OPPOSIT-ION: MAKING SK-ISLAND

POWER VIBRATIONS

Jude spent the coming summer break at home with her family. It was a good break for her, though she wouldn't admit it. She was overly work-bound and needed to step away. The family, of course, wanted to know everything. Jude didn't lie, but she omitted obvious pertinent information. She just wanted them to know she was happy with her setting there, and the university was also satisfied with her study results. While it was nice to be home again, it wasn't the same now. She wasn't estranged from her birth family. She had been bonding well with the new family she was coming to know at the university house, and she missed them all now. Her tired old bed had bed replaced with new, covered with fluffy new sheets and pillows. Dad had a new car. Jude loved the old, beat-up, rusty truck, which was now gone.

There were a lot of little changes, but the fabric of her childhood was tearing away little bits at a time. Charles had told her to expect things to be different now. They were. Things were all far better for her family. They celebrated her extraordinary success that made all their lives so much better. It's just that Jude felt like she wasn't at home anymore. 'Home' was somewhere she was going, not somewhere she had been. She was changing, too, like everything else. When summer ended, she feigned sadness at leaving the old house with the new roof, paint, and fancy windows. She was happily returning to her new friends and the focal work she had just begun in her new life. Her new island home was calling to her thoughts as she was driven to the airport just like that first time, only now she knew exactly what to expect. Well, except for the private jet this time around. And she was the only passenger on it. There were no screaming babies or ignorant smokers. The flight was peaceful, and the crew was attentive to her needs. It was far different than her last commercial flights, that was certain.

The island had taken several months of prep work to have it all up to Jude-ready status. The selected island had already been used for other research projects less comprehensive or dangerous than her work. Still, it meant a lot of working and living infrastructure was already in place. The installation of the new labs went quickly. Since unlimited power was now readily available, non-stop work was done to update the facility infrastructure and living space nuances. Boring a mile deep takes time. Installing a mile-high lift system takes time too. An actual spiral roadway was also bored down to the lab depth for transportation access to deliver the new and massive equipment that Jude was expected to be putting into play. The work was immense, but since the university had many hands and, for now, unlimited funds to spend, it was all done swiftly while Jude was away with her family for the summer break.

The next 'school year' would see a whole new environment in place for Jude. The island was small for a land mass in the ocean. Still, it had all the amenities, including a few perfect beaches. The jet that flew her out made record time and used no fuel. It had already been retrofitted with her new generators, and the new electric motors developed by other university scientists performed beautifully. The staff awaiting her arrival consisted of the staff she had from her other campus house. They all came along happily and at twenty times the pay. There were a few new people, all of whom were recommended by the existing staff members or by Jude's professor. Jude was given the final say over their presence on the island, but she trusted her people completely. They were all warmly welcomed, and Jude looked forward to making great friends with them. She heard some of the old staff whispering, "See! I told you she was awesome!" She couldn't help but smile a bit. She wasn't doing anything special to earn praise. She was just herself.

There were also a few last construction workers finishing up some final duties. Some would be posted permanently at the facility for emergencies or modifications as needed, all at Jude's discretion. Overall, they all had tropical island duty at ridiculous pay to ensure Jude could continue her invaluable work unencumbered by any unforeseen shortfall. As to being monitored, the construction crew confirmed that Jude was aware of every piece of oversight technology, including satellite deep-earth monitoring. She needed to sign off on it before they could leave or switch into maintenance mode as permanent island staff. At least she felt the university gave her a small portion of privacy and the respect that should have always been there.