To Beyond

I barely comprehended what Bob had told me; things were moving too quickly. We went to Sharon’s office where Nancy waited for me. Bob said to Sharon, “We should have both of them in redux this morning. Would you please set it up?”

Thirty minutes later I entered a small room. A female technician was there who appeared to be about thirty. She smiled and asked, “George?” I nodded yes.

She said, “This is very simple. First I want you to swallow this liquid. You will love it. It is very similar to the old narcotic Demerol, but much more powerful. In about ten minutes you will feel like you are floating on a cloud. You will be semi-conscious during the procedure and the computer will be telling you what it is doing. Depending on your problems, the procedure will take two to four hours, but believe me; you will not feel the time passing.”

I swallowed and waited. The technician said, “Now go into the next room. Take off all your clothes and put them into the recyc bin. Lie on the cushioned cot face up and wait for the narcotic to take you flying. You can move around if you want, but the procedure is faster if you remain still. By the time your procedure is over, the computer will have ordered your permanent uniforms and they will be in your room when you wake up tomorrow morning. We will transport you to your room after the redux and you will be dosed so that you will sleep until morning.

I went into the next room, stripped myself and lay down on my back. Just as I was wondering what I had gotten myself into, the drug hit. It was magic. I had taken drugs before, but this one topped anything I had in the past. My body was floating; there was no fear. My eyes were open, but I could only see a pink haze. Time stopped…I had absolute confidence that I could lie here forever and never miss the real world.

I heard in some distant background a voice that said, “Procedure starting.”

Nothing seemed to happen for a while and then I felt a slight tingling on my toenails. The background voice said, “Toe fungus…correcting.”

The voice continued at some point, “Toes normal.”

The next feeling was a tingling in my leg. The background voice said, “Reset broken tibia…correcting. “Reset broken kneecap…correcting. Ligaments strained…correcting. Muscle tone poor…correcting.”

The procedure progressed slowly through my body. The voice saying what part needed help or not. I had no sense of time.

My midsection came up and I heard, “Testicles…normal. Penis size…correcting.”

I grinned in my haze, “Correcting?”

A tone started in the background. I refused to open my eyes as the tone slowly increased in intensity. My mind was searching for the background voice; what was it correcting now? The tone became louder. I opened my eyes and found myself in my own bed in my temporary room. It was the beginning of day four. I closed my eyes again and said, “Computer, what time is it?”

My assigned computer voice answered, “Seven o’clock in the morning.”

“Any messages?”

My computer answered me, “Bob would like you to come to his office at nine o’clock this morning. Nancy will be there. For now you are to get up and spend some time becoming used to your new body.”

My eyes opened again; “New body?” I pulled the bed sheet off me and sat up. What I could see of myself was astonishing. Where once there had been mottled skin with liver spots of old age, there was now bright white skin with muscle tone. I quickly went to the bathroom and stood naked in front of the reflection wall; my fifty-nine year old mind was looking at a thirty year old body. The resemblance was close to what I remembered of pictures of me when I was thirty. The resemblance was not perfect; in some areas I looked better than the original. I stood in shock for minutes.

I went into a self physical—deep knee bend; no pain. Ten pushups; no effort. Twenty sit ups; I could do fifty. The shock of redux was overwhelming. When Bob had told me that he was sixty-two, I had heard the words, but had not understood the implications. An hour later my mind was still sorting through my physical transformation miracle.

The computer voice said, “George, you have fifty minutes before your meeting with Bob. Please dress yourself.”

I finished dressing as the live-elastic pulled my uniform into place. I was now dressed similar to the crew with the exception of a single color slash to signify that I was a passenger. I started to think about the upcoming meeting and the thought finally crossed my mind—Nancy had gone through redux also; I was about to see the new, physical Nancy.

I said my name at Bob’s door and it slid quietly open. Two women had their backs to me facing Bob’s desk. Both women turned to face me. One was Sharon, and one was someone I had never seen before…or only partly seen.

Her facial bone structure was similar to Nancy, but nothing else was the same. Her hair was a deep chestnut red. The face was a clear complexion, whiter than Sharon, but enormously pretty. Her eyebrows were chestnut and they accentuated two large gray-green eyes that stared at me. She was wearing a uniform blouse with the passenger slash, but it was cut low so that the blouse only started as the mounds of her breast began. My eyes saw her breasts move as she breathed. Her breasts were to the large size, but not unpleasantly so. I saw no signs of a bra. My eyes dropped down to her skirt and the firm thighs and legs that showed perfect muscle tone. I couldn’t help it. My eyes went back to her breasts and she blushed. I stammered, “Nancy?”

She nodded her head nervously, and said quietly, “Yes.”

I didn’t know what to say, and then knew I had to say, “You are beautiful!”

She blushed even more now; her face trying to match the color of her hair.

Anticipating the embarrassment as they probably had seen this many times before, Sharon said quickly, “Both of you sit down while we go over some items. Unfortunately, this has to be a quick meeting. We have a record number of redux procedures to do today, and then tomorrow morning we start shuttles to the ship as we complete the final redux to our last companions. So we will be busy.

“Our policy is that once you redux you cannot meet potential passengers who have not gone through the procedure. Your per-screen will give you your schedule for today after this meeting. If for any reason you are prohibited from an area, it is not your fault. It only means there are people within who cannot be permitted to see you.

“You both had a perfect redux and your body ages are closer to twenty-nine than thirty; that is not unusual. Use today to get used to your new bodies, but remember, your body may be twenty-nine, but your memories and experiences are of a fifty-nine and sixty year old person. It will take a few days before that anomaly sinks into you. Your mind will play tricks with you; if you look in a reflection wall the mind expects to see age, and instead it will see youth. Don’t be alarmed if there is confusion at first; Bob and I both had a difficult two days before our minds accepted our bodies.

“You should meet on shuttle deck four tomorrow at eight o’clock. Your shuttle will leave promptly. When you arrive at the ship present yourself to a staff person. They will enter you into the ships log which allows you access to the computer. Explore the ship as much as you want; there are very few off-limit areas. Ask the computer for your apartment number. The computer will help you change the color tones and furniture of your room so that it is customized to your liking.

“We strongly suggest you sleep in your own rooms tonight. Your first night together should be in your new home and not in a mock up.

“We expect all passengers will be aboard by five o’clock tomorrow. The captain will address the entire ship’s population at six o’clock. Our voyage will start and you will be married immediately afterward.

“Do you have questions?”

I had a thousand questions and shook my head no. Nancy said, “No questions now, but I hope I can talk to you once on board.”

Sharon answered, “Nancy, I am available to you for the rest of your life—that is my job.”

Bob interrupted, “Sorry to hurry you two, but our next couple is due in two minutes.”

We quickly left. I stepped back to let Nancy walk through the door first. I smelled her light fragrance and stared at her breasts as she walked by. I thought, “I am nervous; she must be terrified.”

We went to the nearest screen and said our names. Our schedule printed out. We were to tour some areas of the ship that we had not seen before. The map indicated the areas, but there was no time schedule; we were on our own. I asked Nancy if she wanted a drink or snack before we explored and she agreed. The screen told us that the aft mess was open to redux personnel.

I sat across from Nancy sipping a C-cooler while she drank a herbal tea. I asked, “Are you nervous?”

She answered, “About what?”…and continued, “Yes, I am scared to death. I keep reaching for my cane, and it is not there. I look down and see my skin and my body and I blush. No one has seen me like this since my husband died. I feel like I’m naked.”

I reassured her, “But don’t you realize that you are beautiful, not just pretty, but beautiful? When I saw you this morning I was overwhelmed with your physical body. I know I am staring at you; or at parts of you, and I apologize, but I’m having trouble putting this all together. Help me.”

She reached her hand across the table and touched my hand. She was warm and soft. My other hand covered hers and she pulled back. I said, “I’m sorry.”

She blushed and answered, “I am the one who is sorry. Please give me some time.”

We continued our leisurely schedule for the rest of the day. We had dinner together and we admitted that we were both tired and we should probably call it a night. I looked in her eyes and brought my lips to her face. She turned her face slightly and I kissed her good night on her cheek.

I returned to my room and took off my clothes and put on the regulation sleep shorts. I always slept naked, but I now knew I might have to change my normal ways for a while until Nancy was ready. The sleep shorts were similar to a male thong. It was cut high in the legs for maximum skin exposure. The overlapped slit in the front for pissing was the only double strength material.

I was tired, but too anxious to sleep. The day had been exciting, tiring, and frustrating. I went into the living room and sat on the couch facing the entertainment area. I finally said, “Computer, turn on the holi-effect and present the menu.

The computer asked, “What subject?”

I answered on impulse, “Do you have erotic features?”

“Of course, “the computer answered. “Films, plays, comic, or educational?”

“Educational,” I answered.

The computer continued, “How to arouse a female, How to have intercourse with female, pictures of female parts, sexology of a female, How to…”

I interrupted, “How to arouse a female. Begin”

The picture started with a man and a woman both nude; perfect bodies. The background voice pointed out the sensitive parts of the female body, and the actors then showed various positions to take advantage of the sensitivity. He licked circles around her nipples and she moaned. He touched her nipples and then kissed them. As her nipples hardened to a point, she moaned again and arched her back. The instruction continued as the man went to her vulva. The holi-effect was amazing. When he licked her nipples, my eyes were inches from breasts; her moans came to my ears as if I were there. I could almost feel her breasts the holi-effect was that good.

The actor approached her vulva. After explanations from the background monitor he displayed her clitoris for the upcoming teasing. Her legs were spread wide. The holi-effect had my face inches from her pubic hair, I could hear her moans; the holi effect released her smells of sweat and sex.

It was too much; my erection was enormous as my penis broke from my shorts. I lost all discipline—I masturbated. Sperm shot from me landing ten feet away, then another and another; five in all. I was in awe. Even in my prime sexual days I had never ejaculated with the force and volume that had just occurred. I was amazed and somewhat shamed; jerking off the day before I was to be married—like a teenager.

I ordered the cleaner droid to clean up my mess and went to sleep. I was by then very tired; I slept.

The next morning Nancy and I met at shuttle deck four. We said our names at the entry door and received a green light; we entered and sat next to each other. Nancy was in the same uniform as the day before as was I. My eyes, similar to yesterday, used any opportunity to look at her breasts and her legs. Ten minutes later the shuttle was full and it slowly lifted and left the mock hanger. It quickly picked up speed and an hour later we slid into hanger four, but the real hanger four of our ship.

We went to the staff greeting table and gave our names. The computer matched our names and voice recognition, issued us permanent computer entry, gave us our apartment number, and printed out a map of the ship. Our schedule for the day was similar to the day before—explore.

We found our room and said our names. The door opened. The droids were in formation for probably the first and only time. The service droid said hello, as did the cleaner droid, and the food droid. On command the cleaner and food droid wheeled quickly to their resting places. Nancy asked the service droid what our choices were to change the color and furniture of the room.

The service droid said, “Please start in the bedroom. I will explain.” We went into the bedroom and the droid began its monologue of decoration. Nancy seemed actually interested and asked the droid questions; sometimes she even asked me what color I liked.

At one point Nancy stopped talking and looked at me. She finally said, “George, I have to go to the bathroom.”

I pointed and said, “Sure, its right over there through the opening.”

I stopped talking and looked at her. Her face was in anguish. Then I knew. There was no door going into the bathroom. I might see her; I might hear her. Her face was red and she wouldn’t look at me. I said, “Maybe I’d better check the holi-effect schedule for the movies tonight.” I left the room quickly.

We stumbled through the day; at six o’clock we stood in the Grand Hall of the ship dressed in our formal uniforms. It was impressive. The seats had all been withdrawn into the floor. The passengers were in groups designated by their counselors. Bob and Sharon stood in front while their assigned twenty-five couples stood behind them; one hundred groups of counselors and passengers. These groups were flanked by the crew—also in formal uniform.

The captain entered the room and strode to the podium. He paused and in a voice that carried the room through voice enhancement said, “Computer, have all the guests departed?”

The computer answered, “Yes captain.”

The captain continued, “Computer, are we prepared to make way?”

“Yes captain.”

The captain spoke again, “Computer, do we have all green?”

“Yes captain.”

Finally, the captain issued his command, “Computer, make way as charted.”

The computer said its final words, “Under way; as charted.” And fell silent.

A historical musical ballad known to all of our generation played in the hall for two minutes as we stood in more or less attention. Even my cynical self was captured in this moment.

The captain surveyed the people before him and said, “Take the hand of your companion and prepare to be joined. Ship’s crew; take the hand of your wife and prepare to renew your companion vows.”

I held Nancy’s hand as the captain spoke for a few moments pointing out the symmetry of a vessel starting a voyage that would last for decades, and our marriages that must last for decades. He concluded, “With the power so vested to me, you are husband and wife.”

I turned to Nancy and looked at her. I leaned down and looking into her eyes, we kissed on the lips for the first time.

Moments later the captain said, “Computer, raise the seats. Crew and passengers, please be seated.”

The people moved to the designated area and the seats rose slowly from the floor as if called to attention. There were six thousand people in the room, but the room could easily hold more. I knew from orientation that as the synthetic raw material supplies were used up, the storage areas next to this room would give way to a much bigger Grand Hall. Six thousand people were here now, but it was expected that nineteen thousand or more people would complete the journey. The new numbers were the children.

As the room became quiet he said, “I am your captain. In those areas that are involved with the ship’s mission or its safety, I remain your captain. Otherwise, my name is Tom. I would like to introduce you to your first officer, Carolyn.”

A tall, blond woman walked up to the captain. Even from my distance I could see she was beautiful. The captain reached for her hand and said, “Carolyn is also my wife.”

He continued, “Redux was completely successful for this voyage. There were no failures. As you know, our scientists have not yet been able to master how to make redux be repeated on the same person. It only works once.

“Twenty-one years from now we will reach our world. We will be the elders—still functional—but maybe with less energy and enthusiasm required for a new world. Our young will be the providers and the builders. The young must be raised in a family unit. Our early experiments with ‘group raising’ ultimately failed as did other pseudo-family experiments over the decades. Children must be born to parents, and the parents must raise them. It is the crux of this vessel and it is the only possible salvation for humans.

“One year from now a similar size vessel will follow. Then in another year two vessels twice as big as ours will follow. Year after year larger and larger vessels will make way to our new world long before we arrive. If we fail, those vessels will arrive with no foundation to survive.

“The orientation of this vessel is sexual. Your bodies, your uniforms, and some of your activities are intended to create a sexual yearning and bonding. We want you to have intercourse with your spouses often. Our counselors will promote that objective. We need your children that are yet unborn.

“The ship’s crew was formed and married one month ago. I am happy to announce the latest report indicates that approximately fourteen percent of our female crew members are now pregnant. The percentage increases daily. I am personally happy to announce that my Carolyn is in that percentage. Our child is coming.”

Carolyn grinned and raised her hands over her head in a victory signal as we laughed.

“Use your counselors. We are attempting many things to create a society for the new world. Our counselors are our experts if we let them be.

“If we assume our average age is sixty, then the wisdom of sixty and seventy year old parents in younger bodies provide a solid starting point for our new born. Our young will be highly educated and highly motivated by you parents. At sixteen the children will assume responsibilities and be called ‘sub adults.’ Sexual responsibility and freedom will be given as well career choice. At sixteen we expect our children to have the maturity of a twenty-five year old. At eighteen, the children will be designated adults. They will leave you and live in their own home; they will be able to choose their own wife and marry. There will be grandparents among you when we arrive.

“So the mission begins. For the first year your schedule is to organize; to choose your occupation, your hobbies, and make friends. At our first year anniversary you will remove your passenger slash from your uniform. Passengers and crew will become one on that day. Six months later our government will be formed with our first elections.