“Bullied?”
“Yeah, when kids are being mean to you because you’re different—a timeless practice in all schools on Earth—sometimes because you’re physically different than most, sometimes because you have different preferences, and sometimes because you have two moms or two dads or even a single parent. We fight against it every day at St. Andrew’s. Sometimes we win and sometimes our efforts are not enough to stop the bullies.” He frowned, trying to put the pieces together. “I suppose eleven billion years eradicated that on Opt, right?”
“Your frontal cortex reaches maturity at the age of twenty-five; ours around the age of nine, so kids under that age can perform the bullying you spoke of. I told you we were similar yet slightly different. For optans, there’s a direct connection between the prefrontal cortex and brainstem that inhibits acting out our instincts if our brain perceives them as wrong. Humans share the same brain structure, only it takes slightly longer to mature. Take jealousy, for example—unheard of for optans, our brain structure is too evolved for that.” He winked.
“As if!” She rolled her eyes mockingly and watched him grin back.
“As if—what?”
“I wouldn’t call you emotionally mature.” He did call her ‘petulant’ after all.
“Because I didn’t fall in love after our first kiss?”
“Ha! You came to my room, remember?”
“Touché! Optans might love with logic but, sadly, the limbic system remains unaltered.” He smiled and shook his head. “The limbic system controls feelings and emotions in both optans and humans, and it is not inhibited by judgement in the slightest. So an optan can love, but would never act out on jealousy or punch someone in the face because of our natural inhibitors, that’s what I meant.”
Zoey nodded in surprise. “I’d say that’s very civilized.”
“Go on, back to the upbringing.” Jasper steadied an arm behind his head and looked at Zoey, who was fiddling with the laces on her hoodie to his right.
“When I tell people I grew up with two moms, they’re always curious to know what’s that like, like they’re expecting me to make a parallel between growing up in a household with a mom and dad versus two moms—I can’t do that. My biological dad came from a sperm bank.” She smiled. “But I can tell you I have the best moms in the universe. They taught me everything I know, so, contrary to common stereotypes, I can bake and take the garbage out.” She lifted an empowered chin.
He chuckled softly as she continued, “They’re both quite competitive and challenge each other all the time, you’d love to see Christmas dinner at their place.”
They were now facing each other, hands propped to their temples.
“Well, I told you about my parents. Do you ever leave Earth to spend some time with yours?”
“In human terms, I get to see them three times a year.”
“That’s not a lot.”
“They knew what they were signing me up for when they chose my enhancements, and neither of us regret it.” It was nice to see this relaxed version of him, smiling with all his teeth.
“Jasper, how long will you stay on Earth?”
“That’s up to the Alliance. They like to move us around the planets we monitor so we can experience all sorts of atmospheres and habitats. I’m at the beginning of my profession, Earth is my first planet. Etienne’s mission here, on the other hand, lasted over nine years.”
“And the rest of you?”
“Gerard and Aline have been here longer than any of us, and they’ve already worked on ten other planets before their romantic partnership. Since they’re a couple now, the Alliance always sends them on missions together and they track on land. Lilou’s an interesting mix, she’s an on-and-off-land soldier, and Alex is office-based only.”
“As in, Lilou gets to work in outer space as well?”
“You catch up fast!”
“So, do all intelligent life forms look like us?”
“Quite a few of them do, thanks to Panspermia.” Jasper watched Zoey cock her head and narrow her eyes a little. She hesitated—the way you would if you weren’t really sure if you’d like the truth. “Humans are intelligent enough to predict most outcomes without necessarily having the right tools for it—‘Panspermia’ is an Earth-given name to a theory you’ll be able to demonstrate soon enough.”
“You know where we come from, don’t you? Why we’re here as a species?”
Jasper reached for his intersat and tapped until he projected a text for Zoey to see.
She began reading with slight tremor. “‘In 1743 the theory of panspermia appeared in the writings of French nobleman, diplomat and natural historian Benoît de Maillet, who believed that that life on Earth was “seeded” by germs from space falling into the oceans, rather than life arising through abiogenesis. In a virtual presentation on Tuesday, April 7, 2009, Stephen Hawking discussed why alien life might not be contacting the human race, during his conclusion of the Origins Symposium at Arizona State University. Hawking also talked about the possibility of alien life through the theory of panspermia, which says that life in the form of DNA particles can be transmitted through space to habitable places. A reaction report from NASA Ames doubted that living cells could be found at such high altitudes, but noted that some microbes can remain dormant for millions of years, possibly long enough for an interplanetary voyage within a solar system.’”
Jasper registered Zoey clenching her fingers to her chest, baffled. “See? You’ve kind of known it since 1743.”
She stapled a hand to her mouth. “So that’s what we are—travelling bacteria in search of a proper environment to develop?!”
“The differences in evolution and development depend entirely on the environment. We look alike because our conditions were similar—you might have noticed our eyes are different.” He wasn’t wrong. Not only did his eyes look like liquid gold in Zoey’s view, but his face also belonged on a canvas. Optans were their own kind of beautiful and their own kind of peculiar too.
“And you don’t seem to have any pores or freckles or body hair!” For one with one too many freckles, their skin stood out like nothing else.
“You noticed that, huh? I wonder how many optans you had to undress to figure that one out.” He joked, unforeseeing the cushion coming for his face.
γ
Alex found humans difficult, unpredictable, their approach to resolution very different from the discipline instilled in optans. He found Mia, however, easier to work with—she didn’t ask too many questions and executed orders much like the soldiers he came in contact with sporadically. He missed the quiet time working behind the curtain, the infinite satisfaction of calculating angles and assessing optans who never questioned his commands. This had been by far a most intricate mission.
“What weakens your portalling skills, Alex?” Mia asked, dipping her toes further in the sand. She had portalled them to Evia, the second-largest island in Greece, according to Alex. All she had to do was memorize the coordinates, which dropped them on the beach. He’d let her take off her shoes and take it all in before moving on.
“I don’t think there’s a limit when it comes to how many times you can portal yourself. Portalling many others with you can be a challenge—you need to expand the magnetic field to include the others and that takes more energy and practice.” They were sitting side by side in the sand, resting their arms on their knees as if this was the most normal thing in the world.
Despite the strong wind bruising her ears, February didn’t seem as bad in Greece.
“I collapsed when I had to portal seven people twice in less than forty minutes.”
“That’s what kalenium’s for—it helps you channel your energy, sharpen your senses; you have enough of it to keep you going. Optans with high portalling enhancements usually work in relocation. My portalling skills are developed enough to portal around forty people at a time.” He smiled softly. “That’s nothing by comparison.”
Mia cocked her head
his way. “Relocation?”
“If a home planet within the Alliance is endangered by, let’s say, cosmic factors—a burst in another galaxy, the explosion of their Sun, among others, the relocation team comes in. Now, we can only portal freely here on Earth; for interplanetary portalling there would have to be someone on the other side opening a portal for us to step through. If I tried to portal back to Opt, I’d need someone over there to open a portal for me or I’d probably end up somewhere in between, and dead for sure. When they relocate others, the team is split in two—half on the home planet and half on the host planet—so the habitants can go through.”
So much for all the Sci-Fi movies she’d watched. “So the myth has fallen—no flying spaceships, then?’
Alex pursed his lips and smiled, still staring at the exact line where the sky met the sea. “Battleships, yes. The Alliance has quite the fleet.”
Despite the long sleeves on her hoodie, Alex couldn’t help but notice the tattooed dove’s wing stretching out to her knuckles. He didn’t understand tattoos, too tribal for his taste and too out of tune with Mia. Like they didn’t belong on her. Neither did that scar, extending from her neck to the curve of her jaw.
He sighed, imagining her past, that perfect ivory skin now permanently scarred, those blue eyes carrying a constant sadness. He’d wanted to ask about her scars, but refrained himself. Machines could be fixed, Mia no longer could.
“Keeping a portal open for so long must be draining…” Mia stared at her sandy toes, contemplating. “What if I could indeed travel between planets without help? Every enhancement Etienne’s given us defies the Alliance —it would make perfect sense, wouldn’t it?”
“Took you a while to figure it out.” Alex turned to face her apprehensive stare. Things were easier in June than in February. “We knew it immediately after we met Rufus—Etienne has given you enhancements that are unethical, immoral, and completely prohibited within the Alliance.”
It all dawned on her: because their enhancements crossed the line of morality, Rufus and herself could violate interplanetary laws. Her heart started pounding at an increasingly rapid pace. It meant trespassing planets, taking over the minds and bodies of other beings. The pounding reached her temples and she felt her hands shaking.
She spoke as her heart nearly missed a beat, “Beck doesn’t want our enhancements for himself—he’s creating an army of altered soldiers!” Shit! “And you’ve taken us in to make sure we don’t follow in his footsteps!” Heat rose from her stomach to her head as she turned to him. “Why didn’t you kill us and get it over with?” Something inside her just broke.
Alex locked fingers around his knees and met her death stare. “We’re here to assist planets, not kill. There’s been enough murder on our shoulders. In a perfect world we’d come up with a solution to strip you of these enhancements and make you forget this ever happened before it escalates. We can’t do that yet, we’ve sent all your blood samples to the lab and we now have thirty-three scientists working on your case on Opt.”
Mia got to her feet and wrapped her arms around herself, her lips getting purple as the wind blew a wave of sand over them. She swallowed hard.
“What can Zoey do?” She took a step towards the sea, watching the gulls distantly diving in for the kill.
“My thoughts have been confirmed: she can harness energy. Lilou sent an update twenty minutes ago.”
She turned to him, confused, as the wind blew some strands of her messy bun sideways. “What does that mean, exactly?”
Alex used his breath to warm his fingers as he spoke. “It means she can manipulate energy—in an estimated guess, probably even gamma rays. Now imagine someone directing gamma rays at planets with intelligent life, and someone who could take her close enough to do it…”
Mia brushed the hair off her face in shock. “She could destroy the whole universe!”
“Now, my guess is Beck wants some sort of a deal—hence Rufus, the other boy, and yourself—otherwise he’d use Zoey as a killing machine eventually. I’m only speculating, but she was able not only to harness energy but to replicate it in her first attempt. Imagine what that could do on a larger scale and with the proper training.”
“What Beck wants is power—over everyone. He doesn’t want to join your Alliance or get a step higher on that stupid scale—he wants to control everything.”
The sand was hitting their faces brazenly and they were no longer able to fight the cold. Beck needed them enough to keep Rufus alive. It was all she needed to know.
Alex got up and shook the sand off. “Let’s get back to June, shall we?”
“Wait! Don’t you at least want to see if your theories are right? If I could portal to some forsaken planet by myself?” The wind blew mercilessly, covering their hair in sand and making them both rub their eyes.
“C’mon. This time around I have to show you how to portal to a time loop.” He pulled the intersat from his pocket. “Here are the coordinates.”
Mia scanned the beach like Beck had taught her. ‘Public places are not a stage for performance,’ she remembered him saying. Despite the wind and a weird, distant barking noise, there was no one in sight.
For the fourth time today, Alex bent to open a portal, only this time he touched sand and did not hate the feeling.
He tapped twice on his kalenium watch. “In position.”
Both Alex and Mia landed as graceful as cats in the ballroom, undisturbed by the fall.
“What if I could portal Beck somewhere far and leave him there? Don’t you want to see if it works?” Mia pushed.
“It works.” Alex saw her jaw dropping.
“That was not Evia, was it?” Mia scowled, her whole body tensing.
Alex crinkled his nose as he replied and raised his eyebrows defensively. “Nope. That was planet Steb.” He shrugged, somehow expecting a left jab and possibly a right cross coming violently at his face. Instead, she stood there analyzing his grimaces and trying to figure out if he still had sand in his eyes or if interplanetary travel had in fact messed with his screws.
“Erm…what’s wrong with your face?” Mia crossed her arms over her chest.
“Aren’t you supposed to slap me or something?” His question only made her angrier—were humans regarded like some sort of an inferior species prone to uncontrollable violence?
She pulled a lopsided grin. “Okay, now it makes perfect sense why you’re behind the scenes and Lilou’s out there kicking ass! Is that why you said ‘in position,’ were you awaiting access?”
He scanned her, still wary. “Are you not upset I didn’t tell you?”
“I’m guessing you’re smart enough not to go on a suicide mission. And you probably didn’t want me to get nervous. That doesn’t mean I’m okay with lies, all cards on the table, remember?”
Alex nodded. “Now let’s go brag to everyone about what you can do.”
γ
Sam was getting impatient. “She’s been gone for over thirty minutes!” She glanced back at Emma, who seemed lost in thought. “What?” Sam tapped her foot viciously. It was hard not to feel overprotective considering what Zoey had been going through.
“I’d worry more about what Zoey can do to Jasper than what Jasper can do to Zoey.” Emma turned to face Sam. “She’s not as fragile as you think.”
She took a seat beside her on the silky white duvet and took Sam’s hand in hers. “What I’m saying is that I think she needs to make her own choices and learn from them.”
Sam couldn’t believe her ears. “We found her crying and unable to articulate a sentence, she passed out as we were carrying her upstairs and no optan came to check on her! She nearly killed that poor bastard downstairs and you’re telling me she’s in a state where she can make her own choices?”
“Yes!”
“She walked like a frigging zombie when she went to check on Jasper and we literally have no clue as to what she’s capable of!” Now that Zoey’s powers had been unleashed, Sam couldn’t h
elp but cringe at the thought. She bolted up in an anxious move. “I’m going to get her!” The anxiety building in her chest pushed her out of the room like an avalanche despite Emma’s pleas.
Batrachomyomachy
Deriving from an ancient Greek parody of Homer's Iliad in which a frog accidentally drowns a mouse that was sitting on its back, sparking a brutal war between the two species. Literally: “a battle between frogs and mice.”
Zoey was startled by a heavy knock on Jasper’s door.
“That must be for you,” he whispered and jumped up to open. She wanted to slap herself for the images flooding her brain at the sight of him. There was art in the symmetry of that perfectly forged anatomy. She bit her lip before her thoughts wandered too far.
“Come in.” He looked at Sam as if he could read her thoughts, not that it disarmed her one bit.
She shot Jasper an abrupt look and scanned his naked torso, moving past him on her way to Zoey.
Emma could barely keep up, flustered at what might escape the Kraken’s mouth.
Sam had earned the nickname a couple of years ago, when she’d made the mother of scandals over a glass of wine. At Emma’s birthday party.
For Sam, however, it was a question of principle. No one was to sell her cheap wine at the price of liquid gold, not when she knew her brands like mothers know their children. The waiter got the lecture of a lifetime, and, in return, Sam got a reputation.
Alien species she had come to accept, a zombie-state Zoey alone again with Jasper for so long, made her uneasy.
She caught a glimpse of Zoey jumping off the bed and crossed her arms, shaming her with the look—the disappointed mother look.
“This is not what it looks like, Sam!” Zoey gestured skittishly. She could practically see Sam doing the math: topless Jasper plus herself jumping off that bed as if it were on fire.
Lost in Amber Page 20
