Chapter 18 Cyber Soul

Chapter 18

Cyber Soul

  Standing in front of the exit panel, I can’t help but notice how cute Penny looks in her Khaki cargo shorts, boots and loose red shirt. I wonder if she likes it. My fashion sense is straight out of 2015 the year I died.

    I still feel so responsible for her loss. A silly outfit seems such scant recompense. I must give her so much more.

    Still I can’t help but feel I need her more she needs me. She is my heart now, my only way of truly feeling the outside world. Maybe I should tell her. That’s too much to put on her, let her be a kid. I owe her that.

  “Kian, I’m waiting,” she smiles over her shoulder. I join her.

 “Sorry I’ve a lot on my mind; better let me go first, okay. It really is a jungle out there.” 

 She doesn’t laugh. The over used is phrase is ancient and completely lost on her, of course.

 I take her hand step forward as the gray exit panel disappears. Hot humid air carries the rancid smell water logged sod mixed with the sweet fragrance of tropical flowers straight up my nostrils. My mind analyzes as my synthetic skin shuts out the sensory over load.

I glance down at Penny. Beads of sweat are already rolling down her brow. Her nose and lips wrinkle. She’s not analyzing and filtering out unwanted experiences. She’s enduring it. If she is just enduring it so will they. I’ve made a mistake. No one will be happy here.

  My ship lays on an open patch about 40 by 50 feet wide, one of several ragged holes in a quilt of green. The sun hangs high in the sky streaming through the break, spotlighting our landing site and cooking it as well. Through the dense foliage, I can just make out another shaft of light bouncing off the gleaming surface of an Exodus ship.

   Trees like prison bars tangled with leafy vines and heavy overgrowth make it impossible for us to walk to the ship which at least 200 hundred feet away.

  “This is not what I had in mind.” I say as I peer beneath the sagging branches trying to pierce the thick curtain of shadows and underbrush surrounding us. I look down at Penny; her shoulders are slumped with disappointment, at least that’s what the sour look on her face is telling me. 

  “We can’t walk through that, can we?”

  She’s annoyed. “No Penny, we can’t I messed up.” I wrap my arm around her, weaving a loose springy nest of Nano bots about her, and then float us up both over the treetops. She giggles, as the treetops slide beneath us. Moments later, I settle us down by the Exodus ship.

  A man in sweat soaked coveralls stands by the ship. Shielding his eyes with his right hand, he looks up at us through the blinding hot sunlight. 

  “You have to be Kian West”, he yells up as Penny and I as we ease down right in front of him.

   Relieved he isn’t mad or particularly impressed I reach out to shake his hand.

 “Name’s Tim Hawkes,” he says grabbing my hand with his right as he wipes sweat from his brow with his left. “Never knew Earth could be so hot, hi miss,” he continues, giving Penny a friendly nod.

  “This is my fault,” I say, “You folks can’t make a home here, too much jungle, too dense, too hot too humid.”

   Relief washes over his glistening features. “Man I’m glad to hear you say that. It’s so cool in the ship we’re just not used to this.” He gives me an odd look, as if he wants to ask something of me but is afraid to speak.

  I let Penny step away as I lead us over to relative coolness of the trees. “Go ahead, I’m here to listen.”

  “Great,” he says moping his brow again, “Well I understand there are prairies and fields way east of here.”

  “There are,” I reply, nodding in agreement, “thing is the Chimerans grow their crops there. And they well; I know the Lunans have livestock…”

  “Right, well I understand. Hey, I’m a terrible host, why don’t we go back to ship. I’m dying out here and so’s your…”  

  “Daughter,” I look over at Penny who’s beaming, “yeah my daughter, of course we have much to discuss. The heat doesn’t bother me, but I can see you’re miserable.”

  “Then’s there’s the fact it’s your ship,” Tim quips.

  “No sir that ship belongs to you and our people. I just built it, but I built it for you.”

  A large bead of water rolls Tim’s face. It was a tear but I’ll call it sweat.