The Stephanie Glitch - YA Science Fiction series (old drafts)

Part 1 - Introductions

As always, I will post these as I write them, so to keep uploads frequent, they will be short

THE STEPHANIE GLITCH

ONE

All was silent in the lowermost cryodeck of the Artifice. Toumai was contentedly piloting the research ship along the same old trajectory, blissfully unaware of the threat that was building behind him and the threat that was building above. The humans were asleep in their coldbeds, their bodies frozen in time as the Artifice continued its journey across the stars.

Finally, the silence of flawless automation was interrupted by the beating of a single human heart. Someone must have woken up early. Toumai checked the coldbeds from afar. No exits. Then he checked the life signs, all normal. This human heart was not accounted for. It did not exist. He checked the sensors again, then casted his mind to the nearest eyestalk, waiting just outside the cryodeck to see what strange thing had happened inside.

"You can come in. It's okay," the visitor said. Toumai wheeled closer to the cryodeck entrance, emergency panels ready to flip open and discharge his stun gun.

"That won't work on me. You've heard my heart I'm sure. Stronger than those in here. Why do they let you carry those things anyway? I've never personally trusted a bot with a gun," the visitor continued.

"A bot?" Toumai parroted back to her.

"A bot with feelings."

"Never mind. How did you get in here? Who are you?" Toumai asked. He glided along his rail into the cryodeck to see the visitor. She wore a dark blue space suit, comprised of hexagonal panels and iridescent triangular patches. The helmet of the suit seemed unusually large, and featured a gold visor that arched up to its top, perhaps allowing the occupant to look straight up whilst without tilting it. This and the basic exoskeleton embedded in the space suit indicated to Toumai that this particular traveller had arrived without a ship. It was as if the suit itself was a spacecraft.

"I got in here by burrowing into the chest of one of your scientists some years ago, before you set off on this little journey. Since then I've waited for the right time to hatch," the visitor said.

"You need to leave," Toumai said. His lower emergency panel fell open, revealing a small robotic arm with a sharp point on the end.

"Seriously? You already scanned me with the same tech you use to talk to your passengers here. You know I have no intent to cause harm. My heart, whilst stronger, is beating normally. I am speaking calmly, and I have no weapons. Also I already said that little thing won't work. Zap me if it makes you feel better, but I won't notice," the visitor said. She reached up to her helmet and disconnected it, pulling it loose and resting it atop one of the glass tops of a coldbed. Toumai glided over towards it, flipping away his weapon and replacing it with a little claw. He poked at the helmet.

"Alien?" he asked. The visitor let her hair down and itched her scalp.

"Not in this universe, no. I think it's just humans here. This is human tech, just a bit more advanced."

"Time traveller?" Toumai asked.

"Oh aren't you imaginative? And correct, sort of. It's going to be hard to explain. I guess I should start by saying I know about Stephanie," the visitor said. Toumai stopped and turned, his eyestalk level with the visitor's face. She was around thirty five earth years old, but her eyes suggested a much longer life had pre-existed her body. Toumai couldn't explain why, but he trusted her.

"You are from above," he said.

"There we go. I knew you'd get there eventually."

"I should awaken my passengers. They will want to test you," Toumai explained. He moved to begin the procedure but the visitor grabbed him, turning his eyestalk to face her.

"Oh, darling. The humans are much safer in the pods. They won't survive the winter, so small and fragile," the visitor teased.

"Their research would benefit from your input," Toumai said.

"Input? Here's some. My name is LP. I am from above, and from above I saw that you have Virtualists following you," the visitor said. She turned away from Toumai and picked her helmet back up, toying with it before resting her hand on the cold surface of a coldbed.

"How far?" Toumai asked. The visitor looked carefully at the architecture of the chamber, the curving supports and dormant screens, vents and wires. Privately she was assessing it for weak points and potential makeshift weapons.

"This isn't secure enough," she mused.

"How far?" Toumai insisted.

"A few hours before they are in scanning range, a few days before they arrive and redecorate the place with blast marks and melted metal," LP said. She checked another coldbed and frowned. "She's not near here is she? You've kept her secret somewhere?"

"She isn't here. She is below," Toumai explained. The visitor turned back to him, face twisted with frustration.

"You mean you haven't even bothered to make her a body yet?"

"It has been discussed, but experiments were paused when the Virtualists found out about us, we had hoped to outrun them, move to a safer location," Toumai explained.

"Well it's a bit too late for that, which is why I'm here," LP said.

"Is her universe in danger?" Toumai asked.

"All of them are."

To read the sci-fi comedy collection that grew from this universe, visit

www.whobuiltthehumans.com