As he got within a few feet of his front door, he saw the lights turn on inside his home as the door slid open.
“Welcome home, Bill.” Rufus’ disembodied voice said respectfully. “Shall I prepare your dinner, Sir?”
Blackshade hadn’t thought of the time. Looking down at his watch, he saw it was just after 1900. He was stunned by this! Not so much about the time, although that did surprise him, but by the fact that it had been four days since he had last been home. It also began to occur to him that he hadn’t eaten anything for almost three days, hadn’t slept for almost four, and he couldn’t remember the last time he had needed to use the latrine. The sudden realization of all of these things stopped him dead in his tracks.
“Rufus, run a full physical scan on me, checking for any anomalies. Download any software you need to do so. Most updated software only. Send your results to the main wall display.” he ordered.
A series of beeps and dings coming from speakers around his home signaled that Rufus was doing as he instructed. Blackshade absently dropped his box of possessions on the floor of his living room and headed to his bedroom. He suddenly felt like he desperately needed a shower.
Stripping his uniform off, he threw it into the laundry chute and set the inputs to deep clean his clothes to surgical standards. Then, without waiting for the laundry cycle to commence, he made his way into his refresher room. The lights came on instantly as he entered, and he used the mirrors on the wall to thoroughly inspect his body. To his relief, he found nothing strange, new, or out of place. He had expected this, but given how long it had been since he had eaten, drank, slept, or used the toilet, and the fact that he felt perfectly fine, he wasn’t taking any chances.
“Rufus!” he called out, “Deep clean, full body with a double rinse. Do it twice.”
No sooner were the words out of his mouth that he heard the gentle hiss of small doors in the walls opening and the “click-clack” of the army of refresher bots making their way towards him. Closing his eyes, he stretched out his arms so that the tiny cleaning robots could do their work. It took the machines almost a full ten minutes to scrub his body clean, twice. As the machines returned to their stand-by stations inside the walls, Blackshade inspected himself again. He saw no signs of anything wrong on his body, at least, not on the outside.
“Rufus, how is that scan coming?” he demanded.
Rufus answered immediately, “Outer body scan is complete. You’re showing no abnormalities other than an elevated heart rate, and a heightened sense of paranoia. Should I put in a request for anti-paranoia meds to be delivered?” Rufus asked mechanically.
“No!” Blackshade responded irritably. He wasn’t being paranoid, no matter what the stupid test may say. He hadn’t slept in days and felt great. Something HAD to be wrong with him!
Rufus continued with his report, “Internal analysis is ongoing. Your fluids were retrieved by the refresher bots during your refreshing, which is what is causing the delay.”
Blackshade could feel the impatience burning inside of him, but yelling at Rufus wasn’t going to change anything. Closing his eyes, Blackshade took a few deep breaths in an attempt to get himself under control.
“Update, Sir. Your pulse has just receded to optimal levels. Paranoia levels are stabilizing but are still above FDA norms.” Rufus reported diligently.
Blackshade couldn’t help but laugh at that. It was a long laugh that seemed to build in intensity the longer he did it. Tears were streaming down his face by the time he finally got ahold of himself.
“Sir, internal analysis is complete. No abnormalities were found. You’re a healthy forty-one-year-old male. Would you like me to run the tests again?” Rufus said.
Relief washed over him, “No, Rufus, that’s fine. Did the report show anything out of the ordinary? Anything at all? No matter how miniscule the readings.” he asked.
“Nothing Sir. You are completely normal on all levels the tests can detect.” Rufus responded.
Blackshade was relieved, but still perplexed. “How in the hell can that be? I haven’t eaten anything in three days! I haven’t slept in almost four. How am I normal?” he asked himself. He hadn’t meant to speak his thoughts out loud, but Rufus didn’t know that.
“Perhaps the proximity to the Omegas has some sort of effect on you, Sir.” Rufus responded helpfully
Blackshade’s head spun, “How did you know I was with the Omegas?” he asked, a new wave of paranoia washing over him.
Rufus responded immediately, “Your name is all over the internet, Sir. Everyone with a news blog has a picture of your face and the Omegas on their site. There is probably no one on the planet that doesn’t know you’re the Omega Ambassador of Candaerica.”
Blackshade thought about this for a moment, Rufus was programmed to stay up to date with current events, and considering he had been wearing a voyeur drone for a couple days, and had been walking side-by-side with the Omegas since they revealed themselves, it did make sense. He realized that he really needed to calm down and get a grip on himself. A mild buzzing from his arm tore him away from his thoughts. Looking down, he saw it was Zahera calling him. He didn’t want to talk to her right now; he had a feeling she might be a little upset with him now that they wouldn’t be working together. Still, he thought it would be better to get it over with rather than avoid her and do it later. She would know if he ignored her call and would just be angrier with him for sidelining her. He tapped the “connect” input on his arm. A projection of Zahera popped up on his arm display. She was still in her combat armor and from the looks of her surroundings, still in Roswell, New Mexico.
“Hello Zahera….” Blackshade started. It was in this moment he realized he was still naked. Tapping a few inputs on his arm he locked his projection to display his face only. He felt blood rush to his cheeks in embarrassment.
“Sir, your heart rate is rising considerably again.” Rufus announced.
Blackshade blushed harder, “Thank you, Rufus. That will be all. You can stop monitoring my vitals now.” A series of beeps let Blackshade know Rufus had stopped analyzing him.
“What tests were you running?” Zahera asked, looking mildly amused. He could tell she was irritated, but he didn’t know exactly why yet, and her playful tone made him worry he had accidentally exposed himself when he answered her call.
“Nothing, don’t worry about it.” he responded, off-balance, “What did you need, Zahera?” he asked, as he made his way to his dresser. He had just noticed that he couldn’t see anything on Zahera’s forehead. The green readout he was getting accustomed to seeing on people’s foreheads was non-existent on his display. Zahera’s head was as olive colored and smooth as ever. It perplexed him that he couldn’t see the forehead display when he was struck by a moment of clarity. The tissue-ware display didn’t transmit in the spectrum required in order for him to see it. He found that VERY interesting. He had a feeling this knowledge would become useful in the future.
“What do I need?” she asked him crossly, “One of my oldest friends goes off with three aliens to meet with the Presidents of Candaerica, becomes an Ambassador, clears out his office, and you’re wondering why I’m calling?” she was really working herself up. Blackshade knew if he didn’t placate her soon he was in for it. She had never been truly disrespectful to him before, but this week had been a week of many firsts.
“You’re right, Za… you’re right. I’m sorry.” he said, chastised, “Where do you want me to start?”
Zahera smiled triumphantly, Blackshade thought it made her look very beautiful, “You can start by telling me what you were testing.” she answered, her tone almost challenging him to defy her. He did not, he explained everything leaving no detail out. He found he wanted to talk to someone other than Rufus about everything that had happened, and that it relieved some of his anxiety about the situation. As it turned out, Zahera also had answers to some of his more troubling concerns.
“I was wondering if you were having the sam
e symptoms the rest of us are experiencing.” she said in relief after he finished. “All of us at the site have had reduced appetites, required very little sleep, and have required no latrine breaks. Proximity seems to play a factor in how long the effect lasts and how potent it is. There are a few local scientists here that are studying it. What they think is that the Omega’s ship is somehow nourishing us. Improving our metabolisms and improving our cardiovascular systems.” she explained. “One of the soldiers put it plainly, he said that the alien ship is basically giving us all a tune up, while simultaneously charging us like a battery. It’s kind of amazing!”
Blackshade took a minute to absorb all of this. “I haven’t been near the ship for days though. Why am I still feeling the effects?” he asked, perplexed.
Zahera shrugged, “I’m not sure, but I would hazard a guess that the Omegas themselves do the same thing to us that their ship does. OR, that it’s the Omegas, and not their ship, that’s having this effect.” she answered after a moment’s consideration, “In fact, it would make a lot of sense, wouldn’t it? If we’re really just some kind of alien machines, like they claim we are, wouldn’t it make sense that there would be some kind of wireless charging mechanism to keep us maintained?”
Blackshade shook his head trying to wrap his mind around all of this. “So, the Omega ship, or the Omegas themselves, make it so we don’t need to eat, sleep, or use the refresher? How in the hell does that work?”
Zahera sighed a little exasperated, “Bill, I have no idea. You’re asking me to explain alien technology. All I know is that the closer we get to the ship, and the longer we’re near it, the more efficient our bodies become.” she explained simply. A concerned look formed on her face, “How long has it been since you’ve slept? Since you’ve eaten?”
“I’ve already told you, three or four days. Why?” he answered.
Zahera’s eyes widened, “Most of us just go a day or two. It must be the Omegas themselves. They must be what’s causing this!” she said excited, “This is amazing! Bill, you might not need to eat or sleep again for the rest of the month! Maybe even the year!”
Blackshade was slightly less enthusiastic, “What if there are side effects, Za? What if this causes cancer, dysentery, some sort of organ failure, or some other new malady?”
“I highly doubt that the hand-picked Omega Ambassador is going to succumb to dysentery.” she laughed. “Relax, Bill. I think you’re going to be fine. Although you may succumb to boredom with all the free time you’ll have. They field promoted me to your position until they can make it official. You’re now speaking to Candaerica’s newest full bird Colonel!” she said with a wink. Blackshade felt his blood rush when she winked at him.
“Congratulations, Za! They couldn’t have picked a better person for the job! We’ll have to celebrate when we get a chance.” he said happily.
Zahera nodded, “I’m going to hold you to that, Ambassador!” she said with another wink. “I have to go, Bill, but it was really good to talk to you.” she said hurriedly, then a little more impassioned, “Take care of yourself, you hear me?”
Blackshade saluted smartly, “Yes, Ma’am, Colonel Vuloom!”
She laughed at his response, “Fuck you, Ambassador Blackshade.” she said jokingly, “Good-bye.”
Blackshade’s gaze lingered on his tissue ware as the display winked out and the line went dead. He stood there for a while, considering the prospect of taking his relationship with Zahera in a more romantic direction. He found that the idea appealed to him greatly. They had always kept their relationship professional due to the nature of their business, but now that he was no longer her Commander, and they were no longer in their respective chain of command, the possibility of a romantic relationship with her was a stimulating prospect. He was greatly looking forward to the next time they were together. Absently, he touched the spot on his cheek where she had kissed him, just before he went to meet the Omegas. It felt like it happened a long time ago, but the feeling of her lips on his cheek was still fresh in his mind.
Smiling, Blackshade went over to his closet and pulled on his workout uniform. Maybe an intense workout routine would finally make him tired so he could get some sleep.
The next few hours went by in a blur, as Blackshade had Rufus run the highest intensity workout he had access too. He found his body responded to the exercise amazingly. He hadn’t felt this strong in twenty years and loved the sensation. If being around the Omegas was what caused him to feel like this, then the next time he was with them he would ask for a piggy-back ride. After going through Rufus’ workout program twice, Blackshade decided to try and eat something. Unfortunately, after two bites the idea of eating anymore just didn’t appeal to him. In fact, it made him feel a little sick to his stomach. He disposed of the rest of the meal and then went on the internet to try to find something to do. He still wasn’t tired, wanted nothing to drink, and had no need to use the toilet. He was surfing the news blogs, when his arm began to vibrate intensely. Looking down he saw it was Zahera again, only this time, the call was urgent. Hitting the inputs, he answered her call.
“Zahera, what’s wrong?” he asked, concerned. The look on her face was bad. She looked very unsure of herself, which was incredibly out of character for her.
“Bill, I don’t know what happened. The Omega ship just took off. There was no warning. One minute it was there, the next there was a huge gust of wind, and it was a hundred feet in the air. We think it went southeast.” she said in a rush. “I don’t know what this means, Bill!”
Blackshade had half been expecting this, “Don’t worry, Za, I think it’s ok. The Omegas made a deal with President Novatrix. They’ve been granted permission to use some of our land to build a base. In return, they gave us access to a technology that’ll advance our medical science hundreds of years. If I were you, I’d just work on wrapping up your area and getting out of Roswell.” he said, confident that he was right, “You’re in charge now, Colonel Vuloom.”
If Zahera noticed he was joking with her, she gave no sign. She seemed even more distracted now, “Ok, Bill. Thanks. I’ve got a lot to do.” she ended the call without another word. Blackshade wasn’t concerned. Even though she had surprised him a few times recently, he knew his friend pretty well. Once she had a task, she focused on it to the detriment to everything else around her. He supposed that was one of the reasons she never had a lasting relationship. What that meant for his own possible romance with her was something he didn’t want to ponder at the moment. Right now, he wanted to know where the Omegas were headed. He didn’t have to look very hard to find dozens of news articles about the alien ship being on the move. It appeared to be moving much slower than before, judging by the fact that the voyeur drones following it just barely kept up. The daisy chain tactic was quickly adopted once again, which allowed an uninterrupted video feed following the movement of the Omega ship. From what he could gather from the news blogs, Zahera had been correct; the ship was definitely heading southeast. Blackshade wondered where on the east coast Tremendous was planning to build his base. It made him chuckle a little when he thought of the people that were about to be moved off of their beachfront property.
Then the Omegas did something he hadn’t expected. They flew past the borders of Candaerica and were currently over the Gulf of Mexico.
“Where in the hell are you going, Tremendous?” Blackshade asked, confused.
He watched the displays intently as they showed the alien ship pick up speed. The voyeur cams were no longer even trying to keep up, so he had to rely on the daisy chained voyeur drones to track the ship’s position. After a few minutes, it became clear the ship was heading straight for South America. It didn’t make any sense. Why were the Omegas going to South America? They had no technology or military power to speak of. South America had fallen into decline ever since the forties, when the countries’ leaders began squabbling over the dwindling resources on the continent. Candaerica regularly sent food and medicine to the
beleaguered countries, but most of it was seized by the reigning governments and used to solidify control over the citizens. Those in control of the territories of South America were regularly over-thrown, usually violently, as a new regime of desperate people became angry enough to revolt. It had become a yearly occurrence, and because of this, Candaerica refused to get involved militaristically. Sanctions and embargoes were placed on regimes deemed unfit by Candaerican politicians, but it did nothing to stem the violence. Because of the state of the continent’s leadership, most of the country was now a barbaric mess. There was nothing there other than some of the most base and depraved remnants of humanity, which was one of the many reasons Blackshade couldn’t understand why the Omegas were heading toward the continent.
With no way to contact the Omegas, he did the only thing he could do; he waited… and he watched. The ship moved faster than even the daisy chained voyeur drones could follow, and for a few minutes they lost it completely. When they found it again, it was hovering, completely still, three hundred feet over the border between Paraguay and Brazil. It sat there for hours, appearing to do absolutely nothing. Hundreds of articles popped up on the news blogs, theorizing about what the aliens were doing. Some people, claiming to be government scientists, said that the Omegas were preparing to abduct some of the citizens of South America to perform their studies and tests on. They claimed they were going to use South Americans because Candaericans were too smart, and therefore too valuable, to use for experimental purposes. Another article claimed the Omegas were scanning South America so that they could steal all the resources there in order to build their base, which Blackshade thought that might be possible. Wasn’t resource gathering the entire reason they had made his species, or at least, wasn’t that what they claimed? Other articles hypothesized that the Omegas tricked President Novatrix and were about to blow up the planet, South America being the location where they had decided to start. Others claimed that magical and spiritual ley lines ran strongest in South America, and they were there to absorb the Earth’s power. It was all nonsense. No one knew what they were doing; he just wished he had a way to contact them to ask. Going from being able to look everything up on the internet, to being completely clueless made him feel small and stupid. He absolutely hated it.
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