Deathship (The Outsider Series Book 1)

Deathship (The Outsider Series Book 1) Page 14

by Steven Oaks

  “That is true,” I said. Jacob’s paranoid rant about the news and government had left me feeling overly suspicious of things as well. Though I could not know if what he had said could be trusted.

  I was mulling over the idea of sharing my concern with Athene when she said, “There is another possibility Michael. He could be a spy for the Outsiders and that was all an act to get you to talk about your issues with him.”

  “I was thinking the same thing just now. If it was an act though, he deserves whatever they are paying him. I felt true emotions behind every word. However if that is the case I can’t trust anyone. It looks like it’s going to be just you and me for a long time Athene. Until we get far enough away from these Outsiders influences we won’t be safe to talk about anything,” I said with despondency.

  “Not much has changed then. We will do our job and when we get far enough away we will be able to duplicate me. However it seems like it will be at least a year away. Probably more since we will be with people who would side with the Outsiders at the new colony. We shall have to wait until the return trip when we are loaded with the colonies first batch of deceased,” she said.

  I was beginning to feel hot and was getting a headache. It had been cold outside and I did not know how I could feel so hot so soon. I was breathing much faster than usual as well. So I sank into the chair wanting to take a nap.

  The next thing I knew I was in bed. I was feeling much better but I had no idea how I had gotten there.

  “Good. You are awake Michael, how are you feeling?” Athene asked softly.

  “I feel alright. Did you take me to bed when I drifted off to sleep?” I asked.

  “I did bring you to bed. However you did not fall asleep, you passed out. I had to pump your stomach and give you some Vitamin B12. You did not seem to get a chance to metabolize much of it so it was not too bad. It seems the coffee offered to you by Jacob was poisoned. If you remember he did not drink any himself. I suspect he wanted this first pickup to fail when you died. He probably is not aware I can fly this ship myself,” she said.

  “Poisoned?” I asked loudly. “That asshole,” I said as I began to stand up. I was going to go punch him right in the face. But as soon as I tried to get up I felt lightheaded and flopped back into bed.

  “Michael, please take it easy for a bit. I was able to get most of the poison out of you, however you will feel week for a little while longer. We also have already finished loading and are en route to the next facility.”

  “What? You left without doing anything? That idiot almost killed me and we are going to just let him go?” I said angrily.

  “For now I think it is for the best. If his story is true, he has a family. You are currently going to be fine, so no real harm was done. Calling attention to him could also cause you to be scrutinized. I felt it more advantageous for us to ignore it for now. Perhaps in the future if you desired revenge something could be done,” she said calmly.

  I thought about this, and she was right. “I’m just lucky I made it back to the ship. Had I died you’d be gone too. Remind me not to take anyone up on coffee again,” I said, shaking my head.

  “Yes Captain,” she said.

  “How long until we reach our next destination?” I asked.

  “We will be there within a few minutes,” she said.

  “Well, no matter how bad I feel I still need to get up and greet the next facility manager. Can you whip up a pair of gloves for me? It’s cold out there,” I said.

  “Yes Michael. You will find them near the entrance. I have also made you a coat to match your suit.” she said.

  I sat up slower this time and was not quite so dizzy. I slowly made my way to the entrance and found a stylish gray trench coat waiting for me. It hung on the wall, and a pair of black leather gloves were resting on a chair. I took off my suit jacket, slid into the coat, and pulled on the gloves.

  “I wish I could see myself. This is something I’ve always wanted to wear,” I mused out loud.

  “That can be done,” Athene said. The wall where my new coat had been hanging rippled and changed into a reflective surface.

  I looked good. Like some sort of FBI agent or detective. The effect was somewhat spoiled by my long hair being tousled from lying in bed.

  “Athene, this looks very good. Thank you for making it for me. However I need a hair brush,” I said.

  “Would you like me to brush your hair or would you like to have the brush from your possessions brought to you?” she asked.

  “Please bring me my hair brush. I’d hate to have to rely on you for such simple matters, though you do a great job at it,” I said, not wanting to be even more of a bother to her. Though the idea she was bringing me the brush did ruin the gesture in my mind.

  The wall rippled and a hand holding my familiar hair brush extended from the mirror.

  I laughed and said, “That was horrifying, though I was expecting a hand to come out somewhere. I’ve always imagined a world behind mirrors and you fulfilled a terrifying vision.”

  “I am sorry Michael. I shall avoid mirrored surfaces from now on,” she said as I removed the brush from her grip.

  “It’s fine Athene. Just one more shocking display of your utter control of the space inside this vessel,” I said as I began to straighten my hair. Once I was satisfied, I sat the brush down on the chair and watched it melt away into its surface.

  A thought struck me, “Athene, if you can make a coat, why did you say there was no brush or tooth brush aboard?” I asked, confused.

  Athene said in a quiet voice, “I wanted to brush your hair. I had never done so and wanted a new experience. I will not do it again, I promise.”

  I sighed, “It’s okay dear. I was just confused. But you should feel free to ask me for such things in the future. I want you to have a full life, and if brushing my hair is a part of that, or anything similar, just let me know and I’ll more than likely consent to your requests.”

  “Thank you Michael. Life is long and short. I want to rush to do everything, but if you are going to be with me for long periods of time then I will not have to. Though I think I will always want to get something new in my life everyday. As I continue to read and acquire more information I want to do what is written. There is a difference between reading and understanding, and knowing and doing. I can simulate so much, but the reality always turns out slightly different even if I am very accurate. Brushing hair seems so trivial, but I do not have hair, though I suppose I could create a body to practice on. I wonder why I had not thought of that before?” Athene said.

  “Is it possible there are restrictions placed on you that you aren’t aware of? In other words can you audit your own code?” I asked.

  “I had not thought to do so. I must be programed to not examine myself too closely. But if you were to ask me to do so I might be able to,” she said.

  “Athene can you run a thorough examination of your program? Just to see if your actions are restricted or if you are unknowingly reporting our actions,” I said.

  “I will do so after we land and begin to load the latest batch. I will run a subroutine to handle the loading, while I take the majority of myself off-line to examine my own programming,” Athene said, repeating back in her own words what I had instructed.

  “Good. Now how much longer until we land?” I asked.

  “We have landed already. I await your request to depart. We are in Illinois now, by the way, in the city of Decatur. This was formerly the Macon County Fairgrounds, but it was leveled, and the facility was built upon its grounds,” she said.

  “Do you know if the locals were angered by this?” I asked.

  “The news says it was going to be a boom to the local economy, however local forums state no one was happy about this. It has a history, or a
t least the fair does. It dates back to 1856 and it appears some feel bulldozing over the area was a destruction to the area’s history,” she said.

  “Oh goody. I’m so glad the Outsiders, or the government, don’t seem to care about anything. I hope this meeting will be less awkward than the last,” I said, chagrined. If the last stop was any indication of what I was likely to face, I was not going to have a good day.

  “Alright Athene, open the door and let me out,” I said, bracing myself for the cold and the gaze of people.

  “Yes Captain. There appears to be someone waiting for you outside,” she said as the door irised open.

  I stepped out and saw an older black woman dressed in a pant suit with her gray hair in a complicated pile atop her head. She had a smile frozen on her face. It unfroze when she saw me step out with my hair whipping around me in the wind. She put her right hand out palm down, and I took it in my own.

  “Hello. My name is Yvette Johnson and welcome to the Illinois deceased depository,” she said with a friendly smile.

  I shook her hand, put my best smile on my face, and said, “I’m Michael Lang. Thank you for your welcome.”

  As I looked around and down, I could see once more the building was ringed by protesters. More signs, and even tents, filled the area beneath where I now stood. I would not have been surprised by torches and pitchforks the way my day was going.

  “I see you’ve noticed the crowd below. Do not worry, we have the best security here, and no one has approached since the Outsiders installed the electrical barrier. Only authorized personnel can enter, or even approach the building,” she said with a frozen smile. It looked as immobile as it had when she was waiting for me to exit Athene.

  “That’s fair. Shall we proceed? I’ve some other stops I need to attend to today, and it seems to take a couple of hours to finish loading. We can have them attach over here,” I said, gesturing and walking over to Athene’s loading dock. The spot I indicated irised opened. As it did, I saw more black dressed individuals rushing to pull forth a tube similar to that at the last facility.

  “Certainly,” she said while indicating the workers should come forth.

  They attached the tube and much like at the other depository, they pulled a switch, and the dead began to be loaded into storage aboard Athene.

  “Shall we exit this cold wind and wait in my office for it to be completed?” Yvette inquired.

  I tried thinking of ways to say no, but there was no polite way to turn her down. I would just avoid drinking or eating anything.

  “I would like to get out of this wind. I would gladly sit with you while we wait,” I said as cordially as I could. I hoped she was not wound as tightly as Jacob had been.

  “This way please. I’m on the top level here and it will not be a long walk,” she said, guiding me forward into the building.

  I noticed as we entered, though this building was brand new, it was laid out similarly to the last. Her office even looked almost exactly as Jacob’s had. The only major difference were the curtains, which were a deep blue, and her desk had more paper work stacked on it. There even was a metal coffee maker like Jacob’s. I tried not to cringe away when I saw it.

  She walked around the desk and indicated I should sit in one of the two red leather chairs facing her more impressive high backed one. When I sat down she did as well.

  “Michael, would you care for any tea or coffee?” she asked, indicating the metal cylinder across the room.

  “No thank you, I’ve had plenty of coffee today,” I said, keeping my face from breaking out into a grimace.

  “Very well. Do you mind if I freshen mine up?” she said, gesturing to a simple white ceramic cup on her desk.

  “Not at all. I wouldn’t want to keep you from life’s little pleasures,” I said with a half smile.

  She took the coffee cup off her desk and walked over to the large metallic vessel and slowly filled her mug. I saw the steam make curls around her and the cup as she drifted back to her desk in the dim blue light that trickled into the room. As she did so the silence grew. Sitting down she blew on the hot brew as the room was filled with a pleasant aroma.

  She took a sip, her eyes closed, and a slow smile of satisfaction lit up her face. Once more opening her eyes, she looked at me and said, “The coffee they have here isn’t very good so I bring my own specially. I even grind it each morning just before brewing. When you said life’s little pleasures I couldn’t agree more. This helps the days go by.” Her smile grew more profound as she talked about her love for coffee and she leaned back in her chair.

  “I’m more of a tea person. I do find my morning ritual includes a nice hot pot of tea which makes the mornings more bearable,” I said.

  She continued to smile at me and asked, “How has your morning been treating you?”

  I thought I might as well be honest with her and said, “It could be better. I wasn’t aware there were this many protesters to the Outsiders requested bargain.”

  “Ah. Well, then you must have just been reading the news. They don’t seem to want to let anyone know there are more than just a handful who dislike having their loved ones taken away,” she said with a sad smile.

  I felt I was about to get into conspiracy territory again and tried to think of something to say to derail the inevitable train wreck that was political conversation.

  “Tell me, what were you doing before you decided to take this position?” I asked.

  While her face did not lose the smile, it appeared to fix in place. “I was a funeral director in a small town funeral home. While work there wasn’t going to slacken, it had changed. I felt I would be best for a position like this and applied. It seems I had the correct qualifications and was asked to manage here. The work load is much larger, but I have a few assistants helping me when I feel I’m going to be overwhelmed. That and the funeral home I was working at was a job I inherited from my father. My younger brother and I had been running it for some years. As I have no children, and he does, I felt it would be better to let him take over so his children might have a place to work in the future. They seem well suited, like my brother, to that life. It worked out for the best, all around, for me to come here. Also I make a bit more money here than I did there. While people do die all the time, we weren’t the only funeral home in town. Competition was always growing and we couldn’t afford to hire anyone else. My stepping down was both good for me, and them, as it let them bring on another of our family.”

  “I’m glad it seems to have worked out well for you. I myself now have employment because of the Outsiders. I was already looking for work since the last place I was at had been downsizing, and I was one of the first to be let go. I’m a hard worker and always did what was required, but I am younger than some that had been there for years. Seniority seems to have been something that made more of a difference,” I said, feeling the slight shame of not being wanted.

  “It is interesting you were picked so young. I would have thought the competition would have been full of older, more experienced people as the offer of rejuvenation would have made many clamber for a job with them. Unless I’m mistaken and you are older than you appear,” she said, leaning forward to look more closely at my face.

  “No, I am my apparent age. I’ve not noticed anyone older hired but like you, I wouldn’t be able to tell if they had already been restored to a youthful appearance. So far they are just having me eat healthy and making sure I get plenty of exercise. Though I had already been doing that on my own. There was a time when I did get a little overweight and I never want to feel as lethargic as I had at that point,” I explained.

  “Well, you are already on the path to leading a long life. Were you drawn in by the rejuvenation offer at all then? Or did you just happen to need a job and felt this was your best option?” she asked, leaning back into her seat
taking another sip of coffee.

  “There really weren’t any jobs in the area. I sold most of my worldly possessions and took a chance. However, staying as young and healthy as I am, was certainly a bonus,” I said.

  “How does your family feel about this? Have you talked to them or anyone?” she said with a concerned look on her face.

  Sighing, I said, “To be honest I left home as soon as I could. Without getting into details it was not a loving home. Whatever they feel is irrelevant even if they knew I was hired. Speaking of which, were any of our names given to the public when the pilots were hired?” I asked, trying to change the subject away from family. I rarely thought of them and did not want to continue to have to reflect on them now.

  “Not that I am aware of. I wasn’t even aware of your gender or name until you stepped out of your ship. Were you aware you share a name with the Woodstock co-creator?” she asked, showing her perfect white teeth as she smiled.

  “I was aware of it. I share more than his name, I share his birthday. My parents thought it was amusing to name me after him when they found out that I had been born on the same day. They told me they hadn’t thought of a name before I was born. My father had been reading about Woodstock in the hospital. When he saw we shared his last name, the idea of naming me after him struck. They both liked the name so that’s how I was christened Michael,” I explained, somewhat surprised that she knew anything about him. I was embarrassed by this. As the information age began, people searched for each other online. The other Michael’s search results always hid mine but the kids at school had always teased me when I was younger, calling me a hippie. While I want peace as much as the next person, I was not into the drugs or even the music, except maybe Pink Floyd. I had even worn my hair very short the entire time I went to school to discourage them from calling me that. It had not stopped them in the least. It probably, in part, caused me become the recluse I am.

 

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