5/31/2401

By Dr. Genome’s word, the start of my five day hunt for Fantasia is underway, with an unexpected guest as my sidekick. Can someone as carefree and young as Yolonda really be smarter than Dr. Genome? This means she has been toying with me pretending to be a hyperactive teenager. I’m not sure I can trust someone like her. If she is as smart as a super computer she is most likely manipulative and calculating. Is her game to play innocent until she finds the person trust worthy? 

This girl is probably my greatest threat. Her Seed makes her untouchable; her intelligence will allow her to see past any deceit. Dr. Genome must wish to test me as well. If I try and run during the mission, I am sure she will try to kill me. All though it is unnecessary, I have no intention of doing so.  

“Even if she is as smart as you claim, her maturity is the main reason for my concern,” I say.

“Do not worry. She has been properly trained to handle these types of missions,” Dr. Genome says. “She is just as, if not more so, capable of taking a life than you are. She is willing to carry kill orders out to the fullest. Go get ready. You are wasting away your first day.”

“Ahh,” Yolonda screams. “You’re right!”

She lets go of Aihl and runs to me taking me by the hand to the tiled wall. She pushes in one of the tiles. It opens revealing a key pad. She quickly inputs a code and we fall to the under story of the lab. Each tile is levitated by a blue electric energy coming from a floating crystal in the center of the room. The electricity is harnessed by nodes along the floor that travel up the wall to the top story where it is dispersed throughout the entire top level floor. All along the walls are containers of fluctuating sizes. I imagine they are the various tools and equipment Dr. Genome uses. Around the floating gem is a single computer console, where the keyboard should be is a handle.    

“Now let’s see,” she says. “Time to pack. Do you have clothing, Kai? The outfits we are wearing now won’t help us blend in with the people of New Cezek.”

“I only have what I have been given.” I say.

“That’s no good,” she says. “I need to power this thing up before we leave.” She skips to the floating crystal. 

Rail bars come up from the floor along the path indicating a walk way. What I thought was the floor is actually a large silo door and only the path is a floor.

“What’s down there,” I ask.

She says seeing what I’m talking about. “Oh, that thing under us is where all of the bodies in stasis go. Now shhh… I have to concentrate and you should stay back.”

Her hand starts glowing a soft white gentle energy. The heat it emits is unbelievably intense even from our thirty foot distance.

She grabs the handle of the console in front of her and then her entire arm is pulled down into the machine. After a few minutes pass she yanks her arm out and spins around just as careless as ever. 

“Alright that should be enough to last them a while,” she says. “Okay time to change.”   

  She slowly moves her hand down her body starting just beneath her chin where the tight leather starts. As her hand moves down, the fabric separates. I turn away as she is just above her breasts.

“What did I tell you about stripping in front of me?” I ask.

“I have on underwear… this time,” she says. “And besides aren’t you like in your twenties. Don’t tell me you think of a little girl like me in that way.”

“Age has nothing to do with it,” I say. “It’s common decency.” 

“Common to who?” she asks. “Because of my Black Seed I usually don’t have the luxury of privacy because my body is constantly under study. I’ll try and be more thoughtful for you. If you want. But I don’t really care. Sasha, privacy curtain.”

Tiles come down from the upper level creating a wall between us. 

“Oh, yes, I did bring you some clothes,” she yells over the wall. “I took them from the locker rooms since nobody else was there. They look like they are about your size. They are in my duffel bag. Can you throw mine over as well?”

“Sure.” I say.

I look in the first bag and see men’s clothing jammed into it haphazardly. This must be my bag. I move on to the next one, unzip the zipper and am amazed at all the weapon parts, and precision instruments that are there to greet me. I zip it back up and grab the last bag. On the top of the neatly folded clothing is a single picture of Aihl getting into the Myrmidon. The picture is in black and white and dated about a year ago. He did not seem to know the picture was being taken and looks rather awkward not fully in his seat yet.

“Here. I’m throwing the bag over now,” I say as I zip it up and toss it over the wall.

“Finally. It’s about time,” she yells. “Now you should get ready too.”

I go back to my bag and look over each article of clothing one by one. I notice that each is my size exactly. The clothing rolled up to save space and tightly crammed on top of our four pairs of shoes. 

I take off my white leather suit in the same fashion as Yolonda. By pressing down on the top of the fabric underneath my adam’s apple then moving my index and middle fingers down. The fabric is designed to separate following my finger down until I am able to get it off. I quickly change into a pair of blue jeans, red shirt and army-style boots. I walk over to the wall and tap on it several times.

“Are you done yet?” I ask.

Suddenly, the wall comes crashing down before an electric current begins to run through them again levitating them back up to the higher floor.

She has changed to normal looking clothing for once. Well, as normal as I expect she could be. She has on another hoodie with the same cornucopia as the first but at least it fits. She has on dark blue skinny jeans and finally multicolored running shoes that surprisingly match her hoodie.  

“What’s with the bag of weapons?” I ask.

“Oh, those thingies,” she said as if surprised by the question. “Rachel wanted me to bring them to store here.”

“Rachel?” I ask. “Who is that?”

“She’s like um… the other me or something,” she says as she scratches her head. “I can hear her voice sometimes and other times she takes complete control. Dr. Genome says she’s really smart.”

“Is she part of your Seed?” I question. “Shouldn’t you be able to control her?”

“I will in time but for now Dr. Genome says I’m too inexperienced… or did he say immature?” she questions.

“I believe it was the second choice,” I say.

“Meanie,” she says as she grabs my hand. “Now let’s g…”

 She runs into the chest of the suddenly appearing Aihl.

“Creator, may have said you can go but I simply cannot allow that,” Aihl says. “Not so readily.”

“So what, you came here to stop us?” I question.

“No,” he says. “Before I can trust you with her I want to make sure you can protect her.”

“I don’t have time for your tests,” I say.

He pulls Yolonda out of the way as he swings his other hand forward. The open palm of his hand hits me in the stomach pushing me back a yard or two. Then a bo staff appears in his hand made from a transparent blue energy. He spins the staff around his body with the skill, speed and precision of a grand-master. 

“Then I suggest you defeat me quickly,” he says. “Because until you do, you aren’t going anywhere.” 

“Aihl,” Yolonda says in a more adult voice, “I will not condone any interference.”

“Stay out of this, Rachel,” Aihl says.

“That is something I simply cannot do,” she says, “Sasha, enter sparring mode.”

The floating crystal suddenly drops down into the floor. The walkway over the silo lowers to even out the floor. The handrails fold back down.

“If you fight him, you are fighting me as well,” she says.

Aihl lets out a sigh. “Does she really want this that bad?”

“Her emotional rejoinder would indicate so Aihl,” Rachel says.

“Then this makes me even more sorry for doing this,” he says as he disappears and reappears behind her.

He swiftly whacks her in the back of the head with his hand knocking her out cold. He catches her and gently places her on the ground. 

“But I can’t let him go just yet,” he says.