The Unofficial Biography Of Kimmay

Book 2: The Nature Of Power

by G. L. Hudson

 

 

In Washington D.C., Kristal was busy packing for her trip to the Canadian Rockies. Jennifer and Kristal were going heli-hiking in the Bugaboo Mountains. It was part of Kristal's prescribed recuperation. Her leg had required three skin grafts and almost eighteen months of recuperation. It had been especially painful and slow. The only positive thing that came from the attack was the attention that she had received. The press was interested in her recuperation and had kept her in the news. The Hollywood press was very interested and to help keep her name in high profile headlines she leaked rumors that she wanted to return to the movies. It was part of her plan to turn out a blockbuster, but Kristal had no intention of running her movie in cinematic theaters.

She wanted as much attention as possible, because she had every intention of coming back. And when she did, she planned on initiating a full-fledged war. Her determination to expose the corruption of the current administration drove her constantly. She had managed to get several messages to Mr. Dunn. He had been frightened by the threats against his grandchildren and had almost walked away from Kristal. She convinced him to shut down everything on the public level, but to keep working behind the scenes. Everyone had made some progress in gathering damaging evidence to use against the administration and it was time to coordinate their efforts. In addition, it was time for a pep rally.

Jennifer and Kristal flew to Calgary and then drove to Banff. They were picked up the following day and driven a couple of hours west where they were met by the helicopter and flown deep into the backcountry. The only other way to the resort was along a fire trail that took over two hours to negotiate by four-wheel drive vehicles. In spite of the remote location, the resort amenities lacked nothing. The rooms were spacious and comfortable, the food was gourmet and the views were spectacular.

Each morning they ate a large breakfast and were then flown back into the mountains for a day of hiking. The hiking was very strenuous. They were usually above the tree line, which meant they were over 7000 feet, and it took both girls several days to become used to the elevation and rarified air. They climbed mountains and ridges and went where there were no trails. The guides were extremely professional and with their enthusiasm and pure talent, they managed to push Kristal and Jennifer farther than they would have believed possible. Kristal had a fear of heights, yet by the end of the first week she was walking along ridges at 8000 feet with no fear at all. She realized that she had climbed up the mountain, and if she slid 1000 feet down the scree she knew she could climb up again. It was an empowering feeling.

At the end of each day the helicopter would pick them up and take them back to the lodge. Kristal would spend half an hour in a whirlpool and then have a very experienced masseuse work on all of her muscles, and especially her leg. The evening was completed with a gourmet dinner. Both Jennifer and Kristal were so exhausted from the day's activities that they were in bed by 8:00 P.M.

After the first week, most of the guests were flown out from the lodge and a new group arrived. Mr. Dunn arrived by helicopter the second week. The helicopter didn't fly in three of the new guests. They had 'hiked' in on their own. Everyone greeted one another at dinner that night, but they discussed little else. Linda and Todd were introduced to the others, but the others had no idea who they had just met. On Sunday morning, they all met for breakfast before they set out for the day's hiking. Just before leaving on the helicopter, Jennifer pulled their guide aside.

"We have a unique request for today," she told the guide. "We need a couple of hours to ourselves. We need you to take us someplace that is protected from the wind and elements, and allow the six of us to have a private conversation. You can just drop us off if you want and you're free to return back to the lodge. If you feel that you have to stay with us, you can't join the conversation. You'll have to wait nearby."

"I can't leave you by your selves," she answered. "I'll ask the helicopter pilot where we can go, but I have to go also."

"Fine," said Jennifer, "as long as everyone understands the rules."

After breakfast the six hikers met their guide at the helicopter pad. "The pilot said that he can take us to a private maintenance shed about fifteen miles from here. Will that be ok?"

"Perfect," said Jennifer. They climbed into the helicopter and lifted-off. The pilot gave them an exciting ride, skimming only a hundred feet above the trees as he banked left and right around the mountains and followed a stream to the maintenance shed. The shed was located on the fire trail that ran out of the backcountry and returned to civilization. The guide unlocked the door and let them inside, and then she walked across the road, snuggled up under a tree and took out a book.

The shack was twenty foot square and had several 55-gallon drums of diesel fuel. There was barbed wire, electrical wire, tubs of spikes, steel posts and numerous other construction necessities. Everyone tried to pull up something to sit on and make herself as comfortable as possible.

Kristal opened the meeting, "Thanks for coming. I know it's been a difficult time for everyone, but I think our time is coming. Just so everyone knows what is going on, I want to recap what has happened in the last eighteen months."

Kristal and Jennifer had actually picked up a couple of low-level sources inside the administration. One person was in the intelligence community and probably had access to NSA documents. Another was in the Energy Department and was able to keep track of Secretary Kurtland's travel schedule. Along with the help from a couple other sources, they had picked up some valuable information. They knew everything about the two men that had attacked Kristal, including who gave them their orders - Dennis Marks, Director of the CIA. They had the complete background on the four men caught in Grand Cayman. They had collected schedules that documented the meetings between Clover and his attack team. And they also had documentation that the President had attended some of the meetings.

Best of all, they had a copy of the initialed approval order for Kaliber and his team to stage their infiltration operation in Grand Cayman. The order had both Kurtland's and Clover's initials. They now had documentation all the way into the White House, and could by inference put the President in the loop.

Mr. Dunn, while he had been badly scared, had not been sitting on his hands. The men that had threatened him had made a big mistake. They had stopped Mr. Dunn in front of his own building. Cameras had caught the three of them on tape, and that allowed them to identify the men as CIA agents from the American Embassy. His BBC crew had long ago left Paris, but they brought along some excellent footage of the interrogations with Kaliber's team. One of the commandos wasn't too bright, and he had been tricked into giving up some valuable information on his missions against Kimmay and Todd. Videotape of the commando's confessions would be combined with the tape from the Grand Cayman campaign. The video they had brought back from Grand Cayman was clear, professional and powerful.

Kristal's intention for the meeting was to discuss an idea that she had, but before presenting her idea she gave Kimmay a chance to update the group on her last eighteen months. Kristal, Jennifer and Mr. Dunn were astounded by what Kimmay told them. It almost made their political struggles seem petty.

"I'm not sure if you know who Todd Reimer really is," she began. "Todd was targeted by the government because he invented teleportation."

"Wait a minute," interrupted Todd. "I made it work on a larger scale, but I didn't invent it. Other scientists were teleporting quantum states as far back as the turn of the century."

"Let me interrupt," Mr. Dunn said. "By teleportation you mean that you can change objects to energy, send the energy someplace else, and reform it into its original shape?"

"Yea," said Todd. "I've taken objects as large as basketballs and I can teleport them almost anywhere. I could probably send it to the moon."

"Holy cow," Mr. Dunn muttered. "That's a phenomenal breakthrough."

"It's not bad, but it is peanuts compared to what we've been working on."

"And what is that?" asked Mr. Dunn.

It was Kimmay's turn to explain, "We're developing two energy micro-chips. One of them generates electricity and one stores it. We can generate almost limitless amounts of energy for almost nothing. The second chip can store enormous quantities of energy."

"How do you do it?" Mr. Dunn wanted to know.

"E equals MC squared. We take hydrogen nuclei and totally annihilate them, turning them into energy in the process. One gram of hydrogen can turn out fifteen million kilowatt hours."

"And you can do this now?"

"Not quite. Our latest prototype was only run up to thirty-five percent efficiency. We found a few blips, but the concept works. The next prototype is due this week, and I expect to have all of the glitches worked out. The storage chip uses some of the same technology so we're confident that it will work, but it is about one month behind the energy chip."

"And what do you plan to do with this when you're ready?" asked Kristal.

"We've talked about that a little. We're thinking about becoming the next Bill Gates. We want to manufacture the chips and let other people develop the end uses. Hopefully we can make lots of money, and we've already decided that we will take some of that money and fund an organization dedicated to getting the truth to Americans. It will probably be Internet based and with our money it will be totally independent from governmental pressure."

"Would you consider using your money to drive a more visible political force?" Kristal asked.

Todd and Kimmay spoke almost as one, "What do you mean?"

"Do you want to become more politically active? I love your idea about setting up an organization to clarify the truth for Americans. We all know that the U.S. is the most censored country in the world. But what you are suggesting is the equivalent of a refereeing or news organization. You want to bring the truth, but not necessarily act as an active advocacy. How about becoming an active advocacy? Would you support me in a run for the presidency?"

"In a heart beat! That's exactly what we want. How can we help?" asked Kimmay.

"I'm not sure, but let's consider the possibility. If your technology works, you are going to be two of the richest and most powerful people on the face of the earth, and it will take tons of money to fight the administration's control of the press.

"The reason that I brought you here was because I have an idea. I want to share it with you and ask for your opinions. My idea depends very heavily on Mr. Dunn. To be honest Kimmay, I didn't think you would bring something so powerful to the table. But obviously you have surprised me, just like you have surprised everyone else in the world. I should have known better."

Kimmay gave her a big smile.

Mr. Dunn was becoming confused. He was listening to the discussion and was trying to figure out how the third person Linda, fit into this. It sounded like she didn't fit in at all. Then why was she here?

"I think we have enough information, enough proof, and enough hard evidence to take down this administration. If the people of the United States would listen to us, and if they were allowed to listen to us, I think we could convince enough people to bring down this presidency. I may be a little jaded, but I have been involved in not only politics but also the world of fantasy; that is the world of movies. Movies can be the most powerful medium in the world. At least I think so. And so I have contacted one of my old producers. He believes in the same things as we do, and he has enormous resources when it comes to movie making. I want him to make a documentary that will present our story. I want him to put together a two-hour, highly entertaining expose of what has happened. I don't mean to cheapen our situation, but to get people to listen to us we have to grab them with both facts and entertainment."

She stopped and looked at Mr. Dunn. "Do you believe in the concept?"

"Possibly, give us more details."

"We give my producer our evidence and allow him to put it together. We will have to keep tight editorial control, because we have to make sure everything is absolutely true and verifiable. But he provides us with a medium that we can spread all over the world, not just the USA. It would have the pictures, the music and the power, and the potential to have an awesome impact on the public. We can make it available all over the Internet, we can provide it to theaters if they will take it, and we can give it to advocacy groups. It gives us a hard database that they have to attack to discredit us. While they concentrate on it, we can go public." Kristal looked at Mr. Dunn and could see the concern on his face. "I mean me Mr. Dunn. I take the public lead."

"I'm not sure," said Mr. Dunn. It was obvious to all present that Mr. Dunn was still concerned about his grandchildren.

For the first time Linda spoke up, "Mr. Dunn, I can protect your grandchildren. If you send them to me they will be safe."

Mr. Dunn didn't buy it for one second. He wanted to, but he couldn't. "You have no idea how powerful these people are," he said. "How can you possibly believe that you can protect them? How can I believe you?"

And there it was. The BIG question. It had been churning under the surface ever since they first knew the truth about Amanda and now Linda. Who else should know? That was the BIG question. Should anyone else know? Could people accept the truth? Kristal knew the question. Jennifer knew the question. Todd and Kimmay knew the question. But no one knew the answer. No one even wanted to verbalize the question. How could you go to the people of Earth and say, 'Hey, here is an alien. She is our friend.'

Kimmay looked at Kristal. Kristal looked at her most trusted friend. Jennifer looked at Linda and Linda stared back. She never blinked. Todd understood, but didn't seem to be part of the equation. Mr. Dunn said nothing. He merely looked from person to person, hoping someone could convince him to do what was right; do what was needed. The room was frozen. No one knew how to proceed, so Linda took the lead.

"Mr. Dunn, would you please step outside for a moment?" She didn't even try to placate his sense of importance. 'Mr. Dunn, would you please step outside for a moment?' Kristal was shocked. Mr. Dunn was extremely important to her, but she couldn't offer any support to him. She nodded towards him, 'Please go.'

It was an extremely awkward moment. Mr. Dunn was not used to being dismissed by anyone. He was insulted by the very thought of being dismissed. His support was about to evaporate. He could tell that he wasn't wanted, and in disgust he walked out the door. Mr. Dunn stepped outside and the door was quickly closed behind him. He spotted their guide across the dirt road, huddled under a rock and reading. It wasn't exactly cold outside, but it wasn't warm either. He walked across the road sat down next to her.

"What are you reading?" he asked.

"Sci-fi," she answered. "Dune. Have you read it?"

"No."

"Why are you out here? Are you done?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know? I thought you were part of the group."

"I'm not so sure anymore."

"Can I ask a question?"

"No."

"Can I say something then?"

"What?"

"I know who some of you are. I recognize Krysallis. Besides being a famous movie star, I think she is a senator or representative or something in the United States. She is hard to miss. And I know who the younger girl is. She is Kimmay. She is one of my heroes. I have read about her talents in physics and I have been impressed with her for years. I also know she is wanted for murder. I know there is a huge reward for turning her in." Mr. Dunn gave her a worried look. "I would never do that however."

The guide closed her book and slid her backpack closer. She loosened the drawstrings, opened the pack and pulled out a waterproof box of Oreos. Her book was placed safely inside the backpack. She had a water bottle in the side pocket and pulled it out also. She took an Oreo and offered one to Mr. Dunn. He accepted. She smiled.

"Mr. Dunn, you are not a hiker. I'm sorry to be blunt, but it is quite obvious. Don't get me wrong, you can have a great time here, and I'll show you some beautiful sights. But you didn't come here to hike." She handed Mr. Dunn more cookies. "By the way, I was born in Manchester. I've been in Canada since I was one year old, so that's why I don't have a British accent. But mum gave me a sense of my heritage. So Mr. Dunn, would you like to talk?"

Mr. Dunn munched his cookie, then took the water and washed it down. "I'm sorry, I don't remember your name."

"Sandy."

"Sandy, do you believe in fate?"

She looked at him and decided he was serious. "No. I make my own future."

"Why are you here, Sandy? Why aren't you in the middle of civilization trying to make a difference?"

"Can I?"

"You're smart, Sandy. That much is evident. You have energy and drive. You have ability. Do you have family? Do you have children?"

"I have family, but I don't have children."

"You probably don't have the background to answer this question, but then again maybe you can answer it honestly. How important are children?"

"What? What kind of question is that?"

"Sandy, children are our connection with immortality. They carry our genes and DNA. People are not immortal, but through our children we can be. At least we think we can be. What if you lost your children, or grandchildren? Would that be the end of your world?"

"I can't have children, so I guess I have no immortality. All I have is a tenuous connection through my siblings. Why do you think your genes make you immortal? And why do you think that you have to pass them along? Do you think you represent something special or unique? Are you better in some way than other human beings? Has your god anointed you as something special?"

Mr. Dunn just looked at her. He asked for an honest opinion, but he didn't really want an answer that honest. 'Have I been anointed to be special by god? What god? The one that starts wars and bigotry? The one that spawns terrorism in the Middle East and the rest of the world, or the one that beget the Crusades? The one that the President of the United States evokes before he sends murderers after children?' Mr. Dunn was trying to decide how to proceed. Should he forsake his grandchildren and do what was right? Or should he protect his grandchildren? They were innocent after all. He wasn't sure what to believe.

"Sandy?" He was stumbling around in his thoughts. "Do you know what those people just told me?"

"No, sir. I wasn't present."

"They just changed everything in there. Cheap energy. They can produce unlimited and almost totally free energy. Kimmay has made an enormous breakthrough with her physics. What do you think that will do to civilization?"

"Mr. Dunn, the only important question that I can think of is what does it do for me? Mr. Dunn, you are obviously looking for ultimate answers to ultimate questions. That's rather difficult. Instead, why not look for little answers to little questions. This is the perfect place for that."

"But Sandy, man was made to ask the universal questions. Why are we here? Where are we going? That is why we were put here."

"Do you think we are god-like? Do you think your god needs us to contemplate the universe for Him? I don't mind people asking these questions, but to think we are meant to do that is rather arrogant, don't you think?"

"If we don't think big, nothing ever happens. No progress is made."

"Do you really believe that? Do you think civilization has moved forward because of ultimate answers to universal questions? Civilization moved forward because we lived and worked one day at a time. People who ask those 'big' questions accomplished nothing. In fact, they usually slowed us down and diverted us from the truth. They didn't want answers; they wanted control. You said Kimmay just made a huge breakthrough. Was she trying to answer a universal question while she was doing this work? Or was she simply trying to make cheap, unlimited energy?"

"You have a unique philosophy Sandy."

"I studied philosophy and religion for four years. But I don't think my philosophy is unique at all. I think if you got rid of everyone who wants us to ask the ultimate questions and seek the big truth, you would be left with the people who say, 'I'm going to work today.' Or, 'I'm going to play today.' Or even, 'I'm going to invent cheap energy today.' Get rid of those ultimate questions Mr. Dunn and you have lot's of people who are free to make the real progress that someday might actually answer your universal questions."

They sat in silence and ate more of the Oreo cookies. "Sandy, may I assume that you don't believe in a god?"

"No, you may not make that assumption. I never said that I didn't believe in the possibility of a god. I do believe that if god truly walked this earth, he wouldn't be tithing to one of your corporate religions. If there is a god, by definition he believes in truth. And none of your corporate religions wants the truth. They want power and money. It's their history. It's their endowment. It's in their genes.

"Mr. Dunn, may I ask you a question, now?"

"Go ahead."

"I've been trying, but I can't find the connection between all of you. You, Krysallis, Kimmay, the boy and the other women? One of you represents the law; another is running from the law. What connects the group of you?"

"I have to think about that for a second, Sandy. I can't tell you what we are here for specifically, but I guess that we all believe in something. We believe in freedom. Kimmay and the boy for instance, are here because they were targets of the United States government. Kimmay is not guilty of murder, in fact she was a target to be murdered. Kristal and her friend Jennifer have a deep-seated belief that their people are not free. She wants to change that. And I'm here because I agree with Kristal."

"Well Mr. Dunn, isn't that a universal idea?" Mr. Dunn didn't answer. He continued to eat his cookie. "And isn't that the kind of idea that gets handled by people working on it day to day?"

Mr. Dunn was thinking. His grandchildren were important. His purpose for being here was important. Were they mutually exclusive? Was one more important than the other? And if so, was it for the right reason? It took a few minutes of thought, but Mr. Dunn was finally comfortable with what he was about to do. And the cookies really were good. "How are these cookies with milk?" he asked. Sandy just laughed.

"I have a favor to ask of you Mr. Dunn," she said. His mouth was full of cookies, so he shook his head yes. "After you leave here and do what you have to do, would you tell me what it was that you did? I would really like to know. Some day would you call or write to me?"

"You've helped me more than you know, Sandy. It's the least that I can do for you. How do I get in touch with you?"

Kristal opened the door to the maintenance shed and walked over to Mr. Dunn. "Would you join us inside?"

He looked at Sandy and smiled. "Senator, have you met Sandy?"

"Yes, we've been hiking together all week."

"Did you know that she is a big fan of Krysallis?"

Kristal smiled and looked at Sandy. "No, I didn't know that. It's always nice to meet a fan Sandy." They shook hands.

"Krysallis, Sandy and I have just come to an agreement."

"What is that Mr. Dunn?"

"When we are done here, I have agreed to some day tell her what happened here today."

Kristal started to laugh. She looked at Sandy, "Sandy, Mr. Dunn is about to learn something that will change his world. I hope that some day he does share this with you. It will be awesome. Mr. Dunn, prepare your self. You are about to meet the real Linda."

Mr. Dunn and Sandy shared a look. Kristal wrapped her arm around Mr. Dunn and began to lead him to the maintenance shed. He stopped and turned around to Sandy, "The most beautiful woman in the world is walking me to my truth. Pretty scary isn't it?"

Sandy laughed. "Be careful Mr. Dunn, you might learn more than you want."

It wasn't as scary as he thought. It was an awakening. He was allowed to witness the truth. The world would be told about Linda and her world. At least as much as Linda would share.

Kristal closed the door behind Mr. Dunn and they both sat down. "Mr. Dunn, I apologize for asking you to leave," Linda began. "I have a secret that the rest of us know. It is a rather important secret, and we had to decide if we wanted to share the secret. You see, the question wasn't just whether or not we tell you, it was whether or not we tell the rest of the world. There are two problems with sharing this secret. First, is the world ready for my secret?" Mr. Dunn raised his eyebrows in a questioning gesture. Linda noticed and responded, "Yes, it is that big. And the second question was what it will do to your plans to grab the attention of the American people and overthrow your current President. My secret may take away all of your attention. So we are going to discuss how best to tell my secret.

"It is easier to prove myself first, then I can explain things to you. It is too early for dinner, so how about a cup of coffee?"

It was a rather mundane question. "Ok," he answered.

"Would your wife be willing to join us?"

Mr. Dunn was puzzled but played along, "She might."

"Is there someplace within walking distance of your home, where we could go?"

"This isn't making any sense. Is this a test?"

"No Mr. Dunn, it is not a test. Is there someplace near your home?"

"Yes, there is."

"Good," said Linda. "Then let's get your wife and go there." The others were grinning at Mr. Dunn and his confusion. It really was fun teasing someone before you told him the big secret.

Mr. Dunn looked at the grins and said, "Ok, let's go."

Linda took her black bag out of her pocket and held it in her palm. "Who is first?" Kimmay volunteered. She walked across the shed and disappeared. Mr. Dunn's mouth dropped open.

"What just happened?"

"Kimmay is waiting for us at your home. She might be knocking on the backdoor right now. Would you like to go next?" He shook his head no. Todd walked across the shed and blinked out of this universe. Next went Jennifer and then Kristal. "It's your turn Mr. Dunn. Shall we walk together?" Mr. Dunn accepted her arm and the two of them walked across the shed. Mr. Dunn saw the lights disappear just before his stomach flew up into his chest. A couple of seconds later he saw light and his stomach returned to earth. He was standing in his backyard. He looked around in amazement. It really was his home and his garden.

"What just happened?"

"You just passed through an adjacent universe and almost instantaneously arrived here. The ten-second delay was to adjust you to a lower elevation and higher atmospheric pressure. The trip back will take longer."

"Huh?"

"Mr. Dunn, we can travel across this universe almost instantly. We call it a portal, but that is slang for what really happens. Unlike teleportation, we don't deconstruct and then reconstruct you. You remain entirely as you are. We merely moved you outside your current universe of space and time and opened another door back into your space and time. Once you are outside this universe, you can renter anywhere you like. To you it seems almost instantaneous. Mr. Dunn, can we meet your wife?"

Mr. Dunn walked up the back steps and knocked loudly on the back door as he opened it. "Beverly, it's me, I'm home." She came walking into the kitchen with a smile for her husband. "I've returned a bit earlier than I expected."

She gave him a kiss. "I guess you have dear." Beverly spotted Jennifer. "Jennifer, what are you doing here? Who are the rest of these people?"

"Come out and meet them. We're going for coffee, would you join us?"

They all introduced themselves. Linda repeated Mr. Dunn's offer, "Mr. Dunn is taking us to a local café for coffee. Would you join us? You might find it interesting."

"Ok," she said. "Let me lock up and get a sweater. I see that you all have your heavy coats."

"Yes, we were about to go hiking," Henry Dunn said. Beverly was a bit confused, but she ran inside to get ready.

Beverly rejoined them and they walked down the street to a pub rather than a café. It was almost 5:00 P.M. in the UK, and Mr. Dunn thought he might want a pint instead of a mug.

Once everyone was seated and they had ordered, Linda began the conversation. "Beverly I wanted you to join us, because I need to persuade Mr. Dunn to do something rather dangerous. Since it affects both of you, I thought I should explain it to you while you are together. Kristal is asking Mr. Dunn to become actively involved in preparing to bring down the United States President. This will be very dangerous for your grandchildren. CIA agents from the United States have already threatened to kill your grandchildren if Mr. Dunn attempts to expose them."

Beverly was shocked. "Henry, you never told me this. You can't expose our grandchildren to this!"

"Mrs. Dunn, that is why I wanted you both here. I have volunteered to protect your children if Mr. Dunn agrees to go forward. I have special resources that will allow me to keep your grandchildren safe."

"How can you guarantee such a thing?" she demanded.

"Mr. Dunn has just seen one of my talents. Mrs. Dunn, not thirty minutes ago we were sitting in the Rocky Mountains. We traveled here instantly by passing outside of our universe. I did it using this controller in my hand. With this controller, I can keep your grandchildren safe."

"Preposterous. I don't believe a word of this."

"It is true," Mr. Dunn said as he took a sip of his beer. "Let's hear her out. I want to know where this technology came from."

Linda grinned, "It came from about 300 million parsecs away. I am not from Earth. I am a visitor who has come here to help correct a mistake. My people like to visit other worlds and civilizations. A while back, one of our people made a mistake. It was strictly an accident but he did something that had a significant impact on your civilization. Over time, things like this tend to fade away and have no impact on the overall time flow. But in the short term this mistake has turned out to be much worse than we thought.

"You have some extremely talented people here. Todd and Kimmay are two of them. My guides and I thought it was very possible that Todd and Kimmay might take the very first steps towards opening your true knowledge of physics. This first step would eventually allow you to reach us and our other friends. But we feared that Todd and Kimmay would be stopped. We saw the direction of the United States government and we became worried. So Amanda and I came here to help if necessary. As it turns out, our help was necessary."

"Do you mean that you foresaw all of this?" asked Kimmay.

"Not exactly. We can't look into the future if that is what you mean. There is no future. It hasn't happened and therefore it doesn't exist. But we are astute observers, and we have the benefit of having seen similar circumstances in other cultures. We anticipated possibilities. If we were wrong, we would have simply disappeared and you would have never known that we had been here."

"But why did you do any of this?" It was Kristal's turn to ask the question.

"You mean why did we cause an accident in the first place? Or why do we help you now?"

"I understand that a mistake was made, an accident. But what was it that was so bad?"

"What did Amanda tell you?"

"Some things I can tell you and some things I will not tell you," Kristal repeated in a mocking voice.

Linda smiled and said nothing. Kristal continued, "What about helping Todd and Kimmay? Why did you decide to do that?"

"Because we want your species to join us. To do that, you have to open the door. Not us. Kimmay and Todd are starting to do that. We did not want a government that is partly our fault, to stop that process."

"But … there is a problem in this logic." Kimmay wanted to talk, but she was having trouble forming the right question. Everyone could see that and they waited. "We have talked about your prime directive. You want to interfere as little as possible. You are trying to correct a mistake, and I understand that. But now you are handing us more information than we would have ever known on our own. You have pointed to the door and said, 'Go open it'. I see that as a tremendous interference in our normal development. Isn't it?"

"You have seen our problem. My guides and I have been discussing this very situation. We have been undecided as to how to proceed. Things have not gone as we intended or predicted. We have continually been drawn farther into your problems than we had anticipated. The death of Amanda was a great blow to us. She was much loved by many people. It is not incorrect to say, that in our world she was more popular than Krysallis. That has weighed heavily in our decision.

"And Kimmay, you have been central in our decision making as well. You have done better than we anticipated. We did not know where your research was headed. We could only speculate as to what your intentions were. You made a bold first step. I must say that we are all impressed. As it turns out, you have made this decision a little easier for my guides and myself. You are only a small step away from moving matter through multi-dimensional coordinates. Your chips already move part of their mass into other dimensions. Your last equation lays the theoretical groundwork and even makes the next mathematical step rather obvious. While the technology is still a bit away, your theories are on the cusp of portal-like knowledge.

"Nothing we have done gives you any clues to that technology itself. So we don't feel that we are upsetting the natural order in that respect. But we are making one large deviation. You will become one of the few cultures that has contact with other intelligent species before you possess the technology to do so on your own. That part concerns us. We have no idea what impact that might have. We hope it is minor.

"Mr. and Mrs. Dunn, I ask that you do not tell any one else. My guides want to discuss our announcement and decide how best to proceed. Kristal, we want to support your needs as much as possible. What you are doing is key to our correction process. And … it was something Amanda wanted very much. And of course Kimmay and Todd, you are still not safe. The United States is still hunting for you, so I will continue to protect and help you. And I will extend that umbrella of protection to your grandchildren," she told Mr. and Mrs. Dunn. "They will have to come to our location, but I think they will find it enjoyable. That decision is up to you."

"I still don't believe a word of this. Rubbish," said Beverly.

"I'm sorry that you think that way, Mrs. Dunn. But I am not prepared to do anything else today to persuade you. Mr. Dunn, do you believe me?"

"I want to, but it is a big leap of faith, Linda."

"Was the leap of faith from the Rocky Mountains to here too far?"

He threw up his hands. "I don't know. But I will go along with what you want. I will send my grandchildren to your home." Beverly Dunn glared at her husband.

Linda turned to Jennifer and Kristal. "I think we should go back and discuss how to coordinate everything. You have a lot to do, as do Kimmay and Todd. There are three key announcements that need to be made, and I think that with a bit of ingenuity, the three can be put together. It should make for a larger impact."

"Oh, it will be a hell of an impact, Linda." Kristal was smiling with anticipation. This was going to be fun.

 

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Source: Valerie Samantha May

Christmas was in the air. December of 2030 was turning into a special season. For once, there seemed to be some calm around the world. The Chicago Cubs were still enjoying the glow of a World Series Championship, and the Green Bay Packers were returning to championship form. Most of the United States was covered in white, and all seemed well.

The show business magazines were buzzing with a new, highly secretive movie coming out. Rumors had Krysallis making a leading role come-back. People were excited. Krysallis' name still carried a special aura. She might be older, but she was as ageless as Marilyn Monroe or Mae West. The PR teasers were doing their job. As Christmas approached, Hollywood was abuzz with the prospects of seeing an icon return to the big screen. It could only help the entire industry.

Things weren't quite as happy in Milwaukee. This was going to be our second Christmas since the death of Kim. We had never been told anything. I saw her go by on the gurney, and I knew that the FBI had her. I asked Kristal over and over and over to find out the fate of Kim. Kristal was never successful. I sent letter after letter to the FBI, the Justice Department, and the local newspapers and never received a valid response.

Mom had made a miraculous recovery. None of the doctors could believe how well she had responded to their treatment and surgery. She had come home only one week after being shot twice in the abdomen. We thought we would lose mom, and instead she walked home with a smile on her face.

I waited a full week before I told anyone what I had seen in the hospital. Grandma still refused to believe that Kim was lost to us. Grandpa, mom and I had accepted the truth. Kim never contacted me. I knew that if she were alive, somehow she would have contacted me. Even if she were bound and gagged in some federal dungeon, some how she would have gotten word to me. I never heard a word.

We went through the motions leading up to Christmas. We did our shopping and wrapped our gifts. We held our company party in the salon. Simon and George were, as usual, the life of the party. They were a special couple of guys. They were smart, they were talented, they were funny and they were sincere. They made mom laugh. That was really important.

Our small family held our Christmas celebration. We ate tons of turkey. We covered the floor with ripped gift-wrapping and most importantly, we survived. Everyone missed Kim.

And then a strange thing happened. Late in the afternoon the doorbell rang. I answered the door and was surprised by a DHL driver. "I have a special delivery for Melissa May." She handed me the package. "Sign here please." She looked very familiar to me. I was sure that I had seen her before.

Before she could leave, I had to ask, "Excuse me, have you ever been here before?"

"No," she answered.

"Have we ever met?"

"Yes we have, Valerie." She turned and walked away. I was speechless. I wanted to yell after her, but she walked off with such steadiness and purpose that I didn't have a chance. I had a really good feeling, but I had no idea why.

I took the special delivery package to mom and she opened it up. There were four airline tickets, one ticket in each of our names. They were for January 10, 2031. We were to fly from Chicago to Geneva, Switzerland. We had reservations at a Geneva Hotel for one night. And even stranger, there was no return ticket. No one wanted to verbalize our thoughts, but hope was tugging at our hearts. It was a good Christmas.

The next day mom called Kristal. "Merry Christmas! How have you been Kristal? Are you fully recovered from that attack?"

"The same to you Melissa. And Merry Christmas to Valerie and your parents." She meant grandma and grandpa. They weren't really mom's parents, but every one treated them that way.

I waved from behind mom, "Hi Kristal!"

"I am doing well, and getting better. My leg is fully recovered. Jennifer says Merry Christmas also."

"Thanks. Kristal, there are some exciting rumors in the movie magazines. Are they true?"

Kristal was playing coy. "I don't know what you are talking about," but her grin gave her away.

"What is it about?"

"It is a movie like no other. It has a message that is so uplifting, you will be laughing and crying for days. I promise."

"We look forward to seeing it. I hope it comes to Milwaukee soon," mom said.

Kristal replied, "You're going to the premier. Did you get your tickets?"

"Did you send the tickets?" All of a sudden mom and I were both disappointed. We loved Kristal, but we had been hoping that someone else had sent us the tickets.

"No, I didn't send them. But I know who did. Trust me, you are going to love this movie."

Our hearts were allowed to soar again. Maybe there was some hope. "We only received one way tickets. Was there a mistake?"

"I didn't know that," Kristal answered. "I suspect our people are leaving your trip open ended on purpose. Don't worry, you won't have any trouble getting home."

Our hearts sank again. 'Our people' had the wrong connotation. "Kristal, I have a couple of businesses to run. I can't just up and go without some idea of when I'll be back. What do I tell Rose? How long should I say I'll be gone?"

"I'm not sure, Melissa. Just to be safe, tell her to prepare for two weeks."

Mom and Kristal talked for a while longer. Mom finished her conversation with an innocuous, "See you in Geneva."

"I won't be there, Melissa. Enjoy the show."

Kristal wasn't going to the premier? That didn't make a lot of sense. Our hopes weren't totally dashed, but they weren't as high as yesterday.

 

We packed our bags. It was winter and we were going to Switzerland for Kristal's movie's premier. We packed warm and we packed in abundance. We weren't sure how long we would be there, but we would be prepared. Grandpa drove the four of us to O'Hare Airport and left the car in long-term parking. It took us three hours to work our way through security. We were shuffled around several times, probably because we were the family of Kimmay. We couldn't figure out why it should make any difference anymore. They had her, why did they care about us?

I was worried that mom would freak out. She had been extremely nervous about the entire flight. At first she had refused to go, but we convinced her that there might be a hope, and she had to take a chance. She took several sedatives before we left home and more when we reached the airport. I was concerned that she was going to overdose. When she wasn't looking, I reached into her purse and took her pills. We were all getting concerned.

The flight to Geneva was long, but we were in first class. At least we were more comfortable than the poor souls back in the cattle-car zone. We landed and made our way through customs. It was a breeze compared to the U.S. Not being international travelers, it took us a while to get directions and find a taxi to our hotel. We finally made it to our rooms late that night. It was almost midnight by the time we made it to bed. We were all exhausted, especially mom. I spent the night with mom, and grandma and grandpa were next door. We had connecting suites.

We all had problems sleeping that first night. Jet lag, and in mom's case drugs, upset our usual routine. Everyone was still sleepy but awake by 8:00 A.M. We were all sitting in my room talking when there was a knock at the door. "Room service," some one yelled. It was a girl's voice and it almost sounded familiar. I stepped to the door, unlatched the dead-bolt and opened it. Kim was standing in front of me. I squealed and jumped at her, wrapping my arms around her neck and pulling her to the floor. We rolled on the floor and mom screamed when she saw it was Kim.

Everyone started yelling and crying and talking and hugging. It was a free-for-all. It was pandemonium. Kim kept saying, "I'm sorry." And mom kept kissing her. It was absolutely wonderful. We carried on for five minutes before anyone noticed another woman standing in the hall. It was the DHL lady.

"You brought the DHL letter," I said to her.

"Yes I did."

"When we were in Milwaukee, you said that we had met. Where?" I asked her.

Mom and everyone else were listening. "We met in your mother's hospital room. I was the nurse that pushed you out the door."

"I remember," I said. "What were you doing there?"

"I was saving your mother's life." We all stared at her. I took a deep breath and was about to ask her how, and Kim interrupted.

"Everyone, I want you to meet Linda. Linda is a very special friend. She not only saved mom's life, but she also saved mine. I owe her not only my life, but much, much more. I can't even begin to tell you what Linda has meant to all of us. And I want you all to know that she has taken care of us while paying a huge price. A very good friend that she was very close to was killed protecting us. Amanda, who was at Stanford with me, was killed by the government. Please, welcome Linda to our family."

Mom was crying. At first she didn't say anything to Linda. She just hugged her. Then mom stepped back and said very sincerely, "I am sorry for your loss. I know how difficult it is to lose a loved one. Thank you for saving my life."

After introductions Kim spoke up, "I'm sure you all have many questions. And the best way to answer your questions is to watch Kristal's latest movie. She is very proud of it, and I think it will answer many of those questions you have. You will be some of the first customers to see the movie. Does that sound acceptable?"

"Of course it does, sweetie. Just as long as I get to sit next to you and hold on to you." Mom was still very emotional.

Kim laughed and grabbed mom, "That's not a problem. It will be a private screening at our Swiss chateâu. How about locking up, and we will leave."

We straightened up and grandma walked to the door and opened it. "Are we ready?"

"Grandma, close the door. There is something that I have to explain first." Grandma closed the door and looked at Kim for the explanation.

"The movie we are going to watch will explain a lot of things. I hope that you like it. But there are going to be a few things that you are going to find difficult to accept. So Linda is going to show you something up front. We are going to our lodge in Davos Monstein. It is in the far northeast corner of Switzerland, and it is the home to the highest brewery in Europe." Kim grinned and quickly added, "Not that I have started drinking beer. I just like their motto, 'The last beer stop before Heaven'. But anyway, Davos Monstein is a long way from here. Linda is going to take us there instantly. We are going to walk through an invisible portal. We will instantly arrive in Davos Monstein. When you go through the portal you will feel your stomach come up into your chest. It will feel like you are falling. You are not. I'll explain once we get there. Any questions?"

Grandpa had a question, "Are you serious?"

Mom said, "Is this a joke?"

"No mom, I'm not joking and yea grandpa, I am completely serious. Linda will handle everything. Before we go, take a look out the window. It will be fun to see Geneva one minute, and the most beautiful mountains in the world next."

"Are you really serious?"

Everyone laughed. "Come on grandpa, I'll go first." Kim walked towards the window and disappeared. We were all startled. It's one thing to say strange things, but it is quite another to do it. If Kim could do it, so could I.

"I'm next. Linda, what do I do?"

"Walk in that direction."

I started walking and the lights went out. My stomach went all weird and I thought I was falling. Then I was standing in another room with Kim.

"Kind of neat, huh?"

"Wow!" I was stunned. "Was that teleportation? Is that what just happened?"

"Not exactly," Kim said with a grin. "Wait 'til the others get here and I'll try to explain."

"Ok," I agreed. "Where are the mountains?" I wanted to see them. Kim pointed towards the windows. I went over and looked out the window, and the view was gorgeous. It was more than gorgeous; it was magnificent. The sky was the deepest blue that I had ever seen, and the mountains and valley were covered with snow. We were located in a valley just above a very small village. This was the type of picture that belonged on a postcard. It was probably the most beautiful scene that I had ever seen.

Just then I heard a pop and a scream. It was grandma. Her eyes were the size of silver dollars. Grandma was stumbling and Kim held her. "Ohhhh," was all that grandma could say. There were two more pops and grandpa and mom appeared.

"Yes sir," yelled grandpa. "Now that was a ride!" I guess grandpa liked it. Then Linda showed up.

"Kim, I'll let you show your family around," and Linda left.

"She didn't need to leave," said mom. "We all owe her so much. She shouldn't act like a stranger."

"Mom," Kim said, "this is going to blow your mind. She is more of a stranger than you can imagine. But right now she has a very busy agenda. Do you want to see the movie first or would you like a tour of the lodge."

"Kim, please explain what is going on first. How did we get here? What just happened?" Mom was speaking but grandma was also shaking her head yes, yes, yes.

"Teleportation," I announced.

"No, it was something different," Kim said. "The movie. Follow me, and we'll go to the AV room." Kim led us to a rather long room with a large screen at the far end. Kim commanded the projector to drop from the ceiling and the projector light popped on. "Everyone sit and I'll start the movie. Ready? This is it."

Two hours later we were all emotionally exhausted. We had no idea what had been happening. We were totally unprepared for Kimmay's breakthroughs, or the true identity of Linda and Amanda, or what our government had actually done. We didn't realize how brave Kristal and Kimmay and Todd really were. And we didn't realize how smart they were. This had been real guns and knives type of action, not make-believe, and the people that we knew and loved were the ones who had successfully handled it.

The movie was going to be a blockbuster. The producer had done a great job. Bits of real video, such as the attack by the commandos in Grand Cayman, were interspersed with reenactments. Everyone played him or herself, and they were all rather good actors. The storyline was great and flowed to an amazing conclusion. The music added power and emotion. They had voice-overs and subscripts that explained some of the complicated things. And every little bit was true. It was going to shake the world, especially the introduction of Linda and Amanda.

Mom was moved the most. She had just found out that she probably would have died, and Linda risked her own life to save her. Linda had then saved Kimmay's life and she did all of this after losing Amanda. Mom wanted to see Linda again, but Linda was off on some errands.

"So what do you think?" asked Kimmay.

"Wow!" I said. "We had no idea what was going on. We believed you when you told us you had been framed for Professor Keystone's murder, but we had no idea who or what you were up against. And Linda saving mom's life was a real shock. I knew mom had been seriously wounded, but I didn't realize how close to death she was. Everything was just wow, wow, wow."

Grandpa walked over to Kim and gave her a big hug. "When we found out that the government was hunting you down, I didn't think that you had one chance in a thousand. And Valerie kept saying, 'Just wait and see. Kim is a lot smarter than you think.' Valerie was right. You are a lot smarter than I ever gave you credit. And now that movie is going to make you a legend; every one of you. I find it all overwhelming."

Grandma and mom each gave Kim a hug and a thumbs up on the movie.

"So what happens next?" I asked. "Are they still hunting for you?"

"Yes they are. They followed you from Milwaukee and they prepared an ambush for us at the hotel in Geneva."

"What?" mom screeched. "They are still trying to kill us?"

"Don't worry, you're safe mom. Linda took care of everything. Only a handful of people have seen that movie. And even less know that it is true. The people who shot the movie thought it was just another story. But along with you, the Prime Minister of Switzerland has also seen the movie. He only saw the first half, so he isn't fully aware of Linda or the complete agenda for tomorrow's press conference.

"We showed him the movie and explained that you were coming to Geneva. We told him that we expected another attempt on our lives. He and Linda were prepared for your arrival. Two men who followed you on the plane never made it through customs. Another four men were staking out the hotel. Linda identified them and the local police arrested them. They are all in jail now. And now you are here. Even if someone slipped through our net, there is no way that they could have followed us here. No one knows where we are. So mom, don't worry. You're safe now."

"What is going to happen now?" I asked.

"We're just going to relax today. Linda and Mr. Dunn are attending to last minute details on this side of the Atlantic, and Kristal, Jennifer and the movie producer are handling details on the other side. Todd is off with his family today. Tomorrow we will go to the press conference in Geneva, where Todd and I will be introduced with a short ten-minute film. Would you like to see that film?"

We all said yes.

The second movie was mostly hype and propaganda meant to help Kim and Todd introduce their break-through technology. It started with factories and super tankers spewing black smoke and hundreds of diesel trucks stuck in traffic jams in smog-choked cities. It showed children with dirty faces working in sweat shops. And then it showed ultra-rich men and women enjoying life. It flashed back to dirty faced men working on oilrigs and refineries, again spewing forth black smoke. The voice-over talked about how wonderful it would be if there were pollution free ways of obtaining large amounts of energy for almost free. 'There is a way' the movie said. That became the theme.

The movie switched to Todd and Kimmay. It didn't talk about their problems with the U.S. government. It concentrated solely on their scientific work. The movie showed Professors Drum and Barnhardt in front of computer simulations explaining the concept behind Kim's theories. And then it switched to shots from inside laboratories and chip manufacturing plants. They interviewed Todd and talked about teleportation. Then they interviewed Kimmay and talked about matter annihilation and crossing over into different dimensions and universes. They showed schematics of how the chips were built and used animation to show how they worked.

Then the movie ended with a fat-cat oil executive and his diamond covered wife in a limousine. The limousine stops and they get out. The next thing you see is that they are now dressed as chauffeurs and they are holding the doors open for all of the children stepping out of the limo. They are the same children as shown in the first part of the movie, but now they are clean and are wearing good clothes, and instead of frustration etched on their faces they are smiling. It was a powerful and emotional message. It was half propaganda and half fact, and all about marketing.

"That's the movie that will start the press conference tomorrow. Then Todd and I will be introduced and we will each make a short two or three minute statement, and then we will answer questions for another thirty or forty minutes. After that, I will introduce Linda and explain who she is. No one is going to believe me, so she is going to present Earth with a small gift. It should convince most people. Linda will talk for a few minutes, but she will not answer questions. There are still many things that she will not tell us. And there are still some things that I am not allowed to tell you. When Linda is done we will show the big movie.

"The movie should finish at 2 or 3:00 P.M. our time. That is 8:00 or 9:00 A.M. in Washington D.C. Kristal's press conference is scheduled for 1:00 P.M. That will give the press plenty of time to spread the word to their U.S. counterparts. That should build the anticipation and audience for Kristal's press conference. She will attack the administration and if necessary provide additional evidence, depending on how the question and answer period goes. At the end she will show the movie. But her version of the movie has another ten minutes where she will announce her candidacy for President of the United States of America. And trust me, the producer put together an awesome speech complete with special effects. Kristal's message and delivery will be clear and powerful."

"Kristal is going to run for the Presidency? That's great. She is just what we need. It looks like you have put a great deal of thought and effort into this presentation. I'm proud of the things that you have accomplished," grandpa said.

Everyone added their, "Me too."

"How would you like to see the vacation house that we have been staying in? It was built by a very rich millionaire, a gunrunner we think. He spent tons of money on this place and almost never comes here. We have been here for over two years now. I think Todd has been here for several years. This is beautiful country. I have had a chance to travel all over the world. I've been to the Caribbean, Africa, Korea, Indonesia, all over Europe and this is by far my favorite place. We can start on the ground floor and we will work our way up.

"Todd has his laboratory in the basement. This is where he perfected teleportation. I'm not sure there is much of a future for teleportation. We might be only five or ten years from having portal technology. But his teleportation was critical to my energy chips, so I was very happy and lucky to have him here with me."

"Do you like him?" I queried.

"Back off, sis. Yes I like him, but not the way you're thinking. This is the rest of his laboratory." Kim walked us through a large basement complex. She stopped at a door at the far end.

"Before we go any further, I have to warn you."

"Again?" asked grandma in exasperation.

"No, no. Nothing like what you are thinking grandma. Linda is providing protection for Mr. Dunn's four grandchildren. They have not been able to go to school since they came here and they were starting to get bored with just hanging around the house. Linda decided to give them an educational toy. It is a sort of 3-dimensional projector of the Earth's history. It starts when the Earth was a molten ball of iron, and follows the evolution of Earth up to about 500,000 years ago. Now this is a rather elaborate projector. You can stand on the outside and watch, or you can step into it and actually touch things. There are built in safeties, so you can't get burned or drown or anything like that. But you can touch things like rocks or dinosaurs."

"No way!" I squealed. "Real dinosaurs?"

"Yes, they're sort of real. And you can touch them and feel the texture of their skin or the sharpness of a tooth."

"Can you smell them?"

"Valerie, you're getting ridiculous now."

"As if the rest of this stuff isn't ridiculous?" I was a bit miffed. I thought it was a legitimate question.

"Ok, you have a point. Anyway, this device has a wide range in the scale of things. You can project a full size dinosaur, a herd of dinosaurs or you can go to microscopic sizes and study one-celled algae. The kids love this thing and once they found the dinosaurs that is where they have spent most of their time. I don't know if the projector is on or not, but just in case I wanted to warn you." Kim opened the door to a dark room. No one was home.

"Darn," I said. "I wanted to see dinosaurs."

"Tomorrow you can. I told you that Linda will present Earth with a gift to help convince everyone that she is what she says she is. When she saw how much fun the kids had with this machine, she decided to present the same toy to the planet. She will give a demonstration tomorrow. I'll ask her to show dinosaurs just for you."

"I should hope so!" I was starting to have fun.

Kim showed us through the rest of the house. It was just what you would expect from a millionaire. It must have had ten bedrooms, each with a balcony overlooking the beautiful Alps. The house also had a fitness area with an Olympic-size swimming pool, sauna, whirlpools, gymnasium, weight room, and bowling alleys. There were two kitchens, a movie room, billiard room, library and more dens, sitting rooms and relaxing areas than you could shake a stick at. I told Kim that she could build me a house just like this one when she became filthy rich.

When we returned to the main room, our luggage was there. "All of the bedrooms on the third level are open. Each of you can choose whichever bedroom you want. The elevator is behind that wall. When you finish up, we can meet in the large kitchen and put together some lunch."

We took our luggage to our rooms and then returned for lunch. We spent the afternoon catching up on gossip from work and listening to Kim's stories. She had been traveling all over the world and had some great stories. It was like talking with a real spy. Linda slipped them in and out of countries and no one ever knew where they were. Kim must have apologized a dozen times for not contacting us after the incident at the hospital. "It's your fault, Valerie. If you hadn't seen them wheel me out on the gurney, no one would have thought I was dead."

"My fault?" I retorted. "You never even contacted us once!"

"It was for your own good," she said. We were about to get into a good old-fashioned sibling argument, but grandpa stepped in and stopped us before we could really get going. We were only half serious, but grandpa didn't realize it.

We talked all afternoon and had a wonderful time. Linda popped in a couple of times, but always left after a few minutes. Kim explained that they couldn't use most electronic communications, so Linda jumped around the world passing along instructions and communications. There were still a million things to work out for the big press conferences the next day. We met Todd and his parents late in the evening. They had spent the day in Botswana on a day safari. I asked Kim if we could go to Botswana also. "It depends on what happens tomorrow. I think things are going to get very hectic after the conference. I probably won't have much free time, but I'll bet Linda can take you there for a day trip."

"I vote for a day trip," I told everyone.

We went to bed early that night. None of us was used to the new time zone yet, and we knew that we had a busy day coming up.

 

Everyone received a wakeup call at 7:00 the next morning. Most of us were already awake. I was sitting in front of the French doors leading out to my balcony. It was another beautiful day and I was watching the wind-blown snow settle around the patio below. We met for breakfast and ate like pigs. I don't know if it was the elevation or the emotional relief, but we went through enough food to feed an army. Linda pushed us off to our rooms and told us to be ready by 9:00.

Since everyone was so excited to see the big presentation, we all returned to the kitchen well before 9:00 sharp. Each and every one of us looked exceptionally respectable for the first time in years. Grandpa was wearing his best suit, grandma was wearing a conservative dress, while Kim, mom and I were wearing more stylish dresses. Linda was wearing a power suit with a skirt down to mid calf. She looked like a politician or banker. Linda gave us our last minute instructions and then sent us off to The Grand Theatre de Geneve. We arrived back stage with Kim and Todd. They introduced us to several people, including Professors Drum and Barnhardt. Mom, grandma and grandpa were happy to see another familiar face, and Professor Barnhardt remembered them as well. We also met Mr. Dunn. He had his four grandchildren with him. I asked them about the dinosaur machine and they told me that I was going to be totally impressed.

After introductions, we wandered around getting in the way for an hour. The press people were all over the place, and some of them were down right rude. I went out of my way to get in their way whenever I could. About ten minutes before show time we were ushered out front and taken to our seats. They gave the front rows to the press. They left a couple of rows empty, and then began seating the dignitaries. We sat in the third dignitary row. There were ambassadors, prime ministers and a prince in our row. Behind us, we were told, were high-powered businessmen with their top technical experts, bankers and stock market professionals. Behind them were the brightest professors from all over the world. Professor Barnhardt was responsible for inviting most of the technical people. Mr. Dunn had said the BBC had hired a top level PR firm to make sure that all the right people were present.

The lights dimmed and we sat in the dark for half a minute. Then some music began building up and a voice began speaking in English. "Honored guests, welcome to the Grande Theatre de Geneve. You have been invited to witness the most momentous announcements in the history of our civilization. Please turn your cell phones and recording devices off. Everything that you see here today will be given to you on a DVD. Complete packets of information with names and contacts will be handed to you as you leave. There is no need for you to take your own notes, so you can give your complete attention to this historical occasion. Now, if you would please bring your attention to the screen at the front of the stage. You will see the most amazing show in the world." The hyperbole was beginning.

Todd and Kimmay's introductory movie began. It took only ten minutes but the mood was already set. As soon as it ended there was excited whispering all over the theater. People were already pulling out cell phones and computers.

The lights came on and the screen went up. There were two podiums on each side of the stage. They were covered with so many microphones they looked like porcupines. Todd and Kimmay walked on stage to thunderous applause. They crossed the stage and stopped in the middle to give each other a hug. They made a beautiful pair, I thought. Both were about the same size, had pretty hair and looked like a cute college couple. With hand in hand they faced the audience and accepted the applause for a moment, then continued their walks to the podiums on opposite sides of the stage. They waited a few minutes for the applause to die down.

Todd spoke first, "Welcome, and thank you for coming. My name is Todd Reimer." Then Kimmay spoke, "My name is Kimmay. Todd and I will each give you a brief statement and then we will open the floor to questions."

Todd went first, and he talked about his discovery of teleportation, his initial laboratory work and the support that he received from his professor. He thanked everyone who had helped him with his work. He finished with some short comments about the attempt on his life, "Finally, I would like to mention my premature death announcement. You will receive the full details in a short while. A group of powerful and unscrupulous people attempted to kill me and put an end to my work on teleportation. They would have succeeded if it were not for the help of a very special person. I look forward to introducing you to Linda. But for now I must give her my most heart-felt thanks. Without Linda, I would not be here today. Thank you."

Kimmay's speech was much the same. She thanked her parents and grandparents and even me. She apologized for leaving us in anguish for an entire year while we thought she was dead. She thanked all of her professors, especially Professor Barnhardt and Professor Drum. "And last, I want to extend my condolences to the family and friends of Professor Claire Keystone. Many people still think that I murdered Professor Keystone. Among many other things today, you will learn the truth about her death, and who is ultimately responsible for that death. I loved Professor Keystone. I had only two friends while I was at Stanford. They were two of the best friends that anyone could possibly have had. They are both dead now. They were both murdered by the same evil organization. I dedicate everything I have done to Professor Claire Keystone and Amanda."

Todd took over one more time. "We will answer questions next. Tomorrow, same time and same place, Professor Barnhardt and Professor Drum will again appear here, and answer as many questions as they can. Just as a recap of our short movie, Professors Drum and Barnhardt ran all the computer simulations of our work. They will make every bit of it available to the academic and commercial world."

"And finally, at the end of this question session, I will introduce a very, very special person to all of you. There is a microphone in the center and on each side of the theater. When I mention your organization, please send your representative to the microphone. Will the BBC come forward first, and will Reuters prepare to be next?"

Mr. Dunn walked to the microphone. "Mr. Reimer and Miss May. You are going to become immensely wealthy. What do you intend to do with your money?"

"I'll take that question," said Todd. "Kimmay and I have already set in motion the creation of a charitable fund that will collect a generous share of the profits. Among other humanitarian causes, our charity will fund the Eleven Lights Foundation for Freedom. The organization will be a professional organization for spreading truth around the globe. They will fight censorship, corruption, greed and the criminal element of all governments on this planet."

Kimmay took over. "This organization is extremely important to the people of our planet. No one should be subjected to attacks like Todd and I have gone through. It will take a while to recruit the high quality individuals that we will need to staff this organization. That means that we will not be able to free all the people immediately. We will therefore have to prioritize our targets. The President of the United States and his administration will be our first priority." Kimmay shifted out of answer mode, "The Economist please prepare your question. Reuters, it is your turn."

"Did I hear correctly; did you mean to insinuate that the United States has the most censored, greedy and corrupt government in the world?"

"Yes you did," said Todd. "But that will be explained in painful detail in a little while. Please ask another question miss."

"When will this technology be available?"

It was Kimmay's turn. "We have already produced about 100 prototypes of each chip. They will be made available on a semi-first come first served basis. We will split the chips about 60/40 between commercial enterprises and academia. We will give one energy and one storage chip to anyone who asks. Todd and I will begin pilot plant production of the chips in about three months, and those chips will also be given free of charge to whoever asks. The only restriction we have is that no United States based institution will be allowed to have a chip. Anyone who gives a chip to a U.S. based institution will be cut off forever. And we do mean forever."

Todd took over, "We are currently in negotiations for capital and engineering consultation services. We hope to begin groundbreaking for a large plant this spring. It will be located in Switzerland, probably near Lucerne. We intend to quickly take the company public. Stock offerings will be through the Internet, and no one will be allowed to own more than 0.01 percent of the stock. Except for us of course," he joked. "Kimmay and I will retain fifty-one percent. We will sell only to individuals and we will not sell to financial groups or institutions. This will slow down the public offering and we apologize. But we are going to run a much different enterprise than you are used to seeing. And that is also a promise. Japan, Asahi please prepare your question. The Economist?"

"Have you patented your invention yet?"

Todd began, "At noon today, the essential paperwork will be sent to every patent office in the world. We will ask for only one patent. It will cover the principles required for teleportation. Do you have a second question?"

"That doesn't cover these new energy chips, does it? How will you protect your intellectual property in the storage chip, for example?"

"We believe that reverse engineering will be almost impossible. I can't explain why we believe that, but we are confident that one patent will be enough. Pravda, you will be next. Asahi?"

"How do you see your invention being used? What types of products will you make?"

It was Kimmay's turn to answer. "We do not intend to make any products. We are using computer chip manufacturers as our business model. We will make two chips. Period. We will sell them to whomever wants to buy them and they in turn can use them however they see fit. Do you have a second question?"

"How much will the chips cost?"

"We are not sure yet, but they will not be cheap." Todd estimated, "…possibly around one thousand euros initially, and potentially one hundred later, as the economics of scale kick in. Xinhua will be the last news service, then we would like to answer a few questions from the University of Cambridge. Pravda?"

The question and answer period lasted for a total of ninety minutes. Kimmay had told us that would be the maximum. Kimmay answered the last question, "I am sorry, but that is all the time we have. Remember, tomorrow right here Professor Drum and Professor Barnhardt will join Todd and I. We will answer questions as long as our voices hold out. Now, I would like Todd to introduce a very important person."

"Thank you Kimmay. We have saved the best for last. In a short time, we will invite you to sit through the world premier of an extremely important movie. That movie will explain many questions that you still have. As the movie progresses, you are going to be introduced to a most extraordinary person. Without this person, this press conference would not be taking place, there would be no breakthrough to share with you, and most importantly, at least to us, Kimmay and I would be dead. She literally saved our lives and allowed this to be possible. Before I introduce you to Linda, there is one more thing that you must know about Linda. Linda is a very gifted human being. I know this because she has told me that she is a human being." There were a few chuckles.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to a lady that comes from another planet. Linda is not from Earth. She has asked us to call her home world Amanda, in honor of her lost friend. I give you Linda from the planet Amanda."

Two spotlights lit the center of the stage. With a slight pop, Linda appeared in the center of the spotlights. Linda flashed a huge smile to the audience and cameras. There were a few ooohs, but the audience mostly remained quiet. "Did you like my little trick? Nothing that a good illusionist couldn't do in his sleep. Right?" There were a few chuckles from the audience. I realize that it is a little bit of a stretch to believe that I am from another planet. So instead of talking, I'm going to show you something.

"I've been doing some babysitting lately." She was talking in a very lilting and conversational tone, both friendly and confident. "I have four children staying with me, and because they were with me, they couldn't go to school. They were getting bored, so I gave them an educational toy." A small box materialized on the floor in front of Linda. There were again just a few ooohhs and aaahhs. "This toy will project a 3-D image of Earth. It will show you the Earth's entire history from the time it was a molten ball of iron and rock up to 500,000 years ago. It can show you the entire Earth if you want to see atmospheric disturbances or continental drift. You can narrow the view to a continent or a sea or a lake. It will allow you to go even smaller, down to the size of a large animal. And if you are a scientist, it will let you focus down to the size of a one celled microscopic life form. You can study minerals if you want. The most interesting part is that everything you see is factual. This isn't a recording that is played back. This toy is actually a time machine. It shows you the actual activity as it really happened.

"Another interesting aspect about this toy is that you can actually touch and feel the subjects of your study. I gave this toy to some children, hoping that they would educate themselves concerning the actual evolution of your planet. They were only half-heartedly interested until they found dinosaurs, and then they spent almost every hour of the day watching dinosaurs. So, today I will show you dinosaurs as they really were. They will be life sized and they will walk among you. You can touch them if you want. Don't be alarmed, they do not sense your presence and they cannot hurt you.

"Valerie, this is for you." Dinosaurs appeared on stage. They started small and grew to full size. They turned towards the audience and started walking towards us. There were some yells and screams from the audience. They were real and they walked right by us. I reached out and touched the skin of a stegosaurus as it walked by me. It was chewing its cud and its stomach was rumbling. There was tall grass on the floor and trees along the side of the auditorium. I heard someone yell, "Look at this! Feathers!" I looked in that direction and there was a twenty-foot tall dinosaur covered with feathers.

People were still talking, but Linda began narrating again. "The controller can allow you to keep these dinosaurs at this size, or smaller. You can put them on a tabletop if you want. What you are watching is really happening. This is not a model or simulation. You are watching reality as it actually happened several million years ago. There are many intelligent species around the universe that have this technology. Every one of these species has agreed that time travel of less than 25,000 years is outlawed. No one is allowed to go back to the near future. There are many reasons for this, but the most important reason has to do with cause and effect.

"I will give this toy to the Museum d'histoire naturelle de la Ville de Geneve. I will ask them to make it available to scientists and tourists. Has everyone had a chance to touch a dinosaur? I hope so, our time is up." The dinosaurs just disappeared. There was no warning, no fading or even shrinkage to a smaller size. They just disappeared. I hated to see them go, and so did everyone else. There was a discernible sigh and even a few whines from the back of the room.

"Next, we have a movie that will explain many things for you. But before I go, I have one last thing to say. Actually, I have a question. Kimmay, I know that you and Todd are going to be extraordinarily busy for the next couple of years. But as soon as you can break away from your enterprise, I would like to invite you to become Earth's first ambassador to my people. I would like you to come to my home world of Amanda. Would you do that?"

Kim was caught by surprise. "Ahhh, yes, I would love to do that."

"Great. And Todd, when Kimmay returns, would you be the second ambassador to come visit us?"

"Absolutely," said Todd. "I would be honored."

"Thank you, Todd. My people will love to meet you." Linda turned her attention back to the audience. "I'm sorry, but I will not take any questions. Not now, and not later. We have a movie that every one of you must see. It explains many things and will answer most of your questions. It will also explain why I cannot answer your questions. I have enjoyed this opportunity to talk with you. Please enjoy the movie."

Linda disappeared. The public address voice spoke, "The lights will go down in ten minutes. The movie will start then. This movie is on DVD and will be in the packet that you receive when you leave the theatre. In that packet are contacts for Todd, Kimmay, Professor Drum, Professor Barnhardt and their new business enterprises. You may pass comments along to Linda through the Eleven Lights Charity Foundation."

When the public address announcer finished, several people ran out of the theatre. Some were probably headed to the bathroom, but others were undoubtedly heading to write stories and make AV calls. We sat and watched the proceedings. I have to admit that I was feeling rather smug. Kimmay was my sister, after all. The lights started dimming after exactly ten minutes and the movie started very shortly after that. I had already seen the movie once, and I was anxious to see it a second time. I knew that there were many details that I had missed the first time.

Back in London, the BBC cut from the live show and started their high-definition DVD. The world was about to learn the truth, and there were going to be some unhappy people in Washington D.C. The movie ran for its two hours. At the conclusion, people stood and applauded. Most of the VIPs in front remained stoic, but the technical people applauded especially long. We stayed in our seats and listened to the buzz as people left. I listened as several people said it would become the most important movie of our time. Others said that it was unbelievable how demented the United States had become. There were numerous praises for Kimmay and Kristal.

After the theatre had cleared out, we walked up on stage and found Kimmay and Linda. Reporters were still trying to ask Kim questions and she was already tired from the excitement of the day. Linda suggested that we return to the mansion. She was in a hurry to get to Washington and meet-up with Kristal. Once again we jumped through Linda's portal. Once you knew what was going to happen, it was fun. At the house we settled in the AV room and turned on the news channels. We wanted to hear the analysis that different people were presenting. Overall, Kimmay had impressed everyone. They were excited about the cheap and clean energy, and were shocked at what the United States was doing. The more discerning talking-heads mentioned how beautiful Kimmay was. We all hooted and teased Kimmay whenever they mentioned her appearance.

We watched AV shows, ate and lounged around while we waited for Kristal's press conference. The BBC was going to broadcast it live. We wondered if anyone at home would see the conference. It was a safe bet that the President and Mr. Clover would stop the U.S. news channels from broadcasting the news conference. The BBC was streaming their broadcast through the Internet, and had contracted for twenty additional server stations so that they wouldn't be overloaded by all the U.S. watchers that they expected.

Kristal was speaking from the Concert Hall in the John F. Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts. The hall would seat over 2400 people and Kristal expected it to be full. Kristal had originally booked the center three months in advance, and once the schedule had been cleared, there were no problems. The administration must have thought that they had Kristal under control. But after Kimmay's press conference they evidently changed their minds. Twice they cut the power to the center. The first time Linda reconnected it. The second time they went further back to a substation and shut down an entire section of the city. Much to their chagrin, the lights in the Kennedy Center reappeared almost immediately.

They were quickly finding out the Linda was a worthy adversary.

Then the police arrived. Over one hundred police came charging into the hall and started ordering people to leave immediately. They didn't even pretend there was an emergency, they just ordered people out. Linda stepped to a microphone and addressed the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen please return to your seats. There is no cause for alarm. We would like to welcome the local police. We have reserved seats for each and every one of you. Would all of the police officers please step up here towards the stage?" Every one of the officers walked forward like a robot. "Please come up on stage," she instructed them. She told them to sit on the stage, behind the podium, and they did exactly as Linda instructed them.

The BBC was already broadcasting and it was an awesome sight. It was funny, but it was also frightening. Linda's powers were being showcased and there was no doubt that she was in control. Since we knew what to look for, we could see her hand squeezing the little bag that it held. No one else would have noticed it, but it made us wonder just how powerful she really was. Her performance wasn't wasted on the people in the audience. The noise level in the hall had dropped from an overpowering roar to low-pitched resonance of whispering.

It didn't take long for Krysallis to walk on the stage. She had foregone the senator-look, and she walked out in a beautiful white gown. The gown had a full skirt that floated just above the floor. Her hair was curled in an up-style and she was wearing the presidential earrings that Kaliber had given Kimmay. She received a small applause. Only a small portion of her audience was made up of friends and acquaintances. Most of the audience was made up of press representatives, and that was by intention.

"Thank you all for coming." Krysallis used her stage presence to establish an upbeat and free-wheeling situation. "Do you like the dress?" She stepped out from behind the podium and did a pirouette for the audience. In spite of being almost forty-four years old, she was still stunning. Her modeling background was evident to the initiated. She received a larger applause.

In a mockery of herself she announced, "If elected President, I promise to always wear dresses." That drew a modest amount of laughs and applause. She was just starting to play her audience.

She turned sideways, still talking into the microphones but acting like she was talking to the police. "I would like to welcome Washington's finest to our extravaganza. And I would like to thank the President and Mr. Clover for allowing our friends to attend." A few more chuckles. "I see that Linda gave you the best seats in the house." The audience broke into an uproar. Krysallis was winning over the audience.

She turned back to the audience. "How do you like my earrings?" She tilted her head to show the dangling baubles. "I hope they look appropriate. They are Presidential Earrings. They came from the President. Well not directly, Kimmay loaned them to me. Wasn't that nice of the President to give these earrings to Kimmay? Hopefully, all of my earrings will soon become Presidential Earrings." More laughter.

Krysallis told another joke and had the audience won over. Then she began her speech. She slammed the President and the administration. She talked about their crimes and demanded impeachment and criminal prosecution. She attacked the Presidents 'Crime Team' and told personal testimonials from Kimmay and Todd and herself. At one point she stopped and showed the audience and the cameras her leg. After 3 skin grafts, you could still see the scars. The cameras zoomed in on the tears on her cheeks as she told of the horror as she was abducted and threatened. She praised the true heroism of Jennifer; and how her apprehension of both of the attackers saved Krysallis from a certain and painful death.

We were sitting on the edge of our seat as we listened to Krysallis. There was no doubt that she was winning the hearts of everyone watching. And there was no doubt as to who the enemy was, and how evil they truly were. Krysallis talked about freedom and the Constitution. She talked about failures and hopes. She blasted the decadence, deviousness and traitorous content of the administration, and their arrogance and attitude towards the common man.

She talked about the punishment they had earned for the entire country. The punishment of being excluded from Kimmay's and Todd's cheap energy would destroy the economy and eliminate a prosperous future for their children. The punishment was earned because the President was the sycophant of the oil rich families that ruled the United States. The last thirty years of history would be recorded in infamy as the arrogance and hegemony of ruthless and greedy families. Krysallis' energy level was starting to rise. Her voice was beginning to rise in pitch and decibels. Her gestures were becoming grandiose. She was reaching her peak, much like a Saturday night evangelist preaching against the devil. She was winning hearts and minds.

Krysallis had the world listening and believing. "But don't believe just me. I present to you a movie that shows the full and complete truth. Every thing that you are about to see is factual and validated. I bring you the truth," she announced grandly.

The screen descended, the lights went out and the movie began. We all leaned back into our chairs and watched again. This was our third time through the movie, and we were starting to understand more of the intricacies of the past couple of years. We were able to ask Kim more penetrating questions as we sat through show. We were surprised at how many questions Kim refused to answer. Kim would answer almost no questions concerning Linda's intentions, abilities or powers. We slowly discovered that there was more intrigue behind the scenes than we had ever expected.

At the end of the movie, Krysallis announced her intentions to run for the Presidency of the United States of America. She received an uproarious acceptance. The future was looking brighter.

 

EPLIOGUE

Source: Valerie Samantha May

In January of 2033, we were meeting to send Kimmay off to the World of Amanda. Our optimism had suffered numerous setbacks in the 18 months leading up to the national elections. The Administration had come to the conclusion that Krysallis would defeat the President in the election. There was just too much evidence and proof that the President and his cronies were corrupt. The powers behind the throne forced the President to abdicate his position. The Vice-President took over and quickly cleaned house. They claimed that the abuses of the past were strictly due to the previous President, and would never happen again.

Some historians hypothesize that this move was the ultimate reason for the administration's defeat. The administration had to admit that they were culpable for the deterioration in the nation and had indeed 'stolen' America's future. In addition, it pitted a relatively unknown politician against an American icon that was known and (initially) respected in every household in America. But that's all Monday morning quarterbacking, because at the time it didn't make the campaign any easier for Krysallis and her team. It was a prudent and necessary gambit for the administration, but they really had no choice.

It helped, but they were still in trouble. The economy was starting to crumble, and no matter how they cooked the books, the people were starting to see the real effects. The controlling families had stolen and looted almost ten trillion dollars from the United States over the last twenty years. The effect of that could no longer be hidden with lies. Little things like tax breaks, and corporate give-aways had always been sold as good for the economy and thus everyone eventually benefited. But after thirty years the lies were more difficult to hide. The treasury and the money were gone and the people were finally starting to see that all of their taxes and sacrifices had bought them plenty of lies, but no real social safety nets. It had been almost one hundred years since the last great depression and the similarities were starting to scare people.

On the international front, China was starting to mobilize its military. They were tired of the United States hegemony around the borders of their country, and they were preparing to stand up to the United States. The oil producing countries saw their wealth and importance coming to an end. The internal jockeying to gain power as the U.S. began to withdraw had already led to numerous coups and assassinations. Ethnic factions throughout the Middle East, Asia and northern Africa saw their opportunity to exact revenge for past insults; both real and imagined. Terrorist attacks and bombings picked up as the factions fought back against under-manned police forces and against their perceived enemies. Even more telling was the rising number of attacks against Christian Fundamentalists and their missionaries. The Muslim world had chafed under the yoke of these Western occupiers for too many years, and they welcomed the coming opportunity to strike back. Religious conflicts were increasing and a massive conflagration was becoming a definite possibility.

The government still controlled the press, and the censorship was tightened to absurd levels. Krysallis didn't exist in the U.S. press except in one capacity. The administration knew they would be defeated if they tried to campaign on the facts or their past performance. Rational discussions and logic would have to be thrown out the window. There was only one thing they could do. They started to mobilize the religious faction that had kept them in power. They quickly framed the entire campaign as a war between good and evil. The administration was good. They were god-fearing and religious. Krysallis was bad. She was worse than bad. She was worse than evil. She was the devil. She and that entity from another world were the devil incarnate. The theme was hammered home in the press on a daily basis. Every day the press interviewed another religious icon that swore the Bible and God had told him personally that Krysallis was the devil. Armageddon was coming. Nostradamus once again had predicted all of this, and war was inevitable. It was beginning to swing the vote back in their direction.

Logic and facts were left in the dust. The mainstream media was used to relentlessly attack Krysallis and her minions. They portrayed her as everything from a lesbian to a witch. The only thing they did not accuse her of was being a transsexual. Without proof, that kind of allegation was too absurd to try. She was, after all, the most beautiful woman to hit the big screen since Marilyn Monroe. Although some rumors accusing her of being a transsexual spread through the Internet, facts could never be collected and presented. We were never sure if those facts had been effectively deleted by Kristal's family or if Linda had somehow contributed. But it really didn't matter, the other accusations, as ugly and stupid as they were, accomplished what their authors wanted. The emotions of hatred were fully ignited.

Krysallis had successfully campaigned for international election observers. She had no chance of winning if the administration was allowed to control all of the polling locations. Over 10,000 observers had come to the U.S. to help insure an honest election. But as an astute observer had once opined, the winner isn't decided by who gets the most votes, but by who counts the votes. Even with the observers present, the administration tried to steal the election. They had no choice. The people with the money knew they were doomed under a country controlled by Krysallis. They had only one option.

The election itself almost initiated an international war. Fortunately a few foreign countries knew how important the U.S. was to world prosperity and peace. They knew they could not allow a corrupt and extremist regime to retain power. The Europeans especially, had seen the effect of these types of failures in their own history. They sent numerous delegations to the U.S. to warn of dire consequences if the elections were rigged.

It didn't matter. Not even nuclear war would have stopped the families from rigging the election. They had everything in the world, and they were not going to lose it without a fight. Twice they attempted to assassinate Krysallis. Linda saved her once, but the international community saved her the second time. Each time the blame was laid on a lone gunman; a deranged fanatic that had lost touch with reality - or at least that is what the world was told.

The government was starting to fracture. By June of 2032, the Pentagon was already mobilizing for a coup d'étate if Krysallis won the election. The NSA watched everyone and they had all of the intelligence required to expose those generals. Moderate voices behind the scenes in the NSA were ready to do just that; expose every general involved. The generals fought back, cutting off all NSA access to international as well as space resources. This required no little amount of effort, in that the defense department had to secretly arrest and detain hundreds of NSA agents as they forcibly took-over many of the NSA's listening posts and satellite stations. A few 'old-men' at NSA eventually saved the day by sabotaging the Pentagon's entire computer network. It was a work of brilliance that could be carried out only by some of the best computer hackers in the world, and the NSA owned most of them. Only after the Pentagon backed down were the networks re-established, but for sixty hours the Pentagon was totally blind.

The administration was forced to take a different approach. They smeared, defamed, insulted and attacked everyone associated with Krysallis. Their lies were so blatant, that even their sycophants in the press had trouble keeping a straight face as they published the lies. But millionaire zealots owned the press, and to protect their family fortunes they did indeed publish the lies. The heat was turned up in the public arena.

In the private arena it was a different story. As the election drew into the final stretch, the administration knew they would probably lose. In mid October, with the help of the Pentagon and the generals, they were prepared to start a war, declare martial law and postpone the elections. The U.S. Armed Forces reached DEFCON 3 before Europe and Asia threatened a total quarantine of the United States if they declared martial law. Even so, it looked like the administration would go forward with war and martial law.

Then Krysallis organized the largest civilian demonstration in the history of the world. On October 31, 2032, Krysallis had forty-five million people march on state capitals. In Washington D. C. she had three million people show up in front of the capital. In the middle of the demonstrations, Linda walked into the Pentagon's War Room and stopped the biggest travesty in the history of the world.

Two weeks later, Krysallis won the election. A huge sigh of relief was heard around the world. But before she could be inaugurated, things turned for the worst. Russia and China called a secret meeting deep in the bowels of the Kremlin. An alliance was forged and war plans were drawn up. Revenge was coming.

The true facts concerning the economy were leaked by insiders sympathetic to Krysallis. The stock market collapsed; and banks, and savings and loans began to collapse. The financial situation was grave and economists were predicting disasters worse than the Great Depression and the 1988 Savings and Loan disaster combined.

The inner cities were turning into war zones and the police couldn't keep up. The National Guard was located overseas occupying oil producing countries, and they were no longer available to keep the peace in America. The vice-president was a lame duck and refused to act. Actually, he didn't know how to act. He was an incompetent figurehead whose only talent was doing what he was told. The families were quickly liquidating and moving all of their money to secretive money handlers and launderers in Switzerland and Panama. They were busy and the vice-president had no one to tell him what to do.

Krysallis was flying around the world trying to hold back the warmongers. She was making enormous promises to foreign governments. She was essentially facing nuclear and financial extortion and she was making every concession and deal that she could wrangle. If the world made it to her inauguration, it would be a minor miracle.

Krysallis had only one bargaining chip, and she had no option but to use it. She went to Todd and Kimmay and asked them to step forward and back her up. She wanted to use their chips in the international poker game. No one could afford to lose access to those chips. By late 2032, Kimmay's breakthrough had been fully substantiated and documented. Her chips worked and the future would revolve around those chips. Even more significantly, every government in the world had put their best scientists to the task and they had reported the same conclusion; no one knew how to reverse engineer the chips. Kimmay owned the world.

Only with the help of Kimmay and Todd, was Krysallis able to avert nuclear war. But the future was still very bleak. The U.S. had been looted and recovery would be long and extremely painful. Extreme changes would be required.

The world made it to Krysallis' inauguration, and it was a wonderful celebration. While the official fireworks and pomp in Washington were small in comparison to past years, the popular celebrations in the streets of America were vigorous and massive. Krysallis saw one hour of the celebration, and was then back to work.

 

While Krysallis and the world were struggling, Kimmay and Todd's enterprises were doing well. They had had their missteps and bumpy roads, but things were now building to a frenzied pace. It had taken almost nine months of bickering between manufacturing companies before they formed an international committee that settled minor connectivity problems that they had with Kimmay's energy storage chip design. After a general consensus had been formed, Kimmay changed her design and initiated production. It had taken Kimmay and Todd twelve months to get their manufacturing to the start-up point. They were still building their new plant, but they were in position to begin supplying chips using contracted manufacturing plants. By late spring of 2032, shipments were starting.

Kimmay and Todd had used the time to put together a few other critical items. They had hired the start of their management team, leaning heavily on Dr. Jason Drum. Drum was the glue to their new team. He coordinated sales, accounting, inventory, human resources and most of the day-to-day business requirements. Todd took control of day-to-day production, quality and research. Reporting to the two of them were the experts in chip manufacturing, shipping, payroll, and all of the business necessities. Kimmay stayed in an advisory role at the very top of the pyramid.

Kimmay and Todd made a few other shrewd moves. During start-up of production at tolling plants, all chips were shipped to Todd and Kimmay who personally handled activation of the chips. Their new plants would be designed to compartmentalize activation into three separate steps. No single person would know how to activate a chip. It would preserve their monopoly for the foreseeable future.

They also set up a research department under Todd's aegis. The immediate goal would be to streamline manufacturing and improve quality. Their long-term goal would be to provide the expertise for future ideas, including further development of teleportation.

Their bank account was swelling with advance payment on chip delivery. The users realized that whoever came to market first and gained consumer acceptance would lead the most lucrative new industry in history. These chips would affect everything from giant power plants to nanotechnology. Paying enormous amounts of money up front was a part of doing business in the new world. Kimmay and Todd were going to become the richest people in the world.

 

But now it was time for Kimmay to leave. Linda and Kim came to Milwaukee to say good-bye. Kim had arrived carrying nothing but a small backpack. "Have you sent your luggage ahead?" I asked.

"No," she said. "This is all I'm taking. I left everything else at the chateŕu."

It was a tearful scene. No one had a dry eye, and it was a very difficult time; especially for mom. Linda finally announced that they would have to go. Just before Kim left I asked her one last question, "Once you arrive, what are you going to do there?" I thought it was a light and frivolous question.

"I'm going to be judged." She did not smile.

"What? Why?" It was the worst question I could have asked.

"I have yet to hear the truth – the full truth. If I pass, maybe I'll finally find out what Linda has been hiding from us." Linda and Kim disappeared. Once again, I felt that I had lost Kim.

 

The end.

  

  

  

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