Chapter 17
To Sleep, Perchance To Dream
Kimiko dreams... about playing with her parents... and then some man takes her from her back yard, into a black van... The man was much bigger than her; the van was bigger than the car she was used to... the man puts a cloth over her mouth... it smells of chemicals...
Kimiko wakes! She sits up in bed.
Are you all right? Hoshi asks.
Some man took me from my back yard into a black van.
What? Hoshi says. Not here. When?
I think I was young.
Memories keyed by our session, no doubt, Hoshi says.
The man who took me was a giant and the van was big.
A giant? Hoshi says. There are some supers who can grow bigger, though they are rare.
Well, a giant compared to me. He was close to twice as tall as me when he picked me up.
Ahhh, Hoshi says... not literally a giant, then.
No, Kimiko says, he wasn't twenty feet tall or anything. Just when I was taken, he was tall, comparatively.
When you were taken you were younger, Hoshi says. I wonder how long ago that was. Hmm. Aiyara is cooking dinner... did you have a good nap?
Good until that nightmare of being taken. I'm not sure but I might be able to ID him if I see him again.
We can access police mug shots and look through them, Hoshi says... tedious, but you might spot him. IDing an agent of the doctor could possibly lead us to him.
Unless they are like the others and know only limited information, Kimiko says. Though one time we will probably hit a link closer. Kimiko gets up and brushes her hair and puts her boots on.
We can set you up with access to mug shots, Hoshi says, and you can look through them while others sleep... if that works for you.
That works, Kimiko says. I'm sorry if I woke you up or disturbed you meditation.
It is not a problem, Hoshi says. I heard you yell.
So what are the plans for the rest of the day? Kimiko asks.
Dinner will be ready soon, Hoshi says, and after dinner we go see Dr. Westwood. And then you'll have an hour or two to visit with Lynx and meet some of her friends.
You mean her sisters as she calls them? Kimiko asks.
Yes... her sisters, Hoshi says. Adopted sisters.
After she cleans up and brushed her hair, Kimiko heads to the kitchen to see if Aiyara needs help. "Hi Aiyara, is there anything I can help with?"
"Hello, Kimiko," Aiyara says. "Did you have a nice nap? Would you like to help with the mashed potatoes? I'll show you how to mash them."
"Well," Kimiko says, "it was a nice nap, except for a nightmare to wake me up. But, yeah, I'll help with the mashed potatoes." Kimiko sniffs to see if she can tell what else is cooking. Some kind of vegetables simmer in a pot.
Aiyara shows Kimiko how to mash the potatoes that she peeled earlier. "Add just a touch of milk, and a bit of salt and pepper."
"How much is a touch and a bit?" Kimiko asks.
"Well," Aiyara says, "just a drib of milk... and a pinch of salt... maybe two or three pinches of pepper. I like it a bit peppery." She shows Kimiko what she means. "A pinch is when you pinch forefinger and thumb together, with some salt in between."
Kimiko follows the instructions and makes sure it's where Aiyara can see her to be sure she doesn't make any mistakes. "I smell a lot of veggies, but why can't I smell any meat?" Kimiko asks.
"Oh, it's in the oven," Aiyara says. "And I have the exhaust fan on. You'll smell it if you're closer to the oven."
Kimiko steps closer to the oven to smell the meat. She smells the roast beef nearer the oven... the fan draws the air out and blows it somewhere else. "That smells good. Do you want me to set the table?"
"Yes, please," Aiyara says. "I'll work on the gravy." She gets the roast out of the oven and uses the juices in the roast pan to pour into a pot... mixes in some other things... something she shakes up in a shaker... water and a white powder... and stirs it in... She hums some tune to herself as she stirs the gravy.
Kimiko listens to the tune Aiyara hums to see if it's something familiar, but it is not. Kimiko keeps listening until Aiyara finishes, even if that means standing by the table after finishing setting it, so as not to disturb Aiyara while she's humming.
"Ah, good," Aiyara says, "it's ready." She pours the gravy into a gravy bowl.
"Now, we'll slice the roast and it's almost all ready." She gets out an electric carving knife and then pauses, looking at Kimiko. "Would you like to carve the roast, dear?"
"Aiyara? What was the tune you were humming?"
"Oh, it was an old song from my home town, Yonori, in Hokkaido."
"Sounds interesting. What is that music called?"
"Well," Aiyara says, "there is an Ainu name for it... I'm not sure what modern people would call it."
"Maybe we can find a name on the computer?" Kimiko asks.
"Maybe," Aiyara says, "but now it's dinner time. Would you like to carve the meat or should I?"
"I can try if you show me how."
"All right," Aiyara says. "You hold this knife like this... remember to cut across the grain... when you squeeze here, it makes the blades cut through the meat easily."
"What is the grain?" Kimiko asks.
"The way the meat... well... let me show you... see how the meat seems to flow in strands? You cut across the strands." She shows Kimiko how to slice the roast properly...
Kimiko nods and then starts cutting the meat as specified.
Meanwhile, Aiyara takes the vegetables from the pot into a bowl... they look orange... She starts taking things to the kitchen table.
When she finishes, Kimiko will help Aiyara. "What are the veggies?"
"Sliced carrots," Aiyara says. "Put the meat on the platter, please." She puts the gravy bowl and ladle on the table.
Kimiko transfers the meat to the platter and makes sure the serving utensils needed are on the table too.
Soon all is ready. Boktu and Tia join them.
"Smells delicious," Tia says. She sits at the table. "Please sit next to me, Kimiko."
Kimiko sits next to Tia and will do the proper etiquette for saying grace and passing and eating and such.
The meal is very good... as usual, Kimiko can only eat a little bit.
"I'll give you a travel pack to take with you," Aiyara says. "I know you'll get hungry later."
Kimiko nods. "That will be good."
Aiyara cleans up, and fixes a lunchbox and bottled water for Kimiko to take with her.
Kimiko helps clean up, also. "Thanks, Aiyara. I really appreciate this." Kimiko gives her a hug.
"You're welcome, dear," she says, hugging back. "Thank you for helping clean up."
"Are you ready to go?" Hoshi says, standing where Tia was a moment ago. "Thank you for dinner, Aiyara. We may be late."
"No problem," Aiyara says. "Have fun, Kimiko. And I hope the doctor can help you."
"Yes, I'm ready to go," Kimiko says. "Is it okay if Dr Westwood knows Kimiko is Neko?"
"Yes," Hoshi says. "Blue assures me that he is trustworthy. He helps Lynx and the others quite a bit."
Kimiko nods, "I'm ready then."
Hoshi holds out her arm... and...
ZOT!
It takes a moment for eyes to adjust to near-dark. They're on a walkway leading up to a front door of a house... the porch light is on. "This is Dr. Westwood's house."
Hoshi rings the bell. A man answers the door... he is about 40 or so... dark hair, clean-shaven. "Hello, Hoshi... and you must be Kimiko. Come in, please, come in. Welcome to my home. I am Doctor Cecil Westwood."
He shows them into a nicely-appointed and very homey-feeling house. "We'll meet in here, in my den, if that's all right."
"Sure," Kimiko says, "that's okay."
Dr. Westwood talks to Kimiko about memories, attitudes, a little bit of Lynx's history and more.
This doctor is much friendlier, warmer and more caring than Kimiko's old doctor. The other doctor was more order-giving, and all he cared about was meeting his goals. This man assures Kimiko that she is a real person, not an animal or "thing" and that he cares for her well-being.
"Frankly," Dr. Westwood says when they talk about Lynx and Dr. Chambers, "I'm glad that Blue killed that bastard. He wanted to murder six billion people. You don't get more evil than that."