Hair Suite

by Piers Anthony

  She had to accept it, and actually she was relieved to discover that she was not alone in this respect. She was human but also more than human, and Levi was her match. They were on the same side, whatever that side was.

  Soon, of course, they became lovers. This had no bearing on whatever other relationships they had, such as hers with Monroe. It was simply that as two in the Chip orbit they understood each other in ways no one else could, and were able to satisfy each other in ways others would not understand. They did not move in together physically, and in fact had no obvious association, deliberately, but they were nevertheless a most intimate couple.

  Levi acquainted her with a more advanced aspect of the Chip: it could receive instant messages from the home sphere. But this was complicated, because it would be necessary for him to devote his full attention to it, for at least an hour, becoming effectively helpless, and she would need to safeguard him during that session. Once they were reasonably certain of their new powers, and comfortable with them, he would need to see what directives might come. Burn was intrigued, but agreed it was better to wait.

  Just how did the Chips propose to set up the formal recognition of their kind? That was as yet nebulous. First they needed to recruit several more Monks, to form a team. Then, with a sufficient base of nine or ten members, they could make their formal play for recognition.

  They set about prospecting for recruits. There were several more Chips, but each one was precious and they could not afford undue risk.

  “Risk!” Burn snorted. “You recruited the two of us at our low points. We'd have died without your intercession. How could you know we'd be suitable?”

  And of course they could not have been sure. They had had to gamble on those first recruitments, because the chips by themselves were extremely limited. They needed to animate the minds of sapient creatures to achieve their full powers. If they had been wrong, those Chips would have been wasted, diminishing the project accordingly. So they had selected humans who indeed would have perished before long if left alone, trusting that by the time they recovered from their maladies and achieved their full new powers, they would remain committed. Essentially, honest folk. And it seemed they had won.

  “You bet you won,” Burn agreed. “I can lie when I have to, but I don't like it. I want an honest life and purpose, and now I've got it.”

  Levi agreed. The two of them had been reasonably smart before; now with the amplification the Chips provided, they were geniuses who could appreciate their situation much better. They would remain committed.

  But now, with the higher standards their enhancement formulated, they were not about to recruit just any passing human being. They needed to be sure of the qualities of character that would serve the cause best. So that no convert would ever go rogue and try to make his or her own little empire, as they could do with the powers of the Chips. Integrity was important; loyalty was vital.

  Now was the time to check the in-box for any messages. Levi lay on the bed and sank into a deep trance, while she watched him, tracking respiration, pulse, and blood pressure to make sure that he remained healthy. If he seemed to be going wrong, she would have to bring him out of it in a hurry.

  Fortunately the séance was uneventful, from her perspective. His body cooled and stiffened, but remained animate. In due course Levi came out of it in good order.

  “Any news?” she asked, trying to mask her excitement. She was no scientist, but knew that actual proof of instant messaging at light years' distance would be something never before known on Earth.

  “Emergency,” he said. “Stellar threat.”

  “What?”

  “That's the message.”

  “What does it mean?”

  “I wish I knew. But it has to be important.”

  Yet they had no inkling what the threat was.

  Then came the news of the Hair Suite. The Hair Suits, acting far more boldly, had established a recognized embassy.

  That seemed to be the threat. It wasn't exactly like a moon-sized meteor zooming in to strike Earth and extirpate all life thereon, but maybe to the Chips of the Home Sphere it was equivalent.

  “Oops,” Levi said. “We shall have to act immediately, or the Chip Monks will lose by default. We can't wait on new recruits.”

  She had to agree. Action was mandatory, ready or not. “Will we have to fight the Suits?” she asked. “I really don't want to get into anything like that. Anyway, I'm not sure that my knife would work against anyone with powers like ours.”

  “No fighting,” Levi said. “Hairs and Chips are parallel spheres, nominally at peace. We shall have to negotiate.”

  “Much better,” she agreed.

  And so it was that they made their way to the Hair Ball Embassy.

  C

  hapter 4

  Crisis

  Quiti's hair unwound, slowly freeing Levi. “That was a remarkable experience,” he said as they separated.

  “You were warned,” she said, laughing. “You knew our nature.”

  “I did. But this was my first actual experience with telepathy. I regret that we lack it.”

  “But you can do things we can't, such as clairvoyance.”

  “Together we could make quite a team. It was a pleasure being this close to you. I regret that we must oppose each other.”

  “Call it a friendly rivalry.” She looked about. Roque was now separating from Burn, and his mind was already filling Quiti in on his experience. Burn looked somewhat taken aback; evidently it had been more than she had anticipated.

  “I'll go join Idola,” Tillo said. He left.

  “Now we know the stake,” Roque said. “We need to decide whether Earth will be a black stone or a white stone. Then we are free to pursue our own goals.”

  “I challenge you to a duel of seduction,” Burn said, licking her lips.

  “Who seduces whom?” he asked.

  “Make it a foursome,” Levi said. “Quiti can try me. If she seduces me before Burn seduces Roque, then the Hairs win. If Burn succeeds first, then the Chips win.”

  Quiti was intrigued. The idea of making out with Levi appealed, now that she knew him well, and she knew Roque was even more interested in Burn. “Would the home spheres abide by a decision reached in that manner? It seems rather frivolous.”

  “Ask the hair.”

  But her hair was already confirming it. It wanted an amicable decision, and this was about as amicable as could be imagined. “The hair agrees. What about rules? They need to apply evenly to each couple.”

  “The women take the initiative, and the men cooperate,” Burn said. “We may touch the men anywhere, in any manner, except the genitals. If we kiss, he kisses back. If we lay him down, he lies down. If we put his arms around us, he holds us. If a man gets so worked up he can no longer hold back, then he can do it, knowing he is forfeiting the contest, but he will really enjoy the experience.”

  “There are different kind of touches,” Quiti said. “For example, suppose a woman takes a man's hands and moves them for him, making him stroke her body. May she put his hands on her genitals?”

  “Yes,” Burn agreed. “She can make him poke a finger into her, as long as she does not touch his genital.”

  “Suppose both men hold out, as I fear they will?” Quiti asked. “There needs to be a time limit.”

  “One hour,” Burn said. “Then it will be declared a draw, and a date set for a new contest. And--”

  “And?”

  “Given that it's a draw, that day, let the men have at us, and we cooperating, nothing at issue.”

  They looked at the men. Both nodded. They liked this contest very well.

  “Much as I hate to wait,” Quiti said, “I think we had better take at least a night to consider. The Hair or Chip might have a second thought.”

  “Damn,” Roque muttered. “She's right.”

  “Let's kiss to seal the deal, for now,” Burn said.

  “Oh, yes,” Levi agreed.

  Levi kis
sed Quiti, and Roque kissed Burn. Damn, Quiti thought as she shared telepathically with Roque, echoing his sentiment; these were nice partners! Then the two visitors departed.

  Now they held a private council with the others of their contingent: Speedo, Desiree, and Gena. Gina's daughter Idola was away in school, where Tillo was meeting her. They caught the three up on the backgrounds of Levi and Burn, and the agreed contest.

  “So what do you think?” Quiti asked. “You know we value your judgment,” because you have not been changed by alien influence.”

  “You're too hot to trot with them,” Speedo said. “Did they get into your minds to make you want to get into their pants?” He was a young neighbor of Quiti's she had recruited to help when they set up the Embassy. He had a passion for her that was now transferring to Desiree, the shapely blue-eyed blonde, former prostitute, then friend of Roque's, now also Quiti's friend. She had AIDS, under control thanks to special medication Roque had arranged, which made her cautious about indulging Speedo's clear interest.

  The two women nodded. Desiree was of course quick to pick up on any sexual interest in the area, having had thorough experience. She could read the minds of men from trace shifts in their posture, respiration, and the pupils in their eyes. Quiti's close friend Gena was also savvy about such things.

  “They're not telepathic,” Quiti said. “We got into their minds.”

  “But still you want sex,” Speedo said. “Not that I object; I want sex. But it's too soon. Are you sure they didn't find a secret way to fascinate you?”

  “I'm sure,” Quiti said. “I've been in Levi's mind.”

  “The Chips evidently did it the old fashioned way,” Gena said. “With blatant sex appeal.”

  “Which they certainly have,” Desiree agreed. “That Burn girl has the best come-hither body I've ever seen, and that Levi man could conjure me into his bed with one smoky glance.”

  Roque laughed. “Got me there. You were my first lover, Desiree, and Quiti is my second. No disrespect to either of you, but I'll be dreaming about Burn.”

  “I gather you folk are dubious about our proposed contest,” Quiti said dryly.

  All three nodded soberly.

  “So what alternative do you propose?” Quiti asked. She respected the judgment of the three, because they were unchanged humans, diverse folk united by a common dedication to the welfare of the Hairs. If the three agreed, they were probably correct.

  “Postpone the sex,” Gena said. “Get to know them better first.” She raised her hands, “Oh, I know you've been into their minds. You know they wish you no ill. But you are seeing them as they see themselves; you need to form your own separate judgments, which may or may not align. I'm not suggesting that the Chips are bad folk, but they could be mistaken about some things. They do owe their allegiance to a different power, and may be subtly or un-subtly controlled by that. And what about those wormholes?”

  “Damn,” Roque said. “This smells suspiciously like the voice of reason.”

  “Damn,” Quiti echoed, again.

  “So when they come here tomorrow ready for love, we tell them not just yet?” Roque asked.

  “That would be best,” Gena said. “It isn't as if you have to suffer much. Clasp each other tonight. It isn't as if you don't like each other.”

  “Damn!” they said together, laughing. That was exactly what they did, when night came.

  Next day Levi and Burn arrived on schedule. Roque and Quiti were ready, and Speedo, Desiree, and Gena were with them as moral support. “We regret we must postpone the contest,” Levi said.

  Quiti was taken aback, having been braced to deliver a similar decision. “Why?”

  “I went to the worm hole for further news,” he said. “In case it affected our decision. It did.”

  Quiti felt a chill. This could not be good news. “How?”

  “We seem to have misunderstood the prior message, or it was incomplete. The threat to our project is not you. Not the Hair Sphere. It is far worse.”

  “Worse?” Quiti asked, prompting him.

  “There is a representative of a third alien—to you—culture. This one is not friendly, and has no interest in the game of Galactic Go. It is the Pod.”

  “Let me take your hand,” Quiti said. “It's not that I don't trust you, but that I want a faster, more detailed illumination.” She took his hand, and Roque took Burn's hand. Holding hands was less romantic but more significant than it was in traditional Earthly lore.

  It turned out that the Pod was a huge alien ship hurtling toward Earth. Its denizens were not creatures looking for hosts and fair exchange of information, but plants looking for lodging and soil. They intended to impact Earth hard enough to break open the Pod and release the plants, that would then spread out across the globe in dense clouds of spores and start feeding and growing. There would be no reasoning with them; they lacked minds as such. Earth would in due course become a malign greenhouse with no remaining animal life.

  “This will extinguish Earth as a site for Go,” Levi concluded. “Both Hairs and Chips lose.” He cracked a weary smile. “Not to mention the native life.”

  “Can it be stopped?” Quiti asked.

  “We know of no way. It is the size of a small moon, and the shell is virtually invulnerable. Any attempt to break it up in flight will only fragment it, and the pieces will still crash on Earth and start feeding. The spores are individually encapsulated so they can handle the rigors of the crash. It is a serious threat.”

  That was an understatement. “I think we now have a common cause,” Quiti said. “To save Earth, and with it, our roles in it. We can settle our rivalry some other time.”

  “Some other time,” Levi agreed. “I look forward to it.”

  Quiti's hair gave her a feeling. “I think we need to join forces immediately,” she said. “To become a single unified effort.”

  Levi spread his hands. “Much as I would appreciate any chance to work closely with you, I don't see how we can tackle this particular challenge.”

  “Your wormholes may have information,” Quiti said. “They don't lead just to the Chip Sphere, do they? They should lead all over the galaxy. It could be like a galactically huge Internet. Somewhere some sphere may have an answer for us, if we can just get in touch.”

  Levi shook his head. “I can't tackle the wormholes more than once a day. It takes too much out of me. As it is, their information is chancy, as we have found. It would be the same with Burn.”

  “So we need more Chips, so we can do several queries simultaneously.”

  “Had we but hosts! But risking bad ones could be its own disaster.”

  “I have some good ones in mind. Not ones I would have chosen to offer, were this not an emergency, but I believe they qualify.”

  “I am not sure you appreciate the problem. They would need to be people you know well and trust, not just incidental passers by. And the Chips might have to offer them something extra, because few folk would make any such commitment without personal reason. It's not just the initial agreement; it's the desire to follow through. I don't see--”

  “Can a Chip cure AIDS?”

  Desiree looked startled.

  “Oh, of course, just as the Hair can cure any Earthly malady. But--”

  “Desiree,” Quiti said. “Would you take a Chip, knowing that you would have to do serious work with it? Becoming a super-girl will have its price.”

  “Oh, yes, I would!” Desiree said. “Hair or Chip, I'd take it, and not just to be rid of my AIDS! I'd give anything to be like you!”

  “There's one,” Quiti said. “I can vouch for her; she's my friend, and committed to the Hair cause, which is now also the Chip cause. Curing her AIDS is the extra fillip. Do you have a Chip handy?”

  Burn wordlessly held up a small worm-like metallic device.

  “Except,” Desiree said, looking at Speedo. “We are working on an understanding. Would you object? I would be cured, but this would put me in a different category.”


  “Speedo,” Quiti said before he could answer. “You're my next prospect. Would you take a Chip?”

  “Sure,” Speedo said, amazed. “Especially if she's doing it too. I've seen what your hair does for you. Have I ever!”

  “There's two,” Quiti said. “I can vouch for him too.”

  Levi held out a Chip.

  Speedo and Desiree hardly paused. They went for the chips. Just like that they had them in their ears.

  “Gena, would Idola be interested?”

  “To join Tillo as an equal? You bet she would.”

  “Three,” Quiti said. “Gena, call her. She should get her folks' approval.”

  “I will. She'll wrest it from them by force if necessary.” They both smiled. Idola was a sweet girl, but imperious when she set her mind on something. Her folks were used to it, and benignly tolerant. Quiti hoped that this would not further complicate the problem her parents faced.

  “This is amazing,” Levi said. “Are you not concerned that this means that the Chips are outnumbering the Hairs? Especially since Chip conversion is much faster than growing six feet of hair?”

  “We're on the same side now,” Quiti said. “These two people are close and trusted friends. They will not play us false, regardless what powers they achieve. Idola is Gena's natural daughter; I know her and trust her.” She paused for reflection. “Still, there should be a referee who understands both types, in case differences arise.”

  “You have someone in mind?” Levi asked.

  “Is it possible to have one human being be both? To host Hair and Chip together?”

  Levi looked at Burn, who pursed her lips, surprised. “Perhaps if they were introduced at the same time, so that Chip and Hair associated from the start,” he said, and Burn nodded. “However such a person would be extremely powerful, once fully meshed, because of the integration of the different slates of abilities. Very special care would need to be taken in the selection, as it could not be undone if it went wrong. It would have to be someone you would trust with your life.”