by Neely Dobbs
CHAPTER 9: EARTH
It had been a long and late evening of discussion, but the smell of frying bacon and eggs roused Jason well before the harsh jangle of his alarm could sound. The clatter in the kitchen told him Kyle and Samantha were already up, making breakfast. Kyle was handy at times like this. Used to living alone, as he put it, he’d had to learn to cook or starve.
Jason lay in bed for a moment, pensive. The events of the previous evening seemed muddled and utterly fantastic to him, as though part of a dream. He had also been thrown off balance by Samantha’s surprisingly calm acceptance of the ship’s startling claims. Kyle was less sanguine, but they had tentatively agreed to meet the ship— subject to a final decision in the morning.
Now dawn had broken; it was time to look at the situation in its cold light to see if anything had changed. Jason slipped into his coveralls and boots and entered the kitchen and sat down at the table.
Kyle had deserted his kitchen duties long enough to clear the bed clothes from the sofa. Now he returned, dropped heavily into the chair across from Jason, and asked, “Well, what’s the verdict? Do we call out the National Guard, or do we keep our appointment with the ship?”
No one answered. Samantha delivered eggs and bacon to each plate, and both men immediately dug in. She sat down, took a few bites, then asked, “So... have we developed cold feet?”
Jason and Kyle exchanged glances. Kyle shook his head and said, “I guess not. But I’ll tell you this. If it wasn’t for the bits of truth in that ship’s account, we wouldn’t be askin’. We’d be runnin’ and yellin’ for the troops. We’re all off balance, mostly ‘cause the damn thing knows so much. But how much does it really know? If it’s anywhere near as advanced as it claims, couldn’t it just have spied on us from space?
Samantha smiled. “So, Kyle, you do think the ship came from space?”
He frowned. “Dunno…Wish I did. All I really know is what it wants us to think.”
Samantha nodded and looked to Jason. “Do you believe it’s a space ship?”
“Don’t you?”
She paused only a fraction of a second. “You know, I believe I do.”
“And that we’re part of some desperate space plan straight out of one of Kyle's space travel novels? Do we come from out there…” Jason waved one arm expansively upward, “somewhere... beyond the stars?”
Samantha replied calmly. “There are other questions we need answered first. Let’s hold that question until after we visit the ship, shall we?”
Kyle still looked troubled. “Ain’t that kind’a like lettin’ the wildcat out o’ the bag, jus’ ta see if it’s calmed down? It’s tough gettin’ him back in if ya find out it was a mistake.”
Samantha looked first at Kyle, then to her husband. “Do you think it’s a mistake?”
Jason looked uncomfortable and said, “Well…no.… Not really. But that’s no excuse for me to risk your welfare!” He looked quickly from Samantha to Kyle. “Or yours, either. I should have asked more questions, gotten better answers. Maybe I should go alone.”
Kyle was about to reply when Samantha spoke up. “Jason, my love, we are all adults here. If we had children I wouldn’t even consider it. But we don’t. Besides, it strikes me that the ship already could have taken us against our will if it planned to exert its power. It knew Kyle was nearby, and certainly knew my whereabouts. Yet, it made no attempt to harm or kidnap any of us. And remember, it flew away from Kyle rather than even taking a chance he might get hurt.
She paused a moment for them to consider, then added, "And something else, guys… What exactly did you see when the ship took off?”
Kyle and Jason exchanged a long look. Finally, Kyle said, “Well, Samantha, we all saw it. It was a glowing, rounded object that just shot away.”
“Jason?”
“That’s about what I saw.”
“OK, Jace — but what about its speed?” Samantha prompted.
“It moved unbelievably fast.”
“Yes,” she agreed, “much faster than anything that we’ve ever heard of. Plus, there’s something both of you must have missed. I noticed a faint spear-shaped light pointing in the direction of the ship's flight, and a similar light-spear trailing it. I don’t know what it is or how it works, but does any Earth technology create that?”
Jason shook his head. Samantha, as usual, had been more observant and had plumbed the greater depths of the issue. He and Kyle had egg on their face. Probably, literally. He rubbed his face and smiled tightly. “The central question remains. Do we meet with the ship?”
“Of course!” Samantha confidently exclaimed.
Kyle gaped at her, then examined his nails. “Well, I ain’t about to let you two go runnin’ off on some fool adventure without me there to protect you. Still, I’d be a long sight happier if you’d let me tote along my shotgun.”
Samantha shook her head. “No, Kyle. But in case we do agree to make the journey the ship described, we’d better make other preparations. What about your dogs?”
“After this wonderful breakfast…which is mostly Samantha’s doing,” he gave her a grateful smile, “I’d better go take care of that very item. I can leave my dogs with George Sanders. He’ll be glad to take care of them.”
“Good,” Jason answered. “But come back early. And bring that Remington typewriter you're so fond of.”
“What for, Jace?”
“I think that we should leave a written account. Kind of a summary of what has happened…just in case our trip turns out not to be voluntary.”
Kyle glared back. “You think we might be kidnapped?”
“No, not really,” shrugged Jason. “But in case it works out that way, shouldn’t we leave a warning for the neighbors to find?”
Kyle dryly observed that their written summaries would be like “Last Wills and Testaments made the day before you knew they would be needed.”
Jason and Samantha reluctantly agreed.