Principal Ryan bowed to Alice.
“It’s been a pleasure to meet you, Dr Langley. Please forgive our lapse of professionalism this evening. We’ve been away for a long time and my colleagues have gained a habit of arguing. A habit, it would seem, they brought with them to this table. Patrick, please escort Dr Langley to her quarters. We’ll wait for you on the shuttle.”
Hennessey also made his customary bow and Alice supposed she was dismissed as Patrick steered her towards the portal.
“That was a sudden ending, Statesman,” she said as they entered the walkway. He placed the shawl around her shoulders.
“Always is with Principal Ryan,” he chuckled. “Ryan doesn’t allow himself much leisure time. Most passing ships get dinner with Principal Hardy. Refusal isn’t an option and Ryan is the only one who’ll wheedle himself out of it if he can. He never stays for long.”
“Oh, I thought he’d just stopped enjoying himself.”
Patrick stopped to laugh and then placing his hands on her shoulders, turned her towards him. Was this protocol? He was dazzling. Stop it, she told herself. But she still looked up at him.
“Principal Ryan does not enjoy himself,” he told her, looking serious and grinning at the same time. “He never removes himself from his role. If you encounter him again, expect courtesy but not friendship. As for me…” he raised an eyebrow at her, making her smile.
On the short walk back, Patrick regaled her with non-stop chatter about space stations, space travel and Earth. Alice hoped this wouldn’t be the last time she would see him because, like Amelia, he was warm and friendly, but it wasn’t likely they would meet again. He works in space, she thought, more than a little disappointed, and space is a big place.
When they arrived at her quarters, Alice thanked him for his kindness. His easygoing attitude to the proceedings made all the difference, even if he laughed at the roll incident.
“Statesman Patrick...?”
“Dr Langley?” He smiled and inclined his head.
“Thank you for your kindness this evening. I’m sure it’s obvious I’m not comfortable in company.”
“You are most welcome, I hope we meet again,” and this time, instead of bowing, he gave a little salute and walked away, throwing an easy-going and non-protocol smile over his shoulder as he left.
Chapter Sixteen
Alice waited until Patrick was out of sight before activating the portal. Kelly looked up from the registry as Alice entered.
“Well?” she said, giving Alice her full attention. Alice sat on the bed. Somewhere, over the course of the dinner, her terror had subsided, leaving, in its place, only a tiny smidgeon of social anxiety. It felt good; like progress, not a perfect performance, she decided, but getting there, and maybe not the time to tell Kelly about the roll incident.
“Statesman Patrick is very nice. Principal Ryan, civil, doesn’t smile much and I don’t think overly pleased with me being there because, after coffee, he got to his feet and announced it was time to leave! Statesman Hennessey, well, he got friendlier as the evening went on.”
Kelly nodded. “Statesmen Hennessey married a girl from my principality. I was at school with her. He acts a little superior for me, but his wife’s a delight. He’s recalled to Earth because she had a baby while he was away on this assignment.”
“Oh? Statesman Hennessey’s married? Is Patrick married?”
Kelly grinned, Patrick always made an impression. “No, but isn’t he amazing? He served on the Inquisitor when I did my space year. The girls all swooned for him.”
A sudden faraway expression passed over Kelly’s face and she sighed.
“And?” Alice prompted, wondering if something had transpired between the two.
“And nothing.” Kelly shrugged. “The sigh was for my husband. It’s been ages since I saw him last.”
Alice gave her a hug. For the first time, it was Alice doing the comforting. Kelly had become a good friend and Alice didn’t know what she would do without her.
Later, Alice stood in the washer and inspected the panties for blood. There didn’t seem to be much more, and the fibrelettes had contained it well. The panties were unstained, so she disposed of the used fibrelettes, realising she would have to use the panties again and ask Kelly for more in the morning. If this happened again next month, there might be no one to ask. The possibility bothered her. Where on Earth would she get sanitary towels? Did they have supermarkets?
After showering and tucking more fibrelettes into the panties, she returned to her room.
“Would you like a store of panties?” Kelly asked, not realising the immeasurable relief her question provided.
“Yes, please Kelly. I would.”
“Good, I got more while you were out.”
“Thank you, Kelly.”
Panties concerns relieved for now, Alice turned her attention to the viewport and the Significator.
“Kelly, will I be returning to Earth on that ship?”
“I’m not sure, Alice. I expect you’ll find out tomorrow when you have lunch with Dr Grossmith and Principal Hardy.”
“What if I don’t want to go to Earth and I want to stay here with you?”
Kelly shook her head. “Alice, let’s be honest, you no longer need me and though it doesn’t feel like it yet, you’re going home. There’s peace on Earth, and everyone is happy and content.”
“You sound like a Christmas Carol.”
Kelly looked puzzled. “A Christmas Carol?” she laughed. “What’s that?”
“Nothing,” Alice said. “A memory.”
“Alice, you won’t be able to go back to those people you believe you remember. Never. That place, that time, doesn’t exist.”
Alice pointed to her chest. “They exist here, Kelly. Michelle, Steven, my grandchildren. Sometimes…” she knew Kelly didn’t really understand.
“…it’s just sometimes,” she repeated, “I hear myself speaking strangely; it happened again tonight. I say words I don’t understand, talk about things I don’t even know exist and I have no control over what I’m saying. Then, in an instant, I’m myself again and everything becomes vague, by tomorrow morning, I won’t remember any of it.”
She took Kelly’s hands and held them tight. Kelly looked down, surprised at Alice’s strength and the firmness of her grasp. Alice’s lovely green eyes were wide and serious.
“I am, or I used to be Alice Watkins,” she said. “That’s who I remember. When I talk sense, is it Alexis Langley? Is she in here?” Alice let go of Kelly’s hands to tap her fingers hard against her temple. Kelly was reminded of the moment of lucidity she witnessed in the mess months’ ago. She didn’t have answers, only the truth as she understood it.
“You are Alexis Langley. What we don’t know is how, or when, accurate memories will emerge. Many of them might be frightening and strange while others may be comforting and reassuring, or you might experience a sudden clarity where it all makes perfect sense. As to why you adopted the identity of Alice Watkins, I’m at a loss, there could be a million explanations.”
Alice had to accept it because she had no answers either, and once Kelly had gone to her own bed, she stayed awake, staring into the darkness. After a while, her thoughts strayed to the delightful young man she’d met earlier. Then she dismissed them and turned over. She was old enough to be his mother.
During the night, Alice dreamed again of the youth with the snow-white hair. He stood a little distance from the bed and again, she couldn’t stop looking at him, he burned so brightly, and she propped herself up on her elbow to get a better look at his face, a face glowing with gentleness. As her dream vision faded, he bent towards her with a smile. When she woke, despite the memory of him remaining vivid, Alice dismissed it as part of a dream. Another dream. A different dream.
Statesman Patrick arrived back at the shuttle a few minutes after leaving Alice.
“I wonder what Hardy thought he was going to achieve by that?” Hennessey unwittingly expr
essed Principal Ryan’s private thoughts, “and how can someone not know about A’khet?”
Patrick got into his seat, weighing up the rather fragile, but lovely red-head he’d met that evening. “Don’t be too harsh, she was pleasant enough, and it wasn’t so bad. I wonder how old she is? She must be a lot older than she looks.”
“I wondered about that,” Hennessey took his seat beside his colleague. “To be titled doctor, she has to be a science graduate.”
“Well, no-one gets that title until at least 25, then taking into consideration her internship and her time here. She’d be at least 36.”
“She doesn’t look it,” Hennessey said. “We should have asked her.”
Principal Ryan glared at them, impatient to leave. “Personally, I don’t care if she’s 90. I don’t know what Hardy’s playing at but I’m far more interested in releasing these docking clamps and getting out of here before he finds us another babysitting job.”
Chapter Seventeen
“You did what!! Are you out of your mind, Hardy? Sending her to dinner alone—with—those three!” Dr Grossmith was not a happy man. He crossed and uncrossed his legs before getting out of his chair to stalk around the room, only stopping to glare at the Significator through the viewport.
“Calm yourself, Jim.” Principal Hardy soothed. He’d expected his little enterprise to ruffle Grossmith’s feathers, but he didn’t anticipate an explosion. “I planned to go, but instead, I conducted a little experiment—to see how she handled it. We can’t mollycoddle her forever.”
“But it was too elaborate, and without consulting me? I could have predicted the outcome!”
“I knew you would have argued against it. Come and sit down.”
Dr Grossmith, glowering, retook his seat.
“She’s fine,” Hardy said. “I talked with her this morning.”
“Fine? Truthfully? Huh! I doubt it.”
“I told them nothing of her history, Jim, only that she has been here for ten years following a catastrophic brain injury. Ryan and Hennessey engage little in idle conversation, but Patrick is outgoing and friendly, a perfect foil for the other two. I don’t believe she found it too demanding.”
“I met Ryan once or twice, Hennessey, never,” Jim Grossmith complained, “but Abel, Patrick is a playboy, the female crew transferring across to the Significator are all hoping he’ll notice them.”
Principal Hardy might have laughed if his friend wasn’t so stirred up.
“I don’t think Patrick had that effect on Alice. She told me he was a polite and pleasant young man, very well brought up and even remarked on how proud his parents must be. Jim, Alice sees herself as a woman in her sixties. I doubt he or anyone is capable of charming her.”
“But she isn’t a woman in her sixties, Abel, and don’t tell me Patrick wouldn’t have noticed how attractive she is. And he has been away a year!”
“I’m just saying, don’t be too concerned,” Abel Hardy kept his voice level and calm. He understood Grossmith’s feelings of protectiveness, he had those feelings himself towards Alice, but she was leaving the nest and of the two, he was the more willing to let her try her wings. There would be other tests and many of those in conditions where they would have no control. Alice must determine her own path. He just gave her a little practise and encouragement.
“The trip to Earth will only take a few days, Jim. I will advise Principal Ryan about his new passenger and release the last ten years’ reports to him. He can tell his officers as much or as little as he thinks fit. When they get to Earth, she will go to the Tabernacle. She might then choose to tell people her history, if she does, she must deal with the fallout, good or bad. Principal Katya will guide her.”
Dr Grossmith tapped the palms of his hand on his knees and took a deep breath as if these actions might make this easier. He’d watched over her for so long and now, taking her first steps into a new world, it would be unreasonable for him to put up barriers, if he did, he’d be no better than Larry Clere.
“Did the Tabernacle respond to your request to find Alice’s relatives?”
“Yes, but Principal Katya has reserved the right to speak of this to Alice herself. When we see Alice for lunch today, we’ll inform her she and Educator Sebel are to leave on the Significator on its return to Earth.”
“Yes, of course. I assume you sent Principal Katya the supplementary reports documenting Alice’s belief she isn’t Alexis Langley?”
“I did, but I won’t send those to the Significator. It won’t interest Principal Ryan. I’ll give him some background on the subject, just enough to inform, besides, she’ll be spending most of her time with Educator Sebel and if she meets up with Statesman Patrick, the worst that can happen is that she asks him to call her Alice. He knows she has amnesia. I think he’ll be professional, besides, it’s a short trip home.”
Dr Grossmith stood to leave and Principal Hardy placed a friendly hand on his shoulder.
“Don’t worry, Jim,” he said. “This is the beginning for Alice, not the end, and Principal Katya will look out for her.”
“I wish it wasn’t so soon,” Grossmith said, not attempting to keep the sadness from his voice, “or that I could ask for more time.”
“More time for Alice, or more time for you?”
He didn’t answer. Hardy was right, the time had come for her to leave.
“But what will you do, Jim? Now Alice is on her way?” Principal Hardy walked to the portal with him.
“There are more reports to complete, and the transfer of the Sleeping Beauty project to document,” Dr Grossmith said without enthusiasm, “then I’ll retire and go to live with my brother. I’ve taken two extensions to retirement and had no plans beyond seeing her revived. Maybe, I didn’t believe it would ever happen.”
“And now it has, it’s harder than you imagined?”
“She’s like my daughter, Hardy.” Then, bowing, he offered a polite and formal, “Principal Hardy,” before stepping through the portal.
“Daughter?” He had no idea Grossmith felt that way. If so, this would be harder on his old friend than he imagined. He returned to his desk and flicked on the registry, to send a link to the Significator. Now he had to spill the beans to Principal Ryan.
Ryan’s response was immediate.
“Principal Hardy.”
“Principal Ryan.”
“Problem, Hardy? You’re showing a personal channel.”
“No, Ryan, no problem. I wondered how last night went, you know, the dinner?”
“Fine.”
“How did you find your guest?”
“Fine.” Principal Ryan was a master at impassive expression and Hardy well aware of Ryan’s extraordinary endurance for conversations where he offered only monosyllabic replies.
“ ‘Fine’ is all you have to say?”
Ryan opened his hands to express both his bewilderment and disinterest at the line of questioning.
“A secure channel to ask me about a trivial event which I had consigned to history, Hardy? Why?”
“Were you not even a little intrigued why I set you, of all people, such a task?”
“Not in the least. Perhaps you simply don’t like me.”
“I need to tell you who you entertained last night.”
“I know—you told me. Dr Langley. Though none of us knows why you chose us to entertain her.”
“Then I’ll clear that up for you—she is Dr Alexis Langley.”
Principal Ryan leaned back, elbows resting on the arms of the chair, his hands clasped over his chest as if settling in for a discussion.
“Are you going to give me a clue, Hardy?”
“You don’t need a clue, Ryan, you just need to access your memory banks. How many Dr Alexis Langley’s have you heard of?”
“Only one.”
“That one.”
Principal Hardy didn’t expect this revelation to move Ryan but, he hoped, maybe, just maybe, this time, there would be a response. He respected Pri
ncipal Ryan, he was a big man, with a big view of the universe but also, taciturn and aloof with a reputation of being punctilious and conservative as a commander. Principal Hardy once met Ryan’s happy-go-lucky family and had been left to wonder how they could have ever begotten such a solitary son.
He still waited, though, to see if this momentous disclosure would finally break the drought. It didn’t, and for a moment, in the ensuing silence, he wondered if Ryan had heard him because he saw not a flicker, not a hint, to suggest Ryan found the information astounding or astonishing.
“I suggest you read these files,” Hardy stated, yielding to the fact that trying to engage Ryan in further discussion was a pointless exercise, and he might as well say what he had to say and leave it at that.
“I’m also transmitting orders for Dr Langley’s transfer to your care aboard the Significator. I arranged the dinner for her to meet you and your senior officers. She is to travel to Earth with you.”
“Since when do you issue orders on my ship, Hardy?”
“Since today when the Tabernacle transferred temporary control of the Sleeping Beauty Phenomenon from me to you for the duration of the voyage.”
“I hope I’m not expected to entertain her again?”
“I wouldn’t ask such a thing of you personally, Ryan, she might throw herself out the nearest airlock. Give her reasonable access on the ship, the same as any guest, but she shouldn’t wander alone. Educator Sebel, a former patient here will accompany her as teacher and companion. If you have any of your sleep-inducing concerts on the officer’s decks, perhaps you or Patrick might accompany her?”
“Guests are Patrick’s territory, not mine.”
“It’s a comfort to hear you say that, Ryan.”
“The files and orders are through,” Ryan looked down and away from the registry. “We are to deliver your patient to Principal Katya.”
“Correct. Please remember, Dr Langley has suffered substantial memory loss, to the extent she denies the truth of who she is. Except for occasional moments of lucidity, she mostly thinks of herself as an elderly woman from the 21st century.”
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