LaGreca laughed. “Trudy. How you doin’?”
“Fine, Jim. How are you?”
“Miss you since you transferred.” LaGreca smirked at Ben. “This your new boyfriend?”
Ben kept quiet, but his whole body tensed. He wanted to smack this guy for being such a tool.
“Yep. He’s the bomb.” She smiled, grabbed Ben’s arm, and pulled him toward the exit.
“More like he bombed,” LaGreca snickered, no longer wearing the head bandage. His head looked unmarred.
Ben’s face flushed. He pulled away from Trudy and took a step toward LaGreca.
“Hey, Ben.” Brandon said coming out of the locker room. “This crank-berry bothering you?”
Three more Cranberry wrestlers walked up and stood behind Brandon. One of them snickered. Ben didn’t want to see Brandon or Trudy hurt. “No, he got lucky tonight. I’ll see him again in the tourneys.”
“Until next time, Chico,” LaGreca said. “But you’re looking at the next state champ.”
Ben smirked. “Time will tell.” He turned toward the exit, but Trudy stopped him just before the door. She grabbed his head and gave him a long, deep kiss, accompanied by a series of catcalls from the boys. LaGreca turned crimson, but kept his mouth shut. Trudy and Ben both smiled and walked outside into the frigid air.
“Feeling better, Bean?”
“Much. Thanks for coming. How do you know that guy?”
“Ex-boyfriend,” Trudy said. “No loss. I’m with the man of my dreams.”
Ben kept his mouth shut. He’d dreamt of Earth’s Lori over the years, and Ruth from Terra, but never Trudy. What did that mean? He drove her back to Carlston for ice cream and then dropped her off at her door with a goodnight kiss. A long goodnight kiss. As soon as Trudy’s hands cupped his ass, the porch light shone. Her mother, Dora, opened the door.
“See you Saturday, sweet thing.” Trudy winked as she slipped inside the house.
“Yep, see ya.” Ben sighed.
As he walked back to the car, he felt an odd sensation as if someone was watching him. He scanned the street for Lovitsky, but saw no one sitting in a parked car. Looking over his shoulder, he caught Rouge watching him from her upstairs bedroom window. Her white teeth smiled through her dark Goth lipstick. He waved to her, and she smiled back. She blew on the window and drew something intricate on the fogged windowpane. He hoped it was a smiley face.
Ben drove home with his mind on the match and his disappointing loss. While passing the local Mickey Deez, a green Fiat in front of him slowed to turn right without signaling. Ben hit the brakes and turned the wheel, but couldn’t stop on the ice.
Though the Fiat moved out of his path in time, his vintage rear wheel drive Mustang slid a full 360 degrees in traffic. Holeeey Shiiit! The bright headlights of the cars behind floated past as the world spun. As soon as he pointed in the right direction, he pumped the break, nudged the gas, and got back on track without a collision. Thank you, Jesus!
Kipper met him at the door, her eyes bright and excited.
“Hey girl, home in one piece.”
Mom came around the corner. “Well, I’m glad about that. Tough match, though.” She hugged him.
“Yeah. You were there?” Ben pulled off his shoes and left them to dry on the mat.
“Dad and I got there a little late, but we saw you wrestle. You tried your best.”
“Thanks, but I’m going to get better.”
“Keep trying.” She glanced up the stairs. “You have a visitor.”
“In my room?” Ben tilted his head.
“No. Jack’s.” Mom smiled.
Ben raced up the stairs without asking who it was.
Chapter 5
Ben knocked on his brother’s bedroom door. “Jack? Is everything alright?” They’d promised both GranPat and Grandpa Albert not to use the medallions unless absolutely necessary. Jack had apparently used his medallion to cross from his home on Terra to Earth.
“Come in, Bro.” Jack looked thin and wore his brown hair short.
They hugged as Ben entered the room. “What are you doing here?”
“Truth?” Jack shook his head. “I needed to talk to you. I think I’m losing it.”
“What’s wrong?” Ben closed the door and sat on the desk chair.
Jack flopped onto the bed. “Balls up. I don’t know where to begin.”
“Hold on.” Ben plugged his smartphone into a port and cranked up his Maroon 5 playlist. “Is this about Lori?” Jack and Lori dated on Terra, but Earth’s Lori dated Brandon. The Lori doppelgangers had never met each other, but were fairly similar—beautiful, athletic, and thoughtful.
Ben’s secret crush on Earth’s Lori felt ever-present and palpable to him, but had never been realized, especially after Lori and Brandon had become a couple. If Lori or Brandon had known about his crush, they kept it to themselves—preferring friendship to awkward conversation.
Last summer, Ben discovered that Lori’s doppelganger on Terra was equally desirable and unavailable to him. The blow to Ben’s ego compounded when Ben’s realized Lori was Jack’s girlfriend on Terra. Even so, Ben overcame his anxiety and embraced Jack and Lori’s friendship.
“Yes, it’s about Lori.” Jack sighed. “You’re the only one who would understand.”
“Talk to me, Bro.”
Jack fidgeted. “I’ve been an idiot. I knew when I went away to college, the long distance thing might mess us up. I mean . . . Lori and me. I’m at Pitt and she’s still in high school. We tried to keep it going, or at least I tried. I called, texted, and sent little videos. Told her how much I loved her, but I sensed her pulling away.”
Ben frowned. “What did you do?” He’d never seen Jack so upset.
“I checked on her.” Jack’s eyes looked strained and the color leached from his face. “I called her and she said she had to cheer at a basketball game. She sounded funny, almost weird. Didn’t feel true, you know? So I waited a few hours and used the medallion to create a spy portal, like you did with Erde. I spied out the place on Terra where she and I used to go to be alone, and I found her in Brandon’s truck at the reservoir. She was all over him and more.”
“Brandon? I thought he was still with Trudy on Terra. Wait a minute. Lori is Trudy’s cousin and looks a lot like her. Maybe you confused them.”
Jack shook his head. “Brandon broke up with Trudy two weeks after I left for Pitt. No. I saw Lori with Brandon . . . and the memory is stuck in my head. That fucking bitch.” Jack rested his head on the pillow and closed his eyes. “What do I do now?”
“Aww Shit. I’m sorry, Jack. You gotta let her go. And Brandon.”
“They’re my two best friends. Why would they fuck me over?”
“It really sucks, but . . . you left for school, and they moved on. They’re probably not even thinking about you,” Ben said. “Forget about them and concentrate on college and your track scholarship.”
“I can’t even sleep. I failed my last test. I’m barely keeping up on the track team. The coach already put me on notice to pick up the pace or I’m done.”
“Jack. You gotta get your shit together.” Ben stood with his hands on his hips. “There must be a lot of girls at college. Find another one.”
Jack’s eyes met his. “Not like Lori. She’s special. I, I love her.” Jack sat up. “I thought you would understand. You had a major jones for Earth-Lori . . . who oddly enough is also dating Brandon here. Aww, dip me in gas and let me burn.”
“What?” Ben frowned. I don’t like where this is going.
“I might sound crazy,” Jack said, “but Lori ends up with Brandon in both worlds as if the fucking universes are aligning to mirror each other. Like it’s some kind of natural law. But where does that leave us, Bro? What happens to people like us whose doppelgangers are dead and gone? Do we just suck the rest of our lives, or are we gonna die early to balance the equation?” Jack’s hands mimicked two sides of scale reaching an even point.
Ben smiled. “May
be we learn how to suck it up and survive. Maybe we get to slide between worlds and rewrite the freaking script.”
Jack raised his eyebrow. “I’m listening.”
“Look. Lori is, or was, your best friend on Terra.” Ben thought about his own friend, Lori, here on Earth. He’d grown up with her. She’d been his best friend for years, but they were never romantically involved, although he often thought of kissing her. He’d miss her if for some reason they couldn’t be friends anymore. “You could just forgive her. Be her friend, but not in the way you hoped.”
“Fuck that,” Jack said with rancor. “She slept with my best friend. She really, really sucks.”
“I hear you.” Ben let the silence build. Let him breathe.
Jack lowered his head. “Hey. Sorry to dump this shit on you.”
“Fugitabowdit. How’s your mom? Did you talk to her about this?”
“You kidding? I’m not sure she ever liked Lori.”
“What about your dad?” Ben had felt comfortable speaking with Dad’s doppelganger. Johnnie Fuller of Terra was both solid and smart, even if he wasn’t perfect.
“Yeah, I could talk to Dad,” Jack said. “I’m supposed to go back home Saturday for Mom’s birthday. I could drop in on him later.”
“Oh, crap,” Ben said. “I almost forgot Mom’s birthday.”
Jack laughed. “See I told you, alignment.”
“Come on. Our moms are doppelgangers. No surprise Patty and Patsy were born the same day.”
“Ben, I have to go home for her birthday, but I don’t want to go alone. Not sure if I can trust myself if I run into Lori or Brandon. Come back for a visit. Mom said it was okay.”
“I can’t. I got practice in the morning and a special date with Trudy Saturday night.”
“Special date?” Jack smirked.
Ben turned red. “She wants to—”
“Bone up?” Jack shook his head. “C’mon, Ben. Have you even used your silver medallion? You know you can slide between worlds in seconds. Please. Find time to visit me on Terra. I need someone to have my back.”
Ben sighed. He’d avoided going back to Terra because he didn’t want to get caught or make trouble for his family, but Jack needed him. Jack’s real brother, Ben’s Terran doppelganger, had died on Terra in an accident akin to the car crash that took Jack’s life on Earth. Similarities and symmetry between worlds. An imperfect reflection, but balanced like an equation. Alignment. Besides, if he went to Terra, he might miss the special date with Trudy.
“Okay,” Ben said. “I got your back, Bro. Tell me the time and the place, and I’ll meet you on Terra.”
“Thanks, Ben. I owe you.” Ben pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. “These are the coordinates for the alley behind Moonlight Pies. Meet me there Friday at noon.”
“Friday? I have school and practice. I can’t—” He studied Jack’s solemn face. “I’ll be there.”
“Good. My mom will be glad to see you.” Jack sniffed the air and grinned. “Hey, let’s spend a little time with your parents.” Jack thumped Ben’s shoulder. “Your mom said she’d bake brownies.”
Ben eyes widened and he raced Jack down the steps, both pushing and shoving all the way.
“Easy boys,” Mom said, as they ran into the living room. “You guys don’t want to break a leg horsing around.”
The boys slowed down and Dad paused the evening news on television.
“You’re right, Mom.” Ben tilted his head. “Can I ask a favor?”
“Sure.” Ben had his parents’ attention.
“First of all, Mom, happy birthday in advance, but is it okay if I stay overnight at Jack’s house in Terra Friday night? You and Patsy have the same birth date. I can be back for your party Saturday afternoon. Would you mind? This will be the first time I’ve been back to Terra since last summer. I . . . still have friends there.” A memory of Ruth’s soft kiss slid unbidden into Ben’s mind. He felt a momentary chill.
Mom frowned and looked at Dad.
Dad studied him, then nodded. “Okay, but you have to be really careful. People are watching, and we can’t afford to get caught.”
“I’ll be really careful, Dad. I promise.”
“Fine. Don’t take any chances while you’re over there okay?”
“I promise.” What could go wrong?
Outside, the Terran night was dark, frozen, and covered with snow. Drifting powder piled against Albert’s house as the wind howled like a trapped wolf. Betsy called down the basement stairs for her husband to join her for a late night snack.
Albert Dugan emerged from his basement laboratory looking very much the aggravated scientist interrupted in his work.
She watched his hard face soften and become her husband of forty-four years. “Making progress?” she asked, gesturing to the seat across from her. The setting held a warm slice of blueberry pie with a dollop of vanilla bean ice cream.
Albert walked to the sink and washed his hands. “Yes. Very much so. The new computer, blue tooth, and Wi-Fi equipment we received from Patrick have created all sorts of new possibilities and programming applications for our implant industry.” He sat down at the table and picked up his fork.
“Blue tooth? Why fie? Sounds a little silly.”
Albert took a bite of the pie and let the blueberry filling coat his teeth. He smiled. “Bluuue tooth.” His eyes grew as wide as his grin.
Betsy snorted. “Okay, that was funny.” She tasted her ice cream and waited.
“Simply put, I can use the computer to develop multifaceted programs to improve our current use of implants. We’ll be able to modify implant programming without surgical removal using wireless wave technology. Imagine, if we could turn them on, shut them off, or tell them to perform new tasks with just a few keystrokes. We could improve human health and medical treatment while reducing cost and risky procedures.”
“That sounds wonderful.” Wireless waves? “Remember, I have the out-patient surgery tomorrow. Ethel will take me.”
“Yes, I remember.” He smiled. “I spoke with Dr. Cooper, my research colleague. He said the new implant will eliminate your migraines. Honey, I told Cousin Ethel I would take you instead. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Really? You are a darling man.” She reached over and gently patted his hand. “You do surprise me from time to time.”
“As do you.” He swallowed a large spoonful of ice cream. A white slurry ran down from the corner of his mouth slowed by the stubble of his gray whiskers.
Ahhhhooooo. The cold wind wailed outside their home.
Betsy shivered.
Chapter 6
Patrick surveyed the interior of his new lab, not the Homeland S&T lab, or even the cellar lab in his home, but a new laboratory he designed and built specifically for privacy. The lab’s interior walls and ceiling were white, without windows, and could be breached only by teleportation—the exit portal led more often than not back to his cellar. He outfitted his lab with the essentials - a computer and desk, two workbenches, a small table with chairs, tools, the smashed remnants of his beacon components, bright overhead lighting, a small refrigerator, a cot, and one robot.
Patrick beamed at his accomplishment. This lab crowed monumental achievement in itself, not because of what it contained, but where it sat—outside of time and space. And though he knew how to enter and exit the lab, he still wasn’t sure exactly where it stood.
He’d created the hidden lab to protect Amorphous. The Erdian robot, both unique and valuable, would never be safe from the prying eyes of the FBI, S&T, DOD, or anyone else vested in the future of robotic warfare. If the Feds discovered he’d purloined ‘Amo,’ Patrick might not only lose access to his federal projects, he could be sent to prison.
Patrick had found Amo months before, when dusk had first settled upon the OHW battlefield. The sleek green metal-skinned bot with blue eyes had been lying inactive outside near the steel basement door to his cellar. Whether the machine had collapsed on the spot, or the Na
tional Guard had placed it there, the robot had been tagged with a ‘model #7’ inventory label.
Crouching to examine the damaged robot outside his home, he felt a mixture of excitement and pity. Scorched and broken wires protruded from its back like fibrous fingers reaching for a savior. He couldn’t resist his curiosity. Tapping a few of the like-colored wires together, he searched for a spark of life. Nothing happened, until he connected the severed blue wires and the robot vanished.
Surprised, he fell backwards into a mud puddle. The robot had returned seconds later amidst sparks and the smell of ozone. Patrick quickly pinched out the small flame where the wires had been reconnected. Looking over his shoulder, he saw no one else had witnessed the anomaly. Using rope and a block and tackle he had stored in his garage, he winched the bot into his cellar and covered it with a tarp.
He knew he would eventually need to move Amo. It was just a matter of time before the FBI, or some other agency, insisted on visiting his personal laboratory. He’d considered a number of options to move Amo to a more secure site, but trucking it past the gate guards would be risky. The Fullers’ basement might be an option, but he didn’t want to put his daughter, Patty, or her family in harm’s way.
The possibility of moving Amo to Terra had its own set of unacceptable risks. Albert and Betsy Dugan not only lived under CSD scrutiny, Patrick worried Amo’s presence on Terra would ignite Albert’s unwanted professional curiosity. Patrick shook his head. The one option he wouldn’t entertain was handing Amo over to Dr. Caliban’s robotics lab—not until Patrick fully understood the consequences of what he’d discovered.
Patrick’s attempts to awaken Amorphous led to his inadvertent discovery of the phase modulation properties of Amo’s microprocessor. Phased modulation of matter allowed the robot to disappear and reappear as if it wore a cloak of invisibility. But how exactly did it work? After considerable experimentation, Patrick finally replicated the microprocessor and modulated other objects in and out of phase with variable results.
When he reactivated Amo’s microprocessor, the bot still occupied the same space, yet remained invisible. He could feel the robot’s body, though he couldn’t see it. When he used his replicated microprocessor, the objects did not occupy the same space. They were gone, but he made them disappear and reappear without damage. His experimentation with live mice proved successful without damaging the subjects, although they were dehydrated and hungry upon return. The variation may be a modulation aspect, or field, generated by the robot itself.
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