by J. D. Dexter
“We aren’t exactly sure.”
“What? I thought I just heard you say that you didn’t really know where I was.” Surely, I heard him wrong.
His swallow is audible in the lurking silence of my mental shield.
“Lando?”
“Our best guess is that you’re somewhere between Earth and Ankarrah.”
Crap, crap, crap.
“Indeed.”
“Oh sorry. I forgot you can hear my thoughts while you’re in my shield. How did I end up on a deserted section of the Psy-Matrix?”
“We’re unsure of that as well.”
“How long have I been gone?”
“I’ve only been searching for you for a handful of hours.”
“Well, at least I haven’t lost days or months this time.” I hug myself, wrapping my arms tight over my chest.
“Quite. I’m in contact with Shavix. We’re trying to figure out where you will pop out once you exit the Matrix. Right now, you should stay in the Matrix until we have a better idea of where you are and where you will be,” Lando says.
“Thanks, Lando. I appreciate you.”
“Of course, Finley. If there’s nothing else, I’ll contact Shavix again, so we can keep trying to find you.”
“Just one thing. How did I get lost on the Psy-Matrix?”
“We have no idea.”
“Sorry, I have another question before you leave. How is everyone else?”
“They are well. Brockten reported that once you left, all symptoms disappeared. It seems the green fog was some type of hallucinogenic agent. Except for coughing, there were no injuries, blood, or internal tissue. Brockten did report that Hunter is furious that you traded yourself for them.”
Lando sounds a little sanctimonious. I can just imagine his pursed lips, lifted nose, and the supercilious glint in his light-bar eyes.
“Tell Brockten when you talk to him next, that their lives will always be more important than mine. Even if they don’t agree with me.”
He heaves another put-upon sigh. “I’ll tell him. Now, if nothing else, I must get back to Shavix.”
He doesn’t leave me any time to reply before he pulls himself out of my barrier. I feel like I just got hung up on by the nerdy kid in class.
A bit of hit to my pride.
Well, at least everyone I love is safe. My pride doesn’t matter in the face of their well-being.
I look around the expanse of the Psy-Matrix. Tiny flares of light and color burst through the dark. I’ve not spent too much time here. At least not on purpose.
Kezi and Brock were hesitant to train with me here in case Anixia had spies ready and waiting for my signature to burst into existence. With that thought in mind, I wrap layer upon layer of energy around me. Imagining the onyx in which I float into a small igloo structure that I can still see out of, I huddle down and plan to wait for word from the outside.
I remember my first time in the Matrix. I thought I would be able to watch the bursts and diffusions of color for hours on end. Now that I’m waiting for something to happen, I feel antsy after a couple minutes.
A flood of questions fills my mind, each thought a wave that tumbles me over. Just as I get some semblance of any answer, another question pushes me under.
Who was Stephanie working with?
What was that green cloud made of?
Where did it come from?
Why did we really get called to the Senate hearing?
Question after question pushes and pulls at me. The Senate hearing was a load of crapola. I could have given my testimony via live stream or Skype for crap’s sake. There was no need to get us to Washington D.C. for a simple testimony. It was a huge waste of time.
Sarah once said that Stephanie and Scarsman were now pretty high up in D.C. I’m wondering if they had any sway with our presence in the hearing. But what more could they possibly want with me?
I mean sure: Stephanie probably wants to kill me just like Lazara did. Rising higher in Anixia’s ranks can’t be undersold in their seemingly cutthroat world where adira is power. But she’s got a major hard-on for torturing me.
A scratching at the edge of my onyx igloo alerts me to the visitor seconds before the structure implodes around me.
29
Dropping my physical form like a hot potato, I let the onyx bricks tumble through my energyscape.
“This is where that Dark Sider came from,” a woman’s voice says.
Dark Sider? Do they mean Lando?
“Well, she ain’t here now.” A man says.
“Anixia said she’s very adept at hiding on the Matrix. Keep your voice down,” she scolds him in a whisper.
Awesome. More assassins. My life is definitely not boring anymore. And to think, I once whined about that very thing.
I let my adira diffuse, glistening fibers forming a web with holes big enough for Brian to walk through. The faintest brush of another energyscape flutters against one of the threads holding my web together.
“Wait. Did you feel that?” the man asks.
I hold my breath, even though I don’t currently have lungs.
“No. What did it feel like?”
“Like a…a ghost.” His voice wavers slightly.
“A ghost?” The lady’s voice is full of scorn. “There are no such things as ghosts. Did your mother shake your adira container before you sparked?”
Huh, hadn’t heard that one before.
“Don’t talk about my mother like that.”
“Then don’t say stupid things like that.”
The two people after me fumble around, their energy masses nowhere near my own. As I feel them drift away, I pull my adira back down into its normal shape. Focusing my attention on where my eyes would be located if I were in my physical form, I watch them fade off into the distance. Indistinct masses merging with the star nebula shapes and colors bursts that comprise the Psy-Matrix.
Slipping my physical form back on like a favorite pair of fuzzy socks on a snowy day, I rebuild my onyx shelter. I shape it to look more like a panic room than an igloo. Forming a shallow bench, I take a seat.
Keeping an eye on what goes on around me keeps my mind occupied.
But not for long.
I’m soon bored out of my mind. I’m going crazy with nothing to do after almost seven months of non-stop training and activity. With a flick of a thought, the onyx panic room dissolves.
I shed my physical body and float on the unseen currents in the Psy-Matrix. Wishing I had a phone where I could put a pin in my location, I try to mentally mark my spot, so I’ll know where to go to check back in with Lando.
Drifting from one starburst to the next, I let tendrils of my energy drift in the ripples around me. Like trailing my fingers in the water as I float over its surface, I leave the tiniest flare of color in my wake as I pass by. My drifting form glides by other Matrix users, causing them to shudder faintly at my passing.
In some rare cases, I can hear snippets of conversations taking place. Obviously, not everyone takes mental shields as seriously as Kezi and Brock.
“Make sure you bring home the food this time, Jupiter. You do have young at home who would like to eat sometime soon.” Calls from one side.
“Are you sure? I can wait if you’re not ready.” A hesitant voice quivers.
“Stop! Please stop!” A man screams.
“…are released.” A splash of color flares directly in front of me. A long exhalation tinged with relief drifts through my energyscape as I float.
I watch as the conversations, feelings, colors, emotions, thoughts, and lights drift by me. Neither impacted by nor impacting the events happening around me; I simply exist.
***
Where I was once drifting on a calm river, now I feel as if I’m plunging into category five white water rapids. Caught in the current, I struggle to not become ensnared in any riptides or undercurrents.
A feeling of free-falling grips me, ripping the bottom of my stomach out. As I fall, I
focus my adira back towards where my eyes should be. A deep emerald pool spreads out below me.
Waves gently lap at the shoreline, ripples from the flow of energy into its depths. I reassemble my physical body a couple of moments before dropping into the verdant green pool.
Wondering if this is what being encased in Jell-O is like, I kick until I break the surface. Gulping in huge breaths, I push my hair back up off my face. Spitting out the bits of green that slid into my mouth, I realize I’m not really floating. Looking down, I realize I can walk just as easily in the green substance as I can on land.
Making my way to the shore line, I gradually rise until I’m standing on solid ground once again. With a thought, my clothes are dry and not even sticky.
One for the win column.
“Hey lady,” a voice calls from the shadows.
I nearly fall back into the Jell-O lake.
“Hey lady.”
Whipping my head back and forth—yeah, me and Willow Smith—I look for the speaker.
“Over here, lady!” the speaker says more urgently.
“I have no idea where you are. You’re going to have to come out or wave your arms, something,” I say.
A light brightens and dims rhythmically just off to my left. A blue-gray, small four-legged creature comes out from behind some blue fronds. About knee-high, it waddles out towards me.
In the face, it reminds me of Stitch from Lilo and Stitch. With almost perfectly round yellow eyes with bright red centers, it has a shark-shaped head with a segmented bony shell that covers its body. A short, broad tail extends behind it about a foot. Its stubby legs remind me of the marshmallow-like Michelin Man.
“Hi,” I say.
“Hi lady. How’d you get here?”
“I fell after floating in the Psy-Matrix. Where is here?”
“Galondga Peaks.”
“I see. What universe am I in?” So much for getting back to my Google Pin meeting point.
The red pupils wheel around in its head. “Are you dumb?”
I huff a laugh. “No, I’m actually pretty smart.”
“Who told you that?” The little slits on the end of its nose open and close quickly.
“My friends.”
“They must love you a whole lot of bunches.” It nods.
I burst out laughing. “That’s probably true, too. How did you know I’m a lady? Do you have more humanoid people like me here?”
A rush of air from its nostrils. “Sometimes. My elder told me what the differences were between you Two Foots.”
“Okay. What are you?”
The red pupils roll once again. “Bulcepts. I’m Kuni.” It paws the ground with its front left foot.
“Nice to meet you, Kuni. My name is Finley.” At a loss for an official greeting, I lift my right index finger to my forehead, bowing my head slightly.
It’s wide slash of a mouth drops open, exposing rows of sharp pointy teeth. “You’re a House Guard on Ankarrah?”
“No, but I’m very good friends with two of them.”
Kuni backs up a couple steps.
“Don’t be afraid. I’m not going to hurt you. In fact, I might need your help.” I lift my hands to show it I mean it no harm.
Kuni shakes its head, still backing up.
I take a couple steps backward. “What are the differences between Bulcepts?”
Kuni tilts its head to the one side. But it stopped backing up.
Another one for the win column.
“Lady Bulcepts have no horns.” Kuni tosses her hornless head in the air.
“Ah. Thank you for educating me,” I say.
She tilts her head the other way.
“For explaining the differences to me,” I try again.
She dips her head quickly. “How did you get here from Ankarrah?”
“I actually have no idea. I’m from Earth originally.”
Her mouth drops open again. It’s open so long a line of clear liquid drips from one corner.
“Earth?” she whispers.
I nod. “Is that a bad thing here?”
She shakes her head. “No. I’ve never met an Earther before. Most of the Two Foots I know are from Ankarrah. Or the Shiny People.”
I go through my knowledge bank of races and species Kezi and Brockten told me about. “The Licibony?”
Kuni’s red and yellow eyes sparkle. “Yes, them.”
“How do they get back and forth from here to back home? Do you know?” I really need to get back to some place people can find me.
“I don’t know. My elder doesn’t tell me those things.” If I’m not mistaken, Kuni is pouting about being left out.
“What does it take to become an elder in the Bulcepts race?”
“We have to reach majority and at least twenty spans high.”
“How many spans tall are you?”
She looks at me from the corner of her eyes. “Eight.”
Great, a sulky teenage shark who can bite my bloody knees off. Monty Python and the Holy Grail, what a good movie.
“Well, Kuni, can you take me to your elders? Would they be able to tell me how to get home?” I ask her.
“I guess.” She draws a circle with one of her front paws.
I wait.
She looks up at me, then snorts loudly. “Follow me, lady Finley.”
She turns around and waddles back into the blue fronds. A rainbow of color greets me beyond the shoreline. From palest pastels to vibrant jewel tones, every color—and some I’ve never seen—paints a beautiful picture of nature.
“I’ve never seen so many colors all in one place before.”
“Yes, our crescent is wonderful. No other place has colors like ours,” Kuni replies. She sounds both humble and smug at the same time.
“Your crescent?”
“My elder tells me you have crescents. They happen in your sky after it drips liquid.” She looks at me over her shoulder.
Drips liquid? Rain? “Rainbows?”
She sniffs loudly again. “Our crescents hold the foundation for all of our colors. Is it not the same on Earth?”
I hadn’t really thought about rainbows being the basis of each color before. Leave it to a waddling shark on a different universe to make me think of color theory back on Earth.
“I guess our rainbows do have all of the base colors represented in it.”
She just nods and keeps walking.
After a little longer, we move into a clearing. Bright purples, pinks, and blues decorate different tipi-like structures in the open space. Bulcepts of every imaginable size and color roam. From bigger than elephants to the size of baby geckoes, the Bulcepts are as diverse as humans.
A high-pitched honking sounds, causing all movement in the area to cease. The honking repeats. Kuni’s body shudders, her bony head dipping and bobbing. Another blast of honks.
Kuni’s got quite the set of honkers on her.
I chuckle to myself, not wanting to offend with laughter or smiles in an unknown race and culture. Kuni turns to look back at me, her yellow eyes narrowed in teenage disgust.
Failed on the whole not offending bit. I sigh and shrug my shoulders. “Sorry.”
“Kuni, why have you brought a Two Foot to Haven?” a deep voice asks.
Shifting my gaze, I stop myself from shifting back a couple of steps. An elephant-sized Bulcepts stands before me, staring down at me from its much greater height. A dusky rose color, the hornless forehead dips as if trying to see me a little better.
“I’m Finley Tindol, from Earth. Kuni found me near the green…lake. She has graciously helped me.” I give this giant lady Bulcepts a formal Ankarrah greeting.
She makes a small circle on the ground with her left paw. “Greetings, Finley Tindol, Earther. I am Banymal, Elder Victorious of Haven clan.”
Grunting and honking rise through the air once again. Not wanting to be rude to Banymal, I’m not going to look away to see who’s talking. The noise continues for a several minutes, the tones an
d notes sharp and excited. At one point, Banymal trumpets loudly, covering all of the other sounds.
“Please excuse my clan members. They have not met any Earthers before. You are something of a novelty.” She dips her giant head.
“No worries.” I shake my head.
“How did you come to be in our—green lake?” She tips her head to the side.
“I was floating on the Psy-Matrix as my energyscape. Not really paying attention to where I was going. All of a sudden, I felt like I was rushing down a river, then toppling over a waterfall. I ended up in the lake.”
“Make sure you stay out of the…lake…from now on,” she whispers.
“Of course. I’m sorry for intruding on a sacred place; I had no idea where I was.”
A strange honking noise comes from her. “It is not sacred. It is disgusting and filled with our—” She honks a couple of times. A couple of higher tones come back. “Waste. This is a word you understand?”
The bile backs up in my throat. I suppress a shudder. “Your waste is the green lake?” I ask in a whisper.
“Yes. Come. We must get you cleaned before the chapth begin to digest your outer layers.”
I can’t hold back the shudder this time. My whole body quakes and squirms.
“Yes, please. Thank you!”
Following behind her, we make our way through the village clearing. Banymal covers a lot of ground very quickly. I’m almost running to keep up. I’m not going to miss my opportunity to get clean after being in their poop pit.
Oh man! It got in my mouth.
The vomit rushes up my throat. Frantically, I look around trying to find a safe place to chuck.
I see a fire pit a couple steps away. Blackened sticks and charred fabric litter the ground in a small circle. Falling to my knees, I let loose my stomach’s contents. Retching and full body spasms consume my mind.
Quieting, I spit out the rest. Plopping my butt on the ground, I hold my head in my hands. Silence reigns around me. Nary a honk to be heard.
I look up, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.
Banymal is a pulsating neon pink. Her head is dropped enough I can see that her eyes are a chartreuse color with red pupils. The red of her pupil is leaking out and taking over the yellow-green color until her eye is fully red.