CH 25
Don drove them to the lake in the chariot, their tracked vehicle with a metal framed compartment with glass walls and ceiling. On the way, Will kept taking blushing peeks at Diane, who wore her bikini. Her chest bounced nicely every time they hit uneven ground.
"Diane, you're married to Eddie," Penny said, "So will your kids be human or sect?"
"Sect. Our DNA he very similar, the only difference is the strand that determines which someone will be. If the Sect DNA is in either parent, then the children will be Sect also," Diane explained.
"Then eventually, humans will all be converted to Sect?" Penny asked.
"Maybe a thousand or two years from now," Diane said with a shrug. "I doubt it will be any time soon. There's four and a half billion humans on Earth, and only fifty thousand or so of the Sect. At least when we left."
"That many?" Penny asked. "When we left the population was around two and a half billion."
"Remember, there are also different Earths," Diane told her. "Not the same place."
"That's mind blowing all by itself."
"We're here!" Don called from up front in the diver's seat.
They all looked to see the chariot roll out onto a long stretch of open beach. The water was clear blue. Small waves washed up onto the shore. Don drove down to park just thirty feet or so beyond the wet sand of the shoreline. "Remember, take breaks out of the sun, or you'll burn," he warned.
Diane got up. She looked at the Robot, then at Will. "Will, your Dad said to give your robot a name. He really should have one."
"OK. How about … Robby? Robby the Robot," Will said then asked, "Robot, is that OK with you?"
The robot paused then said, "Robby rhymes with Robot. Yes, that is suitable."
"Come on, Robby, I'll help you get out," Diane told him.
"Are there fish in this lake?" Zhena asked.
Don got up and said, "I don't think so. We've never caught anything."
"It will be fun to find out," Zhena said. She took her translator off and got out.
Diane picked Robby up with her mind arms and floated him out the door to stand him on the sand. In the loose sand, his tracks spun. She pushed him into the hard packed sand at the shore line. "There you go," she said merrily, and followed Zhena into the water.
Will and Penny ran to splash into the water after Diane. By that time, Zhena was gone with a splash of her tail.
Don helped Judy down out of the chariot, they ended up in a hug. "Thank you, Don," she said, blushing.
"My pleasure, believe me," he said, grinning at her.
They kissed.
.
While the beach party was going on Suzanne and John helped get wood for the barbecue as Maureen picked fresh vegetables for the meal.
Returning with armloads of brush and branches, Suzanne said, "John, When we go back to Earth, I think some of you should go with us to see if that is your Earth. It will be a long trip for you and a futile one if it's not. From what I've seen, either you have been gone a long time, or there was a very large improvement in android tech in very hard conditions."
"Could be either," John agreed. "If you don't mind, I will take you up on that offer. Do you have the room?"
"We can leave Polimare and Zhena here. It won't take but a day to go and come back."
John snorted out a laugh and said, "I wish Jupiter Two was that fast. The best we can make it three quarters light speed."
"It's amazing you got this far out then," Suzanne told him.
"We've had plenty of time to travel."
Eddie directed the placement of the wood in the pit. It was a deep pit with the cooking surface only a foot above the ground. He left the grating off and lit the fire.
"Staring the fire so soon?" Maureen asked.
"It has to burn down to coals," Eddie explained. "That gives the best heat without burning the food."
John's radio sounded. "John? It's Don. Tell Eddie to plan on a fish fry. Zhena just brought back a whopper! Eight feet of nice, fat fish. She said they are feeding off bottom weed, no wonder we didn't catch anything. She's going back down for another one."
"That's great news!" John said happily. "I'll let Eddie know." To Suzanne he said, "That also helps save our protein supply. We were running short."
"If you can preserve them, I'll have a job for Zhena when we're gone," Suzanne replied.
"We can freeze dry it for storage," John said. In a musing tone, he said, "One would think that if there is animal life in the water, there would be predators as well as vegetarian species."
Suzanne offered, "In our home dimension, this planet was hotter. The only vegetation was right near the water. Lakes mostly evaporated, only in the deep parts was there any animal life at all. What we've found is every dimension has the same places that evolve differently. The dimension we picked up Polimare in, this was a lush, green planet full of life. It was farther out in orbit, in a binary orbit with the next planet out. Earth is the same. It is there where it should be, but each dimension has it's own variation of how Earth evolved."
"That makes sense. What was the Earth you just came from like?" John asked.
Suzanne frowned at remembering that place. "What was there was very advanced. It was also radioactive. There had been a big war, an AI was put in charge of defense and nuked the planet. There are still people there, but they are suffering from radiation poisoning. It is a bleak place."
John shook his head sadly. "Do you think that is our Earth?"
"I have no way of knowing. The only way to know, is to go look."
John was quiet for a while. If there was a nuclear war on Earth, then the only way he might recognize if it was the right one, was to find the site they launched from. The thought that happened to their home left a sour pit in his stomach.
.
Polimare was happy. She had Eddie and lived. She had been sure Diane was going to kill her, but she didn't. In fact, Diane had pretty much helped Eddie take her. That told her that even though Diane was grumpy, violent and constantly threatened her, she didn't believe Diane would really kill her. Knowing the pale, horned women were warriors, she thought maybe that was just how they were. In some strange way, was Diane her friend? Maybe if she tried being friends with Diane and Suzanne in her way, they would recognize her.
Pondering this as she brought some more sticks to the fire pit, she was sure that since Diane was trying to be her friend in her way, then once she convinced the horned women that she was their friend too, she could have Eddie and not be choked unconscious.
.
The beach goes returned as the sun was setting low in the sky and the fire pit was glowing red with hot coals. Atop the chariot were a pair of large, leathery fish, one so big the tail hung off the back.
"They look like giant bullhead catfish," Eddie said absently.
Diane got up on top of the chariot and lifted one fish to hold it vertically down the side of the machine. Suzanne ripped it open with her mind arms and gutted it, then took the fins and end of the tail off.
"One of these is going to be a feast," Don told John.
"It sure will be," Maureen said, gazing at the size of it. "I'll get the food processor started. I doubt we will be able to finish eating even one of these things."
Soon, slabs of fish meat were cooking on the grill. A pot of vegetables were simmering between the sizzling fish steaks. Eddie tended to them with Suzanne and Polimare. Diane was slicing up the other fish to pass to Maureen and Judy, who were putting the cut strips into the freeze drier.
'smell is making me hungry'
Suzanne looked up at Zhena, who was eyeing the cooking food. "Me too," she told Zhena. Eddie's stomach growled in agreement.
"It does smell good," Polimare said. Looking up at Suzanne, she asked, "Can I be your friend?"
Suzanne eyed the girl. "Yes, if you do as we ask," she said carefully.
Polimare offered her a smile. "I do try. I know we don't act the same, but can we over look our … differences?" she asked.
"What are you trying to say?" Suzanne asked.
Polimare paused, then braced herself and said, "I need sex once in a while too."
Suzanne glared at her.
Playing with her fingers, Polimare offered, "Diane helped Eddie…"
"You never had sex," Suzanne stated flatly. "Diane tricked you so she didn't have to kill you."
Polimare gaped at her. "But," she said weakly.
"It was a trick," Suzanne told her. "We do need to find someplace to leave you before one of us does rip your head off."
Polimare swallowed nervously and asked, "Will you take care of my baby?"
"Once you die, we bury you," Suzanne stated.
Polimare dropped her gaze to the ground. "I … I don't understand!" she cried. "You saved our planet … you were very nice to us! How… how can you be so mean to me? Why can't I be one of you?"
Suzanne saw the girl was shaking as she cried. She wanted to console the girl somehow, but that would give her the wrong impression. "Polimare, I told you. We are very territorial. Eddie is our husband. We don't share."
Polimare ran off crying.
Eddie rubbed his forehead and said, "We do need to find a place to leave her. What about here?"
John was coming over to see how the fish was doing. Suzanne said, "John, we have a problem. We can't keep Polimare with us any more. Can she stay with you?"
"The green girl?" he asked. With a shrug he said, "We have trouble keeping ourselves fed and healthy. She can stay for a short time, but not permanently."
Suzanne cast him a brief, sad smile. "That's all right. I just had to ask."
.
Dr. Smith heard weeping. Searching out the source, he found Polimare sitting against a rock crying. He went over and sat by her. Gently he said, "There there, what seems to be the trouble my dear?"
"They … hate me," Polimare said in a sob.
Sympathetically, he said, "Ah yes, I do know how that feels, I certainly do. You feel all alone."
Polimare nodded.
"Yes, well, we can change that, if you want," he coaxed.
Polimare turned her tear stained face up to look at him. "How?" she asked meekly.
"Think, dear. What is it that makes then hate you?" he asked.
"I want Eddie," she said in a sniffle.
"And Eddie is part of the crew on your ship?" he asked.
Polimare nodded.
In a smooth tone, Smith said, "So, if the ship is gone, then Eddie will not longer be part of the crew. Isn't that right?"
"I guess so. But Eddie is the pilot," she said.
"That is even better," Smith said with a grin. "Imagine the crew being just you, Eddie, and me. Flying off together. How would that be?" he asked with a wide grin.
Polimare thought about it a grew a smile. She could have Eddie whenever she wanted. "That would be wonderful," she said.
"Yes, it would," Smith agreed. "Now child, let me tell you how we can do that…."
.
The fish on the grill was done and the massive extra was packed away, filling the cold storage space on the Jupiter 2. Suzanne took 20 pounds of fish and stored it on Wolverine, filling their food storage as well. They all sat down for dinner and noticed there were two missing.
"Where's Polimare? Doctor Smith is missing too," Penny asked.
"I'm sure they are around," John told her.
"When they are hungry, they'll show up," Diane said.
"There will be leftovers for them, that's for sure," Don said with a grin.
.
Sneaking around the back of Jupiter 2, Polimare got inside unseen. Dr. Smith told her were the weapons locker was. The lock on it was heavy, but a simple tumbler. She opened it and took out both rifles and the four pistols. She then put the weapons in a bag she found in the locker, closed the locker and slipped back out. Down on all fours and moving behind cover, Polimare got back to where Smith was waiting.
Smith clapped in joy as she arrived and stood up. "Oh such finesse! Very good, dear, you are very useful. A pretty little thing too."
Polimare handed him the bag. "No one is going to really get hurt, right?" she asked.
"Of course not!" Smith proclaimed. "We just need all of the weapons so they can't stop us." Looking in the direction of the camp, he said to himself, "Won't the professor be surprised. Oh how I am going to enjoy the look on his face."
Smith took one of the rifles out of the bag. He grabbed Polimare by the hand and said, "Now, dear, you are going to have to trust me. Everything will work out fine, I swear it. Just remember, when we are done, Eddie will be all yours."
.
"That was really good, kinda reminds me of the catfish we used to have back home," Eddie said.
"It does, "Dine agreed. "I want to eat more, but I'm stuffed."
Judy held her stomach and said with a grin, "I think I over ate just a little."
"I think we all did," Maureen agreed.
Don grinned in agreement. Looking off towards Wolverine, he frowned and asked, "How's she get a rifle?"
Everyone turned to see Polmiare standing halfway between them and Wolverine.
"WHAT are you doing?" Suzanne asked.
Polimare swallowed and said, "Everyone stay seated, except for Edie. Eddie, get up and come over here."
"You do want to die, don't you?" Diane asked in a hard tone.
Quietly, John asked, "Will she shoot?"
"If it has a safety, I doubt she knows to release it," Suzanne whispered back.
"Eddie, please come here!" Polimare called, "I don't want anyone to get hurt."
Eddie got up and said, "Put the rifle down, Polimare."
"I can't!" she cried. "Just come over here, please?"
"Where's Smith?" Don asked as he looked around.
Suzanne got up. "Polimare, I am sending the Robinsons into their ship. We can talk after they are safe."
Polimare shifted in place, "But, they are suppose to stay there. Where I can see them."
"No. Unless you want to become a murderer, they are going into their ship," Suzanne stated.
"Then … you go in too!" Polimare called.
Suzanne looked at Diane and Eddie. They exchanged thoughts. They all knew Polimare was too meek to do something like this unless someone put her up to it.
"Where's Smith!" Don barked.
From behind Wolverine's ramp, Smith poked his head out. "I do believe you should obey her, she is quite serious," he called.
"Figures," Don grumbled. "Suzanne, we have more guns. We may have to take her out."
"We will handle this," Suzanne told him. "All of you, get into your ship. Diane, Zhena , you too."
"Anything we can do?" John asked.
Suzanne glanced at Will, Penny and Judy. "Keep the kids away from the windows. This might get bloody."
"Smith is behind this," John said.
"I know," Suzanne said flatly. "I hope you won't miss him too much."
Having mentally formed their plan, Diane said, "Come on," and got them moving into the Jupiter 2. The hatch was hidden from Polimare's view. As everyone went in, she slipped around the back and raced into the rocks to make a big circle to come at Smith and Polimare from behind.
Suzanne looked at Eddie. He nodded and started to walk slowly towards Polimare. Suzanne walked behind him.
"Hey … Just Eddie!" Polimare called.
Eddie announced, "Polimare, you're not going to shoot anyone. I know it, you know it. Put the rifle down. I really don't want to see you get hurt."
"Suzanne's going to kill me!" Polimare cried.
"Not unless you make her. You know that too," Eddie told her firmly.
Polimare backed up as Eddie got closer and said, "But, I need you! Please, send Suzanne back."
Eddie held out his hand. "Give me the gun, Polimare, and everything will be fine."
"SHOOT!" Smith yelled.
Polimare spun to gape at him. "You said no one was going to get hurt!" she yelled.
Suzanne shot her mind arms out and yanked the rifle out of Polimare's hands. Polimare watched it fly over to Suzanne, who caught it.
"You … you LIE TO ME!" Polimare yelled at Smith.
Smith turned to bolt and found Diane behind him.
"Going somewhere?" she asked, sporting an evil grin.
Smith wailed out a scream and tried to run. His arms slapped to his sides and his legs were bound together as he lifted in the air.
"Where do we bury him?" Diane asked.
"NOOO! No, it was the green girl, She put me up to this!" Smith wailed out in terror.
"Well?" Suzanne asked, eyeing Polimare.
Frustrated, Polimare sobbed out, "He said that if we used that rifle, then Eddie would come with us when we took Wolverine and flew away. He promised no one was going to get hurt! When he said, it he made me believe we could do it."
"She's lying!' Smith wiled, "She got the rifle and made me go along with this dastardly scheme! I am innocent!"
Polimare grabbed Eddie's hands and put them around her neck. "Eddie, please, just kill me. It won't hurt if you do it."
Eddie saw the pain in her eyes. He pulled her close and hugged her to him. To Suzanne, he said, "Polimare would not come up with a plan like this."
"I know," Suzanne agreed. She called to Diane and said, "We don't want his body to be found."
Diane raised a thumb's up and walked away, Smith floating in the air and pleading for his life as he drifted away in front of her.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Polimare wailed and cried into Eddie's chest.
'What do we do with her. She's bound to go mental,' Eddie thought to Suzanne.
'I don't know, but we have to do something before she becomes completely unhinged,' Suzanne thought back. Out loud, she asked, "Polimare, was that the only gun you have?"
Meekly, Polimare looked over and said, "No, Dr. Smith had me steal them all."
"Go get them and give them back to the Robinsons."
Polmiare nodded and let go of Eddie.
.
Diane walked along, looking at the rock formations. Smith was still blabbering out his cries of innocence and pleading for mercy. He wiggle to try to get free, for all the good it was doing him.
After about a mile, Diane found what she was looking for. The boulder looked to be about 12 tons, and was by itself. She set Smith on the ground, holding him in place by the mind arm wrapping his legs. With the other three, she picked the boulder up. When it came up, there was a large hole in the ground.
"Please, have mercy!" Smith cried. "It was all that green girl's doing. I am innocent!"
"You lie constantly," Diane replied. She tossed him in the hole.
Smith tumble to the bottom. Looking up at her he cried, "I beg you, don't kill me!"
"I'm not going to," Diane said. Seeing his face relax some, she added, "Gravity is."
She dropped the boulder.
The boulder dropped back in place. A short scream wailed out before it landed with a boom that shook the ground. Just a small squirt of blood shot out from the edge, only a few drops. Diane scuffed it into the dirt. Even if someone did ever come looking, they weren't going to find him. She walked back to the camp.
.
Returning, Diane found Suzanne talking with John , Don and Eddie as they cleaned up. Polimare was sitting by herself, head down. Zhena was helping Penny and Judy clean up the chariot. Will saw her. He came over and asked, "Have you seen Doctor Smith?"
"He won't be back," Diane said simply.
Maureen came over with a worried look on her face. "Do you know where Smith is?" she asked.
"He won't be back," Diane told her. She saw Suzanne look over at her. She nodded.
"No skin off our nose," Don stated.
"Will Doctor Smith be OK?" Maureen asked.
Suzanne spoke up and in a hard tone said, "Doctor Smith tried to use an innocent to hijack our ship. That is called piracy. The penalty for piracy is death. I ordered Diane to carry out the sentence. If anyone has a problem with that, speak to me."
Maureen ran into the ship, crying.
The mood was somber after Suzanne's statement. Both John and Don understood, and Don confided that for Smith, such a punishment was long overdue. They still got along, but the light atmosphere was gone.
As the sun went down, the coals from the barbecue were still glowing. With the sun, the heat of the day also left. It was getting cooler out. Eddie tossed in some more wood on. The wood caught and a fire leaped up to burn. Eddie sat by the fire with Suzanne on one side and Diane on the other. John and Maureen were nearby, across the fire Don and Judy sat together. Penny and Will was by Zhena, still curious about the lizard woman. Polimare sat by herself in the same place she'd been since the 'incident'.
Suzanne, Eddie and Diane had a mental conversation while they sat staring into the fire.
'What are we going to do with her?' Diane asked.
'We have to do something. She is miserable.' Eddie agreed. 'Worse yet, she is willing to die just to have sex with me.'
'She is,' Suzanne thought. 'Apparently, her mating drive is in overload. Most likely it is a basic instinct of her race. She can't help it.'
'This is not easy. She's not a bad girl, just suicidal.' Eddie thought.
'Smith would not have been able to trick her if she was thinking clearly,' Suzanne thought.
'She thinks with her pussy,' Diane's thought grumbled.
'I hate it. I mean I really hate it, but maybe if Eddie gives her a good tumble, she might calm down,' Suzanne thought.
Diane cast Suzanne a shocked look, as did Eddie. "WHAT?" the both cried out loud.
Everyone looked at them.
Suzanne looked at Eddie and thought, 'Think about it. It really has come to the point of either giving her sex or killing her. It is one or the other. Eddie, I know you love us, but unless we want Polimare dead, you'll have to … give her what she needs.'
'So Eddie has to give Polimare a mercy fuck?' Diane thought harshly.
'That's one way to put it,' Suzanne thought back.
Diane flopped back and rubber her face with both hands. "I don't believe this!" she said with a groan.
Eddie rubbed his forehead. He knew Suzanne was right. He also had the feeling she wanted him to do it before they left in the morning. "Not much choice, is there?" he asked.
Suzanne shook her head.
Eddie put an arm around Suzanne and kissed her. "I love you," he stated.
Suzanne cast him a weak smile. "I love you too."
Diane sat up. Eddie immediately embraced her and kissed her as well. "And I love you," he stated.
Diane hugged him and whispered, "You better go before I decide it's better for her to die."
"Yeah," he agreed.
Eddie got up and went over to where Polimare was sitting, head down with a blank look on her face. She looked up when he approached. Eddie bent down and scooped her up in his arms.
"Eddie?" she asked putting her arms around his neck.
Without a word, Eddie carried her over to Wolverine. He opened the outer hatch and shut it behind him.
"What are you doing?" Polimare asked meekly.
Eddie took her back to sit her on the edge of the bed. He knelt in front of her.
"Eddie?" she asked hopefully.
Eddie took her face in his hands and kissed her. Her arms flung around him to hold him tight. He stroked her back, then pried her away and undid the buttons on her shirt. I'm going to take you," he said softly.
Polimare let out a gasp. "For real?" she asked.
"For real," he said. He slid her shirt off. Her nipples were pruned up hard, Eddie brushed her fingers over them gently as she sat quaking.
Polimare held a glassy eyed look as he undid her shorts, then gently laid her down to pull them off. Her breathing quickened. She watched in anticipation as he completely undressed her, then laid her down and got undressed. The instant he laid down, Polimare wrapped herself around him.
Eddie stroked and kissed her, sliding his hands up and down her side. Getting her to lie flat he caressed her all over and suckled each hard nipple. It took a little while, but her enthusiasm did get him stiff.
In a shuddering voice, Polimare said, "Please, let me feel everything before you kill me."
In her ear, he said, "No one's gong to kill you." He kissed her ear.
Polimare whined in joy as Eddie petted her, suckled her and finally slid up on top of her. She gripped him tight, heady in lust as he rubbed his long shaft over her groin.
"Ahhhh yes," she cried in a silky tone.
When he entered her, Polimare was so excited she couldn't even breathe. All she could do was gasp and cling onto him with her arms and legs as tight as possible. She let out soft moans, wanting this to never end. The joy she felt built until she swore she was going to die from it. Even that was all right, for she was dying with Eddie deep inside her.
Eddie stroked slowly in and out of Polimare as she cried out in carnal bliss. Feeling his own lust rising, he quickened his pace and pounded into her. Feeling an orgasm rising, he stopped. Polimare pulled him deep inside to the hilt. He erupted. Polimare let out a lusty cry as she orgasmed with him.
Spent, he moved over to the side. They kissed deeply. Breaking the kiss, he petted her sweaty face and said softly, "I brought you to bed. You were shivering out there."
"I'm not shivering any more," Polimare said with a broad smile. "Diane's not going to kill me?"
"No, You can relax."
Polimare let out a sigh, snuggled up to him and fell asleep. Eddie waited until her breathing was deep and even, then slipped out of bed and covered her up. Even asleep, she wore a contented smile on her face. Eddie went back out to find his wives sacked out by the fire pit. There was enough room so he laid down in between them. They cuddled up to him. Yes, this was the way it should be.
.
In the morning, they got ready to leave. Like Suzanne suggested, Polimare was easier to get along with. She hugged all three of them goodbye and wished them a safe trip. John and Don got on and Wolverine headed back to the Earth they found.
John sat in front of the consoles. Don took Diane's normal seat and Diane was back at the electronics panels. Both men were amazed that they had no more than left the planet, and they were approaching Earth. In high orbit, Diane brought the cameras to high resolution, scanning the ground.
John looked at the images of the dark clouds and wasteland below them. "I sincerely hope that is not our Earth," he said.
"Chances are that it's not," Suzanne said. "This Earth had no spaceflight from what we've found."
"Who would be insane enough to start a full nuclear war," Don asked with stress in his voice.
"From what we learned, it was an AI in charge of those weapons that shot them all off," Eddie said. "That AI deliberately tried to kill off all human life. It didn't get everyone, but it did get billions."
"This is the saddest thing I have ever seen," John said softly.
"If it helps, we put a rail gun shot right down that AI's throat," Diane said. "It's gone."
"Is there any way to do something for the people left down there?" John asked.
"Not really," Suzanne said with a sigh. "The things they need, like world wide anti-radiation protection and radiation cleanup, will take a monumental effort. Even if we could do that, we're talking the entire planet needs help. Whatever we did would be less than a drop in the bucket."
Don spoke up and said, "Take us over Florida, Cape Kennedy. I want to see if our launch platform is there. That will tell us for sure if this is our world."
Eddie looked at Suzanne, she nodded. He got into lower orbit over Florida.
Florida was bigger. With ice collecting deeper at the poles and glaciers forming in the north and south, the ocean had receded. It took a while for Eddie to get over where the Kennedy Space Center should be.
Diane found the rings of the now rusted launch platforms. One of the gantries had fallen over. Don and John studies the structures.
"I don't see it," Don said.
John shook his head. "Our launch platform was different, I can see where it should be, It's not there. This is not our Earth."
"Thank God," Don said.
"That means you have traveled between dimensions," Suzanne told hem. "If you can find out how you did that, then maybe you can find your way home."
Don asked, "Is it possible we can do it like you have?"
Eddie winced and said, "I don't think so. Slinging around a black hole puts lots of stress on a ship. We have problems every time we do it, and this ship was built to pretty much withstand anything."
"Without the armor protection and safeties we have, the Jupiter 2 would most likely come apart. You also cannot develop the faster than light speeds needed to break free again after you get drawn into the black hole," Suzanne added.
"You'd be crushed like a tin can," Diane stated.
"Going through our flight data, we should be able to figure out when it happened," John said firmly.
"Are you ready to go back?" Suzanne asked.
John nodded. "Yes, this place is depressing. Let's get out of here."
.
Outside the Jupiter 2, Polimare was drawing in the sand with a stick to show Judy, Penny, Will and Robby how they went though a black hole.
Talking as she drew, she said, "We aren't in normal space when we make the transit. Wolverine can do 'Folds', that that is, is moving from one point in space to another far away with basically zero travel time. Infinite speed. Now a black hole had infinite gravity, not even light can escape. How we get through, is the fact we are basically pure energy when in the Fold. That is how we can come close, then move away. The magnetic fields of the black hole also play a part in where we end up. Two people we met, a Mr. Spock, who has pointy ears, showed us how to identify the poles and equator of a black hole. Cameron, the machine girl, show us that if we cross the equator, we go forward or backward in time …"
Completing her drawing the lines coming out the top and bottom to show the poles, and a line around the middle to show the equator, Polimare said, "We have yet to figure out how we are moving through different dimensions. It seems random. They again, no one knows how the dimensions are stacked, so we have no idea if our travel is taking us closer or farther away from the one we want to be in."
Standing beside Robby, Will scrunched his face up in thought. "Maybe the variable is not all in the magnetic lines of force," he said. You talked about crossing the equator, what if you didn't? Stay on the north or south side through the transit? Maybe too if something else is close enough, say like a star, that could affect the gravity field enough to alter where you'll end up."
"Will is correct in his theory," Robby said in his mechanical voice. "Gravity should be considered a major factor in these equations. Therefore, the distance from the event horizon will play a part in where and when your craft will exit."
Polimare looked at them and said, "Yes, you're right!" She went over and hugged Will, then wrapped her arms partway around Robby's barrel like torso. "Thank you!" She then ran off calling, "Zhena!"
.
The moment Eddie sat down by the Jupiter 2, Polimare and Zhena were right at the hatch to come in. Diane thought Polimare was going to glop all over Eddie. Instead, the green girl went to the electronics panel. In an excited voice, she said, "We have to call up all the data on each transit of the black hole, we have news!"
In a more normal tone, Zhena said, "We have additional information to consider, Polimare found it."
Diane was dumb struck. Of all people, Polimare had discovered something?
Suzanne motioned to the console. "Let's see what you got."
Zhena went though every transit, back to the first one. Polimare explained about how gravity, and also about not crossing the equator both had influence on where they ended up. On the first transit they'd made, they had done so accidentally due to escaping a very nearby star they were going to collide with.
"Every transit since then, we have taken our position in relation to the black hole into account, but not the gravitational influence of that star we avoided," Zhena said thoughtfully.
"Meaning we've been getting too close to the black hole every time," Eddie concluded.
Suzanne looked at the charts and graphics of their transits closely. Thinking as she spoke, she said, "From what we know, we have pretty much gotten into the right the time frame. We are just in the wrong dimension."
John, who was watching intently, said, "If you have been getting too close to the event horizon, that may be what's slinging you randomly though dimensions."
"Correct," Zhena said. "There is also the fact we do not know which direction the black hole is spinning in. Perhaps the massive shuddering we experience is due to moving in the opposite direction of the spin."
"Food for thought," Eddie said. "If we enter farther out, and circle the other way around it, that may help."
"It may, it may not. We will never know if we don't try it," Suzanne said. Looking at her crew mates, she said, "This is going to be very risky. We truly have no idea what is going to happen. If anyone thinks it is too dangerous, speak up."
"I think we need to try whatever we reasonably can," Eddie said.
Diane let out a snort and said, "Suz, we should be dead already. Every time we go through and live, I figure it's a success. Let's give it a shot."
"I'm ready," Polimare stated.
Zhena nodded and said, "If we do not try, we will never know."
"Then we will," Suzanne stated. Plot the flight path for a transit right on the equator, 100,000 miles farther away from the points where we entered previously and in the opposite direction."
"I take it you'll be going then?" John asked.
Suzanne offered him her hand and said, "We will. Good luck to you, Professor Robinson."
John shook her hand. And replied, "Best of luck to all of you, I Sincerely hope you get back home."
"Thank you." Suzanne told him.
With the Robinson's off the ship, Suzanne shut the hatches and said, "Let's go before I loose my nerve."
Eddie piloted the ship up and out of the atmosphere, then folded a few light hears away from the black hole, close enough to gather data on it but far enough away so they were not in it's strong influence.
While Zhena and Diane got data and rechecked the exact positions, Suzanne got up and clasped Eddie by the hand. "Hope you got some energy left," she asked, wearing a smirk.
'You want to do that now?' Diane thought to her sister knowing Suzanne was set on having sex.
'One more time in case this turns out badly,' Suzanne thought back.
'I'm next,' Diane thought firmly.
Eddie was going to be one tired puppy by the time they were ready to dive into that black hole again.