Arc 2 Chapter 11: End and Beginning

-(Destiny)-

The Lurker, Medical Quarter; Tuesday 11th January 3141 of the Human Federation Calendar

“...?”

I  woke up to a world of wet and green, I felt that I was floating in goo.  It was a peaceful awakening, fast dampened by the thought of what I  have lost to be able to feel it. I lost the only person that cared about  me in the universe. But I had to let go to be able to be functional, I  couldn’t shut down like I did after it happened. Suddenly I felt the  greenish gooey water around me diminish and my feet touched the ground;  the level of water drop through holes in the health tank I am in.  Through the glass of the tank, I could see a silhouette, my eyes were  still blurry but I felt that the person before me was someone I linked  mentally with before. The flavor of this mind reminds me of Altair, I am  aware that it is her and that she is letting me feel her, even with how  the scientists in project Xavier told me how powerful I was there were  things I didn’t know how to do with my abilities. Like the ability to  mask the psychic presence that my benefactor is able to do as if she was  breathing. I hope she will give me instructions because I felt like an  ignorant barbarian with a club compared to her.

One moment I was on my feet feeling miserable another I was in the arms of Altair that had a towel around me. Did I black out?

“Hi,” I said with a scratchy voice that made me doubt that it was I who spoke.

Altair proceeded into rubbing me delicately with the towel.

“Don’t  speak, you are going on the medical bed and we will see if everything  is alright; then we will speak little one.” She said with a reassuring  tone.

I nodded and let her guide me toward the medical bay, once  in there she laid me on one of the beds and proceeded to dry my body  more intensively. When she was done she smiled at me and the bed moved  to be flat.

“Here now, don’t move and keep your breath while the scanner will shine its light upon you.”

The  optical lens of the big cylinder above me shined with a warm green  light on my pale skin. I stopped moving and stopped breathing for ten  seconds.

“Done.” Altair said when the machine stopped.

Altair  looked at the big physical screen behind my head that showed data of my  body. I could see an orange silhouette that must be a representation of  my body and inside the human figure, there were green specks  everywhere.

“Everything looks alright, Destiny.” The older woman smiled at me and mussed my hair.

Thirty  minutes later we were in Altair’s office, I was dry and clothed wearing  a ship suit she prepared for me. The decor was filled with pieces of  rocks and artworks on each of the walls that mimicked wood. We were  facing each other on the comfy black sofas.

“Now we can talk after you drink this cup of black tea.”

Altair  pushed a cup of tea toward me on the low table, it smelled of lemon and  looked black. Taking the cup I placed my two hands around it and blew  on its surface to finally drink it. It was good! I downed the brew with  gusto.

“Good,” Altair said while nodding her head.

“Am ah good? Truly?” I said after putting the teacup on its dish.

To  be honest, I felt amazing. Full of vitality as if I slept for ten hours  and took a warm shower. While I was naked I noticed that… I have  muscles now. Not bodybuilding worthy like those super soldiers were from  the lab I lived in but I was toned and athletic but still feminine.  There were these letters and numbers that appeared in my field of vision  while I was on the ship that described everything. It freaked me out at  first, but I calmed myself. Altair will explain, I am sure of it.

“You know we will work on your enunciation and speech to get rid of that Scott accent. But yes you are good.”

The  older woman seemed put out by my way of talking, she was not the first.  Only uncle Magnus and my friend Iza weren’t bothered by it, they said  that it reminded them of home.

“Ah tried before,” I said lowering my eyes.

“Don’t worry I will teach you how. We have two months of travel left, your days will be full of learning.”

<Let’s talk like this, Destiny.> She sent to me via her thoughts.

<It is easier this way, I agree.> I said opening communication between us.

This was the basic  of the basic of telepathy; forming a psionic communication line with  another being, essentially being capable of having comprehensible  conversations with others using their minds. It also works with normal  people who may be incapable of physical speech or enable to communicate  with a deaf person by linking minds. The scientist of project Xavier  tested my abilities thoroughly with that kind of test subject brought  from the outside. Altair sighed and sank deeper in her sofa, she looked  at me solemnly while crossing her legs in a really feminine way. I  admired her elegant way of moving.

<You have joined a really select club by accepting to be imbued with the Psi nanite pack.>

<Is it why I feel so different? And there are weird words that appear in my eyes?>

<Yes,  the nanites changed your body; you are stronger, faster, smarter and  your powers should have received a significant boost. The word and  numbers you see are what we call Augmented Reality or AR, it is able to  let you navigate the ships or interface with the computers; this is a  rather important part of life in Vice Corporation Worlds, we will speak  about those later. AR is an interactive experience of a real-world  environment where the objects that reside in the real-world are  "augmented" by computer-generated perceptual information, sometimes  across multiple sensory modalities, including visual, auditory, haptic, somatosensory, and olfactory.>

I  must have looked lost to her because Altair facepalmed, then sighed  again at me. She uncrossed her leg and leaned toward me in her seat.

<Look,  Destiny you’ll have to get used to how changed you are, to educate  yourself while you are still on the ship and out of it; I plan to help  you and I hope you’ll pull through. My client wanted me to hand you  over, but knowing your situation I cannot in good conscience do that in  your present state. You are rather, ignorant.>

Why? I don’t  want to, I like it here. Its quiet, we have food and I learn things from  Altair; she’s a real doll with me. It made me tremble to imagine to go  somewhere else, without uncle Magnus to give me direction.

*I don’t wanna go, I don’t wanna go.* I thought.

Looking into the eyes of Altair I said so.

<I don’t want to go to that person, Altair please don’t make me. Can’t I stay with you forever?> I said feeling desperate.

Altair’s eyes softened.

<I  would love to keep you here, your presence on this ship is a delight…  but my life is dangerous Destiny. I have made a lot of enemies. But  don’t worry, I have plans for you before handing you over.>

<I don’t…> I tried to say.

Altair’s  gaze speared through me, I now knew she also had empathy because she  just projected her feeling at me. It was the resolution that I felt from  her.

<Listen to me, when everything is done if you feel that  you want to come back all you need is to call me, ok?> She proposed.

I  really thought about it. Altair may be right, maybe I will want more in  life than just staying in a room in the dark mopping? I finally nodded  to her, yes maybe I will change opinion later.

<Good. You are  going to get some speed schooling in the simulator, Destiny.  Fortunately, we can slow the time in virtual reality, you would get one  year worth of school for those two months thanks to the technology  aboard this ship. But before that, we need to present you your new  companion.>

Altair took the electronic tablet on the low table  and began to type things on its screen. Suddenly a wave of vertigo  engulfed me. My hearing couldn’t help but pick up annoying noises all  around me, I could smell the overpowering odor of the black tea in the  pot of the low table, taste the biscuit I had eaten in passing earlier  after getting out of the health tank. My senses were in overdrive. I put  my hands on my ears to cover the incessant noise and then just as it  suddenly happened it stopped. But no, something else happened, texts and  numbers scrolled in my field of vision.

Companion AI, activation Protocol.

Calibration of sensory inputs.

Toddler program activated.

Preloading personality and denomination of companion AI complete.

Activation complete.

NOVA is activated.

Welcome, user. My name is NOVA and I’ve been designed to facilitate the use of your augmentations and education.

I  couldn’t make any sense or tail of what was happening, there was a  voice in my head that wasn’t me or a telepathic link from someone else.  Am I finally crazy? I looked at Altair for direction, she just smiled at  me and looked satisfied.

<Now where were we?> I heard her project in my mind.

***

I  still had problems adjusting with NOVA in my head, she sounded eager to  please me and was really helpful. It was like making another friend,  she explained things to me all night yesterday about my new abilities,  responsibilities. It’s like never being alone like I always wanted, but  it can become tiresome sometimes when she makes undue criticism. NOVA  began to regiment my life, or more precisely how much I am eating and at  which period of a day. It seems the nanites in my body require that  ingest at least six thousand calories a day. But as I am on the toddler  protocol as she called it I can eat less since the nanites aren’t  working over the clock. It will change tomorrow I heard because Altair  has decided to train me from scratch.

<I took the liberty to  cremate your uncle Magnus. His ashes are in this urn, maybe if you find a  suitable place you can have a nice ceremony for him?> Altair  announced.

She then took the liberty to place an urn on the top of  my desk; we were in my private quarters. I didn’t even feel her come  in, it was scary that she could ghost through my telepathic sonar. I  hope she teaches me that later.

<Thank you.> I said while still looking at the urn.

Uncle  Magnus loss still hurts, but he wouldn’t like me to mop all day about  it. I have to survive, get stronger and grow up. That I will do; closing  my eyes I made a silent prayer for him and wish him well wherever he is  that souls go after leaving their flesh prison. Altair put something  else on the desk, a piece of paper.

Training Schedule 

Monday to Friday 

06:00-9: 00 AM Physical Training

10:00 AM-13: 00 PM-Close Quarter Combat Training/Advanced Tactical training (IRL/SIM)

14:00-20:00PM History/Technology/Common Sense (SIM) 

Saturday and Sunday 

Rest

Self-learning

What  was that? It looked frightening! The piece of paper is just a schedule  for intensive lessons; I looked at Altair who smiled at me and seemed to  express satisfaction in my distress. NOVA added oil to the fire by  integrating the schedule to my daily life and already planning how much I  will have to eat and sleep to be able to succeed.

Mistress, I am here. You won’t fail because I will not allow you to.

NOVA  tried to be reassuring but it wasn’t so, it sounded more like a threat.  Though this is nothing that I didn’t do before in the lab when they  trained me in the use of my power. I will pass this and when I am done I  will be stronger and will be able to take a long nap or something.

“Now shall we begin?”

Altair said with a twinkle in her eyes.