Of Men and Spiders

Charlotte watched as Scott scrolled through more and more pages of symbols. She recognized enough of them to understand some of the words they represented, but there were so many that it must have represented entire conversations worth of words. How much information did this tool store? How much could it store? How was it even possible?

The potential for such a tool was also immense. As Charlotte thought about it more, she realized how impactful this kind of device could be. Where Charlotte could just grow additional storage when needed, humans were limited to the brains they were born with, but being able to record information outside their minds like this allowed one human to access much more information than they otherwise were capable of remembering. Additionally, it allowed humans to convey ideas to others without directly communicating with them, offering a way to pass on generational knowledge like the imparting of memories for a She. However, it still required a considerable time investment for both the one recording the information and the one receiving it. Given the time requirements, it is unlikely that any one human could process enough information to understand as much as a She, but given human specialization and this information storage, it was conceivable that humans could eventually rival the She in capabilities. Given enough time, they might even be able to travel between stars, something over which the She have had exclusive dominion. Before that happens, Charlotte must determine whether achieving a symbiotic relationship with humanity is possible or if they would only be competitors.

Still, while that was a concern, it was probably a long way away. For now, Charlotte just had to figure out how best to help her humans and ensure they got the chance to fully develop. This would play a significant role in determining whether humans could be allies and also teach Charlotte a great deal more about tools, which could play a pivotal role in her return to a position of influence. Also, if She was honest with herself, She simply wanted to see what these two tiny humans would become if given the chance.

-

Scott wasn't sure what was in those journals or even if he wanted to know. Lately, his mom wasn't the person he knew when he was younger, and if given a choice, that was who he'd prefer to remember. On the other hand, it was possible this would offer insight into who those men were and why they were looking for Alice and Scott.

With a sigh, he opened the journal. There was only one entry, so at least it would be a short read. It was probably only about drugs, anyway...

-

Journal entry 1

So this is a thing I'm doing now. Writing journals. It's a little weird to think how much has changed from my previous life of... well, that doesn't matter. Anyway, John got me this to keep in touch while we're on "vacation," and the only things I could think to do with it was to download some of Scott's books, just as a backup so he can study if this takes longer than anticipated, and...this. It's not very exciting, but at least it'll kill a few minutes every day. Besides, Doc tells me it might be good for me to get some of these things off my chest. Specifically, the things I keep telling him I can't tell him about!

I've gotta say, I'm not looking forward to this. I've done my fair share of roughing it in the past, but that's when I was younger and had more exciting company. God, Cooper and I got into some...interesting situations back in the day! But those days are behind me. I'm a "respectable" person and a mother now. Not that I'm in the running for any "Best Mom" awards...

On that note, maybe John's right. I've probably been using a little too much lately, and this could be a chance for me to get clean again. "Ugh, even the thought of it... I've gone through detox several times, and it's always miserable. Usually, it didn't stick, but then, like some idiot, I got knocked up and decided to keep the kid. Even changed my name! I have no idea how Scott turned out so well despite what I must have done before I realized I was pregnant, but I will say he's one of the few things I've had my hands in that I'm proud of. That was also probably the longest period of my life when I was sober.

Then Cooper had to leave me and return to his old ways, and...well... I guess it was just a little too much for me. I started taking a look at myself. I was a stay-at-home mom, of all things! Me! People all up and down the system used to know and fear my name, and now I was just some woman raising a kid and looked down on by other, more well-to-do ladies like I was their lessor. Before Scott, I would have raided their homes and drilled a little fear into them! I probably wouldn't have killed anyone...well, maybe Jayne; she kinda deserves it. I mean, who changes their name just to add a "y" in it? God! Such a stuck-up little...

Well, I suppose I'm "deflecting" again, or however Doc puts it, because it wasn't Jayne I was angry at. It was me. So, I decided to try some of the fun stuff again. I only meant to try it one night, just to blow off a little steam, but then a few days later, I needed to blow off more steam, and well, one thing led to another, and I guess I got caught up reliving my glory days.

So that led me to John. After Cooper left me and Scott, I met John at a bar while I was out enjoying myself. He was only supposed to be a one-night stand, but when I was a little too worn out after a night of partying, he decided to make sure I actually got home. When he found out I'd just left my kid at home while I was out, he chewed me out something fierce! Gave me a talking-to that managed to sober me up for more than a day or two! It was probably a good thing because not long after that, I found out that little one-night stand had a longer-lasting impact than planned.

I don't know why I told him. Maybe I just wanted him to do what Cooper never did and pay me some child support. Or maybe I wanted Scott and Alice to have an actual role model. I mean, John is actually one of those stand-up guys like you see on TV. He has a regular "nine to five," working at a bank of all places! (I wonder if we ever crossed paths back when I raided ships for a living?) But for whatever reason, he stuck around. He says it's because I add excitement to his life, and Alice and Scott give him purpose, even if he and Scott bump heads a little.

At one point, I'd decided to tell Scott all about who his dad really was rather than having him believe all those tall tales Cooper used to tell him. Listening to him repeat all those stories to Alice and worship that man like he was some kind of hero after he'd gone and left us used to drive me nuts. It was John who talked me out of it. He said that believing his father was a hero might be one of the reasons he'd turned out so good so far and that, as my son, he probably needed a little excitement in his life anyway. Maybe he's right. Scott does have his life put together alright. He's got his heart set on becoming an explorer of all things! He's gonna map out unexplored planets and maybe find some aliens while he's at it! Also, Alice adores him. He even gave her the nickname "Munchkin," which I think more people know than her actual name.

So John's good, Scott's good, and Alice will probably be good so long as she's got Scott. That just leaves me. It's about time I clean myself up again. Poor Alice deserves a mom who can raise her right. I don't know if I can be that mom, but I've got to do better than this! It's time to get clean...again.

That brings us back to the here and now. Of course, Cooper showed back up, expecting me to welcome him back like I always used to despite being gone for years. He was not happy to learn that I'd moved on this time and meant to stick with it! Said he deserved recompense for me taking away his family. I told him I'd take his recompense and shove it up his ass! But then John said that if it would make him go away without causing trouble, he'd pay. I let Cooper know, in no uncertain terms, that if he killed or tortured John in any way, I'd come for his head. I'm fairly sure Cooper won't cause too much trouble. Between the two of us, I was always the scarier one, and he knows it! But just to be safe, John decided we should "disappear" for a bit while he straightened things out with Cooper.

Man, when did I become a rambler? This thing took on a life of its own... Maybe the Doc was right about me needing to open up a little! Anyway, I don't know if I'll use this thing again. I feel kinda stupid going on and on like this. Besides, while going through withdrawals, all the rest of my entries would probably be all, "Ahhhh! I hate everything! Someone kill me! I want to kill someone!" and so on.

So I guess this is former pirate queen Lucy, now boring old Lacy sighing off. Hopefully, if I ever reread this, it'll be through more sober eyes. Hell, maybe John will get a laugh out of it. He loves hearing about my wild days, even if he thinks I'm exaggerating instead of understating most of the time!

-

After reading the journal entry, Scott closed the computer and looked off into the distance of the cavern without seeing anything as he expressed the complex feelings he had about everything he'd just learned as eloquently as he was capable of at the moment. "Huh..."