Buton the other hand, I just couldn’t. My body did not respond at all as I wasused to. I needed to calm down, I needed to gain controlagain.
“Dora!”I heard Rick’s voice behind me.
Istopped and as I turned in the direction of Rick’s voice, I found myselflooking directly at the man from my Visions. Dazed by seeing his bare chest soclose, I blinked a few times and then quickly looked up into his eyes.
Andfor one long moment, time stopped.
Therewere no people. There were no other sounds. It was just the two of us, ourfaces only a few inches apart, each and every rule of interpersonal spacebroken and forgotten.
MyVisions did not do him justice, I realized, feeling the weakness in my kneesand trying hard to remain standing. His eyes were deep and dark, hidden in theshadows of his eyelashes. A few strands of his short dark hair fell to hisforehead. He was so close to me I could almost feel the warmth of his body,radiating the heat of a day spent in a sun.
“Ah,Dora!” Rick caught up with us and was now standing beside us, seeminglyoblivious to the transfixed looks we were exchanging in front of him. “It lookslike you already know each other. Cool! Old Mike wants to talk to you becauseof the trip to the old city.”
“Dora,”said the man from my Visions. His voice was deep but soft.
“Um,I thought you guys knew each other,” Rick said, looking at each of us in turn. Asneither of us replied, Rick took a short impatient breath and continued. “J,this is Dora Dana Dasnan. She is our last Jumper, theone Old Mike was talking about. Dora, this is J.”
J. His name is J.
“Niceto meet you, Dora.” This might have been a good time to say something, but Ijust couldn’t find the words.
“Guys,could you please come back with me?” insisted Rick.
Jlooked at Rick. “I don’t understand. Why would Mike want to talk to Dora aboutthe trip?”
“Well,she might be able to help us get in the computer facility. She’s a Senthien.”
“Senthien?”J seemed puzzled. He looked back at me.
“Yes,”jumped in Rick. “That’s why she had access to computer technology no one elsehad.” Rick was glowing, a broad grin on his face.
Thethick wall of interpersonal space finally kicked in, and I took a step backward.
“Iwill respond to Old Mike’s request for the exchange of information, but I donot understand the urgency,” I said calmly, my Senthien façade back on my face.
J’sexpression changed. He frowned just slightly, his eyes narrowing as he lookedback at me.
“Thisis so exciting!” Rick was almost jumping up and down on the spot. “This reallymight be the breakthrough!”
Ithen turned to Rick and gave him a long stare, communicating that my question hadnot been answered. Rick’s head slumped to his chest and he exhaled impatiently.Then raising his eyes to look at me, he said, “Look, I don’t know all thedetails, but there is something important about the timing. So could you guysplease come with me?”
Jand I looked at each other for a moment, and then J said, “C’mon! Let’s talk toOld Mike.”
Hemade a quick sideways movement with his head in the direction we’d just comefrom and then started walking.
“Dora.Dana. Dasnan,” he said looking back, a half-hidden smile appearing at thecorner of his lips.
Ilooked up at his dark eyes, getting completely lost in them. A moment later Imoved my gaze away, hoping my emotions did not show on my face.
“Whatdo people in Uni call you?” he continued.
“Dana…people in Uni call me Dana.”
“Ilike Dora. It sounds… warm.”
Iglanced back at him. He was looking forward and had a smile on his face.
Wereached the other side of the circle where Mike was sitting.
“Dora.”Mike slowly stood up to greet me. “Excuse my old bones. Standing up takes moreeffort than it used to. I am Mike. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Iacknowledge your hospitality,” was the only thing in my vocabulary that seemedappropriate.
“Please,Dora, J, sit with me a little bit.” His old voice had a pleasant rumble to it.
Jpointed to a wooden log. He waited for me to sit first, and then he sat on thelog next to it.
“Dora,”Mike said, “you heard me mention the building at the old university. Now, wefairly often go to the city… ah, ruins, to—I guess the best word is—scavenge useful items.”
Ilooked at Mike, my expression flat, not understanding his words.
“Itmeans,” J said, sensing my confusion, “that we take stuff—different items—fromthe ruins that we might have a use for here in the tree village, like… let methink… metal, or sharp objects, or cables. You know, things to use when you don’thave anything.” He smiled.
Ihad the most peculiar need to smile back at him, but not understanding thisurge, I refrained and turned back to Mike.
“Thanks,J,” Mike said. “So, very early on, perhaps two years after we woke, we tried toenter the computer building, or what we think is a computer building… Patrickworked at this university before the cryo and he thinks it’s very likely thatthis particular building is a computer facility.
“AsI said, we didn’t manage to get in. It just looked… impenetrable. So, what I amhoping, what we are all hoping”—he moved his hand in a circular motion—“isthat you, coming from a society with more advanced technology, might be able tohelp us enter. Perhaps you’ve seen something like that before.”
“Yes,I understand. I will be in a better position to tell you of my ability to helpyou when I see the entrance.”
Mikenodded. “Of course, Dora, of course,” he said and glanced at J. “And – thisis also our question for you – would you, please, join the group going onthis trip? Your help would be extremely useful.”
Ilooked at all three of them in turn and then answered to Mike, in my usualSenthien voice, “Yes. I think this is advisable. I will go with the group.”
Rickexhaled audibly.
“Thankyou,” Mike said. “Thank you, Dora. We very much appreciate it.”
“Ricksaid the trip needs to happen soon,” I said. “Why?”
“Yes,there is a
