Journey to Year 1,000,000,000 Ch. 17

"Could you? How?"

"I'll show you," said 1012, giving a smile. "Just take my hand."

********

Pam had just dropped Taylor off on the Judicator. She wanted to report in to Us, and promised to be back soon.

"Time travel, Victor. It's amazing," said Taylor.

"I know, I've seen it firsthand," said Victor.

"No," said Taylor. "I don't mean time traveling, in a ship, to a period in time, plus or minus a million years. I mean discrete time travel, to a certain moment in time, without a spaceship, without a time tunnel." He told Victor what Pam had done.

"Fascinating," said Victor. "But... what about the responsibility that goes with it? They could change the entire course of history for everyone."

"I know, Victor. That sense of self-awareness seems to be absent. Or else why would they be debating whether to destroy the entire galaxy?"

"Michael, are you getting any closer to reaching her, emotionally?"

Taylor thought about the demonstrations, how they involved kissing. "Maybe. She's clearly infatuated with me. At least, Pam the woman is."

"And what about Pam, the diagnostic tool?"

Taylor remembered looking into her eyes. "I'm just not sure how deep it goes, Victor."

*********

Taylor returned to his quarters, and started to remove his clothes. He wanted to take a sonic shower before Pam returned. He had just finished removing his pants and Survey Service underwear when he heard a voice behind him.

"Oh. How perfect. Just the way I like you."

Taylor turned to find Elizabeth, standing inside his doorway.

"Elizabeth? How did you get in here?" He noticed she was wearing a silky silver dress. A dress he had never seen before. As he looked at the curves, he couldn't imagine Elizabeth ever owning such a dress. Where did she get it from?

He picked up his discarded shirt to cover his nudity. Elizabeth grabbed it and tossed it away. "There's no need for modesty between the two of us," she said with a smile. "Believe me, Michael, you have nothing that I haven't seen or felt before." And then she reached forward and kissed him passionately.

There was a smell in the air. The strong smell of rotting oranges. What was that? As Taylor started to breathe it in, he started to become aroused. "Where did you get that dress?" he asked.

"Do you like it?" Elizabeth smiled. He noticed she was wearing heavy makeup. Elizabeth never wore makeup! Her eyelids were painted light blue, and she had reddish cheeks, and bright, red lips. "I got it just for you."

"Got it where?" The smell of oranges was deep in his lungs now. He felt sexual desire arising within him.

Elizabeth kissed him again.

Taylor felt her small round breasts pressed against his. He felt himself getting hard. He had to have her. He started to kiss her back, furiously, kissing a trail around her neck like a wild animal.

"That's right," said Elizabeth knowingly. "Oh yes, Michael! Just like that!"

********

"He will not perform the ritual of reproduction with me," said Pam.

She was talking to 37. 37, who had a major role in creating Pam, often was more... sympathetic to Pam's point of views than the others. Of course, they all had excellent Formos, usually. But on occasion when Pam's views diverged from the rest, she often turned to 37.

"It seems like such a simple three dimensional act," said 37. "Why don't you get one of the other males to perform it with you?"

"I... I want Taylor to do it," said Pam. "I think he will give the most scientifically interesting response."

"The most scientifically interesting response," 37 repeated. 1018 had been known to get obsessed with her work before. That's why she had been paired so often with 1012.

At that moment, 1012 actually appeared, by her side. "I have an interesting development to report about the finiterals."

"Did you kill them again?" Pam asked.

"I only killed them once. Are you going to hold that against me for an eon?" 1012 asked.

"What do you have to report?" Pam asked.

"No. You have to see it for yourself. Come with me."

*********

They were in Taylor's quarters, slightly out of phase, so they wouldn't be seen. But they could see and hear everything.

"Oh.. oh.. oh... oh..." Taylor cried, as he pumped vigorously between Elizabeth's spread legs.

"What is this? Pam asked.

"You wanted to see Taylor performing this act. I knew how interested you were in his performance of it, so when I saw him doing it, I knew you would want to be informed at once."

Taylor's head arched up to the ceiling, and his buttocks tensed, and his whole body stiffened. "Ah.. ah... ahhhhhhhhhh," he cried out, with need etched in his voice.

Then he collapsed on top of Elizabeth.

Pam stepped into phase, so she could now be seen and heard. "What is happening here?" Her sensors detected a chemical in the air. She analyzed it instantly.

"Pam!" said Taylor. He pulled out abruptly, looking extremely shocked and embarrassed. His penis was semi-hard and wet. He lifted his discarded shirt to cover his rapidly shrinking organ, as if that would help mitigate things.

Elizabeth, on the other hand, didn't seem embarrassed in the slightest. "Hello there, Pammy," she said, grinning wickedly, not bothering to cover herself.

Pam felt a hand on her shoulder. "Now that you have finally seen him perform the act, may we be rid of them?"

Pam looked from 1012 to Elizabeth to Taylor, and then back to 1012."I see what you have done here."

Suddenly, the chemical in the air was gone. So too, was a faint reordering of Elizabeth's neural pathways.

She blinked rapidly, looking down at herself, recalling events rapidly in her brain. "What am I doing... oh my God, what's going on? Taylor!" she cried, as she rapidly grabbed the blanket off her bed and covered herself.

Taylor, keeping his penis covered by his shirt, looked terribly confused and embarrassed. "Pam... what's going on here?"

"An experiment, Michael," said Pam, through gritted teeth.

Suddenly Taylor noticed 1012. "Doug! What are you doing here?"

"Doug, as you call him, decided to conduct an experiment of his own. A very poorly conceived one," said Pam, giving 1012 a dirty look.

"Involving me and Elizabeth?" said Taylor.

"No," said Pam. "Involving you and me."

"You and me? But we haven't-"

"Doug, as you call him, wished to see if he could make me... jealous, I believe the word is. Doug believes that I have become too influenced, too corrupted by my humanity extension, haven't you, Doug?" she said, putting ironic emphasis on his name.

"It is true. You have been corrupted by simplistic animal love. I hoped to make you realize that," said 1012.

"In reality, though, it is you, Doug, who has been corrupted by an animal emotion. You are the one who is suffering from jealousy." She said it calmly, but firmly, as a scientific conclusion.

"I? Jealous?" said Doug. "I am an expediting tool. I cannot experience jealousy."

"You have said on many occasions that you want me to return to work. To the work I do with you," said Pam.

"Yes, but that is because we work well together. Together, we create Tisson Crae. We have Formos."

"All true," said Pam. "But you are also jealous as well. I trista it quite clearly."

"I do not kockk!" said 1012. "We are rapidly losing patience with you, 1018. I was trying to help you, for the sake of Formos, for the sake of yourself."

"For the sake of yourself, I think," said Pam. "I kockk you, 1012. I kockk you only too well," she said in a dry tone that made 1012 visibly wince. Pam waved a hand, and 1012 disappeared.

Elizabeth looked from Michael to Pam. "Um... I'm leaving now," she said, wrapping his blanket around her. "It was, uh... nice.... seeing you... again.... Michael. Goodbye now." She ran out of his quarters.

Pam looked at Michael. He looked so vulnerable, sitting there totally nude, except for the shirt covering his penis. "I am sorry for this," Pam said.

Taylor got up, still holding the shirt over his genitals. "Sorrow is a human emotion. Is it your female body that is sorry, or are you, the diagnostic tool behind it, the one who is sorry?"

She looked up at him as he boldly dropped the shirt, and caressed her upper arms. "I... I am the one who is sorry."

Taylor reached down and kissed her. Pam felt like she was being transported through time and space.

*********

Her door buzzed.

"Go away!"

The door buzzed again.

"Go away!"

"Elizabeth, I'm going to keep buzzing until you let me in!"

"Arrrr!" she cried, gritting her teeth. "Enter!" she cried.

"I heard what happened," said Vincent, entering her quarters.

"Already? Has Taylor managed to tell everyone on the crew? It's only been five minutes! You must have all had a good laugh."

"No," said Vincent, sitting down by her bedside. She was still covered in a blanket. "Not Taylor. Pam."

"Pam?" Elizabeth looked at Vincent. "Why would Pam tell you?"

"Because... she knows I love you."

Elizabeth looked shocked. "You whipped me. You broke me. You tortured me."

"Yes," said Vincent. "And I love you." He reached down, and kissed her.

Elizabeth let the thought filter down into her, and in moments, she was kissing him back.

********

It was Vincent's first time.

He was 35 years old, but had never been with a woman before. He was socially awkward, lacking in confidence, and no woman wanted to have sex with a man who lacked confidence.

So he had to project confidence as he took her, confidence he didn't have. He kissed her furiously as he removed her clothes. Her body was all sweaty, reminding him that she had just been with Taylor. But that didn't matter. Vincent got her shirt off, and then her pants. He was thrilled beyond belief when Elizabeth cooperated, moving her legs so that he could get one pants leg off and then another.

But then Vincent encountered an impenetrable barrier. Elizabeth's Survey Service bra. He wrapped his arms around her and tugged at it from behind. He pulled, cajoled, and tried every which way to open it, but it wouldn't give. He was worried, very worried that Elizabeth would understand that he had never removed a woman's bra before, and would think him too inexperienced to-

"Off," said Elizabeth softly. And suddenly, her bra came undone. Elizabeth looked into his eyes and smiled. He smiled timidly back at her. And then they kissed again.

Vincent's heart pounded as he removed Elizabeth's Survey Service panties. Elizabeth had a large, wild, untamed brown bush. It looked like a medium sized human shrub. He was about to say something about it, when Elizabeth grabbed him and started ripping off his clothes.

In moments they were both nude. They were kissing and hugging and touching but Elizabeth was impatient. "Put it in me, Vincent," she whispered in his ear. "I need you inside me now."

Vincent grabbed his penis and looked down. He couldn't see where to insert it. All he saw a large, brown jungle down there. He guided his penis by hand and tried to find the entrance by touch. He pushed forward, thinking he had found it, but only ended up sliding downwards. He looked at Elizabeth. She frowned.

She knows. She knows I've never done this before and she's going to reject me.

Vincent tried again frantically, two more times, but couldn't seem to find the entrance.

Finally Elizabeth, with a half amused look on her face, knocked his hand away, grabbed his organ, and inserted him into herself. She smiled as she saw his eyes widen.

"Am I?" said Vincent.

"You are," said Elizabeth, her eyes gleaming.

"May I..."

"I insist," said Elizabeth, and she actually laughed.

Vincent reddened and started thrusting. It felt like his organ was being massaged by a soft glove. It felt so wonderful! Every time he pulled out, he saw the milky wetness on his shaft.

"So soft," Vincent whispered. "So wet."

And then it was Elizabeth's turn to blush. "That's not just me," she said.

"What?" said Vincent, not understanding.

"That's also... Michael."

Vincent tried to process what she was saying as he slid in and out of her. What did she mean?

"I'm getting closer. Move faster, Vincent, harder," said Elizabeth. She rocked her body in time with his, making his entry into her deeper with every thrust.

Vincent speeded up. He felt himself getting closer too. He stared at her small round breasts, the breasts he had stared for so many years at, the breasts he had only seen the shape of through her Survey Service science uniforms. They were small, but juicy. As he reached up to squeeze one and feel its incredible softness, he felt a special tingling and vibrating in his shaft.

And then Elizabeth suddenly cried out, and Vincent was releasing into her, filling her with his seed. It felt so good, coming inside of her, after all these years. He loved staring at Elizabeth's orgasm face. She looked so excited, so satisfied. When it was done, he collapsed on top of her and was so relaxed that he actually fell asleep for several moments.

He awoke, several moments later, when Elizabeth gently rolled him off of her. She looked at him. "First time?"

Vincent reddened. "Yes."

She stared at him for a long moment. "It's all right. You'll get better."

********

"DIE, YOU FUCKERS, DIE!"

The USS Asgard had powered up full thrusters, a red fiery blaze coming out of its bottom. But it wasn't moving up; instead it was hovering low over the planet's surface, flaming the armies of Laquinta.

"WHERE IS YOUR GOD NOW?" came Taylor's voice over the external loudspeakers of the Asgard. "WHERE IS THAT FUCKER LAQUINTA NOW? DOING THE SAME THING I AM: LAUGHING HIS ASS OFF! BURN, YOU FUCKING COCKROACHES, BURN!!!!"

The flames licked over thousands of fanatics on the ground. They screamed, and tried to run, but the Asgard was relentless, like a giant blowtorch chasing masses of insects.

"This is a memory you return to often," said Pam, as they both hovered in the air, watching the scene unfold. She looked at Taylor. "It brings out great unhappiness. But at the time, you were not unhappy, were you?"

"No," said Taylor. "I was angry. Very angry."

"Then why do you feel differently about it now?"

"Because... because I killed thousands of people," said Taylor.

"Do you regret killing them?"

"No," said Taylor. "It had to be done. But... I regretted having to kill them."

"Why?"

"Some of them were bad people, who wanted to kill and enslave others," said Taylor, as he watched the Asgard continued to flame masses of Stranglers on the ground. "Others were simply misguided. But still, to kill anyone in large numbers... it makes me feel bad."

"Why?"

"Because whether they were bad or misguided, they were still human beings. In another life, they might have been good people. They ate, they drank, they had feelings, they had families, they had friends. And I killed them. I killed them all," said Taylor. "I have nightmares about it, sometimes."

"I know you do," said Pam.

"Why have you brought me to this memory?" Taylor asked.

Pam did not answer.

"It's because you're going to have to do the same thing, isn't it?"

Pam looked at Taylor with surprise on her face

"I screaned it, kind of," said Taylor. "You're going to have to kill us soon, aren't you?"

Pam nodded, looking miserable.

"And after that, you're going to have to participate in a decision of whether to erase humanity, and the rest of this galaxy, aren't you?"

Pam nodded again.

"This is my similar situation, and you wanted to know how I felt about it, didn't you?"

Pam kept nodding.

"The situations aren't the same. This had to be done to save lives, Pam. But your choice is different. You don't have to kill us. You don't have to erase humanity. We're thinking, breathing beings with feelings and lives of our own, however inconsequential they may seem to you," said Taylor. He looked at her intently. "Am I reaching you? Am I?"

Pam took his hand in hers. "I... I kockk."

Suddenly, they were floating in space, looking at a purple and blue nebula.

"I have seen this before," said Taylor.

"Yes," said Pam. "You said it was beautiful."

Taylor found her hand intertwining with his. "Pam... I screan that something is about to happen."

"It is," she said, with sadness in her eyes. "The others are calling me."

Taylor looked at her.

"They have decided the experiment must end," said Pam. "They are calling for me now."

"Must you go?"

"I... I will make them wait. Just a few of your minutes. Hold me, Michael," she said.

"Do you mean, this body?" he asked, putting an arm around her.

"No. I mean me," said Pam.

And so Taylor stood there, for a few minutes, holding Pam in his arms, as they watched the nebula. They were watching in fast motion, and saw the colors change and expand rapidly, but Pam only Shursta-ed part of it. She was more focused on the feeling of being near Taylor, next to him.

And then finally she said, "It is time."

Taylor reached down and kissed her. Then he said, "Pam... I love you."

I love you, he said.

********

"Are you ready to end the experiment?" 49 asked.

"There is more research that can be done-"

"It is time to end the experiment," said 73 abruptly. "There is much work to be done. There is a dwarf galaxy that needs your attention. And you still haven't completed your work on the Aratir cluster."

"I know," said Pam, her head bowed. She didn't make eye contact with 1012. "I will end it. I will remove the finiterals."

********

An infinity, and an instant.

The time it took for Pam to transition from the gathering place of Us to the Judicator could be measured in both ways. Such was the nature of subjective time.

She thought about Taylor. She had tried to kockk him, but she never could, not fully. She could trista him, and yet she couldn't. She saw his Shursta, but it left her hungering for more. Somehow she felt he was an integral part of Tisson Crae, a new kind of Tisson Crae that was just beyond her understanding.

She thought to their last encounter, when they stood together, in interstellar space, watching the nebula. The way his hand had touched her. The way he had smiled at her. The way she had expra-ed him when she looked at him.

It left her with sensations... sensations undefined. Could she return to her work with all these questions unanswered?

*********

"So we are about to die," said Victor.

"I debated whether to tell anyone," said Taylor. "Somehow, I decided to tell you."

Elizabeth, he knew, would simply panic. Ensign Wood might take it stoically, but neither he nor Doctor McCrae or Vincent would enjoy waiting for the inevitable in their final moments. That was a gift for humanity--to know that their lives would end, but to never know the exact moment of that ending, so their ending would not be hanging over them.

But Victor was different. Victor was special. And besides, he felt like he needed to talk to someone.

"You did your best, Michael," said Victor.

Good old Victor. Even now, at the end, he was still thinking of-

And then, in the blink of an eye, it happened.

Home, in the 23rd Century

It was a sad day of remembrance at the Survey Service Main Base at Port Auburn in Perth, Australia.

War Admiral Michael Starnes of the United Survey Service addressed the audience. It was filled with family members of the four doomed ships which had been brave enough to enter the Black Box.

"We are gathered here today to remember four crews, four gallant crews who gave their lives to defend Earth," said Starnes. "A year ago today, the Earth was threatened by the appearance of what we called the Black Box. It caused earthquakes and shockwaves all over the Earth. Thousands of lives were lost. Four Survey Service ships were sent in, one after another: The science ship Aurora. The battle cruiser Judicator. The deep space cruiser Exeter. And finally the frigate Devonshire."