by Adair Hart
“Is everything okay?” asked Evaran.
“Yeah … why do you ask?”
“You seem troubled.”
Dr. Snowden sat up on the bed and scooted back so that he was resting against the wall. A memory of Evaran saying that when he came back after their abduction floated through his mind. He raised a hand off to the side. “It’s … I dunno. Emily chose V to stay with her. I know … I know … it’s trivial, but it stung a little. You know?”
“Emily and V have a strong bond. He joins her daily in her training, and he bonded with her nanobot version when she was around. I suspect Emily enjoys his objective perspective.”
Dr. Snowden rubbed his hands. “I guess. I wish she was the way she was before she got sent to that damn prison planet.”
“I believe that another reason she likes being around V is that he accepts her in her current state. To him, she is still Emily, but with an altered personality that he has adjusted to.”
Dr. Snowden wrinkled his eyebrows. “Interesting thought. Maybe I’m the one who needs changing.”
“You must still be her anchor. I think what you are feeling is natural. Emily has changed since we rescued her, and she is beginning to relax a bit more. Keep doing what you are doing and stay true to who you are.”
Dr. Snowden chuckled while shaking his head. “This must seem so illogical to you.”
Evaran raised his head a bit. “Not at all. I have come to understand humanity better, and I think what you are showing is a sign of resilience in your species. You do not stop caring or trying. It is an admirable trait. Other species would consider Emily a defect or damaged and treat her as such. I have seen that firsthand.”
“Well then. I’ll keep on trucking. I guess I could always fire up my nanobots when I’m down, but that state I go into, while powerful, seems to remove any emotional context. That worries me a bit, to be honest.”
“It is a side effect of processing everything in a logical and efficient manner, like a computer,” said Evaran as he rubbed his chin. “Thankfully, you can use it as a sort of brake when you believe emotions are clouding or affecting your judgment. In the future, humanity changes when they fully embrace nanobots and cybernetic enhancement. Colder would be a good word to describe it.”
“I love my nanobots,” said Dr. Snowden. “Even with the ramping-up issue, they make me feel stronger and more focused. I feel like I can do anything, but hope I never get colder. Speaking of which … and you don’t need to answer if you don’t want to but … after our last adventure, you had a part of you taken. How are you holding up?”
Evaran looked down for a moment, then back up at Dr. Snowden. “I still think about it. It was a sort of pain that is hard to describe. I am bothered by it, but now I know that rift technology can have an adverse effect on me when it is utilized in a certain manner. I will need to be more cautious around it.”
“You said it sapped your strength. Is it noticeable?”
Evaran drew his lips flat. “Yes. I am seventeen point seven four percent weaker.”
“That’s kinda precise …”
“I have a set of experiments that help me to measure my abilities,” said Evaran. “When I ran through them after the fight, that was how much weaker I was. I can feel a difference in my physical aspect.”
Dr. Snowden sighed. “I wish that didn’t have to go down like that. I bet you’re regretting coming to Earth and running into all these crazies.”
“Not at all,” said Evaran. “If anything, it is good to be where I can affect change more often, as opposed to merely observing.”
Dr. Snowden snorted. “I just realized that jumping around space and time must be like visiting snapshots in a history book to you.”
Evaran bobbed his head. “In a way.”
“Well … I’m glad you decided to visit the one where me and Emily got abducted. Anyways, sleep time for me.”
“Have a good night,” said Evaran. He turned back to perusing his ARI.
Dr. Snowden half grinned as he lay back down and closed his eyes. Thoughts of Emily, his discussion with Evaran, and his nanobots swirled in his mind. He had considered leaving after Emily’s incident, and was surprised she wanted to stay. However, it hit him that this is exactly where he needed to be. Trying to figure out the nanobots, nonhumans, and the new reality without Evaran would have been not only disorienting, but also dangerous. His breathing slowed as he drifted off.
Emily tapped at the grayed-out window in the room. An interface appeared on it with several options for opacity, border, and even some backgrounds. She selected a twilight background and stood back with an approving eye. Although the room seemed small to her, the window added a bit of life to it. The sterile odor of the room reminded her of a hospital. It was the unusual silence that made her uneasy. She glanced at V, who stood next to her, observing quietly. “What do you think?”
V scrutinized the window. “It is appropriate.”
“That’s it? I think it makes the room more alive.”
V scanned the room.
“I meant, as a feeling. Not that the room is actually alive.”
“Acknowledged,” said V.
Emily shook her head and sat in a chair next to one of the two beds. The chair expanded to her size, and she noted that it had a console embedded in the arm. Her PSD showed it to be about 9:00 p.m. on Earth. She wondered what Dr. Snowden and Evaran were discussing, if anything. Dr. Snowden would be hurt by her decision to choose V, but she felt she could relax with V, whereas with Dr. Snowden, she seemed pressured. She looked around and sighed. “I hope you don’t mind I picked you as my roommate for the night.”
V swiveled his head toward Emily. “I do not mind at all. I enjoy being in your presence.”
“And I … yours,” said Emily with a smile. “Your emotional range has grown a lot since I first met you. How are you adjusting to it? And you can sit if you want.”
V scrutinized a chair perpendicular to Emily, and then sat in it. With a pivot of his head, he focused on her. “It has been interesting.”
“How so?”
“Emotions are adding components to my processing and sometimes override my logical conclusions.”
“That’s not too unusual. My dad called it thinking from the heart,” said Emily as she raised a hand, palm forward at V. “Not in the literal sense. What have been your strongest emotions so far?”
V looked down for a moment, then back up. “Anger registered as the strongest, followed by sadness.”
Emily understood that although V was a strong AI, he was alive with a life layer link, or three-L, as Evaran had called it. Evaran had explained the concept of three-Ls as a link from a life layer that existed on the outside of a universe, and that most machines and AIs usually did not have one. V did, though, making him one of the rare ones. She clasped her hands in front of her. “What situations caused those? You don’t have to answer if it’s too personal.”
“Analysis. You are my friend, and I do not mind,” said V. He paused for a moment, then spoke. “The strongest anger emotion occurred when Dr. Snowden and Rakar were about to die on the Fredorian colony ship. I was angry at the creatures trying to kill them and wanted to hurt them.”
Emily jerked her head back. “They were going to die?”
“I calculated a ninety-six point four percent chance of that occurring if I did not intervene.”
Emily’s mouth went agape. “I knew you helped them, but didn’t know it was that close. Uncle Albert never told me. I guess me running away in fear didn’t help things.” She smirked. “I bet he asked you not to tell me, right?”
V tilted his head. “I cannot say.”
Emily rubbed her chin for a moment as she pondered V’s words. “You don’t need to. I’m sure that’s what happened. Anyways … you were protecting those you care for. That’s not unusual either.”
“Acknowledged,” said V. He stared at Emily.
Emily chuckled. “When you look at me like that, you remind me
of Kal.”
“The virtual intelligence from the prison planet.”
“Yeah. He was hard to talk with,” said Emily. “He would say something, then stop and stare at me, kinda like you did a moment ago.”
V moved his head a bit. “I did not mean to stare at you. I was contemplating the second instance of my anger.”
Emily sat forward a bit.
“The second instance was when you were teleported away.”
Emily exhaled from her nose. She had tried to put out of her mind the nine months spent on a prison planet in a pocket universe. Surviving there taught her a lot of lessons. What bothered her the most was how she got there. A moment of exposure to an enemy and she was on her way. That would never happen again, and if it did, she was prepared. A lump formed in her throat. “I was a bit angry about that too.” She cleared her throat. “Not at you, but the situation.”
“Your heartbeat has increased. Have I caused you pain?”
Emily shook her head. “You’re fine. It’s … a bad memory.” She took a deep breath. “So what about the sad situations?”
V looked at the opposite side of the room for a moment, then faced Emily. “The first instance was watching Sanjay’s last moment in the holo room.”
Emily replayed the scenes in her head where Sanjay, one of the other humans Evaran was trying to rescue from her and Dr. Snowden’s alien abduction, had been killed. His nanobots had temporarily resided in her, Dr. Snowden, and Jay, another human who had been abducted. Sanjay’s nanobots had the side effect of boosting fear and providing insights that she would not normally have had. After helping the Fredorians achieve their destiny, Evaran removed Sanjay’s presence from her, Dr. Snowden, and Jay and let the final moments of Sanjay’s nanobots play out in the holo room. It had been devastating for her to watch, not only because it was Sanjay’s death, but that it could have easily been her or one of the others.
“The second one was watching Nanobot Emily leave,” said V.
Emily gulped. Nanobots that had been taken from her prior to being sent to the prison planet had been weaponized. They killed those who sent her to the planet, then formed a duplicate of her. Nanobot Emily, as Evaran called her. Emily missed her and had grown close to her in the short time that she had been alive. Her throat constricted.
After a moment, V asked, “Is everything okay?”
Emily nodded. “Those were pretty sad moments. When I synced with Nanobot Emily, I saw that you were able to talk wirelessly to her during her time on the ship.”
“Correct. She allowed me to experience emotion from her perspective. It was fascinating. She was my friend.”
Emily swallowed hard. “Mine too. You treated her like she was me right off the bat, even if the others didn’t.” She smiled as her eyes watered. “Thank you for being a true friend.”
“Acknowledged.”
Emily got up and gave V a hug.
V put a hand on her back and then tapped it. “There. There.”
Emily laughed as she pulled back and wiped her eyes. “Yeah … We need to work on that.”
“Acknowledged.”
Emily enjoyed being around V. He did not judge her or try to change her. His acceptance had helped her get through the confusing first month back on the Torvatta. She was at ease around him, and he made her laugh. Not that Dr. Snowden was not helping, but he clung to something that was not there. She did not see things the same way anymore. It felt like she had spent a lifetime on the prison planet, and although it did change her, she felt it was for the better.
She knew most people would have broken where she not only survived, but thrived. It was a feeling that she enjoyed. Being able to take command of a situation and not back down was something her deceased father, Dan, was all about. She had confidence in her step, and she was only getting stronger through her daily training.
“Are you going to sleep?” asked V.
“Yeah … but being in this new environment, I’m not going to take the suit off. You never know what might happen.”
“Analysis. A wise tactical decision.”
Emily lay down on the bed and rested her head on the pillow. She had gotten used to sleeping with the suit on, and with her PSD at her side, she could reach for it if needed. After a few minutes, she felt V staring at her. She rolled over and saw that V was standing and looking at the door over the bed. “You can sit if you want.”
The lights on V’s face lit up. “I apologize. I was processing today’s data. I will face in another direction.” He turned to the side.
Emily shook her head. She got up and dragged a chair over to the side of her bed that faced the door. “There. You can sit and watch the door while you process data.”
“Analysis. Another sound tactical decision,” said V as he took a seat. “I am set to continuous scanning.”
“I know,” said Emily as she laid a hand on his shoulder. “I feel safe with you.” She got back into the bed and assumed a sleeping position. After a few moments, her eyes closed.
After four hours, Emily awoke to the sound of the door being kicked in. Her heartbeat shot through the roof as she rolled off the bed to the side away from the door. Her nanobots kicked in, and the surge caused an adrenaline rush to flow through her.
V stood, and a glowing shield emanated from him. “Defensive mode engaged.”
Emily peeked out and saw a black-coated Kalesh at the door. He was much larger than the other ones she had seen. He had on advanced-looking heavy armor under his coat and held a weapon in his hand. She recognized the other Kalesh behind the one in the door. It was Jimus.
“Get off our planet, alien trash!” said the Kalesh.
“Analysis. Your request has been denied,” said V as he strode forward. When he was within arm’s length, he grabbed the Kalesh’s hand that held the weapon. With a squeeze, the startled Kalesh growled in pain as the weapon fell to the ground. In one quick motion, V grabbed the Kalesh by the neck and raised him off the floor. He tossed the Kalesh through the door into Jimus and then exited the room.
Emily pulled out her PSD after gaining her bearings. She squatted for a moment as she looked out the kicked-in door.
V tossed the Kalesh off to the left as weapon fire lit up his shielding. Jimus had scrambled off in the direction that the other Kalesh had been tossed.
Emily approached the door. She did not even know V had shielding in body mode, but it appeared to be very effective. Once she reached the door, she heard the familiar sound of Evaran. She peeked out and saw that V had moved to her left with a small group of Kalesh surrounding their crumpled companion. To her right were Evaran and Dr. Snowden. Past them farther down the hallway was another small group of Kalesh. She activated her forearm shield and exited the room. Standing behind V, she glanced over at Evaran and Dr. Snowden as they converged.
Dr. Snowden grabbed Emily’s arm. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. What’s going on? I recognize Jimus.”
“We’re about to find out.”
Evaran exhaled from his nose. “It would appear Warlord Okon was not happy with the previous engagement.”
The sound of footsteps could be heard running from around the corner.
Jane looked out the window of the aircraft she was in. Follisat was about a seven-hour flight from Da Nesh. She shook her head. The Kalesh, as eager as they were to integrate, had still not upgraded their aircraft, which reminded her of ships Earth used back in the early twenty-first century. They even used chemical fuel still. She suspected that when they upgraded to United Planets technology in the aircraft sector, it would be game changing.
She was unsure of how she would approach Evaran. What would she say and how would she say it? Andrew had painted a picture of an ageless being who ran around space and time helping people. Who was she compared to that? She rubbed her sweaty palms. Maybe it would not be as stressful as she was imagining it. She was sure that Evaran would be interested in a space habitat quarantine, and maybe she would finally get som
e closure on Chris’s death. Maybe he could take her back to see him before he died. Or not. She did not want to push her luck, but the thought swirled in her mind.
When she arrived at Follisat, she checked the time on her palm and noted it was 10:00 p.m. She grabbed some food from a small eatery and went over her game plan. As she chewed on some bread brushed with the spicy oil Kalesh culture was known for, she inspected a map projection in her ARI. It showed that Evaran was in a new-arrival living area not too far away. She smirked. Not the best impression for a new arrival.
If it were up to her, it would be a United Planets new-arrival area. At least then it would appear to be more neutral, as opposed to integrating alien species directly into a population that for thousands of years, believed they were the only sentient race in the universe and that they were chosen. The arrival of the Voss Imperium shattered that quickly.
She pulled up the image taken from the pilot who had scanned Evaran’s ship, called the Torvatta. The clothing surprised her. Evaran looked like he was ready for any situation, but it was the humans that caught her eye. From what Andrew had told her, Evaran sometimes traveled with human companions from across time.
The details of the image identified the older man as Dr. Albert Snowden. He wore some ancient clothing, maybe twenty or twenty-first century. She smiled when she saw him. His posture and the look on his face conveyed confidence, something she found attractive. Although he looked mature, she suspected he was probably about ten years older than Chris would have been.
The younger female wore an advanced suit and was identified as Emily Snowden. Maybe she was related to Dr. Snowden, or unrelated and from the future. The defensive way she sat indicated that she was on guard, a position that Jane knew all too well. Maybe she was a bodyguard.
After finishing her bread and the cold coffee-like substance that passed for a stimulant, she surveyed the restaurant she was in. It was late, and she was tired, yet the restaurant was busy. It did not surprise her. New arrivals came in at all times of the day and night. The smells that made Kalesh food unique massaged her nose. It was spicy with a tinge of sweetness.