“Test chamber is fully pressurized, Doctor.” Christina reported.
We had been patiently waiting for the ten minutes to elapse to initiate the IPDs5 demo. While we had waited, I had silently conjured and concealed a concentrated mass of Current in the displayed Lifeboat outside. I had asked that it provide ‘reserve power’ to the pod as the ancient battery failed.
“Everhardt. Bring the MPB online.” Smithe ordered and she quickly and efficiently carried out the request.
“IPDs5 control system coming online, Doctor.” Chen reported; his eyes never budged from the display screen. “Controller online.” He added.
“As we did before, Everhardt. Initialize IPDs5 Emitter.”
Christina clicked her mouse a couple times and we heard a slightly louder whistling noise than yesterday’s demo through the plywood walls. It reminded me of reaching my threshold above Taos.
“IPDs5 Emitter initialized and online, Doctor.” She confirmed.
“1% control signal, Everhardt.”
Again Christina made the necessary adjustments and the display marked ‘Monitor 1’ showed the new emitter start to glow a dull red.
“Load cells are reading four thousand pounds of thrust, Doctor.” Chen announced.
I, as well as Anna, gasped in awe of the sheer power this thing was producing! I mean… to see the dawn of a new age in space travel… in person!
Chen seemed awestruck as well.
“Chen? Run the joystick around the outer extents to test the array response.”
As he had done during yesterday’s test of the lifeboat, Chen slowly moved the joystick on his console around in a circle and closely monitored the test chamber load cells.
“Tracking accuracy within 1% with only a four nanosecond response delay. WOW!” He reported, finally succumbing to his building excitement.
In my peripheral, Anna leaned down to Christina.
“So. When can you start? This thing is completely off the charts, honey.”
“IPDs5 Internal Convertor is receiving all of its power from the IPD positive feedback circuit. External MPB load is 0%.” She announced.
“Open External MPB. Let’s see how this responds on internal only.” Dr. Smithe requested.
“External power bus is now disconnected from IPDs5 test unit, Doctor.” Christina announced.
Chen quickly looked out to the prototype lifeboat on display just outside the Control room.
“So how much can your test stand withstand, Dr. Smithe?” Maj. Summers inquired. “I mean if this system is this efficient, shouldn’t we consider putting it in our next generation fighters and transports?”
“Our test chamber is certified to one million pounds of force. Each load cell is rated at over two million, Major Summers.”
“Can we take it up to… say five hundred thousand pounds, Doc?” Maj. Summers requested.
“Have the ‘Deadman’ cables been attached and tested, Chen?” Smithe asked.
“Everhardt and I double checked them before we started depressurization last evening, doctor.”
Smithe nodded happily.
“Everhardt? Start ramping up the control signal until the load cells indicate five hundred thousand pounds of thrust. Coordinate with her, Chen.” Smithe requested.
Christina turned and looked into Chen’s eyes. She didn’t seem too enthusiastic about complying with his request, but Chen smiled and winked at her in support.
“2% Control signal.”
“Eight thousand pounds.” Chen announced.
“3% Control signal.” Christine said.
“Sixteen thousand pounds.”
We gasped.
“BPS has stabilized and charging system is tending. IPDs5 Emitters are now self-sustaining. 4%.”
“Thirty-eight thousand.”
Christina’s mouth dropped open and her eyes looked ready to drop out of their sockets, but she made another adjustment with her mouse.
“5%.” She announced nervously.
“Eighty thousand!” Chen announced excitedly.
“6%.”
“My God! Two hundred thousand!” Chen declared.
Christina began biting or maybe chewing on her lower lip nervously.
“7%.”
“Five hundred thousand-eight hundred! Hooooly shit, Christina!”
“Bravo, Miss Everhardt! Dr. Smithe, you have one helluva team here! Dr. Green and I can hardly believe what we’re seeing here! Astounding!” Anna beamed with pride at the accomplishment.
“Take it up another percentage!” General Mann demanded. “You engineering types always underrate things.”
“Gen. Mann, I would strongly advise against any further control increase. If my observations are correct, the next percent advancement will more than double the thrust the IPDs5 is producing. Please reconsider your request?” Dr. Smithe insisted.
Doc? The foundation cells are already reporting excessive strain. The whole test chamber might launch if we give it any more.” Chen advised.
“Just take the damn thing up another percent, Smithe!” The DOD isn’t paying your project to cut and run!”
“General?” Maj. Summers called for the man’s attention. “I’m with Smithe on this one, sir. They’ve already established what would seem to be a new benchmark in interstellar propulsion systems. If this IPD produces five hundred thousand at just seven percent, I’m sure even you can figure out the math on what it can really do! Let’s not push our luck.”
“Summers? It’s your butt that this thing is going to be hurtling through the solar system! I’d think you in particular would be curious about its max output!” Gen. Mann argued.
“General, I have complete confidence in this team’s abilities! I’m satisfied this propulsion system is our ticket to exploring our solar system in a relatively short time.”
Charles was busy tapping away on his tablet.
“General? By my calculations sir, this IPD system will produce in excess of four trillion pounds of viable thrust! Hell! That’s enough force to change the orbit of Earth by…” He tapped something else into his tablet. He gulped loudly.
“Point thirty-eight degrees!”
“Noted, Colonel, now take it up another percent, Everhardt!” Mann demanded.
Everyone seemed to look to Dr. Smithe for his decision. With a much-wrinkled brow, he gave a very slow and slight nod.
Gods, this had to be hard on Chance! I wondered how she was able to concentrate on holding her disguise!
Christina’s hand was shaking violently as she reached for and moved her mouse to apply the requested change.
Unfortunately, Anna, Chance, and I knew what was coming next. It took everything I had not to call my wand and throw a protective shield up around my sister!
“Shut it down!” Chen screamed as he punched the emergency shutdown mushroom on his console.
Since the IPDs5 was self-sustaining that made no difference.
I noticed the test chamber- as a whole- lurch forward a few inches.
“Shit! She’s breaking loose! Everyone evacuate the Control room!” Chen shouted at the top of his lungs.
“You Fucking Asshole!” Maj. Summers shouted, grabbing his superior and thrusting him through the thin, plywood door. “You are fucking dead meat, Mann!”
The two men crashed out through the flimsy control room door and the rest of us hurried out also.
A loud ‘thud’ and the sound of heavy metal groaning told me that the IPD was probably free of its mountings and pushing against the test chamber walls!
The disheartening groaning and moaning coming from behind the thick test chamber walls was deafening!
Anna, I, and the others had made it back to the Garage entrance doors when all hell broke loose! The ear-splitting squeal of metal finally reaching its failure point caused us to turn around.
To my horror, Christina flew from the exploding Control Room and straight into that dreaded Lifeboat! Whether Anna or Chance helped her hit her target, I really didn’t want to know! The force of her hitting back first knocked the prototype from its display stand causing it to land flat on the concrete. The lifeboat’s hatch slammed closed and its emitters initialized immediately!
“Oh God!” I screamed in genuine horror!
“What’s happening, Ichi?” Smithe demanded.
“Christina’s in there. She was thrown in by whatever blew the Control building to shreds!” He rushed his explanation, but I didn’t hear the screaming and pounding coming from the lifeboat as Christina’s remembrance had indicated.
“Oh, God, no!” Smithe shouted in terror.
“Where’s Christina?” Anna asked urgently while rubbing her ears to clear them.
“In there!” I pointed to the lifeboat as it slowly rose off the ground and hovered about two feet off the concrete driveway.
“What on Earth?” Anna gasped.
“I finished the emergency escape programming and loaded it in last night so we could test it tomorrow.” Chen explained; whether to us or to Dr. Smithe, I wasn’t sure.
I noticed the small observation window on the module fog- just as we had found it back at base!
Had we really condemned this promising, young woman to fourteen hundred years in deep space? I instantly felt dirty and ashamed.
Unbelievably, the lifeboat changed orientation- nose to the heavens- toward space- then, with several crisp sonic booms and several emitter-driven tornados, disappeared from view. Charli had been right about the event, it truly was spectacular!
In a very morbid way.
Maj. Summers, heatedly rearranging Gen. Mann’s face, stopped and turned.
“What the hell was that?” He demanded.
“Apparently their lifeboat works perfectly.” I deadpanned frigidly. It was the only way I could think of to keep my eyes from blazing bright orange!
“Christina!” Smithe…or was it actually Chance, agonizingly screamed to the sky!
From my standpoint it was Chance and not the character of ‘Phynnias Smithe’ lamenting what she had done.
“Can one of you contact the authorities? I want this nerf-herder arrested and placed in irons!” Anna shouted to any of us that would listen.
I wondered how she resisted calling her wand!
“I want him charged with premeditated murder!” She demanded.
‘…Before I turn this ass into a slug!’ I imagined her continuing, but I instead nodded my head and agreed with her verbal proclamation!
 
 

 
 
“That had to be the most despicable thing I think I’ve ever had to do.” I was still admonishing myself as Anna and I were shown a booth at a local bar in the bustling urban center called ‘Oakland’ several days later.
We had basically been sequestered in Pittsburgh while an investigation was being conducted.
“Remember that it wasn’t our fault, ladies. The blame rests solely on Gen. Mann! He thought he knew better than everyone else!” Charles Armstrong tried to comfort, as he and Maj. Summers appeared then politely asked if we wanted company.
Anna and I slid further into the booth’s benches.
“That doesn’t make it any better, Colonel! We just stood there and watched as…” I growled before he cut me off.
“Did you realize that NSA guys always carried handcuffs, Hopewell?” Charles asked in an upbeat tone as he tried to change the mood and subject.
“A better question would be why they didn’t pull their holdouts!” Maj. Summers growled angrily.
‘Hope really never changed’, I thought to myself as I began to look at the single page menu.
“Maybe they couldn’t get a good resolution because some crazy leatherneck was busy beatin’ the shit out of him, Hopewell! Pardon my French, ladies.” Charles answered sarcastically, but apologized for his language. Little did he know that we had heard much worse!
“And in reply to your statement, there was nothing we could’ve done given the superb programming their ‘lifeboat’ was given.”
Someone seated at the bar caught my attention.
“Hey! Isn’t that Christina’s boyfriend over there?” I asked and tried not to point or be obvious or anything to the guy obviously nursing his drink.
“Poor kid must be shattered to pieces!” Anna sighed.
Before we could say anything else a young man seated on the stool next to Chen poked him in the arm.
“Hey! Ain’t you that guy I seen with that tall, manly dike? Ain’t seen it around fer a few days. And what’s up with its blue hair, man? Freaky!” We heard the guy say rudely.
“Leave it go, Sanders,” Chen- obviously knowing the guy- warned, but continued. “I’m Asian so therefore I know several types of martial arts. You wouldn’t last one round.”
“And she’s not a ‘dike’ either.” He added protectively, though sadly.
“Pretty ugly fuckin’ chick if you ask me.” ‘Sanders’ pushed. “Would be surprised if she didn’t have a Johnson.”
“Can you believe that asshole?” Charles commented as we could all hear the conversation from our booth.
“I’d like to show him who the ‘freaky’ one is…”
“Leave it go, Hopewell! You’re already in enough shit with the brass and we’ll be lucky if you don’t get dismissed from the mission. So, just leave it go, buddy.”
Despite my promise to Chance not to use my wand, I called it after moving my hand under the table to ‘fix’ my pant leg.
“Hey! Lucky! I know this kid and he’s damn good. I think you should leave while you can.” The bartender advised having taken notice of us- Major Summers- and come to Chen’s rescue.
“Who you callin’ ‘Lucky’?” ‘Sanders attacked.
I flicked my wand then smiled wickedly as I dismissed it.
“You, cause if Chen don’t wipe the floor with yer dumb ass then the Major over there’s gonna give you a quick education in manners. Ain’t that right, Major? Semper Fi, brother!”
Maj. Summers gave a predatory grin to ‘Sanders’ and nodded appreciatively to the barkeep- apparently a fellow Marine.
This Sanders guy thought about his situation- at least I hoped that’s what he was pondering. He apparently reached a conclusion and quickly stood from his stool…
…and promptly stumbled as we heard several ‘clicks’ and ‘clacks’ as he awkwardly tried to recover his balance.
Anna glared across the table at me and I just winked and turned to watch the strange event unfold as laughter erupted from the bar’s surprisingly observant patronage and staff!
“Those pumps definitely don’t go with yer outfit, sugar.” Our waitress- the bar’s only waitress- smirked as she nonchalantly walked past into the kitchen to pick up her next order.
I was surprised ‘Sanders’ didn’t break his neck running out of the place! He could’ve just taken the three-inch heels off and walked out in his ‘suntan’ stocking feet.
“Now there’s somethin’ ya don’t see every day, Chancy.” Charles said in a slow, tired, deliberate voice, miraculously keeping a straight face.
Maj. Summers followed script.
“What’s that, Abner?”
“A guy wearing fusia heels with blue jeans.” Charles continued in the same voice.
“Shame. It’s past Easter, too.” Maj. Summers deadpanned.
Anna and I burst out laughing and took several minutes to regain our composure.
“I don’t get it.” Anna continued to giggle. “Why would he accuse Christina of being the freak when he himself was rather um…similar?”
“The guy was probably cursed. Must have pissed off a witch somewhere close by.” Charles answered without a thought.
Anna’s mouth dropped open and I had the same thoughts of being caught running through my head also.
“I had a great uncle that always said that when something… off-handed… strange occurred. He’d always follow that up with the same old story of how his wife was a practicing Wiccan and had cursed him with fifty years of wedded bliss.” Charles explained with a noticeable smile to ease our shock.
 
 

 
 
“Whatever happened to: ‘I promise, Chance. I won’t use my magic no matter how bad these people piss me off’?” Anna attacked at normal volume as soon as she locked our hotel room door.
“I just couldn’t stand seeing him bully Chen like that, Anna! He’s been through enough! Besides, I only put the ass into three-inch heels and a matching, semi-transparent lace thong. It wasn’t like I transformed his man-bits!”
Anna’s face instantly turned bright red!
“You didn’t?!” I accused.
She nodded slowly.
“Complete with a heavy-duty tampon which should be ready to be changed if he hasn’t done it already.” She added quietly.
After both of us settled down, I looked to my roomie.
“Hey, kettle, what time is our deposition scheduled for tomorrow?” I asked.
“Why… 10:30AM down at their Federal Building, Pot.”
It took a while to stop laughing then even longer to get to sleep.
 
 

 
 
“Oh… hey… At least one of us got some sleep.” Anna greeted as she came out of the bathroom towel-drying her hair. “So how many times did you relive Christina’s gut-wrenching departure last night?”
“Way more than I care to think about! I just tried telling myself we have her back- safe and sound.” I replied as I rubbed the sand from my tired eyes then conjured a mirror. “It didn’t work so well.”
Both of us were going to need a lot of magic to cover these bags!
 
 

 
 
“I’m surprised. You two look surprisingly well-rested given the shit-storm we’ve went through already and are about to face again today.” Maj. Summers greeted as only he could when we arrived in the hotel lobby.
“We are both well versed in battlefield camouflage, and have claimed victory in many difficult campaigns, Major.” I announced proudly.
Little did these boys know!
Anna coughed and almost gagged!
Charles and Maj. Summers stared at her in concern.
“You alright, Corkie?” Summers asked.
Anna nodded as she cleared her throat a few times.
“Saliva went down the wrong hole.” She croaked while waving him off.
 
 

 
 
“And can you reiterate the precise sequence of events in proper order for us, Dr. McCorkle?” The Army Lawyer requested for a third time this morning.
Anna sighed heavily and rolled her eyes. I could tell she was getting fed up with this jackass’s badgering.
“Mr. Katsin. I thought this was to be just a deposition and not an actual inquisition? Have you some intermittent form of hearing loss that the military review board should be told about?” Anna asked, keeping her cool- though she blatantly refused to pronounce his rank of ‘Captain’.
“Please give the requested information, Ms. McCorkle.”
“That’s ‘Doctor’ McCorkle, little Jimmy Katsin. And I see no reason to continue badgering me for a complete and detailed sequence of events when I’ve already stated these facts twice this morning. Agent Quay, could you have both my previous answers read back so that Little Jimmy here can comprehend? He seems to lack the cohesion to subject matter required for his specific line of employment.”
NSA Special Agent Quay sighed loudly and focused all his attention on the repetitive attorney.
“Dr. McCorkle is quite correct in her observations, Mr. Katsin. Shall we get back to this ‘deposition’?
“Special Agent, my client has the right to a fair and unbiased trial and to do that we need to make sure the facts are as specific and truthful as possible.” The ass…attorney lectured.
“Then perhaps surveillance footage of the events and subsequent actions will provide the exacting detail you require, Mr. Katsin.” Phynnias Smithe suggested as he was admitted into the conference room we were seated in.
“I saw no surveillance equipment in that makeshift shack you people called a control room!” Gen. Mann declared angrily. “This has got to be a manufactured hoax! They’re trying to set me up for their failure!”
“I assure you, General, the surveillance was there. I record all tests and demonstrations in the event that something unseen happens. Review of that footage helps our research progress.
Smithe handed over the memory stick to the agents and we watched in absolute disgust as the events of that dreadful morning last week passed before our eyes once more.
 
 

 
 
Slightly over a month later we were again in Pittsburgh and were ushered into a moderate-sized conference room on the CMU Campus. A distinguished older woman exhibiting a very closely guarded expression greeted us with a slight, silent nod. According to our invitation she was none other than the sitting president of Carnegie Mellon University, Dr. Alexandra Francis Covington, PHD.
We quickly took seats and waited patiently for her to start our meeting.
After about ten standard minutes, I was thinking the meeting would be conducted telepathically because not one word had been uttered by anyone in this room. I began to wonder how much longer Maj. Summers or Col. Armstrong would allow this status quo to continue.
“I still can’t believe she’s gone.” Ichi Chen moaned quietly, leaning back in his chair placing his hands to his face then rubbing his eyes dry- effectively breaking the awkward stalemate.
“She had such a brilliant career ahead of her.” He lamented as Agent Quay also closed his eyes tightly looking across the table to him with a sad expression.
We all knew how much this young man cared for Christina. To not, you had to have been blind and in cryogenic stasis on the surface of Asteroid Theta Ten in the barren Medula system!
A middle-aged- for this era- woman, tastefully dressed in fashionable business attire, gracefully entered the President’s conference room and gently closed the left double door behind her.
The university president remained silent and acknowledged her arrival with just another nod.
“I’m sorry to be tardy, but Prof. Samuels, our robotics department head, simply wouldn’t take no for an answer. Phynnias?” She apologized but seemed surprised Dr. Smithe was in attendance. She seemed to completely ignore her superior.
“I’ve reviewed your proposal and the affidavits of all of you in attendance and have some questions. First off, you stated, and our enrollment records clearly show, Miss Everhardt was single with no living parents or next of kin, correct?”
“That is correct, Dean Sangiere. Everhardt’s parents died last year in an automotive accident near their home in Venango County. I don’t know the exact details though.” Smithe answered as he faced the newest arrival to the room.
She nodded in acceptance.
“And Dr. McCorkle. You and Dr. Green claim the apparatus developed by Miss Everhardt has the potential to revolutionize space travel by providing superior thrust, reliability, and economy? Please explain.” She asked nodding to the still silent university president.
“Dean Sangiere, the device we witnessed in operation on the day of the incident completely rewrites the science of atmospheric and extra-planetary propulsion. At only eighty-five pounds in weight, it is capable of producing roughly the same thrust as one thousand and fifty Saturn V first-stage boosters! And, is completely self-sustaining once enabled.”
President Covington blinked, but said nothing.
Dean Sangiere’s mouth dropped wide open and she began to pale.
“My word! I…” She gasped and her voice trailed off.
“She was amazing, Dean Sangiere. I’d never met anyone like her.” Ichi Chen interrupted. He looked on the brink of losing all composure.
Even knowing Christina’s brilliant future, I found myself blotting tears from my eyes with a convenient tissue.
“Dean Sangiere. I have completed and await the university’s permission to file the necessary paperwork for an International Patent through the IPT for the new IPD Ion Propulsion Drive System and for Miss Everhardt’s new ‘Phased Emitter Array’, in her name. Mr. Chen and I thought it only fitting that she get the credit due her for her outstanding ingenuity.”
“Why Phynnias. I’m very surprised at you. I didn’t know you to be so magnanimous. If not to you where might the proceeds from such patents go since Miss Everhardt is…” Dean Sangiere seemed genuinely impressed, but stopped instantly as she looked around the room to all the sad faces.
“Ma’am… I have recently learned that Miss Everhardt was transgendered, so I suggest any patent royalties be deposited into a world-wide scholarship fund managed by this institution to benefit those of the Alternative community whom wish to better their understanding of the cosmos.”
“Madam President?” NSA Special Agent Quay interrupted and our attentions turned to the senior NSA Agent in attendance that fateful day.
“I strongly request a delay in filing those international patents, ma’am. Since the design and development was funded in part by the NSA, we recommend filing U.S. patents at this time only. I agree that Miss Everhardt’s name be applied as principle, but interest has been shown in utilizing the CMU team’s developments for national security. I’m quite sure our NASA contingent has recognized the same applications since word is they intend on utilizing the IPD system in their next Orion mission- a noble and dignified gesture to the late Christina Everhardt’s short but illustrious legacy.”
That was all Ichi Chen could take as he erupted from his seat and silently excused himself with just choking sobs and sniffling.
“Special Agent Quay?” The still silent university president finally spoke. “The discoveries and developments undertaken by this university have always been considered ‘international’, but I can understand your concerns. Dr. Smithe’s team’s breakthrough and subsequent bittersweet success could be corrupted if received into the hands of those harboring malevolent intentions. Therefore, I concur and recommend only a ‘classified’ U.S. Patent be filed for both the Ion Propulsion Drive and the Everhardt Phased Array Propulsion Emitter and that any International Patent applications be delayed for one decade. Would that be acceptable to all in this room?”
We all nodded.
“Furthermore,” President Covington added, “the Ion Drive’s patent- both national and international-must include the names: Dr. Phynnias Smithe and Dr. Sunichi Chen Jr. as well as Dr. Christina Everhardt.”
“Madam President?” Dean Sangiere gasped in surprise at the decree.
“Could someone please ask Mr. Chen to come back in if he is able?” Covington requested as she pressed a finger to her left ear.
Five standard minutes passed before one of the conference room’s doors slowly opened and Ichi Chen silently, shyly made his way back to his seat.
“Mr. Chen?” President Covington broke the awkward silence present before his re-arrival. “In the most unbiased introspective possible could you describe Miss Everhardt’s bearing and propriety during your short interaction? In short, could you describe her character, focus, and her professionalism?”
“Excellent, m-ma’am. Christina’s pro-professionalism in m-my view was extraordinary. Though c-completely focused on her work, she…she was still approachable and presented a-an aire of understanding and compassion most…most geniuses of her c-caliber lack.”
“Thank you, Mr. Chen. Reading her transcripts, I tend to agree with that concise, heartfelt summation. Therefore,” the university president leaned over to her right and retrieved a folder from her unseen satchel.
“Last evening, in the joint presence of the Senior Administration, Provost, and Board of Trustees, and given Christina Everhardt’s stellar academic record, I proposed a rarely considered, rarely conveyed honorarium. In fact, the particulars spoke for themselves and given the added written testimonies of both national agencies, private entities, and University Faculty, a unanimous decision was agreed upon.”
Standing up, President Covington, carefully placed the relatively thin manila folder on the table and opened it in front of Ichi Chen and Dr. Smithe.
“By decry of the Carnegie Mellon University Administration, Christina Everhardt- as of 2306hrs, 25 May, 2102- has hereby been declared a doctor in the specialized subject and theory of Astrophysical Science with all the benefits and responsibilities due the achievement.”
Ichi Chen slowly, solemnly reached toward the official document with severely trembling hands- a diploma- a gold embossed label declaring ‘Magna Cum Laude’ after Christina’s name.
He gently touched it and tears again began gently rolling down both cheeks.
“Madam President? I humbly request a copy of this prestigious document of achievement to be displayed proudly in Scaife Hall as a tribute to the woman’s ingenuity and sacrifice.” Dr. Smithe requested.
She nodded.
“Madam President?” Anna spoke up. “I too request a copy to display in our gallery back at JPL in Houston. If Marta and I are correct, Miss Everhardt’s accomplishments… the CMU team’s contributions in total- have just started and we agree her legacy will spread afar into the far, far future. Having spent only a fraction of time in her presence, we representing the Kuiper Belt Mission Project have been taken by her drive, intelligence, and personable, warm character. She is the epitome of what we at NASA all strive for in our missions and projects.”
“Damn, Corkie! I couldn’t have said it better!” Maj. Summers chuckled.
“No, I believe you couldn’t have, Hopewell.” Anna giggled.
“Maj. Summers. Congratulation on your reinstatement as mission commander of the Kuiper Belt Mission, by the way.” The university president congratulated with a stiff smile. “I have a feeling your upcoming mission will prove very educational and possibly even more. Good day, ladies and gentlemen.”
President Covington gracefully nodded to us, stood, and exited the conference room leaving the folder of several duplicates of Christina’s diploma.
How did she know?
I began to wonder if… Alas, it was too late for me to scan for either the presence of a fellow sister or an Olympian.
Did it really matter though?
“Feel like pizza at that joint over on Negley, ladies?” Hopewell suggested as we began to stand and prepared to leave this meeting. Charles Armstrong nodded gleefully with a smile.
“Only if Ichi, Phynnias, Quay and Dean Sangiere can join us, guys.” Anna bargained.
Each nodded their approval.
“Done!” He declared.
“You’re still going to buy though, right, Major?” I asked coyly as I batted my eyelashes seductively.
Summers stopped abruptly for just a moment.
“Sure! Why the hell not! Of course I’m buyin’!”
 
 

 
 
“Welcome back, Ladies.” Mrs. Everhardt exclaimed excitedly as we all released hands and looked around Christina’s business office.
Ever since Christina re-appeared to transport us back to this office, she had been uncharacteristically quiet. Chance suggested we leave her to whatever it was she had to work through- that she would open up when she decided it appropriate.
“So how long were we gone, Mrs. Everhardt?” I asked when nothing looked different from what I remembered. It had been nine years and twelve days, by our perspective, since Chance, Morgana, Christina and I had left this very room.
I was also very glad to look like myself once again.
“About twenty-five standard minutes, Sugar Plum. Colleen, Hope, and I were comparing notes.” Aunt Cora answered instead.
Both Christina’s eyes and mine shot to our aunt in worry!
“Oh, give it a rest, girls!” Mrs. Everhardt giggled out.
“We were comparing notes on my upcoming reign of terror over the Antarran countryside.” Mrs. Everhardt joked tensely.
Christina nodded solemnly, turned, and opened the office door to silently exit.
“What’s up with her, Link?” Mrs. Everhardt asked me quietly. It took a few seconds to realize she was talking to me since I hadn’t used my real name in years.
I shrugged my shoulders in response and headed for the door in silence too.
 
 

 
 
“Everything go as planned, girls?” Mr. Everhardt asked as we climbed into his vehicle.
“Although they have been closed-mouthed since returning, and therefore haven’t revealed a thing, I think both missions were completed, Louis. I suggest we just go home and allow our guests to decompress.” Mrs. Everhardt told her husband from the front, passenger seat.
“Got it. Fouled-Up, But As Required.” He said with a nod before starting the ancient combustion engine and placing the vehicle into reverse.
 
 

 
 
“So what will Morgana do now, Chance?” I asked to break the stifling atmosphere in the SUV as we headed back to the Everhardt farm.
“She’s still working. Remember? For the next eight years?”
“Sorry, forgot about that aspect of time travel.” I apologized as I considered Morgana resuming her disguise as Dr. Bloise now that we were back in this time period. My mind though stubbornly wondered forward through time again and initiated yet another remembrance of Christina’s terrible incident.
Confusingly, my stint at NASA seemed in the past now- me having lived as Marta Green for nine Terran years. That terrible day now not so pronounced as it once had been. I was callus to my life there because I now had a very comprehensive understanding of late 21st and early 22nd century American society. In particular, the darker side of the society that Hope, Chantell, and Charles returned to after the completion of their ground-breaking Kuiper Belt mission. Experience gained when Anna and I had been asked- and therefore our contracts extended- to analyze and reverse engineer the Lynxin modifications done to Pegasus and… and to Hope- the later sitting next to me and staying unusually quiet. Did she feel embarassed that I now had a better understanding of her past life? Or was it the awkwardness of her knowing I was Dr. Green?
Unfortunately, I now had a completely new and full understanding of the terms ‘prejudice’ and ‘discrimination’. I also learned many new slurs and slanderous terms, which I choose to delete from my personal dictionary!
My respect for my transformed Coven sister soared to new heights, witnessing her resolve in the days after Pegasus’ return to Earth!
How could people be that hateful and derogatory to someone so courageous as to venture outside their planetary system for the very first time?
And to claim first contact and establish peaceful relations with the inhabitants of a neighboring star system!
Hope, though at times ready to ‘throw in the towel’, honored her military upbringing and training, and pushed her new life forward…
Despite all the self-proclaimed demon-slayers, ‘Bible-thumpers’, and self-righteous ignorants!
I had helped her… them cope where I could, though it was hard to keep my magical nature hidden from both her, Chantell, and Charles.
“Link, honey? You going to get out of the truck sometime today?” Mr. Everhardt asked gently, thereby returning my attention to this reality.
“We’re here already?” I asked as I looked around and saw the inside of the Everhardts’ equipment barn surrounding us.
“Been back home for an hour now. I decided I could do some maintenance I’ve been putting off on the old McCormick over there just so you wouldn’t be alone when you finally decided to return to us, honey. Your mission gave you plenty to think about, I take it?” He asked.
“I have nine years of living in this era to think about, sir- nine years of heartache, pain, and disappointment, but also an equal amount of excitement, relationships, good times, and wondrous innovations. I’m still having trouble wrapping my head around all I’ve witnessed and done… All the achievements I’ve been a participant to.”
“I’d imagine it very overwhelming- on par with your arrival and what I’m about to experience in the coming weeks? Imagine! I’m going to another world!” He swooned.
“I can imagine that very well, Mr. Everhardt. Remember, I’m from one of those ‘other worlds’ and have visited many others.”
Mr. Everhardt chuckled and shook his head.
“Looking at you girls, I find that so hard to believe… you’re all so ‘normal’…” He said before pausing a few seconds.
“Then one of you does something completely off the wall… completely out of the realm of possibility and I’m forced to reconsider my actual reality.”
“It was a similar experience for me, sir. Although I heard Christina talk about this era, I wasn’t expecting the raw truth actually being there so blatantly. I think it forced me to mature faster than I expected.”
“So you’re what, twenty-four now, honey?” He asked gently.
I nodded.
Mr. Everhardt silently turned, walked over to his workbench, opened a cabinet door, and removed a glass bottle and two paper cups.
I’ve had this in here for Christina’s twenty-first.” He said as he poured some in both cups and handed one to me.
“Here’s to maturity and the innocence we lost and will never get back because of it.” He said raising his cup to me.
“And to the lessons we’ve learned along the way.” I added, raising my paper cup.
We bumped our paper cups together and drank our toasts.
“Not bad stuff, Mr. Everhardt. Thanks.”
“Anytime, honey.” He replied happily.
“So let’s get back to the house. I’m sure your sisters are worried about you.”
We were instantly in the living room.
“See? That’s what I meant! You girls can be really unbelievable.” He chuckled.
“Little sister! Are you feeling better?” Simone questioned happily as she walked over and embraced me.
She paused after a few seconds and eased me back to look into my eyes.
“Sister? You’ve changed.” She declared subtly.
“Nine years and twelve days.” I replied neutrally.
She pulled me back tighter than before.
“I’m so sorry, Link! I wish I had been there with you.”
“But that wasn’t part of the mission parameters, sister.” I reminded.
Simone squeezed harder.
“Shut it, you silly royal!” Simone sniffled. “I’m glad you’re back safe.”
My sister cried lightly for several minutes while still squeezing tightly.
“Where’s Christina?” I asked after Simone decided to release me.
“I think she ran to her room, but she could’ve ported anywhere after I lost sight of her.” Mrs. Everhardt answered.
“Link, Pegasus. I’ll be porting aboard. Thought I’d give you a heads-up.”
“That is much appreciated, Lady Link.”
Pegasus’ main passageway appeared and I immediately made my way aft to Christina’s quarters.

“I’m coming in anyway, Christina!” I declared before I ported in.
There was a creepy, choking wrongness to the air in here! Christina must really be conflicted. Looking around her quarters I saw no sign of her. Maybe she was in the bathroom?
A sudden chill ran up and down my spine!

“Tough shit! I came in any way to help you through whatever it is you’re dealing with, sis! Just try to throw me out!” I fought back.
I found myself back in the Everhardts’ living room.
I was furious!
“Care to try that again, big sister? I’ll just keep coming back until I wear you down. I know how to be a gnat or mosquito, Christina!” I challenged once back in her quarters as I conjured and buffered my defenses.
Christina materialized on her bed folded in a fetal position.
“Why can’t you people take ‘NO’ for an answer?” She moaned quietly.
“Because you’re people too, sis. You’re family… as much Antarran as Cora, Simone or me!” I responded crossly.
“I’m not! I’m a !”
“Yeah… I believe that for a whole second! What happened on your mission that has you so distraught, sis?” I argued.
Christina was silent for several minutes. My guess is she was trying to outwait me. Trouble with that is I had refined my patience over the last nine years dealing with the attitudes and egos of the ‘rocket scientists’ I’d worked with.
Some of them had been real horses’ asses!
Nine years ago I wouldn’t have known what that phrase even meant!
“Ya know? You geniuses are all alike. Brooding and getting all ‘Whoa is me, I’m so underutilized; no one pays any attention to me; nothing I do goes right; boo-hoo, boo-hoo’, when things don’t go exactly your way…”
Christina began to laugh very, very quietly.
That was, at least, a start.
“Come on, sis, spill it. What’s got ya so down in the trenches?” I coaxed.
Christina quieted and remained silent for a few more minutes.
“My missions completed satisfactorily… one would even say, ‘surprisingly well’.”
“What happened then, sis?” I asked, a little alarmed by her admission.
“I might’ve pissed off Zeus’ Fates…”
“Huh?”
I was stunned, but only somewhat surprised.
“How?” I asked.
“Apparently, it was the first time we had met, but I didn’t realize it and so, treated him like I do in our present…you know, in the future from now…anyway, Zeus showed up as I finished signing incorporation papers for the Clinic at the courthouse. Alongside ol’ Zeus were these three, very strung-out looking Emo/Goth chicks. You know the type… scraggly, unwashed hair, sizable, very dark bags under their eyes- like raccoons that had an awfully long and bad day stuck in the back of a garbage truck? Mom would’ve immediately declared them ‘cheap whores’. In jest- and still not realizing it was our first meeting; what with the time travel and all- I offered his three, ‘addicted’ companions an introductory drug rehabilitation regime- a five-week cleansing program for each. And, I jokingly offered another complimentary psychological ‘detox’ suite for their pimp.”
Christina paused.
“Well, he took a real offense to the offered free treatments and blew his stack!”
She paused again as she unfolded and sat up. There was the slightest hint of an impish smile on her lips.
“It was the worst run of electrical storms the Eastern United States had seen in almost two hundred years!”
I found myself on the verge of laughter, knowing her defiance of Zeus in this era and in our future.
“So, why so dark of a mood? You’ve shit in Zeus’ ‘Wheaties’ before.” I begged her to answer.
Gods! Had I really picked up that many Terran colloquialisms?
She quieted, her expression again growing sad, and began shaking her head side to side slowly.
“After five days of the most recorded, most destructive lightning strikes in history, I decided enough was enough…”
She paused again and looked down to the bed she was still sitting on.
“I just thought… I mean I just thought about dispelling the storm… I wanted Zeus to stop terrorizing the people of Earth for my ‘apparent’ insult… then I heard this horrible ‘crash’ from somewhere out there”, Christina motioned to the ceiling and possibly beyond with her right hand, “and everything stopped! The thunder clouds just instantly dispersed and I felt this emptiness…”
I remained quiet and waited for her to continue.
“It felt like I was the only person in the whole universe!”
I unconsciously gasped.
“It took me a few hours to figure out what I had done and I feverishly concentrated on putting things back the way it had been. I was terrified I had erased all of you!”
Christina broke down into choking sobs.
I was instantly at her side with my arms wrapped around my distressed sister.
“I’m such an idiot!” She choked in between sobs or sniffles. “I could screw-up a one car funeral!”
“Not true, sis!” I said knowing that old adage too! “Like any of us you just need to get a handle on your talents! We’ve all made ‘oops’s’.”
“Deleting the population of a whole universe isn’t what I would classify as an ‘oops’, sis! That’s a major frell-up!” Christina lamented.
“I don’t see or even notice anything out of kilter, sis, therefore, you must have done good. Have you talked to Zeus since? Maybe apologized?” I asked.
“It was too embarrassing.” She shied away.
“Pegasus? Prepare yourself for an Olympian.” I warned our A.I.
“Lord Zeus? A moment of your time if you could?” I called to the heavens.
There was no physical or audible reply.
“Lord Zeus! I, your granddaughter, wish to converse with you!” I shouted out.
“Of course.” I said after waiting several more minutes. “Behaving like a true God of Myth and Legend!”
Folding my arms under my sizable endowments, I declared, “Well, if Zeus won’t come off the mountain, the mountains will land on Zeus!”
Christina looked down at me in surprise as we found ourselves standing on the very familiar, grassy plain of Olympus.
“Holy shit! It’s my lucky day!” a man exclaimed from off to our right.
I immediately called a sizable force shield around Christina and me.
“Oh! For the Gods sake! Give it a rest, Eros!” I growled. “We’re here to speak with Grandfather.”
The lust God slid to a halt just outside the limit of my shielding with a look of concern.
“I’m afraid you both have a problem then. Grandfather Zeus may be inclined to speak with you, Valkyrie, but he openly refuses any interaction with the Scion.” Eros said as he looked to Christina with a very worried expression. “The two of you, together will not be granted an audience, I’ve been instructed.
That really pissed me off!
“Sorry, Eros, but that is unacceptable! I’m afraid I’ll have to disregard Grandfather’s wishes and go over his head! Scion obviously overrides Allfather!” I announced angrily as I took Christina’s hand tightly and began concentrating on my ‘Olympic Grandfather’.
“How dare you ignore a polite request from one of your offspring, Lord Zeus!” I hissed to the man’s back as we appeared behind him.
Zeus jumped several centimeters and spun around. Raw fury blazed from him and I noticed Christina shying away- her shoulders were hunched and she appeared to be ready to run away.
“No!” I commanded her as I tightened my grip of her hand. “You are here to apologize and that is exactly what is going to happen!” I declared.
I swear Zeus’ face went from pissed to shocked in zero-point-nothing seconds!
“Now… are both sides willing to listen and stop trying to banish each other to the Forbidden Zone?” I challenged, still glaring at him.
Yes, I could feel him trying- and failing- to deport us from Olympus. I figured as long as I held Christina’s hand, I could tap her power- like her mother had on the day of our arrival at the farm- to veto Zeus’ efforts.
Finally, Grandfather Zeus sighed heavily and his face neutralized.
“I knew you Antarrans would someday try to challenge me for control.”
“I don’t want to control or even take over anything, sir. I just wanted to apologize for screwing-up a few years back.” Christina explained at just above a whisper.
Zeus stood there with his mouth open for several minutes!
“There! Now don’t you feel like an asshole?!” I accused haughtily.
Zeus approached cautiously and silently.
“Would you mind repeating that for this old man?”
“She said she just wanted the opportunity to apologize for blinking the population of this universe into nothingness back in 2079: Terra time, Grandfather!” I answered instead.
“How could you do that? It was immature and immoral…” He began but Christina cut him off.
“And it was preceded by a very immature response to a misunderstanding. I assumed you knew who I was and decided to mess with me for getting on your shit about leaving me alone to make up my own mind.”
They both looked at each other for a moment.
“I was the one that screwed-up when I assumed we had already met, sir. When you appeared with those three, strung-out hags, I thought I was getting pranked. No woman should let herself go like that…let alone three! Then you proceeded to unleash your temper on the people of Earth! After five days of that, I’d had enough and felt that the innocents’ didn’t deserve your wrath. I alone was responsible. I decided to put an end to it and I screwed-up!”
“That doesn’t excuse wiping out all of…”
“You’ve never made a goddamned mistake, Grandfather?” I shouted in rage!
He seemed taken aback by my savage outburst.
“Not like that, my dear Valkyrie. I…”
“Yes, we know! You had Chronos and the other Titans to tutor you, Poseidon, and Hades! That turned out well!” I countered heatedly.
“Girls? Please go easy on father. His youth is but a faint candle flicker in his mind and that grows fainter each and every day.” A familiar voice giggled from behind us. Artemis and Demeter passed to either side of Christina and I then stopped and took positions standing on either side of Grandfather Zeus.
“My ladies, please forgive my temper, but know that I felt Christina has been treated unfairly and has only felt repentant for her mistake. Had she had at least some knowledge as to her vast power, things would have been different.” I begged forgiveness for my anger and foul temperament.
“Please forgive father, Scion. Your whole immergence and development could have been handled much better. Know that you were a complete surprise to all of Olympus and found us ill prepared for your arrival. The fates, as wise as they are, had been working overtime on divining what the universes had in store for you. In fact, they still have absolutely no clue as to what you represent or how you came to be. The only thing we know for sure is that you are the ‘Scion’, Christina of Louis and Colleen.” Demeter informed us.
“But why the temper tantrum? Why make the people of Earth pay for my rude assumption?” Christina choked back her tears.
Artemis and Demeter glared toward their father wanting to know the answer as well.
“Well…um… I… You see…” Zeus tried to explain himself, but failed dramatically.
“I didn’t want to hurt anybody. I just wanted the destruction to stop. It was hurting the planet and everything living on it!” Christina cried.
“I told you, father!” Artemis gloated.
“I also advised against your plan of non-typical interference, father. Christina’s character is strong and unbreakable! Her sense of morality is well above reproach- despite your paranoid beliefs. Apologize to her and let’s get back to your regularly scheduled tests and challenges.” Demeter also reminded her father.
“I…? Apologize to…?” Zeus gasped, open-mouthed.
“Of course! If you hadn’t taken the Fates on a spur-of-the-moment fieldtrip, they would have had time to shower and cover their battlescars…”
“Yes, father. You haven’t given them a moments rest in over fourteen hundred Terran years! They were beginning to look a little ‘long in the tooth’.” Artemis continued Demeter’s reply.
Zeus growled and thunder echoed quietly around us.
“Oh, that was real mature, father!” Demeter chided.
I figured two could play that game and a second clap of thunder- this one much louder- echoed overhead.
Demeter and Artemis slowly turned their faces to Christina and I. They took their time regarding us with concerned expressions.
I looked down to notice Christina was actively pointing to me with her free hand.
Did she just throw me under the proverbial bus?
I punctuated their gaze with a staunch nod.
Both Goddess’ placed a hand behind Zeus’ back and launched him forward!
Glaring back at his daughters in anger he turned back to us, his face softened.
“I guess I was wrong too, my ladies. Please forgive me for my undeserved treatment of the Terrans. Also, please accept my apology for my rude treatment of you as well, Christina Everhardt. I hazard to say that you still frighten me.”
I heard Demeter and Artemis gasp quietly behind him.
“Why would you, of all people, be frightened of me?” Christina goggled.
“Because, young lady, it takes at least two very powerful Olympians to completely destroy a single galaxy.” Zeus told us as Artemis and Demeter smiled smugly. “But you, Scion, you erased all life from the whole of the universe without breaking the proverbial sweat.”
Christina seemed stunned for a moment then suddenly fell to her knees and began bawling into her upheld hands.
“I…I-I don’t know…I-I-I don’t mean to…”
“You’re still learning, sis.” I comforted as I looked to Zeus intensely.
“The good thing is you were able to bring it all back!” I told her to shine a light on her accomplishment.
“The bad news out of her doing so is Demi and I have to revisit the Crab Galaxy and repeat what had to be done there.” Artemis revealed.
“Why? What happened there?” Christina asked as she stopped crying and looked up in confusion.
“That’s the galaxy where the ‘Borg’ lived, sis. Demi and Artie turned it into a nebula to protect the rest of us.” I told her calmly. I guess she must have missed that news snippet.
“OH, hell no! Not in this universe!” Christina hissed and a ‘crack’ echoed overhead.
All three gods gulped loudly.
“Did I mention that I hated those creepy Star Trek characters? They will never, ever, exist in any reality if I can help it.” She explained.
“So they shant.” Demeter proclaimed with a quirky smile as Artemis exhaled loudly.
“Um. What did I just do?” Christina’s face paled.
“I think you just saved them the trouble, sis… I could be wrong about that though… not to worry though. Ladies and Grandfather, we bid you so long.” I said as we found ourselves back on Pegasus.
“Welcome home ladies. Lady Colleen wishes me to alert you that dinner is ready over at the house.” Pegasus welcomed.
“Thank you, Pegasus, we’re heading right over now.” I replied.
“Nice of you to join us, girls.” Mrs. Everhardt welcomed as we appeared in the kitchen and walked into the dining room.
You get things worked out, pumpkin?” She added.
“Christina just had a slight ‘glitch’ on one part of her mission.” I answered quickly.
“Oh? How slight, pumpkin?” Mrs. Everhardt pushed with narrowed eyes.
“Come on, Colleen! It wasn’t as though she erased us from existence or anything critical like that! Leave the girl alone. Get something to eat, Christi… Christina? Where’d she get to now?” Mr Everhardt asked as he looked up then around the room.
“I swear, Louis! If there was ever a time not to joke about things…” Mrs. Everhardt complained.
“I’ll handle this. Girls would you be so kind as to clean up for me?”
We all nodded.