"Gaia" (closed)

[HumanBean]

"Gaia"

(closed to Alice2015)​

William "Will" Richards
Senatorial Aide (for now)
38 years old
5'10", fit, handsome

Will stared silently at the wall-mounted television screen. It was now dark and silent after an hour-long Power Point presentation that had not been what he'd expected. No one could have expected that! he told himself.

After a long moment of nothing, the man who called himself Tatum broke the silence with, "I'm sure you have questions, Mister Richards."

"Questions," Will murmured. He chuckled. "You ask if I have questions?" He contemplated his words, then recapped what he'd just seen: "In 1968, NASA discovered an object passing by Jupiter and heading for Earth. This object was determined not to be an asteroid, meteor, or comet ... partly due to its high speed."

"Over 3,000 kilometers per second," Tatum filled in.

"So ... fast," Will said.

"About 60 times the speed of the fastest moving natural astronomical object ever detected," Tatum responded, "Which had been a comet plummeting to its death into the Sun."

"So, this couldn't be considered natural," Will continued. At the shake of Tatum's head, Will went on: "NASA was tracking an alien spaceship."

"Yes," Tatum confirmed simply.

"For 34 years?" Will challenged. The presentation had said that the object had been tracked from 1968 to 2002. He continued, "And during that time...?"

Tatum started, "The ESV performed--"

"ESV?" Will interrupted. "I heard that acronym earlier, but I missed what it stood for."

"Extra Solar Vehicle," Tatum explained. "What most people would incorrectly call a UFO."

"Incorrectly because...?" Will began. He quickly realized the answer, adding, "Because in space they aren't actually flying," He gestured the man to continue.

"The ESV performed 129 retrograde braking maneuvers during those 34 years," Tatum continued, "It used the gravity wells of planets, moons, and, of course, the Sun to slow itself down. The vast majority of those flyby's occurred around Mars and Earth."

"And you all knew this, in 1968," Will said with an accusing tone. "That it was coming here, to Earth!"

"Not in 1968--"

"But a whole fucking lot sooner than now," Will chastised, "In 2038, yes?" 70 years later? And you told no one?"

Tatum had tried to stay calm but now mirrored Will's outbursts: "I'm sorry that you somehow feel left out of the discussion, Mister Richards ... but ... I should remind you that you are nothing more than a fucking Senatorial Aide!"

That caused Will to sit back in a chair a bit. Tatum continued more calmly. "I am sorry that your boss, Senator Carlson, feels that he wasn't told of this sooner--"

"The man's been a US Senator for 50 years ... longer than either of us has been alive," Will said. "He voted on the bills that made the Shuttle Program possible ... the ISS ... programs and projects that made this ... thing that you're doing here possible ... and no one bothered to tell him about it until now?"

The men simply stared at each other a moment. Will finally said, "The Power Point presentation was interesting, but I still don't know why I'm here or what exactly you're doing here."

Tatum stood, heading for a nearby door as he said invitingly, "Why don't I show you instead."

It took them almost 30 minutes to get down the hall, down the elevator, down another hall, etc. The reason was that at every point, they had to get through ever-increasing levels of security. Tatum explained that he couldn't talk openly out here. They made the trek in near silence.

When they passed through the last door, they were in a small, dimly lit room. To the left were 2 rows of theater-style seating, 12 seats in all. To the right was a large, dark-tinted, floor-to-ceiling glass surface running nearly the full length of the compartment. At 18 feet long and 8 feet high, Will's first thought was biggest flat screen television screen ever. He knew it was electronically activated tinted glass, though, like what was used in some professional offices. tinting. He'd just always seen it in a foggy white or gray, never in a dark grayish black.

"We used the Shuttle to retrieve the ESV," Tatum continued recapping the presentation. Its size had been dramatically reduced. The propulsion units and fuel systems responsible for getting it to our system had been discarded long before be ever discovered it. And the ones used for the flybys were discarded in 2001. We tracked them for almost 10 years before losing them in the direction of the Sun. They're probably still heading that way ... destined to burn up.

"When we retrieved it, what remained was about the length and height of a Volkswagen bus," Tatum said. "We easily loaded it into Atlantis's cargo hold using the shuttle's capture arm and a single space-walking astronaut.

"We spent a year studying it before we opened it up," Tatum said as he turned to a safe, using his card, code, and fingerprint to open it. He withdrew a shiny, rectangular box about the size of the game console Will kept in his office in DC for wind down times. Tatum offered it to Will, saying, "This is what came out of it."

"What is it?" Will asked. He turned it this way and that. "It's light."

"Just 1.4 kilograms," Tatum said. "A little more than 3 pounds."

"Is it hollow?" Will asked. He was looking at the end that had a multitude of connection points. "Reminds me of the back of my computer ... where everything plugs in."

"It isn't hollow ... as far as we know," Tatum said. "We didn't want to Xray it or otherwise scan it. But what we got off it once we learned to talk to it tells us that it is definitely not empty. It's just lightweight."

Again, Will asked, "What is it?"

"It's what the aliens sent us," Tatum answered. "It was what they wanted us to have. It is the instruction manual on how to build something that they wanted us to have."

Will laughed. "I saw this movie. Jodie Foster, wow. The aliens taught us to build the Machine ... which Jodie's character thought it was a form of transportation, but which James Woods' character thought it would open a doorway, through which the whole fucking alien army would march ... to conquer Earth and eat us all."

"I don't think he actually said eat us," Tatum added, laughing. He continued, "Once we realized how to read it, and what they wanted us to build..."

When he paused, Will asked with concern, "You built it already?"

"Sure," Tatum said. "Why not?"

Will had about a hundred reasons but kept them to himself for the moment.

"Do you want to see what we built?" Tatum asked, his lips spread in a knowing smirk. "It's better than a transportation device, enemy troop portal, or big fucking bomb."

Will knew he wanted to see it, whatever it was. He just couldn't speak the words. Finally, he used Tatum's earlier words, "Sure. Why not?"

Tatum activated a wall panel, leading to a doorbell-like tone sounding. A moment later, the little theater was flooded by the Rihanna's song, "S&M" at a rather stunning volume. (OOC: YouTube link; you don't have to play it if you don't want to. It might stop at the song's end, or it might move on to more songs.)

Will reacted with surprise, at both the volume and the choice of song. He wouldn't have imagined the workers building the ... whatever it was working to this song. He noticed that Tatum barely reacted, though. Not his first rodeo, Will thought. Or they're Union and he has no control over them.

The music's volume decreased, and a female voice asked in sing-song style, "Who is it?"

The man chuckled, then answered, "It's Kyle Tatum."

The woman responded with excitement: "Hello, Kyle Tatum. How are you?"

Again, Tatum chuckled. "I'm fine. I have someone here who is interested in seeing what we built. Is this a bad time?"

"Not at all," the woman said. "Give us a moment."

Tatum sat two seats to Will's right. He said with a casual, matter-of-fact tone, "They probably have to put on more clothes. They like to work in ... let's call it minimal clothing. It's why we turned over primary control of the cameras and screen to them. Privacy."

Will looked to Tatum with even more surprise. He'd seen a movie once in which women in a Central American cocaine packaging operation worked in bikinis. He'd never determined whether it was because of the heat, the humidity, the need to ensure the workers didn't pocket drugs, or the boss's desire to look at nearly-naked women all day long.

Will asked, "Your Techs work half-naked?"

Tatum laughed. With a knowing tone, he said, "Half-naked, yes. Tech's working...? Not hardly."

The music again lowered in volume, and the black, opaque tinting of the glass wall began to fade. Will's heart skipped a beat at what he saw. It most certainly wasn't what he'd expected!

Tatum stood and walked closer to the glass, saying, "Will Richards. This is Project Gaia."

Will stood slowly, entranced by the sexiest, most beautiful woman he'd seen in a long, long time. Tatum spoke to the woman, saying, "Gaia. This is Will Richards."

 

[Alice2015]

Gaia
Alien?? (We don't know the specifics; keep reading)
Age?? (She looks to be mid-20s)
5'8", 34B-23-34
Natural blonde; blue eyes

(OOC: Just a note that the year has been established to be 2028.)

The song to which Gaia was happily dancing was older than she was yet still brand new to her; she'd only found it today despite it being 28 years old. Every day, she spent minutes to hours reviewing Earthling art, entertainment, and more to find things she liked. Today, she'd discovered Ukrainian Folk Music and Dancing, Angel ice sculpting, and Team Olympic Water Ballet, the latter of which had confused Gaia because she hadn't initially understood that the video was inverted!

Everything Gaia knew about Earth, its Citizens, and the way they lived their lives was provided to her by the Project Gaia people who took care of her. Some of it came to her firsthand via word-of-mouth conversations or the delivery of a variety of media materials. Some it came from the computer they'd provided, either from its memory; from the stack of CDs, DVDs, and SD cards; or from the internet.

Gaia knew that every form of information provided to her from her Monitors was greatly regulated; it didn't take a genius to know that they were keeping things from her. Gaia would have preferred that they made anything and everything available to her, obviously. She loved learning new things. But for now, she'd enjoy what was brought to her.

The doorbell sounded, startling Gaia and causing her to giggle. She called out, "Tabitha!"

"Yes, Gaia," the AI controlling some of her quarters' operations responded. "What can I do for you?"

"Open the microphone to the Viewing Room, please," Gaia answered, "and cut the music volume to half, please."

The microphone that would allow her guest to hear her activated, even as the music's volume was lowering. Gaia was pretty certain who was at the door, but still she turned her head upwards toward the microphone to ensure she was heard and asked playfully, "Who is it?"

"It's Kyle Tatum."

Gaia giggled again; she liked Kyle Tatum. With the exception of Marla -- who Gaia had labeled her BFF and who'd been teaching her about female things -- Kyle spent more time with Gaia than anyone else these days. It hadn't always been that way, of course; in the beginning, Gaia had spent a lot of time with doctors, nurses, and researchers.

"Hello, Kyle Tatum," Gaia called, still looking upwards. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," he told her.

"We're happy that you're fine, Kyle Tatum," she said, returning to her dancing again.

"I have someone here who is interested in seeing what we built," he told her.

Again, Gaia got excited, ceasing her dancing as she looked toward the mike. "Someone new?"

"Is this a bad time?" he inquired.

"Not at all," she called out; she returned to dancing at the thought of meeting someone new. She told Tatum, "Give us a moment."

She skipped across the room to her closet to fetch four pieces of clothing: a brassiere, a blouse, a pair of gym shorts, and a pair of panties. Gaia giggled yet again thinking about the clothes and their identification as pairs or not. Panties and shorts each had a pair of leg holes; her blouse and brassiere had arm holes.

And yet while she wore a pair of panties and a pair of shorts, she didn't wear a pair of blouse or a pair of bra. And then there were her bra's two cups that provided support to her mammary glands; Marla had said they were sometimes called breasts, tits, boobs, melons, bazoombas, and other sometimes cute, sometimes crude things. (Gaia was still learning the difference between that pair of words: cute and crude.)

To confuse the issue even more was the thong. After Gaia had seen one in her media research, Marla had snuck one in to her. Even though it had two leg holes like her panties did, they weren't called a pair of thongs. Why not?

"Tabitha!" Gaia called out again. The AI responded, and she ordered it to deenergize the dark tint to transparent with, "Wall to windows, please."

"Yes, Gaia," the AI confirmed.

Gaia had already donned the brassiere and panties and was slipping into the blouse when she realized that she'd dropped the shorts during her haste. She spun in place a couple of times looking for them, not finding them. She looked up toward the now fully transparent wall of glass to find Kyle and her new future friend sitting in the viewing area.

Kyle rose from his seat and walked closer to the glass. He gave her scantily clad body a quick glance but then set his gaze on her own eyes; Kyle had seen her like this or in even less on a few occasions, so Gaia assumed that he'd had his fill of ogling her.

"Will Richards," he said to the man still seated. "This is Project Gaia."

Gaia smiled and waved, saying, "Nice to meet you, Will Richards."

Will stood and neared slowly, his gaze fixed solidly on her womanly features. She giggled softly.

"Gaia, this is Will Richards," Kyle said when the man came alongside him.

She giggled again, saying, "You can call us Gaia, Will Richards."

She waited to allow him to respond. Then, remembering that she was a couple of steps short of being properly dressed for company, Gaia pulled her blouse into place on her shoulders and began buttoning it. She told them, "We should finish dressing."

She backed away, smiling at Wil, then turned and hurried around looking for the missing shorts. She couldn't find them, but came across a pair of yoga pants she'd left hanging over a chair. She had her back to the men as she wiggled into the Lycra shorts, smoothing them over her thighs, ass, and crotch.

Finally, she turned and hurried back to the window, smiling. While still looking Will over, she asked the other man, "Kyle Tatum, is there a specific reason why Will Richards is here to visit with us...? Other than to become our new friend?"

 

[HumanBean]

Will tried but couldn't pull his ogling eyes from Gaia. She was the true definition of attractive, as in attracting his persistent ogle.

She giggled, saying, "You can call us Gaia, Will Richards."

Finally, he forced himself to look up into her face, only to find it as incredible as her body was. He opened his mouth to respond to what she'd said. Nothing came out. Then, finally, "Oh, um, Will. You can call me Will, Gaia."

She pulled her blouse on, buttoning it as she said, "We should finish dressing."

She turned and hurried off. Again, Will's gaze settled on a new set of delicious curves. Her ass was simply perfect. And when she set to donning the yoga pants, the way it moved literally caused Will to moan. It was a softly quiet reaction, yet beside him Kyle Tatum snorted playfully.

Will pulled his eyes away, looking to the other man. No longer mesmerized, a thought came to Will. He turned his back to the glass, whispering to Tatum, "Did you call her Project Gaia. Her specifically? And what's with the plural pronouns? Us, we, we're, our?"

Kyle smiled a bit wider, leaned in closer, and said, "Ask them."

Will snorted derisively. Them. Great. That helped.

He turned as Gaia returned to the glass, smiling nervously. She was no longer so scantily clad. But she remained the sexiest thing he'd seen in a very long time. She was looking directly at Will as she spoke to the other man, "Kyle Tatum, is there a specific reason why Will Richards is here to visit with us...? Other than to become my new friend?"

"Well, yes, Gaia, there is," Kyle answered. "And I think you might just find that his official reason for being here might lead into the reason you are hoping for: a new friend."

"I wouldn't mind knowing what that reason is either," Will said. He wanted to tell Gaia that he would be tickled fucking pink to be her friend. But Will thought that maybe he should wait to hear the rest of what Kyle had to say.

"Will Richards is a close and personal friend to a very powerful man named Senator Robert Carlson, Gaia," Kyle said. "You remember that we talked about the three branches of government in the United States? About the Legislature? The House and Senate?"

As they talked, Will looked between the two with a surprised expression. He knew that he was here today not because of who he was but because of who Carlson was. But he'd been assuming that Carlson wanted something from Project Gaia, not the other way around, as it was beginning to look.

Kyle continued, "Senator Robert Carlson may just have the pull ... remember how I used that word, pull? He may just have the pull to get you what you want. What you've been seeking for the last little while."

A tone from a panel near the viewing room's entrance drew Kyle to the door. He spoke softly to someone through the intercom before returning. "I'm very sorry, Gaia, Will. I have to step away."

He looked to Gaia as he said, "But Will Richards doesn't have to leave quite yet. Why don't you explain to him what it is that you would like him to help you with. I will be back later today. Okay? Maybe for dinner?"

He waited for her reaction, then urged Will to follow him toward the door. He explained, "A Guard outside will return you to the conference room when you are finished here. We'll talk, then I'll see to it that you get back to Washington again." He smiled, saying, "Sorry, but you'll have to wear the hood again. Nothing I can do about that."

Kyle looked back to Gaia, then whispered to Will, "Be honest with her. She doesn't understand dishonesty. She doesn't understand deception. You heard us talking about our form of government. It was something she was interested in, so I taught her. She understands the form of it. But she'd doesn't understand how it works. She doesn't understand the politics. If you tell her that you can do something for her, and you can't ... you'll destroy her and everything that we've been working toward for years ... for decades."

Will had to have had a panicked expression. Kyle chuckled softly, patting him on the shoulder before saying, "You'll be fine. Just don't lie to her."

Kyle took Will's hand, shook it, told him to take all the time he wanted, and left the room.

Will stood there a moment without looking back to Gaia. Finally, he did look her way. He smiled and returned to stand opposite the glass from her. He let his gaze fall to her delicious curves again but forced himself to look her in the eyes as he smiled to her.

"So, um, before we get to what it is that you want to speak to me about," Will said nervously. "First. You don't have to call me Will Richards. You can call me Will, just like you said I could call you Gaia.

"And why did Tatum ... Kyle ... why did he call you Project Gaia? When he first introduced us, he called you Project Gaia.

Will wanted to ask Gaia about the gender-neutral pronouns that she and Kyle had been using. He understood and accepted all things DEI, of course. His friends, family, and colleagues were a rainbow of sexual, racial, ethnic, and religious identities and orientations. But there was something about the way Kyle had told him to ask her about it that told him there was something more to the question than just a question of gender-neutrality.

 

[Alice2015]

Learning of Will's friend, Robert Carlson, excited Gaia. She didn't know this particular Senator, but she knew what Senators were; one of her favorite pieces of education was a 60-year-old-plus television series for children called Schoolhouse Rock, with one of her favorite episodes having been "How a Bill becomes a Law". Oh, it wasn't even close to what Gaia intended to ask of Will, but the 3-minute-long animated skit had taught her that having a friend in Congress could only be a good thing. Right?

Speaking of Senator Carlton, Kyle said, "He may just have the pull to get you what you want. What you've been seeking for the last little while."

Kyle stepped away for a moment, during which Gaia turned her full attention to Will. As he had her -- and still occasionally was -- Gaia gave Will a conspicuous up-and-down look. She told him, "You dress very nicely, Will Richards. Marla ... she's Kyle Tatum's female counterpart in our Mentoring Team. She is teaching us things that Kyle Tatum can't ... female things ... girly stuff. She is also teaching us how to dress appropriately for certain situations. We have learned that it is important to dress nicely when you are with people who you want to like you. She has been helping us choose clothes that look good on us, like your suit looks good on you."

Gaia did a quick playful full turn, pausing halfway through to show off her backside, shifting her weight from one bare foot to the other. She wasn't intentionally showing off her ass in the tightly fitting yoga pants -- she was trying to show off her clothes -- but if Will's eyes didn't go there, he wouldn't have been a real, red-blooded male. She giggled when she struck a pose facing Will, saying, "We have a dress and some pants and shirts that are nicer. Maybe we'll get to..."

She paused as Kyle returned, telling them, "I'm very sorry, Gaia, Will. I have to step away."

Gaia's disappointment must have been immediately conspicuous. He smiled, saying, "But Will Richards doesn't have to leave quite yet. Why don't you explain to him what it is that you would like him to help you with. I will be back later today. Okay? Maybe for dinner?"

This time, it was more excitement that was conspicuous in her expression and body language, including a giggly, "Goodie!"

The two men stepped aside to chat a moment before Will came back. After a moment of them simply looking at each other, he said, "So, um, before we get to what it is that you want to speak to me about, first, you don't have to call me Will Richards. You can call me Will, just like you said I could call you Gaia."

"We can do that," Gaia said, again giggling. She tried it out, "Will ... Will. Yes, we like that."

Will continued, "And why did Tatum ... Kyle ... why did he call you Project Gaia? When he first introduced us, he called you Project Gaia."

Gaia's happy expression faded slowly, as if he'd asked something about which she couldn't or wouldn't speak. She turned her back and took a couple of steps away; unnecessarily looking up toward the microphone in the ceiling, she asked, "Tabitha...?"

"Yes, Gaia," the room's AI responded, continuing as it most often did at the beginning of a conversation, "What can I do for you?"

Gaia peeked back over her shoulder at Will, lifted a finger in a wait a moment gesture, turned away again, and asked, "Can you turn off the microphone so that Will Richards can't hear us?"

A tone sounded, after which the AI said, "The microphone to the Viewing Room is off. Is there anything else that I can do for you?"

"We need to speak to Kyle," Gaia said, stressing, "Now!"

<<<<<<< >>>>>>>
​

Almost ten minutes later, Gaia returned to the glass with the man beyond it again able to hear her. "Kyle Tatum tells us that you are a very intelligent Human Being, so you will be able to understand this."

Gaia paused, smiling slightly, as she continued, "We are not. Human, we mean. Not intelligent. We are very intelligent. We admit that we are ignorant about a great many things--" She smiled wider, adding, "--but we are learning."

She could see the confusion in Will's face. Without turning toward the overhead microphone, Gaia asked, "Tabitha?" The AI announced itself as usual. Gaia asked, "Will you please show Will Richards the video recording, Version 24-B?"

After verifying that the file had been declassified for Will and then confirming to Gaia her request, half of the now-transparent floor-to-ceiling glass to Will's left darkened again. A moment later, a video recording began playing, transmitted upon the glass from a projector in the wall above and behind the left side of the theater seating.

"This will explain things better than we can, Will Richards," Gaia said. "We are here to answer any questions you may have." She giggled as she turned and danced away, telling him, "We think movies are better with popcorn. Sorry, we cannot give you some through the glass."

As the video passed the introductory text regarding classification, Gaia went to her kitchenette to toss a bag of popcorn seeds into the microwave. By the time she got back to the beanbag chair near the glass, Will would certainly be engrossed in yet another presentation.

 

[HumanBean]

"You dress very nicely, Will Richards," Gaia said.

She continued onward, talking of this unknown Marla, of Kyle, of Mentoring Teams, and of leaning to dress appropriately. But Will's deeply confused mind was spinning with other thoughts. What was his purpose here? What was this place? Who was Gaia, really?

Gaia took a few minutes to herself. As he waited, Will surveyed Gaia's living space. It reminded him of his sister's bedroom growing up and of his first studio apartment in DC after he'd graduated Law School.

There was a bedroom, living room, kitchenette, and a play area. They were separated by short walls in some places. A drapery attached to the ceiling like they did in hospital rooms could hide the bedroom area. A door led to a bathroom.

There was an illusion of privacy offered. But Will saw at least twenty cameras spread all about the place. If Gaia's handlers wanted to see what she was doing at any particular time, no drape or 4-foot wall was going to prevent it.

Will felt sorry for Gaia. She was living in a research setting. Kyle had called this Project Gaia, even calling Gaia herself that. What was her part in all this?

When she finally came back to speak to him, Gaia shocked Will by telling him that she wasn't human. Again, Will's head was spinning again with confusing thoughts.

"Tabitha?" Gaia asked the AI, "Will you please show Will Richards the video recording, Version 24-B?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx​

Project Gaia, Official Record Version 24-B answered a great many questions. It also led to twice as many new ones.

The recording began with a quick recap of what Will had already seen in Kyle's earlier Power Point presentation: the alien spacecraft, the arrival in Earth orbit of the capsule, the Instruction Manual.

Then it delved into an area that left Will's mouth hanging open. The Instruction Manual hadn't told the Project Gaia people how to make a transportation device or army portal or Earth-shattering bomb. It had told them how to make Gaia!

There was a lot Will didn't understand, the genetic and DNA stuff in particular. But he got the gist. The Instruction Manual told the Human doctors how to create Gaia. How to create a living being, a Human, from scratch.

Only, like Gaia had told him, she wasn't really a human. She came from an inseminated Human egg, yes. But the original genetic material inside that egg had been removed. In its place, an entirely artificial, manufactured genetic code was inserted. And that code came from the Instruction Manual!

Why does she look like a regular Human? Will wondered as he peeked over to the popcorn-munching Gaia. He couldn't help but remember the movie "Species" and the very naked, very sexy Natasha Henstridge who'd been its star. Her character, Sil, had been a sexy Human-looking alien who'd gotten out into the world in a search for a breeding partner in an effort to spread her species. Over the decades, when he'd been alone in his dorm or apartment or on the road in some hotel and he'd found that movie on late night television, how many times had Will beat off to the scene of the Sil character fucking that dorky scientist?

He imagined Gaia naked atop him, rocking to and fro upon his cock, driving him to orgasm, and flooding her pussy with his seed. He almost thought that being mauled to death after fucking her would be worth it.

Will turned his attention back to the presentation. It continued through the processes that ultimately resulted in the woman sitting on the other side of the glass from him. Much like Henstridge's character, Sil, Gaia had aged quickly at first: the gestation period (which had taken place inside a volunteering Human female) had been just four months; and by the first year following birth, Gaia had the appearance and capabilities of a 5-year-old child.

Her advanced aging began to slow after that. Still, the mid-20-ish looking woman sitting in the beanbag, eating popcorn, and sucking on a juice box had only been alive on this Earth for 7 years. 7 years! It simply baffled Will.

When the presentation ended, the dark-tinted glass returned to its transparent state. Will continued to sit where he was, though. As it had been for the last few hours, his head was spinning. He didn't know what to think about all this. And he certainly didn't know what to say to Gaia about it.

Actually, Will had a lot to say. But it was all in question form. He'd learned so much, but there was so much more he wanted to know. He just didn't know where to begin making inquiries.

Then something came to him: Gaia had had something to ask of him! Will stood and approached the glass again. He waited for her to join him there, then asked, "What is it that Kyle said you needed my help with?"

 

[Alice2015]

Gaia was, of course, very aware of what she was; she hadn't needed to view Project Gaia, Official Record Version 24-B or any of the previous official and highly classified videos that had come before it to understand exactly what she was.

The Instruction Manual, as the people of Project Gaia called the object that they'd removed from the interstellar-traveling spacecraft 26 years earlier, had essentially been Gaia; it hadn't just included the instructions on how to build her but had also been every bit of  alien information that was in her brain today, including her consciousness ... her understanding of who she was and  why she was here.

Ironically -- or maybe just curiously -- some of what was in that Manmade alien brain of hers was both there and not; and even though Gaia might not be conscious of some of that information right now, when she did find out about it, she would not be surprised in any way.

For example, as Will was glancing her way at this very moment and seeing a mid-20-ish looking woman who had actually been born just seven years ago, Gaia believed that she was 20 or so years old; and yet, the moment anyone -- Will included -- told her that she'd only been born in the year 2031, Gaia would know this as if she had always known this ... without shock or confusion.

When the presentation ended, Will returned to standing at the glass, and Gaia joined him.

"Did that explain who we are well enough?" Gaia asked as easily and innocently as if she'd asked Would you like some of our popcorn?

"What is it that Kyle said you needed my help with?" Will asked.

Here was another example of something that Gaia both knew and simultaneously didn't. She'd consciously known for all her life -- all seven years of it -- that she needed to leave this facility, that she had a purpose; yet until this very moment, Gaia hadn't known the reason behind it.

"We have messages that need to be delivered to both the leaders of your civilizations and to the people of those civilizations," she vaguely explained. "We cannot do that from here."

Then, remembering more information that had always been in her brain, Gaia realized Will's purpose for being here. Gaia added, "We believe that your friend, Senator Robert Carlson, is the key to allowing us to leave this place and speak to the leaders and people of Earth."

With her lips widening in a hopeful smile and a hand reaching out to press its splayed fingers on that glass, Gaia asked, "Will you help us, Will Richards?"

Then, smiling even wider, she corrected how she referred to him as he had requested, "...Will."

 

[HumanBean]

"We have messages that need to be delivered," Gaia answered when Will asked what she needed from him, "to both the leaders of your civilizations and to the people of those civilizations."

Messages? Will thought. What kind of message? "Surrender or be destroyed"? Or maybe "We prefer you roasted as to raw".

"We cannot do that from here," Gaia continued.

Will was only thinking the We're going to be conquered things. Maybe it was more like, We want to give you endless free energy or We have the answer to all diseases, do you want it?

"We believe that your friend, Senator Robert Carlson," Gaia went on before Will could respond, "is the key to allowing us to leave this place and speak to the leaders and people of Earth."

"Senator Carlson?" he finally said aloud. Finally, I'm starting to get why the fuck I'm here. Will had begun imagining a scenario where his boss was neck-deep into what was happening here. How the hell did he keep this from me all this time? I've worked for the man for 10 years.

Gaia's smile widened as she reached out a hand, placing it flat against the glass. "Will you help us, Will Richards?"

He focused on the long, thin fingers a moment, then back on Gaia's face. He had a sudden flashback to when he'd left his hometown for University. His high school girlfriend had pressed her hand to the train's window like this. She'd wanted a sign that although they'd be thousands of miles apart, they'd still be together in their hearts.

Will had pressed his hand to the glass as well. He'd honestly wanted to believe that they'd survive a long-distance relationship. They hadn't, though. He couldn't remember now which of them had strayed first. It hadn't mattered then and didn't matter now.

What does she want from me? Will found himself wondering as he looked at her hand pressing against the glass. Yes, she wanted him to speak to Senator Carlson. That was obvious. But he sensed that she wanted more than that. The hand on the glass thing was an intimate gesture. It was a lovers' thing. A girlfriend-boyfriend thing. It wasn't something an Alien offered a Human from whom she was asking a favor.

Gaia then added another touch of intimacy when she corrected how she'd addressed him, saying softly, "...Will."

Suddenly, Will found himself backing away from the glass. He diverted his gaze from Gaia, unable to hold it. Again, his head was spinning with thoughts that were competing for his attention. The backs of his thighs contacted the front row of theater seats. He dropped into one, then almost immediately stood up again.

"I don't understand what's happening here," he finally said. He slowly began returning toward the glass. "You're an alien. Or a Human-Alien hybrid."

He looked toward the Instruction Manual. It was still sitting unsecured atop the safe that Kyle had taken it from earlier. If it was so top-secret important, why hadn't the man put it back in the safe? Was it out for a reason? Did it have something to do with Will's presence? Was something going to jump out of it suddenly and take over his mind? Body snatchers, Will found himself suddenly thinking. Stop it. Stop it! Get real!

He continued, "Or you're something that came from that box, it doesn't really matter."

Will looked back to Gaia. His eyes found her incredible body again. His cock twitched again with hope that it could know a woman so beautiful. Again, he chastised himself, Stop that!

He fought away all the competing thoughts and got to the one that was most important at this very moment: "What do you want from me? I mean, what do you want from Senator Carlson? Why do you think he is the key to whatever it is that you want? That you need?"

Will had begun to become more defensive in his tone and body language. He was beginning to believe that Gaia, Kyle, Project Gaia, maybe even Senator Carlson were all conspiring against him.

And yet, at the same time, he wanted so badly to tell Gaia that he would do anything she wanted. Less defensively and almost desperately, Will asked, "What is it that you need from me? Please Gaia. Be honest with me."

 

[Alice2015]

Gaia could see the confusion in Will's body language, and when he spoke, she heard it in his voice. Her smile began to fade as he backed away from the glass; she needed him, and she could see that she was losing him already.

"I don't understand what's happening here," he told her. "You're an alien. Or a Human-Alien hybrid. Or you're something that came from that box, it doesn't really matter."

Gaia didn't have to look to her right to see the Instruction Manual; she knew where it was at all times without having to see it with her eyes. She knew that she was something far more than just the things Will was saying she might be. But how did she explain it to him? How did she explain it to him without further alienating him?

Will returned to the glass, asking, "What do you want from me? I mean, what do you want from Senator Carlson? Why do you think he is the key to whatever it is that you want? That you need?"

Gaia could sense the defensiveness building in him. She was still learning Human emotions; her biggest obstacle to better understanding them was, obviously, the limited number of Human with whom she interacted. Each new one, though, helped her along, which had been part of her excitement when Kyle had first told here there was someone new here to met her.

Then, with an almost desperate tone, Will asked, "What is it that you need from me? Please Gaia. Be honest with me."

She smiled again, thinking, Will's back. I didn't lose my new friend. Not yet anyway. She told him, "We make you this promise, Will. We will not harm you ... in any way. We will not harm anyone important to you ... in any way. Our mission is to help Earth and its inhabitants, Human and otherwise. We love you, Will. We love you, your people, your planet, and every thing living upon it."

Gaia hesitated a moment, then lifted her hand to the glass again, pressing her again-splayed fingers and palm to it. She smiled knowingly to Will, saying softly, "Will you help us, Will?"

 

[HumanBean]

"We make you this promise, Will," Gaia told him. We will not harm you ... in any way. We will not harm anyone important to you ... in any way."

That's good, he thought immediately. Will wondered now and might wonder in the future whether or not he could trust her. Or trust them?

Gaia was still using plural pronouns: we, our, etc. Or were they gender-neutral terms? He still didn't know, and he hadn't asked. Was she speaking of herself and other people? He still hadn't figured that out.

"Our mission is to help Earth and its inhabitants, Human and otherwise," Gaia told him. We love you, Will. We love you, your people, your planet, and everything living upon it."

Will liked where she was going with this. He liked the idea of a benevolent alien species coming to Earth to save it. Save it from us? Humans? That's how it usually goes in movies. We're destroying the planet, so they're here to save it ... from us!

Gaia again lifted her hand to the glass. She splayed fingers and asked again, "Will you help us, Will?"
He ran everything that Gaia had said through his brain once more. Twice more. He looked her in her eyes for a long moment. He wanted to believe everything she was saying. He wanted to believe that they or she or whoever was benevolent. He wanted to believe that there was nothing nefarious ahead on Gaia's part.

Will stepped closer to the glass. He studied her hand a moment longer. Then, he reached his hand up and placed it against the glass, matching his fingers to hers. He almost thought he was feeling the warmth of her hand through the glass. He wasn't. But his mind wanted to believe it.

"I'll help you, Gaia," he said with a sincere tone. He was again looking into her eyes as he matched her smile. He studied her for a moment before saying, "Tell me what I need to do."

 

[Alice2015]

"I'll help you, Gaia," Will said with a sincere tone, making Gaia smile even wider. "Tell me what I need to do."

"Kyle Tatum has told us that Project Gaia is a big secret," she answered. "So secret that even your President of the United States of America doesn't know that it exists. Your friend, Senator Robert Carlson ... he knows that it exists ... that we exist. Kyle Tatum says that he is a powerful man and can tell your President about us ... and ... if your President knows about us, he might let us out of here ... to talk to the people of Earth and tell them what we have to offer them ... tell them what we can do to help them and save their planet."

 

[HumanBean]

"Kyle Tatum has told us that Project Gaia is a big secret," she answered.

No shit! Will thought. I've worked with the man ten years, and he hasn't told me about it.

She continued, "So secret that even your President of the United States of America doesn't know that it exists."

That surprised Will initially. But then he remembered that Truman hadn't been told about the atomic bomb until after he'd been sworn in following Roosevelt's death.

Gaia talked more about Senator Carlson and President Barrows, saying, "...he might let us out of here ... to talk to the people of Earth and tell them what we have to offer them ... tell them what we can do to help them and save their planet."

"I don't know about that," Will said, his skepticism getting the best of him. He looked Gaia in the eyes again and explained: "There is always the possibility that the President might was to keep you secret, too. It depends on whether..."

Will went silent. He wasn't sure whether or not he should say what was going through his mind. He remembered what Kyle had said about being honest to Gaia, though. "If the President thinks that it is to his advantage politically. Or if he thinks that there could be a security risk to the United States from what you have to say."

He considered the issue a moment longer. "Can you tell me more details? What exactly can I tell the Senator to get him to talk to the President? It might help with his decision."

 

[Alice2015]

"I don't know about that," Will said about whether or not President Barrows would let Gaia out of this place. He explained, "There is always the possibility that the President might want to keep you secret, too. It depends on whether..."

Will paused, and Gaia could see uncertainty in his face. She asked, "It depends on...?"

"If the President thinks that it is to his advantage politically," Will said.

Gaia didn't understand this as she didn't understand the nature of American partisan politics; Schoolhouse Rock hadn't included that in its "How a bill becomes law" episode, and Kyle and Marla had shielded her from that aspect of the government as they'd seen no reason to expose her to it.

Will continued, "Or if he thinks that there could be a security risk to the United States from what you have to say."

This Gaia did understand from the education she'd received from her Mentors, Kyle and Marla, and from the information that she'd been provided from the Instruction Manual. Something that Kyle, Marla, the Medical Staff, and the Administrators of Project Gaia didn't know was the vast quantity of knowledge that the little shiny box had imparted to Gaia the moment they'd completed the IM's steps to creating her genetic code.

While she still sometimes had problems with understanding some very basic things, there were others that came to her naturally. One of those was understanding how the typical Human Being could be a calculating, manipulative creature at times. This was particular true of leaders and politicians.

"Can you tell me more details?" Will asked. "What exactly can I tell the Senator to get him to talk to the President? It might help with his decision."

"Ask him if he would like to live to a happy, healthy, virtually disease life for almost 200 years," Gaia said without having to consider a response, adding, "This is something we can offer your Senator ... if he will introduce us to the President."

 

[HumanBean]

Will couldn't tell whether or not Gaia understood what he was saying about the Senator, the President, and politics in general. She didn't question him more on that, though.

Instead, she said about them and said with confidence, "Ask him if he would like to live to a happy, healthy, virtually disease life for almost 200 years."

"What," Will responded softly with surprise. "You're serious?"

"This is something we can offer your Senator," Gaia said, "...if he will introduce us to the President."
This sounded a bit out there to Will. But then, he was having a conversation with a manufactured alien being. How much more out there did she have to go to sound implausible? He asked, "You're serious about this? Extending life to two centuries. Healthy living. Not a hundred extra years on life support, oxygen, and Depends."

Will didn't know if Gaia knew what Depends were or what they represented. But she was serious about her offer. Will thought for a moment, then said, "I will take it to him. To the Senator." He chuckled, then continued, "He's getting up there in years. Doubling his lifespan would be something he'd listen to.

"I have to discuss this with Kyle first, Gaia," Will said. "He didn't tell me anything about this, and I feel that I should discuss this with him first. Okay?"

Gaia was fine with that, of course. Will couldn't know how much they'd discussed this together. But he had a feeling that many deep discussions had occurred between Gaia and Kyle, Gaia and this Marla, and who knows who else.

They made their farewells. Will was escorted back to Kyle's office, where he waited almost an hour for the man's return. Will asked Kyle if he knew of Gaia's request. When the Mentor said he was aware and approved, Will asked, "Do you have any idea what it is that Gaia is looking for from the President?"

"I don't," Kyle admitted, adding tentatively, "Not really."

"What do you mean by that?" Will challenged. "Listen, I can't go to Senator Carlson with a request for the President of the United States to meet with an ... alien? Whatever she is. I can't do this if I don't have some idea of what she'd going to ask for or whether or not she is a danger, to the Prez, the Senator ... to me ... to the people of this planet."

Kyle considered his words a moment before speaking: "Gaia is an alien only in the sense that she represents an alien species. An alien culture that is far more advanced than our own.

"The ship that brought her here, even if it wasn't a faster-than-light-speed craft, if far more advanced than anything Human Beings have ever designed and built.

"The Instruction Manual is thought to have as much as 3,000 terabytes of memory in it, maybe even more. The largest hard drive ever created by Humans isn't even 100 terabytes. There's far more on it, we believe, than just the steps to create an artificial being like Gaia. And even if that is all it did, that is still spectacular.

"And Gaia. She is a marvel of both engineering and of biological life," Kyle went on. He recapped what Will had seen in the second presentation about how Gaia's growth had been accelerated. "We believe that her aging has not only slow but almost stopped. Our doctors do a full panel of her every week, and they tell me that there is no sign whatsoever that she is aging. She appears to be immortal. So, when she says that she can extend Human life to 200 years, I don't question it."

"She," Will repeated. Kyle didn't seen to understand. "You called Gaia she. And yet, when she talks about herself, she uses we and us and our. Is this a gender-neutral thing or is she speaking about other aliens of whom I am unaware."

Kyle chuckled. "No, this isn't a DEI or sexual identity thing. When she speaks, Gaia speaks for her race. So, plural. What's interesting is that when she is with Marla, her female Mentor, and they are talking about that Gaia calls girly things, she does in fact use I, me, mine, and so on. I told her once that she could speak that way with me when it's just the two of us. She hasn't so far. Maybe she will with you. She really took to you, Will. Much faster than she had with me."

"You didn't address the is she dangerous question," Will reminded the other man.

"Do I believe that she could be dangerous if she wanted?" Kyle asked. "Yes. I believe that anyone can be dangerous if pushed into the right, or wrong situation. Do I believe that she's suddenly going to pull a Mars Attacks! or Species."
Will couldn't help but laugh at the reference. That caused Kyle to laugh, with him saying, "You thought about that, too, didn't you? Sil and the scene where--"

He went quiet, realizing that they were going someplace inappropriate. Kyle returned to seriousness, saying, "No. I don't think that Gaia is going to do something violent with regard to the President or your Senator. Or even you or me.

"If you asked me," he said with a serious, contemplative tone, "I think that Gaia has a lot to offer our planet. And if we were so narrow minded and narrow sighted not to at least hear what she had to say, I think we deserve to die a slow death on this planet.

 

[Alice2015]

The White House
Four days later:

Caroline Barrows-Lee strode with purpose into her office, followed closely by her Chief of Staff, Helen Butler, and a pair of Secret Service Agents. Caroline rarely if ever went anywhere without a cadre of assistants whose job it was to help her with a myriad of duties that she'd accepted -- or in some cases demanded -- upon her father's inauguration just a bit more than a year ago.

Tonight's meeting, though, was a quiet and unofficial affair, which was ironic as it was taking place during a reception for the President of France in the State Dining Room just on the other side of the building. Helen began the introductions as soon as she entered the office, with "Caroline, this is William Richards, Assist--"

"Assistant Chief of Staff for Legislative Affairs for Senator Robert Carlson," Caroline cut in, her lips spreading in a knowing smirk as she offered out her hand. "We've met, though I doubt that you would remember. It was a Sorority House party on the GW campus ... maybe 12, 13 years ago. You were looking for a bathroom, and I was in one of only two open to guests ... holding back a girlfriend's hair as she was puking into the toilet."

Once they'd shaken and released hold of each other's hand, Caroline gave Helen a knowing glance. The Chief of Staff gestured the Secret Service Agents out of the room, telling her boss, "We'll be right outside. Please, don't take long. Your father wants you to--"

"Smile and shake hands and blah, blah, blah," Caroline said to her CoS, even as her eyes were still set upon Will. "This won't take long."

Once the two of them were alone, Caroline gestured Will to a chair, then leaned back against her desk as she began, "I can see by your expression that you're wondering why I'm here, rather than my father or his own Chief of Staff."

There was a soft knock on the door, and after Caroline went to it, she returned with a pair of glasses of bubbling liquid. She offered one to Will, explaining, "When the President of France is in the House, you have to have real Champagne from France. This one comes from the Côte des Blancs sub-region ... or so I was told to repeat back to the President so that he thought I really gave a crap about sparkling wine."

She sucked down the glass's entire contents, then set it aside as she moved to sit in an armchair facing Will. She studied him a moment; she found him to be a very attractive man, and if it weren't for the fact that she'd never get away with it -- someone surely knew that he had made this visit to the White House -- she'd take him upstairs to her private quarters and fuck his brains out. It was hard being wife of an absent Naval Officer when your hormones were screaming at you to breed, breed, breed.

Of course, it wasn't breed, breed, breed that Caroline wanted to do; she wanted to fuck, fuck, fuck. She hated when her Destroyer Captain husband was away doing his duty for King and Country, particular these days when her heavy workload caused her to feel horny 24/7. Conrad Lee was due back in the States in 5 weeks, though, so all Caroline needed to do was keep her Bizzy Bunny charged up until her hubby returned and tough out the urges to maul good looking men like the one sitting in her office.

"My father is aware of Project Gaia, of course," she began, "but he's not heavily involved in the day-to-day decision making regarding it. I am."

Caroline paused to allow Will time to react. She wasn't sure that he would, but she wouldn't have blamed him if he did. It hadn't been commonplace throughout US history for a First Daughter to become involved in highly classified operations, let alone lead one for her President father.

"I'm going to share something with you, Mister Richards, something about which only a handful of people know," Caroline continued. "My father ... the President ... has begun showing signs of early onset Alzheimer's. Oh, it isn't severe yet. It's not like he'd forgotten who he is or how important his position in this country and in the world is.

"But he has ... let's call it slipped up a few times," she went on, shrugging her shoulders slightly. "He has said a few things that have caused people to wonder if he was intoxicated. You may have seen the articles a few months ago about ... well, I'm not going to go into that now.

"The point is," Caroline said, edging out on her chair and leaning forward a bit. "My father may end up resigning just two, maybe three years into his first term. This country hasn't had a two term President since Donald Trump, and even then, those terms were separated by Biden's time in office. The United States needs a two term President who would have the time necessary to tend to Project Gaia appropriately.

"So, it was decided that a more stable hand was needed to be at the tiller of this boat ... to deal with the Project Gaia situation," she continued. "The Vice President is a no go, of course. He was selected for the office for the same reason that so many VPs are selected: to allow the President to carry key battleground states. VP Rogers is an idiot, as most of those in Washington know and most of those in the country suspect.

"So ... there is a plan in place to deal with my father, the VP, Project Gaia, and ... well, everything that is important to this country ... and possibly to this planet," Caroline said, her tone more serious than it had been yet. Then, she smiled wide -- probably reminiscent of the way Gaia had smiled to Will, not that there was any connection to the two women -- and asked, "Are you ready for this...?"

Again, Caroline hesitated before dropping the big bomb. "The process is underway, with your Senator Carlson leading the way ... to remove the VP from office ... to have my father nominate me to replace him -- I do have a Law Degree from Harvard, and I was in the House for 4 years before I resigned to help my father's campaign.

"Once these steps are completed," she said with total confidence that it would happen, "My father will resign ... I will become POTUS ... Project Gaia will be revealed to the world ... and we will get underway, fixing all that is wrong with this planet ... with Gaia's help."

Caroline sat back into the armchair, gave Will a moment to process what had already come his way, then threw what she thought would be the coup de grace. "And you, Mister Richards, will be Project Gaia's point man. Oh, Kyle Tatum will still run the day to day at--"

She paused, then chuckled. "Oh, I guess you don't know where Gaia is actually kept at this point, do you? Well, once we know that you are on board, we'll correct that. Tatum will continue to operate the Project Gaia facility. That's what he's good at: administrating. What we need out in the forefront, though ... out before the public, dealing with the Press ... is a young, handsome, well-educated, well-connected man who can reassure the people that Project Gaia ... and Gaia herself ... are good for them ... and not a threat to humanity."

Again Caroline paused, smiled, and asked, "Are you up for this, Mister Richards?"

 

[HumanBean]

William "Will" Richards had only ever been to the White House four times. His first visit had been at aga 9, when he'd decided that he would be President of the United States one day. The second had been as a member of the winning team of the National Speech and Debate Association's annual debate competition, High School Division. (He'd actually met the President on that visit.)

The last two visits had been as a member of Senator Robert Carlson's delegation during hard-argued budget negotiations. Again, he'd met the President of that time. But it hadn't had the same excitement as the first time he'd met POTUS. Then, it had just been work, not play.

Will had assumed that he would be meeting the President today. Or at the least, his Chief of Staff. Instead, Will was shuffled quietly through the White House, away from the cameras and reporters covering the State Dinner. He'd barely had enough time to realize who's office he was in before Caroline Barrows-Lee strode in.

Will's heart skipped a beat. In less than a week, he'd been in the presence of two of the most beautiful women on the planet. As Caroline was telling her story about the puking friend, Will laughed softly. He told her, "No, I remember that night--"

He paused, asking, "I'm sorry, I ... I don't know, am I supposed to call you Mrs. Lee or Ms. Barrows-Lee or First Daughter...?"

Caroline gave him her preferred name in this context.

Will was about to remind her of the first time they'd met but didn't. It wasn't a story he thought she would appreciate. It certainly wasn't a story you told about the current-First Daughter while you were sitting alone with her in her office in the White House.

Caroline had been just a teenager then, maybe 18 or 19. Will had been and, obviously, still was a handful of years younger. His father, then a Washington lobbyist, had taken Will to a summer barbeque at the Barrows home. Will had come across Caroline playing in a sprinker with the neighborhood kids. He'd been shocked by her raw beauty and sexuality. That night at home, he would discover the joys of masturbation.

The Chief of Staff and Secret Service departed, and Caroline began explaining the situation with her father. Will was shocked. He'd heard and seen the stories about the gaffs the President had made. But like most everyone else he knew, he'd assumed that the President had been drinking.

Caroline told Will, "My father may end up resigning just two, maybe three years into his first term."

Will realized that his heart was pounding anxiously. He was being told things about the leader of the United States that only a few people knew. It was incredible. Unbelievable. And the fact that his daughter was sharing this with him? Who was he to be told such personal, confidential information?

"The United States needs a two term President who would have the time necessary to tend to Project Gaia appropriately," Caroline said.

Will agreed with that, of course. The US had been thrown into total turmoil by the total instability of the Presidency over the last 20 or 30 years. There had been a party change and, thus, policy shift every 4 years since Obama's term ended in 2017, 21 years ago.

The gridlock in Washington had only acerbated the country's problems. And with the United States unable to get things done, the world had followed right along with it. Many people, in and out of Washington, in and out of the US, felt that the world was at its most dangerous point since the Cuban Missile Crisis 76 years earlier.

"So, it was decided that a more stable hand was needed to be at the tiller of this boat ... to deal with the Project Gaia situation," she continued.

Again, Will agreed with this statement. However, he had no idea of just whom Caroline was speaking: herself!

"Once these steps are completed," she said, "My father will resign ... I will become POTUS ... Project Gaia will be revealed to the world ... and we will get underway, fixing all that is wrong with this planet ... with Gaia's help."

Again, Will felt his heart beating anxiously. (This was why he didn't play poker: his tells.) This was practically a coup. He considered challenging Caroline on this, pointing out that this was illegal. But, was it? Each step she'd described was entirely legal. Maybe not moral. They were talking about putting an unelected person into the Oval Office. But still, nothing about what Caroline was saying was illegal.

Then, she hit him: "And you, Mister Richards, will be Project Gaia's point man."

"What, who, me?" he countered with obvious surprise. This didn't make any sense. He'd only just become aware of Project Gaia four days earlier. "Don't get me wrong. I'm honored. But there are other people who--"

"Oh, Kyle Tatum will still run the day to day..." she said, nearly letting it slip where Project Gaia was located. "What we need out in the forefront, though ... out before the public, dealing with the Press ... is a young, handsome, well-educated, well-connected man who can reassure the people that Project Gaia ... and Gaia herself ... are good for them ... and not a threat to humanity."

Once again, Will's head was spinning wildly. This is just too much. TOO MUCH! In four days, five depending on how you counted, Will's life had been totally uprooted. He'd learned that aliens do exist. He learned that one of them was a sexy creature who wanted to help Planet Earth with its struggles. And now, he was learning that the US government wanted him to be the face of the effort.

Caroline smiled and asked, "Are you up for this, Mister Richards?"

Will paused to think. All his mind could come up with, though, was WHAT THE FUCK? WHAT THE FUCK? WHAT THE FUCK?

"Yes," he finally said softly. Then, realizing the lack of confidence his answer had provided, he said, "Yes! Yes, I'm up for this. What do you need me to do?"

 

[Alice2015]

"What, who, me?" Will countered with surprise.

Just as he had been surprised by her announcement, Caroline hadn't been by Will's surprise. She knew that he'd only just been thrown into this pool and without a life jacket or understanding of which direction to swim for shore should he find himself drowning.

"Don't get me wrong," he continued, "I'm honored. But there are other people who--"

Caroline explained Kyle Tatum's continued position, asking Will if he was up to the task put before him.

"Yes," he answered softly after initially hesitating. Then, more confidently, he said, "Yes! Yes, I'm up for this. What do you need me to do?"

Caroline smiled as she stood, saying, "Nothing!" She chuckled, adding as she headed toward the door through which she'd earlier arrived. "Well, there's paperwork, of course. There's always paperwork."

The First Lady invited her Chief of Staff back into the room, with Helen Butler saying, "Mister Richards will you follow me, please?"

Five minutes later, after going through more security as he had at the Project Gaia facility, Helen led Will into the Situation Room. There, he would find the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security and one member each of the CIA, NSA, NASA, the FBI, and four other government agencies involved in Project Gaia; there were also a number of other people present, most of them officers from the various branches of the US Military. Whether Will recognized any of these faces Helen wouldn't know, but she would introduce him to each of the men and women out of protocol.

"I believe you are familiar with Mister Tatum, already," she said when Kyle stepped up to shake Will's hand.

"Good to have you aboard, Will," Tatum said, adding, "Not that I doubted your participation." Then, barely above a whisper, he said in a knowing tone, "Gaia misses you, by the way."

"Mister Richards...?" a man who hadn't been introduced said, urging Will to give him his attention. He indicated a series of four binders, 8x11-1/2 pages, with Classified in big red letters on the cover; when Will opened the binders, he'd find that each and ever page was marked Classified as well. "I need you to read these, then -- if you agree to the terms -- sign or initial at the marked spaces."

He explained what each binder did, from officially providing him the security clearances for information on Project Gaia that he'd already received' to providing him information that was yet to come to; to explaining what he could and couldn't discuss with people inside and outside of the Project; to more.

The four binders ranged anywhere between 1/2 inch thick to almost 2 inches thick. The man continued, "If at any point you determine that you are unable to sign any of these documents--" He dropped a fifth binder on the table, saying, "You will need to sign this one instead."

When he didn't explain what it was, Kyle jumped in and explained with a smirk, "It essentially says that you're being reassigned to providing legal aid to prisoners at Guantanamo Bay ... for the rest of your life."

What Kyle meant, of course, was that Will would become a prisoner of the infamous American military prison on the extreme eastern end of Cuba ... likely until he was old and gray.

 

[HumanBean]

"Well, there's paperwork, of course," Caroline said. "There's always paperwork."

Will knew that all too well.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx​

Will spent the next 7 hours reading and signing security clearances, non-disclosure agreements, and more. Occasionally, he would skim pages, only to have Kyle or one of the others say, "You really should read that section better."

Never once did Will think about signing the fifth document instead. The more he read, the more Will wanted dedicated to this responsibility. When he was finally done, a man he would only ever know as Mister Jenkins introduced Will to three Secret Service agents. "From this point forward, any time you are out in public, you will have an escort."

"Whoa, wait, what?" Will asked in surprise. He looked to the stack of binders. "I didn't read anything in--"

Jenkins ignored Will, continuing, "Agent Hartford is the Agent in Charge of your security. Agents Chen and Abaza will lead the other two teams, ensuring that you have protection 24/7--"

"What?" Will interrupted again. "24/7?"

His first thought was, of course, What about sex and dating and...

As Jenkins continued explaining the details, Will listened in silence and scoped out the two-thirds of the team that was female. They were each beautiful in their own way. Neither were the blonde bombshells that Caroline and Gaia were. But Will was attracted to the fact that they carried guns and likely knew how to handle themselves in an emergency.

Maybe my sex life isn't dead? he thought with great hope.

"Agent Abaza, please take Mister Richards to his apartment," Jenkins ordered the brunette agent. "Watch him pack a bag -- one bag -- and escort him to his new residence."

"New residence?" Will again responded with surprise. "I have a home."

"Yes, you do," Jenkins said. "In Langley, Virginia, within action response distance-timing of the CIA, the NSA, an FBI security station, and more."

An hour later, Will had packed the biggest rolling suitcase he had. He'd tried to be inconspicuous in raiding his nightstand of condoms. He'd failed. Abaza had a way of slipping around without being heard or seen. Her reaction had been to smile and say, "Hope springs eternal. Let's go."

Another hour later, they were pulling into the garage of an upper-middle class home in Langley, Virginia, as Jenkins had said. They only got out of the vehicle after the garage door closed. Inside, Will found a home that was anything but the safe house he'd expected.

It was a combination of elegance and security. Lots of security: bulletproof windows, blast resistant walls, enhanced first suppression, two armories (placed far apart to ensure that one or the other was accessible in the case of an assault), and a fully equipped Security Room in the basement. And then there were the additional Agents. Will would never truly know how many of them there were. They tended to dress casually, enabling them to go outside without attracting undue attention by the neighbors, apparently.

"Unpack and make a list of what else you want from your apartment," Tatiana told will. "We'll have someone stop by to get it for you."

Will did as he was told. When he was done with both tasks, he went downstairs for a badly needed meal. He learned that the there was always an Agent on duty who was a pretty good cook. Tonight, they had lasagna and French toast, accompanied by wine and three different local microbrews. (Of course, the alcohol was only for Will.)

Sitting at the bar in the kitchen, Will began to ask Tatiana, "Do all of these guys know who I am and--"

"No," she cut him off. Looking at him meaningfully, she said, "You will not talk about who you are, what you are doing here, or anything else. Eventually, one day soon, you may no longer be a big secret. But until then..."

Will got the message. He bit into the toast, chewed, then asked, "So, what's next? What am I doing next? I'm sure they tell you these things?"

"Nope," Tatiana said flatly. "I have no idea. When they have something for me, they'll contact me."