C.O.R.E.

C.O.R.E.

     She opened her mouth to sing but nothing happened. Nothing came out at all. Not even a whimper. She cleared her throat before she spoke. “I’m sorry. I don’t understand what happened.”

     Krystola was shivering. She had her arms around her to try to control it. “I practiced all the way here. Maybe I did it too much.”

     “I don’t think you did that. You just need to calm down. This is your first time. Maybe not performing, but the way we are having you do it is. It is something that has never been done before that we know of. That’s what is going to make CORE a big success.”

     Thommy sat in a large chair. On either side of him sat Hennin and Monicke. Krystola stood in front of them. Her hands were now behind her back. She was still shivering. Not as much though.

     “Is it because you are nervous or cold? If it’s because you are cold, we can do something about that. I think it’s because you are standing in front of two males and a female - naked?” Monicke got up and went over to give Krystola a hug. “It’s going to be okay. You just need to relax a little.”

     “I’m not cold. I am very nervous though. Especially since I don’t have any clothing on. That’s what I think happened to me. I still don’t understand why I have to perform like this.”

     “It’s because CORE is going to be entertaining the galaxy nude. That’s what makes you different than all the other singers, bands, groups in the universe.” Hennin was sitting forward. He now was stretching out in his chair.

     “When I saw you showing your talent to raise credits for that need at the Advanced Learning Center I knew you were the perfect one to sing for CORE. What was that need again?” Thommy kept diverting his eyes from Krystola. But every few seconds he started staring back at her.

     “It was for Vunis. Which is a crippling, living in a Mobile for the rest of your life, illness that affects about a tenth of the population on Cothus. Most of them are Young Ones. My younger brother has it.”

     Hennin looked at Monicke then Thommy. Both shook their heads negative. “I’m sorry. We didn’t know about your brother.”

     “Is that why you want to be a singer?” Monicke asked. “So that you can take care of him or is it so you hope to find a cure for him – for them.”

     “There is no cure. Vunis can’t be cured. As for my singing I do that because it’s the only thing that brings him down when he starts feeling low about himself.”

     “If you do agree to join CORE are you going to be able to leave your brother for two years?” Thommy asked.

     “I’m very honored that you asked me to perform for you today. But I’m not going to join anybody. It’s not because of my brother, or the nudity, it’s because I’m not ready to do it. I don’t even know why I really came here today.”

     “I think you are ready. All you need is a little bit of help. That’s where we come in. We are here to help you, all of you, become a success. Your success is ours.” Monicke sat back down.

     Krystola thought about that for a minute. “It’s not just that. I also don’t think I can do it because I am an Alien.”

     “All of you are Aliens. Wottom is from Ovion. Borik is from the planet of Ru-oin. And Sonni comes from Emmov.” Thommy pointed to the three Video Monitors that hung around that room when he introduced the other members of CORE.

     “We already have them agreeing to join the group. All we need is for you to agree to it too.” That voice came from another Video Monitor. It belonged to Avica. Her background looked like all the other monitors. The room Krystola and the others were in too. It was a Sound Studio.

     Krystola hadn’t moved – except in response to voices or gestures. She looked at the three humans in the room with her. Then the one called Avica. “You said earlier this is a two-year commitment. I can’t be away from my brother that long.”

     Monicke smiled. “That’s not a problem. He can come with us.”

     Thommy spoke next. “We will be visiting about fifty worlds over the next two years. That’s just the beginning. CORE is going to be around for a lot longer than that.”

     “Is that the only excuse you can come up with for not going our band?” Hennin asked.

     “I’m still not crazy about being naked. Why can’t we do something else? Like weird clothing, a lot of make-up, outrageous stunts. Things like that.”

     Avica spoke first. “We thought of those gimmicks. So has every other performer out there.”

     “I have to agree it’s a good way to get the people to come see us. And I mean ‘see’ because that’s the only reason why they will be coming.”

     Thommy looked at the others before he spoke. “We don’t think so. True, they will be coming for that reason. They will also come for the singing. Their eyes may be looking at you. But their ears and minds will be listening to you sing.”

     “What about if I get excited in front of all of them. I’m a squirter. That could be very embarrassing for me.”

     “If that happens it happens. It might even help the performance if it did.” Hennin looked like he was a million miles away from there.

     “As for you being embarrassed. It could get a lot worse for Wottom and Borik. They are will to take that chance. What about you?”

     “Any other excuses?” Monicke asked.

     Krystola thought about that for a minute. “I can’t think of any more – at the moment. Okay, I’m joining too.”