by Dana Kelly
“See ya for chow,” said Cajun, and Edison took his leave.
“What do we call ya?” asked Cajun. “Ya Mike seemed to think ya had a man’s way about ya, but the body ya landed in is all womanly-like. Or maybe it’s neither, or somethin’ else completely, since ya was born a robotic collective.”
“I identify with this state, John LeKay,” said Nimbus. “I spent several thousand millicycles deliberating the options available to me while assessing the injuries, but ultimately welcomed this human female’s physical trajectory. Although Miguel Santos consistently projected a male persona upon me, I had never previously identified as either male or female.”
“Ya goin’ by she, then?” asked Cajun.
“I am a she,” said Nimbus. “I will inform you if that changes.” She regarded the bathroom across the way. “How exactly and with what frequency do I shower?”
Patiently, Cajun fielded her deluge of inquiries.
In time, Casey arrived and delivered a bundle of fitness apparel. Enthusiastically, Nimbus tore into the plastic and arranged her clothing on the bed. “This looks exceedingly more comfortable than the starched denim I am currently wearing, Casey Cartwright. Thank you for the gift!” Nimbus began to hike down her jeans.
Her visitors hurried out, and Cajun yanked Nimbus’s door shut.
“I’ll ask April to have a word,” said Casey.
“Looks like she could use the help,” said Cajun.
◆◆◆
Three days later, Mike knocked on Nimbus’s door, but she didn’t answer. He knocked again—louder—and called her name. After waiting a while, he pushed the door open and found her asleep on her side, buried under the covers. With an affectionate smile, he crossed the deck and lightly jostled her. “Hey, Nimbus. It’s time to wake up.”
“N equals… R… FP, NE, FL, FI, FC… L,” she muttered. “No, N equals… N-star… FQ, FHZ, FO, FL… FS.” She smiled drowsily and rolled onto her back. Yawning, stretching, she slowly drew open her eyes. “Hello, Miguel Santos. I dreamed, and it was amazing!”
“You’ve never had a dream before?” he asked.
“No, never before!” Sitting up, she tossed aside the covers and regarded him curiously. “Why are you in my quarters?”
“Casey wants to see the three of us in the briefing room,” said Mike. “You weren’t answering your door, and I got worried.”
“I suppose if the roles were reversed, I would be concerned for your wellbeing too. Regardless, I welcome your company.” With a slight smile, Nimbus shed her sportswear, donned a shirt and jeans, and slipped into a pair of running shoes. She stared at her laces as her eyes bounced slightly from side to side. With a nod, she stooped over and tied them just right. “I am ready! Let us join Orinoco Webb and Casey Cartwright.”
They walked the passageways to the lift and ascended to Deck 4. Moments later, they stepped into a large room with a holographic whiteboard, where Casey and Orin awaited them. “Glad you could make it,” said Casey. “What was the holdup?”
“I did not awaken with the expected ease, Casey Cartwright,” said Nimbus.
“For your fourth night of sleep ever, that’s understandable,” said Casey. She looked at Mike. “We’re hours away from the nightmare gate. I need to know if you’ll be signing on for the Arsenal Bay investigation.”
“I’ll participate,” said Mike. “Thanks for being patient. Do you have any leads?”
“Nothing actionable,” said Casey.
“Actually, I might have something,” said Orin. “Last night, I had the strangest dream…”
◆◆◆
Orin floated within a midnight ocean. At the edge of every horizon, stars bubbled up from the bottomless depths. He held his breath, but his lungs didn’t burn, and a gentle glow radiated from his body. He regarded his hands and found nebulae billowing within. I’m back in my nightmare body, he thought.
In the distance, he spotted a bolt of wooden lightning, and he drifted toward it. Brilliant bands of pink, green, blue, and yellow flashed around it. High overhead, an enormous eyeball coalesced. The closest star torched the eyeball with a searing cone of fire, turning half of it to stone. Pulsating spikes sprung from the scorched perimeter, and everything beyond them liquified. Countless electronic signals flooded Orin’s mind, and he held the sides of his head as he silently screamed.
A shower of leaves swirled around him, protecting him from the hurricane of data. Orin exhaled, and his body relaxed as he breathed in the dark waters. They flowed throughout him.
[Hello,] said Ellylle. [I was not expecting you so soon. What do I call you?]
“I am Orinoco,” he said. “Where are we?”
The bolt of wooden lightning unfurled into a swaying tree with golden blossoms. [I’m not sure. You’re the one who brought me here. Perhaps your connection to me is as strong as my connection is to you.]
“I’m connected to another,” said Orin. “You are not her.”
[No, I’m not the human woman you’re thinking of,] said Ellylle. [Your connection to her is superficial and will fade in time. Our connection will never die.]
“How can I find you?”
[Trust in your power.]
“If you won’t tell me, then I release you from this place,” said Orin.
The dark water surged from his lungs, as everything rushed away from him. Instantly, Orin stood before a yellow cab parked on a foggy tarmac. The transmission tower glowed faintly in the distance, and neon lights buzzed from all around. Reggie, Zella, and Lomomu startled to see him.
“Whit the devil is this, then?” asked Zella.
“Ellylle, this your doing?” asked Reggie.
A delighted smile formed on Ellylle’s face. “No, it isn’t,” she said. “This is Orinoco, and he’s the binary I spoke of just moments ago.”
Suddenly, Orin slammed back into his body, and he awoke with a gasp.
◆◆◆
“…you projected in your sleep,” said Casey.
“That’s right,” said Orin. “And I just know that transmission tower holds the key to the enemy’s ships and how they move.”
Casey gave it some thought. “Well, it’s as good a lead as anything else we’ve got. I don’t suppose your entish damsel gave you the name of the planet she’s on, did she?”
“Not that I can remember,” said Orin.
“We have plenty of clues to work with,” said Mike. “Let’s start with the first things you saw. The stars, the eye, and the ocean are probably metaphors for actual structures. If we consider what you saw when you projected—”
“It is Trionides in the Kerburen System, Miguel Santos,” said Nimbus, and her eyes darted left to right for a moment. “By process of elimination, it is the only tidally locked planet with such an esthetic that also serves as a t-net backbone.”
Mike blinked. “You skipped a few steps.”
“Tidally locked planets are also known as eyeball planets, and Trionides used to bill itself as a noir-aficionado’s ideal vacation destination, full of jazz clubs and intrigue. The cab Orin described is aerodynamically inefficient, but it captures the essence of the noir films of old. Orin heard buzzing from all around, which implies far more neon signage than could possibly be necessary for any business cluster. Whether the fog is cyclical or persistent is irrelevant. After considering the ring of towers Orin saw on his approach, the conclusion is inescapable. The world he projected to is Trionides.”
Casey raised her brow. “I’ll let Krané know where we’re headed.”
Chapter 26
Tranquility
On the planet Rhyon, Martin and his guests looked forward to the day things were safe enough to come out of hiding. They enjoyed the mansion’s comforts and spent many hours exploring their surroundings. Martin kept in touch with his team of denshi-tengu doppelgängers and provided daily updates to his guests…
Morning twilight cast shades of blue and purple upon jagged stones that loomed atop twisted, impossibly narrow bases. Monoliths stood high upon squat
legs that vanished into the earthen floor. Far in the distance, Rhyon’s moon glimmered upon rosy salt flats, as winds tore west through the stone forest and crashed against a soaring wall of aspens. A canopy of yellow leaves danced wildly upon pale branches as a nearby river coursed along a narrow bed.
The river joined a colorful lake that surrounded a windswept isle of stone, pausing to surge as a roaring waterfall, before resuming her westward trek through the woodlands far below. Dozens of caverns yawned toward the rocky lakefront, and a landing tower rose alongside a certain eastern hollow. Within that hollow’s depths—painstakingly assembled amidst the outcroppings, stalagmites, and stalactites—Martin’s mansion estate softly glowed near a gently rippling lagoon. Sunlight cascaded over the horizon, brightening the cavern.
Eridani’s phone buzzed, drawing her from slumber. With a yawn, she pulled aside her covers, buttoned her pajama shirt, and got out of bed. She trudged to the dresser and picked up her phone, speaking as quietly as she could. “Hey, Orin. What’s up?”
“Sorry, I know it’s early,” he said. “I didn’t wake you, did I?”
“Yeah, but that’s okay.” She sat down at her desk and propped her head on her hands. “I can always go back to sleep. I do a lot of that these days.”
Orin laughed quietly. “You and me both.”
“Any word on Nimbus?” asked Eridani.
“Nimbus is doing great. A lot’s happened since the last time I called,” said Orin, and he told her about recent events. “…so, I guess we’ve got a lead, and Casey wants to follow it.”
Eridani stifled a yawn. “Do you know where you’re headed?”
“I’m not sure it’s safe to tell you yet,” said Orin. “As soon as it is, I’ll fill you in.”
“How long will you be in the nightmare?”
“About three weeks, according to Krané,” said Orin. “It’s somewhere near… Ugh, I wish I could tell you.”
Thuraya stirred and rolled onto her side, facing her back to Eridani. Lengthy, black, sleep-tangled hair obscured much of her dark skin. “No worries,” said Eridani. “Hey, I’d better go. Thanks for the call, Orin. Good luck with your investigation.”
“Thanks, and thanks for picking up,” he said. “Tell Mom and Dad I love them and give Torsha a big hug for me. Are you and Thuraya still together?”
“Yes, we are,” said Eridani. “If barely, some days,” she whispered.
“She loves you a lot,” said Orin. “I hope you guys make it.”
Eridani frowned sadly and leaned back in her chair. “Love isn’t the problem.”
“Well, that’s good, right?” asked Orin. “I mean, I hope it’s good.”
“Yeah. Well. We’ll see. Keep your fingers crossed,” said Eridani. “Love you, Orin.”
“Love you too, Eridani.”
She ended the call and placed her phone back on the dresser. Quietly, she approached Thuraya’s side of the bed and leaned over to gently kiss her forehead. “Sorry if I woke you up,” she whispered.
“I’ve been awake for the last hour,” said Thuraya. She stared at the wall. “Was that Orin?”
“Yes,” said Eridani.
Thuraya huffed. “Of course, it was.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you’re still the perfect big sister,” said Thuraya, and she rolled onto her back to stare irately at Eridani. “Even though he’s the reason we’re stuck here, and you’re not even a little bit angry at him.”
Eridani sat next to her, on the edge of the bed. “What happened to him isn’t his fault. We’ve talked about this. You’re mad about something else, I can tell. What’s upsetting you?”
Thuraya groaned. “I’m not! I mean, it’s nothing. Forget it.”
“Please talk to me,” said Eridani, and she ran her fingers through Thuraya’s hair.
Thuraya sighed heavily. “It’s just… It’s dumb, okay? Don’t worry about it. I’ll get over it.”
“Nothing you’re feeling is dumb,” said Eridani.
“It’s just,” said Thuraya, and her anger faded. “It’s just that in three hours, denshi-me is going to be playing my Rumrunner gig. I worked so hard to book that, and I’m not even playing it. Have you seen the comments on my live streams lately? She’s doing a better job of being me than I did! They love her. They love the fuck out of her! Why do I even bother?”
“Because you’ve been playing guitar your whole life,” said Eridani. She stole a kiss, climbed over, and lay down beside her. “You play and sing so beautifully, and even if we’re the only ones who get to hear you right now, it’s still worth it. We’re the lucky ones. Plus, I think I’d die inside if you stopped writing songs for me.”
“They’re not all about you,” said Thuraya. She smirked as she unbuttoned Eridani’s pajama shirt. “Some of them are about sex.”
“Oh, okay,” said Eridani. “Sounds like you need some inspiration.”
“Maybe a little,” said Thuraya, and they kissed.
◆◆◆
Still in her pajamas, Eridani walked downstairs to the kitchen table. “Hey Mom,” she said, and the chair squeaked slightly as she pulled it out enough to sit. “Orin called. He’s doing fine and sends his love. He’s in the nightmare for the next three weeks. They spun Nimbus back up, but she’s permanently bonded with a mortally wounded servant.”
“She?” asked Aurora. “I thought Nimbus identified male.” Tending three skillets, she pushed around a heap of scrambled eggs, turned the bacon, and flipped a pair of vegetarian sausage patties.
“I did too. Is there any coffee?”
Aurora glanced her way. “In the middle drawer under the pastry fridge, where it’s always been.”
Eridani exaggerated her disappointment. “All right…” She trudged over to start the kettle and assemble the coffee press. Hunching over the drawer for a moment, she retrieved the manual grinder and a bag of morning blend.
“Can I get some of that?” asked Gabriela as she entered the kitchen. With her hair in a bun, she wore slipper-socks and a long T-shirt.
“Of course,” said Eridani.
Gabriela looked between her and Aurora. “Oh, I meant…” She pointed at the stove. “I meant the food. I’m not a big coffee person.”
“I know,” said Eridani. “I’m just teasing.”
“Oh, because. You’re heating a lot of water, so…” Gabriela shrugged.
“Well, eventually Thuraya will grace us with her presence, and she is a big coffee person,” said Eridani.
Gabriela nodded and sat down at the table. “Where’s my dad?”
“With mine, and the denshies,” said Eridani, and she added the coffee grounds. “They all left early this morning. Backpacking or camping, or whatever they’re doing. They’ll be back tomorrow.” She poured water into the press and stirred the grounds.
“Good morning, everyone,” said Brittany, and she joined Gabriela at the table amidst a round of good morning pleasantries. She looked elegant in her silk pajamas.
Torsha stepped in through an ornate wooden side door and brushed off her jeans. Grass and sticky burrs mottled her shirt and some of her fur. “Hey guys.” She plucked a seed from her sleeve. “By the way, the red ravine is full of hitchhiker weeds.”
“Don’t brush it off on the tile,” said Brittany. “Torsha, do that outside!”
Torsha rolled her eyes. “Be right back.”
“Food should be ready by then,” said Aurora. She smiled at Gabriela. “Yes, of course you can have some. If I’m cooking, I always make enough for everyone.”
With a dramatic yawn, Iona drifted into the kitchen, dressed in her bathrobe and fuzzy slippers. “Something smells good. Did I hear Torsha, or are my ears playing tricks on me?”
“She’s outside clearing some burs she picked up in the red ravine,” said Brittany. “She’ll be back in a minute.”
Dressed to go hiking, Thuraya at last appeared at the top of the stairs. She hurried down to join the others, as Erid
ani poured two cups of coffee. “Here you go,” said Eridani, and she sat down next to Thuraya.
Sipping gingerly, Thuraya hummed happily and leaned back in her chair. “You always make it perfect.”
Moments later, Torsha came back inside, free of burs. Aurora turned off the stove and set out a stack of small ceramic plates. She added bowls of grated cheddar and sautéed mushrooms, alongside seasonings and a bottle of hot sauce. “All right, you can start lining up,” said Aurora.
“Gabi, the sausage patties are for Thuraya,” said Brittany.
“Yeah, I know,” said Gabriela. “You don’t need to remind me every time.”
Brittany kissed the top of Gabriela’s head. “Ironically, the more you talk to me that way the more I feel compelled to remind you.”
“Mom!” said Gabriela, and she shied away.
They slowly formed a line at the counter. Gathering utensils from a nearby drawer, they chatted as they served themselves food and sat down to eat.
◆◆◆
“We should go camping,” said Thuraya. “Aurora says your dad’s group went south from the waterfall, so all we’d have to do is go north if we wanted our own space.” She led Eridani along a path through the aspens, headed back to the mansion. “Come on, it’ll be fun!”
“Getting terrible sleep, waking up with bugs in my hair, and staying up all night while everyone else is snoring doesn’t sound like fun to me,” said Eridani. She wore her floral duster, a peasant blouse, and a pair of rolled up shorts.
“I don’t snore,” said Thuraya. “I don’t!”
“Everyone snores when they’re camping,” said Eridani. “I’m sorry, but ever since my uncle died, camping has sort of lost its magic for me. It’s really more my dad’s and Orin’s thing.”
“Please,” said Thuraya. “Please? Torsha’s the only one that ever wants to go. She’s fun to hang out with, but I really want to go with you. Just this once—just tonight. If you hate it, I promise I’ll never ask again.”
Eridani paused just shy of the wood bridge leading to the island. She turned to face Thuraya and quickly melted in the presence of her pleading gaze. “Oh my god,” grumbled Eridani, and she sighed. “Are you bringing your guitar?”