When Places Call Read online
Page 8
imitations of Earth, the world you left behind. The food you eat and the clothes you are wear aren’t real at all, they’re synthetic. Imitation. Even your name is fake. Your entire life is based off of the artificial. Perhaps your disgust for the uncanny is really a reflection of the disgust you feel for yourself.”
Kira stood up, quick and elegant, and left the cabin.
Iguru ignored the sting of defeat and instead welcomed the new opportunities now that he was left alone with Ananke. Slipping a chip out of his pocket, he connected his database to Ananke. Layer by layer, he unlocked the passcode. The scrambled data revealed its true nature with the help of what Kira and he had discovered together, and with what Iguru had from his research long ago.
To fight against destiny, to change the fates, unlock the guardian and step into the portal.
Kira was right about the transformation – the entire ship could be configured into something new. A portal. Iguru wanted to crow with victory, but the exact details of how this could be achieved were still unclear. Unfortunately he had fled before he could see the research completed and made real. But here it was, sitting right before his fingertips, finally. Nine years of hiding and running and scrounging had finally led to this.
He flicked through, continuing to correct information, this time with a better idea of what to look for. He searched for the stats on wormholes and black holes, things that were portal-like, and corrected the data he found, filling in the passcode. Success would finally be his, his entire body was flushed with it. Whatever he discovered of the passcode, and the revealed instructions, he copied to his own data chip.
An hour later, Ananke finally revealed her secrets. All he needed was more power, power that Ananke herself didn’t have. He deleted what he discovered from Kira’s and Ananke’s databanks, only preserving his copy of the completed passcode and instructions. The energy problem was something that he’d have to think on. Or perhaps Kira had already provided an answer, rooming their ships together. He stood up, cracking his back and wincing at the pops, and decided that maybe it was time to find his host and apologize.
Search Request
Database: Hadian.Gundari.BIT.Galactic.Objects.
Database: EIF.Distant.Objects.
Search results: 81. Time: 0.00221
Top results: Ananke, Black Holes, Wormholes appear in 81 documents. View results?
The butler was not there to accompany him when he exited the hangar. The staircase was his alone to traverse. Despite the absence of the butler, it was still nearly impossible to explore, as the house stubbornly kept him away from restricted areas. He yanked on a few more doors as he walked down the hallway, but the results were the same as before.
Entering his room, he began a thorough search. He overturned the furniture, tapped the walls, clawed at the tiles, ran scans from his utiphone, but couldn’t find any way to access the mainframe that must be controlling the house. The house had to be some sort of elaborate computer program. He turned around in a circle, breathing heavily, but the room was completely ordinary, other than the fact that it could be rearranged by Kira’s whim.
He snapped open the curtains and a spectacular sunset greeted him. The sight did nothing to ease him. Below him, the alien planet unfolded and he wondered how far Kira’s control extended, if the rest of this world was just as the mansion was.
Iguru gripped the rail, even as the sky grew purple. Tightening his grip, he pushed upwards and flung his leg over the railing. He swung the rest of his body over and then, with a glance at the ground, dropped. It was not a terribly long fall and he landed easily, rolling into the trees.
The trees were droopy, with bark that looked like it was melting, and the trunks rebounded like rubber when he knocked into them. The house rose above him, resplendent with ashlar blocks twisted into towers and spires, with a steeply-pitched roof. It didn’t look like a hologram. Iguru placed a hand against one of the blocks, but it felt solid.
Only the foundation differed from the rest of the construction. These blocks were larger and less clean-cut; they were darker and had a different grain. They weren’t as pristine or well kept, either; mildew and weeds overtook most of the bottom blocks. He circled the mansion, but nothing happened. No weapons or fences activated, the entire house remained resplendent and restful. From what he could see, the mansion lacked a front door and a place for vehicles to park. Either Kira could vanish the door as needed, or the only way in and out was through the docking hoop.
He squinted into the sky at the docking hoop hovering overhead. It was not like the rest of the mansion, gleaming and new, it was like the foundation: old and a leftover from a less glamorous era.
Activating his utiphone light, Iguru left the mansion and walked into the forest. The sun caressed the horizon and the entire sky was tinted a dark, deep red. His light illuminated strange, flighty creatures that darted through the maroon-like dark, and giant bugs that crawled slowly over stone and sand. He kept his hands as close to his body as possible, not eager to accidentally touch anything that might be poisonous or hungry.
He stumbled into the city by luck. There was nothing to indicate that any civilization existed, no smell, no noise and no lights. He flicked his utiphone back and forth, the white light illuminating one small section at a time, as the rest of the city waited in darkness. The buildings were simple, like empty cans with sliding doors. There were no signs or vehicles, no open stores or restaurants. It was like traversing through an empty doll house.
Finally, he stepped up to one of the buildings and the door silently slid back for him. He pointed his light into the gloom, ready for any secrets he might find. A row of empty, glassy stares greeted him.
He stumbled back, hand reaching for a weapon, and aimed it at the robot. She didn’t react. He held his finger on the trigger, waiting for any sign of movement, just a twitch. She didn’t even blink.
The purple sky transformed into dark violent, the clouds above becoming little more than inky smears. He was left in the night with the expressionless bots. He backed out of the building and swung his light around, as if looking for an exit door to appear.
The pale face of the butler materialized next to his shoulder. Iguru skittered back, ducking low, his hands held up in a defensive position.
“Welcome to the city of Safety,” the butler said.
Iguru kept his weapon ready in his hand, but didn’t fire it.
“It is important for our citizens to recharge, so they usually hibernate at night. A tour would be best conducted in the day.”
Iguru didn’t know if this was some pre-murder monologue or not; he had met people who raved and goaded before they killed. He hadn’t thought an android would be one of them.
“I could conduct a tour now or it can wait until morning,” the butler said.
Iguru was still waiting for the punch line.
“I’m sure the citizens would be interested to see an outsider,” the butler continued.
Iguru waved his weapon around. Just a bit. But he was beginning to feel nauseated.
“You – you talk about them as if they’re people. But they’re put to bed at sunset like children or baby dolls.”
“Kira does care for us,” the butler said.
“Did he create all of you?”
“Kira is not interested in creation, he is interested in collection.”
“So he simply bought you then? You’re all part of his limited edition doll collection?”
The butler tipped his head to the side and for the first time, Iguru saw a glimmer of expression. The butler was sad.
“We are rescues.”
The butler executed a quick heel-turn and gestured for Iguru to follow. Iguru eyed the forest, but then realized he didn’t really have anywhere to go except back to the mansion anyway. He followed a safe distance behind the butler.
“Did you ever have toys?” The butler asked as they walked.
Iguru nodded, but couldn’t find it in him to answer
vocally. His childhood had been happy and plentiful. It was painful to remember.
“Did you care for them? House them, feed them, and give them personalities and voices?”
Iguru shrugged uncomfortably. The butler stopped. He regarded Iguru steadily; his gaze had a certain sort of weightiness to it. It made Iguru want to break the stare and look at the ground, but he didn’t.
“Did you ever think of them as anything less than you?”
Iguru pressed his lips together, unwilling to admit to anything.
“Didn’t you love them?”
Iguru finally looked away.
“Since you arrived here, I have been wondering if you are a good or bad man. Perhaps you are wondering if androids are good or bad. There are complex answers to both these questions but love, Mr. Halk, is never bad.”
The butler nodded his head at their surroundings, and Iguru finally shone his light at somewhere other than the ground. In front of him was the Community Board. It was a large screen filled with many tiles that residents had apparently customized. Drawings, notes, events, reminders and shout-outs. Some of it was scientific, with information on the setting and rising of the sun, probably useful if everyone had an enforced bedtime. There was, however, a planned observatory night. It was an invitation for all residents to stay awake and watch the passing of a comet.
“There’s an observatory?” Iguru asked.
“Yes, Kira built it,” the butler paused, and then offered,
Kira stood up, quick and elegant, and left the cabin.
Iguru ignored the sting of defeat and instead welcomed the new opportunities now that he was left alone with Ananke. Slipping a chip out of his pocket, he connected his database to Ananke. Layer by layer, he unlocked the passcode. The scrambled data revealed its true nature with the help of what Kira and he had discovered together, and with what Iguru had from his research long ago.
To fight against destiny, to change the fates, unlock the guardian and step into the portal.
Kira was right about the transformation – the entire ship could be configured into something new. A portal. Iguru wanted to crow with victory, but the exact details of how this could be achieved were still unclear. Unfortunately he had fled before he could see the research completed and made real. But here it was, sitting right before his fingertips, finally. Nine years of hiding and running and scrounging had finally led to this.
He flicked through, continuing to correct information, this time with a better idea of what to look for. He searched for the stats on wormholes and black holes, things that were portal-like, and corrected the data he found, filling in the passcode. Success would finally be his, his entire body was flushed with it. Whatever he discovered of the passcode, and the revealed instructions, he copied to his own data chip.
An hour later, Ananke finally revealed her secrets. All he needed was more power, power that Ananke herself didn’t have. He deleted what he discovered from Kira’s and Ananke’s databanks, only preserving his copy of the completed passcode and instructions. The energy problem was something that he’d have to think on. Or perhaps Kira had already provided an answer, rooming their ships together. He stood up, cracking his back and wincing at the pops, and decided that maybe it was time to find his host and apologize.
Search Request
Database: Hadian.Gundari.BIT.Galactic.Objects.
Database: EIF.Distant.Objects.
Search results: 81. Time: 0.00221
Top results: Ananke, Black Holes, Wormholes appear in 81 documents. View results?
The butler was not there to accompany him when he exited the hangar. The staircase was his alone to traverse. Despite the absence of the butler, it was still nearly impossible to explore, as the house stubbornly kept him away from restricted areas. He yanked on a few more doors as he walked down the hallway, but the results were the same as before.
Entering his room, he began a thorough search. He overturned the furniture, tapped the walls, clawed at the tiles, ran scans from his utiphone, but couldn’t find any way to access the mainframe that must be controlling the house. The house had to be some sort of elaborate computer program. He turned around in a circle, breathing heavily, but the room was completely ordinary, other than the fact that it could be rearranged by Kira’s whim.
He snapped open the curtains and a spectacular sunset greeted him. The sight did nothing to ease him. Below him, the alien planet unfolded and he wondered how far Kira’s control extended, if the rest of this world was just as the mansion was.
Iguru gripped the rail, even as the sky grew purple. Tightening his grip, he pushed upwards and flung his leg over the railing. He swung the rest of his body over and then, with a glance at the ground, dropped. It was not a terribly long fall and he landed easily, rolling into the trees.
The trees were droopy, with bark that looked like it was melting, and the trunks rebounded like rubber when he knocked into them. The house rose above him, resplendent with ashlar blocks twisted into towers and spires, with a steeply-pitched roof. It didn’t look like a hologram. Iguru placed a hand against one of the blocks, but it felt solid.
Only the foundation differed from the rest of the construction. These blocks were larger and less clean-cut; they were darker and had a different grain. They weren’t as pristine or well kept, either; mildew and weeds overtook most of the bottom blocks. He circled the mansion, but nothing happened. No weapons or fences activated, the entire house remained resplendent and restful. From what he could see, the mansion lacked a front door and a place for vehicles to park. Either Kira could vanish the door as needed, or the only way in and out was through the docking hoop.
He squinted into the sky at the docking hoop hovering overhead. It was not like the rest of the mansion, gleaming and new, it was like the foundation: old and a leftover from a less glamorous era.
Activating his utiphone light, Iguru left the mansion and walked into the forest. The sun caressed the horizon and the entire sky was tinted a dark, deep red. His light illuminated strange, flighty creatures that darted through the maroon-like dark, and giant bugs that crawled slowly over stone and sand. He kept his hands as close to his body as possible, not eager to accidentally touch anything that might be poisonous or hungry.
He stumbled into the city by luck. There was nothing to indicate that any civilization existed, no smell, no noise and no lights. He flicked his utiphone back and forth, the white light illuminating one small section at a time, as the rest of the city waited in darkness. The buildings were simple, like empty cans with sliding doors. There were no signs or vehicles, no open stores or restaurants. It was like traversing through an empty doll house.
Finally, he stepped up to one of the buildings and the door silently slid back for him. He pointed his light into the gloom, ready for any secrets he might find. A row of empty, glassy stares greeted him.
He stumbled back, hand reaching for a weapon, and aimed it at the robot. She didn’t react. He held his finger on the trigger, waiting for any sign of movement, just a twitch. She didn’t even blink.
The purple sky transformed into dark violent, the clouds above becoming little more than inky smears. He was left in the night with the expressionless bots. He backed out of the building and swung his light around, as if looking for an exit door to appear.
The pale face of the butler materialized next to his shoulder. Iguru skittered back, ducking low, his hands held up in a defensive position.
“Welcome to the city of Safety,” the butler said.
Iguru kept his weapon ready in his hand, but didn’t fire it.
“It is important for our citizens to recharge, so they usually hibernate at night. A tour would be best conducted in the day.”
Iguru didn’t know if this was some pre-murder monologue or not; he had met people who raved and goaded before they killed. He hadn’t thought an android would be one of them.
“I could conduct a tour now or it can wait until morning,” the butler said.
Iguru was still waiting for the punch line.
“I’m sure the citizens would be interested to see an outsider,” the butler continued.
Iguru waved his weapon around. Just a bit. But he was beginning to feel nauseated.
“You – you talk about them as if they’re people. But they’re put to bed at sunset like children or baby dolls.”
“Kira does care for us,” the butler said.
“Did he create all of you?”
“Kira is not interested in creation, he is interested in collection.”
“So he simply bought you then? You’re all part of his limited edition doll collection?”
The butler tipped his head to the side and for the first time, Iguru saw a glimmer of expression. The butler was sad.
“We are rescues.”
The butler executed a quick heel-turn and gestured for Iguru to follow. Iguru eyed the forest, but then realized he didn’t really have anywhere to go except back to the mansion anyway. He followed a safe distance behind the butler.
“Did you ever have toys?” The butler asked as they walked.
Iguru nodded, but couldn’t find it in him to answer
vocally. His childhood had been happy and plentiful. It was painful to remember.
“Did you care for them? House them, feed them, and give them personalities and voices?”
Iguru shrugged uncomfortably. The butler stopped. He regarded Iguru steadily; his gaze had a certain sort of weightiness to it. It made Iguru want to break the stare and look at the ground, but he didn’t.
“Did you ever think of them as anything less than you?”
Iguru pressed his lips together, unwilling to admit to anything.
“Didn’t you love them?”
Iguru finally looked away.
“Since you arrived here, I have been wondering if you are a good or bad man. Perhaps you are wondering if androids are good or bad. There are complex answers to both these questions but love, Mr. Halk, is never bad.”
The butler nodded his head at their surroundings, and Iguru finally shone his light at somewhere other than the ground. In front of him was the Community Board. It was a large screen filled with many tiles that residents had apparently customized. Drawings, notes, events, reminders and shout-outs. Some of it was scientific, with information on the setting and rising of the sun, probably useful if everyone had an enforced bedtime. There was, however, a planned observatory night. It was an invitation for all residents to stay awake and watch the passing of a comet.
“There’s an observatory?” Iguru asked.
“Yes, Kira built it,” the butler paused, and then offered,
Starstuff