Part 12 (1/2)

aIam an ordinary guy, Tim,a he said affably. aWeird science is beyond me. I have to believe the experts. But Raimer reported that the Mexican lad was adult in everything but size. The same appears true of you and probably your, ah, cousin.a I turned to him. A leer in his expression had transformed his craggy face into something truly repulsive.

He continued, aBut if what they say is indeed a fact, you are one lucky fellow. Thereas probably not a man alive who wouldnat sell his soul for what you have.a aAnd what is that?a I asked rhetorically already knowing the direction of the manas thought.

aAt a certain point in his life every guy must regret not knowing as a youngster what he has learned as an adult.a He grinned up at me.

aAbout s.e.x, of course.a ah.e.l.l yes, about s.e.x! Can you imagine a hard-on over auto bodies?a Alice and I had discussed numerous times with Clara how exhilarating s.e.x had become in our new youth, but it was not a subject I welcomed with this crude stranger. I remained silent.

aFrom the look of you youare scarcely old enough to squirt, but my agents in Hightower inform me youave been laying everything in sight.a aNow youare speculating!a I objected. aHow could they possibly know that?a aNot speculating, investigating!a he replied smugly, leaning back in his chair. aIt would be a fascinating case if we could argue you were in fact an adult having s.e.x with twelve year olds.a I returned to the window. A light, wet snow had begun to fall on the few pedestrians of Sunday afternoon.

Avery continued to speak, something similar to envy in his voice. aG.o.d! You would find it easy to have your way with kids, hiding in that boyish disguise. Youad know right off which girls were curious and could be sweet-talked and which ones were lost causes. Youad also be able to spot the older girls and women who might want to play with you as a live doll.a aBut you donat believe it,a I reminded him.

aExcept that you obviously know what Iam talking about. Whatever you are is not twelve years old, Tim. Reversion indeed! I think so far weave just failed to find the true explanation.a aYou certainly have a suspicious mind,a I said with a sneer.

aHah! Thatas one of my prerogatives, like carrying a gun.a He leaned forward with his elbows on the table. aHave you done it with a boy yet? Thereas a picture of a boy in your file whoas pretty like a girl. Is he a close friend?a aRitchie,a I mumbled. It seemed ages since I had last seen him.

aIs that his name? I canat believe youad let that opportunity escape. A half grown c.o.c.k and no hair, I bet. Just like you.a aDo you want to suck it?a I burst out angrily, hand moving towards my fly. aPerhaps youad like to take a few pictures for later use.a aYou watch your mouth!a he shouted and sprang to his feet so abruptly his chair fell over backwards.

He stood at least six four, broad as a wrestler, but I was not intimidated. It was already obvious he couldnat touch me.

aYouare a big guy,a I said with a slight toss of my head. aDo you have difficulty fitting into J. Edgaras dresses?a He stared at me blankly. He understood head been insulted, but he didnat know the reference, not in 1948. The phone rang before he could think of a response. He glared at me as he listened, mumbled a few words and hung up.

aYou may go now,a he announced abruptly and walked to the door, which he left open behind him.

Raimer waited outside with my women to take us downstairs.

Despite having done without lunch, both Alice and myself claimed no appet.i.te as we sat around the table in Claraas kitchen. But somehow this supremely capable woman, within hardly five minutes of entering the house, was able to serve us hot roast beef sandwiches au jus. We made them disappear with alacrity and without questioning their provenance a” at least not then.

aTonio!a cried Alice, staring at me.

aHow did he do it?a I asked, staring back at her.

She nodded slowly. aWhen he asked me how it worked, I shouldave realized.a I had to grin. aHe comforted you a lot, did he?a aI told you he had a talented tongue. In every way.a aYeah, talented. Did you understand what he did to Raimer?a aHuh! I thought it was more what Raimer did to him!a I shook my head. aIt wasnat Raimer that killed him, at least not according to Raimer. But didnat you notice? After his precision about Yaeger and the sound barrier, Tonio only gave them hints. He tantalized them, telling them something big would happen at a specific time but not exactly what. Do you see his strategy?a She had just taken a huge bite of sandwich. Now she worked her mouth around it and said dryly, aIall bet youare about to tell us!a aWell, I see it and admire it. He was walking a tightrope. He needed to show his importance without playing his whole hand.a She stared thoughtfully at me, chewing side to side.

I continued, aHe was not one to go it alone. I donat think I ever heard him with an original thought. Getting rich in the stock market was not his cup of tea. Impressing people with his knowledge in the case of Raimer, or his long tongue in your case, was his game.a She made a face. aWell, it didnat work, did it?a aThereas always the unexpected.a I shook my head. aWatch out for impatient interrogators.a aIall take the stock market.a aNo, you wonat. Youall take me while I take the market.a She shrugged. aThe same thing.a She looked at Clara. aWhatas your opinion, dear lady? How big a pickle are we in?a The woman swallowed a bite of her own sandwich. aThatas not clear yet.a I said, aWhile you two were taking a leak, Avery let slip a few things. Tonio mentioned the multi-continua behind Reversion but he couldnat prove it, of course. The government is of two minds about us, believers in Reversion and doubters. The doubters are perhaps in the lead a” or were until today.a Clara looked sharply at me. aYou were too forthcoming, Tim. You did shut it off, but not before you had made some serious admissions.a I nodded. aIam beginning to see that we should have antic.i.p.ated something like this, enough to practice behaving as kids.a Sighing, she nodded too. aYes, your vocabulary and understanding are obviously far from childlike.a She chuckled wryly. aBut then, you two could hardly play the child after being admitted to graduate studies at the university.a aOh. Right.a I took a breath. aWhat do you foresee as our hazard?a Alice spoke up. aI already told you. Slavery.a Clara added, aAnd torture to make you talk every time the Russians act up.a I stared from one to the other with a sinking feeling, knowing only too well it was possible. I asked softly, aWhat can we do, Clara, besides run?a She shook her head decisively. aWe donat need that yet. Iave noticed one thing about the American system. It does have one good defense against a rogue government: a press that sniffs out cover-ups with the tenacity of a bloodhound. Perhaps we need to prepare the ground just in case.a aBy doing what?a aBy getting to know the neighbors, throwing more parties, letting them see what fine Americans we are.a She grinned at me. aYou need to rescue the mayoras son, if he has one, stuck up a tree.a aGood idea,a I agreed dryly, taking the doctoras card out of my pocket.

aWhatas that?a asked Clara.

aWe donat want to start out like the boy who cried, aWolf!aa I went into the hall to the telephone, leaving Alice to explain.

Chapter 9: The Too-Clean House.

When I sat down for breakfast, Clara had already poured my morning c.o.ke. Alice raised her cup of coffee to her lips but paused. Eyes widening, she noted, aI thought the doctor said he would have to remove your tattooing!a I responded, aLet me see your other wrist.a She raised the hand to the table. Both wrists were free of tape and showed no evidence of bruising. She tossed her head. aI threw the wrappings away. They donat hurt at all.a aI heard him say you should wear it for several days.a I looked at Clara. aI didnat know medicine was so incompetent in 1948.a aItas not,a she stated, looking distantly over my head.

aJust Dr. Grienbaum?a I sniffed. aI was surprised he didnat order x-rays for Aliceas wrists. But why would he tell me I had to come to his office to remove the gunpowder?a Alice grinned. aAnd males say they donat need mirrors!a aThey need them,a I admitted stiffly, ato shave.a Claraas face was blank. Too blank. Suddenly I recalled a few things.

I studied her. She wouldnat meet my eyes. aClara,a I said softly, adonat you think itas time to clue us in?a aClue you in?a she repeated, looking down at the tabletop.

aThe anomalies are starting to mount up.a aAnomalies?a aAre you practicing as a parrot?a I demanded snidely.

aTim!a Alice protested.

Clara looked up at me at last. Her heart-shaped face showed concern and something else. She bit her lip. Then she squared her shoulders and composed her expression. aWhat anomalies, Tim?a aI suspect itas a long list.a aTell me.a aWell a We can begin with my forehead and ear and Aliceas wrists. I guess sprained wrists can get well overnight, but powder particles embedded in the skin a”a aYes, yes.a She interrupted, waving a hand impatiently. aWhat else?a aI was going to say that I found loose black particles on my pillow, too big for dust, which is what caused me to check the mirror in the first placea What else, you ask? Letas go back. You served us a hot supper last night when we had hardly hung up our coats. How could you possibly do that? And those fake birth certificates with the so-official looking seals that the FBI nevertheless believes are absolutely authentic a” howad you manage that? Hmm. Given that somebody tipped them about us being special, how did the Russians know wead be in that restaurant? I canat believe Rosalind is a spy.a aShe may have told someone,a Alice suggested, aquite innocently.a aThat she was taking a couple of kids to lunch? Her mother, maybe?a Clara said, aYouall soon find out about the Russians.a I blinked. aWhat do you mean?a She took an impatient breath. aAnything else on your list?a aThe closets,a said Alice.

aYeah, the closet here and the one in Hightower with the super-duper locks. Why do they hum?a When I ran down, Alice added another item. aAnd the self-cleaning houses. Our dirty clothes we throw in the hampers only to show up the next day in our chests of drawers, cleaned and pressed.a I contributed, aAnd you still havenat told us how you made those Mandelbrot paintings.a Clara chuckled humorlessly. aI wondered if you noticed that I hadnat.a aOh, we noticed!a I declared. aWhile weare at it, you never said how you got so filthy rich. Iad guess on the stock market, but Iave never caught you calling your broker.a I recognized a flicker of apprehension in her face. She got up from the breakfast table and went to stand before the sink, her back turned to us. Her fists were clenched. Alice and I stared at each other in wonder.

aTim,a Clara muttered. She heaved a sigh and turned around. aI meant to tell you. Both of you. When your degrees are conferred.a aTell us what?a aHow much more is available to you than you realize.a I considered the implications of that. aBecause of you?a aBecause of me and where I derive.a aFrom the Twenty-Fourth Century?a aYes. And because of the fact that you are my grand obsession.a Iam sure my astonishment showed. aAre you saying the people of your time have found a way to transmit more than minds between the continua? My math says thatas impossible!a aYour math is still right. What we found was a way to enlarge the storage capacity of a mind a” by orders of magnitude, then transmit the whole of it.a Her face contorted. aDonat look at me as if Iam some kind of monster! I always had genius-level intelligence, though not so high as yours, nor even approaching Aliceas. My intelligence was not enhanced. The only difference is that I have in my head all human knowledge that was a” will be a” publicly available in 2398, including the old records from the Twentieth Century, organized and more readily accessible to my consciousness than even your computerized encyclopedias of 2002.a aHow is it stored?a demanded Alice, the computer expert.

The woman turned to her. aI can give you all the details that you wish. Let me say now only that the process subtracts from the brainas tremendous redundancy and in those detached neurons subst.i.tutes data-coded DNA for all functionality beyond simple cell maintenance. The level of complexity and thus capacity increases by many orders of magnitude.a Alice blinked, wheels visibly turning.

I a.s.serted petulantly, aThought you said nanotech was outlawed in your time!a aThis isnat nanotech, quite. Itas nan.o.biology.a aHuh?a aI told you we retained Springeras electrostatic scheme to view the molecular scale. Thatas key also to control of living cells. The human race in my time is master of its bacteria, fungi and viruses. In fact, Tim, we learned to direct them, to control their behavior, not just to kill them.a aHuh?a I goggled at her.

aGood G.o.d!a murmured Alice.

Alice is smarter than I? I put that aside for later consideration.

aAnd I have all that information.a Clara put a finger to her temple. aRight here.a I asked, aHave you been able to apply it?a aOh, yes. And you will take it even farther, I am confident.a aHow have you applied it?a Her eyes twinkled. aOne of my early projects was building a biological computer, that is, a device with a programmable brain. To test it, I had it produce those Mandelbrot paintings that so inadequately mystified you.a aWhy ainadequately?aa aBecause you didnat press me for the explanation.a I protested, aBecause we respected your privacy, which is the same reason we didnat ask you about your self-cleaning house and your humming closets with bank-vault locks.a She smiled. aI didnat think to camouflage the locks.a aWhere is this wonderful computer?a Alice asked.

aReplaced long ago. Of course I have others now.a The womanas smile vanished. aPrivacy.a She shook her head. aThereas our true problem.a aAmong ourselves?a asked Alice. aWhat privacy?a aYou still have an illusion of it,a Clara remarked, looking away.

aNot much illusion,a the girl retorted. aThe only time Iam out of sight of one of you is at school or in the bathroom.a Clara shook her head. aNot even then, Alice. You are never out of my sight.a The younger eyes narrowed. I said quickly, aExplain what you mean, Clara.a The woman took a deep breath. aAll right. I guess I have to do it sooner or later. Brace yourselves, darlings. Youare in for a series of shocks, but please remember always, I love you both to death.a Inset in the wall above the kitchen sink was a small, circular window, an eight-inch peephole perhaps designed to let a mother spy on children playing in the back yard. Clara grasped a bracket set into the side of it and pulled. The window rotated inward on a vertical hinge, somewhat as a porthole on a s.h.i.+p. I had not realized it opened at all!

But that was merely the beginning. With wings spread in a stall and only inches of clearance a small gray bird sailed through that opening and landed on Claraas outstretched finger. It immediately folded its wings and looked twitchily around at us. Its head was black with white streaks. It could hardly have been more than three inches long.

aThis is a chickadee,a Clara intoned. aIt is friendly and wishes to tell you so.a As her voice died the bird warbled shrilly, aDee-dee-dee-dee.a Alice got to her feet and approached. Gently the woman swung her hand around until the bird was perched almost in the girlas face.

aYou caused it to sing?a she asked.

aYes.a aHow?a aMilliwatt radio, powered by biological mechanisms, works very well at this range.a aDo it again.a Now the bird changed its tune: aSweet-sweet-sweet.a aGood G.o.d!a Alice exclaimed.

I licked dry lips and asked again, aSo what?a aWatch.a Clara raised her other hand before the bird, which leaned down, opened its beak and deposited a small black spheroid with a red dot a” h.e.l.l, a ladybug! a” upon her palm. The bug spread its wings and flew up to perch in the lobe of the womanas ear. I surged to my feet. Would it crawl into her ear ca.n.a.l? Apparently not yet.

aSo the bird delivered you a ladybug,a I noted.

Alice had observed more than I. aIn the middle of winter!a Clara smiled. aProtected from the cold in the birdas craw.a aSo what?a Iam sure my amazement sounded almost belligerent.

aSo an enhanced insect brain is able to store hours of highly detailed environmental samplings.a aTemperature and humidity?a aOh, them too. But scenes of human actions and conversation are much more interesting. And no one notices a beetle hanging high in a corner.a I stared at her, at last beginning to understand.

The ladybug reversed its path, flying from earlobe to palm and folding its wings. The chickadee snapped it up in its beak and jerked its head presumably to swallow. In any case the bug disappeared. With a flutter of wings the bird launched itself into the kitchen air, swooped sharply and vanished outside through the circular window. The woman pushed it closed.

aSit down,a she said, aand finish your breakfasts before they get completely cold, then Iall show you a recent recording.a We obeyed dumbly. Clara had just performed real magic of a kind reminiscent of fairy tales. My hand was shaking.

aTim,a she admonished, aegg is falling into your lap. Please spread your napkin.a aYes, Mother,a I responded sarcastically and automatically.

aMother!a Alice sniffed, picking up her fork. aAnd what does that make you?a aA mother lover,a I submitted, biting off a chunk of ham. aDid you cook this, Clara?a aI caused it to be cooked,a she said, sitting down before her own plate. She looked at me wistfully. aWould that I were your mother!a aI prefer you as a lover,a I said around the food.