Alki nodded. “You are right, it could keep you closed to her and you will not learn to see the true Cherine in her. Cherinaki, change back to the way you are so that he knows. I don’t mean only your looks, allow him to sense you.”
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He was left to Allan. They went for walks and more often than not Allan stayed silent, allowing Robert to think or to ramble verbally. Robert asked Allan a question no one has asked before, “I felt the love of Cherine for Robert. Is it healthy for anyone to love so totally?” Allan did not even try to answer him, but he brought him back the next day.
“I hate walking, why is it that since I’ve come here I’m spending most of my time walking?” Robbie and our Allan laughed. “It is time, wake up Cherine.”
We don’t expect miracles anymore when we bring a Robert and Cherine together, as a matter of fact, we’ve come to expect the clashes and fighting they indulge in before they open up to each other. We could have wept when we felt they way they instantly reached for each other. Within days love blossomed and Cherine crumbled, the hardness but a shadow of what it had been. She will never be a softie like our Cherine, but she will be a good Cherine for her Robert, he needs her strength and she will also be a good Cherine for her world and the Cherinians that will gather around them.
Allan waited until we had opened their minds and Robert has many of the gifts he needs. “Robert, there is one man, a simple but good man, who has loved and cared for your Cherine for most of her life. If he had not been with her she would have become much harder. Make Brian a Cherinian and keep him as a close friend.” Cherine hugged Allan and promised she will not forget Brian.
“Will you let me link you to us? I want you to be our first Cherinian.”
“I think your Alki should be, I’m not strong like him.”
She ignored his protests and linked him. We waited a week for him to recover and when it seemed he would never recover we decided it was time we help them bring in those who will be part of their family and circle of friends. After that they’ll have to find their own Cherinians - apart from Hettie and Eddie, but that story follows directly as you’ll see. Oh, it turns out the real Marian is not Italian .
We had not given much thought to their Eddie and Hettie, so the couple returned with their gifts and powers radiating like suns. Almost instantly, as they were sensed, they were attacked. Robbie protected them and joked about allowing them to have their Doris war.
It seems we are not destined to spend any time on this planet just yet. Robbie casually appeared before a shocked Eddie and Hettie and blocking them he brought them to Freddie and we jumped to another reality. They gave us another pleasant surprise. They are both elderly and have both turned away from the life they’d led. They’d attacked for they feared the new talents they sensed might attack them. All they ask from life is the opportunity to grow old together in peace.
Robbie was not as forgiving as we’d expected. He told them that they have damaged and destroyed many lives and must pay for it by serving mankind for centuries. He released them and they were wise enough to refrain from trying to use their powers against us. We returned for Robert, Cherine, Brian and their Marian, jumped again and then the girls started a long and detailed telling. We could not ask our alien friends to stay away so we invited them to join us without first warning our guests. I guess they’ll get over it as they forget themselves during the tellings.
With Hettie and Eddie linked as Cherinians and with the children they’d killed now their children, Brian accepted as almost family and linked despite his undemanding love for Cherine (he is being helped to improve his intelligence levels), we returned to their planet. Marian has been taken over by our Marian so we expect to see her linked in the not too distant future.
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Alki turned out to be nice, lonely and happy to become part of their family. Wendy was found and her mother was brought back. Nicko is married and has turned into a real Greek businessman, always looking for ways to improve his profits. Dominique was never born so we’re going back in time to find her soul.
Dominique was found and her body has been created from a cell from Dommi. The big problem is that after sharing (more like ‘painting’ her personality into her) with Dommi (before birth) she has the same need for ‘her’ family. I think it will be fairly easy to convince Elias and Claire to allow ours to give them the memories of our Dommi so that they love her, the problem is Nicko - none of us like him, not even our Nicko. If we don’t change him he’ll fiercely resent his parents loving Dominique and is bound to cause trouble. I just love the way the changes from reality to reality cause so many complications for us to deal with.
Once they had their Wendy, Dommi and the imps (they won’t get a Candy), Robbie decided it was time to bring Cherine’s father back. He took her with and monitored her so that he felt the last vestiges of hardness crumble in her. Despite her happiness and new softness, she refuses to listen to Robbie and is adamant about holding on to her wealth - and probably increasing it. Our Cherine sympathises, so we’re not arguing the point.
Alki introduced them and Robbie shook hands with Nicko and they ordered drinks. “As Alki mentioned, there is some business to be discussed that will be worth the time you’ve granted me, but there are others details to be settled before we can talk about the money. All I’ll mention at this time is that a number of the wealthiest people of this world are merging their interests to provide the funds for large changes to your society.”
“Why would you invite me, I’m not that wealthy - not that I’m refusing, I just need to understand the basics.”
“Fair enough, Nicko, where did you go to school?”
“High School? At the American College, in Psychiko.”
“That explains why we never met. Nicko, what do you know about alternate realities?”
“Nothing, never heard of them. What are they?” Robbie talked for over an hour without managing to change his reaction to the idea. Alki was amused but kept quiet.
“Alki, would it help if he visited Freddie?”
“I don’t know, he is rather narrow-minded.”
Nicko bristled, but didn’t understand what they were discussing, so he stood up. “I think I better leave. Thank you for considering me, but I prefer to work independently.”
Alki was surprised when Robbie let him go. They returned to us - we were sitting in a coffee shop close by.
Robbie gave Nicko and his wives an apologetic look. “I really don’t like him and whatever we do, he’ll never become like our Nicko.”
“I think that growing up as an only child of a shipowner and living in Greece only made him become as he is. It hurts, but I don’t see that even sharing with my brother will change him.”
“It seems this will be the only reality that a Robert does not have a Nicko as a friend.”
Nicko shook his head. “No, I’ll split.” Instantly his girls interrupted him with their demands that they also split. He agreed. “My split part will have to look different and have a different name. I’m certain my parents and Despina will love him as a son and brother so we’ll have to visit often.”
Nicko asked his girls to choose the name, but they insist his split half and theirs must choose his name. It was decided that Dominique will have her parents and their Robert will have to deal with Nicko if he does cause problems.
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It has taken us two months, but they now have their Nicko and family (they chose the name Nicko Pelopoulos - pelos means crazy in Cypriot so I guess it was their sense of humour that won the day or maybe the new imps suggested it), they have their Andrea, Socrati, Tasso and a few others. It means we can announce our presence by bringing Freddie into normal space.
Once the basics had been dealt with, our teams started healing the ecology while the Unation and other species provided the local ADFI with anti-gravity and other wonders. It is time I mention that when I speak of repairing the ecology, I’m not talking about it collapsing like the Globalists always threaten is happening. it is just that every Earth has lost a large number of species and we make what repairs are needed for the ones we return to survive.
Keith accepted orders for our new computers and a base on the moon was built for the Cherinians to use should they need it. The governments asked to send their representatives to our reality and it was a nice surprise when we found out that included among them were philosophers, singers and poets. Robert was kept very busy as Hettie and Eddie and everyone else pestered him for orders on the most trivial points. Robbie grinned, knowing that Robert would soon have to do the same as him and force them to make decisions on their own.
We woke up to a surprise. All the Cherinians from the planet had arrived at dawn our time. Next to Robert was a number of parcels. His Jade stepped forward, her elfin face very serious as she spoke to Jade.
“Would you add to your art museum the paintings of our Robert? These are the paintings he worked on at his home and they mean a lot to him.” Robert blushed.
Jade gave Jade a hug. “Thank you, they will be placed together so that everyone knows which are his paintings. Will you help me hang them, I can’t wait to see them.”
Robert, still blushing furiously, I think he’d hoped we would not see his paintings until after he was gone, spoke to Robbie. “I have a suggestion, someone we linked as a Cherinian, but we think should travel with you as a member of your philosophers department. Her name is Rachel Rosenthal and she…”
We had a big party in Freddie for all Cherinians and friends we’ve made in this reality and held another party on Earth for the governments and the media saw to it that the whole world shared. Deliveries of food machines have exhausted our stocks, so I guess Vincent will have to collect more.
We’re on our way home. Arthur, we still do not like much of your story, but a big thank you from everyone.
Chapter Two Hundred and Ninety Five
After I was released from the magi and Talents and Hesina was returned, Athel seemed to recover. It brought home to me the fact that he needs energy from me or else he begins to consume himself, shortening his stay within me. I do not want that to happen again, so I have ensured that however I am attacked, for as long as I am alive he will have energy. Recently I began to worry what would happen if my body is destroyed and I’m brought back in a new body. I know Hesina will survive, but I’m worried about Athel. Common sense says he will survive, but I’m not a hundred percent certain. I went to visit Adam to ask him.
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We all stared without commenting, waiting for Adam to explain. He has created a building, something like the old plantation houses Europeans built in places like Malaysia. With a smile he led us inside and we sat on the rattan chairs - everything is emerald in colour but the interior is beautiful with emerald paintings of Jade and Robbie hanging on the walls.
“We’ve had a number of guests over the last century so I thought it would add a touch of civilised comfort for them.”
Coral asked Robbie, “Could we have a house like this in Freddie? Somewhere in the tropical jungle mountains?”
Robbie grinned. “I’ll think about it.”
We had already shared with Adam, but he had questions - not as to facts, but as to our opinions. The chat was relaxed and when it seemed to be ending I asked him his opinion about Athel.
“I don’t see any problem Sam, he is not living in your body, just like Hesina, he is part of your mental world which goes with you when you leave your body. Check and you’ll find he is here.”
I did and relaxed. I allowed Hesina to take over for a short time so that she can also enjoy the house and the emerald island. When I took over it was to find everyone still chuckling.
Robbie had returned us after the date our year changes and it is now September PC47. Being absent for four months meant we had to accept invitations to official functions they are holding for the government leaders we brought with us, chat shows and so on, so we have a busy few weeks ahead of us. Even though Keith and his girls had been with us, they came to visit.
“I’m sorry, but I’m also here on business. I returned to the office to find that your AI companions contacted our office to request a change. They are worried that your extended stays in Freddie means they cannot update the main database and should anything happen to them the new AI will be out of date, causing you some irritation while their replacements evolve.”
“I’m not too keen on having a main database in Freddie gathering information about us and sending it back to your main base. To tell you the truth, I’m not even happy about your databases on Earth being updated with our personal information when we are here. We’re already taking them off when we go to our bedroom and if we have private conversations.”
Keith grinned. “I know, they’ve complained about it, so we’ve had to make adjustments to their programming.”
I frowned. “You have adjusted Athene without telling me?”
“It happens constantly Samantha. As new code is written that improves them, the new code is added automatically.”
“I don’t like my friends being changed by strangers.”
His loves giggled as he pretended to tear out his hair and Robbie explained, “Keith, we’ve been through decades of Microsoft and other corporations spying on us by auto updates, we’d thought that was over and done with, perhaps I should return to using the previous computers that guaranteed me total privacy?” Now Keith really felt hassled and his loves stopped giggling, watching him with concern on their faces.
I shrugged. “I’m not as concerned as Robbie is about total privacy, since I think Athene knows what I expect of her.” She blinked a smile so I knew I was right. “I doubt she sends back any personal information I would feel sensitive about, when you do an update, but I am worried about two things. As I said, I don’t like her being changed without me knowing exactly what is changing. The second problem is the main database holding all my most personal data. I know you assured us no human can access that information, only Athene and her replacement should it become necessary. I don’t believe that and I bet hundreds of millions don’t either. No wonder Campbell doesn’t want an AI companion, of course he’ll think that ADFI is going to spy on him. We must provide total confidentiality to all.”
Robbie asked, “How many paedophiles have an AI companion?”
“How should I know, we don’t spy on anyone Robert.”
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“Then find a way to guarantee it without asking you be trusted.”I may be wrong, but I think we will be travelling more often in the future. I hope Arthur does not re-open the arguments about us spending time here, because our Earth has changed and some of us find it boring. It sounds terrible, but I can’t help feeling this way. As I mentioned earlier, with perfect health everyone has calmed down, life is less frenetic for the Normals and the governments seem to have accepted that we are not threats to them or their citizens. I spend most of my time at the coffee shops meeting friends or else I sit at home and study. I can only study so many hours and then I feel like screaming. I need a challenge now and then to speed up the flow of blood in me.
Michael visited and confirmed what I said above by telling us that the number of Ipohins has been steadily reducing. He does not think they’ve become Cherinians or Campbellites. The independent Talents must be growing in number. If so, it puzzles me, for they have not been active either.
We’ve been here five months and it is February PC47. The United Nations must have guessed the news would please us for they secretly gave Hettie the news before releasing it to the public. The total population of our planet has stopped growing and for the first time shows a tiny reduction. It seems we’ll have to wait another ten to fifty years before the trend can be shown to be definite. We’ve initiated studies to ensure we recognise danger signs, as we do not want a downward spiral to take us below a safe level. Mankind, in all it’s variety must survive.
Of dictatorships, worldwide there are only seven left and even they have to be classified as benevolent. There is enough wealth for the governments to spend vast amounts on returning unused lands to their original state and re-stocking them with wild life. Since they no longer spend their money on weapons and free medical care, I guess they had to find something to do with it.
Everyone expected the working hours to be reduced thanks to technology, but it has had the opposite effect. Technology plus the spaceship and space technologies make so much more possible, that companies need their staff and workers to work the full thirty two hours a week so that they can compete and survive. Many Unions are complaining that it is inhumane, that nobody should have to work more than twenty six hours a week and many seem to agree with them.
The greatest growth industries are those that cater to entertaining the masses during their free hours. It seems everybody lists a boat as a must have, the normal home has a television/computer screen in every room, including the guest toilet and each member of the family also wears a computer. We have about three times the number of television stations we had when I was first a child with dozens opening and closing almost weekly. Anybody who designs a new game that becomes popular makes the kind of money complex programs used to earn twenty years ago.
Why am I listing these changes? Because I have the terrible feeling that we took the wrong turn somewhere. I cannot sit back and allow our species to die out - I’m talking about Terrans, it seems the aliens do not have the same problems.
This is Robert. As Sam moaned and bitched and then wrote here, I could not help feeling she is exaggerating. We were at the taverna talking with the scientists when various alien leaders joined us. Sam mentioned some of her thoughts, annoying me, but they confirmed she is right.
It turned out to be less frightening than we thought. They tell us we have to re-educate ourselves. Sam sat up, her eyes alive with her excitement. She mentioned a few thoughts and arguments written of here in the past and they agreed they are valid arguments or suggestions and we should begin to promote them as the new way of life for both Normals and Cherinians. Sam, rather melodramatically declared war on ennui!
Do you recall my writing about the meeting the girls called and the discussion about striving for personal excellence? All that we are saying now is that it is even more important and urgent than we’d thought at the time. The world is full of people who feel they have to earn their way, so I’m not speaking of those who want everything for free. I’m talking about those who feel that work is necessary for the sake of their pride, but who do not extend that to pride in a job well done. They do not derive pleasure from what they do.
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I would suggest that attitude first came about in Europe and gradually spread to other countries and continents as dire poverty turned into relative wealth. Providing food machines was probably not one of the wisest things we’ve done, but it was not possible for us to watch millions starving without helping.
Another problem is that people do not know how to handle their free time. It is not just a time for entertainment, it should also be a time for personal growth. We all need time for chatting, gossiping and joking with friends. We all enjoy going out for a meal or for a swim in the sea. We can only do those things for a certain amount of time per day before they pall and we find it easier to sit and watch television that produces entertainment adapted to meet the lowest common denominator - for those minutes in between the advertisements that drive us crazy with their repetitions. People rarely speak of having a hobby nowadays. Where are those who collected stamps, dinky toys, baseball cards and so on? What about those who had a workshop in their garage and turned out beautifully crafted items for their homes and their friends? There are thousands of hobbies for those interested in taking pride in a hobby, but what we see is people with all the tools, but little interest because it takes time and skill to use them properly. The tools are now just another way of saying, look at what I have…with the hope it is insinuated or assumed that we can use them and therefore are to be admired.
I could go on, but I hope you’ve understood the gist of it. If you have, I can tell you that you belong to the minority. We’ve gone to the governments with explanations of the problems, where it could lead us and what are some solutions. They seem to be filing away everything we tell them, without doing anything about it.
I’m not certain that we were right to go to the governments. Masses of publicity piled upon each other will not achieve what is needed, people will just switch off their minds. We need to find a way to start a movement among the people themselves so that the changes we want to effect become a way of life.
One final gripe. Did you know that perhaps one of the most popular ‘hobbies’ is tourism? They have something to talk about, how much it cost, where they went, the food, the natives and so on, but in truth, they mostly search out restaurants that serve the food they know and spend most of their time drinking at pubs that try to mimic those they visit at home.
I am furious with Allan! He’s been sitting nodding wisely as we talk without contributing any ideas and then, today, he had to go and open his mouth. He said, in front of aliens, Normals and others: We should not initiate our programs to change our world. As ennui affects the world, people will have less and less children so it is a great way to naturally reduce or halve the population!
What you said seems too obvious for me to trust it (because I want it so much to be true) so I asked everyone to consider your comment. You’ve surprised the Unation and Anadir more than anyone else. They made some flattering comments about your ability to see that far ahead on a subject you claimed to be confused by. Allan laughed and told them you’d assumed you were right, so you were. They fell for it for a moment, but then pointed out that their own experience had already shown them the same truths without you assuming them. Could the ‘hard times’ you see as an important ingredient, for our populations, also come from the war you warned us about?
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The month of March is an important one with the Cherinian anniversary and the next day the wedding anniversary of Cherine and Dommi, Wendy, Diana and Alki and Marian. We had two parties, the one in Freddie and the other at our Athens home. We barely had a day to recover and then celebrated the ‘birth’ of Orshiir and Solace. Next month we have too many birthdays to celebrate so we’re having only two parties - with only Cherine’s being on her actual birthday. Officially she’ll be fifty five years old and yet in all ways she remains the little girl of eight that Robbie fell in love with.When Robbie found Fisiti at the foot of the stairs, his healer was able to heal her so that the urgency was removed. He brought her to Freddie and Haven appointed herself her companion. Haven was not just being kind, she was curious, identifying with her - as she was when she first came into existence.
At first it was easy to remain blind to the true nature of Fisiti because of her terror and her being a child. We were also caught up in the excitement of meeting the boxees so none of us concentrated on her, only ensuring that she was well, happy and with some company at all times. Haven took her time explaining about us and with her primitive lack of words, Haven had to simplify our story so that she’d understand.
The truth is, Fisiti felt just like an ordinary child, for she was caught up in the wonder of being in a different world, seeing aliens and having a companion like Haven. To her, Haven became the mother she did not recall but instinctively needed, and they bonded.
Boxee Robert and Cherine did ask us about her, but then never opened the subject again, probably feeling we were better equipped for dealing with the threat she poses.
The next happenstance that worked in her favour was the presence of Bobby in Freddie. He did recall her and his panic that she was dying. When he heard she is with us and alive, he asked to meet her. Before taking him, Haven went to Fisiti and explained about Bobby to her. She warned her not to try and reach into his mind.
Bobby liked her, or at least felt responsible for her, so he went to visit her often. Haven was living with her at the village created for the Darkcloud play as there were no other humans staying close by. We were not trying to isolate Fisiti, but doing it for her own good. She needed to adjust to her tribe not existing anymore plus the thousand and one adjustments needed for living in Freddie amongst strangers, that were more like a nightmare to her - that includes us, for our emoting of love and empathy were not easy for her to tolerate. Thanks to Rea, she saw us and our emoting as a threat. Perhaps that is why she liked Haven who’s interest kept her clinically detached.
Once Fisiti realised that Bobby was the voice she’d heard and that he had tried to save her, his aura of hate made it easier for her to identify with him and for a while she imagined he was one of her tribe abducted by us when he was a child. Perhaps she did find the fact that he cared unsettling, but on the other hand, surely friendships existed within her tribe? The interest of Tsofi in her had not alienated her, so I’ll presume I’m right, for she did not turn against Bobby.
Even animals are capable of resisting their instincts given the correct motivation. It should not be forgotten that despite the hard life she’d lived, Fisiti was still a child and some of her childish needs are in common with those of many other children. Seeing her tribe destroyed, the time she spent alone terrified she would be killed, they left her with fears and the fear of being alone was predominant. She was willing to make sacrifices for the company being offered. Perhaps the arguments of Tsofi helped by breaking some of the rigid ways of her upbringing.
As she became used to being in Freddie and regained some of her confidence, her cruel nature began to reassert itself. She was alone when she saw a line of ants. Emoting pleasure she rubbed her foot along the line, killing hundreds of ants. Freddie immediately informed us and Robbie was instantly by her side. He found an ant, half crushed, and entering her mind forced her to share the way the ant felt. She collapsed to the ground.
Robbie did not speak of empathy, he only said, “You are not allowed to kill. Any time you deliberately kill or hurt any creature, I will force you to share their pain and death.”
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Some of the deaths she caused were very painful and Robbie kept his word. Bobby and Haven were asked to leave her alone more often to give her the opportunity to kill, but she was now wary and controlled herself.
The Anadir helmet was used to teach her how to speak English. Armed with more words she was capable of thinking thoughts she could not have before and Haven was asked to bring her for her meals to the taverna.
Fisiti may have disliked us, but being a child she reacted to seeing us play and joke with each other. She resented our happiness because she felt excluded. It had been decided we should not invite her to join us until she showed she wanted to play with us. I’m still uncomfortable with that decision, but we did as Robbie asked.
Haven must have sensed what was going to happen, for she asked Jade to try and always be the one closest to her. We were being particularly boisterous and noisy and as we ran around, Rosie bumped the back of her chair. Lightning fast she swirled around and hit Rosie.
Jade was instantly on her feet and grabbing her shoulder turned her around, her hand already hard as she prepared to strike her. Rosie dashed in and stopped Jade.
“She hit me, I’ll deal with it.” With a sick feeling in our guts we watched Rosie beat her up. Fisiti did not have a chance against her Cherinian reflexes and did not land one blow. Rosie did not stop until Fisiti stopped trying to fight back.
Still showing anger, Rosie pulled Candy towards Fisiti. “Any one of us can beat you up as I did, even Candy. If you like being hurt try hitting one of us again.”
We had anticipated the scenario but had not thought it would be Rosie. Sensing her hitting without anger only made it worse for us. Our own feelings quickly took a backseat and we did everything we could to help Rosie once she was away from Fisiti and her agony could not be seen. We’ve never hit anyone and Rosie felt sick as she recalled each blow and the pain it caused. This time Allan got to Rosie before Robbie did and holding her he told her she had done the right thing, that she had shown great courage and so on.
The next day Candy stood before her and without any show of friendliness she told her to come with her. She took her to the beach and showed her how to skim pebbles over the water and challenged her to beat her. Whenever a lucky throw sent the pebble for an extra skip or two Candy laughed and praised her, even pretending some envy. Soon Fisiti forgot that the game was pointless, as she’d thought, and she concentrated on winning. If Candy scored a good shot she frowned and glared at Candy, but Candy did not react, only challenging her to beat her.
Early the next morning we grinned at Candy when Freddie showed us Fisiti practising on her own. When we arrived at the taverna Fisiti confronted Candy. “I beat you, come.”
Candy put on a good show but allowed Fisiti to score the most skips. When they returned to the taverna Candy took Fisiti’s hand and called out to us, “You should have seen her, she managed seven skips! She’s the best!” As we made noises of admiration, Candy made her sit with her and during our horseplay she kept her by her side, grinning at Fisiti whenever either of them scored an advantage over any of us.
Fisiti played with us thereafter and we considered it a great success when she screamed and laughed. We did tone down our reflexes to give her a chance of playing with us as an equal and we tried to ignore the occasions she was rough and slightly hurt one of us.
“What are your plans Haven?” Robbie asked. He was not in a good mood for Fisiti had hurt Meli.
“From tomorrow she will not be allowed to hurt anyone without her being hurt also. She is not a Darkcloud, Robert, she cannot become like us - whatever any of us do to help her. What I want is to teach her to control herself - even if it is out of fear. I think it is time you take a cell from her and ask your healer to create a new body for her without the mutation - it is important the mutation is not in her genes to be passed on.
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We cannot keep her a prisoner, she must be allowed to live her life and if she finds a male suitable to her, she should be allowed to have a child or more if she wants. Because of the new body she will live for over a century, but we must not keep on sending our healers to her, she must be allowed to age and die. We can make it up to her during her next life. Robert, she must stay in Freddie for all her life, only visiting an Earth with us.”
Robbie looked at us. “You can all be hard enough to follow Haven’s plan?” We all agreed we would be. “We don’t have an alternative. Luckily she has shown that she is capable of learning how to control her impulses so it may work. I think we should change her body while she is asleep. Haven, make certain she does not wake up and is not aware of what we are doing. When it has been done I’ll report us to the council - Sam, perhaps you should report us to Campbell also.”
Not the next time we returned to our Athens home, but at a later one, I asked to meet Campbell. I told him what we had done.
“I don’t understand why you have confided in me.”
“I am not going to say what I say because you are Arthur Campbell, I’m going to say it because you grew up as a Normal who used his fists a few times. Arthur, I cannot do this with any of the Cherinians, even those born Normals are too soft. We feel that her mutation could destroy mankind if it was allowed to spread, but we also believe she has the right to have children and live her normal span - which will be extended because of our healers. If she has children, she will feel she has fulfilled her instinctive needs without knowing her children are not like her. Changing her brain will not significantly change the way she thinks - despite our training her, that could only be achieved by turning her into a baby and bringing her up again as she is now. We did not think we had the right to do that to her and to have explained what we intend doing would only have harmed her without it presenting us with new alternatives.
Many of us feel that we had to do what we did, but that it was not ethical. I’m asking for your input, what would you have done in our place? Do you have a more humane and ethical answer?”
“I think you know I do not, you just want me to say so to justify yourself to yourself.”
I smiled. “You would do that for me?”
He laughed. “Even after spending so much time getting to know you, you still manage to surprise me. Is it that difficult for you to act civilised, in a social sense, and give me a polite answer without laughing at me?”
“Not at all difficult and it may be nice for both of us, but it would not be as much fun - for either of us.” He laughed again and insisted we move on to neutral ground while we enjoy our shepherds pie. After the meal he reverted to our conversation.
“Samantha, if it had fallen to me to handle, it is likely I would have killed her. Of course I do not have a healer as capable as yours or Robert's so I don’t have the same choices.”
“You don’t? But then you should instruct your healer to learn from ours.”
He stared at me and paled. “Dammit! You’re being serious!”
“Of course. Why would we want to keep any healing abilities secret?”
“It could strengthen me.”
“I hope so.”
“You’re impossible!” He sat back and made a show of trying to relax and then chuckled. “At least, in that way you’ll never change. Are you saying it would learn how to create bodies from a cell?”
“All healers know how to do that. Please, just don’t go making dozens of clones of yourself, learning to deal with one of you is taxing enough.”
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He insisted on paying the bill and as we were walking out he asked, “How will you handle it if you end up making me like you?” Before I could reply he dipped his head in greeting and jumped. I’m glad he didn’t wait for an answer, I’m not certain how I would have replied.
Robbie and my family and friends were amused by our conversation and I worried about allowing them to share with me again - they are showing signs of beginning to like Arthur Campbell because he has a sense of humour. That is always a danger with Robbie, but I was not too happy to sense it happening with the rest of them. Actually, it is not whether I like him or not that is important, it is only important whether I trust him or not.
I hope you enjoy reading this story of fantasy, adventure and love - and should some of it be true for our reality, I hope you will love our Cherine.
Αλέξανδρος Ζήνον Ευσταθίου
(Alexander Zenon Eustace)- posted: 19th Jly, 2020
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