Ana May's Last Supper
Chapter 11
John walked into the MU cafeteria. A few people were already there. Rodd Thompson and Lee Ann Mason were sitting at one table.
Garry and Phillip were moving two tables together so they could sit with Neal, Sherri, Brother Matthew and Stephen who were already sitting down. Zarathrustra was standing beside the table.
A stranger was sitting by himself, apparently observing the others. He had a sketch pad and pencil in his hand and every now and then he would draw something on the paper. The stranger was in his mid- 40's, less than six feet tall, with
brown hair and eyes that seemed to change from green to brown.
Izan Knarf was sitting alone with his back to the others. He seemed to be doing nothing. Just sitting there like a statue.
John pulled up a chair and sat beside Brother Matthew.
"What is wrong with Izan?"John asked.
Brother Matthew said"I left Frank, I mean Knarf in the hall at the Business Register building. He has not spoken since. It is as though his soul is gone from him."
John, looking at Phillip."Is all the work done?"
Phillip,"Yes! We sent orders to all the local phone companies through their work order computer modems for them to replace the crystal oscillators of every computer we are aware of. With each crystal being different, and not compatible with another, the computers speeds of operation are all different. This prevents them from communicating with another computer since the baud rates are now all unknown by the users. We knew we could not break into the major military and commercial computers with software. We also knew that they would let the phone company do anything to their computers. Therefore the work orders in phone company computers in a round about way got us to the hardware of all computers.
This also gave the illusion that all computers were working, because they worked fine as individuals, but on a different time cycle than before, and would not work with another computer.
John,"Very good. I thought this appropriate because Ana May uses man by timing him, making him be at work at certain times. Without time, man could never have been enslaved. We have confused all the timing cycles of the modern world."
Brother Matthew,"Yes we are sure they worked. From the satellite dish and short wave we have in Alpha Hall, I could see first the confusion reported in the news, then the loss of the TV signals. Actually, they were there. They were just off frequency."
Garry" We also sent orders to all crystal oscillator manufacturers to change the numbers on them. In this manner, all that were sold for new or replacement were also off frequency.
The last legible transmission should occur at 7:06 A.M. A few minutes from now.
Stephen,"How did you take care of the World Control Computer?"
Brother Matthew,"We didn't. We thought it appropriate that we merely took away its power. We did not even change its oscillating crystals. Since it cannot communicate with another, it can do nothing."
Sherri,"What will happen now?"
Brother Matthew,"Now man will look at himself and others and begin to be a human again. He may create material things, but they will only be practical or for beauty. The material will no longer be more important than man himself.
At first, man will feel fear, a loss. This is because the security of his master is gone. He now must survive because he is a man, and not because he is a slave to a higher species.
Man is not a zoo animal that gets fed on a time schedule. He is now again a biological man."
Sherri and Neal said good-bye, and walked out with Lee Ann Mason and Rodd.
Zarathrustra,Garry Phillip and Stephen soon followed.
The stranger followed Brother Matthew out.
John was the last to leave the room. Izan Knarf was left sitting in the darkness.
John looked down at his watch. It was 7:30.
John said aloud,"It really doesn't matter what time it is. The ordered minutes, seconds and hours that Ana May created to use man to feed herself are gone. Ana May has eaten her last supper.
-end-