His Better Half

4

From the previous chapter

He continued talking until they arrived near the campus of Iowa University. As they drove, he was looking for an address a few streets off of the campus. He was told it was near the fraternities, but not too near.

Among the other more modern houses, he glimpsed a tall, fairly old one, with what he'd heard was "Victorian" style that looked like where they needed to be. "Sweetie, I think we're here. I'm gonna pull into the drive and see if it's the right place."

As he pulled up the drive just beyond the building and started to get out of the car, a man and three women came out of the side door of the home, and came to Annie's side. Startled, T.D. asked, "Were you people lookin' for us?"

As they reached the car, the man smiled and said, "That depends. Are you twins, and is this your birthday?"

Moving onward

Annie looked out her window at them and breathed, "T.D., please let them help. I don't know what else the doctor did, but I think he told these people we were coming." T.D. nodded.

The Asian-looking woman opened Annie's door, then after he looked at Annie, the man quickly ordered, "From the looks of things, the doctor was right. Ladies, we're in a rush – we need to get her in the house soonest." He then reached in and cautiously lifted her, saying, "Annie, you can put your arm around me – I promise, I don't bite. Ladies, inside now. T.D., please follow us."

They went into the home and took Annie into an elevator. T.D. heard a voice saying, "Mal, Fred, she hasn't time for chit-chat. Get her into a room and I'll get her in stasis so she will reach Heinlein. T.D., I'm LiMing, the computer who runs this home. We are going to get you and your lovely sister taken care of as quickly as we can so she will get the treatment she needs."

The man – Fred, T.D. assumed – said, "Ksenia and Daiyu, can you get T.D.'s keys, bring their things into the home, then go ahead and return the car?"

A bit shell-shocked, T.D. handed the tall blonde woman his keys, and she and the Asian girl left them. He then followed Fred and the woman – Mal, from what "LiMing" said – as Fred carried Annie from the elevator onto the third floor. He watched how carefully Fred carried his sister, hoping everything was OK with her.

Fred then said, "T.D., if you can open that door there," and he pointed with his head to the first door on the left off the elevator, "we'll get her situated. LiMing, all non-residents are not hearing, of course?"

"Fred, other than T.D., no one who hasn't heard me already is hearing me now." T.D. heard a "pshaw" sort of sound, then, "You should know me well enough to know that. If you can sit her on the chair. She needs this, and she needs it now."

As he looked over Fred's shoulder into the room, which appeared to be a library, T.D. saw a chair by the door. It's arm was up on the close side, which made it easy for Fred to set Annie on it. As Fred sat Annie on the chair, she appeared to stop any motion right as T.D. heard LiMing say the word "now". He was frantic. "Is she OK? She looks like she's stopped breathin'!"

LiMing answered, "T.D., calm down – we have her in stasis. If you had gotten here any later, I can't say we'd have been able to do this."

T.D. sat beside his sister and demanded, "What's this "stay sis'?"

Mal sat near them, and assured him, "T.D., LiMing has slowed all physical motion in Annie's body to the point we can't see it. She will still perceive things, but you will probably not notice any motion from her. It's like watching the hour hand on a clock."

"Is it dangerous?"

Fred sat by Mal and answered, "No, it's like when you are sleeping, your body slows down. Well, we just take that further, and make all motion in her body slow dramatically. The four of us you have met have each had this done, and we're all fine."