by Kord Stone
Jason got a good whiff of himself and grimaced. Thank you, I think I will take the time and clean up a bit. I can imagine I am a sight.
With a chuckle she said, Yes… you are.
Jason got up and walked to the wall, placed his hand on it and said, “Wardrobe.” The wall began to fade, went solid for a second then repeated. Finally an archway formed and it stayed open. That was strange.
Alise said, Yes it was… It must be the bonding. As I said, it is taking its time.
He entered the wardrobe and just stood there. He saw clothes of unimaginable colors, fabrics, and designs. Is this room like the ones below? It feels strange in here.
Alise replied, yes, it is an illusion as well. You can create the items you require from a wardrobe selection panel on the wall the same as below. I only had you open the rooms for shock value.
Chuckling to himself and shaking his head in disbelief at the selection he asked, “How am I supposed to make a choice out of all of this? I could spend all day trying to find something to wear.”
Alise just laughed. Hold your arms out you big baby.
He did, and one second later a black one-piece body suit materialized draped over them.
Try that on and see how you like it.
He shrugged. “The last time I had an outfit like this, I was five years old and it was Christmas. But at least that pair of jammies had foot coverings.”
Alise burst out laughing. That is a body suit not jammies, but you already knew that. We will find the best footwear for you after you are cleaned up.
He snickered and exited the wardrobe, placed his hand on the wall and said, “Bathroom.” This time the wall turned to metal and fully opened as an archway to the bathroom without a glitch. He entered and saw a floor and ceiling similar to the decontamination room. “What’s the difference between this bathroom and the decontamination room?”
Alise replied, The decontamination shower uses medical body scans to determine what type of sanitation is needed, and when the decontamination process is complete. The ion shower in there just removes surface residue, dead skin and any other standard particles that may be attached to your body or hair.
Jason was amazed. “Cool. This should be interesting.”
When he began undressing he heard Alise begin to sing, Ba duh dump ba duh dump daa…daa…ba duh dump.
This time he doubled over with laughter. When he finally caught his breath and holding the stitch in his side, he told her, “You need to refrain from doing that, at least until my body’s healed. I’m still tender as hell and that laughter doesn’t help one bit.”
Alise said, I am sorry. I just could not resist, some of the comedy from Earth is funnier than I can remember. Although Elgon was a great conversationalist, he showed no interest in humor whatsoever. It all seemed to have dried up with the death of his family. He was more of a ‘let us get to business’ type of guy.
Jason thought about what she just said, and he could relate. He could feel that part of himself fading as well, and thinking of his and Alise’s interactions he said, “That must have been hard on you. In the short time I’ve known you, you’ve shown more humor than most of the people I ever knew.”
She sighed. It was not as hard as you might think. As I told you before, I am a manifestation of your innermost need and trust. Elgon’s emotional state drove him toward protection of the weak at almost any cost. This caused him a lot of injuries, and like I said, it gained him a lot of enemies as well. He felt that he did not deserve to be happy, so he cut the humor out of his life entirely. I knew humor was missing, but it was not required or welcome, so I really did not dwell on it. You use humor as a defense mechanism and in turn, I use it to ease your tension.
He finished undressing and stood in the middle of the ion shower, looked down and said, “What the hell happened to my body?” When he was in the military, he had kept in shape and built his body up. Maybe not nearly as much as his brother Jerren but still buff. After his captivity however, he had not been as social or active in the gym, and his muscles had atrophied. Not to mention the added weight from the medications he had been taking. Now it looked as if the ravages of time and medications were being reversed.
Alise laughed. That is a result of the bonding process. As you may have noticed you have not been hungry, right? After the bonding, your digestive system pretty much shuts down as your body repairs itself. Part of that includes burning off the excess fat first, then it regenerates damaged cells. Once your body is in tiptop shape, everything will balance out. That can take a while though. It does take time for the chlorophyll to build up the levels in your body.
“Damn, I haven’t been in this kind of shape since I was in the military.”
She let out a chuckle. I am glad to hear you approve.
He stood in the shower looking for controls and waiting…and waiting. “Uh…Alise. How do I activate this shower?”
Put your hand on the nearest wall and say, “Thorough cleaning.”
He assumed a mock insulted tone, and asked her, “Are you sure I need a thorough cleaning?”
She shot back, Most definitely! followed by a throaty laugh.
He finished his shower quickly. He was only in it for about ten seconds before he experienced a static zap, and the shower disengaged. It felt strange being cleaned and not having to dry off afterwards. He rubbed his chin. It felt as though he just had a close shave. “So the cleanup removes facial hair as well?” he asked.
Yes, but if you wish to grow a beard or mustache or both we can program the computer to leave the hair. The shave is part of the standard default setting. The ion shower also has the ability to clean your clothing at the same time as your body, if you decide you like a particular garment.
He looked around to pick up his dirty clothing but it was nowhere to be found. “What happened to my clothes?”
Alise groaned. I had them burned then gave their remains to the pagan god of filth as a sacrificial peace offering! She let out a booming laugh and added, They were recycled. The new clothing will look better on you anyway.
Jason clutched his side and let out a slight chuckle as he put on his body suit then looked down at his feet and said, “Okay, it looks like I’m ready for socks and shoes now.”
Footwear we can do but you will have no need for socks.
“No socks? That’ll be strange. Won’t the shoes get smelly?”
The footwear we have to choose from does not require socks because they are made of a very durable material that breathes well. Your feet will not sweat much and if they do, it will exit the shoe, keeping your feet clean and dry.
He was impressed. “That sounds nice. Where do we begin?”
Go to the wardrobe monitor in your room. I have brought up the footwear selection. Scroll through until you find a design you like, and then let me know when you have made your selection.
Jason looked at what had to be hundreds of shoes and boots, some so ridiculously foppish, one would think it was a joke. But among the idiotic there were some styles that might do. Then he saw what appeared to be leather motorcycle boots. They reminded him of the ones he had at home and he said, “We have a winner!”
She must have read his mind because a second later his selection materialized in front of him. He slipped them on and his first thought was that these were the most comfortable boots he had ever worn. The fabric did seem to allow a breeze in to the skin and away as if his feet were actually breathing.
Alise said, Those boots will adjust to almost any terrain you happen to be in. They should do very well, and they go well with that suit. Did you notice how the jumpsuit fabric bonded with the boots?
“Yes, that’s sweet.” He reached down and unfastened the boot and was amazed to see the fabric detach.
You can pick others if you like, she offered.
“No…No, these will be fine for now, thanks though. What do I do next?”
I have a couple of probes out. The data I am looking for should be back in a
few hours. I would suggest you get some rest because if I am right, we will be planning a mission a lot sooner than I anticipated.
He looked at the bed and said, “I’ll try,” then he strode over, took off the boots, lay back and tried to relax. At first his mind was spinning. What did she mean, if she was right? Right about what? A moment later it didn’t matter because a strange and unnatural fog filled his head and he was out like a light.
Chapter Eight
Alise had just received the final data back from the probes she had sent out, and she was very concerned with the findings. It had taken a lot longer than she thought it would, due to technical issues with the probes, but Jason had still been sleeping, so there was no rush. Now that she had the information in hand, a sense of urgency overcame her. She had felt an uncontrollable urge to go up and check on him over the past hours but restrained herself. Now knowing there was no point in waiting any longer, she headed to the bedchamber.
She arrived in the bedroom to find him still in a deep sleep, and it did not surprise her. It had been a rough time for him, and he was obviously exhausted. She decided to wait a few more minutes for him to wake up on his own and summoned a chair and sat taking in his appearance. There was something odd going on regarding the bonding process and she did not know what it was. Every time she looked at Jason, she got a strange fluttery feeling and found it hard to look away.
She had never paid much attention to what the other commanders looked like in the past, but she seemed to be overly fascinated by Jason’s appearance. He was a little over six feet tall with dark, almost black hair and chiseled facial features and enthralling blue eyes. He had a scar along his right jaw and shoulder, and she knew he had several others up and down his back and neck from the torture he had endured. She found the scars added to his appeal, but she knew the bonding process would heal all of them in time.
She had sifted through some of the memories, and she was shocked that he was able to survive the brutality inflicted upon him. She found the memories too disturbing to continue, pulled out of his mind and returned her gaze to him. She knew he had been tortured for several months more than she witnessed and it brought forth myriad emotions she had never experienced before.
She found it hard to concentrate with him around. That was the main reason she had sent him to the upper level while she sent out the probes. But even with him out of her sight, she fought the urge to go to him. She was pleased when she heard him mention Elgon, because it gave her a reason to talk to him without the distraction of his appearance. She performed several diagnostics on the binding disk to isolate any problems. She did find anomalies but nothing that would account for the sensations she kept experiencing.
In the end she chalked it up to feedback issues from the bonding process and she figured they would subside when the bonding was complete. Which was yet another oddity. The bonding process had never taken this long before, but it was progressing, albeit slowly. She sat there drinking in his appearance. He really was a ruggedly handsome man. Peering back into his mind she had to stifle a laugh. He was going to be a true pleasure to be bonded with. His humor was pleasantly refreshing.
* * * * *
Jason awoke to the feeling he was being watched. He opened his eyes suddenly, only to realize it wasn’t just a feeling. Alise was sitting in a chair studying him with an odd look on her face. It took a moment for the previous day’s events to sink in and for him to remember where he was. It all flooded back in a rush and he sat up on the side of the bed.
She smiled and said cheerfully, “Good morning, sleepyhead.”
“Morning?” he asked groggily.
Alise chuckled. “Well, it is morning somewhere. It just seemed appropriate because you just woke up.”
He looked at the chair she was sitting in and yawned. “I wondered if there was more furniture than just the bed and night stand.”
“You can have any furniture you like. All you have to do is pick the style and fabric. As long as we have the base materials and designs, the computer can produce it. The same thing goes for any food you wish to eat. Elgon stopped eating when he became a host, and there were not many base food materials in storage at that time. If and when you decide to eat again, we will have to locate what you want and acquire it.”
Jason stared off for a second before asking, “What qualifies as base food materials and where do you get them?”
“Well, any food source that can be broken down into a natural mineral or grain is considered a base. Once we have it onboard, we use the ship to de-materialize it for storage. The same thing goes for non-food items. Pretty much any natural mineral is a base.”
“Would the food I have in my bunker work, or would we need to get something else?”
This time he could feel her looking through his mind and heard her think, Looks good enough. We will need to remove them from the vacuum seal and containers though.
He saw she was about to speak and he asked, “Why would the vacuum seal have to be removed?”
Alise smiled. “You heard that, did you? That is a good sign. Well, the computer will de-materialize the products as a whole. So unless you wish to eat the plastic or metal at some point it is best to remove it and have the base food put in storage separately.”
Jason let out a laugh. “And to think, people said I was being paranoid and I wouldn’t need all that food. It is quite a bit. I was stockpiling it because I kept having feelings of impending doom. There must be enough for a family of four for a decade at least.”
“Actually with your new metabolism, that amount of food should last you a good two to three hundred years.”
A thought came to him. “Is your body fully functional?” Realizing what that must have sounded like he felt a flush enter his face, and not wanting her to get the wrong impression he hurried to say, “I mean to say is it able to process food?”
Alise looked at him with a grin and said, “Yes, it is the same as any other human female. On this ship, the computer can keep my consciousness in this body. It is kind of like forcing the body to do my will. If the body were to be removed from the ship it would resemble a deceased corpse, and nobody would be able to tell the difference. As to whether I can eat, my body is ship generated, so the food I eat is de-materialized and put back in base food storage after I taste it. It is the best recycling in the universe.”
He chuckled and thought a second before saying, “That’s nice I guess. Do you feel hunger?”
“No, but I do feel it as the food is removed from my stomach. It feels kind of fluttery.”
Jason sighed. “That’s good. I wouldn’t want you to go hungry.”
Alise just chuckled and then her expression turned serious. “There is no fear of that. Now that I have sensed you are awake enough, it is time to discuss what I have found.”
She looked a little hesitant before continuing. “About your cousin. The probe I sent out confirmed my suspicions. Jeff was set up on the murders, and the minor drug charge as well.”
Jason’s mouth dropped open. “How do you know that?”
“I sent a time probe back and tracked his movements. Someone incapacitated everyone on the bus, then killed the guards and the other prisoners. They then planted evidence, leaving your cousin to take the blame. I sent the probe further back and found that the drugs he was convicted of possessing were planted in his car as well. Furthermore the other probe I sent out came back with similar results. Your brothers were killed by what appeared to be the same person. So it looks as if we have a conspiracy on our hands.”
She paused a few seconds apparently letting him wrap his head around that information. Alise looked gloomy as she continued. “I advanced the time dilation on the probes and went forward and tracked your relatives. Your cousin Jeff was or is murdered in the ADX facility this coming Tuesday, and a memorial service is to be held for you the following Saturday.”
“I died?”
“Yes and no. Elgon was getting paranoid near the end. There were to
o many events happening and he felt his actions were being manipulated somehow. He decided nobody should know the person he picked was missing, so he devised a plan. You pushed the blue button and just as we phased, the ship shot a meteor fragment near the location of your camp. The camp site was obliterated and at the same time cloned tissue was strewn throughout the area making it appear as if you had died in the impact. The issue we have is while the memorial services are being held there is an explosion. It will kill the remaining members of your family. This is very disconcerting as there are very few people who know about your family’s lineage. Worse yet, I could see the person who will plant the bomb and it appears to be the same person who killed your brothers and set up your cousin.”
Jason stared at her and said, “What do you mean ‘appears to be’? Didn’t you get a good look?”
She looked distraught now and said, “No, they appeared to have some type of cloaking suit on. Here let me show you.” Alise activated a monitor in his room and played back the attack.
Jason watched as a cloaked figure crept around his house. His brothers had arrived a couple of days earlier in order to celebrate their birthday together. He had an overnight sleep study, and once he was back they were going to take a two-week camping trip together. The person came up behind his brothers as they were walking toward the kitchen and they looked over their shoulders as if hearing something. But they didn’t seem to see the figure, so just shrugged and began talking to each other again. A moment later the cloaked figure began brutally stabbing them from behind, then took off for his bedroom.
“I tried to follow the attacker past that point, but my probe malfunctioned.” Alise stated.
Jason was in shock. He knew DARPA had been working on personal cloaking devices for the military, but he didn’t think they were that far along yet, and he couldn’t think of any reason their government would use them to attack his family.
“What is DARPA?” Alise asked.
