Where Nothing Ill Can Dwell

Chapter 26 - ARIEL

I had often wondered about insanity. My world was so governed by code and logic that the opposite of it lay beyond my realm of comprehension. And even though there were times when I questioned Dr. Prospero's actions, they usually seemed to have a sound reasoning behind them.

That was not the case with Admiral Santos and his crew. After I'd appeared to them, the Admiral's grief appeared to grow exponentially to the point where none of his actions appeared reasonable. He cried out for his son, even though I was no longer using Ferdinand's voice to lure them deeper into the woods. He ordered his men to follow him, even though the day had vanished into night and the next day had broken over the horizon. He pressed on at a speed that resisted the weariness hampering the rest of his men, even though they lagged behind him. He was a man possessed.

And I got my first glimpse of insanity.

If I could feel pity, I would for this man.

"Sir, please, a moment to rest," Gonzalo pleaded.

"No, he's out there, and I'm not going to stop until I find him or die trying." Alonso paused and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Ferdinand! Ferdinand!"

The ensigns exchanged worried glances with Gonzalo, but the two schemers used the moment's break to drop to the ground.

"No more, Alonso," Sebastian whined as he rubbed his thighs. "We can't keep up at this pace for much longer."

"I can't stop." Alonso paced while staring out into the woods, reminding me of a caged tiger from old Earth videos. "I heard him. You heard him."

"We all heard him, sir, but it's been many hours since then." Gonzalo approached him with a nearly empty canteen. "We need to replenish our supplies, rest—"

"No, we press on. He must have left some clue behind."

"But how do you expect to find these clues when you are so exhausted, you're hallucinating?" Antonio asked.

"I'm not hallucinating!" Alonso snapped, pulling his blaster out in a surprisingly swift and graceful movement. His hand remained steady as he aimed it at my creator's brother. "And if you aren't with me, then maybe I need to lighten the load."

My creator would have probably liked to see the fear on her brother's face, but my primary code to preserve life activated the moment I saw the blaster, and I searched for a solution that would end this standoff without bloodshed and without revealing my presence.

Gonzalo inched closer to Alonso. "Sir, he meant no harm. He was only trying to say that our senses will be much keener after we've had a nap."

"I can't." Alonso's voice quivered with unshed tears, fighting against a steely resolve, but he lowered his weapon. "I can't sleep because every time I close my eyes, I see him."

"And you'll see him again." Gonzalo offered the canteen again, waiting for the Admiral to take it before adding, "He is your son, after all, and I'm sure he's just as determined to find you."

"If he's still alive," Alonso murmured before drinking what was left and handing the canteen back to his junior officer.

A quick survey of the group revealed that they all were suffering from extreme fatigue and early dehydration. They needed rest and nourishment. I contemplated appearing before them again using one of my holograms, but I decided a tranquilizer would be more calming to them than an archangel. Dr. Prospero had armed me with enough sedative to incapacitate Caliban. I calculated it to be enough to be effective on three of the humans. If I could get Alonso to fall asleep, the others would follow. I'd use what was left over to sedate Antonio and Sebastian so they would not be able to carry out their plan.

Because Caliban's skin was so thick and scaly, it would have resisted any darts or syringe. To combat this problem, my creator had rigged an aerosol delivery system. I calculated the maximum dose I could safely administer to them based on their weight and sizes. The real problem came on how to hide my presence while spraying it. I was too big to cloak myself in the form of a bird or a butterfly. Any creature of this planet that was comparable in size would be viewed as a threat and, therefore, would not be conducive to sleep. I had to rely on stealth and hope they would consider me a hallucination if they saw me.

Ensign Francisco spotted me first. "Now I'm the one seeing things."

Before panic could set in, I sprayed a cloud of the sedative over the group, circling around my three targets. To them, I probably looked like I was pouring sleep dust from a magic wand, but within a minute, all six of them had fallen to the ground with closed eyes.

And yet, the Admiral still fought on, crying out his son's name one more time in a whimper of defeat.

I hovered in front of him, recording his anguish so that my creator would hopefully be satisfied and end her torment.