Preview – Amity

Introduction

Briefly, our heroes from the 2129 Series, have had two alien mentors that helped them master space travel and make significant discoveries. By penetrating the 4^th and 5^th dimensions, Earth is able to create wormholes, to travel across time and space to distant planets. Bill Bailey had two alien mentors aid and assist him with space travel and several other discoveries that have greatly benefited mankind. In this series, Bill and others participate in an Interplanetary Federation Intervention Program (IFIP) to return the favor by helping others in other worlds.

The IFIP monitors planetary development across many universes. At critical junctures, they will dispatch a mentor, targeting key individuals on a distant planet to benefit their species as Bill was targeted to advance Earth’s programs.

Bill has special gifts given to him at conception in 1947 by one of his alien mentors (Theta). His best friend is the most advanced android ever created (Griffin), who has had Bill’s and two others’ essence (what makes Bill, Bill) downloaded into his synthetic brain. In this Series, Bill and his friends help those in other universes advance their development or overcome significant obstacles.

There’s a lot more to unpack, but that will get us started.

~ * ~

The year was 2149 and my name is Bill Bailey. In 2147, I left the Presidency of the United States to head a new Federation for all of Earth. No longer having any overall responsibility for running our country, I did maintain some level of responsibility for several worldwide projects we had created since being awakened in 2129. They included: Cricket (cyber dome preventing wars), Fast Start (providing education and nutrition for all of Earth’s children), the Space Program (travel through wormholes), Earth’s Global Trade Organization (GTO), and Earth’s Ocean Farming and Mining program.

In the two years since the startup of Earth’s Federation, all appears to be operating smoothly benefitting the entire world. Now, my two alien mentors; Alpha (Earth name from the planet we know as Sigma) and Theta (Earth name from the planet we know as Sigma2) decided it was time for something new. We met on Alpha’s spacecraft (he has no immunity to Earth’s air). Theta began,

“Bill. I believe the interplanetary members of the Federation will soon request that you assist in another planet’s development. Your projects and programs are progressing nicely and with the half-dozen foreign planets providing opportunities for trade and commerce, I believe you will soon be asked to intervene to help someone on another planet.”

“WOW! I hadn’t expected this to happen for many years to come. Is this your doing?”

“I might have suggested it, after consulting with your primary mentor, Alpha.” She smiled and winked at Alpha. “You’ve got too much to offer to be tied down with the day-to-day operations of Earth’s Federation. It’s serving its purpose and besides, you’ve positioned capable people and androids to take care of your Federation, so I just thought you might enjoy a short assignment.”

She smiled again while reaching for my hand and leading me to a windowed wall of Alpha’s spacecraft. Gazing out onto the horizon, she sighed, pulling my arm next to her body. “It’s time.”

“Will I be on my own, or will you be with me, or Alpha?”

“Intervention is an interesting word. It’s not to point, tell, or make something happen; it’s to put yourself in the middle of a situation to cause the desired outcome to be achieved.

“That’s what I did with you and it’s worked out fairly well.” Still smiling, she turned toward me. I responded,

“Well, if you say so.” I returned her smile. “The people will still have free will I assume, but we help them see a better path than the one they are currently pursuing. Am I getting this right?”

“Precisely. To possibly assist you in your assignment, I’m going to strengthen your ability to cast a feeling or emotion onto a person or a group.” Alpha acknowledged with a nod.

As before, she turned me to face her, looked deep into my eyes, and pressed hard on my temples. I closed my eyes and began to relax and think about being in an environment where the dialogue was meaningful, interesting, and of value to all parties.

I tried to picture how I’d feel at that time. There was trust, acceptance, and no preconditions of what might be coming. There was a peaceful, almost tranquil feeling all around me, as I thought about the environment I was imagining. Theta spoke again.

“Thank you. That was better than I had expected. I am receptive and trusting to whatever it is you want to talk about.”

“I’m sorry, but I didn’t do anything. I was just trying to think about how I’d feel when receptive. What would that environment look like? I didn’t attempt to cast anything.”

“Well, that’s better than I had hoped for. I expected it to be unnatural or uncomfortable, but you did it intuitively.”

“You’re serious. I cast receptivity on to you?”

“Yes. It was as if you welcomed me into your mind. As if your mind was a safe environment and you opened the door and welcomed me through. It was quite nice actually. Well done.”

I turned to Alpha and he put his three-fingered hand up in front of his smiling face before he began.

“I can tell you this will make quite a difference in your efforts to intervene. Until someone has the opportunity to get to know you, you will want them to feel at ease. Both Theta and I have used it several times on you, although it isn’t necessary any longer.

“Use it wisely. My suggestion is to not use the subliminal suggestion capabilities you have. That does prohibit free will. I’m sure you will use both wisely, my friend.”

Chapter I – My First Intervention

The preparations for an intervention are quite extensive.

Of course, there is a language to be learned.

With my implant still in place, and the fact I was much smarter now (increasing my IQ was another gift from Theta), it wasn’t much of a problem. I practiced with Griffin until I felt comfortable speaking the language of the area, complete with some different structuring of sentences. I was given several videos of the person I’d be targeting and listened in on many of her conversations.

Along with the tapes of conversations, there were several hours of watching historical and regional events that I might have to remember. Geography and general customs were given to me to memorize, along with important people and issues of the day.

All of this was stored in the secondary memory Griffin had made for me in my implant. They were stored in the form of outlines I could call up quickly if I needed them, then view them with my internal eyes, much like a dream, but while awake.

I was given a complete wardrobe and a modified spacecraft which I could stay in, if I desired to do so. The currency of the time was also provided. Maps of the region and country were stored in my memory also, so I thought I was set.

Then came the rules. The most important one was not to tell anyone what to do or how to make a discovery or advancement. I was to persuade them and lead them into coming up with their own decisions or solutions.

My new gifts from Theta should certainly help make that happen. The casting gift I thought would come in very handy.

~ * ~

This, my first intervention, was to work with a doctor during a time that would be similar to Earth in the early twenty-second century. The doctor was a specialist working on brain functions.

She had successfully mapped several regions of the brain and was in the process of developing an instrument with sensors that could access the regions mapped.

As before, and in all situations, there were several paths that she could take from this stage going forward. One path foreseen was to extract the essence of a person and download it into another human, effectively replacing the contents of one mind with another.

We had been downloading memories, to increase the knowledge or expertise within a profession for some time. It was safe and effective. The path foreseen in my target’s situation was to replace the mind of a healthy human with that of an old, rich person.

This would essentially kill the host person. The foundation employing my target knew this, my target had been so consumed with her work, she hadn’t considered the foundation’s motives.

Dr. Sandra Weber was the scientist I would be working with. She stood five-foot-eleven and weighed about one-hundred-twenty pounds. She had long dark hair and was quite attractive, with bright sparkling eyes, and a warm, inviting smile.

She was so dedicated to her profession however, she had no one close to her other than her computers and doctors working in her area of expertise. Obviously, she was exceptionally bright and engaging, if you were a brain specialist. Otherwise, not so much.

My mission for this intervention: convince her of the consequences of human-to-human essence replacement.

Instead of Griffin accompanying me, I opted for Will (my dedicated android). I alone share my essence with Will (Griffin has three essences plus his own), so Will seemed to be a better fit. Communications capabilities were upgraded between Will and Griffin for when I was on a distant planet.

After a week of prep, I was ready for this new experience.

~ * ~

Having mastered space travel by penetrating the fourth and fifth dimensions (creating a wormhole), in a blip, we were on a distant planet.

The terrain on this planet was similar to Earth except for sweeter air caused by millions of evergreen trees. With the craft being invisible, except for its ramp when lowered, I left Will after assuring our communications capabilities were more than sufficient.

I began a walk of a couple of miles to a complex of low-rise buildings amongst the forest, a very lightly populated small city. This was the complex where I was supposed to find Sandra.

My cover was that I was a scientist specializing in brain mapping. We had planted all the papers and qualifications needed to make it seem I had been working on mapping for ten years. I was on a trip specifically to meet Sandra and exchange ideas. A meeting had been placed on her calendar for 11:00 am local time. It was now 10:55 as I approached the receptionist.

I smiled my most charming smile and began.

“Good morning. My name is Dr. Bill Bailey and I have an eleven o’clock appointment with Dr. Sandra Weber. Could you please announce me?”

“If you’ll take a seat, I’ll announce your arrival.”

After thanking her, I took my device out and continued to prep for our meeting. Thirty minutes later, I approached the receptionist again. “I’m sorry. Could you check to make sure Dr. Weber knows I’m here?”

She did and replied, “Dr. Weber said there must have been a mistake. She doesn’t have an appointment.”

“That’s unfortunate. Could you please tell her I’ll only take a few minutes of her time?”

I cast the receptionist to be receptive and sympathetic to my plight. She fought to get me an audience. Twenty minutes later, I introduced myself to Sandra, casting her to be receptive to what I was about to say.

“I’m truly sorry about the mix-up, but if I could spend half an hour with you, I’m sure you’ll be interested in what I can bring you.”

I shared a couple of technical terms I had been given on areas known to make up the essence of the person. I told her I’d like to see how she was extracting and storing an essence, and being receptive from my gift, she suggested we have lunch together.

We sat in a dining area where I told the waiter, I’d have what she was having. She explained she had never heard of me. I handed her my device and suggested she check my background. She spent the next fifteen minutes doing just that. When the food came, I took one bite and knew I’d had enough. “What is this?”

“It’s a specialty of this area made from the evergreen needles. I love it.”

“Well, I hope you’re hungry. You can have mine too.”

I smiled at her and cast to make her smile as well.

“Your credentials are quite impressive. I don’t know how it is that I haven’t heard of you before. Your papers suggest we are working on parallel paths, except you’re working with androids.”

“Yes. I’ve always had a fondness for androids. They don’t seem to get some of my jokes, but otherwise, they’re less demanding than humans. I’m very interested in what you’ve been able to accomplish. That’s the reason for this visit. I wanted to see if there are similarities in what we’re both interested in. Well, that and the funding side of your work. I believe you’re being privately funded. Is that correct?”

“Yes. We’re working for a foundation. They take care of all our needs and in return, have a right of refusal on anything we discover.”

“Does that mean your research will be owned by this foundation?”

“No, just that they will be the first in line to utilize it. I’m told they have several people anxious to test our discoveries, once we deem them safe.”

“So, you’re going to test them on humans? How exactly will that work?”

She studied me quite carefully before answering. I was tempted to cast her once again, but I wanted her and me to begin building a level of trust that wasn’t based on my gifts.

I guess what I just said could have been a joke.

“We haven’t quite figured out how we’re going to test our processes because the complexity of the essence could potentially overlay the person’s current essence. We’re looking for a way around that right now.”

“So, you think you have all the components to do this, but don’t want to replace a person’s current essence with that of someone else?”

“That’s right. I’m sure some of our rich and old donors would like for me to do exactly that, but I can’t see myself doing it.”

“That would essentially be killing the host person, right?”

She stopped for a second and contemplated what I had just said. She became very serious. She stared intently into my eyes.

“That’s the problem. I believe it might. Those in the foundation don’t. They’re suggesting that I can save a host’s essence, so the host person isn’t really dead. That’s as far as we’ve taken it as of now. Just a couple of very brief conversations.”

“If you did what you’re contemplating, the host person would just be alive in the laboratory. Is that right?”

Again, she thought before answering. “That’s my thinking now as well.” She thought about what she had just said, before adding, “I don’t want to be a party to that.”

“Wow. That’s quite a dilemma you find yourself in right now. Are the associates working with you as dedicated to your approach as you seem to be?”

“Well, to be truthful, I really don’t know. I hadn’t considered the consequences until now. It could be a very big problem.”

“I know if I had the money, I’d move heaven and earth to renew my body if my mind could be transferred to a younger me. I’d likely go for someone stronger and better looking, too.” I smiled my best smile. She didn’t return it, having new information to consider.

“Yeah, I get your point. I haven’t completed my work as of yet, so that’s a problem I’ll have to give a great deal of consideration to, as we get closer to our objective.” She picked up my device and studied my resume before continuing. “Where are you from again?”

“I’ve been freelancing for many years. As I said, I like working with androids. The work I do doesn’t hold the same moral issues we’re talking about. I can always refresh the android without any harm coming to any human. I hadn’t thought about that, but I guess I’m lucky. Anyway, may I accompany you this afternoon and see some of the mappings you’ve done?”

“I’d have to get approval for that and that could take several days.” I could tell she was still somewhere else contemplating all that had been said and what was on my resume.

“I’ll tell you what. How about having dinner with me and we can talk through some of the details without you showing me anything proprietary? Just scientist to scientist. I may even have some things you might not be considering right now. How about it?”

She thought for several minutes before replying. I thought about casting her, but just before I did, she spoke.

“I guess, if we were just discussing the general topic, those that were well known today, there would be no harm in doing that, besides, I’m interested in what you’re doing with androids. Where are you staying?”

“Well, I didn’t know how this conversation would go, so I don’t have arrangements right now. Do you know someplace where I could stay and we could get a good meal?” I smiled and glanced at my full plate of pine needles.

“Across the street and two blocks down to the right is excellent. Many people who visit me stay there.”

“As long as they have something other than pine needles, I’ll be okay. How about if I meet you in the dining area around 7:00? I’d appreciate some additional time to discuss where you’re at and where you might go with the research you’re doing.”

“That’s fine. I’ll see you at 7:00.”

We chatted for a few minutes more before she excused herself and I was left with a plate full of pine needles. I had been successful in getting her attention on the issue. Now, I’d just have to see how I could get her to change what she would do.

I wonder if they have a hamburger joint close by?

Chapter II – Dinner With Sandra

I was already seated when Sandra was led to our table. She had a very revealing top and a form-fitting skirt covering only a third of her thigh with a slit up the side even further.

As I stood to greet her, I complimented her on how attractive she looked. Looking this good, I couldn’t understand how she was so isolated in her field. I guess the old “all work and no play” worked for women just as much as it did for men.

This was going to be an interesting intervention.

The evening meal was much better than lunch. I had some kind of meat, well prepared and tasty, even if I didn’t know what it was I was eating. I ask for a root beer, but they said they’d never heard of such a thing. I told them it was a local mixed drink from where I came from. They smiled politely.

The conversation was rather lite as I tried to make her a friend, even though we’d known each other for only a couple of hours. When I complimented her on her appearance it seemed to win me some points, all women appreciate their efforts to look nice. I didn’t want to cast her unless it was absolutely necessary. I wanted our friendship, whatever that was going to be, to be genuine.

During the evening, I did read her memories (another of my unique gifts) concentrating on a couple of conversations with the head of the foundation. It was obvious he would use her process to renew himself and others like him, putting their essence into the body of someone younger. It was also obvious from her memories, she was totally involved in her work, and not immediately concerned about how her discoveries might ultimately be utilized.

I began, “So, how would you describe the ultimate goal of your research? How do you think it will conclude?”

“We want to map the many regions of the brain and what each one controls. If we can do that, we should be able to extract the essence of a person using targeted sensors.

“I know we’ve got a way to go, but we’re making good progress on the mapping. I’m confident we’ll be able to accomplish our goals on the mapping. I just don’t know when.”

“And about the essence, what do you think will be the result of mapping that?” She took a drink of some mixed drink and thought for several seconds before answering.

“You know, I’ve spent more time researching and mapping the areas of the brain and what each area controlled than projecting what would come next. Until our conversation and only a couple others with our chairman, I hadn’t given it nearly as much thought as perhaps I should have.

“Honestly, I was putting it off until this afternoon. I’ve just been overly consumed with our mapping activities. I had barely started thinking about it in earnest, until today that is. I want to help people, not hurt them. I’m a little conflicted right now.”

“That’s interesting. Maybe I can help. Do you think two essences can exist in one person’s mind?”

She thought for a couple of minutes. “I doubt that could happen. By definition, the essence is who we are. If we had two in one person, the confusion and conflict might be overwhelming. The person may not be able to resolve it.

“Isn’t that the definition of psychosis?”

“I’d say that’s probably right. It would be an interesting dilemma to consider for sure. If the essence is what makes each person unique, then placing another person’s essence into a host might be considered ending the life of the host person, right?

“And what about the original person, the essence provider? What happens when their essence is gone? Or do you have two or more of the same persons?”

She didn’t respond, instead, she put down her silverware and stared blankly into space, considering what I had just offered. She looked around at the other people dining before coming back to me.

“Death would be the result of having an essence placed into a host person. That’s clear to me now. Something so simple being overlooked by several of us working on this project…”

She paused mid-sentence and thought some more. After several seconds, she concentrated on me. “Some form of insanity or death would be the only options for a host person. I’m sorry. I need to make a call.”

With that, she stood. I asked if she was coming back. She was somewhere else and didn’t answer. I decided I’d wait for a while before I left.

Back on Earth, we had created knowledge, or what we thought was knowledge by copying memories from an expert into someone with less experience. Those receiving new memories, a surgeon as an example, viewed the new memories as if they were their own. The new memories made them confident, by improving their understanding and guiding their activities. We were creating a primer or instruction manual for professionals. The results seemed to bear this out.

While I waited for Sandra’s return, I began thinking about our processes. I recalled a conversation with Alpha or maybe it was Matthew or Kim, that explained we were missing a key component near the brainstem. Then it hit me.

Sandra and her team were a long way away from being successful in identifying all the regions that when combined embody the essence. Plus, I didn’t think there was any way they could save the essence about to be transferred. We had to access the regions of the brain we needed and downloaded them from the host directly into the target android, not a person.

I remembered Griffin telling me they were not able to store the essence. On her current path, Sandra was not going to be successful for many years, if ever at all. About that time, Sandra returned. “I’m sorry. I had to set up a meeting for tomorrow morning on all this.”

“All this being what, exactly?”

“The goals of the project. We shouldn’t be pursuing something that might effectively take the life of another human. This just isn’t right. I’ve got to stop it.”

“I’m the one that’s sorry. I feel like I caused you to do this. Would you mind if we talked about this a little more? I’d like to understand your process better. Perhaps there’s something that the process might still be used for that would keep your project going. I’d hate to be the cause of you losing your job.”

“As long as it doesn’t involve taking someone’s essence away from them while they’re living, I’d be happy to talk with you. What would you like to know?”

For the next hour, Sandra went through the steps she and her team had taken to arrive at the point they currently found themselves in. She was delightful and very engaging on the topic she loved.

Their original objective was simply to map the brain more thoroughly. The foundation got involved when a published article she had written described what they were doing as defining the brain regions that made each of us who we were. Subsequent meetings change her objective from mapping to isolating those brain regions defining the essence of a person. It was clear to me; she had been diverted into the goals they currently were tracking too.

“So, let me make sure I understand. You were engaged in a mapping objective until the foundation got involved. It then morphed into an essence objective and has been that way for many months?”

“It’s more complex than that, but I have no complaints about how you described it. You’re making a point you hope I’ll catch. You’re suggesting the foundation has motives that don’t align with the scientific objectives we started with.”

She took another drink and stared at me intently, following her current train of thought. Her facial expression turned to one of questioning. “Where did you say you come from, again?”

“You’ve read my bio. I’m just a freelance scientist working on mapping the brain and how it can help humanity. We’re very similar, you and I. Both of us want to improve humanity by more thoroughly understanding the brain and how it works. Who knows what great discoveries will result from our research?”

As the waiter cleared our table, she ordered one last drink and sat thinking the situation over, or maybe she was reviewing my bio in her mind. She was very cordial and relaxed by now. Maybe a little too relaxed as I got the impression she was now questioning everything about me.

“I’m not so sure about you and everything I’ve read. I’m beginning to think there’s something else going on here. I’d never heard of you before today and I thought I knew of everyone working on brain research and mapping.

“I have connections around the world and the few I talked to about you this afternoon, didn’t recognize you at all. You walk in and I’m suddenly overwhelmed with this moral question regarding what appears to be the objective of the foundation.”

She continued to internalize my bio before continuing.

“You certainly look a little different and talk a little different, but I can’t quite put my finger on what’s different about you. You’re confident in your knowledge, but lite on specifics.

“What’s going on here?” Her stare became very intense.

“Well, I have to admit, I am a little different. And yes, I am lite on some details. I guess the big difference might be, that I work with androids more than you appear to. I never have to remember details, because they remember everything in the most detailed manner imaginable. I’m honestly surprised you’re not using computers or androids more than you are. They’re an incredible resource if you know how to utilize them.”

She stared right through me for several minutes, messing with her device before starting up again. “Okay. Those are all nice words, but I’m thinking there’s more to you than you’ve just told me. Tell me a little bit about what you think are the most important components of your essence.”

I chuckled. “The most important part of me can be found in my memories and how they’ve shaped me. In large part, they make me who I am. You appear to have begun to map them in your research, but it doesn’t appear to me; that you’ve used them to the extent you might have.

“You’re very smart and have great instincts, so to answer your question; I believe the combination of memories is the key to our understanding. We can read something for the first time, and if we can relate to it, usually from something we’ve experienced, we learn from it. The memories are the basis of us being able to relate.”

“So, memories are the most important element of your essence? Interesting. Please tell me more.”

“Well, memories, whether experiences or something read, for example, I believe form understanding and therefore knowledge. Just now, you’ve thought about something I said and based on your memories believe it has merit and should be acted upon. How we act on something is driven by our memories of similar situations and their resulting outcomes or consequences. Right now, you’re concerned about your project. Your past experiences drive this based in large part, on the memories you have of similar circumstances.”

I folded my napkin and waited for the next round of questions. Then something occurred to me. “If you’re successful in changing the objective or otherwise stopping your project, what do you think the foundation will do? What will they do with your team? What will they do with you?”

She once again thought long and hard before answering. “Continue it with someone else heading it up. With the amount they have invested, I doubt they will abandon it easily.” She turned her head away and stared into space once again. I had been successful in changing the path of her questioning. Or so I thought, so I continued.

“So, nothing would be gained other than removing you from leading the project. If I had a lot invested, as they appear to have, I’d say you were right. I guess the next question might be; how do you change the objective and maintain your position?”

Her stare settled back on me before she spoke. “I agree with your premise. So, if I go in tomorrow and cancel the project, they’ll likely find someone else to continue the research and ultimately achieve their objective. I don’t want that to happen. I believe you’re right. Any ideas of what I should do?”

“Oh, I think you know what has to be done. It’s just how do you go about doing it, that’s the real question.”

Now, she chuckled. “You ARE different. You drop this moral bomb in my lap, then tell me I’ve got the answer when I don’t even know what the question is. How very interesting. You say you work extensively with androids and computers?”

“Yeah. Some of my very best friends are androids.”

I smiled at her and waited for her reaction.

After some consideration, it was as if a light suddenly went on in her head. Her relaxed mood suddenly shifted to one of great intensity. She moved forward in her chair and rested her elbows on the table. She stayed this way for several minutes concentrating on every feature of my face. When she finally thought she’d figured it out, she sat back in her chair before continuing.

“So, you’ve successfully put the essence of a human into an android.” She said it as a scientist not thinking about its meaning or consequences.

“Where’d that come from?” I smiled my most sincere smile.

“You said, androids were friends. We’re talking about essence transfer. In order for them to be a true friend, and I don’t think you’d mislead me, they must have had a human essence transferred into them.”

She paused for just a few seconds. Just then, her eyes darted around the room, obviously putting two and two together in her mind. She was getting close to whatever it was she was searching for but needed more data.

“Are they androids or computers?” She paused again, but suddenly covered her mouth with her hands.

“Oh, my God, you have android friends; real android friends. That’s what you said.” She thought about what she had just alleged. “That’s what’s different about you. I knew there was something. I just couldn’t put my finger on it. You’ve already loaded the essence of a human into an android and they’ve become friends.” She suddenly stopped.

As her words registered in her own ears, there were new questions she needed to ask. “How’d you do it? Can I visit with one? Where are they at? There is more than one, right?” She came to life with excitement, eyes now sparkling, leaning forward toward me.

“You took a very long leap there. I’m more interested in what you’re about to do. Can we stay on topic, please?”

“Absolutely not! You walk into my life with a perfectly formed bio. Nobody in my circle knows you. You point out the moral dilemma I’m about to find myself in. And you look and talk like no one else on this planet… Like no one else on this planet.”

Again, she paused, while listening to her own words and dissecting the meaning of each one. Now, with a puzzled look on her face, she continued. “You are from this planet, aren’t you?”

I raised my hands as if being placed under arrest. “I’m sorry if my appearance and speech aren’t exactly correct. Maybe your circle is a little too small. But, do you really think I’m an alien?

“The dinner was good, but I think someone slipped something into your drinks. You’re a scientist. Now, back to our original topic, what’re you going to do?”

It was at this point, that I feared I’d failed at my first intervention. I silently contacted Theta.

Hey. I think I may have screwed up here. Can you access my memories and give me some advice? I’m in a hole and I fear I’m continuing to dig.

After a brief pause, she returned chuckling.

That hole is pretty deep, isn’t it? You’ve got two options as I see it. Cast her to be receptive to the truth, or wipe her memory and start all over again.

And, which do you suggest?

I’m with Griffin in these situations; the truth is always a better option.

Is that allowed on an intervention?

It’s unorthodox, but then again, that’s what makes you, you. If you cast her to be receptive without fear or apprehensions, you might be setting up a situation like we have, you and me. Then again, if you wipe her memory, you’ve got a long way to go and a lot of explaining to do.

So, it is okay to establish a longer-term relationship? How would we communicate over time?

If you decide to go down that path, Will should set up a link for her to talk with you. He can make it voice-activated by her alone, so there’s little chance of discovery. The big question is; will she ‘out’ you in the future to someone?

I think I can take care of that. Who’d believe her anyway?

Sounds like you’ve already made up your mind. Good luck. By the way, you know this is where affection begins.

I’ve got enough of those already. Thanks. Bill out.

As I was communicating telepathically with Theta, Sandra was speaking to me. “Dr. Bailey. Dr. Bailey. You haven’t denied anything.” Her eyes suddenly opened wide. “Oh, my God, you’re communicating with them right now. I’m having dinner with an alien who has android friends that can communicate telepathically.”

With her eyes as big as saucers and her hands partially covering her mouth, I cast her to be receptive without fear or apprehension. When her body language changed, suggesting she was ready, I began.

“Sandra, my name is Bill Bailey and I am here to try and help you with the dilemma you find yourself in. I’m not from here, and it doesn’t matter where I’m from.

“You are missing a couple of components for your essence transfer, and the premise of killing people so others can live longer is what I am trying to have you address. It appears you, personally, have come to the right conclusion. Now we need to find a way to fix the situation for the longer term. Are we okay?”

“I feel very comfortable with what you’re saying. I feel very receptive to you and all you’re saying. I don’t know why, I shouldn’t be, but I am. I’ve already called a meeting for tomorrow, so what do you suggest we do? Are you really an alien? Do you really have android friends who have the essence of a human in them?”

Know in her current receptive state, I didn’t need to be defensive or shield the facts. “Yes, but that’s not as important as how you are positioned going forward. From what I’ve heard from you, you should have two objectives.

“One is to make the moral argument and get all scientists in your field to agree, thus making essence transfer between humans illegal in addition to being immoral.

“The second one is to advance your research allowing the foundation and your human race to benefit from your work with brain mapping. I’m sure you will discover several very important ways to improve the brain. What do you think?”

I sent Will a silent message to come to my room in the hotel and be ready to address the second objective.

Sandra responded. “The first one I agree with completely. The second one would be wonderful, but I don’t know how we would begin to do that. Is this something you can help me with?”

“We can take a shot at it together. I’m having a friend join us in my room. Are you ready? Shall we go to my room?”

As we left for my room, I couldn’t help asking how she felt. She said, she knew she should be nervous, possibly even fearful, but was very calm and trusting. She asked if she was going to be abducted and if she would remember any of what had happened or was about to happen. I promised her she would.

She smiled a smile of relief and appreciation. I continued to drink in her beauty as we continued to talk and waited for Will to arrive.