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by Scott James Magner

  "In answer to your first question, I think maybe two hours, if we, as Mira Harlan says, ‘put our backs to it.’ Possibly sooner, but I can’t say for sure."

  There was hesitation in JonB’s voice, and Jantine could tell he wanted to ask her something else. Ever since Mira had joined their thoughts, she was more understanding of his peculiar mannerisms. At times, Jantine almost sensed what he was going to say on her own, but the rational part of her brain knew that couldn’t be true.

  We are what we are, nothing more. To expect more from life is to court disappointment and failure.

  She let the silence linger, hoping he’d bring up his question without any prompting from her. His eyes focused on something over her shoulder, and she saw his jaw clench slightly as he made up his mind.

  "Of course, this would go faster with an additional pair of hands. Jason and Artemus can only do so much."

  Jason. One more change initiated by Mira Harlan’s Earther ways.

  Jantine wasn’t really upset that the Omega had taken a name, or even that Mira had started telling her people stories of ancient Earth. She was as surprised as the rest of the team to hear the Omega announce his choice through Mira before they boarded the train, and after Jantine received a private explanation from the Earther it was at least understandable.

  It did solve one of her problems with the Omegas: how to tell them apart. From where she stood, Jantine could see that Jason had painted a red stripe on his head and was playfully throwing dirt at Artemus as they worked to clear the tracks. Carlton was with them as well, smiling and laughing as he dodged head-sized clumps of packed soil. It was the happiest she’d seen the Beta since the death of his crèche-sib Harren, and if this was the ultimate result of Mira Harlan’s meddling, it was a livable outcome.

  Then again, the pendulum swings both ways.

  Jantine turned and followed JonB’s gaze to the other Omega, walking along the tracks at the rear of the train of transport vehicles with Serene. 0-6913 was leaning down to offer support to Serene, who was holding one of his fingers in her hand as she walked.

  Serene was adapting well to Earth, gaining color and strength by the hour. She was still the most beautiful being Jantine had ever encountered, and her heart ached for harboring its thoughts of betrayal. But despite the additional lifetimes of experience she’d stolen from Mira, she was dangerously naïve, and not fit to lead their expedition.

  As Jantine and JonB watched, Serene let go of 0-6913’s hand and went tumbling down a low hill out of sight. She was alarmed at first, but then she heard the Alpha’s sweet laughter, and saw her race back up the rise only to throw herself down it again. The Omega was too far away for Jantine to make out its expression, but she knew it had to be amazement.

  "Will our children do that too?"

  JonB’s question was an interesting one. No matter how distasteful the thought of natural births was to both of them, until he could build gestation chambers and crèches, the colony’s children would most likely run unfocused and wild just like Serene.

  We’ll have to find the sleepers first, and resolve our issues with the Earthers. But maybe . . .

  Leaving the question unanswered, Jantine started walking toward the Alpha and her hulking escort. JonB did not follow her, for which she was thankful.

  What I have to say is not for him to hear.

  Serene repeated her tumbling fall one more time as Jantine approached, then she began examining something on the ground. Wondering if she’d found an ant, Jantine waited patiently to be acknowledged. 0-6913’s glare wasn’t the recognition she desired, and Serene would have to deal with her as senior military commander, if not as an equal.

  "Jantine! Look what I found!"

  Serene’s smile was radiant, made more so by several spots of dirt on her face. Her borrowed clothing was similarly soiled, but as with JonB, on the whole Jantine found the imperfections pleasing.

  What she wasn’t expecting was for the child to run at her full speed, and wrap her arms around her waist in a tight embrace. 0-6913 started forward but then stopped as a glow of pure happiness enveloped all three mods.

  Serene disengaged and held up a brightly colored plant for her inspection.

  "Isn’t it wonderful? It’s called a daisy! Mira used to pull the petals off and sing a song about her friend Tommy. He loves me, he loves me not. He lo-oves me. Here, you can have this one, there are lots of them!"

  Not knowing what else to do, Jantine took the plant from Serene and held it while the child began to twirl in place.

  "I love it here. It’s much better than the train car. How long can we stay?"

  Jantine searched 0-6913’s face for some clue as to how she should react. Serene’s transformation was something she had no referent for, and her behavior was entirely at odds with the Alphas she’d interacted with during training. It was almost as if she’d suffered some sort of injury, and when the girl spiraled in for another hug, Jantine used her free hand to search Serene’s head for a contusion. She could feel none on the surface, and the short stubble now forming on Serene’s head scratched her fingers.

  "JonB thinks it will be several hours. He would like to shorten that time if possible."

  Jantine kept her eyes on 0-6913, willing him to follow her unspoken order. Serene’s head moved under her hand, first to Jantine’s face, then turning to look at the Omega. The emotions she was projecting changed subtly, and Jantine thought she detected a sense of urgency combined with determination.

  The Omega’s face seemed to tighten up, and it wasn’t until Serene actually voiced whatever silent mental instructions she’d given the Omega aloud that Jantine understood.

  Grumpy. Mira calls him Grumpy . . .

  "Go. I will be safe with Jantine. She is my friend, too. The others need you more than I do."

  From anger to frustration to cruelty, Jantine had seen a lot of expressions cross 0-6913’s face in the last day. But she never expected to see total shock. Even when Doria was dying, the Omegas were stoic. It wasn’t until they’d detected Serene’s distress beacon that they started to change, and Jantine wondered yet again what might have happened if the mission had proceeded as planned.

  Her next thought was both surprising and unexpected.

  We would all of us have become ants. Smaller than we should be, and hidden from the world.

  The Omega lowered his gaze and walked toward the other mods. Jantine followed him with her eyes and she saw JonB still standing where she’d left him. The Beta was gesturing to 0-6913 as he approached, but the Omega ignored him and plodded on to the front of the train.

  "Will you walk with me, Jantine?" Serene’s voice against her stomach was muffled, but Jantine could still hear her well enough. "We can pick more daisies, and talk."

  Jantine looked down into the Alpha’s big eyes, and she knew that despite her reservations she could deny the child nothing.

  "Of course."

  Serene gripped Jantine’s left hand firmly and pulled the Beta after her as she started walking. Jantine kept her eyes moving, scanning the vegetation for the snakes Mira had warned about and wondering what she was supposed to do with the daisy in her hand.

  "I am sorry, you know," Serene said.

  The words took Jantine by surprise, mostly because the cloud of happiness that had surrounded Serene vanished abruptly as she spoke.

  Keeping her face and thoughts neutral, Jantine erected her mental defenses. "About what?"

  Since Malik’s death, she’d come to miss his casual way of pulling the truth out of people. It was a skill she had trouble mastering, mainly because, unlike Malik, she trusted everyone to say what they meant the first time.

  "About Mira. It was wrong, what happened. I wanted you to know that I understand that."

  All Jantine could do was nod. This was certainly no child of the Colonies, and she had no protocols for speaking to an apologetic Alpha.

  "But despite the pain it caused her, I’m not sad it happened. I understand so much more
now, especially how hard this must be for you."

  Serene let go of her hand and flopped down on her back in the tall grass. Jantine crouched beside her, still uncertain about what was going on.

  "In what way?"

  "There’s so much I still don’t know about the current Colonies, and my memories of life before I went to sleep are not all that clear. But the ones I have now are very complimentary of your abilities. O-6068 in particular has a great deal of trust in you."

  "Jason. O-6068 is called Jason now."

  When it hit her that she’d just reflexively and openly challenged an Alpha, Jantine felt dizzy. She sat down, fighting to keep control of her emotions and prepared for the worst. While none of the other mods could see them, Serene was well within her rights to discipline her.

  "That’s a nice name. Do you know what it means?"

  Swallowing, Jantine forced herself to answer. Something was not right here, but the only way to determine what it was would be to continue this bizarre conversation.

  "As I understand it, Jason was an explorer on ancient Earth. He led a team of warriors on a variety of missions, eventually returning home to seize control of a kingdom from his half-brother."

  Serene nodded and closed her eyes.

  "It means ‘healer’ in the language of that people," Serene said. "It’s an old name, but the origin of yours is even older. It’s from the same part of the world, but religious in nature. It means, ‘God is gracious.’"

  Where is this coming from? We do not teach these things in the crèche. . .

  The answer came to Jantine in a rush, and she was glad she was sitting down when it did. Serene’s eyes were open now, and she was looking at Jantine with an expression she’d come to know very well in the last day.

  But Mira Harlan learned different things as a child than we did. And probably spent her time picking flowers and playing in sunlight.

  "I see that you understand. I don’t mean to pry, but I had to know. Yes, Mira’s memories are very strong in me right now, and they tell me more than anything that I need your help. O-6913 keeps waiting for me to tell him what to do, and he is so convinced something bad will happen to me that he’s pushing the rest of you away. Especially you, but we both know why."

  Jantine nodded. There never was much hope that they could seize control of the group from Serene, but something in the way she was speaking made the Beta think that perhaps it wasn’t necessary.

  "I’m not upset, or mad, as Mira would say. Especially not after what I’ve done, however well-intentioned it was. But it’s precisely that mistake that lets me understand why you were plotting against me."

  "We didn’t want . . . you shouldn’t blame . . . it was for . . . for . . ."

  Jantine couldn’t make the words come out. She felt her control slipping, and years of conditioning told her what was going to happen next: Serene would kill her.

  But Serene didn’t, though how Jantine felt now, staying alive was worse. Instead, the Alpha crawled over and laid her head in Jantine’s lap and started to cry.

  Jantine put her hand on the Alpha’s head again, fighting to keep her own emotions in check. Between her sobs, Serene was still speaking.

  "I don’t know what to do. All of them are in my head, telling me you need to be punished. But Mira’s there too, and Doria, and they keep asking me why."

  Jantine felt even worse.

  "Why, Jantine. Why does it have to be this way?"

  Jantine didn’t know the answer, but she knew what Mira would do. She pulled Serene up from her lap into a hug, and kissed the crying child on the top of her head.

  Serene hugged her back with surprising strength, and for a moment Jantine thought she’d decided to kill her after all. But she kept on crying instead, until her sobs were replaced by long, wet sniffles.

  Jantine felt the urge to start rocking, and the motion made her feel better. Serene’s happy aura returned, and Jantine could make out two words whispered into the folds of her jumpsuit.

  "Thank you."

  "It’s all right. It’s all right. If you have to do it, I understand."

  Serene’s head shifted under her cheek, and Jantine pulled her own head back to look into her eyes. The child’s face was puffy and red, but Mira Harlan’s smile was firmly in place on her tiny lips.

  "Don’t be silly. If I kill you, who’s going to help me find the sleepers? Also, I think JonB would be sad if you died, and I’m done hurting people. It’s not very nice, and I want to be a nice person from now on."

  Jantine couldn’t help smiling herself. But before she could thank the Alpha for her life, Serene wiggled her fingers against Jantine’s side, causing her to give out a very un-leader-like shriek. She tried to roll away, but Serene’s grip was secure, and her laughter was infectious.

  Oh, child of Earth and sky. What have you done to me, and what strange creatures are we becoming . . .

  Mira

  "MAY I SPEAK?"

  Katra’s voice was strained, as if the words pained her. Mira wasn’t sure what she wanted, as the Gamma’s arrival in the train’s control cab was wholly unexpected.

  After last night, Jantine’s instructions were that all the mods should practice and maintain mental shields. Katra’s military mind had taken to it much faster than the others. After only a brief demonstration of what Jantine wanted, Katra vanished completely from Mira’s perception.

  It had been fun to track her movement during the train’s frequent stops by how frightened JonB and Carlton were by her frequent mock ambushes, but over time Mira had found it necessary to close off her perceptions and do her best to minimize her interactions with the others. Something was wrong, and without the Gamma memories to guide her, the pain in her head was getting worse as the day went on. Now Katra wanted to talk, and so far her conversations had been full of strong emotions.

  But it’s not like I can say no, is it? If she genuinely wants help with something, I have to at least listen. And until we get the tracks dug out, we’re not going anywhere.

  "Of course. Please, sit down."

  The train’s cab was easily twice the size of their escape shuttle’s pilot deck, and it was set up more like living quarters than a working control center. Mira was sitting at a small table on the side of the room. She waved Katra into an identical one.

  The Gamma wrinkled her nose as she sat, and Mira was reminded of how long she’d been hiding in here.

  Katra looked around the otherwise shining compartment, searching for hidden enemies. Once her visual survey was complete, she focused her attention on the table itself, and Captain Martin’s chessboard.

  Mira had voiced reservations about taking the carved wooden set with her from the shuttle, but the captain had insisted that she have it. "You need something non-regulation about you, Harlan. It gives people a reason to stop and talk."

  Looks like you’re right again, sir.

  Mira savored the memory of Aloysius Martin’s voice in her head. It hurt to remember how he was at the end, half-blind and near death. But once Jason had helped her rewire his brain a bit, he was as alert as ever.

  "You do not want me here. I will leave."

  Katra stood up, but Mira sent her a mental apology and raised her hand. The effort sent fresh spikes of pain into her brain, and she closed her left eyelid tight against the flashing stars.

  "No, it’s all right. A painful memory, that’s all. Please, stay. What can I help you with?"

  Katra looked uncertain, but she took her chair anyway. She was still nervous about something, and Mira chanced another probe into her mind. The Gamma’s shields were still in place, and the resulting pain in her own head let her know what a fantastic idea it was to stop trying for a while.

  Now if I can just get the others to stop thinking so darned loud, that’ll work out nicely.

  "Do you play this game?"

  It seemed an odd question to ask someone sitting in front of a chess set, but from her limited experience of the woman Mira knew Katra took
nothing at face value.

  "A little. This belonged to Captain Martin, he thought I should have it when he . . ."

  Mira couldn’t finish her sentence. She knew her commanding officer was dead, but all the training in the world couldn’t make her like it.

  "I am sorry to have killed him. Jantine says he was an honorable man."

  Katra’s words left her a different kind of speechless. Even though the mods’ arrival in the solar system had killed dozens, if not hundreds of Mira’s crewmates, it was an accidental encounter. And the Gamma had no way of knowing that Mira was directly responsible for the deaths of at least three of her friends, and bore a large share of the blame for the others.

  And she’s apologizing to me?

  "Captain Martin used to say that apologizing was a sign of weakness. We used to say belowdecks that he was full of crap, but what I think he meant instead was ‘if you didn’t do anything wrong, don’t worry about it.’ Also full of crap, but it’s a bit more honest."

  Katra reached out her hand and collected two pawns from the board. One white, and one black.

  Oh. Okay, here we go. She’s found a way to kick my butt and leave no marks.

  Katra closed her fists around the pieces and held them out for Mira to choose. The Gamma cocked her head as if listening to something, but Mira’s brain already hurt too much to go looking around where she wasn’t wanted. Tapping Katra’s left hand with her finger revealed the white pawn, and the two women cleared the board and reset the pieces.

  Mira didn’t care too much about the outcome, so she selected a standard opening from memory and moved a pawn forward.

  Katra did not hesitate in her response, and moved one of her own. She stared at the piece for a while after letting it go, but she gave no indication she was unhappy with the move.

  No fear. Good. At least, I think it is.

  "It is a warrior’s game. We learn to play in the crèche, but we do not have boards of this type."

  Mira advanced her queen’s knight, and Katra moved her pawn a second time, giving the piece a longer look.