Scene 1:
Vencume Room
NARRATOR:
Becca was rubbing the sleep out of her eyes when Vencume came and the captain left with it. When the captain came back, he was all smiles.
Captain Wainwright:
Judith, Paul, you have a four kilo nephew.
Judith:
She had the baby!
Captain Wainwright:
Jason said his name is Stephen. There's another Wainwright in
the universe.
Paul:
I can't wait to show him how to bring in a 200-tonne
freighter.
Judith:
Or how to calculate the distance between systems.
Stella:
Congratulations, grandfather.
(kiss)
Captain Wainwright:
You too, grandmother.
(kiss) The Qiu Fa Zu will be making a
return trip
fourteen days after we hit Peg-51. Becca, Franz, you're more than welcome to
berth with us.
Franz:
I'd never take advantage of a new grandfather.
Becca:
Do they need a doctor?
Stella:
They just had a baby!
MUSIC: Music
Narrator:
A Vencume brought back the crew's clothes, but now they were
clean.
Max:
They brought our quick-bags, too. (giggle) Now I have pen and
paper.
Captain Wainwright:
Good. Keep at that display. Let me know if you've made any
progress.
Judith:
Everyone brought stiks, but no one brought a comm.
Stella:
There’s one on the lifeboat. We can use that.
Franz:
Who wants an apple?
Judith:
You hid those from us the whole time...
Franz:
They were a last meal. I knew they'd keep. Now, they’re a
celebratory meal. (whispering) Here, Becca. An extra one. Just in case.
Narrator:
It was early morning according to Evie's watch (or late
evening). Becca had
gotten up first and crossed the hallway for a morning purge and cleanse.
Standing in the hot spray, she heard chittering across the way.
There was a Vencume in the room and the crew was sitting at the table. Becca
tied back her wet hair and took a seat. The Vencume ran long fingers over
Becca, tentacles vibrating excitedly.
Male Translator:
Human fix Human invaluable. Human fix Human answer Vencume
questions. Vencume understanding. Vencume has helix. Fix Human fix ship.
Understanding. Vencume fix Human fix ship. Human fix ship fixed.
Understanding. Human see Human fix ship.
Narrator:
The door opened and a figure came in, its head obscured by a
mask...? Goggles, but with multiple small lenses, moving independently. Her
hair was short and white; she was dressed in some sort of white, clinical
pajama; and she sat cross-legged on top of a...a walker? It looked like a chair
with a high-back, but a section of it dropped below, like a rest. Like a jack
with no arms. But there were arms—-four jointed legs that started under the
seat
of the device with knees that stopped at the figure's shoulder-level. Her legs
wrapped around a control that rose from the seat of the device. The walker
moved without any noise besides a slight hiss. The bulk of the device filled
the room. It looked almost like...
Becca:
Evie! (internal) That's what it looks like: that tiny
mechanical mantis Evie had been working on all that time ago.
Narrator:
Lenses on the goggles swiveled rapidly to focus on Becca, the
head slowly turned.
Gordon:
(relieved) We thought you were dead.
Evie:
(stiffly) No, Not dead.
Max:
What's with the get-up, Chief? This a squiddy wheelchair?
Evie:
Something like that, yes.
Becca:
Why are you wearing that...? Are those goggles?
Evie:
The pressure this puts on my head will re-shape the skull. I
might not need glasses once this is over.
Judith:
But that's fantastic! Why couldn't anyone do that for you
before?
Evie:
Because I'm still half-blind wearing it. My eyes are actually
shut underneath this mess. I have to rely on...these inputs... This big
bulky thing here. A direct brain to machine interface. I can see, but,
it's...imperfect. I'm not sure how they figured it out.
Franz:
They have you sitting cross-legged? Isn't that uncomfortable?
Evie:
It's actually better for my hips. They, it...it has to set
again. It should set right this time.
Becca:
You won't limp anymore.
Evie:
I might still limp. I've been limping my whole life. I have
to learn how to walk again.
Stella:
I am so happy to see you again. This is so wonderful.
Paul:
Why is your hair white?
Becca:
Trauma.
Evie:
Yes. It might grow in normal later. The Vencume shaved the
back for these...this vision thing.
Judith:
You have to tell us everything!
Max:
You have to tell us about that walker! It's incredible.
Judith:
What happened to the ship? Was it in one piece when you left
it?
Paul:
What did the Tzikzik look like? Did you see any?
Max:
Did they take the ship or blow it up? I heard there was some
debris...
Evie:
I... sorry...I'm not used to this attention. It's very...it's
too much. I can't stop seeing. These things won't let me....
Male Translator:
Understanding. Vencume device weaken Human fix ship.
Understanding.
Gordon:
(long uncomfortable silence) I have to apologize to you.
It....it was my fault you were left on the ship, I panicked and—-
Narrator:
The entire mass of the walker shifted forward as Evie barreled towards Gordon. She caught his midsection with the lip of the walker and trapped him against a wall, the front legs of the device pinning his arms to his sides. The walker's front legs raised centimeters at a time, lifting him off the ground in minute increments.
Evie:
I've had a lot of time to think.
I
can't
tell
you
how
much
thinking I've
been
doing.
Gordon:
I'm sorry! God, I'm sorry! I panicked! Anyone would have done
it in that situation!
Evie:
Not anyone. You.
You did that.
Male Translator:
Human fix ship not break Human.
Narrator:
The back legs on the walker were slowly straightening. Evie was putting more pressure on Gordon and lifting him of the ground. She leaned forward in the walker, her face getting closer to his.
Captain Wainwright:
Gaines! Drop him! He wasn't going to be on any return flight; we've already decided that. Put him down.
Gordon:
Puh-puh-please!
Evie:
Have I told you about the almost complete understanding I have of how a
Human fits together?
Gordon:
I swear! I didn't mean it! I had to save the crew and you
left! What was I supposed to do?
EVIE:
Tell me again, about lop-sided, myopic...what was it you said?
Male Translator:
Human fix ship break Human. Human fix ship not stay with
Human.
Evie:
I don’t limp in this thing, pretty
boy.
Max:
Chief? Are you...?
Narrator:
Evie stiffened in the walker. The legs lowered again, putting her back at eye level with the others. The Vencume was changing color to a deep purple and the skin was changing texture to a scaly mottle. Its five arms hugged close to its body and the twisted masses of fingers tightened into balls.
Becca:
Evie, I think you broke one of his ribs.
Male Translator:
Human fix ship break Human.
Evie:
Please forgive that little outburst. I'm jumpy...I’m sorry.
My head hurts. I didn’t mean to do that.
Captain Wainwright:
It seemed pretty deliberate.
Stella:
You've had a rough time. You need some rest.
Evie:
I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.
CAPTAIN WAINWRIGHT:
You two have fought since day one. I won't have anymore of
it. Understand? I need a chief engineer; not a petulant child.
Stella:
David, can you blame her? Evelyn, you just need to relax.
Becca:
Do you want to lie down? We have room. Paul and I can double
up.
Evie:
No, no...I have...a room, upstairs. I’m not staying down here.
Max:
One of the upper levels. Where you won’t weigh as much.
Evie:
I need to go. I'm sorry. I'll... I need to go.
SOUND: Evie leaving. A shuffle.
Becca:
Vencume, wait. I’m her doctor. Let me know if you need
anything.
Male Translator:
Understanding. Human fix Human. Fix broken Human.
MAX:
I guess Chief had a tough time.
Gordon:
I'm having a tough time right now!
Franz:
You left a crew member. We got them back...I think.
Becca:
Whatever happened on the ship must have been awful.
CAPTAIN WAINWRIGHT:
Awful or not, I'm tired of these fights. I'm not going to go
down as the captain of a ship where everyone lost an eye.
Stella:
David, please. I know it's hard to keep control. We don't
know what happened to her.
Becca:
No, we don't. Give me some time. I'll figure it out.
CAPTAIN WAINWRIGHT:
Dr. Tabib, you stick to her like glue. You go where she goes,
you report everything back to me.
Gordon:
She was hardly human before--
Max:
Cargo says 'what?'
Becca:
Go lie down, Gordon. I'll look at that rib in a moment.
(internal) Now she can over-power him with or without gravity. At least...I
think it's her.
MUSIC:
Scene 2:
rehab room
Narrator:
A Vencume came for Becca shortly after that. It led her to a lift at the end of the corridor and they went up three levels. Evie was out of the walker, wobbling between a set of parallel bars.
Evie:
Just like old times. Except these bars are too short to
really get much work done.
Becca:
You're doing wonderfully. (pause) Franz had packed some
apples in his quick-bag as a last meal. He sends one up and wishes you good
luck.
Evie:
Tell him thanks. Put it on the chair. I need a goal.
Becca:
You’re taking light steps and not working the muscles. Try to
put more weight on your feet and not your hands.
Evie:
It’s not the muscles as much as it is me learning how to use
them.
Becca:
You’ve lost weight. How long were you on the—-
Evie:
Becca? Is that translator on?
Becca:
You haven’t heard it chittering?
Evie:
Turn it off.
Narrator:
Becca turned the device off. The Vencume chittered and spun out of the room. Evie watched it leave.
Evie:
How much do you think it costs to put me back into one piece?
Becca:
Why do you ask?
Evie:
I ask, because I know it can't be cheap. I know how much it
cost my folks the first time around. You must know it costs a lot. I'm just
hoping you're OK with what I paid for it.
Becca:
What do you mean by that?
Evie:
What did you guys do to Gordon?
Becca:
Max...might have hit him a few times. I guess it was that
obvious?
Evie:
He moves differently; less sure of himself. I figured he was
the one who launched
the lifeboat prematurely. Tell me you at least fed him.
Becca:
Franz, uh..Franz has taken charge of him.
Evie::
So, how many days was everyone giving him the stink-eye?
Becca:
We were out five days...I think.
Evie:
I feel bad
enough about that rib I cracked, but you guys are really going to hurt him if
you shun him too much. He'll starve without adoration. (pause)
Where's that Vencume?
Becca:
It left. Should I turn the translator back on?
Evie:
Might as well. (quoting) Oh, I'm wearied wi’ walking, and
fain wad lie down.
Becca:
Are you sleeping OK?
Evie:
It’s these...these goggle things. All this pressure on
my head. Plus, I can’t turn them off. Makes it hard to sleep. If there’s any
movement in the room, I see it. It wakes me up so I can’t get more than a few
minutes at a time.
Becca:
There must be a switch or something. Maybe you can’t feel it.
Evie:
Maybe. I just want it to be dark for thirty minutes, you
know? I want to give my brain a rest. This is making me crazy.
Becca:
I can’t find anything on them. There must be a switch...
Evie:
There’s a pin here...I think that takes them off, but it
might not kill the connection.
Becca:
No, that might be too much. You’d be getting stimuli from two
sources.
Evie:
What time is it?
Becca:
Oh! I almost forgot. I still have your watch. Here, let me
get that back to you.
Evie:
So I saw, when you were looking at my head cast.
Becca:
Head cast?
Evie:
Well, it’s setting bone. It picks up
motion in a weird way, so that second hand really stood out. Thanks... I...I
can’t get a fix on
it.
Becca:
Let me...there.
Evie:
You put it on upside down. I’m not that blind.
Becca:
Just too blind to work a buckle.
Evie:
I can’t see the holes.
Becca:
Here. I'll re-do it. (laughs) I don’t even remember why
I had it.
Evie:
I left it in your bay when...
Narrator:
Evie snapped her hand back. She crossed her arms across her
torso, tucking her hands into her armpits.
Evie:
I have to go.
Becca:
Are you OK? Do you need help?
Evie:
No, I’ll be fine. I have to do something. Sorry.
Narrator:
Evie straightened out and brought the walker to life. It
raised to near the ceiling before settling at eye-level. The door opened and
Evie almost knocked over a Vencume that was coming in.
Female Translator:
Human fix Human fix Human fix ship.
Becca:
No, I didn’t fix her. There’s a broken part there.
Female Translator:
Misunderstanding. Vencume fix Human fix ship.
Becca:
No. There’s a part in there you can’t fix. I have to.
MUSIC:
Scene 3:
Vencume Room
Max:
How’s the chief?
Becca:
Tired. She’s having trouble with
that goggle get-up.
Franz:
But is she
doing OK? I know you guys are friends and all.
Becca:
She's going
to be OK. The Vencume goggles are putting a lot of pressure on her head. They
also said they'd see about turning them off. Turns out, they don't sleep. They
thought eyelids were for cleaning the eye.
Judith:
We're learning. They're
learning. We've been trading so long and now they're finally asking about the
Shipping Authority.
MAX:
Yeah, the one I talked to tried to explain the borrowed-time
field, but it didn't make any sense.
Stella:
Mine asked about the other colonies. They only knew about
Peg-51 and Cancri-55.
Franz:
They didn't know how many different things we eat. Seemed a
little surprised that we grind and cook
wheat.
Becca:
Last night, I was shown some
sort of machine, like the display screens. They kept talking about the 'helix',
so I think they have some way of looking at DNA. No one understood why
Evie's hips looked one way when the DNA said it should look another.
Stella:
The accident...
Max:
What was the
accident? Chief never told me.
Becca:
(laughing a
bit, to spite it all) She fell off a roof as a child and broke her skull and
pelvis. She'd built a crude spaceship out of cardboard and kitchen chairs.
MUSIC:
Scene 4:
hallway
Narrator:
A Vencume
came to Becca later, visibly upset. Its skin was a mottled purple and it
had twisted each of its five hands into tight balls.
Male
Translator:
First Human
broken. Human fix Human not explain. Human fix ship not honest.
Becca:
What’s wrong
with Evie? Where is she?
Male
Translator:
Human bleed.
Human bleed not normal. Human fix ship say normal. Human fix ship not honest.
Becca:
(internal)
Evie is bleeding but she says it’s normal. What kind of bleeding is
normal? (exernal) It’s her period. (internal) It was never an issue
before, but her entire pelvis has changed. That's why she left in such a hurry.
(external) Yes, that’s normal. It will end soon. It happens roughly every
twenty-eight days.
Male
Translator:
Human helix
broken. Bad design. Human fix Human explain.
Narrator:
Becca calmly
explained how the Human reproduction system worked and what was happening. She
also stated it could be suppressed using hormones, as she did.
The Vencume calmed down once it understood how to stop the process, its skin
shifting from the mottled purple back to a smooth blue. It uncurled its hands
and ran long digits over Becca.
Male
Trnalator:
Human fix
Human honest. Human fix ship honest. First Human not broken. Helix broken.
Scene 5: Observation deck
Narator:
When Becca saw
Evie again, she found her on the observation deck, staring out at the rolling
sections of ship.
Evie:
It looks like
the ocean.
Becca:
I thought it
looked like thunderclouds.
Evie:
If you listen
closely, you can hear it....Or it's the scrubbers. It even smells like the
sea-side here. You know? That seaweed smell.
Becca:
Yeah...Are you
doing better? Are you still having--
Evie:
It was
a...stomach thing. I won’t bore you with the unnecessary details. The food here
is weird.
Becca:
We’re
adjusting. You’re still working on your bars?
Evie:
I hope to be
out of this walker soon. (pause) My right eye itches.
Becca:
Try not to
think about it.
Evie:
It's like
wearing a pressure suit. You have something you want to scratch or press
only...you can't. For whatever reason.
Becca:
What’s the
longest you've spent in one?
Evie:
A long time.
(sigh) This last trip was...it's rough.
Becca:
But you made
it to the Vencume pod OK. Did it hold field?
Evie:
I'm not sure.
I guess it did.
Becca:
You lost so
much weight, so it must have been more than a week for you. How long were you
in there?
NARRATOR:
Evie made a fist. Becca noticed her sleeves were a little longer; only the tips of her fingers peeked out.
Judith:
It's good to
see you again.
Becca:
(surprised)
Oh!
We didn't see you come in.
Evie:
Good to kinda
see you.
Stella:
Having a
moment?
Becca:
We were
talking about the ocean.
Judith:
Oh, I've never
seen it.
Stella:
There's more
than one ocean. We'll have to send you back home for a while, so you can see
why we do what we do.
Becca:
(after a
pause) Just when we think we have pretty good grasp of what's going on, someone
like the Vencume come along and point out how ignorant we are.
Stella:
(quoting)
Humanity is now ready for the truth. Slowly, but surely, he approaches his end,
which is perfect knowledge and absolute dominion of the universe.
Becca:
(moan) Not you
too.
Evie:
Verne! Ah,
"The Eternal Adam". And, as Bradbury noted in his commentaries, "if we reach
the stars, one day we shall be immortal."
Stella:
Deep space
flights give a person time to think. But we'll grow up, in time. We're just
children in heaven right now.
Becca:
Look....
Narrator:
Stella had
left a hand-print where she had leaned on the glass. It arched across the stars.
Judith:
How poignant.
(sigh)
Becca:
No....Look!
Narrator:
There were
five glittering points moving towards the ship. They darted and weaved between
each other.
Judith:
Shocker! The
guys
have to see this!
SOUND: Judith running off the deck and calling the others
Becca:
It's
not...Tzikzik, is it?
Evie:
Not what you're thinking.
SOUND: The others coming onto the deck
MAX:
What are we
looking at, ladies?
Paul:
There!
Franz:
They're coming
closer.
Gordon:
What is that?
Max:
Is it just one
thing that changes shape? It's like five points of an invisible star. They
contract to a
single point, fan out in a spiral, then form the star once more.
Paul:
I think it's
five things, not just one.
Franz:
I still say
it, or they, is getting closer...
Captain
Wainwright:
That's not a
Vencume design. It looks like our design, but not. It's almost Vencume, but
it's almost us.
MAX:
It's five ships! Larger than lifeboats, but the design won't hold a large crew. The rear assembly has an over-developed thrust array.
Stella:
You're sure?
Becca:
What do Tzikzik look like?
Captain Wainwright:
Tzikzik looked a lot like--
Female
Translator:
New design.
Blue design. Good fast. Much turn strong.
Narrator:
Two Vencume
spun onto the observation deck. The five ships were much closer
now and one would break off from the formation, circle its compatriots,
and return to formation. They took turns doing this.
Female
Translator:
Much fast.
Much turn strong. Good fast. Good blue design. Good yellow pilot.
Narrator:
Outside, the
ships were going through other patterns now. Their formation turned, expanded,
and contracted again.
Evie:
(laughing)
They're playing!
Narrator:
Now that they
were close enough, the crew could make out the golden color of the nimble
fighters. The
five fanned out and started to skim the surface of the massive Vencume ship.
One would break and roll over the others; they adjusted their order in this
way.
Evie:
(still
laughing) Can you hear them singing? This is absolute child's play for them!
Female
Translator:
Blue design
much good. Much turn strong. Yellow design useful. Much fast.
Judith:
They're going to hit us!
NARRATOR:
Judith threw
her arms in front of her face just as the five ships skimmed past the glass,
meters from impact.
Evie was laughing uncontrollably. Part of Becca was happy to hear her laugh
again; a greater part was terrified.
Evie leaned into a Vencume, whispering...
SOUND:
chittering
NARRATOR:
Evie was chittering.
Becca tried to get closer, hoping her translator might pick it up, but the
group decided to leave: a grinning, white Evie and her shuffling, chittering
retinue.
Gordon:
I think you
lost control of one of your crew members.
Captain
Wainwright:
I never asked
your opinion, cargo.
Franz:
They were
fast...Can you imagine the gees involved in maneuvers like that?
Paul:
And so precise.
Captain
Wainwright:
Those aren't
Tzikzik; I'll say that now.
Max:
You said
Tzikzik were like...?
Captain
Wainwright:
Tzikzik look a
lot like Vencume. The ship that attacked us looked like a Vencume ship.
Stella:
You think it's
a faction? Are we looking at a Vencume civil war?
Captain
Wainwright:
Doctor
Tabib, what have you found out?
Becca:
I...(internal)
What was it that had made her leave so suddenly the other day? Why had she been
so upset when I mentioned the stitches....? No! That's too horrific! But the
evidence...There must be a better explanation.
But then, why the longer sleeves? That can't be what happened, but...they had
her quick-bag. Those ships...Who knows what was on those data stiks. And those
drawings!
Captain
Wainwright:
What?
Becca:
I'm not even
sure that is Evie, to be honest...I think the Vencume may have...cored what was
left.
Judith:
How do you
mean?
Becca:
We know that
the Vencume core their dead. We've all seen the units. I think they core out
what equates to a brain and grow a new body for it.
Max:
Aw, no. So her
hair is white. Just because we can’t see the chief’s face doesn’t mean--
Stella:
None of us
have. We don’t know what’s under those goggles.
Becca:
And...and...Well,
look.
I
have
this
little
star-shaped
scar
on my right hand. It's where the
Shipping Authority implanted my identity chip.
Franz:
We all have one of those. Anyone who travels has a chip.
Becca:
That's just it. My entire history is encoded on that tiny
piece of silicon. Everyone on a ship has one. Every
Human who travels from star
to star has a chip. Everyone has
that scar.
Captain
Wainwright:
And?
Becca:
And I've seen
Evie's hands.
Captain
Wainwright:
What about
her hands?
Becca:
She has no
scars. The Evie we're dealing with now has no scars on her hands.
Scene 6:
Hallway
Narrator:
Becca ran down the corridor, trying to find Evie again. She
must have gone back to physical therapy. Into the lift, up two levels, right,
then left, then...
Becca:
I did it again. I’m lost.
Narrator:
Right, then left, then back to the lift. Was it two levels or
three? She must have made a mistake going up, so if she went back down again,
it should be OK.
Becca:
It’s these controls. This is too confusing.
Narrator:
Off the lift again, and Becca looked down the hallway.
Becca:
They all look the same. There’s no markings. Well, no
markings Humans can see. I’ll bet the Vencume can see giant red and yellow
arrows. THIS WAY TO MESS HALL or THIS WAY TO OBSERVATION DECK. (laughs
nervously) THIS WAY TO CLONE OF DEAD FRIEND.
Narrator:
She turned the corner and nearly ran into three girls. They
were Human, yes, only ten years old, but already going into gangly adolescence.
They couldn't have been over twelve, but had soft gray hair, like a Russian
Blue cat. Their heads were large and their skin was pale,
translucent—-near gray. They stood and stared with small blue eyes, blinking
like birds. The quartet stood in silence, sizing each other up.
iMala:
You're Doctor Rebecca Tabib.
Ilyssa:
You're Doctor-Doctor. That's what Tabib means. You fix hands. Our hands are
good, Doctor-Doctor. We don't need fixing.
Idana:
You're not supposed to be here. This area is off limits.
Imala:
iDana is right. You're lucky we found you. It would have
been bad news for you if it had been the Reds...
Idana:
...Or worse.
Becca:
What are you children doing here?
Idana:
iMala, don’t answer her.
Imala:
You are not safe here and need to leave.
Becca:
(internal) What did the Vencume say? Blue design?
They're wearing blue smocks. (external) You're wearing blue smocks!
Idana:
We're wearing blue smocks....?
Becca:
Did you make those golden ships we saw?
Imala:
Oh? You saw them? Aren't they wonderful? That was a fun
project.
Ilyssa:
We made them. It's a variant on pre-existent Vencume design,
but we changed the thrust array for greater maneuverability. And of course, we
had to alter the interior a great deal. No Vencume pilot, but they can't handle
that kind of acceleration anyway because of their bone structure. Well, their
lack of bone structure, actually. The Vencume have a cartilage framework as a
direct result of—--
Idana:
iLyssa! This isn't a biology lesson. We still have to get her
out of here and fix the lift.
Becca:
Did you design the A.I.?
Ilyssa:
No, the pilots fly them,. They call themselves the Golden
Swans.
Idana:
Pretentious and showy....
SOUND: Shoving
Becca:
No! Stop! I demand to know what Human children are
doing on a Vencume ship!
Ilyssa:
And we demand to
know what a Human adult is doing in our
area
of the ship!
Becca:
You're clones! You're clones of Evie. Are the others clones
as well? Was that
why she laughed when she saw the—
Idana:
It's not safe here.
You have to go.
SOUND: More Shoving
Becca:
Is Evie really Evie?
Imala:
Why would you ask that?
Becca:
Because...(crying) She was my best friend
and I don't know if she died or what happened to her and she won't tell me and
I miss my friend and I'm the ship's doctor and
it's my job to take care of the well-being of the crew and she's crew and I
have to look after her and take care of her and I miss my friend and I'm
confused and scared and I’m lost and I don't know what's going on and I don't
know how to talk to her and please, oh, please, if she's just a copy then I
have to help her be what she's supposed to be and teach her what it means to be
Evie, but if she's really still my friend then I have to work to heal and help
her through the hurt and help her get over what the Tzikzik did to her and...
Ilyssa:
We hate them. They're a faulty design and need
to be destroyed.
Becca:
(internal) They look like little wolves. (external) You had
said, 'the Reds, or
worse...' What was that worse you were talking about?
SOUND: Lift door opens
Ilyssa:
This is where we leave you. You won't be able to come back
this way.
Becca:
What about Evie?
Idana:
If you have a question, you should ask her.
Narrator:
And with that, they shoved her backwards into the lift.
MUSIC:
Scene 7:
rehab
Narrator:
Becca finally found the right level and stormed down the
hallway.
Becca:
(internal) If Evie isn't
Evie than that's that. Golden swans! Russian blues! (pause) What if the Vencume
aren't taking us to Peg-51 at all? They're going to
turn us all into ghouls!
Narrator:
She found what might have been Evie in the physical therapy
room, staring at
its hands. The chair was resting on its base, the legs tucked underneath.
Becca:
I've seen the children. Who are you really?
Evie:
How could you
ask me that?
Becca:
I’ve seen your hands. You’re not Evie. Evie had scars on
her hands.
Evie:
Did it ever occur to you that they don’t have any scars
because they’re new?
Becca:
(pause) What?
Evie:
They’re new. So are the arms. The legs, too. And the eyes and
teeth. A lot of it is...new. They didn’t have much left to work with.
SOUND: Becca gasps and makes a little choking sound.
Evie:
What's that look? I'm not some kind of horrible, disfigured
monster.
Becca:
Just some Frankenstein--
Evie:
(angrily) Frankenstein was the doctor. (now calmer) It's why
I need the walker. I don't
have the coordination or strength yet. I have no calluses on my feet. Look at
this.
Becca:
That's incredible. It's like a baby's feet.
Evie:
I never thought I'd have to prove who I am by
showing someone my freakish feet. It's OK. I wouldn't believe it myself.
(raking sigh) So...the children, they're my repayment to the Vencume.
They needed an army and they were impressed with what Human DNA can produce.
Your input on how a Human body works was also pretty helpful, so you can say
you’ve paid your way.
Becca:
I thought I was helping you.
Evie:
(ignoring the statement) There are four versions: designers,
pilots, infantry,
and...I...I'm going to guess you saw the designers.
Becca:
Three gray-haired girls in blue smocks.
Evie:
You're lucky.
Becca:
They recognized me.
Evie:
(surprised) I haven't mentioned you. (pause while she thinks)
I guess there was a chance of--
Becca:
What do I tell the others?
Evie:
You tell them nothing about
the
girls.
I
can't
stress
that
enough.
I
shouldn't even be telling you
about this. We're going to get to
Peg-51 and pretend that none of this happened. It was just a dark little moment
in everyone's life and things are going to go on like they were before. My
head-cast will be off by then and I'm working on callusing up my feet, so we'll
say nothing more of it. You stick with the Wainwrights and they'll take good
care of you. Maybe we'll hook up again later on down the line but there will be
too many questions right now and I can't answer them.
Becca:
What are you going to do now?
SOUND: the walker coming to life
Evie:
I need to talk to some children and find out what's going on.
MUSIC:
Scene 8: the
bridge
Narrator:
Evie tromped down the passageway to another section of the
ship, checking her
watch. Doors opened automatically for her,
receiving signals broadcast by her walker.
EVIE:
Standard stop in two minutes.
NARRATOR:
She entered the main shaft-way and started across the bridge over the chasm.
Evie:
I have enough time for a little exercise
on the way. Not like I could make the passage during that anyhow. One minute.
It's not going to delay me long. I can spare a couple minutes for
this.
Narrator:
In the middle of the bridge, she commanded the walker to
grasp the railings.
Once that was secured, she uncrossed her legs and moved into a crouch.
Evie:
Thirty
seconds.
SOUND: rumble
Narrator:
Evie launched into zero-gee.
MUSIC:
Narrator:
Every twenty-three minutes, this section of the ship stopped
its rotation. It
was something she had noticed the first trip across; although, though when it
had happened, she thought the ship was under attack and scrambled for a hold on
the railing. Later, she timed it and found it to be a regular occurrence. What
a pleasant surprise!
Wasn't this exercise? Maybe not as much as staggering along the parallel bars,
but it was still worthwhile. She had two full minutes to float around and
bounce off the walls before she had to be back to the bridge. That was a
mistake she'd made once, and the memory of falling slowly to the ground—and
laying there for twenty-three minutes—was not one that would fade easily.
These flights were different in her new body. She didn't have to work one side
harder than the other anymore and it was frightening to realize how much she
had compensated for it in the past. She turned off the goggles and did a lazy
half-twist to turn herself upside down. Her feet would hit the ceiling soon and
she could kick off from there.
She touched surface and turned the goggles back on.
Gordon was down there, flailing helplessly. He had followed her, the lousy
sneak! He was completely helpless, completely at her mercy. She had ninety
seconds to do whatever she wanted...
The kick-off from the ceiling was a little more directed. She shot at him,
falcon-like, arms by her sides; she felt like screaming in her attack.
Evie:
You jackass!
Narrator:
Gordon whipped his head up and the sudden motion turned him
upside down. He
couldn't control his own mass.
Evie curled up her legs, stuck out her arms, and re-oriented herself for a
full-body, double-footed kick.
SOUND: evie kicking Gordon
Gordon:
Ooof!
Narrator:
And Gordon spun uncontrollably over the railing.
Evie had transferred all her momentum to him, so she was still over the bridge
when the spin and the lights came back on. Gordon started his long decent to
the bottom of the shaft-way and Evie crumpled a meter from her walker. Her head
throbbed and she staggered to her walker, holding onto the railing.
Evie:
Yeah, a few
minutes of exercise. Ha! More than I had bargained for. He'll make it back up
later. That ought to hold him for a few minutes while I let the others know
what happened. I'll...I'll deal with the children after that...
MUSIC:
Scene 9:
Crew's quarters
Narrator:
It was easy for Evie to make it back to where the crew was
staying. Sections of
the walls shifted in a predictable pattern that the motion-sensitive goggles
sent directly to the visual cortex of her brain.
Stella was closest to the door of the crew's quarters. She turned and blocked
Evie's entrance.
Stella:
Show
me your hands.
Evie:
I...uh...(giving up) Right.
Stella:
I would
not have believed it.
Captain Wainwright:
I told them. (pause) It hurt, didn't
it?
Max:
It's OK, Chief. They kept the important parts.
Stella:
(almost religiously) This is a miracle. You survived.
You've been reborn.
Judith:
This will change everything! Just think what this means for
us.
People who have—
Evie:
No. They don't want it.
Judith:
You'll be able to see correctly! You'll walk normally!
Franz:
Immortality. There are a lot of people who would pay dearly
for that.
Evie:
It's not immortality! What about what's up here in my head?
They can't remake that. They
can't erase what's up here. I still have to deal with that. I still have to
remember what happened, how it happened, how that... (pause) I kicked
Gordon over a railing.
Becca:
You what? Did you
kill him?
Evie:
No...There's a section that stops spin
every...he'll be able to make it back up. I think he was trying to...I don't
know.
Captain Wainwright:
Can you show us where
this happened?
Evie:
Yes.
Franz:
Right then...Let's go collect him.
MUSIC:
Scene 10: the bridge
Evie:
We'll get there just in time. I'll go down and find him.
Captain Wainwright:
I won't blame you if something happened to him. I don't
know what the Vencume will say, besides that they picked up eight people.
Evie:
They may not want anyone to know what they can do yet.
SOUND: rumble
Evie:
I would have thought he'd made it out by now. Maybe he hit his head or something.
Becca:
I'll come with you.
(pause)
Evie:
God, you're terrible in zero-gee.
Becca:
I don't see anything.
Evie:
Yeah, he's not here. He must have made it out and wandered
off. (pause) You're really having trouble down here. Why'd you follow me?
Becca:
I thought if he was injured I should come along.
Evie:
You'd rescue a poisonous snake, you know that?
Becca:
As long as it didn't bite me.
Captain Wainwright:
(shouting from a distance) Gaines!
Narrator:
The two women got to the bridge just as the spin was
restarting. Evie crumpled
and Franz helped her back to the walker.
There were two children on the bridge with them, hiding in the shadow of a
doorway. Two children with black hair. Large, dark eyes. Two little girls. Two
little
shadows. Evie gestured for the others to keep back.
Captain Wainwright:
Gaines? Do you understand this?
Evie:
They listen to me. (very calmly) Ulan...Uma...did you find
something?
Ulan:
Toy.
Becca:
(terrified) What are they?
Evie:
(slowly) Did you break the toy? Where is it now?
UMa:
Ours.
Evie:
No. It's not yours. You have to give it
back.
Ulan:
Shoulders pop pop.
Uma:
Knees pop pop.
SOUND: The twins giggle
Evie:
Did you share your toy? Did you give it to the others?
Ulan:
They left.
Uma:
Bored.
Captain Wainwright:
Gaines...How many
of...them...are there?
Evie:
Of these, (sigh) just the two.
Narrator:
Franz started to run.
The twins sprang, twisting and turning in cartwheels. They bounded past
Wainwright and Becca, vaulting over Evie and her walker. One caught Franz's arm
and neatly dislocated the shoulder. The other kicked his
knee out. The twins landed and examined their handiwork. Evie rushed to Franz,
the twins spinning away. Becca did her best to stay close
to the walker.
Ulan and Uma:
Pop pop.
Evie:
Stop! No no! Bad! These are MY TOYS. You don't break my toys!
Ulan:
Bored.
Uma:
Others left. All alone.
Evie:
You broke your toy. No more toys. You got that? You can't break them, see? You break a toy and I'll take it from you, understand? (whisper) Becca, roll his shoulder back, quick.
Franz:
What have you done?
Evie:
You go to your room! I'll talk to you later!
Ulan:
No fair.
Narrator:
The twins back-flipped and cartwheeled away.
Becca got Franz's shoulder rolled back into place. She helped him up and he
leaned against Evie's walker.
Franz:
You got regular little hellions. You know that?
MUSIC:
Evie:
The Vencume have an empire. They
control a wide area made up of a number of systems. There's been an...uprising
of sorts and they needed a method to control it.
Becca:
So you gave them the model for an army. You're
going to help them keep those factions in line.
Evie:
Let those without sin throw the first stone. Or do I have to
remind you that your stunning anatomy lesson told them everything they needed
to know about improving the design?
Captain Wainwright:
She thought she was helping you.
Becca:
Don't remind me.
Franz:
Those are mean little buggers.
Evie:
Thankfully, there’s only two of them....I don't think
they turned out the way the Vencume expected. Those are raw copies from the
glove they stole off our ship.
Franz:
That's why I couldn't find it.
Captain Wainwright:
We can assume that Gorsky is dead.
Evie:
Or worse. There's always worse.
Franz:
No thanks to your little brood.
Evie:
You broke Gordon first. He never would have followed me if
you
hadn't...well, whatever you did to him. He’s trying to make it right or
something.
MUSIC:
Scene 11: Crew's Quarters
Narrator:
By the time they made it back to quarters, the other three
crew-members were all smiles. Max and Judith were even dancing.
Judith:
They found the Tong Dizhou!
Stella:
David, we have our ship back. None of the cargo was lost.
Becca:
The ship's been returned?
Franz:
Vencume can haul a freighter?
Max:
You don't believe them? The Vencume can do anything.
Stella:
They just told us...(pause) Oh, Franz. What happened to your
knee?
Judith:
A Vencume was just here. It said they found our ship and
brought it back.
Evie:
I know where they'll be.
Captain Wainwright:
Dr. Tabib, go with her. We'll keep looking for Gordon.
Scene 12:
the
bay
Narrator:
Becca and Evie went down the lift. Evie was rocking back and
forth in the
walker and muttering a string of numbers to herself. They went to a large room
that looked like a mess-hall.
There were four chittering Vencume here. Besides them, there were several
Human-looking children: two blond girls in golden flight-suits and three
redheads in blood-red armor. Becca turned on her translator.
Female Translator:
Red test very good. Yellow test very good. Other Tzikzik
destroyed. Ship
returned. Test good.
Evie:
I'm glad you're pleased. This should pay back any debts
we may have incurred.
Female Translator:
Very good design. Red design much strong. Yellow design much
fast.
Evie:
aRlene, oRiana, I heard you got the ship back.
Did you have any trouble?
Arlene:
aLtsoba was injured, but it's being attended to.
Narrator:
A Vencume was running long fingers over another redheaded
girl. Her left hand
was covered in blood, but the Vencume was applying a spray to it. She made a
fist and held out her hand to show the others it was fixed.
Female Translator:
Red design much strong. Vencume fix broken red Human.
Becca:
Evie, who are these?
Evie:
Allow me to introduce a debt repaid.
Their two teams have recovered the Tong
Dizhou.
Altsoba:
That is the Doctor.
Evie:
Yes. You should respect her.
oRiana:
All Humans hold place of high esteem.
Female Translator:
Red design good. Much strong. More red design. Yellow design
much fast. More
yellow design.
Evie:
I'm glad you're glad.
Becca:
How many of them are there?
Evie:
Total? Seven red, five yellow, three blue, and the twins.
Becca:
Don’t you think that’s overcompensating a bit?
Female Translator:
Human now take Human ship. Vencume tow to Peg-51. Human leave
Vencume ship.
Evie:
(whispering) Becca, my girls and I will need a doctor. You
know I'm good
for it.
Becca:
(whispering) What? You're not staying, are you?
Evie:
(whispering) I have to. I lost my identity chip on the Tong
Dizhou, so it's
not like I can travel anymore. The Shipping Authority would never hear of it.
Becca:
(whispering) You're insane.
Evie:
(whispering) A regular basket-case.
Becca:
(whispering) The Wainwrights still need me.
Evie:
(whispering) They have a whole family to help
them. I have an army and I'm on my own. I need you, Becca. We need you.
Becca:
(whispering) Who does?
Evie:
(whispering) My army needs you, Becca. My army.