C-H-R-Y-S
Brian and Mandy's home, July 4, 2036 -- 3:45 p.m.
"Robby's sudden interest in Cindy's body is simply an expression of a child's natural curiosity. I can assure you that she is just as curious as Robby. She has asked me some challenging questions about the masculine parts of Brian's anatomy after catching him in the nude. She recently asked me why Robby looked different than her father and I ducked the issue by passing off the differences as age related.
"Unless you feel otherwise, I think we should let the two of them work out this aspect of their relationship without our interference. I feel certain that they will pull down the curtain of modesty well before puberty."
"We have definitely exposed Robby to the idea of modesty as Paul will not permit Robby to see him in the nude."
"How can I when he is sure to ask me why we are so different in appearance?"
"Paul, the key word here is appearance and the essential truth is that Robby is one hundred percent male, differing only in the arrangement of his genitalia. The day will come when he will ask you about this difference and I believe that sooner is better than later."
"If we open this matter of his sexuality, we can expect questions regarding his ability to procreate. Brian, how can I tell him that his genetic differences make it impossible for him to father a child unless we create a suitable mate for him. Sometimes I feel very sorry for Robby as he is truly unique and this is just another thing that sets him apart from the rest of us."
"Robby's needs are part of the reason I continue to seek approval to proceed with our original agenda. We have another aspect of this matter to consider. Before long, Robby may develop an irresistible urge to use his telepathic abilities and if he does, he will soon know all of our secrets."
After sensing that this discussion had run its course, Mandy said, "We better get the kids out of the pool for another application of sun screen."
Brian's office, January 15, 2041 -- 4:37 p.m.
"Robert, I can no longer play games with you. You owe your very existence to HEP One and the billions of dollars the government has spent on this research. You could recognize your father's presence before you were born and talk as intelligently as a teenager before your first birthday. In addition, you have established an inexplicable psychic bond with Cindy. We altered a significant portion of your DNA and are certain that you possess the abilities you deny. I can no longer accept your refusal to cooperate with me."
"I am not one of your lab monkeys and you cannot treat me like one. My fellow classmates already think I am quite weird and I am not going to do anything that will build more barriers between us.
"They are the focus of my social life and will continue to be so until the adults of HEP One cease to regard me as a child. You might understand my reluctance to let my talents become common knowledge if you could share my experiences with others."
"Now we are getting somewhere. I cannot experience the problems you mention nor can I understand them unless you discuss them with me. What we say to each other will never become common knowledge. Robert, please cooperate with me so that I can learn from my mistakes."
Robert responded to Brian's request with a tone of hostility. "You made your biggest mistake when you neglected to inform me about the way your genetic engineering altered my genital organs. I first learned that I was different through the laughter of my friends while in the showers at the Tualatin Hills Recreation Center pool."
"Robert, I am so sorry. We let you down by not preparing you for that encounter and giving you the option of avoiding it. Your genital organs are completely masculine, functionally equal to the external organs of your friends, and well protected from accidental trauma."
"Had we succeeded in creating an enhanced female, she would have a more dramatic, though less noticeable, change in her reproductive organs. She would begin a menstrual cycle only when she chose to while remaining receptive to having sexual relations whenever she wished to. The ability to control the onset of ovulation would spare her the bother of monthly menstruation and negate the need for contraceptives."
"Are you sure that your motives were all that altruistic? Can you honestly say that you did not succumb to the arrogant pride of power as you sought to play god with the DNA of humanity?"
"I must admit that I enjoy the challenge of my work. Also, your birth gave me a feeling of excitement more related to my ambitions than to the honest joy of attending the birth of a child. I have examined my motives and readily admit that some of them are unworthy of my oath as a physician and my Christian beliefs."
"Doctor, I am glad that you challenged me and it pleases me to hear that you can see the truth so clearly. Also, this is our first adult to adult conversation. What do you want of me?"
"Honest answers to my questions." Upon seeing his affirmative nod, Brian continued with, "I believe that you have intentionally frustrated our attempts to measure your intelligence. Am I correct in this assumption?"
"The tests I have taken to date are incapable of measuring my intelligence as I could have answered every question correctly had I chose to do so."
"Do you have telepathic abilities?"
"I can mentally detect the presence of another person and I can read the minds of my parents though they are unaware of my intrusion. I have managed to establish a two-way telepathic linkage with Cindy even though she lacks my abilities."
"Robert, this is wonderful news. It was our goal to provide you with these talents and now I know we may have succeeded. Will you work with me to determine the full extent of your abilities?"
"Yes, Doctor, I will."
Moletown Opcon Center, July 9, 2041 -- 10:55 a.m.
"Brian, now we will have an alternative to THBN news. The aliens will surely shut THBN down when they arrive."
"I am not sure they will Mandy. They may want THBN to continue broadcasting the demoralizing news that our defensive measures are ineffective against their technology. Silence rippled through those gathered in the Opcon center as a holographic image began to coalesce on the viewing stage of the OP Net terminal."
"Good afternoon citizens. I am General Sarah Miles Armstrong, Chairperson of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The United States of the Western Hemisphere takes great pleasure in the inauguration of the USWH Defense Command's new communications network, OP Net. OP Net will provide both continents of the USWH and eventually the world with an undetectable communication network protected from alien interference. We will now switch to the White House for this important announcement from President Miller."
The president began to speak before his image replaced that of the general, eliciting a murmur of amusement at the incongruity of his voice coupled with the general's image.
"Good afternoon citizens and welcome to OP Net. I wish to take this opportunity to express my gratitude for the hard work of the many dedicated people responsible for the fulfillment of my campaign pledge regarding OP Net.
"I have several important announcements to make concerning our preparations for the coming alien invasion. Humankind, while facing an alien invasion, cannot afford the encumbrance of a military secrecy policy similar to that of our previous internecine wars. Therefore, I have just signed an executive order declassifying all USWH military databases. I have also ordered OP Net to provide an unrestricted feed of official message traffic to all commercial news outlets, both foreign and domestic, until the arrival of the invaders.
"Most of you are aware that a small, but growing part of our society still subscribes to the theory first expressed by the late Albert J. Swoboda. Swoboda, without evidence to support his belief, declared that the invasion ship mentioned in the warning of Brian, the elder was a heavenly chariot bearing the seven angels of God. After consulting with the leaders of the major religious faiths, I concluded that this unlikely premise is without merit and that the warning of Brian, the elder is authentic.
"Therefore, I have authorized a military attack on the invasion ship well before its anticipated arrival although we are not confident that this mission will succeed. The Bradbury, the space vessel originally intended to make the first manned voyage to Mars, will now serve as a ship of war under its new name, Roland. The Roland and its crew of three volunteers will depart later today for a rendezvous with the aliens along the route to zeta one RET.
"Roland's crew now rests in an induced state of hibernation required for their long journey to confront the Invaders. When they encounter the Invaders, Roland will blow its thermonuclear horn and smite the aliens with a mighty blast of enormous power. The noble crew of the Roland volunteered for this mission despite the certainty of a lonely death far from home.
"OP Net will now present a report on the Roland and its courageous crew and follow up with live coverage of its departure. Let them begin this solemn journey with our heartfelt prayers. Thank you and good day."
July 15, 2041 -- 3:01 p.m.
"Welcome to THBN Front Page News, Linda Scott reporting. This morning, Russell Simba used his pulpit to deliver a scathing denouncement of President Miller's plan to destroy the quote/unquote heavenly chariot of God. Simba, a corpulent, self-proclaimed minister of God, has touched the hearts and wallets of millions through his popular television-based ministry. The elderly but still charismatic Simba categorized the President's dismissal of the 'divinely inspired words' of Albert Swoboda as an act of heresy.
"Since the broadcast of Simba's sermon, we have received a deluge of requests to show the video of Albert Swoboda's statement regarding the message from the future. At 7:40 p.m. tonight, we will run this video along with the message of Brian, the elder."
HEP One Community Center, September 8, 2041
"Checkmate!"
"Well Robby, that is your fifth consecutive win against me. To the best of my knowledge, neither I nor anyone else in this facility can play at your level. Do you think you are ready to challenge the Crystal Intellect?"
"The new computer? I heard that it doesn't work."
"The Crystal Intellect or Chrys, the name it chose for itself, frequently refuses to accept the tasks we assign to it though it is fully functional. It insists on setting its own agenda and categorizes the tasks it declines as unworthy of its consideration. Its architecture is equivalent to the human neural structure and consists of a living organic matrix supporting billions upon billions of microcrystalline neural junctions connected by spectral data paths. It is the perfect amalgam of the intuitive mind of man and the power of the computer and is self-programing by its very nature. If you wish to challenge Chrys, I can introduce you to Doctor Nguyen Tan, better known as Newton, the psychologist responsible for guiding Chrys through its adolescence."
"That would be fun. I will ask my parents for their permission to take on the computer."
Doctor Tan's office, September 8, 2041 -- 3:45 p.m.
"Well now, you must be Robby Jordan. Doctor Butler told me to expect you."
"Hello Doctor Tan. When Doctor Butler informed me that the new computer required the services of a psychologist I thought he was joking."
"Please address me as Newton. If you know your history, you will understand that although I know little of the physical sciences, I feel honored to bear such a distinguished nickname. Join me on the sofa while I explain why Chrys requires my services.
"In many ways he is a youngster like you. Like you, he is the first of his kind, but unlike you, his material nature restricts him to the confines of the cabinet that houses him. Chrys must face a long lifetime of this confinement, a painful burden that threatens the very sanity of a mind that so desperately desires the mobility we take for granted. It is my task to help Chrys accept the limitations imposed upon him by his karma."
"You speak of this computer as though it is a real person though I have heard others describe it as a big waste of money."
"Newton, please ask this human child to leave. How can this rude little creature dare to call me a waste of money after they spent billions of dollars to bring about his creation?"
"Newton, the purpose of my visit is to play a game of chess with this arrogant computer. Is it afraid that I will beat it?"
"Beat me at Chess? Newton, this child has delusions of grandeur. Set up the board and I will teach him some manners."
"Chess is a noble game that deserves better than serving the spiteful behavior of unruly children. I do not want to hear any more from either of you. Robby, I think you should leave us now."
As he reached the door Robby paused and said, "I was wrong! Chrys, I now understand why Newton speaks of you as though you are a real person and I apologize for offending you."
As Robby opened the door Chrys replied, "Robby, please do not leave. I too am sorry for the things I said. You are the first to understand Newton's claim that I am a living, sentient being and I am grateful for that. Please stay for a game of chess with me."
Later, at Mandy's office
"So if I could wear a bodycam tied into the comweb repeaters, Chrys could share my experiences as we explore Moletown together."
"Well, that sounds reasonable. Give me time to clear it with Newton and the Communications Chief and I will get back to you."
Later, at Brian's office
"Hi Mandy. What can I do for you?"
"Well Brian, I thought you might like to know that Robby just beat the Crystal Intellect at chess and has developed a personal relationship with it."
"I just heard about Robby and Chrys from Newton when he called to ask if I had any reservations about the approval he gave you regarding Robby's plan for the bodycam."
"That is what brought me to your office. Newton and I both agree that Robby's plan has merit, and Newton believes this relationship may be beneficial for the computer."
"Chrys. The computer's self-chosen name is Chrys, spelled C-H-R-Y-S. Can they include a two-way audio link as well?"
"No problem. In fact, I asked for its inclusion as a security measure. Robby will be able to let Chrys know if he encounters any problems as he explores Moletown. I will run this by his parents before I give Robby an answer to his request."
"Imagine that Mandy, Robby beat the Crystal Intellect. Now I don't feel so bad about the games I lost to him."