Evolution

by R S Penney

  Folding a sweater into a neat little square, Jack set it inside his suitcase on top of a pile of clothing. Most of what he owned was now inside that case, which felt weird. The last time he had moved had been over four years ago, when he and Anna had accepted this apartment as compensation from Aamani Patel.

  Jack stood over his bed in gray jeans and a black t-shirt with a V-neck, bathed in warm sunlight that came in through the window. “So, are you ready for the trip, Spock?” he asked, eyebrows rising. “Wanna go to a new world?”

  The fat orange tabby cat was sprawled out upon the hardwood floor with one paw shielding his eyes from the sun. For the last three days, Spock had insisted on following Jack at all times. The kitty could tell that things were changing, and he didn't like it one bit. Luckily, Jack had been able to book transit on a ship that allowed passengers to bring their pets along with them. There would even be a small habitat where Spock could relax, receive regular meals and chase holograms.

  He heard the front door open.

  Jack lifted a t-shirt up in front of himself, folded it and dropped it into the suitcase. He wasn't expecting a visitor, but somehow he had a vague idea of who it might be, and he was willing to let his guest surprise him. After all, it was next to impossible to sneak up on a Keeper.

  Gabi stepped through his bedroom door in a green sundress with thin straps, her hair pulled back in a long ponytail. “Hi,” she said cautiously. “I realized I still have the key you gave me. Thought I should drop it off.”

  Jack winced, then rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. “So, that's why you decided to pay me a visit?” he asked in a quiet voice. “Well, my landlord will appreciate having it back.”

  His ex-girlfriend moved slowly into the bedroom, stopping right behind him and folding her hands over her stomach. “I wanted to see how you were doing,” she said. “I figured you might be ready to try being friends.”

  “I'd like that.”

  “Really?”

  Jack spun around to face her, and though he had seen her in that dress many times, it was still a little odd to be reminded of just how lovely Gabi really was. Even with his talent for projecting colour onto the silhouettes that filled his mind, seeing a woman with your own eyes produced a response that you just didn't get from spatial awareness. His chest felt tight, his palms felt sweaty.

  It was probably because his body was hardwired to respond a certain way to visual or auditory stimuli. Spatial awareness, on the other hand, was something that came from Summer. It was knowledge that his mind could use, but his body wasn't programmed to respond to it.

  He sat down on the mattress with his hands on his knees, smiling into his own lap. “Yeah,” he said, nodding to her. “I'd like to be friends. So, what happens now that you're out of LIS?”

  “I'm not sure.”

  “Well, it's an honest answer.”

  Gabi crossed her arms, turning her face up to the ceiling. “So, what happens now?” she murmured, arching one eyebrow. “You know, I've always been the kind of girl who likes to plan out everything.”

  Biting his lower lip, Jack shut his eyes tight. “So I've been told,” he replied. “It's a truly horrible vice, one that you should give up immediately. Ten Hail Marys and an Act of Contrition.”

  “Now, I'm not so sure I want to plan my next move,” she said. “I'm thinking maybe I'll take a year off, travel a little, see the planets that I've visited as a tourist and not a spy. Then, maybe I'll settle into a nice analyst job.”

  “Terrible idea.”

  “You think so?”

  How exactly could he explain this? “You're the kind of person who thrives on social interaction,” he said. “Staring at reports, trying to find patterns in the data, that's not you.”

  He stood up.

  Tilting her head back, Gabi stared up at him with those large dark eyes. “I was not aware that you'd become an expert on me,” she murmured in that smoky voice that set his blood on fire. “But please, go on.”

  He turned his back on her and began fussing with the suitcase again, stacking more t-shirts onto the ever-growing pile. Getting the damn thing closed was going to be a pain in the ass, he could tell. “Just calling it like I see it,” Jack said. “You don't want my input? I'm happy to keep my mouth shut.”

  “I'm sorry,” she said. “I do want to hear it.”

  “All right,” Jack muttered, noting that he was probably going to regret this. “You are at your best when you're reading people. The subtle cues that tell you what someone is feeling. That's what makes you a good spy.”

  “You think I'm a good spy?”

  “I know you're a good spy,” he said, spinning around and tossing a rolled up pair of socks at her. Gabi raised her hands up to shield herself and stumbled backward. “You can get information out of pretty much anybody. You learn all the nuances of a new situation in seconds, and – minor, non-essential bonus – you look absolutely gorgeous in a cocktail dress. You put people at ease; you make people want to talk to you, and everything about you makes them want to know you more. The perfect spy.”

  Gabi was smiling, her cheeks flushed to a deep red. “Thank you,” she said softly. “You know, on your world, very few people would believe that someone with my body type could do all the things you just described.”

  Jack closed his eyes, heaving out a frustrated sigh. “That's true,” he said, nodding once in confirmation. “But people on my world are idiots. It's your confidence and your intelligence that make you sexy.”

  “Not the way I look in this dress?”

  “Oh, the dress is definitely a win!” he said quickly. How exactly did one go about explaining this? All his life, Jack had felt that his sexuality was just a little bit different than everyone else's. His high school friends would salivate over pictures of some model on Instagram, but Jack could look at the image of a woman that everyone else called “a perfect ten” and feel nothing at all.

  But add confidence, intelligence, wit, and suddenly he would find that exact same woman irresistible. That wasn't to say that physical appearance didn't have any effect on him. Gabi in a cute little sundress would always get his attention, but it wasn't the dress itself that mattered.

  It was the fact that she wanted to look hot. Not for his sake but for herself. He was turned on by the fact that she owned her sexuality and made no apologies for it. “It's not the dress, Gabs,” he managed after a moment. “It's the way you wear it.”

  “That is incredibly sweet.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You seem to think very highly of me.”

  Pressing a fist to his mouth, Jack winced and cleared his throat. “Well, you are an amazing person,” he said, trying to ignore his own chagrin. “But you could stand to be a little more impulsive.”

  Gabi stood there for a very long moment, staring at him as if she had never really seen him before. Then, suddenly, she grabbed one of her dress straps and pulled it down over her shoulder. The other strap followed half a second later, and the garment dropped to the floor.

  “What are you doing?” Jack stammered.

  “Being impulsive.” She glided toward him like a goddess who had decided to grace some pitiful mortal with her presence. “We both know that we're not right for each other. But after everything we've been through, I think we've earned a little joy. So, what do you say? One last time?”

  Before Jack even realized it, he was pulling his t-shirt over his head and tossing it to the floor. Then he flung the suitcase off of his bed with such force it toppled over and spilled its contents onto the floor. All that noise sent Spock bolting from the room in a fit of panic. Jack would have to repack everything.

  He didn't care.

  He slipped his arms around Gabi and pulled her close; her skin against his felt so good. Gently cupping her face with both hands, he tilted her chin up so that he could kiss her on the lips.

  Then he pulled away and started nibbling on the side of her neck. “One condition,” he whispered. “I
don't think one last time is gonna cut it. We better make it four or five.”

  The Winnipeg SlipGate terminal was a huge, open room with a high ceiling and arch-shaped windows with metal grating on each wall. Sunlight fell upon people young and old as they made their way toward the four metal triangles that stood side by side near the back wall. “So I guess this is it,” Jack said.

  He wore black pants and a gray shirt under his brown jacket, the strap of a gym bag over one shoulder, a suitcase in the opposite hand. “I think that I want to go the rest of the way on my own, if you don't mind?”

  “So, you'll call?”

  He turned.

  His mother stood behind him with her arms folded, frowning as if he'd just gotten a D on a spelling test. “I expect you to keep in touch,” she said, stepping forward. “I mean, someone has to give me a break from your father and sister.”

  Jack shut his eyes tight, turning his face up to the ceiling. “I will call,” he assured her. “At least once a week, possibly more. Besides, I think you're gonna want to see the new place once I'm settled in.”

  Crystal bowed her head to him, waves of honey-blonde hair falling over her face. “You know I will,” she said, nodding. “And just in case you need a little mom pep talk, you're gonna do great.”

  “Give my love to everyone?”

  “Of course.”

  He spun to face her, dropping his suitcase to the floor. If the bloody thing popped open, forcing him to pack everything a third time, he really didn't care. Before he knew it, he had his mother in a tight embrace.

  Jack felt tears on his cheeks, but he did his best to ignore them. “I'm gonna miss all of you,” he said, stepping back. “But I'm only a few days away. Maybe when I'm settled in, you could come for a visit.”

  “I'd like that.”

  “Well, I guess this is-”

  Crystal silenced him by shaking her head emphatically. “No good-byes,” she said, turning her head so that he couldn't get a good look at her expression. Not that he blamed her; no one wanted to be the kind of parent who broke down in front of their kid. “This is just a 'See you soon.' ”

  “See you soon.”

  He took his bags and started across the terminal before he got another attack of the feels and found himself thinking that maybe just maybe he was a moron for leaving his old life behind. That wouldn't do. The truth was, he wanted to go somewhere else. He had always been a little disenchanted with this planet, and now he had a chance to start fresh.

  Of course, he had to pass through a security checkpoint before he could access the SlipGate. Apparently, that wasn't a thing on Leyria. Gates in secure locations could only be accessed with the right codes, but if you just wanted to travel from one city to another, you could do so freely.

  A line of weapons scanners stood side by side, each one comprised of two curved metal plates spaced just far enough apart to let a single person passed through. People formed a queue in front of each one. He chose the shortest.

  Moments later, he stepped through the scanner.

  Jack closed his eyes as puffs of air hit his body, ruffling his hair. Then there was a soft humming sound that could lull a child to sleep if it was left playing. “You're clear,” a gruff voice called out. “Step through, please.”

  On the other side of the scanner, a desk was occupied by a man in a gray uniform with a black tie, a man who studied the readout on a computer monitor. “Destination?” the guard asked.

  “Star-liner Valeria.”

  “ID?”

  Jack lifted his forum, activating his multi-tool. The holographic projector displayed an image of his badge and his dossier. “Very good, Agent Hunter,” the guard said. “Your destination has been programmed into Gate 3. Please join that line.”

  He did as he was told, finding himself behind an old man in a Hawaiian shirt and a young boy who stood at his side. “How long are we staying in Florida?” the kid asked in that anxious voice that only a five-year-old could manage.

  Jack tuned out the rest of the conversation.

  When it was his turn, he approached the SlipGate cautiously. The metal triangle seemed to reflect the lights in the ceiling. The truth was that he felt a little uneasy about the SlipGates after his visit to the moon. He suspected most people did now.

  He turned around to find himself staring at a line of people who were waiting their turn. Then a humming noise filled his ears, and a bubble formed around his body, making it seem as if the people were caught in the hazy heat that rose from black pavement.

  He was pulled forward.

  The bubble slammed to a stop in the middle of a smaller room with gray walls, but he couldn't make out anything specific. Then it popped.

  Chewing on his lip, Jack squeezed his eyes shut. “Never get used to that,” he said, shaking his head. “Well, then…Let's just bring out the welcoming committee so that the guy from Earth doesn't get-”

  A hologram appeared in the middle of this small room: a tall, slender man in a pair of black pants and a white shirt with a burgundy vest. “Greetings, Agent Hunter,” it said through the speaker system. “Would you like to be shown to your cabin?”

  “Yes, please,” Jack said. “And then to the Rear Observation Deck.”

  “Right this way, sir.”'

  Ten minutes later, he stepped onto a terrace where a large, curved window looked out on the blackness of space. The Earth floated before him with Western Europe still visible under the light of the sun while Asia was now dark.

  Round tables were spaced out on the white-tiled floor and a long bench ran along the slanted wall opposite the window, positioned in front of flowerbeds where red tulips grew. It was lovely.

  He found Melissa sitting on the bench with her younger sister. The older Carlson girl wore a pair of green skinny jeans and a black t-shirt. And as always, her eyes were downcast. It takes time to gain confidence, Jack noted. You weren't so different, once.

  Claire wore a pair of dark blue jeans and a bright blue t-shirt with the Spider-Man logo. Her hair was pulled back in a pair of braids that fell over her shoulders. “Jack!” she called out when she saw him.

  Just like that, she was on her feet and running at him.

  Jack dropped to one knee to allow the girl to slam into him. He caught her up in a hug. “Hey! It's good to see you too!” he exclaimed. “So, you guys ready for three days of fun and excitement?”

  “I wish Dad was here.”

  Closing his eyes, Jack took a deep breath. “I know, Sweetie,” he said, nodding to the girl. “But he'll be along in a few weeks, and you ladies are gonna stay with me until your new house is ready.”

  “Yeah, but you're boring.”

  “Oh, I'm boring, am I?”

  Claire pulled away from his embrace, crossing her arms and standing over him like an angry foreman looking down on the assembly line. “Very boring,” she said. “You're so old. And you like stuff from like forty years ago.”

  Jack stood up. “Is that so?” he asked, leading Claire back to the bench with a hand on her back. “Well, then I guess you won't want to join your sister and I for game night. I suppose you could just go to bed.”

  “Game night? What games?”

  “Well, I've got 'em all,” he said. “Pictionary, Connect 4, and my personal favourite: Hungry, Hungry Hippos.” He had raided his old bedroom closet for stuff he could take on this trip. “How are you, Melissa?”

  The girl looked up at him with a big bright smile. “I'm good,” she said, nodding. “Scared, but good.”

  He spun around and sat beside her with his hands on his knees, heaving out a deep breath. “Yeah, that's understandable,” Jack replied. “But you're gonna love it on Leyria. Trust me.”

  “I do.”

  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a woman in an orange dress standing by the window, looking out at the stars. Larani seemed troubled, and he was pretty sure that he should find out what was on his new boss's mind. “Excuse me,” he said, getting up. “I'll be rig
ht back.”

  Larani glanced over her shoulder as he approached, raising one dark eyebrow. “The girls seem excited,” she murmured. “And a little scared. It reminds me of the first time I went off-world.”

  “Yeah? What was that like.”

  “I was twenty,” she said softly. “For the first two decades of my life, I never left the planet's surface, never even made it into orbit. Then, suddenly, I'm assigned to a post on Salus Prime, and just like that, I'm whisked away.”

  Jack stepped up to the window with his arms folded, frowning as he stared through the pane. “Must have been scary,” he muttered. “You know, aside from a very brief visit to your world, I've never left Earth.”

  “Change comes for us all, Agent Hunter.”

  “That it does.”

  “Are you looking forward to your new assignment?”

  Tapping his lips with one finger, Jack narrowed his eyes. “You know, I think I am,” he replied in a quiet voice. “Really, I'm looking forward to a fresh start. Too much pain these last few months.”

  Larani turned to the window with hands clasped behind her back, breathing deeply. “That's good,” she said after a moment. “It's a new chapter for all of us. I suspect there will be many surprises.”

  “Good afternoon, passengers,” a voice said over the speakers. “This is your Captain speaking. We've just received confirmation that our final guests have come on board, and we will be getting underway momentarily. It will take approximately three days and five hours to reach Leyria; during that time, we encourage you to make use of the ship's many amenities. Restaurants and nightly entertainment are available on Deck 4. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask a holographic assistant or contact myself or the crew via the intercom service. Departure will commence in roughly two minutes. All crew prepare for warp jump.”

  He waited silently while Claire ran up and took his hand. Melissa joined them half a moment later, looking out at the only world they'd ever really known. Leaving it behind was quite an undertaking. He was nervous, and excited, and he could tell that the girls felt the same way.