The Jovian Legacy

by Lilla Nicholas-Holt

  “I’m sorry,” she apologised to Jack after dinner. “I purchased it today from a range of new perfumes that one of my school friends wanted me to try. She didn’t tell me what sort of effect it had on people. I know I felt a bit strange when I first tried it, but I thought it was just me.”

  Jack spoke quietly. “Maybe we should be careful from now on, okay Megs? Do you remember when Mum was telling us about how the Jovian people are constantly trying to master the five senses? Well it seems to me that we’ve just found out about three of them already. We’ve seen the awesome beauty of this land and we’ve discovered how their food makes our tastebuds go crazy, and now this. I think that perfume of yours contained some sort of aphrodisiac.”

  “Oh…sorry Jack, I won‘t wear it again,” Megan promised, feeling totally ashamed about the whole thing.

  Dad was right, Jack thought to himself as he lay in his bed that night staring up at the glass ceiling and into the starry night sky, this place certainly isn’t boring.

  He thought it kind of unfair in a way because the little dinner episode had put a dampener on their friendship, as now they both felt awkward in each other’s company. Jack knew he was going to fight it though, as he loved her so very much.

  In the weeks that followed Megan had become busy at school, which she found very stimulating and exciting. She was well into her medical science training programme when she met a good looking young med student named Timos, Jovian born and bred. Timos wanted to help her in any way he could. Megan felt flattered, but told herself she definitely wasn’t going to lead him on. By the same token she valued his knowledge and experience, and let him assist her on her assignments. He appeared very patient with her, but she also felt there was something he wasn’t telling her, or that there was something he wanted to show her but couldn’t. She did well in her assignments, due to his help, but she couldn’t help thinking he had an ulterior motive. She’d already made it clear to him that their student friendship was purely an educational one, which he’d accepted. Still, something was niggling at her.

  Megan always looked forward to coming home. Thankfully, over the last few weeks the awkwardness had eased and she and Jack once again enjoyed the closeknit friendship that was so precious to both of them.

  There was never a shortage of discussion around the family dinner table, with Jack telling them about his journeys through the computer at home and how, once, he had repeated the event of his birth but twisted it so that he had been born into a black family. Everyone laughed when he told them about the doctors’ and nurses’ reactions to his antics in the crib.

  Maybe I could do something like that again one day, Jack thought mischievously.

  Everyone enjoyed a high standard of living, but no-one took it for granted. Megan enjoyed the weekends at the lakeside the most. On longer weekends (some four days long) they saw more of Thebes when their limo driver would take them to all the magic spots. They knew they would never get tired of looking at all the stunning scenery.

  As the months flew by, Jack became very clued up scientifically, and found the work fascinating. He wanted and needed to find out just how, when he’d initially been contacted by Jovian scientists at home in New Zealand, he’d been able to type in a date and revisit his past. One of his colleagues took him into another computer room that branched off the main room. The research team had invented a tool that actually linked a computer program to a person’s brain via a device that was fixed to the base of their head, and which extracted information from that person’s memory. It was then transmitted to a memory card in the computer. It was through this memory card that, when Jack’s old computer at home was linked with the research adaptor, Jack’s memory had been extracted via the virtual reality device.

  “Amazing stuff!” he exclaimed.

  His colleague explained in a typical Jovian scientist’s distinctive style, “The brain is indeed very complex, that memorises everything, although humans generally only use a small percentage of it. Some people have developed their brains more than others through choice and end up using it for scientific purposes such as this.”

  Jack was permitted to play around with this computer tool when time allowed, and was excited about the prospect of seeing himself grow up again. But he also wondered how he’d been able to change things around when he was born again as a black baby.

  His team had almost established contact with another computer user on Earth. Jack was so close to cracking it that he worked until the early hours of the morning, when he saw a snowy image and heard some American voices. He had a breakthrough! What he didn’t realise was that it wasn’t just an ordinary computer user, but a news report. He realised that he had tapped into a television channel when he saw the letters at the bottom right hand corner of the screen: CNN. The news reporter was talking about a terrorist attack:

  “Revolutionary United Front militants kidnapped at least twenty members of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Makeni, Sierra Leone and surrounded and opened fire on a United Nations Assistance Mission facility, according to press reports. The militants killed five UN soldiers in the attack. Revolutionary United Front militants kidnapped three hundred United Nations Assistance Mission peacekeepers throughout the country, according to press reports.”

  Jack felt disturbed that some people actually carried on that way, but knew it was the very reason he was here - to live a better way of life without the threat of terrorism or anything of such nature. A few of the crew had gathered around his computer.

  “Sometimes you have to ask yourself, ‘Why all the killing?’ Is it just because of one man’s greed for power and wealth? An eye for an eye that can go on for years and years. These jerks don’t know diddlysquat about the meaning of life because it’s so cheap to them,” Jack stated angrily.

  His older colleague answered, “Well, it is what is predicted for the Old World - outbreaks of war and natural disasters. Also predicted are new diseases, diseases that mutate rapidly and kill their victims within a few hours of contracting them.”

  “Wow, you’re a bunch of fluffies. Not!” Jack cried, to the amusement of his colleagues who hadn’t heard of such a colloquialism, one asking him what ‘diddlysquat’ meant.

  A workmate patted him on the shoulder, saying, “Well, at least you and your family won’t have to worry about all of that here.”

  “Yeah, we’ve been super lucky to have been brought here all right,” Jack said gratefully.

  “Indeed you are,” his colleague agreed.

  Megan loved her new life on Jovian. She looked forward to getting up in the morning and getting ready for her day at med school. She knew it wasn’t because a certain young med student was paying her a little too much attention. In fact, she had stopped feeling flattered and had now begun feeling annoyed at his niceness and his persistently wanting to help. She thought it unnerving. Megan decided to stop thinking about Timos as it was spoiling her morning, her enthusiasm for the day, and even had an effect on what she was going to wear. She thought she’d better play down her clothes so he wouldn’t be attracted to her. Trouble was, there were no drab clothes in her wardrobe. Everything was gorgeous and which suited her perfectly; looking great in anything she put on.

  That morning Timos was waiting for her outside the lecture room. He had in his hand a parcel wrapped in pretty paper. As Megan approached him, he smiled his charming, confident smile and, without saying a word, held out the parcel.

  “What’s this?” Megan blushed, annoyed at herself for doing so.

  “It’s a gift,” Timos answered. “For a special friend, as a token of appreciation.”

  “In appreciation of what?” Megan asked bluntly.

  Timos smiled innocently. “Just for being you.”

  “Timos, I really can’t accept this,” Megan began. “And I’m only fifteen by the way, just in case you were thinking I was older.” Her cheeks were burning.

  Timos did a pretend pout and insisted. “There’s nothing in it, really, just so
mething I thought you might like. Please. Would you do me the honour of accepting it?” he said, thrusting the parcel at her again.

  Megan wasn’t convinced, but with hesitation she let him place the parcel in her hand and unwrapped it. It was a wooden box with a gold inscription on the lid in Egyptian writing. When she opened the box it was lined with red felt fabric and completely empty. She thought for a moment and remembered the box that Jack had seen in the Supreme Council of Antiquities art gallery, the one he said was like the one a friend had given to him for his tenth birthday.

  Noticing Megan’s glazed look, Timos said, “It’s a Lucre Box. It will bring you ultimate discovery.”

  Not wanting Timos to suspect that she already knew something about the box she kept a poker face and politely thanked him. After all, it was just an empty trinket box; she felt she might as well not hurt his feelings. However, she was still a little perturbed as to why an intelligent young medical student would be gullible enough to believe in such rubbish.

  When Megan arrived home that afternoon she placed the Lucre Box on her bedside table beside the photo of her and Jack taken on a beach back in New Zealand. She picked up the photo and her mind wandered back.

  Our beaches really were beautiful. It occurred to her then that they hadn’t seen any beaches on Jovian as yet. Everything else they had seen on Jovian, and although their countryside and bush in New Zealand was one of the most beautiful in the world, Jovian definitely would have won the award.

  Maybe the coast is nicer too, she thought, making a mental note to ask Jack to see if he can organise a trip out to the coast of Thebes.

  At that moment she saw a rainbow of colours sparkle off the gold inscription on the Lucre Box. She thought it must have been the afternoon sun, but when she picked it up she saw the colours rolling across the lettering again, even though she was holding it in the shade. The message read, “Sinestu-ipini-itxaro-ahalguzti”. She felt sure she had read that same wording in the gallery that day.

  Megan sat on her bed not knowing what to do, whether to ring Jack and tell him about it, or to brush it off. Knowing Timos, Megan thought, he’d simply given her some elaborate gimmicky toy to try and impress her. The med student was around nineteen and had, she thought, a serious crush on her.

  Cradle snatcher, she said under her breath, still annoyed at him.

  Perhaps it’s better not to worry Jack over nothing, she wondered, and decided to keep it to herself until Timos’s silly crush had blown over.

  As usual the family spent a nice evening talking about different things and what they were going to do on the weekend. At Megan’s suggestion, Jack was going to organise a trip out to the coast with his parents and stay overnight at beach accommodation, even though it was a relatively quick trip in their newly acquired utility air vehicle - AVs as everyone called them - vehicles that could escape the older means of transportation, and that had become very popular with racy young Jovian business people.

  “See you in the morning.” Jack said in a singsong voice as they prepared for bed.

  “Okay, see ya,” Megan replied cheerfully. She felt happy and safe with Jack and his Mum and Dad.

  At a late hour Megan put down her book and turned off her bedside lamp. As she dozed off she became aware of colourful rays moving around on the walls of her room. She sat upright and saw a shooting ray of light emitting from her Lucre Box. She picked it up and opened the lid. The whole interior of the box was filled with a luminous green light. Lettering appeared, forming into Egyptian words. Megan had been there long enough to understand the language.

  She deciphered the Egyptian words. “Your soul is one with Pharaoh Siptah, King of Egypt, ruler of the 19th Dynasty. You have been chosen by Queen Meryt-Neith, Ruler of Jovian. Your children are destined to be the new rulers of Jovian.”

  “My children?!” Megan exclaimed in shock. “This, I have got to tell Jack about!”

  With trembling hands she grabbed her link screen to connect directly to Jack’s. Her fingers were strangely unable to touch the buttons, as if there was a magnetic force stopping them. Then another force pulled her fingers back to the Lucre Box like they had a will of their own. Her fingers involuntarily feathered over the gold inscription on the lid. Luminous green light shot through her fingers with a tingling sensation running up her arm and engulfing her body. Megan felt as though she was being levitated off the floor, and indeed she was. Then, a bright green ray of light shot through her window and enveloped her. She experienced the sensation of weightlessness, and everything went blank. Within a few seconds she felt her feet back on the floor again, but realised it wasn’t her bedroom she was standing in.

  Megan found herself in a dimly lit room with a sleek black leather lounge suite, a colourful red rug and a roaring fire. Megan glimpsed at her reflection in the large mirror that was positioned above the fireplace, its gold edging reflecting the raging fire. She observed that she was still in her pyjamas, which she found a little frightening considering she didn’t have any idea who might walk through the door. At that moment the door opened, but thankfully a young woman in her early twenties strolled through, carrying a velvet coat. She smiled as she draped the coat over Megan’s shoulders and introduced herself. Megan quickly slid her arms into the coat and buttoned it up. Oddly, Megan warmed towards this woman.

  “I am Sobek. My brother is Timos, who I understand is a friend of yours.” She spoke with such eloquence.

  “Your brother is Timos?” Megan felt uneasy again as she realised this strange thing that just happened was his doing.

  Timos entered the room. He approached Megan and kissed her hand. She instinctively pulled her hand. She’d had enough of him and his antics.

  “Please, do not be angry. There is nothing to be afraid of,” Timos assured her.

  “Angry? I have a right to be angry. What do you think you are playing at? Where am I and what’s with all the levitation?” Oh, Megan was definitely angry.

  “Calm down,” he said evenly, passing Megan a mug of something. It wasn’t a cup of tea.

  “What this? Are you going to drug me now?” Megan accused.

  “No,” Timos replied with a lilt in his voice, “it’s a fusion of herbs. It’ll calm you down, that’s all.” Megan cautiously took the mug and drank the concoction, instantly feeling relaxed and warm inside. She felt wonderful in fact.

  Jovian people certainly know their stuff as far as their food is concerned, Megan thought, surrendering. She sat down on the black leather chair with Sobek politely sitting across from her, and Timos in another chair, his legs crossed, studying her.

  “So…why am I here then?” Megan asked calmly.

  “You have been chosen, as you are special to us,” Timos began, shifting his posture and leaning in toward her. He looked like he was about to reveal something important. “We are what others would call the thorn in their sides, but we do not consider ourselves wrongdoers. All we want is to govern this world the way we see fit, as we know that our way is better, a way that everyone will greatly benefit from.”

  Megan’s memory was jogged back to when they’d first arrived here from Earth, when Premier Tiberius spoke at the media conference.“They have agents that were sent to Earth some time ago who were trying to intercept our communication with you…”

  She looked at Timos and knew he was one of those people. Megan suddenly felt afraid, but as soon as she did she immediately relaxed. She didn’t want to feel relaxed; she knew she was in the wrong place.

  Timos smiled knowingly, and spoke in a controlling manner. “Megan, you are here for us to achieve our goal. You were Jovian’s first Earth clone, genetically engineered from the DNA of two half-sisters. We are going to clone you again and again. And with an extra ingredient thrown in.” Timos’s eyes had turned a steely grey. Megan felt that shrill of fear dart through her again, but just as quickly she felt the relaxed sensation envelope her again; a yoyo of emotions like a pot being taken on and off the boil. It was starting to peeve her
off.

  She wondered what he meant by ‘extra ingredient’. “Well, I’m sorry, Timos,” she stiffly stated while looking at him square in the face. “But I don’t want to be cloned over and over just for you to have hundreds of Megans living in Thebes. For your information, I’m not going to be a production line for a Barbie doll factory.”

  Timos smiled and glared at her with his slate-grey eyes. “I’m afraid you have no choice, my dear. And what’s more, your clones are destined to be used to create our ultimate ruler. You see, our present ruler, Queen Meryt-Neith is coming to the end of her reign. Her DNA will also be utilised in our cloning program.”

  The extra ingredient, she realised, shocked.

  Chapter 10

  Megan’s friend Andrea had wondered why Megan hadn’t turned up at school, as she knew that Megan didn’t want to miss that day’s lecture. It was an important one. Megan had even pencilled it in her diary. Yet she knew Timos hadn’t turned up either, but couldn’t really give a rat’s bum about him; she knew he was a slime ball. The only thing she didn’t know was the extent of his sliminess.

  Andrea wondered whether Megan might be feeling sick and in bed, but then also wondered why she hadn’t left a message on her link screen. She tried to contact Megan, but her screen merely said she was unavailable. She decided to go over to Megan’s house after school.

  When Andrea arrived at the Dunlop household Jack was arriving home from work. During the day he’d become concerned as well, as he and Megan usually kept in touch during their breaks. When Andrea told him that Megan hadn’t turned up for school it caused him more worry.

  “I had to start early this morning so didn’t have breakfast with her,” Jack told Andrea.