Persephone’s Pool – Book Tour and Giveaway

Chapter One

Nyx’s Tricks

Eloise’s stomach turned as she tried to gather her bearings in the darkness. She felt lost and disoriented. She reached out with her hands, but they felt light as air and failed to make contact with any walls.

In the distance, four lights broke through the blackness.

Did she drink so much alcohol that she was wasted, staggering through someone else’s hallway after a night of partying?

The lights turned into doorways, and loud laughter radiated from one of them. She moved closer to the door, which pulsed with happiness. The door opened. A five-year-old girl was chasing a bunny with long, messy hair.

It was Eloise’s pet, Muffin!

Without logic or reason, Eloise hurried through the door.

Eloise flew out of the chamber and nearly fell over onto a grated metal floor.

A group of technicians ran over to help steady her before moving her to a chair.

“Do you know who you are and where you are?” asked a scientist in a white spacesuit.

Eloise looked around the room. She was in a space station. Her astral projection had successfully latched onto a host in the form of a robotic body. But the rate of recovery and integrated hand-eye coordination was astounding; she raised her arm with no issue.

She shook her head, recalling what the technicians back on Earth at Asteria Applications—the company responsible for creating humanoid hosts—had said: For consciousness to find its destination in the void, the person needed to recall a vivid memory for the OBE traveler to clutch onto. When she had entered the door, she entered the host’s body.

And one of Eloise’s triggering memories was chasing her pet bunny, Muffin.

“I’m Eloise Mayer. I’m assisting PAAS—Pluto Alliance Armed Services—on a murder investigation.”

Eloise found it so strange to be somewhere else, hearing herself talk in a different voice, and being in a body that she could sense but not really feel. She didn’t have an itch, and she didn’t feel hot or cold. She didn’t feel hungry or full, heavy or light. She felt like she was in a VR game, her mind the controller.

After Eloise completed a cognitive assessment, a tall man walked into the room. He wore a black spacesuit with a purple insignia on his shoulder revealing he was with Pluto Forces, a team of soldiers who handled everything on Pluto from security to military.

He held out his hand. “Ahmed Ryker.”

Eloise willed her hand to extend to his in greeting. It was just like being in her own body except for the loss of touch.

“You’ve got a firm grip, Miss Mayer,” Ahmed said with a smile, his teeth white and pristine against his brown face.

“I’m just not used to this body yet,” she said, looking around the room for a technician. “Could I have a mirror, please?”

A scientist handed her one, and Eloise thanked her. She held up the purple-rimmed glass and saw someone else looking back at her. The automaton she inhabited—a green-blood, as they were commonly known—had dark hair and blue eyes, unlike her own red hair and green eyes. The skin’s texture was realistic; she wished she could touch it with her own hands to see how it really felt.

Another scientist walked into the small room with a man who looked like a blond Ken doll and who walked just as stiffly.

“Greetings from Mars,” the Ken doll said. “My name is Aiden Geth from the United Nations Interplanetary Council, Investigations—UNIC Investigations, for short.” He marched to Eloise as if his knees were locked. “You must be Eloise Mayer from Earth, uh, Sky …”

When his voice trailed away, Eloise finished for him. “From Sky Script Services, on Earth. I have a doctorate in astrological studies, including astrochemistry and astrophysics.”

Aiden’s robot didn’t respond or even make a move. Either his bot had malfunctioned, or he was processing what she had said. Normally it was the latter whenever she told someone her title; her country was the only one in the Western world that gave an astrologer that title, provided the student also studied astrophysics. It was not long ago that the two were one and the same.

“If you’re ready and oriented with your host, Mr. Geth, I would like to get to it,” Eloise said, letting one of the scientists help her into a lightweight black spacesuit which would allow her to blend in with the public and not arouse curiosity.

Eloise looked out of the window of the transport shuttle sliding down the cable as the shuttle plunged toward Pluto’s surface. She didn’t know how high up they were, but it was enough to make her feel nauseated. She worried she may lose connection to her host and awake in her own body, botching her first investigation.

Be in the here and now, her mind whispered, returning her full attention to her surroundings.

The planet’s surface was charcoal gray in some areas, red in others. Massive snow-topped mountains clawed ten thousand feet into the sky. The distant sunlight reminded her of an eclipse; long shadows stretched across the frozen, rocky terrain as if a bright moon cast its light transversely. What struck her as the most awe-inspiring was Charon, the massive moon in the sky. It was so large, she fretted it could fall any time and crush them all like a boulder on an anthill.

She looked at Aiden next to her, who grinned inside his black space mask.

Ahmed’s brows were furrowed as he looked down at his holotab.

“What’s so funny?” Eloise asked the Ken-bot.

“Just that a country girl from Canada is in a place like this. She is way out of her league.” Aiden gazed at her smugly. He took off his helmet and ran his hand through his synthetic hair.

“Oh, let me guess. You don’t appreciate your organization dumbing down to my level of expertise,” Eloise said with a sigh. “You know, with the global revolt against AI, that spirituality is on the rise again? You better get with the program.”

Aiden didn’t respond right away. “Just don’t get your panties in a bunch, Ellie, with what you’re going to see out there.”

“I don’t wear panties.” Eloise regretted saying it the moment it spilled out; she was more of a lady than that. She was glad her mechanical stand-in couldn’t blush. “And you can call me Dr. Mayer; only my friends call me Ellie.”

Her statement quieted Aiden. When she stole a glance at him, she was sure that his grin this time came from genuine amusement and respect.

Ahmed looked up at them both. “You two aren’t going to have a problem working together, right?”

“No, no, we’re fine,” Eloise said, turning her attention back to the window. She was a little angry and annoyed that this new partner of hers was taking away from her experience of such a remarkable planet. She had been informed that Pluto was for the rich and elite—thanks to the hefty price tag of one million U.S. credits — who really wanted to get away from it all. She looked down at the docking station as they approached, and at the massive domed city in the distance. Against the dark backdrop of the planet, the lights glowed within like an amusement park.

“How long does it actually take someone to travel here?” Eloise breathed, captivated by the planet.

“It takes five years, so for most, it’s their final destination,” Ahmed said. “For me, I’ll stay here until I retire. Ninety-nine percent of the population are red-bloods; the green-bloods are reserved for the ones who want to take a vacation here without actually coming here, or for top-secret missions like yours. But honestly, not many people know how to successfully connect their consciousness to an android host, so it’s not a popular way to travel. We have a host at our precinct, but I have never been able to use it successfully. Hell, I can’t even meditate.”

“Must have been a pretty penny to send us both up here,” Aiden said.

Ahmed nodded. “It was.”

“So, let’s not disappoint,” Eloise said.

The transport came to a smooth stop, and they put their helmets back on. The door slid open, and a security woman greeted them asking to check their IDs. Once they were verified, they followed Ahmed into a windowed tunnel that led to the first domed city.

“Welcome to Nix, where you can get your kicks, as the saying goes—but don’t quote me on that,” Ahmed said. “Go to the murder scene and don’t deviate from your destination, or we will immediately disengage you from your host.”

Eloise pictured her body in a capsule-like bed chamber where nothing could touch her or else her consciousness would automatically reconnect with her physical self.

“So we can’t get our kicks here,” Aiden said, feigning disappointment. “Not much of a tour guide, but I heard you’re one helluva star soldier.”

Ahmed gave the blond automaton a look Eloise couldn’t read.

They walked the gravel streets toward two-story buildings, the area reminding her of a modern, colorful Western world. They passed one museum shop showcasing black, eel-like creatures slithering in water tanks. Ahmed said that deep within Pluto, there were warm oceans full of life, and the eels were one of the natural species.

While Pluto’s fragile ground prevented the construction of tall buildings, the places—and even the people—appeared futuristic: Shops lured people in with colorful holographic posters and signs, and spacesuits glowed with LED lights. Visitors had to wear spacesuits while they ventured in the domes; while the domes provided some barrier from the planet’s radiation, it wasn’t 100%. The suits displayed the health status of the person wearing it—as well as the suit itself—with electroluminescent backlighting. She could only imagine what the radiation would do to a person should the dome or suits fail. But apparently, some people thrived on living on the edge, another reason for a well-off person who already had it all wanting to move here.

Aiden was watching her. “The surface can cave in at any time and crumble like an eggshell if this planet gets close enough to the sun.”

“That will be in about 245 years,” Eloise said, glancing at him. “Maybe we’ll come up with something by then. I’d be more worried about the radiation risk this planet poses.”

Aiden studied her but remained silent.

They walked up the stairs of a two-story building, the corridor blocked by digital police tape. Ahmed used his holotab to disengage the digital holography signage. He swiped the electronic door lock with his wristband, and they entered the apartment.

“You two are lucky you can’t smell this place,” the soldier said, putting a clear mask over his nose. “Follow me this way.”

They walked to the last room. When they entered, it became clear why she was asked to be included on this investigation.

On the floor rested Trevor Ikeda, blood pooled around him. The slender, dark-haired Japanese man in his forties had deep cuts on both his stomach and forehead, the latter more of a puncture.

Eloise cried out and jumped back, right into Aiden’s arms. He smiled self-indulgently as he looked down at her, one hand around her waist, his other hand on her hips. She straightened herself and studied the room, moving as far away from him as the room allowed.

“I gather this is your first time seeing a deceased person,” Ahmed said.

Eloise nodded, stealing a glance at Aiden, whose gaze lingered on her.

“Then I apologize on behalf of PAAS, for our misinformation,” the Indian soldier said. “We should’ve had the body removed before your arrival and given you images to work with instead.”

“Thank you,” Eloise said. “I appreciate your concern. I’m fine now.”

She wasn’t fine. She needed a minute to collect herself, so she moved about the room, wondering if she should run out or even disengage from her synthetic host. All she had to do was press a button on the humanoid’s forearm, which would activate physical stimulation on her real body and bring her back instantaneously; the soul had an easier time returning to its physical body than it did leaving it.

Be a professional, she chastised herself. She breathed deeply, pretending to look over various objects. She reached into her pocket for her meds and stopped herself, remembering she was in a synth body.

When her panic attack subsided, she focused on what was in front of her.

On a desk was a staff, a warrior’s helm, and a small handmade chariot. On the wall hung a pitchfork, as well as paintings of three dogs. All on its own on another wall, was a portrait of a beautiful woman with long brown hair and purple eyes, with green just around the pupils. Directly across from this painting, on the opposite wall, was a startling image of a woman with snakes for hair.

What did the star Algol have to do with the rest of the room? She wondered, turning away from the image that was nothing short of disturbing.

“This place is rife with mythology,” she said, glancing at her partner. “And you’re bothered by my background?”

“How so?” Aiden asked.

“The victim,” Eloise began, “turned this room into one of devotion. He worshipped the god of the underworld. The objects on the table represent the things he used, and the objects on the wall represent the things he adored. The mat on the floor was where he meditated. He was so obsessed with the god of the underworld that he even came here, to the god’s planet, Pluto.”

Ahmed finished tapping on his holotab before he asked, “Does this room reveal why he did this to the victim?”

Eloise kneeled and looked at the wounds; she exhaled a shaky breath. The victim was wearing a black onyx necklace.

It suddenly became clear.

“He wasn’t meditating to the planet,” Eloise breathed. “He was siphoning from it, absorbing it, and someone interrupted him.”

“What do you mean by absorbing the planet?” Aiden asked.

“Everything in our universe comprises matter and energy. Each planet has its own unique signature. This man was inhaling the essence of this planet and feeding it into his own energy.” She pointed to his abdomen. “See the wound on the lower belly? That’s the sacral chakra, an area of energy ruled by two planets, one of them being Pluto.”

The men looked at each other in silence.

Ahmed’s holotab lit up, and he skimmed over the message. “The UNIC’s investigations department wants to have you instated as a full-time associate, meaning as an assisting civilian.”

Eloise’s mouth dropped open. “Full time? Is this not an isolated incident?”

Ahmed moved closer to Eloise, holding the small, flat electronic device level. A hologram of an aging woman in a gray suit with a slicked-back ponytail emerged from the holotab.

“No, Ms. Mayer, we don’t believe it is,” Chancellor Winnifred North of the Intergalactic Colonies Committee said. “Your partner’s murder proves this is only the beginning.”

Eloise looked at Aiden. “What? But …”

Aiden’s automaton stood with his head lowered, as if he had fallen asleep standing.

“Somebody just killed him? Now?” Eloise’s voice rose. They weren’t particularly getting along, but she didn’t wish him dead, either.

Was she next?

Ahmed put the holotab on the table and reached for his gun. He then stepped in front of Eloise, pointing the gun at the door.

Eloise sensed a presence nearby, but there was no one else in the room.

“No, Ms. Mayer, that wasn’t him,” the chancellor said from the holotab. “Someone killed your partner five hours ago. The person using Aiden’s synth may have been the killer himself.”