Sitnalta Page 13

Rus followed Jason to where three horses were stabled. Rus stared first at the beautiful white Palomino gelding. Then he looked at the Appaloosa mare.

Jason: “Which one do you want to saddle?”

Rus: “Can’t I just ride on the same horse with you?”

Jason: “I guess.”

Jason saddled the Appaloosa and mounted her. He reached down and helped Rus get behind him on the horse.

Jason: “Now hold on.”

Rus closed his eyes as the horse began to gallop.

Jason: “We’re about to jump a ditch.”

Rus: “Oh brother!”

Clearing the ditch, Appaloosa quickly made it through the marsh and came up on the compound where Jason’s alter self and Natalina were being held prisoner. Jason led Rus to an opening that was too narrow for Jason to enter. Reluctantly Rus squeezed through the opening and then looked back at Jason.

Rus: “Now what?”

Jason: “The passage leads to a duct that opens into a hallway. There are orange, yellow, green, and purple reflectors forming lines along the wall of the hallway. Follow the yellow reflectors. They will take you to a hall where there are silver, green, yellow, and gold reflectors. Follow the gold reflectors until you reach a black and somewhat rusted door. There should be a guard named Zack in the area. Whisper that you just saw a strange looking pink bird outside in the garden. If he doesn’t go to open the door then that is not Zack and you’ve got problems.”

Rus: {Rolls his eyes.} “Yeah, this is a plan that is going to work.”

Rus climbs back through the opening. He notices a 4 legged, normal looking goat munching on a Pine tree. The goat stops chewing and leaves the Pine tree. She walks closer to Rus. He stares at her and suddenly he realizes he is seeing through her eyes. Then for a second everything goes black. The next thing he sees is himself through the goats eyes. Then he sees himself and the goat rubbing their heads together. That isn’t actually happening and he realizes that he is seeing what the goat is thinking about. He hears the voice of a small child calling the goat Minchkin. There is no small child around. Rus is hearing the goats memory of the child calling her Minchkin. Rus hears the voice of his own father calling him Rus. It was like Minchkin had caused the random thought of his father to pop into his head.

Jason: “I see you’ve noticed Minchkin. She has not strayed far from these walls since her master, Natalina, was locked away here.”

Rus: “Does Minchkin know Zack?”

Jason: “Yes. Zack takes Natalina on walks when he can manage it. Minchkin always walks with them.”

Rus: “I take it that Zack cares about Natalina. Why in the heck doesn’t he just help her to escape.”

Jason: “He would lose his job, if not his life. There are other people that depend on him. It is important that someone else be blamed for the escape.”

Rus: “But if I locate Zack, he will help open the door for me.”

Jason: “Yes, but then he must quickly go to a different area of the compound to establish an alibi.”

Rus: “Is there anyway I can cause Minckin to visualize Zack so that I will know what he looks like?”

Jason reaches into his pants pocket and pulls out a wallet. He then flips through some pictures and shows Rus a picture of Zack.

Rus: “Why didn’t you show a picture of him to me to start with? I mean, really. You are supposed to be a smart man.”

Jason: “I wasn’t thinking. Here is a picture of a younger me. I‘ve lost the only picture I have of Natalina.”

Rus replayed the child’s voice calling for Minchkin hoping that it would cause Minckin to visualize Natalina. It worked and Minchkin visualized her loving master that she longed to see again.

Rus: “Natalina is a very pretty little girl. Why is she being held here?”

Jason: “It first was a ploy to cause Ellen to betray me. I’m not sure why they continue to hold Natalina. I only know that after the last spatial shift in time, for some reason Howie Hayes has Natalina moved to a lead chamber and she dies. If we don’t alter this spatial shift I will be haunted into damnation.”

Rus looked up to see Minchkin rushing toward him. She runs past him and easily enters through the narrow opening to the compound. Rus follows into the passage. He then smiles as he pets Minchkin.

Jason peeps through the opening.

Jason: “Hurry! You’ve got less than 30 minutes to get me and Natalina out of the dungeon. In 30 minutes they will take Natalina to the lead chamber which blocks the wireless waves and cuts her off from the master computer.”

Rus followed Jason’s directions and made his way toward the black and rusted door. Minchkin followed until they reached the door. Then she took off running. Rus had no idea where she was going. Rus looked around and Zack was no where in sight. Then suddenly Rus heard a squeaking sound. He noticed the bar on the door. It moved. He realized the door was about to be opened from the inside. Rus froze.

Rus: “Oh my God. I feel trouble coming. I actually feel the danger approaching. These animal instincts are so strange.”

The door opened and in front of Rus there stood Howie Hayes with Natalina.

Howie: “Your animal senses could have been useful if you’d had enough sense to use them.”

Howie held a strange object in his hand that Rus figured was a weapon of some sort.

Rus: “Are you going to kill me?”

Howie: “I haven’t decided yet.”

Rus: “You do know that if you take Natalina to the lead chamber where she can not communicate with the master brain, you will kill her. You will also cause the master brain to crash and all Thinksters will die.”

Howie: “Are you serious. How do you know?”

Howie looked into Rus’ thoughts just as Rus had looked into Minchkins thoughts and he knew Rus was telling the truth.

Howie: “I almost killed my daughter. {Howie stares at Natalina with loving eyes.} I’m so sorry. I’m so stupid. I just wanted to free you from being a damned robot. It is not right. You have a soul. I know you have a soul. It is not right that you be controlled by the damned Fougeres.”

Natalina stares at her father with an almost blank look. Rus notices that there does not seem to be any hint of understanding.

Rus: “Jason now understands that Thinksters have souls.”

Howie: “I just talked to Jason. I did my best to try to convince him to alter the master brain so as to free my daughter. He refused to help me. You’ve got to understand. I’ve spent most of my life in this place I despise because of two people I love more than life itself. I’ve done things I’m not proud of to create the largest fortune anyone has ever mastered. Do you think I did it because of greed? Hell no. I did it so I might be able to stand on equal footing with the Fougeres and make them listen to me. Still Jason and the Fougeres refuse to do what I want. Even holding part of their technology hostage and threatening to use the technology to destroy Atlantis, Jason and the Fougeres refuse to alter their system to free my wife and daughter.”

Rus: “I don’t understand. I don’t know anything about the young Jason that you have in the dungeon. I do know that the older Jason has been trying to change the future. When the older Jason told me that we had to stop Natalina from dying, I believed him.”

Howie: “I know I stand here as man that no one can trust because of the things that I have done. All I ask is that you believe everything I’ve done, I have done for my wife and daughter.”

Rus nodded. By Jason’s on account, in Jason’s first encounter with Rus they had argued and time was wasted. Although Rus had not currently heard Jason’s full explanation for things, Rus felt certain that Howie was being sincere.

Howie: “I will not risk trying to use the lead room. Not yet!”

Howie looked around.

Howie: “Did I understand when you said that you’ve been in communication with Jason who has traveled back in time to try to change the future? Is he around?”

Rus: “I’m not going to tell you where he is. Will you allow me to exit this compound without being followed or spied on in any way?”

Howie: “Will you try to convince Jason to free my wife and daughter?”

Rus: “I will.”

Howie: “Then you may leave.”

Natalina: “I will go with you.”

Howie: “No, you will not.”

Natalina: “My mother needs me.”

Howie: “I fear if I allow you to leave this compound, I will never see you again.”

Rus: “Does Jason know that you and Ellen conceived Natalina together?”

Howie: “He knows.”

Rus: “So he knows why you have been holding Natalina here as a prisoner.”

Natalina: “He doesn’t understand.”

Natalina looked at her father.

Natalina: “I don’t understand why my father would keep me from my mother, my home, my place, my job.”

Howie: “That is not you speaking. That is the master brain speaking.”

Natalina: “You are wrong. What you are doing is wrong. Why won‘t you return to the Fougere compound and work with them again. We were all so happy then.”

Rus: “Let her go with me. As a matter of a fact you go with me. Something has happened to Ellen and you should be with your wife.”

Howie: “If I enter the Fougere compound, they will make me their prisoner.”

Rus: “I will go talk with the elder Jason. If he gives me his word that you will not be made a prisoner, will you come see your wife and bring Natalina.”

Howie: “Go talk with him. I make no promises, but I will listen when you return.

Rus left the compound. The elder Jason was waiting in the shadows but did not walk up to Rus right away. When he felt certain no one was following Rus, he whistled to get Rus’ attention. Rus realized it was Jason and motioned for him. Jason walked to him on the dirt road.

Rus: “Howie did not take Natalina to the lead chamber. I told him what would happen.”

Jason: “At least you accomplished that. Thank you.”

Rus: “Is there anyway that Ellen and Natalina can be freed from the master brain?”

Jason: “I’ve tried to explain to Howie that it is impossible. It would be like if someone operated on us and removed half our brain. The best I can do is try to build a new master brain that can not be used to issue directives to manipulate and control the Thinksters. I am not even sure I can do that. The master brain was designed way before my time and to be honest the information on how the master brain functions has been lost. To try to learn the information requires us to experiment. Our experiments could prove as hurtful and dangerous as what Howie was about to attempt because of the wireless communication that is involved.”

Rus: “Couldn’t you simply stop using the master brain to issue directives.”

Jason: “There are certain directives that create compulsions. Those directives are built into the system. We have to counter those directives to alter those compulsions. The problem with Howie is that any time Ellen or Natalina disagree with him, his automatic response is that it is not them talking but that it is the master brain.”

Rus: “There is something that you are not telling me.”

Jason: “I’ve always been fond of Ellen. Howie was always jealous of the time Ellen and I spent together. He got it in his mind that Ellen didn‘t really like me but that I used the master brain to give her directives which made her like me.”

Rus: “Can you give Ellen and Natalina directives so that they will not like you and will stay away from the Fougere compound.”

Jason: “What? You want Howie to think that I’ve given them greater free will by in fact using the master brain to take their free will away from them. That is crazy.”

Rus: “You love Ellen.”

Jason: “Yes. I loved her even when I thought she was a creature without a soul. I love her even more now that I know we can share the after life together.”

Rus: “But as long as the master computer works, you can’t communicate with her in the after life.”

Jason: “And if I allow the master computer to crash and all Thinksters to die, I will be haunted into damnation.”

Rus: “From what you said, originally, your objective was not about the master computer.”

Jason: “Originally, I was trying to stop Howie from destroying Atlantis.”

Rus: “Originally, what caused the destruction.”

Jason: “I can’t do what Howie wants concerning Ellen and Natalina. He goes forward with his hybrid laser nuclear fusion experiments. He uses his economic power where his companies are responsible for building key parts of the Atlantis infrastructure. He intentionally creates flaws and weaknesses into the systems that his company builds. He puts a figure head in control of a rival nation. He builds the military up of that nation. He has that nation attack Atlantis. Atlantis is unable to defend herself. The foreign troops take control of the Fougere labs. He is able to get even more information that he is able to use in his hybrid laser nuclear fusion project. One of his experiments causes a chain reaction that can’t be controlled. It causes a molecular shift which causes massive explosions and the transformation of matter back into pure energy. Parts of Atlantis sink into the ocean and parts of Atlantis simply disappears as the matter is transformed.”

Rus: “So destroy the information.”

Jason: “But if the technology can be perfected and used for good, the benefits will be tremendous. I have moved and hidden the information so...”

Rus: “And how many times have you hidden the information in new places in your attempt to change the future. Old dude, think about what you are saying. There is no wonder you haven’t been able to change the outcome of things.”

Jason: “You just don’t understand.”

Rus: “Destroy the information before it is used to destroy Atlantis.”

Jason: “This last time, what I did, I...”

Rus: “What?”

Jason: “I used the Thinksters to put the information into the master brain.”

“Rus: “And that is hiding it how?”

Jason: “I was trying to get the information perfected in time. What better way than to get the Thinksters to work on the project. I hadn’t done that before, because it does put the information where anyone might get it. Howie gets it anyway, so...”

Rus: “Why didn’t you just destroy the information?”

Jason: “Look, thanks to Michelle, Howie already had a large part of the information. Not having the information from my more recent experiments might slow him, but will not stop him. Simply destroying the information will not stop him!”