Chapter 27 Cyber Soul

Chapter 27

Cyber Soul

   “Kian,” Penny called as she softly padded into the short hall that led to the observation deck. Silence, without a thought she pressed her right hand against her doorframe. Suddenly his presence, his energy coursed up her arm like a mild electric shock. Snatching her hand away, she studied its smooth curved edge, but saw nothing odd.

   “You are the ship, “she said to herself, even when you’re not here. “Kian,” she called again. He did not answer. “Don’t imagine I’m supposed to go off by myself. But I feel so free.” She bowed her head and let her will reach out to him. Moon lit treetops tiny and far below suddenly filled her mind. She stumbled down the hall only half seeing where she was going. Treetops, floor, treetops, river, and floor they kept flashing before her mind’s eye; a dizzying kaleidoscope of alternating surroundings, still stumbling she somehow made it to the sofa, collapsed, and passed out.

  “Penny,” she heard Kian say, “speak to me, you okay?”

  She heard fear in his voice. She sucked in a deep breath more out of habit than need and looked up at him. “Fine, wonderful, free…”

  “Well maybe,” Kian said, “just rest. Had I known you’d be up and about I would have never left. I’m sorry, I guess it rejected you. I tried.”

  “Nah ooo,” she said, slurring her words like a drunk. She sat up blinked and looked around. “Trees are gone; think I’ll try that again later.”

  “Try what?”

 “Reaching out to you with my mind, I kinda did but got all mixed up in my head.” She looked around at the familiar off white, ‘inside an egg shell’ room, and grinned up at him. It worked.” She declared, “I can feel you in the walls. I can fly, float, even project and a bunch of other stuff too, I’ll bet. Thank you Kian, can I go outside and spread my wings? Oh wait let me check my gown.” She reached around pulled on the powder blue fabric until she could feel air coming through her wings holes, “Wouldn’t want to rip my clothes.”

  “Are you sure you are alright,” Kian asked, “this was supposed to take much longer.”

  “Well it didn’t. I woke up,” she rubbed her forehead, collecting her scattered memories.  “I woke up in the Banquet hall. I saw you, someone named Tyndale and Peter, I went through the roof, it was dark, stormy and then I was in my room.”

    She clasped her face, straightened her back and looked at Kian.

 She looked much more focused and clear –eyed, “You feeling better?”

  “Much, can I go outside now?”

 “You’re not a prisoner Penny, sure if you feel like it.”

  She beamed at him. “I feel wonderful, think I tried to do too much, too fast.”

 “Well, I should have been here.”

 “Kian, stop it, nothing happened, come on fly with me.”

  He stepped back and followed her to door. The panel vanished and she flung her body out into the night. Kian slid out behind her. A grin stretched his face as two beautiful white wings unfurled with explosive force from her back.

  Soaring up around like a condor, she sailed toward the moon. Kian rocketed up to meet her just to see her face beaming in the moonlight.

 “This is heaven,” she squealed as she sliced down daring him to follow. Nose- diving toward the choppy surf she pulled up but not before, she snatched up a hand full of water, slinging it skyward, just as Kian flew right into it.

   Water dripping from his chin he chased her across the sky, her wings glowed her face beamed, but not as much as Kian’s. Memories of Kia slowly faded as he watched his new daughter duck and weave then shot straight up to pirouette against the swollen pie -faced moon.

  Having lost all track of time and neither needing rest or sleep; it was not until starry black slowly faded to deep purple behind the distant black tree line did they realize they had flown all night.

   Far below his ship looked even more bird like than ever. It glowed above the rocky tree lined bluff beckoning them to return. This was the first time Penny had ever seen it from above, overcome with a sudden unexpected desire she careened toward its’ beak shaped nose lighting gracefully upon it as though she were a feather. Her wings out spread but arched over her head, she sat crossed legged looking out across the shining silver sea.

 Kian slid up beside her but not so close that he touched her wings. He knew how sensitive they could be.

  “You’re not tired are you,” he asked, unsure why she suddenly decided to land.

  “Oh no,” she replied, gazing out over the swaying moonlit waters. “I just want to soak it up.” She did not even look at when she spoke.

   “Yeah, I feel the same way.” He said as he noticed a glint of silver far beyond the western hills. “They’re coming. The Lunans will be here soon.”

  Penny tilted her head in a very odd fashion, as if she were listening through a closed door. “What about the Terrans?”

  “They’ll join us when they will Penny, why do you ask?”

  She pressed her temples, massaging them with her fingertips, “Darkness below, darkness below,” she chanted, not hearing her own voice. But Kian heard it. Moreover, he could plainly see that she had slipped out of her body again.

   “Darkness below, darkness below, darkness,” she paused as her wings suddenly retracted, “darkness ahead!” She yelled into the fading night. She was obviously not talking about the sky. Kian knew she was talking about the future that she was somehow traveling forward, forward through time…