I ran past a science lab that spanned Staterooms Seven through Three as if I were running to catch a plane. A home theater, an exercise room, and ahead was Stateroom One, its door open.
Hearing Andria’s voice, I stopped short of entering.
“… how was I supposed to know, Kevin? It’s not like I invited him on board.”
“What if he ends up replacing a crewman on the Europa mission ? ”
“He won’t.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because I know him, Kevin. This whole thing was probably his uncle’s doing. Trust me, Ike’s not a risk-taker like you and me; he needs to stay inside his comfort zone, and he’s not very good with people. Spending the better part of six years living in a confined habitat with eleven other crewmen would drive him insane.”
“You never told me he was such a recluse.”
“Most brainiacs are. I suspect his father was the same way. Guys like Ike spend most of their time inside their own head, always analyzing life, never living it. Why do you think he invented ABE? That little microchip in his brain allows him to be as self-contained as GOLEM. Of course, the problem with living inside your own head all the time is that you isolate yourself from the real world.”
“Einstein was like this. I think it’s a Jew thing.”
“You mean a Jewish thing? Don’t tell me you’re anti-Semitic?”
“Of course not. What I meant … I just never understood the attraction. The guy’s a geek.”
“That geek kept us safe and sheltered during the GDO; his ingenuity and foresight allowed us to survive the gangs that would have eaten him and turned me into a sex slave. Ike was the first man I ever trusted.”
“Then why are you with me?”
“The Die-Off passed, only Ike still lives in fear. His phobias about mankind have made him overly possessive. You think he wants me piloting shuttles in space or submersibles on Europa? Hell no. Ike wants me in his bed and in the nursery, raising a kid or two while he explores quantum physics with ABE.”
“That’s not you. You’re a leader, Andria. A warrior bred for action. Just like me. It’ll drive me insane if we can’t sleep together during this mission. You have to tell him about us.”
Hearing them kiss, I dropped to one knee, as if someone had kicked me in the gut. Andie had not only lied to me about accepting a six-year mission, she was cheating on me!
There were a thousand things I wanted to say—retorts and accusations, rants and countless explanations justifying who I was and why I turned out the way I did—only suddenly I found myself in the wrong place at the wrong time for all the wrong reasons, and I had to get out now, before Oceanus submerged.
My mind paralyzed in a centrifuge of emotions, I staggered down the corridor—nearly knocking over Lara Saints, who was exiting Stateroom Seven, carrying a palm-size video camera.
“Ike? Are you all right? You look pale.”
Searching for the damn ladder, I mumbled, “Maybe I should run a level-one diagnostic.”
She giggled. “Are you pretending to be a computer?”
“What? No. Lara, where’s the ladder? And who the hell’s Kevin?”
“Kevin Read. He’s the ship’s commanding officer. Why?” She followed me down the corridor. “Oh, God, Ike, I’m so sorry. Do you want to come inside my suite? We could talk.”
Talk? No, I didn’t want to talk, I wanted to grab a bayonet and shove the blade up—
“Ike, here’s the ladder.” She ascended the tube before me, slowing me down, the top of my head pushing against her buttocks from below. We arrived together on the upper deck in time to hear a chorus of voices counting down “… three … two … one!”
Too late.
A deep, pulse-pounding rumble throttled sound and space, the structure reverberating in my bones as I saw the 360-degree panoramic view consumed in the chaos of flames and smoke and a thick white mist that blotted out the Antarctic heavens. The sound of rocket engines igniting below the
Hearing Andria’s voice, I stopped short of entering.
“… how was I supposed to know, Kevin? It’s not like I invited him on board.”
“What if he ends up replacing a crewman on the Europa mission ? ”
“He won’t.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because I know him, Kevin. This whole thing was probably his uncle’s doing. Trust me, Ike’s not a risk-taker like you and me; he needs to stay inside his comfort zone, and he’s not very good with people. Spending the better part of six years living in a confined habitat with eleven other crewmen would drive him insane.”
“You never told me he was such a recluse.”
“Most brainiacs are. I suspect his father was the same way. Guys like Ike spend most of their time inside their own head, always analyzing life, never living it. Why do you think he invented ABE? That little microchip in his brain allows him to be as self-contained as GOLEM. Of course, the problem with living inside your own head all the time is that you isolate yourself from the real world.”
“Einstein was like this. I think it’s a Jew thing.”
“You mean a Jewish thing? Don’t tell me you’re anti-Semitic?”
“Of course not. What I meant … I just never understood the attraction. The guy’s a geek.”
“That geek kept us safe and sheltered during the GDO; his ingenuity and foresight allowed us to survive the gangs that would have eaten him and turned me into a sex slave. Ike was the first man I ever trusted.”
“Then why are you with me?”
“The Die-Off passed, only Ike still lives in fear. His phobias about mankind have made him overly possessive. You think he wants me piloting shuttles in space or submersibles on Europa? Hell no. Ike wants me in his bed and in the nursery, raising a kid or two while he explores quantum physics with ABE.”
“That’s not you. You’re a leader, Andria. A warrior bred for action. Just like me. It’ll drive me insane if we can’t sleep together during this mission. You have to tell him about us.”
Hearing them kiss, I dropped to one knee, as if someone had kicked me in the gut. Andie had not only lied to me about accepting a six-year mission, she was cheating on me!
There were a thousand things I wanted to say—retorts and accusations, rants and countless explanations justifying who I was and why I turned out the way I did—only suddenly I found myself in the wrong place at the wrong time for all the wrong reasons, and I had to get out now, before Oceanus submerged.
My mind paralyzed in a centrifuge of emotions, I staggered down the corridor—nearly knocking over Lara Saints, who was exiting Stateroom Seven, carrying a palm-size video camera.
“Ike? Are you all right? You look pale.”
Searching for the damn ladder, I mumbled, “Maybe I should run a level-one diagnostic.”
She giggled. “Are you pretending to be a computer?”
“What? No. Lara, where’s the ladder? And who the hell’s Kevin?”
“Kevin Read. He’s the ship’s commanding officer. Why?” She followed me down the corridor. “Oh, God, Ike, I’m so sorry. Do you want to come inside my suite? We could talk.”
Talk? No, I didn’t want to talk, I wanted to grab a bayonet and shove the blade up—
“Ike, here’s the ladder.” She ascended the tube before me, slowing me down, the top of my head pushing against her buttocks from below. We arrived together on the upper deck in time to hear a chorus of voices counting down “… three … two … one!”
Too late.
A deep, pulse-pounding rumble throttled sound and space, the structure reverberating in my bones as I saw the 360-degree panoramic view consumed in the chaos of flames and smoke and a thick white mist that blotted out the Antarctic heavens. The sound of rocket engines igniting below the
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