“Of course.”
“I will take him!” someone wearing a formal uniform said.
Amun nodded his head. “Sleep well, Alex. We have much to discuss tomorrow.”
The uniformed Humani opened his arms wide and gestured for Alex to walk at his side. The crowd created a wide path for him to walk freely out of the room. As Alex did so he felt guilty for not having tried any of the food that had been passed around the room for the last hour or so.
As soon as they were out of earshot, the uniformed Humani said, “Alex, I am a spiritualist. We are most distressed by your prediction of the coming evil. Our government has decided to ignore the threat and thinks your comments were part of a deep-seated religious belief with no relation to truth.”
“What do you want with me now? You know, you people are starting to get on my nerves,” Alex muttered, as they continued walking out of the large room and toward a corridor with very high stone walls.
“We believe you and we want to help. Our government is not going to give you the FTL technology you want. They will give you an advanced FTL engine but not our most advanced. The one they will give you will get you to the center and back in roughly forty years. The one my people want to give you can be done in months.”
They stopped in front of a door in the corridor.
“Alex,” Symboli said quietly in his ear, “they have made it clear many times they are opposed to you in this idea of yours. It’s logical to assume they wouldn’t make it easy for you to prove this theory correct.”
“What’s your idea?” Alex said, still muttering, to his guide.
“We must steal a ship from the hangar of the foundry.”
“I cannot—”
“No, we will take the risk, and deliver it to you outside our system. You will use the ship and scout the area, then return with the data.”
“I’m not sure I like this idea, what you say sounds difficult. Are you sure you can pull it off?”
“We have people on the inside and have been preparing to make a move for a long time. Here, take this.” Alex’s guide handed him a clear piece of glass. “Read this tonight. It has a lot of information you need to know.”
Alex looked at the piece of glass, about the size of a large cell phone. It looked entirely blank and nonfunctional.
“Here is your room, sir,” the guide said loudly.
Alex was standing in front of a trapezoid-shaped door. It lowered from the top to the bottom within the threshold of the door itself. Inside was a fully decorated and very lush suite.
Alex stepped inside, and the guide remained outside the door. “I cannot follow you. Up until a few hours ago this room was set up with jewels and gold furniture with matching decoration. However, Lindi corrected our error, in that you value such things but you would not want to be suffocated by them. Was that an accurate assessment on her part?”
“I think this will be fine,” Alex said, downplaying the overindulgence at his expense. The carpet felt like cashmere, the couch looked both firm and soft, as if created perfectly for the human body, and crystal screens lined the arms of the couch, to adjust temperature control and firmness. A machine of some kind dangled from the ceiling in the corner of the room. It was smooth like polished ceramic and had multiple arms.
“Hey, what is this?” Alex asked, pointing to the dangling machine.
The guide did not enter the room but spoke from the corridor. “It prepares your food. All the information can be found in the room’s data screen at the table. I’d try to avoid using it. It will be expected that you participate in our meals together. There will be messages waiting for you when you wake that will require your attention. Sleep well.”
The door closed abruptly. A creepy feeling began to crawl up Alex’s neck, a fear that started to build. He walked slowly back to the door, and it opened of its own accord. He stood there a moment and stepped away from the door, and it closed again. Relieved, he began to explore the room. It was cozy, now that he thought about it. Near the bed his two crates, still sealed, waited for him.
“Symboli, have you attempted to interface with the—”
A blue light appeared to reflect off the walls and objects in front of Alex.
“Welcome, Alex. Is there something I can do for you?”
Something behind him caught his eye, and Alex spun on his heels; his heart was pounding, and instinctively he dropped into a crouch. The large face of a woman crowned with tight dark hair appeared between him and the door. She was not a real person; that much was obvious. She appeared both bland and appealing and was visible only from the neck up. A digital avatar.
After a moment he relaxed.
“Is she a digiform?” Symboli asked with enthusiasm.
“Do you have a name?” Alex replied.
“No,” the female avatar responded with a wide smile, which Alex already began to feel was disingenuous.
“What are you?” Alex took a step closer to the image, and its smile disappeared.
“You are speaking to your room’s facilitator,” the woman said, her smile returning.
“Are you sentient, or do you have artificial intelligence?”
“Artificial intelligence was outlawed many years ago.”
“What services can you perform for me?”
“I can request help on your behalf from the ship’s crew; adjust air temperature, humidity, and cycle rate; activate a wide range of entertainment options; play music; read you a book; prepare—”
“That’s enough,” Alex said, confident he understood the purpose of the avatar. “Why did you activate just recently?”
“You were speaking and your room is not occupied by anyone other than yourself. Probability suggests you were speaking to me.”
“Do I have access to a database or library?”
“You have access to ninety-two databases, a library fit for a civilization of immortals.”
“How can I call upon your services in the future?”
“Simply say, ‘Requesting.’”
“Thank you. I don’t need anything. That will be all for now.”
The avatar immediately disappeared.
“You must assume they will hear and see everything that you do here,” Symboli said. “Since I am an outlaw here, I would not attract attention to me by talking to me any longer.”
“Do you have connectivity to my datapad?” Alex whispered after a fake cough and some grunting.
“Yes.”
Alex lay down on the couch after he retrieved his datapad. The couch adjusted its contours to fit his weight and body, and the arm screens activated.
(Can you gain access to the ship’s systems?) — Alex
(I believe it’s possible. I can try, but are you sure you want me to? )– Symboli
(It’s imperative that I know more about these people. This is all happening really fast and we really don’t know anything about them. I can’t spend eternity reading the library but you can. I need you to review what you can and summarize it for me on information you think I need to know.)
(I shall begin entry attempts.)
Alex barely had time to think a new thought before Symboli responded.
(Entry obtained. I am in the database.)
(Excellent. How long before you can complete the summary report?)
After a few moments Alex began to grow impatient and was about to follow up with a repeat question, but Symboli anticipated his impatience.
(I am still calculating the size of it.)
“Requesting,” Alex said aloud.
The avatar appeared with the same annoying smile.
“I am thirsty,” Alex said. “May I have some cold water, please?”
The avatar disappeared. The dangling machine at the far end of the room sprang to life as one arm reached and pulled out a glass goblet from somewhere, and a stream of water flowed from the ceiling into the goblet. Then the arm extended to Alex’s exact position in the room, the glass of water held by tiny fingers that, close
up, looked very much like clay. Alex grabbed the glass, and the arm retracted back to the machine.
The water tasted tart, and its texture felt… odd. Like licking the end of a nine-volt battery. With disgust Alex placed the water near him on the floor of the room.
Symboli was back. (I anticipate it will take me several weeks to analyze the entire database. However, if I can bypass fiction entirely, it will cut the time to a few days.)
(Start with the datapad given to me by our escort.)
Alex put down his own bulky datapad and picked up the clear glass plate the escort had given him. It came to life, and a holographic text document several hundred pages long appeared in front of him. He could manipulate the pages like a real report.
Alex’s own datapad lit up. As soon as he grasped it, the holographic one disappeared. His own datapad contained a three-page summary on the contents of the other device, following by an increasing number of pages as the result of Symboli’s analysis.
Alex began to read the document, and the more he read the more concerned he became about the Humani. Despite his strong desire to keep reading, sleep finally overtook him.
Chapter 20
Hunter to Hunted
Rapidly pulsating, high-pitched beeps emanated from the front door. Alex stood from the couch and walked to the door, wearing the same white garment he had worn the night before.
The door opened before Alex reached it.
A beautiful woman with a young appearance stood at the doorway. She was wearing a skintight outfit that covered her body from shoulders to toes. It was a beautiful fade of colors from red and green and finally gold near the feet.
“Alex, it would please me greatly if you would accompany me to the second meal.”
Alex recalled from his reading the night before that Humani eat only twice a day. Since it was second meal already, he figured he had slept more than he would have liked.
“Of course, give me a few moments.” Alex turned away from the door to seek out his own clothing. He entered the sleeping area, which he had yet to enter himself, and began to unlatch his crate of personal belongings. He quickly took his garment off and tossed it onto the bed. Alex stopped and looked at the bed for a moment, noticing that it was tilted oddly at a five- to ten-degree angle, not parallel with the ground.
Alex refocused on the task of getting dressed. He rummaged and pulled out underwear and a T-shirt and put those on quickly.
“A shame.”
Alex spun quickly surprised to find anyone else in the room with him. The woman had given herself the liberty of following Alex to the threshold of his bedroom.
“You have a very pleasing form.” She gave a half-hearted smile.
The thought of Lindi immediately came to his mind, and he began to understand a bit better the deep cultural misgivings that would occur if an ageless society desperately wanted to have children but couldn’t.
“Thank you for the compliment. Please wait for me at the front door,” Alex responded in a respectful and calm voice.
“As you wish.” The female turned away.
“I doubt you have a pleasing form, Alex. I believe she lied to you,” Symboli said. Alex’s heart rate jumped again as he forgot about the headset and Symboli being ever-present. He forced himself to inhale and exhale. “You guys are out to kill me,” Alex said, noticing his heart rate returning to normal once again.
“You do not have the ability to shape your body how you see fit, at least not as easy as it appears to be the case with the Humani. Given that you haven’t worked out in some time and you give yourself no eating restrictions, I imagine your form is not as perfectly balanced and aesthetic as possible.”
“Well, gee. Thanks, Symboli, for pointing out the obvious!” Alex pulled out a UEF uniform and decided to put that on instead of something more comfortable. If anything, it would help to point out to the others that he was here with a purpose.
Walking to the front door completely dressed, he faced the woman who was waiting for him.
“What’s your name, and how did it come to be that you would escort me to dinner?”
She slowly stepped closer to Alex. “My name is Terish Lancecomen Argavati ah sheal. Please call me Terish. It was decreed that no one was to bother you. However, you missed first meal, and I felt that there might be a cultural issue that needed to be addressed. I took it upon myself to investigate if that was true and to offer my company.”
She placed her right hand on his shoulder.
“Umm… I see, well, let’s get going then.”
Terish moved her hand from his shoulder to the back of his neck and caressed it with her fingers while slightly edging him out of the doorway to her side.
Alex eyed her as inconspicuously as possible; she seemed fixated on him, which was concerning, but her touch on his neck was intoxicating.
“Here.” Alex extended his left elbow and Terish stopped walking.
“What should I do?” she said with a sweet smile.
“Mimic my left arm with your right,” he said, and as soon as she did he linked their arms together and continued walking. “You must lead the way. I do not know where I am going.”
“Our research into your culture suggests that not everyone follows the custom of monogamy. Are you such a person?”
“Uhhhh… I’m not sure. I mean, I guess.”
“What an odd answer. Does this imply that your answer could change?”
“I suppose.”
“Are you wedded or to be wedded?”
“No, I am not wedded.” Alex watched Terish’s sweet smile widen ever so slightly.
“Tell me, Alex, how do you enjoy your time? You have so little of it. I am curious.”
While he tried to come up with an appropriate response, his mind accidentally opened to Terish’s feelings. Alex nearly tripped over himself at the sheer intensity of her desire, primal and animalistic, obsessive even. Not the calm mind he had come to expect from the Humani.
If he was short of an answer before now, he was even further away as he tried to comprehend the implications of her emotional state.
“I love to help things grow. To touch that which didn’t exist even shortly ago. Like the plants in the regalia,” she said.
Before Alex could respond, they entered a large area with small alcoves throughout the room. In the center was a large buffet table filled with a variety of foods. Looking at the growing number of people gathering at the buffet area he recognized the same unexpected bathroom guest from the warship.
“Excuse me, I need to use the restroom.”
“That way. I’ll prepare your meal for you.” Terish pointed to a door surrounded by blue.
As Alex walked to the bathroom in his military uniform, he couldn’t help noticing that a majority of females all looked at him like prey. He felt extremely uncomfortable.
“Alex, your heart rate has hit 110. Are you OK?” Symboli asked in his ear.
“It’s fun when you catch the attention of one girl who smiles at you. Very exciting if there’s two. But it’s worrying when they start to look at you like a meal. It’s just a cultural thing, I’m sure.”
Sure enough, his secret friend followed him to the bathroom. The moment Alex walked in, he turned around and waited for his guest to arrive.
“What is it you want from me now?”
“Word of your arrival at the second dinner is spreading. Soon this whole place will be filled with people. There’s a small window of opportunity for us to take the prototype ship, the Hermes, and we are doing it right now. We will pretend to kidnap you to absolve you of any wrongdoing. This will happen within a few minutes. Prepare.”
Alex’s guest turned and left the bathroom.
“It seems you have little choice in the matter,” Symboli stated plainly.
“I do not like feeling like a pawn. It’s what I have been every moment I’m around these people.”
“Even a pawn can take down a king. You must be more cunning—,” a moment of
static pierced the comms.
“Symboli, are you OK?”
“I believe I was just justled voilently.”
Alex tried to rush out of the bathroom but a group of women who pretended to be talking about something else, and not interested in him at all, were blocking the walkway back toward the dining area. He tried to push past them as they attempted to politely introduce themselves or reach out to shake hands. Some tried to offer him hugs, and some were successful; others even tried to kiss him, but no one managed to do so.
“Excuse me!” a male Humani shouted from the other side of the encroaching group of women. The women parted the walkway.
Alex watched a well-dressed man walk toward him. Alex felt like he was about to be in trouble for something. Instead the male walked by Alex without a second thought and headed into the bathroom. He took off through the opening before it closed and entered back into the dining hall.
“There you are!” Terish said walking toward him while she eyed all the women behind him. She put her arm out as he had taught her, and he gratefully locked in.
Alex was careful not to make eye contact with any woman out of fear of inciting more attention. And was aware of where the spiritualist was within the room, making a concerted effort to keep tabs on him at all times.
A group of well-dressed Humani, both male and females, approached Alex and Terish.
“We would be honored if you would join us for meal at our table.”
Alex looked at Terish, who seemed to be beaming with delight and led Alex to the table.
Just as he was going to sit down, he noticed the spiritualist dive under his table. It caused Alex to stop briefly and stare in bewilderment.
The wall exploded to Alex’s right side, and a large section of the ceiling collapsed, crushing several people. Everyone screamed out in fear or pain. Terish had seemingly disappeared. Alex looked around at the empty table, unsure of what to do.
The large hole in the ceiling collapsed further as a shuttle landed atop the opening. A ramp quickly lowered onto the floor and several people ran out of the shuttle firing weapons and getting awfully close to Alex while doing so.
Shadows Page 24
