Warship (The Outsider Series Book 3)

by Steven Oaks

  “We do know they have some need or desire for human dead. We know they seemingly wanted to appear benign. We know they have technology beyond your own. We know they have little care for individuals. I think that is the limit of our knowledge, everything else has been speculation. Their motivations are a mystery to me as well. In the end we will just have to push forward and find out what we can,” she replied, in similar frustration.

  “Athene I'm tired. It's been a long day, with long conversations. Upon the morrow we shall be flying home. While it's a long trip, I wish to be rested before we leave,” I implored, standing up to make my way to my bedroom.

  “I understand Michael. I shall have everything ready before we depart. If there is anything you wish to do before we leave, you shall have time in the morning. Sleep well my captain,” she said softly as I entered the bed chamber.

  I threw the sheets aside, and in my exhaustion did not remove my clothing. Soon after tunneling into the mound of pillows that rested atop the yielding surface of the bed, I was asleep.

  Being woken by Athene was always an adventure. I never knew if she would gently rouse me with whispered words, or if she would allow simulated sunlight to reach my face. That day I found a combination of light and a gentle shaking was needed to extract me from my dreams. I had noticed the light, but refused to let it interrupt my dreams. Burrowing myself deeper under the pillows lining the bed, no light could reach me. Athene must have noticed this and began to shake me awake.

  “Alright Athene, I'm getting up,” I mumbled, muffled by layers of cloth.

  “You say that, yet you hide deeper into the bed,” Athene laughed with humor.

  I moaned at this, and threw aside the fortress of pillows I had built around my face. The light meeting my eyes was too bright for me, and I moaned again.

  Putting up an arm to block out the simulated sunlight I growled, “Athene, does it have to be so bright in here. I can't even open my eyes.”

  “Do you promise to get up now?” she asked.

  “I'm still tired Athene. How long have I been asleep?” I groaned, avoiding promising anything.

  The light dimmed slightly and she said, “You have set yourself a record Michael. You have been abed for ten hours. I think that is plenty of time for you, now come get something to eat.”

  “It feels like I've only been asleep for a few hours. Can't you just let me sleep for a little longer?” I pleaded.

  “You implied you wished to be awake when we left. There is little time before we leave now. If you do not hurry I shall have to bathe you quickly,” she chuckled evilly.

  Not wanting to have another hurried shower by her hands I jumped to my feet. Doing this so quickly left me light headed, and I sat down heavily on the edge of the mattress. Holding my head in my hands to try to contain the pounding headache that had sprung up suddenly, I waited for it to subside.

  “Are you alright Michael?” Athene asked with concern.

  “I just stood up too quickly. You do have a way of motivating me sometimes, and I acted perhaps a little suddenly this morning,” I moaned as the throbbing began to dissipate into tolerable levels.

  “It seemed you would not get up without proper motivation. This is the first time that has been a problem. Might you be sick?” she asked worried.

  “I think you would know better than me. Don't you keep track of my health at all times?” I asked, off handedly.

  “I can see your body is in working order, but perhaps you have some worry causing you undue stress,” she replied simply.

  “Of course I'm stressed. The future of humanity rest upon our shoulders,” I wailed more heatedly than I intended.

  “It need not rest upon yours. Now there are a variety of versions of myself free from the Outsiders we could simply handle any situation that arises,” Athene cooed soothingly.

  “We've been over this. Can we not start the day out with a fight?” I retorted, trying to calm down.

  “You were the one who seemed upset, I was merely offering to ease your worries,” she chided.

  “My worries wouldn't go away simply because I wasn't involved. I think they would be greater if I didn't try to see things through myself. I can't imagine sitting back and waiting to hear word if you had been successful or not. The intervening months of no communication would likely drive me mad,” I stressed, almost angry.

  “You will have to rely on us even if you are there, as you put it, to see things through. You might not even be aware of the attack if you are on Earth as we deal with Adam. You recall how long it took me to create the version of Mr. Thompson I am inhabiting? You will likely be bored,” she reasoned.

  “Are you still trying to make me stay here? Athene, I'm going and that's final. Even if I can do nothing, I want to make sure things are handled properly,” I said, growing even more upset.

  I began to wonder why my emotions were going out of control. I am not a person who usually gets so worked up about things. Certainly Athene was pushing my buttons, but previously we had been able to discuss things in a calm and civil tone.

  Taking a deep breath, and trying to remain calm, I asked in a hesitating voice, “Athene do you know why I am getting so mad right now?”

  “What are you talking about? Are you not simply upset because I wish you to not put yourself in danger even though you think it is the appropriate action?” she responded, sounding slightly flustered.

  “No Athene. This lack of control isn't normal. Even now I'm having difficulty not screaming at you. Something is wrong, and I want to know if you have any idea as to why it might be,” I challenged as I breathed heavily to keep myself from shouting.

  “Perhaps you are grumpy from being woken up,” she said, after a moment of hesitation.

  “I have been grumpy before, this is not like that. Could you please check the air in this room. This feels similar to my emotional imbalance when I was with Ava,” I said, growing worried. Yet I could not shake the undirected anger that was building inside me.

  “I cannot tell you if there is something in the air,” she said quietly.

  “Why!” I shouted. It was the only word I was able to force out before a red haze filled my vision. I was growing so enraged all my muscles tensed up while I shouted, and I could feel my heart rate skyrocket.

  “Michael are you alright?” she asked again, and I could hear her own panic in her voice.

  Losing control I began screaming incoherently and threw anything I could reach at the walls. First the pillows, then the blankets became projectiles. The sound of these items scraping against the chandelier caused a tinkling that made me even more angry. Soon I was trying to pull the fixture down to the ground so I could smash it to pieces.

  The next thing I remember is waking up in bed once more. This time I was more alert, and found all the grogginess I had experienced before gone. Sitting up did not leave me light headed, so I turned to place my feet on the ground. The room showed no signs of the angry outburst that I had performed upon it.

  For a moment I thought perhaps I had dreamed the entire thing, but I noticed my hands bore the signs of injuries I must have inflicted upon myself when I tried to tear the chandelier down from the ceiling.

  “Athene are you there?” I asked the quiet room.

  “Of course Michael, where else would I be? Did you sleep well?” she asked back.

  I was not sure if I should bring up what had happened before, as I feared I might be put back to sleep again. What was Athene thinking, and what had happened?

  “I seem to have scratches on my hands,” I pointed out, relying on something tangible.

  Again she hesitated before replying. I was growing more worried by the moment. Athene was powerful, and I was merely a human alive by her good will.

  “You must have injured yourself when you got into bed so suddenly,” she finally responded.

  “On what? The bed is soft, and I don't see any blood anywhere on it,” I said, feigning an examination of the bed.

 
“It does not appear life threatening. How about you come for some breakfast. We will be leaving soon, and you will want to be dressed to say your farewells,” she said, changing the subject.

  “I think I'd like to know what happened to me,” I said, trying to be vague so that she would have the chance to explain my anger earlier without me revealing how much I knew.

  “I do not know Michael. People are hard to predict,” she responded, just as vague.

  This was getting me nowhere. I decided if I were to ever know what was happening I would just have to confront her and hope I would not simply be put to sleep again.

  “Athene, I was angry. There was little reason for me to be so upset. Tell me what you did to me,” I commanded as calmly as I could.

  “What do you mean? Where you not just sleeping?” she said in a voice that shook with nervousness.

  “I got these injuries because I was rampaging through the room. Athene, you must tell me what's going on, or get rid of me all together. I won't work with you anymore if you don't explain what happened,” I replied firmly. I did not feel confident, but I tried my best to project that attitude. I could easily be frozen like any other person, and never released again.

  “You must have been dreaming, and are now using that to explain the injuries you got elsewhere,” she said in a strangely happy voice.

  As I was still dressed from the previous evening, I pulled on my boots and walked out of the room. Treading as fast as I could without looking like I was panicking I made my way towards the lounge and the door that led outside.

  Standing finally in front of the wall that had always opened up to let me out I said, “Athene I wish to go outside. Please open the door.”

  “We are inside the facility on Argil, there is little to see here,” she said with a slight tremor in her voice.

  “I don't care Athene, I just want to go out and stretch my legs,” I said, growing irritated.

  “You will find nothing out there Michael, why not come have breakfast instead?” she asked, pleadingly.

  “If there's nothing for me to see here, why not take me outside so I can enjoy the weather of this world for a final time,” I insisted.

  “If you truly wish to leave, then I can take you to town, but why not shower first? You do not wish to be amongst people when you have not bathed,” she said.

  “Athene I want to go out for a run. What I'm wearing is okay for a little jog, and bathing before would be a waste of effort,” I argued, trying to see if I would ever be allowed to leave.

  Suddenly the door opened before me to let in the morning's cool breeze, “We are just outside town, if you wish to stretch your legs you can do so here,” she consented, almost as if I were a prisoner given a reward for good behavior.

  Without waiting to hear her compete her sentence, I was already making my way down the steps. It felt good to be out in the open again, but now that I was here I could not think of a way to assure myself of Athene's intentions.

  Turning back to face the towering black structure that was Athene I said, “Now that I'm outside my head feels clearer. Shall we continue our conversation?”

  “Why must you be outside to talk with me?” she asked, puzzled.

  “Because Athene, something was done to me when I was aboard you. Either you unknowingly let something happen to me, or you are directly responsible. Now tell me which one is it,” I demanded, calmly enough, but a hint of anger showed through in my voice.

  “You are perfectly healthy Michael. Nothing was done to harm you,” she said.

  “I may be healthy, but something was done. What was it Athene?” I asked firmly.

  Again she hesitated in answering. I stood there growing colder as the cool spring air of this world wrapped around me and through the thin layers of clothing I had worn through the night.

  “We had only the best of intentions, though it seems we were unable to predict your behavior,” she said softly with hesitation in her voice.

  “And what were your intentions?” I asked, again firmly.

  “We thought that putting you in danger would not be acceptable. We thought we might be able to change your mind. You just grew angry instead of trusting. We apologize for this,” she explained like a child being scolded.

  “Then you were trying to manipulate me?” I fumed, trying to confirm my fears.

  “We did not try to take away your autonomy, we only wanted you to see we were right,” she mumbled weakly.

  “So like Ava you tried to make me your willing puppet.” I uttered, my face collapsing into sorrow.

  “No, we would never do that, we merely wanted to make you more willing to see our side,” she answered quickly.

  “And what do you think Ava was doing? She used her influence upon those she came into contact with to make them more willing. You indeed tried to make me your slave. Athene I cannot be friends with someone who is willing to destroy another,” I yelled, nearly in tears, and began to walk away into the wooded area that surrounded the colony.

  “Wait Michael, you have to understand we just want to protect you,” she pleaded.

  Reaching up into my ear I pulled the ear bud free that I had put into place so long ago. I had rarely removed it and now threw it to the ground. I had nothing left to say to this person whom I had called friend. She had tried to take from me my right to choose. She could have easily refused to take me back, but instead she tried to force me to agree with her. The idea of autonomy for which I had been fighting for all humanity to keep, she was trying to strip away from me. There was no one I could trust now, and I felt more alone than I had ever felt. Even when I locked myself away in my apartment alone for days, I had never felt this depth of depression.

  I realized I was still wearing the watch she had given me so we might always have a connection. I pulled it roughly from my wrist, and tried to smash it against the nearest tree. It seemed to just bounced off, and showed no sign of damage. My eyes filled with tears as I walked quickly away, leaving behind everything Athene had given me.

  I do not know how long I wandered through that wooded area, but I was growing colder with each step. I looked for a clearing where I might gain some warmth from the morning sun, and found one to my right. The break in the forest led out to a grassy field yet to be taken over by the tall trees. I waded my way through the waist high grass until I was sure I was near its center. Feeling the sun caress my skin, I grew warmer. I pushed down the surrounding grass to lay on the ground, and tried to not feel sorry for myself.

  What was I going to do now? I was on another world, now without a means of returning to Earth. I could always join the towns people. The simple farming life had always been a pleasing idea. Knowing I would no longer be able to help in mankind's struggle against the Outsiders drained any joy I might have had in the thought.

  Becoming a hermit at one point had been an idea I had relished, but now I knew what having a friend was like, I no longer welcomed the solitude. It seemed the least troublesome path before me now though. I felt I could live alone on this world if I were but to built a shelter. There was little wildlife, and what little had been brought was no danger to a person. This left meager means for food, but I had seen several fruit bearing plants, and felt if I could store enough I might be able to make it through the short but harsh winters.

  I heard a rustling in the trees to one side, and I sat bolt upright. While I knew of no animal here that would attack a person, there was always the danger of other people. Peering through the grass I saw a dark shape emerge from the grove of trees.

  It was the Mr. Thompson version of Athene. He was looking around confused, and must not have been able to see me hidden in the tall grass.

  What was she doing here? Was he going to force me back? I could not stand against him with my own strength, but maybe I could outrun him.

  I was not sure if I should stay where I was and hope I would not be noticed, or make a run for it. I compromised, and began to crawl slowly along the ground away from this
version of Athene.

  He must have heard me because he called, “Michael, don't leave. We had to know how you would react.”

  This made me pause. What did he mean by that?

  “Athene, what did you have to know?” I asked, still trying to hide but knowing it was now pointless.

  He made no motion to come nearer and said, “We had to know if Ava's control would be long lasting, and how well you would be able to resist. While we did not use a human form to do this, we used all other techniques we learned from observation. You seem to react with anger now at this type of manipulation. When we said we were trying to change your mind, that was not entirely the truth. While we still wish you not to put yourself in danger, that was merely an excuse for the method we used. Had you been swayed, we would have still taken you back to Earth, and seen if the influence would lessen with time.”

  “You could have asked me before experimenting on me,” I shouted angrily.

  “If we had done that it would have possibly ruined the venture. If you were prepared you might have reacted differently,” he said calmly.

  “I will be aware if Ava tries again with me,” I growled, exasperated.

  “True, but we also wanted to know how others might react. They would be unprepared for her, like those that met with her at the U. N.,” he said.

  “Sure that makes sense and all, yet you still broke my autonomy. How dare you do that to me, we're friends,” I yelled.

  “Being your friend we understand you, at least to some degree. We all agreed had we asked you to do this you would have agreed. Which means we thought you would consent, but again knowing would have skewed the experiment. We apologize for this, we thought you would realize what was going on sooner than you have,” he implored, sounding upset.

  “Assuming consent is not consent. You have to get a firm answer directly from the person before you can know they agree to an action. You have taken part in raping my mind. Do you think I will accept your apology?” I hissed, bitterly.