Callisto 2.0 by Susan English (e novels to read online .txt) 📕
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“You must have wondered why I was anxious for you to talk about your work. But you were so innocent, so trusting. And I enjoyed being with you, it wasn’t a burden.
You are an amazing woman. Even though it was wrong, I justified my behavior, telling myself I was doing a good thing. I had a suspicion that something wasn’t right, because when you talked about your discovery, it was clear that you were the author of the work, you and your colleague—it wasn’t stolen technology. But I pushed the thought aside, my job was to gather data, not interpret it, so that’s what I did.
“When I got back to the Earth, I was so happy to see Hiroki, and he seemed so grateful for what I had done, and told me over and over how much he loved me. We spent the first week together, in the same penthouse suite in Tokyo, and I told him everything, every intimacy. I’m so sorry, Calli. But he wasn’t interested in the salacious details. He only wanted to know more about your warp drive. I’m not a scientist, but I paid close attention when you talked about your work, and I was able to satisfy Hiroki’s need to know.
“But then, when we had gone over every minute detail, and there was nothing left to tell, that’s when everything changed. ‘Can you think of anything else, Amélie?’ he asked me. When I said no, he said, ‘okay, that’s it then.’ The brilliant, loving, generous, and attentive man I had fallen in love with disappeared, before my very eyes. ‘The hotel room is paid till the end of the month,’ he said. ‘Stay if you want, I don’t care.’ Then he got up, went to the closet, and started packing his suitcase. I was stunned, I couldn’t understand what was happening. ‘Are you going on a trip?’ I asked. He wouldn’t answer.
I went to him, tried to touch him, to hold him, and he turned to look at me. His eyes were like ice. I felt like I had been hit by a mag lev train. It was horrifying. Not even a hint of humanity in those cold, cold eyes. I sank to the floor, staring up at him as he finished packing. He never looked at me again. I was less than garbage. Then he was gone.
“Calli, it was terrible, like my childhood, only magnified a thousand times, a hundred 188
thousand times. The cleaning bot found me and notified the hotel medical team. I had used a steak knife to cut my veins, but apparently, I didn’t do a very good job, because the next thing I remember, I was in the hospital, my arms covered in bandages.
“I’ve spent the past four months in therapy. My counselor said I have to talk to you, to tell you what I did, as part of my healing process. She says Hiroki is a master manipulator, and very likely a psychopath. But how can a psychopath be so beautiful, so perfect?” She shook her head. “I don’t know what his relationship is to the Foundation. I don’t understand any of it. I only know what I did was wrong, and I will regret it till the day I die. My counselor also says I have to forgive myself, but I don’t see how. You are the angel, Calli, not Hiroki. You are so sweet, and your heart is pure.
I’m so very sorry. Please don’t let anything bad happen to you.” The hologram collapsed, the message complete.
Tears filled my eyes as I curled up in a ball, the bed strap cutting into my waist, and I welcomed the pain. I couldn’t even begin to sort it all out—the betrayal, the lies, the suffering, the cruelty, the devastation. So many unanswered questions. My god, how was any of this possible? Was it even real? Amélie, sweet Amélie.
“Callisto, are you hurt? Do you need medical assistance?” It was Annie.
“No, Annie, please, just leave me alone.”
“Certainly, Callisto.”
Wave after wave of sadness washed over me, and I cried until I had no more tears, wishing with all my heart that Amélie was there with me, in my arms, where I could protect her from the cruel, cruel world.
189
The next morning, I got up early and headed straight to Naomi’s quarters. I knocked lightly on the door. “Naomi,” I called. “Are you awake?” I heard her ask Annie to open the door, and when I stepped into her cabin, I saw she was still in bed.
“Calli, what’s going on? What’s wrong?” She stared at me.
“Something’s happened, and I don’t know what to do,” I said, hovering directly in front of the now-closed door.
Naomi unzipped her sleeping bag and jumped out of bed. “How can I help?”
I started crying, tears drifting around my face. Then she was holding me. I clung to her, sobbing.
“What happened? Would you like to talk about it?”
I shook my head no, crying uncontrollably.
Gently, she led me over to her couch and sat me down, putting the strap over my lap. Then she got a towel from her bathroom and sat down next to me, holding me tightly. All I could think about was Amélie, that she had no one to hold her. I was bent over, hugging my knees to my chest, my entire body wracked with sobs. “It’s okay, Calli, I’m here,” said Naomi, over and over.
Finally, the storm of emotions subsided, and I used the towel to wipe my nose and eyes. Naomi’s eyes were like saucers.
“Can you tell me now?” she asked tenderly.
I nodded, and touched my wrist computer, activating Amélie’s holomessage. “This is Amélie, the woman I was with on the Moon.”
Naomi was silent, eyes fixed on the image. I started the message.
The second time was even more painful to watch. Naomi cried quietly as we both stared, transfixed. When the message ended, Naomi put her hand to her mouth. “Oh my god, Calli.”
“I know.”
“Do you think she’s telling the truth?”
“You can’t know how much I wish she wasn’t, but I believe her.”
“How can Hiroki be this awful? He’s a monster.”
“Naomi, I told her everything, everything about the work here on Shambhala. Not only my work, everyone’s.”
“But you had no clue! It’s not your fault. You’ve done nothing wrong.”
“No, I did do something wrong. I signed a contract, promising I wouldn’t share any details about my work for the Foundation.”
Naomi’s eyes widened. “The non-disclosure agreement, I totally forgot.”
I stared at her. “I don’t understand what that … that man Hiroki has to do with the Foundation. Could it possibly be true? That they stole his money, his inheritance?”
“No way Izumi and Diana would ever do that.”
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“You’re right, that doesn’t make any sense.” I shook my head. “Diana told me the Foundation was privately funded. Besides, neither of them is capable of doing something so heinous. But what about the ideas for the incredible innovations here on Shambhala? Are they his? Is it possible?”
“I don’t see how.” She furrowed her brow. “Speaking for myself, my ideas are my own. And you were working on warp technology long before you were even a part of the Foundation, Hadley as well.”
“Then what is it? Corporate espionage? Some kind of sick vendetta?”
“I don’t know, I just don’t know.” She wiped her eyes with her sleeve.
“The technological advances here on Shambhala are extraordinary. I imagine there are plenty of companies who would love to get hold of our ideas and research.”
“But we’re not a corporation!” Naomi’s voice was laced with frustration. “We’re a scientific organization.”
“What should I do, Naomi?”
“About what?” she asked, her eyes soft.
“All of it! I don’t know what to do, what to think.”
“I suppose you could contact Amélie, talk to her. She’s in a world of hurt and confusion right now.”
“Okay.” I blinked rapidly, trying to dry my eyes. “Can I do it here, with you?”
She nodded. “I’ll be here throughout.”
I searched my wrist computer for Amélie’s contact information, then input it into the holochat application. I waited for the connection, heart pounding. A message appeared on the holoprojection: client does not exist.
“Perhaps she changed her contact info,” Naomi said.
“No, it was a lie. She made it up.” I started crying again. “I thought we had a real connection. But it was all a fantasy.” I stared at my hands resting just above my thighs.
“Oh, Calli, I’m so sorry.”
“We made love, Naomi. It felt so intimate, and it was all an act for her? Nothing like this has ever happened to me before.” I buried my face in my hands.
“You’re both victims here.”
“But how did I not see it? How could I have been so naive? It felt so real.”
“I’m sure Amélie felt something for you.” She rubbed my back. “From what she said, we can only guess what horrible things happened to her in the past, but, even so, she was open to love. That’s got to count for something. She accepted your love, and loved you back. Otherwise, you would have felt it, no?”
“I don’t know anything anymore.” Taking a deep breath, I stood. “I can’t think about all this right now.”
She looked up at me. “Would you like to join me for breakfast?”
I shook my head. “I don’t want to see anyone. I don’t want to talk to anyone.”
“Fair enough. Take time for yourself.”
“Yeah. I don’t think I’ll go to the gym this morning. I can’t face Izumi.”
191
Naomi
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