by Scott Baron
“Fine,” she conceded. “But I still don’t see why you needed me and Sarah.”
“Because after decades of failed missions, we learned that even the most basic levels of active technology would be noticed and quickly eliminated by the Chithiid. Only an entirely non-augmented human could pass their scans without detection.”
“But the cyborgs live there—”
“And you saw what happened to them when they stayed above ground for any length of time,” Mrazich noted. “And the stolen shuttle you so brilliantly crashed? It was one of the few means of reaching the surface dead-stick. Debris from the war still rains down from time to time, and a seemingly inert ship, one capable of gliding and not giving off a power signature, could make it down without being targeted, as you learned the hard way. Unfortunately, after you powered up its comms array with those solar cells, it was only a matter of time before those alien bastards investigated the new energy signature.”
“So the shuttle?”
“Gutted for parts moments after the rescue team snatched you away from the Chithiid.”
“Great, so I was your golden girl, but that plan’s gone to shit. Now what?”
“Given the pace at which the invaders are harvesting our planet, by the time the next generation of viable candidates reaches Earth, it may be too late. It took so long to prepare you for this, Daisy. I hate to sound maudlin, but you’re our only hope.”
For some reason, she couldn’t help but smile at the memory of an old space movie she’d watched with Vince just a few months prior. Our only hope, huh?
“Look, why not train your people to do this?”
“We told you, they have artificial parts and would be detected almost immediately.”
Daisy thought a moment.
“Okay, well I saw what looked like—” She shuddered at the memory. “What looked like more people being grown in the Váli’s secret little laboratory. Why not wake them up?”
Captain Harkaway glanced at the others, a concerned look on his face.
“Daisy, what exactly did you see?”
“Well, between being chased down, shot at, and forced into hiding, I did see vats of limbs, and what looked like a few intact bodies in there. If what you’ve been saying is true, then why not wake them up and let them join the party?”
Harkaway sighed. “Because, Daisy, what you saw weren’t viable humans. They were grown as emergency sources of organic replacement parts. They’ve never been hooked to the neuro stim. Their minds are still complete blanks, and it would take far too long to even consider beginning the process to give them a consciousness.”
Daisy felt a shiver run up her spine at the thought of mindless husks, grown for the sole purpose of being cut up and used as needed. Given the problems with metallic limbs, she could understand the rationale, but, nevertheless, it was an incredibly disturbing thought.
“Okay,” she began. “So it might take a few years to bring them up to speed. It still sounds like a better plan than sending little old me down there on my own.”
“Daisy,” Fatima said, kindly, “you don’t understand how long the process takes.”
“Well if I was fully-loaded in just a few years of flight time in cryo, surely you could do a stripped-down version faster.”
Fatima beamed that damned warm smile again.
“Daisy, you and Sarah were our best yet.”
“So you’ve said.”
“So we have,” Fatima continued. “It was a long flight, Daisy, and your minds were both carefully nurtured over that time. A long time.”
“Wait, exactly how long are we talking here?” Daisy felt a hot flush of adrenaline hit her veins.
“We’ve waited one hundred twenty years for you to be ready,” Fatima replied.
“Holy shit! We’re how old?”
Her sister ignored her.
“Getting us ready for what, exactly?” Daisy managed to say as her world spun around her.
Fatima rested her calm almond eyes on her.
“Ready for you to help us reclaim Earth, Daisy. Your intel has given us hope, and with your unique genetic makeup and skill set, we might just be able to pull it off. But it won’t be easy.”
An uncomfortable silence hung in the air.
“I think maybe that’s enough for now,” Harkaway said, reading the overwhelmed look in Daisy’s eyes.
“Yes, of course,” Fatima said, realizing her misstep. “Rude of me, dumping so much on you like that. You’d best get some rest now, I know it’s a lot to process, but Daisy, you can relax. You’re home now.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Daisy felt a little light-headed as she sat on her bed in her new living quarters. Doc McClain might have thought it to be residual effects of the stun blast she had taken on the planet’s surface. More likely, it was just her body recovering from the several times she’d thrown up since returning to her room as her body physically manifested the turmoil in her mind.
Daisy cradled her pounding head in her hands, elbows propped on her knees.
“I’m over a century old,” she grumbled, rocking slightly.
“Tell me about it. We’re a couple of spinsters, right?” Sarah joked, trying to lighten the mood.
“And all that time? All that effort? For what? A planet that’s a shell of what it used to be?”
“Hey, at least we’re alive, Sis. That’s gotta count for something.”
Daisy leaned back against the ceramisteel wall, her head making a slight metallic thunk.
“If you can call this living.”
“It sure as hell beats the alternative, Daze. And we’re on an actual base. Like, it has space to move, hydroponics gardens that make Tamara’s pod look like a quaint little hobbyist’s plot. You have to admit, while it’s not ideal, it’s a huge step up from Váli life.”
Sarah was right, and Daisy knew it. Admitting that, however, was a bit of a sticking point. Being honest with herself, Daisy would even say it was a perfectly suitable living situation. The surviving base was expansive––the parts that had been protected by the rocky overhangs when the aliens attacked, at least––so there was plenty of space for everyone.
Which meant she could avoid Vince indefinitely, if she tried hard enough.
“I know what you’re thinking.”
You always do. Kind of a benefit of riding around in my head.
“I’d know even if that wasn’t the case. You know, you don’t have to be all lovey-dovey with the guy to still get along. He cares, and he isn’t holding a grudge, despite what you did to him.”
Which was justified at the time, Daisy shot back.
“Well, yeah. But still, most people would carry a bit of resentment with them for a while.”
You mean like Tamara.
“Yeah, like Tamara. Though to be fair, you did blow her out an airlock, so she’s kinda justified in that.”
I know. I’ll have to smooth that over once I’ve got my bearings straight. This is all just such a––
“Mind-fuck?” Sarah interjected, finishing her sentence.
Yeah, that pretty much sums it up.
Daisy opened the door to her room.
Her room. This was it. This was home, now. She slowly ran her hand over the wall, taking a moment to ponder the mass of stone on the other side, rather than the void of space.
And it was quiet. The ever-present vibration of the ship’s engines was something so subtle that she’d grown used to it, easily tuning it out, but here there were no such machinations. Nothing but peace and quiet.
Her stomach growled, the low rumble reminding her of her recent visit to the porcelain altar.
“Pancakes,” she said, lurching from her bunk and stepping out into the hallway. She turned and closed the door behind her. “Definitely pancakes.”
“Pancakes?”
Yeah. That sounds really good right about now.
Daisy had already committed the map of nearly all of the base’s habitable spaces to memory. There
were fine points to add, which she’s learn as time passed and she found areas sealed off from prior damage, but for the most part, she knew her way around. She took a sharp turn from the direct path and headed off.
The walk to the mess hall wasn’t a terribly long one from her quarters, but Daisy opted for the roundabout, meandering route. She knew Sid was likely monitoring the hallways, but, unlike Mal, he was apparently aware of the value of giving those living within his walls a bit of space.
A little bit of space in space, she chuckled to herself. It was refreshing, being left to her thoughts, and the strange moon base was already beginning to feel more like a comfortable resting place than the prison she’d initially thought it to be.
The food replicators had no issues whipping her up a short stack of buttermilk pancakes, complete with a side of replicated bacon and some warm maple syrup. If you’re going to do it, do it right, she figured, tucking into the steaming stack with gusto. Her stomach greeted the food with a happy endorphin rush. Her impromptu food therapy was working its magic.
“I don’t think Finn would approve of you partaking without his assistance, you know,” Sarah chuckled quietly.
Well, he’s sleeping. Or whatever he does when he’s not pushing food on us. In any case, it gives me a chance to get a feel for the base’s systems. And you know what? Considering what happened to this place, it’s really not in that bad shape.
Daisy leisurely finished her pancakes, mopping up the last of the syrup with her final bite, then placed the dishes in the auto-washer. Hot water sprayed and the machine ran through its rapid wash cycle.
On the Váli she would have had to wait for a full load before running the machine, despite the water reclamation systems, but here on the moon, that was not an issue. Yet another creature comfort of her new home.
Thanks to the deeply-buried ice field that had been discovered as they were building the base, the facility possessed a nearly endless supply of fresh water for its few residents.
Another benefit was the fresh air. Breaking the hydrogen and oxygen bonds of the water ice produced not only useful hydrogen, but also helped refresh their oxygen supply, taking a load off the massive air scrubbers.
Daisy felt herself beginning to regain her equilibrium and feel normal again, now that food was in her stomach––and staying there. And with the clarity of mind came an unexpected sensation. It kind of shocked her, but Daisy realized she was actually feeling at ease. No more questions, no more surprises, just life.
Sure, she would have to make adjustments as she got used to living in Dark Side Base, but things seemed to be okay, all things considered.
She headed out of the mess hall and took the opposite route back to her quarters, walking slowly, really taking in her new surroundings with fresh eyes. There was a lot to familiarize herself with.
Daisy paused at one of the thick windows, looking out toward the nearest hangar just across the rocky surface of the moon. Surprisingly, she felt her heart flutter as she took in the sights. The sky above was beautiful, a dazzling spray of pinpoint sparkles reaching out across the black of space.
“Not a bad view,” Sarah noted, appreciatively.
Not bad at all, Daisy replied, the last of the weeks of stress finally leaving her body. You know what?
“What?”
I think I can make this work, she said, a hint of a smile curving her lips. I think we’re going to be okay.
Daisy took her time as she meandered back to her room, finally curling up in her new bed and drifting off to a restful sleep. Daisy was home.
Epilogue
It was late. Very late. But someone was awake on Dark Side Base.
Nearly a week had passed, and quite uneventfully, amazingly enough. But on this night Daisy simply couldn’t sleep, her mind unable to stop churning. She had somehow avoided the uncomfortable conversations she knew she needed to have since her arrival, opting instead to lurk around the base, keeping to herself rather than engaging. And oddly enough, it seemed to be working. She was getting by. She was fine.
At least she had been, until Chu had opened his mouth while running a few tests on their new resident, then unintentionally put his foot in it.
“I finally got to take a look at what Vince has going on under the hood,” he had said as they chatted earlier that day. “There’s not much gear at all, really, but what he does have is some seriously advanced tech in there. Crazy to think they managed to perfect the organics with you and Sarah not long after, right?”
Daisy had smiled and played nice, keeping her distress well-hidden as she made her excuses, leaving him to his work. But his words stuck in her head.
And so it came to pass that she was unable to sleep once more. Thoughts raced through her mind, but instead of just lying there, staring at the ceiling as she’d done in the past, she climbed out of bed, got dressed, and stepped out of her room.
She needed air, and opting to walk the corridor in the quiet hours––albeit still in somewhat of a daze––would at least let her think on the move.
Things really had snowballed from bad, to worse, to what-the-hell-is-going-on, world-flipping-upside-down levels of crazy in her short time on Dark Side, but she had been coping. Processing. Doing okay. Then Chu had to go and say the one thing that could set her off again. And there wasn’t anything she could do about it.
I was grown. We were grown. All of those memories, the places I’d been. None of it was real. And Vince, he’s––
She could feel her pulse begin to quicken, her racing heart pounding in her head as the walls threatened to spin around her.
It’ll be okay. I just need to think, is all, she thought, trying to calm herself.
“No, that’s all you do,” Sarah interjected. “You need to not think for a change or you’re gonna hurl. Remember your meditation practice. You can do this. Deep breaths, Daze.”
“Good point. Yeah,” Daisy replied as she staggered toward the nearest maintenance hangar to sit and digest all she’d just learned in peace.
A bit of self-centering and focus. That’s what I need. Somewhere quiet. Somewhere to be alone.
Daisy was still a ways away from her quarters, and she certainly didn’t want to flop down and meditate in the middle of the corridor. Fortunately, the nearby compartment was an empty training space, and one she was familiar with.
She swung the door open and stepped inside, the cool air of the room immediately taking her panic down a notch. She shut the door quietly, then breathed a little sigh of relief as she began focusing on lowering her heart rate and respirations.
It’s going to be okay. Just relax. Relax and breathe.
Daisy turned to find a crate to sit on rather than the chilly metal floor.
The hairs on her neck stood up. She certainly did not feel alone. That’s when she noticed the furious metal-armed woman barreling toward her.
“Shit! Tamara, wait!”
A flurry of blows rained down on her from every direction, then a heavy-booted foot kicked her square in the chest, sending her flying backward into the unforgiving metal wall.
She clenched her teeth and tasted blood on her tongue, the adrenaline already pumping hard in her veins making an instantaneous decision between fight or flight. Things needed to be hashed out between the two women, and it seemed like it was happening sooner rather than later.
“So, it’s going to be like that?” she said with grim resolution. “Fine.”
Daisy uncoiled her tensed legs and leapt toward the larger woman.
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this, Daze.”
“You and me both,” she replied, then began a furious counterattack.
Welcome home, Daisy, she thought with a grim laugh as her fist connected with her opponent’s solid chin. Welcome home.
Pushing Daisy: The Clockwork Chimera Book 2
Copyright © 2018 by Scott Baron
ISBN 978-1-945996-19-1 (Print Edition)
All rights reserved.
No part
of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
It is not only the living who are killed in war
- Isaac Asimov
Chapter One
The hard rubber of the heavy-soled boot caught Daisy square in her chest with bone-crushing force. The impact was great enough to send her sliding backwards on the ceramisteel floor before she managed to dig in her feet and stop herself just short of the hard metal wall.
She flashed a little grin.
“Is that all you’ve got?” she said, taunting the burly woman with the menacing steel-alloy cybernetic replacement arm, who was circling her like a hungry shark. Daisy shrugged off the piercing pain, acting as if the blow hadn’t fazed her one bit. She wouldn’t give Tamara the pleasure of seeing her wince.
“I think she cracked a couple of ribs, Daze,” Sarah said.
Gee, ya think? Daisy silently replied to the woman living in her head.
The disembodied voice of her deceased sister had been a constant companion ever since Daisy accidentally downloaded her entire consciousness into a partition within her own brain. At first, they had both thought the voice in her head was merely Daisy’s way of coping with Sarah’s untimely death when a malfunction aboard their ship blew her into space. It wasn’t long thereafter that it became apparent she was something more.
She was a ghost in the shell, but in the wrong shell. It was quite the revelation, learning that while she may have been dead, she was far from gone, and it was one secret the pair had decided not to share with the others on the base. Not yet, at least. Not while it could be an advantage.
“Look at her shoulder dip. She’s going to do that fake high kick–low switch trick she loves,” Sarah warned.
Thanks, I see it.
Sarah had eventually settled into her new home riding shotgun with her sister. She learned to become a second set of eyes, seeing what Daisy saw, but also able to disconnect and scan the entire picture while Daisy focused on the task at hand. It had been proving to be a rather useful partnership.