"Yes, ma'am," said George Connor.
Releasing the button, Linda said, "Dr. Mills, you're restricted to quarters until you leave us."
Returning to the room, an astonished Mills asked, "Restricted to quarters?!"
"Turn in your badge, your ID, and your keycard," said Linda. "Right now."
After a moment of stunned silence, Karen unpinned her badge and tossed it on Linda's desk, then pulled her wallet out of her purse and dropped her base ID and keycard on the badge. Linda swept the items into her top desk drawer.
Steph had been sitting quietly throughout it all. She now stood up and walked to stand next to Mills. The two eyed each other for a long moment, then Steph spoke.
"This has gone too far," said Steph. "Dr. Mills, Ed and I do not sleep together."
Turning to Linda, she said, "I think this resignation may be unnecessary. Dr. Mills holds an opinion based in prejudice, but the same could be said for many on this installation who nonetheless accomplish their tasks."
Linda said coldly, "She just quit, Stephanie."
Through my implant, Steph said, "Ed, unless you object, I'm going to emanate theta waves to calm people a bit as I try to turn this around. Will you support me?"
I looked at Steph and nodded imperceptibly even as I wondered what she was up to and why. As the theta waves began I immediately felt some of the tension leave me and looked around.
Wallace sighed and repositioned himself in his chair. Angela lost some of her rigidness and eased back in her own chair a little, as did Linda. Myra had stood up at some point and now sat back down. Only Mills and Steph were left standing.
Steph quietly said to Linda, "Her resignation won't rectify anything and it will take a month or more to replace her and bring her replacement up to date."
After a moment Linda asked, "...It won't rectify anything? Steph, she just spent four days with you. If she isn't a believer by now, she never will be."
With a shrug, Steph said, "She doesn't have to believe in my sentience. She merely has to do her job and act within specific behavioral guidelines, as do we all."
"'We' all?" asked Mills. "You're including yourself?"
Steph nodded. "I am. You irritated me quite often during your training, but I continued as required." Turning to Linda, she asked, "Shouldn't Dr. Mills -- believing herself to be truly sentient -- be capable of doing the same?"
I chuckled and all eyes fixed on me for a moment.
"Hey," I said, "It's funny to me. It's kind of like a black guy defending a klansman's right to be a bigot, as long as he shuts up and gets the job done." Looking at Mills, I asked, "Well, what about it, doc? Are you going to let Steph out-sentient you?"
Wallace was next to chuckle. Mills fixed him with a withering gaze for a moment, then her demeanor seemed to turn thoughtful.
Steph turned to face Linda and said, "Everything said and done during this needless altercation could be reversed IF those involved will allow it."
Shrugging, I said, "Sure. If Mills can manage to be civil toward us, that's good enough for me, Linda. Steph?"
"For me, as well," said Steph.
"There's still the matter of her attitude," said Linda. "Especially concerning the PFM's. A poor attitude is a security risk."
Steph said, "All available features and the contraceptive nature of PFM's will be public knowledge the day they're introduced as products. How Dr. Mills relates to AI's may be governed by rules, just as rules have governed people concerning issues such as skin color and gender. Has she displayed controversial attitudes about anything else during her time with 3rd World?"
Throughout my years of knowing Linda she's always been one to make quick, pragmatic decisions, even when those decisions meant backing down a bit to make room for a better point of view, but something about her silent demeanor made me wonder if she'd back off this time.
"Linda," I said quietly. "You could call this a personal disagreement and let it go. Installing new people in management jobs is a pain in the ass for everybody concerned, and you did say she was good at her job."
Linda's eyes left Steph's and found mine. Her gaze narrowed slightly and the tip of her pencil slowly tapped several times on the yellow pad in front of her. I couldn't tell if she was really having a hard time letting go of it or acting.
She looked at Mills and softly said, "Dr. Mills, it seems that you have advocates, if not precisely friends, and at this moment I'll frankly be damned if I know why these two are interested in keeping you here at all. But I listen to my people -- human or not -- so you get another chance. Do you want to rescind your resignation?"
When Karen looked at Steph, she received an expression that could only be described as mildly questioning. From me she got a shrug as I settled back in my chair.
Wallace muttered, "Yeah, what the hell," and sipped his coffee.
There came a knock at the outer office door and Anna peered around the inner door's frame for instructions. Linda held up a hand and looked at Mills.
Mills again faced Linda and sighed gently, then said, "Yes. It's rescinded."
Pressing a button on her phone, Linda said, "Connor, the crisis is over. Recall your team, please."
Connor said, "Eleven, ma'am. Confirm."
"Sixteen," said Linda. "I'll get with you later to set new codes."
"Yes, ma'am," said Connor. "Recalling the team now."
Before she released the button, Linda said, "Thank you, Connor."
Wallace seemed startled. It probably hadn't occurred to him that Linda would have cancel codes in place for her own office. Oh, well. It's the little things that keep a relationship new, I guess.
Linda handed Mills her ID, clip-on badge, and keycard, then gestured toward the empty chair by her desk. Mills sat down to reattach her badge and slipped the cards in her purse as Linda spoke.
"Stephanie, if 3rd doesn't go for the contraceptive feature, what happens to the PFM project?"
"It will change," said Steph. "The PFM will become a simple entertainment device and lose more than half its value instantly. Elkor, my station self, and I won't allow the protective field feature unless the contraceptive feature accompanies it."
Looking at me, Linda asked, "Do you have anything to say about this?"
"I think she's right," I said. "Steph, do it your way."
Wallace put his coffee down and asked, "What's to stop 3rd World or the Amarans from making their own version of the PFM that includes the protective field? It isn't as if they couldn't make them somewhere else."
"Common sense, if nothing else," said Steph. "Earth would become a battlefield when food and other resources became drastically scarce."
"But would they care about that? The factory station is in full production. It's self-contained. Even if Earth blew itself up, the factory could continue."
"That's true," said Steph, "But nearly half the people on the station are from Earth. Nearly all the Amarans have married people from Earth. What happens to people here will directly affect a majority of the factory people."
She walked to stand beside her chart screens and said, "3rd World is a company with a conscience, as is the Amaran parent company. The Amarans deal fairly with client worlds, but they don't mind at all if a single factory world doesn't achieve its independence too quickly. The longer it takes, the more profit is made on goods, but only if the client world is at peace and producing those goods or services."
The two screens disappeared as Steph said, "Profit depends upon production and uninterrupted production depends upon a prosperous peace. PFM's won't be made at the factory station; they'll be made only on Earth and they require two elements that are difficult and very energy-expensive to manufacture in a gravity field. That ensures that certain materials will necessarily be harvested and manufactured in space and delivered from the station, which will in turn assure that communications and interdependence with the station will not be severed later for political reasons."
In closing, she said, "Exporting PFM's
without built-in contraception would amount to nothing less than exporting the problem of overpopulation to other client worlds. Within a few more generations there'd be no viable mass market for anything except food and weapons, and there'd be no surplus food." After a pause Steph added, "And the one thing that the Amarans need above all is a viable, solvent, multiple-product mass market."
Absolute silence followed Steph's speech for long moments, then Myra said, "Maybe PFM's shouldn't be made at all. Maybe..."
"Too late for that," snapped Wallace gently.
"No, it isn't," said Mills. "We could shut this whole thing down right now by saying that there was a design defect. More research needed for safety. That sort of thing."
"That action would be investigated," said Steph. "Too many people know about PFM's now and many would be very suspicious of any effort to suppress them."
"Well, damn," said Myra, lifting her left arm to show her PFM. "I was wondering why I rated one of these before there were enough to go around." She looked at Steph and said, "I bought your story about showing it around when I got back, you know. That was a good touch."
"That was -- and is -- the truth," said Steph. "Purchases by agencies such as yours will fund further production and help make it possible to lower prices for everyone else. I expect to be able to eventually bring the price of a PFM down to less than twenty dollars."
Steph might as well have said she'd give them away. Everyone in the room stared at her as if she'd gone insane.
Wallace actually said it. "Are you nuts, Stephanie?! Twenty bucks?!"
She nodded. "Twenty bucks. Sales to governments and corporations will make it possible to lower the price through production volume, and I believe exports should take the price below a hundred dollars. Once they reach that level, enough people will be able to afford them that it should be a matter of only months..."
"But... But twenty bucks?!" yelled Wallace. "At that price..."
"At that price," said Steph, "Everyone on Earth could have one by the end of the seventh year of production."
Myra goggled and asked faintly, "Everyone? Stephanie... There are something like six billion people on Earth."
"There will be over five billion by then," said Steph. "And most of them will be living in a state of safety hitherto unknown on this planet."
"Better make that ten years or more," I said. "And anybody who has a vested interest in illness or death is going to make things as hard as possible."
Angela, so long silent, sharply asked, "What?"
"The insurance companies will lobby against PFM's. Guaranteed. So will the fundy religions, but most of them'll do so claiming other reasons, namely the contraception issue. A helluva lot of people depend on death and illness for a living." Turning to Steph, I said, "Oh, and by the way; did you try to factor in sales to pet owners?"
Steph's blank expression came and went so fast I almost missed it.
"No, Ed. I didn't."
With a grin I said, "Well, we're gonna need a little bitty PFM for Tiger, y'know. He may feel all deprived and neglected if he doesn't get one, too."
Myra laughed and Linda chuckled, but Steph answered quite seriously, "Yes, he would. I'll see to it immediately, Ed. Thank you for bringing this to my attention."
Wallace said, "Jesus... There are about four times as many pets as owners."
After a moment, Angela rather wonderingly asked, "Will Tiger's PFM... I mean... Would he want a glider, too?"
I shrugged. "No idea how he'd feel about flying like that. We'll ask him. He'd be the only flying cat in the world. That might appeal to him."
Mills was astounded. "You're serious, aren't you?! You'd give your cat a glider?"
"Sure, if he wants one," I said. "Why not? Steph and Elkor wouldn't let him crash."
"But cats aren't... They just aren't... built... for flying!"
"Oh, that's a damned good point, doc, but people aren't built for flying, either. Seems to me we manage anyway."
A few people were on their feet at this point. Linda rapped her coffee spoon on her desk a few times as she said, "People! Hello?"
When all eyes were on her, she indicated the chairs with a wave of the spoon.
Once everybody was again seated, she said, "Stephanie, you must have had a reason for involving this specific group of people so early in your project. Why us?" She grinned and asked, "Were we simply the people most available for PFM testing?"
"No," said Steph, returning the grin. "These units aren't prototypes. I wanted this group's thoughts and opinions. Now I have them."
"I see. Do you have anything to add before I wrap up this meeting?"
Before Steph could speak Wallace asked, "Wrap it up? Linda, I think there might be a few things more to talk about."
Karen echoed his sentiment.
Shrugging, Linda asked, "Anything that can't wait until after dinner?"
After a moment and a glance at Mills, Wallace said, "Well, I guess not."
"Good. Steph? Any last words for this meeting?"
"No, Linda."
"Great." She tapped the desk sharply with her spoon. "We're adjourned."
Chapter Forty-Six
Linda came around her desk and led the way to the door, ushering us all into the other room and then stopping to talk to Anna as we filed into the hallway. Myra and Angela stopped and seemed to be having a discussion.
Steph said, "Ed, I'll see you later," and disappeared before I could answer.
As I headed for the dining hall, someone behind me took three quick steps and caught up with me.
"Mind if I join you?" asked Mills.
"If you want," I said.
Myra separated from Angela and jogged to catch up with us. I looked back and saw Angela walking with Wallace. Linda came out of her office and joined them.
"Why did Stephanie leave?" asked Myra.
"No idea," I said. "Probably had something to do."
Mills asked, "Why did you and Stephanie stand up for me in there?"
I looked at Karen and said, "It was her idea. She asked me to go along with her. I figured she had her reasons."
"So you just went along with her without knowing why?"
Nodding, I said, "Yup."
"Why?"
As we walked into the dining hall, I said, "Told you. I figured she had her reasons. Ask her about it next time you see her."
The others caught up with us in the serving line and the six of us sat together as we ate. Table chatter seemed sparse until Linda said, "The facts are clear enough. I see no reason to continue the meeting during or after dinner. Does anyone disagree?"
I shrugged. "Can't think of anything to add to what's been said."
Myra asked, "When does production begin?"
"Don't know," I said, setting my tray on a table and taking a seat as the others found seats of their own.
"Who will get the first PFM's?" asked Myra.
"Don't know that, either."
Giving me a wry look, she asked, "Well, what do you know?"
"About as much as you do, Myra. Steph didn't tell me what she had in mind before the meeting."
"I find that hard to believe," said Mills, taking the seat next to mine.
I grinned at her and said, "Too bad. That's how it is."
Wallace asked, "Why aren't you taking any credit for thinking up PFM's?"
"Don't need it."
Mills almost dropped her fork as she exclaimed, "You invented those things?"
Shaking my head, I said, "No, not exactly. I had the idea, but Steph invented them."
"Then why is Captain Wallace under the impression that you did?"
Glancing at Myra, I said, "Excuse this, okay?" then turned to Mills and said, "Myra's here, so I can't tell you why he thinks that."
Myra looked around the table, then sighed. "Am I the only one here who doesn't know why he might think that you invented them?"
I nodded. "Yup. Sorry 'bout that."
She shrugged and dug into her steak.
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"No sweat. It's happened before."
Pausing in cutting her meat, Mills said, "Something this important requires a bit more than half an hour's discussion."
Linda sipped her drink and said, "I asked for last words. You didn't say anything." She looked around the table and added, "Besides, we all know how to reach each other if we think of anything else to say, and we aren't exactly some kind of governing board. By one avenue or another, Stephanie can and will do whatever she wants with her PFM's."
Citing plans for the evening, Linda and Wallace finished eating and left us. Angela and Myra again had some kind of discussion going on their side of the table. Mills ate in silence for some minutes as she finished, then glanced at me skeptically.
"What?" I asked.
Mills whispered, "You were worried that I'd say something about the gold. That's why you had Stephanie intercede."
Giving her the fisheye, I asked, "Think so, huh?" then I grinningly turned to Myra and asked, "Hey, Myra, are you really going to donate your share of the treasure to a museum, or did you keep a little of it for yourself?"
"Treasure? What treasure?" asked Angela.
Freezing briefly, Myra said, "I didn't think it would hurt to keep a few coins. You know, to look at now and then. As souvenirs."
"Uh, huh. How many is 'a few' these days, ma'am?"
With a flat gaze and a wry expression, Myra said, "A few still means a few, okay? Half a dozen or so. Think you can live with that?"
"What treasure?" asked Angela.
Myra grinned at her and excitedly said, "Ed and Steph took me with them on a treasure dive. Steph gave me some of the stuff she found."
"No shit?!" With an abashed glance at Mills, Angela said, "Sorry, Dr. Mills."
As Myra rooted in her bag for a couple of coins she'd kept out of her pile, I turned to Mills and said softly, "No, Karen. I really don't think that Steph's not-quite-secret stash was the reason she stood up for you."
I sipped the last of my drink and stood up with my tray. Mills also stood up, watching as Myra finally found her coins and put them on the table. As I walked toward the bus bins, Karen caught up with me.
"Why, then?" she asked. "You don't like me at all."
3rd World Products, Inc., Book 4 Page 36
