“By what method do we tell half-souls and quarter-souls apart?”
“I asked my father this very question; he told me that spirituality and creativity in an individual has a physical element, but he couldn’t give me a description. He said aggression has a different quality, but again he couldn’t elaborate. Maybe it’s bullshit.”
“Bullshit?”
Harry looked confused. “Is that the wrong thing to say? Darlen said it’s common English usage.”
Laurel laughed. “It’s fine. It’s amusing to hear you say it.” Laurel noticed their private conversation was starting to attract attention. A glance at Harry alerted him to the fact, and he immediately changed tack.
“Speaking of language,” Harry held out a tiny device, no bigger than a pinhead on the tip of his finger. “This is a Fobel node. If I insert it at the base of your skull, it will help you make sense of Seera, which is our basic language. It’s harmless and used in children all over the galaxy. It degrades over a few months. Xavier has one.”
Harry administered the node by the simple act of reaching forward and touching her behind the ear. Laurel felt nothing but the pressure of his finger.
“See,” he smiled, “easy.” Then he held up a small gold ring. “This is a Triconomic Interface. Triconomy is the process of interacting with technology; flying, weaponry, use of medical technology. It also allows remote monitoring of location and life signs.”
Laurel stopped him. Her involvement in the war wasn’t a given. “Isn’t this a bit premature? Shouldn’t it wait until we get more information from Canon Akkuh and after we agree to be involved?”
Judging by the flush that came over Harry’s fair complexion, he thought the same. “I agree, but Canon Akkuh decrees it has to be implanted here and now. You can refuse...”
“Has Xavier got one of these as well as the node?”
“Yes, it fits onto your little finger.”
Why resist? Laurel held out her hand. The ring fitted between the first and second knuckle. It didn’t appear to be a secure position for such a comprehensive device, but even as the thought surfaced, the ring tightened, and a sharp sting hit her knuckle, the pain dragging a sudden “Ooww,” from Laurel. Her eyes widened. “I’m dizzy!”
“It’s the Triconomy effect,” Harry placed his hand on her shoulder and called over one of the hovering assistance globes in case Laurel passed out. “The interface is having a quick sort through your neurons and rearranging the furniture in your brain; it’ll pass in a second.”
“I should have asked if it was dangerous before I let you put it on.”
Harry showed her his hand; a similar device was attached to his finger. “They’re not harmful. Each interface is calibrated in accordance with your clearance. Your NTI will allow you to pilot any ship, use weaponry, interface with optic fields and give us your location even when we can’t see you. It will communicate with your base commander if something catastrophic befalls you.” Seeing Laurel recovered from her moment of light-headedness, Harry brushed away the assistance globe.
“I guess that’s why you just wave a finger and instruments pop out of nowhere?”
“That’s it. But I have added clearances.”
A flurry of activity behind them caused them both to glance around.
“I have to finish up here, Laurel,” Harry said. “I know you have more questions and that I have told you so little. Tell the others anything you think appropriate or wait until the Canon debriefs you tomorrow. After that, I’ll be free to discuss anything you wish.”
“I think you are placing too much faith in us, Harry. Only Xavier appears to manifest the skills you’ve gone to such great lengths to acquire.”
“I have to believe this plan will work, Laurel. Eli and Chloe were a little unexpected, but you will need to make a decision. Be assured; whatever you decide, I’ll support you.”
He held her arm as the examination couch made a gradual tilt; she could still feel it behind her knees as her feet contacted the floor. Once she was established and standing securely, the couch dissolved into particles that disappeared in an anticlockwise spiral into the centre of the blue circle. Laurel watched in fascination.
“I think you will find your new world interesting, Laurel,” Harry said, amused by her awe.
“I hope you’re right, Harry. Perhaps once we learn what you expect of us, you’ll know if we were worth the price you paid.”
He gave her a strange smile, and she had a sudden understanding. It didn’t matter if they agreed to help or not. They would never be returned to Earth, to their lives. Laurel held his gaze. “Perhaps it is us who have paid the price,” she said softly.
Harry stepped back without another word, and she watched him hurry away. She trusted him; there was no lie, no trickery, and she believed him to be sincere, possibly mistaken in his confidence in her, in them all, but sincere nonetheless.
Chapter 10
Laurel arrived back at the apartment to find Chloe and Helen missing. Xavier still hadn’t returned.
“What happened?” Marta jumped out of her seat, searching Laurel’s face, squeezing her arm, as if testing her to make sure she was real. Up to now, Marta seemed so controlled; being separated from the others clearly rattled her.
“Nothing worrying,” Laurel assured her. “Asde took me to a medical facility, and they gave me the once-over with incredible instrumentation. I’ve never seen anything like it! The examination couch appears out of nowhere, and it’s made of—lights or holograms or something. It turns out Commander Harry is a doctor. He assured me Xavier was fine and would come back,” she looked around, “he didn’t mention Helen and Chloe. Look,” she held up her hand, “this is a neural interface. And he placed a node in my skull to help assimilate the language, Laurel laughed. “It’s a medical Disneyland up there!”
“But did they hurt you?” Marta brushed aside the medical marvels. “Did you ask questions?”
“I’m not hurt, and I did ask questions. Harry’s father came from Earth as a slave. He didn’t go into detail, but he did volunteer some information. Harry spoke of an invasion and that they needed our help; apparently those abilities we’re supposed to have will help them identify their enemies. Harry’s under orders not to disclose too much until Canon Akkuh briefs us. He mentioned Chloe and Eli were a little unexpected but again; he didn’t elaborate. I think things will start happening soon.”
“There may be merit in letting it sink in before they bombard us with more,” Marta huffed out her breath in relief at seeing her friend unharmed.
Laurel glanced over at Eli. He sat bolt upright, listening. “It’s OK, Eli. They won’t harm you. I believe we can trust them.” Laurel sat on the couch opposite him, ready to answer questions about her experience if he wished to open up, but he just locked eyes with her and once again, to her mind came a picture of a lonely and abandoned child. Eli was the first to break the contact before leaning back, dismissing her.
“I saw something pass between you and Eli,” Marta said when Laurel returned. “He’s sad. I’m not sure how they’re going to deal with him.”
“More than sad. I think he feels hopeless,” Laurel glanced back at Eli, he had his eyes closed. “And empty.”
“He lets no-one in. It’s not easy to like him.”
“Defence mechanisms, Marta, but these people are highly advanced. Perhaps they can help him.”
After their shared moment, Eli accepted a beaker of coffee from Laurel, even receiving a grudging “thanks” when she approached him. Later, he requested food from the dispenser and Laurel was happy to see he ate everything. Laurel took it as a sign he was accepting the situation; learning to trust his companions would come soon.
Marta and Laurel exchanged stories of their lives, their work, talked about their hobbies and speculated on their situation, but as time passed, they wondered at their friends’ continued absence. Just as Laurel decided to contact Harry, the door opened, and Helen entered, again on the hovering gurn
ey, her face ashen. Asde and a woman, dressed in the same dark blue uniform Harry wore in the med bay, and who Laurel guessed was a physician, were in close attendance, but Asde’s infectiously happy grin instantly dissipated much of their concern. He drew water from the dispenser, then knelt beside Helen, gently encouraging her to drink and holding the cup until she stopped shaking.
“She say come back,” Asde smiled up at Laurel and Marta from his position beside Helen. “Abrig,” he pointed to the woman, “she say, stay, stay, and Helen say ‘no’,” he raised his hands to mimic Helen’s refusal. “She say, ‘fine’.”
At the mention of her name, the woman smiled at Marta and Laurel.
“What happened?” Laurel asked, because to her, Helen looked anything but fine. Her eyes were as round as saucers, and her cheeks pinched and pale.
Helen shook her head. “They didn’t hurt me. I laid on a bed that wasn’t there but popped out of the floor and she…” Helen nodded to the woman at her side, “took a picture of me on a kind of TV using a panel that flew up and down my body. She’s really nice,” she smiled at Abrig. “It wasn’t sinister or scary. I looked for Chloe, but I couldn’t see her, and when I asked, they said she was alright, but I’m not sure they understood.”
“I got the same from Commander Harry about Xavier, but he’s not here.” Laurel gestured to the gurney. “Did they find something wrong?”
Helen brought her feet to the side and made a shaky attempt to stand, Asde and Abrig either side of her, but she looked to be recovering. They helped her to a couch, and Laurel and Marta sat with Helen between them, waiting for an explanation.
“When they did that scan thing,” Helen explained with liberal use of hand gestures, “two new doctors came over, and they chatted in that funny language we can’t understand. Then Commander Harry appeared, to translate I supposed, but he’s a doctor too, and he told me I had ovarian cancer, in its late stages.”
“Oh my God!” Marta’s hand flew to her mouth, and Laurel gasped in dismay.
Helen shook her head to reassure them. “No, no, they fixed it. Then and there. It’s gone. I can’t believe it. I got so jumpy when they told me. Afterwards, I asked Harry if he thought I might recover better back here with you, and he agreed.”
“They cured it?”
Helen snapped her fingers. “Yes, Marta, just like that.”
Marta was still getting over her shock when Asde beckoned to her and Eli. Marta followed Asde, still in awed silence and surprisingly, Eli complied without a word. Abrig checked Helen once more, then followed Asde from the room. Marta glanced nervously behind as the door folded closed and Laurel gave her a reassuring smile.
Helen held Laurel’s hand. “I can’t believe that hospital, Laurel,” she said when they were alone. “Have you ever seen anything like it?”
“Never. There’s nothing like it on Earth.”
“I’ve got no doubts about where we are any more,” Helen sounded determined. “We’re definitely in space, not dreaming or imagining it. I only wish I knew why.”
“Harry spoke of war,” Laurel said. “Canon Akkuh will explain it to us soon. Apparently, Eli and Chloe surprised them, but I don’t know what that surprise is. These people have skills that extend beyond any researcher’s wildest dreams, so they can see things we can’t.”
“Absolutely, but I wish the others would hurry and come back, I feel incomplete. I hope they don’t split us up,” Helen looked across at the empty couch in the corner of the room. “I guess I wouldn’t miss Eli.”
“I had a moment with him while you were away,” Laurel said. “Marta felt it too. Don’t give up on him, Helen, they may work their magic on him as well.”
“I hope so; he’s terminally unpleasant.”
A smiling Chloe returned a few hours later. Laurel and Helen noticed Asde holding her hand as he supported her.
“You look happier, Chloe.”
“I’m okay, Laurel, they said you’d watch for any signs of problems.”
Helen and Laurel looked at each other.
“Me? Why?”
“Because you’re a nurse.”
“They cured Helen of cancer. I doubt I’ve got any skills to match theirs.”
“Probably not, but Harry told me not to worry, and Asde says I’ll see him lots,” she smiled up at Asde and it occurred to Laurel that Chloe and Helen were of similar height and slight build, neither of them endowed with the physique of a fighter. “I feel better,” Chloe said. “Not so scared.”
Chloe’s transformation was nothing short of miraculous. Smiling and positive, she was not the weeping, frightened child Laurel remembered from the morning.
Eli returned next, subdued and silent, but in clear contrast to his earlier pointedly belligerent self. Laurel wondered if he’d played up and got anaesthetised. He sat with the others at the table but didn’t join in the discussion or give them any information about his medical check. Entirely opposite to Marta who returned delighted.
“I can’t believe it. I wish we had champagne!” She paused in the doorway, tense with excitement.
“Why?” Chloe, Laurel and Helen chorused together.
“That scan found cells accumulating in my brain,” she pointed to an area above her ear, “an acoustic tumour, only just starting, but they stopped it.”
“You didn’t know?”
“No idea, Laurel, but it was in the early stages, so I suppose I wouldn’t have had symptoms. It would have been a crap end to a crap life.”
“These people are incredible,” Helen shook her head in disbelief. “What could we possibly have to offer them?”
“That’s easy; we offer them ourselves.” They looked up at the sudden interruption. Xavier stood at the door. When he left, Xavier was stooped, his gait shuffling and his wispy white hair stuck up like cotton balls on the top of his head, his rheumy eyes peeping out from under drooping eyelids, and he didn’t have a tooth in his head.
But this renewed version was not the Xavier who’d left with Asde hours earlier. The stoop gone, he now stood straight and proud. The skin on his face and neck was tightened, and his eyes wide and bright. He also had a mouthful of teeth. For a man in his eighties, he looked suspiciously like a sprightly man of no more than sixty.
“I don’t believe it!” Laurel held out her hands to him, laughing.
“This society is advanced in their technology,” Xavier said, taking her hand and allowing her to draw him to the table. “I know they cured Helen of cancer and Marta of her troubles.” He turned to Eli, “Tell us about your cure.”
“Nothing to tell.”
Precisely the answer Xavier expected, but he wouldn’t be deterred. “I understand they have plans for you?”
The comment aroused Eli’s interest, but he tried not to show it. “Do they?” he mumbled, “What plans?”
“I’m not sure, but four military types watched your readings on monitors or whatever they call them here; they looked mighty satisfied. I don’t think they were doctors.”
Eli clearly remembered little of his time in the medical facility, but Xavier’s words lit a spark. His expression shifted from a mask of unapproachability to one of puzzled thought. But he didn’t make further comment.
“You look amazing, Xavier,” Laurel said, stunned by Xavier’s transformation. “Tell us everything. What did you mean when you said ‘ourselves’?”
“I mean they need us to help win this war.”
Laurel nodded, “Harry told me. He said Canon Akkuh is going to brief us. Did he tell you anything else?”
“Only that slavery has been forbidden here for generations. There’s a threat from outside, from beyond some nebula or something, I’m not sure exactly what this nebula consists of, but the enemy invaded one planet, and now they’re trying to subdue another. Harry made a convincing argument for our help. No-one in the League, apart from Harry’s father, is empathic.”
“I’m not either,” Helen said.
“I think you might be,” Xavier
smiled at her, “anyway, Canon Akkuh and Commander Harry will give us the full story. We are different to the other humans here, only six of us, seven if you include Harry’s father who is, by all accounts ancient, and won’t be involved. We must trust and have faith in these people and ourselves.”
“Did Darlen steal people to start an empath breeding program?” Helen screwed up her face, the conversation sparking memories of an awful science fiction novel she once read.
“I don’t think so.”
“Commander Harry is the child of a whole soul former slave,” Laurel added. “He told me he’s a half soul and that his father was a refugee. If his father is still alive, I don’t see how it’s been outlawed for generations, and Darlen said he’d made the journey before. There must be a black market of some kind.”
“Let’s wait and see what the Canon has to say,” Marta leaned back and folded her arms. “Maybe they’ll send us back when we finish whatever it is they want from us.”
Laurel darted a glance at Xavier. He must know what she knew. They would never go back. His eyes drifted to hers, and she felt his words, “Say nothing for now.”
“And they haven’t so far told us what it is they want,” Helen said.
“We’re meant to distinguish half-souls,” Laurel lifted one hand, palm up, “from quarter-souls,” she raised her other hand, then placed them flat on the table. “I have no idea how we accomplish that.”
The quiet that followed lasted only as long as Helen could remain silent, which was never for long. “Did you get a pinkie ring?” she asked, wiggling her finger and admiring the shiny gold band.
“I did,” Chloe held up her hand. “And a device to help me with language. I can’t feel it, but they put something else in there as well,” she probed around her neck for a few seconds as the group discussed the various procedures undergone in the medical facility.
Xavier and Laurel listened, contributing little. Eli’s head was up, so even though he didn’t join in, he at least paid attention. Laurel thought it an opportune time to get them tea, hoping for Xavier to join her while the others were distracted. Xavier followed, ostensibly to help, but he just stood next to her at the dispenser, not offering any assistance.
The Soul Monger Page 8
