Issue 14, December 1997
Bruce Dixon - Serial Sci-Fi

"Renny, what's wrong? You seem out of it."

"Oh, nothing. I was just drifting back, trying to make some sense out of all this. There was a short pause. Lita, we have to talk. You must know by now that I'm completely out of control of what's happening here. I can't ask you to go any further. It could be dangerous. We don't know what's waiting for us at the end of this journey."

Instantly, Lita jumped in front of Renton, put her hand on Renton's arm and looked him squarely in the eyes. "I know Renny. I know now that you didn't do any of this." Then half a smile gently formed across her face. "I began to figure that much out as we passed through that solid granite wall back there. But, ya know . . . I'm not scared. I don't know why. I should be, but I'm not. Maybe it's because for some reason, I trust Wendy."

"But don't you see Lita? That's what worries me about this whole thing. I have those same warm trusting feelings too, but there's no good reason why we should! I think these implants are influencing us. They're pushing our buttons."

"Even if you're right, what can we do about it now? We're hundreds of feet below ground and we may not be able to leave if Wendy (or Bob) doesn't help us get out the way she helped us get in. It's not as if we can just click our heels and go back to Kansas."

"True, but you could wait here while I check out the situation?"

"No you don't Renny. You're not leaving me here in the dark! I want to see the AWAKE as much as you do. Besides, what would be the point? You can't hide from a voice inside your head. We've BOTH got to see this through."

"Listen to her Renton. She's making a lot of sense," the voice chimed in from nowhere. "I need you BOTH to see the AWAKE. You've seen what I can do. If I wanted to hurt you, I could have done it by now. Please trust me and let's move on. Okay guys? Conference over?"

"Okay Bob," said Renton. "You win. But if you end up getting us killed, I'm going to be very pissed off!" One of Renton's defense mechanisms was to make light of dangerous situations, but somehow this time no one was laughing.

The catacomb-like feel of the passageway was changing. As they went further, it got wider and opened up occasionally into large cavernous expanses with stalactites draping from the high ceilings. Finally in one very large cavern Bob had them stop.

"Why are we stopping," asked Renton.

"Because we're here!"

"What do you mean we're here? You brought us all this way to show us a big dark empty cavern? . . . cavern? . . . . cavern? . . . ." Renton's voice echoed through the walls and chambers of the cave.

"No," said Bob. "Walk over to that granite wall over there where the little waterfall trickles down. I'm going to activate the molecular displacement field again. When you see the wall shimmer, walk into it about 10 meters or so. You'll feel when to stop."

"Oh no, not that again. Do I have to? Did I mention I'm borderline claustrophobic?" Lita whined her displeasure in such a way as to be half cute, half sexy. Renton was thinking how funny it was that somehow Lita could pull off a whine so gracefully. Whereas if Renton had tried the same, he'd have just sounded like a whiner.

"I'll hold your hand. Let's go," said Renton.

Hand in hand they walked over to the granite wall and pushed themselves into it's fluid embrace. They pressed through several meters and were suddenly free, standing in what appeared to be a large circular laboratory or control room. Renton and Lita stood transfixed as their eyes focused on the unfamiliar technology spread throughout the room. The walls had the look of polished aluminum. There were various control panels in consoles with lights and touch pads scattered around the perimeter. Then there was the most eye-catching sight of all, the centerpiece. There it stood. A five foot diameter transparent cylinder filled with a crystal clear liquid from floor to ceiling. Sparks of multi-colored light danced within its domain as occasional tentacles of plasma emanated from the center of the cylinder. It was the most beautiful thing Renton had ever seen!

Then the voice interrupted the spell the two were under, speaking to them simultaneously in what to Ren was the voice of Bob and to Lita was the voice of Wendy. "Welcome to the AWAKE! So what do you think you two?" As the voice spoke, the lights in the centerpiece danced in unison to the exact phrasing and intonation the voice used. It was now obvious to Renton and Lita that the voice had its origins in the magnificent liquid-filled centerpiece that stood before them.

"Wow," said Renton, still staring at the liquid entity. "So this is actually YOU Bob? But I thought you were operating inside our heads?"

"Well, not exactly. Although the implants do represent me in some fashion, they are in fact very sophisticated devices that work in congress with a master control unit. The true artificial intelligence of the system, the essence of my personality if you will, is contained within the DNA based neural net and processing unit you see now." The crystal cylinder continued to flash in an exotic display of colors with each word Bob spoke.

"I'm impressed," said Renton. "A working DNA based computer." Renton let out a little whistling sound from his lips. "We've been fooling around with the concept for years but haven't gotten very far with it yet." Renton turned to Lita to explain. "The idea is to use nature's own DNA to carry out calculations many times faster than possible with conventional silicon based technology. It's the 'super computer in a jar' concept."

"I guess they've had a few centuries to work out the bugs," said Lita as she continued to stare in awe at the structure.

"Yes we have," said Bob. "We've worked out some other nice things as well and I'd like you to help me demonstrate Lita. Will you?"

"Sure, I guess so, as long as it doesn't involve being swallowed by any more solid granite walls."

"Actually it has to do with giving you a little crash-course in future history, 31st century style. It's a process we use to communicate large amounts of information to our agents. We call it the awakening because you awaken from stasis with new knowledge. If you climb into the stasis chamber on the left, we'll get started."

"The awakening? . . . cute. At least we know where the AWAKE gets its name." Lita lowered herself into the stasis chamber. As the canopy closed on her, she felt cold and then suddenly very drowsy and then blackness . . .

After several minutes the canopy of the stasis chamber opened to reveal Lita lying motionless with a peaceful smile on her face. She slowly opened her eyes to find the concerned face of Renton looking down on her.

"So how do you feel?", asked Renton

"Renny, I feel wonderfully strange as if I've awaked from a dream into a new world. I know things now. I know why we're here! Did you know we were both born at Los Robles Medical Center on the same day?"

"No I didn't," said Renton as he ran his fingers through his brown curls and seemed deep in thought. "That's just a little too much of a coincidence, isn't it Bob?"

"No coincidence at all actually. That's where you were both recruited and matched as a team in the year 2016. It was also no coincidence that you two met four years ago. The implants often have that effect. Matched agents often seek each other out subconsciously."

"Everything is so clear now," said Lita. She was excited and speaking very fast as Renton helped her out of the stasis compartment. "In the late 27th century our scientists learned how to manipulate the fabric of space-time just enough to control gravity. Gravity as you know from general relativity is simply a manifestation of the distortion in space-time around any object of mass. The greater the mass, the greater the distortion in space-time. But this technology by itself did not enable backward time travel. They needed to take it a step further. Using the new gravity control technology they constructed gigantic gravity propelled motors or spinning disks in deep space."

"Oh I see," said Renton. "In much the same way a simple electric motor is propelled by electromagnetism they were able to create gigantic versions using the force of gravity as the motive force. But what was the purpose?"

"Once they had the ability to spin massive objects at near the speed of light, new laws of physics were discovered. They were able to create odd shaped warps in space-time which in turn opened portals into the past! But this changed their universe forever! They discovered how tiny changes in the time-stream could have catastrophic effects on their present. They had to have a way to protect and preserve the time stream. That's why the engineer class formed the TSC, or Time Stabilization Consortium. Tight controls and safeguards had to be put into place. Ren, you and I are part of that overall plan. They need agents along all segments of the time-stream who can act when necessary to rectify any anomalies that arise. They provide these agents with the best of 31st century technology to aid them in their tasks."

"Tasks?", said Renton. "What kind of tasks do they want us for?"

"Oh they might need an occasional espionage here or an assassination there: the usual stuff."

"Whaaaaat!", exclaimed Renton. "We're not assassins! What make them think we'll go along with any of this?"

"Gotcha," Lita said smiling as a look of relief and then annoyance flashed across Ren's face. But it would be impossible for Renton to stay annoyed at Lita for more than several seconds. "I'm sorry Renny. I couldn't resist seeing the expression on your face. I shouldn't have joked about a thing like that."

"Apology accepted, but what DO they expect of us? They didn't go to all this trouble so we could write nasty letters to our congressman!"

"True, but Ren, you wouldn't believe the things we'll be able to do using their technology. Deadly force is considered crude and unnecessary in their world. Wendy, can we put Ren through the awakening chamber? He needs to understand the way I do."

The light show in the crystal cylinder came alive with activity. "No reason why not. In fact I was about to make the suggestion myself. How 'bout it Ren? Would you like to experience the awakening?"

"Well, I can't say I'm in love with the idea of having my head tampered with, but considering the hardware I've been walking around with for the last 28 years or so, it's probably a little late to complain now." As Ren spoke he was starting to climb into the stasis chamber Lita had just emerged from.

"No, use the one over there on the other side Ren," said Bob. "And Lita, I need you to climb back into yours as well to complete the process you started."

"It's not so bad Renny," said Lita as she hopped back into her capsule. "You'll see. The new knowledge . . . I don't know how to describe it . . . it feels as if it was gained by direct interaction and experience. It's not like watching a comm disk or reading a book."

"Sounds interesting. I just don't want to wake up as an experiment in some 31st century high school biology class. Is it a deal Bob?"

"It's a deal Ren. Now get comfortable while I initiate the awakening instructions. I'll see you in a few minutes."

As the cover lowered the last few inches, Ren couldn't help but have a few misgivings. Here he was being sealed into a small capsule and giving up control completely. But then there wasn't much time for reflection. Suddenly there was only cold darkness. . . .

Renton and Lita stood side by side, staring at their reflections in the polished walls of the AWAKE. Staring back at them were the reflections of two androgynous looking humanoid forms with a complex array of 31st century engineering glistening beneath transparent android skin. There were very few questions left to be asked. They both knew nearly all the answers now. The purpose of the AWAKE had been fulfilled and they now grasped the full meaning of what it meant to be "awakened". Bob hadn't given them all the details for obvious reasons. They never would have voluntarily gotten into the stasis chambers and given up the corporeal bodies they had identified with for their entire lives! As they now knew from the upload of information into their super android brains, the transference of consciousness was reversible; they could go back to their old bodies at any time. But this fact would not have been an easy thing to sell. Their flesh was far too personal a thing to give up so easily on a promise from a computer.

They walked over and stared at two very familiar bodies through the transparent covers of the stasis chambers. The faces looked so content and peaceful lying there in suspended animation. How strange to see your own body through outside eyes, thought Renton.

But they had new bodies now. In their present form they had emerged from a hidden door only a few moments after going into stasis. All of Renton's and Lita's memories and personality had been transferred to the synthetic bodies they now occupied while their human bodies lay in motionless silence.

Renton could feel the power inside his new body as he flexed his wrist and clenched his fist. It was made of some incredibly strong yet flexible material; the latest in synthetic fibers straight from the 31st century. As he accessed the vast data banks of information now effortlessly available to his mind, he discovered even more. There was anti-gravity technology, force field gadgetry, and systems designed for a chameleon effect to instantly transform the appearance of the outer skin.

Again Renton and Lita glanced at their old bodies in dormant suspension and then turned to face each others' android forms. Renton was struck with how cold and machine-like the android bodies appeared and it made him feel uncomfortable. He felt alienated from his humanness and wanted his old flesh and blood body back.

"Bob, I've had enough. I never wanted this," said Renton.

"Ren, you know from the upload of knowledge that my society never forces the awakening on any of its agents. You also know that you are free to use the AWAKE to go back and forth between human body and android at any time as you see fit to complete your assignments. This visit to the AWAKE is a . . . let's say orientation to the android existence. As you spend more time in the android form, you will become more comfortable and gradually gain expertise in the various systems."

"Wendy's right! Look what I can do already!" As Lita spoke, Ren turned to see Lita's android form begin a remarkable transformation. Beginning from a small spot in her solar plexus, Lita's android skin turned first opaque followed by the eruption of bronze flesh-tone color spreading over the entire surface of her body out to the tips of her fingers. Lita held her arms out and then over her head as fine details formed over her android body from the formation of beautiful breasts with nipples, to the growing of dark luxurious hair on her head. Suddenly Renton was face to face with a naked Lita looking every bit as human and beautiful as the body in the stasis chamber next to him.

"Whoa! Maybe I'll have to re-think my position on this," said Renton as he stood there with his android mouth hanging open.

"You can do it too! Try it," said Lita.

"Okay, I'll give it a shot. Here goes." As Renton finished speaking he closed his eyes and conjured up his own image inspiring trillions of calculations per second to take place in his bio-electronic brain. Within seconds he was standing next to Lita in his birthday suit smiling back at her.

Lita looked into Renton's new face and then into the stasis chamber where Renton's human body lay. "Not bad my boy," she said in an approving tone. And then she glanced a little lower on Renton's newly formed likeness and started giggling in classic Lita fashion. "Uh, you made a little uh . . . enhancement there, didn't you?" she said while trying to control her laughter.

"Whaat? . . . Oh that. Must have been a subconscious urge or something. Well, what about you? Those breasts look a little larger than I recall."

"I couldn't help it Renny. I always wanted to be a C cup," said Lita with a pouting face. They both looked at each other and laughed.

It was amazing, thought Ren. In so many ways, they were exactly the same two people that they were before the awakening. The process had been so perfect that they felt no difference in their emotions down to the finest detail. Their personalities were intact. They thought and felt the same as before and even had the same sense of humor. Bob explained it was because their emotions and sentient faculties were cradled within their human bodies in stasis. The fact that they were experiencing these feelings in the android bodies was an illusion. In fact, the human bodies were essential to the process and the android systems were an augmentation. Bob further explained that the human bodies would need to be kept alive in stasis and electronically linked to the android counterparts. If that link were ever severed, the androids would be powerless.

"Now that my little ducklings have become swans, it's time to leave the nest," said Bob as the crystal chamber lights flickered. "Learn your lessons well. You will be called upon soon and you must be ready."

Renton and Lita instantly knew how to leave the AWAKE. Each of them glowed in turn as a molecular displacement field merged with an anti-gravity field and they each rose and disappeared into the ceiling. Within seconds they had penetrated hundreds of feet of earth and were speeding through the atmosphere in the blackness of the night sky. With the sky full of stars and the crisp air rushing over their bodies, they performed spectacular acrobatic maneuvers with 90 degree turns and instantaneous stops in mid-air. With the anti-gravity fields on, they were completely free from the effects of inertia. All night they flew with each other, played and laughed.

The feeling of freedom and power was like nothing Renton could ever have imagined. To think that only yesterday he had been bored and longing for Lita's company! Now he was flying free with her as the sun poked it's way through the landscape to greet the cool dawn air. The pair slowly drifted together in mid-air over Malibu when Lita said, "Renny, I just thought of something!" We can't land and walk into your apartment like this. We're still, you know, naked!"

Renton seemed to think for a split second until a realization flashed across his face and then Lita's. They smiled as they looked at each other with satisfaction and said in unison, "THE INVISIBILITY FIELD!"