by Amy DuBoff
“Well, you just had a veritable universe you didn’t know existed opened up in front of you. It’s completely normal to take time to adjust.”
Raena shifted on the table. “Yeah.”
“And your mom will be back soon to help you navigate all this. She has a better perspective than most.”
“I guess she would.”
Irina gave her an understanding smile. “Now, let’s have a look at you. Lie down, please.”
Raena complied. Though thin in appearance, the platform was surprisingly supportive and conformed to the curvature of her back.
“I’m going to run a quick scan to make sure your systems aren’t in distress,” Irina explained. She tapped on the panel above the head of the bed and a beam of light projected downward just beyond Raena’s feet. The beam swept upward past her head and then back downward before disappearing.
Irina studied the results on the monitor.
Raena craned her neck backward to see, but the readouts were meaningless to her untrained eye. “What’s the verdict?”
“You’re in perfect health, aside from the side effects of the Awakening. All within expected ranges,” the doctor responded. “It looks like your contraceptive implant and nanotech immune support are in order, as well.”
Raena did a double-take. “Uh… what? I have a contraceptive implant and nanobots in me? When did I get those?”
Irina’s face flushed slightly. “I’m sorry. I discussed it with your parents several years back but I suppose they wouldn’t have explained that to you,” she said with a frown. “It’s not as invasive as it sounds. All very standard. Like the ID chip in your wrist, the nanotech has been with you since you were newborns—”
“Wait, ID chip?”
“To identify you as a dynastic heir, in your left wrist,” the doctor replied far too casually for Raena’s liking. “As for the nanotech, I bet you never got sick like the rest of your friends, right?”
Raena nodded, still feeling unsettled about the concept.
“And I believe they arranged for one of the nurses from here to give you an exam when you were around twelve, and that’s when you would have received the other implant. It’s compulsory for all Taran citizens around that age—boys and girls—and especially important for someone of your birthright. With the importance of genetic legacy, an unintended pregnancy must be avoided.”
Uh, yeah, that seems pretty invasive… “I guess.”
“The contraceptive implants only serve that one purpose and can be easily deactivated when needed. It’s quite innocuous, really.”
All the same, Raena found herself unnerved by the idea that she’d been effectively sterilized without her knowledge. “I guess I’m in no position to question it if it’s standard practice…”
“Well, when you have a population of several trillion people, putting some controls in place becomes necessary.”
Trillions? Raena couldn’t begin to think about that scale of civilization. “So you need permission to have a kid?”
“Well, there’s a process,” Irina stated. “Anyone of note also has their genetic material on file in the Genetic Archive.”
“For… cloning?” Saera speculated.
“No. Cloning is strictly forbidden—at least whole bodies.”
“Why?”
“Too much conflict.” Irina cleared her throat. “Now, I’m going to give you a little something to help mute your abilities while your body adjusts to the new electromagnetic sensitivity,” the doctor continued. “We’d normally keep you in an isolation room for a few days to let your body adjust naturally, but given the unconventional nature of your arrival here in the TSS, you need to go through some additional debriefing that shouldn’t be delayed. This will allow you to move about freely and start getting acclimated in other ways.”
“Okay…”
Irina selected a metal tube with a cone protruding at a right angle. She loaded a canister into the base of the tube and clipped a head over the cone from a sealed package. “This will sting for a moment,” she said as she pressed the cone against Raena’s neck.
A sharp jab caught her by surprise, but it quickly numbed. Almost immediately, her mind began to clear and the headache receded. “Wow, that’s way better.”
Irina smiled. “Good. It will take a few minutes for the drug to take full effect. Why don’t you wait here while I check on your brother?”
Raena nodded. “May I get up?”
“Of course. I’ll be back shortly.”
Irina departed and re-sealed the door behind her.
Cautiously, Raena rose from the bed. Her senses were indeed much clearer than before and she was feeling more like her usual self.
As her feet touched down on the tile floor, the door slid open again.
Her father walked in. “Hey. How are you feeling?”
“She gave me something for the headache and it’s way better.”
“Good.”
Raena looked over her father. “But, uh, contraceptive implant and nanotech? Seriously?”
Wil looked down. “That was probably not the best way for you to find out.”
“You think?” Raena sighed.
“I wish I could have explained all of this better. I’m sorry it’s all coming at you at once.”
“Yeah, we’ll…”
Her father looked genuinely apologetic.
This is probably hard on him, too. She softened. “It’s okay. There’s clearly a lot I don’t understand about how things work around here.” She paused. “What did mom say?”
“That she feels awful that she isn’t here. She’s coming as quickly as she can.”
“How long will it take for her to arrive? Is she far?”
“She was on Tararia,” Wil said, “which is farther away than you can possibly imagine. However, it’s only a four-hour trip with our latest jump drive advances.”
Raena’s eyes widened. “Across the galaxy in four hours? That’s crazy.”
“Well, Tararia isn’t exactly on the other side of the galaxy and that kind of rapid transit isn’t particularly commonplace. We have some special tech in the TSS. But the point, is, she’ll be here very soon—she left as soon as Jason called me from school.”
“I guess we can get a tour in the meantime?”
Wil smiled. “A short one, anyway. But first, let’s make it so you can actually understand what others are saying. I learned American English back when I was a teenager because your mom was from there. However, as I was saying earlier, the galactic standard is New Taran. Many of the ancient Earth languages broke off from different Taran dialects, such as the origins of Latin. Since there are so many different dialects across the worlds, we have a sort of learning machine to imprint the vocabulary and syntax for New Taran so you can pick it up quickly. It will also give you a basic understanding of Old Taran, by extension.”
Raena stared at him with disbelief. “You have a learning machine?”
“Technically it’s an optical encoder… but yeah,” Wil replied.
“So all those years you made us go to school—”
“No, this is just for language acquisition and some other things of that nature. Apparently your mother had the same reaction when she got here,” he said with a chuckle. “What they told her then remains true today—some things you just have to learn the old fashioned way.”
“Well, I’m intrigued,” Raena said with an emphatic nod.
“Good. Now, I think Jason is almost done.”
Wil stepped back into the hall where Michael was waiting for them and Raena followed. The door to Jason’s room was still closed, but Raena noticed a group of people had gathered down the hall in the direction of the reception area. All dressed in white, they were whispering to each other and kept glancing at Raena and her father.
“Why are they watching us?” Raena asked in a hushed voice.
“I’ve always been well-known around here because of my position,” Wil explained, “but you and your brothe
r are the new, fascinating pair—High Dynasty heirs raised on Earth. That’s a first.”
Raena crossed her arms. “I don’t really like the idea of being on display.”
“The novelty will fade,” Michael said.
The door to Jason’s exam room opened and he stepped out into the hall.
“Let me know if you have any more issues,” Irina said behind him, making a note on her handheld.
“Thanks, Irina. I’ll bring them in for a checkup soon.” Wil led them toward the lobby of the medical facility.
Raena turned to her brother. “Apparently there’s a machine for us to learn New Taran.”
His eyes lit up. “Really?”
Wil smiled. “It’s like magic!”
They approached the group of medical technicians who’d gathered to watch them. As they passed by, the staff members hurriedly pretended to go about their work, but Raena caught them stealing glances.
I’m used to getting some attention, but not like this. In retrospect, she realized that it was foolish to ever think they’d go unnoticed. They were among others with abilities and her parents had called Headquarters their home for decades, but she and Jason had been raised on Earth to escape the spotlight. Seeing the reaction of the medical technicians, she began to understand why her parents had felt the need to get away. If even those in the TSS were fascinated, she could only imagine what it would be like outside of the facility, where Agents were a novelty—especially a High Dynasty Agent.
“Ignore them,” Michael whispered when he noticed Raena watching the technicians’ reactions. “Act like you belong here and you will.”
At the lobby, her father headed down a hallway to the right. Doors to rooms along the corridor were solid, more like those in the residential wing. He stopped at the second door on the left and it automatically slid open.
“I’ll wait out here,” Michael said.
Wil nodded and stepped into the room.
Inside, a single chair was in the center of the room with a contraption hanging from the ceiling. Raena examined it with dismay. “What is that?”
“This is the neural imprinting device to aid language acquisition,” her father explained. “It looks scarier than it is.”
“And that’s how we’ll learn New Taran?” Jason asked.
“Yep. Have a seat.” Wil gestured toward the chair.
Cautiously, Jason positioned himself in the seat. The devices in the ceiling descended and came forward so it aligned with his face.
Wil manipulated some controls on a console and the machine sprang to life, sending dazzling light from a viewport in front of Jason’s eyes.
He tensed with surprise. “Whoa! What’s it doing?”
“The transfer happens via your optic nerves. It will take a few minutes to calibrate and then complete the encoding. Try to relax.”
Raena watched with fascination as the light shifted through the spectrum and pulsed with different patterns. After three minutes, the light ceased and the machine rose upward toward the ceiling.
Jason blinked rapidly. “That was… weird.”
Wil said something to him in New Taran.
Jason thought for a moment, and then replied in the foreign language. He caught himself. “Wait, did I just…?”
“It takes effect quickly,” Wil said with a smile. “Though, it does help that we spoke New Taran to you as babies so the basic language pathways were already there for hearing the proper phonemes like a native speaker. Your turn, Raena.”
Jason got out of the chair and Raena took his place. “Does it hurt?” she asked him.
“No. It’s just really, really bright.”
Gripping the armrests of the seat, she let the machine work its magic. When it was complete, her head felt like it had been inside a pinball machine for the last three minutes.
“Are you okay?” her father asked.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” she replied. She caught herself; something about the words seemed strange on her tongue. “Am I speaking New Taran?” she asked.
Her father grinned. “Sure are.”
“That’s incredible.”
Jason tilted his head. “Do these machines work for other things?”
“Not in the way you’re thinking. You still have to go to class.” Wil headed for the door.
“Something tells me we’re going to do nothing but watch educational videos and read for the next ten years while we try to learn a whole new culture,” Jason muttered while they began walking down the hallway with Michael.
“You do have a lot to absorb,” Wil said, “but it won’t take nearly as long as you think to learn the most critical items. I think your mom felt fairly integrated after a year. And don’t worry—you won’t be on your own. We’ve been planning for this.”
Jason frowned. “It wasn’t right to keep us in the dark about who we are.”
“Compared to the alternatives, I stand by the decision,” their father replied. “We wrestled with the choice. I know my parents were far from happy with the arrangement, but it was the only way you could come in with the fresh perspective we needed.”
“What do you mean?” Raena asked.
Wil was silent for a few moments and glanced at Michael. “There’s been some… political tension over the years. Our family happens to be in a unique position of power, poised to make a meaningful long-term impact. But, to truly accomplish our goals, we need to make sure we’re really acting in the best interests of a layperson. All of us grew up in positions of power and influence, so we wanted you to come from a more humble position. You have the name and birthright of authority but were raised in the ways of those without such advantages. We could think of no better way to position you as compassionate and understanding leaders. And from that position, we can restructure the Taran government.”
“That was a big gamble. What if we rebel?” Jason asked.
“It wouldn’t be the first time someone in the family has gone against the norm,” their father said with a slight smile. “I just hope you’ll give us a chance and maybe elect to rebel in our general direction. Take my word for now that you don’t want to align yourself with the other side. If they had their way, there’d be no one with abilities and everyone would blindly follow the Priesthood’s decrees.”
“I guess we’ll just have to see what’s going on and take it from there,” Raena said.
Wil nodded. “That’s right. Now, come on. We have a lot to see.”
CHAPTER 9
Wil felt immediately more relaxed speaking his native language in his longtime home. Though he knew the twins would have a difficult time at first adjusting to their new reality, they were already taking it better than expected.
I’ve had my entire world turned upside down before. At least they aren’t facing an all-out war. Putting it in those terms, Wil realized that his actions really had made a difference in others’ lives—a positive change on a scale few could comprehend. Trying to explain that to his children was still too much for him to think about, though. He rather liked them thinking about him as a relatively normal person that hadn’t grown up with the responsibilities he’d had in his real life. The persona they knew of him on Earth was his alternate reality self he had fantasized about during the worst times in his life when he wished he could escape. With that image of himself alive in his children’s minds, Wil could pretend that it was true—that he hadn’t done all the terrible things he was forced to do in his past. But once they knew the truth, he wouldn’t be able to pretend anymore. He’d have to be himself again and remember the past he’d tried so hard to forget.
There was still time, though, for Wil to create a new vision of himself in their eyes. He was a respected Agent and leader, but his part in the war could remain a secret. The past hadn’t caught up with him quite yet.
Shoving the concerns to the back of his mind, Wil returned his attention to his two children. Seeing their wonder at every little thing was a grounding reminder of the good things he’d had i
n his life and the even better things yet to come. “Am I going to have to explain the operation of every environmental feature to you?” he asked his daughter jokingly.
She rolled her eyes. “I just wanted to know how the plants live without water and soil. You were the one to go off on a tangent about the air filtration systems.”
“I have been known to go off on a technical tangent or two in my day. You’ve been warned,” he replied with a coy smile.
Michael grinned. “Take that warning seriously.”
Raena let out an exaggerated sigh and resumed her intense study of the plants contained within cylinders along the corridor.
“That’s great and all,” Jason interjected, “but I thought we were going on an actual tour of the facility.”
“Yes, we are. I guess we may as well start with the administrative wing since it’s close by.” Wil led the way to the nearest stairwell to head up one floor to the central command wing of Level 1.
“So there are stairs,” Raena commented as soon as Wil swung open the door to the stairwell.
“Oh yeah, we’d never get rid of all the stairwells,” Wil replied. “Where else would we have trainees run in circles if they get too ornery in regular practice?”
“You’ve made people run laps on stairs?” Jason asked warily.
“Not often, but it’s happened. They did it to themselves, though—at least as far as I’m concerned. Michael might have a slightly different take on the issue.” Wil held open the door for the twins to go through.
Michael only shook his head in response.
Raena paused on the stair landing. “So, you trained Michael and the others? But aren’t you about the same age?”
“Yes,” Wil said as he headed up the stairs. “We’re all close to the same age, but I graduated when I was sixteen. I’d been an Agent for three years by the time they were enrolling as first-year Trainees.”
“Being so young, were you at a low-level rank at first?” questioned Jason.
“No, Agent rank is determined by a final exam score. The biggest factor is raw telekinetic ability, so age is irrelevant.”
Raena jogged up the stairs behind him. “So, what did you score?”
