Callisto 2.0 by Susan English (e novels to read online .txt) 📕

I ate breakfast in the dining room with Naomi the next morning. Diana and Izumi were at a table on the other side of the room, and I watched them furtively, observing their body language and interactions. There were few overt signs of affection between them, but it was obvious, even from across the room, that they were deeply connected to each other. I sighed.

Naomi touched my hand, getting my attention. “You see it, too, don’t you? How together they are?”

“Yeah, I see it.”

“It’s beyond love … as if they were crafted for each other.” Now it was Naomi’s turn to sigh. “Ruins it for the rest of us mortals. I can’t imagine being so connected to Evan.” She shook her head. “We get on really well, but the kind of love that they share,”

she jutted her chin toward Diana and Izumi, “it’s on a whole other level.”

Just then Izumi laughed, and Diana’s face filled with joy.

“How long have they been a couple?” I asked.

“Oh dear, I don’t know.” Naomi put her finger behind her ear. “Annie, how long have Diana and Izumi been together?” A moment later she said, “Based on the public record, they’ve been married for seven years. Though hard to say how long they were together before that.”

I stared at her. “What did you do? Do you have some kind of computer implant?”

“Oh, I totally forgot!” She shifted toward me and pulled her short hair away from her left ear, pointing to a tiny bump just behind her earlobe. “It’s a transceiver. We all have them.” She leaned back in her chair. “It gives me access to Annie. You can speak with her directly, like we did in your room on the Moon, though this is a bit more private.”

Just then I noticed Diana making her way toward our table. My eyes darted to Naomi’s face—I was feeling like a deer in headlights.

“Don’t worry,” she whispered. “I assure you, Diana has no idea what you’ve been feeling.”

I felt my face redden. Why was I blessed with such fair skin?

“Good morning, ladies,” said Diana, smiling warmly.

“Hello, Diana,” Naomi said.

I smiled up at her, not trusting my voice.

“So, Calli, now that you’re part of the team, I expect that you will need to go back earthside to get your affairs in order. There’s a transport to the Moon tomorrow afternoon at twelve-thirty, and from there you can fly back to Earth. We can make arrangements for you to come back when you’re ready, hopefully it won’t be too long.”

Did I even need to go back? I had almost no possessions, my apartment was rented by the week, and if I needed to talk to anyone, I could always use holochat. Nothing 55

was preventing me from starting my new life right then and there. “I can make my arrangements from here; there’s no need for me to go to the Earth.”

“Marvelous!” Diana’s smile was nothing short of electric.

A jolt shot through my stomach, but it was only a residual sensation. Seeing Diana with Izumi helped me understand how my feelings were precisely that, my feelings, clearly unreciprocated. Diana liked me, of that there was no doubt, but any romantic notions were one-sided. I had been a fool. But, then again, who hasn’t been a fool for love at least once in their life?

Diana turned to Naomi. “Can you do me a favor and take Calli to see Doctor Gamon?”

“I’d be happy to.”

She shifted her attention back to me. “Doc will give you a physical and also insert your implant.”

“I was just explaining about the implant,” said Naomi.

“Excellent! Once you’re finished with medical, then you’re on your own. Take your time acclimatizing.”

“Thanks, Diana,” I said.

She smiled again, that dazzling smile. How could I not fall in love with her? My gaze tracked her as she made her way back to where Izumi was still sitting, and Izumi took her hand. I looked away.

“Shall we?” asked Naomi.

I glanced at my empty bowl. “Sure, let’s go.”

We deposited our bowls in the sterilization unit before heading to the hub and down the yellow corridor leading to the station ops/engineering module. When we arrived at the module, Naomi opened the door to the clinic, and I pulled my way inside.

“Hi, Doc,” said Naomi, hovering at the doorway. “This is Calli.”

“Calli, welcome.” The woman pushed herself away from her console where she’d been working, floated over to me, and took one of my hands in hers.

“See you later, I have to head to work.” Naomi closed the door behind her.

Doctor Gamon motioned for me to sit on a stool next to her computer console.

“First order of business let’s implant your microchip. You’re right-handed, correct?”

“Uh-huh.” My eyes narrowed and I felt a flutter of anxiety— How did she know that?

My stomach tightened, my mind flooding with thoughts of conspiracies and mind control. Things were moving so fast, too fast, and there was so much I still didn’t know, about the Foundation, about the research, about the people here on the station.

Accepting a job was one thing, but an implant? My palms began to sweat. “The implant, it’s, um, just a computer interface, isn’t it?”

“Uh-huh,” said Gamon, focused on preparing a syringe.

“It won’t, I don’t know, mess with my mind or anything?”

Gamon placed the syringe on the table and turned to me, looking me directly in the eyes. She rested a hand lightly on my shoulder. “Implants can be scary, and I promise, 56

you have nothing to worry about. You aren’t the first one who has hesitated to get it.

The interface will give you direct access to Annie, and once we get your biosignals into the database, I—or rather, Annie—can keep track of your health. If you suffer any illness or injury, Annie will know, and she will contact me immediately.”

“Okay.” I wiped my hands on my thighs, looking down at the floor.

“Hey,” she said, her voice soft. I looked up at her, once again meeting her eyes. “The implant is voluntary. If you don’t feel comfortable, that’s fine. And if you’d prefer to wait, think about it some more, or perhaps do some research first ….”

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. There was no good reason to distrust this woman, looking at me with kindness and compassion, with no hint of subterfuge or bad intentions. I managed a smile. “I guess I’ve just seen too many holomovies.”

“I understand. Mystery, intrigue, not knowing who you can trust, evil lurking around every corner.” Her eyes sparkled. “I’m afraid that you won’t get much of that here.”

“Oh, that’s too bad,” I said with a hint of a smirk.

She laughed at my expression. “Sorry to disappoint, but I think you’ll find that Shambhala is very different from most communities back on Earth.”

“I’m already seeing that,” I said, the knot in my stomach loosening.

“Shall we hold off with the implant then?” She raised her eyebrows.

“How does the saying go? In for a penny, in for a pound. Let’s do it.”

She laughed again and picked up the syringe. “I’ll place the implant on your left side, so that you don’t need to use your dominant hand to access it.” She put one small hand on my head, just behind my left ear, and moved my hair away. Then, with the other hand, she deftly pressed the syringe against my skin, and there was a slight pressure.

“That’s it,” she said.

“That was painless.” I smiled at her, my anxiety gone. “You have a charming accent, by the way. Is your first language Thai?”

“You have a very discerning ear.” She pursed her lips, and took my chin in her hand, examining my face. “And you, my dear woman, are of northern European descent, I would say Irish.”

“What gave me away, my accent?”

Gamon burst into laughter.

“I wish I weren’t so fair-skinned,” I confided. “Everyone can see when I’m flustered—there’s no hiding a blush with my skin.”

“Ah, but you are lovely.” She gave me a disarming smile. “So, to activate the implant, all you do is put your finger on your skin, just here.” She pointed to her own implant.

“No need to press hard, a light touch will do. Then you should hear Annie’s voice.”

“Okay.”

“Go ahead, try it.”

I placed my finger lightly on the lump behind my ear.

“Hello, Callisto!” Annie’s voice was in my head.

“You can talk to her like you’re talking to me,” Gamon said.

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“Okay.” My gaze shifted toward the ceiling. “Hi, Annie.”

“Nice to be here with you,” Annie replied. “Let me know what I can do to help.”

“Nothing right now.” I looked at Gamon and cocked my head.

“When you want to deactivate her, just touch the implant again.”

“Oh, okay. Bye, Annie,” I said, moving my finger toward my ear.

“Goodbye, Callisto.”

I touched the lump, and it felt like my brain was filled with silence. “What an interesting sensation.”

“It takes getting used to, but now I can’t imagine life without Annie. Plus, she’s a really good DJ. Any time you want to listen to music, ask Annie to play something for you. Okay, let’s do the routine full-body scan.” She moved over to a human-sized transparent tube, which looked a little like one of the shower stalls in the gym. She opened a door in the front and motioned me inside. “Hook your feet on the bar down there.” She pointed a