Eidola Mater: Mother of Idols

PROLOGUE

In a swirling plume of orange road dust, Liora Worth's electric vehicle hummed along the desolate highway. She glanced in the rearview mirror at Koi curled in the backseat like a fragile blossom, and her lips tightened in mounting frustration. The dwindling charge indicator on the dashboard taunted her. With a resigned sigh, Liora veered off the main road onto a narrow lane that seemed to stretch endlessly into the barren landscape.

The commune—when it finally appeared—seemed nothing more than a graveyard of dilapidated buses. The rusty yellow behemoths were haphazardly arranged in a disjointed circle that formed an eccentric perimeter around an expansive open field. The grass was mown flat in stark contrast to the surrounding wilderness. Thickets clung stubbornly to the twisted heaps of debris scattered across the commune's periphery.

Liora's heart sank as she realized that this was her last resort. There was no turning back. With a mixture of trepidation and determination, she parked the car in the heart of this peculiar sanctuary.

"Welcome, Sister Liora." A baritone voice came from behind as she emerged from her vehicle.

Startled, Liora flashed a wan smile. "Brother Markus?"

The long-haired man clasped her hands in greeting. "Sorry to catch you off guard. I trust that your trip was uneventful and that my directions when we last spoke didn't steer you too far off course. Let's get you and your—?" He hesitated.

"Child. My child," she supplied. "Koi Worth."

"Ah, yes. Let's get you and Sibling Koi settled in," Markus finished.

In the communal leader's camper, Liora gazed at her child. A lantern cast a warm glow on the cozy, rustic interior, but Koi seemed out of place in a borrowed wicker wheelchair. Undersized and frail, yet possessed of a sharp inquisitiveness and vitality, despite being born blind and paraplegic.

"Over time, being a full-time caretaker has gotten tougher," she admitted. "I don't know what else to do. I can't hold down a job. The government keeps telling me we don't qualify for more assistance. Koi needs around-the-clock care that I can't afford. I am drowning!" Liora's voice cracked, and she covered her face.

Markus approached the table with two steaming mugs. "Where's Dad?" he asked.

"Not in the picture," she laughed bitterly. "When I heard about The Remnant and what you do here..." She trailed off, dropping her gaze to her worn clothing.

"The Remnant is a place of healing and hope, Sister. We welcome all who seek refuge," her counterpart replied, although he hesitated and peered at her over the rim of his mug. "Of course, you know that to stay here, you have to eschew the technological hubris of the outside world."

Nodding, Liora's eyes glistened as she touched the dime-sized CyberneticID tag at the nape of her neck. "I guess I just kept holding out hope that if I could make enough money to pay for Koi's surgery, we might be able to fit into society. They have a cure."

"There's no fitting in when you're different. Everyone here is different in their way. That's the beauty of The Remnant. We're a family that supports and cares for each other. 'They' don't have any cures, Sister." Markus smiled, sympathetic. "You didn't come here by accident. You've shown much courage and selflessness. Here, you have a chance to let us help you. Think about it." He gave her knee a reassuring pat as if he had made up her mind for her.

Liora sipped her tea. She didn't know what Markus was implying, whether she had days or weeks to consider his offer. She had learned of the commune in a forum on ColonyASR, a new virtual open world that was fast becoming the world's favorite online third space. She found it ironic that, for a community that disdained technology, The Remnant still relied on it to advance their agenda. But she didn't mention it. She was tired and at the end of her road. At least they could stay the night.