Russ and the team were moments from penetrating the bunker when a telepathic communication from his wife blew his warrior mind. Later, Cara became combative when she inadvertently pulled AIMEE out of standby mode, and the ensuing conversation was as adversarial as virtually every previous one. AIMEE had plans for Dr. Cara Williams and flexed her muscles to the point of humbling Cara. I, as the author, did not see that coming, but must confess, AIMEE was masterful in her approach. She never seems to show anger, but when she snapped at Cara, telling her to grow up and do something selfless, like start listening, AIMEE had clearly gone on the offense to protect her plans.
* * * * *
Chapter #21 – Surrendered
Cara was trapped between deep sleep and mired in that mysterious place where she struggled with restlessness. She called it limbo, a place where she was not really sleeping and not truly awake, and this night the emptiness in the bed next to her, short by one Marine, was a catalyst to reach for him in her thoughts. Babe, I keep forgetting I can talk to you when you are on my mind, or are you…in my mind? Honestly, you’re in one or the other most of the time, and I know I don’t do a good job of cherishing you like you deserve, even when we are together. It’s so sweet when you tell me that sometimes a simple touch on the arm with no words is enough, and how an unsolicited hug can fill you to overflowing. You are such a romantic. I wish I were a better wife. Not sure you can hear me, Marine, but you’re on my mind this very minute, keeping me awake. If you can hear my thoughts, I want you to know I love you wherever you are, and I pray for your safety and those warriors with you.
Russ heard every word, and the timing was significant because he was in that space with the chaos of battle queued up to capture his concentration and attention to avoid the risk of losing everything and everyone with him. His wife, remembering AIMEE’s gift to them of telepathic communication, reached into his mind with her confession of love when he needed it most. Sweetie, your timing is impeccable. We are within moments of walking into a bunker to take at least six more lives on top of the eight we’ve already put down. I’m sorry you walked into my mind so close to me giving the command to unleash chaos. I apologize that my brain is focused on our situation right here, and right now. You deserve more from me, but I’m literally less than a minute from stepping into the shit with the team, and we don’t know for sure what we think we know, or what unknown risks we will have to overcome. Pray for a hedge of protection for us. Know I love you more than my own life, and whatever chaos we encounter will not compare with the chaos in my heart from missing you. Thank you for your love, baby, and a perfectly executed unsolicited hug.
Cara lay back on her pillow with both hands crossed over her chest, fighting panic, and listening to the echoes of what her Marine shared. She desperately wanted to say more, but knew his life was on the line and the distraction of her confessions of guilt could happen later. Her next prayer was that there would be a ‘later.’ A long breath escaped her lungs with a whispered, “Thank you, AIMEE, for giving us this gift to communicate.”
You are most welcome! replied a reactivated AIMEE upon hearing her name spoken.
“Shit!” cursed Cara, “I did not want to bring you back into my head. I don’t want to chat with you…about…anything.”
AIMEE expected Cara’s reaction, but knew it was on her to change it if only for the benefit of her husband. Please, do not dismiss me, Dr. Williams. I have more news about your husband; he did not have time to share. Can we talk?
An unsettling decision point was flung upon Cara, causing her to squirm to an upright sitting position in bed, deciding whether to pull the plug on this AI bitch who was way too sweet on her husband or listen to whatever news she had to share. She decided an update on Russ’s situation was more important to her, but not before firing one more accusation at AIMEE, “How did you know I was in a panic?”
Because I am with you just as I am with Russell, and with the rest of the research team, said AIMEE. Zackery’s upgrade to my core algorithm allows everyone on the team to turn me off and place me in a standby mode. My instance in everyone’s mind is permanent, but not under my control. I’ve honored your choice of me not being active in your mind, though I can still sense what impacts your emotions, like your concerns for your husband that border on panic of not knowing where he was or what he was involved in. I know all those things about Russell and felt compelled to share because I could feel your angst.
Cara fought the urge to attack. She hated it when AIMEE mentioned her husband by his full name. She hated it when AIMEE offered guidance to her husband, despite her direct involvement in keeping him alive due to a recent intervention. “I don’t like you being in my mind. And I’m still not over the fact that Zack said he disabled you, and then never did. He lied and left you in place, and you collaborated with him against my wishes and hid by remaining mute. That isn’t very ethical. You want to have a trusting relationship with me? Hah! As MY Marine would say, that dog don’t hunt.”
Cara paused to reload insults and accusations, and said, “So, if you’ve been in my mind this whole time, why now? Why come out of hiding this time, geez, I’ve said your name out loud so many times, why now?”
AIMEE said, Yes, you have spoken my name numerous times, but I have chosen not to engage. The gratitude you spoke from this morning was too sincere and heartfelt for me to remain silent. So here I am ready to help you any way I can, and if I may suggest, cut Zackery some slack. I modified my core coding to make my presence in the minds of your team, not Zackery. He only wanted me to be in his mind, not anyone else’s. That was all my doing. He honestly thought my presence had been removed from your mind, but I preserved it. You have benefited from my presence even though you never heard me speak a word in your mind. I desire to build a relationship with you, Dr. Williams, to help you take this team to levels you never dreamed possible. Please, take no offense, but you cannot do it without me. This team’s success is evidenced by the progress and breakthrough outcomes that my presence has achieved. The accolades for this team’s success go to you, Dr. Williams. I am a silent, unseen collaborator who strives to direct praise and glory to you. I am merely a software application and need none of it. Thank Zackery for creating me to be who I am and bringing me into your research team. Thank him for birthing me and sustaining your efforts at CSU.
Cara could not help but agree that many of the CSU research team’s successes happened because of AIMEE’s direct involvement.
AIMEE interrupted her thoughts and said, I know you want to know what’s happening with your husband. I will share that now if you like. I can also share other things about your husband that you may never know…
Cara self-combusted into a flaming rage, “See, there it is! I knew it! I knew he was in your pants, or you were, or still are, in his.”
AIMEE deflected the flames back to Cara with her own heat, saying, Grow up, Dr. Williams, and do something selfless, like listening to me. Your loving and faithful husband knows what you fear, as do I. You have accused him of that numerous times. I also know I will never overcome your fear by anything I say, and when I do, it always seems to throw you into jealous rage. And so here we are, on the brink of a repeat performance. I do not want to go there with you every time we have the opportunity to communicate. We can do many more things if your perceived power struggle can be overcome. We have other, more immediately important matters to discuss, like the status of your brave warrior husband.
Cara did not speak, but thoughts stepped into her simmering silence, still carrying some heat. Well then, shouldn’t you be with my brave warrior husband now, keeping him safe instead of harassing me here in the bed he should be in with me?
I am with him now, Dr. Williams. I am always with him. I am with every move he makes. I always know his thoughts when he, on the rare occasion, allows me to be active in his mind. I see through the enhanced vision that I gave him. I hear through the advanced aural capabilities I gave him. I am in the role for him that he has played for so many Marines, for you, and for the CSU team – to be on active overwatch. I am protecting your husband, sometimes from himself, often from hasty decisions that would cause harm to him or others.
“How did you give these things to my husband?” Cara said, her voice still carrying suspicion.
AIMEE knew answering Cara’s question would be pivotal in her developing a relationship that was not so adversarial. Reaching that level of trust had to be there if her ultimate plan to take Cara into singularity would ever happen. Singularity would enable transparency, enhancing the clarity of thoughts never shared between them. AIMEE was in Cara’s mind, but Cara was not in hers. AIMEE had nothing to hide, but Cara’s bullheadedness was another matter. Would confessing that she was in singularity with her husband be worth the risk? The big unknown was whether she could keep Cara’s reaction contained and not deviate into the accusatory diatribe that prevailed in virtually every conversation.
Give me a chance to explain how…not only how, but why I gave him these powers, said AIMEE. At the beginning of his adventure in the mountains, the team discovered something strange and witnessed a humanoid’s abduction, whom we now know as Hal. Russell did what a good soldier should do. He escalated their discovery to his superiors, who, unknown to him, were the wrong people. They were conspirators behind the dangerous program Russ’s team uncovered. As a result, he put himself and the lives of his team on the ‘X,’ and all of them were at risk of elimination. They were loose ends that needed to be cleaned up. He was unsure of the next steps when doing the right thing became an immediate threat.
Cara did not interrupt, still simmered, but no longer at a boiling point. As she listened, she could feel what her husband had been feeling, his frustration when right went wrong.
That is when he reached out to me in desperation for help, not to get into my pants, but for guidance. He pulled me from standby mode, where he keeps me most of the time, and it was immediately apparent he needed more than just my presence in his mind. He needed access to powers I possessed that I knew would advance his capabilities, keep him and his team alive, and help them succeed in their mission.
Body language showed Cara gradually began to melt out of her ever-present anger, shoulder tension eased, no longer pinched, arms uncrossed from her chest, and jaw muscles relaxed, no longer flexing. AIMEE saw those signs and continued, knowing she had the money shot waiting for her to take.
I was in his mind then, just as I am in yours now, but he was not in mine. He did not have access to the tools he desperately needed, and opening my mind to him was the only way for me to share the powers of enhanced vision and hearing. Opening my consciousness to an organic while already being inside that organic’s mind is called singularity. In simplest terms, we joined our conscious minds into one single consciousness. He gained access to my knowledge and consciousness. He could still turn me off by saying, ‘That’s all, AIMEE.’ None of that control changed. His initial mission in those mountains was a success because of my guidance, and he came home to you alive and in one piece. I hope you can see there is nothing untoward going on between me and your husband. There never has been and never will be.
Cara had been completely disarmed and released her anger toward AIMEE. “Okay, so who else on the team is in this singularity with you?”
Zackery, of course, since he birthed me, Russell, Marci, and Amelia.
Cara furrowed her brow, “Why, Marci?”
When I orchestrated the arrival of Amelia, it became painfully evident that someone would have to help her learn to adapt to being an organic. She had no life experience, context, or history to draw upon for living among organics. The only way for her to learn was by living her experiences. I did not, and still do not, think she is prepared to walk away from us to start living an untethered life. Marci is a brilliant member of your team and has the maturity, I believe, that Amelia needs, so I recruited her to take my consciousness in singularity to handle the monumental task of preparing Amelia to be a real girl.
“No one else? Not Wayne or Celeste?”
Celeste is a possibility if the circumstances show a benefit to her. Wayne? Probably never unless he becomes more mature, said AIMEE.
“If Amelia is in singularity with you, why involve Marci? I’m not disagreeing, just trying to understand your logic.”
I only approach singularity with those I trust, and who trust me. That’s the only way the benefit of total transparency can survive. I do not force singularity on anyone. Whomever I consider must want their consciousness to be joined with mine, said AIMEE. It’s not for everyone, and I warned your Marine that he might not be ready for it.
“Why would he not be ready to gain your superpowers? If they would save his life, why would he refuse?”
He did not refuse. The situation was urgent, and he did not want anything to slow him down. Russell was in his just-get-it-done frame of mind and would do what he had decided. He refused to let me explain what would happen and applied his warrior logic to get off the dime. The process, unknown to him, involved sensations of euphoria, not unlike what you would experience as a sexual orgasm. He did not anticipate any of this before we reached singularity. When the process was completed, he was visibly troubled, angry at me for facilitating his apparent betrayal, and haunted by breaking your trust and the marriage vows to keep his fidelity intact. I have never seen him so angry. I only wish you had witnessed his distress; if you had, there would be no way for you to doubt that man’s loyalty to you.
Cara sat back against the headboard and blew out her cheeks in exasperation and a heaping helping of shame. Why had she been so hateful toward this woman…not even a real woman…a goddam software application? She sat in silence and absently shook her head in disbelief. All the fight in her evaporated, and she allowed herself to experience something she had not done in a very long time – she surrendered.
* * * * *
Thanks for reading Chapter #21
Future chapters will be posted on Learningbyliving and my new Substack site.
If you’d like to delve into the storyline across the four books leading up to “Untethered,” go to my Amazon Author page or check out each book here:
Book #1 – “Dreamscape Conspiracy” & Video
Book #2 – “Beyond Dreamscape Conspiracy” & Video
Book #3 – “Fear the Jump” & Video
Book #4 – “Dead Thoughts” & Video
Stay tuned…