Chapter 1: The abduction

The voice was deep and compelling, "Revekah, wake up."

She twisted and mumbled in protest. The dream was too good to turn away from. She was making love to her husband. She could not remember seeing his face so clearly in a dream in years. She did not want to lose that picture in her mind again. He had been dead for so long. The dream was more intense and more real than any she could remember ever having before. It had been so long. She wanted this; no, she needed this.

"Revekah, wake up."

As the dream wavered and faded, she wailed, "No!" When she woke she was sobbing in grief and frustration. She did not want to lose him again.

It took quite a while for her to realize she was not in her bed. It was too hard and there were no blankets. It was warm, very humid and there was the oddest smell, almost like the beach at low tide but there was also an acidic, almost astringent quality to the air. When she opened her eyes it was dark, absolutely deepest, pitch black dark. She tried to sit up but couldn't. Something was holding her down. And miraculously nothing hurt. She could not remember the last time nothing hurt. "Who are you?"

The voice was deep and seemed to come from all directions. "Ah, yes. You will need to name me. You may call me Xeno."

Carefully trying to move her body was fruitless. It was not just her arms and legs strapped down, or belts across her body. It was like she was evenly glued to the firm surface underneath her. She could not even move her fingers where they touched. Using her full strength she tried to break free, but there was no loosening. To her relief she could wiggle her toes and move her lips and tongue. Revekah wondered why she was not more frightened. "Okay, Xeno, where am I?"

"You are far from any point of reference that would have any meaning for you."

"Why am I tied down?"

"Tied? You are not tied down."

"Why can't I move?"

"Ah, yes. You are currently bonded to a horizontal surface to keep you from falling off."

"Bonded?"

"Yes."

"Can you unbond me?"

"It is possible, but would not be wise at this time."

"How come I am not scared?"

"You are currently under the influence of a chemical that inhibits you from feeling that emotion."

Inexplicably she began to giggle. "I guess that is a good thing, because this is fucking weird."

"Yes, Revekah, I am sure you have not had any similar experiences to relate this one to. It is best if we discuss this while you are less likely to panic."

"So are you going to tell me what is going on?"

"Yes, Revekah, currently you are on board an interstellar space craft. You have been taken from your home planet and are not going to return in the foreseeable future."

"That's crazy. I am old. I am so old, I am almost dead. Why on earth would you want an 86-year-old woman?"

"Revekah, I am interested in your mind. You have a very lovely mind."

Again she giggled, "Well, I knew it wasn't my sexy good looks." She had the random thought; at least that drug didn't mess around with her sense of humor. "So, what now?"

"Do you have any more questions?"

"Are you some kind of alien?"

"I am a species from a different star system. So that would make me an alien. Roughly translated my species is called Travelers because we have perfected interstellar travel."

"Why is it so dark?"

"Currently no wavelengths of light that your visual system can process are being broadcast into the chamber you are in. The drug that blocks your fear is not without flaws. The instinct for self-preservation in the human is very strong. Too much of the unfamiliar at once could potentially damage you."

"Okay. You guys are lucky that I am not afraid of the dark."

"Guys? Revekah, you and I are the only sentient beings on this starship. We will be the only ones on this ship for a very, very long time."

Again she giggled the drunken giggle, "Xeno, you don't have all that much time. Like I said I am almost dead. I don't have all that much longer to live."

"Revekah, you will find you going to live much longer than you ever anticipated."

For the first time a strangely muted wave of dread shook through her. "What have you done to me?"

"I have made adjustments in your endocrine system to stop your aging. I introduced a variety of microscopic molecular repair bots into your body. They are currently repairing your degraded cells and systems. They are also implementing some necessary changes to your respiratory system so that you may tolerate my atmosphere requirements more easily."

A wave of anger, mild but there, shook through her, "You mean I am not going to die?"

"Revekah, you will still be mortal. Your body can be killed. But you will not die of your body systems decaying due to the human aging process."

"I could live forever?"

"Forever is a very long time, Revekah."

"And I had just gotten used to the idea. I was kind of looking forward to it."

"I am sorry, Revekah, I do not understand that last statement. What were you looking forward to?"

"Death, I was looking forward to dying. I was all excited to see if there was anything after I died."

"What did you think was going to happen?"

"I didn't know. That was the adventure. Was there life after death? Was there a going to be a heaven or a hell? All those questions were finally going to be answered. And if there was nothing, if it was true that there is only a loss of consciousness, then I wouldn't be there to notice and be disappointed. I was ready to be done, ready to leave this old body behind."

"Revekah, you are in the process of leaving that old body behind. And if it was adventure you were hoping for, then perhaps I have what you seek. Together we will see much of the universe."

"That sounds like a marriage proposal."

"In many ways, it is much, much more than a marriage proposal. I seek a partner. My species communicates telepathically. Your species has many unique qualities that make our partnership very beneficial to me. You experience things very intensely. And, Revekah, your mind and senses are especially suited to communicate those experiences with me. Your memory is exceedingly sensory, you remember how things taste, sound, and feel much better than the average human."

"Are you communicating telepathically with me now?"

"Revekah, it is the only way I can communicate. I do not have the physical anatomy to be able to make sounds."

"Can you read my mind?"

"It is very complicated. I can hear your thoughts, but I cannot delve into your memories. I can feel the patterns and tones of how your mind functions, much like you experience music, but there is a visual element as well. Revekah, humans have a very strong connection to their physical being. It enhances how they think and how they feel. When I link with you I sense this. I wish to share this with you."

"Will I always be like this, bonded to a table in the dark?"

"No, Revekah, you will find that you will be free to move around the starship. I have every intention of making you as comfortable and as happy as possible. If you are not happy, it would make me unhappy."

"What do you look like?"

"I am a bipedal, bilaterally symmetrical, terrestrial species. I have two legs and four limbs that you would call arms. One pair of arms is evolved for heavy lifting and gross motor tasks. The other pair is more suited for finer motor tasks. I am sure your species' accepted standards of beauty would classify me as quite ugly and most likely frightening."

"Are you a male?"

"By your specie's definitions of male and female, I would qualify as both. But I am not capable of reproduction. That portion of my biology has been deactivated."

"What if I say no? What if I don't want to do this?"

"Revekah, you have very little choice in this matter. I had hoped to have a willing partner, but if you are unwilling, it would only mean you will be spending a great deal of your time bonded to the horizontal surface. I cannot have you attempting to harm me, the ship, or yourself. I have gone to a great deal of expense and time to collect you."

"And if I am a willing partner?"

"You will have all the same freedoms as I do. Most of our time is spent on board this ship. Interstellar flight is very time consuming. It takes decades to travel from one star system to the next. Our mission is exploration and acquiring alien technologies and other trade goods. Beyond leaving this ship or halting our mission, you will have equal say in every other activity we engage in. I will not force you to do anything, but I hope that you will be interested in joining me in this adventure. That is one of the many things I found beautiful about your mind, your love of novelty and adventure.

"It just feels wrong to have this forced on me."

"Revekah, think of it like you think of death. You were willing to face that unknown. You were willing to accept it as an inevitable fact and had come to welcome it. How much different is this? I came silently in the night and took you away from the life you knew. I carried you away into the heavens above."

"Okay, so you are like an angel now?"

"Did you believe in angels?"

"No, not so much. Toward the end, I did not believe in much." She paused and thought about that sentence. It sounded like she was already thinking like she had died.

"When will you turn on the lights?"

"First I want to speak to you about what you will see."

"Will you be there?"

"No, not yet."

"Okay, what is it that I will see?"

"This will not look like anything you have seen before. Our technology is more organic and fluid. You see colors on very different wavelengths than I do, so the colors will not be any you have seen before."

"Now you have me curious."

"Your curiosity is very sweet."

"You are doing that thing you were talking about, linking with me to feel my feelings."

"Very perceptive of you, Revekah; I am impatient to share with you. I have been alone for a very long time. I will gradually introduce light in the wavelengths appropriate for your vision. Do not fear the unfamiliar. It is an adventure."

Slowly the place she was in began to glow. It was like being in a fog of glittering, glowing, translucent particles. At first it felt like they were close enough to touch her. She found herself blinking reflexively as her eyes told her over and over again that something was too close. Xeno was right. It was a color, but she had no words to describe it.

"Okay, this is weird. It's like being in a snowstorm that doesn't touch you. Will I be able to see anything other than these sparkles?"

"Soon your brain will be able to sort out the stimuli it needs to process information. It will begin to disregard the extraneous. You are completely unaware of how much your brain was able to disregard on your own home world. Your own air is not as clear as you would like to think."

"I am hungry."

"Oh good, I have wanted to experience your eating."