive. Rome sprinted up the ramp and…
(The Ellipsis appears! On to the next chapter:)
…ran right into Rei, almost knocking him over.
“Rei!” she shouted, her mind returning from wherever it had been.
“Romey, my love,” Rei exclaimed and threw his arms around her, nearly squeezing the life out of her.
“Oh Rei, I cannot believe it.” Rome said, hugging him back, rocking back and forth. “I thought I lost you.” Tears were streaming down her face.
“No, I am here.” He said, laughing and almost crying himself at the sight of her tears.
“But wait…” Rome said, struggling to free herself, pushing him back to regard him. She clasped him firmly by the shoulders.
“I shot you. I saw it,” she said.
“No you didn’t,” Rei said. “You had your eyes closed.”
Sweet, huh? Now let's go blow up a volcano!
Entry 4-111: April 16, 2016
She knew
Many times, I have told you that Rome's parents then Rome and Rei themselves formed their own samanda, their own special group consciousness. When Rome had Rei ejected from the Vuduri compound in the middle part of Rome's Revolution, Rei eventually came to realize that had he simply listened to that inner voice, he would have known that everything would turn out OK.
Rome was occasionally guilty of the same omission. Many people have asked me how was it that she didn't simply fall to pieces after she apparently killed Rei? There were several reasons. First, she was in shock and her emotional mind was disconnected from her body. Secondly, she is a mother and she couldn't give up on life and forsake her child. But there was an even deeper reason that explains it simply:
Rome looked at Rei. Tears continued to stream out of her eyes and she sobbed to herself softly.
Rei reached over and grabbed her wrist. “It’s OK, honey,” he said in English. “We’re OK.”
“I know,” Rome said through her tears. “I just cannot believe it. When I thought you were dead, my mind stopped functioning. I think I died as well. Rei, I do not think I could ever live without you.”
“Sweetheart, I am going to die some day, you know. After all, I am over 1400 years old,” Rei said, winking at her.
“Yes, but not today and not for a long time. I want our time together first. Wait,” she said, furrowing her brow.
“Wait what?” Rei asked.
“I knew you were not dead. Why did I not just listen to my heart? My head?”
“How did you k
now?” Rei asked.
“Here,” Rome said, tapping her forehead. “You are in my thoughts, in my mind, in my soul. You never left, even after I pulled the trigger.” Rome slapped herself in the head. “I am so stupid.”
“You’re not stupid, sweetheart,” Rei said. ‘You were in shock.”
“But the bands,” Rome said. “They have made us one. Our minds are interlocked. We are our own samanda. Just as you knew on Deucado that you had not lost me, I knew this too. I was not paying attention. I agonized over nothing.”
“It was pretty hairy down there,” Rei said, “it’s understandable.”
While this tender moment is taking place on the surface, we have a battle of the titans taking place down in Hell.
Entry 4-112: April 17, 2016
Eyewitness to an eruption
While Rome and Rei were comforting each other regarding their harrowing rescue from MASAL's grasp near the end of Rome's Revolution, MINIMCOM still had the responsibility of making sure his charges stayed safe. For example, as soon as Rome was on board, he was quite vocal:
MINIMCOM said, “If you would not mind, it would be safer if you both were seated. We have to take off now. Rome’s tracking bracelet is broadcasting again and we should not remain stationary. I will try and jam the signal but it would be best if we were moving.”
“Where do you want us?” Rei asked.
“Please come forward into the cockpit. In my current configuration, you will be much more comfortable there,” the computer/spaceplane replied.
However, there was a secondary reason which was probably more important.
To digress, we must ask the question, can scientists today predict the eruption of a volcano? To the extent that you agree with the fact that meteorologists can predict the weather, then the answer is a qualified yes. And one of the volcanoes that has been most closely studied and therefore is most predictable is Kilauea. In 1912, Thomas A. Jaggar, head of the Geology Department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, founded the first volcano observatory in the United States on Kilauea. According to a PBS article, researchers at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory developed many of the techniques used today and can now predict Kilauea's eruptions to a tee.