After about an hour of frantic questions and smothering attention from the Halphas, Vlad finally managed to get Danny alone for a tour of his new surroundings. His sister was the hardest one to persuade about the temporary separation. Vlad finally convinced her by telling her she could show Danny the memory room when he was done. She agreed sulkily, watching Danny and Vlad until they were out of sight.
"Whew, I had no idea you would be this popular!" Vlad commented as they walked down a long hallway. "This really is an amazing coincidence. You were in the same group of survivors as the rest? Really. What are the odds?"
Danny gave a small shrug, still finding it hard to believe himself. He looked down the hall as they looked. They walked past several doors and turn offs and windows on their way.
"This place is huge," Danny marveled. "No wonder you can hide so many Halphas. People would get lost just trying to get to the bathroom around here!"
"Well the space certainly does come in handy," Vlad chuckled. "Once we found out about the... um... side effects that come with a Halpha's emotional outburst, I decided it was time to assign some separate rooms. You're lucky you didn't come a few years ago. It took hours to clean up the wreckage from the first few fights."
"That happens to them too?" Danny asked. "I've only exploded something once, and it was scary. How do we learn to control it?"
"Well that brings us to the first stop of the tour," Vlad said, leading him down a wide flight of stairs and toward a large set of double doors. He swung them wide.
Danny felt his breath catch in his chest. It was a zero gravity chamber. A wide smooth dome well lit with floating white orbs. Inactive drones drifted lazily in the weightlessness.
"I've heard of these! The higher recruits at Casper got to train in zero grav! But I've never heard of one this big before," he gasped excitedly. "Do we really get to use this?"
"As often as you want," Vlad agreed. "But I'm going to have to insist that you wait until you're fully healed to go in here. The effects can be rather... disorienting."
Danny looked longingly in at the chamber.
"Yeah... okay. But what does this have to do with training?"
"The drones in here provide a safe testing ground for your powers. Your abilities are like muscles. The more they are used, the more strong and controlled they become. I daresay you've discovered a couple of your abilities, but the others and I can help you refine and apply them."
Vlad closed the doors to the zero gravity chamber.
"Well we'd better keep going. Lots more to see before I turn you back over to the others. I don't doubt they've thought of lots more questions for you."
They moved on. Vlad showed him the dining room with a table long enough for everyone, the kitchens that were available 24/7, the library filled with books from all over the galaxy, and the fully interactive planetarium room.
Finally they ended back up at the hallway lined with individual bedrooms.
"I think that's enough for today. I'm sure the others will show you the rest in time. Feel free to ask any of them for help. They were all so excited when I told them I had found another Halpha."
"Mr. Masters... thank you," Danny said sincerely. "I know where I would be if you hadn't stepped in and this is better than I ever could have imagined."
"You've been through a lot in life already," Vlad said understandingly, placing his hands on Danny's shoulders. "I know it can't have been easy. But don't worry. You'll be safe here."
Danny smiled thankfully.
"Well you'd better get back to the others. I'm sure your sister will be excited to show you the memory room. It's one of her favorites, and I must admit, one of mine as well," Vlad concluded, straightening up.
"It's been a pleasure D'any'a."
"I..." Danny began, then stopped.
"What is it?" Vlad asked curiously.
"Well the name I grew up with was Daniel Fenton. I know that it's not my real name but I still don't want to lose it. Is that okay?"
Vlad smiled understandingly.
"I understand. Names can mean a lot to us. If that's that you want, then I'll call you Daniel."
YOU ARE READING
Split Between Stars
Science Fiction(Sequel to Half Life) Danny has lived his whole life thinking he was the sole survivor of Halpha's destruction. Space Corps has hunted him and his kind for years, making it almost impossible to survive. But after being saved from their clutches at...
