Chapter:12
Alex awoke with the alarm from a very erotic dream. She was a female rabbit, just like Marc had described her. Her horns were long and polished. They looked like black ebony. Alex stretches and goes for a quick shower. He loved the feeling of being clean. He dresses in his new clothes and puts on his work boots. They are very constricting, but seeing what he is doing, it's smart to have them on. Alex gets a map from the printer of where he is going. He heads down to the cafeteria, taking the right elevator. He meets a few more people over breakfast but has to hurry so he won't be late. Alex thought there should be more people in the cafeteria, not realizing that work shifts are staggered starts and are suited to the individuals. He does a brisk walk down four blocks and over three. This isn't the main gate but one of the side gates for employees. He swipes his card and heads in for the gym.
He arrives to see about a hundred people in the gym. Mr. Hasher comes over to him. "Morning Alex, did you sleep well? I hope my daughter didn't upset you yesterday. She can be a little flirty." "No problems, sir. And yes, I did sleep well." As this is your first time, follow me to the changing room." Alex follows him to the locker room. Shad Hasher shows him to a locker and tells him to lay his paw on the pad. "All the lockers with green lights are open; all the red ones have someone's stuff in them. We are all wearing a Karateka. The color of the belts we wear denotes the level we are at. As you are new to the routine, your belt will be white." Alex puts all his clothes and boots in the locker, except for his shorts which he is still wearing, and Mr. Hasher shows Alex where to get a Karateka and the belts to hold it closed. They then return to the gym floor.
Jessica wearing a black Karateka walks into the gym. Everyone in the gym bows to her. Alex does a hasty bow. Jessica smiles at him and walks down the line of mammals toward him. "Alex, if you would come to the front, please"? Alex follows her, wondering why he is being made an example of. Jessica smiles again at him. "Alex, you are not being made an example of. Because you're new to the routine, you need to be able to see what I'm doing. You can't do that from back there." The front people make room for him. "All right, everyone, time to begin. Alex, follow what I do but in reverse." Alex concentrates on what she is doing. Jessica can see Alex focusing hard on the routine. He can't follow her directly, as he has a short tail. Jessica directs him in the tail moves. Alex is concentrating so hard that when the routine is over, and sparing starts, he collapses to the floor, panting hard.
He is passed a bottle of electrolyte water. "You did well, Alex. Where have you done this before"? "Ah, never. This was my first time." "Then I'm impressed. Your concentration was second to none. How did you learn that"? "I learned to do that with my crystal. This will seem strange, but my crystal is very soft-spoken, and I had to learn to concentrate on communicating with it." "Yes, I have heard that from other people with crystals. It's not strange to me at all, Alex." "Can I ask why you are wearing a black Karateka? What is significant about the color and the belts"?
"The color denotes that I am a master in fighting. The gold sash denotes that I am a power master. And the red one demotes I am a master in the art of Dim Mack." Alex bows, "Thank you, master, for teaching me." Jessica bursts out laughing. "Alex, I may be a master, But I'm just an everyday working joe like yourself. I don't lord it over everyone else. Now you need to get up, shower, and report to my husband for the radio installation." "Thank you, ma'am. I will be over after I have another shower." "I like this new you. I think you were a little noise blind yesterday"? "I was, but to be fair, the hot water in our building didn't work most of the time, and cold water washes were few and far between." "I understand. Now off with you. We will see you as soon as you're ready." Alex turns and heads for the showers.
One more shower. At this rate, he will look like a prune before the day is out. "There are worst things to look like," he thinks. Alex dresses after the communal male's shower and hurries over to the hospital. He rushes in to see his mom. "Alex, son, how are you"? "I'm fine, mom, and you're looking a lot better." "I feel a lot better, son. Good food, fresh air, and all the love and support I need. You should have seen my nurse this morning. She had four kits strapped to her chest. Her back must be really hurting her." Says Marsha as Elisabeth walks in.
"Not really, Mis. Antlerson, I can handle my kits just fine." May I hold one, dear"? Elisabeth paws her oldest to Marsha. Marsha coos at the kit, fussing in her hooves. "This little guy is Johnathon. He is always not happy with strangers, but he seems to like you. At least he's not screaming." Just then, he lets out a scream and wakes up the rest of them. "Well, I definitely spoke too soon," Elisabeth says with a smile as she takes him from her hooves and puts him back in the carrier with his brothers and sister. They all settle down fairly quickly.
"Come, Alex, you need to see the doctor." "Is there something wrong with my son"? "No, Mis. Antlerson. He's just getting his radio installed today." "Radio"? "Yes, all employees get an internal communicator." "Will I get one"? "You will, in the near future, when you can see and walk fine. You don't have to have it internal. You can just wear a radio, but the internal one is just more efficient." "You sure this isn't just another way for you to keep tabs on us"? Elisabeth laughs softly. "No, it isn't a new way to keep tabs on employees. Can you imagine the logistical nightmare of having to keep track of two-thousand people? That would be almost impossible."
"Wow, that many work here"? "That's over two shifts. Morning shift and afternoon shift. We have no graveyard shifts. At that time, it's like a graveyard around here." Maggie and Alex chuckle at the bad joke. "Come, Alex; it's time to leave." "I'll see you after I'm finished, mom." "Go, son, I want to see that nice hunk of fox nurse again." "Just to let you know, my husband is taken." Said Elisabeth, a little miffed. "Oh, goodness, my dear, I meant nothing by it. I have fox friends, and I know about imprinting. I would never try to break up a couple." "Sorry, my hormones have not returned to normal yet. But he is hot, isn't he"? "By fox standards, he is. And those are his kits"? "They are. All four of these little monsters were born eight days ago, and their eyes should open any time now. I felt like they were trying to kick their way out. Or they were fighting with each other. Either way, I was feeling bruised by the time they were born." Maggie chuckles. "Aren't four kits a bit unusual"? "It is; the average is two. I guess John and I are very lucky. We get our family all at once. We have both been fixed now. Come, Alex, time to go." Says Elisabeth leading him from the room.
As they walk down the hall, "can I ask? Is Wilde industries that much of a slave driver that you don't get any maternity leave." Elisabeth chuckles. "No, Alex, I choose to be here. Wilde Industries has a daycare. I haven't dropped my kits off yet. Their grandmother is waiting at the daycare for them. Course, the rest of the children call her grandma as well. My grandmother and about twenty more grandmothers and ten grandfathers run the daycare. The daycare was suggested by my grandmother, and William agreed. We started the daycare for our employees about two and a half years ago, but my grandmother didn't join until just before my kits were born. She's just loving it. So here we are, Alex. Just go down the hall to room one-forty-five. Thomas should be in there already." "Are you related to William"? Elisabeth smiles at him. "Yes, I'm William's youngest sister Elisabeth Wilde. From the look on your face, you didn't know that"? Alex just closes his mouth and nods yes. "I'm sure William has told you not to call him sir, and the same goes for me. I'm just a nurse helping people. Now off you go. Thomas is waiting."
Alex opens the door to room one-forty-five, and walks in. Thomas is behind a large counsel behind what looks like another examination bed. "Welcome, Alex. I will be ready for you in a few minutes. If you would like a coffee, help yourself to some from the pot." Alex looks where Thomas had pointed and sees a coffee station. He pours a coffee from the pot and adds sugar to it. He is shocked at the flavor. This is one of the best coffees he had ever had. He wraps his paws tight around it and takes another sip. After a few sips, "all right, coffee breaks over. I need you to lay on this bed for me. Don't spill your coffee, but you need to finish it, please."
Alex finishes his coffee In a few gulps and lays down on the bed. Like the examination bed, he went through, a cover come up and covers him from his neck down to his hind paws. "Alex, we are going to put you to sleep. This part of the installation is very boring, and we need you to stay still for the installation. Behind which ear would you like the controls"? "If you could, put it behind my right ear, please. I'm left paw dominant." "Very good, Alex. That was one of the other questions I was going to ask." Jessica comes in, in a lab coat. "Are we ready to begin, my love"? "We are. I was just about to put Alex out." "WAIT, wait, please! William said something about generators needing to be installed. Can you explain that part to me"?
"Sorry, Alex, I didn't know that you hadn't been told about them. We will be installing two miniature cold fusion reactors down by your kidneys. The nanobots will then install carbon fiber wiring to your paw claws for your welder, and wires up to your communicator." "I'll be nuclear? Can I explode"? Jessica and Thomas stifle their laughter. "No, you're not going to explode, Alex. Cold fusion is different from nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion is what you get when you split atoms. The process is dangerous and highly unstable. Cold fusion, on the other paw, is the process of breaking down matter into its base components, and we take the energy produced from this reaction. If the process is ever halted, they would just stop producing power." "I'm very leery of this. I don't know if I want them." "I think you need to demonstrate to him, husband."
Thomas smiles at her and comes around the console, and stands in front of Alex. "So, what I'm going to show you, Alex, is classified. If I show you, will you blab it around"? "I will not. Who would believe me"? "You would be surprised." Thomas, after assessing his response, turns his paw over and cups his paw. Soon a glowing ball of power appears in his claws suspended above his palm. "You might in time be able to do this, Alex, but I strongly advise you not to try to do this now. It takes a lot of studies to get this much control." Thomas Then walks over to the steel waste basket, upends his paw, and drops the ball of power in. There is a burst of light from the bin, and a whooshing sound, as the bin falls over. Alex looks, and the bottom is black, like a fire just happened in the bin. "Wow, that's impressive. Will I be able to learn how to do that"? "If you have the right mindset, then yes, you would able to do that. Along with the fact that you could be able to subdue people with a taser-like discharge. Remember, Alex, we are masters in the art. We are more capable than most. But, if you have the right mindset, then we will teach you." Alex smiles up at Thomas. "Ok, I'm ready."
Thomas nods and reaches out for a syringe with a clear liquid in it. He then injects it into Alex's neck. Alex soon flakes out. Thomas props Alex's head up and straps his legs and arms down. He now is immobile. He then injects a small syringe with a silver, and gold-swirled substance into his neck as well. A short time later, Thomas injects the same substance into his back by his kidneys. A short time after that, a large syringe of back carbon is injected into his lower abdomen. Thomas then goes and sits beside Jessica at the computer console. Both watch the monitors and type a bit on the keyboards. They are directing the nanobots on what to do. Most of the direction work is done by the computer. Jessica and Thomas are just tweaking it.
Later in the day, Alex wakes up groggy and ravenous. "Good to see you back with the living, Alex. Take things slowly. There may be some slight pain and a feeling of grogginess. This should pass shortly. Let us know if it doesn't." Alex sits up and stretches. He sits there with his front paws on the edge of the bed, gently swinging his legs back and forth. Eventually, as the fuzziness in his head subsides, he stands up. He starts to pick up his clothes when his paw lands on the crystal in its bag. Alex freezes as the crystal talks to him. Thomas sees Alex freeze and goes back to him.
"Alex, you ok"? Alex shakes himself and looks back at Thomas. "I'm ok, and my crystal approves of the changes and says it will work for us. The crystal's mind voice was so much louder." "Ok, your new classes for learning how to control your implants begin tomorrow. For tonight we need you to stay in the medical wing. We want to monitor you as the cybernetic implants finish forming. Tomorrow we will remove any microbots not used in their construction."
Alex finishes picking up his clothes when he notices three of the claws on his left paw are now black in color. He holds them out in front of him. And marvels at the change. Thomas shows Alex his black claws as well. "The black claws are the electrical connections for the power plants, and that will be where your welder will get its power from. The welder could also be hooked up to a wall outlet as well. Though your internal generators can supply all the power you need." Thomas says to him.
"Can I get some food, please? I'm starving." "Yes, you can. I hope you don't mind being in the same room as your mother. We are a little short-staffed at the moment. The night nurse is out sick, and one of us has to fill in." "No, I don't mind. Can I have a deck of cards, please? My mother and I used to play cards to fill our evenings." "Not a problem. I'm sure I can scrounge some up while you eat." Just then, Alex's stomach growls. Alex turns red with embarrassment. "Wow, I guess we need to feed that tiger in your tummy." Says Thomas with a smile, steering Alex into the room he will share with his mother.
"Alex, son, are you my roommate tonight"? Says Maggie sitting on the edge of the bed. "I am, mom. You shouldn't be up like that. You could fall off." "Don't worry, son. My balance has almost returned to me. I've been like this for over an hour now." "Don't push your luck, Miss Antlerson. The nanites are still working on you." "Oh, posh, my vision and balance are somewhat normal now. Though my vision does twist a bit every now and then." Alex sits on the bed next to his mom's bed. Thomas leaves as Alex just holds his mom's hoof.
"Mom, I'm not alone. I've been told by another individual that I have a mate out there, and she looks like me." "Who told you that fallacy"? "A little Three-month-old fox kit. He told me she is the same as me. I have stripes and grey fur. She is brown with one white ear and antlers mom. She has antlers just like me." "How is a three-month-old telling you these things"? "He's special, mom. Like me, he knows things. I was told by his father that what he sees is true. His gift is to see connections between people. I so want to believe him." "Then you believe him, son. I know you have a mate out there somewhere. We all have. We just may not have met them yet."
Thomas returns with a tray of food for them both. He lays it on the table between their beds. Maggie and Alex sit on their beds facing the table. Thomas removes the cover. "Now, I want you both to finish this." Maggie puts a hoof on her chest. "Is this all for us? There is more food here on the tray than we normally see in a week." "I know, but as it is replicated food, you can eat as much as you want. Now, both of you, take your pills and get started, please. If you don't finish it all, no worries. It can be a snack for later if you so desire." The rice and stir-fried veggies disappear fairly quickly. Alex and his mom laugh at some of the stuff Alex experienced yesterday. Alex grabs the cards off the tray, and they begin to play. The fresh veggies get eaten as they play. Good food, and pleasant company, have both of them soon nodding off. They flake out, saying goodnight to each other as they curl up to sleep.
Thomas monitors Alex with a portable scanner most of the night. No problems arise with the installation of the radio or generators. Not that he was expecting complications, but it's always best to be prepared. Come morning, Thomas brings in two big bowls of freshly made oatmeal. Some things are not worth replicating. He makes a little noise, and Alex bolts awake.
"I'm sorry for waking you that way, Alex. But in one hour you have a routine to do. Also, after the routine, meet me back here in room one-forty-five for the removal of the unused nanobots." "Will you be knocking me out again"? "No need for that. They are so small that they just slip out of your body between the cells. You can watch if you like." "I would. Is that breakfast? It smells divine." "Fresh from the kitchen. Some things are not needed to be replicated. Oats are not in short supply."
Martha wakes up as they talk and slides off the bed to her rear hoofs. Alex looks over at his mom as she does so. "Let me help you, mom." "No need, son. I can walk on my own to the facilities." "Are you sure"? "I did it twice yesterday without help, so, yes, I'm sure." Maggie steps out with bold steps to use the facilities. It's only ten steps away. Soon she returns to her bed. Alex then realizes he needs to use it as well. When he comes out, he sees his mother eating her bowl of oatmeal. She has the smaller of the two. "Mom, I'm sure the big bowl was for you." "I'm sure it was, but I think you need it more than I do. No telling what you are doing today. Besides, if I want more, all I have to do is ask." As Maggie and Alex eat, they talk with Thomas. Alex is surprised when soon his spoon scrapes on the bottom of the bowl. When finished, he gets up and goes behind the screen to change. He kisses his mom on the cheek as he leaves the room.
After the workout and shower, Alex finds his way back to room one-forty-five. "Welcome, Alex. If you could hop up on the bed for me, please, we will begin." Alex gets up on the bed with a chuckle. It takes a few seconds for Thomas to work out why he's laughing. Thomas smiles at him and comes around the console with a Petri dish. Thomas props up his left arm in a sling, so his index finger is resting over the petri dish. He then goes back behind the console. "All right, let's begin, shall we." Thomas types for a few seconds on the keyboard, and then hits enter. Alex looks at Thomas and then down at his paw. Slowly silver and copper-colored droplets appear to form on his fingertip. It falls off into the petri dish. After that, the droplets form and fall into the dish rapidly. After about twenty minutes, the drops slow and eventually cease. "All done, Alex." "So, now that I have a radio, when will I be shown how to use it"? "Right now, follow me to the practice room."
Alex and Thomas walk down the hall, to a specially designed practice room and close the door. "Now, this room is a faraday cage." Alex cocks his head sideways in an inquisitive look. "Sorry, what this means is that the room is surrounded by a wire mesh that is grounded. No radio signal can escape from this room. Now I want you to feel behind your right ear for the four bumps that are there. The first one on the right is to turn it on. The second and third are the volume controls. And the fourth is the emergency broadcast and locator. If you push that one, the correct emergency personnel will be routed to your location. It only works here or at the apartment block." "You know where I am"? "Only when you push the emergency call button. Otherwise, no, we don't." Thomas and Alex practice with the communicator for about an hour before William shows up.
"Morning, Will." "Morning, Thomas. Is Alex about ready to go"? "He is." "Good. I need you, Alex, to come down to the workroom and try out your new welder. I have streamlined it. It shouldn't require as much of your life energy to operate it now." "Life energy"? "Yes, part of your welder requires your life energy to control the weld. Or, to think of it another way, part of your soul goes into the weld. That's why you were so tired after welding those pieces together for me." "Wow, what have I gotten myself into"? "You brought your welder to us, Alex. Talk to your crystal. It knows more about what you are doing." They walk out of the room, down the hall, and out of the building.
As they enter the workroom from yesterday, Alex notices a very streamlined and compact glove welder. "Try it on, Alex. I hope I got your measurements right." Alex picks up the lightweight and compact glove, and, turning it all around, inspects it. He notices a special hatch for his crystal. From its pouch, he removes his crystal and inserts it into the compartment on the glove. When he puts on the glove again, his crystal speaks. ("Warning, I have detected a new power source. Do you wish me to control it"?) Alex thinks to his crystal, ("If it's no bother, then you can control the power source.") ("Understood, I will control the high voltage part of the power source, but will leave the low voltage alone. I sense other electronic devices that require a constant voltage source.")
William expresses concern when Alex freezes. After a few moments, Alex turns to William with a smile. "My crystal and I were talking about the power source he now controls." "He"? "Well, my crystal has a very masculine mind voice, so I do think of it as he." "Well, that's strange. Most crystal holders describe the voice they hear as neutral." "Well, maybe I'm projecting a bit, but it almost seems alive to me." "That may be, but it has chosen you to wield it." William pulls two squares out of a box. "So, I would like you to weld these two squares together for me." Alex thinks that it looks like the same material he welded the first time.
Alex concentrates on the job at paw. He lays the tip of his welder on the seam, and once the crystal tells him he has full power, he begins to weld. He makes a few mistakes as he welds but goes back later to fix them. When done, he lifts the welder off of the material. He is surprised to see that only one minute has gone by, and he doesn't feel tired after doing the weld. "I'm impressed, Alex, you welded that at full power." "What do you mean full power"? "Alex, you welded that at two gigawatts of energy according to my meter here." Alex's mouth opens in shock. "You could have supplied half this complex with power. Here drink this." William paws Alex a bottle of electrolytes. "Keep yourself well hydrated, Alex. The generators use your waste fluids for the fusion process. You may notice a change in your urine output. So, you need to be well-hydrated at all times. Also, your urine color may change after you finish a weld. This is just the pure particles being flushed out of your system. So far, no crystal holder has had a blockage in their urine tract, so drink lots. You don't want to be the first." Alex starts to drink but finds he craves it. He finishes the whole bottle. William paws him another one. He finishes about half before he feels sated.
"So let me take you to the hangar. This will be the area you will be working in." William, and Alex, exit the workroom and the building. They talk as they walk along. William gets greetings from most of the people they walk by. Some are so engrossed in the tablet they carry that Alex and William stepped out of their way. Soon they arrive at hanger W-12. It was the same one used for the wedding. Though now it was being used for construction. It was highly classified, so they had to go through a security checkpoint. This hanger is massive, Alex thinks. It's almost two hundred feet high, three hundred feet long, and almost two hundred wide. The glass is frosted. It allows light in, but no spy devices can see in.
"Wow, this place is huge. What are we going to be constructing in here"? "We are going to be constructing a deep space, space ship." Alex just stares at William with his mouth agape. William just smiles at him. "Yes, this is the start of what I would like to call our space academy. But we can't have an academy without ships. So, our first long-range ship will be built here. You, Alex, are our ship constructor. Without your welder, none of this would be possible. The material you have welded for me will be our hull and bulkhead material. I was planning to bolt it all together until you came along with your welder. This craft, when built, will be able to carry a crew of one hundred and fifty personnel. And will be able to travel faster than the speed of light.
We have tested and launched our new FTL drive (Faster than light). The probe was launched over two weeks ago, and should be back any day now." Alex swallowing hard, ask William, "Should I be knowing all this"? "You now have the ZCIA clearance to know all this. So, why not? You will be instrumental in getting all of this off the ground. "I think, sir, that will be the job of the lifter coils." William looks at Alex, and they both burst out laughing at the bad joke.
There is only one other machine in the building, and they walk over to it. "This is an industrial replicator, Alex. This machine will make the hull pieces you will weld together. We will start with the nose of the craft and move down the hull, putting in bulkheads as we go. Also, you will have to mount most of the seats and consoles to the hull. It will have a small hydroponics bay for some fresh food on the trip. Waste materials will go through the power plant, and be recycled in the ship. It will have a VR room along with a theater room. It will have all the sensors we can pack into it. It will have a few defensive weapons, but mostly it will be a science vessel. We are sure we will find new and exciting things out there." "Wow, this is a lot to take in." "It is. Shall we get started"?
Alex welds the rest of the day. William makes the pieces in the industrial replicator. Soon both of them are light-headed due to the high oxygen content in the room. They stop at four o'clock. They had got a lot done. The large nose of the ship was mostly assembled. Alex didn't feel as tired as when he welded those two smaller pieces the day before. Alex looks his new welder over and marvels at its sleek design. William, at the end of the day, offered Alex a new pouch for his crystal. Alex accepts the pouch and places his crystal in it. They say good night to each other, as they walk to the door. Amber is just outside the door waiting for William. They kiss in front of Alex, and Alex wonders when he would be able to do that with his mate. He hangs his head a bit as he walks home. When home, he has a meal in the cafeteria and heads up for his apartment. He falls asleep with thoughts of his mate in his head. His dreams that night, are very erotic.