His Better Half

5

T.D. felt the lift start, right through the roof of the house. It was sort of like an elevator, but then everything seemed like he was viewing a show on the television. First, he saw the city, then the fields of Iowa dropping below him, then he saw the curve of Terra. Then finally, he was in space – but moving quickly sideways, toward the southwest. Nearing the end of the trip, as they were moving down to Terra, T.D. saw Heinlein Island. Thinking back to what his Pa had said when he came home from there, its size shocked him. "Is that really a ship?" he wondered aloud.

He was surprised when he heard LiMing chuckle, "Yes, it is – it was made from many ships and boats that were 'forged together' into a single vessel, and it will continue growing over the years. It's expected size once it is complete is 1000 square kilometers. That's 100,000 hectares, or 247,000 acres. A bit smaller than Hong Kong, or one fourth the size of your Rhode Island. Iowa City, that you just left, is barely 100 square kilometers. Now, currently, Heinlein Island is only 10 square kilometers, 2 klicks by 5 klicks."

T.D. just sat and absorbed this. "That's gonna be gigantic!" He then asked, "What'll we, Annie an' me, do there? I mean after ... you know, after she's healthy."

LiMing responded, "That's going to be up to you two. You will need to ask yourself, 'What can I do?', 'What can I learn?', and 'How can I contribute?' And then you will know."

Again, T.D. listened to her and thought about his sister's – and also his own – future.

– o O o –

As the shuttle dropped toward Heinlein Island, he saw the obvious infrastructures of the original ships, but he also saw smaller buildings on its surface, like homes and larger buildings – maybe shopping plazas or something like that, though there were no signs saying what everything was. Other than that, it looked like any village he'd seen in America. There were grass, bushes and small trees, much like home.

He noticed that the "houses" all looked like they were built out of large building blocks, but no two were put together the same way. And walking around everywhere, he was finally able to see people, also just like in any city he'd visited. But there were no cars – which sort of made sense, since the island wasn't huge, at only 10 square kilometers.

He noticed the shuttle was dropping toward what he thought might be front of one of those plazas. About this time, LiMing said, "Before I pass you off to these people, I need you to know this: they're going to help you and your sister. Please try to trust them. They only have your best interests at heart. Fred told me you had a strong reaction to his team, and he wants you to know that these people will do everything they can to heal your sister."

As she said this, the shuttle landed softly in a cradle much like what they left in Iowa. T.D. saw a group of people approaching, led by a pair of women. Everyone was wearing light colored togas or tunics. And considering the heat he felt, he wasn't surprised – even with the breeze from the sea, it was still very hot.

As the shuttle door opened, he heard a woman who looked Asian say, "OK, folks, be ready to move her to the clinic. Welcome, T.D. Hamton. We are here to take care of your sister." She then said to the shuttle, "Yet again, LiMing, you bring us a lost sheep. Thank you, and tell Fred we'd love to see him here again."

"Certainly, Dr Namura," and to T.D., she said, "T.D., the doctor will insist you call her 'Yuriko'. The lovely woman on her left is her right hand girl, Dr Chadwick, who is going demand you call her 'Laura'. They are the best in their field, as well as being damned good backups in several others. I leave you both in their capable hands."

– o O o –

As he left the shuttle, he watched as two others reached in and lifted Annie from her seat. They put her on a chair that looked like it was floating.