Andy said, "Talk about no pressure! How come we can not see you? Where are you?"
<I wondered when someone would ask that question, you can see me now. I am all around you. I am the gift delivery system. I am the ship that you have been on since you entered this room. I am a sentient non-organic being created by the Lotans. If you accept, I will be your trainer and your tool to use for the defense of your planet. I carry with me, sufficient primary implants for up to 100 juveniles and secondary implants for up to 1,200 adults. This ship can house and feed up to 300 persons so there is plenty of room for advisors. This room is but a small part of the ship. It is the primary gathering place and control room. The entire surface of the room is functional. The artificial gravity system in this room will make it appear as though someone is walking on the ceiling when someone is up there. You can literally walk up the wall, cross the ceiling, come back down the other wall and come back to the starting point. It will feel as though you have gone for a walk on flat ground. Initially it is a bit disorienting.>
<I realize this is a horrible choice for you to have to make but it is either that or face global termination in seven years when the invasion arrives. Actually the invaders should be dealt with before they reach this system. I will not lie to you, this is a difficult choice, but if you are successful, you not only become the planet's protectors but will reap other benefits as well. Your children will inherit the gene enhancements you will have so they must be carefully nourished. These capabilities can be activated at age 12 so there is time to consider the implications and provide appropriate preparation. As a safety measure, I am the only one that can activate the gene enhancements, otherwise they remain dormant. Persons with these enhancements would be too dangerous to live with normal humans if the appropriate intent does not exist or is flawed. For this reason I have been provided with the ability to perform brain and personality scans, the details of which I reveal to no one since that would be too great an invasion of that individual's privacy. Once the gene revisions are activated, they can be reversed but then the return to normal is permanent. The change cannot be applied a second time without killing the subject person. There is no going back. Your gene structure can’t take the treatment a second time. It would be fatal to try. Your parents and your sensei Mizukami-san have been instrumental in your development to this point. I have interviewed Mizukami-san and he concurs with my selection. He will be joining us here from time to time to advise. He has already accepted the secondary implant. He will be a potent advisor.>
Chief Cody said, "Aston, I believe that our youngsters are capable of making a decision on how they wish to proceed. I have been impressed with the maturity they exhibit in facing issues and how they address them. However, I would like to hear more about these implants you mentioned. What do they do? How are they applied? Are there downsides?"
<Good question James, or if you prefer Chief.>
"I think I would prefer Jim."
<Jim it is. Both forms of implant are applied by a form of teleportation since it must be applied to every gene in your body at the same time. One moment it is not there and in the next it is. It is painless and you are generally not conscious of any difference. When one of its functions is in use, it is on a subconscious level. It is like thinking. You can't stop thinking even if you want to do so. You can think about something else but not stop altogether. It is just there. It essentially rearranges your gene structure and over the course of about 24 to 36 hours, becomes fully functional. The two forms of implant have a large number of capabilities inherent in them. These include a shield that is active all the time and will withstand attack by any weapon including a nuclear device. You are impervious to radiation, chemicals, biohazards, bullets, rockets, knives, falls from great heights, any weapon known to the people of your planet and for that matter, by the invaders. The implants activate or enhance existing telepathic capabilities that resolve any communications concerns you may have. It is secure, personal or broadcast, and it provides automatic translation to any language you encounter. You will sound like a resident of the country whose language you are speaking. You will also be able to understand any language you hear.>
<It will build you a shield so that you can still maintain personal privacy. This will include a telekinetic capability, some to a greater extent than others. You will have unaided teleportation capability up to about 5,000,000 miles and that includes the ability to see where you are going so you do not occupy an already occupied space. You will have cloaking capability so you can elect to be invisible. That capability has a range of options from complete invisibility to a shadow like form to ghost like images. It provides disguise and can obscure your features to the point that your own parents would not recognize you. It can also be pure reflective like a perfect mirror. You will be able to adopt several different appearances to protect your true identity. I know this sounds like something out of one of your comic books but there are good and practical reasons for all of this.>
<You will have speed capabilities that exceed those of your fastest jet aircraft, strength to lift a hundred times your own weight and visual acuity to 25 times normal. Hearing will be directional and focused when needed. You will be able to sense anyone within 5,000 feet of you even though they are concealed. Your bodies will be self-healing and disease resistance. Your intellectual capacity will grow well beyond what it is now. You will be able to see infrared and ultraviolet. You will not be able to see through walls but you will see heat patterns behind a wall with some clarity. Your life spans will be considerably longer. You will not need a space suit to move about in space. That is what both kinds of implants have in common. We will provide a uniform suit that helps disguise your general shape and includes a voice disguise. The suit is also impervious to the conditions in which you will be using it. It will subtly modify the appearance of your body shape to aid in disguising you. You will be able to literally adopt someone else's appearance. Your body will not leave a fingerprint unless you will it. You will not leave any genetic markers. Your body will automatically absorb sufficient energy to perform the functions you elect to use at any time. You will be able to project limited amounts of the power absorbed for personal weapons. For example you could stop a fired RPG round that is underway but you could not use that projection to say sink a ship but probably could stop a tank. It will not be to the same level as the primary implants but it will still be significant. >
<Once the governments on this planet realize that beings with these capabilities exist they will expend considerable resources trying to find and exploit them. It is what they see as a means to control and exercise power. That can't be allowed to happen so you must use your intelligence to avoid providing them with the means to find you. You will need to avoid colloquialisms that give clues to where you are located when possible or use misleading ones. I will help where I can. You will probably need to discontinue using cell phones since the GPS feature in the phone could track your movements. You will find that the telepathic talent will be more than sufficient. I will provide you with devices that look like cell phones so that you will still have the photographic features of your phone and some other features that telepathy will not replace. These will be portable stations to the ship that will give you capabilities that are not presently available on the planet. These devices are activated only by your will when in your possession.>
"That is considerably more than I expected to hear."
<Considering what needs to be faced, all that I have described would be insufficient. The primary level implants are a considerable leap beyond the secondary implants I have described. The major difference that the young people would have is the ability to deliberately absorb, reflect or deflect massive amounts of energy. If they absorb the energy, they can reformat it and redirect it to a target of their choosing. The energy they can deal with includes enemy energy weapons, atomic weapons and stellar energy to name a few. Energy so directed is more powerful than nuclear weapons and without the harmful r
adiation. The primary implant recipients essentially are weapons when threatened. They can use a variety of energy sources simultaneously. Once energy is absorbed they will need to release excess energy periodically otherwise they become detectable and holding a large amount of unused absorbed power for an extended time can damage your cell structure. The energy releases can take the form of heat, explosive blast, laser like cutting or drilling, and more. The training will describe how to absorb and release energy as needed. It will also tell you when you need to release excess energy. When absorbing energy you will not need to eat foods but I would urge that you not replace ingesting food as a routine.>
<They understand from their training, how to use an opponents own strength against him. This is an extreme variation on that theme. These implants also further enhance what has been described for the secondary implants. Since they can absorb energy from many sources they will not need to have external propulsion in space, whereas the adults will only have a limited version of this. They will be able to move about in space at great speed.>
He continued, <I am surprised that there was such a concentration of suitable persons here and only two elsewhere. In fact there is a young couple in Vladivostok, Siberia and one other couple in this area that would be suitable to this task. >
Andy said, "Aston, let me guess. The ones here, are they Edward Carter and Jane Larson, and the ones in Siberia, would they be Nikolay Ivanovich and Anya Petrova?"
<Andy, I am again impressed. Those are indeed the couples, but how could you suspect that they might be who I had in mind?>
"I considered who I knew to be the most like us in attitude, motivation and so forth and they were the only ones to come to mind. The nice thing is that Ed, Jane and their parents are coming down by boat in four days to spend the day with us. I know Nikolay and Anya from a martial arts competition in Tokyo last summer and their attitudes are very much like ours. Before we go further, I would like to say something. Everything you have told us is so far beyond any reality I would ever have anticipated that I admit that it is difficult to get my mind around it. Nevertheless, I can't ignore the fact that so many people are in danger and we can do something to prevent it." Pat looked at him and nodded agreement. "That much power is a bit of a scary prospect. I worry about the effect that might have on our ability to maintain an appropriate perspective. I wish to accept this gift from the Lotans and hope that the rest of you will join me. It looks like there is a lot of work to be done."
Bill Foster replied, "Well said, I am proud of you son, your mom and I are with you and Pat." Everyone else in the room promptly agreed that they too wished to accept. It was unanimous.
<I had hoped that would be your response, but I did not expect it would happen so quickly. I worried that the news I brought would be too much to assimilate, but I hoped. You should know that I am to act as an assistant to your conscience. If the power that you will wield appears to be headed into abuse I will let you know that is happening. I can put a time out on your abilities and restore as needed without exposing you to the consequences of removal of the enhancements permanently. The person we have seen right along to lead this effort is Andy. Our review shows that he is exceptionally disciplined and knows how to receive and consider advice. We also note that each of the young people have found their soul-mates and that will contribute to the stability of this team. The implants have all been administered. You should not experience any side effects except you will all have a body temperature that is about a degree higher than your norm for a few days while your bodies adjust to the changes. In two days we will talk of this some more. By then you should start to see changing abilities. This lake is a good place to be while this takes hold. A little time on the lake relaxing is likely the best therapy. You will also be able to exercise your new talents here away from public view.>
Andy asked, "Why have you selected me to lead, why not an adult?"
<Your actions prior to discovering me demonstrated that ability quite clearly. You were carefully analytical when facing a condition clearly outside your experience and knowledge. Jim and your Sensei have perhaps unknowingly confirmed that choice. Your actions when finding the portal were another confirmation. The leader should be a person who can wield the weapon not merely direct its use. You are clearly the leader. Do you not all agree?>
The reaction from all, including the adults, confirmed the choice.
"Can you tell us more about the Lotans."
<I can do better than that, I have some videos of them and Lota before the invasion if you wish to see it.>
As the video proceeded, Aston noted that the Lotans were very much like the Earth people in appearance with a technology base about a thousand years or more ahead of present day Earth. They were human with a reddish tinge to their skin coloration. They were a handsome and attractive people. Aston indicated that he had an extensive library to share. He also showed them a short video of the invaders. He noted that there would be many more questions and he would answer them but suggested a break. He did not wish to further overload them, as the information they had at this point was sufficient food for thought for a few days.
Chapter 3 - Completing the Team
# Day Four at Turner Lake #
# Tuesday, June 14 #
The next day they were all sunbathing on the big rock ledge in front of the cabin and Barbara was trying out one of her new abilities. She was horizontal about two feet above the ground, slowly turning over and over. "I feel like I am on a giant rotisserie and I am well done." They all laughed.
Maria asked, "Where are Jim, Andy and Pat?"
Gus responded, "They are testing their teleport capabilities. They wanted to see the Taku river and glacier from that mountain top," pointing to a peak to the East of them. "Andy tells me its spectacular. We will have to be careful that no one sees us doing these things. I want to practice the invisibility thing. That could be extremely useful in a pinch. Actually I am trying as many things as I can. Oh, oh, I just heard someone beaching a boat near the trailhead to this cabin. Sounds like six people. We had best get ready for them." Gus went on telepathically, <Andy, Chief, Pat, you had better come back. We have company coming up the trail. They should be here in about 15 to 20 minutes.>
<On our way.> Instantly, Jim, Andy and Pat appeared. They all went about normal appearing activities.
# 20 minutes later #
A voice on the trail called out, "Hello the Cabin, can we come up?"
Bill Foster called out, "Come on up."
The first persons to arrive were Ed Carter and Jane Larson followed by their parents. Andy exclaimed, "Wow, its good to see you guys, but you are a couple of days early. What happened."
Ed responded, “Dad was able to rent the USFS’ Taku Cabin because someone had to back out at the last minute and we were first on the waiting list. That means we can pop over pretty easily. So how is it going here. This location is amazing.”
“I’m really glad you came in early. We have some really strange news and you need to hear it but promise not to share it anywhere else. The news is for both families.”
“My that sounds cryptic.”
“That will prove to be the understatement of the year.”
<Andy, I have moved the portal to the ship to the double-dutch doors inside the cabin. It works the same way and this too will be a temporary portal. It will only work when the doors are in the closed position.>
<Got it, thanks Aston.>
Andy raised his voice to be heard and said, “Would everyone please gather around for a few minutes. We have some news that is going to sound a bit bizarre but all of us here are witness to the truth of what we are about to say and show you.”
Chief Jim added, “He is telling this straight and all of us can vouch for and demonstrate what he tells you. This is not a put on. It is fact. So for a few minutes put your skepticism aside and see what you think. Andy it’s your show.”
“Thanks Chief, I am not sure that show is quite the right word for
this, but here goes. The easiest way to explain this is to show you. Yesterday, the thing you will see was located in that notch across the lake. Today it has been moved. I think that all of you have been in this cabin at sometime in the past. You are familiar with the big double-dutch doors between the sleeping area and the dining area. Right.” All nodded in agreement.
“Come on inside and let me show you something.” The double doors were open and they could see the sleeping bags and equipment in the room. Andy pushed the doors closed and said, "Yesterday, up in that notch I touched a rock face on the west side of the notch and this is what happened.” As he touched the door, his hand disappeared into the door.
Ed’s father went wide eyed and said, “that’s not possible!”
Andy laughed and said, “that was kind of the thought I had yesterday when it happened with a solid rock wall. After testing it a bit we all went through the wall because we were curious and had to see what was in there. This is a portal and I want to invite you to see what is on the other side. Also a full explanation is available there.” Meanwhile, the others who had been through before were entering the portal. Some spoke back through the portal saying, “Come on in, its safe.”
Finally Ed’s father said, “Ok, curiosity is getting to me, I have to see this." He went through and exclaimed, “Sweet!” With that the rest followed and they all went through.
When they were all in the main room, Andy said, “This that you see around you is a gift to Earth from a people that are gone because of an invasion that destroyed them about a year and a half ago. They did not want us to suffer the same fate so they sent us Aston. Aston is going to fill you in on what this is all about.”