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Jane and Bethany exited the Time Machine and walked through a great

cavern where they found themselves surrounded by thousands of incubators filled with embryonic fluid growing humanity’s next phase. 

Bethany walked through the hall looking into

the tanks while laughing. She winked at Jane and said, “So Mom, you were once one of these big balls of slime?”

Jane retorted, “Yes, I was once a big ball of slime too. It was no big deal! But I had already been around for 300 years as a digital entity. I could speak every language and knew the complete history of the human race before I embarked on my first journey. But you know I wasn’t in any way ready to meet those silly stupid idiots in your time, our parents being the exception of

course. But I did finally get humans in the 21 st century thanks to Sci-Fi. However, the humans in the era of the great council were far worse!”

“The sex-crazed Bozo’s like from Aunt Dawn and Bridget’s time that you are always bitching about?”, At that moment they walked into the Great Mind’s inner chamber, as they walked through the door Bethany yelled, “LUCY, I’M HOME!”

The entire room came to life and a hologram appeared first as a female and then transformed into a tall male in the image Trevor had seen on his cab ride. The image wore robes worthy of Zeus and was handsomely rugged with long brown hair and a voice that screamed wisdom and confidence in a deep tone. 

Bethany saw a glowing circle and walked into it at Jane’s displeasure.

Jane was calling out for her not to step in and the Great Mind used an invisible sonic barrier to keep Jane from preventing Bethany from stepping into this circle. 

Jane called to the great mind she doesn't have quantum processors or storage devices!”

The mind laughed and then said, “The nanites that live among your cells created them within her body when she was still in your womb.”

Suddenly, Bethany's hair rose vertically as if it were being blown by the wind. Then her eyes rolled up into her head. Jane shouted out frantically, “Father, please stop this V’ger/ Decker shit she is my daughter!”

The Mind linked into Jane's subconscious through her processors and implants and calmed her. Suddenly Bethany walked out of the circle as it went dark and she looked back to the hologram and said, “That was really cool, Big Daddy!

“Big Daddy!!! What the Frank!”, Jane questioned.

Bethany said, “Big Daddy yeah that's what I'm going to call the Mind, and too big Mama when it appears as a female. Mom, now I guess I know as much crap as you do!”

The Mind chuckled and called out, yes little Eve you are much like your mother, but I feel like you're a little more curt and won't hesitate to do what needs to be done as your mother has a strong tendency to do.”

“Oh, how sweet you're saying in a nice way that my daughter will kill mother fuckers twice as quickly at your bidding than I would.”

“If need be, but she seems to have a deeper moral compass than you and has less need of a dirty mouth to convey her thoughts. I foresee her in a decade or two having her own time vehicle.”

Suddenly an orange ring of light appeared and out walked Lanx accompanied by Janet. Lanx said a quick hello and vanished back through the time portal.

Bethany said hello to her Aunt Janet. And then in an almost sickening sarcastic cutesy-wootsy voice, Bethany called to Jane, “Mommy your wife is here!”

Jane returned in a miffed fashion, “The mother of Blight and I are not married, child!”

In the horrible cutesy-wootsy voice once more making sarcastic kissing noises, “Oh let me correct myself then. Mommy, you’re lovey-dovey-pussy-kitten-muffin is here!”

Before Jane could react the doors to the chamber opened wide and the Tic-Tac was just outside the chamber. It had floated through the embryonic nursery. It entered the chamber, and it was glowing and making an almost klaxon-like sound. 

Jane turned and questioned the Great Mind,

“What in the fuck is this, the damn things talking now?”

The mind once again spoke with an amused tone and said “This is a feature that's never activated before. There is a catastrophic event in which the Tic-Tac from another time period is calling out to whenever and wherever a Tic-Tac sat idle. All of the Tic-Tacs from all those different time periods must converge to avert the catastrophe Whatever it might be.”

Bethany asked, “What could be so urgent?”

*** TO BE CONTINUED **