Scene 1:
Break out!
Narrator:
The Shipping Authority did not take Becca from the cell after
the interview with Evie, but she was still fed.
Another twelve meals had passed; Becca still had the empty bags from the
rations in the cell with her. She had arranged them in neat rows of three.
Becca assumed that they were low protein meals; she was finding it harder and
harder to think each day. Half-way down the orderly collection was the day the
Qui Fa Zu had arrived.
Becca:
I wonder if they let the Wainwrights go
already. There's
no way the family would let the Shipping Authority keep them. I bet Stella's
family got involved. Don't they make the ships? That would be an interesting
conflict to watch.
Really,
being on a ship all that time isn't that much
different from being in jail, but you get to eat better meals and clean
up and
you have company. Aren't we all prisoners of the Shipping Authority?
Isn't the chip a form of block? The block is just obvious.
Narrator:
She looked at the block on her right hand and tried to not remind herself that her palm itched.
Becca:
What does this dumb thing do, anyhow?
Narrator:
Becca lay on her cot, trying to imagine
the garden she eventually wanted to
plant. She pictured the yard, with fruit trees near the back, next to the
wind-fence. Stone fruit would do best there: plums and cherries, maybe peaches.
On the fence itself, she would plant honey-suckle and jasmine. Maybe, in a
planter, she would have moon-flowers and four-o'clocks in varying colors. Aster
daisies and cosmos would fill in the patches and a fine layer of violets could
even it out. In her imagination, she was watering the garden—standing barefoot
on the sun-warmed flagstones.
As she lay there with her arm over her eyes, she could practically smell it. It
didn’t smell like dried blood or scared sweat or bare metal or the rot of
nearly empty ration-bags. Night was falling and the moon-flowers had
opened...the light scent almost overpowered by the sweet four-o’clocks.
Becca opened her eyes. It was dark in the cell...the first time the lights had
been off since she had arrived.
Becca:
Maybe they’re done with sleep deprivation
and
we’re moving on to more advanced methods.
SOUND: Whoomp of a small explosion. The door
creeps open
NARRATOR:
Becca could barely make out who had entered: short, thin, holding something. It looked like they were using some kind of breathing apparatus. They moved silently.
Ulan:
Door, pop pop.
Uma:
Guard, pop pop.
Becca:
(internal) The twins! It can't be!
Narrator:
The first figure turned on a
hand-held light. It threw a red glow through the room. Becca could almost make
out the cruel smile in the
gloom.
Ulan:
Gotcha.
Narrator:
Becca opened her mouth to scream, but one
twin pounced on her,
knocking her back on the cot. The girl held a gloved hand over Becca’s mouth.
Ulan:
Hush-a-bye hush-a-bye, sneak
sneak sneak...
Uma:
Steal out the doc through a leak leak
leak...
Becca:
(whispering)Ulan, Uma... What are you doing here?
Ulan:
Lyssamaladana sent us.
Uma:
Don’t want to chase you. Don’t want to chase another ship.
Ulan:
Lazy.
Uma:
Reds are waiting.
Ulan:
Mask. Here. Sweet sleepy gas.
Narrator:
Becca put the mask on but it was difficult
because the prisoner’s block still
made her right hand useless.
They made their way down the dark hallway, stepping over the occasional slumped
body. Ulan was leading and made a point to step on the unconscious figures.
SOUND: Guard groans
Narrator:
The three of them were steps away from the
exit. A girl in red armor and a mask
was waiting just inside the door. Becca knew that under that helmet was a head
of bright red hair. Another girl in a similar uniform poked her head in and
waved a hand to hurry.
Becca crossed the doorway.
SOUND: small explosion
Narrator:
She thought someone had fired at them. All
she knew was there was a popping
sound and a blinding pain shot through her right arm and thigh.
SOUND: something clunks to the floor
Ulan:
Oops.
Uma:
Hand, pop pop.
NARRATOR:
Uma bent over to pick something up off the ground. She was holding Becca's prisoner's block; the thumb and fingers still peeking out.
Becca:
Oh god...Oh god...
Altsoba:
We don't have time for this. Leave it. We need to tie that off.
SOUND: rip of fabric
Acadia:
That's going to leave a trail.
Becca:
(whimpers)
Altsoba:
Yeah, that hurts a lot.
Acadia:
She can't climb in that condition.
Altsoba:
We'll shove her up the shaft if we have to.
Narrator:
The
four girls bustled Becca out towards where they had removed a
grate. Once inside, they pushed her up the ladder: one
redhead in the
lead, the other three girls behind. Becca felt light-headed and was
sweating
profusely; her heartbeat was getting faster and weaker.
The climb actually got easier as they went up; they were moving through to the
inner rings. Becca looked up and saw a light above them. Her vision was going
blurry. She felt like throwing up. By the time they reached the top of the
ladder, they were nearly weightless.
Ulan pushed past them in the shaft-way and poked her head out the opening.
The inner ring was abandoned. Becca recognized it as a loading dock of some
sort, similar to the one where they had
arrived.
SOUND: alarm
Narrator:
The four girls continued to push towards
one of the open docks.
Rosemary:
Stop!
Altsoba:
The alarm was supposed to clear the area!
Acadia:
Looks like that didn't work.
Narrator:
A figure in a
Shipping Authority Security uniform
was there, holding a gun. It wore a helmet with a breathing apparatus.
SOUND: Becca vomits
NARRATOR:
The mess floated in front of Becca like a liquid vine. Ulan removed her mask and moved to a crouch against a nearby pillar.
Ulan:
Tricky trap.
Rosemary:
You will stop and return the
prisoner!
Uma:
Bad sneak sneak. Tricky guard. Guard mask.
Rosemary:
The prisoner's block has been activated. I
will detonate if you do not return
the prisoner!
Uma:
This block?
Altsoba:
I told you to leave that!
Narrator:
Uma held out the block still containing
Becca's mangled hand and
hurled it at the Shipping Authority figure. It was a neat overhand that neatly
connected
with the authority’s helmet.
Ulan:
Head pop pop.
Narrator:
The throw had turned Uma upside-down and
she came out of the spin throwing her
mask and tank.
Ulan launched. She hurtled through the air and connected with the authority's
helmet, wrenching it off. By the time she had landed on the wall opposite, she
had put the helmet on her own head.
Ulan:
(muffled laugh)
Narrator:
The girls were suddenly shock still. None
of them seemed able to move. The
figure in uniform was righting herself. Ulan had not broken her neck.
AltsobA:
(singing off-tune)
I'm going
to say this honestly
You know I haven't lied.
It’s sad how much you adore me
Ignoring all the guys.
acadia:
(singing)
I know
there are no flowers here
The skies are never blue
But if you find some roses, dear,
Please, keep them just for you.
aLTSOBA AND acadia:
Someday,
someone will worship you
Don't know who that will be
So, go and find your skies of blue
And don't wait here for me....
Narrator:
Becca passed out.
MUSIC:
Scene 2: Vencume room
Narrator:
Becca awoke in a bed. The stump where her right hand had been was neatly bandaged. iLyssa was leaning up against the wall with crossed arms.
Ilyssa:
aCadia told me that happened. Terribly sorry about that. (pause) We'll get you repaired in no time. iDana figured out a way to replicate fingerprints, so we can use your left hand as a model. iMala thinks that the print-scan is stored on the chip, so hopefully we can find a copy of that in what we’ve copied over from the station’s data-banks. You'll be OK.
Becca:
I saw....(starts crying)
Ilyssa:
Once it's in place, you won't notice any difference.
Becca:
I can never go back...They’ll never let me go home. I’ll never see my family again....
Ilyssa:
Oh, that’s not true. It’s going to take a while, but you’ll be able to go home once all this is done. This is just a little hiccup. Come on. It’s not that bad. We’ve seen worse. We’ve got you a new one and it’ll look just like the old one...honest.
Becca:
I don't...I don't want any clones.
ILYSSA:
We
won't...Again, we're sorry about the block.
We thought that maybe it was some sort of electro-magnet or a beacon,
but Evie had never been arrested before, so we had no idea what it actually
did. If we had known...
Becca:
Where is Evie?
ILYSSA:
We’re working on that.
Becca:
She’s not on the ship?
SOUND: idana opens a door an sticks her head in
Idana:
iLyssa?
ILYSSA:
It looks like we might have a fix on them...I hate to leave you like this, but we need to oversee this operation. The Vencume will get you fixed up.
Becca:
Where
are you going?
ILYSSA:
We’re going to get Evie.
SOUND: the girls leave
Narrator:
Becca
stumbled out of the bed; her legs were weak. She had to be careful to not rest
the bandaged stump against anything, but
held it protectively, like a new-born. It felt like her right thumb
had been bent back and the entire forearm ached.
SOUND: chittering
NARRATOR:
A
Vencume spun into the room. It held her arms and did not
direct her back to the bed, as she thought it would, but helped lead
her out of the room. They
moved down the passage: the Vencume doing its slow shuffle, Becca
occasionally leaning on it.
Becca:
I don’t care if you smell like seaweed. You’re so soft and smooth.
Scene 3:
Operation room
Narrator:
At
the end of the passage was a dark room with vaguely Human-shaped
chair. The Vencume led her to this and, gently pressing and
chittering, instructed her to lie down. As Becca did so, another
Vencume took a hold of her head and started to probe her scalp with
delicate fingers. Another took her right arm and started to unwrap
the stump. A fourth had a covered tray.
Becca:
Aren’t you going to give me some kind of anesthesia? I mean, if you’re going to do some sort of re-attachment...there are nerve endings...you have to—
Narrator:
She
tried to sit up, but they pressed her back into place, surprisingly
strong. The Vencume was still probing at her head. Becca felt her
phantom hand unclench; the muscles relaxing. They
had unwrapped the stump and one Vencume started to probe at the
jagged edge with long fingers that were turning black. Becca felt
nothing. Her body was going numb. Her eyes did not focus correctly. She raised
her left hand to her lips and brushed them. They were going numb.
Becca:
How do you do that?
Narrator:
The Vencume
that had been probing at her head stopped and moved to her right arm,
pushing back the sleeve and pressing points along her arm with long
black fingers.
They
uncovered the tray. There was a right hand laying on it with blood
vessels, tendons, and nerves running out the end. The first Vencume
was chittering and removing a few shattered wrist bones from her
stump, cleaning the ends of the radius and ulna and exposing the
cartilage. As it opened the end of her arm, Becca watched it bloom
like a savory rose.
The
Vencume massaging her arm was holding pressure on choice points.
There was hardly any blood. She tried to sit up to get a better look
at the process, but the Vencume pressed her back.
Now,
the Vencume started to knit the blood vessels together. They cut off
ends from the stump and pieced it together, long tentacle fingers
turning yellow and moving rapidly. Becca had never seen them move so
quickly or so precisely. The few tools they used in the process fit
over the ends of their fingers, like thimbles. Tools
slipped on and off so quickly. They knitted the ligaments across her
wrist bones to the end of her arm.
The
Vencume holding her arm pressed points and ends of tendons peeked out
from her opened arm. The Vencume took the ends and stitched them to the parts
in her new
hand. Becca watched them press her arm while the fingers bended and
straightened.
Now, they were attaching the nerves. She started to feel a dull buzzing sensation at the end of her arm. It slowly turned into a burning.
Becca:
That hurts.
Narrator:
The fingers on her new hand clutched suddenly.
She was making a fist and the pain shot up her arm. She could feel
the opened wrist.
The
Vencume holding her arm started to apply pressure again. It turned
her head away so she couldn't see her hand. She felt one grip her
thumb.
SOUND: chittering
Narrator:
Her thumb was pressed again.
Becca:
What
was it that Evie had said?
Evie:
They asked me to wiggle my fingers...
Narrator:
Becca wiggled her thumb.
SOUND: chittering
Narrator:
One squeezed her forefinger. Becca wiggled it. The Vencume fell silent and there was some activity before they pressed her finger again. She wiggled it.
SOUND: chittering
Becca:
They're making sure it's the right ones.
Narrator:
This went on as they attached the nerves.
They
let her turn her head back. The wrist was still open but the hand was
attached. Now they pressed various points on her palm and chittered.
She felt the dull buzzing sensation again as the Vencume holding her
arm released the pressure points. They started to apply a spray,
holding flaps of skin down. Where there was too much skin from her
arm, they cut it away, matching the new hand.
Becca
made a fist and wiggled her fingers. The action was a little clumsy.
The Vencume stopped massaging her arm. The buzzing sensation turned into a burning pain and she held the arm and cried out in pain. The area where it had been attached stung to the bone. The Vencume massaged her head again and everything went fuzzy.
Scene 4:
Hallway
Narrator:
On the way back to her room, they passed the three designers. The gray-haired girls were chatting amongst themselves: iDana frowning and shaking her head, iLyssa trying to explain something in the air with her hands. The trio was followed by four redheads carrying what looked like a casket.
Becca:
Did they kill Evie?
Narrator:
Becca tried to focus on the procession. The casket was being carried down the corridor, iMala leading it now. The two Vencume that had been helping Becca spun away after it. iDana stepped away from it to join iLyssa next to Becca.
ILYSSA:
Ah, Doctor-Doctor...Good, good...as good as new...
Idana:
Doctor-Doctor, make this shape with your hand.
Becca:
I...almost...it...
ILYSSA:
Well, it's not perfect. We'd have to get in your head for that.
Idana:
Might have to anyway, considering...
Becca:
What was all that? Is Evie OK?
Idana:
It's
another minor set-back. Don't worry about it.
Becca:
I do worry about it. The Vencume can't bring back the dead, can they? Did the Shipping Authority execute her? What if there was brain damage?
ILYSSA:
Say...you're going to be here a while. Don't you think it would be a good idea if you could understand the Vencume? Won't that be grand?
Becca:
What?
ILYSSA:
Translators are OK, I suppose, but wouldn't it be better if you could really understand them?
IDANA:
So much gets lost in translation and the subtlety of the language really is spectacular.
ILYSSA:
You want to help Evie, don't you? You could be of much more use if everyone understood you.
SOUND: chittering
IDANA:
Just think of all you're missing.
NARRATOR:
They had reached a lift. iDana worked the controls while iLyssa continued to convince Becca.
ILYSSA:
Don't you want to know how to find your way around here? You know that all the walls are marked, right? We can't change your eyes, but you might pick up a little on what the symbols mean.
IDANA:
It's the same process that was used on us. One moment, nothing; the next moment, you know something. You understand it.
ILYSSA:
Don't you want to see it? Don't you want to see one of the Vencume gifts?
Scene 5:
Connection Point
NARRATOR:
They got off the lift and walked--well, Becca stumbled--to a room that was similar to the one where they had re-attached the hand. A Vencume waited by the chair, chittering. The two girls chittered in response and pushed Becca into the chair.
Becca:
What did you mean by gift?
ILYSSA:
The Vencume love Humans. They have a lot they want to share. They want a partnership with us.
Becca:
Us? How Human are you, really?
IDANA:
We're as Human as Evie. We're just a little tweaked.
NARRATOR:
There was a pressure at the top of Becca's skull. It only lasted a second. Becca tried to sit up but the Vencume held her head still.
Becca:
A deal with the devil....
ILYSSA:
Pandora was punishment for Prometheus. The flood came after fathers of the Nephilim gave magic to man. The children of the earth always pay a price for the knowledge of the heavens.
IDANA:
Humans have punished themselves long enough.
ILYSSA:
Think of all the suffering that has come from ignorance. Think of the wars waged by the illiterate masses. Think about how the Shipping Authority hurt you because they did not understand.
IDANA:
It will come to you...like a visitation.
NARRATOR:
The room was suddenly filled with a bright light. Becca's eyes watered. Her ears rang.
Scene 6:
Becca's Vision
Evie:
For
those before and those yet to come.
Narrator:
She is holding two shot-glasses and hands one to Becca.
Becca:
What is this?
NARRATOR:
Evie holds out a bottle. There is a creature suspended inside that looks like a star-fish or a sea anemone. She pours a shot.
Evie:
It's good, you'll like it.
Becca:
Did the Shipping Authority execute you? I saw a casket.
Evie:
It's a little addictive. Once you get a thirst for knowledge, you want more and more. But, I must confess, I have vast contemplative ends. My curiosity is rooted in my own vain glory. It is so fixed in my mind as cannot be removed.
NARRATOR:
The bottle is suddenly empty and the soggy creature sticks to one side. It looks like a Vencume. Evie shakes the bottle.
Evie:
How will we get it out?
Becca:
We could float it out. Just pour something inside and it will rise to the surface.
Evie:
What
a good idea.
NARRATOR:
She leans over the bottle and cries. The tears come in great gushes and fill the bottle half-way.
Evie:
It's only partially there. Maybe you can help.
NARRATOR:
Becca hands Evie her shot and takes the bottle. Her tears come just as furiously and soon the bottle is full. The creature in the bottle floats easily to the surface.
Evie:
Well done...You've earned it.
NARRATOR:
Becca takes the shot.
Scene 7:
Connection Point
Penemue:
(chittering) The process now has reached a conclusion. And yet some confusions may still linger.
ILYSSA:
(chittering) How do you feel?
Becca:
(chittering) I feel fine. My head is....
ILYSSA:
That's it! You've got it!
IDANA:
That wasn't hard at all!
Becca:
(chittering)I'm chittering...
Penemue:
(chittering) In time, one will be more obvious than the other. Sleep is essential for Human information allocation. These things lay uneasy in the mind and must be put to rest.
becca:
I am tired.
ILYSSA:
What a better way of learning. So little time wasted.
Becca:
I'm dizzy.
ILYSSA:
Think of all the things you know! Isn't that a better way to live?
ILYSSA:
Now we all understand each other. There won't be any misunderstandings.
NARRATOR:
The girls led Becca down the hallways to the lift. Becca poked at odd ends in her new mind. They had reached her room. iDana smoothed out bed and indicated Becca should lie down.
IDANA:
The man with two languages has two souls.
ILYSSA:
From now on, you will dream in color.
Narrator:
In her dream, Becca is at the beach and it has started to rain. The entire family runs from the bonfire they had built and huddles under a salt-stained pier. It isn't cold, so everyone laughs at the sudden downpour. Once the rain lets up, they return to the bonfire site to collect their belongings. A few embers from the fire are still going, but she knows the party is over because there's no dry fuel.
She woke up, her bladder full.
Walking into the hallway, Becca noticed a shimmering symbol on the wall that said LAVATORY in her mind. She followed it to a room with the all-too familiar suction tube. Becca was pleased there was no pile of empty ration bags lying next to it.
She showered afterwards, enjoying the high-pressure water and warmth. The swelling where her right hand had been attached was minimal.
Back in the hallway, Becca spied another symbol that said FOOD. She followed this one to a large room filled with tables of Evie.
Scene 8: Mess-Hall
NARRATOR:
Here was a five-fold redheaded Evie. They arm-wrestled and punched each other. There were another five laughing and singing points of a golden-starred Evie. To one side, was the trio of gray and scheming Evie. There was the dark and contemplative Evie, staring into mirror eyes, each daring the other to blink first.
And at the center of it all, a lamp surrounded by prisms and mirrors, was the source of it all: the original pale and white Evie. She smiled broadly and held out her hands.
EVIE:
Welcome back to the world of the living!
SOUND: children stop and cheer
NARRATOR:
Two more redheads came out of a side room—a kitchen—carrying a large pot and stack of bowls that they set in front of Evie.
Becca:
I didn't realize that there were so many of them.
Evie:
Well, you don't usually see them all in one place at one time. But, everyone wanted to try your Noah's pudding and we wanted to celebrate.
NARRATOR:
Bowls were ladled out and passed around. The room busied itself with eating. Becca looked at the bowl in front of her and stirred the contents of rice, chickpeas, beans, apricots, raisins, and almonds.
BECCA:
How do you know about Noah's pudding?
Evie:
You're actually a very good cook...I never would have thought to put apricots and kidney beans in the same dish, but it works. It works.
BECCA:
How do you know about Noah's pudding?
NARRATOR:
The redheads stopped eating and listened.
Evie:
Don't be so suspicious. Enjoy good food when it's in front of you.
NARRATOR:
The blondes sat and watched.
Becca:
This is...this is a very special dish. I never told you about it.
Evie:
Say, you don't seem terribly hungry. Maybe you and I should go for a walk.
BECCA:
Maybe...you could just tell me the truth for once and stop pretending I'm too stupid to understand it all.
Evie:
Right. Come on. Let's go.
Scene 9:
Hallway
EVIE:
How can you not remember it? Were you asleep? How much did you pull down?
Becca:
You made a copy of me; I know it. You just went in and took what you wanted. I can't explain to you how...violated I feel. I don't want people poking around in my head, least of all not without my permission.
Evie:
Vesta,
Diana, Minerva...What were you doing when they connected you? Didn't
you know what was going on?
BECCA:
They had just finished...
Evie:
You were still half-way under. (sigh) So you maybe got the language.
Becca:
I saw you there.
EVIE:
Well, yeah, I'm in there. (laughs) Parts of me are in there. Parts of me are running around and blowing things up.
BECCA:
iDana said it would come like a visitation.
EVIE:
You were connected to a data-bank that contains the whole of Vencume knowledge. Can you imagine it? Everyone of their race is in there. But it's like...you know how a siphon works?
BECCA:
The longer leg of a liquid carries a fluid uphill. It's a difference in hydrostatic pressure that....
Evie:
The what?
BECCA:
(discovering she knows something) The pressure at a given depth in a static liquid is a result the weight of the liquid acting on a unit area at that depth plus any pressure acting on the surface....
Evie:
You
could teach the subject! (laughs)
Becca:
How is this possible? (laughs a bit) It's....it's incredible!
EVIE:
It's perfectly credible.
Becca:
Do I know everything that you know?
EVIE:
Oh, no. You know what you wanted to know. It was all based on your curiosity.
Becca:
I don't think I was ever curious about hydrostatic pressure.
Evie:
You must have wondered at some point. Maybe you only sort of knew it and wanted a more complete understanding.
BECCA:
(internal) With a doctor and an engineer, you'd probably know everything about Humans you wanted to know.
Evie:
What's that look?
BECCA:
Aren't we going to war with the Vencume?
EVIE:
Why the hell would we go to war with the Vencume?
BECCA:
Well, the Shipping Authority seems to think we are.
EVIE:
Well, the Shipping Authority is stupid. 'Going to war with the Vencume.' That's like a kindergarten going to war with an old folks' home.
Becca:
But, if they think that, then--
EVIE:
They aren't the final authority on everything.
(pause)
Becca:
Did the Authority execute you? I saw a casket.
Evie:
They..uh...they tried...They really gave me a lot, you know? Like putting down a dog. I guess it was humane. Either that, or they figured I'd just die in the box. They weren't expecting any kind of rescue. I was somewhere else. I don't...I can take it. I was in surgery a lot as a kid. I'm used to it.
Scene 10:
Mess-hall
NARRATOR:
Back in the mess hall, Uma and Ulan were eating the Noah's pudding straight from the tureen. The three gray sisters watched from a distance, shaking their heads. The others had left already.
Evie came in and shooed the twins away, only just managing to get at least a bowlful for Becca. The twins giggled and skipped out of the room, carrying a bowl away with them.
IDANA:
Why do we keep them? They're a liability.
EVIE:
They're a pure form. You're a variant.
ILYSSA:
More like an improvement.
EVIE:
Why didn't you try to stop them?
IMALA:
Didn't want a fight...
Narrator:
Becca took her bowl and ate a spoonful. It was wonderful and tasted like home.
Evie:
I understand that you three ordered the jail-break.
ILYSSA:
We felt that we should. You had been moved out already and they were preparing orders for her execution and removal. We felt a need to bring her aboard and I think...that we made the right call on that one.
BECCA:
My execution?
EVIE:
And who did you send on that errand?
IMALA:
Uma and Ulan.
Evie:
And why did you send them for such an important errand if you felt they were such a liability?
IDANA:
Well, they got her hand blown off. We had to go through the additional bother and expense of—
EVIE:
Of something that you had not planned for.
IMALA:
We got the hand back.
EVIE:
You were also dishonest with Becca about the data-bank. You took advantage of someone coming out of surgery.
IDANA:
She didn't have to come with us.
EVIE:
Do you know what a bully is?
Narrator:
In response, iLyssa had formed small fists. iDana looked at the floor. iMala rubbed her right eye. Becca could not eat during this.
Becca:
(internal) It's always embarrassing to watch someone getting punished or reprimanded, no matter the setting.
Evie:
Girls, listen. I am angry—don't get me wrong—but I understand the mistake. You don't understand how we feel about privacy yet. This is the sort of thing that you have to take into account when you deal with people who haven't had your...advantages. We learn slowly and grow slowly and everything we have in our heads is hard-earned.
ILYSSA:
It's stupid and inefficient.
EVIE:
That may be the case. But imagine spending years on a thing. I know it's hard to do that, but please, years. Slowly accumulating the knowledge and skills necessary to do...whatever. When someone comes along and does it in a few minutes, when they take that from you, it makes you feel like you wasted your time and they're just leeching off you.
Ilyssa:
But it is a waste of time. Our method is much better.
EVIE:
And what is that knowledge worth?
IDANA:
The knowledge is worth its usefulness?
EVIE:
Think about those ships you designed. How much of that was yours and how much did I give you? Can you say you really designed them or that you just used what I had figured out?
ILYSSA:
But we finalized it!
EVIE:
iDana, you discovered a way to replicate fingerprints...Now, what if the Vencume made more designers and pulled that information out of your head? They could say that the new ones made that system, couldn't they?
Idana:
That's not fair.
EVIE:
So, you see my point.
IMALA:
The knowledge is divided by the effort in receivership, or E sub R. But you have to multiply that by the eventual work that the knowledge can yield, or E sub W, divided by the--
EVIE:
No matter how you add it up, you owe Becca an apology.
IMALA:
But that actually leads to product over effort which is a scalable and non-dimensional coefficient of the value of the—
EVIE:
Just say you're sorry!
ILYSSA:
We must offer our sincerest apologies for any misrepresentation of the data-bank process and the knowledge that was obtained by any subterfuge on our part.
EVIE:
That's better. Thank you.
BECCA:
Thank you.
NARRATOR:
iLyssa's eyes flashed with hatred.
Scene 11:
Bay
NARRATOR:
In a bay, the three designers were talking to the pilots
about some
adjustment they wanted to make to the ships. Two redheads had also
stopped to watch this.
Ilyssa:
Our new system fires a metal bolt through a magnetic tube.
You may know it as a 'rail gun', but our design is more elegant. This will not
cause any recoil, but it may
cause a minor lag in the control system when you use it because of the
draw on the dynamo.
SOUND: A faint hum, then the pfft of the bolt being fired and
the twang as it hits the target
ILYSSA:
This system will be much better than the internal combustion versions you have now, but we need to run some tests on the draw.
NARRATOR:
Becca was sitting cross-legged on a ramp. iLyssa had already
shut her
down when she asked about the magnetic system and seemed intensely
annoyed that she had to stop to answer any questions about it at all.
The girls present seemed to understand the mechanics enough to not ask
any of the questions Becca had.
The twins came in and sat on either side of Becca. They leaned against her.
ULAN:
Tick tock.
UMA:
Mock doc.
ULAN:
Grains.
UMA:
Beans.
ULAN:
Fruits.
UMA:
Nuts!
SOUND: they giggle
IDANA:
Get them out of here! You're such a distraction. All three of you, OUT!
ULAN:
New gun. Share.
IDANA:
aNevay, aLima, seal the perimeter.
Anevay:
I guess they're lucky we're here.
Alima:
We're trying to do something. Either shut-up or get lost.
ANEVAY:
You don't like guns anyway. Go find something better to do.
NARRATOR:
The two redheads started to stomp over and Becca was intimidated by these squat children with thick arms and narrow-set eyes. One redhead reached out to grab Ulan.
Ulan tucked into a neat roll and knocked aNevay over. When they stood, Ulan was holding the redhead's arm in a lock.
BECCA:
Let her go! We don't need to fight over this.
EVIE:
What's all this shouting?
IDANA:
We're trying to demonstrate our new system and they keep interrupting.
EVIE:
Ulan, let her go. Uma, you and your sister come with me.
ANEVAY:
We have enough trouble as is. You give me five minutes...
Evie:
You've had five seconds and came out the worse.
IMALA:
You favor them because they're the most like you. We may be minor adjustments, but we need time to ourselves without these distractions. This is important and we'd like to get through the testing phase as soon as possible.
EVIE:
OK, we're leaving. Go on with your tests.
ILYSSA:
Take Doctor-Doctor with you. This doesn't concern her.
EVIE:
We uprooted Becca and brought her with us. At this point, everything concerns her.
Idana:
We brought her here so they wouldn't kill her.
ILYSSA:
And you need a friend to keep you busy.
NARRATOR:
Ulan had run up to Evie and held her hand. Uma hid behind Becca.
ILYSSA:
We might look like just children to you, but you're forgetting that we have everything from your head and all your lessons. Plus...we have Vencume knowledge and their lessons.
IMALA:
We have long trip ahead of us and we have to get these things perfected before it's all over and done with. The Vencume have certain expectations and we plan on meeting them.
IDANA:
We plan on exceeding them.
Scene 11:
Poetry lesson and hugs
Narrator:
Now that Becca understood the Vencume language, she understood how to use the shifting display that had vexed Max so long ago. She had been poking around and found a store of poems. Becca had never thought of the Vencume as having poetry, but it had been a pleasant discovery.
Becca:
the water rises in us
generation upon generation has built this bridge
we are here today as we were yesterday
reaching its level, the water lays still
ISKANDAR:
Doctor, you drink so slowly from such a small cup. Did you not swim in our ocean?
NARRATOR:
A Vencume had came into the room, smooth and pale blue.
Becca ran her hand over the display and quoted the poet Rumi she remembered from her childhood:
BECCA:
The mind is an ocean. I and so many worlds are rolling there
Our body is a cup, soon it will fill and sink...
Not
even one bubble will show where it went down
ISKANDAR:
Humans have great thirst, but do not recognize it.
NARRATOR:
Becca imagined the Vencume smiling. It gestured that she should stand.
They moved to the observation deck. The Vencume shuffled alongside her.
ISKANDAR:
You move as one through the desert. Your sensors are high and sense far.
BECCA:
Maybe...Our ancestors lived in tall grass and had to watch for predators.
ISKANDAR:
Engineer has had similar thoughts. Our new Tzikzik do not appreciate the drama that has brought them forth. Impatience burns in them and is not easily quenched.
NARRATOR:
There, that word: Tzikzik. Becca understood it now: a genetic experiment in cloning and manipulation for improvement. The tweaked clones of Evie were a type of Tzikzik. The ship that had attacked the Tong Dizhou so long ago was a Tzikzik the Vencume had made of themselves: something strong, jealous, and less contemplative. The Vencume did not consider them civil-kind because they were artificial.
ISKANDAR:
The immediacy of the Human mind leads down strange paths. The panic of the now forces a scrabbling nature.
BECCA:
When we talked to you through the translators, you would say ‘understanding’ all the time. Why don’t you do that now?
ISKANDAR:
We are in understanding now. There is no need for verification.
BECCA:
How old are the Vencume?
ISKANDAR:
We swim through nothing now. Our river does not flow and it evaporates under the heat of many suns.
BECCA:
That's not really an answer.
ISKANDAR:
We have used the tanks so long we cannot call ourselves by generation. None remember how it was before, yet the same intellects are there. Our rivers are muddied.
BECCA:
(internal) So,
they must have developed the cloning technology long ago. And that
data-bank! Are they even individuals anymore?
ISKANDAR:
The new Tzikzik must prepare for their performance. From this, all things come. We will return to the ocean and await final judgment.
BECCA:
So we’re going to the Vencume home-world?
ISKANDAR:
We are going to our meeting place. Many ships will join us there.
BECCA:
How long will it take?
NARRATOR:
Becca felt tears welling up. The Vencume shifted to a deep violet that Becca interpreted as a frown.
ISKANDAR:
There is Human immediacy. Do you fear dying before you are returned home?
BECCA:
No, I fear the death of others before I see them again.
ISKANDAR:
You have no ocean. Your losses persist.
BECCA:
We have family units. They mean a great deal to us.
ISKANDAR:
Your offspring are your immortality.
BECCA:
It's not even about immortality. It's about a sense of place. You know you belong there.
ISKANDAR:
You sense so far. All places are far to you. Your tomorrows are impossible and you cast other sensors forward.
BECCA:
Maybe it's because we have such short lives. We know where we want to die.
NARRATOR:
The Vencume turned bright pink and Becca thought she heard it laugh.
ISKANDAR:
You have come too far to turn back now. Half a journey would be worth less than no journey at all.
(PAUSE)
BECCA:
How do you mature the clones so quickly?
ISKANDAR:
We use the same ‘borrowed time’ principle that allows for interstellar travel.
Imala:
Doctor-Doctor, iSkandar. If ever two minds were to meet...
Becca:
iSkandar? (internal) She must mean the Vencume.
Imala:
Well, the name 'aLexander' means a helper of mankind, but we couldn't give him an active or aggressive name, so he gets the intelligent and inquisitive one. 'iSkandar' is the Persian form.
Iskandar:
Gentle Blue, you seek to name everything in your path.
NARRATOR:
iMala took the Vencume's hand and rubbed her face in it. The Vencume turned a vivid magenta.
IMALA:
Made you blush.
Becca:
How do you know...iSkandar...is a 'he'?
IMALA:
Silly. They don't have genders like that.
Becca:
Where are your sisters? I thought you went everywhere with them.
IMALA:
We're not the twins. iLyssa said she was working on something and iDana was helping. I came to find you.
Becca:
To find me? Or to find...iSkandar?
IMALA:
To find you.
Narrator:
The girl ran up and gave Becca a hug. Taken off-guard, Becca was slow to hug back. When she eventually did, the child only squeezed tighter.
IMALA:
Evie has never hugged us. She wasn't hugged much as a child. I thought that you weren't supposed to hug children, but you proved otherwise.
Becca:
No, children should be hugged.
IMALA:
You get one, too.
Narrator:
iMala broke the hug with Becca and gave iSkandar a squeeze. iSkandar turned a mottled purple and wiggled long digits nervously.
Iskandar:
Human affection mimics our fear response. You seek reassurance.
IMALA:
You make crummy parents: you and Evie. You both hate yourselves too much.
Iskandar:
Gentle Blue, this gesture is unsettling.
Imala:
I know.
SOUND: she leaves
Iskandar:
There is much of Engineer in them.
Becca:
Kind of unavoidable, that. After all, she was the model
for your army.