The Sea Within

by Missouri Vaun

  The reality was that the oceans were so close to complete and utter collapse that she couldn’t look away or wait for someone else to do this work for her. The public had put up such resistance to the ever-worsening truths about rising temperatures, climate denial had even become a political platform, leaving earth in a terminal condition.

  World leaders warned of food shortages that never really came. If they had, maybe that would have captured the public’s attention. Instead, enhanced food production during the green revolution had made things worse. Enhanced food production meant fewer people starved, and as a result, those people gave birth to more people who needed to eat. By 2050, most of the planet was devoted to growing or grazing food for humans, while other animals just disappeared. Seemingly oblivious, humanity just kept pressing on.

  By the time she was in grad school, refined models had revised earlier predictions of how quickly the ice would melt and how fast and how high CO2 levels and seas would rise. Earlier models had failed to predict the effect of vast amounts of methane entering the atmosphere from thawing permafrost. The warm climate fueled fierce storms, wildfires, species die-offs, and drug resistant viruses. Superbugs spread through refugee encampments and inner cities, killing thousands.

  To call where they currently were environmental upheaval was an understatement.

  Humanity was learning the hard way that the world’s ecosystems were infinitely intricate. The scientific community now knew it had been almost impossible to truly predict how two degrees would change everything, let alone a three-degree jump.

  Huge swaths of California burned, successive monstrous hurricanes devastated Texas, Florida, and Louisiana. Cyclone bombs exploded in the heartland, and thousand-year floods recurred every two years. Ice shelves fractured and refugees poured in from East and North Africa and the Middle East where temps now regularly reached one hundred and thirty degrees. At two degrees of warming, more than one hundred and fifty million people had died from air pollution alone.

  Elle and many of her generation knew the awful truth. Human beings, in general, were responsible for ecological degradation of multiple planetary systems. The Earth’s current condition was a direct result of the power struggle between human beings and all kinds of geophysical forces.

  This was a grim, apocalyptic train of thought. She rolled onto her side and closed her eyes. Sometimes it was painful to know so much.

  There was no way she wasn’t going on this mission. She sat at the edge of the bed after she slipped her shoes on. If there was even the slightest chance that her research might in some way stave off environmental collapse, then she had to face any fear to make that happen, with or without Jackson’s support.

  Elle stepped out of her room and almost bumped into Ted. He was sweaty, breathing hard, and frankly, not looking so good.

  “Hey, are you okay?” Elle was worried. He looked paler than usual.

  “Yeah, cardio test…just a little winded.”

  Winded? He looked like he was a quick minute from toppling over.

  “You’re probably like me.”

  “In what way?” He looked nervous about what she might say.

  “I thought being a science nerd was code for ‘I don’t do sports.’” She was trying to lighten his mood.

  “Oh, yeah, same here.” He wiped his face with one end of a towel draped around his neck.

  The truth was, Elle had always enjoyed running, just not as part of a team. And not for winning or keeping score, but simply for the fun of it. Plus, it helped her think. Many problems got solved on her daily treadmill jog.

  “Hey, have you talked much with the two security guys?”

  “Not really.” Ted shook his head.

  “They haven’t talked with me either. It just seems weird that we didn’t really meet with them at all, doesn’t it?” Harris and Nunez kept to themselves. They were a unit of two in a team of six.

  “Maybe.” He sounded unconcerned. “I think I’m going to take a break.” He angled toward his room. He obviously wasn’t in the mood to chat, but that wasn’t anything unusual.

  “Sure.” She watched him slog to his quarters. “I’ll see you later.”

  He didn’t look back or acknowledge her words. Something seemed off with Ted. More than just too much cardio. Maybe he was worried about his kid. It had to be hard to spend even a few hours away from your child if he was truly ill.

  Elle took a step without looking and almost bumped into Nunez. He was so solidly stout it was like running into a brick wall.

  “Oh, sorry.” She apologized but then instantly had the thought that he’d intentionally stepped into her path for some reason.

  Harris and Nunez were supposed to be her security team, but they’d been distant during evaluations. The two men were the opposite of security in her opinion. Personally, they made her feel uneasy rather than safe. She assumed they were really only there to provide security for the acquisition of samples and not the people involved in that extraction, because their bedside manner was less than zero.

  “You nervous about the mission?” he asked, as if he cared. His demeanor said he didn’t.

  “Not really.” And if she was, she certainly wouldn’t admit it to him.

  “Yeah, what’s to worry about if you know what you’re doing, right?”

  Was he trying to piss her off? She decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she just wasn’t used to his type of humor.

  “Yeah, right.” She smiled, stepped around him, and headed toward her next test session, balance and agility.

  She looked back before she exited the corridor to see that he was still watching her.

  Chapter Eleven

  For about thirty seconds, Jackson considered pulling herself out of the team. She couldn’t control Elle; the only thing she could control was herself.

  Jackson knew she had to accept command. She was the only person she trusted to keep Elle safe. She was determined to distance herself from Elle, for the sake of the mission, and for the sake of her own heart. That would be difficult, but not impossible. She’d had a lot of experience controlling her emotions. This was just one more test of her resolve. And besides, the last thing she wanted was to fall for another woman willing to sacrifice herself to save the world. That was something she just couldn’t handle again.

  They were halfway through day two of readiness evaluations and training. It was Jackson’s turn to talk about the strain of time travel. So far everyone had passed the physical and medical tests that cleared them for the rigors of travel through the gateway. She made notes on a white board as Ted, Elle, Harris, and Nunez filed in and took their seats. Having made two previous jumps, Milloy and Wallace already knew this stuff so they weren’t required to attend. Chairs scuffed on the tile floor behind her.

  Harris and Nunez hardly spoke. Jackson still couldn’t get a read on them. Both men seemed generally fit and capable, but a little too siloed for her to feel comfortable counting on them as part of a cohesive unit. There were too many damn unknowns on this ride. Elle seemed to take all the rigorous testing in stride. Jackson knew from close, personal inspection that Elle was in great physical condition. Ted on the other hand, was thin and awkward, bordering on uncoordinated, and she was frankly surprised he’d passed the testing so far.

  “We’re going to spend a few minutes talking about g-forces.” Jackson underlined a number on the board with the broad-tipped marker. “The typical human body can withstand about five g’s. Jet pilots and astronauts undergo intensive g-force training that acclimates their bodies for up to nine g’s. Any higher than that and the pilot loses consciousness.”

  Elle was listening with a completely neutral expression. Maybe Elle had also decided distance was the best approach for their current situation.

  “Have any of you had any previous g-force training?” She didn’t want to assume without asking.

  No one raised their hand.

  “For lower ranges, pilots normally wear a g-suit, an ant
i-gravity garment that inflates to prevent blood from pooling in the feet and legs. For the Slingshot we use pressurized gravity tubes in addition to the suits.”

  “How many g’s are we talking about here?” Asked Harris.

  “Let’s just say, that passage in the SLST craft pulls g’s at greater than ten.”

  Elle’s eyes widened, but that was the only change in her expression. If Jackson had hoped to scare her off, it hadn’t worked so far.

  “If you’ll follow me, I’ll walk you through the crew cabin in the simulator so that you can see what the g-tube looks like.”

  Elle’s pulse sped up as they entered the simulator. This was serious astronaut stuff and way out of her comfort zone. She watched as Jackson demonstrated the functionality of the g-tube on Ted. It looked like something from a science fiction movie. The sort of sleep tank used for long distance space flight. But this would be different. The time in the tube would purportedly seem like only seconds and when they landed they’d have traveled into Earth’s long ago past.

  “Technicians will make sure you are properly set up in the grav tube before we ignite the drive.” Jackson made eye contact with her for the first time. “Without this tube, the g-force of traveling through the wormhole would kill you.”

  Jackson handed over the rest of the demonstration to a technician who walked the group through other details about the simulator. Elle was listening, but she couldn’t help looking over at Jackson. What was she thinking? Jackson stood, eyes forward, with her arms across her chest. She was like a statue, impossible to read.

  After another twenty minutes of questions from the group and answers from the technician, they were released for lunch.

  Elle lingered in the corridor as the others went for food. Jackson finally appeared in the doorway after a few long minutes.

  “Hi.” She greeted Jackson as if she hadn’t just been in close proximity to her for the better part of the morning.

  “Hi.” Jackson wasn’t expecting the ambush. Elle had given her no room to escape.

  “I’m glad I caught you. Do you have a minute?”

  “Sure.” Jackson glanced around and then motioned for Elle to step back inside the simulator.

  If it was possible, Jackson looked even hotter than usual in a snug fitting black T-shirt and camouflage cargo pants. Somehow, Jackson made the military issue clothing look sexy.

  “Why do you guys wear camouflage?” The question just popped out.

  “Excuse me?” Jackson was caught off guard.

  “I thought this was the US Space Force. Are you anticipating the need to blend in with some as yet undiscovered space jungle?”

  “We wear the same uniforms as our joint counterparts, since we’ll be working with them, on the ground.” Jackson clearly wasn’t amused by her attempt at humor. “Is that what you wanted to ask me about? The US Space Force dress code?”

  “No.”

  Elle decided to get right to the point.

  “Are you still concerned about my participation in this mission?”

  This was a small team and it was going to be super awkward if they couldn’t find a way to move forward and get past their discomfort with each other. That’s assuming Jackson still felt anything for her. She’d been so arrogantly aloof since their initial discussion in Jackson’s office that Elle was beginning to wonder if she was the only one who had any feelings about the night they’d spent together.

  “No.” But she didn’t sound sure. “You’ve passed the physical benchmarks. And from what I hear, you’re the resident expert on phytoplankton.”

  Of course, she’d passed. Every time fatigue threatened to pull her under she heard Jackson’s voice telling her she wasn’t tough enough to do the mission. Her competitive nature spurred her on.

  “You really know how to make a girl feel special,” Elle muttered, half to herself, glancing toward the exit.

  Everyone else had already headed toward the cafeteria for a break. Elle started to walk away too. She wasn’t going to beg Jackson for her approval.

  She’d only taken a few strides when Jackson spoke.

  “Can you just hang on for a second?” All the bravado was gone. Jackson’s question sounded like a genuine request.

  “Okay.” Reluctantly, Elle retraced her steps.

  “Listen, I know it might seem like I’m being a hard-ass here, but as commander it’s my job to make sure that not only does the mission succeed but that everyone gets back safely.”

  “I understand.”

  “It can’t be perceived that I’m showing any kind of favoritism to you or cutting you any slack.”

  “I get it.”

  “Do you?” Jackson sounded frustrated.

  “Yes, I do.” Elle was getting frustrated too. “I’m as serious about this as you are.”

  She wanted to reach for Jackson, to stroke her face, to comfort her and tell her that everything was going to be okay. But she didn’t know that it would be. They seemed to be having a hard time understanding each other. In truth, the short time they’d spent together before joining the mission hadn’t really been focused on communication, at least not the verbal kind. So, what did she expect.

  “I’m going to join the others for lunch.” Elle smiled thinly and walked away.

  She didn’t look back to see if Jackson followed her. In her heart, she knew Jackson hadn’t. Why would she? She’d made it pretty clear that the only thing she wanted from Elle was professional distance.

  Chapter Twelve

  Jackson stood in the crew quarters of the simulator for a few minutes before stepping out into the corridor. She needed lunch too. She’d had too much coffee and not enough food this morning. At least that was how she explained the knot in her stomach that just wouldn’t seem to unwind.

  The mess hall was busy and crowded. She was shuffling down the line with a tray making food selections as if she had an appetite when Nikki spoke beside her.

  “Mind if I join you?”

  “Please.”

  “Mission readiness protocols going that well, huh?” Nikki playfully bumped her arm with her elbow.

  They carried the food trays to a table at the fringe of the crowd. Elle was probably seated somewhere in the large space, but Jackson didn’t look for her. In fact, she made a point not to. She and Nikki chose seats across from each other. Jackson had her back to the room.

  “Hey, I’m sorry you’re not on the roster for this one.” That was the understatement of the year. Ken Wallace was okay, she liked him as a friend, but he was a little too cocky sometimes. Nikki was solid, level-headed, and a strong team player.

  “I know it wasn’t your call. I heard from Wallace that I got squeezed out by two private security suits.”

  “Yeah, definitely not my decision either.” Jackson chewed a mouthful of food. “That decision was made way above my pay grade.”

  They sat quietly for a few minutes as they both ate. Clinking silverware and the dull murmur of voices surrounded her.

  “So, who’s the hottie?” Nikki was looking past Jackson’s shoulder.

  Without thinking, Jackson turned to see that Elle was sitting only two tables away talking with Ted.

  “I was her escort to the briefing on the first day.”

  “Then you know who she is.” Jackson didn’t feel like talking about Elle.

  “Yeah, some super scientist who just happens to also be gorgeous.” Nikki scowled. “What’s up? I thought she’d totally be your type.”

  “We met once at the Green Club.” She might as well tell Nikki at least part of the story or Nikki would keep pestering her about it.

  “Oh.”

  “Yeah.”

  “So, she is your type.”

  “Yeah.”

  “And she’s part of your team for this ride?”

  “Yeah.” Jackson moved food around with her fork, not looking up.

  “It sucks to be you.”

  “Yeah.”

  “You could always just…I don’t
know…talk to her.”

  “I have talked to her.” Jackson glared at Nikki.

  “Okay, okay, don’t get defensive.” Nikki held up her hands in mock surrender.

  “I’m not defensive.” Jackson scowled.

  “If you say so.” The corner of Nikki’s mouth tipped up in a half smile, the smug smile of victory.

  “Are you gonna eat that?” Wallace was already reaching for the unfinished half of a square of cornbread as he slid into the chair next to Nikki.

  “Not anymore.” She glared at him. The cornbread was already in his mouth.

  “Thwank yew,” he said, crumbs flying.

  “Get your own lunch, man.” Jackson was trying to come to Nikki’s defense.

  “The line’s too long.” He dusted the crumbs from his fingers. “I’ll give the herd a minute to thin out and then I’ll grab something.” He braced his elbows on the table. “So, what are we talking about?”

  “Jackson’s issues with communication,” Nikki volunteered.

  “I thought maybe you were talking about me.” He grinned.

  “How does anyone put up with you?” Jackson’s question was playful.

  “I have no idea.” He smiled as he nibbled a French fry he’d just swiped from her plate.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The last round of tests required that Elle fast for the night. She’d grabbed a quick meal after mobility and reflex testing the previous evening but was supposed to fast until the next morning so that the lab could take samples for blood work. They were going to run tests for risk factors and pathogens.

  By nine, her blood samples had been drawn and Elle was starving. Her head pounded. She was in dire need of coffee. She was on her second cup when Liam surprised her in the cafeteria. Although she shouldn’t have been surprised. He was very invested in the success of this mission, so really, she should have expected him to be hovering about every day. She was almost more surprised that she hadn’t seen more of him.