by Richard Lord
Amelia stares at Destiny and begins rowing. She understands they need the small boat for their food supply and that they cannot click in distances Illumna can travel. Amelia decides she doesn’t like Destiny.
Destiny turns to her, “I’m okay with that. You’re a bit of a burden.”
Then Amelia remembers Destiny can hear everything so she purposefully thinks, “You’re a bitch, but I suppose that is to be expected from your family line.”
“Oh? Is that why you stowed away inside one of us?” Destiny says aloud as she puts her anger into her rowing.
Amelia repeats, “So what is your plan, Destiny?”
CHAPTER 4
“The computer age brought many changes to the universe because it effected the way people interact. Mostly for the worse as some of the original designers predicted, but some of it was good..” -- from the Book of Roger
“Yes, I can get past this encryption, but it’s not like on TV where I can do it in 10 seconds or less. Be patient.” Roger looked at the man who loomed over him.
“Okay. Well word is you’re the best, so how long are we talking?” The Colonel asked.
“Longer than you want to hear. As I said, not in ten seconds. It’s fairly complicated. Each key is a hash of the one before it. So I have to start at the end and work backwards. I figure if I can decrypt the final hash, I will then be able to…Anyway, it’s not simple, so stop breathing down my neck!” Roger realizes explaining the issues would go nowhere. He knew the type of thinking he was dealing with. Since it was something he was good at, they expected him to work miracles. He sighed as he considered the fact that was the very factor that kept him out of prison and working a decent job. He often wondered if prison would have been the better choice.
“You do realize how important this is? Not just to everyone, but to you personally.” The Colonel reminded him.
Roger turned from his interfaces and looked at the Colonel, “Nothing you say makes this go any faster. Make yourself useful and order a pizza for us.”
The Colonel looked at Roger with a ‘how dare you’ chagrin, but realized his position at the moment and instead kicked the chair Roger was sitting in, hard. Roger fell onto the floor. Immediately the Colonel pulled his service weapon, put it in Roger’s face and demanded, “NOW!”, while putting his boot on Roger’s neck to make a point. He eases the pressure as he removes his foot and asks, “Tell me, what toppings do you want? I prefer a thinner crust, mushrooms, non-processed meats and extra cheese as long as it’s real, so work with that.”
Roger looked up as the Colonel held out his hand to help him up. “So basically a Philly cheesesteak style pizza?”
The Colonel thinks to himself for a moment and then replies, “That or Greek white pizza. Careful on the onion. My tastes vary widely depending on my mood. What mood am I in right now?” The Colonel looks at Roger and says, “You like meatballs on your pizza, I’ll negotiate then. White pizza with gyro meat. That good enough for you?”
Roger, shocked at the quick changes back and forth in personality decides to abide and get along. “Sure. Add some black olives and fresh, not pickled, jalapenos?”
“We’re going to get along fine, son. Now get back to work.” The Colonel walks out of the room and lights a cigarette to bring his temper back into focus as he pulls out his cell phone to make a call. “The things we sent him to do. He was alone. No backup, no moral support, no direct orders. Each time he came back alive. He’s a very capable individual thinker now. I think it’s going to be much more trying than you think, but I’ll give the order if you have considered all of this.”
The voice on the other end replies, “He’s just a man. Give the order.”
“Yes, sir. But I think you’ll find he’s more than that and I’m not just talking about his freakish abilities. He’s smarter than he comes off as. I suspect he knows we’re coming.” The Colonel makes the point hoping that it is clear.
“He’s caught up in other interests. You said so yourself.”
“I don’t recall saying that can’t handle multiple things at once. I’ve seen the results.” The Colonel flicks the butt of the cigarette into the air and watches as it arcs then plunges quickly to the ground.
“Plans fail when people don’t follow them. Stick to the plan.” The line goes dead.
CHAPTER 5
“It was interesting meeting him. He didn’t seem like a killer to me, but I’ve heard the stories and I know his daughters, so I don’t doubt the legends.” – from the Book of Amelia
“So I’m hoping we get better supplies this time and a place for me to pee?” Amelia narrows her eyes at Destiny.
“We can’t re-outfit her. She’s a living thing now. At least I think we can’t.” Destiny looks at Amelia impatient with her needs.
“It’s okay, I am what I am. You can make physical changes. My consciousness adapts. My sister used to do it all the time when we were in her creations. But we’ll need some other things for that to happen.” They both hear Illumna think to them.
“Where are these others things?” Destiny thinks back.
“The kitchen. That’s where Tomorrow kept everything she considered important.” Illumna thinks back. “Ironic she would keep everything near the most likely place to burn down.”
Amelia thought back to Illumna, “Actually, that would be the laundry room, but I don’t see one in here.”
Illumna chuckles in their heads, “When this was built there was an ocean out there. Why would anyone need a laundry room with an ocean, sun and wind?”
Destiny ignores the quip as she and Amelia head to the kitchen. “What are we looking for?”
“Vials.” Illumna then wonders if they can figure out how to get the hormones and amino acids into her. She realizes she doesn’t know herself. She thinks to herself, “I wish Solstice was here.” At that thought she feels a pain she knows is emotion. It doesn’t feel good, but she concentrates on where it is coming from. Then she thinks out to the girls, “Put it in the feeding tube. Reverse flow. Don’t drink it.” Then she wonders what modifications they have in mind with so few resources on hand. She hears the answer from Amelia.
“Before you were what you are, Phillip flew a skycrawler over here. I saw where it went.” She clicks.
Destiny shakes her head and thinks to Illumna, “I’m not sure what to think of her.”
Amelia re-appears and with a huge pile of scrap, just next to Illumna. Then she thinks to Destiny, “Am I so stupid?”
Destiny looks at her and thinks back, “Do you have any idea what to do with that stuff or how to even install any of it?”
Amelia vanishes again and then returns within seconds. “This is Vladimir, I think he’s one of yours.”
Illumna feels the feeling again.
Vladimir looks at the scrap pile, assesses the situation and begins his work, while thinking to Amelia, “I have to be back to fight a pretty scrappy fight.”
Amelia looks at him and grins, “I’ll be sure to get you reinforcements if you make Illumna comfortable for me.”
Vladimir smiles at her, nods and gets to work.
Amelia can hear Destiny’s thoughts on the matter and thinks back to her, “I’ll do my part, you do yours.”
Destiny thinks back to her, “You’re playing fast and loose and you can change things you don’t know you are changing.” Then she stops for a moment and thinks out, “How did you get back to before you were born?”
Amelia immediately shuts off her mind.
All three hear Illumna’s amusement at the irony. She then thinks to them, “We are the same line.”
Destiny runs outside and looks at Amelia. Amelia looks at Destiny as they both mentally trace their family lines and realize Illumna is absolutely correct.
Destiny steps forward and hugs Amelia. Then she asks, “I never asked and your mind is blocked to it. I’m sorry.” She pauses before she speaks the next words, but she wants to know. “What happened to your child?”
Amel
ia’s face hardens as she replies, “There is no Harmony.” Then she turns back to Vlad and says, “Let’s get this done. I need a seat inside her and I need a safe way to relieve myself in the vacuum of space without depending on Destiny to get up from her throne every time.”
Vladimir nods. He looks over what she brought and decides it’s enough to accomplish that goal. He thinks to Destiny. “If I remember correctly, you should use the red vials with the purple ones to sedate her. I’m fairly certain she can feel after this being her body for so long.”
Destiny thinks back to him, “And I heard you were sadistic.”
“I heard you were a bitch.” Vladimir thinks back.
Immediately Illumna floods their minds, “I know when Harmony is!”
She clicks. All of them stand there staring at each other. They had never seem Illumna so animated.
Vladimir breaks the silence by saying, “Great! Now I’ll have to make two new seats.”
Destiny looks at Amelia thinking to her, “Ignore him. He doesn’t think sometimes.”
CHAPTER 6
“They were like us, but we couldn’t agree. The war was inevitable.” – from the Book of Harmony
“Why did you approach in plain sight and bring us right back to the place they know we stayed at before?” Amelia asks, worried about the concept and worried about Harmony whom didn’t even think to them during the entire voyage.
Illumna thinks back at her, “It was you who said, ‘Make a point’. Isn’t that what this is?”
Amelia shoots back, “That was money, this is lives!”
“Here there are other lines. We are from the first line. Do you think they like that fact?” Destiny interjects. “They will do everything they can to eradicate us so they can find their sense of equality. We are superior and they don’t like that fact.”
Amelia turns to Harmony, wondering about her and then back to Destiny. “Superior? We’re people, Destiny. You are human. I’ve seen what you can do. It’s impressive. But you are human too.”
“Keep telling yourself that.” Destiny releases her straps and begins to disembark Illumna.
“Illumna, what is wrong with her?” Amelia asks.
“Do you mean Harmony or Destiny?” Illumna responds.
“What do you mean by that?” Amelia feels her blood run cold.
“They are two different things. That is why Harmony keeps her mind silent around Destiny.” Illumna suggests.
“Explain, please. I don’t think I understand that.” Amelia wonders if Destiny can hear although she is trying hard to focus on thinking directly to Illumna.
“How old are you Harmony?” Illumna thinks to her.
“I’m 19, but you already know this Illumna. You know a lot.” Harmony responds.
Amelia looks at her daughter, hearing her mind for the first time since they were re-united by Illumna.
Illumna presses, “When have you been?”
“A lot of places. I know this place. I know what happens to your father. Destiny knows too, she just won’t think it when either of you are around, but I saw her there.” Harmony reveals.
Illumna thinks back strongly, “What happens to my father?”
“Ask Destiny.” She retorts and then shuts her mind down again.
Amelia looks at her own daughter oddly.
Illumna thinks to Amelia, “Accept it. There are whens she has been she doesn’t want to tell you or I about. You’re her mother, she cares about you. There are things she doesn’t want you to know.”
Amelia considers this, but she loves her daughter and wants to know what is troubling her. Then she hears Illumna in her head again, “Do you think you can change it? Whatever is bugging her is something you can’t do anything about. Some things you accept. Accept this. Not for yourself, but for her.”
Amelia thinks through Illumna’s words and leaves to stand next to Harmony. “Did you watch the stars during that very long journey?”
“I’ve seen them before, Mom. All of them.” Harmony replies.
Amelia looks at her wondering if that is true and how, but she leaves the issue alone.
Suddenly, Harmony thinks to all of them, “There’s a storm coming. This begins it.”
Amelia looks at her daughter wondering what that means, but Destiny looks at Amelia and yells, “Good thing we brought more weapons this time.” She grabs a huge cannon of a rifle and thinks to Illumna, “This time. Blast them as they come through. I have to admit yours is bigger.”
Illumna thinks to herself that Destiny knew this would happen. She thinks back to them, “He won’t be in front this time. He’s the one you are after.”
Amelia nods at hearing that and grabs Harmony’s arm and clicks. In the rafters she whispers, “Stay here, don’t move, I’ll be back.” Then she clicks again.
The hanger door opens as they are rushed on by an entire squad. Illumna uses her cannon and fires a blast directly into the mass influx of bodies. All of them hear Harmony.
Amelia thinks to her, “What’s the point in hiding you if one of the few times you think out loud is now?”
She grabs a rifle of her own, ready for the second wave, but Destiny is already taking that on. The oncoming seem unable to click in the hangar, but Destiny is not only adept at it, it seems she already knows where each of them will be before they are there.
Amelia clicks outside the hangar and begins laying down fire from behind, but she is fully aware that no one is covering her from behind. She clicks back in to check on Destiny. So many bodies. Her face turns pale at the thought of so much blood spilled over a simple deal. She is quite aware who ordered this.
Destiny clicks far from the hangar door. Amelia wonders why, but follows suit and clicks too. Illumna blasts the opening again and then thinks out to them, “Click inside me, now!”
Harmony isn’t there. Amelia clicks to her. She sees her eyes are simply transfixed on the dead. She grabs her and clicks her into Illumna. Illumna clicks.
A moment later Amelia says, “So basically, the tandem trick is unnecessary. If we are inside you we go with you when you click.”
Illumna thinks back to Amelia, “Actually, that’s not at all how that works. It’s you and also Harmony now. You subconsciously time me and do your tandem trick your teacher taught you.”
“How did you know that would work?” She thinks back to Illumna with a bit of shock in her thought.
Illumna thinks back to her, “I didn’t.”
Destiny rolls her eyes and disembarks. She removes the bottom of her suite and kneels and announces, “Finally! I get to relieve myself on Terra Firma!”
Amelia looks up at the sky and laughs, “I don’t think you’re getting ready to let that go on Earth, Destiny. Not unless things have changed a hell of a lot.”
While pushing out her waste, Destiny looks up at the sky and thinks back, “I didn’t see this coming!”
Amelia thinks to her, “There’s a lot you don’t see coming. Turn around. No I don’t know what that is, but I’d get away from it.”
CHAPTER 6
“There is a first to everything. Using four minds at once to reach a destination is bound to have consequences.” – from the Book of Amelia
It moved quickly towards Destiny. Amelia thought out to her, “Don’t move!” Amelia didn’t want anything to do with the thing. It was like a serpent, but with legs and wings. Amelia holds her breath and clicks. She grabs the thing by its neck and start to twist, but it vanishes.
“Destiny still squatting says to Amelia, behind her, “Is it dead or are you finally out of my hair?”
“Umm, it just clicked, I think. By the way your butt stinks.” Amelia walks around to face Destiny who continues what she was doing as they both ponder together how there is a creature that can do such a thing.
Destiny looks at Amelia as she pulls her pants up. “What do you think that was?”
“I don’t know, but apparently it was attracted by your awful odor. After as much time as we’ve spen
t in Illumna, I don’t see how that’s possible, but it came right up behind you.” Amelia thought of other possibilities.
“Maybe I just have a nice butt and you’re just jealous, but at least that thing appreciated it.” Destiny retorts, unlike her normal mode and way of dealing with things.
Amelia realizes Destiny was shaken, but she continues her onslaught nonetheless. “You only wiped once, that’s why you stink!”
“Fuck off, Amelia. Pull your pants down while there’s one of those things around and let’s see how many times you wipe!” Destiny was clearly agitated.
“Come on, we are all going to have to click somewhere else, obviously. We don’t even know what this place is.” Amelia gives in.
Destiny accepts the olive branch and they both head back to Illumna while calling out for Harmony, who they both figured never left Illumna, but they wanted to be sure.
Amelia stops cold and points up at the purple sky. Okay, now that…that’s scary! Run!”
Destiny looks up and sees a much larger version of what was just behind her gliding through the pink and orange clouds. “Why do you always say ‘run’, let’s just click back.”
“Because it can click too, I’m guessing.” Amelia heads off in a sprint towards Illumna.
Destiny clicks in front of her and thinks to her, “Why does running change that fact? If it’s true.”
“All of us choose times to click. I don’t want it to see us clicking. It will put it in a clicking mood. Maybe.” Amelia grabs Destiny by the wrist and pulls her towards Illumna.
Destiny begins to run with her but notes, “That’s a ridiculous theory!”
They both look up and see another begin to hover. They look at each other as Amelia says, “Do you have a better one.”
