Swanson grinned. “Yes, well perhaps, to a degree; but, unfortunately, we have to postpone this part of our conversation, anyway. We three are on a timetable. You, me, your father; we are not like others, here. We have been chosen; cryptic term, I know; but, frankly, I’m done with the seminar for now; please follow me.”
“What does all that mean, for God’s sake?” Bellos snapped.
Swanson moved to his left, reaching for the glass door.
“It means I brought you here for one purpose, doctors; and, I have told you what that is, already. Now, let us begin.”
Swanson opened the glass door and led the two into what Bellos thought was a gigantic, pristine warehouse. In one direction were enclosed modular rooms, one next to the other, like show booths in a large convention hall. In another direction, there was some sort of clean room manufacturing operation. Bellos turned to see what looked like an enormous laboratory setting, with futuristic medical equipment. Above many tables, there were stunning colorful holograms, of organs, torsos, legs and full moving human bodies. The entire arena was beautifully carpeted, tastefully decorated; and, of course, the lighting was the same as all around the chasm.
“Mr. Swanson,” Bellos said, “exactly how big is this place anyway?”
“As big as the surface; inner Earth is really much bigger really,” Swanson giggled. “Sorry; my mind wandered. This area is roughly 25,000-square feet, I think.”
“In either case, though, what’s the population? How many people are here?”
“Mathew, you are way ahead of yourself; please focus; try to pay attention to what I present; and, do try to stay calm? We all have much to discuss. Save it for later. Remember, first things first; agreed? Good.”
As they walked awestruck through the expansive arena, a man and woman greeted the GGM.
“Good morning GGM; and good morning to you, Sirs.”
They each wore white fabric lab coats, which just did not look right to Bellos.
“Dad, is there something about their coats?”
“Yes, Son; I do believe they are glowing?”
“Dr. Bellos, Richard, this is Dr. LuAnne Rather, and Dr. Andrew Pine, whom you met earlier.”
“Hello again, Sir,” Richard smiled and shook his hand. “I hope you’re a real person now.”
“I’m leaving you two here for a bit,” Swanson said. “You’re in good hands. When you’re done, you can push the fob I gave you. I will return to pick you up. Please, be as attentive as you can.”
He smiled and walked out the door at the far end of the area.
“Well, we should get started. You may call me LuAnne, or Dr. LuAnne, if you like.”
Dr. Andrew fidgeted a bit and said, “W-welcome to ‘eh-Ever-life’, l- lab-202…um…W-we are ‘care holders’ and ‘group examiners’…um; w-we are going t-to…”
“Oh for God’s sake Andy,” LuAnne interrupted. “You two must be buzzing with questions, by now. If we let you ask, we wouldn’t accomplish a thing today, and it is critical that you two give us a few minutes; so, if it’s all right with you?”
Bellos and Richard shrugged.
“All right then; to start with, Andy and I are ‘care holders’, of this lab section. We manage and perform special advanced medical procedures, within the worldwide ‘Ever-Life’ umbrella. Please follow me.”
“Ever-life umbrella?” questioned Richard.
Dr. LuAnne smiled. “Yes, in fact, in the entire world, you are the first today. I am sorry. Don’t be too shocked. The program is quite reliable, and always evolving. It started roughly 8000-years ago. Hmm, how do I put this?”
Bellos interrupted as they walked, “Can you tell me something Doctor?”
“If I can; certainly…”
“Well, Mr. Swanson said, you all were ‘global’. Does everyone speak English?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, as far as I know, we all speak pretty much every used language. It’s fundamental. We are all able to share and learn knowledge, between us. Master Swanson could give you details on that, though.”
“But, how do you learn it all?”
Dr. Andrew looked at Bellos and grinned. “You will see.”
“Come; this way,” Dr. Lu said. “Please, try not to let your mind wander, too much. Over there, that area; that is O.G.D.-Organ, Growth and Donate.”
“Can we go over there?” asked Richard. “It looks familiar.”
LuAnne gently urged them onward.
“Later, if time permits, yes, of course. This Ever-Life facility consists of about 25,000-square feet of atomic, viral, cellular and final function organic growth. We research, evaluate and apply all manner of genetic biochemistry-or microbiology, to improve and extend life. We have records of ‘all’ known life dating back approximately 500-million years. I know that must sound fantastic, but we utilize our data banks of genetic indexing to grow almost anything. Over there, we seed cells of a specific recipient, and then grow partial or complete organs. Then, we implant; quite basic here, really.”
“Well,” Bellos bragged, “we have researched and successfully grown various body parts; some have been used in cosmetic, kidney, liver, and some heart applications. And we can attach limbs given certain circumstances.”
“Yes we know, doctor. Here, that kind of thing has been standard for a long time. We can supply the needs of any person or animal. We even use insect DNA, when appropriate. Genetics and miniaturization have been the foundation of all our work for millennia.”
Bellos could not be quiet. “You mean you transplant organs, at will?”
“Yes, of course; we do most micro, cell or tissue transplants or transfers daily, hourly. We have eliminated ‘most’ genetic mistakes, diseases and certainly most common ailments, as well as organ failures.”
Bellos took a deep breath and shook his head, looking at everything. “Incredible, just incredible; what is the lifespan here? How do you perform heart transplants? What are all those holograms? …Can I just ask you about your coats? Are they glowing?”
“Our coats?” LuAnne laughed. “Why yes; no, not really; I suppose to you, they glow, but not to us. We are use to the light. Everything here gives off light. We don’t see the glow anymore. Do you, Andy?”
“Um, nope…”
“You see, our coats are white too; so I’m sure that enhances the effect. Anyway, I’m sure you have hundreds of questions, but try to let me finish. We also grow organs ‘within a body’, human or otherwise; but it’s more than that. You see, we can even grow a complete body; again, based on compatible genetics, of course. Here, genetics is everything. Growing organs isn’t that difficult once you have gone through our iterations.”
“My God!” Richard said. “How is that possible? Is that what I am?”
The two men listened in wonder.
“Our GGM has briefed us about you two; so, we are authorized to say the following; we do grow bodies; but they are not clones, as I understand you would describe. We grow both males and females; and, unlike cloning efforts, on the surface, they have complete DNA; although, we can also alter the DNA in certain structural chains. Nevertheless, we cannot duplicate a person’s memory. Therefore, we have to accelerate the ‘new born’s’ learning process. That is what we are going to do here, with your father. He is your father, complete in every detail, physically; but, he has memory voids; and…”
She looked at Richard.
“…I’m afraid, as far as we know, you always will. So; one of the things we do here is endeavor to fill some of those voids. That is why you are here today. Will you help us, Son of Dr. Richard Bellos? It’s completely painless, I assure you.”
Mathew looked at the doctors and his father.
“Why yes; I’ll do anything. But, how will my father get all the other memories he needs?”
“Follow me; in here; I’ll show you.”
“Son, I do keep having memory flashes, of being part of all this; but, they are fragments. It’s so strange. Some things are clear, but others
are so vague. They come and go.”
“That is a good start,” LuAnne said. “Dr. Bellos, you sit here; and Dr. Richard, you here, facing your son. Here are headsets for you. Just place them on comfortably.”
“See, our worlds aren’t that different,” Bellos said. “I have a pair like this at home.”
“Now relax, you two. Listen; you are not in a surface experimental hospital. This is not an experiment at all. It’s a procedure, and a painless one at that. So; ready?”
The two took a deep breath, and Dr. LuAnne touched their shoulders.
“I realize this may appear futuristic to you both, but it’s really simple, principally. You, Dr. Bellos have many memories of your father. These headsets will allow your mind to talk to your father’s mind, and he will remember what you say. That’s it. He will have filled in many memories he wants, but doesn’t have right now. Does that make any sense to you?”
Bellos cocked his head. “What if we learn something, neither of us wants the other to know? Is Dad going to know everything I know, and vice versa?”
“No. Think of it as a computer program. There are limits. We are building your father’s memories. He already knows about you. It’s remarkable programming, how and what information transfers. The ability to do this depends on brain DNA-again, genetics.”
They all looked at each other; and then, Bellos said, “What about his past memories of this place, and the rest of his life?”
“Memory has to be transferred in stages, Doctor. This is only the first session. Richard, you will be back several times.”
Mathew and his father looked eye to eye. Dr. LuAnne stood between them. She looked like the letter ‘T’, with her outstretched arms. Then, the two men felt her fingers lightly tap their headsets.
“Okay, that’s it, gentlemen. You can give me the headsets back.” She giggled. “I told you, you wouldn’t feel anything.”
“I don’t understand,” Bellos said.
“Doctors,” Dr. Andrew offered. “Can you feel a thought? And remember, light isn’t the fastest thing, thought is.”
“Not when I have a headache,” Bellos chuckled.
“So; now what; what’s different in me, then?” Richard asked.
“I don’t know. You should remember something you didn’t before. That’s all we have for you two today, Dr. Lu said. “I hope we didn’t frighten you?”
They all heard a buzz from Dr. LuAnne’s waist.
“Oops, that’s me. I have to answer it. You two should really page the GGM now. You see that door way over there?”
She pointed opposite from the way they entered.
“Yes there, that’s ‘Knofer’ reception for this ‘Ever-Life’ section. The GGM will meet you there.”
“Knofer?” said Bellos. “What’s that?”
“It’s just a term we use a lot here, ‘Knofer’ [know-ferrpher]…Thank you gentlemen. I’m afraid we must part, for the time being; good-bye for now.”
Bellos and Richard turned and walked to the doorway, filled with amazement. Bellos pushed the fob, in his pocket; and, by the time they reached reception, GGM Gordon Swanson walked in.
“Hello lads. I trust you had a fascinating visit. Do you have any questions?”
He rolled his eyes and snickered, as he opened the exit door. Bellos and his dad both started talking at the same time. Swanson raised his arms, as though he were stopping traffic.
“All right; one at a time, please! I know it is all a bit overwhelming. Let’s get a bite to eat; and, Richard needs a drink. We’ll go across the center scope there, to the food post, and talk.”
“I don’t know where to begin,” Bellos said. “Okay, first, about those gadgets; there, on your belt. So many people are talking into them. They project holograms too. What is a Knofer?”
“Hah; well, you pick up quickly, Mathew. Here, look at this.”
Swanson handed him the small object.
“Actually, Knofer is a universal term, implying knowledge. But, mostly, it refers to what you are holding.”
“It reminds me of our cell phones on the surface.”
“Well, I suppose you could say it is a ten thousandth generation cell phone.”
Bellos examined it closely. It was a dull silver gray color, oval with an inner transparent body that swiveled on a blind axis. One end curved up a tad, if one laid it on a table.
“Very comfortable to the touch; it’s almost weightless; isn’t it?”
There were no numbers or buttons anywhere on it; just a few small unrecognizable characters, and what looked like a tiny red lens, not quite at one end.
“I give up,” said Bellos, turning it over. “How does it work?”
They stopped just long enough for Swanson to take the Knofer, place it in front of his mouth and say, GGM-001.”
It ticked, and Swanson handed it back to Bellos.
“Would you like to know something, about something; anything; go ahead, ask? Speak into it, there.”
“You are kidding?”
“You can ask it any question. That one has a record of most relevant knowledge.”
“Relevant knowledge; what does that mean?”
“Use it as a communicator; receive and project any image; dictate or create a task for it to perform; here, let me have it.”
Swanson spoke into it, “By authority of GGM-001-21839, this Knofer transfers to Dr. Mathew J. Bellos… There; now it is yours. Hold it up. Look at the red dot, and say your name.”
Bellos did.
“There; it is done. By my authorization and your looking into it, you have transferred all facts that you know, into your Knofer. Now you own that one. You need it anyway. The security is quite reliable. I see no reason to dally with some things. Now we eat; this way. Oh, and all Knofers are defensive weapon capable; in your case, not activated.”
Bellos scratched his head.
“What? But what is it made of? Does it only respond to voice commands? How do I work it? I see now why you said, I’ll be saying ‘what’ a lot. And what are you going to use, now; where’s yours?”
“Mine is right here.” Swanson pulled out two more from his pocket and gave one to Richard as well.
“As I told you two; we are on a time schedule. You both have a briefing about all Knofers, in one hour. Don’t forget to ask all your questions then. Come on, we need food.”
It was years ago when that all took place, and now Bellos snapped out of it, in the Andrews elevator.
“Well, break’s over.”
He pushed three again, and the elevator started up to ‘focus ward’.
Chapter 7
Angie’s Discovery
Angela Esposito and the guard walked out of the elevator to Dr. Mathew Bellos’s office on the tenth floor of Andrews Hospital. They stopped just outside his door and Angela mimicked a cough, spitting the rest of tranquilizer pill that Dr. B. gave her onto her sleeve. She looked at the guard and wiped her mouth.
“So this is it, right? Should I be honored, or am I in real trouble here?”
“You are just fine,” he said.
Once inside, the two stood looking down two steps into an oval shaped living room approximately 30-feet by 20-feet.
“I will be right outside Miss., if you need me. Dr. Bellos said you may order anything you like, from the kitchen.”
“Thank you.”
Angie smiled as he closed the door behind him. She turned and studied the remarkable room. The floors were immaculate, dark teakwood, partially covered with a large oval Persian rug. In all the years she had worked at Andrews, she never went into Bellos’s office, although she did visit his home outside the complex frequently. She noticed the walls were a color-coordinated subdued beige and green, with just a hint of gold shine that sparkled. The furniture was a combination of dark green leather, with mahogany wood, carved meticulously with unrecognizable characters. There were masterful oil paintings hanging, and bookshelves between the two hallways that extended out from the main room. Angie st
epped down from the foyer, turning and studying every sight. The walls seemed to curve up from the floor to a round dome oculus, made of beveled and stained glass. On the outside of it, there were strategically placed lamps that shined in, to illuminate the glass designs of the four seasons.
For a moment, she felt as if there was a touch of church in Bellos’s heart. She went to look closely at the paintings, on the walls. She remembered her college classes in art history and the trips abroad, which she had taken at Dr. B.’s expense. She recognized each artist. They were original works by Manet, Renoir, and Matisse.
“This is spectacular, “she said to herself. “It’s not just an office, is it? Oh my; how did you get all this stuff; security cameras in every corner; not much privacy, Dr. B.?”
Between the two hallways and the front foyer, there was a large floor to ceiling bookcase.
“Jesus; these are priceless Medical Reference Books; in English, French, Latin, Greek, even Hebrew; and that’s Aramaic, I think; Chinese too. I should have bought my college textbooks here. Those look like Egyptian or South American Indian symbols. Who can read this stuff?”
She opened the bookcase’s glass doors. One of the back bindings, on the top shelf, caught her eye. It seemed to glow.
“What the heck is that?”
There were only two letters on its binding, ‘D.P.’. She found a stepstool in the corner; and, even standing on her tiptoes, Angie was barely able to stick her index finger under the bottom of the book, causing it to fall on the floor. The book had a beautiful pearl white leather binding, with shiny large gold embossed lettering on the front cover. It simply read ‘John Avuar Sheldon’. Angie picked it up, took it to the couch and opened it to the front page.
“It feels brand new. I wonder what ‘DP-111249’ means?”
Just then, she heard the front door lock click. She had just enough time to shove the book behind her. The guard opened the door.
“Are you okay, Miss.? I heard a thump. I thought you may have fallen.”
“Yes, I’m fine; thanks. I tripped and hit the table, looking around at all of this. I’m sorry.”
Ever-Life the Two Book Set: The C.P.T Incident and Time Trust Page 5
