Blue Kaiser Copenhagen was an incredible campus, covering eighteen square kilometers on two levels, the upper level under a variable climate shield. It housed the best of the best of the world’s medical personnel, technology, and advanced solsys wellness. The organ farm alone covered two square kilos, and the Virtual Surgery Center, led by solsys renowned Dr. Cartis Raintree, was rated number one throughout the planets.
Mira kept a live drone view of the campus in her wrist, and she would occasionally bring it up when bored. She had been there as a child when her mother got new eyes, and she fell in love with the flower gardens and the many lighted fountains. As bad as her current situation was, she was ecstatic to learn that she would be having the procedure done there.
With beautifully sculpted buildings, perfectly manicured lawns, walking tracks and fitness rooms, hotels and golf courses, it was a resort as well as a hospital campus. Self-diagnostic kiosks, hard-sleep chambers, chirobots, grow-your-own restaurants…it was a wellness paradise. Corey and Pel found themselves quietly marveling in it as they waited for mom to wake up. They were sitting on a bench in the South African flower garden, not saying a word. They were told mom was going to be fine, but the anxiousness hadn’t gone away. Corey’s mind was a storm of emotions when his wrist buzzed. It was Reena.
“Hey.”
“Hey Guapo,” said Reena. “How’s your mom?”
Just hearing her voice opened a floodgate. Corey cried like he had not cried in years, thinking about all the little things about his mom that he loved so much. He pictured her making pancakes, feeding the ducks at the park, kissing his knees when he would skin them as a child. He was blubbering away so much he couldn’t talk, so he touched his wrist to Pel’s to transfer the call. She hovered in front of Pel.
“Hey, Reena.”
“Pel? Is Corey ok? Is your mom ok? What’s-”
“No, she’s good, she’s good. Corey is just melting down.” He gave his brother a light shove. “She’s resting. They said she cruised through it.”
“That’s hivol awesome. I’m so happy for you. You guys must be so relieved!”
“You bet we are. We did the right thing coming home. Here, Corey is drying up, here he is.” Reena hovered in front of Corey.
“A little emotional?”
“I guess you could say that, huh?”
“I don’t blame you one bit, babe.”
“She was so crazy happy to see us. I really think it made a difference.” He sniffed. “We’re just waiting for her to wake up. She’s been in and out, you know.”
“Yeah…”
“This place is cat smack, Reena. Makes me wanna get sick sometime.”
“Haha, you’re ridiculous!”
“They grew her new organs just yesterday. That used to take like, a week! It’s unreal what they can do these days.”
“Well, don’t get sick anytime soon, goofball.”
Goofball? “I miss you already. What’s happening on your end?” He sniffed again.
“Everything. I didn’t realize they wanted us active immediately, and there’s quite a few of us...including Panus Liberty.”
“Whaaat? Moons, I’m jealous!” Corey exclaimed.
“And Kika Jakker. It was good to see her again. She’s gonna help me hide-”
End of Transmission
“Whoa, she’s gone.”
“That’s weird,” said Pel.
“Telcom, connect Reena.”
“Telcom!” Corey barked. “What the-”
“Telcom, connect Dad,” Pel said, raising his wrist and tapping it.
Silence. The boys looked at each other in disbelief. They had never seen this before. Telcom was always there, always. It was as reliable as the sunrise. Until now.
They looked around, and people were acting strangely. No one was walking. Everyone was just standing in place, many looking at their wrists. No screens were hovering in front of anyone, and drones everywhere were landing. The billboards were gone, too. The sky looked bigger than Corey and Pel had ever seen it, with no ads, no apps, no directional indicators. The air was strangely quiet, except for the voices around them, some angry, some panicked, some just yelling Telcom! over and over. Corey was about to-
“Telcom connected.”
“It’s back! Telcom, connect Reena.”
“Telcom, connect Dad.”
“Wow, what was that? Are you ok, Corey?” Reena asked, with a higher pitch to her voice. Corey got up to walk away from Pel.
“Yeah, we’re fine. That was completely weird.”
“I just saw six car crashes in what, three minutes? Groundcars, they ran into each other!” she said.
“Maker Me, that’s insane.” Corey touched his wrist. “Telcom, what happened to Telcom service?”
“Telcom is still ascertaining how the malfunction occurred. Malfunction duration was three minutes, forty-seven seconds. Update. The malfunction occurred as a result of a deep space booster shutdown. Restoration made possible by using system bypass. Full disclosure of event forthcoming, stay tuned.”
“Did you hear that?” Corey asked.
“Yes. Strange.”
“Corey!” yelled Pel.
“I guess we’re going back in to see our mom. I’ll see you soon, baby! I love you.”
“I love you too. Bye.”
“Mom! Dad!” Corey and Pel both exclaimed, at once. They wrapped their arms around Roy simultaneously, then each took a side of the bed, taking turns hugging Mira. She was awake and alert, with a big smile on her face.
“I’m so glad you boys are here,” Mira said. She began to cry. “Knowing you were coming gave me so much good energy! But I’m so sorry you had to leave your job; I feel terrible about it. You didn’t have to do it.”
“Don’t you spend one minute worrying about that, mom,” said Corey. “When you get on your feet we’ll get right back to it, depending on what happens with this crazy Foon situation.”
“Hard to believe, isn’t it?” said Roy. “I’m surprised people
haven’t panicked. Everyone seems so calm.”
“How about that Telcom shutdown just now?” asked Pel. “Did you guys fry?”
“That’s what woke your mom up.”
“How is Ari?” Mira asked. “Was he upset you left?”
“Well, he-” Corey started.
“Not at all, mom,” Pel interrupted. “He’s waiting for us to get back. He lives there, you know, so he’s ok. Right, Corey?”
“Yep. He’s good.”
“I heard you met a girl?” Mira said.
“Hey, don’t get me started on that, mom,” said Corey. She-”
“She’s a rocstar, mom!” Pel said. And she’s crazy, in a good way. And she’s going to the White House to help with the Foon situation, and I’ll bet-”
“The White House?” asked Roy.
“We don’t have to bore them with all that, brother,” said Corey. He turned to Mira, “But she is gorgeous and well-educated, and I think you’ll like her. I’m meeting her tonight at a club called Britney’s. It’s right here on the hospital campus!”
“You boys are using the rooms, yes?” asked Roy.
“We are. Kak shell dad, thanks a galley,” said Pel.
“Love is a funny thing, boys,” said Mira. She took each by the hand. “You just never know where it hides. I’m happy for you, Corey.”
“Well, mom, it’s only been a week. We’ll see.”
Mira smiled, but her eyes began to close. “Gosh, I think I’m getting sleepy again.”
“You get some sleep, darling,” said Roy. He kissed her forehead. “The boys and I will catch up a bit in the cafeteria, ok?”
“Ok. I love you all. Thank you again for coming, my precious boys…and I love you, darling Roy.” Her eyes closed slowly as she smiled.
* * *
To get into Britney’s you must, among other things, stand under a full hardscan. Corey was worried, since the scan looks specifically for people who have recently arri
ved from other planets in the solsys and singles them out. Sure enough, he was asked to step aside and had to produce identity, as well as tell the story of the most recent soldays of his life.
And that was just to get through security. Walking to the entrance, Corey realized there were at least a hundred people waiting to get in. He watched as a trilite scan shot down from an overhead drone, lighting up a woman only a few feet away, and her image appeared in the sky above the area. On that image, her hair was highlighted, followed by her jacket, skirt, and shoes, then it turned her around one-eighty and highlighted her backside. “8.5” appeared on the screen, bringing a rousing applause, and one of the bouncers took her by the arm to escort her into the club.
Corey was laughing at the stupidity but worried he would be out there all night while Reena waited for him inside. Don’t see much of this on Moon. He was just about to call Reena when he himself was hit with the light. He looked up at the display to find that he was a 6.5, which summoned a chorus of boos from the crowd. He put his hands up in the air and looked around as if to say, “is there a problem?” A bouncer immediately approached him, and Corey assumed he was about to get kicked out.
“You didn’t make the kak scan, brother,” the bouncer whispered in his ear, chewing gum loudly just to be annoying.
“Yeah, I’m sorry, but I just got here, and someone is waiting for me inside. I didn’t realize-”
“Oh, someone…now, who would that be?”
“Reena Coolie.”
“Reena who?”
“Reena Coolie, the singer.”
The bouncer floated a list in front of his face, still chewing.
“Hmmm, what’s your name, bro?”
“My name is Corey Jagger-Seven, but I should be on her list, she-”
“Reena…what’s her last name again?”
“Seriously?” Corey stood taller, “you’ve never heard of her? First night on the job, tude? Reena Coo-” The bouncer burst out laughing, chewing his gum right in Corey’s face.
“Relax, Romeo, we know who you are…she’s at the Mezzanine bar on the left side.”
“Oh, well…thank you.” Corey’s heart was pounding as he followed a lighted walkway. He had no intention of getting into it with that guy; he wouldn’t even know how to begin. Still, something about the guy pretending not to know who Reena was ticked him off.
After making it to the front entrance, Corey engaged a hover which took him down a dark corridor complete with visual, audio and touch effects relating to the time period of the 1990s, which was Britney’s theme. As he approached the club, a beautiful blonde hologram wearing a cropped white top and a short plaid skirt summoned him with her index finger, making a pouty face and saying, “Welcome, Corey! Have a good time tonight!”
Oh, I will. Now start hiring live bands.
The door dissolved and the sound of the club blasted his ears. Corey looked around as he made his way to the mezzanine bar. Every female server wore long blond hair, cropped white tops and short plaid skirts, while the men wore black tuxedos with silver hair piled high on their heads. They all sported the Britney’s logo in North Moon diamond, orbiting their foreheads. Electronic music pulsed while people danced inside glowing tubes along the walls, and the circular dance floor was filled to capacity. Anti-grav was attainable by simply jumping up from the main floor, so there was a column of dancers, a hundred feet in diameter from the floor to the open ceiling. Laser drones were flying everywhere, carrying flowers, dulcies, vapes and zing zing vials to be grabbed by the nearest lucky person nearby.
As much as he enjoyed taking all this in, the only thing Corey cared about was that somewhere in this mass of humanity was Reena. Mom was resting, Pel was turning in and the night was reserved for them.
And there she was.
Sitting at the bar with an artiman on either side, she was nursing a seltzer and looking hot. Not wanting to be predictable, Corey dropped to one knee behind her and began singing Love Me Tender at the top of his lungs, to be heard over the house music. It was awful, but Reena turned around with as big a smile as a person can get.
After dismissing her guards, she yelled over the music, “My vocal coach can help you,” and Corey made a mad face. Then he smiled, took her face into his hands, and gave her a short, tender kiss.
“Corey, we’re on Earth…lots of spies here! Are you up for that?”
“I think I’m up for anything.”
He received a tap on the shoulder and turned around to find a few noticeably attractive girls who asked if they could have a photo with Reena. Reena complied.
“You’re Corey Jagger-Seven, right?” asked one of the girls.
“Yes, I am,” said Corey, and she asked if she could take a picture with him as well.
I’ve been asked for a selfer on Earth. I can die now.
“Of course, here we go.” They posed, and he gave a well-rehearsed smile. This is unreal.
“I heard The Cosmotix on Lunar Tunes,” the girl said. “You guys totally melt. Your ‘Tycho’ plate is so thrust!”
“Thank you a galley! Keep checking us up, ok?” said Corey.
“I will. Thank you, bye!” The girls turned and scampered away with their new photos hovering in front of them.
“Now who’s the rocstar? Reena poked.
“I didn’t know anybody on Earth even listened to Lunar Tunes!” Corey’s ego got a jump start.
The music kept playing, but it didn’t exist. The people kept talking, but they didn’t exist. The bartender asked if they wanted something, but he did not exist, nor did they really need anything but this moment.
Reena was sitting on a barstool and Corey stood next to her; hands touched hands, and the two moved closer together. Bodies touched, a knee against a thigh, a chin against an ear, lips brushed eyebrows and eyelids, a mouth opened against a mouth.
Reena pulled back. “Um…let’s walk?” she said, fluffing her hair.
“Yes, walk, walk is good…uh, can I just stand here against the bar for a minute first?” He grinned.
Corey and Reena walked what was called the “Live Your Best” walkway. It was an invisible sidewalk that covered the entire campus. Those things usually made Corey a little queasy, but that was not the case tonight. He just kept focusing on the feel of her hand, the sound of her voice, the presence of her body next to his. It was intoxicating.
“When I was a little boy, my mom and I were riding horses at Berlin Meadows outside of Tranquility one day. Pel was with dad, and I had some alone time with mom, ya know? Something spooked her horse and she got bucked off and fell right on a big rock. She got the wind knocked out, cracked several ribs and couldn’t talk. I didn’t know what to do.”
“What did you do?” She squeezed his hand.
“Mostly cried.” He let out a small laugh. “I didn’t have my wrist implant yet, and I was panicked. I didn’t know how to operate hers. She was unconscious, but I couldn’t tell if she was alive or dead.”
Beneath them was one of the Kaiser lakes, lit aqua and gold. A fountain in the middle shot water up right beneath their feet while fireworks exploded just above their heads. They stopped and stared.
“A drone spotted us though, and a ranger was there pretty quickly. Turned out it wasn’t that big of a deal, but to me it was the most intense experience ever.”
“I can only imagine, how old were you?”
“Like, six or seven. I told myself right then that I would always know what to do from then on. And I would play out scenarios in my head, every situation I was in. What if this happens, what if that happens, what will I do?”
“That’s a lot of pressure to put on yourself at such a young age.”
“I still do it.”
“Does it bother you? Are you like, anxious?”
“Well…not really. But that’s when the dreams started. I…I have them a lot. Dreams that come true in some way. Or they just point to a truth. I really don’t know what they are or why I have them.” He stared straight
ahead. “Just part of my weirdness.”
“Ha, Corey you’re not weird. You’re super normal.”
“Well, Pel says I’m boring. Too straight, obey all the rules, nice guy. Never been in a fight. But tonight the bouncer at the club gave me kruk and I felt like whacking him!”
“What, what happened.?”
“It was nothing. I don’t fight.”
“You’re not boring.”
Corey changed the subject. “Maker me, smell that! You know what? I love the smell of the air when it’s going to rain, but here it’s like...”
“Me too,” said Reena. “It always reminds me of my first trip to Earth, when I was eight. My bio-dad took his wives and me to Texas on a fishing trip, and we had the most amazing time. He told me to breathe deep and said, ‘you smell that? You’ll never smell that anywhere but here on Earth. It’s gonna rain tomorrow.’ I loved that fresh, clean smell, and it did rain the next day. We danced in it and sang for like, hours. I remember they were really smack people and were very good to me, but most of all, I remember how much I fell in love with Earth. Nothing man has made even comes close to what the Creator has done.”
“Amen to that. So, your bio-dad had wives? Plural?”
“Yeah, two. He was born into the People’s Church in Hellas. I’m actually half-Martian.”
“Oh, that’s hivol! I love Mars; why didn’t you tell me when-”
“It’s my family. I love my bio-dad, even though I never see him. But my Martian side is not exactly royalty. Pretty shady characters. Even members of the Solis Cartel.”
“Moons! That’s scary.”
“Yeah. It’s ok. It makes me want to be better, you know? Not just a singer, but a difference-maker.” She laughed, “I do tend to stay away from the Hellas Planitia area, though.”
They walked and talked for over three hours, traversing the upper and lower campuses and taking in the sights. There were the gardens, the lakes, sports competitions, meditation meetings, and a children’s playground where they played on the swings, laughing the entire time.
Arriving back at Reena’s room, they put together a snack and made their way to the couch to cuddle and watch the Apple. Corey had something to say but was anxious.
The Cosmotix 2198 Page 18