by Chris Hechtl
“Morning,” Hannah murmured, not fully awake. She stretched, then her eyes widened as he fuzzy memory caught up with her waking brain.
Isley giggled. “The expression on your face!”
Hannah reacted instinctively; she stuck her tongue out at her. Isley moved in instantly, and their tongues danced as they kissed. That lead to more heavy petting and all thoughts of breakfast and the bathroom were forgotten.
When they finally did come up for air, Isley warned her over their cups of yogurt she was bi, and promiscuous. “I'm not looking to hurt you or settle down. But god I needed that. I've had the hots for you for a while,” Isley said as she stole a bite from Hannah's yogurt cup. That led to a play fight over the cup for a moment.
Hannah blushed and brushed her hair out of her eyes when they settled down. Hannah was shy about the situation, unsure; it was all strange and new to her. She admitted it was her first time, which made Isley grin. When the Martian got up to get rid of their dirty dishes, she saw Isley in her red undies again; this time in a new light. Isley caught her looking and shot a flirty look over her shoulder. She was clearly amused by Hannah, and even more amused when the girl colored and looked away. She posed a few times making Hannah feel a stirring within her when she sneaked a peek. She liked how the other woman's nipples stood up and pressed against her thin silk lingerie.
After breakfast they had a bit more horseplay and kissing as they got dressed, but Isley wore out quickly without her walker. “Sex in space is the bomb. It's tricky in null G, but you've so got to try it,” she told Hannah. Hannah giggled, amused as her imagination played out the possibilities.
They end up a couple for several weeks until Isley's eyes lit up on another gal. Hannah was a little hurt and put out, but got hit on by a hunky swim major who noticed her all alone at the club bar. Isley came over with her new catch. “No hard feelings? I told you I play the field,” she said. Hannah nodded but didn't reply. What she really wanted to do was crawl into a hole and die. But the hunky male had her attention. She realized dimly her hormones were all over the place.
Isley leaned over to her and teased her about having a foursome later, breathing into her ear before she nipped her earlobe. “Don't wait up,” she said as she was dragged off to dance with the other girl, a hot looking Latina in a see through red dress. The couple slow dirty danced with a lot of heavy petting and kissing right from the start. Hannah blushed, looked away and into the new guy's eyes. Something clicked, and she lost herself in the moment as he talked a bit about himself.
“I never did catch your name,” he said, smiling politely.
She felt her heart flutter. “Hannah,” she said, stuttering out her name.
“Brandon. Brandon Drake,” he told her. “Let me buy you a drink,” he said. She nodded dumbly.
-*-*-^-*-*-
Aurelia Lagroose gave birth to their second child another boy that they named Yorrick after his maternal grandfather. Her father had passed away. He'd never know the boy, but he could carry his name just the same. “Are you ever going to let me know in advance? You don't look too surprised,” Jack accused.
“A mother knows these things,” Aurelia said softly. Her fingers stroked the child's lock of brown hair.
“Yeah, right,” he said eying her. “And you didn't happen to peek with an ultrasound,” he said, eying her. Something was up, he knew it.
“Well, maybe,” Aurelia admitted, not ready to admit how much she'd really done to her children. Their children she reminded herself. Their perfect children, she thought, stroking the sleeping boy's face lovingly.
“So, another boy next? Are you assembling a baseball team?” He teased. “Honey, if this is so exhausting for you, why don't you have the next one tubed? You know an artificial uterus can handle it.”
“No, I'll tell you this in advance, a girl. Last one for now,” Aurelia said. She shook her head as her eyes looked up and found his. “And no, I'm a traditionalist in some things,” she said, her free hand dropping to her aching tummy. “I like the feeling of being a mother.”
“It suits you,” he murmured. “A girl though? So you've been selective about the gender? I thought we agreed to not tamper with nature?” He asked.
“Yes,” she admitted. She sighed. “Not now, Jack, I'm tired,” she said, eyes half lidded.
He shuffled uncomfortably in the chair. God they had to make the things the worst just to keep people from sitting too long he thought. Finally he cleared his throat. “Good,” he said, taking and squeezing her hand. “I like the idea of a little revenge,” he said. There would be time to discuss what she had been up to later he thought.
She eyed him curiously. He smiled mischievously. “You know the old saw about having a kid that grows up to be just like you? Honey, you've done it to me twice, I figure you are past due,” he said. She chuckled tiredly as she stroked her sweaty forehead and then kissed it.
-*-*-^-*-*-
After breaking up with Isley, Hannah dated Brandon lightly, not ready to dive head first into a fresh relationship. She was confused, bewildered by the changes in her life. She wasn't sure what to make of Isley and their break up. Isley didn't seem to be broken hearted or anything. She wanted to talk to her about it, but Isley avoided her by going to class early and staying late.
To fill in the void, Hannah started hooking up with Brandon for coffee and minor outings. That escalated quickly as things got hot and heavy. Brandon was a hotty, and he knew some moves she hadn't expected or learned from Isley. She liked how muscular he was. When he wrapped his strong arms around her, she didn't feel smothered or threatened, she relaxed and drank in his warmth and strength.
Getting in with him helped her to feel grounded she realized. She'd tried one gender; now she was trying the other. College was all about experimenting she reasoned.
But as her second semester picked up, her new courses and workload made her boyfriend annoyed. Since she refused to stop working the clinic too, she was no longer available so much. For her part Hannah was annoyed at the situation as well; he liked her to help him with his course work. He was taking a business and psychology career path. She felt like a sounding board after the second week. She eventually realized he was using her as an anchor and that things were becoming one sided in his favor.
He tried to dominate her, but she recognized the signs and avoided him. It was hard to stand up to him so she didn't; she went her own way. She hoped he'd get the message.
He started to hang out with people in his dorm, then got into a college sorority house. Hannah watched his application process from a distance. She was amused by the hazing. Isley was too; she and Hannah shared a laugh when they saw Brandon dressed as a French maid for a day. They shook their heads in unison and realized they'd bonded again. Hannah recognized that she and Brandon had grown apart.
A month and a half into dating Brandon, ten days after he got in with the Lambda sorority, Hannah started to get emails from companies. Some were recommended by Miss Coldwell. One of the companies was very pushy. Another, One Earth made her uneasy. She'd heard about them and didn't want to have anything to do with them. She deleted them and set her inbox filters to delete them automatically.
When one company alluded to an interview scheduled by her counselor, she made another appointment with Mister Hermal. He told her he hadn't done it, confusing her further. She told him about Miss Coldwell and how she and others in her previous college had actively discouraging jobs with Lagroose. “They certainly seem to be taking an unhealthy and unwanted interest in your activities,” Mister Hermal said slowly and carefully. “To the point of stalking,” he said, making a note. “I'll look into it. I'll send them a letter telling them to back off. If necessary I'll consult legal, and we'll draft a warning letter detailing a threat of a harassment lawsuit,” he said.
She teared up a bit. “Thank you,” she said softly. He nodded and patted her arm.
Hannah talked to Brandon over coffee after the interview. He encouraged her to stay
groundside, which confused her. She was certain she'd told him repeatedly she was going to space. “I'm going up. That's been my plan. I thought you were too,” she said.
He shook his head. “No. I changed my mind. I've grown up, Hannah; we both have. It's time to put childish dreams aside and look at the reality. We should do this together,” he said. “Just use the Lagroose scholarships to get what you want, then tell them you've changed mind. It's easy,” he said with an encouraging grin. “A lot of people are doing that. They drop it, they know they can't force you, and they don't want people up there who don't want to be there,” he said.
“I … it's not right,” she said, troubled. Her eyes turned away.
“Hey hey, it's okay. Just … just think about it,” he said. “On the ground is where the real future is,” he said.
On the way back to the dorm, he steered her to the west gates. She was willing to go along; she needed to stretch her legs and wanted time to be with him. But now she wasn't so sure. His thoughts bothered her. Not just the ethics, but what it said about his character. She shied away from the connections she started to make.
When the raucous noise of a protest group on the other side of the gate made her stumble, he caught her. She smiled her gratitude. “What the devil is that about?” she asked.
“One Earth and others. They are against people going into space and exporting the jobs and ideas.”
“It's … bull,” someone said behind them, shooting a disgusted look at the protestors. A few flung mud and trash, making a group of students hustle away faster. Cat calls chased them away.
Drones hovered nearby on either side. Some were media drones Hannah realized; some were from the campus security. Two were from Lagroose Industries, however. She nodded to them, glad they were there. “Come on, let's go. I can think of anywhere else I'd rather be right now,” she said, urging him on as she tugged on his arm.
“Oh, I don't know,” he said, reading the signs. “Can't you feel the energy in the air? It's a turning point. Things really are changing. When they do, I want to be on the winning side. You will be on the winning side too, Hannah. Stick with me, you'll see,” he urged.
“I … I've got to go. I've got class in twenty,” she said, making up an excuse. “I've got to go,” she said, disengaging from him as he walked over to the fence. She slipped away from him and waved. He didn't look back as she trotted off, back the way they came.
She did look back however, and she was troubled to see him talking with some of the protestors. She shook her head and rounded a corner, out of sight. It didn't make her feel any better however.
When Brandon started hinting about playing the field, she gently told him they should part since they had so little in common. He looked upset by it, but she patted his cheek and told him they could and would remain friends. He left confused.
When she got home to her dorm, Hannah clutched her tablet to her chest, ready to have a good cry but not sure why she wasn't. When she saw Isley in their room, she was ready to retreat, but Isley took one look at her and pulled her in and shut the door. She hugged her. “Broke up?” she asked. Hannah nodded. “About time. Jocks are fun to play with, but the brawn isn't enough for someone like you or I for long. I'm surprise you lasted as long as you did. I know our break up was bad but …”
“It was … different,” Hannah sniffled, fighting tears.
“Oh, let it out,” Isley said softly. She rubbed her back. “And yes, it was. I knew I was your first; I should have let you down easier. Coming at you cold like that was wrong. I was a bitch. I'm sorry,” she admitted.
“Yes, yes, you were,” Hannah finally said. She sat on the bed, holding Isley's hands. “This sucks,” she said.
“It does. But you aren't a complete basket case, so that proves he wasn't the one for you,” Isley said.
“No. I … you were right. Fun to be with but …” Hannah shook her head. Isley nodded.
“We good? Still friends?” Isley asked.
“Yes, friends,” Hannah murmured.
Isley grinned as she picked up the LCD remote. “Good,” she said, practically sitting on Hannah. “Cause we've got a lot of shows to catch up on,” she said. Hannah couldn't help it, she giggled. The giggle helped settle her nerves.
-*-*-^-*-*-
Jamey did his best to put the groundside adventure aside as he settled back into being a member of the ship's crew as the chief hyperdrive engineer. He was amused and annoyed that he wasn't a part of the bridge crew or considered a senior officer since he never went to the ship academy.
It was annoying that they hadn't made their jump. They'd gone out to the Oort cloud, charged the drive, but then just run tests to make sure everything was functional. Months of tests, return to port for calibrations and more stores, then back out again for more tests. On and on.
He spent a lot of time running diagnostics on systems, simulations, drills, and refining his calculations and software. That was when Kathy didn't ambush him in their quarters for personal time together. Her amorous advances banished the lingering resentment over being confined to space.
Act II
Chapter 15
Hannah interned at the medicine clinic on the weekends and in her free time to build up her hands-on experience and gain credits faster. When there was a code Orange, she was transferred to the ER during a protest that had turned violent and ugly. Somehow the protestors had found a way on campus. The last time they had they'd gotten in when a delivery truck had triggered the gates. This time she was unsure.
She was glad at first that she'd been on duty and not in the thick of the riot. Then she was drafted to handle triage. She had to treat people injured in the protests and learned it was again against the college, the Neos, and space program.
A few of the protestors were bloodied from blows. They screamed about fascist pigs. Security androids from the company were on hand; they physically retrained anyone who tried to start another fight. One group tried to slip out but were stopped by a no nonsense robot. They muttered and returned to their seats. It was obvious to Hannah from where she observed them that they were all fine. They had also been interested in entering the hospital, and she briefly wondered why before her current patient started coughing up blood. Then she was lost in the moment as her training took over.
She was quiet but treated them properly as she was trained to do. She was shocked when Brandon was wheeled in with a head wound. He said he got it doing Parkour in the quad, but a human campus cop showed him a video of the riot. Facial recognition of him put him in the crowd of protestors who had smashed a lab up and knocked over a wall that had collapsed on them. He turned away sullen and angry. He refused to answer any more questions. His eyes met Hannah's briefly. It was her turn to look away as his hands shook.
Hannah quietly put biofoam in his head wound, then had another intern take over. Guy Tolk looked at her in confusion. “I can't. I can't treat him; he's my ex,” she explained in his ear. He nodded and took over for her. She ran her hands through a sterilization machine nearby then took a deep breath. She assessed the situation only briefly. She caught sight of two doctors working on a patient wearing face shields. She wondered why until she saw the patient spitting at them. She shook her head and turned to Hassan. The RN pointed to her to bay 3. She nodded and moved in grimly.
She noted Lagroose security was watching her as well as the protestors. After it was over, she had a bit of the shakes. She was commended for her efforts by her supervisor. He asked if she needed counseling or time off, but she shook her head no.
“I'm just glad the apes haven't arrived yet,” he said.
“Apes?” Hannah asked, confused and exhausted. She still shook as she washed up. Sterilization fields were great for on-the-spot cleanup, but they just didn't feel right. The tactile feel of water running over her skin was something she desperately needed. She wanted a shower, but there was a run on the showers by the senior staff. Since there was a line a kilometer long, she'd given up on it
and decided to head to her dorm to finish her cleanup.
“Here, you've got low blood sugar,” Merlo said. He tried to hand her an energy bar, but she indicated her wet hand. She opened her mouth, and he chuckled as he broke off a piece and popped it in for her.
“There. Like feeding a duckling,” he teased. She grinned as she chewed. After she swallowed she shut the water off and dried her hands.
“Apes?”
“We've got, oh, about a dozen apes coming in as students next semester. Most of them are young. A mixed group too, half are chimps. Now, if they'd been here, the protestors would have been tied in knots,” he said, rolling his shoulder.
“Bruised?” Hannah asked, concerned.
“Just strained,” he said, looking at the shoulder. “I'm going to feel it later. I think a nice soak in the staff lounge's hot tub will work out the kinks,” he said.
“As if there is one,” Paul another intern joked. “Now, one on the room I can believe.”
“Couldn't put it there. Budget cuts,” Merlo said.
“So, Doctor Merlo, you, the magnificent one are going to get hairy students? Are you up for that? You and your allergies?” Desiree asked with a smile as she zipped her boots on. The woman had a thing for knee-length leather boots.
“I'll self-medicate, thank you. But if you see me having a sneezing fit, make sure you've got hankies ready,” Merlo said with as much dignity as he could muster. The group laughed.
-*-*-^-*-*-
One Earth directed Descartes to begin to work on a series of viruses to attack and hamper the Lagroose yard and starship program. Since that dovetailed with the open contract Pavilion had put up to get as much data and schematics as possible, he thought he could kill two birds with one stone. He and Shadow built up a war chest of worms and viruses, probing and logging the weaknesses in the enemy’s defenses. When he was ready, he planned to hammer them with a series of feints and thrusts before the real attack came in and crippled them.
