Reanimated_Terminal Misery

by Jon State

  “That’s amazing.”

  "So we took the suit far from the wall and tested it with some trees, and it worked. It's as if once one tree witnessed my electrical defense, they all left me alone.”

  “You want to present this to the Council, right?”

  Yes. Can you imagine us out there walking among all these fantastic creatures, studying them firsthand and not in some drab tent?”

  “You know I’m all for it, but how did you come by this amazing suit? Your specialty is biology.”

  “I have it too. Not invisibility, but my mind can visualize the possibilities and, before I know it, I’m already working on it. I know you’re going to say I'm probably that smart but…” Harmon handed Doctor Spencer a pad.

  “You’ve broken down the hormone pattern. How?”

  “I told you—I think and know. Plus, sleep has eluded me as of late, so I have plenty of time." He shrugged. "The worst part is there is an inherent issue with the hormone and the egg. Even if the female egg dropped, it would be barren due to the eggs genetic pattern. We are not going to reproduce anytime soon unless we find a viable donor.” The doctor remained silent. The news must have shocked him, Harmon thought. “I’m sorry, Spence. I know this is hard to hear, but—”

  “Nonsense. We will keep trying. In any case, the more minds involved in this, the better," Dr. Spencer said, squaring his shoulders.

  "...Of course. Still, Kaya is eager to reveal her secret and---"

  “Perhaps this is not the best time to reveal secrets, Harmon.”

  “Why?” He said, taken aback. “I heard what happened in the last Council meeting. They know there are more people like us out there, so what’s the problem?”

  “Yes that’s true, but the Council is trying to sort out what to do next. Then we can take action in how to maintain order.” He leaned forward to meet Harmon’s gaze. “It is a big issue that can cause a divide between our people. The last thing we want is dissension among our citizens.”

  Harmon cocked his head and looked away. He scratched his sharp nose considering the doctor's words. “I see. This is disturbing. You are trying to avoid a divide. I understand, but I have done the math. No matter how you approach this, the revelation will not change the challenges.”

  “But it may change the outcome,” Dr. Spencer said, keeping his visage as still as possible, math equations and computer mnemonics drifting between his thoughts. Creating a wall between his lucid thoughts had become a habit.

  “Doubtful, Doctor. I love Kaya, and I think she has the right to reveal what a remarkable gift she has acquired. Those familiar with Kaya will not fear her.”

  “I believe you. The Council wants everyone with an ability to keep it to themselves for the time being—for their own good. If one person comes forward, others may feel compelled to do the same, and I'm not sure we'll be ready. That part is true, he thought, returning to a complex formula."

  "I think the people can handle it. Look at all the wonders we have already experienced, and everyone has dealt with it and moved on."

  “Very true, but imagine if there are gifts beyond invisibility—mind manipulation, fire starter, telekinesis, or any such once upon a time impossibility. We trust Kaya, but someone that scarcely knows her could assume that she can spy on them. Think about it—do you trust everyone among us?”

  “No.”

  “Please, at least trust me. All I ask is for some time.”

  Harmon paused, unable to meet the doctor’s eyes. “I’ll think about it.” He raised his eyes. “How about the suit?”

  "We have a general meeting in two weeks, and I will introduce it personally. If you need to make improvements or make another prototype, this grants you the time.”

  “Two weeks. Why so long?”

  "There's a lot going on, and we want to get matters in order. Things are moving faster than we can adapt to. We may be able to reveal all our gifted, as well. Please give us this time frame."

  Harman’s gaze hardened. I’m sensing too much hesitation on your part, my friend. I'll get back to you on my answer.” He stood and started out.

  “Harmon, please don’t—”

  The doors swished closed.

  Dr. Spencer’s face tightened. I can’t let him stir things up. Not when we're so close. He touched the screen on his wrist computer, and it blinked awake. His fingers stopped short of the lit keys. How can you support a drugged society...? Better than chaos, perhaps, even rebellion, he thought. He typed: Ben, Harmon Deloria, and Kaya Sola are going to make noise. They are gifted, too. Harmon has also managed to exit the premises to test a new invention. Please advise.

  An immediate response appeared on the screen: I will handle it with the Alphas. Harmon and Kaya will be okay, Ben.

  Dr. Spencer’s eyes sat on the text. He felt his heart pounding in his head. What am I doing? This is not like me, but he reminded himself that these are troubling times. My emotions got the best of me before, and I jumped to conclusions, even making it a personal matter, he chided himself. He needed to focus on the fertility issue, despite what Harmon had said.

  “Hi.” Malica appeared at the door, pausing when she noticed the doctor's angry expression. She'd noticed a new weariness in his manner as if the entire colonies future rested solely on his shoulders. “You okay, Spence?”

  The open door caught him off guard. “Of Course. Just trying to figure out this infertility road block. At every turn, I encounter some unanswerable fragment,” he said, unable to meet her eyes. He closed the app nonchalantly, although his insides felt shaky. I love you Malica, and I'm so sorry, he thought, but understood that, if she discovered his secret, sorry wouldn't cut it. He vouched to make it up to her in any way possible. Malica's difficult upbringing back on Old Earth made him want to ensure her happiness. Her gift might have one day helped, but he knew the timing was not right.

  “You know. The people are saying the infertility plight may be Mother’s will.”

  “I refuse to believe Mother gave us this space in her garden, only to see us wither away,” he said, giving her a hug and a peck on the cheek. “I have something to show you.” He led her by the hand to an oval sink with a faucet and a rinse hose.

  “Oh, when did they install it?” She ran her hand along the smooth sink.

  “This morning. The Alphas efficiency is uncanny. I had so much my stomach is sloshing,” he lied.

  He handed her a cup with one hand and turned the faucet's knob with the other. She slid the glass under the bright, salubrious liquid.

  The doctor watched her drink, trying to make his face smile. Deep inside he felt guilt stab at him.

  “Delicious and cold,” she said, smiling.

  He wiped her lips with his finger. “You know I love you, right?”

  "So you profess," she said, sliding her hands over his shoulders. “Do you love me enough to get us an inside shower.”

  He allowed himself to smile and reminded himself that she wanted the gift gone. If I sense she is unhappy, I will confess my crime, no matter the consequences. “They start tomorrow.” He savored her lips, allowing the kiss to intensify.

  Malica eased away. “Then I think someone is going to get an advance payment,”

  Chapter 52

  Acolyte

  Terranova, USC

  August 17, 4067

  They walked at a brisk pace. Mirra’s backpack bounced with each determined step. She surveyed the blue sky. It held a purple hue at its horizon, where the sun peeked from its bed. She tapped bellow her ear, and her AID chimed once.

  “How may I assist you, Mirra?”

  “Are we on target for sight?”

  “Affirmative. Empire State sight approximately three miles in your current direction," the AID said casually.

  “Mirra, why do I get these scary vibes every time you and I venture on one of your urges?" Sammis said, trying to adjust his own satchel’s straps.

  “You know better than to call them urges. The other Dreamers are having differe
nt visions than mine; their dreams are compatible and mine the exception. Experience has taught me that when this happens, Mother is showing me something I must deal with on my own."

  “I’m sorry…” he hesitated. “I don’t want to sound like a coward, but I already had a plant lay seeds inside me, and I don’t think I’ve quite recovered from it.” Sammis frowned.

  “She liked you. Get over it,” she said, not turning to him.

  “Very funny. Anyway, I wish you would’ve let me at least tell the Doc or Malica. I trust them. We trust them, right?”

  “Yes, but when it comes to Mother, no one trusts me entirely. They fear what they don't understand. Let's just say; I trust Mother more than I trust humans," she muttered loud enough for him to hear.

  “Am I included among those humans?”

  “Sammis, you’re here, right?”

  “Yeah,” he said, but wondered how far she would go for Mother. He believed her implicitly. She’d been the first to hear Mother and directed the colonists to a safe place where they could start over. That was no coincidence, especially after what they’d been through. But what if Mother told her to do something…questionable? Would she tell him? He shook the thought and moved up behind her. His thoughts strayed again, and he wondered where he would be if the Cataclysm had never struck, but that didn’t matter anymore. He loved this woman, despite her scary visions.

  "There it is." She pointed to a fenced location. A red flag with ‘WARNING’ written on it, flailed in the wind. Shrubs and plants sparsely meandered throughout the site, splaying their roots to consume Terranova’s dark soil. They shied away from the two encroaching humans. “I need the keys.” Mirra paused for him to catch up.

  "Are you sure you want to stop, Roadrunner? How can you walk that fast and still look as fresh as a when we started?”

  “Terranova‘s salubrious air is all I need.”

  “Don’t see where that’s helping me.” He took two deep breaths. I need to start working out. He handed her the keys. "You do realize if anyone discovers the missing keys, I'll be the first one they'd suspect since I was the last one to sign out keys.”

  “We will not be in there long enough to raise suspicions.”

  “You said it’s probably close to the bottom,” he said watching her tap the thick lock with several plain metal coded keys before one triggered the tumblers, snapping it open. They walked a few paces before peering down at the dark iron staircase that led to the Empire's State's rooftop. Sammis checked the perimeter behind them; then he glared at the sky, half-expecting Mathew's surveillance drone.

  Mirra opened the stair’s safety gate and slid the keys into her vest. She twisted her dark-red hair into a pigtail and started down, her hard heels clanking on the sturdy hollow rungs. “My dreams are pretty specific. We are looking for an alien device. Look for anything out of place—something unusual, or way too common for a place like this. Mother found it when she led us to the Alphas, but somehow she knows it will help us against the Bisonon.”

  “How does she know it’s even here?” Sammis said, sounding skeptical.

  Mirra commanded her AID to turn on the LED lamp on her wrist computer. She turned it on Sammis—his hand came up to ward off the invasive glare. “She’s a spirit; she can do anything she wants to, and you consider yourself a scientist.” She chuckled.

  Yes, a scientist. Not a connoisseur of ghosts and deities.”

  "Spiritual creatures have mas. Hence, they are not just ethereal but can be measured. For all we know, she is an alien entity herself. Have you considered this?"

  Sammis squinted as he thought it over. “You may have something there.”

  “Try expanding your point of view. I think we all should if we want to understand and thrive on New Earth,” she said, starting down once more.

  “How are you so sure you understand her? You’ve told me she speaks in melodies and images.”

  "Believe me. I've pieced enough visions and melodies since they started coming to me. I’ve gotten pretty good at it,” she said, glancing up at what remained of the blue sky. “Mother has created all this in response to a threat. She did not encourage the cataclysm. She believes the Bisonon are to blame. She is unsure how she missed such tampering on the planet’s base structure, but she confesses that she is unable to see everything that happens around the planet, especially back on Old Earth where humans had become so prolific and destructive. She even called the humans of that time an abomination. Despite knowing that humans didn't directly destroy Old Earth, she acknowledged that eventually, she would have had to deal with their expansion. This is why we are unable to procreate.”

  “Why didn’t she stop the cataclysm?”

  "As I said, there was too much going on. Once the destruction increased, all she could do was keep the planet in one piece."

  "Why haven't you told me about this? Or taken it to the Doctor or Malica?”

  "My experience is that our people require a lot of proof, as I once did. Unfortunately, I can't offer any. I'm already an outsider due to my gift. The last thing I need is to be locked away in some shrine, or let them label me a prophet for the people. The dreamers and I fear the Council's analytical nature. And as for not telling you." She stopped and turned to address him again, her hand resting on his chest, a smile curling her lips. You would go to the ends of New Earth for me. I couldn't put this burden on you without some way for you to absolve me, in case the pragmatic Council decided to come after me. I'm telling you now because this is something tangible we can use to show how Mother is completely on our side. If you feel the need to defend me from being--I don't know--locked up or something, now you'll have some leverage."

  “That’s why you came clean about your recent visions?”

  “Yes,” she said, continuing down.

  They entered the silent monolith. The beams of their wrist lights tore away the wall of darkness. The eerie silence troubled Sammis. Last time he’d visited the dead skyscraper, Alphas and people worked at retrieving anything the colony could use, so he had not given the building a second thought. Of course, it was weird stepping onto the skeletal remains of the colossal structure. For an instant, it had felt as if he were back on Old Earth as if nothing had happened and he would exit the sleeping giant into the bay area, facing the 34th Street Canal and the shopping center across the bay. However, this time, it felt as if he were stepping into a massive grave site where the dead resided in the soundless darkness. The feeling passed quickly since New Earth had put a callous on his surprise factor. "Too bad we can't use the elevators,” he said, as they circumvented the dead, sliding doors.

  “Yes, especially when what we seek may be at the other end," Mirra said.

  “Wow! They’ve stripped the place clean,” Sammis said, noticing the exposed ceiling’s entrails. I hope we don’t run into trouble in the collapsed section.”

  “I found out that the Alphas already cleared that section and reinforced it.”

  The descent tested Sammis’s hamstrings, but dread filled him when he considered that they might have to ascend a hundred floors toting an unknown object. Curiously, Mirra seemed unaffected by the challenge. He watched her small, lithe form as she efficiently managed each landing and wondered where she found time to workout.

  They reached the third floor with Mirra never pausing. "We're almost at the bottom," she said.

  Mirra and Sammis had deliberated concerning who put the object they were looking for in the building. The Bisonon definitely didn’t, and Mother knew it existed, but she was a spirit being and used no technology, at least, not that they were aware of. What remained were other preternatural entities: another alien race, a time traveler, or had it been there from the start and they missed it, perhaps because it’s disguised to look mundane. That was hard to believe since they’d been stripping the place for days now.

  On their way to the second floor, Mirra jerked to a full stop, her head snapping forward. “That’s it.”

  Sammis aimed his light at
the dark, cube-like object, wondering how they’d missed the shiny, seamless box. At least it doesn't look bulky. The thought made him feel a bit guilty.

  Lint played within the beams of light, while a silent moment passed between Sammis and Mirra.

  Mirra started towards it, but Sammis tugged her back by the shoulder. “Let me go first. Remember, I’m the qualified Guinea pig here.”

  She smiled back at him, “Okay, my brave lover.”

  Sammis eyed the box. It was scarcely the size of a picnic basket. He inched his fingers toward it as if it were a rabid dog. "It's warm,” he said, running his hand over it.

  Mirra came around him and touched the smooth black surface. Her eyes disappeared back into her skull, and she started to quiver. Sammis tried to yank her hand free. The cube appeared to have merged with her hand. He held her steady as she shook. “Mirra! Can you hear me?" Her mouth opened and closed, but no words came. He kicked the cube and felt his toe snap as it connected with the unyielding surface. "Ow!" he screamed. His hand went for his hunting knife hoping to pry her hand free. Mirra stopped shaking—she went limp. Her hand detached, and he carried her away. He sat on the stairs and cradled her in his lap.

  Sammis glanced back at the object, but it remained as they had found it.

  “Mirra!" he pleaded. He took her hand and summoned her AID through her arm computer.

  “Linked,” it said.

  “How is she?”

  “Mirra’s vital signs are within normal parameters. Her sleep cycle is ending.”

  “Sleep cycle? Are you saying she’s just asleep?”

  “Affirmative.”

  Sammis sighed. "Oh, thank Mother." He ran his hand through her soft hair until he saw her stir.

  “Wha-what happened?” she asked, her eyes blinking in the defused light.

  Mirra tried to sit up, but Sammis embraced her. "All I know is, that you touched the black cube and started convulsing. That thing held on to you as if glued to your hand. Then it let you go, but you remained asleep for a few minutes. Can you remember anything?"