I was sleeping very deeply when Eva entered the room, bright and full of energy. Her cheery voice cut through my drowsiness, and a part of me wanted to pull the soft covers over my head and ignore her. But then I recalled everything that had happened the day before, and my eyes flew open. My heart began to race, my mouth opening and closing in distress. Eva noticed this rapid change in my physiology, and she rushed to my side to place a reassuring hand on my forehead.
“You’ll start to get used to it all in no time. But we can’t have you waking up afraid like this. Shall I administer something to calm you down?”
I recalled all the drugs I had been given yesterday and shook my head no. I didn’t want my senses to be blunted today. I had a lot of questions, and wanted to be able to observe as much as possible. I sat up in the bed and felt a little dizzy but didn’t mention it to Eva. She was bustling around the room, opening the closet to pull out clothes for me to wear.
“We monitored your sleep last night, and it didn’t seem like you dreamed. Are you having any difficulty remembering anything from your previous life?”
I immediately looked around me for some sort of mechanism they’d be able to monitor my sleep with, knowing I’d find nothing. She noted my confusion and, smiling, said, “It’s in your pillow. I can imagine as a scientist you will be thrilled with all the changes that have taken place since you’ve been gone. But first, you need to shower and dress. We have you meeting with the Director today to discuss your assignment here in Origin. And of course, you’ll be hungry again.”
I realized I was, my stomach gurgling. I couldn’t wait to eat again. Wondering if the shower in my room would be pleasant, as I had always liked, I swung my legs out of the bed and once again marveled at the springy strength that lay dormant in them. I stretched and reveled in the sensation. Eva was putting some towels by the bathroom door and had laid out a white shift similar to the one I had worn yesterday and through the night, but this had sleeves and leggings. Also, a pair of shoes that resembled moleskin were on the floor. I was curious about the clothes but was craving food and a shower, so I didn’t waste any time getting into the bathroom. Eva showed me how to work some of the controls in the shower, and I tried to pay attention to her instructions. The last thing I needed was something complicated. I disrobed and climbed in and pressed several buttons and immediately sighed with delight. There was a soft quality to the water, and there was also a steam button. I sat down on the ledge and basked in the warmth. I looked for shampoo and cleansers and saw dispensers for these items in the wall. The product quality was something I’d expect to find in the finest spas, not a medical facility. I scrubbed myself pink with some sort of oddly shaped sponge, and felt like a new person. The thought made me smile, because that’s exactly what I was. I climbed out, dried off, and began donning the odd clothes. But here was a new marvel: they were the most comfortable garments I’d ever worn. The shoes alone felt like little pillows on my feet, but I could tell they provided great support as well. I longed to go for a run. It had been so long…. Tearing my thoughts from my past, I exited the bathroom and saw that Eva was waiting in my room with a covered tray. I began to salivate. I could smell something like vanilla … and there on the plate was a small portion of strawberry crêpes. I fell on them like a savage. Eva just smiled as she always did, and monitored my vitals as I ate. And yet again, all too soon the delicious food was gone. I licked the last bits of cream from the plate and wondered if it was real cream, or just something identical to it. And I found I didn’t care.
“It’s time to go meet with the Director now. We don’t want to keep her waiting,” Eva informed me, and she looked businesslike.
We walked down the long corridor and turned into another that was bustling with more people in what looked like lab coats. This was obviously the development area of the Facility, and except for a few curious glances at me, no one paid much attention to us. I noticed several people talking into electronic devices of some kind and was immediately reminded of the cell phones that were so pervasive when I was alive. I wondered what was going on beyond the doors that slid open and closed behind these busy scientists. My own scientific background had my interest so piqued I almost stopped and attempted to open a door just to assuage my burning curiosity. But Eva shot me a warning look and hurried along even faster. We turned another corner, and before me was a hallway with a glass ceiling, the dimensions wide and high. I was able to see out of the windows to the outside of the Facility, and what I saw froze me in place. In a stupor, I walked to the glass wall and gazed out and above me. Some of the building we were in blocked my sight, but what I was able to see of the city Dr. White had called Origin was astounding. Above me and below me were what appeared to be railways, but the trains, if that’s what they were, were moving much faster than anything I’d ever encountered in my previous life. The buildings I could see were also very different from the architecture of my home city. They were immense and gleaming, and I couldn’t tell if they had windows, but what I could see were solar panels of some kind. It would make sense if the entire city were solar powered. My hand traveled up to the glass by my face as I continued to gaze in awe. I saw a park of some kind, full of foliage I had never seen in any city park during my time on Earth. It was lush, verdant, and possibly full of wildlife. But I saw people walking around, some with children, some with dogs or even cats on leashes, happily interacting with one another. I wanted to continue to stand there, staring in wonderment, but Eva reminded me that I had an appointment to keep.
“The Director doesn’t like tardiness, but I know what you’re seeing right now must be overwhelming. It’s OK, everyone we’ve brought back has this response when they first see things. I forget that it’s probably much different than what you’re used to.”
I still hadn’t regained my voice; it had been shocked silent. I slowly began moving my feet to follow Eva but I continued to gaze out the glass so I could take in as much as possible. We traveled down another corridor that seemed relatively empty and approached a big door that resembled something my college Dean had had.
“The Director likes old-fashioned things.” Eva offered in partial explanation, yet I felt even more intimidated by this familiar sight.
“OK, so just walk in. I’ll wait out here for you and take you back to your room when you’re done. You’ll be fine.”
“You—you aren’t going in with me?” I asked her, like a little kid seeking an adult to guide me.
She attempted a reassuring smile but failed, and merely shook her head. I took a deep breath and opened the door.
My senses immediately took in the dark wood paneling and the faint scent of stale cigarette smoke. From somewhere, Mozart’s Requiem was playing softly. The light was dim, and as my eyes adjusted I saw the form of a neat little woman seated behind a massive mahogany desk.
“Hello, Dr. Brice.” The voice was roughened by years of tobacco use. Smoking? That struck me as odd, and somehow ominous. A smoker in a perfect world was surely an oddity.
I could see better now, and the speaker was the most intimidating person I’d ever laid eyes on, although her demeanor didn’t suggest an outright threat. She was too polished for that. But I had enough knowledge of human psychology to know this woman had power, and she wielded it like a sharp blade. A perfectly tailored suit hugged her petite lines, the shape of her face sharp and, though aging, very keen.
“Please, take a seat. You must be very bewildered.”
I nodded, keeping my eyes on the Director. She lifted a hand to smooth her gray hair, which was pulled back into a severe bun, and then she produced a cigarette.
“Do you mind? It’s a horrible habit, I know.”
Still not speaking, I shook my head. My instincts told me to move slowly in front of this woman. I sat down, my eyes on her figure. She leaned forward, blowing a plume of smoke in my direction. I saw eyes that reminded me of a shark sizing up its prey.
“Please, tell me how you’ve been treated here thus far.”
I cleared my throat. “Well, the food is good.”
She laughed, but her eyes never left mine.
“True. We strive to make acclimation as pleasant as possible. I trust Eva has been helpful?”
“Yes. But as you said, I’m bewildered. Why am I here? Or rather, why am I alive again?”
I had crossed my legs in an effort to appear casual, but my hands tightened on the leather arms of the chair.
“You are here as a steward, Dr. Brice. What we’ve rebuilt here on this planet is truly a wonder. We were given a second chance, and we aim to not make the same mistakes your generation did.”
I allowed myself to break eye contact with her to look around the room. I felt even more displaced amid the décor that belonged in a century long, long past. She noted my gaze, and stood up. She couldn’t have been five feet tall, but I felt as if a wall of steel were moving toward me. I flinched, and she noticed that, too.
She leaned against the desk, sighing out a stream of smoke. “You undoubtedly would like to know about the alien race. Well, you won’t be meeting them. Other clones have asked, so I’ll stop you before you do. However, I represent them. I alone speak for them.” She crushed out her half-smoked cigarette in an ashtray.
“We were originally hoping to clone a Dr. Cora Wentworth, but we were unable to locate her remains. The cloning process requires tissue from the deceased. Fortunately, we found your grave.”
I felt dizzy at the mention of my interment. We were discussing my death now, and she was treating it as casually as she would a discussion of the weather. I kept my face still.
“Here in the capital city of Origin, we have universities that teach many young scientists how to advance technology, and how best to care for our planet. But they lack the life experience those from your era gained. The hardships of living on a dying planet cultivated in you, and other scientists like you, an empathy we can’t teach here. The Travelers decided to remedy that. And so here you are.”
She moved back around her desk and sat down, her spine ramrod-straight. I opened my mouth. I had burning questions. And more than that, I wanted to know what had happened to my team. To Jack.
Before I could ask, she continued. “Your work with non-human primates was exceptional, and well documented. Just outside Origin is what was formerly known as the Congo. The wildlife there is safe, for now. But with an increasing human population, we need to ensure the health and safety of that biosphere. That’s where you come in. I’ll put you back in your element, Dr. Brice. Back in the field, monitoring and tracking animals, specifically primates. You will be assisted by a team of young scientists trained here, in our schools.”
I was about to laugh. It was preposterous. All this effort? An elaborate cloning process, to be brought back from the dead to work as a conservationist? But I quelled my response, my hand over my mouth so she couldn’t see the smirk there. She was deadly serious. Her eyes made that clear.
“So you want me to work.” It wasn’t a question. My mind briefly touched on the telepathic abilities I’d possessed in my former incarnation, and I wondered if the Director was aware of them, but dismissed the possibility. It had been a secret my whole life; surely there was no way for her to know about it now.
The Director took a moment to reply to my question, having lit another cigarette. Breathing out a plume of smoke, she said, “We’re giving you several weeks to further acclimate to the city. You’ll find it’s quite different from what you’re used to, but not incredibly so. There are similarities. I think you’ll adapt well. But yes, you will be working for us.”
What if I declined? What if I said no, you took me from death and put me here on this alien planet and expect me to just work for you…. But I held my tongue. I wanted nothing more than to be back in my quarters. But I wasn’t backing down just yet.
“The rest of my team. Where are they?” I managed, and I was surprised at how stern my voice was. The Director leaned forward in her seat, and the light from a green banker’s lamp fell across her face. The creases around her eyes were apparent now. She must be in her sixties, I mused. But her fiery gaze was on mine again.
“I understand you were all swept away in the tsunami. Your remains were found, and interred next to another member of your team.” She smiled, and it was terrifying. “Why don’t I find out what became of that other team member?”
But I knew that she already knew. She was making me wait. It was her game, her power play. I was at the total mercy of her decisions. This woman was in charge, and she wanted me to know it. My heart thrummed in my ears, and I could do nothing but hold still. She pressed the button on a vintage intercom.
“Brian, would you check on Dr. Brice’s files and see if we’ve … returned anyone else from her team?”
She leaned back in her chair, the dark leather a stark contrast to her white tunic.
“I expect you’re hoping that a friend of yours is here in the city as well. I can’t blame you. But you should know, this planet is now booming with cities similar to this one. There are millions of people for you to meet, to befriend. Even some clones here and there—we keep them very busy in their new roles. You won’t be alone for long. Not a pretty girl like you. No.”
Her smile never reached her eyes, and I looked away. The doors opened and a young man hustled to the Director. He stole one glance in my direction, but quickly looked away. He leaned forward and whispered in her ear. I strained to hear what was said. My stomach churned. A curt nod from the Director, and the secretary left just as quickly.
“Well, you’re in luck, Dr. Brice. Another member of your team was cloned recently.”
My heart leapt. Jack? She paused to light yet another cigarette. I almost screamed.
“A Dr. Matthew Ingari. I expect you’ll run into him eventually, but you’ll be too busy with your new assignment to go looking for him anytime soon. The best thing for you to do now is get into your old work habits.”
My heart fell so far inside me that it felt it would never land. I tried to keep my face passive, but she noticed even the slightest change.
“Oh, don’t be disappointed, Dr. Brice. As I said, this city is teeming with happy, helpful people. I wonder though, if your past life attachments will be a problem for me. Will you be a problem for me, Dr. Brice?”
She was standing now, and I took the cue that I should stand as well. This meeting was over, and I’d be getting no further information from her. I felt cold.
“I’ll do my best to contribute to … the work you’re doing here,” I said, and my words were unbearably heavy on my tongue. She smiled again, once more the shark circling her meal.
“Good. That’s what I like to hear. Tomorrow you’ll be taken to an apartment building where your neighbor, who works here, will help you as you continue to adjust. Best of luck to you, Dr. Brice. Till we meet again, yes?”
I didn’t look back at her, but kept my eyes trained ahead. I walked out of the office and saw Eva standing in the lobby waiting for me. I had survived.