"Mike please…" I begged kneeling in front of the wall in my room. "We talked now 16 hours about that and I promise you to treat you like a crew member now, but please… Please! Can we end this conversation now?"
"No!" the stern and intransigent voice from the ceiling echoed like a cruel joke told by a nasty jester through my thousand tons heavy head. "I want to discuss this. Why did you assume that I´m not a real part of this crew?"
"Here it goes again." I sighed. "I am sorry that I said that, really really sorry. You are a real and valuable crew member. Please just open the doors now and let me go."
"Nope." replied Mike in a way that sounded almost derisive.
"Please! I do everything…"
"Everything you say… I have an idea."
That sounded more than weird, hoping that Mike didn´t mean that what my dirty mind thought about I asked. "And… what?"
"I want you… wait, what do you thought what I thought?"
"Well… this sentence sounds always like sexual harassment so…"
"Oh dammit Isaac!" Shouted the computer realizing what I meant. "Get your dirty mind out of the dirty gutter and into a cleaner surrounding!"
"I will, but tell me what you want now!"
"I want the controls about the activation of my emotion routines and the FDU should be online all the time."
"You can´t put that idea right out of your mind, Mike." What he demanded was maybe not impossible, but it was something I personally not wanted to do.
The computer was almost almighty on this ship. When its FDU, free decision unit, was on it could decide on its own authority what every device on this ship should do. There were of course important functions of the ship that Mike couldn´t control but as I mentioned he is almost almighty. And I wasn´t willing to create an emotionally unstable demigod.
"I know that you can do it! And if you want to get out of this room I would think about my suggestions."
I wanted to say something, threat him, reason with him or even beg him but a loud noise coming from my stomach prevented me from any further attempts.
"Oh… it seems like someone is hungry."
"No that was just a malfunction… of some intern… uhm…"
"Seems like you missing something in your stomach so that your brain has enough energy to think properly again, or am I mistaken?"
"No I… I can make it much longer without food." I protested.
"Maybe… but no matter how long you can stand the absence of food, I can double the time keeping the doors closed."
I tried in that moment not to listen to the quiet voice in my head that tried to talk the consequences of that nice. And I especially not tried to listen to this damn loud noise that reminded me of every dinner I ever had.
I knew that I couldn´t stand this torture any longer. I had to decisions now. The first was giving in to Mike´s demands and do what he wants, the second was banging my head against the edge of the table nearby. If I fall unconsciousness he would be forced to alarm someone who would bring me to the sick bay.
Mike was programmed to save lifes so he had to do that. Otherwise, I needed my head for working as a scientist. So that was ruled out, but I wouldn´t gave in to his demands too… at least not completely. "Fine…" I growled. "But only if I´m allowed to enlarge your FDU emergency shutdown routine. And I won´t trade about that."
"You can put that idea right out your head Isaac! I mean do you really think I let you just tinker with this important routine?"
"I won´t trade!" I replied defiantly.
"Yeah, me too! The doors stay closed."
"Okay, whatever." I meant shrugging and stood up from my kneeling position just to kneel down in front of the table nearby again. I had no other choice risk my head
"Don´t dare doing that Isaac!" shouted Mike realizing what I was up to.
"Then don´t make me do this!" slowly I leaned my head back ready to swing it hard against the table. And that would have happened if Mike hadn´t screamed these releasing words "Okay, I give in!"
I braked my head so close to the edge that I could almost kiss it.
"Then open the door."
"Okay okay… but we have a deal." Asked Mike so unsure that I had almost forgot that I speak with a computer, an actually determined machine.
"Of course. You don´t make me crack my skull and I will give you the controls and edit the emergency routine. Now open the doors!"
"As you wish."
A bit shaky but feeling released I stood up and walked through the door. It felt good not to be a hostage of this demigod anymore. I don´t want to go so far to say that this felt like getting my life back, because actually the threat wasn´t so big, but again I realized what a great gift life was.
And again I started hatting my job. It´s hard to be the only scientist in the whole alliance that develops weapons. But after the Myrt-peace-pact 600 years ago –where the alliance, the league and union ended the war- the weapon research was frowned upon. The people wanted peace and no more war, death or weapons.
Another reason why people didn´t like me, I also don´t like war or death but I know that to secure peace you have to prepare for war. Nobody starts a beating with the two meter high body builder, right?
I shuffled, starved as I was, to the ship´s canteen. A place where people with a special ability work, the ability to create awful tasting food from the best ingredients. I once saw how they managed to burn cornflakes. But unfortunately the bad food wasn´t just a problem of the Leviathan´s canteen, all canteens on board of all ships had the problem that the employees there had no idea what they did.
That was also the main reason why all members of the alliance fleet where in relative good shape but also always hungry and a bit aggressive and mentally unstable. I sometimes wondered if there´s a school that teaches how to cook epically bad.
With a tray in my hand I queued up in a fast moving row, fast moving because I was the only one in it, and after about twenty seconds I stood in front of the bored looking guy with a hairnet who smacked my tray with his ladle. A peculiar looking brown-yellow paste wobbled in front of me.
With a pretended grin I left the counter and walked over towards the tables. The canteen was empty but that wasn´t so unusual. It was about 1a.m. and the most crew member were in their beds. Except the captain who sat on one of the hovering white table tops that fitted perfect in the ships entire design.
I didn´t want to eat alone so I put my tray on the table next to powers and myself on the hovering bench which looked like the table just not so broad.
"Ah, hi Isaac." Meant Powers poking the mush in front of him with a fork.
"What do we have here, Captain?" I replied as I also began to deal with the stuff on the tray.
"Well, maybe thin strips of meat cooked in a sauce with exotic fruits… what would explain the yellow-brown color." He meant and put a fork loaded with the stuff in his mouth. I´ve never seen a face changed from normal to disgusted so fast.
"Okay. And how is it?" I asked a little amused.
"If the stuff is just a bit worse it had weapons-grade."
"Ha! Funny captain." I giggled.
"Yeah yeah… you just laugh because you haven´t tasted it. Come on, eat it!"
"Uhm… No!"
"That´s an order, Isaac" said Powers sternly.
I bit intimidated by Powers tone I also ate a bit of the so called food. I don´t want to try to explain how it tasted. It would be like trying to catch fog with bare hands. Pointless.
"Oh my … Oh damn… oh… what… how…why?!" I stammered spitting it back on the tray. It was odd but the stuff I had spitted out looked much better than before. "Why did you do that to me Sly?"
"Because it´s damn funny! But mostly because Meternagel sleeps right now and no one was here to entertain me. You know I like… Oh, look over there." Powers pointed with his fork towards the entrance of the canteen where a pretty tired seeming alien Dudley Puppy stood.
"Seems like the Butcher is done and his victim is free again." I whispered while waving my hand so that Dudley could see us. I know that this was a bit unnecessary because we were the only one here but I thought it would show him that we appreciate his presence.
"Hey, guys" panted Dudley exhausted as he arrived at the table.
"Hmm… Ryan did his worst, huh?" asked the captain grinning.
"Yes" The dog flopped down beside me on the bench and laid his head on the table top.
"Well, that´s why I hired him. But don´t worry, you´ll be fighting fit in a few days again." Powers patted in his forceful, almost brutal, way on Dudley´s shoulder.
"Thank you uhm… Magnum."
Powers began to beam like a little child as he heard his self chosen byname. "You´re welcome. See Isaac, it´s gaining acceptance."
"Sly, that´s just a name you gave yourself. You can´t just invent nicknames for yourself." I protested.
"I can. Why? Because I´m the god damn Sly Magnum Powers." He said ending his superior argumentation.
"But nicknames just happen. You cannot create them. I mean I cannot start calling myself 'Rockstar' or something…"
"Yeah, you can´t. But as I mentioned, I am Sly Powers." He repeated while saying his name in a very heroic way. "And let us not forget that you already have a byname. Or am I wrong 'Death Professor'?"
"Oh come on! Not his again. You know how I hate this name."
"Well, I think 'Death Professor' isn´t so bad." Dudley yawned with his head still on the table top.
"I know. But Isaac is always so thin-skinned… Oh, by the way, you need a nickname too."
"But I want a cool one!" Dudley meant raising his head up.
"Hmm… You came in a rocket. How about…"
"I hate to interrupt your profound conversation…" I called sarcastically in. "…but Dudley what did the Doc said about your medical condition?"
"Doctor Ryan said that I´m fit as a fiddle and…" he began to stare with greedy eyes on the captain´s tray in front of him. "Do you want to eat that?"
"Uhm… you can have it if you like." Powers pushed the food over to Dudley and I could see how he bit his tongue trying not to burst into laughter.
But his mood changed from amused to shocked because Dudley cleaned the tray and uttered a satisfied burp. "That´s good stuff!"
"Sure… Sure that really everything is alright with you?" I asked exchanging stares full of disbelieve with the captain.
"Yep, I´m alright. Well, of course there is still this thing with my memory. I still have no idea what happened before I got up. Just have this one name in my mind… Kitty."
"Kitty, huh?" I meant pensively.
"Yeah… I have no idea who this is."
"It´s a female name so a woman… or a transvestite with a pretty nice name." I meant scratching my chin.
"The transvestites I know had quite worse names." The captain commented my thesis baldly.
After a short break in which Dudley and I stared at him shocked I asked "From where do you know transvestites?"
"Well there was this one night on a planet somewhere in alpha… I… I mean that was… I have to go." Powers ended his stammered explanation attempt and stood with a crimson red face up and left the canteen as fast as he could.
"Okay, that was..."
"Weird?" completed Dudley.
"Yes, kind of… Anyway, we need to think how we can give you your memory back. There are a whole lot of possible procedures that could help us with that."
"Then, if we really have to start now, take the one that is less exhausting."
I nodded agreeing with him and put a little holographic projector on the table. "Concluding from the technical standards of your spaceships and the data of its onboard computer I have collected a selection of a few things that were normal for a culture of this time… Well, of course just of our culture but maybe you can recognize something." I pushed a little button on the cone shaped device that was just as big as a coin and a realistic looking 3D image of ancient device flashed up.
It was a little black box thing with a screen. I once read that people communicated over long distances with those things. I was lucky that I don´t have to carry such a bulky device around. I was glad that I had my implants and that´s all I need to communicate over long distances.
"Does this give you any ideas?"
"Hmm… I know what this is. That´s a smartphone."
"Smartphone?" I snorted disdainfully. "That thing doesn´t even have an AI that is able to execute the easiest logical thinking processes."
"It´s just called like that." Replied Dudley annoyed.
"Yeah okay… But does this is bringing any memories to your mind?"
"Nope… give me the next one."
With the words "As you wish" I pushed the button once again and this time a picture of a gathering of old buildings became visible.
"This is a city." Said Dudley immediately as he saw it. "I used to life in a city."
"That´s great!" I praised. "What was the name of the city."
"P..Pe..Petropolis… Yes, Petropolis!"
"Good. What do you also know? And how is this connected with Kitty?"
Dudley closed his eyes now and thought a bit harder. "She also lived there… yes… like… Keswick."
"Okay, what´s Keswick? Another person? A drink? A disease? Have you been infected with Keswick?"
"I don´t think so… no disease… maybe a person but… oh come, on why is that so hard?" Again his head sunk onto the table top.
"It is okay Dudley." I meant sympathetically. "That is like trying to remember a dream… even if it was real and has happened. I think the best thing now is that you go and catch some sleep. And then we try this tomorrow with less lethargic minds. What do you think?"
"That sounds like a plan." Whispered Dudley completely exhausted and almost asleep.
"Hey, stay awake!" I ordered poking him with my fork. "If you go to sleep now the whole crew will surround you when you will wake up here tomorrow. Most of them still haven´t seen the 'alien'."
But these words didn´t received Dudley anymore. He was already far away in a world ruled by fantasy. Good for him but bad for me because I had to drag his sleeping body to his cabin. But, hey, somebody has to do this, right? As I lifted his body on my shoulder I was just hoping that dragging him around wouldn´t become a habit.
-Well, seems like Dudley´s memory is returning slowly. But will he manage to get his whole memory back? And what happened in Petropolis after Dudley left? We´ll see in the next chapter. Stay tuned and tell me what you think. :D-
