Alicia Jones 3: New Frontier by D. L. Harrison Read Free Book Online

if it would even work.  And if it did work,
there was the matter of aiming the other end.  I thought about creating a
second test ship to keep experiments separate, but in the end decided to just
to use the same one.  Hopefully Kristi’s newer and bigger plasma cannons
wouldn’t blow up my experiment, and I wouldn’t blow up hers.
    I also spent time with Al to get a test regimen.  We’d
need a lot of test probes, and to experiment how to determine size, direction,
and distance.  It would be a tedious time consuming activity, but one
easily monitored by an A.I.  Once I monitored the first one or two
openings, assuming it worked, Al could take it from there and get the thing calibrated.
     

Chapter
8
    The next few days I went back and forth in my mind as the
wormhole drive, or generator, was built.  Moral science, what did it
mean?  Some purists would say I should just publish everything and the
consequences be damned.  Others would say the knowledge was too dangerous
and should be suppressed.  I believed there was a balance in the middle
somewhere.  Cautious, hopeful, but not without giving weight to the
possible outcomes.
    I decided in the end to highly classify the power source as
much as was possible, but I would be submitting patents for the power
converter, and wormhole drive.  Even with patents, it would take others
time to figure out how it actually worked, and then they’d be without a power
source capable of making use of either.  It wouldn’t hold forever, or even
all that long, but all I could do was hope that was long enough for cooler
heads to prevail to avoid the negative outcomes.
    Al said, “You have a call from Nadia Avdonin.”
    “Answer it please,” after a moment I said, “Good afternoon
ma’am.”
    Nadia sighed in disgust, “Call me Nadia, and that’s an
order.”
    I smiled, “Of course… ma’am,” I said teasingly, “Nadia it
is.”
    She snorted, “Are you and Kristi free tonight?”
    “I believe so, what do you need?”
    Nadia replied, “Need?  Nothing.  Nora and Senna
want to get out of the complex and see what life really is like on Earth. 
I was wondering if you two wanted to join us on a girl’s night out.  I was
thinking dinner, then something fun like a pool hall, followed by a late show
on Broadway maybe?”
    Huh.  Sounded like fun to me.
    “Sounds good, should I bring security, or you have that
covered?”
    Nadia made a considering sound, “I have it covered, but I
wouldn’t mind if you provided the transportation.”
    I grinned, “Sure, I can do that.  I think the sports
shuttle is big enough for the five of us, I assume our escorts are following?”
    I knew the sports shuttle was secure enough, New York could
be nuked and the little shuttle wouldn’t even get scratched.
    Nadia grunted, “Good, be here around five?”
    I agreed and hung up.  And then I called Kristi to fill
her in.  It was going to be tough to dress and fit in at both a pool hall,
and a Broadway show.  I supposed Nadia wanted to show them diversity…
     
    We left work early to stop at the house, get out of our skin
suits, and take a shower.  I wound up wearing a black skirt and a red
blouse, with red three inch heeled shoes.  I did my normal light touch of
makeup, hair, and some matching jewelry.  Of course, I was wearing the
protective bustier underneath.  Not one person had tried to kill me yet,
at least not anyone from Earth, but it seemed prudent.  I’d probably be a
little overdressed for a pool hall, but better that than trying to wear jeans
to a nice restaurant, or a Broadway show.  At least, that was the theory.
    I thought I looked pretty good, although it wasn’t very hard
to achieve when I could control my body and looks.  The hard part was not overdoing it in that area.
    Kristi looked great in a dark green summer dress, and a pair
of black high heels.  When we got back into the shuttle and headed east
toward New York I realized we’d only be a couple of