The Long, Dark Night Read online

  “Gran was one of the best, strongest and wisest women I'd ever met. When I was ten years old, she passed away in her sleep at home with us. I cried for a month. Six years later, her youngest daughter followed her. That same year, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. After two radical mastectomies and endless chemotherapy, she passed away during my first year of engineering school.

  “When Tom Bedouin approached me with this plan, I could only conditionally agree since I was at such a high risk of cancer. He just smiled and told me that I was needed anyway. My work was as important as the whole project and could very well mean our survival if we ended up in a world that was hostile to us.

  “One of my worst fears came true when Jorga started getting sick. I was terrified I would have to watch her die too. When the doctors gave us the worst news we could have heard, I could only hope that the nanos could save her. So I did the unthinkable, I began treating her later that day.

  “I'm not a complete monster, Marcy. I knew she'd be in no danger, not from the nanos anyway. We'd already run several series of tests using live animals, including primates. We had one major malfunction in the second series on rats. An incorrect treatment profile was uploaded into the nanos prior to injection. The result was that the nanos shut down and allowed themselves to be purged. The rat survived until it could be retreated with the correct nanos.

  “That malfunction was what led to making them wirelessly interactive. If something such as that happened again, we could reprogram and reactivate them in a matter of minutes. I had no idea they could interface with computers at will, nor of their anti-aging function. I'll need to talk to her about it, but I'd like to continue her experiment for a time. These affects are extraordinary, and I would like to document them,” Hope finished. But frowned. "Marcy, once Jorga started showing improvement, I called Tom to let him know and offered the same treatment for him. I all but insisted he let me try to save him. He refused the offer. Prior to Jorga's treatment, we had submitted our results to the FDA to request permission to proceed with human trials. We know it's safe to use, at least from a patient stand point. We simply hadn't thought of the other stuff you told me about.

  "Please tell Ben that I did talk to Tom about treating him, but he refused. He never told me why, or explained his decision. He just told me he appreciated the offer, and refused it."

  As they'd been talking, Hope had led Marcy to her office and they had sat down. A few keystrokes later, a highly magnified, high-resolution image of a very small, robotic-looking nanomite was on the screen.

  “I'm sorry for your losses and I am thankful you cured Jorga. I will also be sure to let Ben know about Tom. Now, as I said last night, Ben and I have some concerns about their current functionality,” Marcy replied.

  Hope nodded. “I can certainly understand that: after all, with the right programming, these nanos could not only make you immortal, but also vastly harder to kill. For example, if they had the raw materials available, you could survive just about anything that wasn't instantly fatal. Not only that, but the human mind, linked with the limited AI of the control module could make 'network security' meaningless. After your call last night, I spent a good share of the night thinking of all the bad things this could do. It seriously frightened me.”

  “So then, you are aware of some of the potential problems. One or two of the others that you might not have thought of are our existing computer systems. They simply were not designed for the load of everyone that would be able to access them. If those computers go down, we all die," Marcy said. “Of course we have back-up systems, but those are no stronger than the originals.”

  Hope nodded. “You're right, I hadn't thought of that and I agree completely. I hadn't planned on announcing the breakthrough yet anyway because I hadn't finalized Jorga's experiment. However, these could really help a lot of people. So we can't just set them aside can we?”

  “No, we can't set them aside, we need them. Especially in light of a few new discoveries about our planet. However, we have to be smart about how we use them, at least until we can create the tech structure to support a population with one hundred percent population growth, each capable of accessing the net with their minds. We'll also have to figure out a way to prevent hacking. Can you imagine what would happen if someone hacked Jorga's nanos?”

  “Yes, that was one of the things that kept me up. Someone could make her kill all of you and she would be forced to watch, trapped inside her own mind,” Hope said fearfully. “I woke up screaming and Bill came into my room to see what was wrong.”

  “Your room? You don't sleep together?” Marcy asked. “Damn, I'm sorry. It's none of my business. Sometimes I'm too curious from my own good."

  Hope shook her head sadly. “It's alright, Marcy. Ever since he found out what I did to Jorga, he hasn't slept with me. He called me Dr. Frankenstein. I honestly don't think he'll ever forgive me.”

  “Hope, what you did may have been unethical, yes; but you didn't do it against her will, right? She knew what she was getting into?”

  “Absolutely! When we got to my lab, I gave her a shot of oxycodone to relieve her pain while I explained the project to her. I didn't give her enough to impair her judgment, just enough to take the edge off for her,” Hope wiped her eyes. "Before I even finished the explanation and could ask her, she asked what she needed to do. I made her listen to the hazards and dangers. I stressed that this was completely experimental in every sense of the word and there was a chance this could kill her long before the cancer would.

  “My team knew what we'd been going through with Jorga. Hell, they'd all been told of my history and the reasons for my research before they joined my team. However, when I showed up with Jorga and she asked what she needed to do, several of them gasped in shock. She explained to them that she was a dead woman anyway. If her death would provide much needed data to perfect this possible cure, then she would sign what documents were needed to protect the team and the lab.

  “Although I do have a medical degree as well, I'm not a surgeon, much less a neurosurgeon. But Doctor Wayne Trevor had lost his wife to an inoperable brain tumor, much like Tom's, that this technology could have cured. After he listened to Jorga, he hugged and thanked her, and had his team prepare her for the module insertion the following day.

  “We'd been preparing for human testing anyway, after sending our results and findings into the FDA. So the OR was ready for humans, and the control module was inserted the following day without any complications. It took my team and I almost a week to get the nanos ready for Jorga's body. I don't believe in reincarnation, but if I did, I'd swear to God that she was my Gran returned to us as my daughter. Even as we strapped her down to the table for injection and activation of the nanos, she showed no fear at all. In fact, she told me everything would be alright.”

  “She is an amazing woman, and I think she got some of that from you, as well. But why hasn't Bill returned to your bed? It was your treatment that cured her; he has to be happy about that, right?” Marcy said.

  Hope shrugged. “I don't think he knows. Every time I try to tell him about it, he storms off and won't talk to me for a couple of days.”

  Marcy thought he was being very childish, which was odd. It didn't sound like the same man that had been over at Kait's the night Tom passed away. “That doesn't sound like him at all. The couple of times I met him he seemed very mature and down to earth.”

  “Bill's really two very different men. One, the one you know, is his stable, 'take charge' persona that inspires confidence in his people and those around him. The other is his private self. He is a very kind, caring and loving man. He dotes on his little girls and would move the moon for them. He loves me very much, too, and that's caused this problem in him. He doesn't know how to fix it. I don't think he can accept that the problem is already fixed, because he refuses to discuss it with me. In some ways, he's still kinda chauvinistic.”

  “What does he tell Jorga when she talks to him about it?” Marc
y asked.

  “Jorga has no idea that anything's wrong. Neither does Hanna. Well, I think Hanna might suspect something: that little peanut is always poking around where she shouldn't be. She may have heard a 'discussion' or two,” Hope answered.

  “Well, it's not like the walls at home were soundproofed you know!” Hanna said as she walked around the corner and into Hope's office.

  “If that's true, Miss Snoop, then why doesn't Jorga know what's going on?” Hope asked, a look of frustration on her face.

  “You're kidding, right?” Hanna asked. “I think Jorga likes being naive. Every time you two started yelling, she'd put her headphones on and shut it out. She went out of her way to not listen. She even took that delivery job to help get her out of the house.

  "But I've got like a ton of questions about the nanobots you've built. Like can they be used to enhance someone to super-human strength and speed? Can they hold their breath for like hours? Or radiate a personal force shield?”

  “Whoa! If you've been listening as much as you usually do, then you know as much as I do. Now, get out of my lab young lady! I see I'll have to start locking the door. Do you know what would happen to you if you accidentally infected yourself with nanos without having a control computer? They'd reduce you to 'usable' compounds! Now get out of here and don't touch anything! You and I are going to have a long discussion about privacy and off-limits areas!”

  “Yes Mother,” Hanna said in disappointment. She turned and left the lab.

  “Well, now that we got rid of the snoop, we can get back on topic. Does Ben have any idea how he'd like this handled; that way, I can shift research in that direction?”

  “I spoke to him a little last night after Jorga told us. For now, I'm sure he would like to reserve the fully functional nanos for our military, if we need to create one. Otherwise, could it be possible to go with purpose-programmed nanos? They can still be interactive while in the clinic, but as soon as the patient leaves the clinic or hospital, they are deactivated?"

  “That would actually be the easiest way to go; if we don't implant the control unit, but leave it outside the body, the nanos would deactivate as soon as the patient went out of range,” Hope said.

  “But didn't you tell Hanna just a second ago that injecting the nanos without a control computer that they would dissolve her?” Marcy asked.

  “Of course I did. If my telling her to stay out isn't good enough to keep her out, maybe the threat of a very painful and messy death will,” Hope said, smiling slightly. “I'll need to talk to my team, but I think I can get them all on-board with this. May I suggest that Ben officially declare this a secret? That way, any data in the computer will become 'protected'.”

  Marcy wrote down a note. “Will do. Now that Hanna broached the subject; how unrealistic is it that a human can be enhanced by these nanos?”

  Hope shook her head. “Not by these, they aren't capable of that kind of work. However, I could design ones that theoretically could do that. Would they have the same effects as the ones in Jorga? I don't know. I don't think so, because that would increase their size too much. However, I will look into it. Marcy, in another week, maybe two, I'll be able to finalize this version. However, I can see now that we can't continue to use these. I'll give you a full report for Ben to read, but then I'll also create an 'official' report outlining a potentially life-threatening side effect. No one but your family, me, and probably Hanna, will know about the real side effects of these nanos.”

  “I'll tell my team that I had to remove Jorga's nanos and terminate its programming in the lab computers. My portable is capable of doing Jorga's future check-ups. I'll have to tell the control unit to restrict access based on permission from the host. That way, when anyone tries to connect to her control unit, Jorga will have control over it. It'll still record the mac address of the machine attempting to connect so we can trace it if we need to. However, from the standpoint of the unauthorized person, it'll simply not respond.”

  “That'll be great, Hope. I'm sure Ben will appreciate your willingness to help us in this matter. If you need anything from me or Ben, please don't hesitate to ask. I'll also call and let you know about dinner.”

  When Ben approached the medical section, he was surprised to find two large, armed men guarding the door. They both came to attention when he approached.

  He stopped in front of them. “Relax guys. Who told you guys to guard the door?”

  “Sir, Captain Greenwold did, Sir!” The one on Ben's right replied.

  “I haven't seen a threat assessment on our visitor yet, but do you really think she's so dangerous that both of you need to be here?” Ben asked.

  This time, the one on the left replied. “Sir, no one knows how to evaluate the threat level here. We are only here in case we're needed. Not to make her a prisoner. Besides, this is the command pod. You live here. Security has to be a consideration here."

  Ben nodded. “Okay, you talked me into it. Carry on, gentlemen.”

  “Yes, Sir!” they said in unison.

  Ben chuckled and stepped between the two and entered the medical section. He immediately saw the girl he came down here to see and she smiled tentatively at him. Jon was busy checking out her monitors and hadn't seen him enter.

  “Good Morning, Jon. How are you doing?”

  “I swear to God, I'm going to put a bell on that damn door!” Jon said as he turned around.

  Ben chuckled. “How's your patient?”

  “She's doing remarkably well. I still can't understand her without help, but since the only available translator is in Italy, I've had to improvise,” he said and winked. He touched a button on his medical console. “Are you still there, Alice?”

  “Affirmative Doctor. Do you need me to translate again?” Answered a strange contralto voice.

  “Yes we would, but first, I would like to introduce you to a friend of mine. His name is Ben and he's the leader here,” Jon replied.

  The voice on the other end said something in another language and Addson ducked her head at him, saying something in the same language. Then the voice replied. “Addson and I both greet you, Sir. Your friend Jon has named me Alice, however, I am only the emergency medical AI from Addson's ship.”

  Ben smiled at the woman on the bed. “Thank you, Alice. Both for the honesty, as well as taking good care of our guest. I'm pleased to meet both of you.” Addson waited for Alice to relay his words and smiled back at him.

  “May I ask you a few questions, Addson? We are curious about a few things regarding your accident on the surface,” Ben asked.

  Addson nodded. “Sure, but it was far from an accident; I was shot down. May I also ask a few questions?”

  “I don't see why not, after all, I'm sure you're curious as well,” Ben replied.

  “Thank you, Ben. Are you Pirates?” Addson asked.

  “Pirates? No, we're ... well, that's actually a long story. But before that, we need to find out if we're safe here and what the world above us is like,” Ben replied as he got a cup of coffee. “I hate to say it, but before I can tell you who we are, I need to make sure you're not a threat to my people.”

  Addson started to chuckle, but ended up coughing, bringing Jon running. “Ben, she's having a hard time adapting to our atmosphere, so keep your flirting to a minimum.”

  “I wasn't flirting with her, Jon, I told her I needed to try to discover if she was a threat to our people, that's all.”

  In between gasps for air, Addson spoke. “Doctor Jon, please do not be cross with Ben. I am certain it was unintentional, but his statement made me laugh. No one here has anything to fear from me. I am only a prospector and not a very successful one at that.”

  Ben nodded. “May I ask what you're prospecting for?”

  “Ancient relics. How is it you don't know what a prospector does? Are you not from this planet?”

  It was Ben's turn to chuckle. If she was indeed a relic hunter, she'd just hit the jackpot. “Yes, we are from this planet, but w
e are not from your world. You might say you've hit the mother lode for a prospector. Do you know who or why you were shot down?"

  “I was reassigned to the anti-piracy department and was sent to this area by the Commission. My Skipper was still equipped with deep-water sensors and sonographic mapping equipment. I believe I was shot down because I was getting too close to the Pirate's hidden underwater base. That's why I asked if you were Pirates,” Addson replied. “How can you say you are from here without actually being from here? That does not make sense.”

  Sighing, Ben sat down and told her the tale, from the beginning. When he'd finished, she was staring at him, open-mouthed.

  “I knew it! I knew this was our home planet! I've seen enough of the ancient cities to realize that this had been far more than a mere colony world!” Addson replied. “Wait! We can't say anything yet. We need proof and we need secrecy. If the Duke finds out about you before we get to the Emperor, he'll kill all of you!”

  Ben's ears perked up. “Duke? Emperor? Addson, could you please tell me the history of humanity, as you know it, so we can figure out how to proceed without getting ourselves killed?”

  Just as she was about to begin, Jon interrupted the discussion. “She can tell you tomorrow, Ben. She needs to rest.”

  “Of course, Jon. Thank you Addson, may I return tomorrow so we can speak again?” Ben asked.

  She nodded as she spoke. “Please do, I find all of this fascinating. I will help you anyway I can.”

  Argassi Aerie and Polyponics facility

  Planet Terral III

  Cassian March

  Duchy of Cassias

  Hyclarion Imperial Consortium

  Anti-Pirate Command had called off the search for Addson because of the huge, powerful storm that had grown in the area. Command had surmised that if she had evaded the second missile, she couldn't have evaded the storm. Addson Dee was officially declared deceased.

  As predicted, there was a public outcry, but it still wasn't as strong as the Duke had hoped for. He paced back and forth in front of his warming stone. As he paced, he hissed and his forked tongue flicked out unconsciously. Reaching a decision, he thumped one clawed, bejeweled fist into the other. Stinking, stupid humans! Other than hard labor, the only thing they were good for was as a meal, and the Emperor forbade both slavery and eating of the humans. (Although, the Duke still indulged himself and his guests during the high holidays.)