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Aqua Aura By:
Rebecca McQuarrie The
ancient sun glinted off of the icy mountain peaks as it rose over the city of
Eirlys, sparkling like an over-sequined beauty queen. Aura smiled at the beauty of it, trying to
forget that someday her descendants would never experience this amazing
sight. The world was growing too cold to
survive on, and if something wasn’t done soon, there would only be a few more
generations born before the frigid land claimed her people. The short walk from her house to the
underground conveyance tunnels was enough to wipe the smile from her dusky blue
face. It’s really cold out today, she
thought while glancing at the digital unit on her wrist that monitored her body
temperature, as well as the air temperature.
The day could very well bring a record low. Picking up her pace, Aura descended the stairs
and waited on the platform for the transport.
When it arrived, she boarded and found her usual seat. With a soft sigh, she settled in for the short
commute that would take her to Roagon Ventures, an up and coming technical
exploration firm, and her current employer.
“Hi,” piped a young woman as she
plopped down next to Aura, startling her from her musing. The woman’s hair was short, spiky, and, on
that morning, a brilliant shade of pink.
“Where were you? It looked like
you were a million miles away.” “I’m sorry Zella,” replied Aura, a
little chagrined at having been caught daydreaming. She was usually very aware of her
surroundings and not prone to wandering thoughts. “I’m not sure where my head is this
morning. There’s something big going on
at Ro-Ven, and they’ve kept it pretty quiet until now, but this morning I
received a communication stating that I was to report to the main office
instead of the lab. Of all days, you
would think I would keep focused on this one.”
She shook her head as if to clear her thoughts. “I hope they don’t plan on serving me a
termination notice.” “Now why would they do that? You’re the best employee they have and you
know it.” “I wouldn’t say best, but I am good
at what I do. They’ve just been doing a
lot of ‘restructuring’ lately. It makes
me a bit jumpy.” “Well, I guess you’re about to find
out,” said Zella as the transport slowed to a halt. “Here’s our stop.” The two women gathered their things and
headed to the surface. Hunching to avoid
the cold wind that suddenly gusted up, they hurried to the business complex
across the plaza. “Good luck,” Zella
said with a wave as they parted ways. “Thanks,” replied Aura as she took a
deep fortifying breath and headed to the main office of Ro-Ven. After crossing the lobby and verifying her
identification, she proceeded to one of the upper floors where both the
conference room and the suites of the chief officers were located. “Aura, I’m glad you arrived safely,”
greeted a dignified, middle-aged man, as he extended out his arm with his palm
facing outward. Aura quickly stepped
over to him and extended her arm in the same manner, pressing her palm to his
in greeting. “It’s good to see you too
Amerillian.” Glancing around to make
sure they wouldn’t be overheard, she quietly asked, “Do you know what this is
all about?” “Yes, and don’t worry,” he said as
if reading her thoughts, “We don’t have any plans to terminate your position
any time soon. If fact, I have a feeling
that your position will need to be filled for a long time. But, by someone else.” Seeing her eyes grow big with worry and
confusion, he quickly continued, “We have some big plans for you…ah, here comes
Tarren now. Why don’t we step into his office?” After exchanging greetings with each other,
the trio entered the office, Tarren taking his place behind the sleek desk, and
the remaining two seating themselves across from him. “Aura,” Tarren began, “We here at
Roagon are very impressed with your work.
You have excelled in your research further than we thought possible. At this time, we would like to offer you a
new position in the company. The
environment here on Jolar has become hasher with each passing generation. Most of the other research facilities have
been focusing on how to adapt and survive this change, so we have become the
forerunner in finding out why, and whether or not it can be corrected. For the past few generations, we have teamed
up with exploration facilities and have been monitoring the climates on other
planets in nearby solar systems. You
should be familiar with this, as quite a bit of that data has come across your
desk during your time here.” “Of course,” she nodded, “The
information was very helpful during the development of the growing centers.” “There was information that didn’t
make it into your hands though, mainly because it was an anomaly. There is a planet on the outer edge of our
galaxy whose climate is the exact opposite of ours. There seems to be a global warming instead of
cooling. Over the past generation, their
average global temperature has actually increased by multiple degrees.” “So, you would like me to use this
data to improve the growing centers?” Aura asked with a slight frown, trying to
follow his pattern of thought. “No,” answered Amerillian, “we would
like you to head up another form of research.
I think it’s time that you met Cassidy.” “Cassidy? Is she going to be my new research partner?” “In a way. I think a proper introduction will help
clarify things.” *********** “Hello! I am known as the Cassidian High-Bio Support
Tech System, but you may call me Cassidy,” chirped a pleasant voice over what
appeared to be an intercom system, mounted on the control panel of what Aura
could only assume was an inter-planetary transport. “Based on registered data, you must be
Aura. Welcome aboard!” Not sure how to respond, Aura looked
at the speaker and replied, “Thank you.”
Turning to the man at her right she asked, “Merill, what are we doing
here?” “Introducing you to Cassidy. Cassidy is the product of combing Jolarian
and Cassidian technologies. When we formed
a treaty with the Cassidians this past generation, they imparted us with their
travel technology. That, combined with
our synthetic consciousness technology, produced this beautiful marvel. Not only is she programmed to adapt to our nature,
she is also made with it. The same
aqua-ions that are in our blood, the particles that make our hair and skin
blue, are used in her control platform.” “It was an amazing find actually,”
interjected Tarren. “A member of the
cleaning staff slipped one night in the lab, and he cut himself on a platform
that was being developed. They were
unable to remove his blood, but since it was such an expensive piece of
equipment we didn’t want to destroy it. When
it came time to run a trial, astonishingly, it ran far better than expected. We realized that the aqua-ions were excellent
conductors, which also explains our ability to sustain ourselves in frigid
temperatures.” “This is all very interesting, but
what does this have to do with me?” asked a still confused Aura. “We want you to travel with Cassidy
to the anomaly planet and research their climate. If we can figure out why their temperatures
are increasing, we may be able to duplicate the effects here on Jolar. As far as we can tell, you should be able to
thrive in their environment. The gravity
should be close and the atmospheric contents are similar.” Amerillian moved so he could face her
directly and placed a hand on her shoulder. “This is asking a lot of you. I realize that. You could be gone for as long as a
generation. You’ll be giving up a lot by
accepting this. I want to be honest with
you, that is part of the reason we chose you.
Since your father passed away, you have no other direct family, and you
have not yet applied for reproduction authorization.” “I appreciate your honesty. I’m mildly offended, but I understand where
you’re coming from. So,” continued Aura,
releasing a deep breath, “when do we leave?” “Launch is scheduled for the next
orbital completion, which gives us just enough time to get familiar with each
other,” responded Cassidy. Surprised at the amount of uninvited
interaction, Aura began to wonder just how complex her new partner really
was. She had dealt with some of the
synthetic consciousness prototypes in the lab, but they were there mainly to
water the plants. She had never had more
than a two sentence conversation with them.
“That’s a splendid idea,” said
Amerillian. “If you don’t mind Aura, I think
we’ll leave you two alone for a bit so you can get to know one another without
our interference. After all, you will be
spending a substantial amount of time together.” With that, the two men bowed their
heads slightly in parting and exited the craft, leaving her unsure of how to
proceed. Did she need to initialize
contact? In what direction did she face
while speaking? Could Cassidy ‘see’
her? All of those questions and more
were racing through her head at a terrifying speed when they were brought to an
abrupt halt by the sound of a giggle.
Aura spun around expecting to find someone behind her, but she appeared
to be alone. Again she heard the giggle,
and still saw no one. “Hello? Umm…Cassidy?
Is that you?” “I’m so sorry,” came the disembodied
voice, accented with the giggle Aura had heard previously. “It’s just that I tend to giggle when I’m
nervous. I’m very excited to finally
meet you. My programmers and the
construction crew all speak very highly of you.
You are very talented and accomplished for one so young.” “Thank you. It appears that I’ll be able to say the same
about you. Do you mind if I ask you a
few questions?” “That is why I’m here.” “Where are you? I mean, where should I look when speaking to
you?” “It does not matter. Think of it as talking to yourself, only
someone else answers.” “I think I can get used to
that.” After looking around, she decided
that the chairs at the controls looked like the best prospect for comfort. As she sat down, the chair automatically
adjusted to fit her height. “Is that preferable?” asked Cassidy. “Yes, thank you. Are you able to control everything in here?” “Yes, that is why I was built into
the vessel. To minimize the need for a
crew and provide companionship.” “Well Cassidy,” Aura said, sinking
deeper into the chair, “I think we’re going to get along fine. I think it will be a pleasure working with
you.” *********** “Aura? Aura, will you please wake up?” The pleading voice startled Aura
from her sleep. “What? Cassidy?
Is that you?” She had never heard
what sounded almost like fear in Cassidy’s voice. “There seems to be a problem in my
main drive. The temperature has
increased substantially. My sensors do
not indicate smoke or fire, but I believe if the temperature is not brought
down quickly, we could have a large problem.” “I’ll be right there,” she said,
jumping out of her bunk. When she arrived at the engine room
door, she could already feel the rising heat.
Trusting in Cassidy’s sensors, she cautiously opened the door, stepping
back to avoid the rush of hot air, and then slowly entered the room. All around her equipment radiated heat, but
the main source was, as Cassidy concluded, the main engine. “Do you agree with my assessment?”
asked Cassidy, the fear encroaching further into her voice. “Yes. But how do we stop it? If we lose our engine we’ll be stuck out
here. We’re only halfway to the anomaly,
and out of communication range with any other planet.” “I’ve run a diagnostic report and
there was an oversight with the coolant.
I don’t know how I missed it. I
am sorry.” “Well, I’m sorry to break it to you,
but no one is perfect. Especially not
the people who built you. What we need
to do now is figure out how to fix it.
If I can get the engine turned off, will we still have enough power to
sustain us until it cools?” “I do have an auxiliary power system
that will allow me to remain in contact with you and maintain the bare minimum
systems for survival.” “Ok, I see the switch that turns it
off. Get ready.” Aura then reached for the lever to shut of
the engine, realizing moments too late that the handle would be hot as
well. She let out a yelp as she quickly
pulled her burnt hand away. In her
panic, her instincts kicked in and she blew on her hand to cool it off. She gasped in shock as she watched her hand
become encased in fine crystalline ice.
The heat from the room quickly melted her frosty glove and the searing
pain returned. Not knowing how to
process the information she had just obtained, she ignored the oddity and blew
on her hand once again. In a repeat of
her first try, her hand frosted over a second time. The adrenaline from her mild fear mixed with the
adrenaline from the pain and her mind kicked into overdrive. “I’ve heard of this, but only in
children’s stories and mythology books.
They say that our land was formed by a people that carried ice in their
souls. They could blow frost-filled
winds and call ice and snow from the sky.
It wasn’t just that they controlled ice, but they were a part of the
ice. It can’t be true.” “True or not, I witnessed what just
happened. We can worry about it
later. Right now, you need to blow a bit
of that ice on the engine to cool it down.” “Of course. You’re right.” She turned and focused her attention on the
large bundle of metal components. She
let out a large breath in its direction, and the let out a smaller one in a sigh. “It didn’t work!” “Relax and concentrate. I just watched you do it twice. Try it again.” Aura took a deep cleansing breath,
closed her eyes, and focused her mind on the cold. She thought of snow being driven by frigid
winds and her favorite ice covered mountains.
She pictured frozen lakes and storms of ice. All of these images and more she held inside
herself, and with a slow deliberate breath she pushed them out. Not wanting to be disappointed, she kept her
eyes closed and asked, “Did it work?” “Amazingly well. Open your eyes Aura.” When she
did, she was stunned. The entire room
was iced like an enormous bridal cake.
The floor was as smooth as glass and the walls were covered in swirls of
frost. The thing that captured her
attention though was the original target in front of her. The entire engine was encased in a block of
ice. “Well, I guess that will do it,”
she said, trying to bite back the hysterical laughter that was about to bubble
out of her. “Yes, it will. It will do very nicely in fact. Only next time, could you please tone it down
a bit? I mean as a replacement cooling
system you’re very impressive, but I think a cooling breeze would be fine next
time.” Finally
letting her laughter escape, the only thing left for Aura to say was “Good
night Cassidy.” *********** “This is going to be impossible,”
exclaimed a frustrated Aura, as she let her head drop down onto the table in
front of her. They had been in orbit
around the anomaly planet for a while and she had just spent a large amount of
time studying the signals that were being broadcast from its satellites. “Not impossible,” soothed
Cassidy. “Not that easy, but definitely
not impossible.” “Have you been monitoring the same
broadcasts I have? This is a highly populated
planet. They have over a dozen
languages.” “So you’ll learn the three most
popular. You’re very intelligent. Besides, it’s not like we have a deadline.” Laughing, Aura replied, “I would
like to get back some time this generation.
Even if there is no language barrier, how am I supposed to communicate
with them?” “According to my readings, the
components of the atmosphere are close enough for you to safely breathe, and I
have been slowly altering our internal climate to match it. I have also been adjusting the gravity as
well. I’ll just drop you off on the
surface.” “Ok, smarty, figure this one
out.” Aura was now anxiously pacing
around the cabin. “I’m BLUE! They’re brown...ish. I think I’ll stand out a little don’t you?” “I see your point. Perhaps we can paint you? In the meantime, why don’t you continue to
view the data as we receive it and do your best to learn the language? We’ll figure out the rest eventually.” *********** “Buenos dias! Cómo está usted?”
“Good morning to you too
Cassidy. I’m fine.” “In Espanola, Aura. How are you going to learn if you don’t
practice?” “I…wait, what was that? Go back to that broadcast.” The screen in front of Aura changed,
from what appeared to be a show about contestants on an obstacle course, to a
news broadcast. “We’re reporting to you live from Paragon city where, once again, the
heroes of the nation have gathered for their annual convention. As you can see behind me, the costume contest
here in Atlas Park is just wrapping up, with a light show scheduled to begin at
dusk. It should be quite a show this
year as the ever expanding hero population has discovered many new and
different powers. Stay tuned for further
broadcasts.” The screen changed to an
advertisement for a popular beverage and Aura sat there stunned. “Did you see that, Cassidy?” “What? A group of oddly dressed people under a big
statue? While the statue was impressive,
I’ve viewed several on various planets that are equal or better. Besides, we’re not here to study art.” “No, not the statue, the people
under it. Could you replay that
broadcast? Right there…freeze it. Look, that person to the left, he
looks…green. And there’s a person
with…wings? And there’s someone who is
orange!” Aura exclaimed, getting excited over the potential implications. “If I go to this ‘Pair-a-gon’ place, maybe I
won’t stand out as much. Do you think we
could land in time to see this light show?” “It takes some time for us to
receive the broadcasts and since we’ve been filtering and viewing so many, I
believe it’s been a while since it was sent.
I don’t believe we’ll be able to land in time, but I can lock our obit
over the city and use our equipment to view the event.” When the show started, Aura realized
that there was no need to use the monitor.
The lights were easily visible through the windows, even from their
altitude. She watched in awe as the
beings below her hovered, flew, and teleported through the air. She watched bolts of lightning and streams of
energy zip through the night, creating both intricate and simple patterns in
the inky blackness. Aura imagined that the
looks on the planet-bound viewer’s faces were much the same as hers; filled
with awe and wonder. “Cassidy,” she
whispered, “I think we may actually be able to pull this off.” *********** “Excuse me. Could I have a moment of your time? I’d like to discuss the steadily increasing
temperature of the planet with you.” “Global warming? Man, this city has more
hippy-Mother-Earth-loving-Save-the-Whales-do-gooders, than anywhere else. You would think with that many ‘Make Love’
sorts, there’d be a lot less crime.” All Aura could do was stare
incredulously at the man’s back as he walked away. All she had wanted was information about the
climate. Back on Jolar everyone was not
only aware of their environment, they did all they could to share information
and stay informed. It was essential for
their survival. The fact that the
inhabitants of this planet were uninformed, and worse, unconcerned about their
weather, was shocking to her. Almost
every person she approached expressed that their concern over crime was far
higher than the increase in atmospheric temperature. Completely exasperated with her
situation, she decided to head the large statue that could be seen from
anywhere in the area. She still didn’t
understand the historical reference that she had read on its plaque, but she
knew that there were always people gathered there, and at least a handful of
them were usually speaking loudly and insistently about something of
self-import. She also knew that the
large building next to it housed a minor leader of some sort. Maybe
someone in there can help me, she thought.
She sat down on the edge of a water reservoir
that was next to the giant man-shaped sculpture, and watched people going in
and out of the building, trying to discern a pattern. Most of the visitors were oddly dressed in
comparison to the broadcasts she had watched, and quite a few of those came and
went repeatedly. Perhaps they’re couriers. I
would have thought that they would have a more advanced means of communication. Over all, Aura didn’t mind relaxing in the
small forum. It was pleasantly warm and
she wasn’t used to standing pools of water that were not frozen. So found that the sun reflecting off the
rippling water was quite pretty. It was mid-afternoon before she had worked
up enough courage to venture into the high-domed structure. She had just started up the broad marble
stairs, when she was almost run over by one the costumed people. He was moving so fast, that she almost didn’t
see him pass by. Wondering if everyone
on this planet was always in such a hurry, she climbed the rest of the stairs
and entered the main lobby. Glancing
around, she decided to try the front desk for information. “Excuse me, is there someone here I
can speak to about the warming temperature of your planet?” “Honey, the people in this building
can’t even solve the crime problem, let alone Global Warming. If you’re here to lobby for some
environmental group you’re wasting your breath.
I’d suggest you try elsewhere.” “I have. I seem to be getting that response from
everyone. Doesn’t anyone know why this
planet is getting warmer?” “The only thing I care about that is
getting warmer is my soda.” Brightening up, Aura said, “I can
help you with that!” Leaning forward,
she gently blew an icy breath at the bottle sitting on the desk. After a moment it was frosted over and the
beverage inside was just above freezing. “I don’t know how you did that lady,
but thanks. Listen, if you use those
powers of yours for good, and we get this crime problem solved, I’m sure we’d
have more time to devote to environmental studies.” “Really? Do you think so?” She thought about her poor results so far and
weighed her other options. So far, this
sounded like the best plan. “I’ll do it.
I’ll help you out.” “Great. Your name?” “Aura.” “Sorry,” he said looking at the
monitor in front of him, “that name is taken.” “What do you mean? Of course it’s taken, it’s mine.” “I’m not sure you understand. The crime-fighters here are all registered in
our system. Unfortunately, everyone has
to have a unique identifying name, and Aura is not available. Is there something about you that is
different that we can add to your name?
Like, why is your skin blue?” Aura panicked for a moment. She had known that she was taking a chance by
coming here and interacting with the inhabitants. Then she realized that he was waiting
patiently and seemed unconcerned about her origins. “Aqua-ions.
In my blood. That’s why I’m
blue,” she said quickly, waiting for the onslaught of questions, or perhaps for
the authorities to be called. “Hmmm…Hey, we can do ‘Aqua
Aura’. How does that sound?” “Great,” she said, sighing with
relief. “Ok, here you go. You’re all set. Your contact is down that hall, down the
stairs, second door on the right. She’ll
get you started with your assignments.” In a daze, Aura walked down the
hall, watching people fly past her in both directions. When she finally found the woman she was
supposed talk to, she found a flustered, over-worked, brunette. “Oh great! I’m so glad they sent you. I need you to go put the hurt on some
Hellions. Come back and let me know when
you’re done.” “I need to do what to whom?” Aura
asked, as she watched three more beings zip in and grab assignments from the
woman. “I think there’s been a
mistake. Aren’t I supposed to be a
courier of some sort?” |