Free Andromeda Day and the Black Hole by Charlie Jackson Page A

yellow sashes
were gathered around a small fire in the center. Through the trees Andi could
just see other soldiers huddled in groups, scattered throughout the woods.
    One of the soldiers stood as the guard
approached, half-dragging Andi with him. Andi saw the yellow sash, and the
captain’s lime-green hair, which she had rubbed with mud to try and dim its
luminosity. She wasn’t sure how she recognized her, but she was in no doubt. “Clios,
it’s me, Andi,” she said urgently. “Deneb’s daughter.”
    Clios stared at her in surprise. She nodded
to the guard, who quickly untied her hands. “So it is,” she said, beckoning her
towards the fire. “What on Thoume are you doing here?”
    “Deneb hasn’t returned from the Black
Hole.” She took a deep breath. “So I’ve come to rescue him.”
    There was a ripple of laughter among the
soldiers gathered around the fire. Clios looked over at them and said something
harshly, but when she looked back at Andi, she, too, was smiling. “I see.” She
reached out and touched a green hand gently to Andi’s shoulder. “I’m very sorry
that Deneb did not return. I cautioned him about going into the Hole. I said
that he would not come back. But he was determined. I see that you are like
him, too. It is very brave of you to think about rescuing him.” Her hand
dropped to her side. “But it is a foolish notion. Why do you think that you
would have a chance where he did not?”
    Andi lifted her chin as the soldiers all
stared at her, curious to hear her answer. It went against the grain for her to
admit the operations she had had, but she had no choice. “Because I am an
upgrade. It is what we call people on Earth who have had implants,” she
explained at their confused stares. “Sometimes if our organs break down, or we
have an accident, it is possible to replace the damaged part of the body with
synthetic materials. It has been done for centuries with limbs and even things
like eyes. But the technology has now been developed to replace the heart and
brain.”
    She waited for them to show expressions of
revulsion and disgust. However, although they all looked startled, the general
emotion seemed to be interest rather than horror.
    Clios frowned. “Are you saying that’s what
has happened to you?”
    “My brain is half computer, yes.”
    “So what does that mean?”
    Andi shrugged. “I have many improved…
qualities.”
    Clios tipped her head. “Like what?”
    “I have a greatly expanded memory and I can
recall books word for word after only reading them once. I have a talent for figures
and patterns and I can break almost any code. I can fly any sort of ship. I
become fluent in a language after only hearing it spoken for a while. I am
talking Ruvalian to you now, am I not? And I only met you a week ago.”
    Clios nodded.  She looked impressed. “I
see. Why did Deneb not take you with him? You would have stood a greater chance
of rescuing the Golden Star together.”
    Andi bit her lip. “He doesn’t know about
my… abilities.”
    Clios look surprised. “What do you mean? How
could he not know?”
    “I was always fairly bright, even before my
upgrade. I’ve always been good with languages and gadgets and I think that
Deneb hasn’t really paid any thought to how much better I’ve got. The other
things I can do… Well, I don’t tell him about them.”
    “Why ever not? He seems like an
understanding sort of man.”
    Andi sighed. “Sometimes a gift can also be
a curse. I find it a hard burden to bear, and it would upset Deneb to know that
I wish I hadn’t had the upgrade.” She nodded at Clios’s Indigo Quartz necklace.
“You must feel the same about your abilities. Although it can be useful to
improve your talents, it is not always a good thing.” She was thinking of
Sphere.
    Clios smiled wryly, indicating that she
understood. “So what do you propose to do now?”
    “I thought I would enter Hoshaen territory
and get captured. Hopefully they’ll