Page 34 of HaL

Taking a few steps, I walk into the bedroom, only to realize it seems to be carved deep into the heart of an ancient ice cave, its walls shimmering in shades of sapphire and silver. Sunlight slips through what looks like a translucent ceiling high above us, bathing the room in a cool bluish-purple glow that dances across countless frost crystals placed throughout the room like decorations. An elegant bed, sculpted from clear ice, stands in the center of the room beneath a canopy of white furs and thick wool blankets. The air is crisp enough to turn each breath into a cloud, yet the room feels strangely inviting, warmed slightly by glowing crystal lanterns that fill the frozen chamber with gentle light.

SAGE watches us nervously, her small hands wringing as she anticipates our reaction.

“Because this space is HaL’s main residence and I know heat bothers him, I have the heaters at their lowest setting, but I wanted to install them in case you needed the heat. But Dawn, if you come with me, I will show you my latest masterpiece, and I will say you really pushed my creativity in this frigid area.”

HaL’s massive presence is right up against my back as we walk toward a rough opening in a side wall.

“Now, don’t be concerned if something feels odd when you step through the doorway. It’s my newest invention, and I’m still working the bugs out.”

SAGE is right … I feel it the moment I pass through, it’s like slipping through the surface of a soap bubble. The air itself shifts around me the instant I’m on the other side. I gasp in pure delight when warmth wraps around me, thick and comforting. This room must be a toasty, seventy-five degrees, maybe even warmer. It’s like stepping into a sunny afternoon after being in the dark too long.

HaL, however, reacts slightly less enthusiastically.

The second he crosses, he practically chokes on the air and a sharp, panicked gasp tears out of him as if the atmosphere itself is wrong. I turn quickly, watching as he stumbles back through the thin, shimmering membrane separating the two spaces. It ripples faintly as he pushes through, retreating to the colder side like the warmth is something hostile or some live entity trying to suck the life out of him.

“HaL, are you alright?”

He is bent over, both hands on his knees, like he has been running for miles.

“I’m fine, Roja. I will remain over here unless you need my assistance.”

SAGE puts her hands on her holo hips. “Ughh, I was worried it would affect him negatively, but Dawn, you needed a place where you could be comfortable as well. I was contemplating making a sitting area between the two rooms where you could sit next to each other, but still in separate zones for when you just don’t want to be bundled up from head to toe. I will get the bots on that immediately.”

Sighing wearily, I shiver but this time not from the cold, instead it’s from the warmth seeping into my cold, aching bones. Glancing back to see just where HaL is on the other side of the room, I whisper in a low tone so he can’t hear me.

“SAGE, I really am going to have a hard time living here, aren’t I?”

“Dawn, I think that much is painfully apparent. I have several designs coming that should allow you to function among the rest of them with considerably more comfort, but you need to understand something … if even one of those garments fails against the brutality of this planet, you will not survive for long.

The fact that HaL found you when he did, before the cold claimed you completely, and that you still have every finger and toe, is nothing short of a miracle. You should not have survived that night.”

I pause, letting that truth settle between us.

“I am not certain how familiar you are with CIP, but he is extraordinary. I only wish Vereena had lived long enough for all of us girls to thank her properly for bringing him into our lives. He is an incredible help when it comes to originality and creating truly one-of-a-kind garments. I told him exactly what you would be facing here—the temperatures, your delicate skin, the limitations your body would have, and within half a rising, he was already uploading designs, alternatives, contingencies … every possible solution he could devise.

In the next shipment, two of the garments will include a face shield built directly into the hood. It is designed to keep the worst of those temperatures away from your skin while you are outside these walls. And if it works the way CIP anticipates, you should finally be able to move freely without constantly fighting the cold.”

I look directly at her, and for once her beautiful face isn’t smiling.

“But until we know that for certain, you cannot underestimate this planet, Dawn. The cold does not care how strong you are, how determined you are, or how badly you want to belong here. It will kill you just as easily as it nearly did before.”

“This is sure gonna put a damper on my sex life. He comes over here and has a heatstroke or I go over there and freeze my tits off.”

I can’t help but smile when SAGE giggles like one of us.

“You can adjust the heat up and down in here significantly. And just a tip … HaL can withstand a lot more heat than you can cold. He just does not like it. On Ethra, when things were at their worst, he walked around like it was a warm sunny day and he even told BuK it was a toasty, balmy negative five.”

Looking around, I can see the walls and the ceiling shimmering.

“So SAGE, just how did you create this little oasis for me in the middle of this frozen cave?”

“I used a protective bubble like I would have if one of you were in trouble. Nothing but what I approve of can walk through that membrane. I had to expand it greatly to encompass this entire room, quite ingenious if I do say so myself. Not only are you safe in here, but also warm. I thought it was a total win-win. I know the room is still plain, but I have lots of goodies coming for you so that you will have some creature comforts.

There are a few casual outfits already in the refreshing chamber, along with essentials to get you through until the rest gets here. The bedding is also self-heating, so you should never be uncomfortable in here.”

“Who do you think is gonna get to me when I’m surrounded by seven-foot snow creatures?”

“When someone wants something bad enough, they have ways. But this bubble cannot be tampered with nor destroyed unless SCOUT or I will it. Even if this mountain fell, you would be safe inside.”