"Well, as I said. A new beginning... although some of us clearly have things we can't leave behind." She sighed. Zoey walked right through Claire and rolled her eyes theatrically.
"Are you done with the self-indulgent moaning yet?" she demanded. Alia ignored her. Zoey made an exasperated sound and tapped furiously at her handlink.
Aaron fussed and started to cry, and Alia frowned up at Zoey. Leaving Claire to try and sooth the infant with a muttered apology, Alia moved out of earshot.
"The baby can see you," she said to Zoey.
"Young children often can," the other woman said indifferently. "Mad people as well. Lothos says-"
"Who's Lothos?"
"Lothos is the artificial intelligence which runs this project."
"You answer to a computer?"
"Running it doesn't mean being in charge. You know nothing."
"That's right," Alia said. "And it scares you, doesn't it?"
Zoey flinched.
"Not at all. We'll figure this out. In the mean time-"
"I think I'd like to live my life over again," Alia said. "What you offer doesn't sound very nice. How do I even know you're telling the truth? You're just an apparition." She waved her hand through the middle of Zoey's face.
"Foolish girl. You don't remember hell, do you?"
"Hell?"
"Hell! You sent us there."
"So that's why you're afraid. You're held responsible if I fail."
"We're a team, Alia!"
"Not when I don't remember it. Go back to the future, Zoey. Leave me alone." She started back towards Claire and Aaron. Zoey vanished and reappeared in front of her.
"You're clearly going to need some more persuasion until you get your memory back," she said. "Thames, run the retrieval programme."
There was a moment of silence.
"Of course I know it won't work. Run it anyway!" Zoey cried, clearly replying to a voice Alia couldn't hear.
A moment later, Alia felt something happening. She felt made of light, shining out of her body, stretching in all directions, then a pull, like she was being hauled out of time and space to somewhere completely different...
...it finished with a jolt. She swayed for a moment, gasping for breath, then everything went dark and she didn't even feel herself hit the ground.
Zoey watched, nodded in some satisfaction, and opened the Door to depart.
[Alia]
"Are you done with the self-indulgent moaning yet?" she demanded. Alia ignored her. Zoey made an exasperated sound and tapped furiously at her handlink.
Aaron fussed and started to cry, and Alia frowned up at Zoey. Leaving Claire to try and sooth the infant with a muttered apology, Alia moved out of earshot.
"The baby can see you," she said to Zoey.
"Young children often can," the other woman said indifferently. "Mad people as well. Lothos says-"
"Who's Lothos?"
"Lothos is the artificial intelligence which runs this project."
"You answer to a computer?"
"Running it doesn't mean being in charge. You know nothing."
"That's right," Alia said. "And it scares you, doesn't it?"
Zoey flinched.
"Not at all. We'll figure this out. In the mean time-"
"I think I'd like to live my life over again," Alia said. "What you offer doesn't sound very nice. How do I even know you're telling the truth? You're just an apparition." She waved her hand through the middle of Zoey's face.
"Foolish girl. You don't remember hell, do you?"
"Hell?"
"Hell! You sent us there."
"So that's why you're afraid. You're held responsible if I fail."
"We're a team, Alia!"
"Not when I don't remember it. Go back to the future, Zoey. Leave me alone." She started back towards Claire and Aaron. Zoey vanished and reappeared in front of her.
"You're clearly going to need some more persuasion until you get your memory back," she said. "Thames, run the retrieval programme."
There was a moment of silence.
"Of course I know it won't work. Run it anyway!" Zoey cried, clearly replying to a voice Alia couldn't hear.
A moment later, Alia felt something happening. She felt made of light, shining out of her body, stretching in all directions, then a pull, like she was being hauled out of time and space to somewhere completely different...
...it finished with a jolt. She swayed for a moment, gasping for breath, then everything went dark and she didn't even feel herself hit the ground.
Zoey watched, nodded in some satisfaction, and opened the Door to depart.