Aedre's Firesnake

by Rayner Ye

  “You didn’t fail.”

  He wrinkled his forehead.

  “That’s why I came. I was in the colonel’s body.”

  His voice rose in pitch. “Really?”

  “I interrogated Delisa before cryosleep and accessed her PIN through her visual memory.”

  He hooted. “No way.”

  “Sharr Shuvuu and I deactivated Glass City, then ordered its first spaceship to leave. We filled the second with guards.”

  “Why guards?”

  “So they wouldn’t interfere.”

  “Of course.” He rubbed his head. “And the hundreds of thousands of females?”

  “We went to FRAP instead of MIP or MSS. Couldn’t trust your boss. FRAP spaceships came quickly.”

  “FRAP? How did they get there so soon?”

  She opened her mouth to respond but vanished as the rain stopped.

  Oxfire Home

  Within bright blue sky and six hundred metres above snowy forests, Aedre’s maglev decelerated to a stop at Oxfire’s National Station. Tube and maglevs walls melted into a series of holes, while bridges stretched between gaps in the two layers of Biluglass. Gus hurried out with other passengers, then returned a few minutes later with a hoverchair.

  “Where’d you get that from?”

  “Rentals at the porter’s desk.”

  Sharr Shuvuu’s gaze shifted around the platform at other commuters. “Let’s move when they’ve dispersed.”

  Like all public amenity pods in Nerthus, Oxfire station was made entirely of Biluglass. Gus and Sharr Shuvuu pushed Aedre around a spiral slope encased within the pod’s shell until they reached the top floor. The noisy waiting hall bustled, yet sleeping forests beneath rested under a silent blanket of snow. Aedre would have liked to hibernate there in peace.

  Nerthling adults were too polite to stare, but Aedre could feel their eyes boring into her, and her friends as they passed by, searching for somewhere to sit. Children gasped at Sharr Shuvuu as if she’d popped out of a fantasy book or cartoon, and older women would cast their eyes down with sympathy upon seeing Aedre strapped to the chair.

  After waiting for twenty minutes, Dad’s lolloping gate gave him away through groups of Nerthlings.

  “There’s my dad.”

  He wore a red jumper she’d given him for his birthday four years ago.

  Her eyes burned with tears. “Sharr, wipe my tears, please?”

  Sharr Shuvuu folded a sleeve over her hands and dabbed Aedre’s eyes.

  Dad’s vulnerability was more apparent than ever as he scanned crowds of Nerthlings. She’d left a stubborn man bitter with grief and returned to one full of remorse.

  When his eyes met hers, his chin trembled. He wound around people to get to her and ignored her friends as he fell to his knees, clutched her hands, and sobbed. She’d shattered her rock of a father, and now sat broken before his eyes.

  “Oh, Aedre. You’re finally here. I’ve missed you.”

  “I’ve missed you too, Dad. Sorry, I can’t move...” she sobbed. “If I could, I’d hug you.”

  He reached for the strap securing her upper body to the chair. “May I?”

  She nodded, and he undid it, lifted her off her toes, and hugged her tight. Numb to sensation, she still smiled.

  After he lowered and re-secured her, she said, “These are my friends.”

  Gus and Sharr Shuvuu each shook his hand.

  “Thank you for everything you’ve done for my daughter. Let’s go home.”

  Aedre interpreted, then Dad gave Gus and Sharr Shuvuu translation devices, which they plugged into their ears.

  “We rented this chair,” Gus said.

  “I have a better one at home. A porter can pick this up tomorrow. There’s a hover-taxi waiting to take us over a crystal skywalk, and then it’s a short walk home.”

  “I hope that transportation authorities have cleared it of snow,” Gus said.

  Dad scratched his head. “Don’t worry. Neither snow nor rain would settle on Biluglass.”

  Warmth filled Aedre for the remaining journey, and her jaw strained from grinning at her friends’ reactions to their surroundings. Gus gaped when their taxi-disc floated over skywalk and meandered around slower-moving hover-vehicles. Sharr Shuvuu wiped her hands on her waist feathers, and wrinkles radiated around her eyes as she squeezed them shut, occasionally peeping down.

  “Dad? Could you set this disc to opaque?”

  “I thought you liked the view.”

  Aedre nodded towards Sharr Shuvuu, and then Dad fiddled with a central panel until the taxi’s shell turned blue and a soft glow emanated from small lights in the ceiling.

  Sharr Shuvuu visibly relaxed.

  “You scared of heights?” Aedre asked.

  “I fly a lot but feel unsettled in human-made structures so high up. If it collapsed, I couldn’t fly to escape.”

  “It’s rare for this to happen,” Dad said. “You’re more likely to get hit by lightning.”

  Sharr Shuvuu pressed her elbows into her sides. “Could we get hit by lightning up here?”

  Dad laughed. “No. What I mean is, you’d be more likely to get hit by lightning on the ground under a sky city. Sky structure accidents are uncommon.”

  Aedre didn’t mention that Mum fell to her death during one of those infrequent events.

  “I’m surprised it’s like this here,” Gus said. “It’s so developed compared to Giok.”

  “The sky cities in Giok’s future look developed.”

  Gus frowned. “Nertlings don’t have an army of plant-people killing off natives, though.”

  Aedre said, “You wouldn’t be surprised if you went to Markaz. Our sky cities are nothing compared to theirs.”

  Gus shook his head and sighed. “Most Inarmuzzan’s can’t afford to leave the Firesnake, not even rich ones. Our government charge us a fortune to leave, even for a short vacation.”

  “That’s very controlling,” Sharr Shuvuu said.

  “Corruption,” Gus said.

  Dad kept quiet. But Aedre knew his opinions. He’d warned her countless times before she’d travelled five light-years to the Firesnake.

  Gus nodded. “I’m distraught about what’s happened to future Kuanja. Two-hundred years isn’t a long time. I hope Ma’s still okay.”

  “Don’t worry.” Aedre blinked at him. “She’s safe in those caves.”

  “We don’t have sky cities in Eeporyo,” Sharr Shuvuu said. “Eeporyovians rely on friends with wings to take them overseas if we don’t have wings or boats.”

  Dad chuckled. “It’s good you’ve got wings, then.”

  “How come you’re not all bird, like that terrifying crow?” Gus asked.

  “Depends on what genes you inherit or whether you decide to become more genetically modified. Genetic modification is as normal in Eeporyo as visiting a dentist.”

  Gus pursed his lips and nodded, obviously trying to hide any deep-seated opinions.

  As an early sunset bled pink and orange, the crystal skywalk descended on a gentle slope. When it reached the ground, twilight set in, casting hues of indigo and violet, akin to light from time portals. An extensive transportation park stretched out and divided into various ground level crystal walkways for pedestrians and hoverboards.

  When they left the taxi-disc, Aedre took deep breaths and closed her eyes. Oxfire’s crisp air cleared dross from her soul and caressed her face as they wound their way through snowy parks under twinkling home pods and educational institutions.

  The four of them travelled up a lift within the stem of her family’s home pod, then entered the main living area on the lowest floor. It smelled different since Mum had died, no more Mayleedian cooking or perfume made from essential oils. In the middle of the winter, sandalwood, frankincense, and ginger had been Mum’s favourite oils. She’d used them in the bath and mixed them with almond oil to rub on her skin. Aedre had taken it for granted until she’d died.

  Dad knelt and placed a hand on Aedre’
s shoulder. “I designed and a device which should give your body more exercise and comfort. Do you have bed sores?”

  “Yes. I miss doing union more than anything.”

  He nodded, then stamped his foot. “Three cosy seats.” Her friends reclined on the bulging bags which rose from the floor. While Sharr Shuvuu shifted her posture for the chair to mould around her, Gus lay flat on his back with a wrinkled forehead.

  “You can sit up, you know.” Sharr Shuvuu chuckled behind a dainty hand, and Aedre and Dad joined in.

  Gus leaned forward, and as his Biluglass bag grew in height, he straightened his back, and it solidified. “That’s better.”

  “You can change your posture whenever you like, and it’ll change shape around you.” Dad touched the arm of his chair. “Doris!”

  An android maid walked down the spiral staircase encased in the pod’s shell. Then she entered the living room. Aedre smiled at the round older woman, who’d been created to look like a Nerthling Sax.

  Doris smiled back and her rosy cheeks dimpled. “Hello, there, my loves. You must be exhausted. You want anything, call me. I can make you anything you wish to eat or drink. When you’re ready, I’ll show you to your en suites. Perhaps you fancy a kip.”

  “Doris is a nurse, too, Aedre. Can she help you now?”

  Aedre nodded. Her catheter and stool bag needed emptying.

  Doris arched an eyebrow at Dad. “Shall we use her hoverchair or your invention?”

  “Oh.” He jumped to his feet. “I’d nearly forgotten.” He strode over to a cupboard and retrieved a metre-long glass rod. “This is made from Biluglass. It’ll help you stand, help you stretch your arms and legs, even help you perform some union postures, to work your muscles and keep you flexible.”

  Breathless, Aedre asked in a loud voice, “Can I use it now?”

  He nodded and released it. The rod levitated toward her.

  “Tell it what you want,” Dad said. “Don’t worry. It has safety mechanisms in place and has been tested extensively.”

  “Please, stand me up.”

  It flashed and shifted behind her. She couldn’t see what it did, but her bottom lifted off the chair, and her spine stretched out until she stood. “Amazing! I can’t feel, yet my body’s telling me this is what it needs. Not sure that makes sense.”

  “Yes, it does.” Sharr Shuvuu stood beside her and placed an arm around Aedre’s waist. “This is fantastic.”

  “Can I walk?” Aedre asked Dad.

  His face dropped. “No. That’s something it can’t help you do. But you can float in an upright position. You don’t even need a hoverboard or hoverchair.”

  “Will it lay me down?”

  “Yes.”

  “You said I could do union?”

  “Yes.” His face flushed and he glanced at Doris. “Perhaps you could have a try after Doris has helped you?”

  Aedre’s hands tingled. It had only happened twice since paralysis. The first time was when she had sat on Akachi’s lap in front of Giok’s Satsang altar. “Oh, Dad. Thank you so much! I love you and am so sorry about causing so much heartache.”

  “You’re wrong. Nothing is your fault. I got stuck in a rut, and you forced me to open my eyes.”

  ***

  The next morning at breakfast, Dad made coffee, and everyone else, including Doris, sat in cosy seats. Aedre accepted sips from the cup Doris put to her lips as Dad suggested what they could do that day—go to a VR games room, go swimming as Aedre’s swimming rod worked in water, stroll in local parks, or take a maglev to the capital and go shopping.

  “Where’s Soozan?” Aedre asked. “I thought she’d rush around as soon as I got back.”

  “You know how full-on she can be,” Dad said. “I lied and told her you were coming back today.”

  Aedre laughed.

  “But please,” he glanced at each of them, “don’t tell Soozan about the pyramid. Tell her you got here by tachyon cryosponge.”

  “She’ll never believe that,” Aedre said.

  “I didn’t tell her about that call from the Nerthus Embassy. She doesn’t know you’re paralysed yet.”

  Aedre gasped.

  “Tell her you finished your contract and returned.”

  “Okay.”

  “I’d like to give you both some money for bringing Aedre back to me. Also, you’re welcome to stay as long as you like. We have plenty of spare rooms. This place is too quiet for Aedre and me.”

  “Thank you, Pak’Johnston,” Sharr Shuvuu said. “But I want to go home and take up my art scholarship. All Gus and I will need is a ticket back to Birchwoods’s pyramid.”

  “No problem. I want to give you money. Perhaps you’d enjoy a day out shopping too?”

  “I don’t need money in Giok’s future,” Gus said. “We do want to get back soon, don’t we, Sharr? Ma will be worrying.”

  “I don’t want money, either,” Sharr Shuvuu said. “Knowing Aedre’s safe at home is enough. I want to go back to Giok, then straight to Heaven’s Island in Eeporyo.”

  Aedre’s head ached, and she drew in a deep breath. “You want to leave today?”

  They exchanged glances, then nodded.

  Aedre chewed the inside of her cheek. “Dad. I wasn’t going to bring this up until later, but I Can’t bottle it up any longer.”

  “What is it, Darling?”

  “I want to go to Mayleeda.”

  He nodded. “Yes?”

  Her heartbeat thudded in her eardrums, and her head flinched. She hadn’t expected a reaction like that.

  “If I go there, I can have neural regeneration surgery. I may walk again. Then I could join FRAP as a volunteer and help the refugees from Glass City.”

  “Shall we buy tickets now? I’ll come with you, and Soozan might want to join us.”

  “Uh?”

  The lift’s door snapped open, and Soozan walked in, wearing a pinstriped dress and kitten heels. She’d straightened her red hair until it hung to her shoulders like a flat sheet of iron. Her serious expression broke out into lines and dimples as she wailed and ran towards Aedre.

  Soozan stood in front of her, expecting Aedre to stand up for a hug. When Aedre didn’t move, she attempted to pull her up by her hands.

  Heart thudding, heat rushed into Aedre’s face. “I’m paralysed!” Her pent-up emotions flooded out. Aedre’s sobs shook her numb body.

  Soozan took two steps back, and her red face went white. “No. This is some sick joke.”

  Dad placed a hand on Soozan’s shoulder. “It’s not. I didn’t know how to tell you. Didn’t want it spoiling your wedding plans.”

  “You’re getting married?” Aedre asked.

  Soozan nodded slowly, eyes fixed on Aedre’s legs. “Why? How?”

  “I don’t know,” Aedre lied.

  Dad got the rod, and Aedre stood upright. Soozan hugged her, but Aedre couldn’t move her arms to return Soozan’s embrace.

  “This is uncomfortable,” Aedre said. “I want to go to Mayleeda so I can move again.”

  “Yes!” Soozan said. “You must. Joshua and I might come too. He’s been talking about immigrating to Mayleeda. They will have a cure. It’ll all be okay.”

  Aedre inhaled deeply and smiled. “So we could all live together?”

  “Maybe.”

  “You don’t care that you’d be in cryosponge for four years?”

  “No way! I won’t age, will I?”

  After Soozan left more severe than ever, probably making big plans for the near future, Dad swiped a hand over his face. “I have a good early retirement package on offer. Shall we leave for Mayleeda next week?”

  Aedre nodded vigorously. “That would be a dream come true.”

  “I know. I didn’t let you have your dream before. Let’s go for it together.” He sighed heavily, took four empty coffee cups, and went into the kitchen. “Since your mum passed, it’s never been the same. I need a fresh start too. A change.”

  Something on the coffee table caught her
eye. A miniature red light shone from within it. “Yes...” A mosquito drone watched and listened.

  Aedre’s gut tightened as she forced out a breath and pressed her lips into a tight line. She mustn’t let the drone know she’d seen it. She must kill the controller through river and rain, wherever and whoever he was. “I need a fresh start too, Dad. But first I want to take Sharr Shuvuu and Gus to back to Birchwood’s pyramid.”

  “No need,” Sharr Shuvuu said.

  Aedre’s gaze became unfocused on surrounding home pods, which glinted in the sunshine. She shook her head. “Let’s take a day trip to the river. I need to travel by river and rain again. I forgot to tell YuFu, Yasmin and Apek that I got here safely.”

  “But you saw Akachi.” Sharr Shuvuu opened her palms out and shrugged. “He would’ve told them.”

  “Yeah,” Gus said. “Sharr’s right. You don’t need to come. It’s a long journey. We remember how to get there.”

  Aedre’s mouth went dry, and her face remained tight. “I need to feel what it’s like to move again during river and rain travel before I sleep in cryosponge for four years.”

  Terminate

  At Birchwood’s river, while Gus lay on a bridge in search of his dad, Bamdar’s drone buzzed around Sharr Shuvuu and Dad, who sat in an aurashield on the riverbank.

  “I won’t be too long.” Aedre lay further along the bridge from Gus. “I’ll quickly say bye to my temple-friends.” She swallowed repeatedly and glanced at Dad, wishing she didn’t have to lie. “Take me to Bamdar. Disguise me as a housefly. Don’t do it if there are fly zappers. I don’t want to die.”

  Already accustomed to compound eyes, Aedre flew off a wall and onto the back of a chair. She unfocused her vision, so the whole scene came together.

  The small room contained five airSpheres, each with a drone controller. Four controllers sat inside their airSpheres, while one held his orb of light in a cupped hand. Its footage showed Dad and Sharr Shuvuu sitting on the riverbank, talking.

  With heat rising in her body, she dry-washed her tiny fly hands. Where was Bamdar? There were only Native-Reds in this room. “Take me to Bamdar.” Nothing happened.

  “What is my darling doing?” A handsome young Native-Red closed his airSphere and gazed at the image of her lying on the bridge in the other man’s hand.