by Elin Wyn
He spun, eyes wild. “I don’t want to kill him. Before everything, we were friends. Why would he come here? Why would he force my hand like this? When I saw the flare of his ship landing yesterday, I knew he would be a danger. How did he find you so fast?”
* * *
Elissa softened. She stepped towards him and ran her hand up and down his arm. “Hey, it’s going to be okay. We’ll figure out a plan.”
He grabbed her and held her close. “I’m not ready to leave yet,” he murmured into her hair. “This was supposed to be just one last research trip. I didn’t expect…”
In his arms, she tilted her head up to look at him, searching his face. “Didn’t expect what?” she whispered
“Didn’t expect you,” he answered and lowered his lips to hers.
He kissed her like a drowning man searching for air, and she clung to him, wanting more of the feel of his body against hers, her need rising to meet his as her arms twined around his neck. He broke away, dropping tiny kisses across her cheeks. He finally rested his forehead against hers and she panted, eyes closed and knees weak.
“What am I going to do with you?” he whispered almost inaudibly.
Elissa cracked an eye to look at him. His mouth was set, a hard line.
“I’m not exactly just another problem to be solved,’ she answered softly. “I can help, but I don’t think the right thing to do is lock your cousin in a closet without even talking to him. You're a researcher, a scientist. What if he has more information, information you need in order to make a reasonable hypothesis?”
He pushed away, and she knew she’d gone too far.
“I can’t talk to him,” he spat bitterly.
* * *
She threw her hands up in the air. “For heaven sakes, why not?”
“How do I trust anything he says? But now that he’s here, my trip has to end. But I can’t leave knowing that maniac is out there stalking you.”
Elissa rolled her eyes. “I know he says he’s with the government, but honestly crackpots say things like that all the time. And Hasana said he’s getting kicked off the island. He’ll go away, I’ll go back home and he’ll never find me again.”
Even as she said it the words sank like lead bricks in her stomach. Get on with her life. Get on with her life without Krys. But she could do this. She could be decisive.
“You need to do whatever it is you need to do. I am not another problem on your plate.”
Without answering Krys walked over to the laboratory side of the room, his shoulders stiff and body rigid. With a wave he brought up a screen and then quickly scrolled through pages of angular writing that gave Elissa a headache to look at.
“What are you doing?”
“Finding the answer.”
“Really? You have to leave and it’s the most important thing for you to show me that I’m wrong?”
* * *
“The most important thing to me is to make sure that you are safe,” he ground out. “There.” The scrolling stopped at a picture of Brad with more writing to the side.
“What does it say?”
Krys thrust his hand through the image. “It is his government record. He is an actual agent of your government.”
Elissa slumped onto the cot. “Fine, you’re right. But once you’re gone there’s nothing for him to find. If he bothers me again I’ll report it to his superiors. It’s probably better that he’s an actual agent, then he’s responsible to someone.”
Krys ignored her, fingers flying.
“That is not an acceptable solution. I will find a way to deal with him before I take you home.”
Elissa couldn’t believe it. Hunched over his console, hands flying and screens popping and disappearing in and out of existence all around him, his attention was completely focused. Sure, he was angry, and scared for, but this wasn’t the way to solve anything. He’d promised not to shut her out. And he wasn’t listening.
Fine, she would go find someone who would. If he couldn’t tell her what was going on, what happened between himself and his cousin, maybe Staferan could.
She stood in front of the panel to the storage section and raised her hand to it. Would it even work for her?
She put her hand to the panel and it pulsed against her fingers. Silently the door slid open and with a glance behind her at Krys still furiously working, she stepped inside.
The storage room was lit by the same pale glow as the rest of the pod. Staferan had arranged himself in a much more comfortable looking position than how Krys had left him, his back now resting against one of the metal crates and knees bent in front of him.
To her surprise he didn’t seem to be trying to work out of the knots.
He raised an eyebrow at her entrance. “Today is just filled with surprises. Didn’t expect to see you here.”
Elissa perched on a crate opposite him. “Sorry about that. I guess next time you’ll think twice before offering to walk someone over for coffee.”
He shook his head. “Probably not. This does seem how things go sometimes.”
“Knocked unconscious by your cousin and locked into a storage room?”
“Well, maybe that turn was a little unexpected. But you shouldn’t blame him.”
Elissa blinked. “I didn’t think I’d be the person with the grudge here. Aren’t you upset by it?”
He leaned his head back against the crate, eyes searching hers for understanding. “Krys has never dealt particularly well with surprises. My showing up when he had other things on his mind was unexpected. I sent him a message, but he ignored it.” He shrugged. “I’ll give him a while to calm down, and then we’ll talk.” He stuck out his bound hands. “Nice to meet you. I don’t think I caught your name before.”
“I’m Elissa. And you’re Staferan. Krys’ cousin.” She stayed perched, not approaching. “Krys seems to think you and your father had something to do with his father’s death.”
“That’s why I’m here.” Staferan’s shoulders sank. “The results of the investigation came back. They were able to retrieve the logs. The engine shielding failed, and while there are questions about that, my father is cleared.”
“I thought about sending a message, but he hasn’t answered any of my hails since the whole mess began.” He flashed her the brilliant grin from earlier that morning. “I know he’s been involved with his research, and now it looks like he has something, or someone else to keep him occupied.”
Elissa relaxed. “Then one part of Krys’ problem is solved.”
“What else is there?” Staferan asked. “I know he’s out here looking for the lost colony ship, but that’s not exactly a pressing concern. Wherever they went, it was thousands of years ago.”
“No,” Elissa murmured, thinking of Brad, and the trouble he could cause for Krys if the government did find the pod, “no, that’s not the rest of it.”
“Anyhow,” she said idly mind whirring with possibilities. “I should get back.”
Staferan nodded. “Do me a favor? Let him know what I said. We were closer than brothers once. I can’t imagine what he’s going through losing his father. I should be there for him.”
Without answering Elissa slipped out the door. It slid shut behind her silently and she leaned against it. She knew what she wanted to do, and she knew what she should do.
She wanted to go down to wrap her arms around his waist, tell him how much she appreciated his care and worry for her. But there wasn’t going to be an easy solution.
The best thing he could do would be to leave. Go home with his cousin, and forget about her and annoying government agents. She could take care of things herself.
She blew a kiss to his back as he continued looking for whatever solution would make him happy and stepped into the docking section of the pod.
She remembered his brief lesson on their first return to the surface. The pattern his hands had made over the control panel.
She could do this.
She steeled herself to
make the unnerving walk across the water, to the side of the ship. She tapped, right where she'd seen Krys rap on the canopy, and it slid open before her.
Maybe it was a sign.
She struggled to get in - the task much harder to do without strong arms helping her. Elissa pushed the thought away.
First, this. The top slid back to cover her. And then.... this one?
Hesitantly, she slowly guided the sled away from the pod, trusting memory and instinct to move her fingers.
She closed her eyes, remembering how his hands had danced, the comfort she'd felt held against him. She brushed away a tear and switched the next control.
This was the right decision, for both of them.
Chapter 10
Exhausted and emotionally depleted, Elissa opened the canopy of the sled once it docked at the hidden cove. She stumbled out, landing with a splash in the in the water, and the sharp pain in her foot lanced through her haze.
The salt. The bandage must have fallen off. Whatever. The day couldn’t get any worse.
She closed the canopy and dragged herself down the path towards her cottage. As she entered the trees she cast one last look behind her.
The sled lay, waiting. It would be so easy to go back, let it take her back to him.
No. She straightened her spine and started making plans.
First a shower, and then she’d make arrangements to go back to the mainland, tonight if possible. It was time to pick up her life. Time to stop letting other people push her around. Who cared what Alexander thought about her or her research? It was good. She knew it and so did other people. Her presentations had always been praised by leaders in her field from other schools.
If Alexander gave her trouble, fine. She’d go somewhere else to finish her degree. She didn't need him. She didn't need anyone. She choked back the lie as she opened the door to her cottage.
And stopped cold. The room looked as if a giant had picked it up and shaken it like a snow globe. Cushions thrown from the couch, draperies pulled down, all of her clothes scattered and torn across the floor. Eyes wide, Elissa turned slowly, surveying the damage.
The door slowly swung shut behind her, and from its shadow stepped Brad.
“I knew you’d be back.”
Krys looked away from the desk, eyes blurry. “I've arranged for your friend to be transferred to a station in someplace far away and cold. Point Barrow, Alaska does not look like it will be fun for Agent Brad Singer.”
Only silence answered him. “Elissa?” He scanned the room quickly. His jaw tightened. She had been curious about his cousin, and to be honest he hadn't been great company for the last... How long had it been anyway? He shook his head. No matter. He’d take her home, make sure she was safe and then deal with the future.
When he slapped the door open his plan disintegrated.
“Where is she, Staf?” Heart racing, drums beating in his ears. He hauled Staferan off the floor.
Staf stared back at him calmly. “That nice young lady? She’s not here. You know I wouldn't do anything to her.” He took a deep breath as if weighing the impact of his next words. “And you know I wouldn’t have anything to do with the death of your father.”
Krys’ face went hard. “I can’t talk about that right now. I have to find her.” He went through to the docking section, the last unsearched area in the pod.
His eyes widened. The sled was gone - how did she… His shock turned into a trill of pleasure. Fast learner, that one. He called up the sled’s location on his wrist com. Safe, back at Catica Island.
The sensible thing to do would be to recall the sled, take his cousin and himself back up to his ship, and go home to take up his responsibilities.
But he had a responsibility here, and he wasn't going to leave until he knew she made it home safe.
Krys sent the commands for the pod to return at fastest speed and went back to the storage room.
“All right. You've got a few moments. Go ahead and tell me whatever you have to say.”
At the end of Staferan's story, Krys shook his head. “I never wanted to think the accusations were anything, but Mother was so convinced…”
Staf grimaced. “I think she couldn’t handle the idea that it was just random chance. It’s easier when you have someone to blame. If it was just bad luck, or a weak engine housing? There’s nothing to do with your anger.”
Krys looked at him with narrowed eyes. “When did you get so philosophical?”
“Haven’t had you around. Gave me lots of time to think.”
Krys laughed, his heart easier than it had been in weeks. Only one thing remained to trouble him.
“If we’re friends again,” Staf held out his still bound wrists, “would you mind?”
As he unbound his friend, Krys heard the sled returning to dock. “I want to check on Elissa. Then you're right, it's time we went home.”
“Are you sure she’ll want you there? Seemed like her leaving without saying goodbye was pretty clear.”
Krys shook his head, eyes narrowed. “I need to know she’s safe. I don’t like leaving it like this.” Staf crouched behind the seat and Krys sealed the sled, hands fast and jerky. “I’m worried.”
At the sled’s fastest speed they were back to the island in minutes.
The wind slapped Elissa's hair against her face. She huddled in the bottom of the motorboat Brad had dragged her into.
He stood at the wheel, muttering to himself. “I know they're here. I know they're here, I'll find them. Or I’ll make him come for you.”
Brad cast a dark glance back over his shoulder at her. Elissa was pleased to see that his cheek still had the mark of where she had struck him earlier that morning. Despite her best efforts she hadn't been able to get away from him again, trapped in her cottage. At least she’d managed to knock that stupid hat off his head. Seriously, what did he think he was, some sort of frat boy?
He turned back to the wheel. They'd been circling not too far off the coast for what seemed like hours, but probably had been no more than a few minutes.
Surely Adair or one of the other fishermen would notice something about his erratic movements soon, wouldn’t they? Peering over the hull, Elissa realized Brad had moved just far enough up the coast to not be immediately within sight of the pier at Sunset Beach.
* * *
He left the wheel and came back to shake her once again. “Show me where they are. I know you've been there, you've got the trace in you.”
“Trace? What are you even looking for?” she yelled against the wind.
Brad waved what looked like an old supermarket checkout gun in front of her. “There's an inert gas in your bloodstream. I don't know what it is. But he has it, too. But I don't think you're one of them or maybe they've been here longer than I thought.” He stared at her, craning his head like a deranged parrot.
With a snap, Elissa realized what he was raving about. The gas from the sled, the one that made sure that she and Krys didn't get the bends ascending from the pod. That's what had given them away.
But she didn't know how to find the pod, and even if she did she wouldn’t have told this jerk a thing.
“Your device has to be broken, buddy. I have no idea what you're talking about.”
Brad pushed her back down and went back to the cockpit. “I'll find them, there’ll be another trace, another clue.” He pushed further out into the open sea.
In silence, the two jogged up the path from the coast to Elissa’s cottage, Krys thought of all the times he had walked with her, wanting to see her safe at home.
Soon he would be gone and she would carry on with her life. That was as it should be. He never should've gotten involved, never had been tempted to check on her after he rescued her. Never given his heart the opportunity to steal away from him without his even noticing.
As they crested the hill, he frowned. The door to her cottage swung open, but he didn’t hear her inside. As they approached he called out.
“Eli
ssa?” There was no answer.
Casting manners to the wind, he pushed the door the rest of the way open and stepped in uninvited.
Devastation greeted him. He stepped further into the cottage to survey the wreckage. “Someone will pay,” he muttered.
A hand rested on his shoulder. “We will find her,” was Staf’s only reply.
It was good to have him at his side again, Krys realized.
He looked around the room for any clues as to what happened. Behind an overturned chair a slash of blue caught his eye. He pulled it out. It was an ugly hat with the silhouette of a reclining woman on it. He knew who the owner was.
“Agent Singer. He has her.”
They raced out of the cottage but then he stopped, frantically thinking. Where to start looking?
Suddenly Staferan pointed straight out off the coast. “Over there.”
A small motorboat traced irregular patterns through the waves, scribbling messages of gibberish with its wake.
“He’s waiting for us,” Krys spat. He judged the distance. They could make it swimming in just a few minutes, but what was Brad doing to her in the meantime?
She must be terrified. He had to get to her sooner.
He raised his cuff and began typing out commands, instructions he had entered long ago, almost as a promise in the dark, a hope that one day he’d be able to send them.
“Calling the sled is a good idea,” Staferan said. “We’ll meet it halfway.”
“I will in a minute,” Krys answered, not looking up.
“Then, what are you doing?”
“Calling the d’thrai,” Krys muttered. “Don't distract me, I’ve never given one commands before.”
He was vaguely aware of Staferan standing silent next to him, staring, mouth agape while he finished the intricate task. Now he could only hope.
He called the sled to head on an intercept course between the cliff and the boat, then turned to his cousin.