R.E.solve (Rain Experience Book 2)

by Thomas W. Everson

  “Attendant,” I call out and it springs to life, hovering over to the edge of the bed. “Can you create a larger table and four chairs?”

  “Error. Unable to comply. Request does not fall within granted permissions.”

  “Attendant, contact Quva,” I instruct.

  In a few moments Quva appears on the screen.

  “How can I assist you, Rain?” Quva asks.

  “Can you have the Attendant create a larger table and four chairs?”

  Without saying a word, Quva moves around on his end, tapping on his pad. The robot turns and replaces the current small table and single chair with a table large enough to seat all of us. The girls watch in awe while the light beams materialize items from nothing.

  “Is that all?” Quva’s voice comes from the screen.

  “Yes, thank you,” I reply and stand from the beds as the screen goes dark.

  “Attendant, create four meals.” I dig into the information left over in my head from Quva’s experiment and recall what the meat was he first fed me. “Generate meat from the Nuath, cubed, seared and lightly seasoned. Then a salad on the side from the Io plant.”

  It moves around from one place to another creating the meals requested on plain looking plates. When finished, it moves out of the way and I sit down to eat. The girls look at me with bewilderment and I wave them over to the table. Surprisingly, they sit without fighting.

  Picking up a piece of the meat I put it in my mouth and begin to chew it to show them it’s safe to eat. They hesitantly do the same and I can see the pleased looks on their faces when the exotic taste hits them.

  “Attendant, four glasses of water,” I command.

  Four average size glasses materialize on the table and I take a drink. Picking up a leaf of the Io plant I put it into my mouth and begin to chew. Having chosen the plant for its sweet properties I was unprepared to find it tastes like sweet chocolate. I shovel a few more leaves in to keep the taste going.

  “Try the leaves!” I tell them excitedly.

  They do and become animated while they chew. Emma lets out a squeal of delight. As we enjoy the meal I admire them for the strength they show to support me. It makes me happy knowing they are my family. We all finish our food and everyone is silent, until Emma decides to share too much.

  “I have to pee.”

  “Well, that’s unfortunate.” I laugh, knowing the only option is the purification system.

  “Why?” Ami asks with a quirked eyebrow.

  I point to the door near the back of the room, and the three of them get up to look. When Ami opens the door they peer in, and collectively they dawn very confused faces.

  “It’s as fun as it looks too,” I add with a snicker.

  “What are you supposed to do?” Emma asks.

  “Get undressed, get in, press the green button and don’t panic.” An ear-to-ear grin is plastered on my face as I know it will be just as disconcerting for them as it was me. “I did it.”

  “That’s all I need to hear,” Eve says pushing the others out of the way. “I can still do anything you can.”

  Ami and Emma return to the table while Eve enters the room she slams the door shut. Because of the quiet, rustling can be heard. Just a moment later Eve pops the door open a little and sticks her head out to show off her bare freckled shoulder and neckline.

  “If you want to come join me Rain, I’ll let you.” She winks and purses her lips in a kissing fashion. Ami runs over and shoves her back inside.

  Ami slams the door. “Rain’s better than that.”

  She returns to the table to finish her meal. The gentle hum of the purifier starts up and only a moment passes before Eve’s muffled screaming can be heard. It makes me laugh. Ami looks at me concerned, but I shake my head.

  “She’s fine.”

  “What is going on in there?” Ami asks.

  “The tube fills up with orakos, a synthetic, gelatinous material which purifies the body. It cleans, moisturizes, expels waste, and bolsters the immune system.” I’m surprised to pull up information left in my head from the experiment. “Though when I got in I just thought it was some sort of fancy shower. The hard part is breathing in the gel.”

  “It didn’t choke you?” Emma looks concerned.

  “I thought it was at first, but it’s compatible with our lung structure. Our lungs simply pull the oxygen straight from the gel. When it’s over you just cough it out and go back to breathing normally. Leaves you a bit light-headed though.”

  “Sounds scary.” Emma shudders, shaking her arms off as if to rid herself of a bad feeling.

  Eve’s cycle ends. Fully clothed, she barrels out of the cleaning room, furious. She storms over to me, raising her hand to slap me but I stand up and stop her, mid-swing. I smile and we stand face-to-face, mere inches apart. She scowls at me I grab a lock of her curly, bright red hair.

  “Have you felt how soft it made your hair?” I curl it around my finger.

  “You…I…” she stammers, trying to be mad. She smacks my hand away. “You should have warned me!”

  “I thought you said you could do whatever I could.” I look at Ami and Emma with a grin. “Isn’t that what she said?”

  They both nod with fervor.

  “If I didn’t like you I’d be beating you senseless right now. I can’t believe you let me go in there!”

  “You’re a tough girl.” I kiss her on the cheek, causing her to calm down a bit, while riling the other girls up. She backs away, sitting at her spot at the table to eat again.

  Emma lets out an ‘ugh!’ and pulls me away by the hand. Ami scowls. Though she doesn’t approve, she stays seated and quiet.

  “I really have to pee…but I don’t want to go in there.”

  “You’ll be fine. I promise. It’s a little scary, but most new things are.”

  Emma’s big eyes make me want to give her a hug, but I smile and run my hand over the top of her head. She hesitates, so I gently nudge her. She goes over to the doorway and looks back once more. I nod and she enters the room.

  Eve finishes her food and moves to lie on the combined beds. Taking advantage of a moment when neither Emma nor Eve are paying attention, I move my chair and plate next to Ami. Placing my hand on her knee causes her to smile. She uses her foot to play with mine. I’m locked into her eyes, and there’s that magnetism: the feeling of wanting to lean in and kiss her.

  Can I imagine life without her? In that awful lonely darkness, she was who I wanted there the most. She is who my heart desires.

  Though we had discussed not starting into anything too serious, that decision, that barrier has already been breaking down. I want to be with her. I want to make her happy.

  But before I can say or do anything, Emma emerges with a terrified look on her face. She’s shaking and I get up to calm her down.

  “Shh. It’s all right.” I hug her and stroke her hair. “You’re safe.”

  “I don’t like that at all!” Emma hiccups, trying not to break into a sob.

  “It’s okay. Let’s go lie down on the bed.” I look back at Ami and smile half-heartedly. She returns a full smile, and I can’t tell if she’s smiling because of my actions with her, or my caring for Emma.

  Despite the negative reactions from Eve and Emma, Ami heads into the side room. I help Emma onto the bed and sit next to her. She rests her head on my chest. I stroke her hair and it seems to calm her.

  Dear, gentle Emma, how did you retain all of your innocence living in Chas?

  Ami emerges with a triumphant smirk on her face and I can tell she wants to taunt Eve, but her silence tells me she’s thinking better of it because of Emma.

  Together we huddle in a pile on top of the sheets, sinking down into the soft bed. The urge to use the bathroom sets in before I can become comfortable and though I squirm and reposition myself, I can’t ignore it. Moving the girls off of me comes with quite a bit of protest, but they settle again.

  In the purification room, I disrobe and step i
n. With the cycle started, I prop myself against the tubing. The gel reaches my mouth and I’m still hesitant to let it in, but I don’t hold my breath for as long this time. All too soon it’s over. My muscles are relaxed and I’m sleepy, though it seems like I had just been asleep not long ago. I dress and stumble back to the bed to find the girls unmoving.

  “Attendant, lower the lighting in the room.”

  The walls dim and I climb into the middle of the bed.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Awoken by the screen flickering to life and hearing Quva’s voice, I slowly come back to reality. I also become aware my hand is in a place it shouldn’t be; Eve’s breast.

  The girls also wake due to Quva’s intrusion and I struggle to free myself. But with Ami practically on top of me I’m unable to pull away before they notice.

  “What are you doing Rain?!” Ami smacks my hand away, hard.

  “I was asleep!” I protest.

  “It’s okay, lover. I didn’t mind.” Eve’s words taunt Ami.

  Emma and Ami try to wrench me away, but Eve’s arms coil around like a deadly snake.

  “Let go!” Emma yells.

  “Stop!” I yell, half-strangled.

  Ami grabs on Eve’s ankles and pulls while Emma yanks her arms from around my neck. They succeed and I’m free. Quva interrupts our debacle.

  “Have I interrupted a mating ritual?” He asks sounding a little flustered. “I can call back.”

  “No! Nothing of the sort, Quva. What’s going on?”

  “I wanted to check in on you and see if you were ready to head up to the observation deck.”

  “Yes, please. A distraction would be welcome.” I distance myself from the three of them.

  “I will be down shortly,” he says and the screen turns black.

  I have the attendant raise the lighting while we wait. With a few minutes of awkward silence between the four of us, I’m relieved when Quva enters the room and waves for us to follow. Onto another flying platform banked just off the walkway, I hold on to the railing. Quva, never without his pad, types on it a few times and we move out to about the middle of the ship. It shoots directly upward at an incredible speed. Nearing the top I look down over the railing, observing the city aboard the ship, and its bustling life.

  Strange. Before this I would have never pictured a flying city full of life, traveling through space. But now armed with some Vraditi knowledge rattling around my head, it seems so commonplace. To journey through the stars. What an adventure that would be!

  Directly above us on the ceiling, a hatch opens and the platform ascends into it. Inside we find ourselves hit with an amazing, fresh, and flowery fragrance. I inhale deeply and enjoy the calming smells.

  We are surrounded by an enormous garden. Through the horticulture knowledge impregnated, I recognize many of the different plants, even in the dark. Patches of wild flowers grow everywhere and they glow in many colors under a veil of darkness. Trees shimmer in the moonlight as if sprinkled with diamonds. Every type of plant has a unique quality to it, but they all luminesce to create a vibrant rainbow.

  The girls gasp with awe and, though I know these plants, I feel the same sense of wonder because I’ve never seen them in person. The ground not covered with flowers, bushes or walkway is padded with a spongy, grass-like plant. I bend down to touch the lawn of alien grass and it’s like silk.

  Above us appears to be nothing but open sky, but it’s darker than I’ve ever seen before. The moon hangs over us, full in its brightness, and it’s so large I feel I could reach up and touch it.

  “This is amazing!” Emma yells and her voice echoes across the serene landscape. “Oops!”

  “It is okay. I specially requisitioned the room. We are the only ones here,” Quva tells us.

  I remove my shoes and socks so I can feel the silky grass under my feet and I motion for the girls to do the same. Quva stands on the platform while we venture out a bit.

  While the girls wander around and observe, I turn back to him. “Thank you for this experience. I know it probably wasn’t in your agenda to have me go into full meltdown.”

  “We offered a sharing opportunity. It was originally intended to allow you to see and experience a culture that you had not previously, but it seems you may have obtained a little more because of the outburst.”

  “Despite that, we are grateful for the experience and information you have provided us. You, in relation to your species, are a wonderful specimen. But due to the outcome of the last test having such a catastrophic effect, we will not continue further.”

  “There is still the question of reconciliation between your species and that of Earth, but perhaps another time.”

  I reach out and rest my hand on his small shoulder and he reciprocates. “Another time indeed. I hope you’re able to put the information to good use.”

  “On the chance your planet ever befalls a catastrophic event in which you might need to be moved, it is possible. Which reminds me, we are nearing the end of our construction.”

  “Will you be leaving the planet soon after the transplant?” I ask him, bringing my hand back to my side. “Wait. You normally take a few weeks to observe the transplanted species for acclimation, don’t you?”

  “This is correct, however we will stay longer to take readings of the temporal anomaly.”

  “Makes sense.” I nod. “I have to warn you though, your ship can’t be anywhere over our patch of land when it happens. The vortex will rip a chunk out of it.”

  “Understood.” He nods back. “But please, do not feel you must stay and talk with me. Go enjoy the garden.”

  I turn back to see the girls already well ahead of me, running around the plants, stopping to look at new and different ones. Their delighted exclamations and laughter makes me smile.

  Casually, I walk a carved stone path, looking up at the stars and moon. With the future uncertain, and my aptitude for putting myself into dangerous situations, I take the opportunity to live in this moment. I admire everything around me, brushing my hands against the fronds of a tree while I walk by, stopping to smell the flowers.

  Following the stone path leads me to Eve with her arm against a tree and her face against her arm. She’s counting. When I look for Ami and Emma they’re nowhere in sight. I whisper to Eve.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Shh! You’re going to mess me up. We’re playing ‘Hunter’. Now go away!” she demands.

  A child’s game? I guess I’m not the only one taking the opportunity to enjoy small things. Her change from brutal tribe leader to a normal, carefree woman in just a few months is strange. Though no more strange than me going from murderous king to who I am now. We’re better this way.

  The stone path loops around the outside of the circular, domed room. My feet carry me toward the edge of the deck, but to reach it I have to veer off the path into the silky grass. I place my hand on the dome separating us from the cold, emptiness of space. The energy barrier is warm to the touch and retracting my hand leaves a brief purple imprint. The marvels the Vraditi have engineered make me smile.

  Below, the planet unfolds before me, showing me the world like I’ve never seen before. Though I can only see part of the planet, the illumination from the moon allows me to make out a landmass. It’s a strange wonder to behold.

  Returning my gaze skyward, I browse the stars and realize, with all of the information Quva implanted into my brain, there is still so much out there I couldn’t possibly begin to fathom all of it.

  I’m an ant. So many different worlds out there, and I’m stuck in the same place until we break the vortex.

  I stargaze for a significant amount of time before being startled by Ami sneaking up on me. She grabs my arm and tugs.

  “Come play with us,” she whispers while looking over her shoulder nervously.

  “I’ll pass.”

  I brush my hand against her cheek to push a lock of her wavy brown hair out of the way, and admire h
er beauty in the moonlight. She pouts, sticking her bottom lip out and continuing to tug on my arm. I shake my head and am ambushed by Eve too, as she rubs her cheek against mine from behind.

  “C’mon Rain. It’ll be fun.”

  Ami reaches over and lightly pops Eve on the forehead.

  “Hey! This isn’t how you play the game!” I hear Emma yell while running up on us. “You can’t just leave me hiding and not try to find me!”

  “I can’t play with you. Eve would just follow and attack me in the darkness!”

  Eve moves right up into my face. “Babe, I don’t need a game to do that.”

  Emma leaps onto my back, reaching out and putting her palm against Eve’s face to shove her away. Eve tries to close the gap by swatting Emma’s hand, but Emma replaces her left hand for her right. Ami jumps in and pushes Eve out of the way. Eve just chuckles.

  “It’s all right – maybe later.” Eve backs off.

  “You just let her in your space.” Ami taps me in the arm.

  I playfully grab her, and pull her in close. “Would you have preferred it to be you?”

  It catches her off guard, causing her to blush, smile, and turn her head away all at once. Emma smacks me in the head and Eve sticks her hand in between our faces.

  “No you don’t.” Eve protests. “You can’t if I can’t.”

  “I’m classier,” Ami says smugly while pulling away. “A random kiss is meaningless. I’d rather he meant it, and not just to mess with you.”

  “Oh, but a single kiss is never meaningless. A missed kiss could be the last opportunity to kiss the one you love,” Eve becomes serious and I blush.

  Is she declaring her love for me, or talking from past experience?

  Ami and Eve both cross their arms at the same time and glare. Knowing the mood is turning more serious, I attempt to alleviate the tension with a little redirection.

  “Eve is sort of right. We need to just enjoy each other and the time we have now because we don’t know where we’re going to end up next, or the dangers we’re may to face,” I calmly tell them.