by Lee Stephen
I am aware of your purpose, Ju`bajai conveyed without prompting.
Her brow furrowing, Esther turned to the medical bay door. What do you mean?
You purpose to inquire about the mission of Centu`vach-Shon and his master. The information you seek, I have ascertained. I will relay all things to you upon my release.
“Sorry, it can’t wait until then,” Esther answered, inadvertently slipping out of thought mode. “We need this now, sprite.” Esther waited for the Ithini to reply, but no reply came. Hands on her hips, she faced the medical bay door and said warningly, “Ju`bajai…”
The Ithini’s words surfaced again. I am willing to provide you with the information you seek in exchange for my freedom from this cell. Until that time comes, the information will remain mine.
“Are you really trying to blackmail me right now?”
You are assigning negative connotations to an act that should be expected in a friendship. You should be happy to barter for my release. Esther opened her mouth to reply, but the Ithini’s thoughts cut her off. Your present location in the hallway is not ideal for this conversation to continue. Please enter the first room on your right. It is unoccupied.
The scout faced the room. “How do you know it’s unoccupied? Can you see through the sodding wall?” Ju`bajai never answered. Approaching the door in resignation, Esther gave it a gentle knock. After several seconds without response, she turned the doorknob and eased in. Indeed, the room was vacant and stark, indicative that no one had lived in this particular room for some time. Locking the door behind her, Esther flicked on the light and walked to the center of the room. “I’m waiting,” she said.
Once again, the Ithini’s thoughts came to her. I possess the knowledge that you seek. Once I am permitted to roam this facility freely, as I was permitted in Cairo Confinement, all things will be made known to you. It is the only condition I require.
“Yeah, no,” said Esther flatly. “That’s not how ‘friendship’ works.”
It is how our friendship works.
The Briton pivoted angrily, glaring at the ceiling as if her conversation was with some celestial being. “We need this information, Ju`bajai! This is important.”
Its importance is known to me.
“Then why won’t you share it?”
The Ithini’s response came without hesitation. Because the solution you seek is not mutually beneficial. I have knowledge that you desire. You are in a position to barter for my release. You are being very selfish, Esther.
“Selfish, my left foot!” Esther said.
You are becoming aggressive. It is not helpful in your current situation.
The scout pointed her finger. “You know what would be helpful in my current situation? If you were sodding helpful!”
It is important that these things are discussed in a rational manner.
Her face twisting angrily, Esther said, “Rationalize this.” She turned for the door. “Consider this connection severed. We’ll find out what we need without your help.”
That is doubtful. Centu`vach-Shon is unable to communicate in his present state. I am the only one able to speak of his and his master’s mission.
“Well I guess we’ll never find out, then,” the scout said.
The alien’s tone grew firmer. I desire to be released. You are the only one who can help me, Esther.
“I’m done talking to you.” Esther unlocked the door as she prepared to pull it open.
Perhaps you would be willing to talk to someone else.
Yanking open the door, Esther stepped across the threshold. She gasped before she set her first foot down. The hallway she’d traversed only a minute earlier—the one that led from Northern Forge’s medical bay to the living quarters—had changed. Gone were the stark halls and unfamiliar smell of the mountainside base. The scout was now staring at something far more familiar. Something she never thought she’d see again. Room 14.
She was staring at the Fourteenth’s bunk room at Novosibirsk.
Turning around in a quasi-panic, Esther reached for the doorknob again, only to find the door replaced by a solid, featureless wall. She was trapped. Spinning around and with her back to the wall, Esther scanned the room as chill bumps broke out across her arms.
It was all there. The sound of the base’s ancient central heating unit. The smells of the shower stalls. The intricacies of each bunk, from the precisely tucked edges of Svetlana’s bedsheets to the haphazardly-strewn comics that sat atop Travis’s bed. Everything was exactly the way she’d seen it before she set off for Cairo. It was like standing in a memory.
Ju`bajai. The Ithini had to have done this. There was no other explanation. Taking a single, cautious step forward, Esther approached the first row of bunks. Her senses perked, and she looked at the opened doorway to the lounge. Noises were coming from it. The clanking of silverware. Objects being handled. Silently, the scout drew near to the door. When she finally came to the corner, she eased her head around.
Halfway through the room, stirring a bowl of porridge as if it was the most normal thing in the world…was herself. From her mocha skin, to her old EDEN scout’s uniform, to the high ponytail falling over her shoulder that she’d sported prior to her Cairo makeover. It was an exact duplicate. Gaping in the doorway, Esther watched as the doppelganger looked at her. The being smiled.
“Hello, Esther,” she said, offering the bowl out. “Porridge?”
The being’s voice, the wry tone it used in the one-word question—even its body language—was all Esther. It was like staring at a clone. As Esther stared in silent astonishment, the being continued.
“Amazing little food, porridge is. So delightfully nutritious when part of your daily regimen. So devilishly enjoyable when smashed in someone’s face, wouldn’t you agree?”
Drawing into the room, Esther hesitated, then asked breathlessly, “What’s going on?”
Her other self laughed gently. “Dear, isn’t it obvious? A little chat with the person you love most in an effort to appeal to your sense of mutual benefit.”
Esther squinted as if trying to see through the guise. “Ju`bajai?”
Clapping, the alien said, “Bravo, Miss Brooking. So, how do I look? I must say, I’m quite pleased with the way this little construct turned out.” Setting the bowl down, she leaned back against one of the tables. “As soon as you’re finished gawking, we can get right to business.”
“Why do you look like me?”
“Because you’re the person you’re most eager to please. I could’ve chosen Scott, but that might have made you…” Ju`bajai hesitated, then licked her lips. “Uncomfortable.”
Esther shook her head fearfully. “This is not right. This is…” No words came to her. “Let me out of here.”
“So quickly?” the alien asked. “We haven’t even had a chance to chat.”
“I don’t want to chat. I don’t want to be any part of this delusion.”
Ju`bajai’s eyes narrowed. “Pity, I worked so hard on it. Unfortunately, you’re not going anywhere until you agree to my terms, and to be honest, they’re really quite reasonable.” She folded her arms. “In exchange for the information you seek regarding Centurion and his master, you’ll petition Valentin for my release. Really, Esther, what’s the harm? How could I possibly derail the efforts of your gallivanting little troupe? If anything, I think you’d find me quite the asset.”
“And you thought holding me hostage in my own head and doing…whatever it is you’re doing, was the best way to convince me of that?” Esther asked. “You’re proper loony.”
Ju`bajai simply stared at her, her construct’s brown eyes narrowing ever so faintly as the once-amused expression on her face shifted into something far less compassionate. At long last, and with far less desire to placate, she said, “You are such a hypocrite.”
Esther tilted her head.
“I thought surely you would see things my way if the words were coming from you,” the alien said. “I chose this form
because it’s the most reflective of your own standards and ideals. You are the one to whom you can most easily relate. Surely that must appeal to some part of you.” When Esther said nothing, Ju`bajai growled. “Say something, damn it!”
“What do you want me to say—”
The alien cut her off. “That you’re willing to sodding negotiate! We can help each other, Esther—you and I. We’re kindred spirits, you know.”
Her tone a mix of anger and apprehension, Esther said, “There is nothing kindred about us.”
“Oh, rubbish. What I am doing now is precisely the kind of thing that you do.” Crossing her arms, she rapped her fingers against them. “Please don’t make me recite a list of all your dastardly deeds. We’ll be here for weeks.” Sighing, Ju`bajai said, “The point is, rather than being offended at my approach, you ought to be flattered. I learned this from you.”
“I never taught you to be like this,” said Esther.
Ju`bajai raised a finger. “Perhaps not outright. But this is your nature. And trust me, girlfriend, I know your nature.” She smirked. “You can’t hide from me.”
Sweat drops formed at the back of Esther’s neck. “What exactly is your plan, here?”
“To hopefully help, provided you help me, first,” Ju`bajai answered. “As I’ve said, I can be an incredible asset. But, in the event you’re uncooperative…I am prepared.”
“Prepared to do what?”
Eyes narrowing into slits, Ju`bajai said, “To open the book that is Molly Polyester. You’re a girl with many secrets. They could be,” she paused as if letting the words sink in, “quite damaging. To you. And others. I know about the things that you do, you know. More importantly, I know why you do them.”
Esther remained silent.
“For example, I know that you read your comrades’ mail. You pass it off to yourself as innocent nosiness, but the truth is, deep down inside, you like adding chapters to that little black book in your mind, just in case you ever need them in a pinch.” Her lips curved upward. “Poor Becan. What a difficult position he’s put himself in. And poor, poor David. He’s dealing with so much, and no one even knows. Except for you.”
The scout’s eyes shied away.
“I know what you thought about Nicole Dupree, the all-American sweetheart whose murder shaped your fearless leader. Be honest, now. The day she died was the best day of your life.” Pushing up from against the table, Ju`bajai sauntered in Esther’s direction, sensually brushing back her hair as she batted her lashes. “Those looks you imagined yourself giving Scott. The comfort you longed to give him. ‘Oh lieutenant,’” she said in soft-lipped mockery, “‘if there’s anything I can do to ease your pain…anything at all.’”
“I do not like this,” Esther whispered.
The alien continued as she paced around the scout. “And that morning, right after her death, when you visited his quarters? That oh-so-angry morning when he put your back against the wall. The thoughts that raced through your mind as he stood in front of you, chest to chest, passion to…passion.” She leaned closer to whisper into Esther’s ear from behind. “You burned with lust for that man. His eyes. His hair. His strength.” Her crooked smile curved higher. “If he only knew the things you wanted to do to him that day. But I know…you dirty, dirty girl.”
Esther’s eyes closed. Above a jaw set like stone, she inhaled a trembling breath. “Stop it. Please.”
Ju`bajai smiled softly. “Such a conflicted little heart you have. But don’t worry. I’m sure Jay will forgive you if you slip up and say the wrong name.” Leaning away from Esther’s ear, Ju`bajai strolled away. Her eyes narrowed. “Then came that woman, sweeping in to steal that man who should’ve been yours. That blue-eyed, pathetic little whore who snatched him away in the time it took to make a sodding sandwich.” Arriving back at the table, she leered at Esther again. “You thought of ways to kill her, didn’t you? To sabotage her weapon? To switch out her ammunition? You never acted, of course, but…the thoughts did cross your mind. I can feel them.” Her voice softened. “When the dust settled from Scott’s apocalyptic breakdown, there’d be only one woman left to comfort him. Only one name for him to say.” Dipping her chin, Ju`bajai whispered, “Esther. Esther…” She closed her eyes in pseudo-ecstasy. “Esther…Esther…”
Slowly, but steadily, Ju`bajai’s voice began to deepen, growing more masculine with every utterance of Esther’s name. Transforming. The change prompted Esther’s eyes to open, where they settled on Ju`bajai again. The Ithini was no longer portraying her construct of Esther.
She looked like Scott.
A shirtless, damp-haired Scott who looked like he’d just dried off from a shower. Esther winced painfully, her breaths quivering, as Ju`bajai approached her. The deep, powerful tones of Scott’s voice escaped the alien’s lips. “I can’t do this alone anymore, Ess.”
A shimmer came to Esther’s eyes as she slowly backed away. “Stop this.” She was breaking.
“I need to know you,” Ju`bajai said. “I need to feel you.”
“I’ll do it,” Esther said, closing her eyes again and turning away. “I’ll get them to free you. Just please, stop this right now. I beg of you.”
Silence.
Esther opened her eyes. Ju`bajai was there, once again assuming the look of her formerly ponytailed self. “If you fail me, I will tell them everything,” the alien said. Her eyes narrowed. “What you know. What you feel. What you are…valkyrie.” As soon as Ju`bajai said that last word, Esther’s face paled. “And I will conjure up desires in you that would shame a harlot.” Raising her finger, she said pointedly, “Do not. Fail. Me.” Through dark lashes, she glared. “We’re through.”
The world around Esther flashed. She inhaled a sharp breath. With as little warning as when the dream had first begun, she was standing in the halls of Northern Forge. The scout looked around. She was alone. Slowly, she turned her head in the direction of the medical bay door. The familiar sensation of the Ithini connection was still present in her mind.
Ju`bajai’s words resurfaced. I hope this has not adversely affected our friendship, Esther. I value it greatly. I look forward to sharing the information that I know.
Esther stood motionlessly, the scout’s brown eyes wide and fixed on the door to the medical bay as her heart pounded. She caught her breath as the Ithini’s presence faded away. She was once again alone in her mind.
Turning back to the room she’d just left—the room Ju`bajai had directed her into—Esther hurried inside and closed the door behind her. Locking it, she leaned her back against it then slid to the floor. The scout closed her eyes.
For almost thirty minutes, Esther stayed on the floor, shut out from the rest of the world as she regained not only her composure, but a sense of her own identity. Ju`bajai knew things that Esther had never shared. Feelings that Esther had never conveyed.
The crew needed to know this. Esther needed to tell them what had happened—to warn them—so they might be prepared in case Ju`bajai turned her focus to them. The Ithini was no ally to the Fourteenth. She was playing them like a puppeteer.
Except…
Esther couldn’t tell them. Ju`bajai would know. In the same manner in which the alien had found out the darkest of Esther’s secrets, she would find out that Esther was being subversive. Playing against her.
I wonder if this is how she was permitted to roam Cairo, Esther thought. It was a distinct possibility. Perhaps Giro Holmes had his own deep, dark secrets that the Ithini had used as blackmail against him.
Rising to her feet, the Briton from Cambridge checked herself in the room’s mirror. Though the frazzling of her emotions had been visceral, she was still Esther Brooking. The anguish in her interior was nothing that dark eyes and an alluring smile couldn’t hide.
Walking out of the room, Esther made her way to her own room to prepare for their unit meeting.
* * *
Now this was different. As David stood with his hands on his hips at the entryway to L
evel-1, the forge that gave the mountain facility its namesake, he marveled at what he saw. The entire floor was packed. Soot-faced workers bustled back and forth from furnaces, to assembly lines, to material stations, as a sweltering heat blanketed the entire area. During his earlier trek to the forge with Scott, David had seen a place only sparsely populated in the wee hours of the morning. Now that normal working hours kicked in, the place was a veritable Old Era factory. It was like looking in the pages of a history book.
“Whoa,” said William Harbinger, David’s sole companion in the trek downstairs. The massive Southerner looked equally stunned, staring wide-eyed at the crowded room before them.
David laughed. “I think ‘whoa’ about says it all.” Stepping forward with the demolitionist in tow, David ventured forth in search of the forge master.
That it was William who was accompanying David was by David’s own design. William needed this. It had been all of two days since the death of Derrick Cole, William’s best friend and former comrade. Throughout the chaos that David had experienced, from their escape from Novosibirsk, to the rescue of Scott and company on the banks of the Suez, to their firefight on the city streets of Krasnoyarsk, William’s emotional state had been ever-present in his mind.
The demolitionist had now lost two of his closest friends: Joe Janson to the Silent Fever and Derrick to EDEN. The three of them had possessed a bond long before David and his comrades had ever set foot in The Machine. It was a bond that, though the Fourteenth could understand, they could never fully appreciate as William could. Now that bond was gone.
David was worried about William, who had scarcely spoken since they’d left Novosibirsk. There was more than simple grief there—David could see that plainly. William was dealing with something utterly devastating. He was concerned about how the demolitionist would respond. He felt that the Southerner needed to be monitored.
He also just wanted to be there for William. To be a fatherly shoulder to cry on, if the desire was expressed for such a thing. David wanted William to open up and talk about what he was feeling. He just couldn’t outright ask William to. He was hopeful that side quests like these would be enough to spark conversations that would ultimately spark something deeper. Something to begin the healing process. A ray of light to crack through William’s dark clouds.