Alec's Dream

by Dave Birchbauer

  The trip up to the central axle was long and difficult. Leland soon lost his strength and needed to be carried. Luckily it wasn’t long before the gravity lessened enough to make lifting him much easier. Once in the central axle’s maintenance shaft, they were able to float him the ten plus miles to the back wall of the center ship section. By the time they reached their destination, he had regained enough strength to make his own way down to the ALEC’S DREAM.

  “Ahhh... coffee.” Jessie said as she took a sip of black coffee out of her now favorite cup. Sofie looked on with dismay.

  “So, you say you know how to get us out of here, but how do we get to the rear ship section?” Phyllis gave Jessie a suspicious look. She understood how extreme conditions could change people, but Jessie seemed just… too changed.

  “Can’t we just leave the way we came in?” It wasn’t the first time Sofie asked the question since they had settled in the galley.

  “You know that they must have figured out that we entered through that canyon.” Jade tried answering as gently as possible.

  Jessie could see how delicate Sofie’s emotional state was.

  “We’re all in agreement that they would have sealed up that exit by now, and we don’t have any way to blast our way out. But that option is still open to us... if Jessie’s way doesn’t work out.” Phyllis reiterated.

  “You need to believe me that I know everything about this ship.” Jessie tried to convince them again. “Sofie, you remember that chair we found? When you left that room, it did something to my mind and when I woke up, I was able to understand their language… and I knew how everything worked. I can just close my eyes and picture the entire ship… every detail if I concentrate hard enough.”

  “I was there, but I didn't see anything happen...” Sofie said. “I can barely remember anymore.” She put her head in her hands.

  “Well, I for one don't have any other ideas.” Jade cut in. “And Jessie did find us... and spoke their language… and she navigated those maintenance corridors like she lived in them her entire life… and Eugene seemed to approve.”

  “I don't want to argue. It's just that so much has happened.” Phyllis apologized to Jessie. She put her head in her hands in exhaustion. “We need to get Leland to a doctor now! I don't know how long he can last.”

  Leland was bunked down on a cot and wrapped in blankets in the back sleeping quarters. They had given him what medicine they could to ease his pain… and to help him sleep. Jessie felt Phyllis’s concern, and wished there was something she could do… when a thought came to her, from her memories… memories of the Cheorgh. She thought it strange that the Cheorgh were part of her memories. “Hey... Phyllis, can you fly us back to those Cheorgh caverns?”

  “Sure, if you can tell me how we get out of this maintenance bay.” The co-pilot answered.

  Jessie, still feeling a bit queasy about the height thing, talked Sofie into opening the iris style door. Phyllis easily flew the ALEC’S DREAM to the Cheorgh caverns, setting them down next to the lake.

  “Man… is he heavy.” Sofie complained as it took all four of them to carry him out on the ships emergency stretcher. Jessie led them into the room where she had first found the patch of grass that mapped and controlled the forests paths.

  “OK, now what.” Sofie asked after they set down the stretcher. All of them sat on the floor, breathing hard. Jessie moved to the patch of grass and leaned over it… as she touched it she felt the familiar tingle as it quivered and shaped itself into the 3D map of the ship section.

  “So that's how you were able to find us.” Sofie slid next to her staring at the grass.

  “That's not all, you can pick a spot and the map and it’ll draw a path to it.” She touched the map and a small line formed from their position to the point Jessie touched.

  “Cool.” Sofie said touching the grass, feeling its tingle.

  “Not only that, it actually makes a path. There’s patches of grass like this all over the place.” Jessie told her.

  “This is all very fascinating, but how does this help Leland.” Phyllis said getting impatient.

  “Oh, sorry.” Jessie touched the map again, this time working her fingers along its edge. As she pulled her hand away, the grass quivered and forming into an indented pattern of a large hand. “Can you set him down here next to the map?” Jessie asked. Phyllis and Jade pulled his gurney closer.

  “Now what?” Phyllis asked kneeling next to Leland. His eyes opened and he looked helplessly at Jessie.

  “Leland, put your hand on the grass here... can you hear me?” Jessie asked hoping she was getting through to him. He nodded groggily and reached out with his good arm. Phyllis helped him place his hand in the indentation. The grass around his hand formed quivering shapes… after a few moments it went flat.

  “What does that mean?” Jade’s fascination peaked as she realized the grass was actually a technology… a technology invented by the Cheorgh. Before Jessie could answer, the wall behind them began shimmering and wriggling.

  “Those are vines, not rock!” Jade said awed at what she was seeing. “The walls aren't rock… they're living material.” She said as she ran her hand over them. “All these rooms are made of it.”

  The wriggling wall shaped into an indentation the shape of a human body… a perfect silhouette of Leland to be precise.

  “We need to stand him up.” Jessie didn’t need to say anymore. Jade and Sofie were already helping him to his feet and as soon as he was in position, the wall sprung to life. Vines wrapped around him until they held him tight to the wall. Jessie saw that his feet no longer touched the floor. Sofie and Jade stepped back. Phyllis, still on her knees, looked on with concern. Then without warning, the wall completely absorbed him, leaving nothing but a smooth surface in its wake.

  “What the hell was that?” Phyllis yelled. “Jessie, get him out of there!”

  “We need to wait… I think.” The unexpectedness of Leland’s disappearance left Jessie feeling not as confident as she had been earlier.

  “You didn't know that this was going to happen?” Phyllis asked ominously.

  “Don't blame her. She's just trying to help.” Sofie stood between them. “Maybe he's been moved to another room.”

  “I think we need to wait.” Jessie peeked around Sofie.

  “OK, we'll wait.” Phyllis growled and sat down against the far wall as she gloomily stared at the spot where Leland disappeared.

  Jade knelt down next to the grass while Jessie sat against the side wall.

  “Jessie?” Sofie whispered sitting next to her. “What’s with those tattoos?”

  “Oh. I got them from the chair. Those are the same markings that were on that ball Chander gave me.” Jessie held her arm up looking at them.

  Sofie stared. “Do they come off?”

  “I can’t rub them off… anyway they kind of grow on you.” Jessie admired them. “Watch.” She said as the black markings turned multi colored.

  “Neat. How do you do that?” Sofie asked.

  “I just have to think it. Then they change to the colors I’m thinking of.” The markings turned a midnight blue.

  “Can you change their shape?” Sofie asked.

  “I don’t know.” Jessie looked at her feeling stupid for not thinking of it herself. Concentrating, the markings changed their shapes... they then began dancing around her wrist, hand and arm.

  “There must be a reason for them.” Sofie said.

  “Like what?” Jessie asked as the markings snapped back to their original shapes and positions. Sofie just shrugged.

  “Look!” Jade exclaimed examining the grass.

  “It's Leland.” Phyllis said kneeling next to her. The patch of grass had now formed into a three dimensional picture of him. Parts of his body were shimmering… his arm, his face, actually, just about everything. Phyllis leaned over the grass silhouette. One by one, the shimmering areas became dull. After an hour the entire map became quiescent.


  “It's done, so where is he?” Phyllis sounded tired. They were all exhausted.

  As though on cue, the wall shimmered and shivered. Soon, a vine wrapped outline of Leland squeezed out from it. The vines unwrapped exposing Leland.

  “Leland, how are you feeling?” Phyllis and Jade grabbed him by his arms before he could fall. They sat him down.

  “Oh... hi Phyllis, hi Jade.” He sounded groggy and happy. “I'm fine.” he grinned from ear to ear. Looking around the room he said. “Hi Sofie, hi Jessie.”

  Finished with his introductions, he tried standing up but Jade and Phyllis held him down. Jessie noticed his smile showed a perfect set of white teeth.

  “Leland, how is your arm.” Phyllis tried getting through to him. He lifted both arms and showed the front and back of each hand.

  “Which arm?” He said, not seeming to comprehend the situation.

  “Never mind.” Phyllis sat next to him in relief.

  “I'm hungry.” Leland said. Jessie thought he was now talking some sense.

  “He's right. We should get out of here, back to that maintenance bay… we’re way too exposed down here and they're bound to be searching for us.” Phyllis’s comment hit a chord with them. Being captured again was not a pleasant thought as they helped the still smiling Leland to his feet. He actually started humming while they walked him back to the ALEC’S DREAM.