Dark as Daylight Ch. 02

"Go ahead Doctor."

"Hannah tells me that you could link our computer to some of our medical instruments and help me with your operation. Is that correct?"

"Absolutely Doctor, it's as easy as pie."

"Why didn't you say so before?"

"First I had other things on my mind. Second you never asked me. Third I never thought of it. Fourth, there is problem."

"What is it, I will move heaven and earth to get it out of the way."

"I am not allowed on the bridge, and that's where I have to be to make the changes."

Doctor Finch took out his communicator and called me.

"Captain what is your position?"

"I'm sitting on my ass on the bridge."

"I need you in the infirmary yesterday."

"I'm on my way."

When I arrived, Gordon was laying on the examination table, with Zoey sitting on his chest kissing him. Doctor Finch, and Hannah were looking at the results of the CAT scans, and the MRIs, until I informed him that I was there.

"Thank you for coming so quickly Captain. I want to show you something, and then I have a very important request."

"Go ahead Joe, what's up?"

He went through the entire dissertation, which Hannah described to him, and then advised me how Callie could be the difference between Gordon's life and death. I told him he could Callie's knowledge base, without checking with me.

"Captain that coincides with my request. In order to do what I have to do, Gordon has to go to the bridge to make the changes. Callie can actually be programmed to manipulate some of the equipment I'm going to use to remove the tumor, especially the part where the blood vessel goes through the center of the tumor. I can take out the rest of it, but if I nick that blood vessel, we could lose him. I am not being dramatic, and I will show you why. Look at this. If this blood vessel begins to bleed, I have to clamp it off on both sides to repair it. Once I do that, I'm on the clock. If it takes me longer than 30 seconds to repair the vessel, brain matter on both sides begins to die, due to of lack of oxygen. Do you know what the left side of the brain is responsible for Doctor?

"I never studied medicine, Joe. I was too busy with science, math."

"Do you want to know why your son argues with you, and can't help himself even if he wants to stop? The beginning of the tumor is sitting directly on a neural-transmitter, which controls the flow of information to a part of the brain where reasoning is handled. You know I would never lie to you about something of such great significance. The left side of his brain is also responsible for his analytic thinking, science, math, number skills, and language. If I cut that blood vessel, and I take too long repairing it, some or all of those skills will be lost. Let him on the bridge captain, please. Let him make the changes on the computer, and then he can leave knowing he has a chance to live when he gets out of stasis."

As I was thinking about his request, Zoey yelled at me.

"Dad don't you dare say no."

Gordon said, "I will agree with anything you say, as long as you get Zoey off my chest. I can't breathe."

Zoey grabbed his crotch. "Are you saying I'm fat?"

"I would never say that to you baby. I'm just saying you're carrying a baby, baby, and you're carrying more weight than usual."

"I am going to beat the shit out of you when we get back to our room. You just called me fat, and I am not fat, I am pregnant. You had something to do with that, and now you're complaining."

"Dearest, I would never complain about someone as beautiful as you."

"Joe, how much trouble do you think he's in?"

"I've been there twice Even, and I think he's in deeper shit than I was."

"Zoey, you are not allowed on the bridge, without my written permission."

"Gordon, how long do you think it will take you to re-program Callie for the medical suite?"

"Callie will probably help me, when I tell her what I have to do. I would say the entire procedure would take less than an hour."

"In that case you have my permission to be on the bridge for no longer than 90 minutes. If you need an extension, because you've run into trouble, you must speak to me personally."

"Thank you, dad. I will not disappoint you again."

"I don't think you ever will Gordon."

"Ladies, I believe you should start helping Gordon back to his room. It's been 7 minutes, and the drug only lasts for 10. Let him get some rest Zoey. I want the computer programmed tomorrow. If he doesn't get enough sleep by then, I will have the captain put you in the brig for 24 hours so he can rest, and do his job."

"That's not fair Doctor. I'm going to have to go without sex for 4 to 6 months, and I am horny as hell all the time. What am I supposed to do?"

"Hannah, how many sexual assistants, and batteries did we bring along with us?"

"300 assistants and 10,500 rechargeable batteries."

"There's your answer Zoey. You can carry on by hand, with a little help from your friends."

"You saw the size of my husband, do you have one that big?"

"I believe we have one bigger."

"That one is mine. Don't you dare give it to anyone else."

"Hannah please put Zoey's name on the Texas medium."

"Consider it done doctor."

"Gordon is falling asleep girls. You better get a move on it."

JoAnn and Zoey slid Gordon off the table, and began helping him out of the infirmary. Again he was barely able to move.

Hannah said, "It would be much easier if you picked up his trousers."

The women looked down, and found his pants around his ankles. They forgot the doctor examined his family parts, and did not raise them when he was finished. It was a chore to hold him upright, pick up his pants, slide in his shirt and buckled his belt.

Hannah was standing by the entrance to the infirmary, just 5 feet away.

She asked, "Ladies why didn't you just sit him down on this bench to do it?"

"Hannah, you are a real bitch."

"JoAnn, you will love me, when I get you in the stirrups."

The smile on JoAnn's face faded quickly.

****************

The next afternoon Gordon snuck up to the entrance to the bridge, and called out to me.

"Permission to enter the Bridge Captain?"

"Granted. What happened to Zoey?"

"She finally knocked herself out, and fell asleep. I don't believe she'll wake up until tomorrow. I got a few hours of rest, took a shower, and came up here to see if I could do my job."

"Go ahead Gordon, you have 90 minutes."

As he approached his station, and was about to ask Newton to move aside, he saw that his cousin was making a catastrophic mistake with the nuclear engine.

"Dad, may I approach please?"

"Come ahead."

"I know Newton is trying his very best on the simulation, but he is going to blow up the Nuclear Engine and the spacecraft if he continues moving the controls the way he is. Either have Callie train him on the way to do that fluid transfer, or let me train him."

"Can you prove to me that he's doing it wrong?"

"I can do it less than 60 seconds."

"Do it."

"Hello Newton, I'm going to show you where you are making a mistake. Would you stand up for a moment please?"

"Do you have your dad's permission?"

"I'm standing right behind you Newton. He tells me he's going to blow up the ship in less than 60 seconds, if you continue doing it your way."

"It can't be. I'm following everything by the manual."

Gordon said, "I'll check the manual after I leave the bridge to make sure it is correct."

Gordon sat down, with Newton watching over his left shoulder. "Do you see the way you have the fluid running from this transfer depository, to this valve?"

"Yes, that is exactly the way the manual says it's supposed to be done."

"Then the manual is wrong. The reason for the depository is to have extra fluid to run through the engine in case of an emergency shutdown. Without that fluid, you get a runaway nuclear cycle, that can't be stopped. You will have to eject the engine from the ship immediately, or it will blow up, along with the ship. Let me show you what happens."

"Callie, this is Gordon Luck, I have temporary permission to be on the bridge, and I want to run a simulation of what is currently showing on my screen."

"Captain Luck do you agree with this request?"

"I do."

"Simulation is on the screen."

"Please run the C144 fluid through valve 21D, into depository T-1."

"Simulation begins."

"Newton, remember the fluid is supposed to be running up to the depository, so it is constantly being filled. Watch what happens when you have the fluid flowing in the opposite direction."

"Callie close valve 21D."

"When the engine reads this valve fails, and the fluid is running in the proper direction, it begins transferring fluid through valves 26 F and G. It will push cooling fluid up to valve 21D, and down through the rest of the system, keeping everything cool, and running properly, until the valve is repaired.

When the coolant is running up towards valve 21D, everything stops, because the engine doesn't know what to do. It can't push the coolant through valves 26F and G, because they are both closed. They are one-way valves, and only open when coolant pushes them from the outside. If coolant pushes them from the inside, they are sealed shut. The engine begins to overheat in a matter of seconds, and reaches 'Critic Mass' within two minutes and 15 seconds."

"Callie, would you run the simulation, with the coolant running in the incorrect direction, at doubletime."

"Beginning simulation."

The three of us watched the coolant run through valve 21D, until it lit up as a failure. The coolant began roiling up as it hit the closed valve, and then became perfectly clear. We watched as it rolled up the corridors to valves 26F and G. As Gordon said they pressed those valves tighter, and the coolant had nowhere to go. Following it down to the depths of the engine, you could see parts of it heating up rapidly. Gray material turned orange, then to red, and the klaxon roared. The doors that were meant to extend the engine for extra power, opened, the blocks that were meant to keep the engine in place were blown away, the electrical cables that were supplying power to the ship, reversed polarity and moved the engine to the outside, where an explosive device powered the engine from the ship and forced off it into space.

Gordon looked up at me and said, "The reason we are safe from the explosion is because of our kinetic energy. We are doing well over two thirds light speed. You can multiply our speed by a factor of four when the shock wave hits us. If we had a way to calculate our speed using stars, or planets as a guide, we would be the first humans to prove Einstein was wrong. We would be the first humans, and spacecraft moving faster than the Speed of Light."

"Gordon get out your star charts or anything else you need, and to prove it. I want to be able to send a rocket back when we reach Saturn, and tell them we are moving faster than the Speed of light."

"We are not moving faster than the Speed of light dad. We would only be doing that if we had to drop the nuclear engine and gets hit by the resulting shockwaves. It would multiply our speed by a factor of four to six from two thirds light speed to more than 2 to 4 times the speed of light, due to the kinetic energy we would absorb.

"If Finch hurts your mind, I will kill him personally."

"Are you going to sit in solitary for the rest of your life, or are you going to walk the plank?"

"Murder is punishable by death."

"There were no guns on board dad."

"There were no turkeys allowed on board either."

"They will be nice and fat for Thanksgiving."

"Who's going to disembowel them for the chef?"

"I cut open a buffalo, while Monty and Janet laughed at me. I don't think cutting open turkey's will be as bad an experience for me."

"Get under your desk, you have 90 minutes."

"Yes sir."

"All of this would never have happened if you said those two words."

"I know that now, and I will never forget it."

"Under your desk, now."

As he moved under his desk, and open to the panel to get in, he looked back at me and said, "NO!"

He scrambled into the opening but not fast enough. I threw a pencil at him, and it stuck in his ass. He yelled at 'OW'.

"Dad you couldn't do that again in 500 attempts.

I yelled at him to stick his ass there, and I will give it a try."

"I can't, I only have 90 minutes to work on the computer, and leave the bridge.

"You could ask the captain for an extension of time."

"The captain has an exceedingly busy today. He's counting the worms in the Arboretum."

"It sounds like this captain has to take care of a lot of dirty work on this ship."

"Callie, this is Gordon Luck. My purpose for being in here is to change three of your medical cards, and two of your surgical cards into different positions. I would like you to guide me to make sure I place them in the correct positions to aid the surgical suite, while they perform operations now and in the future. Would you do that for me?"

"That is what I am programmed for Mister Luck."

"Am I correct in saying that the medical programs are in section 13, row S, bank 23N, units 1 through 11."

"You are incorrect Mister Luck. It is unit 1 through 14."

"Callie did anyone have access to the Master Control Manuals before we departed?"

"Yes."

"What was that person's name?"

"The name was erased from the logs Mister Luck."

"While you are helping me, could you compile a list of names who had access to the Master Control Manuals, and enough technical expertise to remove their name from the logs?"

"Certainly Mister Luck."

"Callie I am moving the medical programs to section 17 row B banks 1 & 2. Bank 1 will contain numbers 1 through 10. Bank 2 will contain 11 through 20."

"Stop Mister Luck, that will cause a fire."

"It should not cause a circuit overload. The medical logs are in section 17. Is that correct?"

"You are correct."

"Why would it cause a fire?"

"The lines have been rerouted Mister Luck."

"Dad, get Delicious up here we have a problem."

I stuck my head through the opening underneath his console and asked him what was going on?

"Someone triple-downed on his bet dad. Under no circumstances did they want our mission to succeed. No one knew that we would be able to talk to Callie, and that's what's foiling their plans. I know the circuits like I know the back of my hands. The medical books are supposed to be in units 1 through 11. Callie told me they are in units 1 through 14. One of us is wrong. I'm going to have to check that out, because the last three could be explosives to ruin the computer. Then she tells me if I relocate the files the way I want to we will have a fire.

One thing connects everything together. Someone had access to the Master Control Manuals and was able to delete their name."

"No one can delete their name from signing in to get the Master Control Manuals."

"Don't argue with me dad, argue with Callie."

"Hi dad, what's up?"

"Delicious, it's me Gordon. Bring up your electrical display for the area underneath Gray's desk, and tell me if you see any faults."

"I would bet my life there are no faults in this electrical work."

"Don't bet anything, because someone's tampered with it."

"Someone's tampered with my work, bring them to me and I'll cut his balls off."

"What if it's a woman?"

"I'll cut your balls off and give them to her."

"Not now children, this is serious."

"I do not see any faults at Gray's Station."

"Dad hand me the test kit that's above your head."

"Here you go."

"Watch this Delicious. These are supposed to be a .5-amp line. Tell me what it reads.

".5 A."

"Again. .5 A."

"Again. .5 A."

"Again. 12 A."

"Where is that line going?"

"The electrical supply generator on the fourth floor. It supplies power for the fourth and fifth floor for fire suppression system."

"So if the doctor was operating on me on the first floor, it would have overheated that switch, and caused a fire in that closet?"

"No, the asshole got it backwards. The switch would have short-circuited and burned out the board. It would have sent a signal to the closet to turn on the fire suppression unit, which would've soaked everyone on those floors. If the idiot wanted us to burn, he would have had to start the fire in the closet not at the switch. Whoever it was, was an amateur at starting fires. Would you agree Callie?"

"I should have carried my conclusion past the initial fire. You are correct Mrs. Thyme."

"Thank you Callie."

"This brings us back to our initial problem, who was able to get to the 'Master Control Manuals, change the instructions, alter the circuit boards and then delete their names so they would not be able to be traced. Did you have any luck with that Callie?"

"No Mister Luck, it has been removed from my database also."

"How many people on this ship have knowledge to remove information from your database?

"No one, except Doctor Luck, has that ability."

"Since I don't believe the captain did it, could this have been done remotely from the University of Chicago?"

"I am not permitted to answer the question."

"How many people at the University of Chicago have the authority to change your program?"

"Two."

"Are there any more programs installed, which are life-threatening to us?"

"I will not be aware of a life threatening program, just prior to the problem arising. I will be able to stop whatever the problem is prior to its execution. As was the case with this cross circuited board, I did not understand the problem, until a nanosecond prior to the event."

"Thank you Callie, we realize you are being very diligent in our care."

"Dad, I think you should ask Colonel Daniels to prepare part of the message to send to Earth in a code that only Colonel Canyon will understand. Since Callie was not able to answer one question, but there are only two people capable of changing her code, Colonel Canyon can get to the bottom of this very easily. He will be able to follow the bread crumbs to whoever paid them."

"Son, I am going to keep you in stasis as long as is necessary to make sure Doctor Finch is ready to operate on you. Your mind is too valuable to this expedition, and I don't want to risk losing you."

"I would like to be awake for my child's 18^th birthday."

"Can I kill him dad? He is too much of a smart ass to keep around."

"Delicious, don't make me make a choice between the two of you."

"Are you saying you would pick him over me, your natural born daughter?"

"Don't make me answer that question. You belong in the brig for almost breaking his jaw, and losing five of his teeth."

"It was a love tap dad."

"That's not what your husband said, and your daughter put your nose in the corner for one hour because of it."

"She's two years old, she doesn't know everything."

"Should I call her up here, and tell her you just lied?"

"Please don't do that, she's pissed at me already."

"Mommy use bad word again."

"We have a problem baby, someone tried to put the ship on fire."

"No use bad word."

"Okay, I try harder, I pray harder. Will you help us?"

"Help grandpa, no you, until no bad words."

"Grandpa uses bad words."

"Grandpa is grandpa. Mommy is my mommy. No bad words."

"I'm sorry baby, I am really trying to stop it. When you get older, I will tell you why I use bad words so often."

"No excuse, stop now."

"Okay."

"Grandpa, why need Teddy?"

I put her in my lap and tried to make her understand her mother a little bit better.

"Teddy, I want you to go easier on your mommy. I know you want her to stop using bad words, and I do too. Mommy had a very bad beginning to her life. Her daddy was a very bad daddy. He wanted to do terrible things to her. He did terrible things to her mommy in front of her. He would always hit her, and kick her when he came home drunk. Your mommy's mommy was my sister, and I couldn't help her. Your mommy was always afraid of her daddy, and so was her mommy. The boys in her school were terrible too, because your mommy is so pretty. Her mommy, my sister, made her use those terrible words to keep the boys away from her. It is not as easy as you think to change the way you are brought up. Your daddy knows all these things; you can ask him if I'm lying to you."