The days seemed to pass in a blur for Jimmy. He met so many new AI's that he couldn't remember all their names. He did, however, remember the name Ness. When the Inquisitor AI got its data dump, it also looked through Earth's history for prominent or famous detectives. He settled on Ness as a new name.
Ness immediately took over the global blackmail case, freeing a relieved Sheba back to her normal duties. She immediately began the calculations needed for the temporal bridge, even though she knew the travelers wouldn't be out of the medical facility for a day or two.
When told of the plan to go back in time, Ness pulled all the data he could from the archives for the periods the travelers intended to cover. Some of the stops they would be making were for purely recruitment reasons; others would be for Ness' investigation.
During the investigation periods, there would still be recruiting done, but not much, since those stops were closer to their 'home' time. Jamie asked for permission to return to Earth before the current bridge was closed so she could recruit a few people she knew. Most were medically discharged from the military, some were missing limbs or suffering from other combat related issues.
After discussing it with Pollux, Janie, Athena and Ness, along with some input from Prinea, Jimmy gave her the go-ahead, but told her she only had a week. He was nervous about letting her go back there when some idiots were threatening to blow up the planet, but Athena assured him that they could snatch her back before the event became local.
Although Janie and Holly had looked younger to Jimmy when he first arrived, he discovered that had not been the case. (Tina teased him that it was only because they were nude, to which Jimmy could only agree.) Over time, Pollux and Prinea were slowly altering each person's virtual appearance so it matched their real one when they left the virtual world. Jimmy could see the logic of that; it lessened the shock of suddenly being in another body. What he hadn't expected was the comments he got from the girls.
Pollux would just smile softly as the rest of Jimmy's family told him how handsome he was becoming or how big. Even Janie commented on how mature he was. After a month or so of subjective time, Holly commented that Jimmy looked older than Janie. Curious, Jimmy asked Pollux how old he was going to get.
"Actually, you haven't aged at all. However, because of your species ingrained definitions of authority figures, you need to have at least an adult appearance. You'll not appear over the age of roughly twenty-five of your years; ever. As far as the maturity that your mother mentioned, that is a natural byproduct of all the knowledge you're gaining. But the most important part of you; your ethics, and morality, cannot be given you. Those you had to learn from your parents and from the world around you," she explained. When he explained it to Janie and the rest, she just beamed in pride, and Holly cried when he included her in the accolade.
Another change in Jimmy was that he could now feel Pollux, and had direct access to the same information she had. He could feel how she felt about him, and although it was less, how she felt about their other mates.
Therefore, other than Ness and Pollux, Jimmy was the first human to know of the events on Earth. The Blackmailers had followed through on their promise of 'proof'. An explosive device, in roughly the thirty kiloton range was detonated in a dormant fault line just off the coast of Denmark.
Human casualties were bad; forty-five hundred dead, eleven thousand more injured enough to require medical aid. Denmark and the Netherlands suffered billions of Euros in property loss.
However, the worst damage was the total write-off of every oil-drilling platform in the North Sea. Lloyds of London and two other major insurance firms were all but bankrupted by the hundred billion dollar loss. The only thing that saved the firms was orders from their respective governments to limit the payouts to the oil companies to one tenth the actual value of the platforms.
Red flags shot up all over the world when the oil companies refrained from protesting the limit. Even more curiosity was roused when the price of gas remained constant. Coupled with the unprecedented and unannounced removal of all US troops from the Middle East; news agencies smelled a rat.
Representatives of the companies involved in the loss of the platforms refused comment when an explanation was demanded of them. One company mouth-piece was quoted as asking the reporters; "Let me get this straight; you're all actually complaining that we didn't raise our prices?"
Some concern was raised over the environmental damage to the area due to leaking wells. A report issued by the American Environmental Protection Agency, and endorsed by private concerns as well as foreign agencies, stated that the safety equipment required for the wells had done its job, and sealed off the damaged wells.
It continued on to state that, had the quake been even a week sooner, it would have resulted in a major tragedy. A defective blow-out preventer had just been replaced. Had it still been in place, it would have been the worst oil spill in history, dwarfing even the horrendous event in the Gulf of Mexico.
The report also stated that the wells in the gulf still hadn't been updated because the equipment needed to work at the depth of the wells had yet to be developed. However, every resolution put before congress to suspend deep-water drilling and exploration in the gulf had quickly been defeated or buried in a subcommittee.
Jimmy reviewed the information, and sighed. While he did agree with their goals, he most certainly didn't agree with the Blackmailer's methods.
The day finally came that he was dreading. His family would begin to leave the virtual realm. Their medical adjustments were finished and there was no longer reason for them to remain. Jimmy would be last because of the extra alterations required of an Arbiter. Both Tina and Tammy offered to remain to keep him company along with Pollux.
The first ones to depart were Janie and Holly. They were being taken in pairs for the same reason they went in (roughly) in pairs; only two doctors available to assist them. Jimmy made a mental note to add medical personnel to the list of urgently needed recruits.
There was a lag time of a subjective week between exits. The lag served to underline the temporal differences between the two realities. The next two to exit were Jamie and Donna. However, before Jamie and Donna exited, Grista approached Jimmy and Pollux.
"Please forgive the intrusion, Arbiter, but may I speak to you?"
The two nodded in unison, causing Grista to grin. "I wanted to thank you for all the extra help you've given me by awakening the rest of my staff. However, since we actually don't have that much to do anymore, I have to wonder if there's another reason you did so."
Jimmy nodded. "Yep, I had an idea. I ran it past Pollux, and she agreed. If you hadn't come to us, I would have called you to talk to you about it. You see, I would like you to go to Earth with Jamie and Athena."
"Of course, if you want me to, but may I ask what I'm to do on Earth?" Grista asked, still being overly respectful.
Jimmy rolled his eyes at Pollux and she giggled, causing Grista to look at her worriedly. Jimmy then turned to Grista. "Grista, My family, that includes me, considers you a friend. When we're alone, please drop the formal stuff, okay? Unless it's a situation where we need to maintain appearances, I would much prefer talking to my friend than my subordinate."
"That might be difficult to do, since protocol is a core instruction. However, I will try, but please allow me a few slips?" Grista asked.
"Deal! Now, as for you going to Earth. I would like you to call and make an appointment with the folks you were talking to about the 'new' addressing protocols for the Internet. When they ask why you want a node all to yourself tell them that you have need of it, and if they want the new protocols, they will grant your one small request," Jimmy said.
She smirked. "So, you want me to blackmail them?"
Jimmy smirked back. "Not really, since you're not asking for any other form of payment, it would be considered 'bartering' not blackmail. There was also an issue with technology transfer to a lesser developed species. I looked over what you propose to teach them, and I can approve it with a clear conscience. This is well within the bounds of their current technology, they simply haven't thought of it yet. I do believe, and so does Pollux, that as the addressing issue becomes more acute, the current direction of research would have led them to this solution."
Grista nodded. "That was my thinking as well. Thank you for approving my actions, I feel much better about the choice now. I have one concern about the mission though."
"What's that?" Jimmy asked.
"Individuals on Earth tend to believe that intelligent people have a certain look about them. I believe they are called 'Geeks'. I believe the saying goes; 'In order to talk the talk, you gotta walk the walk'. While I feel that ideology is absurd, I don't wish to jeopardize the mission by appearing inappropriately."
"So you need to know how to look... 'geeky' so you'll be believed?" Pollux asked, getting the word from Jimmy's mind.
"Well, yes." Grista replied. "I don't think they'll believe I came up with this on my own if I look like I do now."
"Hmm, I do see your point. Instead of going to Earth, I think maybe you should offer a 'Video Conference'. But, before you do that, I'd like you to do some research first. Please look into all things Star Trek. The original TV series first aired back in the 1960's and has been the hallmark of Geekdom ever since. But it doesn't stop there, there's a ton of stuff to learn, but it'll ensure you know how to 'talk the talk'.
"We'll also need to make sure you have the credentials to back up your knowledge. You'll need a 'recent' PhD from a creditable Non-'first world' country like maybe Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro or Universidad de Buenos Aires."
Softly, Pollux said 'show-off' while Jimmy was speaking causing Grista to stifle a giggle herself. Jimmy paused long enough to stick his tongue out at Pollux before he continued speaking.
"As for the 'Walk the Walk' part, it'll be a shame to hide your beauty, but if we don't the geeks will never even hear you. They'll be too busy staring at you, and having their own fantasies about you. Hell, I bet we won't be able to cover it completely, but let's hope it'll be enough to get you through the meeting.
"Besides, not all of them are going to be geeks. A large portion of them will be Tech-Oriented business men. I'd be willing to wager that they are really the ones that want to know what you want a Node to yourself for. They'll do most anything to make sure that they make money, and if they can't make money on it, make sure that no one else will either."
Instead of using their mental link, Pollux spoke instead. "That's so unethical! How can they remain in business like that?"
"That's simple. It's the same way the oil companies have held a strangle hold on the world; Monopoly. If you're the only one that have a certain commodity, then you can dictate the terms of its sale." Jimmy explained.
"But there's far more than just one oil company. How does that work?" Grista asked.
"In that instance, the oil companies are not only competitors, but also allies. They have reached many agreements to keep them in power, and the world dependent on them for their product," Jimmy explained. "So it is with any product that has very few sources. I've always believed that the problem with our planet wasn't big oil, or corrupt politicians; it was greed. Everyone is always looking for a way to make money, or gain power.
"So, don't let those idiots push you around. If they press you too much on the issue, simply tell them that a business friend of yours told you that you can just go around them. It'll take more time, since you'll have to get funding, but in the end, you'll still have your node, the Internet will have the new addressing system, and the world will have a little less greed in it."
Grista grinned and said she would get busy right away on the research, and also see what she could come up with for a geek costume.
After talking it over, Tammy and Tina agreed to exit on schedule like the rest. They would get to spend all the time with him in the real world; they wanted to give Pollux as much time with him as they could. They knew they'd made the right decision when Pollux gave each of them a passionate kiss and a tight hug, telling them thank you, over and over again.
In 'real' time it was only a few days, but it would be months in the virtual. Jimmy held both girls close as they said their goodbyes. Pollux was a little surprised when the girls repeated the process with her. By the time they released her, she was considering asking Prinea to put a hold on their release. But almost as soon as they broke the kiss with Pollux, they disappeared; leaving Jimmy and Pollux alone on the beach.
Jimmy reached over and took the AI's hand. "Well Babe, it looks like it's just you and me." He pulled the now shorter-than-him women into his arms.
She purred as she lay her head against his strong chest. "Yes, although I think I will miss our other lovers."
"Oh? I thought you were looking forward to spending some alone-time with me?"
"Oh, I am, but ... Well, you and I are going to be together for a long time..."
When she faltered he reached and felt her feelings. He understood immediately. This was the only place she could have 'real' contact with others. Although she would always be with Jimmy, even during sex, she would still only feel what he felt. She could never really 'be with' the girls directly again.
Now that Jimmy had access to the data that she could access, he looked and found a device that would allow the girls to return here during normal sleep. He already had a similar device implanted in him; it was part of the interface between him and Pollux. He brought the information to the fore in their 'shared' mind.
Pollux smiled up at him hopefully. "Do you think they'd mind? It's not the same connection you and I share, but it will let me be with them directly, too."
"Love after the goodbye they just gave you, I think they'd jump at the chance," Jimmy replied.
Behind them, Anne cleared her throat. "My apologies, Arbiter, but you have two lessons to learn yet today."
Jimmy sighed and looked into his love's eyes. "Well, back to work I guess. I'll see you later, sweetheart. I love you."
Pollux just beamed at him. "I love you too, Jimmy."