Page 10 of LeX

RYLIE

Thewarmthof the sun glistening through the limbs of this brightly colored, yellow tree has me closing my eyes asIlean back against the rough bark of its trunk.Neverin all my days couldIhave imagined such a magical place existed.

Lettingthe smells and the warmth of the two suns relax me,Iopen my eyes to gaze at the beauty all around me.Somethingis whispering in the back of my mind that whatI’mseeing is wrong, but it’s so beautiful and peaceful thatIdon’t care.

Thetall purple grass sways back and forth as a light wind rustles through the long branches of the treeI’msitting under.Brightyellow flowers from the thin limbs covered in them have fallen throughout the day and lay upon the ground all around me.

Whitefluffy clouds float lazily across a bright green sky, and the colors of the multiple trees and flowers in the area are more beautiful than any paintingIhave ever seen.Ialmost wishIhad a camera or something to capture this moment in time so thatIcould reflect upon it again later.

Somethingtouching my hand has me looking down andIcan see my fingers moving slowly on their own, but there is nothing else there.Shruggingoff the oddness,Ilay down on my side and close my eyes, just enjoying the quiet asIrest a little bit longer.

Chapter Six

LEX

Theodd wayin whichIwas lying with my head on the bed wakes me up to a stiff neck.Groaningout loud,Istand up, stretching out my sore muscles.Theblinking of the holo tablet shows me thatI’dleft a document open, but beforeIpick it back up,Icheck all ofRylie’svitals again.WhatamIdoing wrong?Thosethoughts just play over and over in my mind.Whatlittle restIdid get didn’t seem to help me much as my thoughts are once again fuzzy.

AsIwalk through the med bay a sensory scanner catches my attention, making me wonder if it could detect her brain activity to see if anything is happening, or if she can even hear me.Thisidea gives me some renewed strength and quicklyIhook it up to certain pressure points along her head and neck.Grabbingthe holo pad,Iopen the bookIwas reading, rapidly getting right back into it.Thisstory alone has me wondering what other marvels the human race has written, andIcan’t help but cheer for the little fairy.

“Ididn’t know exactly what to do with you, butIbrought you home hoping you would make it.What’syour name?”

“Myname is…”Sheturns her head away from me for a second. “Idon’t know what my name is.SpiritMotherhasn’t given out the names yet this year,Ifell too soon, so she wouldn’t have given me one.”Shelooks like she is going to cry.

“Pleasedon’t cry.Wouldit be ok ifIgave you a name?Ihave been calling you one in my head for a couple days now.”

“Ibelieve that would be alright.”Shelooks up at me apprehensively.

“HowaboutPetal?Iknow it’s not very original, butIthink it suits you.”Holdingmy breath,IrealizeIreally want her to like that name for some reason.

“Inall my 122 years,Ihave never had that name; so yes,Petalwill do just fine.”Shestarts to wiggle inside the bloom and the fabric she is in starts to sway back and forth.

“Ihave a thousand questions for you, butIdon’t want to seem pushy.Itmust be a shock waking up thinking you’re going to be in one place, only to find out you’re not there!”

“Ithas been quite alarming to be truthful but go ahead and ask your questions.I’mstuck anyway.Whoknows how longIwill be here, andIdon’t have anything else to do.”Shesits down inside the flower and crosses her legs.Theflower petals form a type of dress all around her, andInotice it changes as she moves.Herback is being pulled to one side, andIcan see that she is also leaning to that side.

“You’restuck, aren’t you?Isthere anythingIcan do to help?”Ireach toward her, and she smacks my fingers.

I’mso caught up in the storyIwas reading out loud that it takes me a few tics to hear the beeping of the sensoryscanner confirming activity.Standing, my eyes scroll through the information.Withinmoments of me beginning to read, her brain activity doubled, and the bed logged more eye and hand movements.Layingthe holo screen down,Ihead for the storage cabinet, sliding the door open.Istand there looking at all the objects inside.Therehas to be something in here thatIcan use soIcan see the exact moment my voice penetrates her mind.

“SCOUT, are you available for council?”

“HowmayIbe of service,MedicLeX?”

“DoIhave anything hereIcan convert into a second sensory scanner?Youwere correct in your previous analysis.Shecan hear me, butIwas hoping to be able to narrow it down more specifically.”

“Ihave instructed a maintenance bot to come to the med bay and it will have the additional items needed to fix one of the older scanners in your vicinity.Itwill not work in the exact same manner, but it should do what you need.Willthere be anything else?”

“TheDestroyerhad to recalibrate the fetus scanner last rising; can you verify that it is working properly?”

“Themachine is working at optimal capacity.”

“ThankyouSCOUT, as always your council is appreciated.”

“Iam only performing my dutiesMedicLeX, but you are welcome.Untilnext time.”

Trueto his word, it’s not long before one of the large maintenance bots comes rolling in with what looks like spare pieces in its large, multi-functional hands.Istep out of theway as it starts pulling several devices out of the storage area and watch in amazement as it reworks the parts.QuickerthanIcould have imagined, it beeps that the process has been completed, and theDestroyer’svoice echoes all around me.

“MedixLeX, your new scanner is now active, and it will or should work in sequence with the one already hooked up to your human mate.”

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