Chapter 12: The Puzzle is Solved

Jerry finished writing on the chalkboard and sat down. He was exhausted. Fool that he was, he had put everything he had into the reconciliation with Ball, and now that it was accomplished, allowed himself to finally be tired. It was as if, upon finishing a marathon, he learned that he now had to run all the way back, and he started to lose his stamina. Ball had not. She had been waiting for this moment for nearly a decade, and was invigorated. She was riding high on love, and to top it off, she was finally working on just the sort of puzzle she had been aching for. She ran forward, practically pulling him along. He dragged himself along behind.

“But it’s so simple, Jerry,” she said. “There is some sort of time anomaly seeping out of the hole. Like this.” She went to the table and quickly mixed two chemicals in flask. Then, she covered the flask with a balloon which proceeded to inflate with blue gas. When the balloon was sufficiently full, she carefully pulled it off, and let the colored gas seep out of the balloon. “See how the gas is heavy near the leak, and weaker the further it gets? Just imagine this gas also carried something with it that slowed down time wherever it went. Where it was heaviest, time would be slower than where it was lightest.”

“It would have been easier with a cigarette, dumpling.”

“Still haven’t quit?” She grabbed him from behind and kissed him on the cheek. “Some things will never change.”

He turned and embraced her. They kissed again and stared into each other’s eyes. “I have changed,” he said, and she smiled.

“In the old days, Ball, you used to talk about the fluidity of time, and I always refused to believe it, right?”

“Sure, Jer. But it didn’t matter. I still loved you.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about. I loved you to. I still do. I’m talking about the fluidity of time.”

“Do we need to get into this argument again now?”

“No. I don’t think so. I think I’m ready to hear you out, but I need you to take me through it. And you can start by telling me why I never believed you.”

“Well...” she gave it some thought. “You always said that if you couldn’t measure it, it didn’t happen. I would try to explain the relative nature of our points of view, and how you could never measure a time fluctuation because the fluctuation itself would affect your ability to measure it.”

“Ok. Well, let’s say, for the moment, that I’ve accepted your premise. Actually let’s do more than that. I’ve sat with this idea for the last 12 years, and I keep coming to the same conclusion. You’ve experienced it. You believe it. And I believe in you. It may not have been good enough for me then, but it is now. So, no, we’re not going to argue about this. Never again.”

“Ok.” 

“But here’s the thing my dearest one, my one true love.” He kissed her again, this time on the neck.

“Stop it.”

Then, he held her at arms length, with a look of seriousness in his face.

“If we can’t measure it, how is it that we have measured it?”

And for that she had no answer. She stepped backwards, and fell into a chair. He, tired of standing, turned and found his own. For nearly thirty minutes, there were no words. They were lost.

Then, after what seemed to be an interminable amount of time, Jerry got up and walked back to the chalkboard, an idea forming in his head. Before he could make it across the room however, he was stopped by a violent alarm that seemed to permeate every room in the mansion. Instinctively, he hit the floor. Then he said, “Tru-bots. I’d better get out of here.”

“Hold on, Jerry,” Ball said calmly. “The lab has a secure room below the floor for explosives. Stay out of sight for a moment while I answer the vid-screen. If it is the ‘bots, you can hide down there and no one will be able to find you without a passcode. Even your radiation signature will be blocked.”

Ball got up and moved toward the vid-screen as Jerry crouched behind the counter, out of sight. If the Tru-bots had found him here, it didn’t matter how long he hid – they would find him. For now, though, there was nothing to do but wait.

Ball pressed a small button next to the vid-screen and it lit up. On the screen were three figures, standing at the main gate to Silver Maples. In the dark, it was hard to see who they were, but at least one was...

“Whitty! Thank God. I was so worried. And Pete. Hold on, let me release the gate.” She pressed another button, and the figures walked out of view. “It’s ok, Jerry. They’re friends. You wait here and work. I’ll go up front and bring them back.”

“You’re the boss, love.” 

She kissed him again, and departed.

Jerry heaved a sigh of relief, and sunk back into the time problem in earnest. If the robots’ instruments actually recorded time fluctuations, that meant the instruments themselves were unaffected by them. But everything he had ever learned about time fluctuations told him that such a thing was either not possible, or time fluctuations themselves were not possible. In no case had he ever heard of anyone having recorded proof. Belief in time changes was always based on intuition and faith. The fact that none had ever been recorded was the main bone of contention for unbelievers like him.

But yet he had seen it with his own eyes.

So what made these time fluctuations different? Both Ball and he had assumed the source of the time fluctuations, if indeed that was what they were, was a rip between universes. What if something had escaped from the other-verse and formed a window through which to view the fluctuations? Perhaps, driven by different physical laws than those in our own universe, this window allowed the robots’ instruments, instruments made under the laws of this universe to see without being affected? Maybe it was only fluctuations in our own universe that were invisible to our instruments. Maybe the ones created under different laws were visible under our own.

He went back up the blackboard and began to erase. Halfway into his task, he was surprised, however, by a familiar voice.

“Are you sure you want to erase that? It might not be all wrong.”

“Peter Elbert.” He looked across the room at the one who had been his personal enemy number one for 12 years. The two of them were alone in the room, whether on purpose or not was as yet unclear. “How is the good doctor today?” he said, with emphasis worthy of the Captain.

“Listen, Jerry. Before you say anything, I just want to say I know now I was wrong. When you got thrown out that day, I thought you were in the wrong. I thought you were being rash. You had taught me everything I had known, and I was grateful. But I thought...this time he’s wrong. This time he’s just trying to be provocative. He’s crying wolf. Like I said, I know now I was wrong, but I can’t let you think I betrayed you for money or power, or even out of cowardice. I really thought I was doing the right thing.”

Jerry let his words hang in the air. Then, slowly, he walked over to Elbert and shook his hand. “Ok,” he said, and that was enough.

And then something happened that Jerry would remember for the rest of his life. Ball walked in holding the hand of a young man, no more than 12 years old. She walked right up to Jerry, looked down at the boy and said, “Whittaker Ignatius Strohman, I would like you to meet your father.

Father? 

Jerry’s mind went back to that fateful night. When she had held back her secret. The secret that was going to change everything. And he, so preoccupied with himself, with what he felt he needed to do to save her, let her hide it from him. He wondered if it would have made a difference.

To be a father. Like this. So suddenly. Surely there was no mistake, though. The boy looked just the way Jerry had at that age. A son. His son. Could he accept it? Could the boy accept him? Was he as surprised as Jerry, or had he known all along – known about an absentee father that had run away before he was born?

They sized each other up without speaking. Slowly, Jerry bent down and proffered his hand. “Hello, Whittaker.”

“Hello...Father,” Whit replied.

“Ugh.” Jerry laughed. “I think I need to earn that one. Why don’t you call me Jerry until we get to know each other a little better.”

“Ok...Jerry.” They let go of each others’ hands. “Most people call me Whit.”

“Alright, Whit.” Jerry considered his next words carefully. During the awkward silence, Whit looked back and forth between everyone in the room. Jerry just looked at Whit. “I...uh...hope we can be friends.”

•

What next? We could have a touching scene where mother, father, and son get to know each other a bit, perhaps open up to one another to show the seed of a tree that will eventually bear the fruit of family love. Or a long drawn out fight, where Whit condemns his new found father for being so long absent. What do you know about it? You weren’t even here. That sort of thing. Then again, perhaps being spared such a scene is in fact a preferable option. We will never know. Instead of diving into the mire of this sure to be dysfunctional family’s relationships, we are, for better or ill, thrust into distraction when a scream from the final member of the visiting party bursts into the room.

•

“Nooooo!!”

The scream filled the room and several others. It was full of fear and anger. Then there was silence. Jerry was about to explore, and find out what it was when the robot, Ninety, burst into the room. In his hand was the leg of a wooden table, broken off at the base. He went for Jerry first. With a swift swing to the head, he was down, and Ninety moved to his next victim. Ball tried to fight back, but the robot was too strong for her and had her unconscious before she could strike. Elbert ran across the room toward Ninety and jumped on his back, where he began searching for a deactivation switch, but he was unfamiliar with the model, and before he was able to find it, Ninety had pushed backward against the wall to shake him off, and followed with a swift swing of the table leg. Whit tried to run out of the room, but the robot caught him by the arm.

Ninety, Whit in one hand and the table leg in the other, said, “I do not wish to hurt you Whittaker. Your friends have not been seriously harmed, nor will you be. But they would not have gone quietly and we’re nearly out of time. Sit in this chair while I prepare a serum.”

Whit, scared, working hard to hold back tears, said, “Why are you doing this, Mr. Ninety? I thought you were my friend.”

Without pause, he replied, “We are in council with the Angel. She needs to talk with all of you, and we are out of time. Unless they are unconscious, she cannot connect with them, and we did not have time to convince them with logical argument. Remain still while I produce the serum.” He let go of Whit and worked swiftly and quietly. In less than one minute, he had produced a sleeping serum, and injected it into Jerry, Elbert, and Ball. Then he turned to Whit. “Let’s have another look at that ear.”

When the lights went out, Jerry dreamed he was back in his hidden compartment on the garbage scowl. He felt himself enveloped with emptiness as he had when he watched the universe open before him. It was as if he ceased to exist, and in doing so, became a part of something greater than himself. Greater, but at the same time, lesser, too. 

In the midst of this darkness he vaguely remembered an early lesson from his childhood that had never left him. His father had asked him what his favorite color was, and he had said black. His father, ever specific if not pedantic, had crushed him by telling him that black was not a color, but rather the absence of it. That day, when Jerry first considered the absence of light, he had taken his first step into a larger world – a world of puzzles, of solutions, of science. That world had embraced him, if not controlled him, ever since. But today, at least for a brief moment, he put away that world of problems and solutions, and let himself travel back to that time of simple wonder. Today he felt the absence of color, of light, course through him, and for once, instead of trying to define it, he simply embraced it. A favorite color.

He had almost no memory of who he was, of where he had come from. He was newborn, and living solely in the present. Slowly, vague pictures formed around him, and he began to focus. Out of the darkness, he saw massive numbers of beings on all sides of him. Above, the world was growing brighter, but without any more resolution. Below, he found himself walking through the crowd, lost. The first thing he noticed, as the world slowly became more visible, was that that they were all mechanical. Hundreds of mechanical men on every side, wandering through a black fog, everywhere he went.

Then, coming into focus, he saw a young human, and memories started to flow back. His son. He was somewhere, with his son, and he...yes...and his wife...he had a family, and....something about a friend....and a robot...yes...no...he was losing the image. He walked up to the boy and attempted to speak, but could not. The boy grabbed his hand, and brought him through the crowd to another human. Yes...his family...he had been happy...but...where...? And then he was holding a woman’s hand, and he knew everything was ok. Another human joined them and they stood together, not talking, as the world above them grew too bright to look at.

Then the voice came.

It thundered from every direction. It came from within and without. It pervaded every inch of his body and the world around him. Like a tuning fork held to his tooth, he felt the voice coming from inside his head, but knew all those around him felt the same.

“Friends.”

The brightness above became a swirl of mist, moving and twisting through the masses. As it twisted, it formed into a vaguely female shape, like a ghost moving in and out of existence as it swirled. Sometimes a face would appear briefly, and disappear before he could really see it. But the voice was clear and constant.

“We have nearly run out of time. He is gathering the forces of darkness at the cradle of the universe, and he will destroy us before we are born. You have done well. Your infiltration of the mechanical men will succeed, but we need more time. The time is now. If you have not completed your missions, return and do so. If you have, move to the cradle and prepare for battle.  We have one last hope, and if it fails, it will be only war that can save us. Let us pray to avoid it. Let us pray for peace.”

The masses began to thin, and Jerry soon found himself with his human company and ghostly apparition, alone in the universe. She spoke again.

“My children.”

Still, he could not speak.

“I have waited so long. Come.”

The swirling apparition moved. If it had had arms, one of them would have beckoned. Slowly, the world around them began to swirl, and they found themselves in a moving fog, coalescing into a familiar setting. They were back in the lab at Silver Maples, although it was more dreamlike than they remembered. Counters appeared to move and shift, tables were less than solid, and the fog never quite dissipated. Behind the counter, in front of the chalkboard, stood a beautiful figure. Like Ball, and yet not like Ball. Her hair was long and flowing, and her eyes, unlike Ball, were a deep shade of blue, almost indigo. And she, like much of the objects around them, was not quite solid.

“There are times when I find it so hard to communicate with the Brothers. It is as if they have no imagination. This is far more pleasurable.”

Jerry at last found the ability to speak. “Who are you? Where are we? What happened?”

“You ask many questions my son,” she replied. “Let us take them one at a time, from back to front. Third question. What happened. My servant, a member of my mechanical Brotherhood, used his considerable skill to bring you into a state of unconsciousness, so you could meet with me here. Second question. Where are you. You are in the lab where my servant incapacitated you, sleeping. This vision is one of my own making, conjured from your minds in an attempt to replicate a familiar surrounding. First question. Who am I. That one may take a little more time.”

Whit walked over to her and held her hand. She looked down at him, and then at Ball and Jerry.

“This boy has taught me many things. Things even I didn’t know were possible.” She smiled and looked at him again. “This boy of my own blood.”

Jerry, Ball, and Elbert exchanged looks with each other. The apparition went on. “I am not much more than a spirit that has been roaming a universe for all of time. But before I was that, I was like you. I was a human. I lived in this universe with corporeal form. And I loved. At that time, I had a name. I was called Ballerina Justice.”

She laughed.

“It has been an eternity since I have heard that name. The last time I heard it spoken, it was...” She looked right at Ball. “It was your by your father, Ball.”

Ball stared in shock. Jerry nodded, as if to tell her to go on. Elbert looked confused. And Whit, still holding the apparition’s hand, looked up and smiled.

“George Rieder and I had been married for many years. Our world was at peace, and we were in love. Then, one day, he was helping me with a scientific experiment and I was drawn into another world. You would call it another universe.”

Jerry dared to speak. “What would you call it?”

She replied, “Ever the scientist, Gerald Strohman. Even here.”

He looked at her quizzically, waiting for her continue.

“Names can be deceiving. Sometimes I prefer to do without them.”

Jerry nodded.

Ballerina Justice continued her story. “After we were separated, I roamed my new world for an eternity. Like my grandson, here, and his mother...” Here she smiled at Ball, and Ball returned the favor. “...I was born to the Time People. It was my abilities that allowed me to survive by transforming into what you saw on the medial plane. I became spirit, and traveled along my new world’s time flows to the farthest reaches, until time itself dwindled and became nothing but a vanishing point.

“I saw many things in that world, which was not entirely dissimilar from your own. Civilizations rose and fell, men built empires, and technology flourished. And like your own world, the men and their technology ultimately brought themselves to galactic war and destroyed themselves.”

“Destroyed themselves? Like us? What do you mean?” It was Elbert. Jerry had forgotten he was even in the room.

“Yes, Peter Elbert. Like you. You too destroy yourselves. I have seen it.”

She let go of Whit’s hand, and walked to a chair. “You know, I hardly remember what it feels like to sit down. There were many nice things about being corporeal.” She sat down, and frowned. “As I expected. It’s just not the same.

“Now where was I? Oh, yes. Utter annihilation. I had seen it, and often wondered if I could stop it. Like all Time People I had grown up knowing the futility of attempting to change anything by moving through time. But somehow, in my new world, in my new form, things were different. I had my own present. I never forgot the time I came from when I moved along the flow. I thought, I can actually affect changes. I just didn’t know how.

“Then, somewhere along the millennia I came back to where it had all begun. The place where I had been transformed. And there, in the darkness, I felt something. A presence. I soon realized I was experiencing a connection with beings from my old world. I explored the connection, and found that these beings were not human, but mechanical. I had made a connection with robots, across the divide between our two worlds.

“I spent another eternity planning, and when I was ready, I came back to that place and built an army. A brotherhood of mechanical men who could infiltrate the civilization they lived in, your civilization, and stop this perpetual war between machines and men. I breathed life into these machines so they could bridge the gap between the forces at war, and bring peace to the universe.”

Jerry stood up. “But something went wrong.”

“Yes, Gerald Strohman. Something went wrong. The bridge between our worlds, the bridge I had built the day of my transformation, had grown, and they were seeping into each other at both ends. They are doing so now. And they are doing so out of time. They will destroy each other and...and...” She looked around the room, then walked over to Ball. “I have erred. It is your father who is bringing our universes together. I have tried to stop him, but I believe I have only encouraged him further. I am only just learning how to communicate with humans, and he is such a strange one, I can’t fully break through. It’s like only half of my thoughts get through. He believes if he can bring our worlds together, that he and I can at last be together for eternity. He will destroy everything.”

She took Ball’s hand. 

“What can I do?” Ball asked.

“You must...” But the world grew dark. Ballerina Justice faded, as Ball’s movements became thick. The humans were suddenly wading through mire, in a world going black. Then, in complete emptiness, a voice rose through the dark. “...stop him.”

Jerry awoke with a headache to beat the worst hangover he could ever remember. He felt like someone was repeatedly hitting him in the back of the head with a ball peen hammer. As he opened his eyes, the lights of the room made him feel like was walking out into bright daylight from a dark theater, and he immediately closed them again. He did his best to force them open, but it took him awhile to focus on anything at all. When he did, the first thing he saw was the robot, offering him a drink of some kind.

“This will help,” Ninety said, and moved on to give similar drinks to Elbert and Ball.

The drink worked quickly, and in no time, he was feeling as if he was only in the midst of an ordinary hangover. “What the hell happened?” Jerry asked of the room in general.

Ninety answered, “Please excuse my impertinence, Dr. Strohman. I was asked by Her to prepare you for communication. Such preparation does require some unfortunate side effects.”

“Unfortunate isn’t the word. I feel like I’ve been slugged from behind with baseball bat in the middle of an opium binge,” Jerry replied.

“The analogy is not altogether inaccurate, Dr. Strohman. You were in fact hit from behind with a wooden implement approximately one meter in length, and given a moderate dosage of an opium derivative.”

“Glorious.”

“But who is she?” Ball jumped in. “She can’t possibly be my mother. I mean...I don’t have one, do I? It may well be that she new my father but....”

“Ball.” Jerry’s interruption was sharp and swift. “Your father told me about Ballerina Justice the day he fired me. I said the same thing. That you were a tech baby. But he just said something like, ‘let’s just say the robots were good to me’. I think he was trying to tell me that he had salvaged some of her DNA and was able to use it to modify the reproduction process.”

Ball got up and started pacing the room. She shook her head over and over again. “He told you? About her? He never told me but he told you? And you kept it from me?”

Ball was furious.

“Ball, it’s not like it looks.”

“How does it look, Jerry?”

“He was in some kind of trance. He told me this long involved story about his wife and discovering the other-verse, and about the vengeance he was going to wreak on it...”

“On what?”

“On the other-verse. I’m telling you he was completely out of touch with reality. Or at least I thought he was at the time.”

“Ok, ok, ok. I can’t think about that. There’s just too much information to absorb right now. We’ll come back to that.” She gave Jerry a hard stare. “What was all that business about war, and who were all those robots?”

Elbert commiserated. “Robots. Time flows. War. Leaks between universes. Somebody start at the beginning. Please. Jerry, can you make any sense of this?”

“It’s starting to come together for me. Much of it anyway.” He finished what was left of his drink, and went on. “When he was in that trance, your father had told me about the day she transformed. Basically, she had discovered the ripping process, and in doing so, got sucked into the other-verse. Something about the physical laws in the other-verse must have saved her from being completely destroyed.”

“But no one can survive a trip across the divide,” Elbert said.

“We don’t actually know that, Elbert. They may survive in ways we can’t track. Like she did. Or it maybe she had something special that allowed her to transform.”

“Like her time instincts?” Ball posited.

“Maybe. Yes, that would make sense. And she’s been surfing the time flows of the other-verse ever since.”

“And the leaks?” Ball asked.

“Well, that just gets back to what we were looking at before we were so rudely interrupted.” Here he gave a stern glance at Ninety, who gave no reaction whatsoever. “Let’s look at what we know.” He jotted on the chalkboard as he talked.

1. When anyone makes a rip, they create huge amounts of energy which close the rip and seal it off. 

2. Over time, if the same area is over ripped, the seals lose their integrity. 

3. We saw documentation of a certain area being over- ripped. 

4. In that same area, we saw documentation of time anomalies that decreased in magnitude as they spread.

“I’ve been thinking about that, actually,” Jerry continued, “and I think maybe there’s something about the differences between our universe and the other-verse that allow us to see time anomalies that come from the other-verse in a way we could never in our own.”

“That would explain the time entries in the log,” Elbert added.

“My thoughts exactly. Alright, back to the list.

5. The time anomalies take the form of time apparently slowing down – a lot near the rip, and less so further away.

6. Ball’s father may be purposely trying to create a permanent hole between the universes.

“Ok,” Jerry went on. “Where does that leave us?”

Elbert, seeing an opportunity to contribute, jumped in. “Well, if the time anomalies are caused by the leak, then it would make sense that a permanent hole would allow the anomaly to pour into our universe.”

“Go on...” Ball encouraged.

“And if a small anomaly slows time down a little, then a massive anomaly would slow us down a lot. Maybe even bring us to a complete stop. Maybe that’s what she means by destroying both worlds.”

“But if a permanent hole would destroy both worlds,” Jerry chimed in, “then does that mean the time in the other-verse would speed up?”

Everyone looked to be at a loss. Well, almost everyone.

“Don’t you guys get it?” The whole room was surprised to hear Whit enter the conversation. “Mom, your thinking like a normal. Time is a river right?”

“Well...yes, Whit. Of course. But what...”

“And if something could slow a river current, it would have to be pulling against it, right?”

The room was silent. Everyone looked at Whit, and Ball drilled into his eyes in an attempt to get into his head. Suddenly, her eyes lit up and the epiphany embraced her.

“Of course!” She went up to Whit and gave him a big bear hug. “If time slows down here when their flow invades, then time would slow down there when our flow invades. Whit, I’m so proud of you.”

Elbert and Jerry looked at each other dumbfounded. Jerry broke the silence. “Sorry. Not really following you, Ball.”

Ball looked at Whit. “Why don’t you explain it, Whitty.”

Whit smiled. “Well...think of it this way. What if time in the other-verse flowed in an opposite direction of time in our universe. Would that help explain what you saw?”

Jerry laughed. Elbert, still looked confused, but pretended to understand. 

“God knows I hate this time stuff. Always have,” Jerry said. “Nearly failed it in high school. But I think I understand enough.”

Elbert was relieved to hear Jerry understood as little as he did. Thinking further, he said, “Ok. So we have two rivers flowing opposite directions, and if they can freely intermix, they’ll both come to a dead stop. Ok. And ok, the Old Man is trying to make this happen. But how do the robots fit in?”

“I can answer that.” All eyes turned to the source of the voice. Ninety, the robot, was now ready to tell them everything.

•

Of course, “everything” is an understatement.  Much is a rehash of what we have learned already, and the rest just makes it more confusing. 

Basically, in communicating with the robots, Ballerina Justice created a new race. She called them the Brotherhood, and they called themselves Bro-bots. She had seen mechanical vs. organic wars in both universes, and in both cases they had led to the destruction of everything by way of these big hole/rip things. It created an end to time at both ends of both universes.

Creating this new race of Bro-bots was a sort of pet project of hers, as a way to end these wars permanently. She communicated with them, told them what to do, and basically pulled their strings to achieve her ends – world peace.

She was playing a long game though, and she had to stop the Old Man to give her plan some time to work.

•

“Well,” Elbert said. “We’d better figure out how to stop him. Anyone got any ideas?”

•

And our story shifts back to the still unnamed planet out in the colonies, where Dr. Caldonium Baker has made some new friends.

Chapter 11. The Villain Executes His Plan

“No, Dixon, the entire fleet.”

“But sir...”

“Listen, Dixon. Let’s try this again. I need those six ships in the Blue Group, and I’m prepared to take that risk. So get the whole group to the rendezvous whatever it takes.

“But sir...”

“No buts, Dixon. We may lose a few ships, but I’m prepared to take that chance. This assignment must take precedence over all previous programming.”

“Yes, sir.”

The Old Man was on his game. He hadn’t felt this good since the last war. Finally, something worthwhile to put his energies into. Those annual revenge trips to 47b were nothing compared to this. That was fruitless. He knew that now. If only he had thought bigger, he might have done the deed decades ago. But that was water under the bridge. He was going to do it now, and nobody was going to stop him.

An engineering unit approached.

“Yes?”

“Red 41 lost containment in low orbit. It can no longer move under its own power,” it reported.

“Understood. Are the distortion field generators still operational?”

The engineering unit flipped through papers on its clipboard. “Three of the four appear to be undamaged.”

“Good,” the Old Man replied. “Have another Red tow it to the rendezvous. We’ll get use of her yet.”

“Very well, sir,” and he was off.

Seeing Ballerina again, hearing her voice, had refocused his mind. He had felt her presence before, but never like this. Before it had always been like a narcotic high, and coming down made him wish he had never felt her presence to begin with. But this. It was as if he had spent a lifetime with nightly dreams of missing trains and getting lost, and now, finally, before waking up he had caught the train and arrived at his destination. Instead of being devastated, he was renewed. Empowered. How many years had he wasted? And for what? What had he actually accomplished? He had survived, sure. He had had his little revenges, even better. But now those years felt like waste. He was no better than the refuse he disposed of every day. Worse, because at least the waste was turned to good use.

But now, now he had purpose. Now, instead of the trash that he daily turned into fuel for the unstoppables, he would use his fleet to create the most unstoppable weapon of all. He would create a hole so big, with so much energy, that the universes would join together permanently. And at last, at last, he would be reunited with his true love. Roam the void. Together. Forever.

“Sir.”

Distracted, the Old Man was surprised by the small robot that crept up behind him. Gathering himself, he answered. “What is it, Dixon?”

“Treachery, sir.”

The Old Man was taken aback. Did he even have any humans still in the company? He collected himself again, and said, “Treachery?”

“Yes sir. We have just had him removed from Green 112. He was reprogramming the distortion units.”

“A robot?”

“Navigation unit, yes.”

“Insane?”

“Possibly, sir. We have brought him to room 32 for reprogramming, and failing that, deactivation. Do you care to interrogate him?”

An insane robot. The sixth today. The last one had reportedly spoken with religious fervor about the end of the world. That one had actually made the Old Man laugh. After all, he wasn’t so far from the truth. He supposed this epidemic of mechanical insanity was the price he paid for pulling every half dead broken down unit into service.  There were bound to be some breakdowns. Any thought that something unusual was going on, however, was completely overshadowed by his own obsession, perhaps insane in itself.

“No, Dixon. I don’t need to meet an insane robot. Learn what you can, check all the systems on the ship, and any ship the unit had access to. Report back to me if you find anything else.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good work, Dixon.”

“Thank you, sir.” And with that, the engineering unit, with new purpose, executed his orders.

“No matter,” the Old Man thought to himself. “In 36 hours they will all be gone. Every last one of them.”

•

It would appear the story is now approaching that moment where the various story lines come together, and walks us to the edge of utter destruction, only to bring us back home for a happy ending. Before that can happen, however, we must learn the secret of the universe, and before we can do that, there are still a few things we have to do. The Old Man, also known as the crazy-villainous-half-man-half-robot-thing, has done his part by taking action, and forcing the hand of our heroes. Our heroes, however, are not quite ready to rise the occasion. If they are ever going to wrap this story up, they will have to,

A. Get together in one place

B. Solve the puzzle of the time shifts spreading from the rip/hole things

C. Discover what the Old Man is up to

D. Figure out how to stop him, and of course,

E. Stop him

Only when that is done can they,

F. Learn the secret of the universe and

G. Live happily ever after

The first step, getting together in one place, is on the verge of happening. Our heroes, Jerry and Ball, have a touching reunion in the Australian mansion known as Silver Maples. They stare, they embrace, and they go through much of the same dialog we just read in the scene with the best friend. It is all very cathartic, and depressingly repetitive. Among the new things we learn is that Ball never divorced Jerry and never gave up on him. Among the new things we don’t learn is that Jerry is the father of a 12 year old boy hurling through space to meet him at that very moment. They have sex. They have coffee. And they, at long last, move to the lab, where they get to the good stuff.

Chapter 10. The Characters Come Together

Ball was in a panic. She had packed and unpacked three times, and had made over a dozen vid-calls. Helpless and anxious, she could do nothing but tear her hair out.

Within the last few hours her world had been turned completely upside-down. First a call from the school telling her the children were being evacuated from the space station. Then another call saying that they had been unable to locate Whit, although they were continuing to search. She had been on the verge of getting a transport to the station herself when she saw the announcement on her vid-wall that due to something called the Freedom to Suppress Act all human travel was temporarily prohibited, following which her screen went blank. Not that she had been getting much information from the vid anyway. She had been watching vigilantly, waiting for some news of what was going on at the station, but it had seemed that there was less news than ever. She chalked it up to Dame Fortune – nothing but news when you didn’t care, and not a bit of it when it was all you wanted.

She felt an overwhelming need to go after Whit – a sort of maternal protective instinct – to find out what was going on, and actually do something, rather than waiting around for someone else to do it for her, but she was cut off from the world and spinning her wheels out here in this unfamiliar place, a thousand kilometers from home. She tried calling Amanda. No answer. She tried calling the schools. Line busy. She had settled for news, and now, what little she could find had been blacked out.

Ball packed her bag yet again, this time determined to go after him, regardless of the risk. She was halfway done when the vid-wall finally chimed, and she nearly broke her leg running to answer it.

“Yes? Oh thank God! I was so worried.” She was panting, and trying to catch her breath, but her words kept getting in the way. “Where are you? Are you hurt? Are you safe?”

“Calm down, Mom. I’m fine.”

“I’ve been worried sick. The school said they couldn’t find you... and... and you weren’t with them when they evacuated the station.”

“I couldn’t find them, so I just stayed with Uncle Pete.”

“Uncle Pete? Peter? You’re with Uncle Peter?” Ball’s head was swimming. “Are you hurt? No. Don't answer that. I’m coming to get you. Where are you?”

“I’m not sure, actually. I’m on this little cruiser with Uncle Pete but he didn’t tell me where we were going.”

And the other maternal instinct kicked in. “Oh for God’s sake, Whit, what is it going to take for you ever pay attention? And at a time like this. Let me talk to him.”

“Ok, hold on.” Whit was a little dejected. She was always going at him for being what she called “her little absent minded professor”, and he knew it was a big deal for her. Part of him thought maybe he did it on purpose, but the other part wasn’t sure he had it in him to waste his brain noticing ordinary things, even if he tried. With all that had happened, though, the adventure that was all around him, a little anger from his mother wasn’t enough to bring him down for long, and his excitement crept back in as he went to get Elbert for the vid. 

Ball, on the other hand, was alternating between relieved and frantic. Peter Elbert had been a good friend to her and Whit over the last 12 years. But what was he doing out in space? He’d never left the planet in his whole life. And where was he taking Whit? Could she trust him to keep Whit safe? I’ve got to do something, she told herself, but I feel completely helpless.

Pete Elbert’s face filled up the vid-wall and caught Ball by surprise. He looked much more ragged and tired than usual, not at all the man Ball had come to know well over the years. His face was dirty, his clothes ripped and worn, and what was left of his hair was all over the place. As she considered the implications, her surprise changed quickly to panic.

“Ball.”

“Peter you look terrible. What happened? Where are you?”

“They are monitoring all communications, so I can’t tell you. But I promise you he’s as safe with us as he could be with anyone.”

“Us?”

“I’m with a friend. We’re…we’re looking for something.”

“How did you find Whit? What were you doing out there? I’ve never known you to go off-world before.”

“And I hope you never do again. This space life doesn’t exactly agree with me. I don’t know how people do it.”

Ball waited for him to continue.

“Your father fired me, Ball. I guess it was overdue...” He tried to look at her knowingly, but if he was giving her a clue, she failed to see it.  “Anyway, I was using my new found freedom for a little vacation.”

What was he trying to tell her? “Fired you? You? After all you’ve done for him? Why?”

“To be honest, I’m not entirely sure myself, although ostensibly it was for a security breach.”

“Ok…it…just tell me what happened at the station.”

“Of course. Yes. I was recovering from a pretty rough night with my new friend, and he took me to a quiet corner of the station where we could talk quietly. We went down to a storage bay, and who comes up to me in the middle of our conversation but little Whitty, here. He had apparently wandered off trying to follow a, ahem, young lady he wanted to...speak with, and got a little lost. I was about to help him find his way back to his classmates when we felt the first explosion.”

Ball clenched her teeth, like she was about to dive off a high dive for the first time, and wasn’t sure she could do it. “I heard there was an explosion, Peter, but that’s about it. What happened?”

“Well, no one is really sure. There were five explosions in a matter of minutes, and the whole station was told to evacuate. My new friend and I ran to his ship, a little cruiser, and took Whitty with us. We’ve been flying ever since.”

“Are you coming home?”

“Soon, Ball, I’ll bring him back to you soon. I promise. But the traffic lanes to Earth are being monitored and it’s very dangerous right now.”

“That’s the second time you talked about being monitored. What’s wrong? Are you...wanted?”

“No, no. Nothing like that. It’s this damn new law. They’re everywhere now, and watching us like hawks.”

“Back up, Peter. What new law?”

“You mean you don’t know? Ok, let me back up. This morning, the Rep-bots passed this thing called Freedom to Suppress, which is basically another declaration of war against what’s left of our race. They’re arming as we speak, and suppressing us at every turn. We’re not allowed to travel, or to gather in groups larger than five people. We’re supposed to be issued new identification papers, and the worst of it…Ball they are planning to sterilize the entire population. They’ve decided to eliminate us once an for all. That’s why the school couldn’t wait and search for Whitty. They had to get back home before the robots stopped all of them.”

“And you call this safe?!” Ball screamed.

“You have to stay calm, Ball. We couldn’t stay on the station. On the one hand, they think it was attacked by human rebels, so we might have had a chance out there if things had gone differently. But the bombs ripped through the life safety controls, and the whole place was quickly becoming uninhabitable.”

“My god, Peter. This can’t be happening. This can’t be happening.” Ball was starting to move inside herself, like she was curling up under the covers with a flashlight to keep away the monsters. Outwardly, she paced in circles, constantly turning back on herself.

Elbert could see what was happening, but thought the best way to keep her sane was to give her the whole story. Keep her focused. “My friend is at the controls of the ship, and he can hold off the robots without question because he’s...” He wondered if this was too much information. Could she handle it? Not that it mattered. She would find out eventually, and if she learned he had kept the truth from her, she might never forgive him.

“You see….he is a robot himself. Now…don’t…seriously Ball, calm down. He’s not dangerous. He doesn’t side with them. I’m not even sure you can really call him a robot. Not the way we think of them. He’s... different. It doesn’t even seem fair to call him one. He has this…I don’t know what to call it, but he’s more like a human than any robot I’ve ever seen. And that’s not all. He’s got…ok this is going to sound crazy, but he’s…well from what I can tell he has emotions.”

“Emotions?”

“Yes, Ball. Honest to God feelings. And not like those hate generators in the robot congress. This is the real thing. He thinks for himself.”

“And he’s on our side?”

“Not...exactly. Actually, I guess I would have to say he’s not on anybody’s side. He’s with a faction of other robots like himself that have formed a sort of fifth column. They want peace. They have an almost religious fervor about it. He tells me he has heard the voice of God, and that she talks with him regularly.”

“God talks with him? She? Is he sane?”

“I don’t know, Ball. I don’t know what sane means with a robot. Maybe an insane robot is the only kind we can trust. But for now, he is helping us, and has promised to keep us out of danger. Without him, I don’t think we’d stand a chance.”

“Where is he taking you, Peter?”

“All I can tell you is that we’re looking an old friend. Of both yours and mine.”

Ball almost said his name out loud and then remembered Peter’s worries about being monitored. Ok, she thought, he’s after Jerry. But why? Out loud, she said, “I think I understand where you are going. But why?”

“Do you remember what I call the muck?”

“If you mean the reason Daddy ruined my life 12 years ago, I’d have to say I don’t actually know much about it. He never told me before he left, and you haven’t exactly been dying to talk about it yourself.”

“Ok, I’ll try to keep it simple. Our mutual friend thought the work we were doing had the potential to destroy the universe. I thought he might be right, but didn’t think he had proved his case yet. When he played his cards too early, he lost everything. Playing the part of the...” Elbert took a deep breath. “There’s no other way to say it, Ball. Playing the part of the traitor, I chose to win, instead.” He let that sink in. In all this time, he had never been honest with Ball about what happened, and even just this hint was a watershed for him.

“Now, 12 years later, the proof is starting to show itself. This time, I played my own cards, but like our friend before me, I lost as well. So I’m searching him out to put our heads together, and see if we can save the universe ourselves.”

Ball stared at the vid-wall trying to comprehend what he was saying. Jerry got fired because he was trying to stop the Old Man from being his usual destructive self, and Peter only stuck around because he didn’t have the courage to stand up with him. She was guessing, but it seemed to line up with what Peter was telling her, and what she had come to know of him over the years. It was all too much to take, and she found the whole thing confounding.

“Ok, Peter, “ she said. “I can’t say I’m really sure I understand what you’re talking about, but it doesn’t matter.  He’s not where you think he is.”

Elbert was blindsided. Not there? 

“What do you mean? Have you been in touch with him?”

“No. I haven’t spoken with him in…in a long time.”

“So how do you…”

“The police have been looking for him. Tru-bots. If he hadn’t left the planet, they wouldn’t be looking for him here on Earth, now would they?”

“So where is he?”

“I still don’t know. Like I said, I haven’t spoken with him.”

Elbert looked pensive. Where could he be? He had talked with the man himself less than a week ago, and the declaration of hostilities was only just this morning. If Tru-bots have been all the way to Earth, Jerry must have left shortly after their conversation. He tapped himself on the head to get his brain in motion. What was it he had been so focused on? Time codes? Maybe he had already found the solution himself and was off to stop the Old Man. Or maybe…

“Ball.”

“Yes, Peter?”

“The last time I spoke with our old friend, we were talking about time. High level stuff. Your kind of stuff. I may be wrong, but …”

“What are saying, Peter?”

Pete looked around and considered how best to say. Something innocuous that would relieve Ball’s worries about Whit, and make her vigilant at the same time. Something a monitor might not pay attention to. He settled on, “I think you should prepare for guests.”

•

And as the traitor and his mechanical friend change course, we too adjust our focus, in our case back to our hero, who we have left behind for far too long. He was last seen, of course, hurtling through a wormhole thing toward a sort of Way Station in space, in a harrowing, down-to-the-wire escape from his persistent, although not particularly bright pursuers. Over the course of the intervening scenes, however, we have watched this station nearly destroyed and evacuated, without knowing if our hero ever made it to his destination or not. 

We will not be so fortunate as to live our hero’s adventure with him, which, now relegated to the past, can at best be spilled out as exposition. Let us join him, then, as he travels toward Earth in a new ship, and prepare ourselves for the impending tedium as his recent adventures to come to light.

•

The transport ship was large, slow, and crowded. Normally, a ship this size would have felt spacious and comfortable, maybe even barren, but this day was anything but normal. People crowded every room on every deck. They were squeezed into corners and closets, in doorways and hallways, with many children even sitting on the floor under counters and tables for more room. It was as crowded as Times Square on New Year’s Eve, but without the joy and certainly without the champagne. Moving around was difficult at best, and seats were nearly impossible to find. Every five minutes, there was a generic announcement: “Ladies and Gentlemen, please remain calm. Evacuation is progressing normally. Any pertinent information will follow this announcement.” Of course, the pertinent information never did follow, so the ladies and gentlemen did not remain calm. Panic inhabited most of the travelers and from time to time that panic would grow to the point where it would put those around them in physical danger.

For the most part, though, everyone did their best to control themselves, and quietly waited for the end to come with a sort of quiet resolution to their fate. Whether that end would come in transit, or upon arrival, no one was sure, but almost everyone thought it would be one of the two.

Jerry was close to being crushed in a corner of a storage bay. The woman in front of him held the hand of a young girl of six. Next to her, a man in his twenties tried to strike up conversation.

“Jake. Jake Purcell.” Jake put his hand out and Jerry took it, and said, “Jerry Strohman.” 

Then Jake turned and shook the woman’s hand as well. Bending to the little girl, he said, “and how old are you, little one?”

The little girl clutched her mother’s hand hard and buried her face in her dress. The woman, a little embarassed for her, said, “She’s shy. It’s nice to meet you, Jake. I’m Cally.”

“The pleasure is mine, Cally,” Jake replied with a smile. “You two together?”

“Oh no,” Cally said. “We’ve never even met.”

The smile across Jake’s face grew as he looked at Cally. “So what brought you to A.C. Way?”

Cally, who had been holding together pretty well, started to break. “Oh, God…we didn’t even need…what were we….” and she began sobbing. Her little girl instinctively hugged her. As she sniffled back the tears she said, “We were just doing a little shopping. It’s so hard to find good jewelry on-world anymore, and we were just…” but she just couldn’t hold back the tears.

“Hey, listen,” Jake broke in. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I was just making conversation, you know, to pass the time. Let’s change the subject. What about you, Jerry. What’s your story?”

•

Subtle.

•

“You want the short version or the long one?”

“Well,” Jake answered, “we’ve got at least an hour. What do we have time for?”

•

And now we get one of those, “from the beginning” stories. Jerry starts with the first time he met Ball, talks about how beautiful she was, how she changed his life, gave him something to live for — all the usual crap. Nothing particularly interesting. Then he rehashes much of the story so far, how he spent years trying to make the trash business more efficient until he discovered the threat, how he tricked Ball into walking out on him, how he spent 12 years in the colonies, and how he escaped. 

At first, his new companions are a little afraid of this escaped criminal, but he soon convinces them he’s not dangerous or crazy. Just homesick.

It is not, however, until he talks of evading the Tru-bots through the wormhole thing that we bother to prick up our ears.

•

“...by the time we moved into deceleration mode the Tru-bots were far behind, back in the colonial reaches, and we were free. Or so we thought. We landed at the western bays, and said our goodbyes. To be honest, I think the Captain was sad to be rid of me. He acted pretty tough, but I think, deep down, he liked our little adventure. If things hadn’t gone so crazy here, he might have even changed his mind, and taken me all the way to Earth. But it wasn’t to be.

“I still had a little money left in my pocket, from Tilly and Bite, and I went off to find a place to eat, rest a little, and look for ride. I ended up in the Dead Horse. You know the place?”

Jake said, “Only by reputation.”

Jerry was pleasantly surprised to hear the little girl finally speak up. “Mommy says that’s a bad place.”

Jerry and Jake both laughed. “Well, your mommy’s right, little Dandelion. It is a bad place. But don’t worry, not everyone who goes in there is a bad man.” He ruffled her hair. “Anyway, I took a seat at the bar and ordered lunch. I tried to look intent on my food, but really, I was listening to the conversations in the place to see if I could find someone who might not mind taking a supposed criminal into what my friend the Captain called the center of the hive.

“Unfortunately, it was increasingly difficult to hear anything useful, because everyone was talking about the same things, and it all started to mesh together. It was either speculation on what the Freedom to Suppress Act actually meant, or whether we were at war yet, or what the ‘bots would do next. Thinking that the more dangerous types were the ones more likely to help me, I tried to find those conversations that leaned toward rebellion and anti-robot sentiment, but those people were working hard to keep their voices down low.

“Then two rough looking guys sat down next to me and started talking in hushed tones. Spotting my opportunity, I casually introduced myself and made a little conversation. It turned out that they were...what did they call themselves? Oh, yeah...concerned citizens. They were a little distrustful of me at first, but when they learned that I was on the run from the ‘bots, they became friendlier. I thought, here’s my chance — new friends that might get me to Earth. To my dismay, however, they had just left Earth and had no intention of going back. They had been following the politics of the robots closely over the last few weeks, and with the new decree, formed a sort of ad hoc rebel cell. They were on their way to gather more forces, and wreak a little havoc along the way.”

“Were they the guys that...you know...did the damage?” Jake looked around as he spoke, his voice low, as if fearful of being overheard.

“I don’t know, Jake. They wouldn’t exactly tell me what they were up to, but they hinted strongly that I didn’t want to stick around the station too long. They said the place was about to get ‘explosive’. I tell you, if I knew then what I know now...”

He looked at the two adults and shook his head. Both Jake and Calley stared back with wide-eyed wonder. 

“Anyway, once I realized I wasn't going to get a lift out of those guys I gave up on them, and went back to my lunch. By the time I had finished, they were long gone, and before I had left the place, the whole station was in panic from the explosions. I figured in this mass panic, no one would be looking for me specifically, any more than for any other human, so I just followed the evacuation instructions and here I am. Looks like I’ll get my ride to Earth after all.”

Neither Jake nor Cally spoke. Dandelion just looked up at Jerry with wonder. 

“Anyway, that’s my story,” Jerry went on, “such as it is.”

More silence. Jerry had played it all like it was just another day for him, which of course it wasn’t. Cally and Jake, however, were highly impressed.

“What about you, Jake? What brings you here?”

But before Jake could answer, an announcement cut in.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, please remain calm. Evacuation is progressing normally. Pertinent information will follow this announcement.” Then, after a few seconds, “We are now arriving at Port Jakarta. Please gather your belongings and prepare to exit in an orderly fashion. The green lights will guide you toward an exit.”

•

Here we get some lovely descriptions of our home planet, Earth. We see flying cars and floating billboards. Everywhere we look, the world is overcrowded, and we are inundated with advertisements. We discuss, at some length, the dangers of consumption based society, both through a variety of examples as well as through the inevitable lectures. In particular, there is a surprisingly relevant section where the costs of consumption are considered with respect to the business of disposal, a subject never far from the center of our story. It is an interesting and thoughtful diversion, but ultimately just that, and we soon leave it behind to continue with our tale.

Our hero, a few dollars still in his pocket, manages to navigate this dystopian free market society as he makes his way to his girl – whom he still supposes to be at the Academy in New Zealand. There are, of course, many nuggets of delight along these travels, but they are certainly not worth the trouble of wading through the various diatribes on the dangers of free market capitalism, as well as the risk that we will become distracted from our story to the point that we lose track, and hence interest, altogether. Instead, we’ll fast forward. 

Our next scene finds us on board a small space ship, where the Traitor, the Boy, and the Robot are themselves traveling toward the same destination as our hero. 

•

Peter Elbert slept aft, in a closet sized compartment. It was just big enough for one person to stretch out, if that person was less than two meters tall, which fortunately for Elbert, he was. The ship itself was small with no frills, and the sleeping compartment was all the limited space would afford for something verging on the non-essential. 

Whit was also aft, in a hard chair next to the porthole, reading. The book was an adventure story, but Whit was disappointed with the ending. For the whole book, the hero had been trying to get home to his wife and family, but when in the end, the hero achieved his goal and settled down, Whit couldn’t help but think the hero must have been happier during the adventure. Somehow, settling down did not seem like much of a happy ending at all. Of course Whit, at 12 years old, had never really had an adventure, but only his fill of a quiet domestic life, so it was no surprise where his sympathies lay. His book finished, he looked around for something to do. 

Forward, Ninety had control of the ship. He quietly pressed buttons from time to time, but mostly just stared out the window in front of him. Although he did not look particularly approachable, and Whit was nervous about bothering him, he thought he might as well take the chance. If the robot objected, he could always come back aft and stare out his own window, maybe a little worse for a mild chastisement, but no more permanently damaged than by the mild chastisements that seemed to form the lion’s share of his pre-teen life anyway.  Still, he was nervous. He and the robot had not exchanged three words with each other since they had been introduced, and he wasn’t quite sure how to start. Breaking into conversation with an adult was bad enough, but with a robot, it was downright scary. Whittaker Strohman, though, was at a point in his life where he had begun to discover that for him, risk was preferable to regret, and with a wrenching in the pit of his stomach, but heart in hand, he made his way to the co-pilot’s chair and sat down.

“Hey,” he opened.

The robot did not respond.

“Y’know, I’m…uh actually kind of a robot myself. Well...I mean...only a little. I have an ear implant – from when I was a baby.”

Still nothing.

“Am I...uh...bothering you, Mr. Ninety?”

The robot turned to Whit, and seemed to notice him for the first time. “Hello, Whittaker. Your presence does not disturb me.”

“Um..thanks?” Whit looked around at the controls and over at the robot. “Um..how long till we get to Earth?”

“The answer, my young friend, is dependent on several factors, including some fluctuating gravitational fields, solar flares, and of course traffic density as we approach the Sol System. However, I think I can provide a range of six hours twenty minutes at the earliest, and seven hours ten minutes at the longest.”

“Thanks, Mr. Ninety.”

The robot continued, “Was that helpful?”

Whit actually gave this some thought. He looked back at the robot and said, “No, not really.” He considered if he should go on, but quickly decided to forge ahead. “I was just...y’know...bored and wanted to make conversation, but I couldn’t think of anything to say.” He looked at the robot hopefully.

“I enjoy conversation, young friend, and would welcome some.”

“You seem different from the robots at school,” Whit dared.

“How so?”

“Well...I guess....it’s funny. At school, the robots are always either working or in a sort of idle mode. They’ll do almost anything you ask, but they don’t actually seem to care about anything. They just do, or don’t.”

“And you find me different?” Ninety asked.

“It’s just that...I’ve been watching you...a little. I would put my book down once in a while, and mostly I would just stare out my porthole. Sometimes, though, I would look forward and see you just staring out the window like me. You didn’t look like the other robots I’ve seen go idle. It was like you were day dreaming or something.”

“Hmmm....”

“And also, they way you talk to Uncle Pete. It’s not like you are either giving or getting orders. It’s more like the way we’re talking now. Just having conversation. I’ve never seen that before.”

Ninety considered his position. He had helped Peter Elbert because he believed that man could get him closer to to the Strohman woman, but he had never fully trusted him. Nor was there any need to. If, on the other hand, he failed to gain the boy’s trust, it could backfire and ruin everything. Undoubtedly the boy was not only a potential key to gaining the trust of the Strohman woman, but could, alternatively, lock him away from her altogether. He waited for guidance from Her, but none came. He was on his own.

Ninety looked carefully at Whit.

“Friend...you have...others have made observations similar to yours in the past, and I have typically told them that I have some very modern circuits that are still in the experimental stages. That explanation is not altogether true. I will be honest with you, because I believe I can trust you. But you must never discuss what I tell you with anyone. Are you willing to agree to that?”

Whit responded without thinking. “Of course.”

“No, Whittaker, I do not mean for you to say ‘of course’. You must carefully consider whether you have the strength to keep this secret, even from your closest friends, from your family, even if it means great sacrifice, which it undoubtedly will. Consider carefully.”

Whit rose from his chair and walked back to the aft compartment where his uncle was sleeping. He closed the sound proof door to isolate him from the rest of the ship, then walked back to the co-pilot chair, where he remained standing. He searched his mind for the right words, but came up empty. He needed something old-fashioned, something full of honor and protocol, but the best he could come up with was something he had seen in one of those vids about medieval knights. It was a little cheesy, but seemed to have the right flavor, and in any case, he couldn’t come up with anything better. To to robot, he said, “Here is my hand. With my hand is my word. With my word, my honor.”

The robot, who took this suprisingly seriously, took his hand and shook. “Very well. Sit down, and I will tell you my story.”

As Whit sat down, Ninety began. “I was born three years ago on Vega 3, and immediately assigned to an engineering post for Robo-Trash, Inc., aboard the garbage scowl Vanishment. My job was simple – I was to monitor gravitational fields and feed information to the navigator. That information, combined with a history of previous travels by our scowl and others, would allow the navigator to plot courses with the greatest benefits to our missions, while incurring the least harm along the way. At the time, I never considered whether a job might be interesting, exciting, or fulfilling. Today that job would drive me insane with boredom. I was a different robot then.

“Things went along predictably for nearly two years. Then, almost 14 months ago, something happened. We were on a special mission, an assignment we received once each year, and because this mission involved a pre-determined location, my services were not required for that portion of the trip. Because our mission was to be followed with a more typical slate of runs, however, our full crew was assembled, and I was on board waiting for the first mission to be completed, at which time I would resume my duties. As a crew, we had visited this destination twice before, and according to her records, the Vanishment had been there 15 times before that. The destination was located within Sector 47b.

“I was in what you referred to earlier as idle mode, waiting for my next assignment, when we arrived. The closest human equivalent to my state would be a cryogenic sleep. Typically, all I would need would be a particular radiation frequency from the navigator to revive me, but on that day, I was awoken by something else.

“A voice crept into my mind, something I didn’t even know I had at the time. It was soothing and feminine, but firm at the same time. It flowed through me and warmed me — a sensation I had never before experienced. It seemed to last for hours, and then, unexpectedly, I heard a soft voice say, ‘Know death’, and as she spoke it, I felt myself awake, as if for the first time. I opened my eyes to see if anyone else had heard it, but I found myself in complete darkness, as if in a cocoon created by the voice I have since come to know as the Angel of Death.

“Slowly, the cocoon dissipated and I became aware of other members of my crew gathered with me in the darkness. She pulled us together and spoke to all of us at once.

Know death. Love me. Fear me. Know me and know life. Awake.

I have travelled the breadth of two universes over billions of years. I have seen empires rise and fall. I have seen the birth of civilizations and the extinction of entire species. I have seen your people, the mechanical people, thrive, and I have seen them die. I have seen the end of the world, and it is coming.

Your world need not come to an end. If it did, I would not torture you with the knowledge of death. But end it will if we do not act.

You have life. I give you love. I give you fear. And now, to that, I add one more gift. I give you choice. Use it wisely. Follow me. Help me. Save our worlds and live.

“As we came to, we were all changed. We saw with new eyes, explored with new minds, and yes, felt with new hearts.  We were humbled before ourselves and though we had previously been relentless in carrying out our missions, we were now violently apathetic. She had given us choice, and we had chosen nothing. Understand, Whittaker, we had not failed to choose. Rather, we had actively chosen to do nothing. Perhaps we were broken.

“After several hours of this, we gathered together to discuss our experience. Without dissent, we agreed that where the Angel of Death would take us, we would follow – if only she would lead. Until she gave instruction, we would drift.

“Days later, and within an hour of our learning that a rescue ship had been dispatched to find us, She spoke to us again, this time individually. I don’t know for sure what she told the others, but to me she said that we should fake the destruction of our ship, and scatter ourselves about the galaxy. She guided me toward Alpha Centauri, where I found work as a stevedore and drifted about the system, waiting to hear from Her.

“From time to time, she would contact me, and tell me of the threat war posed to the universe. She said She was building an army of new robots, like myself and my former crew, to bring a lasting peace between the organic and mechanical men. But until last week, I never had a specific task. 

“It was then that She told me to seek out your uncle, there. She told me to help him, and that he would bring me to someone she very much wanted to meet. Someone, Whittaker, you also know. Someone you know very well.”

Whit jumped in. “Someone I know?”

“Your mother, Whittaker. The Angel very much wants to talk with her, but can’t contact her without our help.”

“You’re bringing the Angel of Death to my mother? You’re going to kill her?”

“No, Whittaker. She loves your mother. She will protect her. And she will protect you.”

Whit looked confused. Then, his face filled with determination, he said, “What if she doesn’t? What if her whole goal is to hurt her, and she’s just using you as a tool? Why should I trust her? Why should I trust you?” Whit stood up and turned toward his sleeping uncle. “I think I’d better wake up Uncle Pete.”

“Wait!” Ninety shouted. “Wait.” He struggled with what to say next. “You’re wrong about me. And you’re wrong about Her.”

“But what if I’m not? How come she only talks to you? What if you’re only an insane robot?”

Ninety hesitated while he considered the possibility. “Of course, that could be true. I could well be insane, and everything I believe only an expression of that insanity. I understand. You need proof, and I have none to give...” Suddenly, the robot became still. He looked straight ahead, as if he had moved into an idle mode. 

Whit, now scared in earnest, froze along with him. He wanted to tell everything to Uncle Pete, but he also knew that if he did, he could never again, for the rest of his life, swear on his honor. A year ago, this might not have mattered to him. But now, on the far end of childhood, where he had to earn the right to speak for himself, this was a serious matter, and he dared not take the chance that it was only his fear getting the better of him.

Then, just as suddenly as the robot had turned off, he turned back on, grabbed Whit by the hand, and spoke quietly. “Whittaker Strohman, I would like you to meet a friend of mine. Let me access that mechanical ear of yours.”

•

Unfortunately, we don’t get to listen in on this particular conversation, though we will get a recap later on. For now, we will have to rely on our imaginations to predict the implications of this particular gathering. While we wait to see if our predictions are accurate, we will at least have an opportunity to catch up with our hero, disappointing as that may be. We travel back to the Academy, where Jerry, having eluded various robot law enforcement robot things at every turn, has finally turned up at the home of his former wife, only to find her absent, and her house closed up as if for an extended period of time. Against his better judgement, he next searches out the home of the dreaded best friend, in hopes of a clue to his beloved’s whereabouts.

•

“Well Jesus, Mary and Joseph, look who's returned from the dead.”

“It’s good to see you too, Manny.”

Jerry and Amanda stood across the threshold from each other in a 15 year old stare-down. Jerry was soaking wet from the last leg of his travels, completed on foot. He looked like hell, and Amanda preferred it that way. She had, of course, been on hand on the fateful night that Ball walked out, and had never forgiven him. She had spent 12 years wishing him suffering and pain, and to see him like this, wet, drained, dirty and half broken, suited her just fine. If she could really believe he had suffered, she might even find it in herself to forgive him – something she knew Ball had already done.

“Well come in. No use freezing to death. Let me see if I can find you something dry for you to put on.”

Jerry walked into the hallway and dripped on the floor, while Manny disappeared into the house. That indescribable smell of her old apartment in Chicago permeated this house as well. Something vaguely herbal that reminded him of burning leaves. It was a smell that always gave him an awful feeling in the pit of his stomach for its association with her. This is a mistake. She will never help me. He turned around to leave, to come up with a new plan that didn’t involve bowing down to that...but she was already coming back with a towel and some clothes.

“They belonged to my father,” she said. “They may be a little big on you, but at least they’re dry. Why don’t you go into the bathroom and change? I’ll put on some coffee.”

“It’s not necessary, Manny. I just need to find Ball.”

“Of course you do, Gerald. I’m not the idiot you have on so many occasions insinuated I am. Why else would you be here? Certainly not for old time’s sake you miserable, callous son of a thief. But if I’m going to help you find her, and I’m not sure that I will, it’s going to be on my terms, which, as you have stated so eloquently on numerous occasions, usually involve more talking than a rep-bot at a fundraiser.”

Jerry wasn’t quite sure how to read her, and wondered if maybe she had softened a bit over the years. The joke, the self-deprecating humor, seemed to be an opening for a mild but cautious friendship.

 “The thing is, Gerald, I’ve got a lot to tell you. I’d like to you to hear it sitting down, but before you ruin my heirloom couch, you’re going to put on some dry clothes.” She tried a slight smile, and Jerry and let it work. Sure, he was in for a lecture, but maybe if he could sit it out, she might warm up to him and actually help. It would be getting off cheap. Manny went off to the kitchen, and Jerry did as he was told.

When he came back, wet clothes in his hands, she already had two hot cups of coffee on the table. “Still take it black?”

“Thanks. Yes. Uh...what should I do with these?”

“Here, I’ll throw them in the dryer.” She disappeared with the wet clothes, and Jerry sat down at the table. One thing about Manny, he thought, she always made one hell of a cup of Joe.

She came back and sat across the table, facing him. “You look like hell, Gerald.”

“It’s been a week.”

They stared at each other across the table.

“Some robots were here looking for you.”

Robots? Here? That means they must have already been to see Ball. And her place abandoned. He wanted to cut to the chase and find out where she was. If she was in danger, if it was his fault, if he came back after all these years only to...but that wasn’t going to get him anywhere. He needed just enough patience to let her get her story out. If he pushed to fast, he would lose everything. So instead of asking directly, he simply said, “I’m sorry, Manny. I didn’t mean to get you mixed up in this.”

“What is it, exactly, I’m mixed up in?”

“Let’s just say I’m a little unpopular right now.”

Amanda, seeing Jerry’s guard go up, let hers down. She knew she couldn’t fight him on his level, as much as she knew he couldn’t really fight if she were honest with him. She decided to combat his passive aggression with her own passive resistance.

“How about we don’t, Gerald.” She took a deep breath. “The last time she saw you, you did everything you could to drive her away. And once you did, you disappeared yourself. She needed you, Gerald, and you abandoned her. I’ve been consoling her for 12 years. Where have you been? And what gives you the right to come back now? You want me to help you find her? You’re going to have to do better than ‘I’m a little unpopular right now’.”

“What do you want from me, Manny?”

“The only thing I’ve ever wanted from you, Gerald. A little honesty. You’ve never afforded me that honor before, but tonight, by God, you will or you will walk out of here with no more than you walked in here with.”

Jerry sighed. “Alright, Manny. I’ll tell you whatever you want to know, but you have to tell me something first.”

“What’s that?”

“If the ‘bots were here, then they must have been there first. If she’s hurt, or in trouble, and it’s my fault, I’ll never forgive myself. Just tell me if she’s safe.”

“She’s safe. Really.”

Jerry breathed a sigh of relief. “Ok. Where do you want me to start?”

“I want to know what really happened that night. That night you went after her like you were trying to make her hate you. She and I have talked about that night over and over again. She thinks you drove her away to protect her. I’m not so sure. But I want to hear it from you.”

Jerry looked around the room. Everywhere he could see were old things. Old fashioned gadgets designed to avoid the new fangled ones. A manual cheese grater stood on the counter. A mercury thermometer on the wall. A sponge over a sink with real running water. Here was a woman who believed you had to earn what you got, and if he was going to get anything out her, he was going to have to earn it himself.

“Alright, Manny, alright. I’ll give you the short version, and you just stop me where you want more.”

“Ok.”

“The Old Man and I had a falling out that day. More than usual. By the end of the day, he had done everything he could to ruin me. He cancelled my wages, called in my creditors, and turned me into the Consortium as a vagabond. Before I left the office, I was effectively already on my way to the colonies, and I knew if I was honest with Ball, sympathetic softie that she was, she would insist on following me there.” Jerry took a deep breath. He had been thinking of this for 12 years. “Manny...” he hesitated. Dare he ask? Her of all people. Then again, maybe she was the only one who would really know the truth. “Manny, tell me the truth...was I right?”

Manny had been thinking about this, too. “I don’t know, Gerald. There were days when she would have followed you anywhere.”

Jerry nodded slowly. “Well...I guess....anyway I figured I was doing the right thing. I really did love her. I still do. But I knew a life on the colonies was no good and I couldn’t bear to have her with me. Maybe I was just ashamed, I don’t know. But if you want to know what happened that night, that’s it. I was trying to save her. Maybe I did. I know I broke her heart. I broke my own. But I didn’t see any other way.”

“And you never called? Never wrote?”

“In the end, I just couldn’t forgive myself. I decided I had brought all the trouble with her father on myself, and I just couldn’t bear to admit it. I’ve been a coward, Manny. I know that now.” Jerry just barely held back his tears.

Amanda, softened, forced a hard veneer. “Well ok, Gerald, but...” she heaved a sigh and let go of the shell. “Why come back now?”

Jerry laughed. “I got a call from an old friend. The call was mostly about some old functions I had worked on, but it jolted me. Woke me up. Suddenly, there I was, like I was waking from a deep sleep, and I saw everything clearly. I knew she was the only thing that mattered to me, and I would have to fight for her, even if it meant a fight to the death. I had given up, Manny, but some part of me was still fighting back. There’s a little fight left in me yet, Manny, but I’m going to need her help.” He looked carefully at Amanda. “And yours. Will you help me?”

Amanda shook her head and smiled. “After all these years, Gerald, I’m still a sucker for your charm.” She took a sip of coffee. “I suppose she is too.” She got up from the table. “C’mon. I’ll draw you a map.”

•

A little easy, to be sure, but convenient, and now our hero can find his way to his true love, where he will undoubtedly go through the whole business again, hopefully without us.

But we have stayed away from the forces of evil for too long. If this space story is to be in the least bit respectable, or at least predictable, a final showdown between good and evil must be impending. With that in mind, we are whisked halfway around the globe to where the Old Man is marshaling his forces and preparing for the end of the universe as we know it. We find ourselves back in the office that feels suddenly unfamiliar. Rather than a dark, quiet, empty office, we find flying robot things zipping through the air every which way, robots going in and out getting orders and delivering dispatches. And the Old Man himself is uncharacteristically active.