All We See or Seem (10 page)

 

Of course, this was a younger version — only a few years older than Aaron, the father from his earliest childhood memories. There was no question of the stem's origin, however.

Suddenly the realization washed over him, a tidal wave of understanding, nearly knocking him off his feet. His balance wavered as he teetered at the top of the staircase, so he grasped the handrail in his fist to steady himself.

“What is this?” he spat angrily at Aria.

The stem's face clouded in confusion, but only for an instant. Major Jennings checked himself and decided his own confusion should be dealt with when they had finished with the stem.

Aria was eyeing him closely, apparently scrutinizing his reaction. She must have already known. She must have picked this stem on purpose. But why?

Still regarding him closely, she began the introduction. “Aksel — Stem 6392A, Major Jennings — EROMI Protection Staff.”

His father's echo nodded at him curtly but said nothing. Aaron was still at a loss for words, though questions were tumbling over each other in his mind, fighting for priority. He nodded dumbly in return.

The stem peered at Aria with questions in his eyes. In turn, she assessed Aaron. He would leave it to her to salvage the awkward silence. After all, she lived with them; she'd know what to say.

“Uh, the major has requested to see the clockworks, Aksel. Will you tell him about your work here?”

Again the stem nodded and stepped backward to make room for the visitors. They moved inside, and he tugged the heavy door back into position with a clamor.

“This is the only building which pre-dates Endfield,” Aria explained. “They decided to keep it, so we could have a history. Aksel has a permanent assignment here because of his superior mechanical skill.”

“Do they not usually have permanent assignments?”

“No. We rotate through different community assignments based on our skill assessments.”

Identifying herself with the stems seemed strange, but then she was basically an undercover agent, so it would be important to maintain the façade where they were concerned.

Aksel gave Aaron the grand tour. He said no more than necessary though, and answered the major's questions with no emotion. It did make perfect sense given Dr. Admatha's description of the soulless beings. However, the remarkable likeness of his own father in the stem was haunting and difficult for Aaron to accept. He just couldn't reject the copy's humanity — Aaron's bond to his father was too strong to dismiss it so readily.

What if the stems only acted lifeless when EROMI staff was around? A sudden pang of jealousy caught him off-guard. Aria's status among them gave her access to the truth he could never learn firsthand. That fact created a necessity to form an alliance with her — a challenge, considering her obvious contempt for him.

****

To end the tour, Aria led Aaron around the entire community on the path reserved for staff recreational use, pointing out the main offices of each staff group.

The walking path was an immaculately manicured five-mile track, tracing the circumference of the Endfield community. On one side a ten-foot chain link fence formed the boundary separating them from the outside world. As far as the eye could see in every direction, spread brown, rolling hills speckled with sagebrush and ancient volcanic rock formations — a breathtaking view.

There were towns as close as ten, maybe twenty, miles away, but the low roll of the land was such that passing travelers couldn't see the EROMI site until they were almost at the front gate. The primitive driveway leading onto the compound was well camouflaged from the country road, and no well-traveled highways crossed it.

A driver would have to know what he was looking for in order to make it far enough to catch a glimpse of the community. Any unauthorized vehicles would have a myriad of warnings to turn back before a military entourage would physically escort them to the nearest county jail.

The security was a military base officer's dream.

On the other side of the greenbelt, lay peaceful landscaping — flowers, hedges, full-grown trees. It struck a rich, stark contrast against the harsh desertscape surrounding the compound. The lush greenery also acted as a blind, blocking any wandering stems from interacting with off-duty staff.

The irony brought a smirk of amusement to Aaron's lips. Apparently, the most vital difference between humans and stems was the right to privacy. The stems had none. Their every move, their every word, their every interaction was monitored, recorded, and studied. Their lives — if one could call it that — were open books.

At this point Aaron wasn't about to complain. He liked privacy, and since he was human, he would have some. Even if just to be alone with his thoughts.

He and Aria walked in silence for a while. About every quarter of a mile the path would open into a cul-de-sac of staff housing, comfortable single family dwellings painted dark green to blend with the oasis-like setting.

As they came around to the security barracks, Aria spoke. “This is where I leave you, major.” She lifted a hand to indicate Aaron's quarters. “If you look in your desk drawer, you will find an ear communicator. You'll need to practice the sub-vocal function. My channel is orange, code 8936. Let me know if you require anything else.” Then she turned and walked away, disappearing around the curve.

****

Darkness pervaded the world around him, thick and inky. Sweeping his arms in front of him, he stumbled through the void searching… searching for something. Something vitally important.

Where is it?
Frustration and anxiety simultaneously gripped his throat in their icy grasp. His heart beat wildly, reverberating in his ears.

He searched frantically.
I must find it!
The need consumed him, but he didn't fully understand what he was looking for. Only that he had to find it.

The blanket of night grew cumbersome and slowed his progress, like forging through a bog. His feet were like lead weights, dragging across the grassy floor. He could hear nothing beyond the ticking of his watch and the beat of his heart. In unison, they fell into a regulated rhythm.

A rectangle of light sliced through the blackness, illuminating a doorway in the distance. The unmistakable figure of a man silhouetted in the portal appeared.

The shadow seemed to grow larger as it moved steadily toward him. He paused and stared, but it was a mistake.

The ground beneath his feet wrapped tendrils around his legs, holding him fast and halting his progress.

The dark figure was suddenly upon him and exhaled a choking putrid stench into his face. “
You should not be searching here
.
You shouldn't be in this place,
”
the shadow hissed in his ear.

He tugged at his leaden feet. They wouldn't budge.

The shadow slurred again, “
We know who you are. Take warning
—
we know who you are.
”

With that the shadow dissipated into oblivion, and his legs were released, sending him sprawling forward onto his face.

Lifting his head, he glanced behind him. Light filtered through a thick fog around him now. The iron fence rose behind him to the forbidding sky.

“
WHO AM I?
”
His voice echoed off the wall before him.

Out of the silence a familiar soft voice answered him. “
Gryffon. My Gryffon.
”

Turning toward the voice, he saw her again. He slowly rose to his feet. They were light now, and he moved to her with purpose. As he reached where she stood, he took her hands in his and pulled her closer to him. “
Gem,
”
he whispered, enveloping her in his arms.

He reached up to touch her face but was stopped short by an air raid alarm blaring suddenly across the field. Red lights were flashing, and he dropped his hold on her to cover his ears. When he did so, she disappeared instantly.

“
Gem!
”

Aaron woke to the intruder alert wailing and the red lights flashing against the ceiling, jerking him abruptly into consciousness.

 

“Scramble!” Major Jennings barked, leaping out of his bed in an instant and pulling on his pants. He sped down the hall to the barracks and burst through the door, hollering orders to his team.

“First squad, towers! Second squad, gates! Third squad, guns!” The barracks buzzed with movement as the men rushed to the trucks.

****

“A coyote, you say?”

“Yes, sir. A great big'un,” the lieutenant reported humorously.

“Well, is it gone?” Aaron pressed him.

A broad grin spread across the second officer's face. “Oh yes, sir. It's gone all right.”

“Target practice?”

“The men do like to stay sharp, sir.”

Major Jennings shook his head and chuckled. “All right, get some rack. Tell the boys we'll muster at 0700.”

“Yes, sir!”

Apparently the alarm system was a bit over-sensitive. He'd have to look into that in the morning, but for now he had to get some sleep.

****

The dreams were coming more often. Gem awoke in a cold sweat. Her heart beat a hollow rhythm in her chest. She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling, unable to slow her own shallow breathing.
Gryff,
she mouthed the name. The pain of his departure was deepening, rather than fading, with time.

Rolling back to her side, she pushed herself up to sit, slid her feet over the side of the bed to the floor and took a couple deep breaths. Breathing seemed to be more labored lately. And she could do without the necessary extra trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

With a sigh, she stood and shuffled across the small room to the restroom.

It would be difficult to get back to sleep after the dream. Not only were they more frequent, but they were also becoming more real, lingering in her consciousness long after she had awakened.

Maybe a short walk outside in the fresh air. The night restrictions in Clinic-M weren't the same as in the dormitories. Gem was encouraged to get as much exercise as she could, and they didn't care if it was after hours. Clinic-M was secluded from the rest of the community. She slipped a robe from the hook by the door and wrapped it around her before stepping into the hall.

There was one attendant on duty. The woman shot an emotionless glance at Gem but did not acknowledge her as she strolled through the door to the garden path. The warm night air washed over her as she stepped into the dark. Closing her eyes, she stood still, letting the breeze sweep through her hair. She could count on one hand the number of times she had been outside after dark in her lifetime — only since coming to Clinic-M.

The dim garden lights clicked on as she sauntered onto the path and began her slow walk around the perimeter. Ms. Birger had told her the garden wasn't watched, so she felt safe there — safe enough to say the name out loud, even if only a whisper of breath. “Gryff.” Her heart seemed to twist with the sound of his name on her own lips. She hadn't dared to say it out loud for months. Not since he'd left.

Gem continued around the garden path serenaded by the song of chirping crickets and the hum of the lights. The only other sound was the scratch of her soft-soled slippers against the dirt trail.

On the far side of the garden was an iron fence separating the Clinic-M grounds from the outside border of Endfield. Vines stretched from the shrubs planted against the base of the fence up to its top, weaving around the decorative bars like weft threads on a loom. Only in the center of the fence had the vines yet to fill in. It was the only place one could see through to the outside world.

Gem approached the fence and sat on the stone bench in front of the shrubs to allow the peace of the quiet night to soothe her troubled heart. She rested her head against the fence and closed her eyes, taking slow, even breaths of the sweet fragrance of the flowers.

It was so quiet. So peaceful. Her eyes grew too heavy to open. She felt herself fading into sleep and the dark fog descending into her mind.

****

What time was it anyway? It felt like Aaron had been lying awake for hours, tossing and turning in a restless effort to sleep again. The alarm must've had more of a disturbing effect on him than he had originally thought. He squinted at the travel clock on the stand next to his bed. Almost four o'clock. At this rate, he was going to be worthless today.

His mind was plagued with thoughts of the copy of his father. But it wasn't just that, was it? Aaron knew there were
four
insurance policies for their family. One for his father. One for his mother. One for his brother… and one for him. A heavy sigh escaped his throat. He rose from the bed and walked to the window. Lifting the blinds, he gazed out into the darkness of the compound.

Somewhere in this community there was a copy of him walking around — working, eating, sleeping, living a life. A life completely separate from his. What was that life like?

Aaron lifted his right hand and pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes tightly. He needed some air. It was so stuffy out in this dry eastern Washington August heat. Some air. A run. Just what he needed.

He slipped his sweats on and grabbed his shoes then headed for the door and the silent path around the community, stretching as he went. A good morning run would clear his head.

****

A rhythmic pounding echoed in the distance, breaking through Gem's solitude and drawing her into an abrupt awareness. She had drifted off. How long had she slept there in the garden? The steady thump-crunch-thump-crunch drew closer to where she sat.

The garden lights had shut off automatically while she slept, but when she rose from the bench, they blazed back to life. Gem walked to the fence and peered through the iron bars into the inky black night.