Sleeping Jenny (26 page)

“We both work for the Timesurfers… If they could replicate a freaking horse and jungle monkeys, you'd think the least they could do for an old lady is a kitten. I'm willing to pay whatever it takes.”

He scratched his chin. “It is an odd request, but doable, yes.”

I sat up, beaming like Santa Claus the day after Christmas. “Good. Make sure she gets the new kitten as soon as possible.”

“The process should take two to three months.”

“Good. Tell her it's a new friend for Jumbo.”

Mr. Halefern nodded and continued to type.

I considered giving Martha a nicer apartment, but somehow I knew deep down she wouldn't move. Old people got so stuck in their ways. The least I could do was make sure she'd have enough to live on for the rest of her life. “And give her ten million credits. Tell her to do with it as she sees fit.”

“Consider it done.”

I swiveled in the chair, feeling I could finally do some good in the world.

He wrinkled his hairy gray eyebrows. “What about the rest of your estate?”

“Give all but ten million to the Timesurfers, and have the rest invested for future use.” Who knew? After all, I
was
planning to come back in another five hundred years to claim it.

“Very well, Ms. Streetwater.”

I stood up, feeling overly sentimental and generous, like Ebenezer Scrooge after the three ghosts came to visit him. “One more thing. Give yourself a million credits.”

“Ms. Streetwater?”

I winked. “It's a tip. To make sure my wishes are carried out.” Mr. Halefern rose up from his desk and bowed like a butler in a fairy tale. “I will see to it personally.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Centauri Beta

I
left the meeting with the lawyer on cloud nine, tingling happiness spreading throughout my body. Everyone I knew would be taken care of. I was free to do this mission with a clear conscience and devote my heart and soul to the success of the Timesurfers on Paradise 15.

The woman from the front desk led me into a waiting room where other members of the team awaited further orders. As I walked in, Yara muttered under her breath. Jax stood in the center in his black ninja uniform.

He caught my eyes and jogged to meet me. His usually spiked hair was slicked back, bringing out the strong bone structure of his face, his sparkling blue eyes, and his boyishly round nose. He wrapped his arms around me and picked me up, twirling in a circle before putting me down again.
Yara didn't get this kind of greeting
.

“Jennifer! I'm so glad you decided to join us.” He looked me up and down. “You look stunning in our uniform.”

I glanced at my boots, trying to hide the heat in my cheeks. “I'm pumped to be here.”

“Everything is running smoothly. Now that you're here, we can walk to the launching platform. First, I'd like you to meet the other members of the team.”

He waved two men over. One of them looked just a few years older than us, with a lanky frame and curly blond hair. The other guy had gray streaks running through his dark hair. He must have just made the age-limit cut.

The young man shook my hand first.

Jax cut in, “This is Theo Woodward. He's our medical officer. Theo, meet Jennifer Streetwater, our animal specialist.”

Theo shook my hand and smiled warmly. “Nice to meet you.”

“Same here.” His hair reminded me of Timmy's, and I blocked the reference out, turning to the other man. His hand was big and burly, but he shook my hand gently.

“Terrance Williams, mechanic.”

Because their names were all normal-sounding, I wondered if they'd all been frozen like Jax and me, but now wasn't the time to get personal. Jax had assured me he'd done tests for compatibility to make sure we'd work well together.

“And you know Yara, our botanist.”

After Jax's flamboyant display of attention, I was afraid to even turn my head in her direction. “Yeah.”

Either Jax ignored my obvious lack of enthusiasm, or he was too excited to see it. “Fantastic. Let's go see the ship, shall we?”

Jax led us down a long plastic tube that connected the building to the platform. The desert stretched out in either direction in an endless slate of desolation. The plastic quivered in the raging wind as we walked, and I was afraid it would rip the tube in half and we'd all go flying into the dust.

Audible gasps rang out. I glanced up. A dark shape cast a dark shadow ahead of us, partially obscured by the opacity of the plastic tunnel. It was long and tall like a rocket ship. Two round engines flanked the ship on either side.

We reached a part of the tunnel where a glass door led out to the platform. The silver hull shone in a polished gleam, defying the sand with its smooth, impenetrable surface. I had to bend my head all the way back to see the pointed tip against the sun. The Timesurfers' symbol of a starship over a planet was painted on the side, along with the number 8573 in black. It was magnificent, daunting, and exciting all at the same time. My whole body shivered in awe.

This was my destiny. The certainty of my fate washed over me, and I couldn't imagine being anywhere else.

“A quick sprint and we're there.” Jax smiled as he placed his hand on the door. “The sandstorms quiet down later in the day, so we should be safe. Everyone ready?”

“Ready to roll.” Theo clapped his hands and rubbed them together. Beside him, Yara nodded, followed by Terrance. Jax cast me a look of expectation and I nodded.

I can do this
.

The doors parted and we ran to the platform. I squinted through the sand to keep track of the others. Jax climbed up metal ladder rings cemented into the platform's side, and we each followed. As I climbed, I focused on putting one hand over the other, trying not to breathe through my mouth or the sand would come flying in. My stomach gurgled, and I longed for my soywafers, but we weren't supposed to eat anything before being frozen. Why had I even brought them? They wouldn't last through hundreds of years. Gritting my teeth, I ignored the hunger pains.
I'll be sleeping soon enough, and then I won't feel anything
. Or at least I hoped I wouldn't.

We passed by scientists dressed in full bodysuits, with plastic shielding their faces, taking readings on the ship. Jax ran underneath the belly to a ramp leading inside. I followed him and the rest of the team. Wiping sand from my eyes, I stood in a loading bay with two giant trucks, reminding me of Hummers on steroids, on either side. The tires alone were taller than me, with giant grooves and spikes on either side.

Jax waved his hands. “Junglerovers. Our transports once we land. Terrance has been learning how to drive them out here in the desert.” Terrance chuckled. “Piece of cake.”

“Great. I'll take you on a tour, and then we're off to the cryolab on the main deck.”

Cryolab
. I pushed down the memory of my dream and followed Jax as he buzzed an elevator.

We emerged on a floor with a series of rooms, all sealed by thick metal doors. “These are our supplies.” Jax pressed a code into a panel and the doors to the first room parted to reveal boxes stacked to the ceiling. “Food, water, extra clothes. It will all be frozen along with us to prevent any decay. Oh, that reminds me.” He gestured for all of

us to come closer. “You'll need to take off your backpacks and leave them in here. That way your belongings will be preserved as well.”

Maybe I'd eat those soywafers after all. Following the others, I leaned my backpack up against the supply containers. Jax secured the packs with a bungee cord and resealed the room. “On to the computer mainframe.”

He took us up another level, which spread out into one giant deck. Wallscreens lined the walls. Wires ran down through the floor and up above our heads like a nest of snakes.

Jax turned on a screen. There was a countdown to takeoff. My heart skipped a beat.

“The ground scientists are going to remote-activate this ship and drive it through the atmosphere into deep space. Once our trajectory is chosen, the computer will take over.”

What happened if the computer messed up? I opened my mouth to protest, but thought better of it. Hours before takeoff wasn't the appropriate time to voice concerns. Instead, I ran my fingers along a clump of wires, feeling the sturdiness of the plastic coating. Computers didn't make mistakes, did they?

Jax must have seen fear in my face. “This would never work with a giant colony transport ship. Too many systems to keep online, but a simple scout ship like this will be fine.”

Theo chimed in, “So who wakes us up?”

Jax led us out of the room. “Our cryotubes are programmed to wake us up once we reach Paradise 15.”

If I ever was afraid I wouldn't wake up, now was the time. This whole mission seemed sketchier than the first time I was frozen. At least then I was still on Earth in a hospital with doctors all around to monitor my status. The craziest part was, I was determined to go, whether it scared the heebie-jeebies out of me or not.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Final Thoughts

T
he cryolab sat before us like the mouth to the underworld. I kept eyeing it nervously as Jax spoke about the ship's navigational systems. It was like sitting in front of the toilet and waiting to hurl. You knew it would be scary and gross, but you had to do it in order to feel better.

Jax turned toward me. “That's how we'll avoid running into nebulas or comets…”

I gulped down my fear. I tried to give him a reassuring smile, but my stomach twisted in knots.

“Jennifer, you okay?” Jax put a hand on my shoulder.

Yara scoffed beside us, like I was playing sick
on purpose
to get his attention.

I ignored her and held my arms around my stomach. “Yes, I'm just feeling a little queasy.”

Jax looked at everyone behind me. “Why don't the rest of you go to the cryolab and get ready? Jennifer and I'll join you shortly.”

Theo and Terrance took off with a few grunts, and Yara made sure to fire her laser eyes at me before she turned away. I turned to Jax, my chin trembling. I hated myself for letting fear get the better of me.

Jax cupped my chin in his hand. “Talk to me—what's wrong?”

A thousand doubts ran through my mind. “What if we don't wake up? Or what if I'm the
only
one who wakes up? What if the computer wakes us up at the wrong time, or—”

Jax put a finger to my lips. “We've both done this before. I'll be right beside you the entire trip. When you wake up, I swear on my daughter's grave, I'll be there by your side.”

I blinked back tears. “There are some things even you can't control.”

“I have a good feeling about this. We can do this, you and I. We can save those animals and live in a society without high-rises, sprawling green land on all sides.”

His dreams were mine. The only difference was that he had the conviction to override the fear.

Jax held my face in both his hands. Tears rimmed his eyes. “I'm not going to force you to do anything. You can still go back.”

I thought of flying in a hovercraft back into the city, returning home to Valex, Len and Pell, seeing Maxim again. I'd still be stuck in a world where I didn't belong. I'd be a nobody. This was the chance for me to be a true hero.

“No.” I put my hands over Jax's and brought his hands down from my face. “I want to go.”

He looked like relief had splashed him in the face. Laughing, he leaned over and kissed my forehead. When he pulled back, his eyes were so intense.

Wonder if he thought of kissing me anywhere else
.

He took a deep breath, looking at me like I was his salvation. “Then what are we waiting for?”

I followed Jax into the cryolab with so many emotions running through me that my head felt like a thunderstorm. Jax had feelings for me—it was in his eyes. The idea was so new to me; I had no idea how to feel about it, and there was no more time to think.

Nurses lowered me into my cryotube and hooked me up. I couldn't see Jax's face, but I knew his tube was next to mine, as promised. I wished I could stick my arm out through the side and hold his hand. Instead, my arms were laid on either side of me. My breathing grew heavy, and the nurse instructed me to count down from ten.

10 What if I have feelings for Jax?

9 Wouldn't it just get in the way of our mission?

8 I wonder what Paradise 15 will look like
.

7 Will Valex and Len forgive me?

6 I hope Pell succeeds in life
.

5 Everything is getting cold
.

4 Will our mission be a success?

3 Would my parents be proud?

2 Will Maxim come after me?

1

The End

Acknowledgments

F
IRSTLY,
I'
D
LIKE
TO
THANK
K
ATE
K
AYNAK
AND
EVERYONE
AT
S
PENCER
H
ILL
P
RESS
FOR
TAKING
ON
SUCH
A
STRANGE
AND
UNIQUE
BOOK
. I have wonderful editors to thank as well: Rich Storrs and Vikki Ciaffone, who found new ways to develop the story to its full potential. I'd like to thank my publicist, Damaris, for supporting me well before this book was even out there. Next comes my agent, Dawn Dowdle, for her patient wisdom. My sister, Brianne, deserves deep thanks for buying all my books on her Kindle even though she's already read them. Next, my parents, Joanne and Andy, for their love and support. My flute teacher and life mentor, Peggy Vagts, for believing in me with both my careers. Lastly, my husband, Chris.