I tugged uncomfortably at the snug dress Trish had me put on while I tried to analyze the contents of the Project Phoenix folder. My head throbbed trying to make sense of it but no matter how hard I focused it still eluded me and this invasive outfit wasn't helping. I shifted in discomfort, wishing I could claw it off.
"Stop fidgeting," she ordered, clasping a sparkling neon pink diamond necklace around my neck.
"I'm sorry," I huffed, adjusting the form fitting azure dress. It was a silky neoprene type material halter dress with thin silk extending from the halter top all the way to my wrists.
"I thought Torians were so advanced, why are these clothes so uncomfortable?"
Trish laughed. "Because if one concept stands the test of time it's "beauty is pain" and if you don't feel it, you don't got it."
"Way harsh," Teo chuckled as he sat nearby tossing pieces of purple popcorn into his mouth casually. "How's the data analysis coming along, Aeris?"
I groaned. "It's not. It seems just because I can read it now, doesn't really matter. I was just a bio programmer, understanding only the basics of neurological programming. I merely programmed but this..." I stared hard at the statistics and notes. There were enzymes and terms I had never heard of it. It was passed my scope of knowledge, but one thing was clear, my body chemistry had been manipulated. "This is playing God," I said with disgust.
Trish peered over my shoulder to look. "We need a science guy, she murmured looking over the data on the screen in front of me. Her jaw dropped a little. "Wait a second. Your levels are reading high in the amplified C neuron. That is a neuron only found in Ceres, that's the base of our abilities."
She looked me over as if analyzing me. "That would explain this energy coming from you," she murmured in realization. Her face fell. "Have they... figured out how to manipulate it?"
"What would that mean?" Teo asked, still vigorously eating his popcorn.
Trish stepped back and sat down with fear painted on her face. "That's why they did so much to me and my mother. They wanted to be able to control our power and manipulate it to their whims. But that was the Torian government and they hadn't been able to create the C neuron in beings. How did Phoenix Rize figure it out?"
"It doesn't matter how they figured it out," I murmured, staring at the charts again. "Because when I get to the bottom of this I will destroy every last piece of research they have so they can never do this again," I spat, feeling the heat rise off of me with this intense anger.
"Geez," Trish muttered, "That's a powerful energy you're emitting right now. You must be pissed."
I looked back at her worried. I did feel it, like adrenaline pumping through my veins but in a much more overwhelming way. This could easily overtake me if I let it. I needed to find a way to be in control.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes in a pitiful effort to calm down.
"It's easier when Xan does it for you, isn't it?" She asked.
I peeked at her with one eye slightly open. "What?"
"This energy is directly connected to your emotional state. He was able to keep you calm to prevent its escalation," she asserted.
Teo chuckled. "I guess he was useful."
Trish snickered and punched his arm playfully.
"It doesn't matter though," I said with a another deep breath. "I can't rely on someone else to control this for me. I need to have some semblance of control over my own life."
Trish was smirking at me.
"What?" I asked.
She grinned even larger now. "Nothing it's just you were such a scared little ancient one when we found you and now you are such a bad bitch and I love it."
"Really?" Teo asked. "I thought bad bitches don't like other ones infringing on their territory."
Trish looked at him with the fury of a thousand suns as she grabbed his ear and twisted it slightly.
"First of all, I KNOW you didn't just call me a bitch. Second of all, it is not about territory it is about strong bonds of friendship and lifting each other up!" She growled releasing him as he scooted to the other end of the bench while rubbing his ear.
"Geez, okay, noted," he whimpered.
"Seriously Teo, read a women's empowerment article sometime. Educate yourself," she insisted much more calmly before drawing her attention back to me. "Really though, you've come a long way. I'm really proud of you."
"Thanks," I laughed softly, feeling my rage subside. "But don't get too proud yet, I barely have any control and there's no promising I still won't implode."
Teo grinned. "You won't! That's why we are here to keep you grounded."
I smiled as the intercom in the ship crackled briefly. "We are landing on Tor 17 now,"
Ryuna announced.
I felt my heart race, but this time not in anger, but in anxiety. It felt like I was about to walk into the lion's den and I was completely ill-equipped. One wrong move and that was it, my cover blown and the Torian government would be the foe to contend with. It was imperative that I made no mistakes.
We peered out the window and the lights from the city seemed brighter than the burning red sun in the sky above them. Skyscrapers pierced the hazy pink clouds as they floated on platforms in the air. Crystal tubes interwove between these sky streets, filled with beings zooming through them at the speed of light.
On the ground were hover pods, stopping and going with beings filtering in and out like an express station. They shot forward with immense speed, separating into different routes through the city and stopping to let more beings come and go.
My eyes were wide, taking it all in. Earth was advanced, but nothing like this. Driverless cars had only just become predominant. Perhaps we were just a bit more uncomfortable with the idea of taking human beings out of a position of control in automation.
It was a controversial issue: where did we draw the line? Perhaps outside of Earth's atmosphere, this debate never took place. Perhaps the bounds of science held no restraint or the moral objections that we faced. Was this the result? Had we been too cautious? Or maybe the Galactic Elders hadn't been cautious enough.
The ship pulled into a floating parking lot but even though I heard the engine stop we were still hovering.
"Gravity parking," Trish informed seeing the confusion on my face. "Why take up land when you can manipulate gravity and park in the sky?"
I nodded. That was a concept I could get on board with.
Trish grabbed a pair of blue strapped heels with heels as pointy as the tip of a diamond.
My jaw dropped. She wanted me to wear those? They looked like a torture device for my feet.
"No," I said bluntly.
She sighed and held up a trendy pair of wedge boots with silver trim and laces. "It was worth a try," she lamented. "Poot excuse of a Torian," she chuckled.
"I'm okay with that," I snickered pulling on the boots that came up slightly passed my ankles.
We joined Ryuna and Tierian at the exit gate. Trish tapped her wristband and the door slid open, revealing the massive drop below, like standing on a cliff. I could see one level of gravity parking below with the ground another large distance below that.
I looked up at the others who merely grinned. Clearly getting to the ground was no mystery to them.
Teo reached for his wristband and I saw the light crystal outline encompass him like I once saw Xan do. He fiddled with the gravity levels before taking my wrist and doing the same for me.
"Stick with me, kid," he chuckled, wrapping his arm around my waist and hopping down the exit. I screamed fearfully until I realized we weren't dropping down rapidly but merely floating peacefully downwards.
Teo laughed. "You should have seen your face," he snickered. "You know I would never put you in danger."
I nodded sheepishly. I had thought I was done being surprised by this universe. That clearly wasn't true. Even though we floated gracefully down towards the ground, a breathless anxiety still roared through me. Would I ever actually feel comfortable with any of this?
When our feet landed, Teo swiftly adjusted the gravity on our wristbands as Trish, Ryuna and Tierian landed shortly after.
Trish laughed when she saw me. "You'll never not crack me up with your little Earth nervousness."
I rolled my eyes and took a look around. The bottom level parking lot we stood in was paved in a brilliant crystal tile that sparkled in the red sun.
"Stop looking so amazed by the parking lot," Trish laughed. "You're supposed to be the Torian of this group."
She was right, I needed to act like this was all normal. I straightened my posture and flipped my hair. "This is unimpressive and typical, let's go. I have important Torian things to do," I scoffed.
"Better," Trish laughed, leading the way down the crystal walkway. We all took her lead and headed for a the city entrance which was a large golden archway.
Walking through the archway proved to be even more impressive. We blended into a sea of Torians who all looked so perfectly prim and proper. These beings were perfect from their meticulously styled outfits all the way to the hair on their heads. Not even a single strand was out of place. They were flawless. It was unnerving.
Flashy boutiques lined the sidewalk with hologram signs and soft, swanky jazz playing like an ambient soundtrack.
I avoided eye contact and tried to seem as aloof and confident as possible while we continued down the shimmering pathway.
I saw a bright light begin to flash ahead with an automated voice.
"Hello, Jax. Hello, Rovi. Hello, Impai."
"Shit," Trish said looking at Teo concerned.
The light flashed again, this time moving closer.
"Hello, Yuna. Hello, Petra. Hello, Faye. Hello, Lio."
"What is that," I asked seeing the tension on their faces.
"It's a security check point. Something has the government on edge. That light scans our neurochips and announces a greeting. They're keeping track of who enters the city. They're looking for someone."
I felt panic rush through me. I didn't have a neurochip to be scanned. Would I be exposed so soon?
"Do we turn back," Ryuna whispered panic stricken.
Teo shook his head. "Anyone who turns away from security checks alert attention. We have no choice but to stay calm and pass through."
"It's going to notice a being without a chip," Trish replied quietly.
"Maybe it won't," he replied. "We have to take our chances. It's an obvious exposure if we avoid it. This is our only choice."
She nodded.
He grabbed my hand and squeezed it. "It's gonna be fine," he assured even though we all had doubts.
The light flashed above us and I felt my heart stop as if time suddenly stood still. I waited for judgement.
"Hello, Tierian. Hello, Ryuna."
My heart was pounding like a hammer and my world was silent except for its violent beats and the monotone voice of the security check.
"Hello, Trish. Hello, Teo."
My body froze in full terror, waiting for the sirens and the government officials to descend. What was Torian prison like and what would they do? My mind was racing so fast, I nearly missed the second flash.
"Hello, Aeris."
***
Author's Note:
Hello, everyone!!! I am so sorry this update took so long! Life has been quite crazy but I finally found the time to finish the update, after stealing small moments to work on it over these passed few weeks! I hope it was worth the wait! I appreciate all our your comments and they really encourage me to push through and keep writing! Let me know what you think. What's going to happen on Tor 17? Thank you for your support and I hope to have another update soon 💗