My part - I

...

- I'm in a very difficult situation.

- How come!? What happened!?

- I’ve made an important discovery, one that has the potential of revolutionizing the whole technical and scientific world.

- Well, isn't that a good thing?

- I don't think so, because if say, the data I've gathered gets public, then all current systems, of computers and electronics, but with them all the other systems, will collapse.

- ... well ... then other systems will appear, right? ... based on what you have discovered.

- Indeed, but until this will happen, there will be chaos, and who knows how much time will be needed so that things will get back on track and settle down.

- So, what are the alternatives? Could you, for example, just pretend that you haven't discovered anything.

- I cannot just keep everything hidden forever, and then, what if meanwhile someone independently discovers this, and perhaps uses it for lesser good? The burden of my lack of action would be hard to bear. But what if there's someone who already knows about it, and right in this moment is developing something based upon it, or even takes advantage of the results! I don't even want to think about it!

- Then, what is to be done?

- I don't know, because neither developing it publicly without revealing the key parts doesn't seem the ethical thing to do. Maybe just to secretly develop it, at the same time also developing methods to counter and protect from its potentially negative effects, and also to build a new computer system, based on new concepts, compatible with the new technologies that will result from my research.

- Yes, this seems like a good solution.

- And if this doesn't succeed, at least with the help of this revolutionary technology I could lay the foundation of some of my older dreams, dreams that are not only mine ... and I think I know who else would like to be a part of this, once I will reach that level of development I have in mind ...

...

- I have a present for you, for your birthday, but you need to come with me so that I can show it to you.

- Ha, ha...! Interesting. Yea, right...

- I'm not making fun of you! I really have something I'd like you to see. I've managed to get... to build something that I'm sure you'll enjoy. Actually I already know that you're going to love it!... Just see it.... and...

- Hmm...

- Yes, I'm sure ...

- OK! Done... What is it?

- I cannot say more...

- Hrmpf...

- ...yea. And, actually, after you'll see it, in fact it's better to know this in advance, I couldn't really let you go anymore... I mean, you'll be stuck there with me... at least until I'll figure out that I can trust you ... I mean, I trust you, I wouldn't have told you to come otherwise, but still I have some dou...

- Hey, wait! Wait a minute! Ha, ha! Do you have a screw loose? Wait a minute! Watch it! What's this supposed to mean? It's something like a spy movie, or something!?

- Well, no. It's as real as it gets... and you'll need to do some training before that, as it's ... necessary ...

- And you want me to believe it..? And, no, you want me to even consider that you are actually serious. And I guess you even expect me to join you, in some secret lab, hidden somewhere on the bottom of the sea, or something...

- Well, finally, I knew you had intuition!

- Well, yes, I do have, but not intuition, this is called imagination, and I have enough, but it seems that you have more. Ha! A lot more. Please leave it!

- OK, so you don't believe it! And yet... I know it, I can even see it, that in a few hours we'll be there... Look, I already have the plane tickets! Look!

- Off! Yea... Well, don't you think that the things you say sound very exciting, and that I'd wish very much that they would be real, because, I don't know how, they are so much like what I've been dreaming about for a long time, but ... Everything so fascinating ... and tangible, even...

- I feel you, because those were my feelings too, long time before... and I was sure that you had similar thoughts.

- ... OK, but it's impossible ...

- Don't you even want to see what is it all about?

- No, because the things I've imagined are very precise, and on a high level, and I'm afraid that it won't be much to be seen there where you invite me to.

- Even if I tell you that I'm sure you're going to love what you'll see?

- Even so.

...

- Come on, tell me what I'm going to see there!

- We still have one third of the way ... What? What are you going to see? Heh, heh! I knew that one of your strong points is curiosity! But I can't tell ya'.

- Eeh, what do you mean? Now I'm going with you! I'm seeing it anyway. So, tell me!

- ...

- Hey!

- We're getting close. Patience, and at the right moment...

...

- I know you told me that you always wished to have something like that.

- What?! ... Unless... But you couldn't have known...

- Oh, yes I do. You told me once...

- Again, those absurdities...

- No, I'm very serious...

- If so, then why are you laughing?!

- Because, however impossible this seems, it's true. Look, we have arrived, it's here!

- Aah! Whaaat's this?

- What does it seem like?

- It looks like a spaceship... And it really looks good. Maybe here it would have been better if this would... and this thing here doesn't really fit... but overall it looks great! Wow! And you say this is a present for me?

- Yep!

- Well... the coolest toy ever! The surface looks very nice.

- Yes, we've used special materials.

- What can I say, impressive. How detailed!

- The details are important, especially if you want to have full security in flight...

- ... so, you say it flies too?

- Well, that's completely normal. What else a spaceship should do, besides flying?

- Yea, it's a.. if it's a... yea, it looks really nice here... I think that.... Wha! What? Flying?

- ...yes?!

- You mean, like a spaceship, I mean like a helicopter, like a plane, or something similar ... ?

- No, actually exactly like a spaceship.

- Come on, this is too much. SciFi like, something, fee-ffeew... beep-beep... whooosh-whoosh... a spaceship here, another one there... see it coming like this... bam!... another one comes from there... passes by the other one.. fire one at another... landing on a planet, then leaving and landing on another planet... you mean something like this, right?

- Yea! But without the passing by and the firing part, because for now it's the only one I've built, and the only one I know to exist ... so...

- Well, this i really cannot believe! Yes, it's a beautiful ship, it seems very well crafted, maybe it even flies somehow, but it cannot really be like you say... it's impossible... now, that I mentioned it, the material from which is built, it looks interesting. It's some sort of plastic, isn't it? It's like it's been cast. But it has the looks of a stone-like material, or like porous metal... But, let me look..! Ha! It doesn't seem to be porous at all! What!? What kind of material is this. How soft and smooth is the surface! It feels like some sort of glass! Or like glazed clay. Ha! How stupid. Are you joking me!? You say: "It flies", and it's made out of glass! Well, it couldn't even hold it's own weight, it would immediately break! Doesn't even seem too thick!

- This in not glass. Its neither plastic, even if the way it's structured at microscopic level...

- It might not be glass, but now, hmm, haaviiing a cloooser look, it still seems fragile. But...

- Wait! Wait! Don't hit it!

- What is it!? What are you doing!? Leave me! Why not? You said it's not glass.

- It's not, it's a special material. I don't say not to hit it because you might break it. I don't want you to get hurt. This material behaves strangely at impact. It has some sort of a recoil, meaning that it reacts stronger then the initial mechanical hit. But I will still prove you that it's not fragile. I will call someone that can hit the shell without being hurt, because he is ... aah .. specifically trained and stronger... and he knows how and where to give the hit.

- Whaat!? What do you mean?

- Well, yea, because he's one of the specialists that have worked a lot with this material, and have tested it, and its mechanical resistance too. They're used to that. Are you here already? OK, hit it somewhere on this side, and not too hard!

...

- What... what happened... have I been asleep? I've dreamed about some spaceship... did I fell asleep on the plane? Now we can go to show me the present, or what was that you wanted to show me... It's also something related to spaceships and stuff, isn't it? Because that's what I wished for secretly, you know? Actually, this, among others, but... this was more... I guess that's why I dreamed about ships. You know, dreams are... Aah, who is this, is it... Nooo! This is the "specialist", the one that it's trained in materials... if something like that can exist.. So it was real!

- Sure it was!

- Then, what happened? Did I lose my consciousness when...

- Yes. When you saw the effect of that material being hit, you just passed out.

- Right... even if I'm not sure it was then, when... but I can't figure it out...

- Maybe the shock had a secondary effect, that has propagated further over you, like a blast, and we being used to that, didn't...

- ... I feel strange! Did I hit myself when falling...?

- ... Actually you didn't...

- What!?

- You didn't hit yourself. But...

- But what?

- I took the liberty of doing you half of the training... the physical one...

- Whaa? I don't get it.

- I did, I mean the doctor - don't get any ideas - applied you some procedures...

- What doctor...?

- ... procedures for cell regeneration and muscle toning. You now have the physical condition of an astronaut, which is necessary for the trip we are going to have.

- Interesting... so this is possible too... very interesting... So it's like dreaming of going to gym, and waking up with the results, right? Ha, ha! Anyway, this means I slept for a while, isn't it? How much it has passed?

- No, actually it's been a very short time from that. It's been an hour since we've arrived in the intermediate station. It took like a quarter of an hour for you to admire the ship and then for us to quarrel about it, and about the materials it's made from. Then, in ten minutes we went from the intermediate station to the undersea base...

- ... So, even the thing with the sea base is real? So was I really right and have foreseen all this...

- I guess it's all clear now! When I've told you... Anyway, later I'm going to show you some of the things here, but for now, let's go to the psychological test - part two of the training, then we'll...

- I still don't believe is real what's happening... even I still doubt that all is as you say, you know... it still seems to me like a fantasy scenario, or at most, a fun fair... although, that material, and the ship's surface... and not to mention this, wow, feeling... I feel so good, so... perfect... power!... jump! Heh, heh!

- I'm glad you like it. Actually, I wouldn't even dared to modify anything to you, unless I had some way of getting somehow your impressions about it.

- Wait a minute - now that I've seen all this SciFi stuff around, my mind is confused. I don't remember mentioning anything about this. Do you say that you've read my mind, or what?!

- Well, actually not... exactly...

- What!? What do you mean!? Is it possible!?

- No, I mean that I just detected some reactions, some trends, to the projection of some stimuli that were representing the possible modifications, and then chose the ones that your mind responded positive to.

- But even so, it's incredible! It's really fascinating!

- Yes, but it' s not that SciFi, it's not the way you imagine it.

- Can I see that device? ... And play with it, of course.

- Yes, but first, you're going to "play" with the psychological tester.

- Eey! I'm not in the mood for quizzes and stuff...

- It's not a quiz. It's a device that gives you some stimuli, images, sounds, and other feelings, and then it analyzes your inner reactions when you focus on those stimuli. And that's it.

- And can I play with it too?

- Well, yea, because we actually need this, to make sure you can handle space travel.

- I can't believe I'm really going to fly!

- For the first flight, we're going to only land on the moon, or maybe just "visit" an orbital station - without them seeing us, of course.

- Really?! I thought we're going to fly just a bit...

- Well, how little should we fly then. I would have gone to Mars, but it takes a few days to get there.

- A few days, but that's very little time. I was expecting it to take longer.

- No, that's exactly how long it takes to get there... So, we reach the moon in an hour or so. We just make a flight test, and then a landing test, and then we go back.

…

Cornel-Florentin Dimitriu

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