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With an unsteady hand, Amata looped a finger through the handle of the teacup and brought it to her mouth. As the soothing scent of the herbal tea hit her, she took a light sip. The innocent taste of the herbal tea reminded her of a happy childhood with her family in the twilight of Akurn. Swallowing, she concentrated on the cup’s saucer and placed it back on its round center. “I’d love to hear it.” Anything would be better than watching Claude die, all because he’d protected her.
“I’m not sure if you’re aware of Adapa’s past, but a couple of thousand years after the Great Flood, his health declined.”
Adapa resumed eating and grunted at her statement.
“It’d gotten so bad we had no choice but to put him stasis. For years I tried several experiments, both organic and non-organic, to find the cause and the cure.” She held her teacup between her hands as she looked off into the distance. “While none of them worked, I just knew some of my experiments had the potential for future applications. So I kept them.” She took a sip of her tea and set the cup on the saucer. She aimed a direct stare at Amata. “One of those experiments didn’t work for him, but I’m quite sure it’ll work on Claude.”
Amata glanced at a healthy Adapa enjoying his food and ale. Only when his hybrid brothers traveled through time and rejoined him was it discovered that all he needed was their psychic connection for him to regain full health. No wonder Inanna never found a cure for him. The problem was metaphysical, not physical.
Tearing her gaze away from Adapa, she leaned toward the queen. “What kind of experiment are you talking about?”
“Ever hear of nucleic acid robots, better known as nubots?” Inanna stabbed a creamy morsel of egg and cheese and put it in her mouth. It was easy to see the excited gleam in her eyes.
Lost in thought, Amata fingered the danish on her plate. She stopped and narrowed her eyes at the queen. “I write fantasy and science fiction movies. Of course I know what they are. But that’s still years away from development.”
Nanorobotics were DNA-based machines that could activate small molecules, proteins, or other DNA molecules.
She’d done some extensive research on the idea for a movie she wrote years ago. Back then, it was determined that mass production for nubots wouldn’t happen until after 2030.
Adapa chuckled and took a swig of his ale.
Inanna ignored him and continued her narrative. “I surpassed their research a couple of hundred years ago. I’d tinkered on and off with them for years, but I’ve never experimented with them on a human.” She sat back in her chair. “Oh, I’ve taken damaged cells from other organic sources to see if the nanos helped restore them to their original form. Which they did with flying colors.”
Her triumphant gleam made Amata nervous, so she couldn’t help ask. “But…”
Inanna glanced at Adapa before she grabbed her teacup and took a sip. “Yeah, there’s always a but, isn’t there?” She put her cup down with a sigh. “As far as I can tell, the nanos don’t dissipate once the work is done. They stay with the host and continually repair any damage.” She aimed a pointed stare at Amata. “Forever.”
It took a moment before what Inanna said hit home. “You mean he won’t die? Ever?”
The queen shrugged. “Well, I’m sure if we cut his head off, he’d die.” She looked away and tapped a finger on her chin. “Of course, he’d die if burned to death, or was thrown into a volcano, or floated in space without protection, or…”
“My dove.” Adapa’s admonishment was gentle.
Inanna jerked. “Oh yes. So sorry. Sometimes I get lost when an idea hits me.” She cleared her throat. “What I’m trying to say, is it will change his human life forever. And I don’t know how it’ll affect a human, having an expanded life span. He could end up going crazy, for all we know.”
“Other than that, would there be any side effects?” The whole thing sounded too good to be true. The main reason Amata never wanted to have a relationship with Claude was his short lifespan and her going through the agony of losing him to death of old age.
Inanna played with the cooling omelet on her plate. “That’s the other part. Since I never experimented with them on anything live, I’m not sure if they’ll work the way I think they will. But, on a more positive note, all the simulations I ran didn’t foresee any problem.” She looked up. “But you and I both know it doesn’t take much for life to go sideways.”
Wasn’t that the truth? What was worse, no one here had the right to make that kind of decision for him. “I wish there was a way we could talk this over with him to see how he feels about it.”
Adapa leaned back and emptied his bottle of ale. He smacked his lips and wiped an arm across them. “That’s the easy part.” He plopped the bottle onto the table with a manly thunk. “I’ll join him in a Dreamwalk and ask him.”
Amata tilted her head and pursed her lips. “What in the world is a Dreamwalk? Some psychic woo-woo?”
Adapa’s smile was mischievous. “Something like that.”
Inanna’s cheeks flushed. “What Adapa means is he can enter Claude’s subconscious while he’s in a dream state. It’s a strong psychic connection enabling them to talk and interact together.”
Considering her queen’s embarrassed reaction, it wouldn’t surprise Amata if she and her husband did some interesting things in a Dreamwalk. Hmm, that might be a good screenplay to write about…
“You won’t mind doing that?” Amata addressed Adapa. It sounded like the whole thing might be intrusive.
His chuckle made her smile. “Nah. I’ll just go in, have a quick conversation, and come right back.”
Amata looked between the monarchs. Hope was an elusive thing, but it was all she had. “I think any option is better than none. Let’s do this.”
Chapter Four
