She looks at Cullin, this frightfully thin boy in pink pants and untamed hair. The boy’s eyes shift away in thought. Around him, a few of the other students raise their hands. Yes, they know, but she wants Cullin to get it. She wants to see him shine.
Then, finally, his eyes widen. He smiles and looks at her. “It’s from famed explorer, Melvin Rouse’s book.”
Alyx wants to hug the kid. “Very good, Cullin. Yes, Melvin Rouse, the first human intergalactic explorer. The very first to explore our planet.” She rounds her desk and nods to Cullin. “Can you tell me what he means with this passage?”
Still smiling a little, Cullin says, “He doesn’t mean cleanse your soul, but your mind. So you can…um…think outside the box. To have an open mind?”
Chuckling, Alyx nods, and says, “Yes. That exactly, Cullin. Very well done. You may sit now.”
Beaming, face lit up in triumph, the boy sits. It’s this look Alyx is addicted to. That ah-ha, moment when all the lights turn on. When a student finally gets it and understands. As a professor, this is what she strives for. And she’s happy to see it on Cullin’s face right now. The boy isn’t the smartest, but he tries, and that’s what matters.
The other students blink at him for a moment, then give her their attention again. The girl next to him smiles, reaches over and places a hand on his. He visibly flinches, caught off guard, but then relaxes and smiles back at her. Amy. Of course it’s Amy. Those two are like peas in a pod.
Now, Alyx passes a hand over the board, erasing the Rouse passage.
“Your assignment this week,” she says to the class, writing on the board, “is to read page five-hundred and twenty in Rouse’s book, The Divine and The Hidden. I want you to explore something. Anything. There are caves. Go inside, look around. By the end of the week, I want you to bring me what you found during your explorations.”
“Dr. Wick?”
She pauses, glances over her shoulder. It’s a girl in the back, one of those who were on their pads through class.
“Yes, Emilia?”
“You want us to explore around here?”
Alyx turns. “No. I want you to explore everywhere. I want you to dig deep. Travel beyond city limits, though safely. I want you to open your minds to the possibilities.”
Emilia shoots Alyx a thumbs up and returns her attention to the pad on her desk. The girl is one of the brightest in the class. Just a bit distant. Her mind turns at a different pace than others, that’s all.
“Is this a test?” A boy on the far left asks.
Ah, Brady. A huge young man who’d rather be playing football than taking her class. Not very bright, but dedicated and manages a C average.
“No,” Alyx says. “This is a real exploration, but I want you to follow the steps indicated on page five-hundred and twenty of Rouse’s book. I want you all to also document everything. Video documentation, so I can watch your approach.”
Brady rolls beady eyes, blows out a heavy breath, but nods.
Alyx opens her mouth for further instruction when the end of class buzzer brays. The class stands, grabbing their pads.
As they swarm toward the door, Alyx shouts over the commotion. “Remember to read the page before exploring. Video document your discoveries and above all, have fun!”
She’s not sure if anyone heard her, but such is the life of a professor at the end of class.
Sometime later, she’s locking her classroom door behind her and walking to her office when a frightfully tall woman falls in stride beside her.
“Dr. Alyx Wick?”
Alyx snorts. “Maybe. And you are?”
“Dr. Wick, it’s a pleasure to meet you finally. I’m General Hunt of the A-9 Marines.”
“General Hunt,” Alyx says, eyes focusing on her office door at the end of the hall. Her refuge. “Ten time galactic war decorated. Six stars. You led the A-9 into the Battle of Fallow to end the Gow War.”
“Yes. The very same.”
“What can I help you with, General Hunt?”
“You came very highly recommended by a colleague of yours. A Mr. Sullivan White.”
“Ah, Sully.” Alyx smiles with all the memories of her earlier exploration with her good friend. “How’s that old coot doing these days?”
“Well, Dr. Wick, we’re not sure.”
Frowning, Alyx stops and turns to the tall woman, this A-9 Marine General. “What do you mean?”
Hunt sighs. “Dr. Wick, Mr. White went missing three days ago.”
Alyx blinks, all the air whooshing out of her lungs at once, as if she’s been kicked in the stomach. “W-what happened?”
General Hunt’s gaunt face slackens. Her eyes soften. “Do you have an office?”
THREE
Sitting on the other side of Alyx’s cluttered desk, General Hunt sighs heavily. She glances around the small office.
“Cozy,” the General says.
“More like contained chaos,” Alyx says. “Are you going to tell me about Sully or critique my office, General Hunt?”
Hunt smiles the tiniest bit, yet her eyes become flinty. Hard and cold. Alyx can tell she’s the type not used to taking orders. Ever. Or being questioned, for that matter.
And yet, Hunt leans back in the chair. It creaks a bit from her weight. This giant of a woman with her short, brunette hair and piercing, bright green eyes. Another sigh flows out of the General.
“Mr. White was on assignment for us to explore and evaluate an unknown planet in the Wood Wyrm Galaxy. He—”
“Wood Wyrm? That’s a hostile galaxy. Why would you send him there?” Alyx bites back on her anger. The military could be real assholes sometimes. Dipping their clumsy fingers in where they don’t belong.
Hunt shrugs. “There’s a certain planet we are interested in there. One void of life, yet is fully sustainable. Ten times larger than our old Earth, and clean. Fresh. We can recolonize. A better future for our species than remaining here on Quins, which will soon be overpopulated.”
“So,” Alyx says. “You want to basically take over another planet and destroy it too?”
Hunt’s face is stony. “No, Dr. Wick. Our scientists have come up with advanced eco-circulators that will stop any and all pollution.” She leans forward a bit. “Dr. Wick, we have a real chance to relocate to a planet where the human race can finally thrive once more.”
Alyx waves a dismissive hand. She’s heard this before from other officials. Once, Quins was supposed to be the savior of the human race. Now it’s grossly overcrowded and becoming a polluted cesspool like old Earth. Humans, Alyx has come to the conclusion, are filthy creatures.
“Anyway, what happened to Sully?”
General Hunt shrugs. “This, we’re not sure of. The exploration was well underway, Mr. White documenting everything as he went. Then, all communications were lost. He had six Marines with him, Dr. Wick. Six of my elite. None of them are responsive.”
Alyx’s heart quickens. “But it’s only been three days, maybe there’s a solar flare interrupting the coms?”
“No solar flares. No disturbances of any kind were detected. One second communication was ongoing, the next, they all vanished. Our scans find no lifeforms.”
“So you think they’re all dead?”
Hunt shakes her head. “We believe they may have fallen into a precipice. Perhaps they’re injured, but more than likely there’s a certain graphite in the stone blocking the coms.”
Alyx’s sight drifts to an old picture sitting on her desk. One of her and Sully after they discovered the Wylium. A powerful crystal that can produce enough energy to power an entire small planet for five hundred years. She smiles a bit, remembering how happy they were that day Sully spotted the sparkling tip of the crystal hidden in the tomb of an unknown alien race. It had been the discovery of the decade, the Wylium able to give sustainable power to Quins.
Back when times were easier and money not an issue. Back when she had real friends.
She kept in touch with Sully over
the years, but as their schedules drifted in opposite directions, they fell out of communication with each other. He went on to be renowned, while she became sort of infamous. She gave her findings to museums, but only if they paid. He just gave and asked for nothing in return. Exploration, for Sully White, had always been about the discovery, not the pay off. Without him, without his nobility and honor, Alyx found herself feeling like a pirate.
“Dr. Wick,” General Hunt says, slicing through Alyx’s memories. “We’d like you to go find Mr. White and the missing Marines.”
Alyx lifts an eyebrow at Hunt. “You can’t go there yourselves? I’m sure you have plenty of amazing trackers.”
Hunt nods. “We do. But, this is a covert operation. The Government doesn’t know about it yet, and we’d like to keep it that way. More manpower will require asking for more funds. We can’t let that happen.”
“So…the military are pulling a fast one on the Government, huh?” She snorts, leans back in her chair. “Oh, you’re gonna be in a lot of trouble when the Big Guys figure out what’s going on behind their backs.”
For the first time, General Hunt, her in her black pantsuit and gimlet gaze, appears angry. She straightens in her chair. “We’ll reveal our discovery in due time, Dr. Wick. If V-10 is as hospitable as our scans show, we’ll be saving the human race from extinction.”
“Will you now…” Alyx stands, turns to a shelf of ancient texts. “What’s in it for me? Besides finding my dear friend. What are you offering?”
“Dr. Wick.” Hunt stands, starts to round the desk, then stops. “Your career as an explorer is…less than pristine, unlike that of the professor here. I might even venture to call you a thief and a space pirate. But you are the only one who can do what I ask. Find Mr. White and my six Marines.”
“And that’s all? You just send me to this V-10 planet and I go find Sully and your kids? No catch?”
Hunt smiles. “No catch.”
Turning back to the texts, Alyx says, “You never answered what you’re offering me in exchange.”
“You will be rewarded, Dr. Wick. Handsomely. And your less than savoy career as an explorer will be expunged.”
“How handsomely?”
Behind her, Hunt is quiet for a moment, then says, “Enough to where you’ll be working here for free, if you so choose.”
Alyx faces the General. “You’re saying I can retire?”
Hunt, smiling, nods. “And live out the rest of your life in comfort.”
Alyx sighs, sight falling on the picture of her and Sully once more. “Deal.”
“Very well,” General Hunt says, walking toward the door. “I’ll have a vehicle waiting for you outside.” She opens the door.
“When do you need me?”
Hunt, over her shoulder. “Now.” The tall woman shuts the door behind her, leaving Alyx alone in her office. She stares at the picture of her and Sully for a few minutes, gathers up her things, and walks to the Dean’s Office.
Dean Helena sits behind her massive crystal desk swatting flies and murmuring her disgust.
Alyx leans in the doorway, smiling, arms crossed over her chest until Helena notices her.
“Oh, Allie! Come in, come in.” She slaps a plastic flyswatter down, completely missing a fat black fly. “You know, the one thing we could’ve left behind on that wretched Earth were the flies. But, oh-no, not us. We needed to bring them with, didn’t we? Stupid, ugly things.” Slap. And another miss.
Alyx chuckles, sits across from Helena. Most of the exploration assignments, they come from Helena. Going back almost fifteen years, they’ve not only cultivated a great work relationship, but a strong friendship as well. And in a Universe where nothing is certain, friendship is a rare thing to come by.
“So,” Helena says, smacking at another fly and missing. “Who do I owe the pleasure of this unscheduled meeting?”
“Remember Sully White?”
Helena blinks. “Why, of course. How is he?”
Alyx sighs. “He’s missing. On a planet in the Wood Wyrm Galaxy.”
Helena drops her flyswatter, eyes wide. “What? That galaxy is…why was he there?”
“He was working for the military. They found a large planet there, resembling Earth. The military hired him to check the place out.”
The older woman across from Alyx shakes her head. “Oh, this is awful. Simply awful. Sully is such a good man. Such a great explorer.”
“Yes,” Alyx says and leans forward a bit. “I was just hired today to go find him.”
“You…wait, what?”
Alyx nods. “I leave right away. Can you get Kyle Reamus to sub in for my class? I’ll leave notes, of course.”
Fidgeting a bit, Helena says, “I can, indeed. But, Allie, this sounds like suicide. No telling what’s on that planet, and the military is a fickle beast to work with.”
Alyx winks. “Wouldn’t be the first time I went into the unknown.”
“Well, yes, but this…Allie, it feels wrong.”
“They’re offering me retirement,” Alyx says.
Helena’s steely eyebrows lift a little. “Retirement? Allie, honey, you’re barely thirty-five.”
“Exactly. I can relax for the rest of my life.”
Helena laughs the tiniest bit. “Allie, I’ve known you for sixteen years and never known you to relax.”
Alyx shrugs. “Maybe I’ll do some travelling.”
The Dean of the University of Quins simply chuckles, shakes her head and says, “This is insane, Allie. You know that correct?”
Grinning, Alyx says, “Of course.”
Helena’s face slackens a bit, her tone serious. “Are you absolutely sure about this?”
“Ha. No. But, when am I sure about anything, right?”
Helena, face solemn, nods slowly. “Correct.” She leans forward. “You just make sure they give you a contract and that you sign it. Also, please do be sure you have a contingency plan.”
“Yes, Mom.”
“Allie.” Helena reaches across her desk to grip Alyx’s hands in hers. “Be careful with this one, okay? Be wary.”
Alyx smiles, but inside, her heart thunks. Helena, always the mother hen, never gets so serious. Nor has she ever been so against a job as she is with this one. It gives Alyx pause and she begins questioning her decision making skills. Which is also new. She tries to never overthink an exploration, or in this case, a rescue mission. Doesn’t matter, she never overthinks. Never second guesses when it pertains to an exploration. She reserves that for the professor gig.
“Promise me, Allie,” Helena says. “Promise me you will be wary.”
She sighs. “Yes. Okay. I will, Helena.” She stands as Helena rounds the desk and wraps her arms around her. The hug is firm, full of love. And when they part, Helena kisses Alyx’s cheek.
“Be safe, Allie.”
Alyx smiles, nods and hurries out of the office before tears blur her vision.
FOUR
The vehicle waiting outside isn’t black.
It’s bright yellow. Too bright to be a taxi.
This throws her off a little. When she thinks of covert operations and military she thinks black, but apparently that’s not the case here.
In a suitcase, she carries her gear. Lucky black leather jacket, ballcap, and revolver. The things she carries with her everywhere she goes.
As she approaches the bright yellow cruiser, a fat man in a replica Hawaiian shirt steps out of the driver’s side and walks around the vehicle to meet her. His jowls jiggle with every step. His breathing is made up of harried gulps and wheezy exhales.
“Dr. Wick?” This man asks, in his fake loafers and tan cargo shorts and messy blond hair.
“Yup,” she says, sighs. “This the cruiser to Hell?”
The man’s beady eyes blink. “Huh?”
Alyx snorts, shakes her head. “Nothing.”
“General Hunt hired me to shuttle you to Compound-A.” He glances around before his eyes fall to the suitcase in
her hand. “No other luggage?”
“Nope. This is all I need. Let’s go.”
“Right-O, Dr. Wick. Let’s go.” He jiggles back around to the driver’s side.
Alyx chuckles lightly, shakes her head, and gets in the backseat of the cruiser. The seats are made of slippery leather-like material questionable in origin. Although Quins boasts cattle, they are regarded crucial only to food. Leather isn’t a thing, unless it’s replicated by material printers, much like the fat man’s Hawaiian shirt. It smells a little like pickles in here.
“How long of a ride will it be?” she asks.
Touching the drive pad in front of his considerable gut, the man says, “Oh, ‘bout twenty minutes. Compound-A is kinda secret, ya know?”
“Yeah,” Alyx says. “Don’t want protestors getting gunned down, now do we.”
“What was that, Dr. Wick?” The big man, tapping away on his drive pad as the cruiser lifts off the street.
“I said, I know it is.”
“Right, right,” the big man says. “I’m Kevin, by the way.”
“Well, nice to meet you, Kevin. Are we going to go anywhere or just kind of float here?”
“Oh, ayuh. This old thing takes a bit to get movin’. My apologies, Dr. Wick.”
“Alyx, please.”
“Alyx. Right, right. Okay, here we go.”
The cruiser jolts forward and then, finally, they’re on their way.
Alyx leans back, catching a snippet of sleep before arriving.
FIVE
Thirty minutes later, not twenty, Kevin lowers the cruiser to the ground in front of a dilapidated two-story house. Something one might see in Earth History Texts of Victorian style homes. She’s seen enough pictures to know this much. But this house, it’s so old. Like it’s been standing here on this otherwise deserted street for hundreds of years.
A slumped, neglected thing. At one time, perhaps it was a painted white, but now the paint curls away from gray, weathered siding, filthy with time and neglect. The large front porch slouches to the right, the pillars holding the roof up over the porch slants severely. More than a few windows are broken, while the rest are dark, dead eyes staring at her.
Dead World Page 3
