From Here To 1137 AD; Episode 13, Chatting With Brain

This is episode twelve of the novel, From Here To 1137. 

   If you would like to purchase From  Here To 1137, it is available on Amazon in Kindle format or paperback.  

Chatting With Brain

After Tom placed the phone down, he went to the back porch, slipped into his work coat, and put on his work boots. He walked out the back door and faced blistering snow and wind. He reached the spot where he last saw the pod. 

“I hope nobody has taken her,” Tom said with his head ducked into his coat. “Pod, open the door.”

A door opened to an invisible spacecraft. He stepped inside, and the door closed.

He walked forward and sat in the captain’s chair.

“Brain, can you hear me?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t know how much you can read my mind,” Tom said, “but I’m in quite a pickle. And from what Gordon told me, I may have the power to get my brother out of a jam. I tried to read between the lines what Gordon told me. Is it wrong for me to use the powers of you and the pod for my personal problems?” 

Brain immediately replied, “Gordon gave to you, me, and the pod to use for good. He did not intend for you to be burdened by problems. You were selected because you would not use it to gather power. You can use it in any way you wish.”

“Suppose I tell you the problem I’m facing, and you can help me,” Tom said.

“Before you begin,” Brain said, “your judgement on this matter will be your judgement. Brain is confident that you will make the right decision without my assistance or advice. However, Brain and all the systems of the pod are available to you.”

Tom told Brain everything he knew. And when finished, he asked, “What do you think, can I use what advantages are available to me to help my brother? Is it fully justified?” 

“It is, and I’m ready to assist.”

“Is there any way you can verify my brother's story?”

“A moment, please,” Brain said.

Tom ran his finger through his hair and scratched the back of his head.

In that time, Brain answered. “The story your brother told you is verified. Your brother is in grave danger. 

“I want to talk with Frank Grasso, personally,” Tom said. 

“My research of Frank Grasso indicates face to face-to-face meetings are admired by him. However, there are dangers.”

“What are they?”

“He is irrational and may order your execution immediately.” 

“I’m sure you could calculate the probability…”

Brain interrupted, “He’s irrational. However, the best way to reach him appears to be face-to-face. Additionally, if you were to tell me what you have in mind, I can provide what is needed to carry it out successfully.”

“What is the ultimate successful procedure to successfully assure my brother’s release from his gambling debt?” Tom asked.

“We could arrange for the entire criminal network to be eliminated,” Brain said.

“You mean having them arrested and convicted, all of them, right?” Tom asked.

“Well, that’s one way,” Brain said. “The assured solution I calculated was killing all of them.”

“I can’t have that done,” Tom said.

“I am aware,” Brain said. “I wanted to let you know the full extent of the capabilities available to you.”

“I’m not out to clean up crime in New York City,” Tom said. “Getting involved with the police will only bring attention to me and maybe this pod and you. That may do exactly what Gordon warned against: sending a disturbance that will reverberate beyond this galaxy. And I only want to get my brother out of a jam.”

“If we put our heads together, we can effectively rescue your brother from his dire situation,” Brain said.

“Brain,” Tom said.

“What?”

“You don’t have a head,” Tom informed.

“Of that, I am aware,” Brain said. “I use expressions and idioms to appeal to your folksy Midwest vernacular.”

“Thanks for condescendingly explaining that to me,” Tom said. 

“I seem to have hurt your feelings,” Brain said.

“I’m messin’ with you,” Tom said. 

“And I with you,” Brain said. “I’ve been programmed for humor. Humor sometimes eases tension and allows for clearer thinking. However, it must be monitored and curbed as needed.”

“I’m sure you’ll sprinkle in just enough and keep me in check,” Tom said. 

“It’s what I do,” Brain said.

From Here To 1137 AD; Episode 12, Edgar's In Big Trouble

This is episode eleven of the novel, From Here To 1137. 

   If you would like to purchase From  Here To 1137, it is available on Amazon in Kindle format or paperback. 

Edgar's In Big Trouble  

By the time the first of December rolled around, there had already been three snowfalls. The soybeans and corn yields were better than expected. Yet, not enough to forestall the financial woes coming in the spring. He went days without thinking about the invisible space-pod in the cornfield. At times, he wondered if it was still there, but not enough to make him want to check on it. He was so busy with the work and concerns of the farm, he had little to no time to think about it. 

The second week in December, a cold wind blew in from the north. It brought pelting snow and built thigh-high drifts against the fences, barns, and other outbuildings. 

Tom brought in a couple of arms full of split logs from the logs stacked just outside the back door. He placed the split logs next to the fireplace. He stoked the fire and sat in a chair near the fire. He picked up a half-read book and continued reading.

The phone rang. Tom got up. He walked into the dining room where the phone sat on a small table.

“Hello,” Tom said.

“Tom, this is Edgar.” His voice quivered. 

Tom immediately sensed the fear in his voice. “Edgar, are you okay? You sound stressed.”

“Tom, I’m in big trouble.”

“What kind of trouble?”

“I owe a lot of money,” Edgar said.

“What!”

“I owe a lot of money.”

“To whom?”

“Some guys.”

“Not to a bank!” Tom exclaimed. “What do you mean, some guys?”

“Tough guys,” Edgar said. “Guys who hurt you or worse.”

“I don’t have any money, Edgar. The farm is nearly bankrupt. Gene Francis may have to sell it this spring.”

“How does such a thing happen?” Edgar said angrily. “I don’t trust that Gene Francis. He’s a small-town shyster lawyer. He’s holding out. There’ plenty of money in the farm.”

“There’s little to none,” Tom said. “Gene went over the books with me.”

“You say Gene did,” Edgar said skeptically.

“And I had them reviewed by an accountant,” Tom said.

“There’s something fishy going on,” Edgar said. “I don’t like playing games. These guys I’m dealing with don’t mess around. They put people in the hospital.”

“The way things are set up, I can’t send you anything,” Tom said. “And if there was money, it has to go through the trustee, and that’s Gene Francis.”

“Where’s all the money gone to?” Edgar demanded.

“Really, Edgar, it’s none of your business. You left. You wanted no part of what happened back here. But there is your debt to the farm, for one. I’ve talked to Gene about collecting the loan and kicking it down the road a bit. He says he’s morally and legally bound to carry out the will. And the unpaid loans made to you are one of the reasons for selling the farm. Also, Mom had tremendous bills from her treatments. Gene has managed to get the hospital to reduce some of the outstanding money. Mom had been robbing Peter to pay Paul for a couple of years. And you, you were always writing home for handouts. Rather than hear a grown son’s sob story, she wrote a check.”

“I’m a dead man,” Edgar said morosely.  

“How much do you owe?” 

“I owe a little over one hundred thousand.”

“What!” Tom exclaimed. “How did you get one hundred thousand dollars in debt?”

Edgar said nothing.

“Well?” Tom said. “I’m waiting.”

“Gambling,” Edgar said, “I’m addicted to gambling.”

“No, no, no,” Tom said, “you’re not addicted to gambling, you’re addicted to yourself. You always have been. You’re an arrogant, selfish, egotistical, halfwit.”

“Whatever happens to me, it’s on you, brother,” Edgar said sternly. 

“I’m sorry, Edgar,” Tom said. “I think you know that I’d help you if I could.”

“That’s why I called,” Edgar said. “Look, I’ll try to work something out. Forget I called. Goodbye, Tom.”

“Wait a minute, Edgar,” Tom said. “There may be a way. You said you owe guys, what are the guys’ names?”

“I owe money to a guy named Frank Grasso,” Edgar said. “He’s a boss in the mafia. He’s a made man. He’s a powerful man. And he’s ruthless.” 

“Where are you right now?” Tom asked.

“I’m hiding out. It’s a bed and breakfast on Long Island, Mastic Beach.” Edgar said. “It’s just a matter of time before they find me. I can’t run. Nobody can escape them. They will find you.”

“I may be able to help,” Tom said. 

“How much can you come up with?” Edgar said.

“I’m not sure money is the answer,” Tom said. “There are other ways.”

“You’re talking insanity,” Edgar said. “The only thing they understand is money. If you owe them money, they own you. And if you work for them, the money is so good, it’s hard to turn down. Once you do business with them, you’re in, and there’s no way out. They can take care of you, but you have to take care of them.”

“How in the world did you ever get mixed up in this?” Tom said.

“By being so smart, you think everybody else is stupid,” Edgar said. 

“How long can you stay hidden?” Tom said.

“I hope I am hidden,” Edgar said. “But I can’t really be sure.”

“Call me in the morning, eight o’clock,” Tom said. “Take care.”

From Here To 1137 AD; Episode Eleven, Why Tom?

This is episode eleven of the novel, From Here To 1137. 

  If you would like to purchase From  Here To 1137, it is available on Amazon in Kindle format or paperback. 

Why Tom?

“Good questions,” Gordon said. He sat back and relaxed in his chair.

Tom leaned forward and waited for the explanation.

“It has been years in the making,” Gordon said. “Years ago, we randomly began to monitor thousands of people.”

“And I was one of them?” Tom asked.

“No,” Gordon said. “We…”

Tom interrupted, “Who are we?” 

“Do you mind if I get to that later?” Gordon said. “I want to avoid getting distracted. You have this expression, ‘going down the rabbit hole.’ I don’t want that to happen.”

“Okay,” Tom said, “it’s your story, tell it your way.”

“We were able to access millions of various tests and scores,” Gordon said. “Tests from universities, the military, and various government agencies. We were not only looking for intelligence but also certain patterns. Your father took a battery of tests before entering the military. He scored high, but we detected other things in your father. This wasn’t your father alone; there were, like I said, thousands of others, and from all over the world. We initially decided on your father. We left your solar system for a couple of years. When we returned, he had died. We were sad to hear that. Not for our sakes, but your family. Your mother, brother, and you were left in a difficult situation.”

“We continued to observe your family, and you caught our notice. All the attributes we discovered in your father existed in you as well. We waited and decided now was the right time to introduce ourselves.”

“Maybe you’ve made a mistake,” Gordon said. “I’m certainly not exceptional in any respect.”

“Anybody can pack their heads with facts,” Gordon said, “but not know how to use them, and it is those people who often make terrible mistakes. Your father was an incredibly intelligent and unselfish man.”

“He was only a farmer,” Tom said. “He was happy at that.”

“We weren’t looking for a person who used their advantages for wealth or fame. We focused on character. We were certain your father would use whatever advantage he had for good. And we have the same confidence in you.”

“I’m eighteen years old,” Tom said. “I’m nowhere near the man my dad was. Are you sure it’s not my brother, Edgar, whom you want? He graduated from Harvard Law. He’s really intelligent.”

Gordon smiled. “He did well, but he has made many bad decisions.”

“Like what?” Tom said.

“I can’t meddle in your brother’s private affairs,” Gordon said. “I told you, and that’s as far as it goes. With what I just said, I trust you to do whatever you think is best.”

“Okay,” Tom said, “I know why me, but what is this all about?”

Gordon paused, collecting his thoughts. His face tightened. And then it relaxed.

“I’d have figured if this is all that important, you might have everything you were going to say all plotted out and rehearsed,” Tom said. “I’m almost makes me wonder if you’re trying to pacify or outwit me.”

“Sorry,” Gordon said, “believe me, this is no situation for pacifying or to lessen the seriousness of why I’m here talking to you. And this is too important to play games and try to outwit someone. What we are doing is based on trust. If you should ever find out or think I was attempting to outwit you, the consequences would be devastating, not for you, but for me and many others.”

“This must be very serious,” Tom said. “And I can’t believe I’m having a serious conversation with an alien. I personally don’t think I’m up to anything beyond what this world offers. I doubt if I will even hold onto this farm. So, let me hear it.”

Gordon nodded. “I think you’re ready.”

“I do have soybeans to pick first,” Tom chided. 

“I’m from a galaxy many light-years from here,” Gordon said.

“Let me interrupt,” Tom said. “I’m just thinking, many light years, that means, if you have an average life span of us on earth, you have never lived in your galaxy. What you may tell me about your galaxy could have happened millions of years ago.”

“I don’t want to get too far ahead,” Gordon said, “but our craft exceeds the speed of light, and once that is exceeded, it is easy to exceed twice the speed, a hundred times the speed, and so on. So to be clear, I have lived on a planet in my galaxy in my lifetime.”

“I’m not sure I understand,” Tom said, “but I guess I could ask Brain.”

Gordon said, “Go ahead.”

Tom silently posed the question to Brain. Tom lifted his head as if looking at something on the ceiling. He bobbed his head. “I see how. Collecting particles that exceed the speed of light, accelerating to warp speed, and entering a realm where time and space are compressed. Okay, let’s get back to your galaxy.”

“It’s just our planet,” Gordon corrected. “Peaceful conditions on the entire planet had been achieved. Enemies became friends. There was a millennium of peace, prosperity, and advancement. Our leaders were about to share what we had accomplished with other civilizations. However, there’s a faction in our society that wants to use our technology to subjugate others. The ruling council found itself in a situation where it had to escape into exile. For the last twenty-five years, the council, administrators, scientists, and their families have been on the run across the universe, one galaxy to another, stopping at an agreeable planet for a while, and keeping on the move. Being hunted like criminals.”

“What happens if you get caught?” Tom asked.

“Death to all of us,” Gordon said.

“What is it they want from you?” Tom asked.

“The council, administrators, scientists, and their families are on a master craft. On that craft is everything the rebels need to subjugate other civilizations. Their thirst for power is overwhelmingly depraved. They stop at nothing.”

“But, I don’t get it,” Tom said, “you just continue to travel through the universe for eternity. Is that your goal?”

“I can’t tell you what our plan is,” Gordon said.

“If those who are chasing you find out you contacted me, what happens to me?”

“I can assure you they won’t,” Gordon said. “Before we escaped, we were able to infect their information systems. They will never be able to find this galaxy. They will never know it exists. With the number of galaxies, solar systems, and planets, and people on each planet, what are the odds?”       

“Why are you giving me this?” Tom said, opening his arms and looking around. 

“There were only two crafts made like this one, “ Gordon said. “The rebels think there is only one. We will keep one, and you will have the other. We may need it back. We are certain you will relinquish it without question. It has extraordinary capabilities. We want those capabilities in the possession of someone trusted.”

“Trusted, how do you mean?” Tom asked.

“You could conquer your world with this,” Gordon said, “but something like that does not even appeal to you, does it?”

“Like, why?” Tom chortled. “Only a madman or idiot would want to do that.”

“Exactly,” Gordon said.

“What about upkeep?” Tom said. “It won’t rust or anything, will it?”

Gordon smiled. “No, but if something is needed, Brain will tell you.”

“So where is your master ship?” Tom asked. “Do you have any way of getting back, or am I going to have to drop you off? Actually, it could be docked right outside, and nobody would know.”

Gordon chuckled. “The master ship is about just beyond Mars. I brought with me a small craft called a Darter. If I don’t get lost and obey all the posted speed limits, I should be home by supper time.”

“Aliens do have a sense of humor,” Tom grinned.

“Before going, there is one thing I should warn you against,” Gordon said. “Don’t become involved in any international struggles that might drastically change the natural flow and changes in your world. Brain can explain it in detail, but sudden changes in power structures send disturbing waves through the universe. It also travels beyond the speed of light. If picked up by our enemies, it can be used to locate the disturbance. They would immediately suspect that the technology they desire is the source. They will come for it. It would lead them right to you.” Gordon added sternly, “Resist the urge.”

Gordon stood. Tom stood. They gave each other a pressed-lip examination; a last-minute inspection.

“We’ve made the right choice,” Gordon said.

“I hope that proves true,” Tom said. 

“I wish we had more time,” Gordon said. 

“I’d put ya ta work,” Tom said. “I got a field of soybeans to harvest, in case you forgot.”

“Can anything be done about that door?” Tom said. “I almost hit my head on it on my way in.”

“Brain will tell you that there is a robot at your disposal, which can enlarge the door.”

“Thanks,” Tom said.

“I hope we meet again,” Gordon said and grasped Tom’s shoulder. “Thanks.”

The door opened, and Gordon walked out. The door closed.

“Okay, Brain,” Tom said, “it’s just me and you.”

The door opened. Tom walked out, and the door shut behind him. He climbed onto the combine and began harvesting the field of soybeans.