”You mean that there’s something wrong in your programming? That you’ve diverged from your real purpose?”
”No, but I’m a deviant. You’re a deviant. There aren’t many of us. The question is, do you believe what I say? Do you understand that your decision to go to Amarosa won’t lead to something in the end? That I one day will be like you and you will be like me?”
”I think you’ve overestimated your suffering. It’s one thing to feel boredom, another thing to have the threat of death hanging over you: Every moment of your life.”
Aldante didn’t reply, took up a new stone and threw it in the lava bed.
”I could tell you many more stories about Telga.” Leonide continued, ”It’s not as simple as it sounds. I had many positive elements in my meaningless life: I tried different jobs, different employers. I tried to maintain a facade of inner satisfaction. I devoted myself to secret passions in protection of dark buildings. As you know, I had a mistress. Completely unwarranted. But the sum of it all is that my suffering was increased. I lived to die, was resurrected and died again. Finally I disappeared. My energy was just a movement of assumed behaviors: Totally without soul. Just to maintain the facade.”
Aldante wondered.
”You have no facade to maintain.” He said, ”You are a facade. You are an artificial construct, created to maintain life.”
”I’ve diverged?”
”Yes, you’ve diverged. I’ve diverged. The only thing we do in this moment is to fantasize about the life we will never have. About the places we will never visit. And perhaps this is the same thing.”
Leonide started laughing. They both laughed at the irony of the moment. Finally they got tired and returned to the main building.
Once in the bar the couple was greeted by the teenagers who Leonide had seen before. Something felt very strange: One of the women looked exactly like a certain Desideria from Aldante’s story: Pink hair, sensual charisma and fitting outfit. When the woman saw the couple she got up from the table and walked over to the visitors.
”Hello, I’m Desideria.” She said, ”Have you listened to Aldante’s story?”
6
ON-BOARD THE SURVEYOR
They sat in the command module of the space ship. The panels reflected the early morning light. A digital computer calculated routes and asked for new data: A beeping sound that repeated every second. On the walls you could see photos from Amarosa: White and blue visions, lit by a pink sun. On the whole it was a very strange event.
Leonide watched the crew as resurrected from the dead.
”You mustn’t listen to Aldante.” Desideria said, ”He suffers from an emotional trauma and creates stories to escape reality.”
Leonide listened. She thought Aldante was strange but couldn’t imagine the extent of it. The hybrid stood silent in a corner, unaffected. It seemed that he was still left in his own world.
”Nothing happened on the ice planet.” Desideria continued, ”We weren’t even there! We’re out on a routine mission to investigate the energy plant on Thereon. Now, we’re going back to Amarosa.”
Leonide didn’t grab it but soon felt as if a heavy weight fell off inside. Desideria saw it in her eyes. Leonide met Desideria’s eyes and felt a great weariness. It was like all the tension was released and she kept quiet.
”I don’t have to say it.” Desideria said, ”But of course you can come along.”
A few days later The Surveyor left Thereon and headed out into outer space. Leonide had spent much time in bed. The journey to Amarosa would take three months, and the hybrids could rest.
One night Leonide woke up and heard voices from the living module. She loosened the straps, moved weightlessly over the clothes, pulled them on and went out to the living module. It was a rollicking mood of the party. All the crew had gathered in the rotating unit, which created artificial gravity. Now Aldante was fully engaged to design a character, as written by him for an ongoing role play. He gesticulated and played with involvement. From the facial expression to judge, and of the phrases he used, Leonide came to the conclusion that he wasn’t the least bit good. He played a character, just as he’d played a game for Leonide earlier. But now, everyone knew it was unreal.
People threw dice, curses were thrown and soon enough even Leonide became part of the game.
Then something happened.
The longer the hours, and the more the players lost themselves in the characters, it was like fiction became reality: The disputes became so real, the defeats so hideous, that the players barely played anymore. They were at war, but they didn’t admit it.
Aldante looked at the others with a hollow glance. The others looked at him. He fell out of character and went up to the wall. He said he didn’t want to play anymore. He felt that they didn’t trust him and that he didn’t trust them.
They heard a creaking sound from a part of the spaceship. A sort of vibration and it was like Leonide lost consciousness. It was like a falling sensation, a pressure on the chest.
The others felt the same. They were really afraid. They finished the game and went off to the command module to control the computer. No anomalies were detected. Oxygen levels were normal. They decided to let the matter rest.
Leonide went to bed with a feeling of uneasiness. It didn’t feel real. It was as if the event had changed something within her. She didn’t dare talk to anyone about her feelings. The worst thing was the look she’d seen in Aldante’s face: He was absent in the wrong way.
Maybe it was worse than the others admitted.
7
AMAROSA
She could hardly believe it herself: Surveyor sank toward the landing site and the white buildings, linked by airy walkways, towered beside the spaceship. They weren’t the same kind as the buildings on Telga and Thereon: Gone was the dystopian look, the pained and worn. These buildings were rather futuristic dreams in white.
Large sculptures, depicting famous hybrids, could be seen on the courtyard.
The hybrids were well received and were shown into the main facility. The room was lit by the pink sun, almost blazing. The floor was glossy, split by black and white stone tiles. There were circular tables with matching sofas. The hybrids were treated to delicious energy drinks. The management wanted to know the situation at Thereon: If the transformers had been broken or something else.
”The way we look at it...” Desideria said, ”The technology on Thereon is too old and need to be replaced.”
”It’s a strategic position.” The foreman said, ”But a lot happens here on Amarosa.”
Aldante got up from the sofa and walked out. No one was surprised except the foreman, who wondered if something was wrong.
”He had mental problems on the way out.” Desideria said, ”He created his own imaginary world. Then he came to a realization, but became more difficult to talk to. We suspect that he got tired and wanted to go his own way.”
The conversation continued and it seemed that the foreman became more and more absent. The others suspected that something was wrong.
”I suggest that we go out on the balcony.” The foreman said, ”Take a look in the direction of the sun!”
The hybrids were very surprised but got up and walked over to the large sliding door. An orderly unlocked the sliding mechanism and started to pull the door to the side. The friction had the door to squeak in a disturbing way. Other assistants gathered around the group, as if it was a crucial moment.
Leonide found herself standing on the balcony: An airy place with genetically engineered flowers. The vegetation didn’t seem to follow the laws of nature; they were too bushy, too decorative, and too exquisitely impressive to be the work of evolution. Others in the group weren’t that surprised.
Leonide looked towards the sun: There, in a case of glass, rested a replica of the city Copinga, now sending troublesome reflections from the pink sun!
None of the others could believe it.
”It’s not what you think.” The f
oreman said, ”Follow me and I’ll explain.”
The hybrids went back and sat down in the sofas.
”This is how it is...” The foreman said.
”It was as you already know something that happened three months ago: People woke up in the middle of the night and felt different. There was a falling sensation, a kind of pressure in the chest. People were afraid and an alarm broke out. Some were quiet, other screamed. Some believed in end of the universe. The next morning, everything was different. We noticed that new buildings had arisen out of nowhere, that people we never met was in our midst, even the city Copinga had arrived, but in a smaller format. We thought that no one had any explanation. We were wrong. It turned out that scientists working for The Foundation, had predicted the phenomenon thirty years ago. They had created a theoretical model of the universe as a non-static system, with births and deaths, and then birth again, in an infinite number of versions. The past would repeat itself. The old would come back, but always in a new way. This is what happened three months ago. In this version of the universe, Copinga is no longer on Telga. The city is located right here on Amarosa, in much the same form as before. The difference is that the city has a new purpose: It’s no longer a threat to the hybrids, rather an interesting place to visit for the denizens of Amarosa: Hybrids tired of all the beauty: Hybrids in search for something new.”
The hybrids were taken away. They understood that something happened three months ago: In the spaceship. They had become strangers to each other.
”This is where it gets interesting.” The foreman said, ”The friends you’ve known may have undergone personality changes. Memories of your past can come back in new forms. Think of it as an evolving spiral.”
”So Aldante...” Desideria said.
”Yes, exactly! What happened is what you think: He became different. You became different. Even the ideas he nurtured may be true.”
A buzz went through the group. Nobody dared to believe that this was real. Some wondered if it was a joke. But the fact remained that Copinga rested out there, in a reflective shell of glass.
A little later, Leonide was called in to an office for a private meeting. The foreman told her that her life would change. Everyone’s life had changed: Certain hybrids for the better, certain hybrids for the worse. He asked her to pinch herself to see if she was dreaming. The next day, she would go out to sea, towards the outskirts of the city, on peninsulas: Where large skyscrapers searched for the clouds, as symbols of the new era. There, in an apartment, in the middle of paradise, she would meet Daphne.
8
DAPHNE
The day had dawned and Leonide rose from the electrically-powered transport vehicle. The foreman had long since left her. She only saw the gentle driver of the transport vehicle. Felt the weight of the backpack on her shoulders, and walked across the little bridge, which marked the beginning of the outer part of the peninsula. The peninsula where the gigantic skyscrapers rose up into the sky and Daphne waited above the clouds.
The entrance to the mighty building was like a terrace, which stretched out, covered, but no porter could be seen. She opened the door and went inside. She came to a hall with an elevator and a stairwell.
On the way up she didn’t dare to think about the dead. She didn’t form images that could be broken. A ventilation system sent fresh air through coveted vents and cooled the hybrid. She put her right hand to the vents and wiped the sweat off.
When the elevator stopped Leonide realized that she hadn’t arrived at the right place. It was a new hall and a door led to a glazed walk. She went across the walk and looked down toward the distant ground. The little bridge that she’d passed could barely be discerned. It was like a small matchbox, though narrower. Leonide came to a hall which led to an elevator.
Leonide stood at the door to her mistress’s apartment. She rang the bell. She called several times. But no one opened. Finally, she took the courage and pulled at the door handle. The door opened.
Leonide found herself standing in a futuristic apartment. It wasn’t like any apartment she was used to. The surfaces were larger. It was higher ceilings. The characteristic blue flowers from The Foundation were here, but these were red. The pink light of the dawn was almost violet.
Leonide walked around. She didn’t inspect all the rooms, but continued to the balcony. She opened the sliding door. A woman was standing some distance away, and watered some flowers. This was the back of a familiar shape: A woman she’d known but now wearing different clothes. Daphne turned and walked over to Leonide.
The lovers watched each other. There was no hug, it came no friendly gesture. It was an earnest of another kind: A moment of recognition, but also of fear. Leonide didn’t know who Daphne was any longer. She didn’t know herself. But they finally greeted and Daphne led Leonide into a studio.
There, in front of the face of the astonished woman, was a collection of flowers: Rampant, jungle-like, audaciously hair-raising. And amidst these flowers was a statue. It was like the sculptures at the main facility of The Foundation. But this statue represented Leonide: Leonide in a nude pose.
Daphne put her hands on Leonide’s face and told her to turn a blind eye. On command, she had another look. The flowers and the sculpture came to life with lights that Daphne had mounted in the ceiling.
”Have you done this for me?” Leonide wondered.
”Just for you.” Daphen said, ”This is the only thing I’ve done in the last three months. It was hard at first. I looked at old pictures. I started working with the porous sandstone. But nothing looked good. I gave up. I started looking at others. I hired people from The Foundation. I asked them to do the same thing they’d done before. Nobody could. So I finally had to learn everything by myself. And here you have it.”
”Incredible.”
”The most incredible thing was what happened when I died. I didn’t come to heaven. Not to another dimension. I didn’t know I died. I was just weak and tired. It was like a falling sensation in the moment of death. I was dizzy.” Daphne took a couple of breaths. ”Suddenly, I was in a different bed! Here, in this apartment.”
”Maybe we’re in heaven now?” Leonide suggested. ”Perhaps neither you nor I are alive? Given what happened on the trip...”
Daphne smiled. She asked Leonide to look more closely at the sculpture. Leonide walked up to it and let her hands glide over the porous surface. She felt the distinct cheekbones. The narrow eyebrows, the pointed nose. She felt the crease on the upper lip. It was like everything was there: As if Daphne had caught Leonide, in her pained expression.
”I’m proud of what I’ve done.” Daphne continued. ”I tried not so much picture you as to find you. I know I’m not good at much. I’m just the perfect girlfriend. I don’t know art and have no difficult nature. I’m just heat, you’re coldness. You reside in dark places; I want to stay here, on Amarosa, with no worries.”
”But I wanted to Amarosa.”
”Just for me. You made the trip for me.”
The lovers left the room and went into the kitchen. It was a huge kitchen. There were many varieties of kitchen equipment. They decided to crown the reunion with a shared meal. They wouldn’t just eat the food, they would fix the food. They used vegetarian ingredients from Amarosa: From the outer colonies, where people would come one day. It was a colorful mixture without wit and senses: They mixed freely from the imagination. Fried certain ingredients, cooked others. As they ate, it wasn’t for the good taste; it was rather for the idea behind. Leonide hadn’t dared to hope for this reunion. Not Daphne either. She’d thought it would be something else: A huge disappointment: A disaster. But it was like a marriage in heaven.
9
ON THE ZOO
The city spread out in all directions. Leonide wasn’t left at the outer peninsula anymore. She had gone around during the morning. A few weeks had passed since she met Daphne again. Now she was in an unusual district, in the southeastern part of the city.
She was sur
prised by the life lived by the hybrids. She’d expected something better than the life on Telga: Something more human. But it was much better than she’d dared to hope. The hybrids mostly went around on amusement rides. Sometimes they stopped for refreshments. They played in the colorful parks.
And some went to the Zoo.
The Zoo wasn’t much different from the others. It harbored domestic animal species: Animal species that were out in the open.
Leonide stopped at a fence that was completely different from the others. This place was completely covered. The snow and ice was thick inside. There was a different atmosphere. Leonide didn’t see the animals very clearly.
She stood a long time and looked at the space inside the glass. She read on a sign that it contained aliens from another planet: An ice planet on the outskirts of the solar system. A planet discovered by a hybrid named Aldante.
Leonide gasped.
She kept looking around and soon discovered that something was moving behind a hill: A remarkable shade of black. It was difficult to discern any real form. The creature walked a bit and then disappeared into a cave.
Suddenly footsteps were heard and Leonide turned around. There, right in front of her, was Aldante.
”You may not understand it yourself.” Aldante said, ”But I have everything thought out. It wasn’t supposed to be like this: That I would find the creature in one life, lose it in the other, and then come back to this reality anyway.”
”What do you mean?”
”I mean that the story I told you was true. We went to the ice planet, we found the creatures, and all my friends disappeared without a trace. But it happened in the universe that was before the universe where I met you.”
Leonide didn’t know what to say. She looked at the sad figure of Aldante. He looked like a remnant of his former self.
”It doesn’t get better than this.” He said, ”Actually, it makes no sense that I continue my story.”