Chapter 3.8

John and I had a fantastic night. I got up in the morning and sat down at my piano. I hadn’t played in some time, and just let my fingers go, regarding all the feelings I had been experiencing with this crazy situation we found ourselves in.

I felt terrified for my husband. Amos had already killed one half brother. What was to stop him from destroying the other?

Daddy had turned off the radio contact for the computers to control Amos’ memory unit. I wasn’t sure what that would mean for the ability to change himself into something else, either.

After I had played for a long time, I stopped and was surprised when John came into my studio and sat down beside me. “That sounded great, Hon.”

With fifteen hundred years together, John knew all of my repertoire by heart, so it was no surprise when he asked, “Emotions?”

I nodded.

“Last night?” He asked.

Immediately, I jumped into a lively, happy song.

“Yeah. That's about how I figured it too.”

I stopped playing and gave him a big smile. “Okay, buster. We never did settle whether you were being truthful when you said all those things we did when we were kids were dates.”

“Is that so hard to believe?”

“I guess I have trouble with it because I knew you were straight.”

“And I will always wonder why you never transitioned when you were a teen.”

“Because I didn't know how you’d react. I decided that I would rather remain a male friend rather than risk losing you completely.”

“You never would have lost me.”

I nodded, and he pulled me up. We went out to the porch swing again, and I leaned against him as we gazed out to the water. It was perfect. An absence of the tension we had both been feeling for so long.

Until Amos walked around the side of the house again.

”Well, I suppose I’ve given you enough time.”

“Time for what?” I asked.

“Be quiet, Eugene. I want to speak to my brother.” My old name was spat out as if it was something vile.

“You killed Fredrik,” John told him. “Also, I don’t take kindly to your speaking to my wife that way.”

“I don’t give a damn what you think of my way of speaking to your wife, and you know perfectly well that you’re the brother I’m speaking of.”

“Say what?” John acted utterly shocked.

“You are my brother. My birth mother was your mother, as well. Not that she gave a thought to what happened to me after I was born.”

“Where the hell have you come up with this fantasy?” I asked, taking my cue from John.

Amos was up the steps and ready to swing at me in a heartbeat, but his fist never moved from being cocked. John’s hand was holding his in place.

“If you hit her, I swear, I will take you apart piece by piece, and your precious bots won’t be able to put you back together.” John let go of Amos’ hand and patted his right cheek. “Besides, Amos. I still owe you for all you did to us downstairs, so get your carcass off this porch, state your business, then leave, or I’m gonna kick your lousy ass all the way back to Earth. Got that?”

I couldn’t define what emotion flitted across Amos’ face, but it seemed to have an element of fear in it. Then, it was gone, and he laughed. “Very well, John. I’ll let you have your fun for now,” he said lightly as he moved onto the grass.

“As to my business, it is, as I stated. You have my crystals, and I think you have had time for someone to go into my memories and see what happened when we were infants.”

Once more, I challenged him. “And you expect us to believe this?” I was curious if I’d see more of his emotions. I wanted to know if he was afraid.

“I would never expect someone of your feminine persuasion to understand what I’m saying. Perhaps I should explain a little more. Your husband’s mother fucked my father the same time she was fucking his. When she went into labor with me, she gave birth to him as well. Why she wanted his inferior genetic makeup in her son is beyond me, but she sent me to live with his father while he got to stay with our mother and my father. He got my place in life.” His loathing for me was apparent, but he didn’t try to strike me again. That was something, at least.

He turned to John. “It is your fault that this has happened to all those people down there. You and your taking my place.”

“Assuming we were to believe you, which is a huge stretch,” I said, “None of this would be John’s fault. You have always had a choice how you treat others. You have made your choice. You have to live with it. Not John.”

“Wrong, dear sister-in-law. You, and everyone else, has to live with my choice.”

“No, Amos. We will beat you. You will be the one who cannot live with my choice. I will not allow it.” I stood up and moved to the edge of the porch and gazed down at him. Even on the same level, I was taller than him. Standing on the porch, I towered over him. “And then, you son of a bitch, right before I kill you for hurting my people, I will show you that a woman has beaten you. And I will laugh as I kill you for the last time.”

I knelt, so my head was almost down to his level. “Now,” I said sweetly, “Get your lousy ass out of our yard before John kicks you all the way back to Earth.”

“Just one second, Amos,” John said as he descended the steps. Without even a hesitation, he gave the smaller man such a powerful blow to the chin that Amos was lifted entirely off the ground and landed sprawled on the ground a few feet away. “Wow. I don’t know what happened. I must have slipped on that last step. Oops.”

He turned his back on the ‘emperor’, climbed back up the steps, took my arm, and we walked inside.

We sat down in my office and turned on the direct feed from our security system to my screen. We watched as Amos lay there, on the ground, for several minutes, unmoving.

"Do you think I killed him?" John wondered.

"I don't think so," I answered. "He's breathing."

It took another few minutes, but finally, he stood up and walked back to the door, which led to Heaven's Rose and downstairs.

I turned the screen off, then turned to my husband. "That felt good."

He nodded but said, "I wish I had killed him."

"It would have been nice, but do you really think it would have accomplished much? We would still have all those people downstairs who need to be returned to themselves."

"Rose, you don't think he's gonna change them back, do you? He isn't that cordial. Or smart."

"I suppose not. John, I want him to change. I know he won't, and maybe I'm still holding out some hope that he was telling me some truth when I dove into his memories. I felt those emotions in there, and they seemed real. It was devastating!"

He gave me a sympathetic look and nodded. "But you know he's gonna have to die."

"I know, but that doesn't make it any easier."

He moved his chair right beside mine and put an arm around me. "I don't want to sound like I don't trust you, Rosie, but do you want me to take over this operation?"

I shook my head. "I appreciate the offer, John. I really do, but I don't think I would forgive myself if I backed out now."

"Fair enough, " he told me.

Later that night, we were in my office, with the same command staff we usually worked with. We showed them our security system’s recordings of the incident.

While we were watching, Paula asked me to pause the video and then back up. I did and then stepped one frame at a time until that emotion flitted across his face.

“There!” she exclaimed in triumph, and I left it sitting on that frame.

“He’s scared,” Daddy said.

“Very,” Marc agreed.

John stared at the screen for a while. Finally, he asked, “Why?”

I wasn’t sure what response we’d get, but Mom was watching on her screen at home. “Mom?” I asked.

“I’m checking into it now. Very interesting. He doesn’t seem to know about me. He was bluffing. He also isn’t sure we have the belt buckle.”

“That’s if you’re telling the truth," I stated, needlessly.

Mom didn’t answer. I know she was upset, but I had to say it. She had pointed out that I needed to run with my gut instincts while in command, and I was taking her advice.

Finally, she said, "This is something that we haven't had to deal with before. When we left Earth, we ended up in a horrible situation. It was a war, but with a computer. Not with a real person. Now, we are dealing with someone who can think for himself, not a machine that has no free will."

"What are you getting at, Mom?" Paula asked.

Mom looked at me in sympathy. "When I injected these bots, I was trying to spare you the burden of command. I'm sorry, Rosie. I shouldn't have done that. It wasn't my call."

I nodded. "But you're right, Mom. We've never had to deal with this type of thing. I've never commanded in this type of situation. For fourteen hundred years, we've had an almost paradise here. No crime, people getting along. I wasn't prepared. I'm still not."

"What are you saying? You're not stepping down, are you?" Daddy asked.

I nodded. "Earlier, John asked me if I wanted him to lead this operation, I said 'no,' but the more I think about it, the more I think he's right. Even through all the things that have happened to me, I still can't seem to let go of the hope that Amos will change."

"That's a commendable attitude, " Paula said, "but you know he won't."

"I know, Sis. But because of that... irrational hope, I think there might come a time when I can't make the right decision. For this reason, I think I should give command to someone else."

No one said anything for a long while. Finally, Marc asked, "Who? No one else is any more prepared than you."

"You're wrong, Marc. Paula is. She beat him once. She can beat him again."

I saw Paula's head snap up at my declaration; then, she shook it. "No, Sis. It's your ship now. I gave it to you a century ago. I don't want it back. I would run the operation, and no offense, John, but I think I'm better qualified than you for that, but I won't take command. I just lost Fred to that asshole. I'm not qualified to lead."

"We've all lost someone to him, " John said.

"You haven't," said Rashda.

"Yes, I have. I just lost my parents. Again."

"You believe Mom," Paula said as a statement rather than a question.

"Yes, I do."

Mom gave a sad smile.

"I'll do it, " Daddy suddenly said.

"You want to take command?" Paula was incredulous.

"Why not? I've lost several people, but I think I'm pretty level headed." He turned to look at Mom. "Bernie, I was mad before, but I know why you did it. You saw what none of us did. We may end up sacrificing many more of our friends before this is through, but we could be the last remnants of our people. Amos has to be stopped whatever the cost."

Now was my most significant command ever. I thought about it, and he was right. "Okay, Daddy. You are in control until you choose to give it to someone else."

"Now wait a minute, Rosie..."

"I'm tired, Daddy. I want to cook. To play music. I'm done being in charge of, as you said, 'the last remnants of our people.'"

He sat, staring at me for several minutes, then finally said, "Alright."

For several weeks now, Mom reported that Amos had been searching all over the downstairs for his memory crystals. He wasn’t convinced that we didn’t have them, but he wanted to cover any bases. It was conceivable that Bob had left them somewhere downstairs, and resisted the persuasion of Freddie. As unlikely as that seemed, it was possible. What was more likely was that Bob had handed off the item to one of his friends, and that person made it back upstairs. He knew it was somewhere on board, because he could still access it, but he couldn’t tap into the computer.

"Vern," Mom alerted Daddy in a meeting one day. "I'm afraid the time has come to act."

"What's wrong, Bernie?"

"Amos has decided to adapt a computer to interface with his crystals in a similar way to his buckle computer."

Daddy snapped his head around. "Are you sure?" he asked, but I could tell he already knew the answer.

She nodded, and when he turned his head to face us, he looked much older than just a few moments ago.

"Okay, everyone. It's time. What are our options?"

"We're not finished, " Winston told him. "It's not even usable yet."

"Why isn't it usable?"

"It takes a power supply the size of the generator in this bay to run it!" Trent was aghast.

"Hold that thought," Daddy told them.

"Paula, can you have some of your people in invisibility suits at the ready?"

"How many?"

"This is it, people—all of them."

He went on to explain his plan, and I don't think any of us were thrilled, but he was our commander, and we had all been ready for this, just in case.

We worked hard for the next four days. So many of the population helped. Most of us helped Winston and Trent with their invention. Every access tube to the other side of the ship was covered by it.

I spent hours in my kitchen, preparing food for the workers, as Heaven's Rose was cleared out. As the last of my tools were removed and taken to the bay, I took one last look at what had been my favorite hangout for centuries. I started up to my house where I knew I was going to have a good cry.

Once everything was ready, we met in the center of the town near our house beyond the lake and the woods. We had talked about it, and the town was now referred to as Freeman City. It wasn’t a city, as the population was just a little more than two thousand. The total population of Neo22 was approximately five times that many. About two thirds of that were downstairs, in the part ‘owned’ by Amos. We were about to make a proposition to the self made emperor of the ‘underworld’ as it were. I was there for two reasons. One, I had been the commander of the ship for several years previously, and two, I was the daughter of the new commander. I had taken myself out of the chain of command – well, not really out of the chain, but a few links down. The chances of me becoming the commander again, were about as much as the secretary of Education suddenly finding herself President. Not impossible, but very unlikely.

Paula was second only to Daddy, now. Our confrontation with Amos was Daddy’s plan, but Paula was responsible for its execution.

We moved to the passageway down, and made sure that the field Winston and Trent had built was in operation, then we made our way to the giant opening into the center ring.

We had had an ace that no-one but four security men and Doctor Jack knew about. I told Daddy right after he took command, and he had now made use of it. When Doctor Sylvia, Bob, and two other security men went downstairs, Bob and one of the security men had died. Sylvia returned with Amos’ belt buckle, but the last security man had remained behind, keeping an eye on things, while we, in turn, had two people keeping an eye on him at all times.

Now, he had made his presence known to Amos, and was extending our invitation to come upstairs via the command center.

We waited. Mom had come out of her home for this final ‘showdown’ and stood beside me. She announced that Amos and Ralph, the security man, were on their way up, through the command center. She kept us informed of their progress. When they were almost to the access point into our inner ring, she told me, then stepped forward to Daddy's side. John took my hand, and we watched as the absolutely white-skinned Amos stepped into the ring across the way from us. That ring was nearly a quarter mile across, and he and Ralph started crossing. Partway to us, Ralph turned to his left, and made his way toward the next bay, and then through the door into it.

Amos stopped walking, and looked somewhat surprised, as a sound like a horrible windstorm erupted behind him, and then to the sides. Finally, it sounded between us, and stopped. He was at the opening, and he started to move again.

“I wouldn’t, if I were you,” Daddy told him.

“You’ve managed a force field,” Amos said, nodding his head appreciatively. “Impressive.” He reached up. “Can I touch it?” He asked. He honestly sounded curious.

“Well, you can, but I’m not responsible for what it does to you.”

Amos chuckled. “That bad, is it?”

“I don’t know. No human has touched one. We tested it with a cow. It walked right into the field, and flew back fifty meters. We didn’t even have to grind the hamburger.”

Amos withdrew his hand a bit. “Is that why I feel a breeze near it?”

Daddy nodded.

“So it would appear that the larger the mass, the harder it is repelled.”

“So it would seem,” Daddy agreed.

“Is this what you wanted to show me, Mister Richards?”

Mom held up her hand, in which she held the buckle.

“It appears you have me in check,” Amos observed.”

“Not mate?”

“No. I still have a few aces up my sleeve.”

“Chess, poker. Why don’t you stop with the metaphors,” Paula said disgustedly.”

“It’s alright, Baby,” Daddy told her.

“Baby,” Amos laughed. “The man who had me tortured and killed is called ‘Baby’. How ironic.”

“In thirty seconds, this half of the station will be blown loose, from the rest. We will sacrifice those in the downstairs section, but we will survive. You, however, will not, as the field behind you will release and you will be ejected.” Daddy showed no emotion at all as he informed Amos of his near future.

Amos showed no surprise or fear, as he turned to Mom. “Mrs, Richards, I suggest that you search my memories of when I was using Carla’s body. When I first came aboard this ship.”

Mom dove, and when she came out of it, she told us, “He has placed a fail-safe device in the command center. If he gets more than approximately ten and a half miles from it, the command center will explode, taking the entire downstairs, and probably us with it.”

“Checkmate,” Amos said to Paula.

“No, Amos. it’s not.” Once again, Daddy showed no emotion. “At this point, I don’t give a damn. You can blow up the command center if you want. We may live, or we may not. I don’t care.”

I believe Amos could see that Daddy was dead serious.

“Very well. I’ll make you a counter proposal. My life, and freedom from you, for your daughter, Carla.”

I gasped in hope, and I think Mom did as well.

“Where are her crystals?”

“Very intuitive, Mister Richards. They are buried in the bottom of the lake. Their computer is turned off. Turn it back on, and she’s all yours.”

“You know this isn’t over, Amos,” Daddy told him.

“I wouldn’t expect it to be,” Amos replied and turned to walk toward the command center. The field opened and closed, then he was gone.

Five minutes later, Daddy quietly told John, “Do it.”

John gripped my hand tightly, and pulled a remote out of his pocket with his other hand. He turned it on, then pressed the single button.

BOOM!

The sound was like six thousand souls crying out to us for our betrayal.

I agreed.

The End

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Author's Note: This is the end of the first book. The second is in the works.
The station is now split into two sections, and flying side by side. Now what?