Volunteer (Selected Book 3)

by Robin Roseau

  But I looked over at him. Well, I decided it was a him, but he wasn't displaying any sort of, you know, man-thing. So maybe it wasn't a he. But I decided it looked male, at least by human standards.

  As I said, he was huge. Seated, I couldn't be sure, but I guessed him to be at least two meters tall, maybe taller. And in a way he looked human, but all the aliens I'd ever personally met fit that, after a fashion. He had two arms and two legs, one head. He didn't have any hair, not one single hair.

  But there were differences as well. His face could never pass for human. First, the eyes were different. Oh, he had eyes, but they were way too small, and black. There was no nose, and he had a mouth, sort of, but it protruded from his face and resembled a beak more than a mouth.

  "Hello," I said.

  He turned to face me fully and opened his mouth to speak. I didn't understand a single word, but if I could have, I would have recoiled. But the only voluntary movement I had was to turn my head.

  Inside that beak were teeth. A lot of teeth.

  "Does the Beaker frighten you?" Aster asked.

  "It was just surprise," I said. "Does he speak English?"

  "He's a construct, Skye."

  "Oh. Right."

  I looked at him a little longer. "I haven't seen anyone like him before."

  "The Beaker do not come to Earth often," Aster explained. "If you ever meet one, it is unlikely he will speak English."

  I turned back to her. "Did I fail some test?"

  "No. You are expected to be startled when you encounter a new alien. It is how you respond afterwards that most matters." She paused. "I can let the Beaker speak English and become your companion for the remainder of our time, if you like."

  "No, thank you. I think I like you."

  She smiled.

  Then the lights dimmed, and I turned to the stage.

  * * * *

  It wasn't a human orchestra. A group of the BPs stepped onto stage. This was the species that humans first met. We called them Basketball Players -- BPs -- because they were so amazingly tall. There was an entire chorus of them, and they arrayed themselves on the stage. Then one stepped forward, a spotlight shining on her. She opened her mouth and began to sing.

  I was crying long before the first song was over. It was so beautiful.

  In our seats, all around me, the aliens made different noises, their version of applause, I decided. My body clapped but while I did so, I looked at Aster beside me.

  "Am I really crying?" I asked.

  "Yes. This is a common reaction amongst humans when they hear the BPs sing."

  "Am I going to ruin the visor?"

  "No. It is designed to see to your needs. Your medical exam is nearly over. Do you wish to hear a few more songs?"

  "Yes, please."

  And so we turned back to face the stage. This time, all the BPs sang together. It may have been the most beautiful thing I had ever heard.

  And while I didn't know the words, I continued to cry.

  * * * *

  The chair withdrew from my face. I thought after all that crying, I would need to clean up, but before she disappeared, Aster told me, "The chair saw to your needs, Skye."

  Then the visor dimmed and brightened, and I could see the room I was in, and the chair. I was still largely encased, but my head was free, and I could look around.

  In the room with me were two humans, both women. I'd seen both at Sunset before, but I hadn't waited on either of them, and I didn't know their names. They were both seated on little rolling stools, one on either side of the chair I was in.

  "How are you feeling, Ms. Andrews?"

  "Fine," I said. I looked down. "Can I have my hands free, please?"

  "Not quite yet. Was there something you needed?"

  "I- I've been crying."

  "Ah. You attended a BP concert."

  "Yes."

  "You're fine, Ms. Andrews. The chair took care of you."

  "Are you sure? I don't have, um..."

  "You're fine," she said, offering a smile. "I am Doctor Wise. This is Ms. Hartman. We have your test results."

  "Testing is over?"

  "No. Just your medical exam. You are very healthy, Ms. Andrews."

  "That's good to hear," I said.

  "Your wisdom teeth are just starting to come in. Most of us have them removed. They tend to crowd our other teeth. I am not a dentist or oral surgeon. But I would encourage you to visit your dentist and ask about it."

  "All right."

  She talked about my health for a few minutes, but in the end she told me I was quite healthy and had nothing of concern at this time.

  "Thank you, Dr. Wise," I said. "But all I did was sit in this chair."

  "It is a very clever chair, Ms. Andrews. If there was anything of immediate concern, the chair would have found it."

  "Well, that's good then," I said. "Now what?"

  "Now we let you out of the chair, and Ms. Hartman will take you to your room for the next day or so."

  "I get my own room?"

  "You do," said Ms. Hartman. "Are you ready?"

  I nodded, and a moment later the chair withdrew from me. I immediately felt at my face, not sure I entirely believed them I didn't have snot running down from my nose or something. I didn't, but they both smiled at me knowingly.

  Then Ms. Hartman took my arm, and I let her lead me away.

  * * * *

  We came to a room. It looked like a hotel room, but the image out the far wall was of no place on Earth. I pulled away from her and ran to the window.

  "Did you take me somewhere?" I asked. "Was the chair like the trip coming here, and we're on an alien planet now?"

  This hotel was on the side of a mountain, and I could see quite a ways. It was jungle, but it was no earthly jungle.

  The vegetation was predominantly purple, and when a bird flew past, it must have had a thirty-foot wingspan. It was afternoon, and the sun was shining, but the color seemed off. And there were two moons visible in the sky.

  "We haven't gone anywhere," said Ms. Hartman from behind me. "What do you see?"

  I turned to her. "What do you mean, what do I see? It's some alien planet." I turned back and pointed at the bird. "That thing is huge."

  "Do you want to know what I see?"

  "You don't see a big bird?"

  "I see a blank wall."

  I turned to her. "I don't understand."

  "It's the visor, Ms. Andrews," she said. "It is showing you that scene, whatever it is."

  "Oh. We're underground at The Center, aren't we."

  "Yes."

  "And that's just a brick wall."

  "It's not brick, but it's just a wall."

  "Oh." I turned back to it anyway. "Is it a real scene?"

  "Probably," she said. "Is it pretty?"

  "Beautiful," I said. "I wish you could see it."

  "So do I," she said. "Everything you need is here."

  "When does my Testing start?"

  "It started the moment you were picked up at school, Ms. Andrews," she said. "After I leave you, you have choices. The visor will guide you through them. Enjoy your Testing."

  She didn't wait to see if I had questions. She turned around, walked out the door, and closed it. And as soon as she did, the door disappeared.

  I thought it was the visor again, so I ran over and felt around, but all I could feel was smooth wall. There was no door.

  The aliens knew how to show off.

  I prowled around for a few minutes. It was a hotel room, although it was sparsely furnished. There was another one of those chairs, and there was a bathroom. I used the bathroom, and then looked at myself in the mirror. The visor was weird, and it wouldn't let me take it off. But there was a brush there, and it even looked like my brush from home. I brushed my hair for a minute and then returned to the main room.

  The view outside had disappeared.

  "Hey!" I complained.

  "Hello, Ms. Andrews."

  "You sound li
ke the spaceship that brought us here. Are you a computer?"

  "I am," it said, "although I am not the same computer that was in the ship. It is time for a little exercise and recreation."

  "I'm supposed to exercise?"

  "Perhaps you would like to go for a walk."

  "The door disappeared."

  "Don't worry about that," said the computer.

  "What should I call you?"

  "I like to be called Pixel."

  I laughed. "Funny. All right, Pixel. Could you call me Skye?"

  "Very good, Skye," said the computer. "Is there someplace you would like to visit that you've never been?"

  "How about wherever that was," I said, pointing to the wall.

  "For your walk, let's stay on Earth today."

  I sighed. "All right. Where do you recommend?"

  "There are so many places. Have you ever been to Paris?"

  "No."

  "Perhaps you'd like to go there. Or if you prefer, we could go for a walk in the Swiss alps, or along a beach on an island in the South Pacific."

  "There won't be any mosquitoes, will there?"

  "None that bite."

  I thought about it. "I've never been to the mountains, but I'm not dressed if it's cold."

  Around me, the room disappeared, and I was suddenly standing in the middle of a meadow in the mountains.

  "Hey!" I complained. Pixel didn't say anything, so I slowly turned a circle.

  It was a beautiful day in this meadow. In one direction I could see mountains rising high above me. In the other directions it was forest with small pine trees. The meadow itself was beautiful, with mountain grasses and lots of flowers.

  "I'm not really here, am I, Pixel?"

  "No. But it looks real, doesn't it? And you can hear a light breeze. There might be other noises, too."

  "It's beautiful, but I'm afraid to walk anywhere."

  "Why?"

  "I don't want to walk into any walls."

  "You won't," said Pixel. "Do you see the trail?"

  There was a trail through the meadow. It was slightly uphill in one direction, although it appeared to run parallel to the mountain ridge.

  "Yes," I said.

  "You can walk in any direction you want, but I'd like you to follow the trail. You'll have a nice walk, and the view at the top is stunning."

  "I'm going to climb to the top of a mountain without banging into one of the walls."

  "Yes, Skye. You are."

  "If you're sure."

  * * * *

  Pixel didn't lie. It must have been more alien magic, but I walked. It took a few minutes before I reached the end of the meadow. The trail continued into the trees, but I stopped and turned around. "Pixel, what happens if I try to pick one of the flowers?"

  "Give it a try."

  So I did. I walked over to a group of pretty, sky-blue flowers. The petals were very small, but there were a lot of them. I knelt down, looked at them, then reached for one.

  And the flower pulled away from my hand.

  "Hey! Flowers don't do that."

  "It seems these flowers do. Maybe you should try harder."

  I grabbed for the flower, but it ducked away from my hand. So I kept trying and trying. Once, I almost had it, but it sort of shrank under my hand and then popped back up just outside my reach.

  Finally I actually pounced onto the flowerbed. They all reared away from me, and then they spit on me.

  I fell backwards onto my ass, and Pixel began laughing.

  "That wasn't funny!"

  "It sure looked funny."

  I looked down, and I was covered with blue pollen. "Is this going to ruin my shirt?"

  "It's not really there, Skye," said Pixel. "You can brush it away."

  And so I did, the pollen falling from me and wafting away in the light breeze.

  "You're a computer," I said. "How can you have a sense of humor?"

  "How can you?" she replied.

  "You really thought that was funny?"

  "Yes, I did."

  "Did you make them do that?"

  "That's a complicated question," she said. "So yes and no. Are you done playing with the flowers?"

  "Yeah," I said. I sighed, climbed to my feet, brushed myself off -- although it probably wasn't necessary, and turned my nose back up the trail.

  * * * *

  Pixel and I didn't really talk after that. I walked, and it felt like I was walking uphill. A few times, I actually got tired and had to rest a while. Every time I sat down, a bottle of water appeared.

  "Is that real water?" I asked the first time.

  "Yes."

  It was cool and refreshing.

  I don't know how long it really took me to climb to the top. But I came around a bend in the trail, and I could see in all directions.

  It was stunning.

  What was surprising was that sitting just a little further ahead was a dining room table with a chair.

  "Time for dinner," said Pixel. "Your mother made one of your favorites."

  I looked around for another moment then walked to the table. There was a covered dish, silverware, a tall glass, and a pitcher of water. There was also a little basket with a steaming hot towel in it.

  "Is this real?"

  "Yes," said Pixel. "Sit. You can wash your hands and then see what your mother made for you."

  So I did just that, finally setting the napkin in my lap and pulling off the cover. Inside I found a plate with hot meal loaf, and I could tell Mom had made it. There were mashed potatoes and green beans.

  And a little of the gravy was poured over the top of the meatloaf in the shape of a heart. I stared at it for a while.

  "Is something wrong with the food, Skye?"

  "No," I said. "Mom made a heart."

  "Oh," she replied. "Your mother loves you."

  "Yeah," I said.

  The dinner was amazing.

  While I ate, the mountains disappeared. By the time dinner was finished, I was back in the hotel room. It was a little disappointing, but I finished the meal quietly.

  "Can you thank Mom for me, Pixel?" I said. "That was really good."

  "Of course, but you'll have to wait until you see her for her reply."

  "Thank you."

  I pushed back from the table. "What do I do with my plate and stuff?"

  "Leave them. I'll take care of them for you. You had a good workout this afternoon. Maybe you should take a shower."

  "There's a shower in here?"

  "You noticed it earlier, didn't you?"

  "Oh. Yeah." I got up, setting the napkin on the table. "I really don't have to wash the dishes."

  "Nope. Just yourself. I think you'll find it to be a very comfortable shower, and everything you need is waiting for you."

  So I turned away and stepped into the bathroom.

  The shower was amazing. It wasn't like ours at home. We had a sliding glass door. This one was like a room, surrounded by tile. I undressed, setting my clothes aside, then said, "What about the visor?"

  "It's waterproof."

  "All right."

  I stepped around the corner. The shower space was huge, bigger than any shower I'd ever seen. But I couldn't see any controls. "How do I turn it on?"

  "I'll do it for you. I'll start off warm, and you can tell me when it's comfortable." Then in front of me, almost like a gentle waterfall in the ceiling, water began to fall. I held out my hand and directed Pixel, "Warmer... warmer... That's nice."

  I stepped under the water. Once I did, Pixel said, "There are more water jets, Skye. Don't be surprised."

  Then from all around me, more water began squirting at me, all the same temperature, coming from the walls. It hit me from about my shoulders down, but none of it splashed into my face.

  "Oh wow," I said. "But this is a lot of water we're wasting."

  "We filter it," said Pixel. "There is ample sunlight for generating electricity, so there is no waste."

  There was soap, shampoo, and
conditioner. Pixel encouraged me to take all the time I wanted, so I stood in the shower for a long time, feeling quite decadent. Finally I told Pixel I was done, so she shut off the water, and when I reached the end of the shower stall, there as a fluffy white towel waiting for me and another smaller one for my hair.

  I wrapped up and dried off.

  There was even a hair dryer but no makeup. Well, I wasn't going anywhere, so I didn't need any makeup, anyway. I dried my hair, and that was when I realized my clothes were missing. With the towel still wrapped tightly around me, I went out to the main room.

  The only thing I found was the chair, sitting all by itself. The remnants of dinner were gone, including the table.

  "Pixel."

  "Skye."

  "Where are my clothes?"

  "I took them."

  "Give them back!" I said firmly.

  "No."

  "Why not?" I stamped my foot.

  "I have never understood why humans are so worried about clothing," she said.

  "You don't have to understand. You just have to give me my clothes."

  "I'll make you another offer."

  "I'm not interested in your offer."

  "If you drop the towel and climb into the chair, I will protect your modesty."

  "Pixel, give me my clothes."

  "You know, not quite every human reacts this way, but most of you do. I'm sorry, Skye. You get your clothes back when I let you out of the chair."

  "I'm not getting in the chair."

  "Suit yourself," said Pixel.

  And then she refused to talk to me.

  I wandered to the window, but now it was a blank wall. I wandered back towards the bathroom, but the door had disappeared.

  "This isn't funny!"

  Pixel didn't respond.

  I prowled around the room for a while. "Pixel! Talk to me."

  She didn't answer. Instead, the light changed until all that was lit was the chair. The rest of the room was dark.

  I sighed and walked to the chair. I looked down at it. I ran my hands over it. It looked like leather, and it felt a little like leather, too, but I bet it wasn't leather at all.

  "Do I have to?"

  Pixel didn't answer. So, clutching the towel around me, I climbed into the chair and lay back.

  "Fine. I'm in the chair. You win."

  "The towel, Skye."

  "No."

  Pixel didn't respond. I lay there on the chair and huffed. I don't know how long I stayed there, but Pixel was more stubborn than I was. I got bored long before she did. But she was probably doing a million other things at the same time. Of course she wouldn't get bored.