Samantha's Talent (50 page)

"Yes, sweetie? What now?" She smiled to show there was no aggravation behind her question.

"Would you still make that appointment for me?"

She looked at her daughter as a woman for the first time, somewhat sadly. She had a woman's body, no doubt there, and the testing had showed clearly that she was as mature as a grown woman. "Do you think you'll need it, Sammie?"

"I don't know, Mom. But if we're going to be engaged and not married for a while I'd rather be safe, just in case."

"Alright, honey. We'll get you taken care of. Let's not say anything about this to your dad for now, though. Okay?"

"If you say so. I don't want to lie to him if he should ask, though."

"Sammie, I don't know how we raised a child as good as you without the least idea of what we were doing. Or not much, anyway. If he asks, I wouldn't expect you to lie. He probably won't though. Fathers usually would rather remain in the dark rather than ask leading questions."

"Well, nothing may happen anyway, but if it does it will be my fault. Juan is such a good guy he won't ask."

***

Juan arrived wearing slacks and a shirt with an even tail hanging outside his trousers. It pretty well concealed the fact that he was carrying his pistol in a holster behind his back, just as he had since obtaining his permit. He shook hands with Ronald rather more formally than usual. Elaine gave him a quick hug and invited him to sit down.

"Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. Would you like something to drink?" Ronald asked.

"Whatever you're having. It's a nice evening and I walked so I don't have to worry about driving."

"We're having some Zinfandel to go with the meal so we went ahead and started with it."

"That's fine."

The evening was a success so far as Samantha could tell. She knew her father wasn't concerned with whether or not he could support a family nor whether they were suited for each other. In fact, she realized after only a few minutes that he had no real objection other than her age. She still seemed to be too young to be thinking of marriage in his eyes.

"Did you know that Juan has learned to talk to animals like I can?" she said during the meal.

"How on earth did that happen? Could you teach us?" Ronald asked.

Samantha could see that her new fiance was unsure of how to answer. It wouldn't be polite to say,
Sorry but you're not smart enough to learn how.

She finessed the subject by simply relating how they had figured it out. The explanation included the many ways where their minds and brains shared involved processes that only she and Juan possessed, so far as they knew. "I suppose one day it may be possible to pass on the knowledge, but right now I can't think of a way to do it."

"Never mind. That was probably a silly question, Juan. I know neither of us are capable and won't be in our lifetimes. I really do hope the two of you can figure out how to talk to that puzzling alien like you can to our furry and feathered cousins, though."

"We hope so, too. Sheik may turn out to be the key for all we know."

"I'm the key! I'm the key!" the parrot agreed to another round of laughter.

"So have you two picked a date yet?" Ronald asked.

"Dad, we have a date but not exactly. We'd like to be married and have a honeymoon before the alien arrives, though. If the red in the circle keeps progressing at its present rate, that would put it somewhat less than a year from now. We haven't gotten into the matter of where we'll have the ceremony or who will perform it yet. We haven't even looked for
rings
yet."

"Just let us know as far in advance as you can," Elaine said.

"We will, Mom." She squeezed Juan's hand reassuringly. He was on his best behavior, not displaying much of the off-beat humor he was sometimes prone to.

The evening ended in a convivial atmosphere, helped along by several glasses of wine by the adults and one small glass Samantha was allowed.

When Juan was ready to leave she stepped outside with him. The evening was balmy enough to take a walk around the block, stopping occasionally for a kiss before saying goodnight. She didn't want to let go of him after they embraced a last time.

"It won't be that long, sweetheart."

"It seems like it will be forever right now."

***

Anton had not told the three new scientists he had brought in about the alien. He was already worried that too many people were aware of the project. He knew they must have been curious over the specialized testing of both Samantha and Juan they had been asked to perform. He could only hope that they didn't try to follow up on whatever tidbits of words and partial sentences they heard occasionally. They must have wondered about the conversations that were suddenly stopped or channeled into a new direction when they came near the others, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Gene came to see him three weeks after Samantha and Juan became engaged. "I'm worried, Mr. McAllister. Since you gave me access to the intelligence summaries you receive, I've run across several instances that cause me to think we may have a leak somewhere."

Anton sat upright in his chair. "Tell me about it."

"A couple of NSA reports and one from the CIA indicate the same group of Jihadists that killed the Zimmermans at the Sanctuary are active again. I'm afraid they may have tracked us down, although I'm not certain yet. At the same time I think the NSA, or possibly the FBI has gotten interested in us, and it isn't one of those rogue elements this time."

"How? The regular agencies aren't even supposed to know about us."

"I may be reading more into the hints I've been seen in the intelligence summaries than I should, but in this instance we can't be too careful. If any government agency gets wind of us, then the Congressional oversight committee will want to be advised of what we're doing with all those black funds. You know what will happen then. Someone on the committee will leak the information."

"What do you want to do?"

"All I
can
do right now is tighten up security, but if you have the funds I could produce a diversionary shadow project to lead them astray. That would suffice until after the alien returns."

"Unfortunately, we're rather short right now. After the fiscal year is over I could probably shake a little more money loose."

Gene looked aggrieved but realized there was little more he could say. "I guess I'll just have to do the best I can until then."

After the security specialist had gone, Anton sat and contemplated the situation. It all seemed to be coming to a head. Gene's report was disturbing enough, but he hadn't been told everything. The red shading on the circle on the alien instrument had taken a sudden jump, just as it had occasionally in the past. Assuming Juan and Samantha were correct about its meaning, they now had considerably less than a year before the alien returned. Juan had learned to communicate haltingly with mammals but his progress with avians was much slower and that might be the key. Fortunately, Samantha was progressing very well with the parrot to help.

Then, there was the event of Juan and Samantha's romance and impending marriage. He had been half-way expecting something like that, but not nearly so soon. They were asking for a full month for a honeymoon before the alien made its appearance again, if it did. He couldn't deny that they deserved it. Both had put in many, many long hours of study and work, especially since Samantha's arrival. On the other hand, the increased security risk Gene was just becoming aware of made that an added risk. And last of all, he was becoming increasingly weary. It was old age catching up with him and he knew it. No matter how he felt, he wanted to stick it out, at least until the alien showed up again. His two original colleagues had died. He might very well pass on himself soon. He knew that at his age he could never be sure he would wake up the next morning after going to bed.

He had already picked Juan as his successor, which might put the noses scientists older than him out of joint. He hoped it wouldn't. He didn't want anything to shake up the project now. He sighed and looked at the artifact masquerading as a paperweight again. Had that central spike moved? Was it pointing in a slightly different direction? He thought so and realized he should have been measuring its movements, if it was indeed moving. Old, he thought. Time for new blood, but he could hang on for another year, maybe less. Or try to.

***

"You know, sweetheart, I have an idea about the alien," Samantha said a few days later as they were working on a second year college calculus course Samantha was squeezing in among all the other duties she had taken on, as well as the testing which still continued.

"Let's hear it. It won't do any good stuck in that beautiful head of yours," her fiance replied.

She stuck out her tongue at him and smiled. "We're still thinking the alien displayed avian characteristics. That means it would have evolved with a three dimensional viewpoint, like that of Sheik."

"Assuming it didn't evolve from a flightless bird," he cautioned.

"Well, yes. But say it came from a flying bird or the alien equivalent. We've agreed that the idea of time passing has been communicated. Right?"

"Uh huh."

"So why don't we get Anton to buy us a laptop computer with a large three dimensional screen? I know they're still expensive but I believe we could put it to good use."

"I think I see what you mean but go ahead and tell me."

"We could put together a 3D representation of time, using a CGI program and the computer and then use that as a basis to begin learning each other's language."

"That's what I thought you meant. Good idea. You're not just a pretty face and a great figure. Let's go see Anton."

"Let's wait for a little while," she said and moved into his lap. A little later she was almost sorry she had. It was becoming increasingly difficult to wait.

Anton listened and nodded at the end of the presentation they had worked up for him. "I've got just enough money in reserve to obtain the computer and the CGI program you want. It's a good thought and worth trying."

"See?" Juan said as they left the building. "I said you're not just a pretty face and that doesn't even count the rest of you."

"How do you know that's not why he decided to spend the money, smarty?"

"Because I've got a pretty face, too."

"Nut. But a nice nut."

"Uh huh, and you get to put up with me for the rest of your life."

"I just know I'll suffer agonies the whole time but I'll try to be brave."

They laughed and walked on hand in hand.

Samantha could hardly contain herself any longer. Her breasts were free and Juan's hand moved slowly and gently over them while she moaned with pleasure. At the moment she no longer cared when the alien returned or what the age of consent was or anything else. She wanted Juan. She freed her lips from his to tell him.

At that instant Juan's phone, which was sitting in its holder on the bedside table being charged, rang. "Damn," he muttered and reached to silence it. Instead he saw the number displayed. "I have to answer it, Sammie. That's Anton's number."

She knew something unusual had occurred when she saw the look on his face after he replaced the phone. He didn't seem scared but he appeared apprehensive.

"What is it, sweetheart? What's happened?"

"The red circle suddenly filled all the way in. Anton sent Gene to look. The alien is back. I'm sorry, but we have to go. Anton said to get there as quickly as possible."

Her heart sank for an instant. Of all the ways for their day together to end! Then her mood revived quickly. "I'd rather it be now than six months from now. If it works out that we can talk to our alien then we can take time out to get married. If not, we can get married anyway and move on to something else. Or we can move in together and to hell with the age of consent. Or get a place over the state line and commute. Any way we do it is fine with me so long as we're together." She sat up and gathered her bra and blouse and began looking toward the future.

***

"Who's going to meet the alien first?" Samantha asked Anton after she and Juan arrived at his office. "And by the way, can we give it a name? I hate to keep referring to it as 'the alien' ".

"Sure, why not? Think of a name and if the majority agrees, that will be it."

"I've already thought of one," Juan said. "How about Reddy, for that red circle we've been watching so long?"

There was no disagreement and Reddy became the alien's name when referring to it personally. As Samantha said, if it turned out that they could communicate and naming was one of the conventions of its species, they could always change it.

"With that out of the way, I'll meet Reddy first, but you two will be right there with me, to the side and slightly behind. I don't want it to disappear when it sees me and thinks nothing has changed."

"I hope we meet your expectations, Mr. McAllister," Juan said. Despite Anton's request for informality, none of the younger individuals could bring themselves to call the elderly scientist and leader of the clandestine project by his first name. "Sammie will try talking to it first since she's still much better at both mammalian and avian conversation." The three hurried outside, with Juan pausing only to grab the 3D laptop that had been left in Anton's office. They drove quickly to the area, then ran through the brush and up a shallow hill to its top, where the boulder Anton had used for his musing still rested, as immobile as the granite it was made of. Anton was panting heavily by the time they arrived.

"Stop here," Anton said.

Almost instantly the craft appeared, as if it were blinking into existence rather than simply turning off whatever mechanism it used to keep it from being seen. Just as it had been earlier, the craft appeared exactly the same, rectangular and boxy on three sides and rounded on the other, with flat top and bottom. It was the same bronze color. In fact, he was almost certain it was the same craft.

As they watched, the rectangular opening that he believed was an airlock came into view and the alien was standing inside, just as Anton remembered.