Uplift (13 page)

I did as he told me, and when I opened my eyes I could see the heat signature of all the objects around me. I could see where some of targets downrange still had residual heat from this mornings firing, and I saw less insulated portions of the walls. I could concentrate, and see some heat signatures of people THROUGH the walls like they do these days with reflected wi-fi signals.

Now that is one portion of your biological improvement. Now we look at some other bioelectronics improvements. Think about seeing Wi-Fi spectrums.

I did so, and the Wi-Fi signals were visible all around me. Cells, wristcomms, appliances – all visible – and I could see the people clearly moving through the walls – all around me. This is fantastic. I had no idea. What else?

Think magnetic fields – a little different from the electromagnetic waves, and the world around me changed, and I saw beautiful colors, and how the Earth’s magnetic field swirled around all the objects, and I could see natural magnetism, and electromagnetic fields.

Why is this so different?

Your race has not discovered that there are as many frequencies to magnetic fields as there exist in the normal electromagnetic spectrum. Try terahertz frequencies
, thought Corey as I walked back into the lab.

Everything was clear in a different way. The background terahertz frequencies allowed me to see through soft objects like wood paneling, or…clothing. One of my ever-present security team came over to me. Joey Sanchez – a very talented fighter, ex-soldier, and beautiful woman. She was stunning to see through her clothing, and I could smell her – oh God could I smell her. I got excited even though I knew she preferred women – couldn’t blame her – so did I. I think I must be a lesbian too.

“Is there anything wrong sir? You came out of the darkened range, and looked…odd. You okay?” she asked.

“I’m fine Joey,” I said at which point Corey started talking with me again. “Just thoughtful,” I stammered.

You know you can produce attractive pheremones at will now don’t you. Try it. Think of ‘smelling’ attractive,
Corey said.

I did, and with my acute vision I saw Joey inhale, and watched her pupils dilate, and she exhaled an aroma of well – arousal. God – this is like a microphone too close to a speaker – a feedback loop. I’ve got to break this off I said as I felt myself hardening below.

“You sure you’re okay sir,” she said alluringly, and stepped much closer than normal. “Wouldn’t you like to go to your office where you can think…privately?” she asked in a way dripping with innuendo – she was looking at my bulging pants.

Corey – how do I stop this?

I can think of one way, and that is to do what she asks – okay, okay. Just trying to get you laid… Think about finishing the nanite project.

What nanite project? I didn’t know what he was talking about, but it distracted me for a moment, and that was enough. “Thank you very much Joey, but I have to get to work on something else. Thanks again.”

Joey let out a big sigh – god I could smell the hormones. “’K boss.” She moved away to her normal standoff distance.

I let out a sigh too, and asked Corey, What was the nanite project?

You have a team building types of nanites to treat wounds, and give multi-spectral vision to your test team, and your soldiers. Remember that you’ve got tens of thousands of employees that you contact regularly through messaging, and personally recorded messages.

You do that for me with my synthesized voice – right, and messaging? Are our nanites planning to enhance physical stamina, strength, and all other attributes?

Yep,
Corey thought.

Great Corey, but I still have that need. I’ve been thinking about Carole Koth a lot lately. She was really nice, she’s physically about 32, and I look a lot younger than I did when we dated a couple of years ago. Can you locate her for me? I think I need to call her.

Calling her now
.

“Hello,” I heard her say. “Who is this?”

I had forgotten that I’d had Corey block my location, and calling number. Suddenly I felt a little nervous. “Hi Carole. It’s Richard Patterson.”

“You’ve got a lot of nerve,” Carole answered with a lot of venom on her voice.

“Sorry. I was building a company. I didn’t want to put you in a position to get hurt,” I said. “I became a target.”

“So I became a one-night stand – that it…what has changed now? Do you not think I’d be more in danger now that you’re a big success?” she said.

“So you kept up with me?”

“Of course. How could I miss stories about you? I thought at first it was something to do with me, but then I realized you were looking younger, and younger from the photographs I saw – I figured you were just having a good ole’ time.”

I’m sorry. I couldn’t help it – I laughed. Kill me. I thought it was funny. I did. Carole didn’t like it a bit. She thought I was laughing at her. She cut the connection. I tried calling her back, but she had evidently cut off her comm. I left several messages apologizing, and left my private number. No joy. I started to give up, but I don’t give up easily, and she was still worth.

Corey. Do you know where she works?

Yes I do. You planning to go by, and use pheromones on her.

No. Yes. I don’t know. What should I do?

Richard. I am incredibly knowledgeable, but I am a…how do I say this…an alien from the distance past from a planet tens of thousands of light years away…did I mention I am non-organic, and am spread over eleven dimensions. Do you really think I am the best resource for love advice with human females? Really?

Okay. Find out if I can get her promoted, or something. I’ll send her flowers. Do think that will work?

I don’t see where you’ve had experience like this in the past, and there is too much contradictory information out there.

See if you can get her a better job as caregiver, or nurse, and have her followed to see if she’s dating anyone else. Report back to me. I couldn’t stop thinking about that glorious day we’d spent together.

Need I mention that this is distracting you from our little program to save the planet?

IMPROVEMENTS

“Sergeant Major. What is this supposed to do for me? Is it like the shots we took before we went to Asia last time?” asked the anxious corporal.

“No Komenski. Lieutenant Patterson said this would turn you into a near superman. Wounds would heal faster, you’d be stronger, have better eyesight, hearing…more of a stud than you already are,” the sergeant major laughed.

“If Patterson says it does that – I believe him. He has brass balls – that man. I almost shit when I shot him with that pulse rifle, and railgun – especially after we all saw it totally destroy an Abrams. More of a stud – find that hard to believe? How many have done this before me?” Komenski asked as they were injecting him.

“You’re the first son. Patterson said you were half superman already – not as far to go as the others. Oh. Patterson said it’d hurt…a bit.”

Komenski screamed, “OohRa!” – then he screamed a ‘bit’ more.

                                 Fort Bragg

“What were the results from the results with the nanites?” General Green asked Sergeant Major Pinchon.

“You realize General that these men were the elite – also twenty women. It was amazing. They are impervious to disease, doubling their strength, or more. They are faster with metabolisms better than Kenya marathon runners. They are scary – but we have one failure in about forty.”

“What happens with a failure?” the general asked.

“It just doesn’t take sir. They pee them out – a bit painfully, but no other complications.”

“How much will THIS cost us? Does Patterson want our firstborn, or just an arm, and leg?”

“Nothing sir except he wants the data to fine-tune them. He gave us equipment that let us duplicate as many as we need – as long as we leave some as a starter. I need you to watch this video of these guys on an exercise.”

The general watched the video, and all he said was, “Good god. Look at that…this hasn’t been edited?”

“No sir,” the sergeant said.

“Look at them jump…after an eighty klick forced march with full pack. They look fresh. You didn’t give them drugs?”

“Sir. I admit I promised that I’d buy the beer if they made it by a set time. They beat that time by an hour, and I’m out serious beer money. They ARE eating huge amounts more, but you can see why.”

“I’ll authorize it for the rest of the battalions. I’ve got calls to make,” said the general. “Dismissed.” The general sat wondering what would be next.

            Central Miltary Commission Beijing

General Zhang Wei sat in the briefing room with others in the General Staff.

“So it is decided then,” declared General Wáng Xiùyīng of the Central Military Commission. “We cannot let this continue unchecked. This man Patterson is the key. He, and his team – mostly Patterson, is the cause for all these technological improvements. We have proof that he has made small suggestions for the last twenty-five years. He has been secretly taking courses in every subject that was available online for decades probably. We need to find some lever, kidnap him, or kill him. We do not care which choice. General,” he said to Zhang Wei. “This is your job. Our country’s future depends on it.”

General Zhang Wei respected Patterson as a warrior – as an honorable man. It was not the first time he had been given orders he did not agree with…

       AcuMint Manufacturing Facility –
Cary, North Carolina

Richard had no luck getting back with Carole Koth. She was as adamant avoiding him as he was contacting her. It was maddening. She got fired at the elderly caregiver’s home (Corey’s doing), and got a new job as a supervisor of a retirement center – better hours at twice the pay with better benefits (Corey’s doing). She did very well at her job, and the commute was shorter. The surveillance turned up no dating prospects, but there were some young women at the new facility.

                                             ****

The vehicle barreling straight at the front gate of AcuMint startled Richard, just as he was leaving for his weekly trip to Fort Bragg. His vehicle’s shield kicked on – just before a blast destroyed much of the surrounding landscaping. An AcuMint drone was overhead in seconds armed with an infrared stun gun. There seemed to be two, or three enemy snipers placed with a railgun, and pulse laser in the tree line. Mel led a security team out to flank the attackers after pinpointing their magnetic signature among the foliage.

The whip crack of a railgun, and flashes from the facility shield were nearly continuous. The recently installed shield was absorbing all the shots. The flashes from the defensive field, as the sniper shots were harmlessly deflected, were a momentary distraction for the snipers. The drone pinpointed the attackers, and swept the stunning fire continually over their positions. The attackers had exposed flesh not covered by armor, and they soon collapsed. Mel’s team disarmed them, secured them, and carted them back to the facility.

The drone spotted a vehicle leaving the area, and a second drone armed with a modified pulse rifle was dispatched. The second drone targeted the rear of the vehicle when it reached a deserted section of road, and fired. The right rear corner of the vehicle was pierced as it flipped off the road, and into an embankment. The driver staggered out of the vehicle’s crash restraints, and started staggering away. Another team from AcuMint had no trouble tracking, and stunning the disabled driver. The four captured personnel were brought to a secure area on the AcuMint property.

The head of security started to ‘interview’ them separately, but was interrupted – the local police came, and had not been called. The police said there had been complaints about a loud explosion, and ‘heard’ that a car bomb had been exploded at our front gate. They asked if we had detained the perpetrators, and were they in custody. We checked their credentials, and they really were cops. Corey advised me not to even press charges, but the police arrested them for using a weapon of mass destruction, and conspiracy to commit murder. We sent the police all our video feeds, and some members of my security team went down to police headquarters, and gave sworn videos.

Corey dumped all the info to me. Looked like it was the work of Sandy Withrow from Sigma Max at the behest of her brother. They didn’t mind if they killed me, but that was not their intent. Seems the Chinese had put them up to it so I would have to go to court. They just wanted to tie me up testifying, and any type of case – other court cases had been planned according to Corey. This was just going to be the first of many. The attacker’s families had been in financial difficulty with Sigma Corp, and they were being handsomely compensated with medical care. All their debts paid with a company pension, but with cutouts so it couldn’t be traced — normally.