Government Men by Gary J. Davies
CHAPTER 52
EPILOGUE
I never think of the future. It comes soon enough.
- Albert Einstein
Despite all the positive benefits that accrued from the sudden unleashing of miraculous human psychic powers, the two and a half years following the Dannos incident were certainly among the most arduous and tumultuous in human history. How could they not be? Inter-personal relationships were being redefined, and social norms, ideologies, and institutions, many of which had developed over countless centuries, were set on their ears.
Numerous technologies, jobs, and economic structures became obsolete almost overnight, and new ones painfully emerged. Stock markets went crazy. Family secrets became public. Religions struggled with the ability to communicate with the spirits of their founders. Most doctors and nurses lost their jobs to psychic healers that cured practically everything. Divorce and marriage rates skyrocked. Gigantic scandals erupted constantly over the unscrupulous conduct of gifted psy practitioners, for acquisition of psy powers bore no relationship to moral character or fortitude. In short, life on Earth teetered on the edge of chaos. But it was 'a good chaos' agreed most people, as positive changes far outnumbered the bad ones.
Bates and the Team were treated as heroes, especially initially. Congressional Medals of Honor and numerous other accolades were lavished on him and the other Team members. Billions watched and cheered the Bates/Garb wedding, which was attended by an exotic variety of People, space aliens, and VIP humans. Even in the newly emerging social order, it was novel for a bride to be 'given away' by a unicorn, and for the happy couple to be flown by a gigantic white dragon to Scotland to honeymoon.
Reenactments of the Team's adventures filled the COM-ways, and an overjoyed Fen got to play many of the parts. Plastic models and toys of the Bus, Team members, People, space ships and aliens, including Ra bad-guys, sold by the hundreds of millions. Winnebago became rich beyond his wildest dreams from royalties, but surprised many acquaintances when he used most of it to benefit his people, the Apache.
This, as well as Winnebago's actions in the Dannos incident, apparently appeased Goyahkla, for although he still visited Winnebago occasionally on friendly or at least amicable social calls, the cruel haunting of his descendant at last ceased. Winnebago was at last free to return to New York City and other eastern points, but much to his own surprise found that he now preferred Arizona Apache reservations.
Norma and Sandra returned to the DOD Base, which got a new lease on life and new research missions associated with psychic phenomena, space travel and defense, and the study of space aliens and elementals. They had to actually hire hundreds of scientists back from McDonalds and Wal-Mart. Barns got an official annulment from Twig, married Norma, and went on lecture tours, but spent much of his time happily fishing. Hank persuaded his Uncle Jake to accompany him on an extended fishing trip to Montana, and they hadn't been heard from for over two years.
Steve Latanna left his beloved Arizona to become the first Earth ambassador to the Galactic League. He was perfect for the job, since in addition to his political skills, the Justice organization of the League needed Earth police skills to help begin a crackdown on Ra activities that were suspected to be illegal. Steve took Kay with him as his wife, and General Therman, Commander Flood, and Mark Curtis as his aids. Curtis went along as a living example of powerful Earth psy skills, while Flood finally got a chance to pilot in space, though not the Bus. Along with the Nitro, the actual Bus was inducted into the Smithsonian, though the physical deterioration of its strange, unearthly armor continued.
Don went back to college. As the Traveler’s transformation had bumped his IQ by at least fifty points, he was now breezing through his classes, and had time for other pursuits. For one thing, with his new celebrity status, he certainly enjoyed popularity with women that his father never dreamed of when he was in school.
Elizabeth joined Oscar, Mel and Jane in The Land, where they together resumed the research that Gus and his Goth Mountain friends had started. To nobody's surprise she soon became the wife of joyously happy Dooley Simple, who along with his best friend Johnny Goth resumed their lives on mysterious Goth Mountain. Johnny's wife, also named Elizabeth, as well as Johnny's parents, became her closest friends, and her new father-in-law Professor Simple was delighted to gain a daughter. Much to Dooley's delight, his Elizabeth soon mastered both the art of having trees grow smiley faces in their bark and the even more valuable art of baking berry pies.
In addition to studying The Land and its People, Mel pursued a scientific understanding of the Black Pit, which was soon renamed the Earth Nexus Portal. He quickly concluded that an understanding of the Portal would require deeper understanding of not only our own Universe, but of the ensemble of universes that apparently comprised what the Traveler had termed the 'Multiverse'. Each unique universe presumably operated according to its own solution to the grand unified theory, or 'GUT', featuring its own self-consistent set of physical laws and fundamental constants, which apparently left each universe mathematically incompatible and hence invisible with respect to each other. The Team's adventure with the Traveler and the Portal suggested to Mel that multiple universes not only existed but could actually be somehow reached via a Nexus Portal device.
Like hundreds of scientists before him including Einstein, Mel continued to the elusive TOE or grand unified theory. The GUT learned from Aliens closely matched his, but they were much further along in deriving consequences and finding supporting observational evidence. It was messy work, involving difficult mathematical relationships between various fundamental particles and the evolution of the cosmos from the instant of creation through billions of years of relative stability to the present, for our Universe as well as for the other stable, so called 'flat' universes of particular interest that might exist. Mel also hypothesized that the GUT would ultimately shed light on psychic abilities, spirit worlds, faster than light-speed communications and space-ship propulsion, and even the Jigs farsight ability.
In brief, Earth scientists were both overwhelmed and overjoyed by the scientific knowledge of other members of the Galactic League. However, although in most ways the scientific knowledge of the League was far advanced of that of Earth, elemental beings and Nexus portals like the Back Pit were new and fascinating phenomena to even the League scientists. Several science missions from other planets were now stationed on Earth, where first hand observation of these phenomena was likely. Unprecedented scientific progress was being made Galaxy-wide, but there was still had a long way to go. An infinite way to go actually, as the hunger for scientific knowledge in thinking beings is endless, with every hard-won morsel of understanding only leading to new cravings, spurred on by ever deepening questions that demanded still further answers.
Despite searches conducted by many, the particular Earth Nexus Portal used by The Traveler could not be physically relocated. Perhaps the Portal didn’t always exist on Earth. However, though Jigs wouldn't admit to knowing where/when it was, it was reported that he sometimes disappeared for days or even weeks at a time, accompanied by a mysterious black robe wearing man with six-fingered hands.
In addition, the two dragons disappeared in the region where the Portal was suspected to be, shortly after Quetzal announced to Baldor that they would return to Earth after they had toured the area, whatever that meant. Perhaps they would be gone for millennia. Many interpreted this outing of the dragons as a honeymoon, but whatever relationship had developed between the two behemoths was clearly regarded by them to be their own affair.
Despite the over-all satisfaction and feeling of security that resulted from the successful conclusion of the Dannos incident, disquieting things began to turn up as time passed. Phil of Uncle Phil's Used Cars in Utah was found dead and partly eaten a few weeks after the Dannos event. This only became significant after investigation of centuries of Ra activities on Earth linked one of Phil's used auto sales to possible sightings of Ra in the Salt Lake City area. Were there
still Ra on Earth? There were also growing reports of monstrous beasts rising up from the sea, and of deadly creatures emerging from deep within the Earth. The waking of the dragon had evidently unleashed many Earthly wielders of power besides humans.
Bates was not involved in mankind's struggle to come to terms with psychic powers, with Earth's entry into the Galactic League, or with addressing the strange new problems that were now sweeping the globe. After the wedding of Narbando and Janet, the Bates family successfully ducked out of the limelight. The newlyweds honeymooned in Scotland along Lock Ness, and basically liked it so much that they simply stayed there.
With the onset of increasingly disturbing events, a fearful cry went up around the world urging the re-establishment of the Team that once before had wielded great powers to save the Earth. In particular, the powers and wisdom attributed to Dr. Narbando T. Bates by the public had reached near mythical proportions, but the esteemed scientist refused all requests to come out of his self-imposed retirement.
So it was that a delegation of renowned friends and acquaintances of Dr. Bates was at last commissioned by newly re-elected President Wright to travel to Scotland and seek out the help of the world-famous hero.
EPILOGUE
I never think of the future. It comes soon enough.
- Albert Einstein
Despite all the positive benefits that accrued from the sudden unleashing of miraculous human psychic powers, the two and a half years following the Dannos incident were certainly among the most arduous and tumultuous in human history. How could they not be? Inter-personal relationships were being redefined, and social norms, ideologies, and institutions, many of which had developed over countless centuries, were set on their ears.
Numerous technologies, jobs, and economic structures became obsolete almost overnight, and new ones painfully emerged. Stock markets went crazy. Family secrets became public. Religions struggled with the ability to communicate with the spirits of their founders. Most doctors and nurses lost their jobs to psychic healers that cured practically everything. Divorce and marriage rates skyrocked. Gigantic scandals erupted constantly over the unscrupulous conduct of gifted psy practitioners, for acquisition of psy powers bore no relationship to moral character or fortitude. In short, life on Earth teetered on the edge of chaos. But it was 'a good chaos' agreed most people, as positive changes far outnumbered the bad ones.
Bates and the Team were treated as heroes, especially initially. Congressional Medals of Honor and numerous other accolades were lavished on him and the other Team members. Billions watched and cheered the Bates/Garb wedding, which was attended by an exotic variety of People, space aliens, and VIP humans. Even in the newly emerging social order, it was novel for a bride to be 'given away' by a unicorn, and for the happy couple to be flown by a gigantic white dragon to Scotland to honeymoon.
Reenactments of the Team's adventures filled the COM-ways, and an overjoyed Fen got to play many of the parts. Plastic models and toys of the Bus, Team members, People, space ships and aliens, including Ra bad-guys, sold by the hundreds of millions. Winnebago became rich beyond his wildest dreams from royalties, but surprised many acquaintances when he used most of it to benefit his people, the Apache.
This, as well as Winnebago's actions in the Dannos incident, apparently appeased Goyahkla, for although he still visited Winnebago occasionally on friendly or at least amicable social calls, the cruel haunting of his descendant at last ceased. Winnebago was at last free to return to New York City and other eastern points, but much to his own surprise found that he now preferred Arizona Apache reservations.
Norma and Sandra returned to the DOD Base, which got a new lease on life and new research missions associated with psychic phenomena, space travel and defense, and the study of space aliens and elementals. They had to actually hire hundreds of scientists back from McDonalds and Wal-Mart. Barns got an official annulment from Twig, married Norma, and went on lecture tours, but spent much of his time happily fishing. Hank persuaded his Uncle Jake to accompany him on an extended fishing trip to Montana, and they hadn't been heard from for over two years.
Steve Latanna left his beloved Arizona to become the first Earth ambassador to the Galactic League. He was perfect for the job, since in addition to his political skills, the Justice organization of the League needed Earth police skills to help begin a crackdown on Ra activities that were suspected to be illegal. Steve took Kay with him as his wife, and General Therman, Commander Flood, and Mark Curtis as his aids. Curtis went along as a living example of powerful Earth psy skills, while Flood finally got a chance to pilot in space, though not the Bus. Along with the Nitro, the actual Bus was inducted into the Smithsonian, though the physical deterioration of its strange, unearthly armor continued.
Don went back to college. As the Traveler’s transformation had bumped his IQ by at least fifty points, he was now breezing through his classes, and had time for other pursuits. For one thing, with his new celebrity status, he certainly enjoyed popularity with women that his father never dreamed of when he was in school.
Elizabeth joined Oscar, Mel and Jane in The Land, where they together resumed the research that Gus and his Goth Mountain friends had started. To nobody's surprise she soon became the wife of joyously happy Dooley Simple, who along with his best friend Johnny Goth resumed their lives on mysterious Goth Mountain. Johnny's wife, also named Elizabeth, as well as Johnny's parents, became her closest friends, and her new father-in-law Professor Simple was delighted to gain a daughter. Much to Dooley's delight, his Elizabeth soon mastered both the art of having trees grow smiley faces in their bark and the even more valuable art of baking berry pies.
In addition to studying The Land and its People, Mel pursued a scientific understanding of the Black Pit, which was soon renamed the Earth Nexus Portal. He quickly concluded that an understanding of the Portal would require deeper understanding of not only our own Universe, but of the ensemble of universes that apparently comprised what the Traveler had termed the 'Multiverse'. Each unique universe presumably operated according to its own solution to the grand unified theory, or 'GUT', featuring its own self-consistent set of physical laws and fundamental constants, which apparently left each universe mathematically incompatible and hence invisible with respect to each other. The Team's adventure with the Traveler and the Portal suggested to Mel that multiple universes not only existed but could actually be somehow reached via a Nexus Portal device.
Like hundreds of scientists before him including Einstein, Mel continued to the elusive TOE or grand unified theory. The GUT learned from Aliens closely matched his, but they were much further along in deriving consequences and finding supporting observational evidence. It was messy work, involving difficult mathematical relationships between various fundamental particles and the evolution of the cosmos from the instant of creation through billions of years of relative stability to the present, for our Universe as well as for the other stable, so called 'flat' universes of particular interest that might exist. Mel also hypothesized that the GUT would ultimately shed light on psychic abilities, spirit worlds, faster than light-speed communications and space-ship propulsion, and even the Jigs farsight ability.
In brief, Earth scientists were both overwhelmed and overjoyed by the scientific knowledge of other members of the Galactic League. However, although in most ways the scientific knowledge of the League was far advanced of that of Earth, elemental beings and Nexus portals like the Back Pit were new and fascinating phenomena to even the League scientists. Several science missions from other planets were now stationed on Earth, where first hand observation of these phenomena was likely. Unprecedented scientific progress was being made Galaxy-wide, but there was still had a long way to go. An infinite way to go actually, as the hunger for scientific knowledge in thinking beings is endless, with every hard-won morsel of understanding only leading to new cravings, spurred on by ever deepening questions that demanded still further answers.
Despite searches conducted by many, the particular Earth Nexus Portal used by The Traveler could not be physically relocated. Perhaps the Portal didn’t always exist on Earth. However, though Jigs wouldn't admit to knowing where/when it was, it was reported that he sometimes disappeared for days or even weeks at a time, accompanied by a mysterious black robe wearing man with six-fingered hands.
In addition, the two dragons disappeared in the region where the Portal was suspected to be, shortly after Quetzal announced to Baldor that they would return to Earth after they had toured the area, whatever that meant. Perhaps they would be gone for millennia. Many interpreted this outing of the dragons as a honeymoon, but whatever relationship had developed between the two behemoths was clearly regarded by them to be their own affair.
Despite the over-all satisfaction and feeling of security that resulted from the successful conclusion of the Dannos incident, disquieting things began to turn up as time passed. Phil of Uncle Phil's Used Cars in Utah was found dead and partly eaten a few weeks after the Dannos event. This only became significant after investigation of centuries of Ra activities on Earth linked one of Phil's used auto sales to possible sightings of Ra in the Salt Lake City area. Were there
Bates was not involved in mankind's struggle to come to terms with psychic powers, with Earth's entry into the Galactic League, or with addressing the strange new problems that were now sweeping the globe. After the wedding of Narbando and Janet, the Bates family successfully ducked out of the limelight. The newlyweds honeymooned in Scotland along Lock Ness, and basically liked it so much that they simply stayed there.
With the onset of increasingly disturbing events, a fearful cry went up around the world urging the re-establishment of the Team that once before had wielded great powers to save the Earth. In particular, the powers and wisdom attributed to Dr. Narbando T. Bates by the public had reached near mythical proportions, but the esteemed scientist refused all requests to come out of his self-imposed retirement.
So it was that a delegation of renowned friends and acquaintances of Dr. Bates was at last commissioned by newly re-elected President Wright to travel to Scotland and seek out the help of the world-famous hero.