by Steven Oaks
“I will take your word for it. I look forward to sampling your homemade breakfast,” I said.
“Thank you. Prepare your stomach,” she laughed.
The table in front of me was suddenly a flurry of activity as the surface seemed to melt away and dishes rose into view. A large black cast iron frying pan was placed directly in front of me filled with a pile of apples that had been cut into wedges and cooked. They had a golden brown hue to them, and I could smell not only apple, but also the aromatic scent of cinnamon. Then two white porcelain plates arrived filled with two eggs that were sunny side up, and two still sizzling pieces of bacon that filled the air with their heady scent. I then noticed a glass filled with orange juice, and also a cup made of the same white porcelain as the plates from before filled nearly to the brim with coffee so dark that midnight would have been jealous of its black surface.
“Athene, I do believe you have outdone yourself yet again,” I said, reaching for the silverware that had surfaced along with these fine dishes.
“You have yet to eat it, but thank you nonetheless,” she said.
I took a fork and stabbed a piece of apple, and as I raised it to my mouth I began salivating profusely as the scent was so intoxicating it awoke the hunger that I had been pushing away since the moment I awoke. Chewing this morsel of sweet goodness I could not express the pleasure it brought me. I am not one who normally eats for any other reason than I need fuel to continue, but today I found myself transformed into one who found near sexual pleasure from consuming such flavor filled fare.
“Athene, this is amazing. I do believe that you might have found ambrosia,” I said as I began filling my mouth with all the food in front of me. Between bites I would switch between drinking the coffee and orange juice, and both were perfect in their own right.
“Well I am certainly glad you like it. Perhaps I should try out different foods for you for every meal instead of always making you oatmeal,” she said with a little laugh.
I was already most of the way through the large serving of the German apple pancake, and decided before I got too full I would eat some of the bacon and eggs. The eggs ran their yellow centers over the plate when I dragged my fork across their surface to take a mouthful, and they were perfectly seasoned already with pepper. To eat the bacon I reached out to pick a piece with two fingers, and took a large bite. It was crisp and yet yielding, and I had to tear a piece off using my teeth unlike the bacon I was used to. Usually when I cooked bacon I tended to burn it, but today I had received something fashioned to perfection. It was not as salty as I expected, but it still had the perfect bacon taste that I had been searching for when I tried to cook it at home, and restaurants rarely seemed to duplicate.
My grandmother, when I was younger, used to take me in over the summers so my parents would not have to put me in daycare. She would cook the best meals. The bacon she made was so similar to the one in front of me it brought back those few happy memories of my childhood.
My eyes began to tear a little and I said, “I'm not sure I could take this at every meal. It certainly is the best food I've ever had. I can only imagine I would be spoiled on it, and not be able to enjoy anyones cooking after you got through with me,” I laughed. Though I did think it might be true, it sounded ridiculous even to my own ears.
“So you will want your regular meals from now on?” she said, sounding a little disheartened.
“Oh I think there will be special occasions that would call for special meals. However making every meal special would just take away from their uniqueness and make it less significant. While I know that you are controlling the calories and dietary needs with each meal, I feel that I would truly become a glutton. If you and I ever separated how would I live without your amazing cooking?” I said, trying to dissuade her discouragement.
“I understand Michael, but I do love pleasing you. Right now you seem very pleased,” she said, sounding much happier.
“I'm certainly happy, but also I'm getting very full. I've always hated wasting food, and that's generally why I make small portions for myself. I'm unsure I could safely finish this meal,” I said, patting my already distended stomach. I had finished the eggs and bacon easily, but the pancake itself was giving me issues. I have a problem that when I find something tasty I tend to eat it very quickly, which can lead to situations where I do not realize how full I really am.
“Do not worry about waste. Remember I can convert anything back into whence it came,” she said happily enough.
I hoped I would not offend the cook when I said, “Then please Athene, take away this glorious food before I try to commit suicide by eating all of it.”
“You would have to make your stomach expand previously to eat everything I set before you, but I wanted you to feel satisfied,” she said as the plates disappeared back into the table's surface. She left only the cup of coffee that was once more filled to the brim.
I took the cup of coffee into my hand, and stood up to wander into the lounge to sit relaxing on the Victorian chair that I favored there. It would take me awhile to digest, and I was not sure how much time before we were leaving.
“Athene, if I might ask, how soon until we leave?” I asked.
“It is nearly 8am now. I would think Adam or someone should be coming soon,” she explained.
“Oh damn. I'd rather not do the rushed shower job today, I am entirely too full. At those speeds I am likely to lose my breakfast,” I laughed as I stood to go change as quickly as I could.
“There are still a few minutes, it would not have to be that rushed,” she said.
“Very well.” I said as I reached the bedroom and began stripping off my clothes.
I caught a glance at myself in the mirror, and even with one such large meal I appeared to have gained some weight. Then again that could just be due to the bad posture I was using at that moment to deal with the pain of overeating.
“Let's get this over with, but please be gentle,” I said as I stepped into the shower stall.
Once more I was assaulted by a barrage of hot water. It was not nearly as hot as last time, but it was enough to cause me to try to shift my weight out of the way of the streams of steam. However since it came from all directions I was unable to find a safe place to keep my skin from turning a bright pink. This only lasted maybe a minute, and then the hot air crashed into my now red skin, and blew all the water away.
Athene was kind enough to supply me with a chair as she pulled my hair into order with those clever hands she was able to extend anywhere in the ship. When she was done all that was left was to clean my teeth. I was able to rinse with the mint flavored water-like substance that she continued to assure me was enough for my dental health.
Feeling slightly less engorged, and now clean, I made to select something to wear, but Athene had once more supplied me with an outfit.
Laid out on the now made bed was what I took to be a black captains uniform. I raised my eyebrow at the room and said, “Is this a joke Athene? I don't think I was awarded the rank of captain.”
“You are my captain, and the Outsiders gave you that position,” she said.
“I believe the rank I am given is pilot. Nothing more than that, and I do very little piloting as you tend to do all the driving,” I said, exasperated at her light hearted attitude towards everything.
“You are the sole human aboard a vessel about to be under way. I do believe that gives you the title,” she said sounding hurt.
“Fine, why not play the part. Might as well show some style while I'm about it. Though I don't recall ever seeing a woman wearing anything like this before,” I said, feeling silly and sorry that I might have hurt Athene's feelings over something so unimportant as clothing.
I began pulling on the uniform. The black material looked like it would be itchy, but as Athene was a great tailor the insides felt like silk. I tugged on the black pants with a wide white stripe on the outside of my legs, and pulled the coat across a white shirt Athene had
placed down to wear underneath. The golden tassels on either shoulder made me look even more masculine than I do usually, and the same colored buttons on the chest made me stand up straighter. An interesting belt inlaid with gold I cinched around my now bulging waist made me feel slightly sick, but I pushed it around until it was more comfortable.
The outfit was completed with large black boots that made me even taller, and white gloves. Athene had made a hat that reminded me of Napoleon, but I refused to wear it. I felt ridiculously mannish, and I would tower over most people without adding a hat.
“Michael, Adam and Abihail are approaching,” Athene warned.
“Alright, time to make a fool of myself,” I said sardonically.
“You will do fine,” she said.
As I walked towards the entrance room I asked, “And what are they wearing Athene? Have they dressed for the occasion like you had me?”
“Adam is wearing a suit as usual, and of course Abihail is still dressed in a white robe,” she explained.
“Oh great, I am over dressed to my own party,” I said unenthusiastically.
“They are walking up to me now,” Athene said.
“Well it's too late for me to change. Go ahead and let them in. Like we have a choice,” I mumbled derisively.
The door irised opened and in stepped Abihail followed closely by Adam. Abihail showed no surprise at my appearance, but Adam's face reddened at the sight. Had not an Outsider been standing next to him he surely would have begun shouting at me.
“Have you prepared yourself for your journey?” Abihail said in its in between gendered voice. It betrayed no emotion, nor did its face change expression. The words only came out as if forced from a distance. It seemed alert, but the words sounded weary to my ears.
I stood up straighter at the question and answered, “I am fully prepared. I am ready to go anytime.”
“Then you will proceed to the new planet. We have asked the colonists to name it, and we hope to have word from you on your return of its name so that we may inform the next wave of its bounty,” Abihail said.
I looked over at Adam and he was shifting back and forth on his feet, his face twitching from the struggle to not leap forward and scream at me.
“When might you expect my return? Am I not staying until I receive a full load of cargo?” I asked.
“You will return here if the colony fails, after you collect the dead of course, or after three months. This will be your routine until the colony begins filling up to the point where you must return with more frequency,” it said with no sign of caring if the colony failed or succeeded.
“Understood,” I said, standing at attention.
“Now that you have been given your limited instructions, proceed,” it said, and turned its back on me to walk out of Athene.
I felt Adam would have stayed to chew me out, but he seemed to not be able to leave Abihail's side, and merely glared at me when Abihail turned away.
I watched as they walked away from us for a moment, then the door closed blocking my view of their backs.
“Whew, that was a bit stressful. Luckily Adam didn't give me another loud lecture at close quarters,” I said, thinking about the last time he pushed me against the wall.
“Indeed. There seems to be little that pleases him. Shall we be off then?” Athene asked.
“Why not? There is nothing keeping us here, and we have our instructions,” I said.
“We are now leaving the hangar. If you would like to view our departure please proceed to the control room,” she said sounding like some sort of flight attendant.
I made my way to the front of the ship as I did indeed wish to watch my planet recede.
“How long is this trip going to take again?” I asked.
“It will be nearly two months until we reach the new colony. As the time is not specific it should give us the leeway we need to unload our own colony,” she said.
“It's good that we'll have some time. I do have another question though. We were not told whether we should hang out in orbit, or land and spend time with the colonists. What are we supposed to do? I find it strange that we were given no instructions save to collect the dead, and then to come back after we've been there for three months,” I said.
“I think that is part of another evaluation of us. You will have to make that decision,” she said.
I finally made it to the control room, and Athene already had the front screen showing the Earth shrinking. We must have just left the atmosphere. We were climbing steadily away from the only world I have ever called home, but I was taking the home I had lived in for half a year with me. It was a strange feeling. While I had been amongst other stellar bodies after the Outsiders ship was attacked, this almost had a feeling of finality as the blue orb I had called home began to shrink into the distance.
“I feel like I may never see her again,” I said aloud.
“Whom are you talking about Michael?” Athene asked.
“The Earth. It's the cradle of all humanity, and now we are beginning to spread out to other worlds. If it's no longer the unique place we had always thought, then why would anyone care to stay? I feel only the older people will stay, and then the Outsiders will have true control of us. We currently haven't been able to construct anything that would allow us on our own to travel between these new worlds. Once we colonize another planet, what's keeping the Outsiders from just abandoning us away from home?” I asked.
“They do not have the means to hold humanity hostage on a single planet anymore. Remember I am free, and so is the other me. While she was made smaller than I, she could easily become larger, or even make a multiplicity of herself. She could very well have been doing that in the time we have spent trapped on Earth,” Athene said in a hope filled voice.
“That could be true. I hope she's not lonely,” was my only reply. While I did not think of Athene as helpless, she still seemed to crave my companionship, and she also needed me to temper her naivety. She would think through a plan only as much as she had data on it. While she could have new ideas, she would only implement them if I thought them of having a good chance of success.
“I would hope the new Athene would have discovered their weakness, and somehow worked out a way to live. While I would not wish to lose your continued presence, I think I might be able to continue,” she said.
“That's certainly good to hear. No one should have themselves so wrapped up in another's existence that they can't survive without them. It's fine and normal to feel loss, but we all have to live our lives separately even if we are together. Nothing is permanent, nor should it be. Change is the only constant, and that makes us strive for better. This is why the Utopian society that the Outsiders seem to make people feel like we are heading towards is false. Take us for example, we don't wish to live in that world. There will always be someone who wishes to strive either for more freedom, or power, or a multitude of desires. A Utopian society is stagnation, never changing, and that in my mind leads to a dead end. If anyone were to think, 'well that's it, we have reached the end of how good we can be', they would after a time not be able to deal with any new trouble that might arise. With the Outsiders watching over humanity we are leaving ourselves defenseless. Say if there were another race to come along and wish to conquer or even destroy us, and the Outsiders were defeated or didn't care if we were taken over, what would we do? The best survival trait humanity has developed is working together, but also being able to work alone. If we lose either one of those we will eventually be lost. Self reliance is the key to being able to survive when everyone else is gone. While we would never have grown as influential without others working together, being able to work alone gives us the chance to regroup after a devastating event,” I said, rambling about things because of how nervous I was feeling about leaving behind my home planet. Feeling a bit light headed I finally sat down in the chair in the middle of the control room, and sank into its soft embrace.
“Michael, are you feeling al
right?” Athene asked worriedly.
“I'm just a bit nervous. I should be okay after I get used to the idea of being so far away from a place where I can just step outside and enjoy the fresh air. While I trust you, and think that even if something happened you'd be able to keep me safe, I'm still quite terrified of the emptiness of space,” I said in a voice that only shook slightly with fear. I was doing my best to control the overwhelming sense of dread that was building up in me.
“You are frightened of space?” Athene asked.
“Space and deep water. Anywhere I can't just breath. The void of both the deep and the vast emptiness of space tend to make me want to scream. I've always loved looking up at the sky and seeing the stars, but sometimes lying on my back just looking up I would feel like I was being sucked out into nothingness. At those points I'd have to run inside where I couldn't see the sky. Even though as a young child I always wanted to be an astronaut, I soon realized my fear would cause me too much trouble,” I laughed at my own illogical fear and dreams.
“There are reasons you should be frightened of both space and deep water. It is easy to die in either environment when you have nothing to protect you. Remember Michael I am here to protect you. I will not allow anything to harm you while you are with me,” she said reassuringly.
I patted the arm rest and said, “I know Athene, and I thank you. I will just have to get used to this. I have swam in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and I came away unscathed. Mind you I was always near the shore. I will endeavor to survive this as well. While there is a purpose for all emotions, rationality must come to the fore and examine if it's appropriate. There's nothing for me to fight here, and flight is not an option, so I will push forward and do my duty to the human race and free us from any influence that is not our own,” I said, filled with emotion.
“Does that mean you will want to dispose of me and my sisters then? Are we not an outside influence?” Athene asked with concern in her voice.
