I wanted to still be angry, outraged, that they had infused alien machines into my bloodstream without my permission, but the results were so profound, I was finding it hard to be anything but giddy.
I returned to my chair with an awestruck expression. “Okay then,” I said to the colonel and the alien across from me. “It appears that Major Barrett and I have become quite the, ah . . . power couple.”
I glanced at Tessa, but instead of a smile, her eyes were burning. “You should have told me about this, Brad. If I’d have known what I could do, we would have won the day at the warehouse.”
“If you weren’t so damned good to begin with,” he replied, “the nanites would have realized they needed to give you more of a boost, even without your conscious activation.”
“Really? That’s your answer.”
“They did heal you and save your life,” pointed out Brad. “And it’s not my fault the AI wanted you kept in the dark.”
It occurred to me that the nanites had helped Tessa more than she realized. After all, she had told me she had never felt more on top of her game. She probably would have prevailed over scores of elite commandos, and even more drones, if not for bad luck. And we had both regained consciousness in record time, which had to be due to nanite assistance.
Nari gestured to me and Tessa with his tentacles. “The neural boost the nanites can provide will take some time for you to master,” he said, steering the conversation to less contentious territory. “Assuming either of you decide to make use of it.”
“Can you elaborate?” I asked the holographic alien.
“The nanites can improve your speed of thought, and also bolster your brain’s memory storage capabilities. If you decide to activate the mental functions, the nanites will actively map your brain for about fifteen minutes to optimize their performance. Once this has been completed, you’ll have perfect recall of everything you experience, including retroactively back to the time they were first injected.
“Additionally,” continued the alien, “you’ll be able to access an enormous database—think the entire internet and then some—and pull in any information from it as if you’re accessing your own memory. No commands needed. The knowledge will just be there, seamlessly.”
Tessa eyed the purple-faced extraterrestrial. “You said this all happens if we decide to activate the mental functions. Why wouldn’t we?”
“Our research suggests that some humans won’t like the idea of messing with their own brains.”
I couldn’t argue with that. I was one of those people myself. “Will these neural functions affect our personalities?” I asked.
“They shouldn’t,” replied the alien.
I swallowed hard. “They shouldn’t?” I repeated in dismay. “Way to be decisive.”
20
“I think we should stop here for now,” said the colonel. “I have some duties I need to attend to, and I suspect Nari does also. And we’ve just hit you with enough revelations to choke an elephant.”
“This is true,” said Nari. “More than most humans will have to deal with in several lifetimes.”
He was right about that. The jaw-dropping surprises had come fast and furious, each more epic than the last. It was a lot to digest, and I was eager to discuss things with Tessa.
“So what now?” I asked.
“I’d advise you to shower and have a few good meals,” said Nari. “And once you’ve had the chance to get a full night of sleep, and absorb everything you’ve heard, I’d like to speak to you both privately.”
The colonel’s eyes narrowed. “What about?” he asked.
“I’m sorry, Brad, but I’d rather not say at the moment. I hope you understand.”
The colonel frowned, but nodded his assent.
“And after we’ve had our conversation?” said Tessa. “What then? Do you monitor us around the clock? Have an army protecting us? And if we’re so instrumental to the future, what’s our role? To join your efforts to stop WMD?”
“First of all, I can assure you that you’ll have full privacy. We won’t monitor your location or your actions. You can do or say whatever you like. You’re free to join Brad’s efforts—or not. We won’t constrain you in any way.”
“Your AI is telling you to leave us alone, isn’t it?” I guessed. “Not to observe us or to interfere.”
“That’s correct,” said Nari. “But this is how we would have proceeded regardless. Because we don’t know why you’re important. What role you may be destined to play. So we can’t lock you away in a guarded basement, or treat you like fragile glass flowers. We have to accept a certain amount of risk. Which means letting you go about your business. Letting you have the free will to make any decision you like, without being on a leash. Or in a fishbowl.”
“You really expect us to believe that you won’t still be secretly following our every move?” said Tessa. “Using sat-cams or whatever tech the Galactics can bring to bear.”
“Believe me,” replied the colonel, “I’m not happy about it. Not tracking you goes against my every instinct. But I promised Nari I wouldn’t, even though he’s just as tempted as I am.”
I studied Brad carefully as he spoke, and I believed he was telling the truth.
“So are we supposed to pretend we weren’t just rescued by a UAV?” said Tessa. “That we don’t know about the Galactic Federation?”
“I don’t know,” replied Nari. “I wish I could say. All I can tell you is that I’d like to have one more conversation with you tomorrow. After that, your life is your own. Which isn’t to say we won’t be there if you need us. Brad will give you his direct line. Call him and he’ll mobilize an army if you need one. Or mobilize us.”
“Why wouldn’t we call you directly?” asked Tessa.
“You can’t,” said the colonel with a smile. “Unless you have a cell phone that can reach Saturn.”