by Dane Bagley
“What?”
“I don’t get it either,” Kenny shook his head. “I guess you’d have to be there. It’s easier for us. We are here, and we know her. Everyone thinks that the video of you and her is a fake. People are rioting in the streets, and chanting, ‘Kill the aliens!’”
“People are so stupid,” Tammy muttered. “And bloodthirsty. So what’s the plan? I’m pretty much done with testing protocols. I thought that we would bring her back to earth, and let the world have a look at her—get to know her.”
“That’s not happening. I don’t think that they have any idea what to do. For now, they are happy for us to keep floating around this rock. At least that seems stable to them. We can’t bring her back to earth; the world is scared to death of her. We can’t take her back to her home right now, because they are scared of all that she now knows. They think that she will be able to share all of our technology, and then the aliens will be on our doorstep the next thing that we know.” Kenny took a sip from his mug, and kept leaning forward over his drink.
Tammy was visibly irritated. She felt that from the moment that she had realized that she was pregnant everything had stopped going her way. Prior to that, she was on top of the world, so to speak; but now it was all crashing in. More than anything she wanted to take, Aspiria, to earth. She wanted to be famous. The video that she had made had only gotten everyone angry at the President, the Space Force, Aspiria, and her people. No one had said anything about her, other than that she was some model for this fake video. I guess that is flattering, she thought.
“What other choice do we have? Could we take her to a space station and study her indefinitely?”
“Maybe; but there is concern, that by us continuing to hold her, we will risk angering the aliens down there.”
“They have no idea about us, or where she is. She is just a missing person as far as they are concerned,” Tammy answered back defensively, as if Kenny were the judge and jury in this case.
“We’ve been in 3D orbit for a long time now. We are not invisible to them down there. On earth, people hardly look up to the heavens anymore, but for a people at this stage of technology, they likely spent a lot of time looking up at the stars. They can’t think that we are a plane—they don’t even have planes.”
“Why didn’t we hide ourselves better?” she responded
“Mike kept telling us that we needed to be more careful, but we really couldn’t study them—observe them—without staying in 3D; and we needed a close enough orbit.”
“So they know that we are here?”
Kenny shrugged. “They could. We haven’t seen anything to indicate that they do, but what would we see? Smoke signals?”
“People, politics…we should just do what is best, and let all the idiots back home get over it.”
“The President wants a second term. He’ll do whatever it takes to get reelected. VP is who got everyone all upset. He leaked that she knew about us—before we got here.”
“How can that man have a security clearance? He couldn’t keep a secret to save his life.”
“The people love him. They say he is the only honest politician in the world. The President is balling him out privately, but publically he needs him now,” said Kenny with a sarcastic grin. He picked up his mug for another sip.
Tammy and Kenny sat in silence for the moment, sipping and contemplating. “It’s interesting, the parallels and intersections between us and them; but I don’t buy that they know anything about us. They have religious beliefs that are similar to Christianity, except that their champion is from another world. I know this is a striking convergence between our species, but it doesn’t prove anything. Before this could mean anything, we would have to accept Christianity as literal, and I think that that is the biggest problem with the theory. Nothing surprises me anymore, but that would really surprise me. It’s more likely to be another coincidence; add it to the list.”
“I take it that you are not a believer,” asked Kenny.
Tammy rolled her eyes, smiled sarcastically and shook her head slowly while bringing her mug up for a drink.
“I’m going to relieve Captain Jenners on deck,” Kenny said after a few more minutes of silence.
“Let him know that I would like to talk with him,” she said as he got up.
“Will do.”
The anger began to build within her. Science has enough challenges, but the prejudices of the people took the cake. Over the centuries, religion and superstitions continually got in the way of scientific knowledge and progress, she thought. It hadn’t occurred to her that the same people she was condemning, were those whom she was seeking fame and fortune from. It was the fact that she was not beloved, that was reason enough for her to condemn their judgment. Beyond this, the sickness that she felt from carrying this fetus within her was so irritating, not to mention the consequences that she could face when the world knew. She told Steve that she would wait a little longer to abort it—to see what would happen after the videos were released. He thought that maybe doors would be opened up, but instead, they were all closing—fast. Even if the pregnancy was terminated, everything else was still going all wrong.
She could hear someone approaching. It was Steve. The glance that they both exchanged showed that they were both in a foul mood. “Can we talk? In private.”
He nodded, and they made their way along the corridor to his room.
“Things aren’t looking good,” said Tammy as the door to his quarters was shut.
“No, things are looking pretty bad. I’m ready to drop the bomb. Somehow, I don’t think that me getting you pregnant will be much of a concern compared to everything else happening on earth. They’ll relieve us, or just have us come back to earth. We can drop off Aspiria, and be back to the station within a week. I’ll bet within a month we will be back on earth. I’m sure that they will want to ‘detox’ us and make sure that we are not spreading alien diseases. We will be getting debriefed during that time as well. I may get let go, but that may happen anyway. The President is looking for people to take the fall. We’re not coming home to a hero’s welcome any way we look at it, so this might actually soften the blow. Besides, Tammy, I just love you. I’m ready to begin our family. I think that it will be better to have you on earth as soon as possible, away from all of this stress.”
“If I wanted this child, I’m sure that what you said would be comforting. At least I know that you are truly brave. But I don’t want this child. I’m not sure if I ever want children. I love you, too, but I’m not sure if I want this; I’m not sure that I want to have a family with you. I don’t know what I will want in the future, but I know that I don’t want this now— even if we could, somehow, ‘get away with it.’ I’m mad as can be about what’s going on back on earth. I really want to bring her back and show her off. But people are so stupid. It just makes me mad. Once they stop acting like fools, I may still get my chance to display her. Maybe we can take her to a space station and wait for the earth to cool down, so I can bring her there.”
“I’m not bringing her anywhere, other than back to her family. She deserves nothing less.”
“I don’t think that that is your call,” Tammy said in a frigid tone
He glared at her, feeling hurt, anger, fatigue, and stressed. He, however, recovered quickly. “I’m sorry; I don’t want to fight with you. We’re both just so exhausted. Please don’t abort our child. I know that everything seems to be going all wrong, but who knows what tomorrow may bring. Please give it some more time.”
He looked at her tenderly, but firmly. She did not look him directly in the eyes. She came close and embraced him. They held each other for a long time, and both took solace in each other’s touch. “I’ve got to go,” she said as she let go. He gave her a soft kiss on the cheek.
“Get some rest,” he said lovingly.
“I will; you too.”
Tammy walked out of
room and into the corridor. Tears began to well up in her eyes. She tried to keep them from falling, but it was no use. She wiped her eyes, and choked back the flood that was ready to heave over its bounds. She quickened her pace, thinking that her resolution, towards her mission, would dissipate the emotions.
As she walked into the lab, she could see Aspiria in her open cell reading or studying on her tablet. She was obviously preoccupied, but looked up and smiled warmly at Tammy. Tammy gave her a quick nod, and continued past the cell towards her medical supplies.
“How are you feeling?” asked Aspiria.
“Not well, I need to take some medicine.”
“Be careful, it may not be good for the child.”
Tammy did not answer, nor acknowledge her. She rummaged through her things, until she found what she was looking for. She took out two pills, and put them in her right hand, closing her fist around them tightly, and then put the bottle back. She walked over to the small refrigerator and took out a bottled water, and held it unopened in her left hand. “I need some rest; I’m going back to my bed. If you need anything, could you call Danny?”
“Sure,” Aspiria responded, “I’m sure sleep will be good for you. You are an amazing woman. I can’t image keeping up the pace that you do, especially being with child. I have learned a lot from you. I’m glad that it is you that is here with me.”
“Thanks, Aspiria, you’re sweet. I’ll see you later.”
She walked out of the lab, and towards her room. This time the tears could not be stopped. She let them fall as she walked, blurring her vision completely. Her head ached as she cried. She entered her room, locked the door, and sat on her bed. She put the pills, and unopened bottled water, on the stand, and then just held her head in her hands. The tears flowed now, along with loud audible sobs. She felt alone, angry, and overwhelmed. Eventually the tears and the sobs subsided, but what she felt inside had not changed. She stared at the light, coming in from under the crack under the door, from the corridor. Her head really ached now, and she began to feel queasy in her stomach. She opened up the water bottle and took a drink. Then she slowly picked up the pills and put one on the back of her tongue. She lifted the bottle, and swallowed it down. Then she followed suit with the second pill. She drank half the bottle and put it down on the stand. She lay down on her bed, with her back towards the door. When she awoke, the pregnancy would be over.
Chapter 40