Trespassers: a science-fiction novel (39 page)

At the other end of the kitchen, Tobi was in his own version of hell.
Aeosic would be anybody
’
s first choice
, he thought,
especially if you
’
re an amateur.
Had he just destroyed this girl
’
s mind on a gut feeling
—
a feeling with no scientific basis?
If she knew what she was doing, she would have used Protetic
. Was that true? Or was he just trying to convince himself?
It
’
s a flip of a coin either way. Nobody could ever know. Either one is as good a guess as the other.
He looked to the clock on the wall, above Jeremy
’
s head. It showed 5:22, just as it had the last two times he checked it. Time was refusing to move. It was leaving him to languish in his own thoughts.
Dexim had ordered me to use Aeosic
, he suddenly realized.
I didn
’
t have the authority to go against that. What does that mean? If I put her in a coma, it would be all my fault. I could be charged with a crime
—
maybe. Could I? I don
’
t know, but I wasn
’
t trying to hurt anyone. I was trying to help her. I was doing what I thought was right.
Another look at the clock.
How the HELL is it not 5:23, yet!

Outside, Lyntic and Stewart had migrated to a more secluded spot in the yard, just beyond the view of the kitchen windows. Stewart slid his fingers along the back of her arm.

“
Did you find anyone?
”
he asked, as if continuing a conversation from a hundred years ago.

Lyntic wanted to laugh at this, and she would have if it weren
’
t so painful.
“
I tried to forget you,
”
she said, turning to rest her hands on his shoulders, letting them slide down onto his chest.
“
I
’
ve never tried to forget someone so hard in all my life. Every single day I try to forget you. I
’
m exhausted from trying to forget you. I just want to have a moment where I can take a break
—
where I
’
m not pushing you away.
”

Stewart wrapped his arms around her. She melted into his grasp. This was the side he got to see
—
the soft side
—
the side she hid from the rest of the world.

“
You don
’
t have to forget me,
”
he said.
“
I couldn
’
t bear it if you forgot me.
”

He wanted to tell her that he was doing fine
—
that their plan had worked, that he had moved on with his life and never looked back. But that wasn
’
t the truth. He thought back to the day they parted.

It was August 8, and he was packing the last of his things into a backpack
—
ransacking his office for the last few items that he didn
’
t want to leave behind. He was saying good-bye to
Home
, good-bye to the Limestone Deposit Survey Group, and good-bye to Earth. He had a ship and a girl waiting. He and Lyntic had decided to run off together. They didn
’
t care about responsibilities or missions; they just cared about each other. What their plan lacked in forethought, it made up for in passion.

Stewart was sixty seconds away from leaving behind everything he knew, and he had no intention of looking back. Just then, a roadblock stepped through the door
—
a burly fifty-year-old man with a red ring of hair clinging to the sides of his head.

“
What
’
s all this?
”
George asked.

Stewart tried to play it off as a simple case of reorganizing his office, but George wasn
’
t buying it. He closed the door to give them some privacy.

“
This happens,
”
George said.
“
It
’
s not uncommon. You didn
’
t just invent it, you know.
”

“
What happens?
”

“
Falling in love,
”
George said, placing air quotes around the word
love
.

Stewart slid into a seat, realizing that his sixty seconds had just been extended.

“
And I
’
m not saying there
’
s not true love here.
”
George took a seat across from Stewart.
“
I have no doubt your feelings are very real
—
and mutual. But there
’
s more to consider. There
’
s a much broader scheme here. You have to realize who you are and who
she
is. What will this do to her
—
dragging an earthling into her world?
”

Stewart sat quietly, wondering how much longer he would have to wait before walking out the front door.

“
Can you support her?
”
George continued.
“
Are there companies out there looking to hire an earthling who has no experience in any other part of the universe, no references, no education or credentials from anywhere but Earth? As a civilization, we don
’
t even have the wherewithal to get to our own moon
—
and landing a dozen people there fifty years ago doesn
’
t count. We
’
re as primitive as you get by universal standards. You may be a big shot here, but out there you
’
d be lucky to get a job busing tables at a cheap intergalactic restaurant.
”

“
Thanks for the pep talk.
”

“
I know you
’
re thinking,
What
’
s all that have to do with love
. But you know what it has to do with love
—
think about it. Is that what you want for a woman you love? Either she
’
s trapped on Earth where
you
can feel special, or she
’
s lugging around a caveman she has to support.
”

George had gotten Stewart
’
s attention. This was something Stewart hadn
’
t considered, and it was reshaping his vision of the future
—
his future with Lyntic.

“
What will her family think?
”
George said.
“
Did you consider that? And don
’
t tell me that you
’
re tough enough to take it. I know you are. But think about her. Think about the disappointment she
’
s going to face from her family and friends when she brings home a cabana boy from a resort planet.
”

“
So, what
’
s your point?
”
Stewart shrugged.
“
What are you saying?
”

“
I
’
m saying you have to realize what has happened here. It
’
s a hazard of the job. Two great people have crossed paths because of the greatness of their jobs. You deserve to do great things, which you can do on Earth. And she deserves to do great things, which she
can
’
t do
if she
’
s stuck on Earth. It doesn
’
t mean she can
’
t visit you from time to time. You can have your romantic vacations. That works for some people.
”

“
Maybe I
’
m not
some people
,
”
Stewart retorted.

“
Most people aren
’
t,
”
George conceded.
“
But if you
love
her .
.
. if you
love
her .
.
. let her go. Let her find true happiness. Let her find someone she can marry and have a family with.
”

Stewart took a moment to digest this before abruptly shaking his head and rising to his feet.
“
Thanks again.
”
He thought about shaking the man
’
s hand
—
after all he was never going to see him again
—
but after that soliloquy, it just didn
’
t feel right.
“
Good-bye,
”
Stewart said as he walked out.

George didn
’
t bother getting up as he watched Stewart disappear into the hall. But George
’
s words lingered as Stewart walked out the front door of the Limestone Deposit Survey Group for what was to be the last time. He crossed the dusty lot to his vehicle, and George
’
s words began to infect his thinking. As he drove to the landing site, his concept of the future began to change. As he approached Lyntic
—
who was waiting for him at the base of the unseen ship
—
he had tears in his eyes. Lyntic
’
s heart sank as he began to speak.

“
We need to think this through,
”
he said.

“
I don
’
t want to think anything through.
”
Lyntic shook her head, her eyes beginning to water. She drowned him in a hug, hoping to stop his words before they could slice into her. But what she had done was place her ear against his lips, and the whisper that poured from them chilled her bones.

“
What happens if we do this?
”
he said, choking on the words.

Lyntic didn
’
t want to hear it. She just squeezed him tighter.

“
I belong here. And you belong out there,
”
he said.

She squeezed him even tighter.

Now
—
so many years later
—
standing at the edge of Camp Whatever, the feelings were still just as strong. Stewart ran his hand across her back and pulled her into a gentle embrace. Back then, they had decided to part because it was for the best. It had been a mutual decision. It was logical, reasonable, and sound. It was the hardest decision either of them had ever made.

Yes, Stewart wanted to tell her they had made the right decision
—
that his life had never been better. But that wasn
’
t the truth. When she left him behind, Stewart was no good at his job and no use to anyone. He spent three days in a row staring at the sky without a wink of sleep, waiting for her to return
—
hoping she would ignore their decision and come back to him. When sleep finally forced itself upon him, he wasted away in bed for another three days.

George had decided to give Stewart two weeks off to clear his head, but it didn
’
t help. Stewart spent all his days in bed and all his nights staring at the sky. He was on the verge of giving up on life altogether when George finally staged an intervention
—
along with Stewart
’
s partner at the time. It was this partner who pulled Stewart down from the ledge and brought him back to the land of the living. Stewart made a radical change. He sold his house and got a new one
—
outside the optimal cone of entry, with a view of the night sky that faced away from incoming ships. He decided to throw himself back into his work and let go of the past. But he could never truly let go. He just put her out of his mind long enough to get through each day, and when she returned to his thoughts, he convinced himself that she was happy. He told himself that it was his letting her go that allowed her to be happy.

“
I wish there was more time,
”
Lyntic said.