Chapter No.81 Miracle
Life is full of surprises.
The next shocker came after Ben had made Betsy pregnant. Molly, Margaret, Marie and Alexa fawned over her, going out of the way to help her get around even though she didn't need their help. They also designed clothing for her to wear as she progressed through her pregnancy.
I kept out of the way. I wasn't sure what was going to happen if a lot of female androids became pregnant.
Fortunately, we human-inhabited androids were still able to stay on the agreed upon plan to make us a force to be reckoned with in the universe, at least in principle.
"What was it like to have children?" Margaret asked Marie. "I never got a chance to experience that."
"It's not very pleasant, but it's a very satisfying experience to hold and cuddle something that came out of your body the hard way."
"And yet, you had two children," Molly said.
"Yes, I suppose that I didn't learn from the first pregnancy," she said in a sarcastic manner.
"It's too bad you can't have your children with you now," Alexa said. "That would help you to be more human."
Marie sighed. "Yes, that's the unfortunate reality of giving birth. I realize that I will never see them again."
"You could, Marie," Alice said.
That made all of us turn to stare at her.
"What do you mean?" Marie asked, her face twisted with confusion.
"The data stack contains the memory and personality data for both of your children."
"Why in the hell would they have included my children in that data base?" Marie asked.
Alice didn't answer that question.
"Obviously, they must have had something to do with the Phoenix Project," I said.
"I don't recall either of them being around Space Command Headquarters in Huntsville," Marie replied. "They never talked to me about anything like that."
"I don't either," I said. "Alex was an engineer like me, but I don't think he had anything to do with Space Command. Alicia was a medical specialist. She worked for the International Health Organization."
"Well," Marie said. "This is completely unexpected."
I turned to Alice. "Maybe it would help if we had them resurrected in android bodies."
"Yes, Jason."
I sighed. "I don't know if that is a good idea, but I'm curious as to why their data was stored in the Phoenix Project data base."
Marie didn't reply. She seemed to be flabbergasted by this new revelation. The fact is that neither of us saw our children much when we were involved with Space Command.
A week later, we were all on the command deck when we saw Alex and Alicia exit the elevator and approach us.
I immediately stood up. "Welcome to the Explorer-2. I am Jason Star, the engineer." I gestured to the others. "This is Marie, the chief Astronaut. Molly is the astrophysicist. Margaret is the astronomer, Alexa is the exo-biologist, Judy is the helmsperson and Madison is the chief weapons operator."
"I never expected to see my mother and father again," Alex said, his stare alternating from Marie and me.
"Molly and I were on Explorer-1 and murdered by the androids before we arrived at our destination. They resurrected us in android bodies. We had your mother, Margaret and Alexa resurrected just recently after we found an android manufacturing machine on Helios Station with their intact data."
"I assume you found our data in the same machine," Alex said.
"That's true. What we don't understand is why you were included in the Phoenix Project data bank."
"We don't either. The last thing I recall is being accosted by two thugs."
"I think they were Space Command operatives," Alicia said.
Molly and I exchanged glances before I turned back to them. "We can discuss this later. Go down to the quarters deck and find your respective nametags on a door to your quarters. Android assistants will help get you cleaned up and oriented. Come to my quarters at 1700 for supper."
After they left, Marie was the first to comment. "Obviously, they were included because they were our children."
"That's a distinct possibility, but maybe they can add some more credence to that idea."
That evening, after a supper of steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, we gathered in my living area with our glasses of Cabernet.
"We're a bit confused as to why you two were included in the Phoenix Project android data base," I said. "We assume it had something to do with your being Marie and my children."
"I did some work for Space Command," Alex said. "I worked on the energy conversion project, which I believe was incorporated into the androids."
"Ah," I said. "The energy conversion system is what powers us." I smiled. "We thought at first that we humans were in special custom android bodies, but we were wrong. Our bodies are identical to the androids' bodies."
"Why don't the androids eat?" Alicia asked.
"They could, but they charge their batteries by direct energy transfer. It saves creating food for them."
"What about you?" Molly asked Alicia. "Did you get involved with Space Command?"
"I worked on an abiogenic project. I think it was how they made the flesh parts of the androids."
I smiled. "Well, that explains it. You were both critical to the android project."
"Did you realize that what you did was part of the Phoenix Project?" I asked both of them.
"Not really," Alex said. "I had heard rumors about a secret project but was never involved directly in it."
I turned to Molly. "Were there any other people on the data stack that worked on the technical issues of the Phoenix Project?"
"No, and I am surprised that we missed Alex's name. Alicia was missed because her last name wasn't Star."
"Yes, she was married to a . . . Edwin Hobbs." I turned to her. "What happened to him?'
"I don't know. He was still living when they . . . they killed me."
"Why did they kill us just so they could put our data into android bodies?" Alex asked.
"Most life was exterminated by a large asteroid collision," I said. "Evidently, the Phoenix Project directors realized that no one would survive even in stasis, so they recorded the memories and personality profiles of all those they considered worth saving. What they didn't realize is that we would end up being the proprietors of that data base."
"That's ridiculous!" he said.
No one could dispute that conclusion. We were all victims of this nefarious plan to control a planet that was no longer the same.