Two hundred eighty two years ago, Carda’an Standard year 6027, Second Carda’an home world

  It was a very strange dream. But Jane treasured every dream that was an escape from the living hell that was her reality. And strange as it was, this was an overwhelming, all encompassing dream. So much so that she felt as if the strangeness was becoming her reality. There were voices. She opened her eyes, wanting to focus on the dream, wanting desperately to remain present, in this dream. She breathed. Slower, faster, slower again. She moved her fingers along the fabric she was sitting on, a soft, silky smooth velvet. The dim light of sunrise could be seen peaking beyond the horizon.

  “How are you feeling?” A voice asked.

  “Very fortunate to be all in one piece and aboveground.” Another voice answered. “Is it done?” The same voice asked.

  “I think so.”

  Jane blinked. It was such a very odd voice, that had spoken. Deep and melodious in a way she had never heard before.

  “You think so?” The normal sounding voice responded, tension in each word.

  “Well it’s not magic.” The odd voice said, sounding equally uncertain. “It should be done. It’s not like I had the option of running a few tests ahead of time.”

  “Fuck everything.” The normal one said. “Let’s just get out of here.”

  They sound… young. Jane’s mind whispered. She was dreaming about children. She closed her eyes on the reality of her dream. She didn’t want to think about children. Dream of something else, she whispered to herself inside her own head. It’s not real. Make it something else.

  “We have to survive two days without getting dismembered and buried in the woods.” The strange voice said. “That’s not that long.”

  “And then we have to not get caught.” The normal one added.

  “Also that.”

  “Have you ever watched old earth movies?” The normal one asked.

  Jane blinked, opening her eyes back up with some reluctance.

  “No, I have not watched human movies. I don’t have a human name, ‘Will’. I don’t do strange human things.” The strange voice said.

  “Maybe you should just call me Will, actually. In front of Jane. It might help.”

  Jane cocked her head.

  “Sure, why not.”

  “Anyway, if you had watched human movies…”

  “Which I won’t.”

  “If you had” the voice of Will repeated stubbornly “you would know that earth cops can just follow your car at random and make you pull over.”

  “How would they make you do that?” The deep voice asked, sounding incredulous.

  “Because if you don’t, they call in other cops and create massive roadblocks and make you pull over. But usually people just stop.”

  “That… that makes no sense.” The deep voice said more insistently.

  Jane shook her head slightly. It really was the strangest dream.

  “My point being, can you imagine if we were pulled over right now? With the massive EMP emitter in the back, someone else’s slave and life mate with burns on her stomach, and a bunch of guns. Speaking of getting caught, this would not be a good look.”

  “You can’t just make someone pull over while they’re driving down a road in their own car.” The deep voice insisted.

  “They can and they do. All the time. They can do it just because you’re driving too fast.”

  “That’s… no.”

  It’s a giant, Jane thought. She could just barely see the outline of the giant in the seat in front of her, a dim shadow in the gray light of early morning. I’m in a car with a giant.

  “Who would even say what’s too fast?” The giant continued. “Makes no sense.”

  “They can. And they make you register the cars, too.” The normal one whose name was Will said with some relish.

  “They make you register cars.” The giant repeated.

  “Yeah. This is human society Aghrael. And you’re about to get on a ship to head out to a human colony. You need to know these things.”

  “How can you register a car?” The giant named Aghrael asked incredulously. “It’s just a car, how would you even know which is which?”

  “Oh they put little tags on them.” The one named Will said somewhat vaguely.

  Jane’s fingers dug into the bench beneath her. How could this be a dream? She thought. How can this be in my head when none of this is in my head? They’re not my thoughts.

  “You could just take off the tags.” The giant pointed out.

  Silently, Jane agreed.

  “Right but they have certain kinds of cars, and different colors. That’s probably info they keep in the registry.” Will said.

  “You can change the color.” The giant named Aghrael said grumpily. “At least with a slave registry you record the DNA.”

  “You can change DNA.”

  “I guess that’s true.” The giant admitted reluctantly. “So… it’s like a slave registry for cars?”

  Jane shook her head. This was not in her head. But it was in her head.

  “I guess so. They have them for people, too.”

  “They put tags on people?”

  “Well they give them IDs, so basically yeah. And if you don’t have one… well then, the cops come and get you.”

  “Why would they do that?” The giant asked, sounding extremely annoyed.

  “Because the IDs are how they track you to make sure you pay your taxes.” The one named Will said, sounding very much as if he was enjoying himself.

  “It’s not voluntary?”

  “No. In fact, if you don’t do it, it’s a crime.”

  “But that’s… that is like a slave registry.” The giant said. “So they’re all slaves anyway?”

  “It’s not the same.” Jane said, just to see what would happen.

  Both boys started. There was something about Jane’s voice. Even rusty from what they both suspected was lack of use, it was hypnotic.

  “Jane!” The one her subconscious mind named Will turned his seat around until it was facing her, his scaly face looking surprisingly young and earnest as he looked at her. “We came to save…”

  Jane looked at the giant spider sitting on his shoulder. And screamed. The spider screeched, running at terrifying speed until it disappeared somewhere in the front of the car, outside her field of vision. The adrenaline and fear racing through her blood jolted her back to reality, her breathing stuttered and stopped, waiting for the next order. But it didn’t come. Jane sat, still and terrified, as her mind struggled to process what may or may not be reality.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  “You have to tell her to breathe.” Aghrael said.

  “W-w-what?” Will stuttered.

  “You have to tell her to breathe.” Aghrael repeated. “Her owner controlled her breathing. She expects it.” It was perfectly logical.

  “You tell her!”

  Aghrael thought about that for a few brief seconds. “No.” He said firmly. “I’m driving.”

  “Uh. Jane, please uh, please breathe at uh, whatever rate you’d like that doesn’t lead you to suffoca… just breathe!”

  Jane breathed, each breath harsh and uneven as her fingers clawed at the seat beneath her. She screamed.

  “Right. That would have also not gone over well with the human cops.” Will muttered under his breath. “Look, it’s fine, all right? We’re here to help. The chip in your brain, that’s what was hurting you. And it’s gone. We won’t hurt you. We couldn’t even if we wanted to. Not the way he did. The chip is gone.”

  Jane screamed.

  “I do not like the screaming.” Aghrael announced into the brief silence as Jane drew another unsteady breath.

  “Should I tell her not to scream?” Will asked nervously.

  Aghrael looked out at the rising sun. “Maybe try asking?” He suggested.

  Jane screamed.

  Will rubbed both cheekbones in an effort to relieve what was quickly turning into a serious headache. “How about coffee.” He said, raising his voice to be heard over the screaming. “Oh, and a pastry. Mom likes pastries.”

  “I’ll get it.” Aghrael offered. They were getting closer to the city now, and there were plenty of options nearby. He made a hard right at the first seeming suitable café. He did not like the screaming.

  A few minutes later, Jane looked blankly from the coffee she was holding in one hand to the pastry she held in the other. The giant had turned his seat around as well, facing her while the car drove itself to a destination unknown.

  “Dream not a dream.” Jane said. She took a sip of the coffee. It was a latte.

  The two alien boys sitting across from her exchanged a look.

  “There is a giant spider in my dream car.” Jane said.

  “It’s not a spider. It’s an eight legged chameleon from first homeworld.” Aghrael said.

  Jane’s mouth moved as she silently repeated Aghrael’s words. “That is not in my head.” She said somewhat more firmly. She turned towards Will. “There is a giant spider on you. And my owner is coming for me.” She said. It didn’t matter whether it was a dream or not. It didn’t matter whether she was inside or outside her head. Her owner was coming for her. He would always come for her. Jane screamed.

  “She’s not a very good chameleon.” Aghrael interjected during a pause, attempting to change of subject.

  “If it’s one of the giant ones then it’s still a baby. Maybe that’s why she’s not very good.” Will said, going along with the attempt.

  “He’s coming for me.” Jane shrieked.

  “Um. Probably not.” Aghrael said uncertainly. “We think… we think probably not.”

  “Who are you?” Jane asked incredulously.

  “We’re here to rescue you.” Will repeated, going in for another try. “Really. I know this may seem strange but my mom… Ivy.” He paused, seeing the look in Jane’s eyes. “She’s fine.” He added hastily. “Really, she is. My dad loves her. He takes really good care of her and…”

  Jane dropped her pastry to the floor. The eight legged chameleon, who had been eyeing the pastry from the moment it entered her field of vision, pounced. Chittering in excitement, she dragged the pastry beneath the car’s dashboard, chomping with great enthusiasm. She had been trapped underground for days, and the pastry was delicious.

  Jane closed her eyes, rocking back and forth silently in the back of the car.

  “So this is going well.” Aghrael observed.

  “It might take some time.” Will admitted. “Humans aren’t very resilient. Even after the modifications. We can only work with what we have.”

  ---

  “Their mothers go invisible and carry the babies on their back.” Aghrael said, looking up from his reading as he continued to let the car drive itself. “She’s not doing it wrong, you are. If you were her mom, you would be walking around invisible and her camouflage would work perfectly.”

  “Well I’m not her mom.” Will said with a sigh. “And I like wearing clothes. So she’s just going to have to adapt.”

  “Are we taking her to Cannibal Moon?” Aghrael asked.

  “I’d like to. Do you think we can?”

  Aghrael continued reading. “They can be cryofrozen with no modifications.” He said. “She can probably just go in the cryofreeze tank with you.”

  “That’s good.”

  They both turned back towards Jane. She was still rocking back and forth silently.

  “So, if she has to go to the bathroom” Aghrael began “do you think…”

  Will swallowed nervously. That question had occurred to him, as well. “Hey Jane, why is it different?” He asked.

  Jane’s only response was more rocking.

  “Why is the tax slave registry different from our slave registry?” Aghrael asked, in part to try to get Jane our of her catatonic state, but in part because he was genuinely curious.

  “It’s not a slave registry.” Jane said, still rocking but at a slightly slower pace.

  “But it’s a registry and if you’re on it you have to pay your money to the government, whether you want to or not.” Aghrael pointed out. “You don’t get to choose.”

  “The government doesn’t tell you when to breathe.” Jane whispered. “They don’t put chips in your head.”

  “They do, actually.” Will corrected her. “Maybe in your time they didn’t, back when you left. But that’s just because they didn’t have the tech for it. They do now. It started out with brain implants for paraplegics. Read their brain signals correctly and the paraplegics can walk again. Once the tech exists, people come up with new uses. And it’s cheaper to make a microchip than to house prisoners and pay for prison guards. So now they just put chips in their brains and make them do hard labor until their sentence is up. The humans have been doing it for decades. It’s loads cheaper.”

  “So if you don’t give your money to the government it’s a crime and they put a chip in your brain. It sounds exactly like a slave registry.” Aghrael was not letting it go.

  We’re human! Old Jane thought. They’re lying. They’re twisting the truth. We would not do such things. Humanity is better than this. New Jane thought, of course we would do such things. And I want another pastry. “I want another pastry.” Jane said out loud.

  “Fine.” Aghrael agreed. “But I do not like the screaming.”

  “Mom didn’t think it was slavery either.” Will said later, after Aghrael got Jane another pastry and they were all back in the car. “And she gets pretty sarcastic when talking about the emperor owning all the slaves and the entire planet, apart from what he chooses to sell. It’s true that our taxes are optional, but the empire finds its own funding.”

  “She talks?” Jane whispered. The thought of Ivy in this place made her want to escape into the deepest darkest part of her mind and never, ever return. It broke her heart more than the worst pain she ever experienced.

  “Uh yeah.” Will said, his voice softening slightly. “She talks all the time. It’s not normal what happened to you, Jane. It’s not supposed to be like that. Think about it this way. Every year on old earth there’s some guy who goes nuts and kills his entire family, right? Wife, kids, everyone. But you can’t look at that and say all humans are psychotic killers who kill their families. It’s rare!” Will added firmly, noticing the look on Aghrael’s face.

  “The males kill their own kids?”

  “How is this helping?”

  “I’m not tyring to help. I’m trying to learn.” Aghrael pulled his tablet back out, clearly searching for stories of humans killing their own kids.

  Will sighed.

  “You really are trying to save me?” Jane asked quietly, looking from one of her fellow passengers to the other.

  “I am.” Will nodded. “Aghrael is apparently trying to learn.”

  “You said Ivy was your mother.”

  “She is. Not my biological mom, but she’s my mom. She raised me.”

  “And she’s here because she committed a crime.”

  Will hesitated. “Yes.” He said finally.

  “She killed him?”

  “Yes.” ‘

  Jane nodded, accepting the burden of responsibility for her failure as she accepted everything else. Ivy was here because of her. Ivy had to kill her own father, because Jane failed. And with that acceptance, another small piece of old Jane died. She didn’t deserve to live, with all her failures. “If she really is your mother…” Jane sighed “then she wants you safe. Helping me puts you in danger. You should not do it. Just take me back. Please. Take me back.”

  “We’re not doing that.” Aghrael said. “And no one is in danger. The car is moving in a randomly generated pattern. Even if the bond is not broken, your mate will have a hard time finding you within this short of a time period. And in under two days, we will be on a ship going to the most distant human colony in the galaxy. And whatever is left of your bond, if anything, will not survive over that time and distance. This is the plan. It’s my plan. It’s going to work. And it’s brilliant.”

  “You’re not in my head.” Jane whispered, staring at him.

  “Oh he’s not in anyone’s head.” Will said with a deep suffering sigh. “He could not possibly be in anyone’s head, Jane. That’s how you know he’s real.”

  ---

  Ivy sat in a deep, comfortable armchair overlooking the ocean, ignoring the chill bite in the air.

  "I heard. " Zverel said, putting a blanket around her before sitting down.

  "Jane's owner is dead." Ivy said. She spoke quietly, as if afraid someone might overhear. Which in fact, she was.

  "And Jane is missing."

  "I'm so sorry. I only wanted to see if she was all right. I never imagined... but you knew. You knew something was deeply wrong. You and Will both."

  "Yes."

  "You lied." Ivy said accusingly. "You're not supposed to do that. It's one of your more endearing qualities."

  "That remains nearly always true." Zverel said with a shrug.

  "That's not the same at all."

  "I have other endearing qualities."

  "I'm sorry I put Will in danger. Truly. I didn't understand. And if you had just told me the truth..."

  "He overheard by accident. And once he had, it was already too late."

  Ivy's fingers tightened on the blanket. "Will he get caught?" She asked, the tension in her voice sharp enough to cut.

  "Hell, even I don't understand how they did it."

  "They?"

  "It was definitely Will and that giant boy. And they definitely did it. And I'll tell you something else. They lied about the date of their departure. They left three days after they said they did. Aghrael's father knows this as well."

  "And you only tell me now?!"

  Zverel winced.

  "Is my son alive?"

  "The boys are fine. And Jane is with them."

  "How can you possibly know that?! And how will I ever know if your answer is the truth." Ivy snapped.

  Unexpectedly, Zverel grinned. "Because you can talk to him. And to Jane."

  "That's impossible.""

  "Should be, if it weren't for the giant boy. Apparently, he brought his own quantum communicator with him. And he thinks it can handle audio."

  "Are they lying to us?" Ivy asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

  "Even if they are, once you talk to them, you'll know they're all alive. We're going to visit Aghrael's father later tonight. He's expecting us."