Stargazer

by Melanie Matthews

  “Outside the dome, destroying weak points, but Medusa sends tech teams and Retrieval Squads within seconds, and the rebels are either killed or taken prisoner. Some manage to infiltrate and blend in with citizens of Sanctuary, spying and sabotaging from within. That’s why there are random mental readings to determine friend from foe.”

  “Can someone cheat?”

  “It’s been known to happen, but they are found out within hours.”

  “And let me guess: they’re executed?”

  He sighed and nodded. “That they are.”

  “Have you heard from Dr. Eyre? Victor said she was a rebel spy.”

  “I heard about her. Her readings were inconsistent. That doesn’t mean she’s a spy, but it’s enough to warrant her incarceration. She’s probably here, somewhere, locked up.”

  “Oh, that’s awful.” I shook my head. “How can you live in such a place? Why didn’t you just stay in the woods and be free?”

  “I was alone, scared. Julius Pallas can be very persuasive. He said I would never have any need ever again and that I could become someone great and appreciated like a doctor. But the real reason I switched sides as it were, was because of Loren.”

  “Loren?”

  He nodded. “Loren and I are the same age. We met and got along well. I had just lost my brother and he became a replacement.”

  “I had no idea! I thought you two were just good friends.”

  “We were. I mean we are.”

  I knew how John felt about me. He loved me like Loren did. I didn’t want to be responsible for making them hate each other. Their bond was important than with me. I was a freak—an anomaly—someone who didn’t know her place in the world. For all I knew, one of those Stargazer transports he mentioned would come and collect me and all this kissing and holding hands would have been for nothing. Would I go back to my home planet? Where was it? How did I end up here, on Earth? And why do I feel like I belong here despite my appearance?

  I looked over at Henrietta. I guess we were so boring, we put her to sleep, or else she cried herself to sleep. It could’ve been both. Her roses were full and red, smelling lovely. I held onto the one John had given me. As I twirled it in my hand, a thorn I didn’t see pricked my skin.

  “Ow.” I raised my finger in the air to ascertain the damage. A small amount of blood had begun to drip. “I guess I should be more careful.”

  “Here,” John said, taking my hand. “Let’s wash it.”

  I laid the flower on the bed and followed him into the privy. He turned on the water and guided my finger under the faucet. The water mixed with the blood, and pink swirls chased each other down the drain. He spent an extra long time, massaging my finger, cleaning it.

  “John…”

  “What?”

  “I think it’s better now.”

  “Not yet,” he said. “We’ll have to heal it.”

  “Am I going to the infirmary?” I asked, seeking to get out of my cramped quarters. I needed to breathe!

  “No, there’s some right here,” he replied, as he opened the bathroom mirror like a panel, and retrieved a small metal container shaped like a rectangle.

  He slid off the lid with his thumb and then used the tip of his forefinger to take a dip inside the contents that were the color of honey.

  “What’s that?”

  “Ointment for your wound--it’ll stop the bleeding and prevent infection.”

  He put the container down and took the honey-colored cream, rubbing it over the tip of my finger. Again, he rubbed longer than what was needed.

  Gently, I removed my finger from his hold. “Thanks, I feel better now.”

  I grabbed the container and put the lid back on and inside the cabinet behind the mirror. I caught my reflection in the mirror and stared at my face, wondering who I was. John stood behind me. He pulled my hair back from my face. He laid his hands firmly on my shoulders and then down my back, until he reached my waist, where he hesitated, gently holding me at the sides, moving closer and closer to my stomach, desiring to cross his arms fully around me. I had to admit it: his arms around me felt good. I knew I loved Loren, but John was also sweet and caring and handsome. I didn’t love him, but I felt that if Loren were to suddenly leave, and John occupied my time, I would fall in love with him too. I wondered if I was fickle or the Stargazers were or was it because I was an anomaly. Or was fickleness a purely human trait?

  John held me close to him as he stared at me in the mirror. “You’re so beautiful. I see why Loren loves you.”

  I turned around, disgusting with my looks, and looked into his sapphire eyes. “Has Loren told you he loves me?”

  “No, but I know. Just as he knows I love you.”

  I lowered my head, placing it against his chest. He smelt different that honey or vanilla or rose. I inhaled. “What scent did you bathe with?”

  He crossed his arms behind my back and held me tight. “It’s called ‘ocean.’ Why?”

  “I’ve never smelt it before. It’s nice. You’re like a mixture of salt and sand, baking under an afternoon sun.”

  I felt his hands caressing my back. I knew I was in dangerous territory. I should back away, tell him that I love only Loren, but I couldn’t resist him. His smell brought back memories of me and the shadow, swimming carefree.

  “Ava,” he whispered against my hair.

  His lips were searching, brushing my face, getting closer and closer to my lips. My head was still down, but he used his own to push mine up, guiding me to him, telling me to kiss him, that he wanted me, and loved me, and that I should be with him. I lifted my face and his lips met mine. I felt like I was drowning as we kissed. I wanted to stop, knowing I loved Loren, and I wanted to only kiss him, but John had me in his power, and I couldn’t escape.

  Someone coughed nearby. We pulled apart, gasping for air.

  “Henrietta?” I said, shocked and embarrassed. Her eyes were still puffy from crying.

  “I need to use the privy.”

  “Oh, of course,” I said, feeling more embarrassed, as John and I exchanged places with her.

  She shut the door and John and I sat back down on my bed. John leaned in, his eyes closed, desiring to continue the kiss. I gently pushed him away.

  “I’m sorry John, but we can’t do that anymore.”

  “Is it Loren? Do you love him?”

  I couldn’t look at him. “Yes, I do.”

  “Can you love me too?”

  I turned back to him. “Oh, yes, John I could love you. You’re so easily to love.” I grasped his warm hand. “But I feel…an attachment to Loren that I can’t explain.”

  He lowered his head. “I thought we had a connection.”

  “We do, on some level, but right now, I’m in love with Loren.”

  He looked at me; his sapphire eyes twinkling. “So, in the future, maybe your feelings could change?”

  I shrugged. “It’s possible. Nothing is definite. But you shouldn’t wait for me, John. Loren shouldn’t become too attached to me as well. I could die at any moment.”

  He kissed my hand and then kept it pressed against his rapidly beating heart. “No, neither of us would allow that.”

  “You can’t stop Pallas. He’s the ruler; the Overlord.”

  John furrowed his brow. “What made you say Overlord?”

  “I don’t know. Why?”

  “The term is used by the Stargazers. The Linguistics Department translates Medusa’s interceptions of Stellar beyond the dome, which is infrequent, but when it is picked up, the Corporation wastes no time in collecting and analyzing the intelligence. In the last three months, the term ‘Overlord,’ has been used a total of one-hundred-sixty-three times.”

  “What else has been said?”

  He shrugged. “The experts in the Linguistics Department can’t figure out Stellar. They only know certain words and phrases from the Stargazers that have been captured in the past. Most Stargazers remain silent, so interrogating them, even with our advanced me
thods, doesn’t yield results. They were hoping you would be different—that you could translate the transmissions.”

  “I know just as much Stellar as you.”

  “We know that now. The new arrival, the Stargazer, well they’re hoping for a chance to finally break the linguistic barrier.”

  “Is that why Loren was called in?”

  “They’re going to want him to crack the Stargazer’s mind.”

  I shivered. “He wouldn’t do that, would he?”

  “There’s only so much Loren can resist. In the end, if it means his life or that of the Stargazer, he’ll serve the Corporation.”

  “If you were in his place, would you?”

  He hesitated and then said, “Yes, I probably would.”

  Chapter 10

  I separated from him. “How can you say that? How can you be so cruel to her when you declare your love for me?”

  “I’m sorry, Ava, I didn’t mean for it to sound that way, but…you’re different.”

  I faced away from him. “And what if they determine I’m full Stargazer? What then? Are you going to experiment on me, while all the time telling me you’re sorry and that you really love me?”

  He touched my arm, but I jerked away from him. “I’m sorry Ava, but I just can’t rebel against the Corporation.”

  I turned back to him with a scowl. “You can’t be brave like your brother, right?”

  His face screwed up in anger and he shot off from the bed. He went to leave, but turned back and faced me with a calmer expression. “You should be with Loren, Ava. He accepts you. He’d die for you. I know that. I can’t say I’d act the same way, although, I do love you very much.”

  “I love you too.”

  I meant it but only as one friend to another. I knew that Loren was the only one for me. John knew it too, nodded, and then exited my room, just as Henrietta was walking out of the bathroom.

  “I decided to stay longer in there—give you two some privacy.”

  “Oh, thanks, I guess. What do you think of Loren and John? Which one should I be with?”

  She sat down next to me and stared at the white wall ahead. “I don’t think you should be with anyone until you find out who you are.”

  I didn’t expect that answer, hoping she’d say ‘Loren,’ but I had to admit, she was right. I stayed silent, watching the wall with her. Soon it changed to a black screen and Medusa appeared.

  “Dinner is being served in the cafeteria if you would like to eat.”

  “Oh, thanks Medusa. Is it your job to remind us of meal times?”

  “Yes. President Pallas has directed me to keep you healthy. All female Sanctuary residents are allowed 1,400 calories a day, but you are allowed a generous 2,000.”

  I looked at Henrietta. She looked shocked too.

  “What about exercise?” Henrietta asked. “She will need to burn off the excess calories to maintain an ideal weight.”

  “Ava is allowed 2,000, but she does not have to consume 2,000. Exercise is allowed but only within Quadrant Echo, where she can travel the length of the premises with a proper attendant.”

  I smiled at Henrietta. “That means you.”

  She smiled back. “I don’t mind. I’m sorry for crying earlier. I felt like my whole world had been turned upside down when Pallas sent me away to live with you, but now…I’m better. I see that our arraignment will be beneficial.”

  “What do you mean by beneficial?”

  “I’ll have a friend for the first time in my life.”

  I smiled, hoping that her life was finally going to move forward now.

  “Yes, you will. As long as I’m here, and alive, I’ll be your friend.”

  She bit her lip. “If you’re allowed more calories, can you get a sweet, and I can share it with you?”

  I wrapped my arm around her shoulders. She was wearing a drab gray shirt and pants. I was tempted to suggest she wear mine with all the different colors, but I didn’t know if she’d accept. She was still a slave and had limitations imposed upon her. I hoped that being around me, and the unexpected freedoms I was given, she’d soon share my belongings. She was already sharing my prison cell, after all.

  “I know of something better. You can finally have that birthday cake you missed!”

  “Oh, that’s too many calories!”

  I turned to Medusa. “Is there a provision for eating too many calories?”

  The beautiful but machine-built computer replied, “You will have to increase your exercise. I will be monitoring your progress. Once you have burned off the excess calories, you may conclude your routine.”

  “Thanks, Medusa.”

  She disappeared from the screen and the wall went back to white. The door opened and two guards were ready, their guns targeted on me.

  I sighed, but there was nothing I could do. I knew I had superior strength but speed was another mystery. Could I outrun them? And how far would I get before my brains exploded in my head?

  I didn’t need to hold Henrietta’s hand, but I did as I pulled her out of the room and into the hall of Sublevel 001.

  “C’mon,” I said happily. “Let’s have some cake!”

  Henrietta led the way to the cafeteria that was above the Sublevel. Guards lined the hall outside the doors and many more were within.

  I wasn’t nervous with Henrietta by my side but that changed when everyone looked at me. None were Stargazers or at least none of them had lavender hair. They were all human. I recognized Dr. Eyre with her short red hair. She looked away from me, spooning something thick and beige in her mouth, while she sat by herself at a long table, filled with other inmates. She had on the same dress I had worn with her designation that I couldn’t make out. The others I assumed to be rebels, but as I hadn’t met every employee of the Corporation, there could have been some mixed in with the group, which I estimated to be around one hundred. There could have been more, given the size of Quadrant Echo and the numerous prison cells.

  The cafeteria was white and clean—like the infirmary. There were machines and flashing lights around. I didn’t see a server or anything like a food bar.

  “Where do we sit?” I asked Henrietta.

  “Let’s go somewhere vacant,” she suggested and led me to a long table with two unoccupied chairs on the end.

  The others stared at me; some looked curious; others looked angry. No one paid any attention to Henrietta.

  “How do we get our food?”

  Henrietta traced her finger along the white table and a panel appeared with buttons.

  “We order from here and the food materializes.”

  “It materializes? No one cooks it?”

  “No, it’s made by a computer.”

  I chuckled. “No wonder the bread is stale.”

  “They give all the prisoners sub par rations, as they do slaves.”

  “And you’re okay with that?”

  She hesitated and then said, “It’s not ideal, but at least we’re fed. The Corporation takes good care of us. No one ever starves.”

  I looked around at everyone. No one was overweight, but thin—too thin. Even if they wanted to revolt, they seemed too weak to accomplish the task. With my strength, I could be the only one to subdue the guards, but that was a risk I wasn’t willing to take—not yet anyway.

  The prisoners continued to stare at me, occasionally looking at Henrietta, wondering why she was so casual and calm around me. I was, after all, the enemy. But they were too.

  I needed a distraction. Food seemed best. I looked down at the panel on the table. I pushed a button and a menu came up. It had a list of food and beverages with exact calories. It also made suggestions of meal combinations to reach specified caloric intake for the day.

  I saw that my name “Ava,” was on the screen, telling me I was allowed 2,000 calories.

  “How does it know me?” I asked Henrietta.

  “It recognized your fingerprint scan when you touched the panel.”

  “Oh, so Medusa kn
ows everything that I touch?”

  “That’s right. It helps her track us.”

  “Or it helps Pallas,” I muttered.

  I was careful to keep my disdain of that man quiet. I knew Henrietta still thought the world of him, despite making her a slave and then kicking her out. I was having a hard time believing he was thirty. He wasn’t that much older than Henrietta, Loren, John, and Vincent, yet they revered him like a wise, old man. How did he build Sanctuary, the Corporation, in such a short time? Did he inherit everything?

  I wanted to deluge Henrietta with those questions, but I assumed she didn’t know much, so I continued with my order. I selected roast beef, a baked potato with lots of butter, green beans, iced tea, and two pieces of chocolate cake.

  “You have exceeded your daily requirements,” Medusa’s voice echoed from the panel.

  “I don’t care,” was my response. “I’ll work it off.”

  “That is acceptable. Enjoy your meal, Ava.”

  Within seconds, there was a buzzing sound, and then as if by magic, my meal appeared right in front of me.

  “That’s incredible,” I said to Henrietta.

  “That’s the greatness of the Corporation,” she reminded me with a smile.

  I ignored her devotion and looked around the room. No one had a good as meal as mine.

  They looked jealous. Some looked like they were going to approach us, but they hesitated.

  “Hurry up and order,” I instructed Henrietta. “I don’t like the look of this crowd.”

  Henrietta scanned the scene, and then shrugged at me as if she didn’t know what I was talking about. But she selected her meal: a bowl of soup and water. I quickly hit the cancel button on the panel.

  “Why did you do that?” she asked.

  I shoved the piece of chocolate cake to her. “You’re going to eat that, and you’re going to get the same meal I have.” I smiled at her. “I can’t walk off these calories in Quadrant Echo by myself, now can I?”

  She smiled back. “Okay.”

  She ordered the same and within seconds, her meal appeared, but not before a warning from Medusa that she needed to burn off her excess calories.

  “Eat your cake first, with me,” I told her.