by
Patricia Keister
Maya stared out the window at the blackened and chared ground. She still missed not being able to go outside.
The ground rumbled slightly and a puff of hot vapor shot out of an existing fissure. Maya sighed heavily and turned away. As she did, the shielding plate slid back over the glass and locked into place.
Maya turned the room lights back up to full power. She walked around the room slowly, touching the back of a chair or a bright patch on the wall where something once hung. "I shall miss this place." Maya spoke aloud.
She wasn't supposed to be in the above"ground bunkers, but her father had given her permission to visit their home one last time before the bulkhead doors were sealed forever.
"Hey!"
Maya jumped as her brother walked into the room. "Odyssius! Is it time?"
"Yes." He put his arm around her shoulders and led her out. "It's going to be okay, Maya. The High Council will figure something out and then we'll all be able to move back up here."
Maya played with the beadwork on the front of her black dress as they waited for the lift. "Ody?"
Odyssius smiled at the use of his pet name. He had only ever been called that by his mother. After her death three years before, Odyssius had allowed Maya to use it in private as a way of remembering her. "Yes, My." He used her pet name, too.
"How long do you really think we'll have to stay below?" Maya looked up at him, her eyes wide. The doors to the lift opened and they stepped inside.
As the doors shut, Odyssius took a deep breath. "I'm not sure, My. I do know that Father, Dorzak and the other Council members are all working as hard as they can to fix Psychon."
"Father's machine will fix it, Ody." Maya stated matter"of"factly. "I know it will." The lift doors opened and Maya stepped out proudly. She walked away toward her father's labs with her head held high.
The large round door opened and Maya stepped quietly into her father's lab. She tip"toed down the steps and when she reached the bottom Maya looked around the large room. "Father?" She called out as she looked around the equipment. "Father?" Maya looked through the window to the other lab. It was empty too and Maya leaned back against a nearby computer console.
Maya stood up to leave just as the outer door began to open. She was excited at first that her father was back, until she heard the voices of the other Council Members with him.
Not wishing to be sent away, Maya transformed quickly into a small rodent and scurried under a work bench.
"If you would just look at the equipment first before you pass judgement, I know that you will see the potential of my work." The anxiety in Mentor's voice rose almost to the point of yelling.
"If you can show us and prove beyond doubt that your machine can do what you say, then we will consider it." Anika, head of the High Council, folded her hands in front. "That is why we are here. Proceed, Mentor."
"Ah, yes!" Mentor crossed the room and pointed to chair with wires and cranial apparatus attached to it. "This is where the subject sits while in rapport with Psyche. This cranial cap then fits over the skull and effects a symbiosis." Mentor became more excited as he moved across to the center of the room where the main power source stood. "Mow each one of there pillars represent the different intellectual pathways of the brain."
Mentor switched on the machine and clear liquids bubbled up and down within the pillars. "As the subject develops a symbiotic rapport with Psyche, the intellectual information is absorbed by the machine and fed into the various pathways."
"Absorbed!? Fed!?" Council Member Danik stepped forward. "What exactly are you building?"
Anika interrupted. "Have you tested this, Mentor?"
"In theory, yes." Mentor hesitated. Then he quickly continued. "But I'm almost ready to start on live subjects."
"Live subjects!?" Danik interrupted again. "You're not seriously thinking of trying this on Psychons!"
Mentor had a difficult time keeping his temper under control. "I do have a couple of volunteers as soon as the Council reaches a decision."
Danik snorted in disgust and turned toward the door.
Anika placed her hands inside her robes and smiled slightly at Mentor. "We will deliberate and let you know our decision, Mentor." The High Council turned and walked out the door.
Dorzak stayed behind a moment to speak to his friend. "I think that what you're doing as very important. You know that you have my full support." He clapped Mentor on his shoulder.
As soon as Dorzak left, Maya the rodent came out from under the workbench and transformed back into a young woman.
Mentor was surprised to that his daughter had been listening. He made a mental note to make sure that it didn't happen again. "Eavesdropping, Maya? That's not very lady"like." He tried to act stern as he turned back to his machines.
"That didn't go very well, did it?" Maya clasped her hands behind her back and followed her father.
"Well, I've had better meetings." Mentor said cheerily. "And I've had worse ones!" He turned quickly and tweaked Maya's nose. "Now you run along and "Ill see you at dinner."
Maya did as she was told, but at the door she hesitated and glanced back sadly. The door closed silently behind her as Maya ran down the hall to see her friends.
There were several recreational rooms and Maya poled her head in the doorway of each one. She looked into one and was excited to see her friend Tona sitting with her little sister.
As soon as Tona saw Maya, she jumped up and the two girls embraced. "Where have you been all day?" Tona asked.
Maya sighed and moved closer to her friend. "My father gave me permission to see my old house one last time."
Tona took her friends hand and led her back to the sofa. "Are you going to be all right? I know that it's been hard on you." Tona shooed her little sister away so Maya could sit. "Tell me all about it." She said sincerely.
Maya smiled slightly. She had a strong feeling that Tona would one day become a great mediator or even a Council Member. Maya told her friend her short tale.
When the story ended Tona wrapped Maya into a huge embrace. "You poor dear!" Tona practically sobbed. "I shall make it my one and only task to make sure that while we're down here, you will not have a chance to be bored or melancholy." Tona let her go and grabbed her hand, pulling Maya to her feet. "We'll start right now! I happen to know that they're having games on level 5 that would thrill you." Tona grabbed her little sister's hand and urged her along too.
They were half way to the lift when a button on the cuff of Maya's sleeve began flashing. "Oh, I'm sorry Tona, I'm being called home. We'll do something later, as soon as I can get away."
Tona agreed and the two girls hugged briefly before Maya turned and headed back the way they had come.
When Maya walked through the front door of their quarters the smell of dinner tickled her senses. She stepped lightly into the dining area as Odyssius took a pot of food from the cooker. "What is it?" Maya breathed in the aroma.
"Guess." Odyssius teased.
"Rothman Stew?" Maya asked, trying to lift the lid.
Odyssius playfully slapped her hand. "No. Don't touch!"
Maya's eyes lit up suddenly. "I know! Sartirian Surprise!"
"That would have been my guess." Mentor stood in the doorway.
"Father!" Maya ran to him and the hugged each other. "How did it go?" Maya pulled him into the room and pulled his chair away from the table. "Are they going to back your research? Have they come to a decision? Tell me!"
Mentor chuckled at his daughter's enthusiasm. "Sit, Maya. I haven't heard anything, as yet. These things take time. Patience, little Maya." Mentor cupped his hand under her chin. "We'll know soon enough." He took the lid off the pot and spooned out a portion for each of them.
The rest of the meal was spent discussing what each had done that day. Maya told of her encounter with Tona. They all giggled at Tona's big heart and melodramatics. Odyssius explained that he had spent most of his day making sure that all was ready in case the Council decided to evacuate.
"But Father's machine will restore Psychon and make everything beautiful again." Maya protested.
Odyssius fell silent and Mentor pat his daughter's hand. "Of course it will, dear."
"Of course it will." Odyssius repeated sarcastically.
They finished their meal in relative silence and Maya started to clear the table.
Mentor stood and took the dished from his daughter. "You run along and find your friends. Odyssius and i will clean this up."
Maya grinned and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you, Father." She half skipped to the door. As it opened she turned and spoke teasingly to her family. "Make sure you do a good job. I don't want to find a mess when I get home!"
"Oh!" Mentor growled playfully and waved her away.
As the door shut behind Maya, Mentor turned to his son. "I wanted to speak to you about Maya."
Odyssius rose and helped his father clear the table. The discussions were always the same. He knew what was going to be said.
"Be careful what you say around Maya, she's very sensitive." Mentor pleaded to his son.
Odyssius set the bowls down hard. "She's almost delusional, Father! Everyday you feed that delusion more and more. That makes me question your sanity! She's 16, it's time she knew the truth."
"Don't take that tone of voice with me, young man!" Mentor waved his finger at his son. "I work very hard for the betterment of this planet and the people who live here. I've put half my life into this project and I know that it'll work!"
Mentor turned away from Odyssius and his voice became quieter. "Your mother and i believed in this project from the start." He turned around to face his son. "Maya needs to believe in it too. You mustn't continue to speak against Psyche when she's around." Mentor stepped close to his son and placed his hands on his shoulders. "Think of how her heart would break if she were forced to leave Psychon."
Odyssius looked at Mentor stonily. "You mean, how much it would break your heart." Mentor let go as his son continued. "You mean, how you can't bear to be without your children, no matter the consequences. Especially when one of us helps remind you everyday what Mother looked like."
Odyssius headed for the door. "I have work of my own to attend to. Don't wait up for me father."
Mentor stood frozen from his son's words as the door slid shut.
Maya found Tona, with a large group of their peers, in a game room on the lower levels.
Tona ran to her friend and placed an arm around her shoulders. "How are you feeling?" Before Maya had a chance to answer, Tona led her across the room. "Have I found a guy for you!" She leaned in close to whisper. "I found him at the Showcker tables and we started talking and POW I'm thinking, is this guy perfect for Maya or what!?"
Tona stopped and half pointed to group of people gathered around a game table. "That's him there in the turquoise and blue."
Maya looked at the young Psychon. He appeared to be about her height with dark wavy hair and dark eyes. He was muscular and his eyebrows and skin were a little darker than most Psychon males. His smile came easily and he joked with the people around him even as he played. Maya noticed that he was aloof but his eyes stayed intently focused on the game.
"His name is Romix and he's apprenticing in Engineering of Quantum Propulsion and their relative proportion to Universal Time Displacement. Tona took a deep breath and gushed. "Isn't he beautiful!"
Maya smiled and suppressed a giggle. "So basically he's studying Time Travel Theories?"
Tona looked at her friend half disgusted. "Sometimes Maya, your need to simplify things can be boring."
Maya squeezed her friend's hand. "And your need to over dramatize things makes us the perfect friends! Come on, introduce us!" The two young women headed excitedly toward the table.
Maya and Odyssius sat at the dining table sharing an afternoon meal. "Hey, My!" Odyssius took a sip of wine. "I heard that you flattened someone at Showcker a couple of nights ago." He smiled teasingly. "A young man who's studies at the Quantum labs." Maya began to blush. "A young handsome man!" His eyebrows went up and Odyssius popped a piece of fruit in his mouth.
"Stop it, Ody. You're acting childish." Maya tried to keep her composure.
"Well, I find it very interesting that you flatten some guy at a game you don't even like to play! A handsome guy at that!"
"It wasn't like that!" Maya tried to defend herself.
"He probably let you win since you're a girl." Odyssius leaned back in his chair watching her reaction.
Maya sat up straight and indignant. "I won fair and square. Just because I don't care to play a game doesn't mean that I'm not good at it." Maya's agitation caused her form to blur and shift.
"Whoa, My!" Odyssius sat up and his voice became more serious. "Calm down, you don't want to change into something we'll both regret!" As her form solidified, Odyssius put his hand on Maya's shoulder. "You haven't quite got that thing down to a science yet. You need to be a little bit more careful when you're angry."
Maya smiled at her brother. "It wasn't like that." She spoke more quietly. "We were talking and he asked of I wanted to play."
"And of course you never back down from a challenge!" Odyssius added.
"Never!" Maya quipped.
"So?" Odyssius leaned forward.
"So I flattened him!" They both laughed. Then Maya smiled broadly. "We spent the rest of the evening walking and talking in the gardens."
"Ooh! Maya's growing up!" Odyssius teased.
Maya was about to throw a piece of food at him when their father entered. She jumped to her feet and rushed into his arms. "Father, how did it go?" Maya led Mentor to the table.
He sat her back down and stared at the floor. When he finally spoke, he sounded tired. "I have just come from the High Council Chambers."
"What did they say, Father?" Maya interrupted, taking his hand.
"They have denied my petition to continue my experiments past the theory stage. They have asked that I abandon my own research and join the `Environmental Evacuation Unit'."
"No." Slipped quietly from Maya's lips.
Her look of anguish did not escape Mentor's notice. "It's become necessary, Maya."
"No!" Maya yelled. She stood up quickly as tears began to well up in her eyes. "I'll help in the development of Psyche! I'll give up my technical training and come and help you in your labs!" Maya pleaded.
Mentor took a hold of her hands and held them against his chest. "I feel proud, as your father, that you would give up your own career for me. But, as your father, I insist that you complete your training and take your position in the community." Mentor Kissed his daughter on the cheek.
Maya tried to smile for him but only succeeded in beginning to cry as she ran off to her room.
Odyssius stood as Mentor tried to call her back. "Let her go, Father. This is best. She needs to learn and understand."
"It seems so cruel!" Mentor spat out the last word. He strode out the door calling behind him. "I'll be in my labs."
"39 days and counting!" Odyssius announced as he strode into the kitchen.
Maya rolled her eyes. "I hate how you constantly feel the need to remind us how much longer we have before we leave." She picked up a utensil and pushed the food around her plate.
"Are you going to eat that, My, or just play with it until it's dead." Odyssius pointed to her plate.
"You've been a little to happy these last few months!" She threw her utensil down. "The closer it gets to lift off, the happier you become! Don't you see how this is tearing Father apart? Don't you have any compassion for him?"
Odyssius stepped closer. "Believe me Maya, I feel very bad for him, but you must understand that Psychon €i€€s€ dying. There is no more hope of survival here. We need to move on."
Maya stood up fast, causing the chair to tip over. "You may be willing to give up on Father, but I'm not!" And with that Maya headed out the door and down the hall to her father's lab.
As she rounded the last corner, she collided with Romix coming from the opposite direction. "Maya! I'm sorry. Are you all right?" He grabbed her elbow to steady her.
Maya brushed a tear away quickly. "Romix! Yes, I'm fine. What are €y€€o€€u€ doing here?"
"I've come looking for you." Romix finally released her elbow. "I have the most amazing news! As you know, my father is the assistant to Council Tokoz." Maya nodded. "I just found out this morning that most of us in the group of Apprentice' are scheduled to board the first ship. Isn't that exciting? You and I will be together. We'll explore the stars, helping our people find a new home." When he realized that his enthusiasm was not being shared, he stopped. "Maya, are you all right? Is there something wrong?"
The young Psychon stood staring blankly at Romix for so long that he started to become nervous. Suddenly, and without warning, Maya strode around Romix mumbling, "excuse me", and ran inside her father's lab, letting the door shut behind her.
Romix stood in the corridor, slightly dumbfounded, staring at the closed door. After a moment he shrugged and headed back the way that he had come. "So, I guess I'll talk to you later." He said.
"Father?" Maya burst into Mentor's lab. Spotting him behind Psyche, she strode purposefully to his side. "Father, why have I been placed on the first ship off this planet? Were you just pacifying me by saying that I could stay with you?"
`The fire in her eyes, her hands on her hips,' Mentor thought,`she looks more and more like her mother.' Mentor took a deep breath before he spoke. "Maya, I thought long and hard about this. It would be best if you and Odyssius were to go on the first ship."
Maya's eyes and voice pleaded with her father. "But you agreed that I could stay and help you with your research. I can be a big help to you." The young woman threw herself into Mentor's arms. "I won't leave without you!" she cried.
Mentor pushed her away. "My decision's been made, Maya! You and Odyssius will leave on the first ship. Besides, we make sure that it was manned by almost all young people. Your friend Tona will be going and your new friend Romix will be aboard, too." Mentor's last effort did not sway his daughter.
Maya sat in front of her mirror reflecting inwardly as well as outward. She looked at the image of her mother sitting to the side and then saw her again as she looked back at the glass. It felt like an eternity since her mother had died. So much had happened.
There was a soft tapping at the door and after a moment, Mentor entered her room. "Maya, are you almost ready?"
The young woman looked back at her mother's image. "It isn't fair that you're sending me away, Father. I should be allowed to make that decision myself."
"Please, Maya." Mentor pleaded. "This is for the best. What kind of life will you have here with me?"
Maya turned in her chair to face him. "That should still be my choice!" She rose and placed her hands on her father's shoulders. "I want to stay! I could help you in your labs! Psyche will work, I know it!"
Mentor started to speak, but Maya cut him off. "If not that then who will take care of you at home? You know that you don't cook very well."
He began to protest until he saw the mirth in Maya's eyes. "Oh now, the last thing that I need is my little one acting like a mother hen." Mentor stroked Maya's hair lovingly. "Now, finish putting your things together and I'll walk you to the launch area."
Maya nodded sadly. She sat back down and as the door closed, a small tear fell down her cheek.
"You will have a wonderful life, my dear." Mentor gushed. He held her hands in both of his. "You are an adult now and I wish you all the happiness of the universe." Father and daughter strained to smile.
"It's not fair, Father." Maya could not control the sadness in her voice. "I will have my 18th celebration on this ship without you. Let me stay at least until then!" Maya pleaded. "After that I promise that I'll go!"
"Maya, Maya." Mentor pat her hands. "Odyssius will be there to celebrate with you, as well as all your young friends. Now you're pulling excuses out of the air. Get on board before they leave without you." With that, Mentor handed Maya her belongings, kissed her cheek, and gave her a slight push toward the ship.
Reluctantly Maya moved toward the docking doors. She looked back at her father's tear stained, smiling face. Maya was determined not to cry. She would be brave and careful.
When she looked back again, Mentor was gone. Maya looked up at the docking door. The technicians were all busy double checking everything and everyone that was boarding.
No one noticed as Maya slipped away from the main group and make her way back down the corridor.