Minx Ep. 06: Three Worlds

"Thank you." Minx smiled warmly. "Call me Minx. And no special formalities for me, please. I only recently came into money." She elbowed the hyperman who had let out a small cough at her admission.

"You may address me as Dragon, Director. I believe Mars Bank will have informed you that I'm a hyperman. Please be assured that I mean you and the staff here no harm. Minx and I just wish to learn more about the facility. If it proves interesting then there may be more donations being directed here. I've decided to direct my ambitions on human space and, unlike my predecessors with whom you may be familiar, I have no inclination toward murder or torture."

The woman relaxed slightly, but still eyed the hyperman warily.

"He means it," added Minx. "Do you think I'd still be around if he matched the descriptions in the historical tales?"

"I am sorry. I didn't mean to offend you Mister Dragon."

He smiled. "Just Dragon is perfectly fine. While I still thirst for conquest my plan is to buy this galaxy one corporation and one planet at a time. I shall take over the galaxy peacefully. Minx would not allow me to do it any other way."

"Then...if you don't mind me asking?" the woman said in a timid voice.

"Minx and I are partners. She isn't my helpless and brainwashed sex slave controlled by my pheromones."

"He only wishes I was," added Minx playfully.

"I understand. A number of the women aboard were concerned when we learned you were coming...". She stood a little straighter and regained what was likely her normal confidence. "Are you interested in financial statements, or...?"

"Scientific research." Minx spotted a look of regret cross the director's face. "While I'm not a scientist by trade Dragon is well-versed in many disciplines."

"Do you have anti-matter power generation?" asked the hyperman. The director shook her head. "Dark energy research? I understand that is back in style again." Again, there was a negative. "Then, I'm assuming your research is mainly into universal background energy and the redistribution and harvesting gravity waves?"

"And something else, something special that a brilliant scientist set us on the path of. We've been trying to contact him but he left for deep space - one of the new colonies, I think. A pity, but there are other minds we've been able to gather and put to work here. I flatter myself when I say I've been able to acquire some of the most capable theorists and practical scientists in the field since I became director."

"What do you want to show us first?" asked Minx, walking beside the director. Dragon followed, taking in everything with his eyes.

"Well, U.B.E research has hit a bit of a wall lately. There are hopes that we could use the gravity well surrounding Sol as a means of enhancing fluctuations in the base energy levels but our results have been less than impressive. Other facilities are also struggling with the research. I'll begin there and then we'll progress on to more exotic and exciting research. I'm guessing that you desire a comprehensive tour to make sure your donations are being put to good work?"

"That's true. When Dragon put everything in my name I was determined to put his wealth to good use for humanity. He's not opposed to the idea. I'd hate to find out the money was being wasted when it could have gone to something more fruitful."

"Fruitful is good," added Dragon, "however pure research can bring forth gems from refuse."

"That's true," agreed the director. "Although the trick is determining when the returns will be diminished before you sink too much money into it. By the way, our research and administration takes place in the outer ring while storage and living quarters are at lower gravity in the spokes. As you know, you docked in the outer ring. Ah! Here's U.B.E. research."

They entered an open portion of the ring where light from the sun shone in through many glazed windows. The equipment was a mystery to Minx. Box-shaped scientific instruments sat along one wall, covered in dials, buttons and communication and power cables. Upon one bench were a series of squares of varying opaqueness, each a square metre in area. The director led them over to a small group surrounding a holographic display.

"If I might interrupt? Doctor Moboga? These are two people who have recently donated a large quantity of funds, some of which has been allocated for your research team."

The dark-skinned woman looked up from the screen. "Oh, yes. You told me about this earlier. Uhm." She was distracted by the display. "Well, here we do experiments to try and improve the efficiency of extracting universal background energy. Much of it is locked into the very fabric of spacetime, but Hawking and others pointed out that gravity could be used to extract matter and energy. Aside from building a singularity, which of course is impossible at our current level of technology, we try to cause measurable fluctuations in...Uhm. What was I talking about?"

"She's a very driven researcher. Universal background energy research is her life," explained the director. "Unfortunately, communicating science is not a talent that many of the best scientists possess."

"We understand," said Minx.

"Why the gravity field of the primary in this system, Doctor Moboga?" asked the hyperman suddenly.

"Excuse me?" she responded, looking around for the person who had asked the question. Her assistants pointed at Minx and Dragon. "Who are you?"

"Our recent patrons," reminded the director.

"Oh, yes. The hyperman, correct? What did you ask me?"

"Why use just the gravity well of the primary? I can understand that it's the closest strong gravity well within easy reach of this station, but why not conduct your research around a collapsed white dwarf or neutron star?"

"Well, I don't see any other way to do it, Doctor." She looked over her glasses at him. "The equipment we require is only available on Earth and too costly to transport half-way across the galaxy. You have a better idea?"

"The size of the gravity well should not be critical; only it's relative strength, or warping of spacetime. Couldn't you just collapse a large asteroid? There would be minimal disruption of the solar system's bodies, yet it would likely provide a gravity well of sufficient strength to observe enhanced fluctuations in the U.B.E."

"We have explored the idea of creating semi-singularities within the system, even inside various asteroid fields, however the energies required are too immense to be practical. No-one has the capabilities to do anything close to what you are suggesting..."

"Give me a second," advised Dragon. He surveyed the group or, more precisely, the tools they were using. With a nod he took one of the assistant's holographic display manipulators - a small egg-shaped device with almost imperceptible ridges and bumps. "Not very efficient but it'll have to do." Dragon began skillfully manipulating the egg. The image in the display expanded, flashed, then was replaced with a series of diagrams and atomic structures. The images darted this way and that and then suddenly shrunk down.

"What have you just done?" an awestruck Doctor Moboga asked quietly.

"The controls are inefficient, as I stated, you could really do with a redesign. Perhaps something larger that allows finer control over details, and the display size should be doubled from thirty centimetres to a width of sixty to one hundred centimetres for work like this."

"Dragon?" prompted Minx.

"Oh, yes. Check the specifications on that device. We've had U.B.E. generators for some time now. The device I've shown you is one of our more primitive versions. I am limited on the time I can spend describing the device or I would have provided specifications on a more advanced system. The addition of the trans-uranics is critical, I might point out. This particular device should be capable of beginning the collapse of an asteroid, and once you've done that you can use the intense gravitational field as a starting point for a stronger semi-singularity."

"My God!" muttered Moboga.

"I think we're done here," stated Dragon. "Can we look over the gravity research last? My people have been researching that for some time without much payoff. I suspect your people have not made much headway. I'm afraid it's a dead end until we have a better grasp on the fundamental make-up of spacetime, at least as far as practical applications go for the next one hundred years or so."

"Of course, Mister Dragon. Please come with me."

Minx took Dragon's arm as they followed the director. "Show off. Is that how hypermen access U.B.E?"

"No. Such systems are far too unwieldy and permanent and don't work in a society such as ours. A fusion reactor easily supplies most of our energy needs. Fusion is, of course, much more mobile and defensible. The U.B.E generators we have are much smaller and far more efficient that the device I just showed to Doctor Moboga."

"How did you come up with that, then?"

"I had a few ideas after reading the files and I recalled some earlier prototypes. If you weren't such an air-headed socialite you would have read them, too."

"You're beating a dead horse."

"The live ones can still kick back."

Minx groaned in response.

After walking about one third of the way around the station, back in the direction they had originally come from, they came to the next research section. This portion had additional walls of thick metal and ceramic, and the doors were opened manually with a wheel set in the middle to unlock each one. After Minx asked, the director explained there were added safety factors required for the special research.

They passed through a series of safety doors. The director locked each one behind them. Minx and Dragon noted that the door pads, control panels usually found beside each door in the other sections of the station, were not powered at these doors.

"I've only seen a few security cameras and no guards," noted Minx quietly.

Dragon spoke in a normal volume. "I've detected a fair number of video feeds, odour sensors and listening devices. My guess is guard-work has been totally automated on this station, perhaps for personnel security reasons. I doubt it was introduced merely for our visit." Minx felt a little embarrassed about Dragon spotting more than she had. "My nanobots," he explained.

Minx's eyes opened wide. "You're not concerned about her hearing that?" she hissed.

"Oh, she's been listening to every one of our comments since we came aboard, and I'm sure her sensors picked up my devices. Isn't that correct, Director?"

The woman froze and turned to face them slowly. "I am so sorry! Please don't kill me!"

"I have no intention of causing you any harm, Director. We are on a fact-finding mission. Do not let my being a hyperman make you feel threatened."

"I...okay, then. We are aware of the microscopic devices that hover around you. There are security agents aboard, but they are safely compartmented in observation stations and are watching all sensors. What are the nanobots for?"

"Personal defence, sometimes attack. Usually, I use them primarily as sensors wherever I go. Minx does not have any as yet. They are a hyperman invention, though I understand that some of the technology is known to humans. Frankly, I am surprised that none of you use them when many of you have the means."

"And, they are harmless? We have reports of some of them hanging around in compartments we've left."

"They'll continue sending information to me, and then deactivate and disintegrate. I would ask you to make no actions to capture them. My particular nanobots are not a technology I think your people are yet ready for."

There was a flash of disappointment on the Director's face. "The order has been sent. Security will continue monitoring us, though."

"By all means," said Dragon graciously.

After a second's hesitation, the Director resumed her tour. Minx looked warily around for listening devices. It wasn't something she had been concerned about as a bounty hunter, unless she was engaged in infiltration, but it concerned her both that her hyperman was being watched very carefully and that others were privy to their private comments.

"They heard all our flirting?"

"Yes."

"You're not embarrassed about that?"

"No. I thought you enjoyed flirting, Minx. Do you want me to stop?"

"Not really."

"Ah, here we are. Strange Matter Research. If you'll follow me, please," advised the Director with naked eagerness. She opened the door and Minx's heart jumped at the thought they might have just found a threat to the entire galaxy.

The three stepped into a control room of sorts. The room was filled with various computerized and mechanical controls, many partially dismantled upon benches. At the far wall there were glass panels revealing a smaller chamber beyond. A metal sphere ten centimetres across floated in the middle of that Spartan room. Minx thought it a little disappointing, assuming this really was their target.

"Doctor Samuels and his team have been working on this for a year now...Doctor Samuels?" called out the Director.

The middle-aged man looked at the group in disgust. He lifted his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I have no time or interest in meeting with some..."

"Doctor Samuels!" exclaimed the Director, sharply. "I would take it as a personal favour if you would explain your work to our visitors...the same visitors I told you about earlier."

There were a dozen lesser scientists in the room, and Minx could see they were all nervous by nature as they waited for the dispute between their two superiors to be resolved.

"Very well." The scientist slammed down a hard-bound notebook, making several of his assistants jump. "We are working on the future of physics in the room. Inside the sphere is a small quantity of strange matter, one of the most difficult to obtain substances in the universe. This matter rewrites any elemental particles it comes in contact with into more strange matter. Without my sphere this material would spread out, engulf the station and then destroy the Earth!" He waited for an appreciative remark from his audience.

"Very impressive, Doctor Samuels," said Minx. "What have you learned so far?"

The man harrumphed. "I'm sure you wouldn't understand..."

"Magnetic fields holding the strange matter in place, or have you decided to use lasers cross-connected to perfectly balance the material?" asked Dragon.

"Well, a combination of both. And, it takes a great deal of skill to keep everything balanced..."

"I'm sure. An artificial intelligence could do so with little difficulty." Three of the assistants covered their mouths in horror at the thought. "What is the sphere itself made of?"

Doctor Samuels looked from the Director to Dragon and back again. "I don't think you said anything about a visiting researcher." It was evident he was struggling to be polite but his tone was one of accusation.

"I did make it very clear who our guests were, Doctor," corrected the Director. "Especially with regards to the background of..." she nodded her head toward Dragon.

"Hmm? Speak plainly, Director." The scientist was clearly lost as to what had been discussed in the earlier conversation.

"I am a hyperman, Doctor Samuels." Dragon put his hand on his chest and bowed slightly.

"Are you now? An actual hyperman." It took a few seconds for the information to register in the scientist's conscious brain. "A hyperman? A hyperman! Like in the historical adventures? You let a hyperman have access to this research, Director?"

Minx stepped forward. "A hyperman who could be easily offended, who has genius level intellect, a short temper and who is standing a mere few metres from you at this moment. Perhaps it would be wiser to greet him as an equal?"

Samuels' face whitened. "Oh. Uhm. Perhaps I had better go and attend to something...one of my assistants can answer his questions..."

"I would much rather speak directly to you, Doctor Samuels, than to a lesser mind that may not comprehend the finer details of strange matter research," said Dragon. Every eye was now on him; Minx was struggling not to smirk at Dragon's fake reverence for Samuels, while the others stared at the hyperman in various shades of fear.

"I...I guess I can stay...for a colleague. You worked with strange matter before, I take it?"

"Never."

"Oh?"

"My people consider it far too dangerous. You made the sphere, then?"

"Well, I shouldn't brag but it is my design. Of course, a number of my assistants helped in my work. Helping is all that they're really good for."

Minx spied a pained expression on the Director's face. She recognized that the obnoxious scientist must be a human resources nightmare.

"No-one else then?"

"Well...the design is mine. I have full credit for it."

"So, you did not have a visitor, a visitor well-versed in particles physics of even the most exotic particles, who worked with you perhaps around the time you began this line of research?"

"Well, there was a visiting researcher." Doctor Samuels seemed to be struggling to recall the details. "He did offer some support...and he was really quite clever. Although, he did concede that mine were the real brains behind all of this. He was quite excited to work in conjunction with me. He was a little odd, as I think back. Suddenly had to leave for one of the distant colony worlds instead of continuing to assist me in my work."

Minx could see that Samuels was far too self-obsessed to be of much help in their investigation. "Perhaps we should speak to some of the others, Dragon, and leave the esteemed Doctor Samuels to return to his important work?"

"You're sure?" asked the hyperman, turning to her and raising an eyebrow.

"Yes." She met his eyes.

"Very well." Dragon surveyed the others within the room. A shudder ran through them like a wave.

"Is that really necessary?" asked the Director. "Surely Doctor Samuels is the best one to discuss his own research?"

"Doctor Samuels? We're going to borrow your research assistants for a few minutes. Is there any problem with that?" called out Minx in as sweet a voice as she could muster. She felt dirty.

"What? Oh, yes. A few minutes. They're of no importance right now. I have data to look over..."

The Director approached Dragon and Minx for a whispered conference. "What exactly is going on?"

Minx glanced at Dragon and received an approving nod. She then motioned for the Director and the other scientists to gather outside the chamber. "Now that we're away from that idiot..." Minx began.

"Doctor Samuels is a highly respected scientist with six doctorates and over two-hundred publications..." began the Director.

Dragon snickered. "He's an idiot with a clever mind. He's a reminder to your junior researchers that they should strive to be better than him."

The Director raised her eyebrows but said nothing.

"You don't even like the man," Minx pointed out.

The Director looked at the assembled scientists. Their faces showed clear relief to be away from Samuels. "I had hoped he would become more diplomatic over time."

"In plain language," began Minx, "he's an asshole. And, he's put you all in terrible danger. A hyperman spy came aboard your station in the guise of a researcher and sabotaged your strange matter storage. I don't know how he did it..."

"Tall man. About my height. Slighter build. An air of superiority about him. Women and homosexual men felt sexually attracted to him. Hair greying just above the ears."

"Doctor Adolphus Axis!" gasped two of the scientists, a man and a woman.

"To be sure, hold up your display please," Dragon said to one of the research assistants. Dragon concentrated for a second. The holographic display showed the hyperman who had warned his fellows of the strange matter danger posed by the Terrans. Most of the assistants agreed that was the man they remembered.