by D. Brumbley
Anna held even tighter to Logan’s hand as soon as the beautiful redheaded doctor sat on the other side of him, since she was not going to share her husband with anyone else. Certainly not a busty redheaded doctor. “We’re going to do something about this. They’re going to switch us back.” She said loudly enough to be heard by the people surrounding them, including the pilot that was her ‘match’ and the doctor. “They have to switch us back.”
All the four of them could do in the aftermath of that statement was look back and forth among themselves, each meeting the eyes of the other before looking away. None of them could look at any of the others without mixed feelings of fear and rebellion and resignation. Their worlds had lost the option to be simple.
As the names went on, all four of them turned their eyes away from each other and focused on the platform ahead of them, thoughts spinning in circles that had no readily-available escape, only a prescribed path forward that all of them had somehow chosen and yet none of them were about to walk by choice.
The directors reached the end of the list of names at last, and Director Vance took center stage again to give his closing remarks, his hands folded in front of him and his dark eyes taking in everyone in the crowd at once. “One thing I would encourage all of you to keep in mind today and in the days to come, is that this is a beginning. The roles you have been given may change as we go through the preparation process to leave for Jannah. Our systems have done the best they can, but people can always do better than machines, at most things, at least.
“For tonight, and until we can convene again in a few days with all of our colleagues from the remaining shuttles, I encourage you all to think on this: you have chosen to be a part of a new world. Choose to be fully a part of that world. Some of us here in this room have dedicated our entire lives to the pursuit of Jannah, and it is finally within our reach. It is worth all of us. It is worth all we have, all we can give. Let us make this Initiative the beginning of a new home for our people, a new reason to hope, to dream. Let us be the reason those dreams survive. Keep that at the forefront of your thoughts in all things, and everything else will fall into place.”
He concluded with a smile that took in the entire crowd, and an authoritative nod that put the seal on his words of encouragement. “You are dismissed to quarters. Further meeting and scheduling information will be sent to you by your communicators regarding your individual operations. You are free to explore all of the unrestricted areas of Arm Four, where we currently are and where all the operations of this Initiative are now housed. The Arm is ours alone, so remember that everyone you meet is a part of this Initiative, working alongside you. Treat them accordingly. I wish you all the best, here and across the galaxy, my dear, dear friends.”
The story continues in
The Rebels
Coming March 2020
About the Author
D. Brumbley is a husband/wife duo from Kansas City who spend most of their time in each other’s heads. In suburbia the duo lives in a simple house with a dog and two feisty kiddos. One half of the duo loves football, baseball, libraries, and romance. The other half of the duo likes D&D, Fantasy novels, Marvel Comics, and cheesecake. A country girl and an east coast boy met online, became best friends, fell in love, and somewhere along the way decided that telling stories together would be fun.
Best. Decision. Ever.