Alpha Centauri

Hostility

I was still looking at the pictures when someone rapped three times on my door. I quickly put the pictures under my comfort blanket and slid my door open.

Lyra and Nev stood at the entry, their arms crossed over their chests and a look of confusion and fear glinted in their eyes.

Lyra's mouth was set in a hard line as she looked down at me.

"Nev told me there was an incident at the viewing deck today." She pushed passed me and looked around my room suspiciously.

"I had a nightmare."

"Nightmare?" Lyra looked at Nev, her eyebrow raised, and he nodded.

I explained my nightmare to her, unable to keep it a secret. If I was to get past this and have them trust me again, I needed to be honest.

After I was finished, Lyra watched me, a contemplative look on her face.

"This is odd." She ran her hand through her curls.

"I'm sorry." I looked down ashamed.

"I don't dream. No one dreams."

"Maybe you don't remember?"

"No, we actually don't dream. It was something they modified out of us. The chip in our neck collects our thoughts and memories and arranges them. There is no need to dream." Lyra started pacing.

"But if I was made the same as you, how am I different?"

None of this made sense. I don't understand how I could be so different if we were all made the same.

"I don't know." Lyra snapped.

It's then I realized that they weren't afraid of me, they were afraid of the difference. Both Nev and Lyra had been the first to wake, the first to understand their purpose and here I was, changing all that they knew, all that they were told.

"Is there any way to find out?" I asked.

Lyra stood still for a second and watched me cautiously. I could see she was working it all out in her head, a fight between what she knew and what she didn't. After a few moments she nodded at me.

"Phee, can you compile all the information about out births." She said while still watching me.

"Access denied." Phee replied.

Lyra looked shocked for a moment, then frustration took over.

"I have level one clearance." She snapped.

"Only Captain Herra can assess those files."

"This is bullshit, why can't we access information about ourselves?" Nev shouted.

"Would you like me to compile the files that level one clearance can access?" Phee asked, her voice neutral and monotoned.

"No!" Lyra and Nev growled at the same time.

"Wont I know more when I get my upgrade?"

There had to be a reason for all of this, and maybe my upgrade will shed some light on why I'm having these dreams, why I know things before I should.

"We can only hope. But I'd be interested in knowing why you're dreaming." Lyra put her hand on my shoulder.

Her friendly smile returned, but it didn't reach her eyes, I could still see the fear lingering there. But for now, she was acting as if I was normal, and I'd take that.

"We should look into this when Nova gets her upgrade." Nev told Lyra.

"No." The voice of the captain snapped.