Alone on the Edge (The Chronicles of Anna Foster)

by Patrick Stutzman

  ALONE ON THE EDGE

  by

  Patrick Stutzman

  Alone on the Edge

  ©2012 by Patrick Stutzman

  Cover Art © 2012 by Tomomi Ink

  All rights reserved.

  All characters in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material contained herein is prohibited without express written permission of the author.

  Dedication

  For Michelle, Alexandrya, and Rebecca.

  Acknowledgments

  Special Thanks to Mindy Wilson for her keen eyes

  and to Natasha Wicks for being my muse.

  Prologue

  “To us!” cried Danica, the busty brunette standing at the head of the table with her champagne glass raised.

  “To us!” replied the other five ladies seated around the long, wooden table at the back of the crowded, expensive restaurant, each one raising their glass and acknowledging the toast. After taking their cordial sip, a few of them set their glasses back down and picked up the conversation about upcoming sorority events, ignoring the red-haired Rachael finishing her drink and looking for the bottle that had been stashed in the ice bucket next to Danica.

  Waving at her friends, Danica declared, “Hey! Shut it, everyone! I’m not done yet. There’s another reason why we’re here today.”

  As all eyes turned back to her, she continued, “We are also gathered here today to give our fond farewells to our dear friend and new college graduate, Anna Foster.”

  Gasps escaped everyone’s lips as they turned to look at the thin, blonde woman sitting at the far end of the table, who sported a broad smile at the announcement.

  “Farewell?” asked Yvette, the brown-haired black woman sitting to Anna’s right. “Where are you going?!”

  “What are you doing now that you have your degree?” inquired the other blonde woman sitting opposite Yvette.

  “Danica, could you pass me the champagne?” Rachael requested.

  Anna held up a hand, putting the brakes on the incoming questions, and replied, “Yes, I’m going away.”

  The raven-haired woman sitting on Yvette’s right side slyly queried, “Is he hot?”

  The laughter that erupted from everyone at the table drowned out Anna’s initial smiling response as she held her hands out in front of her, but she spoke as the mirth died down, “No, it’s not because of a guy.”

  “That’s a damn shame, Anna,” interrupted the blonde.

  Waiting for the laughs to dwindle this time, Anna answered, “No, I got a job.”

  The giggles changed to congratulations, as they leaped from their chairs and hugged their nearly-departed friend, and she gave thanks to each of her friends as they did.

  “So,” the dark-haired woman began. “What is this new job you have?”

  Anna took a deep breath and responded, “Well, my employer is NR Suppliers based right here in New York. My official title is Robotic Engineer, and I will be assigned to a space station as the caretaker for their robots, performing routine maintenance and looking into how I can improve their operation and capabilities among other things.”

  “Really?” exclaimed Danica. “With just a B.E.?!”

  Anna nodded empathically, “I know! Who would have thought that I could have landed a job like that at this point? I thought for sure that I would need at least a Master’s first.”

  Danica frowned, “At least one of us will get to use her degree.”

  Pointing a finger at the brunette, Yvette interjected, “Hey! You shouldn’t be complaining, Ms. Assistant Manager! Not bad, considering your degree was in ...”

  “History,” Danica finished. “Somebody should have told me to pursue a degree that I could actually use.”

  “At least you can thank me for getting us in this place on a Wednesday night on such short notice, especially since Anna is due to ship out in the morning!” she continued.

  The blonde asked with a raised eyebrow, “What did it take for you to get that done?”

  Nonchalantly, Danica answered, “Just blowing the manager in his office.”

  Anna jumped in after the resulting laughs calmed down and inquired, “Are you still painting, Danica?”

  With a smirk, the brunette answered after another sip of champagne, “Only on the weekends, and that’s only when I’m not with Brad.”

  “Brad?! You still hanging out with that loser?” Yvette teased with a sideways smile.

  Smiling back, Danica defended herself, “He may not be the brightest star in the sky, but he makes me feel like a woman with that big dick of his!”

  “But, only on the weekends,” jabbed the dark-haired woman.

  Anna laughed, “I’m afraid to ask what you feel like during the rest of the week.”

  Danica narrowed her eyes slightly and jokingly offered, “You can come home with me tonight and find out.”

  Amidst a few oohs, Anna shot back with an extended finger, “Hey! You know I don’t swing that way!”

  Danica, with a slight shrug, stated, “Too bad, because I could make you cum better than any man could.”

  Smirking, Anna taunted, “I’d like to see you try.”

  “Why do you always have to play hard to get?” Danica shot back as she squirmed in her chair. “You know it makes me wet just thinking about it.”

  Glancing around the busy dining room, she continued, “If we weren’t so busy here, I’d go down on you and lick that sweet pussy of yours right now.”

  Snickering, Yvette jabbed, “Wouldn’t that get you fired?”

  “Are you kidding?” scoffed Danica. “He’d stand there and jerk off while filming the whole thing and then turn around and sell the holovid to all of his loser friends.”

  “So, where is this station of yours going to be, Anna?” the blonde queried, intentionally changing the subject.

  Thankful for the return to the original topic, Anna smiled, “Mining Station 14 is where they told me.”

  “A mining station?” Yvette asked in disbelief.

  “Yep,” nodded Anna. “They have a whole contingent of robots there that I’ll be working with.”

  The blonde frowned, “That doesn’t sound like the best place to use your degree.”

  “No, it actually sounds promising. They say that the station has technical facilities that will allow me to use my skills to help improve upon the units they already have out there. I get to use my mind and be creative!”

  Shaking her head, Yvette stated skeptically, “I hope so for your sake. To me, it sounds like that place would drive me crazy.”

  Waving away the doubtful comment, Anna replied, “Nah, it actually sounds like fun to me.”

  “Well,” Danica interrupted. “With all of the machines there, make sure you have the most important one there with you: a heavy-duty vibrator and lots of batteries.”

  The group of ladies burst into laughter, and Anna blushed at the comment. Through the laughs, Rachael choked halfway through her drink of bubbly.

  “Are you okay?” Danica asked with concern, patting the redhead on her back.

  Rachael nodded and sputtered, “Yeah, I’m fine.”

  “Girl, we’re gonna have to pour you into a cab with the way you’re drinking,” claimed Yvette.

  “No,” Anna added. “She never drinks like this. What’s wrong, Rach?”

  Glancing at the guest of honor, the red-haired lady dismissed the question with a shake of her head.

  “I’m fine, An
na.”

  “Rach, I can tell that something’s going on. What is it?”

  Again, she denied the group an answer, “I don’t want to ruin your evening, Anna. It’s your night.”

  Forming a stern look on her face, Anna demanded gently, “You’ll ruin my evening if you don’t tell me. Besides, you’re among friends. What’s the problem?”

  Rachael looked at Anna for a long second and then around the table at everyone else. Then without warning, she rose from her chair, excusing herself in a distraught voice, and walked away from the table at a rather fast pace. Anna watched her go and turned back to the rest of her friends with a concerned expression on her face. Without a word, all five ladies quickly stood and followed the redhead to the restroom.

  The first to reach the door, Anna opened it slightly and peeked into the white-tiled room. Although she did not see her, the sounds of crying reached her ears. In an instant, the ensemble burst into the room and tracked their friend to the last stall.

  Anna sturdily knocked on the door and said empathically, “Rachael, please come out.”

  “What is it, Rach?” asked Yvette tenderly.

  From behind the door, Rachael replied meekly, “Don’t mind me. I’ll be out in a minute. Just go back to the table.”

  “Girl!” Yvette threatened. “If you don’t open the door, I’m gonna bust it down and kick your ass!”

  Anna held up a hand, ceasing the conversation at that point. She slipped her heels off and stepped into the next stall over. Steadying herself between the metal walls, she climbed onto the toilet seat and peered over the side at Rachael who had her face buried in her hands.

  From her perch, Anna pleaded, “Come on, Rachael. What happened?”

  Glancing up at her friend, the red-haired beauty tried to calm down and replied through the door between the sobs, “Jeff ... broke up ... with me.”

  “What?!” cried Danica, shocked by the news.

  Expletives filled the air as the others exclaimed their discontent with the same amount of surprise.

  Anna shook her head in disbelief and comforted as she stepped down from the toilet, “I’m so sorry, Rach. Please come on out.”

  Several seconds went by until the door finally opened. Rachael, whose face was red from her emotional outburst, wrapped her arms around Anna and hugged her as her weeping continued.

  Speechless, Anna merely hugged her back.

  Yvette stepped up and whispered while lightly rubbing Rachael’s back, “It’s okay, Rach. We’re here for you.”

  Taking the black woman’s hand, Rachael squeezed it while smiling sadly and whispered, “Thank you.”

  “Besides,” Anna stated. “You can always go visit Danica during the week if you get lonely. She’d be more than happy to help you feel loved.”

  Rachael laughed through the tears and, accepting the tissue Yvette offered to her, dried her eyes after stepping back out of Anna’s embrace.

  “Everyone,” Danica suggested, breaking the momentary silence. “Why don’t we go dancing? There’s a night club just a few blocks down that’s open until 3, and I happen to know the bouncer.”

  Yvette winked with a smile, “I’m sure you do.”

  After glancing at her watch, Anna admitted, “I’d love to, but I’m going to have to bow out.”

  The entire group of ladies immediately objected, pleading for her to join them on their outing.

  “Why not?”

  “Oh, come on, Anna!”

  “Please?”

  Rachael apologized, “It’s my fault, isn’t it? I’m sorry I ruined your party, Anna.”

  “No!” interjected Anna. “It’s not you at all! My orbital flight leaves JFK at 5 am, and I can’t miss it. I need to make sure everything is packed and get a few hours of sleep.

  “Besides, I could not have asked for a better send-off. Thanks!”

  Each one gave Anna a big hug and well wishes. As the last of her friends stepped up, Danica asked with a sultry smile, “You know, I could escort you home and give you a real send-off.”

  “And let you get your way? No deal! Absence makes the heart grow fonder,” Anna joked.

  “Absence gives my dildo a lot of exercise!” the brunette exclaimed as she embraced her friend.

  While they held each other tightly, Danica whispered, “You come back and see us soon. Okay?”

  “Count on it!” smiled Anna.

  * * * * *

  Minutes later, Anna walked along 34th Street toward her apartment building, feeling a little tipsy from the champagne. Though her friends proposed to pay for a cab after they paused long enough to take and download a group photo, she turned down the offer, claiming that she only needed to go a few blocks and she wanted to see the city one last time before departing.

  As she strode down the sidewalk through the multitude of people, her thoughts reflected on the city as a whole and its 36 million people, speculating how so many people would want to be crammed into such a small area of land. She remembered viewing images of the city throughout history, from its origins in the early 16th century through its rise in prominence in the 20th century to become one of the largest cities on the planet. Despite surviving three terrorist attacks in the early 21st century before the dubbed “War on Terror” concluded in 2028, the city grew and thrived with the world to be one of the largest starports in North America, second only to Mexico City.

  As she gazed at the multiple levels of aircar traffic speeding overhead, Anna could not help but wonder what it was about the metropolis that kept drawing people back to it. It had seen its fair share of problems with crime and overpopulation to the point where the city had to grow out and upward to accommodate, but flocks of people from all around the globe continued to migrate here.

  Despite the congestion and issues urban life brought with it, Anna had considered New York City her home for the last 5 years after moving from Seattle to attend college at NYU, where she met Danica, Yvette, Rachael, and the rest of the girls that were her closest friends. She would remember her college years fondly.

  Her arrival at her apartment building brought her back to reality, and Anna entered the structure and her apartment on the 32nd floor at a casual pace. Dropping her keycard in her carry-on bag resting against her suitcase, she briefly looked over the living room, now mostly vacant after the company picked up her belongings to put into storage, and stepped onto the balcony overlooking the city.

  The wind blowing across the face of the building chilled her skin, prompting her to rub her upper arms for a few seconds to help stay warm. Brushing a lock of her dark blonde hair away from her face, she leaned against the railing and gazed upon the city lights and Central Park, one of the few green areas left within a 250-kilometer radius, a couple of dozen blocks away. She could not see the starport from her apartment, but the orbital crafts coming in and out of JFK were easy to spot through the narrow chasm created by the fingers of metal, glass, and concrete that reached into the sky.

  Anna glanced at her watch, which read 10:14pm ET, and sighed. Her stomach began to get that nervous feeling she got before any important event took place and immediately knew that she was not going to be able to sleep tonight. Maybe she should have gone dancing after all.

  Out of the corner of her eye as she turned to go back inside, Anna spotted the old man across the street, sitting in his old chair watching her from his bedroom window with his enhanced night-vision glasses. It was almost an evening ritual with him. She knew what he hoped to see, and she denied him night after night. She did not feel much like an exhibitionist, and she was not about to start now, though a small part of the back of her mind taunted her with the notion of giving in and letting him have some spark of pleasure before she left. She dismissed the idea as a stray thought, closed the outside door, and increased the tinting to 100%.

  Looking upon the two bags setting in the middle of the carpeted floor, Anna leaned down and plucked out of her carry-on the latest item that the company had sent her for her positio
n. She studied the small device for a few seconds before strapping it to her wrist. The somewhat bulky plastic box felt odd at first against her skin, but its ergonomic curve fit snugly against her forearm after a few seconds. Touching the silver button on its side, she activated the orange holographic screen that prompted her to enter her name and personal information to register the NR Suppliers Wristcomp Mark IX she now wore. Smiling at the welcome screen, she tapped the button again and deactivated the screen, vowing to register the wristcomp on her way to her flight.

  With one last sigh, Anna lifted her bags and walked out of her apartment for the last time, stopping at the front door long enough to take one last look at what had been her first home away from her family. Fighting back the tears, she turned and stepped through, shutting the door behind her.

  * * * * *

  The delicate-sounding chime stirred Anna out of her nap. Opening her eyes, she spent a few seconds attempting to recognize that she was lying in a tiny cabin aboard the freighter flying her to her destination. The thin mattress on the spartan metal double-bunk that took up most of the room did little to provide any comfort to her, but it was better than sleeping on the bare metal deck plates that comprised the flooring all throughout the vessel.

  Crossing her arms behind her head, Anna stared at the thin, steel wire net that held the other mattress above her, wondering how long her trip was going to take. The journey started decently enough, with her being just one of a couple dozen passengers aboard the aging starship. She had even befriended a handsome Spaniard on his way to Aldrin, one of the newest colony worlds in orbit around Gliese 86, as the company’s newest mineral expert. As the ship docked at each stop on their trip, more and more of the passengers disembarked.

  Now, Anna remained as the only occupant aboard the automated cargo vessel, days out from Mining Station 11 in orbit around Beta Trianguli Australis, on its way to her future workplace, and she was bored senseless. With the ship being operated solely by the onboard computer, very few amenities were available for passengers on extended voyages. She had already seen all four movies in the database. The games on file were three different versions of solitaire, which she could not stand playing more than a few minutes. All of the music had to be at least 50 years old and did not interest her in the least. Communications outside the ship were impossible while traveling between worlds. The only option remaining was to read entries in the library computer, which felt to her like reading a dictionary.