-Shila Zakharov,
"The Words of the Created."
The air was cool and crisp in the gardens of Gaia's Landing…a little too crisp for Zakharov's tastes. He was more used to the warm plains where University Base was located. Deirdre, however, seemed to thrive in the 'autumn' air. As they walked, the flowers and plants around them swayed at her very presence. It was always awe-inspiring to see the connection she'd attained with Planet.
Deirdre spoke, breaking his thoughts. "How is Shila?"
Zakharov suppressed a sigh. "Not as well as I'd like. We've been trying so hard to discover the coding I used for her own programming, but as far as we can tell, it was lost in the war…I'd never kept her program in my Datalinks, in fear they might've been found."
Deirdre raised her hand, and a long green vine moved off just slightly so it wouldn't be in their way as they walked. "So no children for you two yet, I concur."
Zakharov's lips curled downwards. Deirdre didn't exactly have a talent for tact. "No, Deirdre…not yet. What about you? Any Gaians who the wonderful leader might take to?"
Deirdre smiled...musing internally on some deep thought, Zakharov presumed. "No, no…there is no need for me to have children. All of Planet is both my children and my mother…we are one."
Zakharov shook his head. "No, no, silly girl, I didn't say anything about children. I'm talking about love."
Deirdre motioned for him to sit down at a small bench on the side of the path. She sat down next to him. "No, Zakharov…not now anyways. Maybe in a couple hundred years."
Zakharov decided not to press the issue. A silent moment passed as they watched the citizens scurry by, in a hurry to some unknown destination. Zakharov could only wonder where they were off to in such a hurry. Then again, he thought to himself, they don't live forever.
Deirdre looked up at the sky and closed her eyes. "Did you receive the data from the satellites today, regarding Morgan?"
Zakharov shook his head. "No, I was asleep on the flight here. What was it about?"
Deirdre looked at him, her hands rested on her knees. "More killings. More violence. The people of Morgan Industries are about ready to take up arms and demand revolt."
Zakharov brushed a gray hair away from his eyes. "I feel for Morgan."
Deirdre smiled humorlessly. "No, you don't. You know exactly why this is happening to him."
Zakharov shrugged. "It's not my fault he doesn't buy from me. He knew damned well that the world was turning to the University for new technological advances. His own arrogant pride of seeming inferior is getting the better of him, and thus, he's losing control of the people who are in second-rate cities in a second-rate faction."
"You know, Zakharov, you were once losing control of your faction, just as he is now."
Zakharov laughed. "No thanks to you, I might add. Besides, as I heard from Sheng-Ji, he demanded a huge amount of money before he would even consider coming to my aid. Why should I help, if he wouldn't help me? I'd say he's getting his just deserts."
The Gaian leader nodded her head. "The world depends on everyone else, nowadays. If you're not in the loop, you're way out of it, neh?"
Zakharov smiled. "I suppose so."
The two stood up from the bench and began to walk down the garden's path. Fields upon fields of grasses and plants grew in the many shelted gardens of Gaia's Landing…it almost made it odd to think that they also still held control of the greatest army on Planet. Not exactly your harmless tree-huggers, these Gaians.
Zakharov knew there was no point in beating around the bush with Deirdre. "Deirdre…you know why I'm here."If she did know, she was stalling. "To visit me, of course."
"I could've done that on my monitor. I came here to look her in the eyes."
No clarification was needed. "Zakharov, you know I can't do that."
Zakharov swallowed. "I've been having nightmares, recently."
Deirdre cocked an eyebrow at him. "Clarify."
"It's her. She threatens to kill me and Shila, soon."
Deirdre shrugged. "Then it's a lie. She's still got three hundred and seventy years to go."
Zakharov looked at her with desperate eyes. "It's her, Deirdre. I can feel her presence in my soul."
Deirdre closed her hands together. "Prokhor, even if I wanted to, I couldn't. Not without unanimous agreement from the council. Even freeing her once to the outside world would be a danger to the program."
Zakharov nodded. "Can you at least ask some technicians to figure out why I'm getting these dreams?"
Deirdre nodded. "Listen, if you want to stay the night, I can ready up the VIP quarters. Go wander around the garden a little bit, and when they're ready, I'll send a cadet after you."
Zakharov nodded. "Thank you, Deirdre."
She nodded and walked off towards the doors that reentered the base, leaving Zakharov curious about Meskha. If what Deirdre was saying was true, she hasn't seen the outside world in a hundred years...even for a few seconds.
Good, he thought to himself, walking towards flowers, thinking of brighter things.