by Frank Carey
He walked her to her room. "Look, I need to walk around for a bit," he said.
"You know how to get back to your quarters?" she asked.
He nodded affirmative. "Good night," he said as he reached out to shake her hand.
She kissed him on the cheek. "Good night. I'll see you in the morning."
He waited for a moment after the door closed before heading outside into the cool night.
###
Joshua stepped outside into the damp night and looked up to see only cloud cover. "Dammit," he exclaimed having wanted to see his first alien sky.
"Don't worry, it'll clear in a few weeks," a familiar female voice said from behind him. He turned and found himself facing a character from a first-person shooter video game.
"Jenna?" he asked as he ran his hand over her arm. Standing before him was an armored suit painted in camouflage, complete with silver visor. All it needed was "Top Sergeant Michaels" stenciled on its left breast.
"Hey, Doc. How's it going your first day back in the land of the living?"
"Great, Just great." He tapped the helmet.
"Hey!"
"Sorry. This is incredible work," he commented as he examined her hand. "Exquisite, actually. Remote control or have you download yourself in it?"
"Why thank you, kind sir," she said while taking his arm. "It's a little of both. I spun off a subset of my primary personality and downloaded it into the suits brain, and I bet you want to know about the brain, don't you?"
"Please, kind lady."
"it is basically a plasma field maintained by an FTL--faster than light--field, what we call a hamster ball, only this one is too small to hold a complete me. We call it a mobile and it’s based on a standard military-grade telepresence suit. It is not much different from your BORIS suit."
"Are you kidding me? This is a Cadillac compared to BORIS' donkey cart."
"Careful there, sir, else you'll turn my head."
"Sorry. It's just that I was stopping an explosion only a few hours ago... Wait a minute, I did stop the explosion, right?"
"Yes, you did with a few seconds to spare. The state of Nevada put up a plaque in your honor. Unfortunately, it was in a top secret wing of the State House, so no one was able to see it for over a hundred years."
"What happened to the others, I wonder?"
"Not soon after the Nordicans split, the Director and his Assistant got married. Their ancestors work at the Cube just a few floors away from where you and your big friend were stored." She didn't tell him that they were being told the news of his resurrection as the two of them spoke.
"I wish I could meet them. Why was I stored at this Cube?"
"Once Earth became part of the League, it couldn't wait to get rid of all the stuff stored at Area 51 and the other labs in both the United States and other countries. The Cube was designed for containment and disposal."
"That's how BORIS got its new power supply?"
"Yeah. The staff at the Cube has come across those things before, so they have a procedure for disposing of wonky antimatter-based power modules."
"Antimatter!"
"Yeah, but only a few milligrams. One of the more advanced League member races figured out how to change antimatter into something a little less nasty. The League techs at the cube figured out how to take a building-sized device and reduce it to something the size of a television remote control, to use the parlance of your time."
"Wow. How the hell am I going to fit into this place. Compared to you, or Tayla, or any of the other colonists, I'm no more than the lovechild of a chimp and a Neanderthal."
"Stop it. Hell, I know several engineers at the Cube who think you're the next best thing to a god when it comes to bioengineering. Look, I've been around a while and I have to say your BORIS design was as advanced as anything coming out of Elven Industries Limited, including this body I'm wearing."
He smiled. Here he was, feeling sorry for himself after having cheated death twice while having Top Sergeant Michaels give him a pep talk. "Thanks Top, I needed that."
She looked at him for a moment before breaking out in laughter. "You know, I kinda look like the old sarge, don't I? I need to check to see if we have a copy of that game in the archives."
"Now that would be cool," he said as they continued to walk. "I made it to level 26 before having to give it up so I could sleep at night. Being an adult is hard."
"Yeah. Don't feel bad, though. Every species goes through basically the same shit."
"Even yours? How old are you, anyway, or is it rude to ask?"
"Ummmm, let's see... Multiply by 6... carry the 4... round numbers, I'm 29."
"29?"
"Yep, 29."
"No units? Engineers live for units, you know."
She remained silent.
"Cool. Are you the only 'AI' hanging out with us corporeals here on Alyson?"
"As far as I know, though I keep getting this feeling... Nah, I'm it for now."
He looked up and found they had returned to the Valera. "Well, I think I'm going to get some sleep. Do you sleep?" he asked.
"Not in the same way you do. I spend the night keeping an eye on things from both inside Valera and patrolling in this mobile or one like it."
"Jenna, one more thing."
"What?"
"Thanks for giving me the opportunity to save you and the rest of the Valera party. It was an honor and a privilege to pull that ring. I consider you my friend. I wanted you to know that."
Jenna stared at him while odd noises came from the suit. "Hey, are you OK?"
"You crazy, mixed up... I'm fine!" It was obvious she was holding back tears.
"Good night, Jenna," he said with a passing pat on her shoulder as he walked to his quarters.
It was all she could do to wave goodbye.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Joshua leaned against the truck and watched the sun break the horizon while waiting for the others to join him. On the hood was a stack of cups next to bottles of coffee, tea, fruit juice, and water. He sipped a cup of dark roast and sighed. For a colony of prisoners, this place had a great selection of coffee.
"Damn, are you coming with us Doctor?" Quint said as she and Charlie walked up, both were geared up for war.
"Yep. Wouldn't miss it for the world," he said as Charlie grabbed coffee for himself and tea for Quint. "Can I ask you two a personal question?"
"Shoot," Quint said as the tea worked its magic on her.
"What's your story? I've seen you two almost come to blows and stories of your battles are the stuff of legend according to Jenna, so what's up?"
"We're married and married folk have the occasional spat," Charlie explained.
"Aye. We've been together a long time," Quint continued. "Kids are grown and off doing their own thing. Charlie and I are damn good at what we do, so we just keep doing it."
Charlie pulled out a wrinkled and tattered picture of the two surrounded by a half-dozen large, short-haired, bipedal cats. "Damn, you two made some great looking kids," Joshua said much to the pride of the two mercs.
"Each one of them work legit jobs, but they all remembers their roots," Charlie said with pride.
Joshua smiled. "They look very happy," he said.
"Aye, they are," Quint agreed. "Where's the rest of our expedition?"
"We were up late last night discussing the odd happenings of the last few days."
"You're not so odd, Doc," Quint said as she gave him a massive, one-armed hug.
"Are you three bonding?" Bryntana asked as she walked up in the waxing morning light. Instinctively, Joshua poured her a tea, handing her the steaming cup with a napkin underneath to catch any drips. She squinted at him before taking the cup from him and drinking deeply. "Thanks."
"You're welcome. Sleep well?"
"Like a baby."
"We're going to check the truck," Quint said as she and Charlie went around back, leaving the human and elf to their own devices.
Bryntana watched
them leave before turning her attention to Joshua. "Funny thing happened last night."
"Funny ha-ha or funny strange?"
"Strange. I got a visit from Jacob."
"Was it a good visit?"
She tilted her head. "You know, for whatever reason, people around here trust you. Did you and he have a talk before his visit?"
"We had a drink, then coffee, then said goodnight. Did he intimate I said something?"
She smiled, something he didn't remember seeing before, then gave him a peck on the cheek. "You'll do. I'm going to go help Quint and Charlie."
She walked off leaving Joshua to his sunrise.
"Hey, you," Tayla said as he took his arm in hers.
"Hey," he replied. "You look well rested."
She smiled, then cuffed him.
"Ow. What was that for?"
"I felt like it, wuss. Who are we missing?"
"The captain and Jenna," Joshua replied as he handed her a tea.
"I'm here," Jenna said. Today, she was wearing an all-terrain bipedal mobile in a lovely urban pattern similar to the one painted on the truck.
"Work it, girlfriend," Joshua said.
"Can we keep him?" she asked as she backed the mobile into its alcove on the side of the truck. Moments later, she became the truck with her 'body' safely charging in its nook.
"Mrmph," Jacob said as he walked over from the direction of the Governor’s residence. He made bedraggled a statement. Before Joshua could hand him something hot, he grabbed a thermal carafe of coffee and slugged it down. "Thanks," he said followed by a burp.
Tayla looked around her brother and followed his trail back to its point of origin. He looked at her and saw raised eyebrows, which got significantly higher when Bryntana walked around the truck and wrapped her tail around his waist. "Hey, you," she said followed by a peck on the cheek. Instead of mumbling something incoherent, he turned and kissed her hard on the lips while letting loose with a deep, resonant, purr. "Hey. How they hell can you look this good all the damn time. I feel like something the cat dragged in."
"I heard that," Quint said from the other side of the truck.
"Sorry, Quint. Did we bring food?" he asked.
"This way," Bryntana said as she took him into the truck by the arm, leaving Joshua and Tayla staring at each other.
"Did they do what I think they did?" she asked.
"Not have breakfast before arriving here?"
"No, silly, did they bond? My God, I think we may be attending a bonding ceremony soon."
He gave her a quizzical look.
"The tail wrapped around his waist is her telling us she has chosen him as a mate. His leaving it there signals his acceptance of her choice. As you humans say, they got hitched."
"Damn. They grow up so fast."
She hugged him. "You are so cute when you get your sarcasm on."
By now, the Sun was half-way above the horizon. Jacob walked around the back of the truck with a breakfast sandwich in his hand and Bryntana walking close behind. "We're ready to go," he said while snagging a coffee in a travel cup. "Tayla, can you drive this thing?"
"Yep. Too much brain and not enough skull?"
"Something like that."
She grinned at him.
He growled.
They gathered up the drinks and got aboard their ride.
###
The group found the road ten minutes after leaving town. At the end of it stood the city and their destination. "Jenna, can we determine the age of this road"
"Maybe. I'll run an isotopic analysis and see what pops up." They could hear her hum as she worked. "If these numbers are correct, this road was laid down around ten thousand years ago."
Bryntana opened a window and stared out at the landscape rolling by. "Good, rich, fertile soil. Good place for farms. No-till, mix-use fields should work well. Jenna, make a note."
"Yes, mistress."
"Bryntana, I thought you were an assassin," Joshua said.
"I was. Now, through the miracle of direct neural learning, I'm an expert in agriculture. Go figure."
"Damn."
"Tell me about it," she said as she sat back down.
"Did you all get this education?"
"Yep," Jacob confirmed. "I'm an expert in textile manufacturing and sis is an expert in animal husbandry."
"Dairy operations," Quint said, waving her hand.
"Farm infrastructure," Charlie added.
"Every colonist has been taught multiple skills necessary for the survival of the colony," Tayla explained.
"And if you need other skills?"
"The learning unit is integrated in my computer system. Want to learn how to knit?" Jenna asked.
"Actually, I knit for relaxation," Joshua informed them.
"Really?" Tayla asked.
"Uh-huh, sweaters. I donated most of them to charity. One can have too many sweaters."
"Ever use a loom?"
"No, though it was next on my things to do. I always wanted a serape."
They continued their journey down the road until they reached a pair of towers bracketing it. Beyond, they could see the city rising from the flat land. Tayla brought the truck to a stop at the base of the two towers. "Running scans," the young Sokuhl said as the others watched the scan data scroll down the truck's internal monitors. "Interesting. There's a low-level force field surrounding the city, but the field is absent between the towers. Launching probe." She pressed a button on the dash, launching a small probebot from the rear of the truck. Telemetry poured in as the bot headed toward the city on a course that would take it through the gate. "Gate in three... Two... One... Probe is in the city. Receiving telemetry. Launching second probe..." The second device targeted an entry point beyond the gate. "Impact in three... Two... One... Impact. Probe is dead; no telemetry being received."
"Interesting," Jacob said as he sipped coffee. "Jenna, drop a centipede and have it scan the shit out of that arch. While you're at it, drop a comm relay inside the structure. Meanwhile, Tayla, head into the city through the arch. Let's go find ourselves a BORIS."
"Aye, aye, sir," they replied as the truck drove through the arch, dropping devices in its wake.
"We have comm lock with the colony," Charlie said from the back. "They're reading us five by five. The Governor wishes us good hunting."
"Centipede is running scans of pillars and surrounding area," Quint said from her seat next to her husband. "The pillars are made of some unknown alloy. Preliminary scans show the field is absorbed by them. Scans are picking up a mechanism underneath each one."
"They retract in case of danger," Joshua said off-handedly. He stared out the window at the buildings they passed. "Once alive with millions, now, nothing more than a tomb. What has become of the Jarrion?" A tear rolled down his cheek while his eyes stared unfocused off into the distance.
"Joshua?"
He shook himself, the dream fading. His eyes focused on one very worried Tayla kneeling next to his seat. The truck was stopped while the rest of the crew stood around him. "What happened?"
"You got the infinity eye, then started talking in some weird language," Bryntana said as she ran a scanner over him. "You seem to be fine, for a human."
"Burn!" Quint said while Charlie shook his head.
Ignoring them, Jacob asked, "What did you see?"
"Beings like the blue woman from my dream. The streets were filled with them. They started to fade away until none were left. This place was filled with millions of them, but they're all gone now."
"You said a word. You said, 'Jarrion.' Does it ring a bell?" Tayla asked.
"That's the name of the race, the blue people. They were the Jarrion. How do I know that?"
Jacob pulled out his pistol and aimed it at the young human. "Who and what are you?" he asked as he thumbed the pistol's power to full.
"Jacob!" Tayla yelled as she put herself between her brother and Joshua.
"Come on, Tayla, the guy rises from the dead, for G
od's sake. Now, he's seeing visions from a past none of us could possibly have seen. My job is to protect my crew, and I think he's a danger."
Before she could reply, she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Step aside, Tayla. Your brother's right. I might be a danger."
"You are not a danger! You saved our lives..."
"As an organic robot. I'm not that robot anymore, and I have no explanation how I came to be me. Look, I can stay here while the rest of you go recon the BORIS unit's landing site. You can pick me up on your way back. Just leave me some food and water, and I should be fine."
"I am not leaving you here alone. What if something attacks you?" Tayla said with an angry stare at her brother.
"Nothing in this city will harm me. I don't know how I know this, but I do. I worry about the rest of you, though, so you should all watch each other's backs. Again, I don't know why. It's just a feeling."
"It's settled, then," Jacob announced. "You'll stay here while we recon. We'll be close by in case one of us needs help."
"This is so wrong," Tayla said as she sat back down in the driver's seat.
"You're objection is noted. Joshua, we'll be back in a few hours," Jacob said as Joshua walked out of the truck. Once clear, they drove off, leaving Joshua alone on the deserted street.
"Now what?" he asked aloud, but the only reply was the rustle of dead leaves as the wind took them down the street.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Joshua looked around and saw he was standing in a street between two long rows of buildings ranging from single story to high rise. Across the street was what looked like the remains of an open-air cafe. "Damn, ten thousand years and the place looks relatively new." The question was how could that possibly be? Centuries of weather should have reduced any artificial construct to dust, yet in front of him sat tables and chairs in usable shape. He walked over to a table and checked it for stability. It was sound, so he brushed it off and sat down to wait for his ride to return.
The first order of business was a scan of his body. There were too many unknowns, too many unanswered questions for his engineer mind, so he started by taking a high precision look at his right arm. The scanner was incredible; it could examine his cells down to the atomic level. It could determine which planet he had visited recently and the amount of time he's spent there. It could even tell him what universe he fared from.