Harmony by Nathaniel Brown

Author:Nathaniel Brown [Brown, Nathaniel]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Anissa

“It is a terrible burden to be involved in our Great Undertaking. You will all pay some kind of price.”

Brennan Lipton

(From ‘Reveal Day is Coming.’)

Harmony stood, once again, before a door that opened to infinite space, but now, she could handle it. The hallway stopped at the door with only blackness beyond. The three children paused on the threshold, waiting expectantly. Andrew stepped past them and floated away.

“You guys know by now how to do zero G, right?” he said over his shoulder. The twins glanced at each other and then followed their uncle with Harmony a step behind.

The door closed behind them, and the blackness was complete. The effect was unnerving. Harmony felt like she had been dropped in the ocean, and somewhere below her lurked a needle-toothed creature waiting to snap its jaws around her.

As their eyes acclimated to the dark, they realised they were inside an observation dome. Beyond the glass, the Milky Way galaxy splayed across their field of view. Somehow, the stars were brighter, more vibrant, as if the dome was augmenting them. It was breathtaking–the sensation similar to what Harmony had felt just hours earlier during her spacewalk, except now, she was not encased in a bulky space suit.

She truly felt as if she was floating unshielded among the stars.

“Yoo-hoo!” said Andrew playfully. “I’ve come to visit, Sis. And I’ve brought friends.”

“Hello Brother.”

A voice. Female, deep, penetrating. Coming from all around them. “It’s been a long time since you and I have been in the same room.”

The second sentence led Harmony to sense the voice was coming from somewhere in front of her off to the right. She squinted. The star field shone, and there, moving across it, a blankness–the stars eclipsed by something. Someone.

“It’s a special occasion. I’ve brought some people to meet you, Anissa,” said Andrew reasonably. “But to do that, they need to see you. May we turn on some lights?”

A heavy sigh. “Very well.”

Faint illumination came in the form of three small globes floating on the edges of what Harmony now confirmed was a large observation dome. Around them drifted an assortment of pens, discarded food containers, and articles of clothing.

The figure blotting out the stars was a woman, floating in lotus position with her back to them, facing outwards. A long, long, braid of hair trailed behind her, twisting and snaking in the zero gravity. It was longer than she was tall–and Harmony could tell, even with her legs crossed, that she was a tall woman. Hugh cocked his head.

“Come meet your nieces and nephew,” said Andrew.

At that, the dark figure splayed her limbs in a star shape and twisted smoothly, gliding towards them until she stopped less than a metre away. The long, black tail of her hair kept moving and brushed Harmony’s foot.

“What have we here?” she smiled, glanced at Andrew. “Blood of our blood?”

“Yes,” he said. “It seems that during his absence from the family, our brother started one of his own.”

“Interesting,” said Anissa. Harmony saw

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