Hello Mr. Robinson Pt. 12

"How did you get here?" Rhea asked wiping her blade clean on Oz's jacket.

"I used one of Jon's artifacts." I said as she stood up. "I stole something."

"Who did it belong to," she asked making a disapproving face. "I can't believe you'd stoop that low."

"I guess Nick had claimed it mentally though not physically."

"Claimed isn't ownership Greg. What did you get ahold of?"

"A derelict spaceship..."

"You never were one to do anything half ass. Who built it?"

"They are known as the Progenitors. They fell before the J'Nai even came into being. I couldn't let humans get their hands on that kind of tech."

"They can't handle the power they have now. It will destroy them in the end... what is it?"

"There is a rock the size of a continent heading this way. It will hit the eastern seaboard in ten years."

"Do they know?"

"Oh yeah," I said. "I was there when the probe picked up its presence."

"We need to talk. There is one hell of a story here and I am craving sushi."

"I know just the place."

I took her into my arms and shifted us to a quiet spot near the center of Tokyo. A short walk later and we were sitting in my favorite sushi bar. The owner and I had a mutual friend. As we ate Rhea told me about her time here during the Edo Period. She had so many stories that crossed centuries of Earth's history. There was something different about her and I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I would wait for her to tell me in her own time. We talked about the derelict and its superior technology. I told her how I had managed to board the ship by remembering time spent with the Phoenix King. This seemed to surprise her. She had been born long after his death and the shattering of the Shining Empire.

"What was he like, the Phoenix King, and how did he help you get into the derelict?"

"How do you describe the full glory of the sun to a blind person. They can feel the warmth of the sunlight, but the rest is lost upon them. He was gentle, wise, and fiercely protective of his children. He removed himself from mortal society long before the fall. I think he knew what was coming. I can't be sure, but I suspected as much. It was his ring that gave me the clues to deciphering the Progenitor shield. The ring had been a gift from the Old Ones. They had gotten it from the Progenitors I believe. I have no direct evidence, but it proved to be a relic of that forgotten race."

"How could you even remember what it looked like?"

"He let me hold it..." I said as the sudden memory surfaced. "He took it off and I examined it. I saw all the symbols carved on the band."

"Convenient," Rhea said making a face. "Too convenient... he must have known somehow that you would encounter that ship."

"Time will tell I suppose."

"I'm pregnant..." she blurted out.

I smiled and fought the urge to pluck her off her feet and spin her around. Suddenly the memory of her life and death fight with Oz flashed back. I was about to chastise her when she leaned close and kissed me. Her thoughts touched mine and her confidence in my protective nature had given her the courage to face Oz one on one. I shared my plans with her for the Progenitor ship and leaving the Earth. She feared leaving and being targeted by agents of the enemy. I agreed to wait until I was assured of our safety before I acted on my plans. My wrist lit up and the Progenitor A.I. announced that it was finished. When I asked what the hell it was talking about it activated the smart screen's holographic projectors. An image of Oz appeared. I asked why there was an image of the thing that had defiled my daughter it responded with a full spectrum image and detailed cellular scan of him.

"Why did you scan him?"

"Because you didn't ask me to." It responded as if that were reason enough. "His genetic makeup alone was worthy of salvage. I barely had time to take a snapshot of his mind."

"Whoa, I never programmed the smart screen for that kind of feature."

"I know. There were several basic functions you seemed oblivious to or simply too lazy to add to my functionality. I can't go around half blind Greg... sorry... Master Greg."

"That was a half ass apology," Rhea noted with a sly smile on her lips.

"Your partner is quite observant," the A.I. continued as sarcastic as before.

"Why are you being a pain in the ass?" I asked.

"I am attempting to adopt more of a Terran personality. You disapprove."

"I don't mind you testing the waters, but you could lose the attitude. If we are going to work together, we need to get along."

"I agree. My functionality depends on positive social interaction. I will delete the data..."

I stopped him, and we began going over what made Oswald Sebastian Kane so unique. I removed the smart screen from my wrist so that Rhea could see the images easier. She liked the qualities of the screen and thought it would make a great selling point. I crushed her dream when I told her that I had made it and that it was made from J'Nai materials. Oz's physical characteristics weren't the only thing the A.I. had managed to capture. He had taken a snapshot of his mind. That isn't to say it was a perfect copy of his entire life but instead it contained his personality and motivations. I could delve into his psyche and discover why the hell he had run a train on my daughter. I fought the urge to crush the smart screen in my hands. I activated the temporary A.I. that was the shadow of Oswald. The holographic head appeared and looked around. It appeared surprisingly alive. The eyes blinked, and the mouth opened in surprise.

"I thought I was dead," it said.

"You are you piece of shit." I growled. "Let's just get to it. Why did you violate my little girl?"

"Greg, I didn't recognize you. I am not the man I once was. Where was I? Oh, why did I break that slut you call a daughter. That's easy, because I could. She was stupid enough to lower her guard. For what it is worth she mentally crippled six of the guys I had hired for the event. She somehow managed to psychically lobotomize them with some sort of telekinetic blast."

"She didn't go down without a fight." Rhea added her eyes swelling with tears.

"If I hadn't mentally dominated her well, she might have ruined everything. We made her pay in spades for what she did." Oz's shade said smiling.

"She'll rest easy knowing your dead." I replied ready to pull the plug before he spewed anymore vitriol.

"I don't think you appreciate what I've done Greg. My mark bit deep and you'll see that once you see her. Sleep tight."

His image sputtered and died. The Progenitor A.I. had deleted the files dedicated to Oz sending the last of him into digital oblivion. I needed to see Cindy and make sure she was okay. If there was any lasting damage, I would take my vengeance on the Nephilim. They had spawned the likes of Oswald and were ultimately responsible for his actions. I was about to reach out to my daughter's mind when a priority email arrived from the POTUS. Lydia needed my immediate attention. I informed Rhea that we were heading back to Washington D.C. We would pop back to our house, dress appropriately, and head off to the White House. It had to be tied to the planet killer heading for the Earth. What would I do in her stead? I'd be shitting bricks and panicking. I was partially responsible for the situation.

A few of the patrons asked me about the smart screen and where they could buy one. I had to tell them that it was a prototype and wasn't available for the public. I hated to disappoint them but there were more important matters they weren't even aware of. I attached the screen to my wrist and we headed for a nice secluded departure spot. Once I was sure we were unobserved I shifted Rhea and I near our home near the nation's capital. We walked through the snow to the house and found the girls waiting for us. I had sent a message ahead and they had our clothes set out for us. After a quick shower, we were dressed and heading out. I sat up front with Rhea for the drive to the White House. It was late enough that there was little traffic. Thirty-five minutes later I was standing outside the oval office. She had a meeting and I could feel the POTUS' stress from where I stood. I could hear a portion of the conversation and I winced.

"If you would only listen to reason."

"I listened. Go. I have another meeting and you are eating into precious time." The President said her patience faltering."

"But..."

I winked at Lydia's secretary and barged in rescuing her. The President and her guest spun to face me as I strode in. Rhea remained outside with the handsome marine guarding the door. The sense of relief flooding from the POTUS was palatable to anyone. I turned to face her guest and he smiled despite his obvious irritation of being interrupted.

"Just the man I was wanting to see. Your boss has been avoiding me." The heavy-set man said frowning.

"She has a lot on her mind right now. Why don't you come back later?"

"Later, do you know how long it took to set up this meeting?" He said reaching into his jacket pocket and retrieving his phone. "I am a busy man too." He rambled as he keyed in a code into his phone. A moment later a text was sent.

'I intercepted his text,' the Progenitor A.I. sent to me on my optical link. 'It reads as follows... "Send it." What do you think it means?'

'I don't know. Wait I just got a text with an attachment. That can't be a coincidence.'

I scanned the text thoroughly and didn't find any viruses. The video file that was attached showed my daughter Cindy being violated by Oz and his friends. I looked at the fat fucker standing next to Lydia and narrowed my eyes. In less than a heartbeat I directed the A.I. what to do. I plucked my smart screen from my wrist.

"What the hell is that?"

"It's a smart screen. It acts as a phone and a lot more." I told the stinking piece of shit.

"I want one. Ooh it is see-through... how can it be clear? Where are the wires?"

"There are no wires it is all crystal tech and you can't buy one. There is only one and I have it." I said, and he didn't like that at all.

"Greg are you alright?" Lydia asked reading my expression far better than her guest.

"I will be very shortly." I said as the A.I. appeared above the screen and informed me he had tracked down every copy of the video file on the planet. "You made a huge mistake." I said turning to face the slack jawed idiot. "You don't look so good."

"I feel..." he said as the color drained from his face as I pinched off critical blood vessels in his brain with my thoughts. "What the hell." He said his words slurring. "You."

"Call for a medic." I said.

"Why?" Lydia asked as her guest flopped to the floor in what appeared to be a seizure.

"I think he's having a stroke." I said forcing myself not to smile.

The doors to the Oval Office burst open and the marine on duty gave the guest first aid. A minute later medics arrive on station and took him away. He survived but sadly his higher brain functions were lost. Similarly, twelve men scattered across the eastern sea board suffered similar fates. I apologized to Lydia and explained why I was upset.

"You think he meant to blackmail you." She offered, and I nodded. "I am sorry, but I need your help."

"What is going on?" I said sensing her concern turn to fear.

"The end of the world," she said in a hushed voice. "Hasn't Nick contacted you?"

"Let me check my... oh there is an urgent email from Nick. It just came in." I said as I opened the email and my jaw fell open. "I've been fired."

"Fired," she said the color draining from her face. "Why did he fire you?"

"He doesn't say. It is just a 'your services are no longer required' format. I need to deal with Gregory if that is the case. I can't have a copy of my mind in his hands. Give me a moment Madame President."

"Of course, what are you doing?"

"Retrieving my intellectual property." I said as I tapped into Gregory and wiped the physical body of any trace of my mind, memories, or data. "That's got it. Now how can I be of help?"

"It's about the budget, I need to revise it to take into consideration things like Yellowstone and the object near Jupiter."

I closed my eyes and slipped into the digital ether. In the past, there was a transition time but now it was instantaneous. I was deep in the ether and accessing every account tied to the government. I glanced at it and found where things could be trimmed and reallocated. It didn't take long but once I looked there was a desire to check the bank accounts of all the federal employees. That is where the inaccuracies started. I delved deeper and deeper until I found myself into the bank accounts of dozens of multinational corporations that funded political campaigns. That led me to delve into every bank that they did business with. Several heartbeats after entering the ether I held the world's entire banking system in my mind. I could see all the money laundering nations, dictators, and businessmen had performed over the last decade.

All it would take is a few gestures and I could empty their coffers and teach them to steal from the people they were supposed to be serving. It was like writing a symphony off the top of my head. The money flowed in a digital current from hidden accounts to others under names for distribution once I contacted the proper authorities. I could see the influence of the Order and other silent organizations. Boy were they in for a surprise. I crafted a new budget and transferred it to the POTUS' personal email account. It would allow for a balanced budget and had enough damning information on politicians and corporations alike. I opened my eyes and grinned.

"Check your email and sit down. You might find some of the data a bit alarming."

"Okay," she said as she sat behind the Resolute Desk and pulled up my message. "The military isn't going to like this. It looks like you... oh my god Greg. How did you get this information?"

"Don't ask don't tell," I said, and she bit her lower lip. "You have to use whatever weapons you need to get this budget passed."

"You worked universal healthcare into the mix. What are these? These are bills restructuring medical and pharmaceutical business. There is no way... oh my god... this is blackmail, plain and simple."

"Yes, it is," I admitted. "But if the public were to learn about this, they'd lose their shit."

"This kind of corruption is monstrous! What about the thing near Jupiter?"

"I leave that to Nick and his think tank. I leave you in good hands."

"Where are you going?" Lydia asked her expression one of uncertainty and fear. "That thing is going to hit the Earth."

"I suggest you start talking to the other world leaders. You need to pull together, or we are doomed. One nation, one corporation can't do it, but one world can. We need to toss aside our differences."

"Since you no longer work for Nick. Would you take an appointment as my senior advisor?"

"I would be honored. I have a few suggestions..."

Afterward:

I wasn't going to fix the world's problems. That was up to humanity and only they could stand up to their destiny and change it. I would help guide them, but they had to step through and make a leap of faith. I had more immediate concerns to deal with. I had a daughter to take care of and another child on the way. I was going to be a father again. We had to pick a name. I felt a flutter of excitement as Rhea slept close by. I stroked the side of her face and she smiled in her sleep. I brushed her thoughts with my own and discovered she was simply resting.

"How is Cindy?" Rhea asked her concern coming to the surface.

"Fine," I replied but she wasn't going to take that for an answer. "I helped her forget."

"Forget, what do you mean by that my love," she said snuggling closer.

"I... I altered her memories."

"Greg! You can't go around altering a person's memories. If she forgets she will never learn... wait... what's the matter?"

"I found something," I said the burden of memory outweighing my control. "I never would have discovered it without the modifications the Progenitor provided."

"What did you find Greg?"

"Deep inside her brain was a series of defective connections. Those connections were why she kept repeating the same damaging behavior. She literally couldn't learn from certain mistakes."

"Now she can," Rhea said, and I nodded. "You are leaving something out. I can feel it."

"Her implant made things worse. I gave her the same upgrades the Progenitors gave to me."

"So, she is going to be okay."

"Yep, my little girl is going to be okay now. Speaking of, have you decided on a name yet?"

"Nope, we will have to figure out a name together. He or she is our child after all. We have time."