Think Tank

"Then it's in synch with all I've been experiencing today, Allan. I mean, even without the big reveals... today, everything was different, in a good way! Do you know how Nam-il reacted when he met me? He wished I was the daughter he never had! And you, of course, thinking of me as the progeny of Gods of love! You two are one-of-a-kind! To top it all off, you are a bona fide superhero! Allan, I have just lived the happiest day of my life and..." she frowned, and her smile dimmed "...the waiter's coming..." she was now whispering in secrecy.

The waiter indeed showed up, as expected, to ask Chaha if she wished a dessert to go - her shuttle to LaGuardia had arrived.

After ordering, she slumped in her chair. Allan stood up but was also, to his own surprise, depressed at the prospect of her leaving and he summed it all up. "I guess we're hearing the strokes of midnight... and I'll be left with nothing but a glass slipper."

"Nooo! Don't think that, Allan, pleaaase! I don't want to run away! I want to see you again... and often! Can I?"

"But of course! I'm not going anywhere. Look... it sucks that we have to figure this on the spot, but, huh... Chaha, you really want us to keep in touch?"

"Yesss!!! More than anything!" She practically leaped from her chair and hugged him fiercely. And feeling her ravishing chest pressed on him induced a noticeable stir in his pants. Allan was petrified.

"Very well... but, what does that make us?" She obviously read his anxiety and his arousal; it all screamed in her head and she recoiled away from him.

"I don't know, Allan, not yet... but I know I need you... this..." back was her flustered, shameful whimper.

"Good enough... so why don't you go get ready for your flight, then? I'll settle this here and meet you at the airport before you board, is that OK?"

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"All right then..." she snuggled him once again, and kissed him on the cheek "...thank you, Allan, for this magical day and evening. For the record, you would make a very convincing Prince Charming... you even look the part!" Her smile was back.

"Don't get the wrong idea, now! I'm no dandy! But... well... ever since I bulked up... it's just easier to get my clothing done at Mohan's."

"I know." She smiled mischievously, tapped her right temple, winked and left.

---

"Here, take this." Allan was hearing the boarding call and was now desperate to squeeze every possible second out of their goodbye.

"A phone?"

"An encrypted phone, using my own corporate network. Unless I'm driving, I will always pick up. And with these, we can talk or text about anything; I promise you nobody will ever crack this algorithm."

"Wow! That's some glass slipper! Thank you... again. I'm already missing you, Allan; please be careful while I'm gone."

"Chaha... I..."

Chaha silenced him with a small peck on his lips followed by an alluring smile. "I know." She then lowered her head, turned around and left for the boarding gate.

Even if they were now clad in loose cotton leggings, Allan had not resisted ogling at her swaying hips and derriere. And when he realized Chaha must have obviously known this and strutted on purpose, he left, embarrassed and excited. He kept thinking happy thoughts for her sake until, forlorn, he drove away in his delivery van.

3. - The go-away first date

Allan shook away the ringing in his hears and rose to his armored feet. He quickly glanced at his head-up display: all systems nominal and optimal. Good.

He then turned his attention to the overturned car, under a concert of blaring horns, cheers and curses. All four of the car's occupants were unconscious but seemed in otherwise stable condition; the car itself was neither on fire nor emitting a worrisome heat signature. He tore off the doors and popped the airbags, to ease the work of the incoming police.

"I don't care how many hostages he saved at that office! That thing is involved in a car accident and I need a statement!" He lowered the volume in his hearing aid and, then, an excited exchange nearby caught his attention.

"Are you crazy Ian? Don't do this!!! It's dangerous!"

The young man involved took no heed of his lady friend's warning and was walking towards him. "Of course, I'm doing this! Did you SEE THAT?!? He just ran faster than I can bike, leaped 200 ft. over traffic and performed jiu-jitsu with A CAR!!! He totally rocks!"

Allan checked the volume of his PA system. The youth was now beside him.

"Mr. Tank... huh... I think you're great! Could I have a picture, please?"

Flattery will get you everywhere. Allan sighed. "Quickly, Ian, one selfie... then I have to go."

"Awesome! Thank you, man... you're the best!" Allan wished he could have seen the pose and his fan's smile. Instead, he started to run away, leaving the scene as the police sirens were heard around the corner and seemingly crawling through the clogged traffic. He heard behind him "...it looks great! Thanks again!"

---

(I'm getting wayyy too old to crawl around in the back of a van!)

Allan extricated himself gingerly from his suit of armor and slithered to the driver's seat. He checked his watch, sealed the van's back compartment and started the engine.

(I should make it on time... good!)

Normally, he would be pondering in what amount of pain he would wake up after his nap or long for his soothing Jacuzzi... but not today. Allan got word that Chaha was taking a three-day pause in New-York before heading back to Europe and India. They were about to meet again, for the first time since the shoot, and he was heading to JFK to pick her up.

Since her departure, they had called occasionally and texted daily, which was more convenient owing to their frequent time difference. It was obvious both were very eager to see each other but, as the three weeks of relatively small talk indicated, both were still unsure of the nature of their relationship. Allan was pondering, while driving, whether he should seek to settle the question or just hope it will evolve by itself. The issue was still unresolved by the time he saw her.

She waved excitedly at him from afar, in the process lifting her hi-cut blouse and giving everybody a peak of her breasts' lower curves. Allan was realizing that, even in casual wear, Chaha Mitra will always be a Goddess... or in this case an angel, as she was all clad in bright white.

"Allan! It's so good to see youuu!" She hugged him fiercely. This time, it was different: as soon as she touched his chest, he felt her sigh of relief, as if his mere presence lifted a weight off her back, and he felt her hands caressing his strong shoulders and his back. Her touch was soothing. "I missed you so much..."

"So did I... you have no idea how much..."

Chaha blushed and snickered all at once. "I do now!"

"Right... let's get out of here!"

"Sure... take me away!"

---

"This is an unexpected ride, Allan. Are you doing double-duty at your firm... CEO and postman?"

"A little of both, actually. I use this van to pick up my most sensitive packages and it also doubles as my mobile base."

She frowned in concern. "You suited up, today..."

A brief silence ensued. "This will be harder than I thought."

"What?"

"Sharing my life with you. Yes, yes, I know we have not decided if we are about to become a surrogate-father-daughter thing, a best-friends-in-the-whole-wide-world thing, a unique-twins thing or... something else which I don't even dare think about right now. But, even if I appreciate the effort you make to actually have conversations, the fact remains that I will never be able to surprise you, never be able to just sneak in a little white lie now and then, never be mysterious, never appear undecided when my mind is in fact made up. Chaha, I believe one of the great joys of a relationship is the discovery of your partner... but to you, I am already, and always will be, an open book."

"I'm sorry..." Chaha sounded hurt and guilty; Allan silently cursed at himself.

"Don't say that! I'm the one who needs to adjust! How does, or did, your boyfriend do it?"

"None of them did. And I don't either. I suck at dating, Allan. I sense the guys drool, like actual dogs, and I'm repulsed. The more timid ones who worship me instead... it never lasts... during an argument, I was once even called frigid!"

"I'm so sorry, Chaha."

"It's OK... how was it for you... with your wife?"

He looked at her, with a blank stare. She could sense his reproach. She rubbed her ring finger in reply. "No ring, Allan, not even a trace."

"I'm sorry." He sighed. "She was a whirlwind. Actually, we were nothing alike... absolutely nothing; I was her teacher and five years her junior; her cochlear implants were failing and I was clueless about sign language; nothing worked! Nothing should have worked! And yet, she chose me, swept me off my feet, dragged my butt to a California sunset wedding and flew me to a Bangalore honeymoon... thus I married the crazy woman who first kissed me!!!"

"She sounds like a force of nature... what was her name?"

"Elizabeth... but she liked it when I called her Rosie."

"Why?"

"On our first date, she actually seizes all my folk music CDs and bombards me with AC-DC and Metallica. And Whole Lotta Rosie became our anthem that very afternoon. As it happens, she had a glowing inside beauty but... huh... she was on the... plump side; and she was very... very... talented..."

Chaha caught on. "Ohhh!"

"Yeaaa... when she was in the mood, she really shook me all night long!"

Chaha was curious... and envious. "That sounds like heaven on Earth... what happened, Allan?"

He decided to make it quick. "I lost everyone in 1994. The CSUN Northridge earthquake claimed Rosie's life; then her parents shun me, so I moved to New-York with Jonathan, closer to my folks. They were babysitting when a fire razed their building... a cigarette in bed."

"Oh my God! Allan! You must have been in such pain!"

"You actually have no idea... and even my memories of it probably don't do it justice. I went mad, Chaha... truly mad. Fade to Black must have played non-stop for a whole year while I vowed my life to that thing." He pointed to the back of the van.

"The suit is in there?" She whispered.

"A suit; I have three now, on rotation: one in the Mobile, one in Sanctuary and one in maintenance."

"Sanctuary? That sounds like Superman's Fortress of Solitude..."

"Well... you're about to find out." Chaha recognized Casey Nanosystems and Allan drove the van through the underground garage right to the last courier slot, cramped in a narrow opening between both garage walls. It was difficult of access and guarded jealously by a warning sign.

- STRICTLY RESERVED FOR THE CASEY NANOSYSTEMS EXPRESS DELIVERY SHUTTLE. UNAUTHORIZED VEHICULES WILL BE TOWED AT THEIR OWNER'S RISK AND EXPENSE.

Allan parked and, when a camouflaged surveillance system in his dashboard lit green, he said, matter-of-factly and with a mock feminine and British tone "Interceptors, immediate launch." His biometrics were verified and Chaha was startled to suddenly feel the whole floor moving forward, including the wall in front of her. The van entered a secret opening in this manner and came to a stop inside a large basement.

Allan had already stepped out of the van, but Chaha was still scanning furiously all around her. She knew, of course, that he had no ill intention, but she was intimidated by this whole setup.

Allan coaxed her out from her window. "If you don't like this idea, we can just leave on foot and go some other place."

But she could sense, and obviously see, his hope for this evening... so Chaha took another leap of faith. "No, no... whatever you have in mind will be great, I'm sure. So... what happened to the garage behind us?"

Allan had an impish smile - he was proud of himself. "The rear wall section slid in the garage and the real Casey Nanosystems Express van is now parked in there." He then made a grandiose pirouette, his arms fully extended. "Chaha my dear, welcome to Sanctuary... my home away from home. Come out! Let's do the owner's tour!"

Allan offered his hand and she took it. He felt her warmth straight to his heart.

Chaha, at this point, was expecting a high-tech man-cave. The living area was actually very cozy, with soft simile-natural lighting, a kitchen that was small but quite well equipped, an interior garden, an exercise area, an adjustable bed that doubled as a sofa and, as only decoration, two large framed posters: a black and white group picture of several men and a woman at a formal event, and a Starship Troopers screenshot, this one a close-up of Michael Ironside playing Col. Dubois, with a large and bold quote at the base of the picture.

- THE NOBLEST FATE THAT A MAN CAN ENDURE IS TO PLACE HIS OWN MORTAL BODY BETWEEN HIS LOVED HOME AND THE WAR'S DESOLATION

Chaha spoke admiringly. "I've had this all wrong. You were never inspired by Iron-Man, but by Starship Troopers all along... is there an armor suit in the story?"

"Not in the films... but it's a central plot point in the book, yes. Robert Heinlein imagined a military suit that you just wore instead of piloted, using negative feedback servo-actuators... I just took it from there."

"You can do that?"

"Let's call it my gift; I was always good at inventing stuff... stuff that actually worked and could be built; it was never hard for me. I had a PhD and a teaching chair in robotics at CSUN when I was 21 and I didn't get why that was a big deal. It was not false modesty, it was ignorance and a lack of empathy. Of course, Rosie changed that big time..."

"And them, who are they?" Chaha pointed at the black and white poster.

"They are the members of the Solvay conference on photons and electrons, which took place in Copenhagen in 1927; and they are my idols. Amongst them, you can see Marie Curie, Einstein, Bohr, Schrodinger, Heisenberg, Planck, de Broglie, Pauli, Dirac, Lorentz, Bragg, Debye, Compton, Langmuir, Wilson, Richardson... did you know they all won a Nobel Prize? And within their lifetime, they changed our entire understanding of the universe; and they did it all without particle accelerators, lasers, neutrino traps, computers or even calculators! To have such insight, such talent, and of course such drive for discovery... I am in awe of each one of them individually, but to imagine all of them arguing together gives me the shakes."

"Strangely enough, Allan, I get it... I felt that way in the Drop Zone, when we met."

"Then I am glad, because it's what I aspire to. Now, follow me, please... I think you will like it better next door."

Allan pressed on a palm scan and looked into an optical scanner; the double-door slid open and Chaha screamed in stupor. "Hoooo!"

"Go ahead, take a look... you can touch it, too... make some new memories, or revisit old ones... take your time."

"Allan... how can you know me so well? It's eerie!"

"Shhhht... Go on."

The armor suit was there, lit by an overhead light like in a Star Trek movie. It was not aesthetic, but it was a work of art; all matt dark-grey, with some black smudges were lubricant regularly spill over; tall and wide, 6 ft. 1 in. by 4 ft. at the shoulders and hips; large bulges housing equipment, all strategically placed to keep a proper center of mass: optics and PA system on the head housing, life support on the chest, powerplant in the back pack, coolant in the forearms, shock absorbers on the hips and calves, huge feet pads to distribute the weight evenly; all the limbs lined by an assembly of miniature servomotors that were assembled like ribs and disks in a skeleton; every joint and flexibility point covered by a redundant armor plate.

Chaha had circled it twice and was now touching the forearm where her head had rested, more than 20 years ago. She was crying and not trying to hold it back. "Is it the same one?"

"Well... it is suit number one; but I don't think a single one of its original pieces has survived all this time. I haven't changed the design, mind you, except for improvements in microcircuitry, digital memory and power storage. It looks the same as it did back then..."

"Thank you, Allan. Thank you so much for this. I will treasure this moment forever."

"The pleasure is all mine, really; it feels good to share this. You're only the third person to enter here... and I hope you will want to come back... because you are welcome here, if you want to."

"I would like that, Allan... I would like that very much. Who was the second person? Nam-il was obviously the first."

"Inspector Jean-Baptiste, about 15 years ago. And you are right about Nam... we argued the design of this place when we were deciding what to patent, and license, in order to finance this extravaganza - which, on paper, is my panic room. He actually christened the place."

Chaha was surprised. "Jean-Baptiste? The one who dubbed you the Human Tank in the first place? And repeated in public that such a thing had no place outside a combat zone? Was it all an act?"

"Hooo no! He really meant every word of it! But taking an antitank rocket for someone does tend to alter one's perspective. He's the only one who ever cracked my cover and, in the end, he couldn't bring himself to take me in. He gave me tips on how to become less predictable in my runs, he helped me choose surveillance camera blind spots for the Mobile when I have to move around, then he retired from the NYPD and took my secret to his grave. He even requested that I be one of his pallbearers."

"I see. Are these the servo... motors that you invented?" Chaha was caressing the armor's forearm like one would a tulip or a rose.

"Yes... they form an exoskeleton. As a whole, it has enough acceleration to move, or swing, as fast as I can and its extra power I can use as strength to lift a little over a metric ton. Individually, they are connected in parallel, so one can be disabled without shutting down the whole thing."

"Then why did you build up so much yourself? Not that I mind, of course..."

"Because I both love and fear that suit. It weighs 531 pounds; should the exoskeleton ever be fully disabled, it could become my sarcophagus. So I've beefed up by any means I could find - some wise and some otherwise - and nourished the same obsession throughout the years: to move around in the suit at power down. I still test myself for it, once a week. It was either that or installing an explosive bulkhead for ejection... all things considered, I think I made the right choice."

"That's creepy. How do you get inside it?"

"Look up. That mezzanine sits on the opposite wall of my office. When I'm finished donning my undergarments and computing my running path, I lower myself in the suit with this railing you see here. When I return, if I'm too tired or hurt, I can use the ceiling hoist to help me out."

"Are you often hurt? I do see the spa and the first aid room close by."

"Well, bear in mind I often cover about 100 miles in a single patrol run; so yes, I'm often tired and a little sore... and sometimes I have to look presentable for corporate functions as soon as I step into the office. Of course, there are also the times when I..."

"Don't!" She had cut him off, already seeing lurid images of a bloody and wounded Allan hanging on the hoist like a slab of beef, several flashes of him swallowing a handful of pills or stapling stitches on bleeding wounds, a sting of pain at seeing Allan crawl out of bed, all bruised red and blue, and even chills from feeling his strain due to painkiller withdrawal.

"You should not be doing this alone, Allan..."

"I do this because I am alone, Chaha... and I'm sorry you have to experience my pain... I..."

"Don't apologize or change anything, please. Adjusting to my gift is one thing, sugar-coating what you want to share with me is another thing altogether. I owe my life to you, Allan... to you and all of this."