by Davi Cao
She couldn’t account for aWa's earlier experiences in Colin's col.loc, however. A square red shape appeared in front of her, and to quit tight spaces, nothing better than those things that aWa knew well.
She pressed her body against the red square, and her ou.uo orbited around her in dazzled rings, puzzled by the lack of a handle at the door. To help their human escape her trap, they made underground searches, scavenging for useful materials against the wall.
A brief glimpse into honey gave them an idea, and with the concerted work of handlers, milkers and pebbles, they coated the solid area pressed by aWa’s face with a honey compost, then they hit it. A large region of the wall disappeared instantly, allowing aWa to keep walking in the exact direction of her intentions, ignoring the maze created for her.
Dalana burst into loud laughter, standing on the tips of her toes to watch the woman escape from her trap. She leaned her laughing head on Colin’s chest, inundating him with joyful vibrations, contaminating him with her own excitement.
He surrendered to it, smiling at aWa’s escape. A woman he’d give nothing for, capable of healing herself and disintegrating matter. By having his expectations broken, he could either be angry or amused. Having Dalana by his side, he chose the only worthy solution.
“I guess she can’t be tamed.” He giggled with her.
Dalana laughed, “She’ll be the ruler of your world!” She took Colin by his shirt to catch up with the walking woman.
“So how are you going to show me what you wanted? I would suggest putting her in a helicopter, but now I’m afraid to think of what she would do to it!”
“Let’s give her some time on her own, until she gets somewhere nice. Then instead of showing her to the others, I’ll bring the others to her.”
Big and wide, the city spread its tentacles of industry and commerce on the col.loc's ground, sprawled over grassy hills and devastated plains. AWa walked through the valleys of towers and warehouses, entering a calm, residential area.
“When I populate this place here, how will people deal with these other col.locs around Terra?” Colin said, swinging his arms front and back.
“If you don't know, what can I say? You won't like my solution.” Dalana walked by aWa's side.
“You can help me out, if only you try to think like me. An empathy exercise, why not? For example, we have no moon here. What will affect the tides? The col.locs?”
“Do tides need to be affected? Remember, this is the sort of question you must ask.”
“I guess they do need to be affected. It's different enough when we look up to the sky, so I need to compensate on everything else.”
“Then make the col.locs affect it, like you said.”
“Yes, that seems the best plan. It won't solve the outer space issue, though.” Colin shook his head.
“What issue?”
“Will they travel through space? It used to be exciting in Terra, you know, to build rockets and so on. It's not needed in here, where they can cross to other planets without vehicles. What will their history be? It wouldn't be the same without space travel.”
“You can make them believe space travel was a waste of resources based on fear and bad strategy. This way you can keep it in their history and move on to this new setting.” Dalana shrugged.
“Good point. I wish I could have thought of that first, though. I’m still at a loss at what I can do with my power, as you can see. Thank you for your help, Dalana. I know we don’t always get along well, but—”
“What are you saying? We are great together!”
“Oh, really? But, even when I get angry at your insistence, when I refuse your suggestions? I... I thought you—”
“Hey, I’m not going to lose anything if you don’t take what I have to say, alright? And you won’t lose anything either. You’re immortal, it’s time to catch up with this reality. Immortals aren’t afraid of arguing.” Dalana caressed his arm, showing her teeth in a big smile.
“That’s a demanding thing to learn.” Colin nodded, raising his brows.
“I know. We’re in this together, just remember that. Once you meet someone among us, you don’t have to ever lose this person. Isn’t that amazing?” She stared deep into his eyes.
Colin stopped walking, taken by a strange wave shaking his stomach. He often ignored everything he had felt for Dalana during their time together under the World Voice, unsure of his mind under the direct influence of such a creature. To live with her under new circumstances, meeting her again, liking her... He was afraid.
“Isn’t here enough?” Colin glanced sideways, to the houses and their lawns. “Does the thing you want to do require such a special place that we haven’t seen it already?”
“No, it’s good enough here. I was just enjoying the walk with you and the woman, that’s all.” Dalana entered aWa's ou.uo, becoming an orbiting moon in her misty disc.
“We can do this again some other time, we’ll have the whole of eternity to walk together. But, right now, we have an issue to solve, right?”
“Right. Let me think... Those houses over there, yes, I think it’s far enough.”
On the street framed by one story houses, large front yards on each, all separated by short fences, two blocks away from aWa, lights went on. A sign of life in the deserted road, a room inhabited by someone, the only living space illuminated from the inside in the entire city. Dalana glanced at Colin and nodded, speeding up her pace to get to the house before aWa and watch the action unfold.
Amanda looked through the window, surprised to see their street changed so suddenly. Laura sided with her and pointed Zach to the door’s handle.
“They’ve moved us. Do you recognize any of this?” Amanda said, fingers closed in front of her mouth.
“Maybe if it weren’t for the night, we could see the hills or something tall, but the way it is, we can’t figure it out. D’you want me to check things out?” Zach placed his hand on the door.
“Yes, please, Zach. I’m coming with you, don’t worry,” Laura said.
The door opened to a silent street. Darkness prevailed, broken by the faint yellow halo of lampposts. Houses slept empty, devoid of people, energy switched off. Someone walked on the road, coming toward them, a big person, fat, surrounded by a strange mist that circled her. That person shone under the artificial light, blue dirt covering her sweaty skin, moving on the asphalt in quiet steps, barefoot, stiff like a zombie.
“Has it begun? Is this the company they crafted for us?” Laura strolled on the lawn to greet the newcomer.
Zach held her by the shirt. “Laura, dear, get back here. We don’t know a thing about who’s coming. It might be a prank from other Creators.”
“Yes, stay here with us, stay close. If something’s wrong, we get in the house, ok?” Amanda blocked Laura's way with her own body.
“That’s not our house. Did you forget that?” Laura pushed Amanda aside. “We were moved for a purpose, and the purpose is coming our way.”
Zach hugged Amanda from behind, feeding on Laura’s courage, he who believed to carry the burden of protecting them, he who had no sympathy for bravery nor battle. They watched as aWa slowly approached their front yard, her image sharper at each step, the strangeness of her apparition a greater mystery to be solved.
“Laura is the one who’ll rule this world, she’s one fearless person, isn’t she?” Colin said, watching aWa’s approach the group of rescued humans.
“Why does anybody have to rule the world? Maybe she’ll just choose to enjoy it, after all she’s been through,” Dalana said, spinning a hand over her chest.
“Yes, she can do that. But I think she won’t.”
Recognizing the humans' presence, aWa turned her gaze to face those new eyes. They formed a group that held hands, that didn't make a chain, together somehow, yes, standing near one another, how could they not be linked?
Vast worlds, they allowed for that, diversity in full. They waited for her, reminding her of the time she and
uiTiu joined the five humans after the swamp. Thus, she prepared for the ritual, walking straight past them without looking back.
But Laura didn't know the protocol, hence she followed aWa. With a hand on her mouth, her straight black hair falling on her shoulders, thick eye brows wrinkling her forehead, Laura pulled Amanda and Zach into proximity with that strange person. The naked woman moved, oblivious to the first human inhabitants of the city, hypnotized, maybe?
“They just realized they’ve nothing to fear,” Dalana said over Colin’s shoulder, taking wide strides to stay ahead of the group.
“Maybe not they, only Laura. I told you, she’s the leader in here. If we’ll judge how people will react to this naked woman, she’ll be the one to watch.” Colin said.
“Is your world that simple? If they are human like us, you’re wrong. Amanda and Zach aren’t like her, and they don’t consider themselves as subordinates. They are equally important.”
“It could be, unless Laura dominates them, and I bet she can do this, if she wants.”
When enough steps took aWa away from the first contact with the human group, she made her usual U-turn, ready to face their backs and touch them. She found no invitation, however, because on turning around she met Laura getting closer to her, staring at her with fixed eyes.
The other humans came along, neither offering their backs, frustrating aWa once again. Her ou.uo had already guessed those humans' uselessness, orbiting in idle turns, noticing their absence of an ou.uo. A human without an ou.uo lacked energy, reduced to the role of a slumbering above ground animal. If only they could communicate with aWa, they would tell her to keep walking and ignore those who approached.
She did so out of instinct, getting no reaction to her appearance. Turning their backs to the incoming person played the most important part in the ritual, and if a group refused to do so, it became a mountain, not people. Thus, she let them be, tracing her lone steps on the road.
“I’m starting to think both groups won’t get along together,” Colin said, worried about aWa’s coldness. “See, we must find a way of keeping people like this woman away from my new Terra.”
“If she’s harmless, would it really matter if she stayed? You’ll lose nothing with it. Call her a spiritual guru, and that’s it. She’ll have nothing to say to break the spell on your world, and have no impact in anybody’s lives.”
“Alright, sounds like a plan. But we still don’t know if she’s harmless.”
Amanda, filled with courage because Laura stood near aWa without harm, stepped closer to the strange woman, penetrating her misty disc. The ou.uo adjusted their orbits to avoid collision with the intruder, circling their human with more elongated ovals.
Amanda spread her fingers to try to pick one of the flying ous with her bare hands, willing to study their constituency. Were they insects of some kind, or machines? After missing a few times, she got a ring, which bled dust on her palm. Its little spikes forced their way through her fragile skin, tearing it apart as it struggled to get back to orbit, energized by aWa’s presence. Amanda closed her hand and placed it between her thighs, scared to look at the bleeding cut.
“It wasn’t the woman’s fault, it was Amanda who touched what she shouldn’t,” Dalana said, hurrying to explain.
“Either way, she’s not harmless. What do you suggest to return her to her col.loc?”
“Utopia. That’s what I suggest. A place where she can walk without people nagging her.”
Zach jumped to Amanda’s side, leading her back toward the house.
“We'll pour some water, we'll find some bandage, babe, don't worry.” He pushed her gently toward the house.
“Take her in, yes, take care of her,” Laura said, keeping up her pace by the naked woman's side. “I want to see something here first, then I’ll join you.”
She entered the misty disc, disrupting the ou.uo's orbits, penetrating their realm in peace, letting them fly around her unimpeded. She raised her arms to inspect aWa’s backpack, filled with some strange substance like a gel clumped in small spheres.
Laura put a finger in the honey and smelled it. It returned an odorless scent. With the tip of her tongue, she dared tasting it, curious to know what sort of thing that woman carried in her only garment. It tasted good, very good. She saw infinity, and it assaulted her conscience with grandness.
∙ 6 ∙ Dance, Colin!
Laura found no meaning of life, she had no glimpse into the future, she felt no community with all the layers of space-time. What struck her was a powerful flavor, an amalgamation of her taste buds' potential. If taste had a scale from zero to one hundred of pleasantness, the honey on aWa’s back would reach a one hundred percent.
Good by itself, the taste would let her create anything she wished. Salmon with passion fruit sauce, Laura thought at the time, and it came to her mouth, then mint truffles and black bread. An infinity of flavor in one simple lick.
“My friend, come with me, I can give you something to wear and take care of you. Don’t wander these cold streets alone, please, join us. It’s a simple house, but full of love,” Laura said to aWa.
She placed a hand on aWa’s back, pushing her with care to the right side, guiding her to the house’s direction. The woman didn’t budge.
“There’s no reason to be scared. We won’t hurt you. We’re looking for new friends, people like you, anybody. What’s important is that we stay together and help to build a good world.” Laura insisted, struggling to keep pace with aWa while trying to face her in the eyes.
Getting no answer, still fascinated by the honey, Laura stopped walking. The ou.uo avoided that major obstacle with perfect adjustment to their orbits, losing some of their dust to the fading human body.
Laura admitted her powerlessness against the wishes of those above her, of those beings called Creators who could do whatever they wanted, no matter how gratuitous or mysterious the nature of their creations. And she was only a lost human from another world, trying to make sense of her strange new home where the sky became stone and the stars shone as dashes of light. She got back home to her friends, leaving aWa on her lonesome path to nothingness.
“Is there any way I can taste it too?” Colin said, sticking his nose near aWa's backpack.
“Oh, you’re curious about other creations now? Nice, I like that. It’s a pity, though, that we can’t. To cross dimensions, you’ll have to recreate this thing she’s carrying on her backpack and crown, and you need to know what it is first.” Dalana crossed her phantom hands over aWa.
“It did something to Laura, I could see it in her. That seems like some very tasty honey. I wonder where she gets that from.”
“The little system circling her. Pay attention and you’ll see. These ones here turn the mist into this liquid, and these other ones then store it.” Dalana pointed at the ous.
“So, it’s a thing only these tiny creatures can craft out of the air. That’s valuable stuff, then.” Colin watched the ou.uo orbit across his body.
“Yes, very precious, very beautiful and delicate. What a marvelous idea Ai.iA had...” Dalana opened her hands to try to fill them with dust.
Where Laura had gone, the door closed behind her and the room’s lights announced the humans’ gathering.
“Let's get inside with them. I want to know more about Laura's impression.” Colin tilted his head toward the house.
“And let the woman walk alone?” Dalana stopped midway between her friend and the strange new human.
“It won't be hard to find her again later, don't worry. It's an empty world.” He smiled at Dalana's nod.
“Is everything alright? Oh, God, I’m glad you got back, that person gave me the creeps,” Zach said when Laura entered the living room.
“Did she try to hurt you too? Those little things, they’re dangerous, you know?” Amanda said, holding toilet paper on her slashed hand.
“She’s not dangerous. I don’t think she even noticed us, to be honest.” Laura entered the kitchen
. She picked a glass up, filled it with water from the faucet. The taste of infinity still haunted her tongue, it disrupted her mind, took her away from normality.
“Do you think this is our new world? We’ll have to deal with people like this? I thought Dalana said we’d get a Utopia of our own!” Zach said.
“Oh, give them some time, ok? We’re not lacking anything here, it’s all fine and good,” Amanda said, pleading with a childish voice.
“That woman out there, she’s a good person. If she’s our new world, then we should embrace it and make her one of our own. She’s human like us, isn’t she? She carries great gifts to us, and we just should be patient and find out. If she comes by again, let’s make sure to greet her with warmth.” Laura stared at the wall with a fixed gaze, her tongue tingling with a rainbow of flavors.
At that point, Dalana’s smile became a greater distraction to Colin than Laura’s speech itself. His Creator friend rejoiced with the possibility of peaceful coexistence among worlds, between humans of all origins.
“Do you really believe it will be fine to let an Ai.iA human walk among mine?” he said to her.
“Well, you heard your leader speak. She sounded well-intentioned, didn’t she? If you don’t trust me, trust her.”
“No need. I trust you now.” He nodded at her. “Let’s get this planet moving.”
Out on the street, where Colin could marvel at his own col.loc, his mind overflowed with pending issues. He thought of a flying machine, to take him up to the sky, to oversee everything and become a god, a real planner.
“It's too much to think about, I don't know how you guys do it. Can you help me with it?” he said to Dalana.
“Sure. My pleasure.” She swayed her spine from side to side.