by Gadi Migdal
From the corner of her eye, she saw a quick flash pass. She leapt to her feet and pulled a stone from her belt. The flash faded quickly between the rocks. She returned the stone to her belt and resumed resting under the shrub. The ‘others’ had never disturbed her.
Only the darkness chased her. Always the darkness. The girl sighed wearily and sat to rest. The darkness would return soon; she had to be ready.
Chapter 27
Agreement
“Transfer all the ripe fruits to the storage containers on the third floor and check all of the crops to ensure that they are free of parasites.”
“Yes, Your Honor,” the workers hurried to their task.
“Commander, you have an incoming call,” Maya informed her.
“Call from who?” asked Nola, continuing her tour of the 17th floor garden.
“I don’t know, Commander. An arrogant, annoying monkey who refuses to identify himself and demands to speak with whoever is responsible for the ship from Neifar.”
Nola smiled. “Fine, I’m on my way up, ask him to wait.”
A few minutes later she arrived at her room. At her command, the ship’s computer transferred the call to her screen.
The monkey that appeared on the screen fit Maya’s description. He looked impatient and self-important. “Commander Taylor, thank you truly for answering so quickly,” he said sarcastically.
She smiled an amused smile at him, “Not a problem. And whom do I have the honor of speaking with?”
He hesitated for a moment, then puffed up his chest with pride, “Nahalal Isuzu, Chief Traffic Inspector on behalf of the First Agreement.”
The Whole tensed and Nola along with it. “You’re with the First Agreement?”
“Certainly, Commander Taylor, and this is an official call on behalf of the members who serve in community administration.”
Nola was confused for a moment, then loaded all of the existing information about the structure and history of the First Agreement to her brain. The monkey’s intentions became immediately clear.
“I understand. And how many humans currently serve in the community administration?” she asked Nahalal.
A look of surprise lit up his eyes. “Yes, Commander Taylor, you’re right. There are no humans among the serving members just now, only other members. That is precisely the reason I am coming to you.”
“Explain yourself.”
“Of course, Commander Taylor. According to the reports of most of the wormhole brains in the galaxy, they have not had human beings for over 3 decades already. You, on your very impressive ship from Neifar, are unusual. According to reports that the brains sent, you have jumped more than 10 times in recent weeks.”
“Correct,” affirmed Nola. “How is that relevant to you on Earth’s moon?”
“Because we are working towards the same goal, Commander Taylor. We know that you visited the Africa dome. We also know that you tested dreaming machines on yourselves. Just like us in the community, you are looking for ways to wake up humans. That is the reason we need your help.”
Nola hesitated for a moment, but the Whole, by contrast, did not. “How exactly can we help?” it asked in Nola’s voice.
The monkey gave her a long, curious look. “We want you to report to us if you find another community of waking humans.”
“Another community?”
“Yes, Commander Taylor, we know that you on Neifar are awake, as well as those in the domes on Earth. All the rest are asleep. Apart from the inhabitants of Eternal Eden, of course, but they are not members of the First Agreement.”
Nola was intrigued, “why, do people in Eternal Eden not dream?” she asked as she loaded her brain with all existing information on the subject.
“It’s simple, Commander Taylor. Unfortunately for them, they live under authoritarian rule. They have no access to connection, modern medicine, or education.”
“And you want us to report to the First Agreement if we find another community awake that does have access to dream technology but chose not to use it?”
“Exactly, Commander Taylor. There are wakeful people here and there, but we hope to find, with your help, an entire community that remained awake.”
Nola shook her head. “I can’t promise anything like that. I will have to check that out with the city council of Neifar.”
“I must insist on an immediate answer, Commander Taylor.”
“You won’t get it,” Nola stayed firm.
The monkey smiled, “Did I mention that we are aware of the dangerous experiment you carried out on Prague III? I assume that you would prefer it if information of that sort didn’t leak to the rest of the community.”
Nola went silent, astonished. The Whole smiled at the monkey, “On second thought, we would be happy to pass along any reports on anything we discover along the way.”
Nahalal smiled a broad smile, exposing enormous teeth. “Excellent, we eagerly await your report.”
He hung up before Nola got another word in.
The Whole burst in a flurry in her head, and she calmed it, “you’re right, nobody from among the city people needs to hear about this conversation. There’s no reason to alarm them.”
The Whole relaxed, and Nola called Maya. “I’m returning to my rounds, update me if anything urgent comes up.”
“Yes Commander. What did that monkey want?”
“Fresh fruit donations for a farm party he’s organizing, I got rid of him,” Nola replied.
“Good!” Maya agreed with her. “I told you he was rude.”
Chapter 28
Planets
Roberts was a strange planet. Nola looked at it with discomfort. The Whole within her was indignant about the very existence of such a planet. It was a nightmarish landscape, deserted and dry. A nightmare of enormous yellow valleys separated from one another by huge brown mountain ranges.
“There is something that is disturbing about this,” said Guy.
Nola turned to him in surprise. How long had he been standing beside her?
“Indeed. Very disturbing,” she agreed with him.
“This is the bottom of an ancient sea, there was once water here, several kilometers deep.”
“Was there life?” Nola was curious.
“Definitely. There were plants and animals, maybe even intelligent life,” replied Guy. “But about a million years ago, for some unknown reason, it lost all of its water all at once. There were only empty ocean basins remaining, great mountain ranges and enormous dry desert. The air is still breathable, but the temperature could reach sixty degrees centigrade in the shade, and as you can see - there isn’t much shade here. The remaining groundwater on the planet is more than 200 meters deep. There are no complex life forms left, only unicellular organisms and the dried remains of larger animals.”
“So why would anybody want to live here?” Nola wondered.
“Because of the minerals, Commander. Roberts is abundant in minerals that are essential to industry. This world’s inhabitants live in big, luxurious domes. They drink well water and run the fleets of robots that mine the minerals. They don’t experience the planet as it really is. They live comfortably in an island of greenery and water.”
“And still, they’re asleep and don’t even enjoy their domes,” said Nola.
“Yes, that’s true,” Guy agreed quietly.
They stood together before the screen, sharing a moment of mutual sadness.
They continued to watch the screen as the Singa kept transmitting to the domes below.
They continued to watch the screen as polite dogs asked them to leave.
They continued to watch the screen as a wormhole opened and the ship leaped to the next planet.
The orangutan that answered them in England IV was very happy to see them. It had been years since any trade ship or humans had
come there. All of the humans on the planet were asleep and there wasn’t much demand for Neifar products. To her great regret, she was forbidden to let them land in the fourth kingdom. She looked very miserable at the thought of fresh, real fruits and vegetables so physically near to her. Nola noticed tears in the monkey’s eyes.
Before leaping through their next wormhole, Nola sent her a micro-hovercraft with fresh fruits and vegetables from the cluster gardens.
Her heartfelt thanks accompanied their leap.
New Canada was a spectacular planet. The white stains mixed with the blue, green, and yellow.
“It’s gorgeous,” Maya marveled as they sat around the table in the dining room watching the screen.
“They raise the tastiest crabs in the galaxy,” Ella said.
“This used to be a popular planet among tourists,” Tom explained. “People came here from all over the galaxy.”
“And what happened to those people?” wondered Maya.
“They discovered that it was cheaper, easier, and faster to dream of vacation rather than actually take it,” replied Tom.
An excited chimpanzee answered their transmissions. “Welcome to the Peaceful Place Hotel, the finest hotel in all of New Canada!” he gushed. “My name is Rufus, and if you were looking for an amazing vacation, you’ve come to the right place.”
“Thanks Rufus,” replied Guy. “Before we land, we have a question. Are there other humans in your hotel?”
“No sir! The entire hotel is at your service,” answered Rufus with glee, mixed with hope and pleading.
“We would prefer to spend time among other people, Rufus,” said Guy. “Do you know when other people will arrive here?”
The monkey looked embarrassed. “Honestly, sir, we haven’t hosted humans for over thirty years now. I hoped that your arrival meant the drought was over.”
“I’m sorry, Rufus. Are there no people awake on this planet?”
“No sir,” replied Rufus. “All the people are sleeping. That’s all people do these days.”
The sadness in his voice was chillingly human.
Nola sent him fruits and vegetables as well, before they leapt into the next wormhole.
They looked at the screen. They were coming upon a perfect blue sphere surrounded by eleven moons.
“There’s no dry land here at all,” Guy marveled.
“According to the records, there are a few small islands, but there are no land animals or even terrestrial plant life,” replied Nola.
“What life forms do they have here?” asked Maya.
“Mainly seaweed and unicellular organisms,” answered Ella. “That must be the origin of the name that they gave it: Asteriskus is a kind of plant. A terrestrial plant, ironically.”
“It’s a beautiful planet, Commander, but why did we come here?” Maya wondered.
“I randomly chose a world. According to the records of the First Agreement Bureau, this planet has been inhabited for 300 years,” Nola replied, somewhat embarrassed.
Ella laughed. “Of course, sea-domes. There are a few of those in the galaxy. The populations on planets like these are small, never bigger than a few thousand people. Not exactly a representative sample of humanity.”
Maya shrugged her shoulders. “Since we’re already here, let’s try to speak with them.”
The ship transmitted the call.
The response came almost immediately. A feminine voice with no image answered them. “Hello, trade ship Singa. This is Nellie, the planet management intelligence. We don’t need a thing. Please do not try to land here. Thank you.”
“Okay, Nellie, we won’t try to land. But could you tell us if there are any people awake on this planet?” asked Guy.
“No, sir. There is only one person here, and he is asleep.”
“Just one?”
“Yes sir. His name is Elmer Byron and he is the legal owner of this planet. Taige manages the farm while Elmer sleeps.”
“And who is Taige? Dog or monkey?”
The brain laughed. “Neither. Taige is a dolphin, a sea mammal from Earth, augmented by Elmer.”
Ella raised her head in surprise. “A dolphin? Seriously? A real sea dolphin? Very few sea mammals survived the Seventh. Could we speak with Taige?”
“I’ll ask him,” said Nellie.
They waited less than half a minute before the screen came on. The long, grey figure spoke to them as it floated in clear water. “Hello there. I understand that you were curious to meet me.”
“This is amazing. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Taige, I have never heard of an enhanced dolphin before,” Ella gushed.
Taige looked at Ella, and Nola was certain that he was smiling. “As far as I know, I am the only one. The genetic variety of my species, the few that survived the Seventh, was too meager for anyone to bother investing in them. Humans preferred to put their effort into enhancing land animals. Sir Elmer enhanced me as his own personal project.”
“And what do you do here, Taige?” asked Guy. “What are your responsibilities?”
“I manage the farm, sir. We grow crabs, shellfish, and fish for export.”
“You’re farmers? Nice, you’re just like us only underwater,” Guy smiled.
“Like you? Are you from Neifar?”
“Absolutely, Taige. I see you have heard of us.”
“Of course, sir. You manage enormous farms of improved insects. You are very rich and you forbid your inhabitants from extending their lives.”
“Insects!” Bud was indignant.
He looked at her in surprise and scanned her closely. “Very impressive. I see that you developed the ability to speak for yourselves. Sorry if I offended you, Miss. That was not my intention. I also get offended when I’m called a ‘fish’”.
Bud laughed and waved a hand dismissively.
Taige resumed smiling. “I’m happy to see that there are still people awake. I thought that all of the humans in the galaxy were dreaming.”
“They are dreaming, Taige. At least on every planet that we visited,” answered Ella.
“But on Neifar, you don’t dream,” noted the dolphin.
“No. On Neifar people don’t even use sleep machines.”
“Interesting. Do you use entanglement technology there on Neifar?”
“Of course, otherwise I would be unemployed,” laughed Maya.
“Very surprising. Do you have any hypothesis as to why nobody from Neifar dreams?”
“We don’t know, Taige,” said Ella. “We think it might have something to do with the fact that we live in a city.”
He nodded his head. “Very interesting. And nobody among you wants to dream?”
“Almost nobody, Taige. We have a good life. Nobody has the need for it.”
“Very interesting,” Taige repeated.
“Why is that so interesting?” Ella wondered.
“Your world. Hmm... a whole planet that chose not to connect to the dream machines. That is a very interesting bit of information.”
“Interesting how, Taige?”
“Interesting for the research that I am undertaking, Ms.”
“You are studying human addiction to stories?” Ella didn’t hide the doubt in her voice.
“Yes, Ms.,” the dolphin replied calmly.
“And do you have a hypothesis of your own?”
“Of course, but I have to confirm it, Ms. I will publish it when the time comes.”
Ella looked at him in silence and said nothing. But the Whole did not plan to be quiet. It wanted to know more. “We are also trying to understand the cause for the dreams. Taige, could you share something of your hypothesis with us?” asked the Whole.
The dolphin looked at Nola for a long moment before answering. “There is something different in you. Are you a hybrid person?”
“A hybrid person?” Nola was surprised. “No, Taige, hybrid humans don’t exist anymore. The First Agreement forbade combining brains with human brains.”
“Maybe, Ms., but I have no doubt that your brain is integrated with another.”
“I have a brain implant that connects me to the cluster members, but that’s not artificial intelligence,” Nola explained to him.
“Really?” the dolphin was curious. “An entanglement transmitter that big? I didn’t realize that technology existed.”
“No Taige, it’s just a pheromone transmitter.”
He looked back at her with quiet curiosity, then nodded with his whole body. “Alright, Ms. I will share something of my suspicions with you. As I said, it’s just a preliminary hypothesis but I believe that a subconscious command to dream is being transmitted to all humans in the galaxy via the entanglement satellites.”
“A subconscious command? What is that exactly?” asked Guy.
“A command that you are not aware of. I believe that someone is transmitting a command like that to all humans.”
Maya burst out laughing, “Ella claims that humor is a sign of intelligence. In this case, Taige, you must be a genius. It is technically impossible to transmit such a command to all humans. The necessary bandwidth does not exist, not even if you connect all of the satellites in the galaxy.”
“Everyone is entitled to his opinion,” Taige replied in a calm voice.
The Whole did not laugh. Nola felt it tense with curiosity. “And who do you think is sending humans this command?” she wondered.
“At this stage, I cannot share my hypothesis,” said Taige calmly.
“Why not?”
“Because I promised.”
“Who?” wondered the Whole.
“I am not permitted to answer that question either.”
They looked at him in bewildered silence. They weren’t sure what else to ask.
“How are you speaking with us, Taige?” asked Guy. “I see that you are underwater, but your voice is coming through clear and undistorted.”
The dolphin leaned his head back with indifference. “I wrote an algorithm for erasing background noise that might mask my voice. Nothing complicated, the technology was created before the Seventh.”