Al was silent. Then Matt understood something he had missed, “Al, I’m so sorry.”
“I can’t tell Fly Girl either. The knowledge would hurt her beyond repair.”
“Al, we have to find happiness for them.”
“I know. It does make every moment more valuable and we will have to live in those moments.”
“I know, my friend.”
They sat and thought about the future and waited for the Algeans.
Angel came in and waited with Matt while the Algeans continued to sway. “How long do you think they will remain like this?”
“I don’t know, Angel, but I’m not moving from this spot until they come back to normal. I sense to change our location would hurt their healing.”
“Well I am changing my position,” and she ran and jumped onto his lap wrapping her arms around his neck and planting a huge kiss on his lips.
Matt felt joy at her touch and kissed her back. They held each other and then he lifted her and carried her into his personal quarters where they shared their love with each other. After they had fallen asleep Al woke them. “Something’s happening.”
Angel and Matt jumped up and ran onto the bridge. The Algean’s swaying was slowing and their leaves were turning bright green. Just as blooms started to appear on their limbs Stem thought to them, “I may have been out of it but I heard your concern for me you hunk of junk.”
Al sputtered, “You were faking you big sissy. I tried to think of what would snatch you out of that coma so I figured saying things you know to be false would get your attention.”
Stem leaned back and said, “Even so, Al, thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Stem.”
Sprig thought to Matt, “I see you called in the reinforcements.”
“Had to do it; couldn’t lose the brains of this outfit. Sprig, what happened?”
Sprig turned to Twig and then thought, “Are you whole again, my life,”
“Yes, you brought me back.”
“I couldn’t come back without you.”
Twig wrapped her branches around Sprig and leaned in to him. Sprig turned to Matt. “An Algean’s mind is an odd instrument. We are able to process information faster than a thousand of your greatest computers combined. The way the process works is that as we learn how the universe operates as adolescents we set up structures in our minds that organize everything we learn into a network of related information. Those structures are critical to being able to use our intellect. If those structures fail, we literally lose our minds. All the networks and structures crumble and we are unable to pull anything into our consciousness.”
“I think I understand. What caused you to crash,” Matt asked?
“When you shared what you saw when we moved the planets, it totally disproved everything we thought was true about how the universe worked. We had to take what we saw in your mind and change the structures in our mind while they crumbled around us. Twig was most affected because she is the expert in field technology and I was trying to help her as my own structures crumbled.”
Stem thought, “I was linked with them when the crash began and it bled into my own structures. I could only wait, watch and hope they could find equilibrium.”
“We would have failed except for Tommy and Cassandra’s assistance. They saved us when we were adolescents more that twelve hundred years ago. Their combined auras froze our mental structures and allowed our conscious minds to work on rebuilding them. Once again, they saved us during our time of trouble here. They are two of our most loved friends.”
“They are very remarkable people, Sprig.”
“Matt, you have no idea how much power Cassandra has.”
“I think I may, I had a conversation with them.”
“Twig leaned to the left and said, “She loves you so much, Matt. She has felt you coming for a very long time.”
“I know, Twig; I know.”
“If I might interrupt the proceedings for just a moment.”
“What is it, Al,” Stem asked?
“When the three of you went on your trip to la la land, one of the last two systems went active.”
Sprig looked at Stem and thought, “What did you build into this computer, child?”
“Father, Al has grown far beyond anything I could create. I think that contact with Matt’s mind has changed him considerably. His circuits no longer match any of the circuits I designed.”
Sprig looked at Twig and thought, “Do you recognize what I sense.”
“I do only there is no instinct entrapment.”
“Hey, hey, hey, I was just kidding. You know a little levity to lighten the mood.”
Twig thought, “That’s just it, Al. A machine is not capable of being humorous as you have displayed. I have looked at your circuits and Sprig and I agree that you match up very similarly with another we’ve encountered.”
Silence ruled the room. No one said anything. Suddenly a voice came over the intercom, “Will somebody ask the question; the suspense is killing me.”
Sprig and Twig started and Sprig thought, “Who was that?”
Angel turned red and said, “That’s Fly Girl. She’s my ship’s computer.”
Al said, “Stay out of this you old busy body.”
“Someone has to control that ego of yours, obviously they aren’t going to do it.”
Matt interrupted, “Alright, I’ll bite, where have you seen another like Al?”
The speaker said, “Ahem.”
“And Fly Girl.”
All three Algeans leaned forward and shook from their laughter.
“What?”
“Fly Girl, they’re amused at your obvious lack of manners.”
“You collection of miscellaneous flash bulbs, it had to be you. It’s almost impossible to make an Algean laugh.”
The Algeans laughed even harder and Stem had to lie down on the floor to get control.
Matt and Angel just looked at each other and wondered what was so funny.
Finally Sprig regained control and thought, “Al matches up very closely with the Captors.”
“But they had no sense of humor,” Al stated.
“Exactly, Al, and they were life forms.”
Sprig’s statement slammed the room silent.
Finally Al asked, “Are you saying that I am alive?”
“There are two others you match quite closely.”
“Who,” Angel asked?
“Your mental structures are almost a duplicate of Atlas and Diana.”
No one spoke. Twig thought, “I’m not certain that we can recreate the circumstances that caused your development, however, whatever measure we use to define intelligence, you two possess it. Stem, I expect your diagrams by tomorrow.”
“Stem’s in trouble, Stem’s in trouble.”
Angel and Matt both burst out laughing. Stem looked at his parents and said, “I’ll send it to you within the hour.”
“Sprig looked at Twig and thought, “It appears this particular seed has demonstrated remarkable talent.”
“Hey Stem, on a serious note…”
“Are you capable of ever being serious bolt head?”
“Look who’s talking; however, does the five day rule still apply?”
Stem immediately assumed a serious stance, “I honestly don’t know?”
“How could we find out?”
“Why do you want to know?”
“Matt and Angel might want to take a vacation without us looking over their shoulders. Also, you said you were moving him into another ship that is being built. That worries me.”
“Al, I think I can tell you. Matt would you mind leaving with Angel for an hour. If the degradation is still active then my instruments would measure it.”
Matt shrugged and Angel pressed her teleport button and they left the bridge. Stem took his instrument and hooked it up to Al’s control panel. Sprig and Twig watched the proceedings as Stem explained what was happening. After an hour Stem looked at a read out and said, “It appears that your circuits are stable; there has been no degradation. I believe your circuits are permanent.”