Stealing Eternity
Chapter Fifty-Two
Saidi’s Part:
Searching, searching everywhere in a world of exhausted reality, with only surreal images at your disposal? We lean toward the familiar dreams and motives even as our lives change and evolve.
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The vast ocean covering 70% of the planet became problematic to search for Little Guy. However, this new method Drex spoke of could help locate his whereabouts. But the entire team had a purpose to search for Saidi so Cat couldn’t look for him on the team’s time. So the distraction of possibly knowing Little Guy’s whereabouts put Cat in a bit of a bad mood.
She flirted with the thought of tracking him down in a virtually invisible state. The size of the ocean wouldn’t dissuade her and not the selfish motivation that threatened her integrity. She believed knowing details on him would help her upcoming Daming award. She could give an up-to-the-minute report (or speculation of his location). This knowledge would assist in preventing the species’ destruction.
Yay, I can find where he lives? In the depths of the water like she suggested or elsewhere suffering where contaminated fish live.
She had to trust Little Guy’s judgment. He would innately know about the mercury poisoning flung into the ocean like grenades launched from the hills of careless companies disposing of the poison. Nothing could kill him so she ignored that thought until she could see with her own eyes and know his welfare.
Gage asked everyone on the team to pick two or three targets and let Drex know that day. They both wanted trackable and reachable suggestions.
Cat thought they could monitor the activity of some insects like a praying mantis or a spider at the zoo on a video camera. She would recommend locating Little Guy as a second assignment and see what everyone thought. No, he didn’t have a tracking device on him nor did the resources exist to take a ship to who knows where with a team of divers with cameras to verify. Nonetheless, she’d throw the idea out there.
She walked into the lab finding Drex hunched over his computer. He looked up and said, “Looks like you have some news for me. “Your Ningen? he asked.
“Why do you say that sir? she asked.
He closed the lid to his laptop. “I suppose you want to keep track of that new species,” he said.
“I most certainly do,” Cat said.
He picked up on her interest. “I have discovered a few things in my lifetime and understand how you’re concerned and want to make sure things haven’t changed for the worse. Especially with the polluted seas, everything has gone bad,” he said.
“I hope you’re wrong,” Cat said.
“Hoping will only get you so far,” he said.
“I’ll know if my hope paid off when I see Little Guy.” Cat said.
“Then, I think we should make it happen,” Drex said. “We’ll just have to figure out the logistics of locating him or her,” he said.
“Oh, he’s a male Ningen. That’s why I named him ‘Little Guy,’ although I’m sure he’s not little anymore. Probably all grown up and has a family of his own.”
“Speaking of size, you can practice with a couple assignments before you attempt such a massive undertaking,” Drex said.
“Affirmative,” Cat said.
###
A week later, while Olin viewed the camp from his balcony, taking shelter from an area that had lost its novelty. Right before a young child ran into view of the telescope, he realized the time. A new family of choice awaited release.
Even though, chastised a week earlier by the towering Infinīte’s physique and manner Olin wanted to show his integrity in spite. He remembered when the Infinīte said, “You’re going to kill us.” He chose that particular family at that moment.
“He called the guards who prepared the Infinītes. The queen had already approved OIin’s choice. She usually confirmed for whatever the reason Olin didn’t need to know. His job, as always focused on delivering the Infinītes to freedom.
Though this time felt different, and the assignment leading up to this significant time, felt odd. Different. This family included the brute of a father, his wife, their older teenage daughter, and a younger daughter born in this very camp, age three, maybe even four. Olin had noticed her before. I wish everyone had a name instead of a number. Olin thought. That’s pretty cold.
Talking to the guard Olin found that when they searched and connected all the offspring to include in the release, a red flag came up on the computer screen. The guards saw another child — a boy, not with them at the camp. “This same kid,” the guard told Olin, “shot off your finger.”
“No way,” Olin said, “Small world.” Hearing that, Olin considered picking another family instead of the family that now had two strikes against them. But they did have this little girl, who he wanted to… His thoughts interrupted as the beep of the radio startled him.
“Come down in a half hour.” Said the guard.
This family acted like a fuse, but not the spark. Up until this project, Olin utterly floated in limbo without his soul purpose, and only a whisper of excitement and challenge spiced his life. Not even helping the children felt as good as releasing whole families. Sometimes, like this time probably, this time he could both help the entire family and for an added boost, help the little girl.
Knowing how all the other Infinītes had reacted on the march down to the cute caboose, Olin had a game plan. Separately he’d console the child as she thought the world disintegrated around her.
Olin closed his eyes and let another unsure spell pass. “You want her?” the query came from inside him. A familiar voice, though it always took him off guard. The question happened again. “You want her?” He knew he did, but right then he couldn’t stomach facing his mom again. Arguing if he should take this Infinīte child aside, maybe when they reached the caboose. No worries, I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it, he reasoned.
Round about him, time seemed to slip away without a care until he could scarcely recall the fight with his mother. Too brief. Yes, she wanted the fish to bite my finger off, oh well. Another battle, the banishment his mother threatened if he violated her instructions rattled inside his head somewhere. Banished to where? But one battle blended into another. They all seemed like a distant and unfriendly force.
Even with the confusion, he remembered the Infinīte family sharp and clear, now waiting for him down below. In particular Olin remembered the Infinīte grinning bully and how he called him an idiot. The longhaired, big-mouthed man with traces of past good looks familiar and every time he saw him he thought of another face glaring back at him.
But he had a job to do and would serve in surplus of what the situation deserved, a release into freedom. By now they should trust him. Mother, he silently said, I’ll do my best to please you.
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Stealing Eternity is the (first draft of the) second book in the Infinite Series.
Eternal Infinite on Amazon
Written by Pam Kesterson
