Nascence
Multnomah Falls, June 12, 2160 -- 11:14 a.m.
The intercom announced, "Doctor Gould, Robert Jordan has arrived."
"Thank you. I will see him now."
Robert Jordan entered the office saying, "Hello Doctor, I got here as quick as I could. I understand your endeavor has gone awry."
"I am not sure how to depict the current situation. It would be best if you reached your own conclusions regarding recent events. Everything was going well until two months ago when we began to experience the unexpected. The first indication of trouble occurred when their appearances began to regress back to that of the old people."
"Doctor, would their physical regression suggest the loss of the mental and telepathic abilities of the new people that you included in their altered DNA. I do not think they would be happy living among us without these abilities."
"At first I thought that would be a likely consequence of this regression and ordered a series of tests to confirm my fears. It was also time to remove the infants from the Uter-tanks, but a strange zone of compulsion turned away all who attempted to approach. The nutrient consumption increased dramatically and the Uter-tanks began to enlarge at a rate that matched their growth. The maturation rate of the children accelerated to the point where their physiological changes became apparent on an hour-to-hour basis as they swiftly completed adolescence.
"Two nights ago they disappeared without a trace. I then received a telepathic message from our old friend, unheard by anyone else, asking me to summon you and ensure their privacy while they occupied the Lodge. Robert, we cannot broadcast a message to a selected individual as he did."
"Doctor. You may have achieved more than you expected. I think that waiting may be the wisest course of action."
Later
"Robert, look at the monitor, the door is opening."
An attractive, young couple moved out into the sunlight and turned to take in the entire view as though seeing their surroundings for the first time. They briefly came together in a passionate embrace and with a burst of laughter began a foot race to the falls. The monitor image shifted to show them arriving at the graves of the Quakers.
After a quiet moment, the doctor and Robert heard the young lady say, "Henry, I never thought they would mark our graves with such a handsome monument. Though our remains lie at rest before us, we stand here and are as we were before. Can there really be two realities for us?"
Henry turned to embrace Jenny and said, "We are both here and there. From our perspective, we can truly appreciate the precious nature of life. We were married seventy-three years ago today and yet we face a future without limits. Jenny, it is time to meet our benefactor. Robert, may we join you?"
"Please do. I am looking forward to meeting both you and Jenny."
"Robert, they disappeared!"
Henry reached out to embrace Robert while saying, "You have called me back from the dead again and this time I am truly grateful. I have reviewed Doctor Gould's files and now understand why Jenny and I received such excellent medical care in the past."
Henry turned to Doctor Gould and said, "The preservation of our memories and their integration with our new bodies worked to perfection. Your modification of our genetic code accomplished a great deal more that you expected. Much more!" As he spoke, Henry's head and facial features briefly assumed a fluid state that quickly formed into the exact image of Doctor Gould. Again, Henry's features blurred as they returned to their previous state while he said, "We also possess the ability to analyze and alter our DNA at will."
Clearly startled, Doctor Gould stammered out, "Control to the cellular level? Control of your DNA? I never expected this. You may be--."
"Immortal? Yes, Doctor, I believe you have given us eternal life."
Jenny stepped forward, embraced Doctor Gould and said, "Doctor, I want to thank you for bringing me back to be with Henry again."
After Jenny exchanged greetings with Robert, Henry said, "Robert, do you trust me enough to grant me permission to give you a personal demonstration of my new powers?"
"Of course I do. You may proceed with your demonstration." Robert then released a startled gasp of surprise, adopted an expression of bewilderment, and repositioned his legs much like a child who just discovered that his bladder was full.
With a barely suppressed giggle, Jenny said with feigned exasperation, "Henry, was that really necessary? Robert, please do not let modesty prevent you from attending to that terrible itch Henry gave you along with your new scrotum. However, do scratch gently as you will soon discover that your testicles can be quite sensitive."
As Robert turned to face them again, his itch attended to, he said, "I always thought my previous arrangement left a lot to be desired and now I know that I was right. I can think of many, heated confrontations I have faced where the ability to offer my opponent the opportunity to deal with a similar itch would have proven to be quite useful. Henry, is it possible for you to provide us with your level of abilities?"
"Yes, though I am not sure that I will. We must now respond to a summons received from a place beyond the ken of man. Althea is with us now to lead us on our journey."
"Althea? Althea who?"
"GoFetch." Then, as suddenly as they arrived, Henry and Jenny swiftly faded from view.
With a stunned expression on his face, Robert turned to Doctor Gould and asked, "Doctor, what have you done?"
"Robert, I am not entirely sure. I never expected them to achieve immortality nor the power of teleportation."