Clothed with the sun, p.20
Clothed with the Sun, page 20
We walked back into the mansion and upstairs, to a small room with white floors and walls. The only thing in it was a man-sized, egg-shaped capsule in the center.
“Lay down in it,” Alexi instructed me.
“Why? What’s it do?” I asked, trying to delay.
“It’s very safe,” he said. “Your precept will serve as a bridge between your mind and Babylon, using Don’s global network. Soon people will be able to connect anywhere, anytime. And I assure you, once they’ve been to Babylon, they won’t want to come back.”
“So why’s this capsule necessary?”
“Your body is just a distraction. We’ve built these chambers to take care of all your physical needs, so everyone can stay in Babylon as long as they’d like. Go ahead.”
I walked to it but paused before lying down. “And how do I leave once I’m there?”
“All you have to do is to think or say, Omega. This time I’m just giving you a taste. I’ll disconnect you in ten minutes.” He grinned deviously. “It’s very easy to lose track of time in there.”
I nodded and stepped into the capsule. The base of it was like a padded bed. It felt as comfortable as a coffin. Nothing happened as I laid there.
“It’s all ready,” Alexi said. “Say Omega and you’ll be there. If anything is not to your liking in Babylon, just think about what you want.”
“Okay.” Omega. The last letter in the Greek alphabet—the end. The word slipped out of my mouth with an ominous taste: “Omega.”
I WAS SUDDENLY standing with soft white sand under my bare toes. The bright blue of ocean and sky were before me, tranquil. Two palm trees were to my side, full of ripe coconuts. A hammock hung between them.
Behind me was my bedroom from our family’s home in New York. It was just how I remembered it, except one wall was missing, so that it opened directly onto this beach. There was nothing unusual about it. Why wouldn’t my favorite room open onto my favorite place? Why wouldn’t Naomi be waiting on my bed, basking in the sun?
She sat up and looked at me in delight. She motioned with her finger for me to come. She’d never been so…so sensual.
As I stepped forward, I thought she must be an angel. I blinked and she had wings. The white feathers were brighter than light.
No, I didn’t want wings. The wings were gone.
“I’ve been waiting for you, Elijah,” she said, patting the bed. “Come, join me.”
I sat beside her. The sheets were like satin under my hands. My body shivered with nervous excitement. I did not want to shiver like that. I stopped shivering. I wanted to touch her hair, her skin.
“Elijah,” she beckoned.
I put my hand on her cheek. I traced her neck and shoulder with my finger. She closed her eyes and sighed with pleasure.
I wanted to hear her sing.
She started to sing, “Be thou…”
No, something in French. Her song flowed into different words, inviting and soaring:
“Des yeux qui font baisser les miens
Un rire qui se perd sur sa bouche
Voilà le portrait sans retouches…”
I closed my eyes and let her voice wash over me. I felt the sun warming my skin, the ocean breeze fresh in my lungs. After a while the song ended. I opened my eyes and met Naomi’s smile. I wanted her.
“Kiss me,” she said.
I leaned forward, but a faint part of me hesitated. What was this? This wasn’t Naomi. Not the real Naomi.
I froze an inch from her lips.
Then her face transformed. One instant it was Naomi, the next it was Jezebel. Her onyx-scaled skin and blazing eyes were irresistible and intoxicating.
“I am whatever you want.” She put her hand behind my head and pulled me closer. My mouth touched hers and heat coursed through my body. I tried to pull away, but I could not. I could not want anything else.
But I wanted to want something else.
I blinked and shifted.
Now I was standing alone on a huge stage. Thousands were gathered to hear me. I felt like a perfected version of myself, from my crisp suit to my strong posture to my smooth voice. It didn’t matter what words I said. The people adored me.
I was magnificent. I was what they wanted.
“My people,” I began. Their applause overwhelmed me. I held up my arms. They went quiet, attentive. “We are—”
But then I was gone, ripped off the stage. I opened my eyes and a panel slid open above me.
I was in the capsule.
I had left Babylon.
“Quite a place, isn’t it?” Alexi’s amused face peered down at me. “I won’t ask you what happened there. What happens in Babylon stays in Babylon. But let me say, it only gets better than what you tasted. The more time you spend there, the more you can control your desires. The more you desire, the more pleasure you’ll feel.”
“Interesting,” I said, as I climbed out of the egg-like chamber. I didn’t feel pleasure anymore. I felt like I needed a hot shower to wash off the experience. “So how long can people stay in there?”
“Forever!” Alexi said. “Don sent the first permanent member to Babylon four years ago. The man has not said ‘Omega’ since then. His brain activity has shown constant titillation, and the androids have cared well for his body.”
That sounded awful. “But it’s not real,” I said. “What’s the point of the place?”
“Deep question, Eli.” Alexi motioned for me to follow him. “Don will give every human what he or she most wants,” he explained, as we walked down a hall through the mansion. “And he will keep the world safe. The point is, Don will save humanity from itself. And Babylon will become more and more real as more people join it. The place thrives on human energy.” Alexi stopped in front of a door. “Can you imagine Babylon holding the entire world! Our minds, our desires—they’ll be satisfied. It will be the most beautiful moment in history.” He paused, probably seeing the skepticism and fear I could not keep from my face. “Don’t you see how this could change the world?”
“Yes, of course,” I said. “It’s just interesting, that’s all.” It was interesting in the way that the Holocaust was interesting. Maybe they’d let people’s bodies live, but they’d destroy their souls. Every soul on earth—swallowed, consumed, and pointed to Don. This had to be stopped.
“Oh good!” Alexi said. “I knew you’d understand.” He opened the door in front of us. It was a suite with a four-pillar bed and a view over the Mediterranean. An android was waiting just inside. “This is your room for tonight.”
“Thanks. Can I explore the place?”
“Certainly. It’s all yours. My android will stay with you wherever you go. It will take care of your needs.” He clasped his hands and bowed. “I’m afraid I must go now. You heard Don earlier. We have to be in Beijing tonight. Just preparations for tomorrow’s meeting, you know. Don wanted me to tell you it’s worth visiting the lower quarters. A friend of yours is there.”
“Who?” The way he said “lower quarters” made me think of a prison.
“Don’t know.” He shrugged. “My androids will make sure your stay fits Don’s wishes. They’ll bring you back to the plane’s take-off area tomorrow at noon. Don has invited you to the meeting in Geneva.”
“What meeting?”
“The one I mentioned, with all the world’s leaders. It will be the greatest event in political history. The nations and their people will stake their futures on Don’s authority.”
Oh, how wonderful, I thought. “Good to hear, Alexi. Enjoy Beijing.”
“Enjoy your stay!” He spun and walked away, leaving me alone with the android.
AS SOON AS Alexi was gone, I started thinking of ways out. If the android was going to follow me, then I had to find a way around it. Anywhere away from here would be better.
I stepped to the balcony outside, and the android followed close. Fresh air might help me think.
The mansion was truly a masterpiece, wrapping around a tight cove and clinging to the rocky cliffs over the bright blue sea far below. The waves crashed over spires of rocks at the base of the cliff. As I looked back up to the mansion, on the opposite side of the cove, I noticed several little caves in the cliff. Were those people inside? It looked like a series of small rooms, each with an open wall inviting a jump below. Maybe it was the “lower quarters” Alexi had mentioned.
I commanded V to zoom in. Most of the rooms held one person. They were all men. They wore dirty-looking clothes and long beards. They’d probably been holed up in there a long time.
One of the men sat with his legs dangling over the ledge. V registered a connection. She requested permission to speak.
“Go ahead,” I said.
“That is Christopher Max,” she announced cheerfully.
Impossible, I thought. He’d appeared on stage before the world yesterday. “More info,” I requested.
“Your last recorded interaction was in April 2066,” V said. “It was a brief encounter not far from here, aboard a plane flying west over the Mediterranean. Would you like more detail?”
“No.” That was when I’d connected my precept for a few moments after Chris and Patrick rescued Naomi and me. It was before the attack and the crash that landed us in Morocco. “How did he get here?” I asked.
“Information not available,” V answered.
Maybe this was all a set up—Don was the one who’d sent me to this palace, and he’d basically invited me to talk to “my friend,” Chris. I had to try to get to him without everything being recorded. I remembered my promise to Brie, that I would do whatever I could to save him. I’d been keeping my distance from her memories, but maybe it was time to return. She’d told me, find your way to the edge of what’s missing, and then you’ll find what you’re looking for. Did that mean Naomi?
I sized up the android. I’d learned a little about this model in ISA-7 training months ago. They’d made it for home assistance, but it could do so much more. The red lights deep within its eyes were in constant motion, while its body was completely still. Analytical but lifeless. It was half impressive, half freak. No wonder people had joined together against these things. Most nations had prohibited them and taxed them so much that only the richest could afford them. I remembered the campaign slogan: Workers build. Robots destroy. My father had thought it all nonsense. Apparently Don agreed with him.
I cleared my mind. Maybe I could hack this thing. The execution had to be flawless, because they were built to stop any attempts to mess with their coding. But my attempt was not any attempt. I’d scored the highest ever on the ISA-7 test. I had V, and a few hacking programs. Sven had installed one of them with my precept. Maybe the traitor could still help me.
“Sync,” I told V.
The instant I felt the android’s data streaming at me, I held my wrist to its head. Drawing from Sven’s program, I channeled all of the android’s data back into itself, but also coupled with all the data V could pull from the global system. I hoped the android’s processor could not handle the inflow.
It couldn’t. Its system started to shut down. The critical moment came just as it began to reboot.
“Freeze,” I commanded.
The android stopped its reboot, while its coding was in startup mode. Now came the hardest part. These machines were too complex to rely on a wireless connection. I had to establish a physical link, and the only tool was the data-chip in my wrist. It worked better for buying things in stores, but I could code it to do more. With another ISA-7 program, I linked the chip to V, so that I could sync with the android.
Then I pressed my finger hard into my wrist. I felt the edge of the chip under my skin and pushed it. My skin raised as the chip strained against the surface. I gave it another hard shove. Pop!
The chip slid out.
The blood wasn’t as bad I’d feared. They made these chips close to the surface for a reason. I took the little square and pressed it to the android’s shiny white head. Its nanofibers attached and clung like a magnet. And just like that, I had a robot to use. The Captain would have been proud.
I tied a cloth over my wrist, went to the bed, and laid down. I had to still my body to focus on moving the android. I closed my eyes and looked through its eyes. From its vantage, I studied my still body on the bed. Anyone who came in would just figure I was sleeping.
I dug into the android’s data and found a map. There was no list of prisoners, but at least I could get to the right place. Off we went, through the door and down a hall. The view bobbed up and down as the android walked swiftly through the mansion. I was dizzy by the time it reached the hall of prison cells. Nothing had tried to stop us.
I sent the android to Chris’ door. I made it enter the access code into the lock. Click. The door opened and we approached Chris. He was sitting with his legs hanging over the ledge, his body slumped over.
He glanced back but turned to face the sea again, as if an android entering the room was nothing unusual. He didn’t budge from his spot.
I sent the android to him and sat it down by his side. He looked at me—at the android—with his brow lifted in question. His permanent smile was nowhere to be seen. There was only a scowl hiding under his thick beard.
As I’d guessed, this wasn’t the man who appeared on stage at the UN. Maybe that hadn’t been a man at all.
“HEY CHRIS. IT’S Elijah,” I said through the android’s androgynous voice.
Chris registered no surprise. He shook his head. “Prove it. I’ve had enough of these games. I’m not telling you people anything.”
“Don had Alexi bring me here, to this mansion. I hacked into this android. I want to help you get out.”
“Nice try.” He waved me away. “You’ll get nothing from me.”
I thought of something only I would know. “Naomi brought me to your home for dinner once. You took me to your study. You showed me your collection of pictures from visions like mine.”
Chris’s mouth fell open. Then he gritted his teeth with determination and shook his head again. “No!” he yelled. “What have you done to Elijah? Have you hacked into him, too? You’re going to suffer for the evil you’ve done.”
“It’s me, Chris,” I said again. “Brie came to me. She gave me a block of her memory. She said I should use it, and do whatever I could to save you.”
He ignored me.
I searched Brie’s memories for things only she and Chris would know. I found one. “The night you met Brie, you told her your favorite verse was Proverbs 31:10. It was a joke, and Brie got it. She laughed hard.”
Chris closed his eyes and sighed. “And what was her favorite verse that night?”
“Philippians 4:6-7.”
“The peace that passeth all understanding.” Chris blinked his eyes open and studied the android. “If that’s really you, Elijah, how did you possibly get access to an android here. You’d have to be inside the mansion.”
“I am. Look across the cove, up to the other side of the mansion. I’m waving.” I froze the android and pulled my mind back into my body. I walked to the balcony and waved, then returned to the bed and to the android’s body.
Chris was smiling at me—at the robot. “I couldn’t quite make out your face from this distance, but I’m convinced.” He jumped to his feet. “What’s the plan?”
“I’ve got an idea how to get out of here. I’ll need your help.”
His brow raised. “I’ll do what I can, but I’m in rough shape.” He motioned to his dirty prison garb. “What are you doing here, anyway?”
“It’s a long story.”
“So make it fast.”
“The Captain, from ISA-7, he used me to get close to Don Cristo. He tried to kill him, but Don caught him. Next thing I know, Don invites me to his office and then sends me here with his advisor, Alexi.”
“Why?” Chris chewed his nails and glanced around the room, as if confirming no one else was around. “What have you seen?”
“Lots of things. I think Don is using me to find Naomi. He thinks the child she carries is his.”
“What!” He started pacing around. He peered over the ledge to the water far below. “That’s impossible!”
“It’ll all be okay.” My voice sounded sedate coming from the android. “Please stand back from there. You’re making me nervous.” Visions of the Captain’s leap returned.
He stepped toward the other side of the room, still pacing. “So he can’t find Naomi. That’s good. We still have that.”
“You know where she is?”
He shook his head. “They’d have found her if so. But I know someone who does.”
“Who?”
He smiled. “Why did my wife give you her memory?”
Good question, I thought. I sent V searching through my own memories. She found the conversation with Brie, in the parlor of my home in Manhattan. “Here’s what she said: ‘Please, use what’s in there to help Chris and to help yourself. Find your way to the edge of what’s missing, and then you’ll find what you’re looking for.’” I paused. “You know what that means?”
“As brilliant as ever!” Chris said, looking up to the ceiling. “God, thank you for this woman.” His excited eyes met the android’s. “Elijah, not even I can know what it means exactly, but Brie installed her memories so that I can help you find what matters.”
“Great. How?”
“I trust she did not give you all her memories, right?”
“That’s right. I have most of her childhood up until soon after you two met. Then it’s sporadic.”
“It probably involves me. She wanted me to help you. Start with the night I met her. I bet she left out a detail. Tell me everything from the memory.”
I plunged into her block of data. “You were both going to a party. It was at a farmhouse on a summer night. Brie walked up to the table where the hosts had arranged jars of lemonade. You walked up beside her. Your eyes met. You smiled, but neither of you spoke for a moment. The sound of crickets was loud in the air.”
