by Bob Cooper
“Thanks, sweetheart. I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” she said.
Acey was upset that Aidan wasn’t there to greet her, but she was too tired to give it any further thought. She left her luggage by the stairway, went upstairs, and flopped on the bed. She was out like a light.
Aiden came home after midnight. He saw the luggage and went upstairs to check on Acey. He watched her snoring away and covered her with a blanket. Grabbing another blanket, he headed downstairs to the spare bedroom. Before turning in, he downed a whiskey. His head hurt as he lay on the bed. His com link buzzed. Good night sweet Prince. It was from Gretchen.
***
Carina watched the snow swirling from the bedroom window. The flakes were sparkling in the morning sun, and there were a least two inches of accumulation on the ground. Ignoring the cold, Carina threw on a robe and went outside. She spread her arms feeling the flakes settle on her face. Laughing, she picked up some in her hands and fashioned it into a good-sized snowball. She threw it as far as she could.
Raina watched from the window. “Sue, check this out.”
Sue walked over with a coffee mug in hand and watched as Carina played in the snow.
“Can you remember the first time you saw snow?” Sue asked Raina.
“Yes, it was on Jupiter’s moon, Europa. We moved there after the Terraforming. My mother would take me to the mountains. It wasn’t the same as snow on Earth. It had a reddish tinge to it from the high concentration of iron in the atmosphere.”
Carina came in. Her lips were blue. “This stuff is awesome. I’m going to send pictures to my parents.”
“How about we have some breakfast first?” Raina said.
Sue made hot chocolate and toast. “I thought we could stop by my lab today. What do you think?” she asked Carina.
“Yeah, sure.”
After finishing two more pieces of toast, Carina headed upstairs to change. “I’m going to shower,” Raina said, walking towards the bedroom.
“Wait. I want to talk to you,” Sue said. “I appreciate how you introduced me to Dorthea.”
Raina took a deep breath. “I said I wouldn’t deny our relationship anymore and I meant it.”
Sue kissed her. “I know that must have been hard.”
Raina basked in the heat from the kiss. Wrapping her arms around Sue, she kissed her back. “Like I said, I won’t deny who we are to anyone.”
There was a scream from upstairs. “Oh, my god! Carina, are you all right,” Raina yelled as she ran up the stairs. Sue was behind her.
Carina was on the floor, pupils dilated and staring straight ahead.
“Carina, what’s wrong?”
“I see him. I see him. He’s tied up. They won’t let him go.”
“Who, Carina?”
“Jonathan. We need to help him.”
***
Annie was in the office early talking to Foster about Gretchen on the com link.
“My father is very concerned about what we uncovered. Is there any way you can put a tail on her?”
“Geez, Annie, nobody here knows I’m doing this. I could get into trouble.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I should be the one to follow her,” Annie said.
“That won’t work. She knows you.”
“Do you have any suggestions?”
“I have the night free. I’ll tail her after work tonight.”
“I thought we were supposed to look at rings and go to dinner afterward,” Annie said.
“So, what do you want me to do?”
Annie thought for a moment. It was a lot to ask of him. He was supposed to be resting. “I’m going to follow her. You stay home and rest. I’ll call you later.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Be careful. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
Aidan walked in as she hung up. “Can I talk to you for a second?” he asked.
Annie walked into his office, and he closed the door. Slumping in his chair, he sipped on store-bought coffee. Annie could tell things had not gone well with her mother.
“Annie, I need a place to stay for a while. Can I stay with you?”
“Jesus, Dad. What happened?”
“Your mother and I decided we needed a break to cool down.”
“Bullshit! You don’t need a break. You need to work this out and get back together!”
Aidan hadn’t seen Annie this mad in a long time. “I’m sorry, but I need to be away from her to think this through. Can I stay?”
“Okay, until you clear your head. And that better not take more than a few days.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
Joey knocked on the door. “You have a call from Hillary.”
“Okay, thanks,” he said, looking puzzled at Annie.
He put her on the speaker. “Hello, Hillary. What’s wrong?”
“Carina had another vision. She saw Jonathan.”
“Is she all right? Did she see where he is?”
“She’s fine. All she said was that he’s someplace surrounded by doctors. She wasn’t too clear.”
Aidan looked at Annie. “Okay, I’ll call Captain Tom and let him know. Take care.”
***
“Are you sure you’re feeling up to it?” Raina asked Carina.
“Yes. Let’s go.”
Raina looked at Sue. “I’ll drive instead of taking a cab. This way if she gets another spell, we can leave right away,” Sue said.
Carina sounded annoyed. “Look, I’m really okay. I want to see where you work. Now can we please go?”
“Okay,” Raina said.
The snow had stopped falling, but there was about an inch accumulation left on the roads. The traffic was worse than Sue expected, but they arrived at the lab facility in a reasonable time. After parking in the underground facility, they went up the stairs to the main entrance.
“There’s not much here,” Sue said. “Not like the White House, you know.”
Carina looked around the lobby. Sue was right. Other than a receptionist at a desk and two security guards, there wasn’t much to see. “Where’s the lab?” Carina asked.
“It’s this way.” Sue led them into a long hallway where the labs were located.
“These scientists are working on a new method for creating food without plants or animals. Instead of producing food from soil, we’re trying to produce it from the air. The normal process of growing our food is based on photosynthesis. But we’re using electricity to fuel a process whose conversion of sunlight into food is ten times more efficient. The only ingredients are hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria, electricity from solar panels, a small amount of water, carbon dioxide drawn from the air, nitrogen and trace quantities of minerals such as calcium, sodium, potassium, and zinc. The food they have produced is 50% to 60% protein; the rest is carbohydrate and fat. This process fits in well with the new generation of food replicators currently on the market.
“Do you work in these labs?” Carina asked.
“I do. My team is responsible for the machinery that combines all the elements and feeds them into the food replicators directly.”
“Are you like an engineer?”
“I have a degree in Mechanical and Chemical Engineering.”
Carina studied the scientists working at their stations. “So, do you tell these people what to do?”
Sue laughed. “I’m in charge of keeping the project on track and making sure everyone has what they need to do their job.”
Carina walked over to one of the scientists. “What’s this stuff?” she asked, pointing to reddish goo pouring out of a spigot.
The scientist looked at Sue and Sue nodded.
Scooping a spoonful of the stuff, the scientist gave it to Carina. “Here. Try it. Tell me what it tastes like.”
Carina was reluctant at first but licked the spoon.
“This is really good. Tastes like tomato soup.”
“That’s how we want it to taste. A
nd it has more nutrition than the soup made from grown tomatoes,” Sue said.
Carina was enthralled with the whole setup. She asked all the scientists questions, and she listened intently. They spent several hours touring the facility. Raina took a break to call Doretha Carrington.
“Hello, Doretha.”
“Yes, Raina. I have some good news. I’ve convinced my husband that you should accompany him when he presents the Ethics Committee’s Guidelines to the President.”
“Dorthea, I can’t do that. There are more senior members on the committee that should attend.”
“Yes, but none of them are being considered as a presidential candidate.”
Raina was stunned. All this talk about a presidential run was flattering, but now she was deeply concerned. Dorthea had to understand what her sexual orientation was when she had introduced Sue and yet, she was still pushing for Raina as a candidate. It was a long time since sexual discrimination was outlawed, but there still existed a stigma of being gay present in society.
“Thank you so much. But we need to have a conversation about this.”
“I understand. When you’re ready, we can sit down and discuss this matter.”
Carina and Sue came back to find Raina. They went to the café across the street for a bite to eat. Carina watched as Sue cuddled up to Raina. Sue was pleased with the interest Carina showed in her career.
“Carina says she wants to pursue engineering,” Sue said.
“Yes, I find this stuff fascinating. I want to work in a field that helps humanity.”
“So, you don’t want to follow in your mother’s footsteps and be an artist?” Raina asked.
“I like art more as a hobby.”
“When you get back, ask Gramps to take you up to the Engineering Department at the Academy. He can show you around,” Raina said.
Sue was beaming from ear to ear. She took Raina’s hand and held it as they ordered ice cream. Carina watched the show of affection without saying anything. Raina could tell she was deep in thought.
“Does it bother you when two girls show their affection for each other?” Raina asked.
Sue was taken aback by the direct question but waited for Carina to answer. “I, uh, it did make me a little embarrassed at first. But after Gramps and I talked, I’m okay with it. You are who you are, and I love you both.”
A huge grin appeared on Raina’s face “Thank you. I needed to hear that from you.”
“We love you, too,” Sue said, holding back tears.
Carina reached for both of their hands. “I don’t have many friends. Kids think I’m a freak,” she said, starting to cry.
When the waitress came, they were all drying their eyes. “Is something wrong?” the waitress asked.
“No. Nothing could be more right,” Raina said.
17
Acey paced while waiting for Dirk. Her briefcase bulged with work, but all she could think about was Aidan. They had never been separated before.
Dirk came over as soon as Acey called. He had a feeling nothing was resolved from the last time they talked, and things were getting worse.
“Come on in. I made some coffee.”
He walked in and sat without saying a word. Acey poured the coffee before taking a seat opposite him. The swollen, blood-shot, teary eyes and worried look on her face hit Dirk like a punch in the gut.
“What happened?”
“Through her tears, she poured her heart out to her Grandfather.
“Things escalated to the point where neither of us would back down,” she said.
“How did you leave it?”
Acey couldn’t say the words, but Dirk knew. “He moved out, didn’t he?” he said.
She nodded her head and sobbed heavily. “I have to pick up Carina from her trip tonight. Tomorrow, I’ll talk to Aidan. In the meantime, you better think long and hard how to fix this.”
He hugged her tightly. “Don’t worry. This will work out for the best,” he said, leaving the house.
***
Annie didn’t say anything to her father about following Gretchen. It was hard to stay unnoticed, but for the past few days, she managed to record all her movements. It was a waste of time until last night when she met an older man for dinner. They were deep in a discussion for almost three hours. Annie had pictures of the meeting. After dinner, she followed Gretchen. She drove to Annie’s house, slowing down and peering into the front window from her vehicle. Gretchen knew Aidan was staying there. After she drove on, Annie quickly pulled into the garage. Inside, she found Aidan sipping on whiskey.
“Dad, you’ve been drinking quite a bit. Don’t you think …?”
“I’m a grown man.”
Annie took out her com link and displayed pictures of Gretchen and the old guy at the restaurant. “I’ve been following her. Do you know this guy with her?”
“Annie, why are you doing that? You can get hurt,” he said, looking at the pictures. “I don’t know this guy.”
“I’ll run this through the facial recognition process tomorrow,” Annie said.
“Give it to Captain Tom. Let him chase it down. I don’t want you being involved any more than you already are.”
Annie nodded in agreement. She didn’t say anything until she blurted out, “Are you seeing her?”
“Jesus, Annie! We’ve been through this. I’m not seeing her.”
“You spend a lot of time with her in your office with the door closed.”
“That’s all work-related! She knows I’m not interested. I made that clear to her. She won’t pursue me anymore.”
“Oh, Yeah! Then how come she drove by my house tonight. It sure as hell wasn’t to see me!”
***
It was a late flight, and the spaceport was almost vacant. Shops were closing, and the maintenance crew had begun their trash pickup and cleaning. Dirk watched from the sky view window. The clear desert night allowed for a beautiful display of stars. He was able to identify all the major constellations. He remembered sitting on the roof-top patio of his apartment at the Academy living quarters with Acey. He’d point the stars out to her when she was about six or seven. After her parents’ demise, Dirk took over the responsibility of raising her. That was eons ago. Shuttle 2307 arriving from Washington D.C. now approaching on pad 21, the announcement said.
Dirk walked to the gate and stood there with a handful of people. The travelers began to trickle in when he saw Carina waving to him.
“Hi Gramps,” she said, hugging him.
“It’s great to see you. Did you have a good time?”
“It was awesome. Aunt Raina took us to the White House, and I got to see where Aunt Sue worked. And, I got to experience real snow. I had the best time ever,” she said.
“I’m glad you had a nice time. Let’s get your luggage. Your parents are at the gallery for an artist event. I told them I would bring you there.”
Her luggage was waiting in the pickup area before they got there. Dirk grabbed it, and they walked to the exit. “When do you go back to school?”
“I’m back to school on Monday. Winter break went by fast.”
Exiting the spaceport, they walked through the tunnel to the parking garage and then to the public transportation area to pick up a cab. It was barely lit that time of night, and no one was around. Halfway through, Dirk heard footsteps from behind. He glanced back and saw two figures rapidly approaching them. As they entered the garage area, two more characters appeared in front of them. Before he could do anything, he was hit from behind. The last thing he remembered was the muffled screams from Carina.
***
Norma, Billy, and Hillary were the first ones to the hospital, followed by Acey, and then Annie and Aidan. Dirk was slumped in a wheelchair in the outpatient area surrounded by several officers. Norma was standing next to him. They got glimpses of him through the doors when they swung open, but weren’t allowed entry until the doctors were finished. Hillary was hysterical, and Acey was comforting her. Bi
lly, Annie, and Aidan were talking to Captain Tom about the possible motive. Billy was positive this had to do with the Nelson case.
“I should have never allowed her to be involved. It’s all my fault.”
“It’s not your fault, and I promise we’ll get her back,” Captain Tom said.
A doctor came out, and Acey rushed to him. “Is he okay?”
“Yes, but quite shaken up.”
“He was healing from a concussion from an accident a few weeks ago. Is there any further damage to his brain?” Annie asked.
“Not that we detect, but we’ll need to monitor him. You can go in now.”
“Thanks, doctor,” Aidan said.
Acey broke down and cried in Dirk’s arms.” Shhh. I’m fine. It’ll be okay,” he said, stroking her hair.
When Hillary and Billy walked in, Dirk stood up and walked over to them. “I’m so sorry. I should’ve …”
“Not your fault,” Billy said. “What the hell happened?”
“There were four of them – two in front and two behind. Someone hit me, and I went down. That’s all I remember.”
“Were there any witnesses?” Hillary asked.
Captain Tom replied. “There were none. At least no one has come forth. He was found by a maintenance person who called the Guard. We’re having the surveillance footage looked at.”
Aidan’s heart broke watching Acey in so much pain. He eased her away from the others. “I’m so sorry for everything. I love you so much. Please, let’s not fight. I’ll fire her. I’ll do anything you want.”
“Oh, Aidan. I’m the one at fault. I could never live without you,” she said, kissing him and crying at the same time.
Dirk smiled and then pointed to them. Everyone turned and watched the two embrace. When they broke apart, Aidan walked over to Dirk, holding Acey’s hand.
“I’m going to Guard HQ with Captain Tom. We’ll meet in my office tomorrow morning. We can work from there to get Carina back.”
“It’s best you all get some rest,” Captain Tom said.
Norma took Dirk home and soon Hillary and Billy left. “I’ll take mom home, and then I’ll meet you at the Guard,” Annie said.
