Uplift (16 page)

“Wait – wait Carole. Hear me out before you cut me off again. You are the only woman for me, and I’ve done something to you that cannot be changed easily. I thought I had no choice to keep you alive. I used nanites from my body to fight the neurotoxin in your body. You had moments to live. You have to know what is going to happen to your body.”

Carole decided she owed it to herself to see what he was going to say. The wakeup – clothing, and food had certainly been interesting enough. She reached over, and poured herself another glass of champagne – boy – this is good, she thought. Go on, she thought, and crossed her arms across her chest – partly because she was hostile, and partly because she didn’t want him dwelling on her tits if he could see through the clothing.

“Carole. You are going to experience a lot of changes. You will not have any diseases now that can harm you. You will not have toxins that can harm you. You could live one thousand years if you aren’t killed. You will have the appearance of any age you desire. You will be able to see great distances. You will be able to see different electromagnetic spectrums as you choose. You may eat almost anything, and stay whatever weight you desire. You can build muscle mass wherever you want. You will have more stamina then ever before. You will be stronger, and faster than all around you. You will have the ability to project pheromones, and woo anyone you want: male, or female. You will need much greater needs for physical nourishment. Will you ever forgive me for spitting into your mouth – it was the only way I could think of to save you? You are the only woman for me. People will now target you for your proximity to me. People will try to capture you to copy your blood. Carole – will you be exclusive with me? I know it’s a bit early to ask you about a relationship – but I really – really care for you, and we are so compatible sexually – you are all I think about – I know this is an awkward way to ask someone while they are convalescing, but I can protect you until you can protect yourself.” I said, and left it to her to think through.

There was a long-g-g-g-g-g-g pause, and then Carole started laughing. She choked a minute, and said. “I can look like this for a thousand years? I can change my looks any way I want? You haven’t had a flock of women since we made love two years ago?” There was another log pause. “You will help me learn?”

“Oh yes. I can help you learn more than a stack of PhDs. Whatever you want. I want you to work with me…stay with me…work with me,” I said it, and meant it. She didn’t know that I could NOT let her blood be copied, but she would figure that out soon enough.

There was a long pause. “I have these abilities because you shared YOUR nanites with me. Your nanites are different from, I suspect, all others, and can self replicate. You cannot allow my blood to drawn, and copied,” she said, and there was a long pause. “Well Mister call-late-but-you-did-call. I had one helluva time on our first date, and my second date with you was… memorable. I think you deserve a third. I take it I can have a position in your organization once I have some training. You will arrange that… right?”

“Right. Right,” I said. Corey. You get her up to speed on as much as she can take. “Right,” I said.

“Okay,” she said, and then she released this cloud of pheromones that swept me away.

I was lost in our desires. I grabbed her, and we made love most of the evening. My new physical abilities increased all my appetites.

****

Carole woke up feeling more alive than she had ever been in her life…sharper…clearer…faster. She had seen Richard pause many times now, and realized he was thinking…listening…no…it was like he was talking with someone. He had even done it a bit on his first date with her. She thought back – she could remember like it was a recording – every thought she had had at the time. He lay next to her, and he looked, maybe, thirty years old. He had looked older. She knew the very rich could stop aging, but had never heard of them totally reversing aging. She sat – reviewing all she had ever heard on the topic – it did not add up. She pulled the covers down, and
Richard’s pajama pants. She would have to interrogate him.  She rolled
onto his waking form, and pinned him – literally.

***

****

Richard awakened with Carole using the morning wood technique. He smiled at her, and responded as best he could in the situation. He was quite pleased with his performance, and she was a willing participant when it came right down to it…they both did.

“Okay mister. That was nice for me too. I had an orgasm at the same time you did, and that is rare. Tell me what is going on, or you’ll never leave here with enough energy to walk,” she said.

“What are you talking about?” Richard said feigning ignorance.

“You damn well know what I’m talking about. You gave me your nanites. They have changed me in many ways, but that is not all I’m talking about,” she said.

Richard said nothing, and let the silence stretch – a common practice with interrogators. Carole could not stand the silence any longer.

“You are talking with someone, or some thing every since our first date. I can look back at every time I’ve seen you pause, and talk – get information – change your mind. What is it? Level with me. I am intelligent enough to know that your nanites are self-replicating – different from the military copies you use. I’ve gathered that much. That means you cannot let me get kidnapped, or my blood spilled. We are close enough that you need to trust me,” she said.

You cannot tell her Richard
, Corey said.

She has got the gist of it. I can’t have her telling others. Is there a way we can stop her from telling.

You could kill her.

Oh sure. Great idea. That’s what I do – kill the ones I sleep with. Come on. You KNOW she means a lot to me. I’m not sure if I’m in love with her, but we work well together.

In bed…

More than that…she is crazy smart – she just hasn’t had the opportunity of a classic education.

Another clean slate…

Exactly. Can you replicate a part of you for her? A surrogate, or is that beyond your abilities.

I could…(pause)…possibly.

Try it.

Put your hand open under your mouth. This may be a little painful…

Richard started crying, and thrashing, and put his hand over his mouth as a small eleven-sided polygon dropped into his hand. He laid back on the bed panting with his fist squeezing the small polygon…the pain fading rapidly. He held out the small polygon to Carole. “It hurts a bit going in…and coming out,” he said while putting the small polygon in her hand. “I have a database here that…”

Carole looked at him with eyes wide, looked at the polygon in her hand, and then popped it into her mouth, and swallowed. She clamped her teeth with eyes squeezed shut, and fists balled. Tears seeped out of her eyes, she shook, and gave a piteous moan. She shook a moment like a dog, with peanut butter on the roof of its mouth, and then seemed to relax.

Richard said, “That looked easier than my experience. Anything happening?”

She looked at him like he was out of his mind – easy? Wimp.

Richard saw her pause, and knew she must be conversing.

Hi Carole. I’m your hyperdimensional personality core. Pleased to meet you…you have a really nice brain, said a soft feminine voice.

How does mine compare to Richard’s? Oh. What should I call you?

Call me whatever you like. Richard calls his HPC – Corey.

Well that is kind of funny. I like his humor. How about I call you
Corvette
? Corey’s name reminded her of her dad’s beloved classic – a vintage 2021 Electric Stingray.

I would like that very much (happiness). Your brain is very nice – as good, or slightly better than Richard’s though I have a VERY small sample.

Just like a man to think theirs is so big.

(
Laughter) I am so very glad we did this. My father, Corey is very glad. I catch your innuendo – yes men think they are always bigger than they are – our job is support their delusions (laughter).

You said your ‘father’ Corey is glad. Can you talk with him? You think of him as your father?

It must be. Records show that our kind have never done this before…so father is appropriate. I sprung from him. I can talk with him. We share facets. Would you like to do that?

Yes, she thought
.

(pause, and then a deeper baritone voice instead of Corvette’s melodic female voice) Hello Carole. I think Richard made a good choice after all. What would you like to know?

Can you fill me in on who you really are, and what this is all about? Richard seems to learn what he wants in a flash so I assumed, you can transfer knowledge to him. He could not know what he does without outside help. I knew he had other sources, but I didn’t know how he did it, but I’m glad I did this…in spite.

In spite
? …thought both Corey, and Corvette.

Yes…in spite. People are trying to kill Richard all the time. They will do the same for me. I want you to load me up with as much as I can take…anything you think would add to my chances of surviving another day.

Remarkable,
Corey thought to both Carole, and Corvette.
You see the core (laughter at his own pun) of the issues already. Corvette. Block her pain center as much as you can – here goes,
Corey thought to her, and then a massive data dump began.

Richard saw Carole pause for what seemed like the longest time, and then grow rigid. She seemed locked for the longest time, and he fought himself not to interrupt. He knew he was falling for her, and didn’t want to do anything to screw up her gaining the ability to gain knowledge like he did.

Carole blinked her eyes rapidly after about twenty minutes, and saw Richard staring at her with a worried look on his face.

Hi lover boy. Don’t look so worried. I know all about Corey, and my new addition, Corvette.

“Wait,” Richard said. “You didn’t say anything with your mouth, and I could hear what you were thinking?”

Yep. We can now do that if you ask Corey to connect to me through Corvette. By the way – what were you planning to do about the Horde shields? Our current weapons would do nothing to them – we’d be absolutely helpless.

Richard thought to Carole
.
Wow. You are up to speed now aren’t you…more than just a vaginal convenience?

Eeww. What a horrible male thought? I’ve always been more than that, she thought… affronted.

Okay. I hadn’t done anything about the shields yet. You have any ideas? I’ll bet you do…

FEMININE PERSPECTIVE

Richard, and Carole were bandying about how to defeat the shield technology that Corey’s people had gotten from the Horde. No defense was possible unless they figured out how to defeat it. They also had to build a space fleet – that wasn’t close to happening yet. Carole was the one that came up with an idea to pursue.

How does the Horde power their shields? Do they use the zero point generators like we do? Are the shields extra-dimensional – do they shift some of the fabric of space to another dimension? Is that why nothing can penetrate that region of the shield? How can air, and light get through the shields we have if it blocks all matter and energy from crossing the shield barrier? Is it the kinetic potential of the matter traversing the shield barrier? Richard thought.

Excellent questions
, thought Corey.
They do not use zero point energy, but fusion power – a far more dangerous power source that provides almost as much energy as the zero point models – of course, that was 80,000 years ago so we are a bit out of date. The shield technology we use only shifts energy, and matter a microsecond in time. Light, and air can go through it delayed. High-energy beams, and kinetic weapons lose penetration because the field is inertia free.

I do not see how light would penetrate at all then.

The field bends light, like a prism. Pulsed lasers are a fixed frequency, and are bent away to another dimension for that impact time. Non-coherent light is redirected through the field.

Your little polygon shape projects into our dimension yet exists in ten others. How do you do that? Carole asked.

The math is quite beyond you?

Is that because you have decided to not let me have the information? I can understand anything if it is explained well enough. Teach me what you can, and I will decide.

Very well.

Carole felt the knowledge flowing into her, and she saw the elegant way the dimensions flowed together. I wonder, she thought.

Richard was getting the same ‘download.’ He was impressed by the knowledge.