by Renee Rose
“Right? Plus, by all accounts, Luminar has the more advanced tech compared to us. I’m not sure there’s much we have that they need to steal.” Emily raised an eyebrow. “Although we’re ahead of them in atmospheric science and carbon dioxide control.”
Maya sat down on the bed. “The fringe protesters here want our government to wipe out their planet. Or they say we need to engineer a super virus ourselves just in case we need it to destroy them.”
“And knowing our government…we probably already are working on a virus.” Emily lowered her voice. “Look what they’ve done right at home.”
She gestured around the room, but both women knew she wasn’t referring to her bedroom or the apartment they shared, but to The Villages - desolate patches of wasteland, full of angry gangs and dead land. To the city they lived in, full of high tech and coffee shops and trees, places where you could buy caviar with gold flakes, and also to the swathes of bleakness caused by war and civil unrest. “Parts of the Northern United America are like patches of third world now. It’s insane.”
“Luminar and Earth have similar atmospheres. We could survive on their planet and they could survive here.” Maya wrapped her arms around herself. “I hope the delegations make sure we get along, you know? And truly help each other.”
Emily nodded. “Maybe they’ll actually be interested in proliferating things like Inculon.” Tears came to her eyes and she swiped them away hard.
“I hate that.” Maya grabbed Em’s hand. “You worked for so many years on that, Em. You gave up your life to make that drug and do the testing.”
“It still makes me insane if I think about it.” Emily’s voice trembled. “Do you know how cheaply it can be made? Pennies. And they sell it for thousands of dollars and people are dying in the Villages because they can’t afford it. And it’s my fault.”
“Em, they stole the patent from you.”
“It was all legal.” Emily shook her head. “And I was stupid. Because I developed the drug while I was working for InGen, they have the rights. And sell it they do. For an insane profit. They’ll strip my medical license if I do anything with it.”
“That’s so fucking unfair.” Maya scowled.
“Yeah. It is. But I’m smarter now, which is why I teach and work at the non-profit. And I know that someday I’ll make something even better, and this time it won’t be stolen by greedy industry thugs.” Emily’s voice gained strength. “I know it.”
“You will.” Maya squeezed Em. “You’re brilliant. I have no doubts.”
“Thank you.” Emily hugged back. “You’re so nice to me.”
Maya smiled. “The aliens will be nice to you, too. I promise.”
Em laughed. “We’ll see.”
“It’s crazy that we’ve only known about them for twenty years, but they’ve known about us for centuries.” Maya’s voice got softer. “Do you think all those alien sightings over the years were them, watching us? Stealing us for research?”
Emily shook her head. “I have no idea. They certainly don’t look like the aliens anyone ever drew.” She smiled at her friend. “But look at those guys, right? I bet more people -- women, anyway, would be lining up to be abducted,” she made air quotes on the word, “If they knew aliens were so sexy.”
Maya laughed. “You’re so going to end up in bed with one of them. I can see it now.” She waved her hand and deepened her voice. “Earth human -- is that what they call us?” She stood up and broadened her stance. “Earth human and renowned neurologist, gorgeous twenty-four year old Doctor Emily Taylor, breaks her three year dry spell by fucking -- do they say that? A super-hot silver alien from Luminar. I’m reporting from her bedroom, where she’s currently licking --”
“Stop!” Emily tossed a pair of balled up socks at her friend. “You’re disgusting.”
“Oh, really? Please. I see the pictures of those aliens on the news, and there is not an unattractive one in the bunch. Compare that to the Earth politicians and scientists that they’re going to meet. I feel sorry for them.” She laughed. “President Matumba is fierce, but that gut? And think about the disgusting, flabby senators on CSPAX. And didn’t you tell me that your lab assistant Gary likes to actually sit there and pop his pimples while he’s waiting for experiments to run?”
“Uh, yes. Yes, I did. Now I’m not hungry for dinner, thank you very much.” Emily rolled her eyes. “Because he wipes the pus on his pants that he never washes!”
The two women collapsed together, screaming in disgust. “Alien women will not want to go near him,” said Maya.
“Nobody wants to go near him,” Emily said, shaking her head. “But I’m not going there to meet someone. I’m focused on work, you know that.”
“I thought those undercover investigation reports said that there actually have been secret intermarriages and relationships, lots of them, between Luminarians and humans over the past twenty years,” Maya said, her face lighting up. “The babies they showed on World Enquirer’s vid channel were adorable.”
“Photoshopped. And I’m going for research.” Emily raised a hand to stop Maya’s next comment before she uttered it. “Just for research.”
Maya wasn’t deterred. “So you say. But since it’s top secret, and you refuse to tell me the details, I’m just going to have to assume it’s really a mail-order bride deal, and you’ll come home with a pocket full of cute silver babies.”
“It’s a confidential government project. I can’t tell you, or I’d have to kill you.” Emily laughed. The truth was that even she didn’t know what her project really was, yet -- not entirely.
The invitation to visit had come in an encrypted tele-disc from the government office of interplanetary research -- a request directly from Luminar for her to visit and consult on a high-level top-secret patient.
She’d said yes, without a second thought. She’d received clearance, and encouragement, from the government and her institute to participate. Now…she was anxiously awaiting her departure, wondering if her decision was the best one she’d ever made…or the most foolish.
“Well, in honor of your departure, and the way I’m going to miss you, I cooked myself. From scratch! Using real food. Awesome, right? Just in case you starve over the next few months eating their beetles and bark.”
“It smells amazing. And I don’t think they actually eat insects.”
“I just want you to be careful.” Maya grabbed Emily’s hand and squeezed. “Be safe there. I don’t like those crowds of anti-human protesters.” Her brow wrinkled. “Seriously.”
“I don’t like them, either.” Emily bit her lip, nerves jangling. Yet how could she give up the chance to visit another planet? Who got that chance in their lifetime?
She’d never believed in destiny, but from the second she’d heard about Luminar and the fact that scientists would be allowed to participate in joint research, her entire body longed to go there, like it was the only thing that mattered anymore. She couldn’t wait.
