My Keeper's Trainer

My Trainer’s Keeper

The small group gathered backstage could only stare at one of Sea Land’s most popular attractions.  The concern on their faces was evident.  They were all genuinely worried.  Wilbur the Walrus was not doing well.  He would not eat, perform and would rarely swim in his pool.

Gathered around Wilbur’s backstage grotto were his trainer Dr. Stephanie Phillips, her assistants Greg White and Heather Arnold and the Sea Land’s chief veterinarian Dr. Ryan Greer.  Each one was genuinely concerned for Wilbur’s well being, but each one had no idea what was wrong.

“Is there anything wrong with him physically Doc?” Dr. Phillips asked.

Before speaking, Dr. Greer scratched his head thoughtfully before answering.  “I’ve run every test I can think of on him and I still can’t find anything wrong with him.  His blood tests, body temp, weight, coloring and waste samples all indicate that he isn’t suffering from any disease that we know of.  Frankly, I’m stumped. When did you first notice that Wilber wasn’t eating?”

“Only yesterday Doc,” said Greg.  

“It’s not like him to miss even one meal,” Heather added.

“Yeah,” Greg said.  “Normally it’s a fight to stop him from eating.”

The group stood quietly for several minutes more before Dr. Greer finally observed, “Well, if it’s not physical, maybe it’s mental.”

“Come again Doc?” Heather asked.

“Maybe the problem isn’t an illness or injury,” Dr. Greer suggested.  “Its probable, that what we are dealing with is something mental or emotional.  How long has Wilbur been here?”

“Wilbur’s been with us for almost two years now,” Dr. Phillips answered.  

“Hmmm,” Dr. Greer said thoughtfully as he started scratching his head again.

“What is it Doc?” Greg asked.

“I can’t say for sure,” Dr. Greer responded, “but he could be lonely.”

The group exchanged puzzled glances before Heather asked, “Are you serious Doc?”

“It is a possibility,” Dr. Greer said.

“It does make some sense,” Dr. Phillips added.  “Walrus’ do travel in family units and some scientists believe that they mate for life.  That’s why some of the other parks have a pair of walrus’, one male and one female.  I think you may be on to something Doc.”

“That’s great, but what do we do about it?” Greg asked.  “We can’t run down to the local pet store and get a female walrus.”

“Why don’t we call the other parks and see if they’ll let us borrow one of their females?” Heather asked hopefully.

“Not a good idea,” Dr. Phillips responded.  “If they do mate for life, the female will reject Wilbur and might attack him.  Besides, the other parks would never give up any animal, due to the fact that they might never get it back.”

The group stood quietly in thought pondering their options.

“Can’t we just get a new one?” Heather asked.  “I mean, they’re not an endangered species, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find a female.”

“That’s a good idea,” Dr. Greer answered.  “The only problem is that it would take at least a month to find, capture and transport a female here.  I don’t think Wilbur can last that long.”

“How about…” Greg started.  “Naw, you’ll think it’s weird.”

“We need all the options we can get Greg,” Dr. Greer said.  “What’s your idea?”

“What if we made a female walrus for Wilbur?” Greg said shyly.  The rest of the group just stared at him with strange expressions on their faces.  “I mean, if we made a fake female for him and loaded her up with pheromones, wouldn’t he think she was real?”

“That’s weird Greg,” Heather said.

“It’s worth a shot,” Dr. Phillips responded.  “What do we have to lose?  It might just buy us some time.  Greg and Heather, get to work on making Wilbur’s friend and Dr. Greer and I will work on getting some pheromones from one of the other parks and see about getting a real mate for Wilbur.”


It took Greg and Heather two days to make the fake female.  By the time they got it finished, the pheromones had arrived from the San Diego park.  Wilbur’s friend was ready to go, and not a moment too soon.  Wilbur had not eaten in four days and hadn’t gone in the water for over 24 hours now.  Greg and Heather took turns hosing him down so his skin wouldn’t dry out.

“You two did a nice job on her,” Dr. Greer stated.  “She looks pretty real.”

“Let’s hope Wilbur thinks she’s real,” Dr. Phillips added.

“Well, we’ll never find out until we try,” Dr. Greer said.  “Let’s soak her in pheromones and bring her in through the service tank and see what Wilbur thinks of her.”

The group worked in silence, preparing the phony female for her debut.  It was decided that it would be best if nobody were in the tank with the doll and Wilbur.  If he did think it was a real female, he might attack anyone else to protect her.  Also, if he realized it was a fake, he would probably attack anyway.  

The moment was upon them as the phony female was pushed through the service tank gate.  It didn’t take long for her to float into the tank.  The group stood in an anxious silence, waiting for Wilbur to react.  

A couple of tense minutes later, Wilbur detected the pheromones in the air.  He turned his massive head in the direction of the doll and inhaled noisily.  With his curiosity aroused, Wilbur dove into the pool and swam slowly toward the floating phony female.  Wilbur circled a couple of times before diving to the bottom of the tank.

“Do you think he’s buying it?” Heather asked hopefully.

Before anyone could answer, Wilbur swam quickly toward the phony female and viciously attacked it.  Ripping it to shreds in a matter of minutes.

“So much for that idea,” Dr. Phillips said sadly.

“Any news on getting a new female?” Greg asked.

“Yes, and its bad I’m afraid,” Dr. Phillips said.  “Due to pressure from environmental groups, no new animals will be caught and transported to any park for the remainder of this year.”

“Well what do we do now?” Heather asked.  “We can’t just let Wilbur die.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Dr. Greer said calmly.  “We’ll just have to keep looking for a solution.”

The rest of the day was spent looking for a solution with no success.  The only solution looked to be releasing Wilbur back into the wild.  That solution was not readily accepted, due to the fact that Wilbur might not be able to adapt to life back into the wild.  The one thing nobody wanted to do was undertake a course of action that could possibly harm Wilbur.


The next morning, Dr. Phillips, Heather and Greg were busily discussing options when Dr. Greer walked into the room followed by a small, Asian man wearing wire-rimmed glasses.

“I think we have found a possible solution to our problem,” Dr. Greer said triumphantly.

The small group exchanged puzzled looks for a couple of seconds before Dr. Phillips asked, “Well, don’t keep us in suspense Doc.  What is it?”

“This is Dr. Henry Pak,” Dr. Greer stated as he put his hand on Dr. Pak’s shoulder.  “Not only is Dr. Pak my next door neighbor, but he is the one who came up with a possible solution.”

“That’s great,” Heather exclaimed.  

“Yeah,” Greg added.  “We could use the advice of another zoologist.”

“Dr. Pak isn’t a zoologist,” Dr. Greer corrected.

“He isn’t?” Heather asked.  “What kind of doctor are you?”

“I’m a doctor of robotics,” Dr. Pak said proudly.

The small group exchanged confused glances before Dr. Phillips asked, “No offense doctor, but how can you help Wilbur?”

“Why don’t we all sit down and Dr. Pak and I will explain our plan,” Dr. Greer said as he directed everyone to the small conference table.

“Last night, my wife and I attended a neighborhood barbeque at Dr. Pak’s house,” Dr. Greer began.  “It didn’t take Henry long to notice that my mind was elsewhere.  We began talking and Henry mentioned a possible, if not interesting, solution.”

“As you all know now, I am a doctor of robotics,” Dr. Pak began.  “Specializing in nanotechnology.”

“Nanotechnology?” Greg asked.

“Simply put, nanotechnology involves using near microscopic robots to do performed tasks,” Dr. Pak said.  “These robots work together using the materials at hand, in most cases their own bodies, and converting them to help achieve their purpose.  These tiny robots are commonly referred to as nanites.”

“Pardon me doctor,” Dr. Phillips interrupted.  “But how are nanites going to help with our problem?”

“A fair question,” Dr. Pak answered.  “Dr. Greer told me about the failure of the, what did you call it Ryan?  Wilbur’s love doll?  Well, that sparked an idea.  I have been working with nanites in assisting humans to explore previously inaccessible areas, primarily, in the depths of the oceans.  Naturally, people can use submarines, but they are limited in the capabilities of gathering information.  I believe that there is nothing like first-hand observations.  That is why we have created nano-collars.”

“Nano-collars?” Dr. Phillips asked.

“A nano-collar contains millions of nanites,” Dr. Pak explained.  “That, when activated, spread out to cover a diver’s body to protect them from the pressures, cold and hazards of the ocean depths.  They also allow the diver to be able to breathe comfortably, for a limited time, underwater.  Originally, the nano-collars were programmed to take the diver’s form.  But early on, we noticed that while the nanites were effective, they frightened off all indigenous wildlife.  So, we altered the nanites programming to take the form of whatever indigenous wildlife we chose.  Naturally, the animal being emulated had to be of the approximated size of the diver.”

“What exactly are you suggesting doctor?” Dr. Phillips asked.

“Dr. Greer and I both feel that the “phony female” approach you tried was a good start, but it didn’t go far enough,” Dr. Pak explained.  “What we propose is that a diver enters the tank wearing a nano-collar that is programmed to emulate the form of a female walrus.”

“Wilbur wasn’t fooled by our doll,” Greg said.  “What makes you think he’ll be fooled by a person in a robotic walrus suit?”

“Yeah,” Heather added.  “The way Wilbur attacked the last phony female, he could really injure the person in the nano-collar.”

“A valid question,” Dr. Pak began.  “The diver in the nano-collar will be able to move in the water, just like a real walrus.  From what Dr. Greer tells me, your phony female didn’t move.  That is probably why Wilbur wasn’t fooled.”

“I agree,” Dr. Phillips added.  “But there is more to it than just being able to move like a walrus.”

“Yes,” Dr. Pak responded.  “I believe you speak about pheromones.  The nanites can also be programmed to emit the same pheromones as a real female walrus.  Not only that, but the nanites will even feel like the hide of a walrus.”

“From what Dr. Pak tells me,” Dr. Greer said, “the nano-collar will work.”

“But what if it doesn’t work?” Dr. Phillips asked skeptically.

“That’s why,” Dr. Greer began, “I want to put the diver in the nano-collar into Wilbur’s secondary tank to start with.  That way, Wilbur will be able to observe and smell the diver, but won’t be able to attack.  If Wilbur gets agitated, we try something else.  If he reacts positively, we then move the diver into the main tank.”

“Sounds like you two have really thought this out,” Dr. Phillips observed.

“We were up till about three in the morning discussing it,” Dr. Greer said.  “So what do you think?  Should we give it a try?”

“What have we got to lose?” Greg asked.

“It’s worth a try,” Heather added.

“Alright,” Dr. Phillips answered.  “Let’s do it.  How long before a nano-collar can be ready Dr. Pak?”

“We can have one ready by tomorrow morning,” Dr. Pak answered.

“The only question left to answer,” Dr. Greer said, “is who wears the collar?  We obvious can’t put a diver in the tank that knows nothing about how a walrus moves and acts.  Any volunteers?”

Dr. Phillips slowly rose from her seat and said, “Wilbur’s my responsibility, and so I’ll take the risk.”

“Are you sure Dr. Phillips?” Greg asked.  “I can do it.”

“No Greg,” Dr. Phillips said.  “I won’t put anyone at risk.  I will wear the collar.”

“Alright then,” Dr. Greer said happily.  “Then let’s get things ready.”


The next morning, Dr. Phillips, Dr. Greer, Greg and Heather all gather around Wilbur’s tank.  Wilbur’s condition has not improved.  He is still refusing to eat or exercise.  None thought it possible, but Wilbur actually looked thinner.

Everyone was somber when Dr. Pak entered the area carrying, what looked like, a small metal briefcase.  Setting the case down on a table, Dr. Pak said, “Well, is everyone ready?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Dr. Phillips answered.  With that, Dr. Phillips began removing her Sea World sweat suit, revealing her blue and green one-piece swimsuit.

“Umm, I think that I forgot to mention something,” Dr. Pak said sheepishly.  “The person who wears the nano-collar can not be wearing anything.  That includes clothing and jewelry.”

“Why?” Dr. Phillips asked a little too loudly.

Dr. Pak cleared his throat before answering, “Well, the nanites convert all non-living matter into materials it can use to accomplish their goal.  I’m afraid that if you don’t remove your bathing suit now, it won’t be there when you come out of the tank.  Also, the nanites transmit sensations of what they feel directly into your body.  That is why you will be able to feel the sensations of temperature and pressure.  Not only that, but they will allow you to see and breathe comfortably underwater”

“Greg and I will leave,” Dr. Greer said.  “Just let us back in before you go into the tank.”

“That’s okay,” Dr. Phillips said calmly.  “I’m not embarrassed.”  With that Dr. Phillips calmly removed her bathing suit and jewelry.  Even though she was in her mid-thirties, Dr. Phillips had the body of a much younger woman, mainly because she would run up to five miles and swim over a mile everyday.  She stood almost six feet tall with muscular arms and legs, short brown hair and hazel eyes.  Dr. Phillips was many things, but shy was not one of them.  “Alright, what do I do now?”

Trying to hide his embarrassment, and not succeeding very well, Dr. Pak opened the case and removed the nano-collar.  It was a marvel of technology.  The collar itself was nearly eight inches of width and having roughly the same circumference as a bowling bowl.  It’s polished silver surface reflected brightly in the fluorescent lights.

“That’s it huh?” Dr. Phillips stated.

“Yup,” Dr. Pak said shyly.

“How does it work?” Heather asked.  “I don’t see any robots.”

“The nanites are housed within the collar,” Dr. Pak explained.  “When activated, they cover the diver’s body and, utilizing compressed air and their own bodies, expand to assume the shape desired.”  Removing a lap top computer from the metal case, Dr. Pak continued, “I control the nanites with this.  I can monitor their progress, adjust their programming as needed and transmit the shut down command.”  

With that, he handed the nano-collar to Dr. Phillips.  “What do I do now?” she asked.

“Seeing as a walrus is not a biped,” Dr. Pak began.  “You should lay down at the edge of the tank and place the collar around your neck.  I do suggest that until the nanites are completed with the transformation, that you try not to move.”

“Will I be able to communicate with you once the nanites are finished?” Dr. Phillips asked.

“Yes,” Dr. Pak said as he powered up the lap top computer.  “The nanites will allow you to speak normally.  Just so you know, when your lips move, so will the lips of your walrus form.”

“Weird,” Greg said.

“Well, here goes nothing,” Dr. Phillips said bolstering her courage.  “Whenever you’re ready Dr. Pak.”

As Dr. Phillips laid down at the edge of Wilbur’s secondary tank, thoughts began to race through her head.  “Why am I doing this?  Am I nuts?  This is crazy!  I’m about to be put into a robot walrus suit where I will basically be a walrus.”  Turning her head in Wilbur’s direction, she muttered, “You better appreciate this Wilbur.”

Dr. Pak sat down at a nearby desk and accessed the nano-collar’s program as Dr. Greer, Greg and Heather stood behind him and intently watched the screen.  Dr. Pak’s fingers moved quickly across the keyboard.  Nothing on the laptop’s screen looked familiar to Dr. Greer, Greg and Heather, until the screen showed the image of a walrus and an image of a human female.  A single window opened in the middle of the screen that simply read, “Activate? Y or N.”

Looking up from the laptop, Dr. Pak turned to the others and said, “Here we go.  You might want to watch Dr. Phillips.  The screen won’t show the change, just how the process is going.”

“How long will this take?” Dr. Greer asked.

Dr. Pak thought for a second before answering, “It depends on the size the suit needs to be.  In this case, it should take about ten minutes.”

Dr. Phillips’ friends walked slowly to the edge of the tank and waited.  “Here we go,” Dr. Pak said calmly as he pressed the “Y” key.

Dr. Phillips closed her eyes in expectation of the change.  The first thing Dr. Phillips felt startled her.  She expected the nanites to feel like spiders crawling over her body, but strangely enough, it felt like someone was draping a soft blanket over her body.  The sensation was oddly relaxing.  The really odd thing was that she could feel the nanites moving under her body.

The observers stared as, what looked like a silken, silver sheet grew from the collar to cover Dr. Phillips body.  Everyone was amazed at the speed the nanites moved.  “How can something that small move so fast?” Greg asked quietly.

“Miracles of modern science,” Dr. Greer answered without taking his eyes off his colleague and friend.

The next thing Dr. Phillips felt was a strange pressure building up within the suit as soon as it had covered her entire body.  “What’s happening now?” she thought to herself.

Once the suit had completely covered Dr. Phillip’s body, it had begun to expand slowly, just like a large balloon.  The small group watched intently as the suit began to expand.  After several minutes, the group began to notice the suit was actually taking the shape of a walrus.  Dr. Phillips arms and hands lost all distinction and formed long, flat flippers.

“I hate to disturb you doctor,” Heather said tentatively.  “But a walrus’ flippers aren’t that long.”

“Don’t worry,” Dr. Pak said calmly.  “As the nanites expand around the torso, the flippers will take on normal proportions.”

Inside the suit, Dr. Phillips was very relaxed.  It could even be said that she was enjoying the transformation.  The nanites were warm against her skin and their movements combined with the air pressure building up inside the suit felt like she was getting a massage all over her body.

Just like Dr. Pak said, the nanites around the torso had expanded, shortening Dr. Phillip’s flippers.  Greg was the first to notice that the nanites around Dr. Phillip’s feet had begun to form the hind flippers of a walrus.  “Whoa,” was all he could say as the change unfolded in front of his eyes.

Heather was equally fascinated by the changes happening to her mentor and friend, but what caught her attention was the changing to Dr. Phillips face.  She could only stare as Dr. Phillip’s face lost all definition.  Her cheeks and upper lip swelled to form a round, jowly muzzle.  Where once were human ears, all Heather could see now was a small hole.  She shook her head in disbelief.  The nanites even formed whiskers on Dr. Phillip’s upper lips.  The process was simply unbelievable.

It took four more minutes before the nanites had finished their work.  When they did, where once laid the form of Dr. Stephanie Phillips now was a large female walrus.

“The nanites are finished,” Dr. Pak announce proudly without looking up from the computer’s screen.

“I don’t think so doc,” Greg said pointing in the direction of the tank.  “I know I’m not as smart as you, but I know that a walrus isn’t silver.”

When Dr. Pak looked up, his cheeks turned red in embarrassment.  “Don’t worry.  This is easy to fix.  By altering the nanites programming, I can actually change their color.  Watch.”

The group stared as the silver walrus turned a deep blue.  “Incredible,” is all Dr. Greer could say.

Dr. Pak type a few more commands on the keyboard and the nanites took on the dull brown color commonly associated with a female walrus.

The small group walked slowly up to the still form of the female walrus.  Each one carefully examining every inch, looking for some flaw and finding none.  “If I didn’t know better,” Greg said slowly, “I would swear this is a real walrus.”

“Stephanie, can you hear me?” Dr. Greer asked cautiously.

The walrus’ eyes blinked several times before opening fully.  “Is it over already?” Dr. Phillips said lazily, her voice sounding odd coming from the lips of a walrus.  “I was really enjoying that.  You wouldn’t believe how relaxing that was.”  

“Can you see and hear us clearly?” Dr. Pak asked.

Dr. Phillips slowly lifted her head and looked around slowly.  “Yeah,” she answered.  “I can see and hear you fine.”

Greg tentatively placed a hand on Dr. Phillip’s now bloated back.  “Whoa.  This feels just like Walrus hide.”

“It should,” Dr. Pak responded.  “The nanites can easily duplicate any texture.”

Slowly, the rest of the small group placed their hands on Dr. Phillips form to see for themselves how she felt.  “I can feel every movement.”  Dr. Phillips said.

“Like I said earlier,” Dr. Pak began, “the nanites transmit the sensation of touch directly to your own body.  Pretty cool, huh?  Can you move comfortably?”

In response to Dr. Pak’s question, Dr. Phillips lifted her head and looked around as far as she could.  She then lifted both of her front flippers then slapped her hind flippers on the damp cement.  “Everything seems to be working fine,” she answered.  She tried to move forward, but only managed to fall on her ponderous chest.

“Easy does it Dr. Phillips,” Dr. Pak advised.  “Remember, you can’t move like you used to.  You can only move like a walrus.  Think how Wilbur moves on land, then try to do the same movements.”

Dr. Phillips thought for a minute before attempting to move.  She had seen Wilbur move on land hundreds of times, but she was having a hard time convincing her body to move in that way.  She slowly moved her tail flippers up and under her body and lifted her head above her body, balancing with her front flippers.  She closed her eyes in concentration and pushed off with both her front and rear flippers simultaneously.  To her credit, she managed to move forward almost a foot, but as she landed she fell right on her face.

“Dr. Phillips are you okay,” Heather asked, the concern showing in her voice as she ran to her side.

“I’m okay,” she said as she raised her front half up on her front flippers.  “I’m just not used to moving like this.  The one thing I can’t believe is how easy it is to move being this size.”

“Even though you have the proportions of a real walrus, you don’t have the weight,” Dr. Pak said calmly.

Dr. Phillips practiced moving around on land for several minutes before finally getting comfortable in her new form.  “I think I’m ready for the next stage in the test.  I assume I swim like a walrus, but how do I breathe under water?”

“You will only be able to breathe under water for about five minutes at a time,” Dr. Pak explained.  “The nanites will need to replenish the breathable air.  Now to breathe, just breathe normally through your nose.  The nose is the only orifice that isn’t directly relayed with the nanites.  If you tried to breathe with your mouth, you’d probably drown.”

“Are you sure you want to try this Dr. Phillips?” Dr. Greer asked.

“I’ve come this far, might as well go all the way.” Dr. Phillips responded.  With that, she moved her bulky form to the water’s edge.

“Remember, breathe through your nose, not your mouth,” Dr. Pak advised.

Dr. Phillips closed her eyes, took a deep breath and launched her body into the cool water in the tank.  The resulting splash sent water flying in all directions, inadvertently soaking Greg and Heather.

“Hey, watch it Doc,” Greg shouted.

But Dr. Phillips couldn’t hear him; the thrill of moving through the water in her new form was exhilarating.  Unlike her first attempts at moving on land, Dr. Phillips easily swam and maneuvered in the pool.  After several minutes of diving, turning and somersaulting in the water, Dr. Phillip’s walrus head broke the surface of the water.

“This is incredible,” she exclaimed.  “It’s amazing how easily I can move in here.”

“That’s great Dr. Phillips,” Heather said, “because you have company.”

Spinning around, Dr. Phillips noticed that Wilbur was in the main tank and staring at her intently.  Turning to Dr. Greer, Dr. Phillips asked, “What do you think?  Is it safe to go in the main tank?”

Dr. Greer watched Wilbur for several seconds before answering.  “He doesn’t look agitated to me.  I think its safe, but just in case.  If he starts to act violent towards you, swim as fast as you can into the secondary tank and we’ll shut the door behind you.”

“Let’s do it,” Dr. Phillips responded.

Wilbur didn’t know what to make of the female swimming in his other tank.  She looked, smelled and moved like his kind, but she made strange noises.  His primitive brain strained to comprehend why this female was sounding like the strange creatures that walked on two legs.  But that didn’t trouble him for long.  The thought of a potential mate made him forget such questions.

As the gate to the secondary tank opened, Wilbur swam to the far side of the main tank.  Dr. Phillips swan slowly into the main tank, never taking her eyes off Wilbur.  He seemed calm enough, but Dr. Phillips never forgot that she was in his world now.

Slowly, Wilbur swan closer to examine the new female.  Her smell was intoxicating and her body looked as if it could bear Wilbur many offspring.  

Wilbur slowly swam closer to rub himself beside her.  Not knowing what to expect, Dr. Phillips flinched and moved several feet away before she realized what she had done.  But Wilbur would not be deterred.  He swam closer, this time Dr. Phillips willed her body to stay still.  She felt Wilbur’s rough hide rub up against her.  She didn’t move.

Even though the contact only lasted a couple of seconds, Wilbur realized that this female was his.  When she moved away at first he thought he would be denied a mate, but when she let Wilbur rub his scent on her, he knew she would be his.  Wilbur was overjoyed.  He hadn’t been so happy since coming to this new small ocean.  He began to swim excitedly around the tank, leaping out of the water and crashing his bulk down on the surface, sending waves of water in all directions.

“I think he likes her,” Dr. Greer observed.   “Dr. Phillips, how do you feel?”

“I’m okay,” she replied.  “I don’t know what I did, but whatever it was I think he likes it.”

Wilbur couldn’t contain his joy.  He swam fast and continued to leap out of the water.  The resulting splash sent a torrent of water out of the tank and drenched Dr. Pak and his equipment.  His laptop sparked and smoked as the salt water entered its sensitive systems.  In less than ten seconds, the laptop’s systems crashed and the screen went black.

“No!” Dr. Pak squealed.  “No, no, no, no.”

“What’s the matter Henry?” Dr. Greer asked.

“The salt water from that last splash crashed the system.” Dr. Pak exclaimed frantically as he tried to reboot the system.  “I can’t control the nanites.”

“Is Dr. Phillips in danger?” Heather asked.

“For the moment, no,” Dr. Pak replied.  “The nanites will execute their programming until they are told to stop.  The problem is, that without my laptop, I can’t turn them off.”

Through Wilbur’s splashing, Dr. Phillips noticed the small group talking excitedly at the edge of the tank.  Momentarily forgetting about Wilbur, she swam to the edge of the pool.  She flung her front flippers and massive head over the edge of the tank and asked, “Is something wrong?”

Dr. Greer slowly walked to the edge of the tank and in soft, even tones, explained to Dr. Phillips what had happened.  In response to the horrid news, Dr. Phillips raised her head and screamed.

The scream from the female alerted Wilbur to a yet unseen danger.  He noticed that a two-leg walker was close to his female.  Wilbur realized that the two-leg walker was threatening his mate.  It took Wilbur only a matter of seconds to cross the tank and to be next to his new mate.  He raised his head out of the water and growled a warning to the intruder.

“Easy big fella,” Dr. Greer said as he backed away from the tank.  “I didn’t hurt her.  I was only talking to her.”

As Dr. Greer began to move closer to Dr. Phillips, Wilbur sucked icy cold water into his mouth and spit it in Dr. Greer’s face.

“I get the picture,” Dr. Greer said as he wiped his face with his hands.  “I’ll keep my distance.”

“What am I supposed to do?” Dr. Phillips asked excitedly.

“First thing you should do is try to remain calm,” Dr. Pak said.  “By screaming and yelling, you’re showing Wilbur that you’re in some kind of danger.”

“Easy for you to say,” Dr. Phillips exclaimed.  “You’re not stuck in a walrus’ body!”

“Don’t worry,” Dr. Pak said calmly.  “I can have a new laptop programmed and ready to go by morning.”

“What am I supposed to do until then?” Dr. Phillips asked.

“Try and relax,” Dr. Greer said.  “It looks like Wilbur won’t hurt you.  In the mean time, Dr. Pak will get a new laptop out here and get everything straightened out.”

“Don’t worry Dr. Phillips,” Heather said sympathetically.  “We’ll all stay with you until Dr. Pak gets a new computer.”

Wilbur couldn’t understand what the two leg walkers were saying to his new mate, but one thing was for sure, he wouldn’t leave the side of his new mate for anything.  He would kill anyone who tried to take her away from him.