Chapter 1.16: Chasing answers

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At the laboratory I'm continuing to work hard, I must learn more about aliens and their technology. We haven't surrendered yet, we still want to do something to try to stop them, we just haven't planned exactly what yet...

Their cloning machine is very useful, we often use it when we run out of reactants and raw materials for the lab. It seems to be able to reproduce objects of any complexity but, obviously, it can't create matter from nothing. 

A quick analysis showed us that it is loaded with the necessary elements to compose the desired object, and when the stock is over the process fails. I would define it as a matter-recomposer, if I had to name it.

Could it be the reason why they need to collect raw resources from less developed planets, like ours? Thinking about it, the first time I met the aliens, they were looking for a nickel delivery at my place. However, this makes me wonder: don't they have metals on their planet too?

The space rocket is also taking shape, our engineers say it will soon be able to fly.

However, most of our efforts continue to be focused on the black hole generator, the one that aliens use to move over great distances. Most likely, they are also using it for travelling from their planet to the Earth.

Stuart: Does it seem well-tuned to you?

Colleague: Well, it still looks a bit pale, try to give a bit more voltage...

Stuart: give me a sec...

Colleague: Perfect, it should be working now!

Those aliens continue to travel back and forth through that portal, carelessly, transporting materials and so on. Apparently, we can't cross it instead, the environment on the other side appears hostile to us.

For Jupiter sake, how strange could their planet be?

Back home, I did my best to spend some time with Milo. I have the impression that I have neglected him a bit in these last few weeks, but even if I have a lot of worries I don't want to turn into an absent father.

Milo: (bored) are you going to read me that book?

Stuart: Well, yes. At your age I used to read a lot, you know?

Milo: But reading books is for old people, what's so interesting about it?

Stuart: Many of these stories are very compelling.

Milo: (doubtful) Uhm. What is that book about?

Stuart: (reading the back cover) It's about a sloth going to town and... Ok, maybe this isn't the best example I could find.

I closed the book, sighing a bit. Milo is a lively and curious child, he likes to be outdoors and explore what is around him. I don't really know who he got it from, both Sylvia and I were two nerds who read a lot and played video games as kids. 

Well, looking at Milo expression at that moment, it was quite obvious that the next time I would have been better to propose to take a walk instead.

Meanwhile, both Sylvia and Luna have grown up. Sylvia is still the same, even after all these years, she still looks the same as the first day I met her at that bar. 

Luna's evolution is impressive instead, it feels like she was born a few days ago and now she is ready for attending school alongside her brother.

Attending elementary school means that she will start interacting more with others, maybe she will start to make friends too. Now it's even more important for her to be very careful with her disguise, to avoid any other kid around her to find out about her true alien nature.

Now she has more control over her look and occasionally makes some corrections on the details she doesn't like. Luckily she is an intelligent child and so she understands that, in order to blend in with humans, her appearance has to always remain the same.

The more time passes, the more her disguise impresses me... 

For myopia, however, not even she can do much, so here she is with her new eyeglasses. She does have inherited some of my genes too, after all...

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