The Krakow Klub (18 page)

****

Exactly sixty minutes later, Mister T stood
at her door and knocked softly. John watched him enter and then
returned to the main house to pour himself a very stiff drink.

After another long hour, Mister T returned.
John was sitting quietly in a lounge chair looking out at the last
rays of the
sun
that sparkled on the
water.

John was, by this time, a nervous wreck. He
could only imagine the conversation that had taken place, he many
questions that she
had asked,
and how Mister T
had answered.

“
Hi,
Boss,
” Mister T said with a big smile on his face.

John waved for Mister T to take a seat, and
then said, “Tell me about your visit with Julia.”

Mister T replied, “I told Julia my entire
history and of how I was created to serve you
during
your visit to Mylea. I told her about Tanaka and
his extraordinary plan to save the planet and of Maxx’s
dilemma.

“Miss Compton was stunned that I would have
been destroyed or dismantled after your visit. But, there would
have been no further use for me in my present configuration. It
would have been a galactic tragedy of epic proportions, especially
for me. I am the only robot in existence with an emotional
module,
and I’m certainly the only one that
can pass as a human. Somehow, I don’t think Maxx would have done
away with me. I don’t think that he could bear to part with his
greatest creation.

“I explained to her, with great modesty, of
course, that I am a scientific wonder and a true work of art.

“She graciously agreed with me and
complimented me most generously.”

John replied, “Thanks, Mister T. How did
Julia react? Was she angry, shocked? Did she think that we’re
making the whole thing up? Maybe she thinks that she’s lost her
mind
and we are just some kind of
hallucination.”

“Well, Boss, she is certainly inscrutable, as
you earthlings would say. She asked very pointed questions along
the way and then asked me to review some of the photos with her. I
explained that I was almost embarrassed to use such quaint
technology as a tablet computer but that I would do my best. I gave
her details of the interstellar transporter and of the planet Mylea
itself.

“Toward the end of our meeting, she asked if
she could touch my face. I guess she wanted to know if I felt like
a real human. I
agreed,
and she reached out
and touched my cheek. She never said a word.

“Then, she just said that I could leave. Just
as I reached the door, she caught my arm and asked me to give you a
message.”

John’s heart
sank,
and
he could hardly breathe.

“She asked me to tell you that she
understands why you had to be rather secretive
—
no take that back
—
very
secretive in your initial contacts with her. She can accept the
presence of other civilizations but has a rather difficult time in
accepting your role in the story of saving Mylea. She said that
she’ll rest for a while and then join you for dinner at 7:30. Based
on her body language that I analyzed, I don’t think she’s come to a
final decision yet.”

John was now even more in a state of
emotional turmoil. He could interpret her comment as positive or as
negative. Right now, he didn’t think that he would survive until
7:30 without another drink.

He reviewed the plans for dinner with Mister
T,
who seemed oblivious to John’s agitated
state of mind.

Mister T left for the kitchen then turned for
a last comment, “Keep your face up, old friend! It’s always
dreariest before the dawn.”

John had to laugh, “We earthlings would say,
keep your chin up. It’s always darkest before the dawn. I’m going
to have to program you with
a complete
listing
of our adages.”

Julia appeared at 7:45 wearing a loose,
diaphanous blouse and white capri pants. She had pulled her hair
back into a twist and left several loose tendrils that framed the
sides of her face. She looked rested and confident.

John led her into the dimly lit dining room
where they sat at the massive table that had
been
set
for only two. Tall candelabra and an arrangement of
orchids
were placed
in the center.

She spoke first, “I’ve given your story a lot
of
thought,
and I’ve got about a thousand
questions to ask you. My first inclination was to leave
immediately, but then, I began to see what a strange and probably
lonely
existence
that you’ve led. You must
have been very strong to survive being controlled by Maxx all your
life. I can only imagine your childhood. I wondered why you’d never
married,
and now I understand completely.
Actually,
I’m a bit relieved. Several other
scenarios had come to
mind,
and none of them
was
giving me a warm and fuzzy feeling.

“I tend to want to accept all
this,
but it’s going to take a lot more convincing on
your part. I’ve enjoyed your company so
far,
and I’ve always considered myself to be a good judge of character.
I believe that you’re a man of your
word,
so
I’m going to trust my instincts and step into this crazy world of
yours, at least for the moment.”

John breathed a huge of relief. She
immediately began to ask her thousand questions. John answered
truthfully and honestly as he was totally confident that she would
recognize any omission or contradiction immediately.

Mister T scurried back and forth serving
their meal. He uttered not a single word and seemed to have been
programmed to be the perfect British butler. His etiquette and
manners were impeccable. The service was perfect as was the
meal.

The conversation continued long after the
last dish
had been taken away
. Julia wanted to
know all about Jim Slater and about Mitch. She wanted to know how
long it took for him to travel to the interstellar spacecraft. On
and on
, the questions continued.

At last John interrupted her, “Julia, let me
show you my spacecraft. It’s one that I use for personal
travel. It has been outfitted
to meet my
specific needs. I think that you’ll find it to be quite comfortable
for humans. And, best of all, there are never any other passengers.
I make my
own
schedules,
and I can go anywhere on the planet, or for that matter, in the
solar system, at a moment’s notice.”

He rose, took her hand and led her out of the
villa along an obscure pathway that was now lit by small lights on
each side of the path. The full moon overhead bathed the whole
island in soft light.

They arrived at a large cleared area near the
beach,
and John spoke a single command.

The craft suddenly changed from stealth mode
to visible mode. Julia’s eyes
widened,
and she
stepped
backward
in surprise, almost tripping
in the process. John reached out and steadied her.

“The craft is programmed to respond to my
verbal commands.” He spoke a single
word,
and
a hatch slid opened. There was not a single sound as the steps
lowered
for them to enter the craft.

He took her hand and led her up the steps
into the cabin. She looked around in wonder. The cabin’s interior
was spacious and to her utter amazement was outfitted with
comfortable earthly furnishings. There didn’t appear to be any
windows,
but
light
from
some unknown source filled the entire ship.

John motioned for her to sit down. “I had the
cabin outfitted for my personal tastes. Myleans would, of course,
have different types of seating. Everything
is
entirely computerized
; I can program it for any destination
with only a few
words,
but I usually leave
that job to Mister T since he seems to enjoy being in command.

“When we travel, there is no sense of motion.
It’s not even necessary to wear a seat belt. I can travel a
thousand miles or a million miles in a short time. As for speed, we
can creep along at a snail’s pace or we can zip along at near the
speed of light. We can also hover and remain motionless for
extended periods of time.”

She interrupted him with a laugh. “Now, I can
certainly understand why flying on commercial airlines is so
disagreeable to you. Tell me about this stealth mode function.”

“Stealth mode is very handy. When we’re in
stealth mode, the ship can’t be detected by radar or seen visually.
I use stealth mode almost all the time because I see no reason to
stir up the UFO chasers or the military unless it’s necessary.

“When Mister T picks up Jim Slater and Mitch
tomorrow morning, the craft will be
visible
for only a few seconds while they board. After that, they are
invisible
until they arrive here.

“I’ll expand on the technology later. No
use in
overwhelming your senses today. In
fact, I’d thought of asking you to go for a short little ride.
Maybe circle the North Pole and back but we can wait for that until
you’ve had more time to think about it.”

“Sounds interesting but I’ll take a rain
check. When I was a child, my mother never
allowed
me to go for a swim right after a meal because I
might get stomach cramps. I can hardly imagine what she would say
if I told her that I was going for a ride in a spacecraft right
after dinner. Heaven only knows what the consequences would be for
that!”

She laughed and then continued, “Why don’t
you just spend a little time telling me about Maxx? I’m curious as
to how a computer can have so much intelligence and power.”

“Julia, just think of Maxx as a giant
electronic brain. We usually use the term
artificial
intelligence
, but, somehow, it just doesn’t seem to fit when it
comes to Maxx. He has incredible powers
an
d
knowledge. He controls every function of the interstellar
transporter and can even perform incredible tasks remotely. Just
imagine a computer that can do anything and knows everything. It
boggles the mind.

“Maxx gave me a fleet of spacecraft, Maxxine,
and the space station in exchange for my helping him with his
problem. It was a fair deal for us both. Maxx can now clone new
Myleans and complete his
mission. Best of all,
I’m free to live the rest of my life in peace without his
interference.”

“I can’t imagine a life without privacy. It
must have been miserable for you.”

He laughed. “There were a few times that I
had a little fun with it. Maxx had to protect me at all costs, so I
just put myself in harm’s way a few times to see what he would do.
I guess the scariest one of all was when, during my military
training, I jumped out of an airplane and didn’t deploy the chute.
Maxx just gave me a gentle landing and then quite a tongue lashing
afterward.”

Julia rolled her eyes. “I understand that
your DNA was the key to the computer password, but why was that so
important? Surely, this Maxx creature could have used his
electronic skills to get around the situation.”

“The problem was quite complex. The planet
was threatened by a black hole that would have surely destroyed it.
Tanaka, the Mylean whose DNA I share, devised a plan to save the
planet by moving it to a safe location in the galaxy.
To accomplish that feat
, a massive structure
was built
around
the
planet. Then they enclosed that structure with a spacecraft
capable of transporting it. That spacecraft and everything in it
was controlled
by Maxx. A second computer was built to act
as a watchdog for Maxx to prevent him from having unlimited
powers.

“Unfortunately, due to many complex factors,
the population died off during the journey, but Maxx had the
capability of cloning new Myleans from stored DNA samples.
Unfortunately, he was prohibited from cloning new
individuals,
and that’s where I came into the
picture.

“To make a very long story short, Maxx needed
to use
my DNA profile to resolve the issues
and find a new home for Mylea.

“Not long ago, I negotiated a deal with Maxx
in exchange for the use of my DNA. That, my dear Julia, is how I
got my power and resources. I’ll go into the details later when
you’re ready to hear the entire story. There are many twists and
turns along the
way,
and I think that we both
need to be rested and refreshed before we get into that long
tale.

“Mister T is a very important part of my
story. He was created to be my guide through the whole process and
acted as a direct interface with Maxx. Asking for him was almost an
afterthought. At the very last minute, I asked Maxx to throw him
into the
deal,
and he agreed. And for that I
will be eternally grateful.”

John rose and beckoned Julia to follow. He
escorted her throughout the craft and explained its amazing
features and capabilities. He glanced at his watch and realized how
much time had already passed.

“I’ve much more to show you. Let’s take a
quick tour of the island.”

They exited the craft and John pointed out
the desalinization plant and explained that Maxxine had designed it
using Mylean technology.

Next, he showed her the new dock and
described the additional acreage that had
been
created
. Julia questioned him closely as to how this could
have
been accomplished
in a single night and,
especially, how there had been no negative impact
on
the environment.