by Merita King
“You have amazing insight, Tearan,” Hunter said.
“I guess I’m bound to have, seeing as I used to be him. Thank you for your honesty. I can fully understand why you were hesitant to do this and I apologise for my impatience.”
“We forgive you, absolutely,” Hunter said. “Now that you know the circumstances that brought you here, our advice is that you leave Dosmik Lolien alone now for good and move forward as Tearan Lindo. You can watch the vidicom of Dosmik giving his permission to be involved with the Dreamspinner Project if you wish, but I will pray you decide against it. No good can come from holding onto that other person any longer. He had his life, now you have yours. We cannot change the mistakes of our past, but we can learn from them and endeavour to make the rest of our life positive.”
Tearan nodded. “Yes, I agree. Thank you all. For giving me this chance to live a good life. I intend to make the most of every moment of it. What happens to me now?”
“You will remain here for a while longer so we can observe how you cope with things now you know about Dosmik Lolien and while we make arrangements for you to take up your life as Tearan Lindo. As Tearan, you are a serving member of the IGEC and have been on an extended leave of absence for health reasons. If you wish to, you can return to duty with your unit or we can give you a new life and career.”
“It’s what I feel is my life. One thing though, will the guys in my unit accept me? Will they take me for the Tearan Lindo they remember?”
Danvers leaned in. “Ahh, I’m glad you raised this point. The person who donated the personality of Tearan Lindo was not named Tearan Lindo. You know him as such, but his real name is kept secret. We only ever refer to him as Donor J771946-116R. He served with Unit 389C4 and died in action. You have been moved to a new unit, 831J2. This will save you from having to explain why your unit buddies don’t remember you. When you’re ready to go back to work, if you ever want to that is, you will also take possession of a new residence. This will prevent any awkward conversations with neighbours who knew your donor.”
“That makes sense I guess. Can I ask another question?”
“Of course,” several voices replied in unison.
“Dosmik’s parents, his family. How are they coping?”
Melissa was still holding Tearan’s hand and now gave it a little squeeze. “His mother passed away after a short illness when he was twenty five. His father was well into the initial stages of an advanced brain disease by the time he committed his crime, and has never shown any signs that he knows what happened. At the time of Dosmik’s incarceration, he had difficulty remembering much more than his own name and when questioned, had no memories of his past family life. He is well cared for in an elderly person’s care facility and apart from the steady progression of his brain disease, his physical health is reasonable for a man of his advanced years.”
“I’m glad they were spared the knowledge of what happened, of the shame.”
“It is probably for the best,” Melissa agreed.
“You can if you wish, continue working here with us,” Hunter said. “You will be paid the same as the other security guards and have the same health cover etcetera. Take however long you need to think about it. If you do decide to move out and return to the IGEC, we will require you to visit us for a week every few months to begin with, then once a year once we feel happy you are settled and not having any problems. At all times, we are just a call away. Any time you feel you are struggling or if things are happening that you can’t understand, you call us, day or night. We’re here for you always.”
During the following two weeks, Tearan blossomed into himself so completely that the Dreamspinner Project staff were amazed and delighted. He did as Hunter said and thought about what to do with the rest of his life, but there was never any doubt in his mind. He was a soldier, a serving member of the most elite military unit in existence and he had no desire to give up the life he loved to be a security guard on a scientific research ship. This group of scientists had given him a new life and he would always be grateful, but his life was with the IGEC and he knew he needed to start his life properly.
Doctor Hunter said he would be sad to see him leave, but understood and wished him well for his future. Once the decision was made, Tearan helped the team to plan for his new life. A new apartment in a nice area of a large city on Arlenika’s smallest landmass was purchased for him and furnished according to his taste. New identity documents were ordered for him and an account was opened in his name at Arlenika’s largest bank. Since he had been away from active duty for some time, the IGEC required him to attend a two-week re-familiarisation course and Tearan readily agreed. It would give him an opportunity to get to know his new working colleagues and to bond with the team properly. He was looking forward to being able to be himself, to forget about the Dreamspinner Project and get on with life as Tearan Lindo. He was truly happy for the first time since he woke up, afraid and alone without knowing anything but his name and anticipation coursed through him as he waited for the day of his departure to arrive.
Doctor Hunter repeatedly reminded him that he was welcome to remain aboard the Novosentia if he wished, and Tearan always thanked him for the offer, but turned him down. He was truly grateful for what Dreamspinner had done for him and felt a little guilty at wanting to leave. Hunter shook his head.
“No, Tearan. Do not feel guilty at being the success that you are. You have given us a tremendous gift, the knowledge that what we do is helping people live better lives. There is no way for us to adequately explain what that means to us and every minute you are out there, living your life, being productive and happy, only compounds our success. Feel happy about that, not guilty.”
The following morning, Tearan’s modest belongings were packed and waiting for him in the shuttle bay, along with Hunter, Danvers, Melissa and his two security guard friends, Andy and Brick.
Tearan shook hands with Hunter, who reminded him to call them weekly and update them with his progress. He promised he would and thanked him for everything. Danvers man hugged him and wished him well, and Melissa kissed his cheek and made him blush. He thanked her for being so honest with him, for being someone he instinctively felt he could trust. It meant a lot to him when he was scared and trying to understand. Andy shook his hand, then punched him on the shoulder and laughed, his eyes welling with tears as he told him to take care of his stupid ass. Brick approached, his arms open wide and hugged him close. Tearan was about to tell his friend to look after Andy, when he realised his head felt funny. Confusion swept inside his mind as he watched all that he knew himself to be, fade and then disappear. For a moment, he was alone inside his empty mind and screamed silently inside the aching void of his own vacant soul. Just for a moment, then darkness claimed him.
“Congratulations, Doctor Hunter,” Danvers said with a grin. “A very successful trial.”
“The most successful yet by far,” Melissa Frost said.
Hunter nodded as he put away the small device that was secreted in his palm. “Indeed. Such a shame we were never allowed to let it continue further.”
Danvers shook his head. “The powers that be would never allow it, not until we can guarantee reliable results. There are still too many unknowns and variables to iron out.”
“I know,” Hunter replied. “I’m delighted at how this is progressing. I’m sure this one could have functioned quite successfully, led his own life and been productive.”
“I agree with you,” Melissa said, “but we must operate within the guidelines or we’ll have our funding cut. We have to curb our enthusiasm. Better that than have to explain a tragedy. What would you do if this animal had regressed and murdered again? We can’t forget what he is and what he’s done.”
“But we’ve proved we can not only tame the savage, we can change him,” Hunter replied. “We can now make a leopard change his spots, permanently.”
“Well I feel happier knowing this particular savage will never see the light o
f another day as a free man,” Danvers remarked. “How you ever got permission for him to visit Earth like a normal person I’ll never know. Whose ass did you kiss for that?”
“Quite a few,” Hunter said. “It was worth it though. That visit was a roaring success and I happen to know that several of the committee members were seriously impressed with how he conducted himself at the meeting. He sowed seeds for us down there, Danvers, seeds of belief in Dreamspinner and what it will mean in the future. We deserve a drink. Let’s go to my office and open a bottle eh?”
“We’ll put this one back into storage, Doctor Hunter,” Brick said as he and Andy carried the body from the shuttle bay.
“How many times can one person be uploaded do you think?” Melissa asked.
Hunter shrugged. “I’ve no idea but in theory there should be no limit to the number of times we can upload into a host. So long as the brain is kept functioning at optimum and no damage occurs, I don’t see why we can’t use each one multiple times. How many times as that crazy been used?”
“Tearan Lindo was his twenty-fourth time,” Danvers said as he read from the file. “He first came to us aged twenty-one after butchering his wife and children. He stole her from his childhood friend, who killed himself directly after their funeral. That friend was the donor of the personality we call Mykus Romin.”
“It was a gamble using someone connected to him as one of the implants,” Hunter said. “The results were interesting though. They seemed to connect in a much stronger way than he did with any of the other personalities. Even though Tearan Lindo never knew the other man, they still connected with an instinctive friendship. That tells us so much about the way humanoids make connections with each other and how deep they go. It will help us fine tune our procedures.”
“I’ll write up my notes and make some recommendations for the next board meeting,” Melissa said. “What do you want done with the crazy?”
“Let’s leave him on ice for a day or two and then start over.” He poured the drinks and handed them round before raising his glass for a toast. “To the crazies and murdering savages. Without them we’d all be out of a job.”
His eyes flickered open and bright light burned into his awareness. Pain registered next, and he moved his body in response, only to discover his back was the source. As wakefulness overcame him, he frowned as he realised that he was lying down in a strange bed inside an equally strange room. Sitting up, groaning as his back complained, he swung his legs gingerly over the edge of the bed and swept his eyes around his immediate surroundings. He did not recognise the room and frowned as he tried to force his memory to explain how he got there. It was then he realised something that frightened him and he cried aloud.
“Who am I?”
THE END
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OTHER WORKS BY MERITA KING
The Lilean Chronicles: Book One ~ Redemption
The Lilean Chronicles: Book Two ~ The Sleeping
The Lilean Chronicles: Book Three ~ Changing Faces
The Lilean Chronicles: Book Four ~ Avalanche Effect
Floxham Island ~ Sinclair V-Log AZ267/M
Bygora Vandos ~ Sinclair V-Log LB734/A
The Trials of Nahda ~ Sinclair V-Log PA884/R
Fetish ~ Sinclair V-Log BY915/M
Acts of Life
A.W.O.L
Delectus Morbidium
Psychomanteum
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Merita King describes herself as an eccentric, somewhat outspoken, autistic visionary. She lives in southern England with her two cats and a vivid imagination.
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