The Assumption Code

by Melodee Elliott

  “In a matter of days,” she emphasized. “At DanuVitro our scientists have found a way to Meno.” The screen enlarged, sending Margi back against her mattress. A night sky enveloped the space, displaying two moons and a section of blurred sky where no stars showed. The image telescoped onto the blur.

  “A lifetime on Meno is mere days on Danu. There, we have arranged for you to live the life of your choosing.”

  The screen showed a young woman emerging from a building.

  “A new life.” Rivner grinned into the camera. Or was that smirking? Margi made a mental note to never do that.

  “For a mere upgrade, DanuVitro will provide a clone of your original body ready upon your return. You pick the age. It’s legal. It’s your body.”

  Images of the man appeared, yet he was decades younger and wearing his same clothes as beforehand, gathered with the same family but now playing with them in a park.

  “What has been your price to pay?” A montage ensued. “Do you want to climb a mountain? Bear a child? Live in the forest? You can with DanuVitro. It’s your time to live. Family and multiple adventure discounts are available. Visit us today. Meno. Where life takes you there.” A bell rang out as the display faded away.

  Margi kept her attention on the wall to see if a new video would appear—one that explained where she was, who she was. Absurd, she thought.

  Pressure built within her as anger welled. She calmed her breathing in fear of inciting a medical emergency, though she had no monitoring devices on her, nor had she noticed any in the last room. She felt exposed all the same.

  She looked for a security camera and saw none. The pink drink sat by her side. She ignored it. The sound of people walking in the hall and the chatter that went with it signified routine operations. Nothing was routine about it though. Not even government facilities could pull this off. Too sophisticated to be a joke.

  She reached her hand to her cheek and felt for the nanobots, yet sensed nothing. She rubbed her face and pinched her ear rims, which made her more awake than did the pink drink. But she was still in a strange room, and Dr. Howard was nowhere. And no one must know.

  This was one hell of a dream, she surmised. She decided to stay in bed lest she be sleepwalking in reality. Still, she couldn’t sleep. That was from the pink drink. She was sure of it. Of course, she could actually be sleeping but awake in a dream and couldn’t sleep in that dream and knew it. Now she was mad.

  * * *

  Stavon turned to Loz. His eyes held a cold intention that emphasized the ashiness of blue. “She’s the second one to fail to return from Meno.

  “It is consistent with what I’ve been seeing,” Loz replied. He eyed the statistics displayed before him.

  “Holan registered the woman as Margi Hall.”

  Loz didn’t comment.

  “Fix it.” Stavon tossed a device onto the table. The object slid to a stop against the pad of Loz’s palm. “I will not sacrifice my clients. He’s supposed to find more participants.”

  Loz paused, breaking Stavon’s intention that felt like crackling electricity in the air. “Even if I could, he knows all the codes,” he said looking downward.

  “Change the codes.”

  Loz looked at Stavon, concern conveying his frustration. “It’s not that easy. Each person carries his own energy as his Path. We need the right harmonics between bodies to send them—”

  Stavon sent the chair backward as he stood. “Shut him down.” His face went red. “Get my client back.” He paced. “Do what you must. I want the first one back. Make sure it works before I re-execute Rivner’s assumption.”

  “That client is gone.” Loz’s voice was soft with fear. “His Path has gone missing.” He pushed the device away from him.

  “That’s not possible. We have every client’s Path.”

  “We’ve searched everywhere. I don’t know how—”

  Stavon cut him off. “It’s who. It’s Holan.” His stare bore through Loz, forcing the man back into his chair. “Think like he thinks.”

  Loz nodded in resignation and started for the door.

  Stavon’s voice, however resigned, cut through the space. “Secure Rivner’s Path. I’ll deal with Holan in time.”

  “Yes, sir,” he said and left.

  In the next room, a man watched Loz pace the long hallway and retreat into his office. He tapped his communicator. “They know.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  No one came for Margi. She was grateful but grew restless. An opaque window held her attention, making her feel watched. A console was embedded into the wall beside it, similar to the one at the door.

  She sat upright and looked over the room again. The space felt calm enough, giving her courage to explore her immediate surroundings and no more. She dangled her legs over the ledge of the slab. What looked like a slim metal plank with a sheath was actually more comfortable than the most expensive foam core bed back home. She felt weak as one did after recovering from a long illness, though her body wasn’t sick. Her body was someone else’s. Dream or no dream.

  She slid off her perch and hoped for the best. Her feet reached the floor and gave way as her legs collapsed under her weight. She fell to the side with a slap of her palms on the now hard surface. “Ow,” she whispered to herself.

  The room looked stark and sterile from that viewpoint with high ceilings, separated by the slab overhead. A thin blanket slid off the bed, startling her with its drawn-out movement. Still, no one came. She braced her hand upon the wall and grabbed the mattress to pull herself to her knees. She panted with exertion. From there, she stood upright and leaned against the bed for support.

  The blank window stared back at her. She took the first steps to it and stabilized.

  She examined the graphics on a console, one of which looked like a video image. That one she could rule out. By process of elimination, she determined that one of them was for an emergency. The last graphic looked like a sun or moon. She placed her finger upon it.

  The window glowed brighter. Her instinct was to jump onto the slab and feign sleep. Yet she couldn’t move that fast. Whatever was on the other side of that glass would know her the same as she would know it.

  Then the foggy glaze that filled that glass began to dissolve and unveiled a sky of the bluest sapphire that made her gasp. She stepped to the window once more, her legs functioning now. The horizon domed the entire span of space, suggesting she was at a very high elevation. She pressed her face against the window to see as far left and right as possible. The building went for at least a city block on either side.

  She looked below and startled. Dotted clouds hovered far above the ground. She again pressed to the glass to gaze upon large birds that flew between the white puffs. She followed one bird soaring across the sky to another structure and landing. It wasn’t a bird but a flying car. Moments later, people emerged from its opened doorway and entered the building.

  She retreated from the glass. Part of her wanted to cry; part wanted to descend the tower and explore. What a story. The story of a lifetime. One that she may not be willing to tell.

  The vehicle rose from the landing site to dive straight off the side, leaving a swirl of energy in its wake. Margi watched it merge with a stream of others heading in the opposite direction. She watched more closely now to see that what looked like ribbons of color were in fact a network of these vehicles traveling in the air.

  The door behind her opened with only a swish of sound.

  She turned and backed to the wall.

  “I didn’t mean to scare you.” The young woman chortled as she closed in the distance to her.

  She was fairest of fair, a Snow White beauty with plump red lips but sharp edges to her nose and cheekbones. Her too-tight dress and low heels read as midlevel corporate.

  “Hi, Ferli,” she floated out for trial.

  “Hi, Rivner,” Ferli responded formally in a mocking tone that only affluent youth would afford another being, having the world at their feet.
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  Margi was not Rivner. Yet everyone treated her as if she were this woman—a woman who looked exactly like her. What had this doctor done to her? Was her body really a machine to be repaired, never broken? Was she a clone? A clone of her own body or Rivner’s? She realized that per the video propaganda, Ferli could be a hundred years old in actuality. What was happening? She watched the woman fling a pouch onto the slab and press the button on her handheld device. Once again, a screen displayed.

  “You have the day off.” Ferli said with a smirk. “Tomorrow, we will retrieve you for the statement.”

  “Statement?” Margi interjected. She tried to subdue her trembling.

  “Yes, well, managing perspectives. And you do it so well,” she added. “We’ve taken care of it. Nothing new. We wouldn’t do that to you so soon after returning.”

  “Of course.” Margi wiped her brow. Her thoughts swirled in disorientation. Where did she return from where? Earth? Meno?

  “Let’s get you home,” Ferli demanded. “I’ll wait outside.” She strutted out.

  Margi took hold of the clothes Ferli had left for her. She held up an outfit and cloak of white and tangerine with matching slippers. She put them on. The clothing’s texture felt velvety with the breathability of linen. The shoes molded to her feet and stabilized her soles. She was smitten.

  She peered into the hallway and looked in both directions. Ferli was nowhere to be seen. She followed individuals who were dressed in street clothes and not the medical garb of the technicians, hoping they would lead her to a more public place. She saw one end of the corridor leading to a larger space and more people drew to that direction. She fell in line with them.

  Eventually, the room opened into a gathering space where people milled about. She peered upward at animated figures of sea creatures frolicking overhead, hologram images so dense they looked real. One fishlike creature dove through bubbles to plunge to the floor, brushing near a child whose shrill giggle made Margi forget her circumstances for a moment. Possibly, that was the intent of such genius. After all, she was in a medical facility of sorts. However, cafés flanked the agora as if the hospital was a mecca. She felt slightly self-conscious, as if the whole world knew her business. She set out to find Ferli, who was nowhere. Where was outside? They were in the clouds after all.

  She wandered until discovering a map of the building. One shape was circular like the landing pad she saw through a window. She followed the corridor to the site.

  Through another window she saw Ferli standing on a platform, talking with a young man. The smile and flick of her hand told Margi she was otherwise preoccupied with more important matters than seeing Margi safely aboard. She would fire her if she could. Yet somehow Rivner condoned such performance and so must she.

  Margi entered the private waiting room. The interior was posh by any standard, executive level. She ventured onto the platform where Ferli and the young man stood. A gentle breeze washed over her, and the sheer intake of oxygen made her gasp. The openness of space beyond the boundary’s edge brought the feeling of precariousness that had become quite familiar.

  “There you are,” Ferli said. The young man who held her attention watched as he lost her to Margi. Ferli’s gait was buoyant. “I was beginning to worry. Come. We’re ready.”

  Sapphire blue lay in all directions. The landing pad’s infinity edge made her feel as if she were already floating like one of the holograms, ready to dip and frolic. She reached the waiting vehicle and slid onto the molded seat. Someone closed the door overhead and a whir of engines heightened her senses. This was one dream she didn’t want to awaken from. Ferli smiled at her but not in accord. Margi turned to the wide sky at her other side.

  Suddenly, the vehicle angled sharply and swooped into the vein of traffic. Margi gripped a handle, then heard Ferli’s stifled giggle.

  The driver navigated the flock of cars like the master pilot he undoubtedly was. A loud beep sounded and a screen barrier flashed to their side as another vehicle swung too close. The driver lowered to another stream of cars.

  Margi could now see the building structures. Many towered through the clouds like in a fairy tale. Landing pads staggered across their surfaces like fungus clinging to a tree.

  In the near distance, she saw a glow of light blanketing the ground’s surface. The colors in that section were harsh like a neon light going bad. She strained to make out shapes. The hologram of a prone woman floated along in that direction and disappeared into an entryway. Or so she thought.

  The car turned, and she saw only the tall structures again. They neared one such building and floated higher and higher to rest on a pad. Ferli had already exited and opened the door when Margi’s attention broke away from the shimmering metallic exterior of the structure.

  Ferli helped her from the seat and ushered her inside. She led her through a grand living space and into a bedroom. “I’ve taken care of everything. Stavon will be home soon.”

  Margi seized.

  Ferli appeared not to notice as she turned down the bed. “I think all is taken care of.” She looked around. “Do you need me for anything else?”

  “No.”

  Ferli grimaced. “Okay, then. You can contact me if you do.”

  She hadn’t the faintest idea how to contact Ferli. She hoped she didn’t need to. She realized that she did need to keep relations friendly with the woman since her help was vital to her survival.

  “Thank you for your hard work,” Margi added.

  Ferli’s mouth gaped slightly. “You-you’re welcome,” she stammered. “I’ll let you rest.” She left the room, glancing back one more time before entering the hall.

  Margi heard a door open and close in the distance. Ferli was gone.

  She ventured into the hallway and decided to continue toward the far end. Only one door was positioned to the left side for the entire length. It would be the exterior side of the penthouse. She stopped at the door and placed her finger to a symbol on the console. The door opened. The room had several hover vehicles on display—luxury vehicles by any measure. She imagined how each of them would glide across the sky. She navigated between them and noted the metallic vermilion red color of one with a brushed bronze suede interior. She hoped that she would ride in that one before she awoke.

  A clank echoed down the hallway. She rushed from the garage and gently closed the door. She waited a minute to calm her breath while she eyed the open end of the hall. After one last slow breath, she took her first steps.

  She entered the main gathering room. The breadth of sky was now a cobalt blue with the coming quickness of nightfall. One dimly glowing disc of a moon suspended so closely on the horizon she thought it might fall on land. She looked at this moon nearing her with its sister receding into the background and tried not to stare.

  She glimpsed Stavon coming toward her on his way to her room, no doubt. His arms were open wide.

  “There, love.” Those arms embraced her and held her for too long, too revealing. He looked into her eyes. His mouth descended upon hers. She responded with soft lips, the only thing she could do.

  She smiled and thought she saw a glint in his eyes. This man loved Rivner. Margi’s heart broke a little with the thought that she might be gone, replaced by herself. And for that instant she thought of confessing so that he could return her to Earth and retrieve Rivner from Meno if that was where her spirit resided. But his demeanor had a force lurking beneath the facade of youth, the eternity of youth that DanuVitro had undoubtedly tried to capture. What lurks beneath? she wondered.

  She drew away and stood by the moon.

  “Have you recorded your adventure yet?” he asked.

  “What?”

  “Your adventure. You always do that…” His voice trailed off.

  “Oh that. Not yet.” She pretended to understand—a skill she feared she would soon excel in.

  His gaze didn’t wander from her so she left that spot. A lamp on a table glowed green as she neared.

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sp; “You’re usually red.”

  “Hmm?” she queried.

  His hands slipped into his pockets. He nodded to the light.

  “Oh, yes.” She brushed the object lightly.

  He stood squarely, facing her. “I trust you enjoyed your adventure on Meno.”

  “Yes. Why?” She smiled. Meno.

  No answer.

  “You worry. Your Love is fine.” She smiled reassuringly at him. Then, she walked to his side and kissed his cheek.

  He lowered his head and slid his hand down her arm as she stepped away.

  “I need to rest,” she interjected before he could do or say anything.

  “Of course.”

  She felt his gaze upon her as she walked the hall to the bedroom.

  She leaned against the closed door once inside and exhaled. She’d never longed to be an actress, posing as a character, but she must be one now.

  She lay on the bed, calming herself. Of course, sleep still evaded her.

  Two doors off the side of the room caught her attention. She rose from the bed and entered the first to find a room of men’s clothes. She went to the next door and saw a large room of women’s clothes. She brushed her hand along the luscious fabrics as she strolled.

  Several drawers were stacked one atop the other at the far end. She opened one, then another, and noted the undergarments. Something slipped along the base. She lifted its edge and tilted a thin object from the drawer. A tablet of some sort. She sat on a bench and turned it on. Sketches displayed across its face. She tapped another icon and the images displayed in the air in front of her. She waved her hand through them.

  Then, a vision of Rivner appeared as she set the camera to frame her face. She spoke. Her tone was light and relaxed. She told a tale of living with savages. She recounted it coyly and with admiration. She spoke of her father in the tribe and the animal assigned to her—a snake that she trained to do tricks in the village square for the squads. That’s what they called people in the town with shoes that bound their feet and hats that covered their noses in the cold. She spoke of her snake and how it coiled by her belly at night for warmth. How it would pretend to bite her when she ignored it for too long.