In the Blink of an Eye

by Mark Dutkiewicz

  Escorting him to the hatch, Alan paused a moment in the threshold. Looking up at Jeff he said quietly, “Thanks Knight, for everything.”

  “Don’t get all sulky on me now,” Jeff encouraged, “You’ll feel better about this in no time.” Grasping his shoulder he added, “I have faith in you.” He flashed Jeff a weak smile before retreating down the passage. Jeff watched him a moment before a flutter ran across his stomach. It reminded him that for all his brave talk he hadn’t dealt with the trauma as well as he’d let on. No time to waste on that. The Drac won’t spare anyone time to cry over their difficulties. Raising a hand to his face a slight tremor ran through the limb. Making a fist he turned back into the cabin, letting out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, and allowed the hatch to softly hiss close behind him. Closing his eyes tightly, he willed himself to a delicate calm.

  An unexpected chime from his terminal made him jump. He berated himself once more for not getting the jitters under control. Perhaps he should seriously think about talking with the shrink as well. Dropping into his chair, he smiled finding an incoming transmission from his mom. He’d forgotten the Victoria had moved close enough to Earth for real time communication. Frankly, with all the work he’d had thrust upon him he hadn’t found the time to even write home, much less make a phone call. Pulling up the feed he excitedly said, “Hi Mom!”

  “Don’t you, ‘hi Mom,’ me Jeffery Michael!” Linda Grant admonished sternly as if he were still her little boy. “How dare you not tell me you’re fighting a war!”

  “What?” He playfully feigned astonishment. “There’s no war going on.” The lie came exceedingly easy for him now.

  “Cut the crap Jeff it’s all over the news,” she all but spat at him. “I thought you’ve been hiding something from me for a while now. Your cruise lasting two years, your fast track to the top, your odd behavior. I can’t believe I didn’t see it before. At first I just thought it was the excitement and pressure on you, but now I know you’ve been lying to me. Lying! To your own mother! I thought we’d raised you to be better than that!” Jeff tried, in vain, to get a word in but her rant continued, “I heard it first from Alex a week ago, a week; and I thought it was just another one of his conspiracies that he and his friends always get worked up over to protest the military. Then I saw the news this morning. I’ve been beside myself with fright ever since and it made me wonder what else you weren’t telling me. So, out with it, what’s going on out there?”

  “Well now,” Jeff started sheepishly, “it’s…a long story.”

  ***

  “Just a minute,” Emily shouted pulling on a loose white robe. Taking a final look at herself in the mirror she ran her fingers across her damp hair slicking it back. Grimacing at her appearance as the door chime sounded again she called, “Yeah, I’m coming.” Tying the robe closed she stepped from the small bathroom and just as quickly was peering through the hatch’s peephole. “Kami?” she said in surprise tapping the doors activation switch.

  “Hi Emily,” Kami said quietly, “sorry to bother you so late.” That was unlike her. Kami wasn’t the quiet type. Emily hesitantly invited her in, concerned over her demeanor. The XO almost dragged her feet as she stepped over the threshold. “I was,” she said hesitantly, “I was hoping I could talk something out with you.”

  Stepping back and offering her friend the lone chair Emily plopped down on the rack. “Sure, what’s up?”

  “It’s…well…” Kami stammered. She looked to be searching for the right words. Emily’s stomach fluttered as what had Kami so flustered. She was never unsure of herself. Before she could open her mouth to offer some kind of encouragement Kami blurted out with a huff, “How in God’s name do you talk to Commander Grant without wanting to strangle him?”

  Bursting into laughter Emily wheezed, “That’s what’s bothering you?” Falling over on the rack she began kicking her feet like a child squealing, “I knew it!”

  “It’s nothing like that!” Kami grated over Emily’s cheerful exuberance. She paid her no mind continuing to laugh and squeal in glee until Kami ultimately snapped, “Emily!”

  Holding up her hands as if to fend off an attack she stammered, “Sorry, I’m sorry,” trying to suppress her laughter. Sitting up she continued to giggle a moment before smoothing her features. Well, trying to anyway. “So what is it?” she asked.

  Kami breathed a vexed sigh. “The captain wants me to smooth things out between Commander Grant and myself. The problem is every time I look at the cocky shit, he flashes that incorrigible grin of his.” Crossing her arms, she added with a huff, “Makes me want to box his ears.”

  “Okay then,” Emily said with a smile. “I can help you with this. But I think we’ll be needing the use of my magic potion.” Stretching out on the rack Emily leaned over the edge pulling a bottle of wine out from below. “Could you grab those cups behind you?” she said pulling out the stopper.

  “It’s a little late for wine Emily,” Kami sounded frustrated. “And why on Earth do you keep it under the rack?”

  “Because there’s no room in my locker,” Emily said in mock exasperation flashing an innocent smile. “Now are you going to get those cups?”

  Kami reached for the vessels grumbling, “I still say it’s a little late for wine.”

  “Blah, blah, blah,” Emily moaned sticking out her tongue for emphasis. “You want me to help you or not?” Kami held out the cups; Emily grabbed at them excitedly. Pouring the blood red liquid she began, “First off, you need to start calling him Jeff. If you want to get comfortable talking with him, you’ll need to become his friend.”

  Kami sniffed at the notion tightly saying, “I don’t want to be his friend!”

  “Yeah, yeah whatever.” Emily dismissed the protest by waving the cup at her. “Secondly,” she continued, stopping short as Kami snatched tumbler. She drained the contents quickly, a look of frustration painting her face. Tipping the bottle, Emily topped her off hoping the wine did the job of loosening her up enough to listen. “Secondly,” she started again, “you’re going to have to admit you have feelings for him.”

  Kami coughed in reply choking on her wine. “I don’t,” she wheezed clearing her throat, “I don’t have feelings for him.”

  “Kami sweetie, the whole crew knows you do. Well, maybe not Jeff, but he’s being as pigheaded about it as you are!”

  The look of shock painting Kami’s face was worth it. “Pigheaded? Emily, we may be friends but you’re going too far. I don’t have feelings for him! And what gives you this crazy idea that the whole crew knows?”

  She flashed Kami a knowing smile, making a show of sipping her wine. “For starters,” she said, “you’re harder on him than you are with anyone else on this ship.”

  “The man needs a firm hand,” Kami said dismissively.

  “Firmer than the rest of the crew?” Emily countered.

  “Yes! I know people like him. Full of talent and potential with no fucking sense.”

  Taking on an exasperated tone Emily mocked, “And you feel it’s your place to make sure he straightens up, acts appropriately, doesn’t get his neck broke.”

  “I don’t care for that tone Emily,” Kami snapped. “He’s reckless. His contempt for decorum and the chain of command tells me he’s the kind of arrogant pilot that takes foolish risks.”

  “You could care less about the risks the other pilots take.”

  “That’s not true!”

  “Oh really? When have I ever heard you lecture any of them?”

  “I leave disciplinary action to Captain Williams.”

  “The same Captain Williams that Jeff replaced?” Refilling her cup Emily continued, “You’ve taken a personal interest in Jeff since day one and for some reason you’re over protective of him.” Holding the back of a hand to her forehead, she added with a touch of drama, “The son of the man you admire more than your father!”

  “Russell Grant has nothing to do with this,” Kami grated before draining her
cup. “Besides, none of that proves anything, and it doesn’t answer your boast of everyone.”

  “Okay, what if I told you Commander Argo has a pool going on who’s going to tackle who, and how long it’s going to take?”

  Kami, her eye’s narrowing in a look of annoyance seethed, “I have a feeling I’m going to have to have a word with Lieutenant Commander Argo.”

  CHAPTER 26:

  REVELATIONS

  The sound of Emily’s laugh echoed in her cup as she titled her head back draining its intoxicating contents. Her mirth turned into a sour expression when she reached for the bottle finding it empty. “Kami,” she said lazily, “would you be a dear and grab the corkscrew for me?”

  Kami stared numbly at her cup not hearing the words. Emily had thankfully given up trying to convince her she had suppressed emotions for Jeff. Unfortunately, the conversation had turned to reminiscing the past. Before Jeff, before the war. It helped her relax, but did nothing in bridging the chasm between herself and the infuriating pilot Styles expected her to build close working relationship with.

  “Hey Kami!” Emily announced a bit louder.

  “What’s that?” Kami said looking up. Emily’s face was scrunched, the younger woman squinting at her.

  “The corkscrew,” her words were a bit jumbled and she vaguely gestured across the hold, “would you please get it for me?” Sliding down to her stomach, Emily pulled herself across the rack grunting, “I’m not done with you yet. And I’m sure I still have some of the good stuff.”

  Climbing a touch unsteadily to her feet, a brief wave of disorientation washed over her. “Where is it?” Kami asked after the feeling passed.

  “In the locker, top shelf,” Emily’s voice was muffled as she rummaged underneath the rack. She aimlessly waived an arm in the general direction of the slim compartment.

  Kami’s step swayed ever so slightly. “What the hell’s in this stuff?” she asked astonished at its potency.

  “It’s from my parents’ vineyard on Eden,” Emily said cheerily. “The soil there gives the grapes an extra kick.”

  Kami grasped the top of the locker steadying herself and pulled on the door. “And how much are you planning to drink?” she asked pushing aside odds and ends in search of the corkscrew.

  “As much as it takes to convince you,” Emily grunted while hauling up her prize, “that there’s more to you and Jeff than your uniforms.”

  Slamming the door, Kami stumbled a bit from the momentum and snapped, “Enough about that! We’re both professionals.” Turning violently to glare at her friend she was rewarded with a brief wave of vertigo. Closing her eyes, she swallowed and collected herself. “Well at least I am,” she added once the spell passed, “and the man has never done anything other than get on my nerves.”

  “He’s always been nice to me,” Emily said sitting up on her knees and snuggling the bottle between her thighs. “If you lighten up maybe he’d just be nice to you too. You didn’t exactly have the greatest of introductions.”

  Tossing the corkscrew to Emily Kami all but fell into her chair. The past few months were a decidedly grueling ordeal for the ship and fleet. To make matters worse the impending counter offensive was weighing heavily on her. Throwing in Jeff’s antics in an ill-conceived position of authority was a recipe for disaster. She was certain that sparks would fly tomorrow during the briefing with intelligence. Attempting to avoid, or at the least forestall, that outcome was the only reason she was sitting in this room. She desperately needed to find some way to deal with the infuriating man.

  “Well?” The question pulled Kami from her thoughts.

  “Sorry?” Kami asked, puzzled by Emily’s extended hand. With a giggle, the slight woman pointed a finger over Kami’s shoulder. Following the digit brought her eyes to the discarded cup. Grabbing it, she passed the vessel over.

  “Anyway,” Emily said, eagerly filling the cup, “what is it about Jeff that makes him any different than the rest of the pilots?”

  “Must we go through this again?” Kami groaned rubbing a temple. “You know as well as I he’s a brash, obnoxious, insolent little brat. Not to mention he’s condescending, vulgar, and downright crude.”

  “He’s a pilot Kami,” Emily contended returning Kami’s cup. “They’re all crude to a point. Besides, I’ve heard your mouth. You can be as crude as they are.”

  “Only when the situation calls for it.”

  “Did it call for it the night you tore into him for enjoying a nightcap with Chief Sparkoli?”

  “You’re damn right it did!” Kami challenged nearly spitting out her wine. Wiping a drop from her chin she said, “He knows the regulations, and furlough or no, he was compromising the safety of the flight deck.”

  “That’s a thin excuse,” Emily muttered into her cup.

  “What’s that supposed to mean,” Kami snapped at her.

  “Just that you gave the Chief a pass while reading Jeff the riot act.”

  Crossing her arms, Kami harrumphed obstinately. “Chief Sparkoli,” she seethed, “is a different matter entirely.”

  “Bullshit!” Kami was taken aback by Emily’s tone. Even when drunk, hearing the little lieutenant swear was quite uncommon. “You’re always going on about respect and decorum. Chief Sparkoli runs roughshod over everyone on this ship, yet you give him a pass. I’m not buying it Kami.”

  “Fine!” Kami snapped. The continued badgering, combined with Emily’s suspiciously potent wine, had taken its toll. Staring daggers at Emily she screeched, “He reminds me of my idiot brother Todd!” A tear trickled down her cheek, and what felt like the weight of a thousand years of repression began to lift from her chest. Turning from Emily, embarrassed, she wiped a thumb across her cheek and took a deep breath. “Todd was,” she began hesitantly, “a trouble maker. I can’t remember a week that went by where he wasn’t getting into some kind of mischief. Either it was trouble at school or with other kids on the base, he’d get into things. Things he should have known better not to dabble in. My mother always seemed to be chasing after him or meeting with teachers or the base police over whatever he’d gotten into at the time. He was reckless, acted as if nothing in the world could stop him and was easily goaded into taking foolish risks.

  “It got worse after my mother passed. Father was away so much back then he never could slap any kind of accountability into him. Todd would behave when he was around, which made things worse. He’d tell her to deal with it like he dealt with his subordinates. ‘Discipline Helen,’ he’d say, ‘It’s the only thing a cocksure loudmouth understands.’ As soon as he’d deploy again, Todd was back at it. After a while she started drinking. I don’t know if it was the stress, not getting any support from father, or what.

  “I was in prep school when it happened. She’d given up trying to control him leaving me to babysit the little rat between my studies. I don’t know where he was when I got the news, but I was at home studying for finals. The base police came,” she stopped holding back a sob. “I never forgave her for it. Father rushed home at the news in a temper. He made excuses for what happened, tried to justify her habit as a poor coping mechanism. ‘The stress of being a navy wife isn’t for everyone,’ he said once. I don’t know if he believed it himself or not, but it put a strain on the family.

  “That’s when things really started to unravel. Todd and him got into a heated argument after the funeral. They blamed each other for what happened and Todd told him to fuck off. The only thing the two of them shared was fathers temper. ‘To hell with joining the service,’ he shouted at him and stormed out after. More like fell down into the gutter. They never spoke again. I didn’t want anything to do with him either. I hated him for driving us apart. He’d stop by every now and then,” she said with a bitterly hitched laugh. “I’d chase him off; give him money if I could spare it just to speed him away. Looking back on it, I wish I’d done more.

  “Around my third year at the academy I got word that he died in a motorcycle crash,” she s
aid sobbing openly now. “He’d been drinking with his loser friends, and I’m sure they goaded him into some stupid stunt. Father didn’t seem to care. If he did he hid it well. I didn’t know how to take it. I’d blamed him for the death of my mother for so long I never once thought about him. How he was dealing with it. If he had remorse, or if something worse was going on. I never had a chance to make amends…” she trailed off before chokingly adding, “That’s my problem with Grant.”

  Slipping to the edge of the rack, Emily embraced her in a tender hug. Kami succumbed to her grief sobbing into her friend’s shoulder. Wracked with tears she croaked in a whisper, “He’s so much like him Emily. I don’t want him to follow the same path of destruction.” The pent up emotions flowed from her eyes.

  “I think we found our answer,” Emily whispered gently in her ear.

  After having wept fully, Kami wiped her eyes and quietly thanked Emily for her time. Words of encouragement followed her through the hatch, where whether by chance or unconscious decision, she couldn’t say, she soon found herself outside the door to Jeff’s cabin.

  ***

  “You’re full of shit Skid, it ain’t gonna happen,” Jeff scoffed hanging an arm over the back of the chair and rocked it back onto two legs. After being put through the ringer by his mother, he’d felt he needed a breather from the stacks of reports. Instead he got a grilling of a different kind as Curtis and company tormented him about now being a direct report to his nemesis Kameryn Thomas.

  “It’s true Knight,” Joanne said resting her chin on her hands. “It’s plain as day in fact. The only people who don’t see it are you and the commander.”

  Showing her his middle finger, Jeff leaned forward thumping the chair legs to the deck. “There’s no way anything close to emotions, other than bile and a generally sordid personality, exist in that frigid bitch.” Cutting his eyes low he glared at Joanne from under his brow. “Besides, she’s not my type.” Curtis choked on his drink blurting out a short coughing laugh. “Got something to say Spanky?” Jeff said turning his attention to the large man.