Kinetic

She finally let me off the hook. "It's okay Eric. I've been trying for two years to get Melanie to tell me what the problem was, and she was as tight as a clam. I respect your privacy." She gave me a beaming smile. "I'm so happy to see you two together again!"

I nodded, grateful that my sister-in-law didn't press for details. We chatted about our lives. Eventually the topic drifted to her pregnancy.

Patricia talked as we washed the lunch dishes. "Melanie is so cute! Before the movie, she asked me if I would consider her to be my doctor, as an extra pair of eyes on me. I know it's not her specialty, and I know how busy she is in her resident program. But she really wants to take the time and keep a medical eye on me too. I agreed to call up my ob-gyn and release my records to her."

I smiled. "Melanie has an incredibly sweet and caring personality."

"Oh yes. Generous too, to go shopping with Jim. She knows how much I wanted to talk with you. Eric, I haven't seen you in what, a year?"

"Yeah, pretty close." We chatted about me for a while. There was so much I couldn't talk about, I wound up talking mostly about my job. Patricia probably thought I was a bit of a workaholic. I finally wound up boasting about my skills as a penny stock picker.

"Oh yeah? What was your best trade?"

"Oh, Golden Colorado Mining, no question. I bought a million shares at 1.7 cents in March of 2011. Last year I sold it all for an average price of $3.25"

"What?! You're joking!"

"No, not at all. They hit a prime vein of gold a few months after I bought in, a super high quality ore. Everybody in the company got filthy rich, including me."

The topic eventually drifted back to Patricia and her parents. She shrugged her shoulders. "Still no clue where they are! I spoke to the Sterling investigator last fall. He was pessimistic about finding my parents or all the money they stole. There's still over two million dollars missing. The detective is sure though that their disappearance was a deliberate act on their part."

"Oh? Why's that?"

"There were too many witnesses who swore they heard my dad shouting something about not knowing about a key, seconds before my aunt opened the kitchen door. She was extremely surprised to find the kitchen empty. The only possible explanation is that my dad dashed to the basement right after shouting. There was absolutely no time for a struggle that forced him out of the room. Also, whom was dad talking to?"

"Huh?"

Patricia laughed. "My dad never shouted at my mom! Never! He wouldn't dare! My mom was definitely the alpha-wolf of the family. So my dad was either shouting to someone else at the party, or to no one at all. But all the other guests were with each other. They weren't all lying! My dad had to be shouting at no one, as a joke. And the police tore the house apart, eventually even inspecting the eves and rafters. And you remember C.J., don't you?"

I gulped. "Uh, yeah." How could I forget?

"Well, get this. Last November a story appeared in the Sterling Daily Gazette. Quoting unnamed sources, they wrote the police found my parents transferred $7,000 into C.J.'s bank account on December 28, 2010, just three days before they disappeared. Jason's car and credit card were traced eastward right after that."

"Oh yeah?" I tried to act nonchalant. "To where?"

"The trail ends in Albany, New York, the morning of December 31, 2010. After that, nothing! The theory is Jason was my parent's agent. Maybe he set up some international flights for them, somewhere on the East Coast. They were all either brilliant or incredibly lucky covering their tracks. There's been no trace of any of them."

Patricia shook her head in wonder. "My parents pulled a real Houdini! I didn't know they had it in them. Melanie didn't either. She was quite upset by what they did. And then you two had your breakup right afterwards. My poor sister!"

I nodded. "I was glad that you and Melanie still had each other."

Patricia nodded back. "We've spent a lot of time, over the last two years, talking about our childhoods. My God Eric, our parents were monsters, true monsters. The things they used to do to Melanie and me. Vile, awful stuff, against defenseless children! They'd probe for a weakness, a fear, and then exploit it. Use the fear as a weapon, as a means of control. I've always had a fear of being locked in pitch-dark places. My parents used my fear to control me."

"That's so sick! Did you and Melanie ever figure out why? What drove them to be so cruel?"

Patricia sighed and thought for a long time before responding. "Not directly. We did figure out a few things. Both my parents, but my mother in particular, knew how to be charming, knew how to influence people, knew how to be shrewd negotiators. But there was no real kindness, no warmth or concern behind their actions. They were incredibly self-centered and controlling people. They might not have been particularly smart. Pulling off their Houdini disappearance was a completely unnecessary risk, and they left a lot of money on the table when they took off. But what they did have was the ability to influence people, and a passion for manipulation."

Patricia frowned. "And they manipulated me, guided me into loathing my sister. Melanie and I both realize this now. I was part of my parents' sick mind games. When Melanie would step out of line, my parents would play their Melanie-has-no-memory game. Change something in the house, and then we'd all pretend the change had always been there."

"Huh?"

"Oh, it was stupid stuff Eric, so horribly easy to do. Change a lamp from blue to green in Melanie's bedroom, and then just stare at her when she would ask about the change. It sounds so stupid, but we were all doing it, and it frightened Melanie greatly. I'm so ashamed of myself now, about how gleeful I was in torturing her. Melanie was to be my obedient slave, and it was okay for me to abuse her with mind-games if she resisted her slave status. Abuse her in other ways too."

"Why?" I whispered. "My God Patricia, why?"

"That is the question, isn't it? We don't know. Melanie and I did a bit of exploration last year. It's been an eye-opening experience for both of us. Jim has really been sweet to give us so much time together, and Eric... I must say, I think our exploration might have helped Melanie think of you differently. I'm not sure about this, but I think she blamed you somehow for our parents' disappearance. I can't imagine why. But it's only in the last month that she's finally accepted what monsters they were."

Patricia shuddered. "My parents Eric, they would allow me to humiliate her. She was so defenseless! I feel so incredibly grateful that she's forgiven me now. Melanie is the most wonderful sister possible!"

I nodded. "I know. Her capacity to forgive, it really is amazing. And you have no clue, either of you? About why they hated Melanie?"

There was a brief period of silence followed by a deep frown. "Maybe a clue, no more than that. Melanie and I discovered that I have some suppressed memories from my early childhood, from when I was about four years old. Melanie was still an infant. She doesn't remember any of this. My mom was yelling a lot at my dad, dominating him. I remember being scared, and... something else. I just can't remember. My mom won a big argument with my dad, and I was terrified that he caved in, and... I just can't remember the details..."

"Ah," I said at last. "Counseling?"

My sister-in-law shrugged. "It's a thought. Melanie suggested it. But it doesn't bother me anymore, and I want to get on with my life. I have a child on the way! I want to think about the future, not spend anymore time thinking about my parents. I'm overjoyed now that they've disappeared, and given the mess they left behind, I don't think they'll ever come back to their old identities. I just want to forget about them. I think of them as dead. I'm pretty sure Melanie does too."

I gulped and nodded. Shortly afterwards Jim and Melanie showed up with the groceries. We helped them unpack, and then Melanie and I left for home before the snow got too deep.

Getting home was no problem of course, though I did have to use a touch of force once to keep a car from sliding into us. It was an absolutely delightful feeling being home alone with Melanie with the storm howling outside. A real Nor'easter was moving in. Melanie and I wasted little time changing into pajamas and jumping into bed with each other. My wife's face was bursting with smiles.

She undressed me first, and then started inspecting my body, every square inch of it. Gentle pets, lots of stares, soft kisses and licks, absolutely everywhere, head, hands, feet, arms and legs. Then she asked me to lie on my back, and she inspected my scrotum, butt, back, shoulders and neck. She tickled me a bit inspecting my arm pits, but I just giggled and tried to relax.

I turned over, and she continued her inspection at my throat and worked her way down. She kept up a constant pace, expect for long lingering suckles at my nipples and, surprise! My naval! She had never done that before. She finished off with a basketful of sweet kisses on my hard cock.

"I don't think I'll ever get over it," she whispered, "how sexy you always think my body is."

It was my turn. I spent the longest time petting her, tracing the outline of her body through her pajamas, caressing her with my fingertips, so many delightful curves, she is so beautiful. And outside the night wind sang to us. I undressed her and we laughed and cuddled with each other forever. The time outside of our two bodies lost all meaning.

When we were finally ready for coitus, Melanie picked a very submissive posture, one we used to laugh about and call Beach Master. Melanie lay flat on her stomach, legs separated, and I entered her from above, locking her body into position with my weight and stroking down into her vagina. Melanie continued the game, cupping her fingers together into flippers and making little seal cries as I fucked her. I held her by her wrists, completing the absolute domination of her body.

I started to weep as I felt myself orgasming. My beautiful wife, accepting me! Accepting me into the core of her life, accepting me into the core of her body. I wept in gratitude as I came. She wiggled and lifted her rump as I orgasmed, trying to let me penetrate as deeply as possible into her feminine depths. So beautiful. I bent down and gently bit the back of her neck as I finished the last of my thrusting.

We were cuddling soon afterwards, my hand caressing her silky pubic fur.

"Eric? Sweetie?"

"Hmm?"

"Don't go to sleep just yet. My fertility cycle, you're catching me at just the right phase. Will you check?"

"Hmm? Oh! Yeah, sure." I probed Melanie's body. After a moment I placed a fingertip gently halfway between her uterus and left ovary. "You're right. Right in the center of your left Fallopian, one fully ripe egg. I'll push it?"

Melanie sighed and nodded. A second later her body was one cell lighter. "Easiest form of birth control ever," she muttered.

"Pumpkin, before I fall asleep, there's something I haven't told you yet. My powers, I think I might know where they come from."

Melanie's eyes blinked instantly awake. "Yeah? Go on."

"This past year, I've been able to see how my own mind works. It's still a bit fuzzy, but I can see my own mind's quantum resonance much better than I ever could before. I think the power comes from a gateway, when the human mind combines two emotions in just the right way. It's an incredible fluky combination to get through the gateway, a billion minds thinking for a billion years before chancing onto the right quantum combination. The fact that I did it is a stupendous piece of luck. And..."

"Yes? And what?"

"And I think I know how to disconnect myself from the gateway."

Melanie was silent for a moment, and then shouted, "WHAT?!"

"Yeah. I can return to being merely human. Once I disconnect though, there's no way to get the power back, other than waiting a billion billion years maybe, and somehow I doubt I'll live that long."

Melanie was silent for a long moment. "And Janna dies if you give up the power, doesn't she?"

I sighed and nodded. "My biggest fear about doing it was what if Earth really needs me for something after I disconnect? A comet hit or a nuclear war or an evil counterpart of me somewhere in the universe discovering our planet? It would be so tragic, to lose everything just because I didn't have the courage to hang onto the ride. Melanie?"

"Yes?"

"You're opinion is infinitely valuable to me. If you think I should let the power go, tell me."

My wife was silent for a long while, considering. She finally stirred. "Eric?"

"Yeah?"

"You said the gateway was reached by combining two emotions in just the right way. What two emotions?"

I sighed. "Anger and sorrow."

"What?! Hell!"

I laughed. "Yeah, that was my first thought too. I would much rather it have been love and forgiveness, or something. But that just not the way the universe operates."

"Well, let's just assume God knew what He was doing, and that He designed the universe to operate the way it does for good purpose. Eric, my desire is for you to keep what you've got. I admit, some of my desires are selfish in this, but I think that's what you should do."

"Okay."

"Thank you. Now go to sleep sweetie." Her hand gently gripped my soft penis and she gave a playful tug. "You want to be suckled to sleep?"

"Oh yeah! My all-time favorite!" I got into a very comfortable position with the pillows, partially on my back and side. My soft penis was soon inside Melanie's mouth, her lips suckling me at my base, her mouth and tongue giving soft playful licks to my shaft and penis head. Melanie would keep this up until I was deeply asleep.

It felt exquisitely loving, to have my cock held and caressed in the warmth and moisture of her mouth. She played my penis like an instrument, licking the penis head when she wanted to stiffen me a bit, and gently suckling the shaft when she wanted me to drift and soften. I floated down into a peace without thought.

Chapter 38. Epilogue

Time: Tuesday April 22, 2014 3:42 AM

"Ten minutes to go for the moon, T minus five minutes for Mars," Melanie said with a smile. "You really sure you want to go through with all this?"

I grinned back. "All systems go!"

I looked at the last-quarter moon outside my condo's window. It was ten minutes before the moon-Earth axis was exactly perpendicular to the Earth-sun axis. Unknown to the rest of the world, the moon had another ten minutes to exist. I checked my latest creation, a close replica of Earth's solar system in deep intergalactic space. It was at the current limit of my influence sphere, 610 million light-years away. It had taken me three minutes to create, almost all the time being spent on the 2e30 kg of the duplicate star. The duplicate Earth was a gem, wild and free.

I had spent much of the last year perfecting my techniques for biological replication. I'm at the point now where I can replicate the hardwired instincts and even the learned behaviors of animals, though true memory and personality duplication will be forever beyond my reach. I'm glad. Experiences and perspectives should be unique. I've never duplicated a person, and I never intend to.

I looked at my wife smiling at me in our condo in the dead of night. She's finishing up her senior resident year in another month and has offers from a number of oncology departments from across the nation. She's a world class doctor in her own right, and with a little help from me, her diagnostic skills in the Boston area are legendary.

"What will you miss the most?" I asked.

"Oh, the fairways under Daedalus! Playing golf is so much fun in lunar gravity!"

I grinned back. "I know. I'll definitely have to replicate some of the courses on Tierra."

Melanie laughed. "Think how hilarious it would be if you put them on the surface! Mankind's first mission to its sister planet, and they land on a golf course!"

"There is precedent, you know. The astronauts tried to play golf on the moon."

Melanie nodded and sighed. "The moon, so much poetry... It's a shame to lose it."

"Oh, yeah. But the three-body orbits would be a nightmare. It's got to go."

Melanie nodded and glanced at her watch. "Less than a minute until Mars substitution. Do you want a count?"

"Just the time for go." I closed my eyes and prepared myself, locking the lifeless planet and its two small lifeless moons.

Mars' closest approach to Earth had occurred the previous week, on April 14'th. It wasn't a particularly close encounter, over five light-minutes away, almost a hundred million kilometers. At exactly light-speed time until the last quarter moon, I cancelled Martian reality, and one millisecond later created two Earth sized planets in its place.

I have no idea what Earth's population will call the distant twins, but my pet names for them are the names from Mars' old moons, Phobos and Deimos. Both planets have exactly Earth's mass and 24-hour rotation, the same atmospheric composition and pressure (except for elevated CO2 levels, 500 ppm), and similar land to ocean ratios. Their biospheres are quite different though.

Phobos has a 25-degree axial tilt (compared to Earth's 23.5 degree tilt), and Earth's sub- polar and temperate ecosystem. Deimos has a 29-degree axial tilt, and is modeled on a fascinating planet I found in a galaxy about 200 million light-years from here. There are cephalopod-like creatures in its shallow equatorial oceans that have none of mankind's technology but many of our social norms. They have a complex, color-oriented language, and have even begun to express themselves in artwork. It will probably take decades, maybe even centuries, but on a cosmic scale, humanity was about to find someone to chat with.

"Eric, I've just thought of something."

"Yeah?"

The slot for the Martian orbit now has a lot more mass in it."

"Oh yeah. The two planets combined, about a factor of eighteen."

"Will that disturb the binary orbit here?"

"No. It'll just increase the perturbations to the level of Venus and Jupiter. At closest approach, the Martian binaries will have 90% of the pull of Jupiter at its closest approach, and 130% of the maximum pull of Venus. We'll be fine."

Melanie smiled and leaned over and kissed me. "You think of everything! Come on! Let's watch outside!"

We went out on our balcony and looked at the moon. It had risen two hours previously, and Melanie and I both stared at the last few seconds of its existence.

"Goodbye, old friend," Melanie whispered.

At T minus five seconds, I created Tierra, the twin sister planet of Earth. It's 1.66 million kilometers away, has an axial tilt of 27 degrees, and is in a perfectly circular binary orbit with Earth. Just like the binary planets at the Martian location, Tierra and Earth had a binary orbital period of 174 days, 21 hours, and 2 minutes.

I picked the separation distance to make Tierra's tidal pull the same as the old moon. With 8.75e42 Newtons of force at my disposal, changing Earth's orbit to align with the desired binary motion was no trouble at all.

About 3.7 seconds later, the reality wave-front of Tierra's creation reached the lunar surface. I cancelled the moon's reality then. Melanie and I took our very last gaze at the moon, watching its image pop 1.3 seconds after its demise.

In its place was Tierra, slightly smaller in appearance. Its diameter was 3.7 times greater than the moon, but it was 4.3 times farther away. But the color! So beautiful! The continents and oceans and great swirling bands of clouds could be clearly seen, even with the naked eye. And I could imagine the millions of telescopes that would be trained on it in the coming hours.