Found in Amber

by Esther Rabbit

They walked through the hallway and up to the foyer where they’d landed two days ago. Another door slid to take them into an equally minimalistic space, possibly even the dining room where two incredibly looking versions of Jasper eyed them with friendly smiles and quasi-stiff poses. Zoey swallowed and readjusted her earpiece. Richard had told her the protocol was nodding and she was bound to do just that.

  Not weird at all, she thought as she neared them and gave the clumsiest of nods. Every other word was now seemingly stuck in her throat. Jasper’s mom and dad wore pale green two piece suits. Considering her brief training on Optan protocol in Pamplona, same color uniforms equaled same job, and Jasper had already told her they were diplomats. Their uniforms looked bulletproof though, somehow solid under the soft glow of the room they were in.

  It was clear Jasper looked a lot like his mother, the perfect skin and soft features, her kind light brown eyes. She wore no makeup, nor needed any. This was probably the zero imperfections family: white smiles, glowing skin, impeccable bone structure. She swallowed hard, remembering the Panspermia Theory she’d read in June. That’s what they all were at their core—traveling bacteria in search of a proper environment to develop. And there they stood, the optans, eleven something billion years of evolution versus Earth’s 4.5 staring her in the face as if she wasn’t some underdeveloped species. As if they somehow didn’t want to startle her. Jasper of course had positioned himself strategically at a safe distance between his parents and the rest. He didn’t bother making introductions though.

  “You have a lovely home.” Zoey heard herself saying, instinctively joining her hands at the front. “Thank you so much for having us here and we apologize for the… intrusion.” Given the earpieces they were both wearing, she hoped the message would come through as intended to Jasper’s parents.

  “Are they always so polite?” The blonde woman’s smile widened as she turned to Jasper. “Thank you. Jasper tells me you have names on your planet. With words.” Zoey couldn’t help but notice Jasper’s parents hadn’t moved from the exact same spot, so she kept hers. His dad’s eyes grew in wonder, jumping from Zoey to Rufus.

  “I’m Zoey, and this is Rufus.” She couldn’t help but slip into teacher mode, trying to speak as clearly as possible and looking at Jasper for reassurance. He didn’t say anything, and somehow, Zoey wondered if he was enjoying this little symbiotic greet.

  “Your hair… it’s beautiful.” Jasper’s mom nodded again. “Your beard too, Rufus. And my graduation gown looks far better on you than it ever did on me.”

  That did it. Lilou was on the verge of collapsing under that belly laugh. Not even Jasper could hold it in, and his parents were not shy to join.

  “Ma’am, with all due respect, your son left me alone in an ali… foreign closet without any indication. I otherwise dress in a much manlier manner back on my home planet. Pants and all.” It was the second time today when Rufus and Zoey matched cheeks.

  “And flip flops,” Lilou added with a wink and patted his back.

  Trying to hide his belly button from the tulip opening seemed useless now, so Rufus flared her nostrils at her. “So what?! My feet get hot!”

  “Please,” Jasper’s dad finally spoke wiping a tear so much laughter brought out “we must get to know all of you better over dinner. Follow me.” Laughter was a good sign, a sign that things were going well. Luckily for her, Jasper had given Zoey a dusty pink buttonless shirt from his closet and cleaned her trainers while she’d been out. For the very first time, it actually dawned on her that she’d never regarded either of the optans as a different species. How could she when they were so alike? Sure, Jasper had his quirks and enhancements, but all this aside, the only real difference in her view was that maybe, humans were more impulsive. And James was—she sucked a sharp breath and her eyes fluttered shut.

  James was no more and her expression involuntarily tainted with sadness.

  On his end, Rufus didn’t know where to look first. Except for the screens, marble-like rectangular pieces and what looked like the world’s biggest and fanciest couch, a cream colored table finally came into view. He’d expected its surface to be hard, yet paper-thin but no—four sturdy legs, a thicker surface than one would anticipate, and just like in the conference room in Pamplona, screens instead of placemats.

  As expected, the chairs were to appear once they sat.

  “I’ll never get used to this,” Rufus mumbled under his breath, his eyes making sure he wouldn’t land legs up. “Do you need any help in the kitchen?”

  For a second there, his mom looked a bit lost, so Jasper answered that one. “We don’t have kitchens per se, guys. You’ll see there’s a screen where you’d normally have your plates, so just tap it once” he went by Zoey’s side “and select what you’d like.”

  Zoey’s eyes were about to pop. “Is that pasta?” Thumbnails and thumbnails of appealing dishes flashed before her eyes; technically, she hadn’t eaten in two days.

  “It is actually.” Jasper peered from behind her, resting his chin atop her head as he showed her around the intricate alphabet. Maybe it wasn’t so bad having to explain the bits and pieces. “Try this one.” A click later, the enlarged image almost made her drool. She kept her manners though, and gave a polite nod.

  Rufus too had made his selection with the help of Jasper’s dad. Knowing him, it was bound to be spicy. Lilou tapped away as did the parents and it literally took minutes for the food to resurface.

  “Meet the real life Jetsons!” Rufus was dumbfounded. His audience though, didn’t seem to be in on the joke. “Oh you know, an ancient cartoon. I don’t even remember if it was about a family from the future or from another planet, but I swear food popped up exactly like this.” There had been a purpose for that thick table after all.

  “Did they have names too?” To Zoey’s surprise, Jasper’s mom had chosen an equally delicious looking pasta dish. “Maybe it would be nice if we had names as well.” She giggled “After all, Jasper’s mom doesn’t sound any better.”

  Optans did joke. And they ate and spoke and touched each other.

  Since Rufus now baptized Jasper’s family after the Jetsons, Jasper’s dad was now George and his mom Judy since Jane sounded like what an optan would call a toolbox. They both seemed to know Lilou, but apparently, not well enough since they basically bombarded her with questions.

  Neither of them ever mentioned their son having rebelled against the system or seemed remotely worried about anything in particular. If roles reversed, mom Jane would be giving Zoey the mother of lectures in front of her outlaw dinner party while ma Margaret would hyperventilate to the nth degree, all while having her sleeves rolled up thinking possible solutions out loud. Probably after having flushed the phones to avoid being bugged and covered all windows and doors. They’d want her to be safe, though. By comparison, it was like Jasper’s parents knew for a fact he was going to be safe and regarded their son as the ultimate superhero.

  One thing was certain: both George and Judy made them feel more than welcome and uniforms aside, three bites in and Zoey forgot she was not in Kansas anymore. They even had pasta on Opt, although their cutlery was another story altogether. There were times when she really enjoyed the conversation and times she had to dig her nails into her thighs just to think about anything not related to James. For the most part, her insides were practically screaming.

  How were James’s parents like? Was there any truth behind the art-collector dad whose things he couldn’t presumably touch? James never spoke much about his parents, and Zoey never insisted on meeting them.

  After all, between the time difference and their work trips, they only communicated through Christmas and birthday cards. She realized now how ludicrous it sounded and the extent James had gone through for her never to remotely suspect anything.

  It was a relief seeing Rufus completely immersed in conversation with Jasper’s parents. Playing the part felt a little out of her reach now, but watching Rufus just being his charming, go
ofy self was endearing. He smiled with his whole face and asked about all sorts of contraptions, weather and pills.

  “And what does your sister do?” Judy dared a glance at Zoey between bites.

  Rufus looked as puzzled as she felt. “Sister?”

  “I apologize, I assumed—”

  Jasper joined the conversation with a full grin. “Because they’re both gingers?” It was refreshing to see the kind of relationship Jasper had with his parents. Zoey had never been treated like a grownup at home. Not entirely.

  Before Judy’s embarrassment grew deeper, Zoey wiped her mouth and spoke. “That’s okay, I always wanted a brother like Rufus.” She smiled and added. “I teach art to kids.”

  “Like a coach of sorts.” Jasper shrugged at the comparison he’d just made and swallowed his last culinary taste of home. “Well guys, this was fun, but dad and I have a long day tomorrow after he gets back, and these two need to rest.” He pointed to the gingers with a smile still on his lip.

  As expected, the dishes disappeared to where they came from, and so did the chairs once they all got up. “Zoey and I will be in my bedroom if you need anything.” Instant alarm washed over Zoey’s features, her cheeks showing clear signs she’d rather be swallowed whole.

  George however, draped an arm over his wife’s shoulder and smiled, utterly unconcerned Jasper had a girl in his bedroom. In all fairness, they probably knew he couldn’t get her pregnant. “You’ll make sure our guests are well attended. Right Jasper?” How optans thought their names were funny, never got old. Zoey on the other hand, couldn’t imagine the string of sounds the optans heard in their heads when being called. Lilou of course was quick to explain that each name was unique, unprecedented and impossible to copy which made it all the more intriguing.

  “I wish there was a proper way to thank you. Thank you so much. Zoey blurted making her way to the foyer. “And have a good night.” She nodded again and so did Rufus followed by Lilou and Jasper. Kissing parents goodnight was apparently, not a thing.

  “We need to talk.” As soon as Jasper said the words she flinched, taking a step back as soon as the bedroom door slid shut. As if he read her mind.

  She took a brave breath as she turned to him a little too quickly. “About?” He peered at her with the amber eyes she still failed to read and stopped at an arm’s length. The way he said it though, carried some sort of anger.

  “I made you a promise and I broke it.” He was back to that stern tone Zoey wasn’t fond of. And he was mad, seemingly at himself. “I promised no more lies, but ultimately chose the exact opposite.”

  “And I understand why you did it.” She swallowed hard and darted for the window where the sky had changed to a darker shade of lilac. “No explanation is necessary, Jasper. You did what was right to make sure the corrupted wouldn’t frame Opt, to make sure your loved ones wouldn’t find themselves unshielded in the event of a political catastrophe.” Jasper kept staring as if part of her didn’t make sense. “Of course I was angry you didn’t tell me anything, but maybe your enhancements do shape your personality. You were genetically designed to serve your people. Letting your 007 stunt slip would’ve, you know, endangered the operation.” She shrugged and folded her arms defensively across her chest. “You did right by your people.”

  “But not by you.” His voice was clear, as if he was stating the most obvious of facts.

  James’s riddle still rang in her head like a broken record. “If you had to save one person or one hundred, who would you save?” She’d been haunted by those words ever since James had revealed himself for who he really was. She’d even pondered them while being amongst the most impeccable examples of genetic perfection over dinner. As if she couldn’t help herself.

  James wasn’t designed to serve his people, he was genetically inclined to exploration. For Jasper however, it was second nature and stripping him of who he really was would be a case of Hobson’s choice. Ambassadors were not made, they were genetically designed. If the Alliance had been good at its core like he believed, they needed Jasper. They needed ambassadors. They needed to restore what was good of the world.

  She turned to him instinctively, gravitating around him as if he was her own sun. And he was, good and perfect and staring at her as if he didn’t deserve her. And it tore her open. The way he moved as he neared her though, looked like poetry in motion, the light casting strange patterns across the shimmering white fabric of his shirt his, on skin, and in the dance of his eyebrows.

  “I love you.” The words erupted like a shriek of pain. “When you were the biggest treasonous dick on IG-47 to me, to all of us—I just couldn’t unlove you and hated myself for it!” How James’s lies had drowned the love but Jasper’s hadn’t baffled reason. Transfixed, he lifted his chin and met her eyes in a blank stare. She saw the muscles on his bare arms tensing but couldn’t stop now. “And I don’t understand how all this crushing love I feel for you happened, but I know it in my heart that you and I—us—we’re a losing game. I’m not saying you should ever choose me over your people, but when the time comes—and it will—your heart will pull you to me and your mind to what you were made for. And you were made for greater things than loving me!” Her voice cracked under the emotion but she held her tears in. “And I was made for greater things than loving you!”

  Silence. As if his body and mind were failing to get a grasp, his expression stilled.

  It’s like she blinked once, and he’d already curled his fingers around her wrist and pulled her closer. There was a different tightness to his hold, almost unforgiving.

  She could smell him now, as she heard the raw tone of his voice. “Is the greatness that you speak of even worth anything if I can’t love you?” He’d cupped her face to make sure she looked him in the eye. An incandescent amber gaze burned into her as if she’d lost her mind. It took all her willpower to jerk away from his grasp, but she did.

  It was worth it if he got to see his parents age. If he put his skill to the benefit of a world worth living in. “We can’t love each other selfishly while the whole universe is going to shit, Jasper!”

  Life flashed before his eyes in that quick instant. That sounded like something Lilou would say, not Zoey. And he watched the slight tremble of the curve of her mouth as his fingers trailed down from her face.

  He let out a long breath and scanned her every feature. “Is this what you want?”

  Zoey swallowed hard. “It is.”

  γ

  “You have got to be shitting me!” Rufus instinctively held his earpiece with a finger, just to make sure he’d keep Mia’s voice as close as possible. Bless you George Jetson for making this miracle happen! “How did you figure it out?”

  “I mean, it’s not exactly rocket science.” He could even hear Mia smiling as she continued. “Jasper must’ve convinced that asshole the kalenium cuffs worked on you too. There was no way he’d be that careless.”

  Rufus gave Jasper the stink eye from his window seat. “He sure fooled the lot of us. You’re too fucking smart for your own good, you know that?”

  “So they tell me.”

  “How’s everyone back home? How come they stayed put?”

  “Alex trusts Jasper too much. Plus, he’d never rush into anything from what I see. I think he found a new hobby too.”

  “Oh?”

  “Sam’s discovered an ice-cream maker, so she’s making him work part time in the kitchen.”

  “Figures.” It didn’t take much to picture Sam as the new ice-cream pack leader. “And Emma?”

  “She’s on her earpiece with Zoey as we speak. When Alex portalled me here from Pamplona, I found the girls practicing self-defense. I think they’re both hyped to kick some ass.” She lowered herself to the floor and succumbed to the glory of that plush rug. “God, it feels like a lifetime since I heard your voice.” Careful not to give too much away to curious ears, she whispered. “I don’t know what the plan is yet, but I think you should get out of there as soon as possible
. It’s not safe. I can come portal you guys out of there in a second if you give me the coordinates.”

  Rufus brushed his fingers over his mouth before he propped a forearm against the glass wall. “I’m sensing Jasper and Alex are coming up with a plan as we speak. But hey, now that George fixed our comms I see no need to ever hang up, you know. We can just talk until we fall asleep.”

  “Except it’s already 1:20 a.m. over here.”

  “Ouch. That was cold.”

  “I miss you, doofus. Let’s get some rest and speak tomorrow.”

  “Mia…” his voice trailed off with a degree of unease “why didn’t you contact your mother? I mean, at least by phone so she knows you’re okay.”

  Mia’s lips pursed. There was no easy answer. At this point, she had no clue if the optans had touched her mother’s timeline or not. “You haven’t either.”

  “That’s different.” His voice turned husky, so Rufus cleared his throat as quietly as he could. “My parents are not alive to worry about me and I’m not sure if gran would have a heart attack. And my friends… I—I don’t know what to tell them. It feels wrong to come back to my former life when we’re still stuck in this one.”

  “So let’s focus on this one for the time being. Let’s try and get ourselves back to normal and sleep on it for tonight.” He closed his eyes and pictured her in their bed in June. Beautiful like a Madonna, wild like a jaguar.

  Although Rufus was nowhere near letting go, he whispered back. “Your wish is my command then.” A soft smile crept up the corners of his lips. “I love you.” It took half a second for him to lose track of Mia’s breathing over the earpiece, so everything else started coming into view. Zoey’s eyes crinkled with the first smile since Etienne’s death while lost in her own conversation with Emma. It was not a careless, full beam, but it was one of comfort nonetheless. Although Rufus didn’t want to intrude, it was obvious Emma knew exactly how to address the situation unlike himself, who plainly left out Etienne’s death from his conversation with Mia.