"Has he opened it yet?"
"No, Commander Yadoni. Not yet."
"Well, what the hell's wrong with him?"
"Nothing. He's just being cautious."
"Well, I don't want him to be cautious. I want him to open the damned thing!"
"Be patient, sir. His reactions may give you better insight into the race."
Yadoni
sighed. "You're right as usual, Soloni."
"Most humans are cautious by nature. Let us see how he reacts now."
He didn't open the package right away. His nerves got the best of him and he sat down, staring at for a few long minutes before his curiosity awoke again. First, he searched for a return address and was surprised to find none. No return address, no stamp, not even an originating label. That was strange. He'd never received a package from FedEx or any other carrier that hadn't at least had an originating label. Logic told him to call FedEx but curiosity was making his hand itch.
The itch won and he grabbed a sharp knife and a screwdriver from the kitchen and went back to the box. He used the screwdriver to pry the side loose, then sliced the thick, plastic webbing that kept the lid into place. In almost slow motion, the sides separated like the peel of a banana and Jamie gasped.
She was beautiful.
Nestled in the styroformed peanuts was the likeness of a woman, the most lifelike doll that Jamie had ever seen. So lifelike, in face, that he could have sworn that she looked exactly like Carina, the girl in his dreams.