Chapter 4

She was partly right. Sleep came, but it was 2:05 when she finally got into REM. She groaned when her alarm squawked that it was 5:00. She had half an hour to shower, eat breakfast with the girls, and oversee the next training cycle.

The scalding shower water washed away her drowsiness. Here, she could reminisce about the past several hours.

“Okay,” she muttered. “Why the memories? Why the Curians?”

She laid the thought aside and dressed. She emerged from the bathing unit and stumbled forward. Noah broke her fall.

“Come on, Mama,” she urged. “I’m doing the Code Book reading at breakfast. Then we’re doing history class.”

Together, they started for the door, but it was barricaded by Tayla. She had a wooden paddle in her hand. She lifted it, and plastic wires unraveled. The wires connected the paddle with a humanoid replica.

“I found the manipulation doll!” She announced.

Off they went to the cafeteria, where Tayla transferred the manipulation doll to Noah.

“I’ll get Mama’s breakfast,” Tayla said.

Noah grabbed her Code Book viewing screen, and then she and her manipulation doll moved to a vacant section of floor.

“Good morning!” She announced, setting her doll aside. “Today I’ll be reading from two sections of the Code Book. First, from the Rishonim. “The Triune saves not with plasma-weapon or blaster, for the battle is the Triune’s. He will save us from you.” Next, from one of the transmissions to the Assemblies. “We don’t battle against mere creatures, but against Qor and his unseen forces.”

Noah set the viewing screen on a nearby table and raised the manipulation doll’s control paddle.

“We are going against the Dialorians one day,” she said, “but I hope we remember that the Dialorians are just manipulation dolls for Qor’s unseen forces.”