I paused. This house knew my undercover name. The name and identity that I’d been given upon being inserted into this dimension to steal the artifact. I’d never told her that name.
I was a thief-for-hire, property of the inter-dimensional corporation, Titan Universal.
My given name was Gloria. Status EKX. She didn’t know that. No one did except those who were a part of Titan.
Aurora was going to be a problem. I could sense it.
“Ellen?” Aurora asked. Attempting to get my attention.
“Oh, uh. Yes. I was just thinking,” I tried to conceal my concern as I spoke. I needed to get out of here as soon as possible.
“What about?”
“Can those Synths find this place?” I asked. Trying to engage my neural assistant, Albert, to no avail.
"No, they cannot. I was designed with a cloaking function and several protection mechanisms to prevent unwanted intruders. My first owner was a very protective man," Aurora’s authoritative voice surprised me.
I’d have to stay here for the time being. At least until the coast was clear.
“Please, down the hall to the light, you’ll find I’ve kept this wing presentable for you,” Aurora sounded chipper, delighted even, as she spoke.
Clutching the thin backpack straps, I turned to follow with obvious caution.
3
Dinner With Aurora
The house was large, larger than it appeared from my initial view. I was led through an entertainment style room; this time everything was meticulously clean, no dust, the carpet kept in perfect condition. It was beautiful. Next was a kitchen, not a modern, fully automatic utility space like the type I was used to in my home at The Sliver, but one from hundreds of years ago.
Spotless copper pans hung from an ornate rail above the polished wood kitchen island. A refrigerator hummed in soft tones in the background. In front of me, another doorway lit up in a golden hue emanating from the floor. I walked toward it, nearly mesmerized. It was a bedroom suite, also nothing like what I’d designed inside The Sliver, minimalist but ornate. A low wood platform bed sat in the middle of the room with a shower encased in glass right beside it. Despite my caution, I wanted to crawl into it and wash off the dirt of the day. I'd had an awful day.
“So, what do you think? I’m truly sorry my Ellen, I’ve only been able to maintain this one space. But that’s all going to change now that you two are here!” Aurora spoke quickly, excitedly. Nothing like any AI I had ever come across.
X:\Gloria\>Two? Who else is here?
I Tel’d to the mysterious Aurora.
“Ethan, of course! He requested you by name!” Aurora spoke aloud.
Ethan was my undercover identity, Ellen’s ex-boyfriend. I always managed to find some sort of romantic entanglement on my missions into other dimensions.
But Ethan? What was he doing here? He and I lived over 5000 miles away from where Aurora stood.
I gripped the straps of my backpack even tighter.
“Ethan? How did he find you?“ I spoke with trepidation.
“Well, he found me on the HomeShare application. He had been looking to take a vacation for quite some time. Don’t worry though, he’s in the next village over grabbing some needed supplies. He’ll be back in a jiffy.” Aurora continued with excitement dripping from her voice.
Something was definitely wrong here. Too much of a coincidence.
“Proximity Alert! Proximity Alert!” A stern and focused pre-programmed male voice, shouted. I startled for a moment and turned to look at the screen that came to life on the wall. Standing five feet from the bed, an intruder alert of some kind sounded.
I watched as the two Synths, along with the Sniffer team, searched the perimeter of the house, seemingly unaware that the Aurora was there at all. I could see them mouthing words in frustration.
It was apparent that they were not going to stop looking for me. I'd taken something extremely important to the Guardians. I didn't know what it was, even when I stole it. All this trouble for an oddly shaped piece of stone seemed excessive. But then again, my handlers never explained anything to me; it worked better that way. As long as I got access to The Deep and avoided punishment, I didn't really care. I’d been at it too long to ask questions.
What was crystal clear was that I was stuck with this strange house and apparently Ethan. At least for right now. I focused back on the screen against the wall. The Synths and the Sniffer appeared more and more confused.
X:\Aurora HomeConnect\> Don't you worry about them for even a moment my dear. Your new home will protect you. I will protect you.
Aurora spoke with a gentle voice into my mind.
X:\Aurora HomeConnect\> Now, now. I've made you something to eat. Come.
Still thinking about Ethan. I entered the kitchen, uncomfortable and unsure of what to say.
“How’s your ankle, dear?” asked Aurora.
“My ankle?” I questioned, noticing a bowl of what looked like a light brown soup steaming fresh on the counter.
“Yes, I saw that you twisted it while you were running to me.”
“Oh, it’s fine,” I answered, looking down at my ankle forgetting I’d even hurt it.
"That’s good, dear.”
I took the bowl in my hands with hesitancy. It was warm and stark white, reminding me of all the bowls of ancient African stew I’d eaten on those cold days in New Dayton.
X:\Aurora HomeConnect\> Well, go on, have a taste. You must be hungry.
Aurora’s tone was soft, sweet, and motherly.
I was hungry. In fact, I would probably qualify as nearly starving at this moment. Hunger really wasn't an emergency for me, in light of my current situation. I didn’t want to alert Aurora or give any reason to be suspicious.
So, I raised the bowl up to my nose to smell, I was immediately horrified. Nearly dropping it, I regained my composure and placed the bowl back on the counter. The smell was putrid, like rotting flesh and acid.
