The Search For WondLa (17 page)

CHAPTER 30: HOPE

Before we
continue, I need assurances that you shall be respectful of my study,” Zin said, floating down the dimly lit hall. They approached a door identical to the one that had led to the taxidermy lab. “Give your word, Eva Nine: no mischief.”

“Yes,” Eva said, happy to be out of the horrible lab. “I won’t wreck your study. You have my word.”

“Very good,” Zin replied as he waved a hand over a central eye on the door, causing the door to slide open. “You may enter.”

“I’ll tell you about the glyph, but before we continue …” Eva paused at the doorway, looking him up and down. “Give me your word that you’ll help me out of here.”

“I will aid in your release by all available means,” Zin replied, crossing his arms. “You have my word.”

Eva nodded and stepped into Zin’s grand chamber. The domed skylighted room was darkened, as twilight stained the world outside in a deep blue. Gigantic tuliplike fixtures ringed the work space, their exteriors crisscrossed with numerous diamond-shaped pull drawers. A low, wide circular table dominated the center of the study, and was covered with preserved plants, animals, artifacts, and various tools. Directly overhead an impressive chandelier hung from the latticework ceiling, reminding Eva of a curled starfish, with each tiny tube foot emitting a glow of candlelight.

“Please, allow me to remove these,” Zin said, cutting Eva’s binds. “This is
Morrenia laquem
, or straintwine as it is commonly referred to.” He placed the cords that had bound her onto his worktable. “It’s an indigenous plant species whose stems naturally contract when one pulls against them. Quite an ingenious defense against would-be herbivores.”

Eva rubbed her forearms where the straintwine had been wrapped. “Yeah, I’m aware of it.” Her memory flickered to Besteel stringing her and Rovender up by the foot.

“Ah, now it should be apparent that I intend you no harm.” Zin hovered in front of Eva, looking at the marking on her wrist. “So, elucidate this mysterious glyph for me. Tell me, how did you acquire it?”

“First, you tell me,” Eva said, pointing a finger at the floating being, “why do you kill everything you catch and put it on display?”

“I?” Zin was affronted. “
I
don’t terminate any life-forms. That is the responsibility of the taxidermist. My position is to pursue knowledge through observation and study. Only then can one truly understand an organism.”

“How can you understand anything by killing it?” Eva turned away from him.

“True, it must perish, Eva Nine, but it is a representation, an exponent for its species.” Zin’s eyes sparkled as he floated around his study under the dark cloudy sky outside. He continued, “There exists a vast wealth of knowledge one can acquire by simply peeling away our outer layers and examining what lies inside. Now, you could surmise that within all living organisms there exists a constant, a blueprint, if you will, that is alike no matter what form or environment the organism thrives in. But you would be erroneous in your theorem. There exists no constant, only variables, and yet all organisms strive toward a common goal.”

“And what goal is that?” Eva looked at the collection of plants and animals on Zin’s desk.

“To understand that, Eva Nine, is to understand one of the universe’s biggest mysteries: Why are we here?” Zin floated next to her, a look of self-satisfaction on his round face.

“But couldn’t you just ask? Talk about it?” Eva opened a drawer. It was full of vocal transcoders. She picked one up, speaking to herself, “So much more can be garnered by simply inviting one in.”

“Come again?” Zin glided to her.

“It’s nothing.” She turned to him. “I’m sure that the water bear you killed could have told you much more if only you’d asked.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Zin said, closing the drawer. “Those creatures communicate through primitive means, likely for herd socialization, caretaking of offspring, and mating. I’ve studied numerous homologous life-forms on several similar planets.”

“You’re wrong. They talk,” Eva replied, putting her hand on her hip. “I have a pet water bear named Otto, and he speaks to me all the time.”

“That’s complete and utter nonsense.” Zin crossed his many arms.

Eva sauntered around the large table. “Well, what about this: If you killed and skinned
me
, you’d never know where or how I got this mark, or who I got it from,” she retorted.

Zin dropped down in front of her, his voice hushed. “No more games, Eva Nine. I need to know the whereabouts of the individual that placed this glyph upon you.”

“Why?” Eva crossed her arms.

“Why? I am not going to entertain your inquiries. Simply—”

“Tell me why,” Eva cut him off. “And tell me where you got the jackvest and Omnipods and the other stuff… . Then I’ll tell you.”

“Jack … vest? Omnipods? Are these the given names of the artifacts featured in the museum’s collection?” Zin asked.

“Tell me where you got them,” Eva said.

“You tell me first,” Zin’s chirrupy voice was rising.

Eva said nothing.

“If you do not cooperate, Eva Nine,” Zin threatened, wagging a stumpy finger at her, “I will be forced to return you to the taxidermist’s lab.”

Eva swallowed, suppressing a shudder. “Go ahead. Do it.”

Zin floated centimeters away from Eva’s face. She could see that his ivory skin was covered in a fine white down—more like a peach and less like the mushroom texture of Arius.

She held her breath. Held her ground.

“Agh! Very well.” Zin blinked and turned from her, floating toward the door. With a wave of his hand, a mechanism within the door locked. While his back was still turned, Eva flicked off the AnatoScan monitoring system on her tunic and searched for the Omnipod. It was lying with the other possessions on Zin’s cluttered worktable. She inched toward them.

“Do you know the meaning of the symbol that has been inscribed upon you?” Zin bobbed near Eva.

She shrugged her shoulders.

“It has many interpretations,” Zin explained, floating around her. “The circle within a circle. It may mean ‘rebirth’ or ‘reawakening,’ like a yolk incubating within the eggshell.”

Eva uncrossed her arms and looked down at the mark.

“It may also be interpreted as ‘world within a world’ or ‘a hidden world.’” Zin stopped in front of her. “That is, if you believe such superstitions. If you do, then only time will reveal its true meaning to you.”

Eva watched as Zin took her hand. He ran his small fingers over the mark and said in a solemn tone, “It is also the marking of someone I know. You have encountered my sister Arius. A sister I have not spoken to for a very long time.”

Eva listened.

Zin sighed. “You see, I am one of four siblings. I have a brother and two sisters. We arrived on this planet many centuries ago, invited personally by His Majesty, King Ojo, to accompany him on the voyage here to Orbona.”

Eva grabbed her SustiBar from the table and unwrapped it. “Is he Queen Ojo’s husband?” she asked.

“Queen Ojo’s father,” Zin answered. “To say that I was enthusiastic about journeying here would be an understatement. I long for discovery and illumination gained from venturing into unfamiliar territory. However, after we arrived, and commenced construction of the city, there were … complications.”

Eva sat cross-legged on the tabletop next to her belongings. She took a bite of the oatmeal-colored bar. “Complications?” she said. “Like what?”

Zin’s chirrupy voice became low. “Mainly with my sister Darius, who abhorred this place. As soon as we landed here, she was continually haunted by visions of its brutal and violent past—a past that she tried to block out. Yet she was bombarded by dark memories in her dreams at night and meditations by day. Eventually she fled, looking for refuge—a meadow, a lake, a mountain that had only a peaceful past … a place of tranquillity.” Zin drifted low to the floor, like a fallen leaf. “She isolated herself from the rest of us. I never heard from her again.”

Eva furrowed her brow. “But I didn’t meet Daria.”

“Darius, no,” Zin corrected her, his voice soft. “You met Arius. Darius died under mysterious circumstances some time ago.”

“Oh, no,” Eva said, setting her SustiBar down. “I’m sorry.”

“My brother and other sister were, understandably, upset.” Zin fluttered back up, toward the skylight. “They wanted to find her and depart from Orbona immediately.”

Eva watched as he looked out into the night sky. “But you didn’t, did you?” she asked.

“I had given my word to the Ojo family to remain here as an adviser. I could not disavow my responsibilities to them, or to myself.” Zin gazed outside, unmoving. “My family abandoned me, then dissolved communication with me.” There was resentment in his voice. “They simply did not understand the pressures I was dealing with.”

“But they are your siblings,” Eva said in earnest. “Do you know how lucky you are to
have
a brother and sister?”

“Luck has nothing to do with it, Eva Nine,” Zin said, and sniffed. He fluttered back down to her. “But, as you suggested regarding the tardigrade, I need to speak with them. Starting with Arius.”

“Why?” Eva leaned forward, curious.

“I am intrigued about the circumstances surrounding my sister’s death. But that is neither here nor there as far as you are concerned.” It was apparent that Zin was losing his patience. “So now, tell me, where does Arius reside?”

“Are you going to see her?” Eva asked. She wondered what the Halcyonus would think of another like Arius floating into their village.

“I’ve not exited these secure grounds since we settled here,” Zin replied. “But I feel it is time. I need to see my sister.”

“She told me my future, you know,” Eva said, looking down at the mark in her skin.

“Did she?” Zin chuckled. “Can you recall any of her ramblings?”

Eva closed her eyes, focusing on the words that Arius had recited. “She did say something about being held in a court.” Her eyes remained shut as she tried to conjure the rest of the fortune.

“That very well could be Solas.” Zin rubbed his chin in thought. “You have certainly been
held
here.”

A flash flickered through Eva’s brain. “Wait! There was something about a sibling setting me on my way… . Maybe that’s you!”

Zin turned to Eva. “Maybe. What
way
do you seek, Eva Nine?”

Eva thought of the WondLa. It was a small, brittle insignificant scrap compared to all the objects housed here in the Royal Museum. Still, it was
her
scrap—she’d found it. Someone had left it for her to find.

“I want to know where all the humans are. My people.” Eva felt a renewed vigor. “I saw all the stuff in the exhibit. Where did it come from?”

“There exists a remote location—quite a considerable distance from here. I am told one has to cross a vast and dangerous desert to locate this cursed place. The few relics we have were obtained with tremendous effort. Many explorers venture out to this wasteland, but few return. However, those who do, describe the awe-inspiring remains of an ancient civilization, buried in the sand,” Zin said, inspecting a corroded fork.

Eva’s mind flashed again.

Sand.

She recited, “‘In the sands of time, the nymph will find the answer to the question that has plagued thy very soul.’”

Eva stared at Zin for a moment, processing.

“I have to go to this ancient city,” Eva said, her mind putting pieces in place.

“And, according to Arius, I am to aid you,” Zin replied.

“There I will find my people!” Eva felt giddy.

“I would be careful with your assumptions, Eva Nine.” Zin floated up to one of the top drawers and pulled it open. “I would surmise that your ‘people,’ as you say, were there at some point. However, based on the items we’ve unearthed, it was likely in the distant past.”

“But they could just be living underground, like I was.” Eva scooped up the Omnipod, and her other things, and slipped them into her pockets.

“It is in ruins, Eva. I have seen it many times before. Civilizations simply cannot prosper for long before they destroy themselves,” said Zin as he rummaged through the drawer.

“But I have to go,” Eva said, hopping off the table. “I need to know for sure.”

Zin glided back down to her. In one hand he held a crystal, roughly hewn in the shape of a cube, while another hand wrapped colored threads around it, making a binding. As Zin finished, he tied the threads off in a long loop, creating a necklace. He placed it over Eva’s neck. “This will reveal to you where it is you long to go. Simply shine light into it,” he instructed.

Eva grasped the crystal, squinting at its frosted veneer. “Thank you, Zin,” she said, looking up at the being.

“You are welcome.” He watched her with tiny sparkling eyes.

“Your sister is in Lacus. She lives in a small hut in the topmost tier on the second tower from the shoreline.”

Zin nodded in thanks.

“I hope you find her, and I hope you work things out,” Eva said, nodding back. She thought of Muthr.

“Be wary, Eva Nine.” Zin folded his many hands together. “For hope is a fair-weather friend at best.”

CHAPTER 31: OKAY

Eva curled
up under a thick blanket inside one of the large drawers in Zin’s study. The gnomish being had left to inform Queen Ojo that he would be “observing” Eva in hopes of learning more about her mysterious species.

With the room empty and dim, Eva attempted contact with Muthr. She wasn’t sure how Zin would react to her communicating with the robot, so she waited until she was alone. To Eva’s delight, there was a message already on the Omnipod.

“Eva, dear,” Muthr’s head said, floating over the device, “I am unharmed at the moment. Besteel captured me over the water, leaving poor Mr. Kitt and Otto behind. I was then taken to a camp deep in the woods, where the malicious brute kept me tethered to a tree, along with several other animals that he had captured.” Static fuzzed through the message as the robot continued, “From there, it seemed like he was in communication with someone, though I could not gather with whom. I did not want to risk contacting you at the camp, for fear that he might learn of your well-being. Currently, however, I am in a net underneath his glider and, from the landmarks I have seen, en route to Solas. I do not know when we shall arrive, nor do I know what fate awaits me. Perhaps you already have discovered it. But I hope that, regardless, I am there with you. Stay strong, my dear.”

“End of messages,” the Omnipod finished.

“Can you contact Muthr, please?” Eva whispered into the Omnipod.

“Attempting voice connection to Multi-Utility Task Help Robot zero-six … ,” the device whispered back.

Eva peeked out from her makeshift bed. She was still alone.

“Apologies, Eva Nine,” the Omnipod said. “I am experiencing interference from Muthr’s current location. I would suggest we try again shortly.”

“Is she okay?” Eva stared at the device’s glowing central eye.

“Most likely,” it replied. “Her last transmission was over open water. There was considerable electrical activity in the atmosphere when she sent her message. It is probably interfering with our attempted connection now.”

“Okay,” Eva exhaled, letting the stress of the day escape from her body. She looked at her injured hand. Her two broken fingers throbbed with a dull ache above the knuckle, but they were tied up, safe in her makeshift splint. The bandage over her palm was hardened from glue and dried blood. She would have to remove the bandage and clean the wound soon.

Muthr can help me,
she thought.
It will be perfect. Besteel brings Muthr here. I convince Zin to free her, and we go to the ancient city, where we’ll find humans and live happily ever after.

Exhausted, Eva pulled the blanket over her head and fell into a deep slumber.

Through the skylighted domed roof sunlight shone down on Eva Nine’s face. With a yawn she stretched and crawled out of her drawer bed. She soon realized that the Omnipod was chirping for her attention. Eva scanned the room—Zin was nowhere to be found. “This is Eva Nine,” she said. “Proceed.”

“Good morning, Eva Nine,” the device replied. “I tracked Muthr zero-six’s progress throughout the night, allowing you some rest.”

“Where is she now?” Eva pulled her sneakboots on.

“In this building, at your prior holding location,” the Omnipod reported.

“The taxidermy room!” Eva grabbed the heavy blanket and pulled it over her head, like a hood, and exited Zin’s study.

The vacant corridor leading to the taxidermist’s lab was a short distance. Even so, Eva kept her head down and walked without hesitation for fear of being discovered. She arrived at the entrance to the lab and listened at the closed door.

“There’s someone talking in there for sure,” she whispered to herself.

But who?
she thought.
If Besteel is in there, I’m done for.

Eva breathed into the Omnipod, “Can you detect the sounds in this room?”

“Yes,” the device replied. “Simply place the Omnipod flat against a wall surface. Then place your ear next to the Omnipod.” An animated three-dimensional diagram illustrated the directions.

“Got it,” Eva said, looking around the empty corridor. She placed the device flat against the door.

“… not quite sure what you’d like me to do next,” the taxidermist was saying. “I tried the usual euthanasia, but it had no effect. And it doesn’t speak in a universal tongue, so I have no idea what it’s saying.”

“Hmmm.” Zin was in the room. “Besteel is meeting with Her Majesty to report the exact circumstances surrounding these two. It is astonishing to me that an ancient race has somehow survived against such catastrophic odds.”

“That it is,” the taxidermist replied. “The other one is still in your custody? It didn’t wreak havoc like it did in here?”

“Not at all.” Zin’s voice sounded confident. “We discussed some of its primitive society last night, but it was weary, likely from acclimation here. I am hoping to learn more before we prepare her for display.”

Eva grimaced.

“Let’s prepare these other specimens that have been delivered,” Zin ordered.

“As you wish, Curator,” the taxidermist replied. “And the organic machine?”

There was zeal in Zin’s voice. “It is an amazing find. A crude, yet functioning, relic fabricated from extinct hands. I cannot wait to thoroughly disassemble it to discover how it functions.”

He’s talking about Muthr!

“It’s time we get out of here. All of us,” Eva said. She reached into her tunic pocket and pulled out Zin’s pillar guard remote.

I’m glad he didn’t see me swipe this when I grabbed the Omnipod back,
she thought. Aiming the remote at the nearest pillar guard, Eva waved her hand over the three lights. The eyes of the towering guard opened, focusing downward at the girl as it blatted a greeting.

“Follow me,” she commanded, “and do as I say.” Eva opened the large circular door to the laboratory.

“Eva Nine!” Zin’s tiny eyes were wide with a look of surprise. “What’s this?” The giant pillar guard stepped in behind her.

“Not again!” the taxidermist moaned, scurrying away. In the center of the room was a cell containing a robot.

“Muthr!” Eva was relieved to see that the robot was unharmed. Eva scanned the room for the hiding taxidermist. She spied his squat body behind a cell full of fluttering insects and called out to him, “Release the robot, or the pillar guard starts destroying.”

“Eva Nine,” Zin said, approaching Eva. “This is not the best way to handle—”

“Now!” Eva yelled. The taxidermist aimed a remote at Muthr’s cell, causing the walls to dissipate. The robot rolled over to Eva. “Come on, let’s go!” Eva said, keeping her eyes locked on Zin as she backed out of the room and into the corridor. The pillar guard followed, and the large door slid shut behind them.

“Lock it!” she commanded the pillar guard. The giant jammed one of his clawed hands into the door, causing it to buckle so that it could no longer open.

Eva turned to Muthr. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, dear! Are you?” Muthr embraced her. “I am so happy to see you!” She paused, giving Eva the once-over. “Oh, dear! What happened to your hand?”

“Don’t worry, Muthr. I’ll be fine,” Eva replied, a bit sheepish. “At least this time I remembered IMA.”