What the heck? Vacation? This isn’t a vacation! We’re essentially being kidnapped by the Distant Voyager’s AI.
Jamie considers this a vacation. So does Charlie. Charlie is very excited to go to the place Kitty promised Charlie the family would go.
I was talking about Disneyland.
Charlie was not.
Pondered this. Decided I had more urgent questions. ACE, are you, ah, helping Mother to make decisions?
No. ACE has spoken with Mother. ACE understands and agrees with Mother’s decision.
ACE, did you help Mother get everyone into the crash seats?
Yes, ACE felt that it would be best. Did ACE do wrong?
No, ACE, you rarely if ever do wrong. I’m just trying to determine if Mother is our friend or our enemy.
Mother is an artificial intelligence but Mother has compassion. Mother understands what is at stake.
What is at stake, ACE?
The fate of the galaxy.
Let that sit for a moment. ACE, why are you allowing everyone to sleep?
Because they are learning.
Learning what?
Learning languages.
I dread to ask, but I have to ask. Are you saying that our universal translators aren’t going to be working where we’re going?
Yes, Kitty always thinks right.
Go me. So, how are Jeff, Tito, Tim, and I going to learn these languages, if we’re the ones that are awake?
Mother will teach you.
How long is this journey going to take? We had a country to run, after all, not to mention the rest of the world and all the other crap that went along with our lives.
Not that long. But Mother will help. Or Kitty and the others can sleep. ACE will be watching over and ACE will not allow anything to hurt Kitty while Kitty sleeps.
Or the others?
Or the others. All are ACE’s penguins.
Wasn’t sure if I could talk about Algar with ACE, but ACE and Algar knew each other. Why is . . . Tried to say the name, but couldn’t. Thought about what Siler had called him when he and I had discussed Algar at the end of Operation Fundraiser. Why did the DJ come along?
Because the DJ cannot help Kitty as the DJ normally does.
Wow. What in the world are we heading into?
Something that will require ACE, the DJ, and Mother to all help Kitty to solve.
If it just needs me, why take everyone else along?
Because all need to see, to understand, to have proof.
Proof of what?
Proof of life.
Would have asked ACE a lot more questions, but the ship shuddered.
“Is it supposed to do that?” I asked as I fell against Jeff.
“Not that I was ever told,” Tim said.
“We are about to go to warp,” Mother said. “Choose your seats—here or on the command deck—but do so now. You have thirty seconds.”
“Before what?” Jeff asked as he grabbed my hand, and I grabbed Tito, who grabbed Tim.
“Before the force of warp causes your bodies to slam into the interior walls in a way that is likely to cause great physical harm.”
CHAPTER 16
“I HATE HER,” JEFF SAID, as he ran us all to the command deck. “Just so we’re all clear on that.” We were there in about two seconds, hyperspeed being the awesome thing it was.
The four of us flung ourselves into our assigned seats, buckled up as fast as we could, and put our helmets on. Jeff was done first, then me and Tito, with Tim bringing up the rear, so to speak. He got his helmet on just in time.
I got a glimpse of Jupiter and then I was too busy being shoved back into my seat to pay attention to the view.
Mother hadn’t been kidding—the force was intense. Fortunately, the seats were created to handle it. Also fortunately I’d gotten my purse adjusted well, so it wasn’t crushing my chest and abdomen too badly. Tried not to worry about all the kids, Charlie, Becky, and JR in particular, because this seemed like something you wouldn’t want toddlers or infants experiencing. Failed.
“The sleep ensures the children will not be harmed,” Mother said. “Any of them, regardless of age.”
“Great,” I managed to get out between gritted teeth.
“Kind of . . . wish we’d . . . taken the sleep option,” Tim managed.
“Slow, deep breaths,” Tito said calmly. “Work through it. Don’t fight it, just relax back.”
Did as Coach Tito said and, as per always, his instructions did the trick. “Best hiring I ever did was you.”
“I resent that,” Tim said.
“Centaurion Division hired you, Tim,” Jeff said. “Kitty promoted you. It’s a different thing.”
“Equal love to all my men. Mother, we’re thanking Tito because he was helpful. You were not. Care to tell us how long this pressure will last?” Prayed it wasn’t going to be the entire jump.
“The pressure will be ending momentarily,” Mother replied. “I suggested sleeping. You would not have had any discomfort if you had chosen the safer path.”
“But someone needs to run your controls.” Not that I could tell what the four of us were doing in terms of keeping the ship going. Mother appeared to be all the Distant Voyager needed in order to function.
“We are not in a situation yet where organic life will be required to assist.”
“I realize you’re trying to be nonexclusive, but let’s just go with ‘people,’ Mother. Whether they’re humans, A-Cs, Vata, walking otters, man-sized lizards, or giant Cthulhu monsters, or anything in between, they’re all just people.”
“This is why you are needed,” Mother said. “You see everyone as equal.”
“I guess. The pressure, when does it stop? Asking for a friend.”
“Me,” Tim said. “She’s asking for me.”
“Now.”
The pressure dissipated and I felt normal. We all did a body check and everyone seemed to be all there. Figured I’d check on my purse’s contents later. “Now what?” Jeff asked. He looked out the windshield and winced. “What the hell?”
The rest of us looked, of course. And the rest of us winced, as well. Everything around us seemed like murky fog, but fog that was flying past us at Ludicrous Speed and had lightning in it. Different colors of lightning, in fact. It was pretty in a really weird, freaky way, which was basically par for my life’s course by now.
“Mother, what is that we’re seeing out of the windshield?”
“The passing of stars, planets, solar systems, nebulas, and more.”
“It just looks like a blur of . . . stuff.”
“That is because of how fast we’re traveling.”
“How long before we stop going this fast?”
“Several hours. Would you like me to wake the others now?”
“I thought you said you’d wake them once we’d made the warp jump,” Jeff said, just this side of a growl.
“Yes. However, since you four are awake, I chose to give you the choice.”
“Why would we want to keep them asleep?” Tito asked.
“To keep them calm, to prevent arguments, to prevent the waste of time you will attempt in trying to reprogram me.”
“I’d say Door Number Three is the real reason,” Tim said. “Why do you think it’ll be a waste of time to try to reprogram you to act how you’re supposed to?”