The Search For WondLa

by DiTerlizzi, Tony

Eva neared the edge of the platform. She raised her hands in front of her and touched the wall. It was similar to frosted glass, with a clear wetness slicked over it, like oily condensation.

  “What the—?” Eva sniffed the wet residue covering her palm. It was the source of the chemical smell, and though it was clear, it was thicker than water.

  What am I in? she wondered.

  Eva wiped her hand on the clouded wall that contained her. For a few moments she could see beyond, before the liquid ran down to recoat the wiped area. She was, in fact, confined within a cylindrical cell in a round room ringed with identical cells.

  More curious than scared, she walked around her confines, systematically rubbing away the dampness that covered the wall. Eva found that she was between two other cells. One held a small jumping creature that bounced aimlessly against the impenetrable walls. In the other cell adjacent to her, Eva recognized the shape and color of a juvenile water bear through the blur of the liquid coating.

  Hello, little guy. Can you hear me? she thought to it. Don’t be scared.

  The water bear did not reply.

  There was movement in the center of the room. Eva heard muffled voices. She rubbed away the condensation and spied two figures speaking.

  A squat creature waddled in, upright on four stub legs, shorter than Eva. His four flabby arms waved about as he spoke in a nasally tone through a tapered proboscis. “Come, come. You must see the new specimens, Zin; we have been receiving them all week. They are spectacular.”

  Levitating behind the runty creature was the character addressed as Zin. He was similar in appearance to Arius—though he was smaller and adorned in more decorative attire. Like Arius, he had a large mouth that did not move when he spoke. “Apprise me, please. Did he deliver any multiples or duplicates?”

  “Let us see.” The runt reached inside one of the many pouches on its belt and pulled out a small handheld device. With a stumpy finger he pressed a button on the remote.

  A piercing high-pitched ring shot through Eva’s skull. Gritting her teeth, she covered her ears with her hands to block the penetrating sound. Through squinting eyes she saw the liquid on the glass wall evaporate, revealing the room and all occupants in their entirety. Suddenly the piercing sound stopped.

  As she exhaled out the pain, Eva discovered that the expansive brightly lit room was devoid of any color. White paneled floors reflected the glare coming in from the latticework ceiling. It seemed to Eva that the entire high-domed roof was one gigantic light. The creature that held the device was also dressed in white—a tight-fitting bodysuit, the material of which reminded Eva of a latex glove. His entire head was covered with hooded goggles, full of numerous thick lenses.

  “It looks like we have only one duplicate,” he said as he waddled over to the cell holding the young water bear. “It’s a juvenile. He brought it in yesterday with some others. I accepted it thinking it would look great with the adults. Do you want to keep it?”

  With one of his many arms Zin produced a writing tablet from the folds within his ornate jacket. He passed it along from hand to hand. “Yes, let us add it to the collection. So the sum total this week would be?”

  The runt in the bodysuit stood in place, counting the captives in the cells. “Thirteen … No—he brought one more in today. Fourteen total,” he said.

  “So, thirteen unique specimens total, is that correct?” Zin wrote in his tablet.

  “Yes,” the other replied, pulling another tiny remote from his many pouches. The cell holding the water bear floated to the center of the room.

  “Very well,” Zin said, tabulating. “The aggregate amount, then, is seven hundred and forty-nine to date. He’s got a considerable amount of capturing ahead of him.”

  “Well, he said he would have had even more, but some got away.” The stubby creature put the tiny remote away, replacing it with another. A thin rod rose from the bottom of the water bear’s cell. The juvenile paced inside, hooting.

  “Her Majesty is satisfied with what he’s fetched up to this point; however, if he is hoping to earn the pardon for that deplorable brother of his, he best not allow any more of his game to get away.” Zin returned the tablet to his jacket and drifted over to the water bear’s cell in the center of the room.

  Eva sat back for a second.

  He? Who are they talking about? she thought. Then the answer hit her.

  “I’ve been captured … by Besteel,” Eva whispered. That nauseating coil of dread wound its way into her stomach.

  “So prepare this one just like the adult?” the runt asked while he continued with his remotes. Zin tucked his many arms behind his back and hovered close to the glass container that held the water bear. Eva could see his distorted reflection looking back at him.

  “No, let’s do an anatomical reveal,” Zin replied without moving his mouth. “If the huntsman delivers additional specimens of these, though, refuse them.”

  “Whatever you say, Curator.” The stubby creature hit a button on his remote. A fine mist sprayed from the rod in the water bear’s cell. The animal froze instantly. Eva gasped.

  “Paralyzation is complete. It’s still alive, if you’d like to examine it.” Zin’s partner tapped several more buttons. Sinewy graspers now emerged from the floor of the cell, positioning the frozen water bear in an active pose as if it had been caught midleap with its specialized tail.

  “Much appreciated. However, I’ve the utmost confidence that I now have a comprehensive understanding of these primitive indigenous organisms,” Zin chirruped.

  “Good enough,” the runt said, plugging a white hose into the base of the cell and turning it on. The container filled with a viscous clear liquid. Eva couldn’t make out what was going on because Zin was blocking her view. “Just about finished,” the runty creature sang. The liquid drained out of the cell with a gurgling sound. “Nice. This little one is going to look splendid with the adults.”

  “Yes, indeed,” Zin said, rubbing several pairs of his stumpy hands together.

  “Let me just move him onto a display base, and then I’ll continue with the rest.” The runt in white brought over another round platform with the aid of another remote. He pressed more buttons, and the glass wall of the water bear’s cell dissipated. The mounted specimen was placed on its finished base. “There you go, Curator Zin. All ready for Her Majesty’s museum,” he announced with pride.

  Eva stared at the water bear as it floated, frozen in midleap, rotating slowly over the base. However, the armor, skin, and much of the musculature of the creature was gone—revealing a detailed view of the organs, blood vessels, and nerves within. It reminded her of the holograms she had captured on her Omnipod—but this wasn’t a model made of light. It was real. This water bear had been alive, just seconds ago … and now …

  Eva closed her eyes and held her own insides, gagging.

  “Impressive work, Taxidermist,” Zin said as he circled the mounted water bear. “Observe: You can clearly view the cardiac stomach and the pyloric stomach … and here, the ganglion extends the entire length of the body ventrally. Fascinating. It reminds me of the loripeds we examined on Ceres.”

  “It does indeed,” the squat taxidermist replied. “I do hope the queen will like the new additions.”

  The queen, Eva thought. Rovee mentioned a queen before.

  Zin pushed the specimen to a wide circular doorway, and the door’s many blades retracted like a fan. “Her Majesty delights in all of your exquisite work, sir, as do I.”

  “Oh, before I forget,” the taxidermist said as he followed Zin to the door. “There was the one specimen Besteel brought in today that he wanted you to have a look at.”

  Eva’s heart stopped.

  “Oh?” Zin reentered the room.

  “Yes, this way.” The taxidermist led him toward Eva’s cell. She slid back as far as she could, cowering in the bottom. She watched as the two dissimilar faces peered into the cell that held her.

  “Says this rare one was t
ough to catch, and has to do with all of the relics you’ve been gathering out in the wastelands,” the taxidermist said, jabbing a squat thumb toward Eva.

  “Really?” Zin circled her cell. “Now that you mention it, the adornments do bear a resemblance to the items we’ve unearthed from a remote site, and its unique physical appearance differentiates it from other living specimens collected thus far.”

  “That it does,” said the taxidermist, nodding in agreement. “If it indeed has to do with your other work, then Besteel wanted to know if … perhaps … the queen would be willing to renegotiate his undertaking.”

  “I cannot answer that directly, but I will forward his inquiry on to Her Majesty,” Zin replied as he studied a trembling Eva. “Please delay the preparation of this one until I hear of Queen Ojo’s wishes. Her Majesty may prefer to keep it under observation… . Very interesting indeed.” Zin zipped back toward the door.

  The runty taxidermist followed him. “Good enough. I’ll be back here shortly. I need some additional mounting bases.” He tapped a button on a remote, causing the ringing sound to return. The cells, once more, clouded with condensation.

  CHAPTER 27: MESSAGES

  Hyperventilation occurring,” Eva’s tunic announced. “Please—”

  “I’ve got to get out of here!” Eva said through quick breaths as she shut the tunic off. She heard a familiar muffled chirp coming from her tunic pocket. She fumbled in her tunic and pulled out her Omnipod with shaking hands.

  “I can’t stop thinking about that poor water bear,” she said to herself.

  I’m going to be on display with my skin removed too if I don’t hurry.

  Eva brought the Omnipod to her lips and whispered into it, “This is Eva Nine.”

  The device whispered back, “Greetings, Eva Nine. You have several unplayed messages, all from Multi-Utility Task Help Robot zero-six. I am instructed to play messages only if you are unaccompanied. May I proceed?”

  “Yes, please,” Eva responded.

  “First message sent approximately eight hours and twenty-three minutes ago,” the Omnipod continued.

  Eva felt the slightest bit of warm reassurance in her chilly cell as the face of Muthr projected over the device.

  “Eva, if you get this message, contact me as soon as possible. Let me know that you are all right,” Muthr said with static in her voice. Eva wasn’t sure if the static was because the Omnipod had been wet from her dive in the lake, or if it was because the signal was having trouble penetrating where she was being detained.

  “Next message, please,” she said. Her eyes darted around the room, fearful of the taxidermist’s return—but all was still.

  “Eva,” Muthr’s hologram said, “I am trying to understand the language here, but without your vocal transcoder, it has been a bit challenging. Fiscian showed us a map of the lake, and based on the trajectory of Besteel’s route, I believe he may have taken you to Solas. I do recall Mr. Kitt saying to Mrs. Haveport that Besteel claimed to be working for the queen, so Besteel may have you contained somewhere on the royal grounds. Try to stay calm and alert, and do not forget your survival skills. We shall be there soon. Contact me immediately so that I may locate your signal.”

  “Next message,” Eva whispered, cradling the Omnipod in both hands.

  “Hi, Eva. Please contact me,” Muthr said. “I am so worried about you. Please, please. I just need to hear from you.”

  “End of messages,” the Omnipod finished.

  The last message didn’t sound at all like the robot’s usual calm tone. “Can we please contact Muthr?” she asked.

  “Attempting voice connection to Multi-Utility Task Help Robot zero-six …” The tiny lights began their dance around the Omnipod’s central eye.

  Eva checked the room as she picked at her fingernail. “Come on… . Come on.”

  “Eva!” Muthr’s head floated up over the device. “Eva, is that you?”

  “Yes! Yes! It’s me!” Eva wiped her eyes with her sleeve. “I’m okay. Besteel’s not even here. He put me in a cell. I am trapped in a weird place where they prepare poor captured animals for display for the queen. It’s horrible.”

  There was no reply for a beat, then a vivid circular image of Rovender’s head appeared—as if the Omnipod were seeing through Muthr’s eyes. “Hello, Eva Nine. I am happy to see you are alive,” he said.

  “Oh, Rovee!” Eva cried. “You have to get me out of here!”

  “Listen carefully, Eva.” Rovender’s voice was firm. “Otto is transporting us across the lake to Solas, where we will come get you. But we likely won’t arrive for at least another hour.”

  Eva gulped. “I—I don’t think I’ll be here in another hour.” Her mind flickered once more to the skinned water bear. “You have to help me. What do I do?”

  “Look around your cell,” Rovender replied. “Is there any way that you can escape?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t think so.” Eva set the Omnipod down and stood, banging the cell wall with her fist. “I can’t even break this!” Frustrated, she slid back down to the bottom of her container. “Can’t they just let me go? They have no right to hold me.”

  “I am not sure why they’d keep you, Eva.” Rovender sounded puzzled. “But if asking for your release doesn’t work, you are going to have to try another method. Think. Do you see any clues that may aid in your escape?”

  Eva leaned over to the glass wall and wiped away the heavy oily condensation. She panned the Omnipod around the white room. “I don’t know. I don’t think so. Please hurry!”

  There was no response. Eva returned her attention to the Omnipod. “Hey, are you guys still there?”

  “Sheesa! Look! He’s right there!” Eva could see Rovender pointing over Muthr’s shoulder. Through the robot’s eyes the view turned to a glider swooping down from the sky.

  “Besteel! NO!” Eva cried, watching the hologram in horror. The camera’s point of view from Muthr scrambled a bit as the huntsman hopped off the glider onto Otto’s back, throwing Rovender off into the lake. Pointing his charging boomrod at Muthr, he snarled, “Goody for Besteel. Goody for my brozeel. Twoz of you in one day.”

  The hologram disappeared. “Connection terminated,” the Omnipod announced.

  Eva screamed, “No! Try reconnecting! Hurry!”

  “Attempting voice reconnection to Multi-Utility Task Help Robot zero-six …” The device’s lights flickered.

  Eva gulped. That cold, jittery feeling snaked from her stomach to every vein, artery, and capillary within her.

  “I am sorry, Eva Nine. I am not receiving a reply. Would you like to leave a message?”

  Eva shut her eyes tightly and curled up into a ball.

  Muthr needs me. She’s just a robot. A robot meant to live in a Sanctuary, and I convinced her to leave. Now, she’s … she’s …

  That high-pitched ring returned, and the condensation evaporated on her cell walls. The taxidermist reentered the lab, pushing a stack of hovering mounting bases. “Okay. Who is next?” he said, and pressed a button on his remote. A holding cell from the far side of the room floated to the middle of the floor. Inside it, a familiar visage peered around, clicking in cadence calls.

  A captive sand-sniper filled up most of its cylindrical chamber. Eva pressed her face to her cell wall as she studied the monstrous crustacean in the white light. Its colorful carapace housed a pair of formidable spiked claws.

  It’s like the holos I’ve seen of praying mantises, Eva thought. An enormous praying mantis.

  It appeared that the captive was only a nymph, much smaller than the giant she had seen the other night with Rovender; however, the creature was still larger than she was. Eva activated Identicapture.

  “Are you ready to pose for the queen, my little beauty?” the taxidermist purred, pressing more buttons. Inside the sand-sniper’s cell a rod rose from the bottom.

  A clicking sound was emitted from Eva’s cell.

  The sand-sniper clicked back in an accelerated te
mpo.

  “What is this?” The taxidermist turned to look at Eva. Inside, she stood with the Omnipod pressed against the glass wall of her cell. The recorded call of the adult sand-sniper she had encountered played at full volume.

  A loud crash erupted from the captive sand-sniper’s cell. It had cracked the glass with its claws. The runty taxidermist fled backward, stumbling over the hose that pumped the skin-dissolving solvent. He landed flat upon his back, his various remotes spilling out across the tiled floor.

  The now free sand-sniper clicked and snapped as it pounced onto the cowering runt. The sand-sniper’s bowl-like eyes rotated as they took in its alien surroundings. Eva waved the Omnipod around, and the many-legged monster bolted toward her cell. The taxidermist opened the door and scrabbled out of the laboratory. The door slid shut behind him.

  “Come on!” Eva yelled as she backed up in her cell. The sand-sniper circled her chamber, probing the glass wall with its many antennae. She replayed the recorded call once more. “Come and get me!”

  The monster reared up, cocking its powerful graspers back. Faster than a blink, the glass walls of Eva’s cell shattered and the top collapsed. Eva fell backward from the force of the eruption and landed hard on the floor outside of her cell, the wind knocked out of her. In seconds the sand-sniper closed in, clicking and clacking in confusion at the Omnipod. Eva cowered, covering her face with her hands. As she did so, the sniper swiped at the Omnipod, flinging it from Eva’s hand. The device slid across the polished floor to the far end of the lab, while the call continued to play. The sand-sniper followed it.

  Eva let out a piercing scream. Two of her fingers on her right hand were bent backward, and blood ran from a gash in her palm caused from the sand-sniper’s blow. She tried to swallow down the throbbing pain and focus. With her left hand she tapped the shoulder patch on her tunic.

  “You are hemorrhaging blood in the right hand, Eva Nine,” the tunic reported. “What is the nature of your injury?”

  “I …” Eva lay curled up on the floor, her hand searing with pain. “I’ve hurt my hand really, really bad. I think my fingers are broken.”