Golden Light, Silver Light

Scene 003

"Oh, of course," Amy muttered. 

"You have a kitchen area. In this area, we have a desk, a computer terminal, a chair, a sink, and the simulator," said Cat. "Finally, the personal hygiene area has a shower and a toilet." 

"So, if I go into the kitchen, can you follow and show me what I need to know?" asked Amy. The soothing hum had eased all of her tension. She almost felt normal. 

"I can go anywhere, Amy. These panels are everywhere on the ship," Cat replied. 

"Great, now, I have no privacy on top of being kidnapped," Amy muttered, heading to the kitchen. 

Walking through the doorway into the kitchen, Amy called, "Cat, are you in here?" 

"Of course," Cat answered. Her voice coming from a panel next to what looked like a built-in wall microwave, only it didn't have a door on the front of it. 

"I've a question before you show me how to work this. How do you know my name? Wait, don't answer. I don't want to know, just show me how to get something to eat and drink." 

"Tell the simulator what you want. It will produce it for you," Cat answered. 

Looking at the simulator, Amy called, "Pop with ice." 

"Please define pop," a computerized voice came from the simulator. 

"Well Cat, what went wrong?" 

"You need to classify a pop," replied Cat. 

"Bother. Soft Drink," Amy said and closed her eyes. This is one heck of a dream, she thought even though she knew it wasn't one. 

"What kind?" the simulator asked. 

"Sprite and ice." Upon saying this, a tall glass appeared in the box. In it was a clear liquid with ice. Reaching in, Amy grabbed the drink and took a sip. "Hum." Perfect temperature. This wasn't such a bad dream after all. 

"Cat, what kind of food is programmed into this thing?" 

"Look at the panel next to the simulator. A list will be placed there," said Cat. 

"Let me see. There is pizza! I'll have a pizza. You can't mess that up too badly," Amy exclaimed, reading the list. She started to hum along with the background sound. 

Turning to face the simulator, Amy called, "Pizza. Hot. Pepperoni. Onions. Mushrooms. Extra sauce. Cheese." 

One small pizza appeared in the cubbyhole and the smell filled the room. "It smells all right. Let me see if it tastes as good as it looks and smells," Amy said with a smile. 

Taking the pizza and drink back to the dining table, Amy said, "Now, I need a fork and a knife." 

"You will find those items back in the kitchen area in the top drawer of the desk," Cat said. 

After getting the utensils, Amy took her first bite of the pizza. She exclaimed, "This is sooo good. It tastes as if I ordered it from my favorite pizza pallor." 

"The recipe comes from the pizza pallor you visit quite often. We followed you around for a few weeks. We wanted to make your transition as smooth as possible. So, we provided you with a few of the things you seemed to like. The time also helped us to learn your language." 

"What do you mean you followed me around? I didn't see anyone following me," Amy sputtered. She was getting excited and her heart started to race.  

Cat turned up the soothing hum in the room. As the hum did its work, Amy took a deep breath. "Never mind, since you've followed me, you know the type of music I like. Play me some." A soft country tune filled the room, but underlaying it was the soothing hum helping Amy to relax. 

Half way through her pizza, Amy heard a chiming noise from the door. The voice of the silver man called, "Hello, will you open the door? I want to talk with you." 

Amy jumped out of her seat and face the door squarely. She called in fright, "No, I don't have anything to say to you. Go away." 

"Amy, please open the door. I can't come into your cabin without your invitation," said the voice. 

Taking a deep breath, Amy tried to calm herself. The soothing hum was strengthened in the room. It almost blocked out the country music. Amy felt more of her tension leave her shoulders. 

The silver man's voice came again, "Well, if you won't open the door. Could you at least turn on the viewer to your room?" 

Thinking about the question for a few seconds, Amy said, "Cat, please turn on the viewer." 

In the panel where the map had been displayed, a man's face appeared. The face was squarish and had a catlike look to it. He had red hair, a red mustache, and gray eyes. "There you are. I'm glad you've decided to talk to me," he said. 

"Where else would I be?" Amy muttered under her breath and then called to the door, "WE are not going to talk. YOU are going to answer some of my questions. Who are you and what do you want?" 

"My name is Jac Fledge, which answers your first question. Now for your second, I can't give you an answer right now, but we are not going to hurt you," Jac said in a soothing voice. 

Amy pushed her hair away from her face and said, "I bet that's what every homicidal killer says just before they kill their victims." 

Jac laughed. "Most likely or something close to it but until you invite me into your rooms, Cat will not let me in." 

"Cat," Amy called. "Is this true?" 

"Yes, until you invite him inside I cannot let anyone in but Dammarow Heir. He is not on the ship," Cat replied. 

"It seems Mr. Fledge as if you're telling the truth, or as much of it as the computer is programmed to give me. But, I don't feel up to talking, I want to be alone. So goodbye for now. Turn that thing off." Much to Amy's surprise, Cat did exactly as ordered. 

"Cat, don't you ..." Was the last thing Amy heard from Jac as the panel went dark. 

"Cat, I'm really not as hungry as I thought and I've a headache. What do I do with this left over food and drink?" asked Amy, rubbing her head. Her shoulders drooped as she started to accept the truth a little. 

"Put both items back into the simulator and tell it to return. The eating utensils need to go into the sink. I will take care of them," Cat said. 

"Thanks, Cat," Amy whispered. In the kitchen, She put the glass and plate back into the simulator and stated, "Return." The food quickly disappeared and she placed the silverware in the sink. 

Yawning, Amy walked back to the living space. "Cat, I'm going back to sleep. Could you dim the lights for me, and leave the music playing in the back ground?" she asked. 

"Yes, I can do that." 

Crawling back in between the covers, she thought, when I wake in the morning, this will all have been a dream.  

The soothing hum and country music lulled her into a deep sleep.