(Seven)
Kane's group of people joined them just after sunset. They had traveled on foot through the rocky canyon and were dirty and tired. They opened up their tents and set up camp just outside of the ship. There was about twenty people, mostly women and children. The kids were laughing and dove into the nearby water, splashing and playing around while the evening meal was being prepared. Someone had shot an animal that looked like a deer and it was soon roasting on a huge spit. The Clan did not seem to be concerned about the fires attracting attention and were relaxed and comfortable. Fallen came out to greet them soon after they arrived. She spoke briefly with Kane and then went back inside her ship.
Logan wandered out, checking out the people as they settled down. They were dressed mostly in furs and leather, reminding him of Native Americans. The tents and sleeping rolls were made of the same. These people had been living off of the land for a long time and were well adapted to it. They carried only crude weapons such as bows and swords, no guns that he could see.
They seemed happy enough, although the men were clearly dominant here. The women deferred to the men and did all of the cooking and serving. They kept their eyes down and wouldn't look at him directly although they appeared unafraid by his presence here.
He saw Kane sitting by a fire eating roasted meat. He sat down next to him and accepted a good sized steak from a woman who served him. It smelled wonderful and he was grateful. He thanked her and noted her surprise at his courtesy.
He ate his meal and turned to Kane, making conversation. "I see you had a good hunt. Maybe next time I'll join you."
"You'd be most welcome. Are you a good hunter?"
"You could say that," he answered cryptically. Logan had been known to take down big game with his claws alone when he wanted the challenge. Logan never used guns to hunt. He thought it was unfair, there was no sport in it if you didn't get up close.
"Your friend is well, eh? I told you we'd take care of him."
"Thanks. Those guys don't eat out?" Logan asked as he jerked a thumb towards the ship, trying to maneuver the conversation.
"Fallen doesn't eat meat. The guys, well, they don't eat at all," Kane said, a strange smile on his face.
Logan blinked. "Excuse me?"
Kane laughed. "They're a program on Fallen's computer. They're not real."
Logan was stunned, but tried to cover it up with a laugh. "Coulda' fooled me. Sure she ain't got them stashed somewhere on board?" Logan was feeling foolish. He should have known, it explained why there were no scents on board and the guys were never around.
"Yes, I am certain. I've seen the whole of the ship. There's no control room, no men. They're just a program Fallen uses to help her with Lucky."
"I've seen lots of strange things in my time, but I've never seen a program that real," Logan said not being entirely honest. The X-men had traveled far and wide, this was not Logan's first trip off world. As they traveled, they picked up bits and pieces of technology from people they've helped. One such group, called the Shi'ar, had given them some wonderful and sophisticated holograms. The X-men used these holograms for training, but never interacted with them as if they were real people, not like Fallen did.
"Where did Fallen get the program?"
"She claims she found the program by accident and she hasn't worked it all out yet. It was damaged and she's been putting it back together again. She's only had them about three years, but they've made a big difference in our raids, Seth mostly. He can talk to the Dognan computers-that's how we found out about you-and he's made Lucky a much faster, more efficient vehicle. I'm not sure exactly what Kimble does besides run his mouth off. Fallen claims he helps her to fly but I don't see how. I know the two guys make some in the Clan nervous because they are so life like, but they don't bother me. Lucky's the fastest ship we have, the most maneuverable. Fallen flies like the angel she is. Who am I to question how she does it? Fallen downplays its significance, but the Clan doesn't give the Honor Sword to just anyone. She worked hard for it, made many sacrifices to get where she is now. She wants to put a pretty face on Lucky, so be it."
"She found this program? Did she say where?"
Kane grunted. "No. She keeps her secrets."
"Secrets and marriage don't mix."
"What do I care of her little secrets? When Lucky is mine I'll have the fastest ship with the best pilot. That's all I care about."
"What do you mean, 'when Lucky is yours'?"
"When Fallen marries me, all that is hers will become mine," Kane laughed. "Really, why else would any one want such a scrawny ugly woman for their wife?"
"Yeah, right," Logan agreed, feeling sick. Fallen was a bitch, but he had a problem with anyone using someone else like that. He rose to go. "Well, I'm beat. Gonna go get some rest."
"Sleep well, my friend," Kane said. He offered his hand and Logan shook it.
Logan walked back up the ramp of the Lucky Dragon and into the main room. He saw a large opening in the floor that hadn't been there before. It was some sort of trap door with a stairway going down to a lower level. He quietly crept down the stairs, all senses alert. The stairs led down to a hallway with a large room at the end. As he walked down to the room on the end, he saw three doors that led to other rooms off the hallway. The first led to a small lavatory with just a shower and a toilet. The second said Storage on the door. It had a security panel that needed a palm print scan to enter. The last door was labeled Engine Room. It, too, required a palm scan. Logan made his way down the hall. This lower level was not as nicely finished as the top, it was more like a basement with hastily painted walls.
He heard voices as he advanced, Fallen, Seth and Maylee were in the room on the end.
"It feels funny... like I've got a bag over my head," Seth was complaining.
"Just relax and breathe... Slowly, you're going too fast," Fallen replied.
Intrigued, Logan went up to the opening of the main room. He didn't enter, but hovered in the doorway, checking out what was gong on. This room was a workshop. One wall was covered with strange tools all neatly hung and arranged. A long work bench ran most of the length of another wall, leaving space for the head of a small bed in the far corner. Opposite the bed on the wall was a medium sized viewing screen.
The workbench held three large computers with monitors. All were on, their screens glowing brightly with information written in symbols Logan couldn't read. Fallen sat in a chair in front of one, her back to Logan. She was busy tapping away at a keyboard and didn't realize he was there.
Maylee sat on the small bed. She didn't notice Logan either because she was too busy watching Seth. Seth stood in the middle of the room with his back to the door, appearing for all the world like a real man. He was making small movements, doing some sort slow moving dance or stretching exercises. Logan could smell everyone in the room except for Seth and he smiled when he realized what was going on. Kane was telling the truth, Seth was a hologram.
For the first time, Logan could see Seth's whole body. He had Fallen's bird like physique of a pilot, but he was in better physical condition so his proportions were normal. He was dressed only in a small, white brief that left almost all of his skin exposed. He would have been easily half again Fallen's body mass had he been real and he looked to be a head taller than her as well. His body was smooth white skin that graduated to soft fur at the waist which continued down his legs. He didn't look quite right as he moved and Logan noticed that it was more like the hologram lacked detail. The image of Seth it reproduced was not as good as he appeared from the control room. It also wasn't as good as the ones the X-men used back home.
Seth's wings were larger than Fallen's with heavier bones and the tips of the wing fingers were clawed. His legs were bent like a cat and he had the strange pawed feet with two toes. He looked like he was having trouble balancing himself as he moved because he was wobbling on his ankles and swaying slightly. He turned his toes in, hoping for better balance, and slid the toe claws slid out, grabbing onto the floor to steady himself. His arms came out at awkward angles as he wobbled all the harder. It was enough for Logan to see that Seth's arms were human with normal hands, not furred and clawed like Fallen's were. He was a mixture of pilot and human, just like Kimble had appeared to be.
And like Kimble, Seth's hair was very long, but white, and his pony tail reached to his waist. What was most striking about him was the long Honor Sword Mark that ran the length of his torso. He was larger than Fallen so the mark was bigger. The emerald woman was bright against the black blade, and commanded attention. The blade was rippling as Seth breathed. He was now gasping for air too quickly, hyperventilating.
"Slow down, Seth. Easy. Small breaths," Fallen said.
Seth stopped moving and stood still with his sides heaving. "I can't get enough air!"
"No, you're getting too much. Slow down."
Fallen rose and went over to him. Logan could now see her computer screen. It showed a diagram of Seth that copied his movements as he made them. Fallen made Seth crouch and put his head down. She rubbed his back gently with her hands, revealing that Seth's hologram body had to be of some sort of solid construction. "Slow down. Easy now," she said and kissed him.
Seth seemed to relax almost immediately with her so close. "Ahrgg! The lights are too bright or something. I don't feel right."
"It's just that you're not used to it. You're trying to do too much."
"This wasn't such a good idea."
"Chicken," Fallen teased. "Where's your sense of adventure?"
"Kimble took it," he joked, then grew serious. "I want to go back."
"Not yet, don't be such a baby." She stroked the hair of his head, petting him like a dog. "I need you out so I can work on the codes. Just a few more minutes. Remember what were doing this for." She kissed him again, this time slowly and passionately on the mouth.
"Okay," Seth said dreamily, enthralled by her touch and obviously wanting to please her. It was clear he was uncomfortable in this new environment, but was willing to do as she asked. She stood and went back to the computer. Seth stayed crouched down with his hands and feet on the floor. His long white pony tail slid over one shoulder and reached the floor as he caught his breath.
Maylee got up and sat next to him, wanting to comfort him. Seth looked at her and smiled, happy she was there.
"You going to be okay?" Maylee asked.
"Yeah, just need to get used to it," he wheezed. He looked up suddenly when he noticed Logan in the doorway. He startled with a shriek and almost fell over. He slid a leg out to balance himself and tried to position himself defensively as if waiting for an attack. His toe claw was large and wicked as it tacked onto the floor. He whined like a dog as he cowered in fear.
Fallen turned and saw Wolverine. "Easy, Seth. I won't let him hurt you," she promised calmly, rising quickly. She moved in between Logan and Seth, shielding him. She faced Wolverine, her chin up and hands fisted. "Can I help you with something?"
"Not really. I was just wondering what you were up to." Logan entered the room, walking carefully around Fallen to get a better look at the hologram. "New toy?" he teased arrogantly.
Seth still crouched as he was but balled one hand into a fist. There was no trust there.
Maylee stood up, blocking Seth from Wolverine. "What do you want?" she asked a little more bravely than she felt.
"Just a look at yer boy. Seems to be havin' a little trouble."
"He's just learning his way around," Fallen said. "He's only been out a couple of weeks. If you're going to give us trouble you can just leave."
Logan put his hands up and moved back. "Not me, ma'am." He found a chair at the work bench and sat down.
Seth relaxed a little now that Logan was further away, but he was still rattled. He kept his eyes down, feeling vulnerable. He started to shake even worse.
Fallen noticed and sat beside him. "Relax. Forget him."
"I want to go back," he whined softly and a tear leaked out of one eye.
"Not yet. Here." She reached out behind her and using her telekinesis, floated a whiskey bottle over and a glass. She poured a small portion of the dark whiskey into the glass and held it to his lips. He sipped from it and shivered from the taste, but seemed steadier.
"Better?" Fallen asked, wiping his face gently, and he nodded. "You're thinking too much. Just relax and drink." She stood up, leaving him the bottle and the glass, and went back to her computer.
Logan was intrigued. Since when could holograms drink or cry? The ones back home certainly never did, why would they? They weren't real in any physical sense.
Maylee sat next to Seth again. She took out a pack of cards and shuffled them. Seth watched her with rapt attention, entranced. Her actions distracted him from Logan's presence and he calmed quickly, focusing on what she was doing. She laid the cards out, playing a kind of solitaire. Seth pawed at the cards, he wanted to look at them. Maylee giggled and gently moved his hands away, like you would a small child. Seth laughed and made a game of it. His co-ordination wasn't that good, it was too easy for her to block him.
"Teach me to play," Seth asked and listened as Maylee began to explain.
Logan ignored them and leaned over to watch what Fallen was doing.
Fallen noticed his curiosity and explained, "I'm working on Seth's program codes. It's a large program, he's only using half of it even now. The more codes I unlock, the more real he gets."
"Why do ya want to make him real? Got plenty of Clan men around."
"I like Seth better," she replied.
Seth looked up at her as she spoke, but said nothing. Maylee touched him to get his attention back. Seth went back to the game, but he now had a small wistful smile on his lips.
"I have no need for Clan men who are only interested in what I can do or what I posses," Fallen continued bitterly. She obviously knew about Kane's intentions. "Seth is my friend. He provides me with companionship. He accepts me for who I am, no matter what. Most importantly, he listens to me. I don't know if you're the kind of man who is capable of understanding how much just that one thing means to me."
"I do understand that, darlin'. But I also believe in dealin' with reality. These things you use to escape are only good fer so long."
Before Fallen could respond, Logan looked up to the doorway, his friends had arrived.
"Well, this is where everyone went."
Fallen turned to see Beast and Gambit now standing in the doorway. Gambit looked pale and drawn, but his eyes were bright. His clothes had been cleaned and he came down in his stretch pants and black undershirt. His head wound didn't look bad at all now, the cut looked clean and there was very little swelling in spite of the five stitches Maylee had put in.
Henry had spoken. "I thought maybe you were avoiding us."
Fallen laughed and waved her hand at him in invitation. "No, just working on a few things."
Henry took a moment to formally introduce Remy to everyone, the boy had been too ill to really greet anyone before. Remy took in these new faces with his usual grace, nodding to them all and smiling. He took in Fallen's pilot presence and matched it up with the one they had seen before. Seth he never questioned, figuring he was more of the same. Maylee he saw was Dognan, that wasn't hard to miss, but he held her no ill will, already knowing she had been the one to help him before.
Logan watched his teammates go through their paces with a kind of amused passivity. He knew Henry and Gambit didn't know Seth wasn't real. He said nothing, waiting to see how long it would take them to realize it. Beast entered the room and went to the other side of Fallen so he could look at her tools. He never wasted an opportunity to learn something new, especially if it involved new technology or machinery. He had figured out pretty quickly that he could learn a lot from this strange young woman they now found themselves with.
Gambit walked on wobbly legs to where Seth and Maylee were playing and sat down with a sigh of relief. He was still very weak although he felt a hundred times better than he did just a short time ago. He smiled and checked out Maylee's game, offering his hand. "Bonjour, fille. You play poker?"
Maylee shook it happily. "What's poker?"
"It's a game of chance. Dere's more than one way t' play."
"Teach us," Seth asked.
Gambit looked at him a little more closely and smiled. He realized now there was something odd about Seth, but he couldn't figure it out right away. There was something strange and disjointed about his eyes, his way of moving. Remy was patient, he took his time and began to explain the different games. He did this in such a way that Seth was forced to ask questions and he then watched the young pilot carefully as he spoke. Like Wolverine, Gambit was very curious and observant of other people. It was a necessary part of being a charmer and a con man and was a habit he had never left behind.
Gambit took Maylee's cards and looked them over before starting a game. The symbols were different but could still be used to play the games he knew. He shuffled them skillfully and dealt each of them a hand. He noticed that Seth watched the quick movements of his hands with rapt fascination as if he'd never seen anyone play cards before. Remy was fast and very skilled and he tossed the cards about with flair, showing off and having a blast. He was a sucker for an audience and was rewarded by a beaming smile from Seth, the boy was enthralled.
Seth tried to pick up his cards after Remy dealt him his hand, but his fine motor skills were feeble. He had trouble getting his fingers to do what he wanted. He clumsily arranged his cards, almost dropping them. Remy waited patiently as Seth struggled and then succeeded. Seth looked at his hand of cards then leaned over to check out what Maylee had.
"Hey, no cheating!" she said, laughing.
Seth just smiled. It was obvious he had no clue what he was doing, but was having a grand time just the same. It was a moment later when he startled suddenly and gasped as his cards fell through his hands as if his fingers were made of air. His body flickered and he cried out in panic.
"Sorry," Fallen apologized from her computer. Henry turned to look at Seth, startled by the young pilot's response.
"De'tendent, fils. Relax, little buddy. Yo' hand wasn't dat good anyways," Gambit laughed and picked up Seth's cards, not the least bit fazed. He had already guessed Seth was less than real.
"He's a hologram?" Henry gasped, surprised. The Seth personality from upstairs had been so convincing, he hadn't questioned Seth's physical presence here.
"Not a very good one, I'm afraid," Fallen said. "He has difficulties."
Seth slid back away, blinking. He was shaking again and started to hyperventilate with a high whistling whine. Tears flowed fresh from his eyes and he clutched at his throat with his hands as he wheezed like a frantic freight train.
Fallen punched buttons quickly on her keyboard. It didn't do any good. Seth was losing it again. She got up and went to him. "Relax."
"I don't want to relax!" Seth's voice trembled. He was terrified. "I want to go back!"
"You're never going to get used to the sensory data if you keeping bailing out all the time."
"Well, this is interesting," Henry said. "How can a program be frightened? Is it sentient?"
"Something like that," Fallen replied evasively. She covered Seth's ears with her hands and made him put his head down. "Close your eyes. Think quiet thoughts."
Seth obeyed her command. He closed his eyes and put his head down to the floor. He placed his slender white hands over hers so she wouldn't leave him, wanting her comforting presence close. He opened his wings slightly and lay them down, covering himself. He calmed, but it was only because she was there.
"Tay kunda, Seth. Tay kunda Siska esk. Wasayachay felar delay a resk," Fallen said softly, rubbing his hands with her thumbs with genuine love and affection. She kept repeating it patiently until he was very still. She pulled away, but he didn't move. He'd fallen asleep or was in some kind of hypnotic state. His eyes were closed and his hands covered his ears. She'd made him shut out most of what was frightening him.
Kimble popped up quickly on the screen across from the bed. "What's goin' on?" he demanded, his concern for his brother obvious.
Fallen looked up at him. "He's all right. Just freaking out a little as always. You can finish the diagnostics like I asked, Kim," she said firmly, dismissing him.
"Maybe he ain't gonner be doin' so well with an audience around," Kimble argued, not quite so willing to leave. His eyes were on Seth, watching as his brother lay still and quiet.
"I said he's fine, Kim. Do as you've been told."
Kimble hesitated, then scowled and clicked off.
"Neat trick," Gambit commented, looking at Seth. "What did you do to 'im?"
"He gets overwhelmed. I've tried filtering the sensory data from the computer, but it doesn't work. He's part of the system and separate from it at the same time. He finds the sound of that particular phrase comforting so I use that. I can't explain why. Kimble does much better, but he's a lot more outgoing and not intimidated."
"Kimble comes out, too?" Logan asked, a bit uneasy at the idea. Kimble interested him more because he appeared to be stronger, more potentially dangerous.
"Yes. This program is supposed to be a full time hologram, not just a simple personality. I've been restoring the hologram codes, with some difficulty as you can see."
"Why do you have two of them?" Henry asked.
"The original program was damaged when I found it, fragmented. Kimble is what was left of the personality the program originally came with. I created Seth to bridge the gaps. That's why he's younger and more timid. He's very intelligent, though. He interfaces better with other computers than Kimble does. He also has infinitely more patience. The program is fascinating, the way the two of them work together."
"So you didn't create this program?" Henry questioned.
"No, only part of it. I gave it certain characteristics like their appearance and the way they talk to a point. I haven't yet discovered just where Kimble got that horrible drawl, though. That's all him," she added with a laugh.
"How do you know they aren't dangerous?" Logan asked.
Fallen smiled at him indulgently. "The main function of this program was entertainment. It has safeguards. It goes against their programing to hurt anyone."
"You haven't unlocked all the codes, you said. How do you know the safeties are even working?"
"Because I put in some of my own. One of them is the power supply. See those two black cubes there? Those power the hologram. When one of them is 'out', he has to stay within eight feet of those cubes. Those cubes act as restraints. He basically can't leave this room."
"What powers the cubes?"
"My Ristle energy." Fallen snapped her fingers, making a blue spark."The cubes are powered directly from me or from batteries in the Engine Room. I charge the batteries and everything that uses power on this ship uses Ristle energy from those batteries. So do Seth and Kimble."
"So they're like slaves, then. Totally under your control," Logan said.
"Be very careful, Wolverine," Fallen said sternly. "They are not slaves. I was a slave myself once. It was horrible. I wouldn't do that to them or anyone else. This is a program designed to please. They both want to be out so they can play and explore. I don't force them to do anything they don't want to."
"Right. Sure. He didn't seem too happy about bein' 'out' just now." He jabbed a finger at Seth who was still balled up on the floor.
"Not that I have to defend myself to you, but Seth and I had a long conversation about this before this was done. We have an agreement. He saw that Kimble liked it and wanted to try."
"An 'agreement'? You made an agreement with a program? You talk about him like he is already real," Beast interjected. "I don't understand. Either he's sentient or he's not. If he is sentient, what right do you have to control him this way?"
"He's not sentient the way you mean. He's just a very realistic personality. Even if I was able to acclimate him permanently to this environment using the hologram, he'll never be alive the way you mean. He asked me to do this because he wanted to know what it was like out here. It's the closest he'll ever come to being what we are. He's very curious. Both of them are. I saw no reason not to indulge him. As a precaution, some safety measures are required."
"Sounds ta me like you are dancing on a real fine line," Wolverine commented. "I can see how this 'program' of yours could get out of control so easy. You got it tied into yer ship, now yer tryin' to bring it out in this world. You ain't convincin' me that this thing is safe. What if one of them goes nuts? What then?"
"It won't happen. I can control it. It's just a program like any other."
Logan shook his head. "I hope yer right. For your sake."