Trespassers: a science-fiction novel (38 page)

Sara and Jeremy stood from the table and made their way out the back door. They never actually said the words, but everyone knew they needed a private moment
—
at least as private as they could get with the teams gathering at the windows to watch.

“
I just wanted to take you to lunch,
”
Jeremy said.
“
Then you chased me away with all this crazy talk about losing your memory. But I couldn
’
t stay away.
”

Sara wiped a tear from Jeremy
’
s cheek, then laughed at what she was about to say.
“
I didn
’
t have a life
—
I literally didn
’
t have a life, and no memory of it. Then when I saw you
—
the very first time I saw you
—
it was like I was waiting for you .
.
. not somebody
like
you, but
exactly
you. It
’
s like I
’
ve always been waiting for you.
”

“
Isn
’
t it a little soon for them to be getting so emotional?
”
Dexim huffed.
“
They knew each other what . . . two days?
”

“
It happens,
”
Lyntic said. This was the last voice Dexim expected to hear coming to their defense, and he didn
’
t want to think about what must have happened in her past to inspire such sympathy.

“
I sure hope you remember me,
”
Jeremy joked, making Sara laugh.

“
Write me a letter,
”
she said.
“
If I don
’
t remember, write me a letter. Tell me what I did
—
what we did. Tell me who I was for these eight months
—
for these two days. You know this version of me better than anyone else. Tell me about us.
”
Her breath fluttered.
“
If I lose these memories, give them back to me.
”

She wrapped him in a hug and squeezed as hard as she could
—
as hard as she wanted to be squeezed.

“
What are the chances she
’
ll remember him?
”
Mindy asked with a sniffle.
“
There
’
s a chance right?
”

There was only silence.

“
Right?
”

“
It was a good idea for them to say good-bye,
”
Tobi finally said.
“
It
’
ll make it easier on him.
”

Their embrace lingered in the kitchen window as Dexim checked his watch.
“
Give them five minutes,
”
Dexim said.
“
Then bring them back in and let
’
s get moving.
”
He walked through the house to the front door and checked the perimeter. Their transport ship was due in two hours, and he hoped they had that long. The horizon was calm and quiet, but that could change quickly.

Five minutes later, Sara was back at the kitchen table with Jeremy by her side and earpieces in her ears. The throbbing rhythm had begun, and the kitchen was fading. The onlookers standing along the cabinets seemed to shrink into the distance, until all she could see was her own hand in Jeremy
’
s grip. That too faded.

Below his confident facade, Tobi was questioning everything.
Aeosic makes sense
, he thought.
If we play the numbers, it
’
s four times as likely as Protetic.
Still though, he wasn
’
t convinced.
What if she was in a hurry at the time? Then she would definitely use Aeosic.
He felt better.
Aeosic is definitely the choice for a long-term block like eight months. But she didn
’
t know she was going to be out for eight months. She thought it was only going to be a few days. If I was going to do it, I would use Aeosic .
.
. wouldn
’
t I? Would I? I don
’
t know. Aeosic would have been quicker, but if you wanted to fall asleep faster, you would use Protetic. It has much lower stimulation levels. If she knew she had to do it quickly, she would have used Aeosic, but if she thought about needing to get to sleep sooner she would have used
—

Tobi suddenly tapped the screen and switched over to Protetic. It was pure instinct, and he hoped he hadn
’
t just doomed her. He wasn
’
t even sure he had the authority to make that decision, but he had to go with his gut.

He checked her breathing, pulse, and eye movement. They were perfect, but this was no indication that he had made the right choice. He would have to wait until she awoke to find that out, just like everyone else.

“
Sara,
”
he said into the handheld device, which was transmitting to her earpieces,
“
Focus on my voice. We
’
re going to start now.
”

Within ten minutes, it was all over. Sara was resting on the sofa in the living room, where Jeremy had carried her. Tobi explained that she would be unconscious until the process took effect, which was usually forty minutes to an hour. When the process was complete, she would awake on her own. Before then, there was no way to rouse her.

“
She looks peaceful,
”
Web said.

Jeremy knew that peace. He had felt it before. As he knelt beside the sofa, still holding her hand, he thought back to the deck on the roof and how he had awoken in the middle of the night to feel her head on his chest, fast asleep, her warm breath on his skin.

As Sara slept on the sofa, Web opened his laptop and checked the main computer at
Home
, looking for any signs of the Limestone Group closing in on them. Stewart instructed Lambert to walk the perimeter, and Jin volunteered to go with him. In the kitchen, Tobi pulled the refrigerator open and poked around for a snack.

As Mindy gazed out the window in the living room, Dexim leaned against the wall next to her and looked her over.

“
How new are you?
”
he asked.

“
Second day,
”
Mindy replied.
“
Is it that obvious?
”

“
No, you seem to be fitting in.
”

Mindy smiled.

“
How long have you known Stewart?
”
Dexim asked.

“
I met him two days ago.
”

Dexim nodded, but seemed disappointed.
“
And what do you think of him?
”

Mindy couldn
’
t answer honestly, or she would expose her schoolgirl crush.
“
He seems .
.
. confident.
”

“
He
’
s a bit of a charmer, isn
’
t he?
”

Mindy recoiled for fear that she had been found out.
“
No, I don
’
t
—
I don
’
t know. Is he? I hadn
’
t noticed.
”

“
What does he say about Lyntic?
”
Dexim asked, gazing toward the kitchen.

“
Oh.
”
Mindy suddenly understood.
“
I don
’
t
—
he doesn
’
t really. .
.
. He said they used to work together .
.
. a long time ago.
”

Dexim nodded.

“
What about her?
”
Mindy asked.
“
Is she .
.
.
interested
in him?
”

Dexim
’
s eyes landed on Mindy, and for a brief moment he looked as though he were going to attack.
“
Like you said .
.
. it was a long time ago.
”

Mindy nodded.

“
He
’
s not right for her,
”
Dexim declared.

“
No, certainly not. And
she
’
s
not right for
him
—
at all.
”

In the backyard, just outside the kitchen door, Lyntic was gazing off into the woods when she felt a familiar presence behind her.

“
What are the chances she
’
ll make it out of this?
”
Stewart said as he arrived at her back, his nose touching her hair
—
as if he had a right to be there.

“
What are the chances any of us will make it out of this?
”
she said, as she leaned back into him. She could feel him inhaling her, and it gave her goose bumps. They both closed their eyes and saw the exact same image: a flower
—
two flowers to be exact .
.
. two ranunculus flowers.

They could remember it as if it were happening all over again. It was so many years ago when they were two lovers who found themselves strolling silently through the woods, taking turns playing hard to get, sharing dangerous looks of passion. It was a break from their intense love-making sessions. It was a moment to take in the air, explore their surroundings, and enjoy each other
’
s company. It was a sacred moment away from the pressures of the waiting world. It was pure bliss .
.
. and two flowers were about to ruin it all.

The flowers seemed harmless enough, growing in the middle of a footpath just beside a flowing stream. Stewart plucked one from the ground and offered it to Lyntic. Instead of taking it, Lyntic pulled the other flower from the ground and headed off the path toward the stream
—
her way of playing hard to get. Stewart took up the chase, and when he saw her sandal-clad feet breaking the brisk current of the water, he kicked off his shoes to follow. In the knee-deep water in the middle of the stream, she turned to wait. As he arrived, he extended his flower to her. She extended her flower to him in the same way. With a sudden frightening shock, they realized this wasn
’
t about flowers anymore. How a couple of plants in the forest had transformed into a monumental turning point in their lives, they did not know. But you can
’
t pick moments like this. You just have to hope they arrive on their own .
.
. and hope you can respond the way the universe expects.

They stepped into each other
’
s arms and fell into a kiss that meant more than any they had shared before. The two flowers dropped into the water, and the current quickly swept them out of sight. Perhaps they were reunited downstream with their petals intertwined.

Jeremy sat down at the kitchen table with pen and paper. How do you tell someone what they meant to you if they don
’
t remember you at all?

Dear Sara,
he began.
If you are reading this, it means you don
’
t know me.
A tear fell onto the page and blurred a few letters. He wiped his eyes and continued.
But you used to know me.
The feel of writing an actual letter was unfamiliar in this era of text messages, e-mails, and tweets. But the ink on the paper had a warmth that couldn
’
t be found in keyboards. It allowed his emotions to flow.
You used to know me very well. For two short days you knew me, and I knew you. You
’
ll have to take my word for it. In those two days, all we wanted was each other. Maybe I should just speak for myself, but you have a right to know how you felt. So, I will tell you everything I remember, all that I saw and experienced. If you
’
ve lost your memory, that means you
’
ve lost eight months of it. I can only tell you in detail about the last two days, so I
’
ll start from the beginning. I first met you in Nathan
’
s Hardware, where you worked. As far as I could tell, we were instantly drawn to each other. I know that
’
s how it was for me.