Hello Mr. Robinson Pt. 07

"Mr. Robinson," she said shaking my hand.

"Ms. Redcloud," I replied. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

"The same," she said as she sat down. "Can I call you Greg and you can call me Lydia."

"Great, I prefer first names actually. So what can I do for you?"

"There are a few things I need clarification on before I get sworn in. I have learned that you are the darling of Washington D.C. as the liaison between Numenor and the White House as well as the Pentagon."

"That is true. Although I am sure certain senators wouldn't see me as a darling."

"I understand. This Blink technology is pretty world changing stuff not to mention this gauss weaponry. If these Blink rings actually work and the technology spreads a lot of people are going to lose their jobs. What do you say to that?"

"True. I can't argue that in ten years or so pilots and peripheral airline jobs will be lost. However, the jobs created by building and maintaining the Blink infrastructure will require quite a few jobs. I can't promise it will be a one to one exchange but look at all the good it will create. Think of all the houses near airports that will no long suffer from noise pollution. The effect on the environment will reduce emissions. Once the major cities have rings weather will have little impact on travel. No one will ever be trapped at an airport ever again."

"I see why she likes you. So I hear the British are arming the Winston Churchill with a gauss cannon. Isn't that a little overkill?"

"The Russians are looking to expand their territory again. I think it is an understandable reaction. Is there anything else I can clear up?"

"This suicide and assassination with Senator Long and his wife," she began and paused. "You and Amarna were intimate?"

"Yes, she came to me for protection. I had Rhea handle it. Her death was unnecessary and a sad waste. She just wanted a life away from her controlling husband."

"I see. I have one last question and I want you to be honest with me. Why did you give that land to my people? Were you trying to get in good with me or was it a genuine gift to them for past atrocities?"

"Well um... I'll be honest with you. I never expected you to win the election. You were a long shot at best. I mean a woman and American Indian to boot. It was an anonymous gift. I don't know how you found out but it was supposed to make amends for two hundred years of bloodshed. I will be honest the property belonged to Senator Long's family. I wanted to punish them and do some good at the same time." I said and waited for the handcuffs and someone to read me my rights but it never happened.

"You really are as amazing as she said," Lydia said as she made a gesture. "I will be thrilled to work with you Greg."

Amarna Long stepped out from the kitchen and I almost flipped the table as I got to my feet. She raced into my arms and I hugged her tight. We sat down and I was told what really happened. Rhea had gotten a body double for Amarna. It was the double that had been tortured and murdered. Amarna was now in protective custody. The feds were going after the Usher family but it would take time. Lydia asked me if I could take over her protection until something more permanent could be arranged. I nodded and that's when the conversation turned strange.

"Amarna has told me some very enticing things about you," Lydia said and I felt like my worse fear was about to manifest itself. "Relax. I am not trying to seduce you well not yet anyway. I need to know I can count on you when things get crazy."

"I would be happy to help you out if I can." I said not sure what she actually meant by that. Oh I could have brushed her thoughts but that would be akin to rape. "Who knows about me gifting the land?"

"Only the people in this room, Amarna had a copy of that thumb drive and she told me all about the land you gave to the tribes. You have a real set on you for taking on the Usher's and I admire that."

"How much do you know about the Ushers?"

"Only what I learned from Amarna," she admitted. "However, I am making some discreet inquiries. I will let you know when I hear something."

Our food arrived and I didn't miss the looks from the President-Elect. She was still sizing me up but why was anyone's guess. Did she want to offer me a spot on her cabinet? Or was it much simpler than that? She was unmarried Lakota Sioux woman and in scant weeks the next President of the United States. I was still recovering from Amarna's return from the dead. I understood why Rhea hadn't said anything. She was doing her job. It would have been unprofessional of her to do otherwise. People saw me mourn the widow's death and throw myself into locating her killer. If there were moles inside the White House they had been convinced Amarna was dead.

I picked up my utensils and looked at my meal. We were both having a salmon steak on a bed of crisp lettuce with a raspberry vinaigrette drizzled over all of it. I sniffed and caught the aroma of the salmon, the lettuce and of course the raspberry. But there was something else, something subtler and it was coming from Lydia's plate. I held up my hand and she set down her fork. I grabbed her plate and gave her mine instead. I sent a message to Rhea to bring in one of the secret service agents with her. I sniffed her plate and there it was the scent of peanuts. Lydia was allergic to peanuts so much so a small amount could throw her into a severe case of anaphylactic shock. I lifted up some of the lettuce and found the culprits.

"Peanuts," I said and her eyes went wide in surprise.

"Let go of me," a voice cried from the kitchen. "She needs to die! Whore! Die you fuckin..."

There was a sudden ringing in my ears and I lost consciousness as I slumped to the floor. If I dreamed I was completely unaware of it. I wasn't alone in that stygian darkness. I felt two others imprisoned with me, Ariana and my other half. The two A.I. hovered close and the more time that passed the closer they became. The sensation of blending was not unlike when Rhea's soul and mine had joined. The lines blurred until there was no difference between them and me. I woke up in the ambulance and slowly opened my eyes. Rhea was next to me and she appeared heart struck. I smiled up at her and was about to speak when she shook her head.

"You were in the blast range of an EMP. Your watch is toast and your implant may be damaged. A helicopter is going to meet us so that you can be air lifted to the Numenor, Nick's ship. It is anchored off of Arkham and they are waiting for you. Get some rest... oh god Greg I thought you were dead!"

I nodded and offered her a smile before I closed my eyes and drifted away. I was worried when I couldn't contact either Ariana or my other half. What the hell was going on? I felt it awakening in my mind. It was like a sleeping giant coming to life. I was standing in a darkened hallway and the lights slowly fluttered to life as the power was restored. I knew what I was it was the remnants of the bridge, that mental barrier that separated my psyche and that of my implant. It was wrecked utterly and completely. I stood at the brink and looked down into the emotional abyss. I reached out to try and find my cybernetic doppelganger but it was gone as was Ariana the A.I. that I had placed in my watch.

'So I am alone then,' I thought as the death of the two A.I. hit home.

The EMP had fried all of my tech. I wondered if Nick and his team could fix me. I sat down and dangled my feet over the edge. I felt naked now. I had grown so accustomed to having him there. I was never truly alone when he was there. He allowed me to silently link to all kinds of technology. I could pull up email or surf the Net with ease. Suddenly there was a light trickling up from the pit. I wondered if the nanites had survived the blast. If so, maybe I could still reach out and connect with the myriad technologies out there. I stretched out my hand and willed a connection with anything within my range. A medical readout appeared in front of me it was a real time display of what I assumed was my vital signs. I stood up and felt a burst of confidence. If I could do that I had to push on. I willed a connection to my email. A moment later a series of icons appeared hovering in front of me. Each of the icons was labeled with a sender's name and its title. I touched one from Nick and the text appeared.

'Great work on merging Peek-A-Boo and the anti-gauss armor. I know the perfect person to field test it when Zoe builds the prototype. Keep up the good work and I'm looking forward to seeing how well your lunch with Lydia went.'

It was signed Nick. I gestured and closed that email. If I can do that I decided to see if I could access the remnants of my implants hard drive. Was any of that information still there or had it been destroyed? I reached out and found a galaxy of glittering crystal stars. Were these the nanites that were in my brain? Were they all that remained of my implant?

'Show me the library.' I ordered.

The shimmering blue radiance flared to life and a moment later I found myself in a massive structure. It reminded me of the library at Miskatonic University. I looked up and it appeared to dozens of stories tall. How the hell was I supposed to find anything in here? As if answering my mental call a crystal pylon appeared before me. I laid my hand on its smooth exterior.

'Show me the contents of my library.'

Blazing green words appeared before me forming a kind of index. It was divided up by subjects. I was amazed at the vast wealth of information at my fingertips. All I had to do was think of a subject and a submenu appeared. I asked about the core memories of my A.I. and the response left me stunned.

'Which one?'

What the hell did that mean? No... wait... there were two A.I. on my person when the pulse hit me. There was my other half and Ariana. Well why not delve into her memories.

'Show me Ariana's memories.'

Another index appeared and it was so vast it manifested as a series of interconnected icons. I could reach out and touch an icon and manipulate any connected data to that subject. It was more like a human mind than a library. A sudden impulsive idea struck me. I ordered it to show me anything it knew about the J'Nai. There was an icon and many nodes attached to it. How the hell do I access so much? The main icon flashed green and disappeared. A heartbeat later my mind was flooded with memories, her memories. I knew all about their culture. I knew individual J'Nai and all of my interactions with them. No, I had a complete recollection of His interactions with them. Ariana had recorded every single thought, emotion and physical interaction He had experienced. He had spent so much time with them. They had adopted him as one of their own. He had gone to war with them and fought gods and monsters.

I felt the medication hit my system. I was dragged to the surface. I was waking up. I opened my eyes and found myself lying on a comfortable bed. Nick, Kat and Rhea were standing around me. I blinked a few times and smiled. It wasn't a hallucination I was alive! Nick asked me how I felt and I told him. The words tumbled from lips but he looked confused at me. Kat's expression changed as did Rhea's but where Kat Shaw looked concerned Rhea grinned like a fiend.

"What the hell did he say?" Nick asked.

"I have no idea," Kat replied.

"He said thanks for saving his life," Rhea said her emotions rising like a tidal wave. "He said it in J'Nai."