Rooms Page 12

  “She is integrating in a way that we could not have imagined,” Landree said proudly with an enthusiasm that he had never shown Zeer during her lessons. “I could feel her abilities, our common ancestry, and such curiosity that at times I was overwhelmed. She was filled, almost immediately, with a love of our world that I didn’t think anyone could possess unless they’d been raised here. Zeer has proven that we might be able to bring others and give them homes.”

  “All that you’ve said is true, Landree. It looks very promising, but don’t forget, Zeer was very carefully chosen and represented the best of all of the individuals that we researched. Also, she is a woman, and women generally have more of a maternal, caring instinct built into them. The next task will be to bring a man here? That could prove more difficult because of several factors. As you know, I’m working with one right now. He’s doing well, but I’m not completely sure yet.” At this point, Fawn was much more cautious than the others in the Circle. It was her responsibility to make the final decision, along with their help. She was the one who had been trained by Shar and had been given this duty.

  Then Dominie voice his thoughts. “By joining with Zeer, I have a unique perspective which I’d like to share. She represents the strain of the human race that left earth and moved into the galaxy. She demonstrated to me, during our sharing, the same connection to our mother that we all possess. She lacks some of the years of development and training that we have, but it is in her, and I believe that it could be in many of the others that left earth as well. She can’t be the only one.”

  Brit spoke with more caution in his voice, “We’ve settled on this planet and have a tremendous responsibility to our civilization and to the human race as a whole. No matter how much Zeer has proven herself, we must proceed with prudence. I met Rad, saw his dedication, and I like him, but we must remember what happened on Earth. We can’t forget the destruction, the devastation, or the unimaginable cruelty. It’s something that could happen again.”

  Even though Fawn was being cautious, she also needed to consider every side of the argument and continued by asking, “And if it does? Remember we can’t control everything. Chaos is a part of how our universe was created. The happenstances, the unique, the unexplained will always occur. We can’t prevent it, but we can work very hard to move the human spirit in an ever-upward spiral of evolutionary growth towards an enlightening that could surpass even the people of Loon.” Fawn was now taking charge. This was a critical juncture in the Circle.

  Shee had waited to speak. She’d been listening and thinking. “Everything that has been said is important, but I believe that we’re now on this path, and we need to continue. As you all know, I’ve also met the man from Zeer’s lifeglobe, and I feel that he has tremendous potential. I think we need to allow him to show us if he can fulfill that potential. Let’s give him that chance. He needs to move on to the third level of the Room.”

  “So?” Landree questioned. “Do we proceed? Do we halt the project for a time and do more study? Do we continue our search for a different male counterpart to Zeer, or do we keep working with our current prospect? Or…should we stop this altogether?”

  Fawn paused and thought out loud, “All good questions, Landree. I will call all of you together again in three sun-rotations. I want you to talk, think, and come back. We will all share our ideas again and make a decision when it’s time. I do want you to remember, though, that diversity is essential to a healthy species and a healthy planet. We all know this. We will see.”

  The Circle concluded with more questions than answers, but it also ended with the hope that they would know how to proceed soon.

  ***

  It was late afternoon, and Zeer was coming back from a journey that she had taken to Sholar during the day to be with the Scree. She loved to return and converse with them, especially with her friend, Calna. They had bonded, and she had learned more from her than almost anyone on Loon. Whenever she visited the Scree, it always cleared her mind and gave her focus.

  Since she had arrived, she was still in the dark about exactly how she had come to Loon. She didn’t understand the technology that could bring her so many light years from her previous home, and she was still a little confused about why she was here. She knew she was the first person that had been born somewhere other than on Loon, but what was it all about? She thought back to all of the levels of the game, which she had played before arriving. There were points along the way where she had believed that she wouldn’t survive; yet, here she was. ‘What was the meaning, the plan, behind all of this?’ It was time to get some answers.

  ***

  Zeer walked into the commons area in the Learning Cluster and looked for Dominie. He was sitting in a chair near a large window. She walked over and asked, “Dominie, could we talk?”

  “Of course.”

  She sat down next to him, looked outside for a moment, and then said, “I want you to know that I feel very lucky to be here, Dom. I love the people, the planet, the environment and your culture’s accomplishments. I feel at home, and I’m looking forward to making a decision soon about which Cluster I’ll be joining. But before I can make that decision, I have some questions.”

  “If I can help, I will. What were you wondering about?”

  “The memories that I have of my trip here are more dreamlike than real. I don’t really remember much at all about how I got here. Why was I chosen? Why am I here? I am so far away from my old lifeglobe that I simply can’t understand how all this happened.”

  “I think I can help you with some of your questions. Others will have to wait awhile longer, though. The Circle has some decisions to make before you’ll be able to understand everything, and you also have more to learn.”

  “That’s fine. Help me with what you can.”

  Dominie proceeded the only way he knew how. He had Zeer take out her energy sphere, and he grabbed his from inside his clothing. They cupped their hands around their spheres and gazed into the light. The energy from both grew and surrounded them. He explained, “Zeer, I’m going to take you back in time to when you just returned from completing the final level of the Room. Of course, Fawn will be there, and you will see and hear what happened.” Zeer acknowledged her understanding.

  The light from the spheres changed, and she immediately saw herself sitting in front of Fawn in the darkened room on R-131. It was as if she were actually back in that place and time, watching herself and Fawn.

  Zeer glanced at Fawn and gave her a weak smile. She was exhausted. Fawn returned the smile and looked Zeer over very carefully.

  “Zeer, it doesn’t seem like you have any injuries.”

  Zeer remembered her last moments of the Room and said, “I’m glad. I wasn’t sure after what happened there my last day.”

  Fawn continued, “I want you to know that I’m very proud of you.” She then handed Zeer her leather book and her sphere. “Here, keep these close.”

  Zeer simply said, “I will. Thank you.”

  Fawn then added, “Because of everything that you have learned and experienced. I know you’re ready.”

  Zeer was still a bit foggy, but she responded, “Ready? Ready for what?”

  “You and I are going to travel together to a place where you can rest and recover. We’re going to my home.”

  At that moment, the energy sphere in Zeer’s hand began to increase in intensity and meld with the glow from Fawn’s. This combined bubble of energy surrounded them. Fawn moved closer to Zeer and placed her arms around her. Zeer laid her tired head on Fawn’s shoulder. She obviously felt comforted and peaceful as her body began resonating slightly from the heightened energy. The brilliant light shimmered, intensified, and then…they simply vanished.

  Zeer, after watching herself and Fawn disappear, started to ask Dominie what had happened but then noticed that the two of them were no longer seeing the room with the wooden door on R-131. They were now looking at the opening in front of the cave on Loon where she had awakened.
In this vision of her past, a bright light exploded in front of the cave; an energy bubble appeared, floating above the ground. Inside it, she could see herself in Fawn’s arms. Together they glided into the cave, and the light around them began to dissipate.

  Zeer’s eyes were wide as she watched. They touched the ground. Fawn continued to hold Zeer carefully. She took the sphere from Zeer’s hand and gently laid her down on some blankets.

  At that point, the energy around Dominie and Zeer changed again. They were now back where they had started in the commons area of the Learning Cluster. Zeer sat quietly.

  Again, as with so many times in her recent past, Zeer had seen something that challenged all that she had ever known. She now understood that she had traveled in the arms of Fawn from the lifeglobe on R-131 to Loon in a bubble of pure energy. Of course, she had traveled with Landree around Loon during her cycle, but this…this was beyond belief. The people of Loon had somehow harnessed energy portals, which could transport them anywhere at any time. She now understood more about her experiences during the levels of the Room as well. This could completely change the way the human race lived. These energy spheres represented a quantum leap into the future, and she could only imagine what else they could be used for with more training and understanding.

  “My god!”

  Dominie had expected Zeer’s reaction, but still, he was taken by the look of astonishment on her face. “Our Technology Cluster developed the spheres over one hundred years ago, and we’ve learned more about them since. They are based on the very essence of matter and energy and the science of quantum physics that helps us finally understand matter from the largest of solar systems to the smallest parts of an atom. Laser research, Diamond Quantum theory, and nanotechnology were also involved in their creation. We’re still discovering uses for them and unlocking their potential. Their discovery, though, has brought us to a moment of decision – a decision that we’re struggling with right now. It does have to do with your other question, but I can’t say anymore. Hopefully, we’ll all know more soon.”

  Zeer thought about what Dominie had said. She looked at the sphere in her hand with reverence and a great deal more understanding of its tremendous power. She knew that she would learn more as time passed, but realizing that she had so little control over it was extremely humbling.

  She glanced again at Dominie and said, “Dom, there’s one other thing that I’ve thought a lot about.”

  “What’s that?”

  “When I first arrived, you and I were very intimate. I was awakening on Loon for the first time. The experience was warm, welcoming, and seemed to go way beyond sexual intimacy. I know that every culture has its own ways, and you briefly described those to me when I first arrived, but it seemed that through our closeness I was actually experiencing and learning about you and your culture through our connection. I didn’t feel violated. I felt, well, the only way I can describe it is, almost deep into myself, into you, and into Loon. What happened?”

  “Since you’ve asked, I know it’s time to explain it to you in more detail. Did you notice the sphere near us at the time?”

  “Yes, afterwards.”

  “The energy from the sphere is, as you might have guessed, used for more than travel through time and space. It has the ability to match our energy vibrations and connect to our neural network. It pulsates and can complement our own personal energy, even at the cellular level if directed properly. You and I – all of us – we are energy at our core. The sphere’s energy surrounded you and I, and through the act of being intimate, we’ve discovered that it heightens understanding and empathy. We can learn much about each other. In fact, the very foundation of our knowledge is shared at some level. We have adapted it and use it whenever we get close to anyone and whenever we have a need to know more about one another. The Circle felt that if we followed our customs from the very beginning of your first cycle that it would help you to integrate more easily and adapt more quickly to Loon.”

  Zeer thought for a moment and responded, “It was incredibly special, and yes, it helped me grasp things much sooner than I would have otherwise. It was wonderful to share with you, Dominie. It’s funny, though. I don’t really feel as if you’re the one that I’d want to be my mate. Is that lost with the use of the sphere?”

  Dominie laughed, “No, actually it helps you sense even more which person is right for you. You touched me deeply, but mating is definitely a one-person event here on Loon. We take it very seriously, but we also understand and value the importance of loving and experiencing others. When you do make love to the person who will be your partner, you will know. There is a oneness, a joyous wellspring of laughter and happiness that comes from that experience. Then it only gets better. I’ll be excited for you when that happens.”

  “One last thing.”

  Dominie smiled. “Yes?”

  “I know you said that you couldn’t tell me some things, but I have to ask again? So why am I here? Why me?”

  Dominie put his arm around Zeer and said, “Because you were the right person; the person we needed here on Loon; the person that we knew could love our world and our ways as we do. That’s really all I can say right now.”

  Zeer walked back to her flat contemplating all that she had been shown that day. Once inside, she gazed again at her new world, and Loon gazed back at her. She was home. She took off her clothes and lay on her sleeping mat with the sphere beside her. It had a subdued inner glow that could barely be seen, but it was there. She melted into her quiet dreams and rested.

  17

  The History Cluster

  For the next several moon-cycles, Zeer spent her time deciding which Cluster she was going to live and work in. She traveled across Loon and visited all of the major Clusters. Each of them was located in a very unique environment, and just like the Learning Cluster, they were all virtually undetectable until you were within about a hundred meters of them. They were scattered across the planet in order to keep the impact of each settlement to a minimum, and even though there were many of them, they still worked closely together for the betterment of their civilization and for the safety and continued existence of Loon.

  Zeer held this approach in high regard. After what she had experienced in the Room with Fawn, she knew that the environmental underpinnings of this society were essential to the people’s happiness and continued existence for many generations to come.

  As she had come to understand through her travels, Loon’s population had neither grown nor decreased in many sun-orbits. They treasured their home, their lifestyles, and their children’s futures, and having a stable, sustainable population was one of the greatest contributors to the human and environmental balance on Loon. They were a happy and healthy people. They valued the arts, humor, communication, their families, and their future. They knew exactly what had happened to their ancestral home, and they were determined to not let that happen here.

  The economic strength of Loon was not based on money as the currency for a good life. It was based on the understanding that every member of their world was extremely important and should be allowed to discover their own interests, pursue them, be allowed to change when needed, and work for the good of their planet and each other. Improving life on Loon and being a healthy, grounded, productive member of society were essential components of every Loonite. No one was allowed to go hungry or live without a home, good healthcare, an education, or companionship. Everyone was responsible for the well-being of Loon and each other, and yet, they also knew that they needed to strive and achieve as individuals in order for their society to continue to be strong and vibrant.

  Zeer had learned and observed all of these things, and in her search had visited the Fine Arts Cluster near the Cliffs of Orn, the Environ-techno Cluster beside Sholar, the Healing Cluster, the Spiritual Cluster, the History Cluster, the Caretaker Cluster, and the Culinary Cluster. There were many others, and Zeer visited most of them, researching and gathering information for her decisi
on.

  After great thought, she felt deeply drawn to the History Cluster. It was centered within the Mountains of Wonder not far from Sholar. One of the main reasons that she felt so close to this Cluster was that it delved so deeply into, not only the history of Loon, but the history of her ancestors on Earth as well. In addition, it also continued to monitor Earth’s current condition after the apocalypse, and because of her experiences in the Room, she could never forget what had happened then and how important that period of time was to her.

  ***

  Preparing to leave for the History Cluster was both exciting and sad. Zeer gathered together her belongings and the many memories from the last two full sun-orbits in the Learning Cluster. There was the leather book that had brought her so much knowledge about Earth, some clothes, and a few other items, including her sphere. And as she held it in her hand, she couldn’t help but wonder how such a small, light, luminous orb could do so much. She, along with everyone on Loon, felt a strong connection to their sphere, and that connection grew and deepened with every passing day. Then Zeer placed the sphere and the rest of her belongings into her duffle bags, glanced back at her flat one last time, turned, and left for her new home.

  Dominie and Landree were waiting for her outside. Zeer had chosen to travel with Landree in his bubble-chair again. It was such a fun way to cross Loon, and she always enjoyed Landree’s company. She was extremely excited and a little nervous. The actual location of her new Cluster was along a high cliff in one of the tallest mountains in the area. She had been able to visit her new home recently, and the views from there were extraordinarily vast and breathtaking. She could see immense stretches of landscape as well as the edge of Sholar. It would be a great place to live and work. She was also looking forward to what she might be able to add to the historical perspectives of the people of Loon.