Spark the Runner Ch. 06

"I will be sure he sleeps, Professor," Tonya smiled. She was looking perky and Charlie was looking radiant. Okami, on the other hand, looked more like Spark.

"Really sleep, wife... please..." Spark groaned as he settled into his recliner. Moments later, he was out of it.

"I could use a bit of a drain, too, Lizzie," Okami told her, then settled back as Tonya used her meta to relax the Canilupe into a gentle sleep.

"You are looking pretty good," Tonya turned to Charlie. "I take it the sleeping arrangements met with your approval?"

"Absolutely!" Charlie beamed. "Professor Lenox is a wonderful lover and I slept like a babe." The Professor cleared his throat, loudly. "Oh, sorry..." Charlie went on. "Anatoli. I'm not supposed to call him Professor Lenox unless we're someplace formal."

Tonya smiled. This budding relationship was one she could support. The Professor was overdue for some human kindness.

"In that case, I think I will spend the trip researching more about our enclaves," Tonya decided. "That screen in your pod can play movies or stream news or whatever you would like. Including pornography, if you want. It can also tap the NAF Online Library, if you wish."

"Thanks," Charlie told her. "You don't have to worry about me. I can entertain myself. You've been wonderful. You've all been wonderful. If they bring a breakfast service through, though, could you let me know? I don't want to miss it."

"Will do, my dear," the Professor told her. "I think I'll doze a bit, too. I do not believe I am as exhausted as Jamie, but I can still use my beauty rest. And no, Lizzie, I don't need any assistance."

"As you wish, Professor," she told him, then turned to her flatscreen as the train began to roll out of the station.

* * * * *

The breakfast service came through about a half hour after they left Old St. Louis Station and Tonya made sure everyone who wanted to eat was up and functional. Spark woke up long enough to down a breakfast pita and chase it with fruit juice and coffee. Then he was back out again. Okami did pretty much the same thing, but stayed up a little longer, chatting with Charlie.

"So the Crescians are kind of like us, but different," Charlie was saying. "They're tall and have four arms instead of two, and their facial features are different... but not too different... and their skin's kind of blue-gray, and they're living, breathing sex machines."

"That's a pretty good summary," Okami told her as they chatted. "Libido is their stock in trade and they are so heavily metaphysical that they can have relations with just about anyone. They can leave you completely wiped out and still wanting more... kind of like an addiction, except one with a low chance of killing you."

"So are their men really hung to their knees?" Charlie appeared skeptical.

"King Gimloff is," Okami answered straight-faced. "Definitely a Whoof! moment the first time I saw him. But damn! he's fun to play with... the other males are only most of the way to their knees. Actually, it's more a matter of age. As a Crescian male ages, his dick gets longer. A little thicker, but not much. Just like the women increase their hormonal attraction as they age and when they begin lactation, their milk will get you stoned out of your gourd."

"And we're going to meet some of these Crescians at the enclaves," Charlie confirmed. "Are we going to be expected to have sex with them?"

"I don't think expected," Okami told her. "But I certainly think you'll want to... no one is expected to do anything they don't want to do, and allowed to do just about anything that's consensual. And by the way, you'll want to study up on their cuisine... some of it can be pretty heady stuff."

"Yeah, I'm starting to think I'm a babe in the woods when it comes to all these alien races," Charlie admitted.

"You'll do fine," Okami reassured her. "Just be your natural self and they'll love you... believe me."

"Well," Charlie smiled. "At least you didn't say 'trust me'... I know what that one means."

Okami just shook her head. "If you're good to go, I think I'm going back to napping," she told Charlie. "I'm guessing we're going to snack for lunch and end up with a major dinner at the enclave. I can't see them leaving us alone right after we arrive."

"I'm good," Charlie told her. "Go get your nap. And thanks!"

"My pleasure," Okami told her, heading for her pod. Or it soon will be, she thought as she snuggled in to crash.

One of the features that made High-Speed Rail desirable, as opposed to flying, was the lack of noise or vibration coupled with opulent accommodations. For people not in a huge hurry, it was considered luxury travel at economy prices. The group of five companions simply relaxed or studied or did whatever they wanted to -- the Professor was a crossword puzzle aficionado -- for the three and a half hours it took them to get from Louisville Station to Richmond, where they debarked for a half hour layover until they could board the Light Rail to Norfolk.

Time zones were still observed, so they were an hour ahead by the time they got to Richmond around 13:00. They grabbed the opportunity of the half hour layover to grab a quick lunch, then made their way to the rail depot. This leg was a lot more like the old rail lines and no one in the party was going to be sleeping. The Professor, however, kept talk away from work until they were in the limo, going from Norfolk to the Virginia Beach enclave.

"Charlie, the Crescians rely heavily on telepathy for communication," he told her shortly after they left Norfolk. "Jamie, Lizzie and Okami are all very meta-capable and can easily use it. I am enhanced... with some fairly sophisticated equipment... to be able to use telepathy. I know you are not enhanced and probably not at the level you should be for dealing with our partners.

"I would like you to consider consenting to a couple of implants and some psyche mapping and programming, to allow you to communicate telepathically as freely as I do."

Charlie looked at him for a long moment. "Does it hurt?" she finally asked.

"No," he told her. "You'd be sedated for the procedure, which implants a couple of small devices into your brain. They act as a type of amplifier and filter for the meta level functions already in your brain. The only real problem is learning to use them. That can take months of practice, and can be a bit frustrating while you gain control. But with the help of Lizzie and Jamie, and Okami, you will probably 'beat the curve' as they say. The two major inconveniences are learning to build the filters and controls so you are not inundated by all the meta traffic around you, nor inadvertently sharing yours, and learning to cope with the increased libidinous connections with others."

"Increased libido?" she echoed. "I'm going to get hornier?"

"Not precisely," he smiled. "Rather, your natural proclivities will be enhanced when you have relations. There will be an additional aspect that you do not normally experience."

"You mean like what Lizzie and Jamie did to me onboard ship?"

"I'm not sure precisely what they did, Charlie, but I would guess yes. They would have found your second chakra meta far too tantalizing to pass up."

"And sex will always be that intense?"

"Not always. That is why you will need to develop filters to allow you to choose how much you want to experience."

Charlie was quiet again for several long moments. "I guess if it makes me better at my job, then I go for it," she decided. "What do I have to do?"

The Professor sat back with a slight smile.

"In the hope that you would say yes, I've already made arrangements with the enclave. They have a sophisticated medical facility there, with the necessary equipment and expertise to do the implants. Most of our enclaves' staff have agreed to the implants, since it makes their jobs significantly easier. If we have the implants done this evening, after dinner, you will have tomorrow to recover from any physical aftereffects -- a little tiredness is all you should feel -- and have an opportunity to begin learning control before our set of meetings."

"Well, I guess I'm in your capable hands, Anatoli," Charlie smiled softly. "Very capable hands..."

"Thank you for the compliment, Charlie," the Professor nodded. "You make it easy on an old man."

"Old man, my ass..." she muttered as he went on.

"I will need to deal the others in on what we are doing. Until you've gained sufficient control, I will ask Lizzie to ride along in your head and help. I hope you won't mind."

"Mind? Professor, having Lizzie in my head is awesome! Why would I mind?"

"Then if you'll give me a moment, I'll inform the others." With that, he turned to get their attention and fill them in on what was happening. All three agreed it was an excellent idea and pledged to watch out for Charlie while she got adjusted to her soon-to-be new talents.

"So how sophisticated is this medical facility?" Spark asked. "It sounds pretty state-of-the-art."

"It is," the Professor confirmed. "They are equipped to handle just about any xenobiology they'll come in contact with. The Arcasians have donated a significant amount of technology and training in the Life Sciences across all the Trade Partner races and some theoretical ones we've yet to run across. And we've sunk a lot into making sure all of the enclaves have similar facilities. If we have a medical emergency involving a partner race, we don't want to come up short.

"Some, like the Vegans and Sirians, can heal most damage to themselves... the Vegans through their coalesced energy and the Sirians through their shapeshifting abilities. But some, like the Regulans, are just as subject to damage and disease as we are. The Crescians are also a lot like us, though their metaphysical abilities counteract most diseases and toxins. They can still be physically hurt.

"And dare I say? Even our beloved Lizzie is not immortal. Close, perhaps, but still capable of being hurt."

"Do you know if they'd see her as a metahuman now?" Spark asked, not sure how much Charlie knew or remembered.

"I am fairly certain she has fully transitioned, or nearly completely," the Professor nodded. "I think she'd be off the charts, but still register as meta."

"That makes some relationships a lot easier," Spark commented. "This is going to be one interesting facility to check out."

"Well, in about two minutes, the way our driver is flying, we're going to crest the low ridge that surrounds our complex and you'll get your first look," the Professor smiled. He knew Tonya wasn't going to be surprised, but was fairly sure the others would be.

True to the Professor's word, a few minutes later the limo rose to clear a series of sand ridges thrown up by the bombing and Spark, Okami and Charlie all gaped in awe.

"You put the facility in a radioactive crater???" Spark was absolutely floored.

Before him was a pit, obviously the result of low-depth-of-burst nukes, surrounded by low hills thrown up by the concussions. It was huge. Easily two miles across or more, and in the center sat a gleaming white monolith with smaller buildings clustered around it. On the eastern edge of the crater, the sea had poured in, making a natural harbor which now had additional buildings lining the shore and sticking out into the water.

"One of the advantages of working with the Vegans," the Professor chuckled. "Containing and directing energy is one of their specialities. Or specialties on this side of the Pond, I suppose. If you approach the ridges with a Geiger counter from the outside, it would appear intolerably hot. But as we cross that fence line ahead, the radiation levels drop off to normal. Of course, it wasn't like that when we bought it. We acquired it, as they say, for a song."

"Holy shit..." Spark breathed out. "One helluva cover, I gotta hand it to you, Professor. So that's what a windmill factory looks like... wow..."

"Is everything inside the fence safe?" Okami asked, looking at the sprawling complex before them.

"Radiation-wise, yes. It is, of course, an industrial area and subject to all the usual dangers."

Spark continued to look out over the complex. Amazing what they've done in about four months, he though to himself. And this is all happening twelve other places at the same time. There had to be some serious coordination and cooperation going on to make this happen.

"The transportation hub is in the base of that tall center structure," the Professor told them. "Most of the Admin facilities are there as well. The R&D facilities are generally in the buildings clustered around the central tower, which they've nicknamed Core. The outbuildings contain manufacturing and proving stations, plus the ones nearer the ocean contain refining. The Collectors are actually large submersibles with some refining ability and large storage tanks. They bring the skimmed, concentrated solution back here for further refining.

"To shield us from prying eyes, electronic and otherwise, the docks for the submersibles are below sea level and tucked into the crater. I'm sure you'll get a full orientation once we've settled in. Georgina Stevens is the Chief Administrator here and she'll be meeting us at the hub. They've imported Slidewalk and Levitator tech from Recensere... very much like Mars but more efficient. There are small trams connecting the farther units. Oh, and living quarters, plus all the support units, are also in Core."

"Wow..." Spark iterated as he sat back and just stared out the window at the huge complex sliding by below them. "And you did all this in four months."

"We did all this in four months, Jamie," the Professor corrected him. "The relationships you've begun with the extraterrestrials broke open the fundamental technology and resources necessary to pull this off. Without you, and Lizzie, and Okami breaking down barriers, none of this happens."

"I presume from your earlier comments, Professor," Tonya spoke up, "that the other enclaves are also this far along. Have you begun actual harvesting operations, yet?"

"We've begun testing the extraction and refining processes," he told her. "We've had a couple of glitches, but nothing show-stopping. The Engineers estimate two to three weeks to be able to commence full scale harvesting. We have two immediate contracts which will prove whether we can deliver on time and within budget."

"Who are they with?" Okami asked.

"The Antarians, for Cesium and Strontium, while we work out whether we can harvest the water itself, and the Denebites, for Potassium, Cadmium, Selenium and Thorium. This enclave is ramping up for the Cesium and Strontium... quite a bit generated during the last war. Rum Point has the Potassium, Valletta has the Cadmium and Brisbane has the Selenium and Thorium. Everyone is building up to do everything, but those are the primary concentrations at this time."

"Do you think we will run into Maya?" Tonya asked, with obvious interest.

"We may," the Professor answered. "If she is here, she is probably at Rum Point or Valletta. She seems to prefer the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. And, it is time to get your game faces on... we'll be parking in a couple of minutes."

Spark, Tonya, Okami and Charlie sat back to relax and take a few deep breaths.

"What do we know about Georgina Stevens, beyond her being the Chief Admin here?" Spark asked.

"She can appear brusque, taciturn and very businesslike," Tonya answered him. "She is very good at organizing people and making sure the appropriate talent is assigned to the appropriate problem. She is human, 56 years of age, with an MBA and a lot of experience."

"Grumpy?" Okami asked.

"Not really. More neutral. Appears to maintain strict control over her emotions."

"Oh, great..." Spark intoned. "A Vulcan."

"Is she interested in sex?" Okami asked.

"If she is, she does not let it influence her work," Tonya told her. "Her personnel reports do not indicate any kind of undue influence from her interactions with the Crescians."

"Now who's running the Personnel records?" Spark chided her.

"I thought knowing our teammates would be a good idea, husband," Tonya told him levelly. "Plus, it keeps you out of trouble," she added with a smile.

Spark's comeback was interrupted by the limo settling into its parking spot. The garage entrance it had flown into was on one side of the central tower. There was obviously space for everything from small personal transports up to the big rigs. There was a receiving area near a bank of Levitators and standing there, regrading them, was a woman of medium height and build, with silver hair and wearing a nondescript business suit of blazer and slacks.

There were probably a couple of dozen other people moving around nearby and several stopped in curiosity as the team got out of the limo, then resumed their activities. The Professor and entourage headed on over to the Levitators.

"How many people work here, Professor?" Charlie asked as they walked.

"The total population is around twelve hundred, working three shifts, plus the Collector crews who live on their subs, which would be another hundred," the Professor told her. "We built Core large enough that workers can have their own berthing space and not have to double up. Most of the apartments are six bedrooms around a central living space. We try to arrange it so two out of a group of six are working, while the other two are off.

"The usual shift mix is pretty evenly split between the Admins, Engineers, IT nerds and Muscle, with about a hundred of each working any given shift. The Collectors are run as their own ships, each with its own Captain and crew. Right now, we have four Collectors, but only two up and running. The other two are still going through their training."

That was about the point where they reached the woman waiting for them.

"Georgina!" he smiled to her as he walked towards her with his hand out. She took it when he reached her.

"Professor," she nodded. "Welcome to our enclave." She looked over towards the other four approaching her.

"Georgina," the Professor went on, "may I introduce Mr. Jaimie McLeod, Ms. Lizzie McLeod and Ms. Okami? They are the Solarian Trade Representatives. And may I also introduce Ms. Charlene Gilmore? We know her as 'Charlie'... she is my new Administrative Assistant and getting a whirlwind introduction to our operations.

"And team? May I introduce Ms. Georgina Stevens? She is the Chief Administrator of this facility. Basically, she runs the joint."

Spark detected a slight smile on the woman's face, but just barely.

"Welcome!," she turned to the others. "It's my understanding that you are the reason we're working here. Well done! if I may be so crass. I hope you'll be happy with our enclave. Please, during your time here, feel free to ask any questions you want. We will do our best to answer them. And to jump straight into the administrivia, we have reserved an apartment for your use and will have staff available to you as needed. I will take you there and introduce you to Su Ling, who will be your liaison while you are here.

"Your schedule has tomorrow as a rest day, then three days of meetings. Some of those will be walking tours and inspections of our facilities, some will be sit-down meetings with various groups. We will open the three-day marathon with an All-Hands assembly. Su Ling will have all the pertinent information for you.

"Additionally, we have some extraterrestrial visitors who would like a chance to meet you, away from the crowds. It will be your choice, of course. Having said all that, is there anything I can do for you at the moment?"