I fought down the rational, fatherly advice about �growing up too fast� and considered her question carefully. All of them were as old as we were mentally. It had to be almost like torture for them.
I tried to imagine what it would have been like for me if I had returned to age one instead of eleven and was horrified at the very idea. However, there were other things to consider.
Her smile disappeared when my reply was �I'm sorry babe, but we can't."
She climbed up in my lap and tried to convince me. �Daddy, we thought this out already. Almost every government and public computer is an antique. Not many of them have been upgraded to our system yet so they�re so easy to hack I could do it if I really was this young. The hard part would be the paper trail, but that�s almost as easy. The records room at the hospital has a simple lock on it and the clerk�s office has one roving security guard that never even comes close to where the birth certificates are stored. Before you ask, I snooped when you took me to the hospital with you and when we picked up the license plates last month. If anybody should come close, all we need to do is think at them that they should be somewhere else. We can scout before we do it. We figure that it will take a month to get to where we want to be because things won�t grow any faster than that, though."
I sighed and kept trying to make her see reason. "You're forgetting some important facts, Angel. First of all, the records aren't the only consideration. There are a lot of people who know about you. They may not know who your father is, but they know your mother. You'd be disappearing, in effect. It would cause all sorts of problems. That's not all, either. You may have our memories but in order to be Angel and not a clone of your parents, you need memories of your own. You won't get that experience without living it."
She was despondent, and on the verge of tears complained "But I want so badly for you to love me as much as you do mommy and I need to be the same age you are!�
�What do you mean, Angel?� I had to ask �I couldn�t love you any more than I already do, it�s not possible.�
She hugged me and whispered �Maybe you couldn�t love me more, but you could love me differently.�
I wasn�t sure I liked the direction this conversation was going. �Angel� I said as sternly as I could �you�re my daughter. Incest is illegal you know.�
She looked up at me and said �Bullshit! You know as well as I do why those laws were passed. You should also know that those reasons don�t apply to us. We don�t have any genetic defects to pass on to any children we would have. As for me being your daughter, there�s no getting around that one. Outside of our family nobody would have to know that. We can choose any name we want for a fake birth certificate if we plant one. Besides that, bigamy is kind of frowned upon too.�
I hated to deny my Angel anything, and when I said �If you still feel the same way on your sixteenth birthday, we'll discuss it then.� I had the strangest experience to date.
She mentally �kissed� me and it was unbelievably nice. When I said �Wow� I heard her say �Wait until I can give you the real thing. I don�t have the lips for it yet, but I�ve been studying. By the time that birthday rolls around I'll blow your mind!�
I was almost tempted to change my mind, but I knew I was right about this.
Rhonda and I had a game the next day and both felt bad afterward. I always knew what pitch the batter was looking for and we both knew what was coming when we were up to bat. I had another perfect game and we both went 4 for 4. Rhonda got her first home run, while I had three and a double.
Rhonda and Sharon had been feeling deprived so after the game they returned home with me. They stayed the rest of the week and kept me occupied at night after we were done in the lab.
The ceramic compound dried quickly and I took a sheet out to test it. A welding torch didn�t even scorch it and a .50 caliber round left not a blemish on its surface. I couldn�t crack it with a sledgehammer. I tried a rented jackhammer and got bounced off of it. I was more damaged than it was.
Intrigued, I did some calculations and found out that the average car body could be manufactured out of it for roughly fifty bucks. If we had the raw material instead of having to buy the finished ingredients it could be cut to thirty-five.
A bit more research had me believing that we did have it. Most of the raw product came from the desert, where we owned huge amounts of land, and the mountains, where we had almost as much.
The car body idea was shot down by Aaron anyway. It seems he believed that we had the robotic technology to produce carbon fiber body panels that would be lighter and just a strong as steel. It (the ceramics) would make good frames or armor though. I asked about the expense of his idea since I remembered that everything constructed of carbon fiber had been outrageously expensive before.
He got a smug look and said "That might be because they didn't know how to do it right but it's more likely that they were lazy. It's not really that hard to make but steel is cheaper. They were worried more about their costs than they were the end user's expense. Steel weighs three times as much and causes more fuel consumption. Besides that, carbon fiber is five times stronger than steel."
From the way that sounded, I believed our fuel economy ratings would be even better. I figured the other automakers would have to get on board soon afterward in order to keep up. Hel, maybe we'd "leak" our engine design so they could copy that, too!"
I seriously considered giving up baseball again. I really did feel like I was cheating. At least until my memory was refreshed about the future.
Rhonda really let me have it. �You know all those guys who broke the home run records were on steroids. You don�t have any more of an advantage than they did. At least your muscle is earned. The gods gave you the frame, but I�ve seen how hard you work to keep in shape. Besides, some of the best hitters always seemed to be able to predict pitches. Look at Cobb, Rose, and Gwynn. If they couldn�t guess what was coming there�s no way they could have hit like that. I�ve thought about it more and now I�ve decided that I�m going to be the first female big league ball player. I may not hit 5 home runs a year but I�ll bet I can hit at least .300. I want to get pregnant in May of our senior year. I think I can get back in shape before baseball season in college. I want to keep playing ball with you.�
She was right. Besides, with any luck, in ten years I might be able to get a few records in both sports. I always thought it sucked for guys to break records who were so obviously �juiced�. I wouldn't be playing long enough to set the consecutive games played record. That was a shame because it was the one I always admired most. I'd have to settle for other things. The one I set my sights on was the consecutive game hitting streak. I wanted DiMaggio's record and with the added insight into what pitch to expect, I thought I could get it.
I also planned to go after the all-time batting average (Ty Cobb- .366), and all-time ERA (Ed Walsh- 1.82). I might be able to hit 500 home runs, but there was no way I could catch Hank Aaron in ten years.
The kid�s help in the lab was instrumental in speeding up our research. They may not have provided much physical assistance but all of them came up with new ideas and ways to improve the designs.
A lot of people despised the continued automation of manufacturing plants because of the jobs that were eliminated. Our factories would already be as automated as possible when they opened. By starting out that way, no jobs would have to be cut in the foreseeable future.
All of our designs would be patented, proprietary, and only exported to countries where our partners controlled the technology. By doing it this way we would not only be able to compete with foreign competition but be able to sell at least as cheaply as they could.
Most of our positions would be machine operators and the majority of the rest would be maintenance personnel. The hope was that future robotic enhancements would provide most of the labor for dangerous tasks in space construction.
The number of people we had helped in the area hospitals was in the hundreds now and �recruits� had just passed the fifty mark. When the numbers were added in from the other scattered "Retreads" who had been doing the same, we had a total of 127 new devotees.
Every one of them volunteered at hospitals, nursing homes, and rehabilitation centers. Many of them wanted to become employees at the factory clinics when they reached 18 years of age.
Rhonda was using her enhanced talents to more of an extent than I was. It looked like she might be able to exceed her prediction of five home runs per year in the majors. By knowing exactly where the pitch was going to be, she could put it where she wanted. In the most recent game she had two to my four. We were both walked a lot, but neither of us ever struck out.
That weekend Aaron and Paul showed us a better formula for automotive frame applications. We had been worried that because of how strong the ceramic was that in a crash it wouldn�t absorb any of the impact, thereby totaling the occupants.
The new material would not only collapse, it would pop back into shape gradually. This took from five to twenty minutes, depending on the force applied initially. It was also almost as light as the other ceramics and cheaper to manufacture. We still had ample use for the original formulas. Everything from body armor to ship hulls could use that.
Brian and Brianna had been even busier, and had a few theories outlined for drive systems. They hadn�t figured out how to manage FTL (faster than light) travel but said they could approach it with what they termed a �particle drive�.
This used free particles in space to provide propulsion. They also had a drive for atmospheric travel which they called the �gravity drive�, which they explained by saying �if you�ve seen the UFO clips, you�ve seen this�.
Having a photographic memory and being a space addict my entire life I recalled a paper I had read in 1995 that was written by Miguel Alcubierre in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Wales, in Cardiff which outlined what seemed to me a workable Warp drive theory.
When I mentioned it, I was immediately sat in front of the nearest keyboard to re-create it. After reading it over my shoulder as I entered it they snatched the copy off the printer so fast I think they left the ink behind. Tina was excited about Wes�s formulas but would only tell me that she thought he was on to something useful.
Since it was summer break and there were better facilities here we had brought my projects along to continue. I was really trying to concentrate, but failing miserably with Angel�s distractions.
I finally had to take her aside and ask her to stop. The little minx kept sending me suggestive remarks accompanied with mental images of what she thought she would look like at sixteen. None of the images included clothing and it was more than a little distracting.
She had been doing the same thing to Jackie, and when she asked how it was possible for her own daughter to make her so horny my only answer was �if you figure that one out. Please tell me!�
Before the summer was over we had another product. We still intended to keep the hydrogen cell a secret but nothing was preventing us from releasing a gasoline powered car that would get from 50 to 62 MPG, never rust, and be the safest car on the road. It didn�t hurt that the top speed was clocked at 165 MPH for the sport version, either. All of this was possible because of the lightweight construction. The body wasn't the only part that weighed less than the other cars on the road. The engines were over a third lighter as well.
We were looking for high unemployment areas and figured it couldn�t get any worse than on reservations. Six production facilities were readied in South Dakota (Sioux), Arizona (Hopi), Utah (Ouray), Oklahoma (Osage), Montana (Crow and Northern Cheyenne), and New Mexico (Mescalero Apache).
After some intense negotiations in which we finally convinced the tribes we were serious, the plants were built. All included the company town format and all schools, stores, and medical facilities were open to every member of the tribe. To sweeten the pot, we promised that a large portion of land would me made suitable for farming.
It had always pissed me off that after their land was stolen the government put the Native Americans on the most useless, Gods forsaken pieces of real estate in the country like they were doing them a favor. It was no wonder they were so destitute. Hel, there was no way to make a living!"
On paper, the tribes were the owners of record of the plants and had contracted us as managers. This was to enable the facilities to be operated on tribal land. If investigated, the paperwork would show that we had loaned all startup capital to each tribe at 1% interest payable over 100 years.
In actuality, there was no loan. After they were trained, all personnel would be residents there, though. Hiring began before we entered the first prototypes in car shows and invited the major publications for a demonstration.
First up was the Viper sports car. We liked the name, so we stole it before Dodge used it. It was a low-slung, road hugging, gull winged speed demon that had a top speed of 260 MPH. It could outperform anything on the road and got 50 miles per gallon. The base price was no more than a Mustang.
Next up was the Asp. This was our compact model and got 62 mpg with a top speed of 140 MPH. It was followed by the mid-sized Copperhead, a sporty looking car that could comfortably seat five and get 58 MPG.
The full-size was the Rattler, and was luxury all the way. It would manage 54 MPG with a top speed of 160. Our mini-van was the Boa and pretty standard, if a lot nicer looking than the models originally introduced. It would also out-perform them and get 56 mpg fully loaded. It would be the first of its type introduced in this time.
We hadn�t forgotten SUV�s or trucks, either. The trucks were the Racer and the Sidewinder. The first was a � ton and the second a � ton, and got 54 and 50 mpg respectively. The Sport Utility was the King and if I had to compare it to anything, I�d say it was a lot like the Escalade GM was to later produce. No Caddy ever got 50 mpg though.
Almost as an afterthought, Gene made a suggestion that turned out to provide the highest initial sales. His opinion of the Hummer was almost as low as mine so he designed the Mutt (Multiple use transport truck). It was tougher, more dependable, and got 20 mpg more than the Hummer.
A prototype was pitched to the Military and they surprised us by placing a large order. We hadn�t thought they�d be bright enough to appreciate it. I think the deciding factor was the standard ceramic armor.
All were a hit, although they were met with a lot of skepticism regarding our safety and economy claims, along with the retail price. We were able to manage this by producing almost all of our raw materials and using a completely different labor approach than our competitors.
The pay averaged 2 dollars an hour less than the big 3, but our benefits package left them in the dust. We had the same "company town" arrangement at each plant. The major difference was that all facilities (schools, stores, etc.) were open to any resident of the reservation. As an added benefit, we also opened other businesses to support the auto production. All of the bodies and engines were manufactured in the area as well as the electronics and upholstery. The money we saved in shipping products was re-invested in the reservation by building houses for the residents.
The location of the plants was a brilliant idea. I can�t imagine any place where a job would be better appreciated. I have never seen more diligent and enthusiastic workers. The frequent attempts to unionize any of our facilities were almost unanimously defeated when voted upon, too.
The only comment ever made by us was that if unionized, we would match the best of the big 3�s agreements, raise prices, and cut production because sales would decline. Out of respect for our employees, we chose �Dream Catcher Motorcars� for the name of this division.
Our timing could have been a little better, I suppose. The embargo was over (and we had profited immensely) but people still remembered the lines and the fact that they still spent a lot of money on gas.
As soon as the plants opened they were running 3 shifts and hundreds were waiting in line to purchase dealerships. We ran two commercials, one being of crash tests, and the other emphasizing comfort, economy, and durability. Our 10 year 100,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty hadn�t been offered by anyone else yet.
We headed back for our senior year while all of this was happening, leaving the details for the others. Rhonda was consulted almost daily over the phone and by e-mail (we also introduced the 56k modem).
Shortly after football season began, the scholarship offers started pouring in. I was tempted to accept some of the campus visits but it didn�t seem ethical, since my mind was made up.
Five members of the team signed with State. Nick was already there and started as a freshman. Carl and I quickly discovered the advantage of knowing exactly what your opponent planned to do.
The result was a defense that was almost impossible to score on and either a gaping hole for Pete to run through or a wide open tight end on every play. We pretty much cruised through all the competition.
While the automotive division opened with great fanfare, the clothing and athletic shoe divisions attracted little notice at first, at least until word got out about them.
Soon, the stylish and almost indestructible apparel was seen everywhere. Every one had �Made in U.S.A.� prominently displayed on the label and the patriotic motif worked well with consumers.
This division had few employees and massive output. The pay was good, but the workforce required was small. All of our companies operated at no more than a 5% profit margin. This would be unacceptable for most corporations but our sales volume produced massive amounts of cash, which the Mojave Spaceport and Research Reserve needed. We five school bound people found ourselves alone much of the time our senior year as the others immersed themselves in the space project.
Paula and Lin were due to give birth at any time, and Rhonda�s wish had been granted. She became pregnant with our child during the last month of baseball season. She�d be going to state with Carl and me on an academic scholarship but the coach had already promised her she�d be starting at first base as soon as she was able.
We did have an improved plane for visits. It was listed as an �experimental aircraft� but I don�t think the FAA realized how experimental it was. It was faster than any fighter in the arsenal and had full stealth capability. It seems Aaron had found an additive to make the skin radar absorbent, while Brian and Brianna had devised a primitive �cloaking device� that actually produced a holographic image on the skin which caused the observer to see exactly what they would if the plane wasn�t there.
That coupled with the fact that it made no sound at all unless we wanted it to, made it one scary machine. It had the Gravity Drive installed also, and there wasn't even a heat signature to worry about.
It came in handy almost immediately. We were able to get from Kentucky to the Mojave in the time between the onset of labor and the birth of Ian (Lin and Adam�s son) and Allen (son of Paula and Bryan).
Both occurred on weekdays and we were only able to stay a short while. The only school I had missed since my return was the 2 days I spent in the hospital after the unfortunate �shooting incident�. One more bit of happy news was that Kathy was expecting again. Carl was the proud father-to-be.
There was a bit of disagreement when we enrolled at the university. It seems they had this rule that incoming freshmen had to stay in the dorms. We finally convinced them that since academically we were juniors, it shouldn�t apply to us.
I think the deciding factor was when we told them that if we couldn�t live off-campus we wouldn�t play on their teams. They compromised then, and said we would be assigned rooms but only had to be there the night before a home game.
The only reason I agreed was that it was a co-ed dorm and I could choose my roommates. The room was pretty nice. It had a living area with a bathroom and kitchenette, and four bedrooms opening off of it. My suitemates were Carl, Chrissy, and Rhonda. Technically, the girls were supposed to be on a different floor, but this detail was conveniently overlooked. Chrissy was attending on a golf scholarship. She had taken up the game in her sophomore year in high school and was damn good at it.
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