King of All I Survey
Chapter 131: Learning to be in Two Places at Once

Chapter 131: Learning to be in Two Places at Once

"Dad, can you keep an eye on things here for a bit? I have some stuff to take care of."

"Sure, do I have your approval to move forward on Mexico actions at my discretion?"

I considered, he did have a tendency toward using military force, but I think he understands that non-violence is the way forward, or at least the only way I’ll approve. "Yes, I trust you," I said looking him in the eye to make sure he understood.

"Great. We’ll likely be able to move on that shortly."

"Good. Then look at the requests for assistance. Send them all a nice ’We are evaluating your request and are establishing a timeline for further actions. We’ll call you soon...’ type notice. Don’t reject anybody’s request outright, we have to eventually get to the whole world, after all. Joe can help with the wording."

I headed to the simulation room and sent Joe a mental request as I walked. Joe, can you send my adult form android to the simulation room, please. I want to try some control experiments.

Sure thing.

I arrived at the same time as the android did. I resumed speaking out loud, it was just easier. "Joe, I want to learn to be in two places at once using the androids."

"I’m not sure the human brain is really wired for that, King Tim."

"I know, but the human brain is easily tricked. I’m going to see if I can trick myself into thinking I can do it."

"That makes very little sense, King Tim."

"I know. Here’s what I want to do. Have the android stand facing me. I want you to translate the movements I make with my own body to the android by direct link. Essentially, it’ll be a mirror of my actions in real time. Except, if I move my right hand, its right hand should move even though it’s not the way a mirror would work."

"Ok, ready when you are."

I blinked my eyes, I couldn’t see if the android blinked because my eyes closed when I blinked. OK, let’s try something else, I thought, chastising myself for the completely useless first attempt at control. I raised my right hand. The android did the same. I put it back down, raised it, and kept repeating this simple movement. The android copied every move exactly. "Ok, Joe, extend my conscious control to the android’s right arm, while maintaining my control over my right arm."

"Oh, I see," he replied, "That could work, to some extent. Sensory input is going to be a problem though."

"Hey, no doubting allowed. And I totally need to concentrate, so silence would be helpful, unless I ask for a response, no offense. This is just, you know, one hundred percent based on my ability to focus."

"Acknowledged."

OK, now for the big test. Once again, I raised my arm, and the android arm raised along with it. Up and down, a few more times. Then I tried to do the reverse, I lifted the android arm, my arm followed in turn. I smiled. The android smiled. I moved the android arm up and down a few times with my arm following along. All good, so far.

Now the hard part. I concentrated on my own arm, willing it to stay in place while simultaneously willing the android arm to be raised. The android arm raised. My arm raised, too. I put both arms down. Let’s try again. After a few tries, my arm still tried to rise, reacting to the initial impulse, but I was able to get the android arm into a raised position while my own arm remained down. The movement by the android was jerky, moving in fits and starts. My arm kept starting to move, before I willed it to stop every time.

"Excuse me for interrupting, King Tim, but I think I can help with this."

"No problem, what’s your idea?" I asked. I was ready for a break. All this effort was mentally draining.

"I can see the neural pathways you’re using for each desired action, both of the android arm and of your own. I can reinforce and dampen pathways to support the independent control, somewhat. I can’t do too much without causing movement deficits that’ll persist when you return to your normal movement patterns, but what I can do should make a noticeable improvement."

"OK, let’s give it a shot."

I started raising and lowering the android arm again while trying to keep mine still. Then I tried the opposite, holding the android arm motionless while moving my real arm. The progress, with Joe augmenting the channels in my brain that managed to separate control of the two arms, was much faster.

I switched to the other arm and started all over again, it was easier this time. Then I worked on lifting my legs, one at a time. I actually fell over a few times. Although the android didn’t. Joe said it had better balance correction capabilities than I did. Eventually, though, with Joe helping my brain figure out what worked and what didn’t I was able to lift each leg and stand on one leg as either myself or the android or both.

I was about to start mixing and matching different movements, when Joe interrupted me again.

"It looks like you’ve reached a point of mental fatigue where further efforts would lead to substantially diminished returns, King Tim. Perhaps some rest, or undertaking some other activity?"

I sighed, "yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Let’s keep working on this whenever we have time though. How’s the Mirabel clone coming along?"

"Susan is meeting with her now. They’re catching up on old times."

"Really? How does that work?"

"Well, Maribel, with a completely constructed memory, remembers things normally. The times when Susan had an overlay with both personalities active was eliminated from Maribel’s personality and overlaid with other memories, either her acting without Susan’s presence, or just replaced altogether. She’ll have no knowledge of the secret headquarters, or extraterrestrial technology. She’ll believe that the new technology she’s been using in Guatemala is a product of American Labs in which her father has a controlling stock interest. I have created an android to represent her father as needed in the future. I will inhabit it when it needs to interact with her. It’ll also be useful for building the cover story in Peru."

"And Mom?"

"I have implanted some basic cover story memories involving the two of them learning of each other’s existence. And things like their shared mother, estranged from Maribel and her father since her infancy, for example. A couple of phone conversations and some internet chats. This is their first meeting in person, however."

"So, Maribel flew to Massachusetts?"

"No. Susan flew to Guatemala. Of course they are both in a simulation room on Blue Island, but Maribel thinks she’s in a hotel Guatemala. When they’re finished, I will use an LITV to put Maribel there, where Luis will be waiting with a car to take her home."

"I see. And the story is that Mom has to fly right back to the U.S.?"

"Yes, she has to get back to work, and of course, she has an eight-year-old son to take care of."

"I guess you’ll have to implant the back story into Dad and me at some point, too."

"Yes, before you meet her. I believe Susan and Maribel are making plans for an extended visit with the whole family at some point in the future."

"Well, that should be interesting."

"Yes, perhaps, Maribel will even persuade her father to join and get reacquainted with his long-estranged daughter, Susan and her family."

I chuckled, "we should make this into a soap opera. It sounds like something from TV. Is Mom or Maribel the evil twin?"

"It’s much more sinister than that," Joe said with a conspiratorial tone, "I suspect one of them is actually a robot pretending to be the other’s sister."

I laughed out loud and Joe joined in.

"All right, then, how about we go meet with an Orangutan?" I suggested.

"An orangutan? Are you ready to admit the other species to Earth’s ruling council?" Joe asked.

"Not exactly, we Supreme Rulers are not really keen on power sharing arrangements. I have another idea in mind. I’ll need you to provide a short list of Earth-like planets that would be just perfect for Orangutans to colonize as the sole and ruling intelligent species, under the protection and trade licensing auspices of Eart, of course."

"Oh. Interesting. Do you think they’ll want to go?"

"I think most will, especially those facing habitat loss and human encroachment. Zoo prisoners, too. Maybe some will stay, but as long as we have a viable population, I think the colony will be a success. Maybe we can set them up with some tech that helps them along the road to using tools and developing a written language. If that’s what they choose, I mean. It’ll be totally up to them. You said can translate for me right?"

"Absolutely, although their language capability is not quite what you’re used to. Advanced or abstract concepts may be difficult for them to comprehend. You might find the idea of trade and colonization to be quite beyond their understanding," Joe cautioned.

"We’ll see," I replied lightly, "Where do you think we should meet? I think you should transport me to a jungle where they live. They’ll probably be more comfortable there, don’t you think?"

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