by Nick Cook
Lucy nodded and glanced at Alice’s wheelchair. ‘Are you really sure you wouldn’t prefer working legs? It’s no bother.’
‘As I told you the first time, this is my body now and I’ve come to accept it.’
‘You humans are such a tricky species,’ Lucy said. Then she turned to Jack. ‘Good to see you, handsome.’ She kissed him on both cheeks.
‘You too, gorgeous,’ Jack replied.
I gave him an eye-roll. ‘Please don’t encourage her – you so know what she’s like.’
‘Oh, you’re no fun,’ Lucy told me. ‘Anyway, where are you hiding my favourite man?’
‘If you mean Mike, he’s in the lab with Jodie,’ Alice said. ‘They’re monitoring the systems of the TREENO CubeSat fleet we just launched.’
‘Ah yes, I kept an eye on that. So quaint to use a rocket to launch them, but everything seemed to go OK from what I could see?’
‘Yes, it was a perfect launch,’ I replied. ‘Anyway, what have you been up to – apart from spying on our CubeSat launch?’
‘Well…’ Lucy dropped down into one of the plush velvet seats that had just magically appeared in the middle of the library. She was able to change any aspect of a modelled reality that she liked. ‘Even though my sensor array is still severely compromised, I’ve been able to monitor activity over much of your world during orbits across the visual wavelength,’ she said. ‘Are you aware of the significant increase in the use of the UFO Tic Tac craft since I saw you last month? Most of the activity seems to be centred over the region you refer to as Illinois.’
‘We’ve heard some of the reports about them,’ Alice replied. ‘There was also an increase in accounts of cattle mutilations across that state too.’
Lucy blew out a puff of air between her lips. ‘Oh, that’s nothing to do with your alien visitors.’
‘We thought as much,’ I said. ‘It’s probably the Overseers conducting another misinformation campaign.’
‘They really do love to paint the aliens as the bad guys,’ Jack replied.
‘Wheels within wheels,’ Lucy said, shaking her head.
‘I don’t suppose you have you any idea what’s behind this increased Tic Tac activity, do you?’ Alice asked.
Lucy spread her hands wide. ‘Right now I have no way of knowing. However, I’m starting to wonder whether the increased sightings might be somehow linked to the flights of the TR-3Bs Astras, in which I’ve also seen a large increase. On one occasion a fleet of at least ten Astras flew in formation pursuing a Tic Tac. The alien craft only just managed to escape them.’
‘It was exactly that increased TR-3B activity that Tom was investigating when he dropped off the radar,’ I said.
‘There’s still no news about him then?’ Lucy asked.
Alice looked away and nodded. ‘None whatsoever…’
Jack grimaced at me behind her back. I could guess exactly how she was feeling. When I was in charge of a mission it felt as if everything was my responsibility.
‘Anyway, back to matters in hand,’ Alice said, obviously changing what was an uncomfortable topic of conversation, ‘would you be happy to help Jodie to do a test run with her new experiment?’
Lucy pressed her palms together. ‘You’re telling me the Cage is ready for me to play with?’
‘We think so, but we won’t know for certain until you give it a spin,’ Alice replied.
‘Then let’s do this thing,’ Lucy said with a wide smile.
Chapter Three
Leaving Lucy in E8, we went back to our world and stepped through a doorway into Alice’s personal lab. With its huge racks of equipment, including industrial 3D printers and exotic-looking tech of every description, it was one of the most highly equipped facilities within Eden. And that was saying something.
The first thing that grabbed my attention, as it always did, was the set of large information displays that Alice had mounted in her lab. They showed a star map, with one on the right highlighted with a yellow box. That was Tau Ceti. To the far left of the screen was a blue dot, Earth. And linking the two was a white line. It was solid leading away from Tau Ceti until it met a red dot a short way along. That was the current position of the Kimprak asteroid ship. Ahead of it the line leading to Earth was dashed. Jodie had run the numbers and this was what the simulation had revealed.
A quick glance told anyone looking at it that the alien ship had already travelled fifteen per cent of the distance towards Earth, but now it was accelerating, since its solar sail had brought it closer to the speed of light. To ram that message home, at the top of the screen was a countdown timer that currently read 4 years - 33 days.
Alice knew exactly how to keep everyone completely focused on the coming threat, especially as this display was mirrored throughout Eden’s labs and workplaces. The social areas thankfully got a pass – even she realised that people needed some time away from the threat hanging over our heads.
Jodie and Mike were sitting before a bank of monitors, champagne glasses in hand. Behind them was the experimental Cage. This was an AR – augmented reality in a soundproofed room. But rather than being a metal barred structure that the name might have suggested, it was actually a transparent glass-walled cuboid room. The Cage’s interior surfaces had been lined with small clear pyramids that pointed inwards. These were acoustic structures that Jodie had designed to modulate the sound waves within the structure to trigger my synaesthesia. A domed camera had also been mounted in the ceiling next to a speaker panel.
‘Hey, shouldn’t you guys still be celebrating your big success at the party?’ I said as we approached them.
‘Trust me, this is our idea of a good time,’ Jodie said. ‘There is nowhere we’d rather be than watching the first data roll in from the TREENO fleet.’
‘Amen to that,’ Mike said, clinking his glass against Jodie’s.
‘So how’s it looking?’ Alice asked as she peered over their shoulders at the screens.
‘All systems are in the green and the CubeSats are performing as expected. We haven’t lost communication with a single one yet.’
‘That sounds like great news,’ Jack said.
Alice smiled at him as she wheeled her chair up to the control desk. ‘It really is. None of this would have been possible without Jodie and Mike’s efforts.’
‘Oh, it’s been a blast, especially when I get to work alongside my favourite scientist,’ Jodie replied.
She and Mike exchanged goofy grins with each other. They were always so cute together.
‘So, in another day of firsts, are you ready to give your Cage a go, Jodie?’ Alice asked.
‘Oh, damned right I am,’ Jodie replied, her Swedish accent thickening as it did whenever she got excited. ‘I’ve been itching to do a test run now the calibration techniques are complete.’
‘This could be another big moment for us,’ Alice said. ‘If this works, it’s going to speed up development of the REV drive tenfold, especially if Lucy is able to consult on its design on a daily basis.’
Alice’s enthusiasm was infectious and my worry about the Kimprak lifted a fraction.
Jodie spun her chair towards me. ‘Do you want to strut your stuff and see if this actually works?’
‘No problem.’
With the Empyrean Key in hand I opened the door of the Cage and stepped inside. Alice wheeled her chair in behind me and pulled the ten-centimetre-thick acrylic door closed behind us. A slight hiss came from the airlock as it hermetically sealed itself into place.
Alice pulled an AR headset on to her head. I wouldn’t need anything apart from my usual synaesthesia to see Lucy. But if this all went according to plan, then Alice – plus the others viewing the remote monitors – would be able to see Lucy in our world for the first time ever.
‘Powering up the systems now,’ Jodie’s voice said from a speaker in the ceiling.
Through the clear pyramid-covered walls we saw the fragmented image of Jodie crossing to a control station. She began toggling various options on
the screen.
‘I have to say I have been so looking forward to this,’ Alice said.
‘Me too,’ I replied.
A loud screeching came out of the speaker, making us wince.
‘Sorry, my bad,’ Jodie said. ‘The synaesthesia carrier tone will settle down, Lauren.’
‘Thank god for that,’ I said, holding my hands over my ears.
A moment later the whistling subsided to a gentle humming tone. Icons immediately erupted all over the Empyrean Key in my hand as my synaesthesia kicked in.
‘Wow!’ Alice exclaimed, staring at them through her visor.
‘You can see them through your AR headset?’ I asked.
‘Like you wouldn’t believe. So this is the world as you experience it, Lauren?’
‘It is – at least what my synaesthesia allows me to see with the Empyrean Key.’
‘Well, it’s very impressive. And what a remarkable system for a computer interface.’
‘Don’t let Lucy hear you call her a computer.’
‘Oh, don’t you worry, I wouldn’t dare,’ Alice replied with a smile.
Through our prismatic view of the rest of the lab we saw Jodie and Mike high five each other. I could also see a live feed from the dome camera displayed on a large monitor. That view showed the icons over the Empyrean Key, just like in here. Mike, Jodie and Jack were staring at it with rapt attention.
‘Welcome to my world, everyone,’ I said, gazing up at the camera and spreading my arms wide. I bowed slightly like a ringmaster welcoming the crowd into the circus. ‘OK, now we know that everything is checking out from our side, we’re ready for the main event,’ Jodie said. ‘Lauren, could you give Lucy a call?’
‘I’m on it.’ I selected the brand-new alien-head icon for the new communication function that had been added, the icon itself Lucy’s idea of a joke, and rotated the stone orb forward to select the function.
A melody of rising notes bounced around the room. A constellation of glowing points of light appeared around Alice and me within the Cage. They began to swirl as if they were being carried on a faint breeze before slowly coalescing into a humanoid shape. As the rolling harmony dropped to a whisper, a person came into sharp focus.
Suddenly Lucy was standing in the room with us.
Her student gown was gone and instead she wore a glittering silver evening dress. Her dark hair had been scooped up and cascaded down in dark swirls both sides of her head. She looked stunning – a perfect look that would have taken me several days to achieve with a garden rake and several tons of make-up.
Alice was staring at Lucy open-mouthed. I saw her image had appeared on the monitor outside too.
‘You can really see me?’ Lucy said, staring back at Alice and me.
‘We certainly can. Welcome to our reality,’ I said with a smile.
‘This is truly incredible,’ Alice said as she extended her hand to shake Lucy’s.
The AI reciprocated but their fingers slipped through each other.
Alice shook her head. ‘Sorry, you look so real, even though you’re an AR projection.’
Lucy laughed. ‘It’s the same for me. I forgot I had no physicality in your world.’
I gestured towards her elaborate sequin dress. ‘You look as if you went to a lot of trouble with your wardrobe choice for this big moment, Lucy?’
She grinned. ‘I just wanted to look good for my first appearance in your world. And anyway, where is my favourite man?’
My eyes darted over to Mike. He had visibly paled as Jodie cast him a suspicious sideways look. The two women in Mike’s life meeting like this could spell some big trouble for him. Even if one of them was an AI, I was pretty sure Jodie would take a dim view of Lucy’s full-on attention towards her man.
A cough came over the speaker. ‘I’m here, Lucy,’ Mike said. He approached the glass room and raised a hand in greeting, casting a slightly worried glance back towards Jodie. She had already crossed her arms and fixed her boyfriend with a quizzical stare.
I caught the look of amusement Jack was aiming at me.
Oblivious to anyone or anything but Mike, Lucy beamed at him. ‘Get yourself in here for a hug, handsome. Oh, sorry, I wasn’t thinking. We obviously can’t do that here. But maybe you can pop over to E8 for a proper catch-up…’ Lucy actually licked her lips at him.
The glare that Jodie now gave Lucy was set to kill. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Mike, but only a little. He’d set himself up for this confrontation between Jodie and Lucy because he seemed to be into both of them. Besides, if I was being honest, it did creep me out that Mike had been flirting with a facsimile of someone who was also my aunt, albeit a much younger version.
‘If you could stay still, Lucy,’ Jodie said with a strained tone to her voice. ‘I need to run some more calibration tests. That dress you’re wearing is throwing out the optical sensors.’
‘Oh, not a problem at all,’ Lucy said.
Before I realised what she was doing and could stop her, Lucy clicked her fingers. The next moment she was standing there stark naked, showing off her very shapely figure including full breasts and curving hips. I couldn’t help noting the lack of pubic hair. Wherever Lucy was getting information from, that so wasn’t my real aunt. I suspected Lucy had probably been referencing too many porn channels as she’d modelled herself.
Alice’s hand rose to cover her mouth as she tried to suppress a laugh. ‘Well, goodness me.’
I wasn’t surprised to see Mike turn several shades beyond scarlet as he gawped at Lucy. Jack by contrast was shaking his head and giving me a Mike is so much in the shit now look. I had to bite down on a laugh.
When Jodie’s voice came over the speakers again it was Arctic cold with a snowstorm blowing through it for good measure. ‘The system is now calibrated, so you can get dressed again…’ She didn’t say bitch, but it was implied by her tone.
Lucy smirked and clicked her fingers again. In the blink of an eye she was wearing jeans and a polo shirt. ‘Hopefully this outfit won’t mess with your sensors, Jodie.’ She pouted slightly towards the other woman through the glass walls.
If I could have grabbed her arm I would have done. She was obviously trying to bait Jodie.
Alice jumped in, clearly attempting to deflect the growing tension. ‘Lucy, now we know that the Cage works, are you happy to go through the REV drive design again with me? We’re still having a problem stabilising the antigravity field and I could really do with your input.’
‘I’d be absolutely delighted to,’ Lucy replied.
‘Then let’s get to it. Jodie, can you project the schematics for the drive system in here?’
‘Just give me a second,’ Jodie replied in a crisp I’m not going to drop to her level voice.
However pissed off with Mike she was, Jodie was nothing but professional when it came to her work. A moment later a rotating translucent 3D model of a torus-shaped device was hovering in the Cage with us.
‘This is seriously impressive. It looks as clear as day in my synaesthesia vision, Jodie,’ I said.
‘And for me in AR too,’ Alice said. ‘This alone proves how incredibly useful the Cage will be with our future work.’
‘Thanks, but I can’t take all the credit. The acoustic patterning system is down to Mike.’
I couldn’t help but notice the way Jodie’s voice tightened a fraction at the mention of his name. I immediately felt sorry for Jodie – and even Mike. Relationships were tricky to navigate at the best of times when you worked together – even non-relationships like the thing between me and Jack.
‘I’ll leave you guys to it,’ I said to Alice and Lucy. ‘You don’t need me now the Cage is up and running.’
Alice gave me a distracted nod.
‘See you later, my little sunflower,’ Lucy said.
I let out a groan.
‘I mean, Lauren.’ She grinned at me.
It was as if the AI had swallowed a Miss-Most-Annoying pill today.
&nbs
p; I stepped out and Lucy’s form briefly swirled away as the acoustic seal was broken, but then reformed a second later when I shut the door behind me.
Mike, standing next to Jack, looked as if he wanted to be anywhere but in the lab.
‘OK, enough of me being a party pooper,’ I said, ‘who’s up for grabbing a quick drink at that launch party?’
‘God, yes,’ Mike said, as if I’d just thrown him a lifeline as he drowned in a pool of sharks.
‘Sounds good to me,’ Jack replied.
I turned to Jodie. ‘How about you?’
‘No, I want to keep an eye on the TREENO data when it starts to roll in. Looks as if it’s going to be a late one.’
‘I can help you with that,’ Mike said.
‘No, I’ve got this,’ Jodie replied without even looking round at him.
If she’d seen his hangdog expression she might have eased up on him a bit. But instead Mike sloped away with us, his tail well and truly between his legs. He didn’t say a word all the way up in the lift either. Yes, work romances were definitely a bad idea. Maybe Jack and I had it right after all.
Chapter Four
A week later Mike was singing into the mic as he pogoed his way around the small stage in the very popular Rock Garden, the stalactite-and-stalagmite-filled cavern that had been converted into a bar.
This was karaoke night, a regular fixture of Tuesday evenings in Eden. Mike’s song was the closing act and he was throwing everything into it. He needed to, because Ruby’s rendition of the Rolling Stones’ ‘I Can’t Get No Satisfaction’, along with her full-on body strutting, had driven the crowd wild. Thanks to that she was sitting on top of the leader board. Ruby was as uber competitive in this as everything else that she did.
Despite the enthusiasm of the audience to me singing Coldplay’s ‘Yellow’, it’d been a lame performance, and I’d definitely hit more than my fair share of bum notes. That same audience would have probably applauded a quacking duck. Still, it didn’t help the fact I was languishing at the bottom of the leader board.
I wasn’t sure what Sid Vicious would think of Mike’s effort. Maybe buy him a beer, based on the fact that half the people in the room were jumping up and down like maniacs to the song. The lights that illuminated the stalactites over our heads pulsed in time to the music as Mike started to swing the microphone around like a lasso.