Spirits of the Earth: The Complete Series: (A Post-Apocalyptic Series Box Set: Books 1-3) by Milo Fowler (paper ebook reader .TXT) 📕

"You'll join us in VR, won't you?"

"It's a wonderful program, Sera—you're going to love it!"

They disperse, smiling back at me over their shoulders as they return to their padded lounge chairs. A girl named Lyria walks up to a nondescript section of the wall and places her palm flat against it. A drawer slides out, and from it she takes a white bodysuit and matching slip-on shoes. My new uniform.

"Here you are, Sera." She hands them to me, neat and tidy like they were in the drawer. "You can change in that alcove, if you like."

She nods toward another section of wall that doesn't look like an alcove at all to my unaugmented eyes. I nod, slowly taking the items from her, using the moment to slip into her mind and visualize what she's talking about. Then I nod again.

Apparently, this room is full of hidden nooks and crannies, all accessible by touching various points along the walls. Visible to anyone with active visual implants. An augmented reality overlay would make it a simple matter to walk over to any spot and activate it. But I have to improvise.

From Lyria's memory, I'm able to navigate a course to the alcove she mentioned. I place my hand flat against the far left wall. Instantly, an arch forms with a recessed space that curves to the right. Lit with a soft blue glow, the space provides enough privacy for me to pull off Erik's jacket and my black bodysuit, as well as my boots.

I don't like the idea of leaving them in this space. Where will they go when I step out into the room again, and this alcove disappears? But I've got to keep up the illusion that I'm just another member of the Twenty sequestered here with my fellow chosen ones, awaiting our Ascension. So I pull on the white bodysuit, slip on the matching shoes, and head over to the empty lounge chair beside Lyria. She's the only one not relaxing in her chair and staring at the ceiling with glazed-over eyes.

"You look ready to ascend, Sera," she welcomes me with a broad smile. No irony whatsoever in her tone. "But for now, we will congregate in the Promised Land while we await the Creator."

"I'm guessing we're not on the Linkstream." I nod toward the others reclining blissfully.

She shakes her head. "The Link pollutes so many minds in Eurasia. Here, we are cleansed and purified from its influence. There is no perversion or violence, no filth to revel in—committing unspeakable acts we would never consider in real life. Here, the virtual reality is on a higher plane. There's...joy, Sera." Her eyes tear up. "Warmth and acceptance like you've never known. Real love that you can bathe in." She giggles like a little kid. "I know, it sounds crazy. But you'll see." She rests her head, and her eyes lose focus, that big smile frozen in place. "So many wonders..."

I lie back in my chair and try to keep my eyes to myself. Then I point them at the ceiling like everybody else and manufacture a goofy euphoric smile. But I don't see any Promised Land or wonders, and there's no love to take a bath in. Just white ceiling tiles to match everything else.

A glance toward the elevator confirms that it's disappeared into the wall like that alcove did. But I still have a general sense of where both are located.

I refocus my gaze on the ceiling, feeling like a complete idiot. Realizing my fists are clenched, I relax my hands.

How the hell am I going to get these people out of here? How can I possibly show them the truth? Without an EMP to disrupt their neural implants, there's no way. They seem content to wile away the hours in a VR stupor while they await Erik and Arienna's arrival—followed by Dr. Wong himself.

This Ascension they believe is going to happen—is it a political thing? Will Solomon Wong set himself up as Supreme Chancellor, then assign a pair of us to each dome where we'll replace the Governors?

If what Erik said is true, Wong was responsible for the birth of every person here—as well as the thousand children he created from our cells, spliced with those of their adoptive parents. Not to mention the clones he invented in his image to act as the Chancellor's private security force. All along, they've apparently been wired to do Dr. Wong's bidding at the drop of a hat. Why would a scientific genius want to mire himself and his creations in politics?

What grander scheme could he have in mind?

Part V

Restoration

21 Shechara21 Years After All-Clear

When I see him for the first time, all I can think is… He has his mother's eyes.

"Erik, this is Shechara," his adoptive mother introduces us to one another as we stand in the bright, sunlit kitchen of their farmhouse. "She's here on that temporary transfer program. You know how the Dome 6 Governor likes to do, allowing his citizens to work in other domes for a while. She'll be with us for a couple months, helping out around the place."

"Dome 6," Erik echoes, giving me a nod to acknowledge my existence but not allowing his gaze to linger. Particularly not on my mechatronic eyes. He's tall and broad-shouldered like his father, and handsome, too. "I wouldn't have guessed." He flashes me a smile and wink as he bites into a crisp apple.

"We're glad to have you and your husband, Shechara. With Erik living over in Dome 1 now, acting on the Linkstream and making himself rich and famous, we can honestly use the help." A matronly woman with a kind face, Mrs. Paine pats her son on the shoulder.

"Acting, yes," Erik acknowledges. "Rich or famous? Not so much. I'm just in ads, Mom. No leading roles yet, but that might change." He shrugs. "Someday."

"It may indeed," I murmur, careful not to stare at him for too long.

I don't want him to