aloof.
Perhaps even…
unattainable
.
'Do you think he's guppy?' she'd asked Ellie the other day.
He didn't seem like a
same-sexer
. The ones she'd come across in New Haven all seemed to behave and dress quite differently to Gray.
'Maybe you're just not his type, Jez?'
That had failed to compute for her. She was
any
man's type.
The next day Jez had nagged Shelby to contact Gray and ask whether the invitation for them to go visit his world was still open. It had taken Gray twenty-four hours to reply. When he did he'd looked tired and apologised for his tardy reply. He'd explained he'd been busy tidying up World Three and resetting it back to its default matrix.
'Yeah…sure, why not? Come on over whenever you want,' he'd messaged.
Hardly the
gushing
invitation that Jez was used to getting.
'Today?'
'Make it tomorrow? I just gotta, y'know, finish supervising the clear up in here. There's dead and rotting sugar beanies and chocco chops everywhere.' He'd grinned at Jez.
Now Jez was standing beside Ellie and looking at the closed hatch to World Two. Gray's world. For the first time that she could ever remember….she was actually feeling butterflies in her belly.
'You're acting so…
not yourself
, Jez.'
'What?!' Jez looked down at her. 'Not myself? What do you mean?'
Ellie couldn't help a smile. 'Like someone on a first date. Nervous.'
'Nervous?' Jez shook her head and tutted.
'You really like him don't you?'
'Pfft. S'pose he's an all right looking meat-stick.'
'All right?' Ellie chuckled. 'You're totally ga-ga for him.'
Jez blew a noisy raspberry at that. It echoed around them and down the long passageway. 'I don't do 'ga-ga', for anyone'!' She huffed at the idea.
'Uh-huh.' Ellie nodded at the computer panel beside the door. 'Mother's' cartoon face was waiting patiently for them, blinking every now and then. The cartoon changed back to an animation of her knitting a scarf: her 'wait' mode. 'So? Ready to go in then?'
Jez nodded firmly. 'Of course I am!'
'Mother?'
The screen replaced the animation with one of her leaning forward and smiling patiently. 'Hello, Ellie.'
'Would you let Graham know that we're here?'
'Of course, dear. One moment….one moment…'
Ellie looked at her. 'I wonder what kind of world Gray lives in?'
'I imagine something with a long golden beach. Or maybe, I dunno….an Old Earth forest or something really relaxing and chillsy.' Jez shrugged. 'We'll find out soon enough.' She curled her lip at a thought. 'I hope it's not all
sophistik
. All yawn-yawn classic art 'n stuff. Him being a brain-gene designer type an' all.'
Ellie smiled warmly at her friend. This was the first time she'd
ever
seen her look edgy and uncomfortable.
She's not so bullet proof after all
.
Mother's face blinked. She smiled again. 'Gray told me to say 'welcome to his kingdom'.'
They heard locking bolts slide and a soft mechanical hum as the hatch to World Two slowly rolled to one side and came to a rest with a noisy
clang
. Both girls' jaws dropped.
'Fregging hell!' Jez uttered under her breath.
Ellie nodded.
Hell
…that's kind of exactly what it looked like. The sky dome projected a rolling turmoil of dark brooding clouds that parted here and there to reveal glimpses of a blood red sky. Thunder rumbled restlessly occasionally pierced by a sharp clap and boom that echoed above a constant mournful moaning wind.
The metal lip of the entrance led onto a small platform of dark basaltic rock ribbed with razor edges and spine-like protrusions. They stepped cautiously forward onto it and found themselves staring down over the edge of the rocky platform onto what looked to Ellie to be a lake of pale pinky grey sludge that seemed to be bubbling like a vast cauldron of porridge. A narrow iron walkway extended from the rocky platform across the lake to an island in the middle; a gothic monstrosity of dark spires and battlements with what looked like the hunched forms of gargoyles perched on the top of bell-towers
Perhaps even…
unattainable
.
'Do you think he's guppy?' she'd asked Ellie the other day.
He didn't seem like a
same-sexer
. The ones she'd come across in New Haven all seemed to behave and dress quite differently to Gray.
'Maybe you're just not his type, Jez?'
That had failed to compute for her. She was
any
man's type.
The next day Jez had nagged Shelby to contact Gray and ask whether the invitation for them to go visit his world was still open. It had taken Gray twenty-four hours to reply. When he did he'd looked tired and apologised for his tardy reply. He'd explained he'd been busy tidying up World Three and resetting it back to its default matrix.
'Yeah…sure, why not? Come on over whenever you want,' he'd messaged.
Hardly the
gushing
invitation that Jez was used to getting.
'Today?'
'Make it tomorrow? I just gotta, y'know, finish supervising the clear up in here. There's dead and rotting sugar beanies and chocco chops everywhere.' He'd grinned at Jez.
Now Jez was standing beside Ellie and looking at the closed hatch to World Two. Gray's world. For the first time that she could ever remember….she was actually feeling butterflies in her belly.
'You're acting so…
not yourself
, Jez.'
'What?!' Jez looked down at her. 'Not myself? What do you mean?'
Ellie couldn't help a smile. 'Like someone on a first date. Nervous.'
'Nervous?' Jez shook her head and tutted.
'You really like him don't you?'
'Pfft. S'pose he's an all right looking meat-stick.'
'All right?' Ellie chuckled. 'You're totally ga-ga for him.'
Jez blew a noisy raspberry at that. It echoed around them and down the long passageway. 'I don't do 'ga-ga', for anyone'!' She huffed at the idea.
'Uh-huh.' Ellie nodded at the computer panel beside the door. 'Mother's' cartoon face was waiting patiently for them, blinking every now and then. The cartoon changed back to an animation of her knitting a scarf: her 'wait' mode. 'So? Ready to go in then?'
Jez nodded firmly. 'Of course I am!'
'Mother?'
The screen replaced the animation with one of her leaning forward and smiling patiently. 'Hello, Ellie.'
'Would you let Graham know that we're here?'
'Of course, dear. One moment….one moment…'
Ellie looked at her. 'I wonder what kind of world Gray lives in?'
'I imagine something with a long golden beach. Or maybe, I dunno….an Old Earth forest or something really relaxing and chillsy.' Jez shrugged. 'We'll find out soon enough.' She curled her lip at a thought. 'I hope it's not all
sophistik
. All yawn-yawn classic art 'n stuff. Him being a brain-gene designer type an' all.'
Ellie smiled warmly at her friend. This was the first time she'd
ever
seen her look edgy and uncomfortable.
She's not so bullet proof after all
.
Mother's face blinked. She smiled again. 'Gray told me to say 'welcome to his kingdom'.'
They heard locking bolts slide and a soft mechanical hum as the hatch to World Two slowly rolled to one side and came to a rest with a noisy
clang
. Both girls' jaws dropped.
'Fregging hell!' Jez uttered under her breath.
Ellie nodded.
Hell
…that's kind of exactly what it looked like. The sky dome projected a rolling turmoil of dark brooding clouds that parted here and there to reveal glimpses of a blood red sky. Thunder rumbled restlessly occasionally pierced by a sharp clap and boom that echoed above a constant mournful moaning wind.
The metal lip of the entrance led onto a small platform of dark basaltic rock ribbed with razor edges and spine-like protrusions. They stepped cautiously forward onto it and found themselves staring down over the edge of the rocky platform onto what looked to Ellie to be a lake of pale pinky grey sludge that seemed to be bubbling like a vast cauldron of porridge. A narrow iron walkway extended from the rocky platform across the lake to an island in the middle; a gothic monstrosity of dark spires and battlements with what looked like the hunched forms of gargoyles perched on the top of bell-towers
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