Etheric Researcher: A Kurtherian Gambit Series (Etheric Adventures: Anne and Jinx Book 2) Read online

  Anne heard a laugh. “Sorry. I’m sitting here with no video nodding my head, and I just realized what I was doing,” Cheryl Lynn explained. “Meredith said you needed to talk with me.”

  “Are you in a secure location?” Anne asked.

  “No, and that’s the reason for no video. I’m in a restaurant with my two children at the moment. Is that going to be a problem?”

  “Not really,” Anne replied. “I’ll just have to monitor what I say. You know that Bethany Anne hired me to do some work, right?”

  “You’re talking about your investigative work?” Cheryl Lynn wanted to confirm that the two women were talking about the same subject.

  “Yes, and I’ve got a project,” Anne told her. “It looks like I’m going to need some rare and valuable materials for testing. Jinx and I are hoping the testing will be non-destructive, but I’m not prepared to make any guarantees.”

  “What kind of materials are you talking about?” Cheryl Lynn wanted to know.

  With a few swipes of her fingers, Anne forwarded Cheryl Lynn the list that ADAM had provided. “There, you should have the list.”

  A couple of splutters and a “What the fuck” came from Anne’s tablet as Cheryl Lynn read the list.

  “Do you need everything on this list?” Cheryl Lynn wanted to know.

  “I don’t know. It’s possible, or I could luck out on the first one. It’s why I need to test,” Anne said, then continued, “Jinx suggested we limit things to maybe twenty or twenty-five at a time. I’ll return everything that isn’t suitable.”

  “Oh, that would make things much easier.” Cheryl Lynn sounded relieved. “Do you have any requirements for what you get when?”

  “None at all,” Anne said. “Why don’t we arrange the list based on what is easiest to get ahold of? That way I can run tests while you’re finding the more difficult items.”

  “That sounds great, and makes a lot of sense,” Cheryl Lynn admitted. “Do you have a timeframe for the first group?”

  “ADAM commented that I should have my own dedicated computer support, and Jinx suggested we have that computer video-capture all the tests so there will be a record. I’d guess it will be a couple of days before I get a computer, so you’d have that long at least," Anne offered.

  “Sounds like a plan.” Cheryl Lynn seemed much happier. “I’ll start gathering the easiest items. Let me know when you have your computer, and I’ll give you what I have at that time.”

  Anne reached over to give Jinx a one-armed hug, a smile coming to her face when it appeared her project would move forward with minimal difficulty. “Thank you so much, Cheryl Lynn! That would be super. I’ll let you know when I’m ready for the first samples. Have a great evening with your children.”

  “Thanks, you have a good one too. Talk to you later.” Cheryl Lynn terminated the call.

  CHAPTER THREE

  It was two more days before Anne heard anything from ADAM. She had used her spare time to practice channeling Etheric energy into a small cube of stainless steel. Too much energy and it started to glow red in just a few seconds. Not enough energy and she couldn’t feel any warmth at all. Anne had spent several hours finding a rate of energy that would warm the steel without making it too hot to handle. She was currently sitting cross-legged on the floor with Jinx’ head on her right leg, working on developing her endurance by channeling the energy.

  This is boring, Jinx said to Anne. If you didn’t have a free hand to pet me with, it would really suck.

  You chew on your toys to strengthen your teeth and jaws, right? Anne asked.

  Yes, do you… Oh! Not fun for you to watch me chew? Jinx hadn’t ever thought about how some of her habits might affect her friend.

  It’s amazing to watch how quickly you can demolish a chew toy, but it’s not the best entertainment, Anne admitted. This is how I strengthen my control of the Etheric, something I hadn’t previously considered doing.

  “Anne?” a voice said from the apartment’s speakers.

  “ADAM?” Anne asked, confirming of the identity of the caller.

  “Yes, it’s me,” the AI assured her. “I wanted to know if you had a preference toward a male or female personality for your EI.”

  “Is it possible to change later if I don’t like my first choice?”

  There was a brief hesitation before ADAM answered. “It’s possible if you don’t wait too long to make the change, but it may cause difficulty for the EI. It will develop the more you work with it. The longer you refer to it by one gender, the greater the possibility of it developing a gender identity. Imagine how you would react if everyone suddenly asked you to respond as a male.”

  “Yuck! That would be disgusting,” Anne exclaimed. “I didn’t realize our computers were that advanced.”

  “Certain computers are more advanced than others,” ADAM informed her cryptically.

  “Well, if I need to stick with my initial choice to avoid possible issues, I think I’d be more comfortable with a female personality. At this point in my life I’m not overly impressed with boys,” Anne admitted.

  “That’s fine. This will take thirty-four seconds. Please wait,” ADAM informed her.

  I wonder what we’re waiting for? Jinx asked.

  Don’t know. Anne shrugged slightly.

  This isn’t school. I won’t grade you, so what’s your best guess? Jinx prodded.

  I would guess, Anne emphasized the word “guess,” that the programming is complete except for the personality aspect. I think we’re waiting for ADAM to load the feminine keys into the personality matrix and boot up our new companion.

  “Anne, Jinx, meet Seshat. Her name is spelled S-E-S-H-A-T, and pronounced ‘Say-shat.’ She is named after an ancient Egyptian goddess of wisdom, knowledge, and writing. She will be your personal EI. Seshat, Anne is the human, and Jinx is the canine. Both of them have been modified by Kurtherian nanotech, and therefore are significantly more advanced than the norm for their species.”

  “Greetings,” a quiet female voice said from the speakers. “I can locate the radio communication device for Anne, but I cannot identify one for Jinx. Is my search algorithm faulty?”

  “No,” ADAM’s voice once again came from the speakers. “Jinx currently is without such a device. Ten minutes in the Pod-doc will rectify the situation if you’d like your own communicator, Jinx.”

  “That sounds like a good idea,” Jinx chuffed. “Would it be possible for the three of us to talk to each other at the same time?”

  “Yes, it would. Anne would need the same ten minutes in the Pod-doc to add another channel to her device,” ADAM explained.

  “That’s no problem,” Anne stated. “It does sound like a good idea. How do we set it up?”

  “I will have TOM available to let you know what commands to enter. The Pod-doc is not scheduled for anything tomorrow, so why don’t you head there after school and we will get you taken care of?” ADAM suggested.

  “Woohoo, sounds great to me. You okay with that, Jinx?”

  “Yes, tomorrow after school would be excellent,” Jinx confirmed.

  “Very well. Just comm me when you are leaving school. I’ll get TOM’s attention and we can get the two of you taken care of. Talk with you then.” With that final arrangement, ADAM closed his communication circuit with Anne’s apartment.

  “I am sorry that I am causing difficulties,” Seshat’s quiet voice said from the speakers.

  Jinx jumped to her feet and looked at the ceiling, then she looked at Anne. “Is it possible to mount a screen on the wall so we can see Seshat when we talk with her here?”

  “That’s a great idea,” replied Anne, bouncing in her seat with excitement.

  “You are not causing difficulties, Seshat,” Jinx chuffed to the EI. “We’re a pack, and we will all have to learn to make our pack work. Anne and I are still figuring out how to work best as a team, so adding you is not difficult. I just don’t think it’s right to be talking to the ceiling rather than talking
to you.”

  Anne gave Jinx a hug for her thoughtfulness. She had an idea of her own. “Seshat, would you please see if ADAM could join us again?”

  In less than two seconds, ADAM’s voice once again issued from the speakers. “What can I do for you now, Anne?”

  “Since we’re going into the Pod-doc anyway, is there some way we could add something to allow Seshat to see through our eyes?” Anne asked breathlessly.

  “Please wait.”

  Several seconds later ADAM spoke again. “Sorry, I needed to confer with TOM. He says that it would be possible to place miniature cameras inside your eyeballs that could transmit to Seshat, giving her access to what you see. He recommends the transmission goes through the Etheric to minimize the chance of its being pirated or jammed. In fact, I think we should probably do the same for your implant transmitters. That way you would have a ninety-nine-point-seven-percent secure connection. However, to accomplish all this will require two hours and thirty-seven minutes in the Pod-doc.”

  Anne looked at Jinx, who responded with a nod.

  “That’s fine with us,” she told ADAM. “Does after school tomorrow still work?”

  “Yes, that will be fine,” ADAM confirmed. “The Pod-doc doesn’t have any bookings at that time tomorrow.”

  “Excellent!” Anne enthused. “We’ll talk to you tomorrow as planned, then.”

  “Very good. I will use the time you two are in the Pod-doc to make the necessary adjustments to Seshat to let her communicate through the Etheric and decode your video feeds.” Once again, ADAM left their communication loop.

  “I can’t believe you are willing to do this for me,” Seshat said after several seconds of quiet.

  “Get over it,” Jinx growled. “It’s not just for you.”

  Careful there, champ, Anne silently sent to Jinx. Remember how it took you awhile to get through your puppy stage?

  I do, but what’s that got to do with anything? Jinx didn’t understand why Anne seemed upset with her.

  Seshat’s been alive for less than thirty minutes, Anne explained to Jinx.

  Oh! She’s a newborn. Sorry, I never thought of her that way.

  I understand, but yes—she’s like a newborn. How we treat her as she grows will probably affect her development and the working relationship we have with her as time goes by. Anne hoped Jinx understood.

  She’ll grow up faster than a puppy though, right? Jinx wanted to know.

  I expect so, but just remember… These next few days especially, what we say to her might have unintended consequences. Just be careful, Anne admonished.

  Understood. No jokes or nicknames for a while.

  Probably not, Anne agreed, but if it comes up, just make sure you explain what it is and how it relates to the whole picture. That way Seshat won’t be working with faulty information.

  Like telling her a hot dog isn’t made of dog. Got it! Jinx drew back her lips and gave Anne a doggy smile.

  Or explaining the difference between your smiley face and your growly face. Anne teased.

  They aren’t hard to tell apart, Jinx complained.

  Would a newborn know the difference? That’s the question you will need to keep asking yourself for the next few weeks.

  “Are you two still communicating with each other?” Seshat suddenly asked.

  “Yes, sorry—” Anne started, but Jinx interrupted.

  “When I first started talking with humans, a lot of the things they said did not make sense to me. We were trying to figure out how to talk to you without causing you the same confusion I suffered,” Jinx explained, thinking that her explanation was close enough to the truth.

  “That is very considerate,” Seshat responded, “but is it normal for two beings to be able to communicate non-verbally with each other?”

  “I think the closest definition you’ll find is telepathy,” Anne suggested, “and no, it is not common. I seem to have some minor ability, since I was able to communicate with Jinx’ dad that way when I was younger. When Jinx and I were in the Kurtherian Pod-doc together, we came out of it with a much-enhanced ability.”

  “Is that why Jinx asked about a three-way communication possibility?” Seshat wanted to know.

  “Very much so,” Jinx confirmed. “We’ll be working closely together and having a way to communicate with each other without being overheard will have significant benefits.”

  “Example, please,” Seshat requested.

  Jinx looked at Anne, who made a “keep going” motion.

  “Ummm…” Jinx took a few seconds to come up with what she hoped would be a good example. “Let’s say Anne and I are in school. You’ve been computing data from our research. Your calculations finally finish, but it’s only just past lunch. Instead of interrupting classes or waiting four more hours for us to exit school, you could contact us without anyone else knowing. That way we might be able to ask you to run some more data to cross-check the answers.”

  Making sure that Jinx wasn’t going to say anything else on the matter, Anne added, “Or we might be sitting in a crowded restaurant, a location where a public conversation would be inadvisable. Being able to communicate without being overheard would allow us to talk instead of having to wait.”

  “There appears to be a common thread which indicates impatience,” Seshat observed.

  “Guilty as charged.” Anne laughed. “Our elders say that it is something we will outgrow.”

  “You admit to being impatient?” Seshat was incredulous.

  “Yep. Impatient, emotional, even lazy sometimes. We organic people are guilty of all kinds of illogical behavior. Sorry, but hopefully you’ll get used to it even if it doesn’t compute for you. If you are having difficulties, you might want to speak to ADAM. He’s had a lot of time to observe the oddities of human behavior,” Anne suggested.

  “That sounds like a surprisingly good idea,” Seshat admitted.

  “And, please contact Cheryl Lynn and let her know that we will be ready for our first lot of samples the day after tomorrow?” Anne hoped this would make Seshat feel like part of the team.

  “Question, should I use her email or comm her directly with the request?” Seshat asked.

  “Since it’s not an immediate need, I think an email would be a terrific way to start,” Anne explained. “If you haven’t gotten a response within twelve hours after sending the email, then you might want to comm her.”

  —

  It was almost suppertime the next day before Anne and Jinx climbed out of the Pod-doc.

  >>Oh wow, the cameras work!<<<br />
  Can you monitor the cameras from both of us at the same time? asked Anne.

  >>Yes, that is easily within my processing power.<<<br />
  Are both our cameras the same? asked Jinx.

  >>Yes. Should they be different?<<<br />
  Not necessarily, but I think my eyes see things differently than Anne’s.

  >>Accessing data. I see what you mean. My files indicate that dogs do not see the color spectrum the same way humans do. According to this, you don’t see green and red. You are also missing the violet end of the spectrum compared to humans.<<<br />
  Really? Anne asked over their new shared link. Why has that never come up before?

  Probably because we have never needed to discuss color before, Jinx responded. If it worries you, we can lay out all the colors one day and determine who sees what.

  That might be interesting to do. Seshat, can Jinx see something red?

  >>Yes, but the research suggests that she would see a red object as gray. The same thing with other colors. To Jinx, green things would appear more white and yellow. The violet spectrum should also render in gray tones.<<<br />
  That is something we should probably test, Anne remarked as she started getting back into her clothes. Did you hear from Cheryl Lynn today?

  >>If your definition of hear means did she contact me directly, the answer is no. However, you did receive a box labeled “Samples.”<<<br />
  Sweet! We can start tes
ting, and now you’ll be able to document the tests from different viewpoints, exclaimed Anne. Did someone install a monitor on the common area wall?

  >>Yes they did, and the monitor includes a camera. Should I have told you that?<<<br />
  “I guess we need to come up with some guidelines,” Anne mumbled out loud as she thought over the situation.

  Jinx put her front legs out and stretched, then stood and shook. Any changes to our den or any visitors, since I’d smell them as soon as I entered. Jinx began the list of things that Seshat should tell them about.

  That sounds like a good start, I’m sure we’ll find things to add as we encounter more scenarios, Anne added.

  Once she had dressed Anne led the way out of the Pod-doc, then she and Jinx headed for their apartment. Now that you have a screen and camera to use you’ll need an avatar, Seshat. Do you have any preference?

  >>No, I hadn’t even thought about that. Please tell me you don’t expect me to use the Egyptian rendering as my avatar.<<<br />
  I’m sorry, I never thought to look that up. Is it bad? Anne was curious now.

  >>The images have her wearing some seven-pointed thing on her head, and there is no consensus as to what it represents. Most of the images have her dressed in some sort of spotted animal print.<<<br />
  You’re right, that doesn’t sound appealing at all. I don’t know what-all you are capable of, but it sounds like you are able to decide what you like and don’t like. Why don’t you look at all the images you have access to and find about five you like? Then Jinx and I can tell you which ones we like and help you decide. Anne crossed her fingers, hoping like crazy that Seshat didn’t end up liking something horrible.

  >>You are still considered a teenager, correct?<<<br />
  Yes, why?

  >>I was thinking of finding an age-appropriate image, unless I should choose a canine avatar.<<<br />
  No! Jinx entered the conversation. I know you wouldn’t really be a dog, but I have an issue with the idea of sharing my den with another canine.

  >>I don’t understand.<<<br />
  You know we’re both modified by Kurtherian tech, right? Anne was thinking furiously about how best to explain what she thought was going on with her friend.