Since Neight left the kitchen, I couldn’t shake off our conversation.
Why did I say that? I mentally scolded myself. And this disgusting food didn’t help. My appetite was completely gone, but I couldn’t leave it on the plate. I needed the energy to recover, and I wasn’t sure how he would react. I didn’t want to make the situation worse.
In the end, I forced myself to finish eating. After the meal, I pondered my next steps for a long time. Should I go back to the cabin as Neight ordered? I didn’t want to go there, but I couldn’t sit here forever either. Maybe I should search the kitchen for something useful?
I glanced around the futuristic kitchen furniture, noting the unusual surroundings again, and thought. I imagined finding some kitchen tools like a knife or at least a fork and then somehow taking control of the ship... But no matter how much I thought about it, I pictured Neight easily disarming me.
No, Neight is right. Right now, I’m completely dependent on him. Any reckless actions could cost me my life. The only thing I can do now is obey and follow his orders.
Filled with despair, I trudged back to the cabin. Since my awakening, too many events had happened, leaving me completely emotionally drained. I just didn’t have the strength to fight anymore.
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When I entered the cabin, I was relieved to find it empty. Not having to face Neight again right now made me feel a little calmer.
My attention was drawn to a neat gray stack of things on one of the bunks. It looked like a set of bedding with a pillow and a thin mattress. Next to them lay the familiar electronic notepad. Apparently, Neight didn’t want to see me either. Well, that’s for the best. Feeling slightly better, I picked up the notepad and opened the message.
"It’s been a tough day, hasn’t it? We both have a lot to think about, but first, we need to rest and gather strength for the new day.
You can use the bedding I left for you. Don’t worry, I’ll be sleeping elsewhere.
There’s a hidden door to the bathroom in the wall opposite the bunk with the things. Press the far-right panel, and it will open. Just try to conserve water."
No way!
I thought and rushed to check the wall. When I pressed gently on the indicated spot, the door-panel slid forward and to the side. A tiny room, no more than two square meters, revealed itself with a toilet combined with a sink, a showerhead sticking out of the wall, and a drain in the floor.
“Thank heavens!” I rejoiced, grateful for these essential amenities on the ship. Celebrating this fantastic news in my mind, I returned to the message.
"One important point we didn’t discuss: to maximize our chances of survival, we should stick to a certain daily routine: 6:00 - wake up 7:00 - breakfast 8:00 - task briefing for the first half of the day 8:30 - task execution 12:00 - lunch 13:00 - progress check and plan adjustments 13:30 - task execution with adjustments 19:30 - end of work for the first half and results analysis 20:00 - dinner 21:00 - free time and bedtime preparation 22:00 - lights out For the second half of the day, the schedule is repeated."
The first half of the day? What does that mean?
The answer didn’t take long to come:
“For your information: A day on this planet lasts 52 hours, so it’s more comfortable to split it into two 26-hour halves. Moreover, the temperature in the middle of the day rises significantly and becomes uncomfortable.”
I was once again impressed by his foresight, but his desire for total control irritated me. Also, the prospect of such early wake-ups didn’t make me happy. I’d rather shift it by at least an hour or better yet two. I never liked waking up so early. And the schedule is pretty tight... What else is in the message? Go on, finish me off!
“The alarms in the cabin are set for 6:00 AM and 32:00 PM, so don’t worry about oversleeping.”
Well, thanks a lot! I thought sarcastically.
“To check the current time, you can use this electronic notepad for now.
Good night. See you tomorrow at breakfast.”
Closing the message, I saw the time 47:23 at the top right corner of the screen. How did I not think to check the notepad last time? It’s so obvious! On the other hand, I had just started to recover from cryosleep, so it’s no surprise I wasn’t thinking straight.
Putting the notepad aside, I made the bed and went to the shower. The water was barely warm, but it felt so good to refresh after a hard day. After the shower, I felt more alive but also fully aware of my physical exhaustion and collapsed onto the bed. Every muscle in my body ached as if I’d been doing some unimaginable physical activity all day. Then again, if I had been asleep in the capsule for a long time, my muscles could have atrophied. No wonder I was so tired. Besides, compared to the bare metal, even this thin mattress felt like a plush bed. There was no way I was getting up again today... and I didn’t want to.
The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
For the first time since waking up here, I relaxed and felt at peace. All my thoughts drifted away, and I didn’t even notice when I drifted into sleep.
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I was awakened by an annoying beeping sound. Who on earth invented such alarms? My first thought was, how do I turn it off?! Reluctantly opening my eyes, I saw the white walls of the ship's cabin once again.
Damn, why couldn’t all this be just a dream?
I groggily looked around to find the source of the noise and quickly discovered a small hologram displaying the current time "6:00" and two buttons "Snooze" and "Turn off" on the wall next to the bunk.
“Of course, turn off!”
As soon as I brought my finger to the button’s projection, the annoying sound stopped, and the hologram disappeared.
Well, here’s a new day, Emma, I thought to myself. I really didn’t want to get up. My muscles still ached, and it seemed this would last for several days. But I was pleased to feel much better compared to yesterday. The dizziness and headache from yesterday were gone. I’d even say I felt almost normal.
After some time, I forced myself to get out of bed, afraid of falling asleep again and oversleeping. I probably sat on the edge of the bunk for another two or three minutes with my eyes closed, trying to wake up.
What was on the schedule? Breakfast at 7:00. And now…
I took the notepad in my hands.
“Already 6:23?! How?”
The realization that breakfast was not far off shook off my sleepiness. I quickly washed up, got myself in order, and made the bed. I couldn’t shake off my anxiety. Yesterday, Neight and I parted on not the best terms, and I didn’t know what to expect from him. Besides, with a clear head today, I softened a bit towards him. After all, he did take care of me in some way, though he could have done nothing. This didn’t mean I suddenly trusted him completely. Rather, I considered the possibility that he might turn out to be a good guy and a potential ally.
6:41. Maybe I should go to the kitchen early? Perhaps I can help with something. Or should I not?
After a bit of hesitation, I decided to go to the kitchen right away. On the way, I cursed due to the pain in my legs that I felt with every step.
I hope today doesn’t involve heavy physical work.
Just before the door, I took a deep breath, gathering my thoughts before entering the kitchen. It was important to try not to create conflicts and to learn more about Neight’s future plans and goals. I needed to determine if I could trust him.
As expected, Neight was already in the kitchen. He greeted me with the same calm face and smile I had seen before.
“Good morning, Evie. You’re a bit early,” Neight stood behind the kitchen counter, seemingly preparing our breakfast.
“Yes, good morning. I just thought maybe I could help with something.”
“No need,” he replied, “I’m almost done with the cooking. You can sit and wait for now.”
“Alright.”
As he suggested, I sat at the table. I felt awkward. I shouldn’t have come. Well, at least I could watch him cook.
My eyes were immediately drawn to the large green fruits or vegetables that Neight was cutting at chef-speed into small pieces and throwing into a blender bowl. There were also a few small bunches of some blue berries lying nearby.
No, please, not again… I desperately pleaded in my mind. It was clear that for breakfast I would once again face that green goo. If Neight looked at me now, he would read all the pain I felt from the thought of the upcoming breakfast on my face. On the other hand, while he cooked, I had time to come to terms with and accept the situation, so when the plate with the green disgusting porridge appeared before me again, I was mentally prepared.
“Enjoy your meal!”
“You too,” I replied, barely holding back a sarcastic comment.
As before, Neight began eating his dish with pleasure. Could he really like it? I decided to stick to the same tactic as yesterday: swallow the food without chewing and wash it down periodically.
While eating, I thought about our conversation yesterday. How could he be so calm, as if nothing had happened? Just as I thought about it, Neight spoke in a serious voice:
“I wanted to apologize to you. Yesterday, I may have been too harsh towards you.”
His unexpected words stunned me, and I almost dropped my spoon.
“You have every reason not to trust me,” he continued, “but I also know nothing about you and therefore have to act cautiously.”
So it’s all about distrust of me?
It was a bit hurtful to hear, as I knew I had no ill intentions. But on the other hand, I could understand him. If I were in his place, I would probably act the same.
“I understand what you’re saying,” I replied, looking away, “I think I should apologize to you too… Yesterday I… Well, I was probably a bit rude. I’m sorry…”
I sighed. These words were hard to say. Apologizing and admitting mistakes to others is always difficult. Still, I felt a little better.
“I’m glad we resolved this situation. After all, we need to cooperate. You saw the schedule I left for you, right?”
Yeee… He quickly switched topics. And yet, I would take a long time to get used to his cold-bloodedness. I don’t know what he went through, but he was clearly not prone to showing emotions. He seemed like one of those people who always tried to act rationally and remain unshakable.
“Yes, I’ve reviewed it. After breakfast, we’ll be making plans for today, right?”
“For the first half of the day,” he corrected me.
What a stickler. It was obvious what I meant, I fumed inwardly.
“Correct,” Neight continued, “after breakfast, we’ll discuss our plans.”
“By the way, since we’re on this topic…” I hesitated a bit. I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to bring this up now. “Can you tell me if we have any overarching goal?”
At this, Neight’s face became as serious as it was yesterday during dinner. I had a bad feeling, but I continued:
“You said we escaped from other people who were doing something bad to us, but in that case, shouldn’t they be looking for us?”
“They are definitely looking for us,” his words sounded like thunder in a clear sky.
“But… but wait. You said we were safe!”
“And we are,” he replied calmly.
“How is that possible?! Don’t these digitized people have technologies to instantly determine our location?”
“It may sound strange, but no. You’re right that technology has advanced greatly, but in some ways, it lags behind even what you remember from your time.”
I stared at him in surprise. How could our technologies surpass theirs? Seeing my expression, Neight smiled:
“Artificial intelligence. I think you noticed that there are no voice assistants or any drones maintaining the ship.”
And that’s true… In our time, AI was widely used in almost all areas.
“Since the beginning of the war,” Neight continued, “people have become panically afraid of everything related to AI, and thus began to massively refuse its use. Even robot vacuum cleaners drove some individuals to hysteria. In my opinion, it was foolish, but what can you do. Returning to our topic, without AI-based technologies, it’s impossible to quickly gather and analyze data from this planet to locate us. It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack. It could take years, if not decades.”
“I see…” I pondered for a moment. “Alright, if things are as you say. But what will happen if people lift this taboo?”
“Then we’re doomed,” Neight replied, half-jokingly, half-seriously. Only I didn’t find it funny at all. I almost started to panic when he continued, “However, I consider this scenario unlikely. I don’t think we’re that important. From a rational point of view, they have no reason to spend a lot of resources and expose themselves to unnecessary risks for us.”
He has everything perfectly thought out. On the other hand, he might be right. If we were just some of their test subjects, it would be easier to let us die on some planet.
“You’re probably right,” I finally agreed. His words had a calming effect on me. In response, a satisfied smile spread across his face.
“I’m glad you share my opinion.”
To my surprise, Neight got up from the table, picked up his empty plate, and headed toward the kitchen unit to presumably put the dirty dishes in a dishwasher. When did he manage to eat everything?
“Well,” he said, “you finish your meal, and I’ll go prepare for our planning session. I have a small request, though.”
I looked at him questioningly.
“When you’re done, please clear your dishes and wipe the table.”
As soon as I nodded affirmatively, Neight rushed to the exit, saying as he went:
“Great! I’ll be back here at eight.”
As soon as he left the kitchen, I relaxed and leaned back in the chair. This time everything went well. However, I was troubled by the fact that he knew an awful lot. Could a fugitive know so much about the current situation and the past? I, for example, knew nothing... For now, I should stick to the plan and listen to what else he has to say, and deal with problems as they arise.
Speaking of problems… I looked discontentedly at the remaining green mass on my plate.
Where’s the trash can around here?