“At least finish the chicken. You need to keep up your strength out there, hostile environment and all that. Can’t have you collapsing on us.”
Paula gave her ‘the look.’ “And finish your veggies too, dear.”
Kerys sighed. “Fine…”
After forcing down the entirety of the chicken, the green beans, and about two thirds of the rice, she got up and carried the tray to the nearest trash container. With one hand on her stomach to brace the uncomfortable sense of fullness inside her, she headed out of the cafeteria and hooked left to follow the hallway to the stairs.
About halfway down the corridor, Will came out of a doorway at a brisk stride, his attention glued to an e-pad with a glare that said he didn’t like whatever he read. He flicked his gaze to her for a second in reaction to a person in his way. She moved to let him pass, but he stopped and sighed.
“What are you doing here?”
Kerys folded her arms. “I could ask you the same thing.”
“I work here.”
She smirked. “So do I.”
Will looked away to the left, scratching behind his right ear. “This is a bad idea. You’re not going to handle it well out here… too far away from Earth. I’m pretty close to Captain Chen. We’ll arrange for you to head back. Should be able to get you on one of the automated supply drops in a month.”
“What?” She let her arms fall loose and glared at him. “Are you for real? Three years it took me to get out here and you think I’m too fragile for it? Ugh!” Kerys fumed. “You haven’t changed at all, have you? Still think I’m helpless. You never let me make any decisions before, and―news flash hotshot―we’re not together anymore. Your opinions don’t control me.”
Her heart raced. She got light-headed, but forced herself not to show it. Shit. I never snapped at him like this before.
Will stared at her, no discernible emotion on his face. Her gaze locked on his hand, half expecting him to punch the wall. Maybe even her. No, he couldn’t be that reckless, could he? Her throat tightened and a nigh imperceptible tremble started in her hands.
He broke eye contact again, sighing as he studied the floor. “Look, Kerys… All I’m saying is that I know how you and Jaden are. It’s not fair to him for you to be so far out here. He needs emotional support. How could you leave him with your robot mother?”
The bundle of spiked nerves in her gut detonated to rage. “Leave him out of this! I’m already here, in case you hadn’t noticed. It’d take another three years for me to go home. Even if I left right now, he’d be sixteen before I got back. I’ve already―” She covered her mouth with a hand, wiping at her cheek and nose. When she continued, her voice hovered a hair’s breadth from a whisper. “I’ve already missed most of his childhood. Hell, I barely saw him at all for the first ten years.”
“He’s not yours, is he?” Will cocked an eyebrow. “You’re what, eighteen when he was born? Is he really your brother, or did your mom agree to take him in?”
“Stop, Will. Just, stop. No. He’s not mine. You’re doing it again, jabbing your finger at my emotions to distract me. Why don’t you want me here? Do you expect me to believe you’re genuinely worried about little helpless me out in the cruel alien world? What, a girl can’t handle science?”
He raised both hands. “That’s got nothing to do with it, Kerys. As usual, you’re jumping to conclusions and getting emotional over nothing.”
Kerys, mouth open, stared at him, too angry to shout. You arrogant son of a bitch.
“I just think this assignment is too dangerous for you. When you left, I… guess I stopped caring about everything. Took this job because it didn’t matter if something happened to me anymore.”
She looked away from the vulnerability in his eyes, not trusting it. He’s trying to make me feel bad for leaving him. Like it was my fault he was such a prick. “I can handle this. It isn’t my first outpost job. Copernicus only had glorified tents. This place is like a fortress compared.”
He bit his lip. A second later, his expression of worry slithered into pride. “Nice work getting that door open.”
“It’s not going to work.”
“You know, I just had an idea. I haven’t felt the same since you left. Maybe you had a point.”
“Oh, maybe.” She frowned.
Will grinned.
His unibrow hasn’t gotten any smaller. Dammit, how can he make it look sexy? She averted her gaze. No. It’s a trick. He’s going to just do the same crap all over again once I get comfortable.
“I think fate has a sense of humor. Maybe we were destined to―”
“No. We’re destined to work in the same remote outpost for a while in close proximity. I know you, Will. Even if you managed to act human for the first couple of months, it’s not going to last.” She started past him for the stairway, but he grabbed her arm.
“Kerys, you haven’t let me finish yet. Walking off in the middle of a conversation is rude.”
She pulled at her arm, but he didn’t let go. We’re not in the middle of a conversation―it’s over. The words stalled halfway from brain to mouth. Kerys looked at his fingers pressing into her bicep. Everything and everyone she knew waited thousands of light years away. Her friends, her little brother, her entire support system. Any communication would take two months, one for her message to reach them, and another for the reply.
Alone.
Nothing wanted to work anymore. Her brain stopped processing. Her body stopped moving.
He’s not letting go. Is he going to hit me? “I…” Old patterns of just doing whatever Will wanted reawakened. She stared down at the floor.
“Is there a problem here?” asked Corporal Guillen.
Kerys gulped and snapped her head up. Heat swam over her cheeks as though he’d walked in on her showering. She wasn’t that person anymore, that weak-willed, shrinking college girl.
Will smiled at him. “We were just catching up on old times.”
“Yeah.” Kerys jerked her arm out of Will’s grip. “He was just reminding me why I left him.”
“Oh.” Will glanced between them before giving her a wounded look. “That didn’t take long.”
Corporal Guillen hardened his glare.
“Asshole,” muttered Kerys. “I’m not ‘cheating’ on you. For one thing, we broke up. It’s not cheating when there’s nothing to cheat on. Two, I’m not with him. I’m not with anyone. I’m here to study an ancient alien civilization, nothing more.”
Will’s teeth showed, perfect and sparkling, as his lips stretched into a broad smile. “Good to know.”
Corporal Guillen shifted to watch him walk off. “You okay?”
Despite her growing fear that Will wouldn’t give up, she kept an outward calm. “Thanks. I should be okay.”
“I understand if there’s some history between you, but if at any time you don’t feel safe, please tell someone. That’s what we’re here for.”
Kerys nodded. “I will.”
As soon as Corporal Guillen continued down the hall, she grasped her arm where Will’s hand had been, cradling a tender spot she hoped wouldn’t turn into a bruise.
6
The Forest for the Trees
Kerys reached the infirmary hall right as Marco ambled out of the treatment room, his foot and lower leg in a cast made of spider-web-pattern polymer. He wobbled on a metal cane, struggling to adapt to using it. At the sight of her, he stopped trying to walk, and smiled.
“Hey. It’s not as bad as I thought. I should be cleared for EVO in about five days.”
She blinked. “That’s it? Five days?”
“Yeah, Avasar’s got the latest meds. Some of this crap isn’t even available outside the outpost yet. Doc said they’ve synthesized some kinda stem cells from this fungus they found here, and it’ll only take them a couple days to ‘glue my bones back together.’ Still can’t put too much weight on it right now.”
“I’m sorry.” She bit her lip. “It was reckless of me to touch that
thing and―”
“Forgiven. Hey, that’s some exciting stuff huh?” Marco winked. “Don’t leave my name off the accolades and I’ll take a busted foot. Deal?”
Kerys let out an angry laugh. “Yeah. No way would I ever do that to anyone. Need a hand getting somewhere?”
“I got it… but if you wanna take the walk in case I wind up on my ass.” He hobbled forward. “So you think that’s really a head?”
She crept along at his side. “Those indentations do resemble eyes, but Paula could have a point about how we see faces on things. I think it is, but I’m going to play it safe and refuse comment for now.”
He tried to laugh, but wound up wincing. “Ouch. Hey, maybe those stairs are a bit much for my fledgling cane-wielding skills.”
“No problem. Put your arm around my shoulders and lean on me.” Kerys helped him down to the ground floor. Once he got off the stairs, she held on a few seconds more until he got his balance. “Ugh. This is my fault. I’m so sorry.”
“Bah.” He tottered toward the cafeteria. “Doc said it would stop hurting in two days. All you did was give me some time to get paid for lying around doing nothing while we all get famous. I should be thanking you.”
“You can still help out going over images and―”
Will hurried down the corridor in her direction. Instinctively, she felt the need to press herself into the wall to get away, but wound up standing like a statue.
“What?” asked Marco. He glanced from her deer-in-the-headlights eyes to Will. “What’s up?”
Chris Mardling sprinted out of the cafeteria and intercepted Will about ten steps away. “Hey, Brax…”
Will closed his eyes the way he always did when he tried to swallow anger. By the time Chris caught up, he smiled. “Hey, Mard. What’s up?”
“You’ve been summoned. Crew’s assembling in the garage. We’re supposed to head out in twelve minutes for a survey of cluster forty-two, or did you forget all about our sample gathering?”
“Right.” Will shot a pleading look at Kerys. “I’ll be there in a minute.”
Chris shook his head. “Don’t have a minute, pal. The shuttle’s packed and we need your hands unloading it.”
Shuttle? She blinked.
“I’ll be right there.” Will brushed past him and stepped over to Marco and Kerys.
“I’m not leaving, Will. I don’t know how you got a shuttle here so fast, but you’re not ruining my life twice.”
He looked disappointed and worried, almost to the point of being believable. “No, this shuttle’s been here. We use it for flying heavy equipment around. Wouldn’t be able to use it to go home unless there’s a starship waiting in orbit.”
“Yeah.” Marco laughed. “Without a translight drive, you’d be flying for thousands of years.”
Will leaned closer, eyes widening. “Look, Kerys―”
“Come on, man!” yelled Chris. “Being the manager doesn’t mean you get out of carrying boxes.”
He sighed, staring at the ceiling. “We’ll talk later.”
She scowled at his back as he hurried to join Chris, and the two disappeared down the hallway leading to the garage pod.
No, we won’t.
“What’s up with that guy?” Marco raised an eyebrow.
“I broke up with him a couple years ago, but he hasn’t gotten the memo.”
“Oh. One of those jackasses.” Marco switched his grip on the cane, holding it like a sword while grinning. “Say the word and I’ll give him an attitude adjustment.”
Kerys laughed. “It’s all right. He’s just a pushy, arrogant idiot.” He looked hurt. I’m not the one being unreasonable, am I? Her smile faded. Could it have been her fault from day one? Had she been giving off signals that she wanted him to take control, to make all the decisions, to be the protector? What if he’d only done what he thought she wanted? She closed her eyes, her mind running back over hundreds of times he’d made her feel uncomfortable or frightened.
“Kerys?”
“I’m fine. I’m fine.” She nodded, more to herself than him. “Just wound up about that relic.”
Marco leaned on his cane. “If you mean fine in the sense of ‘that woman is fine,’ then I’ll agree with you, but you don’t look ‘fine’ like I think you meant it.”
She chuckled, head bowed. “I’m a mess. A controlled mess though. I met him in school. We dated a couple years, moved in together. Thought we’d wind up married, but he’s really an asshat. Total control freak… and a manchild. Can’t handle not getting what he wants. He never cared what I wanted. Everything had to be his way or not at all. I tried to tell myself he’d grow out of it or he’d change after the wedding, but I don’t think I ever really believed it.”
“Mmm. Well, I don’t think your boy there’s done.” Marco held up the cane gain. “The attitude adjuster is available if you need it.”
“I hope it won’t get to that point. All I need to do is stay focused on the job and pretend Will isn’t even here.”
She walked with Marco to the cafeteria and helped him get a tray of food. The smell of it made her gut clench on the way to a table. He sat, and she set the food tray down in front of him.
“You don’t look so good.” He lifted a forkful of whitish-brown matter to his mouth.
“Is that supposed to be fish?”
He shrugged while chewing. “Possibly.”
She put a hand over her mouth and nose.
“I can get myself back to my room. Last thing I need is you hurling all over me. A hundred-pound stone alien skull is plenty.”
“Sorry.” Kerys hung her head.
“Teasing. Relax. I already told Don it’s no big deal. He doesn’t think you were careless.” Marco gave her hand a squeeze. “Go on, get some air or something.”
“Damn. I never even thought about that. They must think I’m such a rookie.”
His eyebrows rose in disbelief. “This from the woman who figured out a millennia old password and got a door open before their ‘alien language expert.’”
“Hah. I have no idea what it means. I just saw it before.”
“Right place, right time.” He winked and ate another forkful of fish.
Kerys backed off. “That smell is getting to me.”
He flicked his hand at the exit and smiled. “G’won. Get some air.”
The combination of Marco’s injury and the discovery of the head caused either Don or Captain Chen to decide to keep the archaeology team inside for the rest of the day. Frustrated at not being able to get back to the ruins, Kerys spent an hour or so wandering the dome. The ground level had three airlocks, one at the north, one at the southeast between the garage and labs, and one at the southwest between the hydroponics pod and the supplemental power unit (aka reactor). The cafeteria, machine shop, air processing, battery room, and storage space took up most of that floor along with separate quarters for the military personnel, as opposed to their being in the residence pods to the northwest of the dome.
Kerys roamed around office cubicles on the second floor, where most of the botanical team worked when not out in the woods. Aside from the infirmary, the third level housed the fitness center, a lounge, and that virtual reality room where holographic projectors could create the illusion of being on Earth.
She spent a while on the third floor watching the command center, complete with a clear glass panel bearing a blue-line map of the area. On the fourth floor, she wandered past many closed doors, a couple offices, and some unused lab space. Since the outpost had dedicated external labs, no one used the small one built into the dome. Kerys didn’t bother going up to the fifth and final level, as the sign by the stairwell indicated it held only ‘Captain Chen’s Quarters’ and an ‘Observatory.’
Three corridors led west away from the dome: one at the northwest corner went back to the residence pods, one at the middle led to the hydroponic facility, and the southwestern link connected to a tube that ran all the way out to the pod housing the fusion
reactor from which Wayfarer Outpost got most of its power.
Assuming the reactor to be off-limits, and not having any great desire to get closer to anything involving nuclear radiation, she let curiosity pull her to the hydroponics pod. A short tube linked it directly to the dome, the doors at both ends locked open. Green lights flickered on status panels, suggesting the system had the capability to react to pressure loss and seal itself if need be.
She stepped out of the tunnel into a room where a number of people in yellow jumpsuits inspected and packed vegetables into plastic trays. Some sliced up huge slabs of meat that resembled chicken breast despite being almost four feet long. Aside from pleasant smiles of greeting, the workers didn’t pay her much notice.
A white double door separated the room from a massive chamber beyond that appeared to take up the bulk of the pod’s rectangular shape. Rows upon rows of liquid-filled tanks formed a veritable maze inside. Most had pale green fluid in which floated various vegetables in different stages of growth. The tanks farther from the door contained darker liquid with unrecognizable blobs.
Kerys leaned up to the window to get a better look, and stifled a squeal of shock when they opened, bathing her in hot, humid air laden with the stink of fertilizer. She backpedaled, gagging and coughing.
Two men working in the room behind her chuckled.
“So what’s blue mean?” asked one.
“Huh?” She faced him.
He gestured at her. “Your jumpsuit. Can’t remember ever seeing blue before.”
“Oh. Archaeology… actually xenoarchaeology.”
“Neat.” He nodded at the door. “You can go in if you want, just don’t touch anything.”
“Thanks. I’m just trying to familiarize myself with the layout of the place.”
The workers nodded.
“Welcome to the ass end of nowhere,” said the other guy.
The air in the grow room watered her eyes with the overwhelming pungency of chemicals, and left the flavor of potting soil on her tongue. Intense lamps on the ceiling made it feel like she’d walked into a mid-summer day in Georgia. She coughed and took a few tentative steps forward, trying to get a better look of what floated in the more distant tanks. The ones near her forced her to stand on tiptoe to peer over them. Each had a small metal stairway to an attached catwalk, allowing worker access to the pools within.
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