The Colony

by RMGilmour

  “Good morning,” Grid said, turning toward me. He however, had no reservations about standing next to the edge.

  “Morning. And thank you for taking care of me,” I said.

  “You can come to the window. It’s not glass, but it is solid, you can’t fall out,” he said, and smacked his hand against the invisible wall.

  I moved closer to the edge and reached out my hand, feeling the barrier. It was cool like glass, but softer, and yielded minutely under the pressure of my hand as I pushed against it. When I pulled my hand away, I could see my hand print stand out in pale blue, but it quickly disappeared, leaving the surface perfectly translucent once more.

  “How did you sleep, or do I really need to ask?” he laughed.

  “I honestly couldn’t tell you. I have no memory of it, but thank you for the blue stuff. Worked wonders. What was it?”

  “Something Aleric showed me how to generate a long time ago, it’s designed bring your body back into balance.”

  He still didn’t answer my question, but I didn’t push it. I figured I would get to know all I needed to know in time. And considering time was all I had right now, I was in no hurry.

  “Hungry?” he asked. “And yes, it’s generated, but trust me, you won’t know the difference.”

  “Sure, what are you making?”

  “Eggs, toast and coffee.”

  “Yes, yes and yes please,” I responded. “So long as you’re not going to make me clean up afterward.”

  But he only grinned at me as he set the plate and cup before me, already filled with all he’d promised. And it was even better than I’d hoped.

  We ate mostly in silence and when we were finished, he removed the plates and cups and stored them back into the same shelving from where he’d taken them, and then slid the door across, closing off the mess.

  “Self-cleaning,” he grinned

  I could get used to this.

  “So, how do I find a place like this of my own, and clothes and stuff?”

  “Moving out already?”

  “Well, I can’t stay here with you,” I told him, but he looked away from me to stare out of the window, and I couldn’t help but wonder if he wanted me to stay.

  “There aren’t too many of us here, from Earth. We weren’t emotionally ready to handle it. Not advanced enough.”

  I could see where he was going, but I couldn’t include myself in that discussion. I needed to find Jordan. Grid had to be wrong about him.

  “How is it that you haven’t aged?” I asked.

  “The people in this plane of existence are thousands of years ahead of us, as far as technology goes. Their Central Unit perfected over time, the process to slow and stop aging. Within their city, there is no disease, no defects whatsoever; the machine has perfected their DNA. If something should go wrong it repairs them,” he explained.

  “But you’re not from here,” I whispered. Grateful for the explanation about the city, its inhabitants, Jordan, and I brought up his image in my mind. He may have been my age, but just born hundreds of years before me. Maybe.

  “The Central Unit’s power is here in the Colony as well. It is minimal, compared to what is in the city. But this is how we have this wonderful structure to live in, food and clothing. It keeps us young, heals us, if we will it to.”

  “So, it repairs aged cells… or removes them and replaces them with young ones?” I asked, thinking of Jordan. If he should find me, I would sure not want to age if he were to stay as he was.

  “Yes, sort of,” he chuckled.

  “And how does it do it?”

  “It’s simple, painless. Nothing more than a scan in your sleep.”

  “And it can replace damaged cells with healthy ones.”

  “Yes, if you choose.”

  “So, I could…” but I didn’t finish the sentence. Now that I was here amongst all of these hunters and warriors who were covered in scars and didn’t seem to want to lose them, I could fit in, just the way I was.

  “You could,” he responded anyway.

  “But you said the Heart women were sensitive about their scars? So why do they choose to keep them?”

  He smiled, at first not saying anything as though he was sure I would have figured that out by myself. But I would never have guessed at his explanation that followed.

  “For them, the scars are a sign of status,” he explained. “The fewer the scars, the tougher they are, the more fights they’ve won.”

  I nodded, looking out of the window and down toward the valley, not quite understanding, but he explained anyway. It was a warrior thing. More scars, obviously meant more defeats, but it was also a matter of acceptance, showing strength when faced with adversity, not diminishing one’s own ability to endure pain and defeat.

  His last sentence caught me off guard, and I thought about all I’d endured and wished for an ounce of their warrior strength.

  As I stared out of the window, a large group of them had assembled near the valley edge.

  “What are they doing?”

  “Training,” he said, also looking down at the valley.

  “Why are they all so big?”

  “Well,” he paused. “Do you remember the stories about Spartan children and how they were educated and trained?”

  I sure did. It was cold-blooded, breeding trained killers from early in their youth. Only the toughest survived.

  “Would they mind if I called them Spartans?” I murmured, not really expecting an answer.

  “They wouldn’t know what you were talking about and would most likely be offended. Call them warriors if anything,” he trailed off.

  “Can I watch them train?” I asked, as they disappeared around the outer edge of the valley.

  He laughed at this, “Only if you plan to participate.”

  “Maybe I will,” I said defiantly. “You could always regrow me an arm, if I should lose one.”

  Which caused him to laugh harder. Though I had no doubt I’d lose a lot more than an arm if I went anywhere near them while they trained.

  “Come on,” he said, holding out his hand. “You should get to know the place.”

  I had no idea why he offered me his hand. At first, I only looked at it, puzzled, not knowing how to react. But I didn’t want to hurt his feelings.

  “I’m pretty sure I can walk unassisted this morning.”

  “Then maybe I should get you drunk more often,” he grinned, retracting his hand, and led me to a set of winding stairs at the other end of the room.

  “Where do they train?” I asked, hoping to catch a glimpse of them.

  “Outside,” he answered. “First, they run for miles across the desert to a training Arena they’ve built for themselves.”

  I opened my mouth to ask another question, but he cut me off.

  “And before you ask, no, you can’t go. It’s like I said… not unless you plan to fight. There are no spectators out there.”

  Well, there went that idea, but it didn’t matter. Aleric had invited me to join him outside. I only hoped he was serious.

  ∞

  Once we’d reached the courtyard, I realized that there was no door that closed off his apartment. His front room had been open to the stairs, and at the base of the stairs was only another arched doorway, and he explained that outer doors and locks were not needed.

  “We all came here with only the clothes we were wearing. Everything else is generated or grown, and easily regenerated should anything occur,” he told me. “Though nothing ever would. The Rathe and the Heart are both honest and noble people. They both dominate the realms in which they came from. The Rathe had developed this level of technology a long time ago,” he spread his hands wide and looked around to indicate the Colony and the Central Unit.

  “But they saw the danger in it and decided not to pursue it. I’ve no doubt though, that these are only some of the reasons why the… people here in this plane connect with them. The
y are on a similar level.”

  “And what about us?” I asked, thinking of the society I’d left behind.

  “There wasn’t supposed to be any kind of interaction with us, but a soulmate is a soulmate and the Central Unit denies them nothing.”

  “How do you know all of this?”

  “Aleric,” he chuckled. “He knows a lot more than he lets on. But when he drinks, he talks too much. Come on.”

  As he led me around the courtyard, he pointed out the dwellings that were inhabited explaining that there was no particular order, they all lived amongst one another.

  Stopping at one doorway, he placed his hand against the wall and several moments later a man with a short, neatly tied back ponytail, greeted us with a broad smile. His clothing was a white laced up shirt and long pants tucked into polished black riding boots. An old-fashioned style, refashioned somewhat, to blend in.

  “Lydia, this is Hammond,” Grid introduced, explaining he was also from Earth.

  I held out my hand to shake his, but he gingerly held my fingers, turning them around as he bent over to kiss them.

  “A pleasure,” Hammond simpered up at me, then slowly rose from my hand, holding my eyes with his.

  “Hello,” was all I could manage. He was charming, disarming, and I was quite sure the ladies of his time didn’t stand a chance against his advances.

  “Hm, hmm,” Grid cleared his throat. Hammond glanced across at him, releasing me from his spell.

  “So sorry,” Hammond grinned. “Old habit.”

  “I’m showing Lydia around the Colony,” Grid explained.

  “Well, thank you for including me in your tour. You must come in for tea.”

  “Thank you, but another day. We have a lot to see.”

  “Rebecca?” Hammond questioned.

  “Yes,” answered Grid. “Walk with us.”

  I was grateful that he’d said no to going in, but wished he hadn’t invited Hammond along. He seemed pleasant enough, but I wasn’t quite sure I was up to being social just yet. It was a concept I hadn’t participated in for quite a long time.

  Grid informed me there were several others from Earth that he would introduce me to, but not all at once.

  “It can get a little overwhelming,” he explained. “They’ve each coped with the change in their own ways.”

  Only one other from Earth, was willing to actually speak to me. Her name was Rebecca, though Hammond introduced her as the Duchess. This time we did enter, and her front room overlooking the Colony, was nothing more than a coat room with thick, broad curtains draped across the window.

  I thought it odd, but Grid only explained it was necessary and said no more on the topic. The room beyond however, closely resembled a royal parlor. The far wall should have been just that, a wall butting up to the solid cave behind it. But instead, it was adorned with stained-glass windows through which shone a gentle morning light. Impossible! And I made a point to question Grid about the strangeness of the whole apartment.

  At first, Rebecca asked me if I was the new maid, but Grid politely explained that I was a new addition to her courtiers and would come by to keep her company. I wanted to assert otherwise, but his brief warning look advised me not to argue.

  My silence only lasted until we were outside - Hammond remained inside, for which I was grateful - and I voiced my aversion to company. But Grid immediately hushed me, explaining she was rather fragile, and could use a friend that didn’t intimidate her in size.

  He informed me that she’d arrived about fifty or so years after Hammond, who’d saved her from insanity by creating a new world for her inside her apartment; one in which she was royalty.

  “Hammond does everything he can to keep her protected here,” he explained, and I wanted to ask what she would need to be protected from, inside the Colony, but I felt sure it was yet another answer he would delay. He did however, explain that the interior of the apartments, are generated and can appear any way we need them to, including simulated daylight, such as the illumination from Rebecca’s back wall.

  We ambled around the entire perimeter of the Colony, stopping for brief introductions, though it took the better part of the day. And once we’d made it back to his apartment, he made the mistake of trying to explain to me how to use the machine to obtain food and supplies.

  “You first need to have a clear vision of what you want, place your hand against the panel, and the machine will do the rest.”

  The panel looked no different than the rest of the wall. However, as my hand approached it, it changed from white to shimmering silver. And even though it wasn’t quite late enough for dinner, all I could think of was roast chicken with baked vegetables and steaming gravy. But when I touched my hand to the panel it all came out uncooked, including the chicken; it was fully feathered and clucked at me in annoyance.

  Grid laughed at my attempt. I wanted to be mad at him for laughing, but I couldn’t. The chicken leapt off the counter and scampered about the room, and it was my turn to laugh at him while he gave chase, tackling it in a flurry of feathers. Then holding it tight as he picked it up, he placed it back into the counter, and touched the panel once more, sending it back to the machine.

  “Not exactly what I had in mind,” I mumbled. “But at least, you have some food here the same.”

  “A lot of things are the same. Try again,” he encouraged.

  “No, I think I should start smaller and… maybe tomorrow.”

  He chuckled, touching the panel once more and the chicken dinner I’d first imagined appeared before me.

  “How about this?” he smiled, and handed me a plate.

  It was exactly what I’d imagined, and it tasted every bit as good.

  The following morning, I tried once more, except I began with just a simple cup of coffee. It was a little grainy and thick, and I promptly returned it, but I was sure I would get it right eventually.

  He showed me where the panel was in my room, and helped me fill a small cabinet that he’d generated, with a few items of clothing and other necessities, though he explained that it wasn’t necessary. Everything we needed could be instantly generated, but having a few things around helped the place feel more like home.

  He also explained how to request light and darkness in the room, for whenever I would need either. There were no windows and only the one door, hence no daylight to shine through, alerting me to the general time of day. However, Grid informed me that he’d programmed the rest of the apartment to gradually lighten with the day, and darken with the night, as though there were windows all around.

  And the majority of my time in the days that followed, were spent thinking of Jordan, wishing he would come for me, wishing I could go to him, needing to hear his voice again. I feared if too much time passed without him, the emptiness would return. So far it hadn’t, but only because Grid didn’t leave me in solitude long enough to allow it back in.

  I didn’t keep track of the number of days that passed, but I was sure it had been almost a week that I’d spent in just his company, and I still hadn’t been outside. Grid didn’t give either Haize or Aleric the opportunity to take me. He always had something he needed me to see or do, and Rebecca and Hammond were on a daily list of visits.

  “I want to show you something,” he said one afternoon, and stepped into the valley. We hadn’t yet been inside the forest, even though I’d questioned him about it on several occasions.

  I followed him in through the trees and along a dirt path that soon began to step steeply down around the edge of the valley. There were sections where the trees grew densely packed together and others where they were widely spaced; huge boulders filled in those sparser areas. Many smaller shrubs were scattered along the side of the path, some leaning over it attempting to reclaim the area.

  Once we were near the bottom, I was sure I could hear running water.

  “Is there a river?”

  “There is, we’re almost there.�
��

  The pathway through the trees abruptly ended and the valley basin opened up to a wide grassy area, sprinkled with large-rooted trees whose thick trunks divided very close to the ground - providing an invitation to climb them. And their branches extended upward, as high as I could see. As I was looking up, I noticed the sky that illuminated the ceiling. It was a blue I knew well, interrupted by one tiny white cloud. It could have been my Earth sky. I stood mesmerized by it, wondering if the sunset across this enclosed ceiling, would also be similar, and I found myself anticipating the hues that would soon color it.

  I’m not sure when Grid took one of my hands in his, but he pulled me along, leading me toward the sounds of rushing water.

  The mouth of the river was a small opening in the side of a low-lying cliff, where the water spilled over clear, white rocks and down into a fast-moving stream. It was the most pristine river I’d ever seen. So pure, that I could see the white, crystal bottom.

  “Nice!” I remarked. He pulled me down onto the grass beside the river and released my hand.

  “I thought you’d like it,” he said. “I come here to be alone and to think, wonder about home, my family, all that may or may not have taken place.”

  “Do you wish you’d never come?”

  “Well, I wasn’t really given a choice,” he said, still staring into the stream. “We’d never even discussed it. One day I collapsed, I thought from exhaustion while playing ball, but when I opened my eyes I was here. Well, north of here. If it wasn’t for Aleric…” but he stopped, glancing up at me.

  “What was her name?”

  “Gia,” he whispered. “We communicated for several years before I came. Took her a while to convince me I wasn’t going crazy.”

  “Why do you think she brought you without saying anything?”

  “Well, Aleric has a few theories about that,” he laughed. “Which he only reveals while he’s drinking.”

  “Such as?”

  “Maybe Gia, Jordan, the others, don’t really exist. Maybe we were talking to the machine all along. Maybe the people behind that mirrored wall are not real.”