13.9.2040 1130 h.
Acapulco International Airport
Executive Terminal.
Brigadier General Schuyler E. DuQuesne, USSF, slowly
walked around his new executive jet- a Gulfstream VII. It had less
than a hundred hours logged, and, excepting delivery, he had
logged them all. Part of his mind examined the jet, while the rest
of his thoughts were on the day. He knew something important
was going to happen today, but he didn't know what.
He mentally reviewed all the preparations he had made while
he performed the preflight. Control of patents to Frederick-
check. Financial control to Gwendolyn- check. Full holographic
emulations download of Penelope- check. Will and all other
affairs in order- check. Arranging that Gwen and Frederick both
have all the override codes to Carl, Zathras and Mulander- check.
Programming Carl, Zathras and Mulander to accept that the kids
were in total control- check. Making sure that General Smith had
his plans for Sagania- check. 'That's all the important stuff for
me-. I'm sure Penny handled the trivial details.' he thought as he
climbed aboard.
Penelope [Penny- DON'T call her Penelope!] DuQuesne
looked up as her husband entered the plane. She knew what was
going to happen today, but she could not let Schuyler know that
she knew. Her thoughts flashed back over the past month.
It was Carl who first informed Penny of Schuyler's activities.
"Madam, I think you should be made aware of these activities."
he said to her over lunch.
As she reviewed the information arrayed for her, Penny
realized that her husband was wrapping up his affairs. "Has he
told you or your brothers why he's doing this?" she asked.
"No." was Carl's quick response.
After verifying that she was alone, Penny asked Carl, "Have
you tried mind-probing him?"
"I have been unable to do so since he has begun these
activities. Remember, he must be inside a holodeck for me to do
so." Carl replied.
"You're right, Carl. I'm sorry." Penny said. Then, a thought
struck her.
"Where's Gwen?" she asked the computer.
"I'm right behind you." Gwen's voice sounded in her skull.
With a gesture, Penny asked to enter into full telepathic
rapport with her daughter. When that was done, the questions
began.
"Your father has been acting strangely- look at what he has
been doing." Penny reviewed what Carl had shown her.
After a brief instant of thought, Gwen sent to her mother,
"He received a vision day before yesterday. You, he, and Roger
are going to be leaving here soon, on September 13th, to be
precise. The vision scared him so much that he's acting on it,
but he's forgotten the full reason."
"Where are we going to go?"
"Not where, when. You're going to meet Dr. Harris and
Lefty again. They're going to bring you all to their place."
"That's good- Dr. Harris likes the place, likes his job, and
was able to teach me a lot years ago."
"Consider it time to collect on your student loan, Mom!"
"Why does he want me to do a full emulation download in
the holodeck?"
"It's for Freddy. I'll look after him as best I can, but he'll
need your advice and caring for a long time to come."
"Hmm. Better get someone to help look after him. How
about Marie?"
"Better try Raven. She would like someone to surrogate
mother- she's sterile, you know."
"Raven? Are you sure she'll be good for him?"
"Better than you think, Mom."
Penny's thoughts returned to the present time as Schuyler
climbed into the jet. Everything was set on her end, and she was
glad that it would be over soon. Hiding her worries from Freddy
and Roger was difficult, but Schuyler, unwittingly, helped out by
spending lots of time with the boys.
"Are we gonna see the house today, Mommy?" five-year-old
Roger Aaron DuQuesne asked. He loved looking at the big new
house that was being built for the family outside the city of New
Hope.
"Of course we are, love." Penny said, making sure Roger was
firmly strapped in his seat.
Schuyler climbed into the pilot's seat. Looking at Penny, he
said to his wife, "Ready to go, dear?"
"Let's do it." was her reply. Together, they went through the
cockpit preflight, started the jet engines, and taxied to the end of
the runway.
"Tower, this is Seven-Six-Sierra, requesting takeoff
clearance." Schuyler said over the radio.
"Seven-Six-Sierra, Tower, you are cleared for takeoff on
runway Two-Three Right. Winds aloft are Three-One-Zero at
Eight-zero knots. Have a safe trip." was the response.
"Roger that, Tower. Thank you. Beginning takeoff roll."
Schuyler advanced the throttles, and the jet streaked off the
runway into the air.
The flight to New Hope was uneventful, and the family
busied themselves in their various affairs. They did flick over to
the mansion, to keep Roger happy. It wasn't until their return to
Acapulco that things began to go wrong.
They were twenty minutes out of New Hope when the plane
lost all power. Everything shut off- engines, batteries, computers,
control surfaces, everything shut down, leaving the family in a
powerless glider, heading down to the Pacific Ocean.
After about three seconds evaluating the problem, Schuyler
turned to his son. "Roger, I need you to keep the plane nice and
flat, okay? It's very important to do so."
"Okay, Daddy!" The little boy screwed up his face in a look
of total concentration as he brought his powerful telekinetic
ability into play. The plane leveled off, but it was still slowly
falling.
Schuyler then turned to his wife. "Penny, activate the
emergency beacon while I try to get some power flowing. I'm
going to try to land this plane on the water if I have to."
As Penny pulled the handle on the emergency beacon,
another voice made itself heard. "Forget about it, Big Brain, and
get your asses moving, unless you want to become fish food!"
They all looked to see where that voice came from. Both
Penny and Schuyler recognized it, and they were right- it was the
voice of their old friend, Lefty Flank, the larcenous time-traveling
little hobbit.
They looked past the little troll to see a glowing doorway in
the middle of the plane's cabin. Standing in the doorway was
another old friend- Penny's teacher, Dr. Stephen Rodger Andrew
Harris, who was gesturing them to hurry.
As Schuyler sat there stupefied, Penny leapt into action. She
picked up Roger and handed him to Lefty, telling her son, "Go
with him, he's a friend of Mommy's."
When that was done, she turned to Schuyler. Seeing that he
hadn't reacted yet, Penny pointed her finger at him, then a ball of
webbing shot out from the finger and stuck to Schuyler. Giving
the attached string a stiff yank, she shouted, "Move it, love!"
Penny literally dragged Schuyler out of his seat, through the
cabin to the glowing door, pausing only once to pick up a
suitcase she had packed, containing pictures and mementoes she
wanted to keep.
As they neared the glowing door, Dr. Harris came through,
picked up Schuyler, and carried him bodily through to the other
side. When they were through, the doorway collapsed.
The DuQuesne's looked around- they were in a plain, empty
room. Lefty gave Roger back to his mother. Dr. Harris produced a
small spray can from an inside pocket of his suit coat and sprayed
Schuyler, dissolving the webbing.
"Well, that was well done, eh, Lefty?" Dr. Harris said to his
diminutive partner in crime.
"You'd think, after twenty of his years, he would learn
something about crisis management." snarled Lefty. "I told you
the Spider Lady would be better to snatch."
"You do remember the orders, my boy. Care to argue with
the Council again? Last time, you spent six months trying to get
out of the safe."
"I almost had the lock open then! Another week, and I would
have been out!"
Penny listened to the bickering pair as she soothed her little
boy, which she named after her former teacher. "Twenty years,
and they're still arguing?" she thought. Schuyler was still
recovering from the shock of the transfer.
When the two combatants paused for breath, Schuyler asked,
"What happened to the plane? It was brand-new!"
Lefty started to answer, but was stopped by Dr. Harris' hand
on his head. "Complete failure of the power distribution module.
You couldn't see it, but you were trailing smoke as well. After
you're settled, I'll show you the tape." the doctor said.
Schuyler was still rattled, so he accepted the explanation.
Penny, however, knew her old teacher well enough to know
something was up. She resolved to corner him later, but she had
something more important to do.
"Excuse me, but Roger is tired. Is there a place where I can
let him take a nap?" she asked.
The dueling duo looked startled, then a little embarrassed.
"Yeah, sure. I'll take you to your house while Doc gets his exam
gear."
Lefty led Schuyler, Penny, and a sleepy Roger out of the
room, down a short corridor, out of the building, where
something like an overpowered golf cart waited. He helped them
in, then he climbed into the driver's seat, started the motor, and
drove off.
Schuyler looked around at the buildings, the plants, and the
people- of all different varieties, and not all of them human.
Penny looked as well, but only with half her attention, because
Lefty was talking.
"You'll like this place we made for you- Founder 17 gave us
the plans for it. It's something like your house in Missouri, only
with more room for expansion." He said.
"I hope it's fully equipped, because this is all we brought
with us." Penny said, indicating the suitcase.
"Yeah, yeah, it's got all you need. If you need anything else,
just let Doc or me know. We've been assigned to be your guides
while you get settled."
Schuyler chose that moment to interrupt. "Why is the sky
gold?' he asked.
"That's to keep the heat and atmosphere in while we're out
away from the sun, or so it's explained to me. I'm a thief, you're
the scientist!" Lefty snapped.
Penny said, "Remember the explanations we got when we
were on Mars years ago? This is Nibiru, love."
"Nibiru, right." Schuyler grunted.
Then, Roger piped up. "Look, Mommy, home!" he said,
pointing. The house they were arriving in front of did look like
their house in Hannibal, with only a few differences.
The family piled out of the cart and into the house. Roger
went straight to his room, because after the excitement wore off,
he was indeed very tired. Lefty came in to show them how the
InterComm gear worked.
Schuyler came up to his wife and the hobbit, looking rather
pale. "Dearest, I don't feel right. Can you check me out?" he said,
then he passed out cold.
Penny picked up her husband and put him on the sofa, telling
Lefty to summon Dr. Harris. Lefty called the hospital. When he
rang off, he spoke to Penny.
"Doc's got a crisis case now, up in the Tower. I've got one of
his assistants coming over, with a crash cart. I better get the door
open." he said.
"Hope you told them to hurry- he doesn't look good." Penny
said worriedly.
A minute or so later, what looked like a 5' tall preying mantis
came into the house, pushing a small cart in front of it. Walking
up to Penny, it gently pushed her out of the way with its two left
arms while it began scanning Schuyler with a probe in its top
right hand. "Please excuse me, madam. I need some working
room."
"Who are you?" Penny asked, slightly shocked at the
presence of a giant insect.
"I am Doctor Nahngasahu, Doctor Harris' first assistant. You
must be his prized pupil- he has spoken much about you." it said
in a breathy voice.
"So you're Nahngasahu. He didn't tell me you're a.. a.." she
trailed off.
"A bug? My species name is thranx. Don't worry, I am not
offended.
"It appears that your ... Mate... is suffering from
Timesickness. It is not unheard of, but he should not do any time
traveling, if he could avoid it. He will recover in a day or so.
"As it is explained to me, it is like you are suffering from a
severe form of what Stephen calls 'jet lag'. He will recover in
about a day. Do you feel all right?" Nahngasahu asked, turning
away from Schuyler to Penny, probe extended.
"No, I'm all right. This is a bit much to take, even when you
are expecting something like this." Penny said.
"Well, you should just go ahead and rest. Would you like
your mate moved to a different location?" it asked politely.
"No, I can manage. Thank you very much for your help,
Doctor. I'm sure we will meet again soon." replied Penny.
"You will- your office and laboratory is already set and
waiting for you. I'm looking forward to working with you." the
thranx bowed, in its own fashion, then, pushing the cart in front
of it, left the house.
Lefty then said, "Lets get the big brain into bed, then you get
some shut-eye, too. I'll stay here, in case your little boy wakes up
while you're napping."
"Good idea." They picked Schuyler up and moved him into
the bedroom. As Penny settled Schuyler, she said to Lefty,
"Thanks for staying. I'm beginning to feel overwhelmed."
"I know. It's a bit much to start. Get some rest, and I'll look
after your little one." Lefty said, with more kindness than Penny
had ever heard. She wanted to comment, but, she was getting
weary.
Excerpt from press conference held at U.S. Sagan
Command, Hannibal, MO. 13.9.2040, 1900 h., Lieutenant
General Ezekiel Silverwater speaking.
"Good evening.
"It is my sad duty to report the loss of our founding officer,
Schuyler DuQuesne, his wife, Penelope, and their five-year old
son, Roger, in a plane crash this afternoon in the ocean off the
coast of Acapulco, Mexico.
"The family had flown this day to Sagania to inspect the
facilities under construction prior to their activation later this
year. Their plane dropped off radar 110 miles west of Acapulco
at 1630 hours. An intensive search of the area is underway at this
time. So far, only scattered debris have been located. The degree
of destruction does not indicate that anyone could have survived.
"Their other children, Gwendolyn and Frederick, are being
cared for at their home by family friends. The whole Sagan
community here in the U.S. mourns their loss. We have lost not
only fine human beings, but the man who organized the Sagan
community over twenty years ago, along with the world's leading
Sagan medical expert. They will be missed.
"Word has been sent to Mars to inform Schuyler's parents of
their, and our, loss. Goodbye, old friends."
The picture paused at that point. Founder 17, formerly
known as Father Leo Libram, the minister who married Schuyler
and Penny, looked at the couple. "They never did find your
bodies. You three were, well, 'buried', in what would become
the churchyard of St. Jude's Cathedral in New Hope. The first
funerals I performed there, even the first stones were laid for the
cathedral."
"How did the kids handle it?" Penny asked.
"You will find that out. I don't want to spoil the pleasure
you'll have in finding out now."
Schuyler said, "They'll be all right, won't they?"
"They will recover from the loss to lead happy, productive
lives. Would you believe that Freddy will become the first Prime
Minister of Sagania, succeeding General Smith? And, with only a
few interruptions, your son's descendants will govern Sagania for
centuries?"
"No, I don't." Schuyler said.
"But I do." Penny said quickly, sending her husband a
withering look. "Freddy's coming along well out of his autism.
He has more depth to him than you ever realized."
"He hated the laboratory!"
"So he did. He was doing quite well in his studies of
governments and social interactions, if you had bothered to
look!" Penny said hotly.
"But he's a mechanical and electrical moron!" Schuyler said,
just before his mouth was sealed with a web ball before he could
stick his foot down it any further.
"Father, let's put him up, then you can give me the ten-dollar
tour of Guild Central." Penny said, picking Schuyler up and
throwing him over her shoulder. He didn't struggle- he knew that
if he did, he would be cocooned with webbing for several hours.
He might be dense, but he is capable of learning.