Jarmen's Jane Doe

Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

Kassis:

Present Day

Amidst the chaos of the circus performers practicing in the big tent, Jarmen studied the petite young woman from a distance. Her straight, shoulder-length brown hair framed her face, and her honey-brown eyes twinkled with delight at the antics of her companions. She was wearing a dark blue blouse again today. He knew that dark blue was her favorite color because she wore it almost daily.

He watched the robots who were supposed to be gathering information for him. IQ was the irritating one. The smaller bot rolled alongside Jane. IQ could not possibly be listening to anything Jane said because he chatted nonstop. The larger robot lumbering behind the pair was called Numbnuts—or Num, in deference to the kids who were running around the tents and Jane’s outrage that anyone would name the sweet robot something so offensive.

“You are talking too much,” he informed IQ through the communicator.

A stunning trapeze performance by Alan and Tami Strauss caught Jane’s attention just as IQ rotated on his frame to face Jarmen. IQ lifted both hands and extended his middle fingers.

The laughter from the nearly empty stands told Jarmen that the two Frenchmen, Luc and Jon Paul, had noticed the small robot’s insulting gesture.

As IQ swiveled around again, Jarmen resisted the urge to reprogram the annoying bot. He had tried it once before, but Luc and Jon Paul had threatened to make his life even more miserable than they already were if he didn’t change IQ back. They informed him that Jane liked IQ and Num just the way they were. Given the affectionate greetings everyone called out to the bots, it appeared everyone else in the circus did as well. Jarmen was still trying to process why.

“Hi, Jarmen,” Jazin’s human mate cheerfully greeted as she came to stand beside him.

Jarmen reluctantly turned to the aerial performer who was even smaller than Jane. Star and Jane were of a similar age: twenty Earth-years. He forced a smile to his lips. It was a motion that he was still working on. The amusement in Star’s light blue eyes told him that she was aware smiling was not a natural gesture for him.

“Good day to you, Star,” he replied.

Star’s white blonde hair was a beacon among the numerous performers, even tied back in a ponytail, but Jarmen’s eyes strayed back to Jane. Star Strauss lifted an eyebrow and followed his gaze. She smiled and looped her arm through his.

“You know, you can talk to Jane. She won’t bite you,” Star teased.

He flashed a confused look at Star before his focus invariably went back to Jane “Why would she want to bite me?”

Star chuckled lightly. “It’s a figure of speech. Why don’t you talk to her? You’ve been following her around for months.”

He stiffened. “I wish only to monitor the robots. They can be quite irritating,” he replied.

She gave him a disbelieving look before she slid her arm from his and stepped away. “Well, if that is the case, I’ll see if Jane can bring them over to you to assess,” she said.

Before he could stop her, she walked away. For a moment, Jarmen was rooted to the spot, but then he did what any rational cybernetic man would do—he bolted.

* * *

“Somewhere in the stars, I’ll follow you forever…”

Jane fought back a laugh at the bot’s off-key singing. Several of her circus family members turned and grinned at the odd trio. She blushed in response, bowed her head, and silently hoped that her hair hid her rosy cheeks.

“Jane,” Star called from behind her.

She stopped and waited for Star to catch up. She was finally used to her new name—Jane Doe. It was given to her months ago when she woke in a medical unit aboard a starship. She had decided to keep it.

A new name for a new world and a new me, she thought with pleasure.

“Hey,” Star greeted.

Jane smiled with affection and curiosity.

“Um, Jarmen was wondering if you’d like to bring IQ and Num over to get checked out,” Star said.

“More like he wants to check Jane out,” IQ chortled.

Jane’s cheeks heated again, and she glanced over at Jarmen—but he was no longer standing near the bleachers. She didn’t see him anywhere nearby. She frowned and looked at Star.

Star sighed loudly and shook her head. “He was there a second ago,” she muttered.

“He is afraid,” Num calmly stated.

Jane turned and looked up at Num with wide, questioning eyes. The idea that anyone would be afraid of her was almost funny, but Num was a perceptive robot. He was smarter than everyone realized. Num was sweet and contemplative, unlike the more boisterous IQ. When combined, the two bots balanced each other perfectly, just like Jon Paul and Luc.

The two French Canadian men had become father figures to Jane, something she had never truly had before. Her life before—

Jane slammed the door on her memories. She was no longer that person. She was Jane now.

“Hey, are you okay?” Star asked.

She nodded, her throat moving up and down as she tried to force the words out. She still wasn’t used to talking.

“Yes. I… have to go,” she said.

Star nodded and gave a compassionate smile. “Would you like to come to dinner tonight at my parents’ house? They’ve invited Jazin and me over and I think several others.”

Jane shook her head. “No… I… no, thank you.”

She smiled politely and backed up, turning away before Star could say anything else. She needed fresh air. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw that Jon Paul and Luc had risen from their seats and were following her.

She sighed with both relief and frustration. She was not alone in this new life. She had so many shadows, including—

Jarmen, she thought, rolling his name along her tongue like a candy that she wanted to savor. He haunted her dreams.

She hurried toward the exit of the big tent, pushed the heavy canvas flap aside, and stepped out into the late afternoon sunlight. There was a park nearby where a winding path followed the river. She loved going there.

“My batteries are running low,” IQ informed them. “I knew I should have gone on the charger sooner last night. Well, I knew and then I forgot because I was distracted. I think maybe I need an upgrade.”

“You and Num can go back to the trailer,” she offered. “Jon Paul and Luc will be with me.”

“Jarmen said one or both of us must be with you at all times or he will deactivate us,” Num replied.

Jane stopped and placed her hand on Num’s metallic arm. “He would never deactivate you,” she said with confidence.

“Well, he’ll reprogram us. It isn’t like he hasn’t done that before!” IQ moaned.

“And then he programmed you right back. He learned his lesson,” she reassured. “Go on. I’ll be fine. Num, perhaps you can make dinner for me while IQ charges. I won’t be out long. I just want to see the sunset.”

“I could use a good dose of oil, too. I think I have a squeak,” IQ said.

Num briefly swept twin lasers over IQ, his eyes glowed, and he nodded.

“You have rust on your left wheel hub,” Num said.

“Rust! I have rust? I’m getting old. Jarmen will decommission me if he finds out! Jon Paul will say I’m getting senile and won’t let me pilot anymore,” IQ wailed with dismay.

Jane knelt and cupped IQ’s round head between her palms. She waited until his body stopped spinning in a circle before she spoke. IQ’s eyes opened and closed in an opposing sequence.

“You are not getting old, Jon Paul loves the way you pilot, Jarmen is not going to decommission you, and you are not senile. You have the latest memory chip, remember? All you need is an update, an oil bath, and to recharge. You’ll be back better than new,” she promised.

IQ blinked again, this time both eyelids coming down at the same time. “Are you sure?” he asked.

“I’m positive.” Jane kissed his round head before she stood up. “Num, please make sure IQ’s oil is heated to the correct temperature.”

Num emitted a sigh sound effect, and she couldn’t help the smile that curved her lips. Num tapped IQ on the head, and Jane’s expression froze.

The ting-ting of metal-on-metal sent a shiver down her spine. She wrapped her arms around her waist as the two bots changed direction and headed to their travel trailer.

The Land Yacht trailer looked nothing like it had before Num and IQ came to live with her. The contoured aluminum outer shell had been cut down the middle to make it more spacious. The ceiling had been raised a few feet to keep Num from putting a permanent dent in his head or putting a hole in the roof every time he swatted it like a fly.

Jane liked the new look of the trailer better. It was both a Frankenstein monster and a perfect jigsaw puzzle. It was home.

Once the two bots disappeared from view, she turned and followed the narrow trail that led to the Riverwalk, the main trail between the temporary Cirque de Magik village and the Crystal City. The path to the Riverwalk was empty, but the one along the river had several pedestrians out enjoying an early evening stroll.

She turned to the right and walked away from the more congested part of the trail that was closer to The Crystal City. She was soon far enough away that she had the trail to herself—besides Jon Paul and Luc who continued to follow her at a distance, casually strolling arm in arm.

She drew solace from the quiet and the security of knowing help was near if she should need it. The only sounds were those of the river, her footsteps, and a few birds in the distance. Her surroundings could almost be somewhere on Earth, if not for the unusual flora and fauna, as well as the flying air ships crisscrossing the sky on an unseen highway.

There were so many different species and habitable worlds in the vast universe. Jane became lost in thought, remembering all that she had learned in the past few months. In many ways, she really was a new person. Her perspective was completely different, and so was her life.

Ten minutes into her walk, she looked over her shoulder to make sure her bumbling godfathers were doing okay. She stopped and turned when she realized they were no longer behind her. Worry for them made her bite her lip and ponder if she should go find them.

“I told them that I would walk with you,” Walter Bailey stated in his deep voice.

Jane gasped, her hand flying to her throat in alarm, but her expression softened when she looked lower and saw the owner of Cirque de Magik, the man who had saved her life, standing before her. Walter’s head barely reached her chest, but the man was as broad as the Kassis Lords, and Jane always thought of him as larger than life.

“Would you like to sit for a bit?” Walter asked.

Jane smiled and nodded. “Of course,” she replied.

They walked to one of the many benches lining the path, and Walter smoothly boosted himself onto the seat next to her, his feet dangling once he was settled. They looked out over the river, the silence between them comfortable.

She didn’t pull back when Walter gently held her hand. It took a few seconds before she could convince her fingers to wrap around his, but she was proud when she accomplished that difficult task.

“How are you settling in?” he asked.

Jane pulled her hand free and clasped her hands together in her lap. “We’re doing fine,” she replied.

“Are you sure you don’t want a bigger house here? Torak said to let him know if anyone needs anything.”

Walter was referring to the official leader of the Kassisan. Torak’s father, Ajaska, was still alive, but Ajaska devoted a lot of time to the Alliance council, representing Kassis in galactic matters. Torak was mated to one of the circus performers, River Knight.

Jane shook her head. “We’re fine,” she replied.

She waited, wondering if Walter was going to tell her the real reason he was here.

“Shavic is worried about you,” Walter finally stated.

Jane glanced at him in surprise before she frowned. “Why? He said I was… healed. At least, as much as he could heal me,” she said, turning her focus back to the river.

“He’s worried about your mental health,” Walter said softly.

She lifted her chin. “I don’t know why he said that or why he should be telling you or anyone else that,” she retorted before she bit her lip at the sharpness in her tone.

When Walter slowly reached for her hand again, Jane flinched and stood, wrapping her arms around her waist. “We’re fine…. I’m fine,” she corrected.

She had gotten into the habit of saying ‘we’—as in herself, IQ, and Num. It was as if they were an extension of who she was and she wasn’t whole unless she included them. Breathing deeply, she tried to smile at Walter.

“I’m fine, Walter. You can tell Shavic that I am getting better mentally. It-It is just going to take a little while,” she replied.

“Do you remember anything about your past?” Walter gently asked.

“No.”

She shook her head, ignoring how uncomfortable it made her to lie to Walter. It felt like pressure on her chest.

“From what… what you and Shavic have told me, perhaps it is best if I don’t. I like being Jane. It feels right,” she said.

Walter slid off the bench, holding onto the edge to slow his descent until his feet hit the ground. He stepped close to her and didn’t try to touch her this time. She kept her expression serene and returned his steady gaze.

“We just want you to be happy, honey,” Walter said kindly. After a moment, he continued in a rueful voice. “I promised Nema that I would talk to you. She said if I didn’t, I’d be sleeping on the couch!”

Jane smirked with suppressed mirth.

“She also wanted me to ask if you’d like to come over for dinner. She doesn’t think you are eating right,” he added in a gruff undertone.

Jane smiled. “Num is cooking me dinner. He would be heartbroken if I told him I didn’t want it. I’ll try to stop by tomorrow and spend some time with Nema.”

Walter’s expression relaxed and he nodded. “That would be great! I’ll let her know. Ever since Ricki married that… Ristéard, Nema has been like a hen searching for a new chick,” he said with a sigh.

Given that Ricki was the circus bookkeeper, Jane knew that Ricki was likely in contact all the time, but she understood that Ricki living away from them would be a difficult adjustment for her parents—especially when she was on a different planet, but Elpidios wasn’t that far away given the speed of the spaceships available to them.

“I thought you two were going to visit her,” she replied.

“We are, but not until this weekend,” Walter said.

Jane nodded. “I promise to come by before you leave,” she assured him, looking up at the sky. The sun was close to the horizon now.

Walter’s gaze followed hers. “I’d better get back. I need to have a talk with Marvin and Martin,” he said with a grimace.

Jane nodded and smiled. As Walter hurried away, her smile faded until all traces of it were gone. She watched him until she couldn’t see him anymore.

When she was truly alone, a surge of fear and anguish crashed over her. She gave a tortured cry and sprinted down the path, trying to outrun the feelings that threatened to drown her.