The Perfect Moment in Peril

by Kenneth Preston

  David thrust a palm toward Sebastian. “Whoa! What the hell does that mean?!”

  “It means that she'll be staying. The rest of you are free to leave.”

  “Are you saying she's a prisoner?!”

  “She's not a prisoner; she wants to stay.”

  “What?” David looked questioningly at Emily. She gave him a sideways glance, not ready to look him directly in the eye. “Emily, what the hell is he talking about?”

  She shook her head. “I don't know,” she half-lied. She wasn't sure she knew what he was talking about, but she was beginning to feel something, an indescribable sense of destiny.

  Her eyes met Sebastian's. They both knew that she understood more than she was letting on.

  To Sebastian, David said, “Who's been feeding you this garbage? If you've never met The Designer, where are you getting your information from?”

  Without taking his eyes from Emily's, Sebastian said, “The inhabitants of this planet.”

  “But you said that nobody's ever met The Designer. Where are the inhabitants of this planet getting their information from?”

  Looking at David, Sebastian said, “The Designer communicates indirectly with the inhabitants. It uses symbols and clues hidden in the environment. Weather patterns are part of The Designer's language. The inhabitants study weather patterns and interpret what The Designer is communicating.”

  “Are you kidding?!” David exclaimed. “Please tell me you're kidding! This is a cult!” He looked wide-eyed at Emily. “Em, this is some kind of cult!”

  Emily heard him, but she was pushing his voice into the background.

  Sebastian said, “David, I'd like to have a word alone with my daughter please.”

  “I'm not sure that's a good idea,” David protested. He looked to Emily for confirmation. “Em?”

  Without looking at David, she nodded and said, “Give us a moment alone please.”

  “Fine. Where the hell am I supposed to go?”

  Sebastian said, “Actually, David, why don't you have a seat in here. Make yourself comfortable. Emily and I will be back in a few minutes.”

  Sebastian placed his hand on Emily's back and led her to a second door. Not entirely sure that the man walking beside her was actually her father, Emily supposed she should have been reluctant to walk with him, but her very normal, very human, very corporeal intuition told her that everything would be quite all right.

  “You promise to bring her back in one piece?” David said urgently as the door slid open.

  Sebastian turned to David. “She's my daughter. Her safety is priority one. Of course she's coming back in one piece.”

  The door slid shut, leaving Emily and Sebastian alone in another white, brightly-lit corridor. Sebastian led the way, Emily glancing through a number of open doors as they passed, taking note of how exceptionally sterile the rooms were. Emily wasn't familiar with the technology, but the purpose of these rooms appeared to be observational. They were filled with electronic consoles and viewscreens set against the walls. Floating about some of the rooms were three-dimensional holographic images of locations, both natural and intelligently designed, presumably somewhere on the planet based on the holographic representations of the buildings she glimpsed as she passed.

  She was tempted to ask Sebastian about the purpose of these rooms but thought better of it. She didn't know why she was reticent to ask such a seemingly harmless question. It was just a feeling she had. It wasn't the right question or the right time.

  He led her into a room that was just...a room. But it wasn't a room like all of the other rooms she passed along the way. It wasn't white and sterile. It was a warm room with earth tones, inviting and...familiar. It was like home―home in the 21st Century on Long Island. A couch, a chair, a table, potted plants and two windows with brown curtains tied to the side, the windows giving Emily the breathtaking birds-eye view of a tropical beach on an exquisitely radiant day.

  She looked at her father for confirmation.

  “A hologram,” he confirmed.

  She nodded. “There's a lot of that around here.”

  It was a room that served no other purpose than to sit and talk. As such, it stuck out like a sore thumb. Emily couldn't help but wonder why this room existed as it did and why he'd brought her to it.

  Sebastian extended his arm toward the couch, an unspoken invitation to have a seat.

  She didn't notice the bookcase until she sat. She immediately leaped from the couch and approached it. Some of her favorite books filled the bookcase. Actually, all of her favorites filled the bookcase. The Harry Potter series, the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the Hunger Games trilogy among a multitude of fantasy and science fiction novels.

  The entertainment center to the right of the bookcase caught her eye. Like everything else, it was familiar. A turntable, just like the one she had back home on 21st Century Earth. She'd loved her vinyl, and all the vinyl she'd ever loved was right there on a shelf below the turntable―The Doors, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin.

  How convenient. All of these little treasures at the tips of her fingers.

  She pulled The Doors' self-titled debut from the shelf, pulled the record from the cover and inner sleeve, carefully holding the record by the edges as any vinyl lover would do, and placed in on the turntable. The sweet sounds of Break On Through filled the room as she walked back to the couch. How appropriate.

  Sebastian said, “It's like we never left home.”

  Emily took his hand. “I think that's the point, isn't it?”

  Sebastian nodded. “You have a lot of questions. Where should we begin?”

  Snickering, Emily said, “Where do we begin? Sure. Okay. Why don't we start with this one: how is any of this possible?” She gestured toward the bookcase, the entertainment center. “The books, the records, how is it possible to have these items here, on a planet thousands of light years away, thousands of years removed from their time on Earth? You didn't print those books here, did you? You didn't press those records here, did you? Did you have them shipped here?” She laughed. “I can't believe I'm asking these questions. It all sounds so ridiculous.”

  “You just answered your own question. These items were brought here...by The Designer.”

  “Of course. This room was meant for me.”

  It had only been a thousand Earth years earlier, not counting her period of timeless existence in the Great Community, that Emily had found herself in a very similar position, standing in her new room in her new home in the 22nd Century, questioning George about the situation she had found herself in. It seemed like yesterday.

  “Exactly. Only the best for my little girl.”

  Emily sighed. “Dad, I'm not your little girl anymore. And do you have any idea how surreal it is for me to say that...here, now? Do you have any idea how surreal it is for me to say 'Dad' to someone who hasn't existed for over a thousand years?”

  “I was in cryopreservation for a thousand years," Sebastian corrected.

  “Right, cryopreservation. When did you become aware?"

  “Ten years ago."

  “Ten years. You've only aged ten years.” Emily considered him. “You look good.”

  “Thank you. Of course, regenerative medicine has had something to do with that.”

  “Do you have any idea what I've been through?”

  “A suicide attempt, cryopreservation, becoming aware in the 22nd Century, going to Mars and seeing your sister. How is she by the way?”

  “She's in the Great Community along with everybody else. She's fine.”

  “Going to Eden and joining the Great Community. Does that about sum it up?”

  “Just about.”

  “And do you know why all of this has happened to you?”

  “Let me guess; because The Designer willed it?”

  Sebastian nodded. “Everything that has happened to you has happened by design. No pun intended. All of these events in your life have led you here.”

&nb
sp; “Dad...” She paused, once again reminded of just how strange it sounded to hear herself say that. "What have you been doing here for the past ten years?"

  “Waiting for you. Preparing for your arrival.”

  “At the will of The Designer. And you've never met this Designer, never even seen it.”

  “No, and I'm pretty sure I know what you're gonna ask me.”

  “Good. It'll make the question easier. How do you know this Designer of yours exists?”

  “Faith, my dear.”

  “Blind faith.”

  Sebastian shook his head. “No, not blind faith. When you've experienced as many miracles as I have, when you're brought to a world filled with phantoms, phantoms that communicate telepathically, it becomes easier to believe what those apparitions are telling you.”

  Emily tilted her head to the side, studying Sebastian the way a dog studies a human when that human does something out of the ordinary. Was he mad, or was he pulling the wool over her eyes? “Phantoms? What phantoms?”

  “The inhabitants of this world, of course. They don't have names. I simply refer to them as 'the inhabitants.' There are two types, two species I suppose―the luminous beings that brought you here and the phantoms. You and David have met the luminous beings, of course. The two groups are related to one another and have a long and turbulent history. Both groups communicate telepathically. Our brains interpret the telepathic signals as words, but The phantoms' signals are interpreted by the brain as whispers. You believe that you're hearing them when in fact, you're not actually hearing anything.”

  Emily nodded. "We met them on the way in."

  "I know, which is why our luminous friends escorted you in. The phantoms are unpredictable. They're usually pretty timid, but they can be dangerous."

  Emily regarded the man sitting next to her. She did her best to reflect on her time in the Great Community when she thought she had all the answers. If her father had survived, wouldn't she have known it? Her memories of her time in the Great Community were muddled. She couldn't be certain of what she did or did not know in that timeless, non-corporeal state. If she had known of her father's survival, wouldn't she have retained that knowledge? But she didn't. Her father's survival was news to her, forcing her to at least consider the possibility that the man sitting next to her was not her father.

  But she felt something for this man, and what she felt for this man was what she had felt for the man she had referred to as 'Dad' back on Earth. It was a contradiction. It didn't make a bit of sense. Logic told her that this man was an impostor while her gut instinct told her that this man was exactly who he claimed to be.

  Sebastian looked at her and laughed a laugh that reminded Emily of home. If this man was an impostor, he had the impression down pat.

  "What's so funny?"

  "The way you're looking at me."

  "Well, what do you expect?"

  "Nothing less." He paused, studying Emily's countenance. “You think I'm crazy.”

  Emily smirked and nodded vigorously. “Very much so. Of course, there's always the possibility that you're lying to me.”

  “I'm surprised at you, sweetheart. I really am. After all you've been through, evolving to join the Great Community, evolving to become a being of pure consciousness, you find what I'm telling you to so unbelievable?”

  “News flash: I've left the Great Community.”

  “You have, but the Great Community hasn't left you. You were a being of pure consciousness. Surely you haven't forgotten."

  Emily sighed. “I haven't forgotten. I'm just not sure I remember.”

  Sebastian furrowed his brow. “Pardon me?”

  Emily chortled. “I'm not sure I remember correctly. I'm just...I'm just confused. I'm going through a lot. I just don't know what's real anymore.”

  Sebastian nodded. “You're transitioning. My understanding is that the transition process can have some pretty strange side effects. One of the potential side effects is confusion. Another is memory loss.” He dropped his head in contemplation before raising it and looking into Emily's eyes. “It would probably help if you spoke to someone who knows a little more about it.”

  Emily smiled broadly. “Yes, that would be very helpful.”

  ―

  Nothing about Sebastian's story made sense. It was far too complicated, and as a student of science, David subscribed to the principle of Occam's razor: the simplest explanation is usually the correct one. The simplest explanation was that someone or something was attempting to pull the wool over their eyes. Being told by the man claiming to be Emily's father that Emily was essentially a prisoner on this planet had been the straw that broke the camel's back. He had come to the conclusion that they were being manipulated.

  He had been left alone as Emily continued to catch up with her “father.” He had no idea how long he had been sitting on the couch, pondering the possibilities, before Emily walked through the sliding door.

  He jumped to his feet, opened his mouth to ask what had happened, but the words were caught in his mouth and shoved back down his throat by the four luminous beings walking behind Emily. Seeing them was nothing new to him, but something about their presence in that moment frightened him. Something about this situation struck fear in his heart.

  Emily looked firmly into his wide, terror-stricken eyes. “Don't react; just listen.”

  “What the hell is going on?!” he gasped.

  “I told you not to react.” She looked back at the luminous beings towering over her and raised her arms as if presenting them. “The Inhabitants of this planet have explained the situation to me.” She lowered her arms, looked at David and smiled. “I know why I'm here. I know what I need to do.”

  Chapter 28

  Richard's heart was pounding as if keeping time with his footfalls. He wanted to ask Deanna what they were running from, but now was not the time, and his frantic breathing wouldn't allow him to form words even if he were so inclined. There would be plenty of time for questions after they escaped whatever it was they were running from.

  He didn't dare look back for fear that it would slow him down. Still, the temptation was there. How fierce could whatever it was they were running from be? Deanna had escaped it. He listened for footfalls behind them. Nothing. He listened for anything behind them. Nothing.

  He decided that he would sneak a peak when they hit the edge of the city. After all, the shuttle wasn't functioning. There was really nowhere to run.

  They hit the edge of the city and made their way toward the tree line. Beyond the short stretch of forest were the beach and the shuttle. It was time. Richard slowed, stopped and turned, hands raised, ready to defend himself against...nothing. The city was quiet, still. Either they had escaped their pursuers, or they weren't being pursued, to begin with.

  “Richard!” Deanna called behind him. “What are you doing? Come on!”

  Richard stood motionless, his eyes scanning the city. “I think...I think we've lost them.”

  Deanna ran up alongside him. “You have it all wrong,” she said urgently, grabbing his arm. “We're not running away from anybody.”

  Richard turned to her. “Then why are we running?”

  “Emily's in danger; she needs our help.”

  Richard shook his head, befuddled. “In danger from who...what?”

  “It's a long story. I wish I had time to explain it you, but I don't.” She gave his arm another tug.

  “Wait. Talk to us. Where are you getting this information?”

  “The shadow men.”

  “The shadow men?” Richard furrowed his brow. “What the hell is a shadow man?”

  “I'll explain in the shuttle. We have to go.”

  Elexa said, “And where are we going? The shuttle doesn't work.”

  Deanna turned to Elexa. “It'll work.”

  “What are you talking about?!”

  Deanna grabbed Elexa's arm and looked urgently into her eyes. “Trust me.”

  For the time being, Ri
chard was willing to trust her. She was his crewmate and surrogate daughter. He never had any reason not to trust her. But there was something not quite genuine about her display of urgency. It seemed like a performance.

  The three ran through the forest and across the few meters of beach to the shuttle. Before entering, Richard could see the soft glow of the console. The shuttle's power had been restored.

  “What do ya know?” Deanna said mockingly as she sat in the pilot's seat. “We have power!”

  Richard and Elexa looked at one another.

  “Yeah,” Richard muttered. “What do ya know?”

  “How did you know?” Elexa queried.

  “The shadow men told me.”

  Richard looked toward the tree line as he took his seat behind Elexa and Deanna. Something stirred. There was movement, and it wasn't the wind. Were his eyes deceiving him? Was he really seeing what he thought he was seeing? He squinted into the distance. Yes, he was. A large group of silhouetted humanoid figures was moving toward them. The shadow men.

  “I see them!” Richard exclaimed, pointing toward the tree line.

  Elexa gasped. “What the hell is it?!”

  “They,” Deanna corrected. “They are what I've been trying to tell you.” The shuttle's engines hummed to life. “We have to go.”

  The shuttle ascended, bringing the shadow men to a halt. Richard was both horrified and fascinated by them. He would have been content to hover above and watch them a moment longer, but Deanna turned the shuttle toward the ocean, putting the shadow men behind them.

  “Start talking,” Elexa said softly but forcefully.

  “They...called to me,” Deanna began. “They put me into some kind of a trance. They lured me into the city.”

  Richard said, “They called to you? They spoke to you?”

  Deanna nodded. “They whispered...all of them. They whispered simultaneously. They knew my name. How did they know my name?”

  “You were right behind us,” Elexa said skeptically. “Why didn't we hear them? I didn't hear them. Did you hear them, Richard?”

  Richard shook his head. “I didn't hear them, but I certainly saw them.”