Alpha One - Chris Burton [85]
* * * *
Jake woke up. He was asleep on the bed within the studio apartment in the AUSWAS facility. They decided he could stay within the complex, but how did he get here? Perhaps his usefulness was not yet over. It was dark, and there was no sign of Carla. Jake opened a comm link to her, but there was no answer. What could he do? Should he try to find her or wait?
Jake pondered his next move for a few minutes, then suddenly felt hungry and he got up and headed for the kitchen. He found the kitchen supplied with plenty of food. He prepared himself an omelet and a glass of milk. The ingredients were unusual, not of Earth origin, but the meal looked appetizing enough so he filled up.
Carla arrived at the studio apartment thirty minutes later. She looked tired but back to her normal self. “Thank you for coming with me, Jake. We are done here and can return to Earth tomorrow.”
“What the hell does that mean? What have you been doing? The last thing I remember before I woke up on the bed was being grabbed by some of Winterburn’s cronies.”
“You passed out and they took you to the apartment. You were not harmed. Winterburn has that effect on some people.”
“Doesn’t that ring alarm bells in your head?”
“No, I know he is not human, if that’s what you mean. I don’t know what his origins are, only that Earth is his adopted planet and that he is aware that he has certain powers.”
“So what did you discuss in my absence?”
“We talked about the wormholes, the Kryl and Alpha. I spent some time with Joely.”
“So how did Winterburn leave it with you? He said you were ready to join them.”
“I am…well, I am interested to see what this is all about. Not now, I have my graduation to complete.”
“Then a posting.”
“Maybe, we will see.”
“So we spend just one day with them. I thought we were planning to stay two or three?”
“We were, but Joely and Winterburn are flying out to the Tri-Star region. There is no point in staying any longer unless you want to do some sights.”
Jake said ‘no’ to sightseeing. Titan was interesting to the extent that it was an environmental miracle, but there was little to offer in terms of history, ancient architecture or even its physical wonders. He was keen to get back to Earth. He didn’t know where he stood with Carla, and the Academy suggested a shorter absence from study would be best.
“Okay, so we go home tomorrow. What shall we do?”
“I am tired. How about you join me for a shower and then we start again where we left off this morning?”
Jake was surprised but happy to accept. The conversation about what would happen between them when they got back could wait until tomorrow.
* * * *
Jake woke first. He yawned, stretched and moved Carla’s arm from his chest, carefully to not wake her and got up. He needed time to clear his head. He spent another wonderful night with Carla. She was fantastic but it felt wrong.
He was unhappy about what happened to him yesterday. The fainting theory didn’t ring true. He also worried about Carla. She was hiding something. To what extent has she been taken in by the Collective?
Jake sat out on the balcony and tried to address his questions. He rationalized he had nothing to hide, and that the likelihood was that he had fainted. Surely not because of Winterburn and, if so, why had Carla not also fainted? He tried to analyze the position further but gave up. He was none the wiser.. He found himself, not for the first time, staring at the moons and rings of Titans ‘mother’ planet.
Carla joined him on the balcony. She was wearing a white towel robe and looked amazing as ever.
“Hi Jakey. How are you feeling today?”
“I am feeling good. What about you?”
“I am ready to go home…but not yet. Do you want to come back to bed?”
* * * *
Three hours later, the space yacht lifted off from Titan’s surface. Jake once again requested priority clearance and the vessel was swiftly underway. He took command for takeoff and the first hour, while Carla busied herself in the kitchen area. She made a salad from ingredients she picked up at a Titan market on route to the modular transport connection.