The Travelers 3

by Lee Hunnicutt

Pete, “Amanda, after all she has been through and all she has done, will it be safe to try and integrate her into our crew of Mac, Gyro and me, much less into general society?”

  “I’ve been working on that. When she’s up and well, let me work with her. I’ve picked out a secluded beach house on level two. The setting is peaceful and beautiful. The house is well laid out and comfortable.

  It’s a safe environment and I believe it will give her time to heal emotionally. Plus, I will spend a lot of time with her. I’ll project myself as a hologram so I won’t be a disembodied voice.

  Pete, do you think Max could come with her to the beach house. She could use a companion and Max might have a calming effect on her.”

  “Ask him yourself.” On the ship Pete took Max everywhere with him.

  Because Max had the same nanobots as Mac and Pete, he understood everything that was said. Even though the bots made him smarter, faster stronger and have the ability to understand languages, he was still a dog with dog instincts and wants. He was still man’s best friend and was eager to please his human companions.

  “I’ve scanned her memories. She grew up having a dog. She loved that dog and dogs in general. After she has been at the beach house for a while, I’ll talk to her and ask her if she would like a dog.

  Also, I’ll be watching her every minute of the day, monitoring her. I could erase her memories of her suffering but I’m reluctant to. What happened to her is part of her life and I think if she can work around that awful time, she’ll be a stronger person for it. She will never forget it but I’m hoping she can put it behind her. What do you guys think?”

  Mac, “I don’t know. If she has completely snapped, she’ll always be a killer.”

  Pete, “Let’s do it your way, Amanda. If you can’t bring her down emotionally through counseling , you can always wipe her memory.”

  “I’m also going to upgrade her skill sets and integrate them into one personality. She’s 500 years older than I am and we’ve come a long way in technology. By the time I went into stasis we had worked around the adverse actions of combining all skill sets into one synthetic. I have even kept the assassin skill mode. We came a long way in weaponry and technique since she was built.

  If I can make her stable and suppress her violence, the assassin skill might come in handy someday. She will only use her fighting skills in a combat situation and self preservation.”

  Mac, “OK, give it a shot but I am still skeptical.”

  Pete looked at Max, “What do you say Max? Are you in on this?”

  Max stood up and walked over to Zoe’s bed and lay down.

  Pete walked over to Max and knelt down. Max stood up to face him. Pete hugged him and said, “I’m so proud of you. You never disappoint and I love you.”

  Max licked him face. Pete stood up and walked back over to Mac and Gyro and said, “You watch over him Amanda. Don’t let anything happen to him.”

  “Don’t worry Pete. I don’t sleep. If anything looks awry, I’ll have him out of harm’s way in a flash.”

  “I’m counting on it.”

  On the way back to their living quarters, Mac put his arm around Pete’s shoulders and said, “You look pretty down but then again, I’d be down if I had dog slobber all over my face.”

  Pete shook Mac’s arm off, grinned at Mac and shook his head. “I can’t help but worry. You saw what Zoe did to that crew.”

  “Yeah but Max is tough too. She may be strong but with the nanobots in his system, Max is stronger.”

  “Yeah, I know but I can’t help but worry.”

  “Amanda will take care of him so cheer up.”

  Chapter 7

  A year and a half later

  Zoe sat on her covered deck enjoying a beautiful tropical day. A service bot stood behind her, next to the wall. Max slept on a cushioned pad next to her. Her bungalow was right on the beach. It was surrounded by a lush manicured lawn interspersed with different colored hibiscuses and bougainvillea. Off to the right was a large mango tree and on her left an avocado. Pineapple plants grew along two sides of the deck.

  During this last year and a half, she had taken up gardening and had learned how to cook. Amanda told her gardening and cooking would be good therapy and it was, as was walking on the beach with Max.

  Her view of the beach was spectacular. The jungle ran right down to the ocean. A few miles off shore were some small jungle covered islands. Pelicans, frigate birds and sea gulls dove and skimmed for fish just a few yards off shore.

  In this sanctuary she felt at peace. She would always carry her demons but here in this calming environment she could push them to the back of her mind and she found that she wasn’t dwelling on them like she had in the past.

  When they weren’t out looking for artifacts, Amanda let Zoe watch Pete, Mac and Gyro’s daily movement. After spending months in space, they would sit around drinking beer, telling stories, laughing and listening to music from what Amanda said was an ancient jukebox.

  Amanda assured her that Mac, Pete and Gyro were nothing like the crew that abused her. After gently prodding Zoe, she convinced her to meet face to face one of the three men and today was the day.

  It was mid-afternoon and Zoe was on her second beer when she looked to her right and say a small figure on the beach moving her way. Her heart began to race. Was it to be fight or flight?

  She had to will herself to calm down. Amanda had told her she would be watching the entire time and wouldn’t let anything happen to her, assuring Zoe that nothing bad was going to happen.

  “Max, wake up. Someone’s coming.”

  Max jumped up. Zoe pointed out the man.

  They left the deck, crossed the lawn and stepped onto the beach. The sand was warm to Zoe’s bare feet.

  Neither one could make out the man’s features. Max’s hackles rose and a low rumbling growl emanated from his chest.

  As the man got closer, Zoe could tell it was Pete. He was in a bathing suit and a white tee shirt. In one hand he had fins, mask and snorkel. In the other hand he had a mesh bag that bulged with something in it. “Max, it’s Pete.”

  Max was off like a shot. When he was close enough, he launched himself into the air hitting the man in the chest, knocking him to the ground.

  Max whined a happy whine and licked the man all over his face. He then danced around spinning and whining and whimpering in joy. Each time coming back to lick Pete in the face.

  Pete sat up and hugged Max, scratching his ears and patting his chest.

  “I’ve missed you too buddy. Have you taken good care of Zoe?”

  Zoe was now a few feet away and said, “He’s taken great care of me. I don’t know what I would have done without him. He’s great company.”

  “Come to the house. There’s an outside shower. You can wash off the sand and salt water.”

  Pete stood up and held up the bag, “I bring gifts. There is a small reef down the beach and I pulled a couple of lobsters from it.”

  After he showered he joined her on the deck. She had set a chair on the other side of a small glass topped table. As he walked to the chair he dropped the wet tee shirt on the deck floor and said, I only wear the tee shirt so I don’t get sun burnt. When I’m snorkeling over a reef, I lose all concept of time. I don’t know if I have been there fifteen minutes or two hours. If you don’t wear something, you’ll bake.” He plopped down in the chair.

  Zoe asked, “Do you want a beer?”

  “That would be great. I’ll take a Shiner Bock.”

  “Winston, get a Shiner Bock for Pete please.”

  The service bot came alive and said, “Yes madam.”

  In a couple of minutes Pete had his beer. Before the bot turned to leave Pete picked up his bag and said, “Put this in a large bowl and put it in the freezer. Take them out in about an hour”

  “Yes sir.”

  He said to Zoe, “You’re supposed to boil lobsters alive to cook them but I just don’t have the heart to do that. The freezer is a
more humane death.

  “Amanda talked you into seeing me.”

  Zoe stiffened, “Yes.”

  “If I make you nervous, uncomfortable, I’ll leave.”

  “No, Amanda is right. I have to reenter society. I can’t be a hermit forever. I have to move on and …” She paused and then continued, “put my past behind me.”

  “That is easier said than done. I know from experience. The past stays with you always. You have to learn to live with it. Trauma is called trauma for a reason.”

  “You saw what they did to me. How can you possibly relate?” She said with bitterness in her voice.”

  “In the world I come from we suffered a brutal war. I spent three years fighting in that war in the forefront of combat. There is the constant edge of fear. You see your fellow soldiers, men that you loved more than family die in the most horrible manners. I was wounded three times, once badly.

  When I first came back home I would wake up every night in cold sweats, reliving my experiences. As time went by my nightmares became less frequent and now hundreds of years later once or twice a year, I still get them.

  My time in war is never completely behind me but I have learned to live with it and you in time will too.

  Zoe, I truly believe that in time you will once again be the kind, compassionate, loving person that Amanda tells us you were before your captivity. If you can’t put your horrible experiences behind you, they will destroy you and the monsters who did those terrible things to you will win.”

  She turned to face him and glared at him.

  He knew what she was capable of and her hard look made his blood run cold.

  She said with a smoldering anger in her voice, which made him even more uncomfortable, “Amanda said she could have erased those memories from my mind but you talked her out of it. Why?

  I’m tortured every minute of every day by them. WHY!?”

  “Maybe I should go. Maybe this was too soon.”

  She grabbed his arm in a vice like grip.

  If it hadn’t been for his reengineered body, he was sure she would have crush the bones in his arm.

  She squeezed even harder and said through clenched teeth, “Answer me!”

  He put his free hand on top of hers and said in a calm voice, “Let go of my arm.”

  She looked down at her hand and was surprised to see she was squeezing Pete’s arm. She jerked it away and held it to her breast with her other hand.

  She couldn’t meet his gaze. Her breath came in ragged gasps. She put her face in her hands and began to sob, great heart wrenching sobs.

  He wanted to put his hand on her shoulder to comfort her but dared not.

  Max heard her sobbing, got up and put his head in her lap.

  She put a hand on his head and said, “Oh Max, what would I have done without you.” She bent over and put her cheek against the top of his head and wept inconsolably.

  Watching her tore Pete’s heart out. He was at a loss on what to do. Finally, he put his hand on her back and rubbed it up and down. “Please, you’re not going to recover in one day or one visit from me but if you will let me, I can help you. I can be here for you.”

  He took his hand from her back and began stroking her head. “Come on. Quit your crying. Look at me.”

  Her sobbing subsided. She sniffed and said in a voice laced with tears, “I don’t know what came over me. I’m sorry for trying to crush your arm.”

  “Think nothing of it. I often have that effect on women.”

  She lifted her head up, chuckled and said, “Really?”

  “Yeah, I guess I just have that kind of magnetic personality that brings out the best in people.”

  She sniffed loudly and laughed.

  “I’ve calmed down so I’m going to ask you one more time but this time not do any bodily damage. Why did you tell Amanda not to erase my memories?”

  “As horrific as my war memories are, I wouldn’t want them erased. Those memories have shaped who I am. They color my decisions. I think I am a better person because of them. I wanted you to have the same opportunity I’ve had. Use your experiences to shape you and hopefully make you a better person.

  You at any time can have Amanda erase those horrible times from your mind. Just give it some thought before you do.”

  She looked down and scratched Max’s ears. She leaned down and kissed the top of his head and said, “Thanks Max. I love you.”

  She sat up and said, “I’ll give it some thought. But right now it looks like you could use another beer. Winston…”

  They sat under the covered patio, drinking cold beer sweltering in the tropical heat. They watched the sky darken as the artificial sun set behind them.

  Pete said, “Coming here always has a calming effect on me. Watching the water break on the beach, the birds, fish and the coconut trees sway in the breeze, nothing relaxes me more.

  If I get bored, I grab my mask, snorkel and fins and dive the reef. The water is crystal clear. The fish are brilliantly colored. It’s a magical world and if I’m lucky, I can snag a lobster or two.

  Have you ever dived?”

  “No.”

  “Would you like to?’

  “Yes.”

  “Well the next time I visit, I’ll teach you. Would you like that?”

  She smiled, patted Max and said, “Very much.”

  “Good, it’s settled then. But, right now it’s time for lobster. Let’s hit the kitchen.”

  He parboiled the lobsters, shelled the tails and sautéed them in olive oil and coarsely cut garlic cloves. He put them on a bed of rice and poured the olive oil and garlic on top of the tails and rice. It was complimented with a salad, heavy crusted garlic bread, steamed broccoli and an Orvieto dry white wine. For desert they had panna cotta with strawberry sauce.

  When they had eaten they went back to the patio. They topped it off with a dry red Primitivo.

  “Someday when you are ready and if you want, I’ll take you to Italy where you can sample this food and wine in its native environment.”

  “I don’t know about that. This all is a little too fast for me.”

  “Of course, I’m sorry. I get carried away.”

  “No, no, don’t be sorry. I’m just not ready. I can’t think that far into the future. I can’t even think as far as next week.”

  “I understand. Take your time. I’m not trying to pressure you or rush you. Like I said, I get carried away.

  Well, I must be off. If you’ll have me back, I’ll come a little earlier in the day next week and show you how to skin dive, snorkel.

  I see my ride’s here.”

  As he got up to leave, she placed her hand on top of his and said, “Thank you for coming. Amanda told me I would like your company and I did. I was very nervous but she was right. You are easy to like and she said you are kind and gentle. Again she was right.

  I will look forward to seeing you.”

  Pete dropped down on one knee and took Max’s head in his hands, scratching him behind his ears and said, “I really miss you buddy. I’ll see you next week.”

  He stood up and said, “I enjoyed my visit. Until next week then.” He turned and stepped into the shuttle.

  Chapter 8

  Victoria Arrives

  At The

  Amanda

  Pete called Victoria’s suite on the intercom. “Victoria wake up. I’ve fixed breakfast and I have something to show you.”

  She showed up ten minutes later, her hair disheveled, in her robe and bunny slippers. She plopped down in her chair and groaned, “Coffee.”

  “You know I’m a late sleeper. What is it that was so important to get me up at the crack of dawn?”

  “Well it’s ten in the morning, not exactly the crack of dawn.”

  “That early?” She slurped her coffee.

  “Let’s have breakfast first. You’ll feel better.”

  As usual he had Baxter, the service bot, fix a proper English breakfast. It was a small thing but she appreci
ated it.

  After they had eaten, she said, “OK, what is it that was so important to disrupt my beauty sleep.” She smiled at him.

  “We are almost there.”

  She was still sleepy. “Where’s there?”

  “Amanda, our destination. I’ve had her turn on all of her outside lights so we can better see her. She’s about 300,000 miles away. Let’s go to the observation deck.”

  They sat down in easy chairs facing the observation screen. Pete said, “Baxter bring me a pot of coffee and a cup and bring her ladyship a pot of her favorite tea, a cup, a bowl of sugar and two spoons.”

  Victoria gave Pete a withering look, “Her ladyship. Really?”

  “I’m just a poor colonial, part of the unwashed masses. All I am trying to do is show homage to her ladyship in my own humble way.” He looked at her, bowed his head and tugged at his forelock.

  She was still sleepy and grumpy, not in any mood for teasing. “Bite me, Pete.”

  He reached over and patted her on the knee. “Are we grumpy because we didn’t get to sleep past noon?”

  She ignored him.

  “Isabel open the observation screen please.”

  The screen came alive and what Victoria saw covering the entire screen was a nebula with vibrant reds, oranges, yellows, greens and blues. It took her breath away. She was speechless.

  When she could talk, she reached over and took Pete’s hand and said, “It’s beautiful beyond words. Thanks for sharing this with me.”

  He patted the back of her hand and said, “No longer mad at me?”

  “I wouldn’t go that far. You didn’t have to poke me with a sharp stick.”

  “Where’s the fun in that? Besides, you are so easy.”

  She jerked her hand away and punched him in the arm. She took his hand again, chuckled and said, “You’re right. Where’s the Amanda?”

  “Isabel, please put a blinking black arrow pointing at the top of Amanda.”

  “Oh, I see it now. She looks like she is about an inch and a half long.”

  “We’ll be there in about two and a half hours. When we get close to her, she will completely fill the screen. She’s massive.