Strangers and Shadows (8 page)

“How much time left do we have?” Asher asked as he walked toward the watch Dorian had given him.  He fastened it around his wrist.

“Roughly two hours or so.”  Ava had already put hers on and was now drying her hair with the blow dryer.  “These things are great, I wish we could find a way to bring one home with us.”

The hotel room was full of things that existed in their time, the difference being there wasn’t anything on the television back home.  In fact, with the darkness falling, it had been a while since Asher had had a chance to visit the Museum at the Palace, with all its relics of the past.  Refrigerators, toasters, curling irons, nearly anything you could imagine from the past, it even had a DVD player. 
I’ll have to find one of those
, Asher thought as he laid down on the bed next to Ava.  He fully intended to watch the television that he had read so much about as a kid, but instead fell asleep next to Ava who had already nodded off herself.

He awoke with a start.  There was a loud beeping in the room, and it took Asher a few moments to realize that the sound was coming from the watches. 

“RISE AND SHINE CAMPERS!” Dorian’s voice blared in stereo.  “RISE AND SHINE, THE WORLD IS WAITING!”

Asher was beginning to get annoyed, not only by the sound of Dorian’s voice, but also by the fact that Dorian seemingly knew that they’d been asleep.  

“RISE AND SHINE!” Dorian continued, “THIS IS A RECORDING.  PRESS ANY BUTTON TO STOP PLAYBACK.”

Asher immediately hit a button as did Ava beside him.  He glanced at the time.  Fifteen minutes left.  “Come on Ava, let’s get dressed, we’re supposed to be leaving soon.”

The watches beeped in unison.  “I trust everyone’s awake?” Dorian sounded as smug as ever.  “Sorry for the alarm, but I had to be sure that we’re on schedule… don’t want to miss our jump window.  The jump controllers hate it when your late.”  

Across the room, Ava rolled her eyes. 

“Are you two there...?  Oh, right, press the bottom left button to talk.”

Ava pressed her button once, slowly and deliberately.  “
Uncle
, is that you?” 

Asher thought she seemed in a rather playful mood.  A little out of character for her.  Maybe she was nervous about where they were going.

“Are you two ready?  We have to leave soon.”

“We’re ready, Dorian.  Where should we meet you?” Asher asked.

“Stay there, I’ll come get you.”

Several minutes later there was a knock at the door.

Asher opened the door and Dorian walked in.  He closed the door behind him.

“Where’s Mike?” Ava asked.

“He’ll be along at a later time,” Dorian paused, staring intently at his watch.  Presently, it chirped out a little tune that Asher didn’t recognize.  “That’s our cue.  Be sure not to leave anything behind.”  He walked over to the door and opened it, standing to one side and motioning,
after you
, to Ava and Asher.  

Just as Ava was about to exit the room, Dorian stopped her.  “I almost forgot,” he said, holding out his hand.  “Watches.  Let’s have them.”

Ava and Asher took off the watches with puzzled looks on their faces, and handed them to the Stranger who then placed them in a plastic bag along with his own.  He left them sitting on the table of room 274.

“Won’t be needing these where we’re going.”

“Why are we leaving them?” Asher wanted to know.

“Now, now...  All in good time,” the Stranger replied.  “You’ll know more soon enough.”  Dorian motioned them through the door and they complied, finding themselves not in the hallway of the hotel as they were expecting, but in another hallway entirely.

Seventh Heaven

The door opened into a brightly lit hallway.  Ava and Asher had to squint, the light was so bright.  Dorian seemed to have no such problem with the change.  

The hallway was five meters tall and ten meters long.  It opened into a large room filled with people moving about.

Dorian led the way.  “Welcome to the Seventh.  This is our Jump Center.  It’s an airport of sorts, where all our agents jump from and back to.  Ages ago we used to just jump in and out anywhere, but random accidents kept occurring.  Agents jumping in right in front of a speeding hover bus—that sort of thing.  We find this simplifies things.”

He showed them to the observatory deck where they could see for miles in every direction.  

The Jump Center was high above the city below.  Outside, the afternoon sun was shining.  Skyscrapers and walkways stretched as far as the eye could see, with hovers and speeders zipping every which way.

Asher’s jaw dropped as he looked out over the vista.  If Chicago had been impressive, this was absolutely mind-blowing.  He could almost
feel
the masses of people that surrounded him below.

“We’re lucky the skies are clear.  Sometimes the clouds interfere with the view.”  Dorian allowed the couple to make their way around the observatory, checking out the full three hundred and sixty degrees.  “Sorry to interrupt, but we are on a bit of a schedule, I’m afraid.  There is a tour waiting for you, and then we have prepared a dinner for your arrival.  Many members of the cabinet will be attending, as well as the Prime Minister, herself.  She is most looking forward to meeting you two.”

The couple exchanged glances, neither one knowing quite what to make of the news.  Ava was the first to break eye contact.  “Lead the way,” she said.

“I’m afraid I won’t be able to join you for the tour, but I’ll see you again at the dinner tonight.  Not to worry though, you’ll be well taken care of,” Dorian replied.

As he was speaking, a hover pulled alongside the observatory deck and docked with it.  A door slid open, and a smiling woman greeted them.  “Ava, Asher, I’d like you to meet Sylvia.  She’ll be giving you your tour and anything else that you might require during your stay with us.”  

They said, hello, and Sylvia showed them on board.  Inside, the hover was spacious.  Long couches lined the passenger cabin walls.  There was a door at one end of the cabin leading to the cockpit.

Dorian said goodbye, and took his leave.

The hover’s door slid down, leaving Ava, Asher, and Sylvia in relative silence.

“I understand you two haven’t been fitted with any tech yet, is that correct?” Sylvia asked.

Bewildered expressions crossed the couple’s faces.

“Right, I’ll take that as a yes.”  The tour guide left the cabin and returned holding two thin bands in her hands.  “Here we go.”  She fitted the first on Ava.

The ends of the horseshoe-shaped bands went in the ears where they expanded gently, filling her earlobe.  Even though her ear canal was blocked off, Ava could still hear everything around her perfectly.  

The rest of the band ran up the temples and across the forehead where two slim projectors protruded slightly at the left and right eyes.  After a few moments, she could no longer tell that she was even wearing the band.

Sylvia helped Asher with his and then gave them a brief tutorial.

“These will allow you to interact with our world and each other.  You’ll also be linked into the grid so you can access any info you may need know.  The bands will monitor your brain waves, much like the nanites that we use do, and if you want it, provide the information that you seek.  Only if that information is known, however.  For instance, it can’t give you any information about future events or what lies beyond our galaxy in space.”  

“Why not just give us the
nanites
that the rest of you have?” Asher asked.

“I’m afraid that I haven’t been told the reason for that.  I’m sure there is a good one,” Sylvia said.  “It may just be a matter of time.  The procedure can take a while.  The nanites have to be matched to your specific DNA so the immune system doesn’t fight them.”  She brought the matter to a close.  “Anyway, why don’t you two practice using the bands while we tour the city.”  She disappeared to the cockpit and several moments later the hover pushed away from the observation deck.

They flew out over the city merging with the flow of traffic.

Ava saw a beautiful skyscraper sparkling in the distance and wondered about it.

Startling her, the building was suddenly highlighted in her vision and the name was flying in the air next to it.  In her ears she heard a pleasant, gender-neutral voice giving her the date the building was created, its architect, what the building was used for, and a host of other facts.

Beside her, Asher was lost in his own experience, no doubt drawn to the shiny flying things.  “This is incredible.”  

“Indeed it is,” Ava replied.  She was about to wonder how the bands worked when her band projected the information for her.

Sensors over the eyes tracked eye movement and also projected images directly onto the lenses of the eyes.  The ear buds analyzed any audio coming in, as well as sending its own audio out.  The entire band itself imaged the brain and monitored various brain waves, intuitively knowing what the wearer was thinking.

Ava was impressed.

“
Thank you,”
the pleasant voice in her ear said.

Ava shouldn’t have been surprised, but she was.  It was unnerving having something know what she was thinking.

“
If you prefer, you can turn my AI function off.”
 

“No, that’s fine,” Ava replied.  She just needed to get used to it.

“Who are you talking to?” Asher asked.

“The band.”

He was about to follow up with another question, but stopped short as his own band filled him in.  “Ah, I see.”

As they flew over the capital city, their bands gave them the relevant information of the tour.  Parks, museums, architecture, history—it was all fascinating to the couple from the Fourth.

The tour lasted about an hour.  When it was finished, the hover docked with the Embassy building where the dinner would take place.  It was also where their apartments were located.

Sylvia reappeared from the cockpit.  “I hope you enjoyed the tour.  Your bands will show you to your suites, I trust you will find them accommodating.  If you need anything, just ask, and the bands will put you in contact with an appropriate aide.”

The hover door slid open and Sylvia walked them to the platform. 

They stepped onto the landing platform and the door closed with Sylvia still on board.  Ava and Asher watched as the hover pulled away.

“How—?” Asher began to ask, when his band responded.

“
This way please.”

A highlighted path was displayed on the landing platform.  It started at his feet and led inside the Embassy building.

They followed the band’s instructions as it led them to their separate but adjoined apartments.  

The apartments were spacious and elegant.  With the band’s assistance on the controls, they had showered and changed into the clothing provided for them with no trouble at all.  

Ava and Asher arrived at the dining hall, and were greeted by Dorian.

“You made it.  Excellent,” he said.  “You look wonderful.  Give us a twirl.”

Ava complied, showing off the extravagant dress that had been provided for her.  Nothing she had ever owned back home came close to it.

Asher, in a dark suit, could barely contain himself.  “These bands are amazing!” he blurted out.  “I wish we’d had these in Chicago.”

Dorian chuckled at the young man’s excitement.

Ava, however, reddened.  “Mind your tongue, Asher.  And for the remainder of the evening, see that you don’t
do
or
say
anything that will embarrass us. 
Or
our Verse,
for that matter.”  

What could he say to that, Asher wondered.  He hid his extreme annoyance at being scolded like a five year old child and responded, “I will do my best, Your Highness.  My humble apologies.”

Ava nodded her assent and Asher pushed his feelings farther down, willing them not to show on his face.

Dorian seemed amused with the exchange.  “Shall we?”

He led them into the large dining hall.  Long tables lined the walls with a large open courtyard area in the middle leading up to a raised platform with a lone podium on it.  Behind the podium another table was set, this one not as long as the ones on the side walls.

Guests had already arrived and were seated at the tables.  Dorian took them straight toward the podium, past ornate centerpieces, water fountains, and platters of appetizers.  

Asher felt his mouth water at the smells coming from the serving trays.  He hadn’t realized how hungry he was.  Then again, he couldn’t remember the last time he had eaten a decent meal either.

As they walked, the ongoing conversation died down with the room’s growing curiosity at the new arrivals.  When they were halfway to the dais, Dorian stopped, and a woman stepped up to the podium and began speaking. 

The woman was beautiful, that was plain to see, even at their distance.  She had long white hair even though she appeared to only be in her mid-thirties.  She carried herself with an air of grace and power.  She reminded Asher of Ava’s mother, Queen Emille, in bearing, if not necessarily in looks.

“Senators, cabinet members, and esteemed guests, I’d like to welcome you all,” the woman began.  “Thank you for coming on such short notice.  I apologize for the haste, but I thought you all would cherish the opportunity to meet our visitors from the Fourth Verse.

“In these trying times, it is our deepest hope that our dear friends from the Fourth can help us in our time of need, and that we may, in turn, extend our arms in friendship to them.  Please join me in welcoming our guests, Princess Avialle of New Britain and her Chief Economist and Royal Consort, Asher Bancroft.”