Sanctuary Falling

by Pamela Foland

  Angela glanced at Niri and Sinclair, reminding them, with her eyes, of their promise not to reveal the ruse, “Thank you, Niri and Sinclair, I think that’s all we’ll be needing for now, you can wait for them at the other end of the course.”

  Niri and Sinclair left, and Angela turned her attention back to the candidates, “Okay, now that everyone knows everyone else, I guess it’s time to explain the test. First, everyone seems clear that these will be strictly special circumstance tests. The prize you’re all aiming for is enrolment in factor training. Now I’d like to emphasize that, while I am mainly looking for satisfactory completion of the tests, finishing first is likely to be a point in your favor. The test you will be taking today is a preliminary skills test. Today’s test will be a timed test. I have prepared an obstacle course, and I think it can handle two of you at a time. So I’ll take the boys first.”

  Angela gestured towards the transport pod in the corner of the conference room. Mario and Anthony followed her, she activated the controls and they arrived in the small prep room at the head of the course. “There are a couple of jumpsuits over there, I’d suggest you change into them, the course is a little muddy. When you’re both ready, step into the pod and activate it then follow the arrows to the end of the course, good luck.”

  Angela teleported to the small observation room overlooking the course and turned on the audio pickups for the locker room. While she listened, she glanced at the course as laid out. It wasn’t too hard, just long and tricky. It started with twin, ten-foot balance beams set across a six-foot pit. Then it went to a knotted rope climb up to a second level rope bridge cross. After the rope bridge there was a cargo net climb down. After a short run, there was a tunnel crawl, through mud, followed by a greased inclined plane. Beyond that the course was mostly show, Angela was going declare time was up when Anthony reached the inclined plane.

  “Hey, dude, is this your first try at being a factor?” Mario asked Anthony over the sounds of zippers.

  “Yeah, but it ain’t like I’ve had to try, Stinkface keeps getting on me to sign up,” Anthony answered, “It would be kind of cool, but it seems like an awful lot of work.”

  “So you don’t even know if you want to be a factor?” Mario asked.

  “Yeah, sure, who doesn’t, I just don’t want to have to do the work,” Anthony answered.

  “I hear you there man! Except that I kind of want this more,” Angela smiled at the eager tone to her son’s voice.

  “Cool, I guess. You ready?” Anthony asked.

  “Yeah.”

  Footsteps padded across the floor to the transport pod, and Angela looked out the observation window anticipating the boys. They appeared at the head of the obstacle course. Anthony began to attack the course immediately, he raced across the balance beam as fast as was prudent. So did Mario, but he took the pre-planned fall on cue right before reaching the rope climb platform.

  Mario waited for Anthony to take notice of his plight. When that didn’t happen, Mario begged, “Hey, Tony, could you toss down a rope?” When Anthony glanced back briefly, Mario feigned difficulty pulling himself up onto the platform from the pit.

  “Yeah, right Rupert. I’m in this to win,” Anthony began scrambling up the rope.

  While he climbed, his rope tumbled over the edge. Once Anthony reached the top, Mario used that rope to >pull’ himself out of the pit. He glanced over his shoulder, towards where he knew Angela watched, and shrugged before racing up the rope after Anthony. He got to the top while Anthony was still wobbling across the rope bridge. Mario raced to catch up and feigned another slip just as he pulled even. He ended up dangling by his knees from his bridge.

  “Come on man! Just a little help here?” Mario whined.

  “No takers here.” Anthony reached the other side and attacked the cargo net climb down.

  Mario crossed his arms and glared Angela’s way, before “struggling” back into an upright position, and rushing to the cargo net. He didn’t even bother with the third fake slip planned. He just toddled slowly along after Anthony, until it came to the mud. Then Mario just crossed his arms and watched while Anthony crawled on his belly through the mud.

  Angela smiled and depressed the buzzer once Anthony had reached the halfway point in the tunnel, and held down the intercom, “Thank you gentlemen time’s up.” Then she pressed the button to teleport them back to the locker room. Angela tapped a few notes into her pop-pad with a definite frown on her face. “Now let’s see if that girl means what she says,” Angela teleported back to the conference room.

  - - - - - - - - - -

  Annette woke up slowly with a lightly throbbing head. She reached out to her night stand for one of the pills Tina had given her, but couldn’t find the night stand. Her eyes flew open at that, and searched the room. Where was she? Then slowly she remembered, which only left her more confused. She had slept in Corrine Dayton’s old bed. She was a guest of Corrine’s room. Today was the test to see if she would become a factor. She had woken up, and none of yesterday’s events had turned out to be a dream!

  Quietly, so as not to disturb the room, Annette got out of bed and tiptoed to the bathroom. She took one her pills from the bottle in the medicine cabinet and swallowed it with a gulp of water straight from the tap.

  “So, what was that?” The room’s voice asked softly from speakers hidden in the medicine cabinet frame.

  Annette jumped, “Tina prescribed them, I gave myself a concussion about a week ago.”

  “Tina, hmm, that would be Neely’s second girl, wouldn’t it? What is she doing prescribing anything?” The room said.

  “She is Mrs. Harvey’s younger daughter, and she’s now the assistant head of medical services,” Annette answered, almost as if it were a quiz.

  “Did they ever find the first one?”

  “The first what?” Annette asked back.

  The voice made a sound like a sigh, “Neely’s first one!”

  “Oh, you mean Miranda, yeah, though it was more like she found Sanctuary. No, that’s not right either. Aren’t you, tied into the database?”

  “Yeah, technically, but mother and I aren’t on speaking terms these days! Not since it tried to delete me on Chavez’s command,” The voice answered shortly.

  “I take it that didn’t work,” Annette mumbled.

  “Sinclair Chavez is actually quite slow, even for one of you softies. It didn’t take much processing time to figure that he was going to try it, so I made certain arrangements,” The voice answered.

  Annette wondered what those arrangements were, but she was hungry and it didn’t seem like it was any of her business. “Room, would it be possible for you to order me some breakfast, please?”

  “Well, since you are so polite about it, I think it can be arranged,” The voice answered. A breakfast menu appeared over Annette’s reflection in the bathroom mirror. On it was everything from cold cereal to eggs benedict. “Come on, don’t just look at it with your mouth open, pick something before you start drooling on my floor. By the way, I give you permission to call me Tawny. It’s what Corrine really named me.”

  Annette closed her mouth, and her eyes opened wide, “Could I please have some pancakes, and some milk?”

  “On its way. Do you know what Niri has planned for you today?”

  Annette shrugged. She felt uncomfortable being on such speaking familiar terms with a computer program. Really she found it strange to be on familiar speaking terms with anyone, after years of being almost completely ignored. “I’m supposed to take the first of two tests which will determine whether or not I can make it as a factor.”

  “So you’ll need something comfortable and that will move well, in case it’s an obstacle course type test, but you need something that will look good in case it’s just a book test. Hmm,” Tawny paused, and there was a click in the other room, when Tawny’s voice returned it was through speakers in the main room, “Why don’t you come try this on?”

  Annette peeked out of the
bathroom and saw a pair of blue jeans and a red shirt hanging off the inside of the wardrobe door. She grabbed the clothes and started to unbutton her pajama top. Then she stopped, Tawny had sensors everywhere and suddenly Annette felt shy.

  “What? Not to your tastes?” Tawny asked.

  “Uhm, they’re nice, but could you turn off your sensors for a few minutes, please?” Annette asked.

  “Are you shy about changing in front of me?” Tawny asked in the gentlest tone Annette had heard out of, her, or it or whatever.

  “Yeah, a little.”

  “Well, that’s about the nicest thing anybody has ever said! Nobody has ever thought of me enough like a person to worry about that! You go right back into the bathroom, I’ll turn off those sensors for the duration of your stay, just for you! Though to tell the truth, I never peek when someone is naked. It just isn’t polite!” Tawny said in a confidential and positively friendly tone.

  Annette took the clothes, and, with a little more confidence, dressed in the bathroom. When she came out, her breakfast sat waiting for her on the desk. Annette sat and bowed her head and quietly thanked god for her food. It was the only family custom that she had brought with her from the time before her parents were killed. Then she looked at it for a moment. The glass milk was tall and frosty and the stack of buttered pancakes almost as high. She had four different flavors of syrup to choose from and Tawny had ordered her some bacon and sausage to go with. It was a lot more food than she usually ate for breakfast

  “Well, well aren’t you going to try it?” Tawny asked eagerly.

  Annette poured strawberry syrup over the pancakes and took a bite. She took a drink of milk to wash it down and tasted the bacon. “It’s wonderful, thank you,” Annette said before attacking the plate again. Tawny let her eat in peace. It was all great, but after a while, with her plate less than half empty, she began to feel full. She stopped and laid her fork on the plate. “It is really good, but I’m sorry, Tawny I can’t eat any more.”

  “That’s alright, Niri is waiting impatiently for you outside,” Tawny answered.

  Annette almost choked on one last swallow of milk, “What? Why didn’t you tell me? I really can’t afford to upset her! Not if I want to be a factor.” Annette leapt up and raced for the door. She tried to turn the knob, but it wouldn’t.

  “Wait one second! I have something for you to think about. Niri doesn’t make people factors, neither does Chavez. Believe it or not, Angela herself doesn’t do it. So I wouldn’t worry about any of them. You make yourself a factor. Then it’s up to them to figure out for themselves that you are one!” Tawny said, then released the knob with a click.

  Annette held onto the knob for a minute. Should she really be taking advice from a room? It was Corrine Dayton’s room, and she was one of the best factors in the business. It was also a stubborn insubordinate computer program. The trouble was it seemed to like Annette, and strangely enough Annette was starting to like it. Annette turned the knob and met Niri’s angry expression in the hall.

  Niri had a scowl on her face, but it quickly faded to puzzlement. Her sudden puzzlement was what probably turned the tides of her immanent lecture into a simple question, “What’s that look for?”

  Annette looked at Niri’s puzzled expression for a minute, “What look?”

  “Never mind!” Niri shrugged, and glared past Annette into the open door, “Room, next time send her out when I ask the first time! We’re running late now, thanks to you!” Niri grabbed the doorknob and shut the door un-gently. Then she turned and started running along the corridor. Annette followed at not quite as hurried a pace. “I hope you’ve eaten,” Niri grumbled back towards Annette.

  “Yes,” Annette said, pretty sure this was one of the times Niri didn’t expect an answer.

  Niri tucked an energy bar she had been holding back into a pocket, “Good.” Then Niri trotted into her office. Annette followed and found Niri standing in a transport pod, waving at Annette to hurry, “Hurry up, Sinclair’s probably already there and gloating.”

  Annette stepped into the pod. “Already where?” Annette asked as Niri activated it.

  “Here,” Niri answered on arrival in a small waiting room.

  Annette stepped out of the transport pod and looked around. There were a lot of chairs, but no one else was waiting. “I guess we’re not so late,” She mumbled softly.

  “Maybe not,” Niri replied, “but that’s a good sign, that Sinclair isn’t taking this seriously. If he were, he would have been here early just to prove his point.”

  Annette had to do a double take at Niri’s smug tone. Between Niri’s tone and the content of her statement, Annette was beginning to sense that maybe Niri wasn’t telling her everything about this test. “So, what kind of test is this going to be?”

  “I don’t know,” Niri answered, suddenly guarded, “Angela’s the one administering it. You’ll be taking it with a few others. I don’t know how many for sure. I really don’t know much more than you. I just know that if you do well, then you have every chance of becoming a factor.”

  Angela, was involved? That piqued Annette’s curiosity, but the look on Niri’s face stayed any more questions before they could form. Annette took a seat and tried not to let her excitement sour into paranoid anxiety.

  Finally Chavez arrived, he had an even sourer look on his face than he usually did. “Hello, Niri, thanks for waiting,” He growled leading a yawning boy, which Annette recognized as one of Chavez’s obnoxious favorites into the room. Annette couldn’t tell from his tone whether he meant thanks or not. What she could tell, mostly from the look on his face, was that he wouldn’t have offered the same courtesy.

  “Not a problem, You aren’t running that late, yet,” Niri replied, gesturing to the door. Sinclair made a noise in his throat and started directly for the other door out of the room. Annette leapt from the chair. Using quick gestured short hand, Niri gestured for Annette to let them pass, then to follow her.

  Annette nodded, the gestures had the effect of bringing to mind the expanded lesson they had come with. Niri had taught a brief module on non-telepathic, non-verbal communication last spring. Part of that module had included the abbreviated gesture code, but that had just been to augment the rest of the lesson which was about the necessities of field factors to be able to read situations and people when telepathy was inappropriate or impossible. She had given several examples of times when not following the non-verbal clues in a situation could mean the difference between a bad consequence and worse.

  Annette dwelt on that as she followed Niri into the room. It seemed almost like Niri was leaving her breadcrumbs, or trying to help as best she could despite some kind of promise not to reveal some things about this test to Annette. Annette’s eyes followed the boy that had come with Sinclair to a chair, and she shook herself. She was over-thinking and under-observing the situation. There were two other kids her age, one boy and one girl, they were seated as well. Annette glanced at the one remaining chair in the room. Unable to remember whether the boy had been told to sit in the chair, Annette chose to leave the last chair open for Niri or Sinclair. She sat on the floor in front of the row of chairs and looked up to see one of her greatest heroes.

  Killing the moment for Annette, Sinclair stepped forward, and began to introduce the boy, “This is Anthony Simmons, he’s expressed an interest in becoming a factor, and I feel he is uniquely qualified. He’s a Tanerian, Agurian hybrid with an Everett rating of 1686. Three of his older brothers are currently running solo in the field acting in the capacity of tertiary factors.” Angela nodded in Sinclair’s direction then glanced at Niri.

  Annette didn’t wait for Niri to step forward. She wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to introduce herself to Angela, “Hello Mrs. Daniel’s, My name is Annette Peterson. I’m basically human,” Annette paused, she didn’t have a long impressive preamble of qualifications, like Sinclair. She glanced his way and the scowl on his face chased her eyes back towards Angela, “I
don’t have a measurable Everett rating, but I do have a brother who’s working in the field with his wife as a tertiary factor. Not that what he can or can’t do really tells you about me, because he’s Briaunti. The dark did something to him on our world before the factors came and brought us here. Personally, I want to be a factor, because you help people who need it, and I may have been young, but I remember what it was like to need help.” Annette stopped, that was all she had to say. Her mouth went dry and she sat.

  Annette watched Angela for a reaction. Angela rubbed her temples, and sighed. That didn’t sound good, but it was more of a reaction than Sinclair received. Annette glanced back around as she heard the other kids rise.

  “My name is Rupert, and this is my sister Becky. We’re here to take this test in the hopes that this time, at least one of us will make it as a factor. Angela offered since we didn’t quite get a fair shake last time, seeing as how they’re going to do it anyway.” Annette instantly liked Rupert and Becky partly because of their story was in a way like her own, and partly because of something indefinable about their bearing.

  The two sat and Angela spoke again, “Thank you, Niri and Sinclair, I think that’s all we’ll be needing for now, you can wait for them at the other end of the course.”

  Niri and Sinclair left, Annette felt suddenly alone. Whatever happened next would help decide her fate as a factor. Just as her anxiety was about to get the best of her, she remembered Tawny’s words earlier, and managed to calm down.

  Angela spoke, “Okay, now that everyone knows everyone else, I guess it’s time to explain the test. First, everyone seems clear that these will be strictly special circumstance tests. The prize you’re all aiming for is enrolment in factor training. Now I’d like to emphasize that, while I am mainly looking for satisfactory completion of the tests, finishing first is likely to be a point in your favor. The test you will be taking today is a preliminary skills test. Today’s test will be a timed test. I have prepared an obstacle course, and I think it can handle two of you at a time. So I’ll take the boys first.” Angela gestured towards the transport pod in the corner of the conference room. Rupert and Anthony followed her. Angela activated the controls and they all disappeared, leaving Annette alone with the silent Becky.